Trick or Treat for the Tenants' Association - Oct. 21, 2017

TRICK OR TREAT 

for the TENANTS’ ASSOCIATION

SAT. Oct. 21, 2017

12:00-5:00  PM

in the lobby

Been meaning to contribute?

Come to the lobby table, leave a check, pick up some information and take some candy.

FUNDS, UNITY & SWEETS!

A NORC?

(Naturally Occurring Retirement Community)

The next step in seeing whether we qualify:

Are you over 60 and meet the income cap:

1 person household:  Income is no more than $90,180 per year.*

2-person household: Income is no more than $103,140 per year.*

3-person household: Income is no more than $115,965 per year.*

4-person household: Income is no more than $128,790 per year.*

* gross annual income taken from your federal 1040.

Seniors: please email sue /at/  janak /dot/ org to say that you meet or don't meet the cap.

The NORC grant would be through Goddard Riverside, and would - if it happens - provide activities and services for all the seniors in the building, whether or not they meet the income limit.

Summary of the General Tenants Meeting - Sept. 12 2017

This summary integrates what happened at the General Tenants Meeting with a meeting on Sept. 13th with building manager Niti Jakupaj and the tenant association's executive committee.

NYC DEPT. of BUILDINGS SPEAKER

Despite it being election day, a good tenant turnout greeted Yegal Shamash, Assistant Commissioner for Investigative Engineering Services at the NYC Department of Buildings (DoB), and Ophelia Phipps, the DoB's Liaison for Intergovernmental and Community Affairs.

Mr. Shamash explained that of the million buildings in NYC,  his department only regulates 14,000 (those over 6 stories). Lower buildings were omitted primarily for political reasons - when politicians didn't want to anger smaller building owners. Of those 14,000,  many were built like ours, in the 1960's. 

This building has "cavity" walls: an outer layer ("façade") of brick tied to an inner layer - probably of cinder block.  The ties connecting the two walls are metal rods, but builders have been known to have skimped on the number of ties when buildings like this one went up. (We have no specific information on the ties for this one.)

What's that scaffolding? Learn about the work and the cost to us

TONIGHT - TUESDAY SEPT. 12 at 8 PM in the Community Room

Come hear NYC Department of Buildings representatives talk about the scaffolding and what work the landlord is supposed to be doing.  We'll also talk about the cost to us - and how to fight the coming MCI for this work. 

It's our General Tenants Meeting.  All tenants are welcome, and we'll have refreshments.   If you haven't contributed to our legal fund this year, that will be a perfect time to do it!  And don't forget to vote in the primary! Our polling place: P.S. 163 on 97th St. between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues, between 6 AM and 9 PM. 

Stellar to put cameras in hallways and stairwells

zStellar Management is installing cameras in our building’s hallways and stairwells.

Since these are PUBLIC areas of the building, Stellar is legally permitted to do this.  

If you believe that a specific camera can catch what is happening INSIDE your apartment, let our Executive Committee know immediately so we can get it moved.

Landlords typically install cameras to catch tenants who

• rent out their apartments illegally, for example on AirBnB (not just having roommates, which is legal) or
• are not home much and really live elsewhere, or
• smoke or otherwise act inappropriately in the hallways and stairwells.

If Stellar contacts you claiming you really live elsewhere, please let us know.

Summertime, and the livin' . . . .

Enjoy some of our neighborhood's wonderful resources over the summer. Check here for the calendars of Central Park, Riverside Park,  the Bloomingdale Public Library, the West Side Community Garden on 89th St.,  the West Side Rag, Columbus-Amsterdam Business Improvement District (BID), the NY Classical Theater (free movable theater near us in Central Park), Lincoln Center's Midnight Swing,  Bloomingdale Aging In Place (you have to be a member of this all-volunteer group to participate), and Goddard Riverside Community Center, and enjoy the outdoor Lasker Pool at the north end of Central Park. Those under 18 can get free breakfast and lunch at Lasker and at several other locations in our neighborhood. 

The tenant association doesn't meet over the summer, but its executive committee does.  So if you've got an issue, let us know!

Farewell to Jose Rosado - our long-time handyman

At a June 27, 2017 party organized by Maxine, Lydia, Cyn, and Bea,  tenants said farewell to Jose Rosado, the handyman who helped tenants over more than three decades.  Jose succeeded to his father's position - so one might say he practically grew up in this building.    Modesto Santiago (known to some as "Ito") has replaced Jose as handyman.

Click here for some photos.