This particularly stood out for me: "During this time, resident programming was also enhanced through the launch of the PCVST Ice Rink, Oval Cafe, and continued presence of the PCVST Farmers Market."
These people do not understand the true value of PCVST. Truly, they are strangers here. It's going to get worse.
I'll be using my letter to pick up after my dog in the Oval. Win! Win!
ReplyDeleteOne more thing - "continued presence?" Is he talking about the Farmers Market or a stalker???
ReplyDeleteI got the letter under my door tonight and my first though was that this was so similar to Rob Speyer's puke-inducing letter we got back in late 2006. What it really says is: "You are SO FUCKED!"
ReplyDeleteDoes this idiot really think that the property has been improved/enhanced by the ice rink, Oval Cafe and crappy greenmarket? If so, then he is so stupid that if you pissed on him he would think it was raining! The place is falling apart, we have FDNY violations up the kazoo and this fool thinks we welcome the fucking ice skating rink, chintzy coffee stand and greenmarket (which I think is very, very inferior). As for his drivel about labor stability, restructured agreements, labor flexibility, what he is really saying is "So, we screwed the unions and got the cheapest workforce we could get." I am not at all optimistic about this place going forward and that is an understatement!
STR, your title to this post really says it all.
ReplyDeleteI'd still like to know what soured between Rose and CW. Escape Stuy Town says they lost both Stuy Town and the Riverton Square Apartments.
ReplyDeleteThe Roman Aqueduct is another marvel of the Rose era. And the Roots Rock Roll Sessions too.
ReplyDeleteThat line about Oval Cafe, etc, is a direct FU to many of the tenants here, as the issue of the Ice Rink, Oval Cafe, Farmers Market has been raised not just on this blog, but also on the TA Facebook, Town and Village, Lux's former sites, etc. Basically, Sullivan is stating, "To hell with tenants and their TA, we are doing what we want to do."
ReplyDeleteThese people hold contempt for the TA, so if you think they are going to sell the property to tenants--well, don't hold your breath or you will die from asphyxiation.
I was never under the impression that CW was going to sell to the tenants. I hope they will sell to Brookfield though.
DeleteAll that's missing from this crap letter is Sullivan's announcement that Lady Maya was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize! The war is on!
ReplyDeleteWe haven't seen the half of it. Is it possible to be too suspicious when it comes to dealing with NYC Real Estate interests? They'll begin plundering this place over the next 2-4 years. All those so-called amenities that you dislike were never designed for you. They're designed to help sell to future tenants who will have more bread. CW & Brookfield will change the demographics of STPCV all with the TA's help. Middle class will just become a laughable old term. Most of you will continue to rent. You won't be able to afford Brookfield prices to buy. Just wait & see what Brookfield comes up with. Then when your place finally vacates, it will be sold to someone who's fairly loaded.
ReplyDeleteI hope Lady Maya Autret packs up her glitter pens, jelly beans, and "Hang In There" cat poster she has in her office and follows Rosie off into the sunset. If she stays, without Rose telling her to tone down her trashy festivals, the Oval will become a year-round episode of Hee Haw.
ReplyDeleteMeet the new boss, same as the old boss!
ReplyDeleteCD Capitol owns Compassrock, newly created this January, solely based in Denver, this take-over was in the works from day 1.
Compassrock specializes in quick takeovers and my guess even quicker exits. CEO video claims they have discovered that temporary workers or farmed out departments. More to follow
Here's a link to what Compassrock believes what they will do different and what their future holds. http://www.multihousingnews.com/multimedia/mhn-tv-david-woodward-on-launching-compassrock/1004048654.html
ReplyDeleteKind of eerie, thanks TA, it appears you found out when we did!
This reminds me of what Mary McCarthy famously said of Lillian Hellman: "Every word she writes is a lie, including 'and' and 'the.' " It's a classic example of corporate bullpucky, and maybe even the first sentence isn't true.
ReplyDeleteSTR, CW are not going to care who they sell the property to, they will simply sell it to the highest bidder,(as Met Life did) and if that happens to be the TA/Brookfield then that is who they will sell it to. They may walk all over the TA now, but money talks. The property will sell, and by all indications it will be put up for sale within the next few months. And for those of you who say it could never happen that quickly, CW have had 3 years to get it ready for a sale, they do not need any more time. Roberts will hopefully be resolved in September and the property put up for sale late Sept-Dec.
