Summary of the Nov. 13, 2024 Tenant Meeting

We began with a moment of silence for our neighbor Mae Eversley, who died last week at home at the age of 96.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Temperature Regulating Valves: You can call the number on the flyer to set an appointment to get yours installed.  The workers will be here through Friday.
• The compactor chutes are being cleaned Thursday and Friday of this week from 9-5, so hold onto your trash.  (Food trash, of course, goes into the compactor bins on the ground floor.)
• Drought:  brush fires are spreading in our parks because of dry conditions and high winds.  Take shorter showers, and don't leave the water running for tooth-brushing and other cleaning activities. 

IN THE NEWS: The US Supreme Court ruled against hearing the appeals in two pending cases brought by landlords challenging the NY State rent laws. 

TENANT ASSOCIATION ELECTIONS will be held at our

JANUARY 2025 meeting. If you live here and are interested in running for 

• president
• vice president (a few of these)
• treasurer
• secretary
• at-large board member

send a 1-paragraph bio and a photo to cpgtenassoc@gmail.com.  You will appear on the ballot. 

INCORPORATED: To protect the members of the board - including the executive committee - our tenant association is now incorporated:  Central Park Gardens Tenants' Association, Inc. 

Sad News: Mae Eversley has died

 

The Central Park Gardens Tenants’ Association mourns the loss of our friend and neighbor

MAE EVERSLEY

 

Mae Eversley, an original tenant in this building, passed away in her sleep at home on Nov. 7, 2024 at the age of 96.  

Mae Eversley was born in New York, but graduated from St. Augustine’s University, a historically Black college in Raleigh, N.C.  She taught French in NYC schools, and then became a social services caseworker for NYC, visiting endangered children to place them in safer living conditions. She met her husband Randolph on the job, and worked her way up to supervisor of caseworkers.   

Ms. Eversley was a master crocheter, a lover of opera, classic music, the ballet, and the arts in general.  She also volunteered at The Riverside Church and St. Thomas Episcopal Church and collected goods for impoverished children.   She loved to read history and other nonfiction, but also appreciated the Bible not only for its teachings but also as literature. 

 

We offer our condolences to her daughter Melanie, who moved up to NYC several years ago to take care of her mother in her last decade, and to Mae’s extended family.

 

Information on the services will be announced shortly.

Wed. Nov. 13 tenant meeting - Keeping our Community, Tenant Elections, & more

Since Stellar Management cancelled at the last minute, and life has changed, so has our tenant association meeting. 

Tracy Jackson Mallin, a neighbor who works in local politics and has a background in social work, will facilitate 

a DISCUSSION to 

BUILD COMMUNITY 

AFTER AN INTENSE ELECTION SEASON

Image source: Creazilla commons,wikimedia.org

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2024 at 8 PM 

in the 

COMMUNITY ROOM

Let's come together for a conversation, with coffee & cake (tea, soda, fruit too!).

ALSO: Tenant association elections are coming in January. 

We have an Executive Committee

• president
• vice president (a few)
• secretary
• treasurer

all of whom serve on the Board with another 12 or so people to make up a total of 18.

All Board members and the Executive Committee are expected to come to the tenant meetings and board meetings which alternate from September through June.  Executive Committee members have additional monthly meetings. 

If interested, prepare a one-paragraph bio and photo of yourself.  More instructions at the meeting. 

Happy Halloween!

Decorate your door if you'd like trick-or-treaters to come today!

Tenant Meeting - Wed., Nov. 13, 2024: ASK STELLAR - not this time.

At our 

TENANT MEETING 

WED., NOV. 13, 2024 at 8 PM 

in the Community Room

STELLAR REPS CANCELLED.  

ASK STELLAR MANAGEMENT

Smajlje Srdanovic, building owner/property mgr.

and Niti Jakupaj, building manager

how they are dealing with 

mice, rats and other vermin,

with the temperature in some of our apartments, 

and other building issues. 

Refreshments, of course!

ALL TENANTS WELCOME!

Elections 2024

October 26

• First day of early voting
• Last day to register to vote in person at the early voting site

November 3

• Last day of early voting

November 5

• Election Day
• Early vote by mail and absentee ballots must be postmarked by this date

Registering to Vote

The last day New Yorkers can register to vote before the 2024 General Election is October 26.

Eligible New Yorkers can register to vote online, in person, or by mail.

Check your registration and register to vote

Early Voting 

New Yorkers can vote early in-person from October 26 to November 3. 

If you’re voting early by mail, you have options for returning your ballot. Click here to learn more about requesting and returning your early vote by mail ballot. 

