Friday, November 30, 2012

Yup, You May Be Worse Off After Roberts

From Crain's:


Stuy Town deal may have sting in store for some

Some residents of the sprawling apartment complex could face substantial rent hikes as a result of Thursday's tentative deal

For residents of Manhattan's sprawling Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village residential complex the settlement announced late Thursday could have a painful reprocussion. The deal awarded tenants $147 million for rent overcharges, reimbursements and discounts in prior years, but going forward it could push rents substantially.

According to CWCapital, the company that represents the bondholders for the complex's $3 billion mortgage, about 1,800 apartments at the 11,000-unit complex face a choice of two rent options: a market rate, or one calculated based on how many times the apartment was vacated and what increases it is due according to city regulations.

In a surprise contradiction to the widespread belief that rent regulations create discounted apartments, the market rate is in the fact often the cheaper option, according to CWCapital.

 [....]

"I am concerned about people who had an expectation that their rent had settled at a certain place and may be wholly unprepared for the increases this agreement allows," said Daniel Garodnick, a City Councilman who lives in Stuy Town and has been a tenant advocate.

When a rent-regulated apartment is vacated, it allows rents to be substantially increased, by as much as 20%. The settlement deal allows as many as three such increases dating back to 2003, when apartments first were illegally deregulated at the large complex.

"Let's say that the tenant previous to the market rate occupant paid $1,200 a month," attorney Alexander Schmidt, who represented the tenants in the settlement said. "You could have easily seen three turnovers with the amount of students that live in the complex and rents that now end up in the high $2,000s or low $3,000s, which is market rate or not much lower."

Mr. Schmidt called it an "ironic" end to a case that was largely looked at as a battle for preserving affordability in the city for working class tenants.

Read more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20121130/REAL_ESTATE/121139990#ixzz2DkC798nf

-------------------------------------

Now, here is were I tire of this bullshit game:

HOW IS IT THAT OUR POLITICIANS HAVE ALLOWED A RENT REGULATED APARTMENT TO BE SO SLIMELY BROUGHT TO HIGH MARKET LEVEL RATES WITH THE PURPOSEFUL INTRODUCTION BY THE LANDLORD OF A TEMPORARY TENANT, ie, THE STUDENT?

And....

HOW IS IT THAT THERE IS NO ENFORCEMENT IN THIS COMPLEX OF THE HOUSING LAW THAT STATES THAT NO MORE THAN 3 UNRELATED PEOPLE CAN OCCUPY AN APARTMENT?

And....

HOW IS IT THAT PARTITIONS AND WALLS CAN BE INSTALLED INTO APARTMENTS TO INCREASE THEIR VACANCY, BUT THAT THOSE APARTMENT BUILDING CODE APPLICATIONS STATE THAT THERE IS NO CHANGE IN OCCUPANCY?

In other words....

WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE???

Explanations, please.

Meanwhile, the lawyers on this deal will be receiving over 25% of the settlement, ie, about 19 million dollars, if not more:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/nyregion/68-7-million-settlement-on-stuyvesant-town-rents.html

Settlement Agreement Reached in Roberts Case

So will previous market rate tenants get screwed? Benefit? And how much have the lawyers received? The best place to find answers, if any at this early point, is on the TA Facebook page. The discussions there will be pertinent to people's concerns.

Below is the news:
Stuyvesant Town Class Action Parties Reach Settlement –
Agreement Signed Today Provides $68.75 Million to Pay Damages;
Total Tenants’ Rent Recovery to Exceed $146.85 Million

November 29, 2012 – Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP and Bernstein Liebhard LLP, co-lead counsel for the plaintiff tenants in the Roberts v. Tishman Speyer class action, announced they have signed an agreement with the defendants to settle all past rent overcharge claims and future rent claims raised in the action. The settlement was preliminarily approved today by Justice Richard B. Lowe, III, the Chief Justice of the Appellate Term, First Department. The agreement requires final court approval. A hearing on final approval is scheduled for April 9, 2013.

The settlement agreement signed today sets aside $68.75 million to compensate class members for rent overcharges from January 22, 2003, the start of the class period, through December 31, 2011, the end of the overcharge period.

“Once finally approved, today’s $68.75 million settlement agreement, when combined with past refunds and rent savings the tenants have already received, will bring the total recovery in the lawsuit to at least $146.85 million,” said Alexander Schmidt of Wolf Haldenstein, the plaintiffs’ lead attorney. “There will also be future benefits,” he added.