ReplyDeleteThank God for the TA. They care about the things Mr Sullivan would sweep under the proverbial rug: the fact that we live in a bedbug-infested firetrap. More power to the TA.
ReplyDeleteUh oh. here we go again.... why get rid of rose to replace with these morons?
ReplyDeleteTiming is everything. Yesterday, I received my Sean Sullivan ”accomplishments” and "enhancements" letter under the door and I also received my STPCV TA bed bug (20% infection rate in STPCV!) letter via US mail. One notice grounded in puffery fantasy, the other grounded in hard reality.
ReplyDeleteOverheard a few weekends ago outside Oval Cafe:
ReplyDeleteOval Cafe Employee handing out drink samples to a "woman of a certain age": "You don't have to be a member or a resident to use Oval Cafe."
And it wa the TA who NAILED them on illegally taking pictures of tenants and using those pix in their marketing propaganda. Good job TA! Sean Sullivan agreed to remove ALL of those pix because he didn't want to be sued, which he and Rose and CW Capital most definitely would have been.
ReplyDeleteThe TA is NOT going to let the fire door situation go either. If Management thinks that putting signs on those doors telling you to close them is acceptable or appropriate, they better think again. What nerve to play around with our safety like that. Management's behavior here is beyond despicable; it's CRIMINAL.
ReplyDeleteIn order for the tenants to really have any chance of affecting the upcoming sale, a few things need to happen.
ReplyDelete1. We all have to agree that by a certain time, if we haven't seen Roberts settled, then it's clear that CW plans to hold off for as long as it can. I think that ought to be by Nov 1. Certainly, no later than Jan 1.
2. If Brookfield has not announced a plan that gives us some idea of its suggested starting unit prices, by a certain date, the TA should drop its endorsement of Brookfield.
I think that should be by Oct 1 but no later than Nov 1. We've heard excuses for long enough & the TA should be willing to admit that if it's to keep any standing with the tenants.
3. If no announcements are made for 1 & 2, then STR, the TA and the owners of other sites ought to meet to start working toward a new unity. A unity of communication and activity that truly represents the interests of the tenants. If these diverse sources can agree on how to make our voices heard, then we will have something that really represents unity.
As far as I'm concerned, the fire safety violations and the bedbug infestation are the most important issues that Management should IMMEDIATELY address. We have already had a serious fire in my building, caused by students (though anybody can cause a fire by being negligent - you don't have to be a buzzed fratbrat), which gutted the unit, damaged other people's property and put all of our lives in danger. We should keep on top of Management about these two issues because they are beyond QOL, they are potentially life or death issues.
ReplyDeleteI never go near the Oval, though I hear the crappy wailing when they have those concerts and I've never even seen Cafe Kubrick or the ice rink! My entertainment choices take me off the "campus" to the real New York City! I feel sorry for the folks who live on the Oval because their lives must be hell at times. It used to be that the Oval was a very desirable location to live, but not now, obviously! Let's keep on Management's case about the fire hazards and bedbugs, even if it means making sure the health and fire departments get pestered a lot. It is our absolute right to have safety and cleanliness in our buildings. This is not one of Adolph Bloomberg's "pleasurable" homeless shelters and we are all paying rent to live here.
Didn't the TA say they were going to give us an update on the progress regarding conversion? This promise was at the beginning of summer!
ReplyDeleteThe TA's update is that they're working diligently. That was the prior update and the one before that. Even though you keep hearing nothing new, don't worry because no matter what, you can depend on the TA to keep on working diligently. Really...how long does the TA think its supporters are going to buy this charade? The rest of us completely lost faith a long time ago.
ReplyDeleteI hope we get some real washing machines. I have been using the 14th Street Wash/Clean laundry for a long time now, but in the winter months that can be a bit of a drag. Those toy washers we have are overpriced, dirty and useless. Please give us real laundry facilities! Pretty please!
ReplyDeleteIs nobody paying attention, the TA never knew about the new management team or they never told us?
ReplyDeleteDoes it matter? Not really.
Based on the video of the new boss, get ready for less tenant services, repairs, etc. These will now be sub-contracted out. Flaunting disregards for commercial zoning areas, get used to more of he ice rink ilk, oval cafe, farmers market. What next beach chair & umbrella rentals.
So saddle up we are in for either a short ride or a full out gallop. Please, Please hold your elected officials accountable.