Find your early voting site

Request your early vote by mail ballot

If you registered to vote on or close to the October 26 deadline and plan to vote in person, your registration may not be updated in the voter rolls by the time you get to your polling station. No matter what, you can always request an affidavit ballot at the poll site and vote — even if a poll worker can't find your voter registration. Once your registration is confirmed, your vote will be counted!

Voting on Election Day 

Election Day is November 5 and polls are open statewide from 6:00am to 9:00pm. 

Find your polling place

If you have questions about voting, the best place to find accurate information is the State Board of Elections or your local board of elections.

Get out and vote, New York! 

Halloween Table this Saturday (10/26) - noon to 6 PM, and VOTE!

TRICK or TREAT for

the Tenants’ Association:

Photo by Martin Doege, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pumpkins.jpg

ð  SATURDAY, OCT. 26  !!!

Noon - 6 PM in the lobby

 Been meaning to contribute? Come to the lobby table, leave a check, take some candy and pick up tenant information.

 Funds, Unity & Sweets! 

 & come vote with Sue at 2 pm.

Baseless notices from Stellar?

Tell the tenant association leadership right away if  you have gotten a notice from Stellar Management or its lawyers in the past few weeks. These notice say that either 

• you haven't renewed your lease when you actually have (they now say it was a computer glitch), or
• the tenants owe money for their electric bills.

IF YOU GET A CIVIL COURT NOTICE, YOU HAVE TO ANSWER IN COURT.  It's not enough to get Stellar to say, "no, it's ok, we see you have actually paid your bill."  Tenants have no right to counsel in Civil Court.  (It's different from Housing Court.)  

Shred Day: Thursday, Oct. 10 behind Park West Village (west of Columbus)

Have any sensitive documents that you don’t need anymore? Please join Senator Hoylman-Sigal, Councilmember Brewer, and Councilmember Abreu, for a free shred day with the Department of Sanitation. The event will take place on Thursday, October 10th, 9 am - 12 pm, at Park West Village (97th St. between Amsterdam Avenue and Columbus Avenue). There may be limitations depending on turnout, so first-come, first-served. For questions, please contact Senator Hoylman-Sigal's office at 212-633-4390 or hoylman@nysenate.gov.

Summary of the 9/18/2024 Tenant Meeting

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Register to vote on or before October 26, 2024 to vote in this year's November election.  You can also check whether you are registered to vote here.   

You can also go to the Voter Registration event on Saturday, October 5 from 11 AM to 3 PM at our neighboring Tower West (65 West 96th Street).  You can 

• register to vote
• update your voter record
• check your voter status
• request a vote-by-mail ballot
• find election information
• get your questions answered
• receive a free backpack (thanks to Council Member Shaun Abreu).

• We had our first (in a very long while) Flea Market on Saturday in the Community Room.  It was so successful we may do another one.  Thanks to Krystina Orellano for the sterling organization and flyers. 

• Fall activities are back:  Games afternoons, Thursday at 2 PM and ShapeUp NYC on Tuesdays at 6 PM, both in the Community Room. 

• Renew your membership in our tenant association - or join us for the first time - at the remarkable price of $10 per year per apartment. You can also contribute to our legal fund ($100 - or as much as you can afford).  Put a check under the door of our treasurer, Barbara Geller, in Apartment 11T.  

IN THE BUILDING:

TRVs (temperature regulating valves) - these are being put in all our radiators in compliance with Local Law 97. 

Tenant meeting TONIGHT (Wed., 9/18) at 8 PM

This is YOUR opportunity to tell our state senator and our next Assembly member what we need. 

We'll also talk about building issues, including the new radiator valves. 

JOIN US!

A touching farewell to Modesto ("Ito") Santiago, long-time handyman

Modesto "Ito" Santiago is retiring on 8/30/2024 after 35 years working in this building - first as a porter and then as a handyman.  Many of us know him because of his kindness and willingness to help. 

So a lot of tenants turned out (not all at the same time) to wish him a wonderful retirement. We've grown older together!

Thanks to Rosa Delgado, the party's main organizer and food provider, Elsa Gonzalez who provided luscious cupcakes on a "Happy Retirement" stand

and Wilfredo Chau for the soda. 

And thanks to Ito for 35 years of friendly, always-there-when-you-need-him service.

You can see all the photos here. 

Tenant Meeting on Sept. 18!

News for Rent-Stabilized and Market-Rate Tenants

Goings-on in the building

There are lots of ways to keep fit and make friends in the building!

·      Tuesdays at 6 PM in the Community Room, join ShapeUp NYC with our own Jodi Brockington, an experienced fitness trainer.   It’s sponsored by the NYC Parks Department. 