The past rent savings and refunds resulted from an interim agreement that was reached in the case in December 2009 between the plaintiffs and the two limited partnerships that currently own Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, PCV ST Owner LP and ST Owner LP. Under that interim agreement $2.4 million in rent was refunded to class member tenants in 2010, and the tenants saved an additional $75.7 million in rent over the past three years, Schmidt said. Ronald Aranoff of Bernstein Liebhard, another of the plaintiffs’ lead attorneys added “we believe this settlement provides an extraordinary recovery for our clients and we couldn’t be happier for them.”

Schmidt noted that the $146.85 million amount could significantly increase in the future because the settlement sets future rents based on a “Preferential Rent” formula that will save tenants at least another ten to twenty million dollars, and potentially more than a hundred million, over the next eight years. The exact amount of future rent savings under the formula will depend on future rental market conditions and tenant turnover rates, Schmidt added.

The settlement also continues rent stabilization through June 2020 for each of the 4,311 formerly decontrolled Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village apartments at issue in the suit. June 2020 is when the residential complexes’ New York City “J-51” tax benefits expire. The New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, found in October 2009 that the apartments had been removed improperly from rent stabilization while the complexes were receiving those tax benefits, which are available only for rent stabilized buildings.

The current owners of the complexes contributed $58.25 million of the $68.75 million cash component provided by today’s agreement. Metropolitan Tower Life Insurance Company, the owner until mid-November 2006, contributed $10.5 million.

The settlement concludes almost 18 months of negotiations. Aranoff said that today’s $68.75 million settlement includes a generous legal rent formula for the past rent overcharge claims, which yields damages of almost $10,000 per leasehold and average damage awards of $3,200 for the 21,250 class members.

Because the legal rent formula under the interim agreement was even more generous, Schmidt said, the rents going forward may be adjusted upwards by the landlord after the settlement is finally approved, subject to the Preferential Rent formula caps.

The cash received and saved will not be the only benefits the class members achieve as a result of this litigation, Schmidt said. “Class members will realize substantial additional benefits by retaining the full protections of the Rent Stabilization Law for the next eight years, including, most importantly, the rights to automatic lease renewal and succession. The settlement is eminently fair and reasonable, and a very good result for the tenants.”

The settlement agreement and other pertinent information about the settlement and the litigation are available atwww.berdonclaims.com (click “Cases: Current and Completed,” narrow your search to “New Cases” and click “Stuyvesant Town Class Action”).


Media Contact for Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz:
Lisa King Ned Steele
lisak@mediaimpact.biz neds@mediaimpact.biz
(m) 646-234-5080 (m) 646-234-5070
(o) 212-590-2313 (o) 212-590-2313

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Storage Waiver Issue

Before we get to the main topic, I'd like to say that I've been extremely busy and have only been able to quickly post updates on the Hurricane Sandy situation and its aftermath, as well as let through some (but not all) comments made on the blog.  I really don't have the time or the energy or even the spirit these days to proceed with the blog as I'd like and certainly not to argue with some commentators.  This is a New York City blog, and being NYC it can get earthy and a bit out of control.  I'm not from the MidWest or some gentle New England town, and I don't have those sensibilities, and I'm certainly not PC.  One of my reasons for posting that Jackie Mason clip was to weed out non-New Yorkers who take offense at most anything.  A real New Yorker would, or should, enjoy it.

I've been wanting to post an assessment of the Hurricane Sandy situation, but, again, don't have much time to go into it fully. My summary is that this time around, unlike with Hurricane Irene and the previous management, the new management did keep residents up to date with continual e-mails and flyers in buildings and under the door. So that was a clear, even surprising, positive.  (Note: the intercoms were not used, however, despite tenants being charged for such a use as an MCI.)  I also want to thank and applaud the people--tenants, the TA and management--who proactively went out through the buildings to check on residents who may have been trapped in their apartments without heat, electricity and elevator access.  Take a bow, everyone, you did a grand job. Management did also a fine job in setting up quarters in a couple of the Oval "Essentials" when its own office was flooded.  I also saw the man himself, PCVST manager Sean Sullivan, walking around the complex, at work, on Veteran's Day (the actual day on Sunday) when he could have been celebrating the day as a former military man.

I'm sure there were failings.  The biggest seemed to be flooded garages and storage areas.

As for the Ice Rink....  Well, it's like the Bridge on the River Kwai, isn't it?  It has to be kept alive no matter what.  (Please, no jokey comments about blowing the rink up as the Kwai bridge was blown up. I will not let them through.)  And, yes, I know the spin that non-PCVST workers are involved in maintaining and running the rink, but PCVST resources are still be used.  At least those residents and their guests who don't give a damn about anything but the Ice Rink now have to suffer with the jacking up of fees to use the rink and rent skates, a price increase they are already bitching about. Tough, because once you accepted a commercial enterprise inside Stuy Town in a previously free playground space, you accepted whatever fees the powers that be charge.  But, yes, I do think it's great for the kids.

