Notices: Electrical Submetering Rights
Our building has
electrical submetering: we pay Stellar Management directly for electricity –
including a monthly administrative fee. This January, Stellar sent each tenant
a notice of our rights if there is a dispute about our submetering bill. If you are a senior (62 or older) or
disabled, or require electrical medical equipment in your home, you can protect
yourself against Stellar shutting off the electricity in case of a dispute
about billing. Fill out the form, make a
copy for yourself, and send the original by certified mail, return receipt
requested, to Stellar’s office. If you
do not fit into any of the protected categories, just keep the notice.
Nick Prigo, Chair of Community Board 7’s Housing Committee,
District Leader for the 69/B Assembly District, and a regular trainer for the
32BJ union’s Training Fund on green buildings, spoke to a full Community Room
about what’s going on in our district.
Nick pointed out that while most tenants think of our apartments as
homes and parts of a community,
landlords view our apartments as profit-making commodities. That leads to a disconnect: We need vacancy deregulation repealed so we
can continue to have affordable apartments for the next generation, but
landlords don’t want any rent regulation.
Nick spoke of Illegal hotels
(such as many AirBnB
rentals), a big issue in the Community
If you notice LOTS of people
coming in and out of an apartment on your floor – and no regular tenant living
there, please let us know.
Nick also talked a
bit about 421-a – a tax break that is supposed to foster the construction of
affordable housing, but instead gives our tax money to millionaires to build
luxury developments – with only a handful of affordable apartments to show for
it. The City has lost about $1.1 billion a year, and tax money has recently
gone to billionaire developers. (The Daily News says, “The feds are now probing how One57, an
ultra-luxe Midtown building where the penthouse sold for $100 million, scored a
tax break for $35 million.”)
The Community Board’s “land
use” committee deals with construction and development, so you can contact them
for information on the status of the conversion of the church on Central Park
West between 96th and 97th Street to condos, and on the
proposal to tear down 3 small buildings on West 96th Street next to
the church and build a tall apartment tower.
$$ We encourage all tenants
to join the Tenant Association ($10/apartment each year) and to contribute
toward our legal funds as we try to make and keep this building affordable and
a great community. Contact your floor captain or treasurer Joan Browne to donate.
Got questions or
suggestions? Let us know!
The Executive Committee
-
Sue Susman,
president, sue AT janak d o t org
-
Na’ava Ades, vice
president, naavaa
(at) gmail (dot) com
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Joan Browne,
treasurer, jbbrownefaison[ AT] att (dot )net
-
Denis Hayward,
vice president, hayden {@} nyc{dot}rr{
dot}com
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Steve Koulish, eskoolman
AT yahoo D
O T com
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Ray Von Dohren, vondohren [@ ] Comcast[ d
o t]net