·      Wednesdays at 10 AM in the Community Room, do some Tai Ji with seasoned 
trainer Sol Magzamen, who lives down the street.

·      Thursdays at 2 PM in the Community Room, join the Games Group for Trivia, bingo, and other activities.

·      Gardening around the building.  Contact Barbara Geller, barbarageller39@gmail.com.

Join our email list by emailing sue.susman@gmail.com. Your email won’t show to anyone else. You can ask questions and stay in the know!

News for rent-stabilized tenants

The Rent Guidelines Board ordered increases of

·      2.75% for a 1-year lease renewal and

·      5.25% for a 2-year lease renewal

for any lease renewals going into effect from October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025.  This puts Stellar ahead of the game, since landlords have been getting an increasing return on their investment since 1990.

News for market-rate (unregulated) tenants

Under the Good Cause Eviction law passed in June, Stellar must offer you a renewal lease unless you violated the old lease and

·      as long as your apartment is not part of your employment, and

·      if your current rent Is below $6,005 for 1 BR, $6,742 for a 2 BR, $8,413 for a 3 BR, or $9,065 for a 4 BR apartment.

The rent increase can’t exceed the lower of the Consumer Price Index + 5% (this year it comes to 8.82%) or 10%.  

This bill is a watered-down version of what tenants have been working for, so the law could improve with more tenant action in the coming year or two.

We had a great Pot Luck in May, and our next meeting will be Sept. 18, 2024.

JOIN US!

Beat the Heat in our Community Room!

Beat the Heat!

Source unknown. We'll happily give credit if you give name.

COOL OFF in our air conditioned 

COMMUNITY ROOM

(Staff lunch there from 12 to 1 every day).

Join our activities there too:

• Tuesdays at 6 PM: ShapeUp NYC with Jodi Brockington
• Wednesdays at 10 AM: Tai ji with Sol Magzamen
• Thursdays at 2 PM: Games (trivia, bingo, board games and more!)

The Pot Luck Party was a Blast!

Thanks to the Pot Luck Planners, 

   Debbie Gonzalez,

     Lydia Pitsirilos, and

        Maxine Soares

and to everyone who contributed food or work or money. 

We had ....

Bobby Moorhead's music,

great food from dozens of tenants,  

                                lots of dancing 

and fun and laughter - and even a kids' table. 

Check out some more great photos thanks to Chariss Boisseau, Debbie Gonzalez, Zena Gonzalez, and Laura Koulish.  If you took some snapshots, send them along for the album!

Tish, Janis, Chariss in foreground, 
lots of tenants outside behind them
(photo by Namita Prasad)

And thanks to our State Senator, Brad Hoylman-Sigal who joined us!

 

Join us TONIGHT for the Pot Luck Party - Sat., June 1st!

You're invited 

TONIGHT -  Saturday

6-9 PM in the Community Room

Creative Commons license, Wannapik

Food, Music & Fun! 

 with DJ Bobby Moorhead, 

     lots of neighbors,  

                     food, 

                    dancing, 

       our state senator, Brad Hoylman-Sigal

             

            and more!

Come for free if on SCRIE or DRIE or 

• bring food for 8 people OR
• volunteer to help out (check the link).

All tenants are welcome. 

Join us! 

Pot Luck Party - Saturday, June 1st!

FREE if you bring a dish for 8 people or volunteer to welcome, put out food, or clean up!

Fill out the flyer saying what you'll bring!

NYS Assembly Candidate Presentations - Thurs., May 2 at 7 PM

The Central Park Gardens Tenants' Association, the Park West Village Tenants' Association, and other neighborhood tenant associations are presenting a Zoom 

NYS ASSEMBLY CANDIDATES PRESENTATIONS

 THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024,   7-9 PM

on Zoom (computer or phone)*

 

Hear them speak and ask your questions.

 

Candidates (in alphabetical order) :

Micah Lasher 

Eli Northrup 

Carmen Quiñones 

Melissa Rosenberg  

Join in to learn about the candidates to replace Assembly Member Danny O'Donnell who is retiring in June. 

PRIMARY ELECTION:  JUNE 25, 2024

Sad News: Mary Martin has died

The Central Park Gardens Tenants' Association 

mourns the loss of our neighbor

MARY MARTIN

who died on April 16, 2024, over 90 years of age.

Mary was an active member of our tenant association and building for most of her adult life. She made it her business to keep her finger on the pulse of our community and share what she learned.  Despite being extremely hard of hearing, Mary interacted with many neighbors - often from her wheelchair in her later years. 

Unfortunately, she left no information about any family, so if you have any - please contact Sue.