Anyway, there's much more to say, but little time to say it in. Now to the storage waiver issue....

*  *  *

Well, it seems that people are not being let into their storage areas in PCVST that were flooded and that now to get in you have to sign a waiver which absolves PCV ST Owner LP, ST Owner LP, CompassRock Real Estate LLC, NTT Storage LLC, Interstate Restoration, Inc. and Maxons Restorations Inc. from any legal claims you may make for your destroyed property.  What balls!

Anyway, here's the response from John Marsh, president of the Tenants Association, and below that the full waiver.

Counsel to Tenants Association has reviewed the Storage Waiver required to access flooded storage units. Counsel has advised the TA's Legal Committee, he would NOT sign such a waiver.

Now the conundrum, if you don't sign, they don't give you access to your property.

Below is the text of the Waiver. Any lawyers out there who would like to comment on this waiver?

I , ( t h e " R e l e a s o r " ) , r e s i d i n g a t have requested to enter the basement of __. , New York, New York (the "Basement") for the sole purpose of retrieving my belongings and for no other purpose. I acknowledge the risk and understand that the Basement that I will be entering was flooded from the East River as a result of Hurricane Sandy. I further acknowledge that I have received a copy of relevant pages from "New York State Department of Health Disaster Recovery Information" guide. If I choose, I can review the complete document at the New York State Department of Health's website. I further acknowledge that the Basement I will be entering is a work zone which may have damp or wet surfaces, debris and other materials that may be difficult to see. Understanding this, I am entering the Basement under my, own free will and accept all risks associated with entering the Basement.

I understand that the Releasees (as defined below) would not permit my access to the Basement except upon my providing this waiver of liability and the acknowledgments and agreements contained herein.

I hereby release and forever discharge and waive any claims or rights against PCV ST Owner LP, ST Owner LP, CompassRock Real Estate LLC, NTT Storage LLC, Interstate Restoration, Inc. and Maxons Restorations Inc. and their respective predecessors, heirs, executors, administrators, successors, assigns, subsidiaries, parents, officers, shareholders, directors, board members, employees and agents (collectively the "Releasees") from all manner of actions, causes of action, suits, damages, indemnifications,
contributions and claims whatsoever, including costs, expenses, penalties and attorney's fees, which I or any person(s) under my control over has or which my successors or assigns can, shall or may have, directly or indirectly, whether known or unknown, for, upon or by reason of any matter cause or thing whatsoever relating to or arising out of my access to the Basement including, but not limited to, any actual or alleged injuries to (i) me or any person(s) under my control caused by or resulting from entering
and being in the Basement; and (ii) any personal property located in the Basement.

Furthermore, I acknowledge that after November 30, 2012, any personal property that I leave in the Basement will be discarded. In the event I leave personal property in the Basement after November 30, 2012,1 shall have no claim against Releasees relating to such property.

This WAIVER, RELEASE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT may not be modified or terminated orally.

In Witness Whereof, the Releasor has caused this document to be executed on the date set forth below.

Releasor:

S i g n a t u r e
D a t e
Print

Thursday, November 22, 2012

The Difference Between Jews and Gentiles in a Restaurant

To lighten up the mood:

Latest, greatest update

FROM COMPASSROCK

RESIDENT NOTICE - WEEK OF NOVEMBER 19                                            

Following last week's comprehensive communication, we are writing to provide you with additional updates and a summary of progress made over the weekend and the past few days.

Since our last update we have made the following progress:
  • Restored permanent utility power to 6 Peter Cooper Road.
  • Restored gas service to a number of buildings. The remaining buildings are still on schedule for restoration by Saturday.
  • Repaired management office phone lines. You can now reach Resident Services directly at the restored (212) 420-5000 number and Security at (212) 598-5233.
  • Expanded work order repair service into the evening hours when more residents are home.
  • Restored access card readers to 13 of the impacted buildings.
  • Provided access to storage units and bikes for 12 of the 16 building basements impacted by flooding.
  • Restored dryer service in the remaining nine buildings that had outages.

Electricity: As of this morning, Con Edison's electric utility service has been restored to 6 Peter Cooper Road and the back-up generator will no longer be required for that location. We are happy to report that all 110 buildings now have normal electric power.