If you have fire code violations in your building, or any kind of roach or bed bug infestation that mgmt is not addressing, contact 311.The city will send out an inspector and issue violations. I don't know why more people don't do that. Perhaps they don't know about it. Pass the word to your fellow tenants. I hear my neighbors constant complaints but few are willing to make a simple phone call.It may be cathartic to complain on a blog but it achieves nothing. When the city gets hit with a barrage of legitimate complaints maybe something will be done.
ReplyDeleteThe letter from Sean Sullivan is a textbook example of DOUBLESPEAK! I can't believe someone sat down to write this nonsense. I am trying to find use for this paper waste. Maybe a STPVC management propaganda collage would be nice. I could hang it in the lobby of my building.
ReplyDelete@anon 2:01pm
ReplyDeleteOr you could use it to sent a reply to Sean. :)
The TA is impotent. They represent less than 10% of the tenants and management knows it. They have no juice and they know it. That is why they have spent so much on the bedbug mailing which just happens to be accompanied by an invitation to join the floundering TA. Dan Garodnick is pulling all the strings behind the scenes mostly so his former law firm can get paid for all the work they did helping the TA team up with Brookfield. Don't think that all those lawyers working behind the scenes are working for free. They want to get paid and only get paid if Brookfield wins. That is precisely why the AG needs to kill any deal that includes Brookfield!
ReplyDeleteIf it's 10%, that's still sizable and one of the biggest tenant organizations in the city, if not THE biggest in terms of representing tenants. The TA is also the last stand we have in facing any anti-tenant actions coming in the future.
ReplyDelete5:15 Anon....Amen.
ReplyDeleteCan't believe what I just saw on the lawn in PCV on First Ave between 22nd and 23rd (in view of the Security booth): A gathering of the stroller mafia (about 6, I'd say) being serenaded by a guitar-strumming no-talent wannabe singer. What was the song? The Rolling Stones' "Beast of Burden." I wonder who was less entertained--the babies or the people on the benches near the fountain.
ReplyDeleteYou're complaining about this? Some nice moms enjoying some acoustic music with their kids? That's really harsh.
DeleteI really wish that people would stop attacking the Tenants Association (and I am just a dues-paying member, not a board member). The TA is the only group that really give a shit about us and care about the QOL around here. I don't care whether they turn it co-op or condo because I would not buy (could not buy, actually), but I do appreciate the work that the TA does in trying to stand up to the filthy scumbags we have had as landlords ever since MetLife sold the place. If you don't like the TA, just STFU and don't pay any attention; if you do like them, then join and be part of the cure (if there ever will be one) not part of the disease.
ReplyDelete“Can't believe what I just saw on the lawn in PCV on First Ave between 22nd and 23rd (in view of the Security booth): A gathering of the stroller mafia (about 6, I'd say) being serenaded by a guitar-strumming no-talent wannabe singer. What was the song? The Rolling Stones' "Beast of Burden." I wonder who was less entertained--the babies or the people on the benches near the fountain.”
ReplyDeleteCan you specify what is unbelievable? A gathering on the lawn? A group of mothers and babies? Music on the lawn? You don’t like “Beast of Burden”?
According to a CWCAM spokesperson, "CompassRock will further improve the properties’ performance through a management fee reduced by 33 percent and “several specific technology and operational initiatives that it will undertake immediately upon transition.” These initiatives were not elaborated on by the firm.>>
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the hell they have in store for us in the way of "several specific technology and operational initiatives?" The mind boggles!
"I wonder what the hell they have in store for us in the way of "several specific technology and operational initiatives?" The mind boggles!"
ReplyDeleteAlright, tenants...line up fer your beatings!
That's what they have in mind.
I disagree with STR's position about the TA. At least with respect to the conversion if you're representing to the city and the press that you represent the tenants of this community in something as important as the conversion, to be legitimate in any sense of the word you need to have much more membership than 10%. (It is probably under 10% today.) Also, while Brookfield may choose to be silent, there's no reason why the TA cannot tell people its own positions on difficult issues. Given Meredith Kane's statements, is the TA saying that it is supporting any price at all that Brookfield decides to bid and any prices at all for the units. What's the TA's idea of fair prices? What's the TA's goal for tenant participation? 20% participation? 30%? 40%? More? If they want to make the claim that they represent the tenants, people have the right to know the board's positions. Once people find out the answers to these specific questions, they may find themselves in agreement with the TA Board or very much opposed. But to not tell their positions about price and participation is like some politicians these days saying they're going to improve things but not identifying specifically how.
ReplyDeleteTA run conversion like birthday party for 3 year old: BIG SURPRISE!
ReplyDeleteBut we no get hat and party end very soon.