Summary of March 13, 2024 "Good to Know!" Tenant Meeting

We began with a moment of silence for Lueader Booker a long-time tenant who died on February 18th. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1. Join our ShapeUp NYC free class on Tuesdays at 6 PM in the Community Room.  All tenants welcome. 
2. Get your recipe ready for our annual Pot Luck on Saturday, June 1, 2024.

And it's Good to Know . . . 

I. COMPOSTING - Why? How? 

What to Compost

The City will pick up ALL leaf and yard waste, food scraps, and food-soiled paper. This includes meat, bones, dairy, prepared foods, and greasy uncoated paper plates and pizza boxes.

What Not to Compost

Do not compost trash such as diapers, personal hygiene products, animal waste, wrappers, non-paper packaging, and foam products.

Do not compost recyclable materials. Learn more about what to recycle.

Hillary Bosch, outreach coordinator for the NYC Department of Sanitation spoke and we learned a lot. Did you know:

• It's ok (though not preferred) if you throw your food scraps WITH THEIR PLASTIC BAG into the compost bins on the ground floor?  The Department of Sanitation has machines that can separate plastic bags from the compostable scraps.

• The landlord can use any lidded container under 55 gallons that is clearly marked for compost scraps. So we're not stuck with the ones that are so hard to open and seal properly.  We've asked for some easier-to-use containers. 

• All our food and plant scraps become a substitute for liquid natural gas to  heat city buildings!  There's an anaerobic (no oxygen) digester in Brooklyn that turns all of our food and plant waste into fuel to heat homes and other buildings! So unlike some plastics that aren't really recycled and end up shipped elsewhere, every bit of our food and plant waste gets used.

→ Save your scraps in a container (on your kitchen counter, in your fridge or freezer) and empty them into the compost bins in the ground floor compactor room next to the elevators on your side of the building.   That's waste that doesn't go into our landfills, doesn't attract vermin,  and does go to good use!

II. BLOOMINGDALE AGING IN PLACE (for all ages). 

Jean Schmidt, president of Bloomingdale Aging in Place, spoke about that volunteer program.  

There's a group for anyone who wants to get involved - from knitting to tennis to theater or dinner outings to softball teams to exercise classes (or start your own) as well as free lectures and webinars ("BAiP presents") on Zoom. 

There are also a recommendations list for doctors and handymen/women, as well as a tech squad to help you with computer issues.  

You can find neighbors to help you get to and from the doctor or to keep you company - and you can volunteer to do that for others.  And it's all free.  Anyone in this neighborhood can join for free, regardless of age. 

III. ALBANY PREPARES THE BUDGET AND TENANT BILLS.

The legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul are discussing (arguing about) the April 1st budget. 

Landlords are exploiting their own warehousing of affordable, rent-stabilized apartments by insisting they must get a huge rent increase when a long-occupied apartment becomes vacant.  Claiming that those apartments are all too dilapidated to rent and need huge sums of money to bring back to habitability, they're demanding a big rent increase for a unit now vacant that was occupied for 10 years or more.  Of course, they're not answering WHY or HOW apartments in bad condition got that way:  landlord speculation and neglect. (Few tenants want to live in squalor.) 

So landlords are trying to bring back (under a new name) the "vacancy bonus" that they used to get and that was ended by the 2019 Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act.  But:

• Many of the warehoused units are not dilapidated, and don't need huge investments to make them habitable.
• Landlords are demanding a "vacancy reset" bill S6352/A6772 - but that bill only makes the problem worse. 
• It would give landlords an increase but require no repairs or upgrades at all.
• It would give big real estate and small mom-and-pop landlords the same increases, regardless of need. 
• It would paint a target on the backs of all long-term tenants as landlords would want them out in order to get a big rent increase. 

While that bill may not pass, it could lead Albany to say "We'll just allow a higher increase for individual apartment improvements." (Under the 2019 law, that's limited to $15,000 - or an $83 rent increase - over 15 years.)  We don't want ANY more increases in our rents!

So please CONTACT GOV. HOCHUL to tell her to 

PASS

•  "Good Cause Eviction" (to protect market-rate tenants from eviction, huge increases and refusal to renew leases unless the landlord can show good cause)
• Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) giving tenants the first right to purchase their building - with financial and other support from a non-profit organization and the government - if the landlord decides to sell
• Housing Vouchers from the state for poor people who need them (on top of the scarce federal Section 8 vouchers)
• Social Housing - like the Mitchell-Lama we once were - to build more for low- and middle-income people, and

VETO S6352/A6772 and any further rent increase for Individual Apartment Improvements.

Our next tenant meeting will be mid-May, followed by our Pot Luck Party!  

Stay safe, and enjoy the Spring!

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