Gas Service: We are pleased to report that the following buildings have had gas restored ahead of schedule and in time for Thanksgiving: 285, 287, 309 Avenue C. and certain lines in the following buildings -
-          410 E20th St.: the G line
-          330 First Avenue: B, C, D, E and G lines

We expect the following building lines to have full gas restoration by the end of today:
-          315 Avenue C: lines A, B, C, F and G
-          319 Avenue C: lines A, B and C

Unfortunately, we will not have gas restored in time for Thanksgiving for the following building lines, though they are on schedule for restoration by this Saturday, November 24th:
-          315 Avenue C: lines D, E and H
-          319 Avenue C: lines D, E, F, G and H
-          321 Avenue C: ALL lines
-          400 E20th St: ALL lines
-          410 E20th St.: lines A, B, C, D, E, F and H lines
-          330 First Avenue: A, F and H lines  

We will continue to work with Con Ed through the holiday weekend to restore gas service as quickly as possible. Our staff will require access to all affected apartment homes over the next few days (except Thanksgiving) between the hours of 9AM and 7PM. If you have installed your own top lock, please remember to unlock it daily.

Heat Service: We continue to assess the damage caused to the electronic system which helps to regulate apartment temperature in PCV. The extent of the damage is substantial and it will take time to procure all necessary parts and complete repairs. We will provide a more detailed timeline as soon as possible. In the meantime, our engineers continue to monitor and manage the heat distribution process manually, which means that some apartments may continue to experience above normal temperatures.

Elevators: After having further assessed the damaged elevator cars in 7 and 8 PCR and 440 E23rd St, we have found that due to the significant damage to the cars resulting from the flooding, the restoration will take longer than initially expected. The damaged elevators will have to be rebuilt before being returned to service. We will provide a more detailed timeline as quickly as we can. In the meantime, each building has one running elevator.

Resident Services:
  • Our phone lines have been repaired and residents may now reach Resident Services representatives directly via the (212) 420-5000 number.
  • The Public Safety phone number has also been restored. Residents should call (212) 598-5233 to reach Public Safety. In case of emergency, please call 911.
  • To reach Resident Services via email, please use residentservices@pcvst.com.
  • Resident Services is now located at Oval Study Mon-Fri, 8am-8pm; and Sat-Sun, 8:30am-6pm.
  • As promised last week, we expanded evening maintenance service to accommodate work order requests during hours when more residents are at home. Masons and carpenters will remain until 8pm. We have also increased the number of electricians, plumbers and handymen working through midnight. Engineers remain available around the clock to address heat issues. The expanded evening service is a temporary measure until we are able to fully resume repairs during the day for residents who provide permission to enter when they are not at home.
  • Important email addresses to know, depending on the nature of your inquiry:
Resident Services:              residentservices@pcvst.com
Accounting:                          accounting@pcvst.com
Legal:                                     legal@pcvst.com
Leasing:                                leasing@pcvst.com

Access Cards & Keys: We are pleased to report that the access card system has been restored for: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 PCR; 420 530, E23rd St.; 431, 441 E20th St., 350, 360, 370, 390 First Ave. The remaining buildings will take longer to restore and include: 440, 510 East 23rd St; 511, 531, 541, 601 E20th St and 7, 8 PCR. Key locks have been installed on entrance doors to all of these buildings to allow resident access. Residents should use their carriage room keys to access their respective buildings. If you are not able to find your carriage room key, we are providing residents a copy of the key at no additional charge, at Oval Study. Security guards will remain posted at these buildings.

New key cards may be requested at the new Public Safety Office at Oval Studio. Key requests are also available through Resident Services and may be picked up at Oval Study.
Intercoms: In Stuyvesant Town, the intercom systems are operational from the lobby of the building to your apartments. We continue working to reestablish communication between the lobby intercoms and the new Public Safety Office so that residents can once again access Public Safety directly through the intercom system.  We will notify you once this has been restored. In PCV, we remain on schedule for the week of November 26th to restore intercom service within the building for: 431 and 441 E20th St; 2, 3, 4, 5 PCR; 350, 360, 370, 390 First Ave. As explained last week, a longer timeline is expected for: 420, 440, 510, 530 East 23rd St; 511, 531, 541, 601 E20th St and 6, 7, 8 PCR.      

Sanitation:   Recycling bins will be removed from the exterior of PCV buildings affected by flooding.  We have set up two temporary recycling bins on each floor, which will be emptied daily by the porters.  Please continue to place household trash in compactor chutes, which are operable in all 110 buildings. We also ask residents to refrain from parking on both sides of the loop roads so that the DSNY can remove all waste from the curbs.

Basements: We continue to dehumidify buildings which were impacted by the flood waters. You may have seen additional generators and fans which are helping with the de-humidification process. These generators will remain operational from 7AM-10PM on weekdays and from 9AM-10PM on weekends. The generators will not run on Thanksgiving.  

The basements in 16 buildings in PCV sustained significant damage. Access to those buildings is limited as noted below:
  • Limited Access:  Residents will have limited access to: 3, 4, 5, 6 PCR; 441, 541, 601, 620 E20th St; 420, 440, 510, 530 E23rd St. Residents may retrieve personal property (NTT Storage or bikes) from these basements on weekdays from 5:30PM to 9PM and weekends from 10AM-2PM through November 30th.   Any personal property not removed by November 30th will be discarded. Residents should go to the tent by PCV Playground 1 to be escorted into the basement.

  • No Access: Residents may not access basements in 511 and 531 E20th St. and 7 and 8 PCR for the foreseeable future. Bicycles from these four buildings have been removed and are now available for residents to claim at the tent inside PCV Playground 1 every day from 9am to 10pm. Please bring your resident ID and either your key or combination for your bike lock.

Trunks: Trunk retrieval remains suspended throughout the property. Salvageable trunks located in the basements of the 16 flooded basements noted above are being relocated offsite. We will update you soon regarding the process to claim those trunks. Residents will have 30 days to claim their trunks once the process is announced.

NTT Storage: NTT has already communicated directly with all customers in impacted basements. If you have a storage locker in one of the 16 limited or no access basements and have not heard from NTT, you should contact NTT directly at (212) 253-2435.

Parking Garages: While garages 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 are all open for business, customers may experience heavy delays when parking their vehicles. This is due to the large number of damaged vehicles that have yet to be towed while customers who have replaced their damaged cars are also looking to park their new cars. We remind you that all damaged cars not removed by December 15 will be towed by Quik Park at the vehicle owner's expense. To contact Quik Park, please call (212) 832-2066.  

Laundry Service: We will provide a timetable for the restoration of full laundry service in buildings impacted by the flood as soon as we can. In the meantime, dryers in the following buildings have been restored: 285, 287, 309, 315, 319, 321 Avenue C; 400 and 410 E20th Street; and 330 First Avenue. For additional information, please call 1-800-MAC-GRAY. For a list of Laundromats in the area, please visit pcvst.com. For your convenience we have provided access to the laundry room in 2 PCR, accessible via the basement entrance, for residents in buildings without functioning laundry machines.

Oval Fitness: As we mentioned in our last communication, we hope to reopen the Oval Fitness facility within six months, if not sooner.
  • Billing has been suspended indefinitely. Fitness Members will receive refunds within the next 2-3 weeks via credit card or check mailed to the address American Leisure has on file.
  • Refunds will include: paid-in-full memberships, pre-purchased but not fully used training packages and pre-purchased guest pass packages. For inquiries please email living@pcvst.com 
In the meantime, we are partnering with New York Health & Racquet Club, which is offering PCVST residents a month to month membership of $99 per month (min. 2 month required), $0 initiation fee and access to all locations. Membership can be canceled with 30 days advance notice from billing date. Once Oval Fitness reopens NYHRC will automatically cancel your membership at the end of your current billing cycle. To contact NYHRC, please call (212) 220-0758 or email pledesma@nyhrc.com.

Message from Manhattan's Kid's Club II: The school is scheduled to reopen Monday, November 26th. For additional information, please contact Beth Garcia at (212) 677-0608.

We will continue to provide you with updates and post information on pcvst.com. Thank you again for your patience and we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. We also hope that you have had a chance to stop by or skate at the ice rink which reopened last Saturday and we look forward to seeing you at next week's Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 29th followed by the ice sculpting performance with brass band on December 1st.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Latest Update from CompassRock

CompassRock Update

RESIDENT NOTICE - WEEK OF NOVEMBER 12



We are writing to provide a comprehensive update on the status of repairs and services at the property.  Since our last update we have made significant additional progress including:
  • Restoring  gas service to two buildings ahead of schedule
  • Restoring elevator and  handicap lift service in all  Peter Cooper Village buildings
  • Opening garages for insurance adjusters and encouraging Quik Park to increase communications with its customers
  • Repairing the electronic heat regulation system in Stuyvesant Town
  • Restoring four water pumps in Peter Cooper Village to increase water pressure
  • Relocating management staff so normal work orders and other resident business can continue
Restoring services to our property as safely and quickly as possible remains our top priority.   We have made a lot of progress in restoring services since the storm and are keenly aware that our job is not yet complete.   Critical priorities going forward include: Restoring gas service to all buildings,  returning utility fed power to 6 PCR, fixing key card access and intercom systems in impacted buildings, repairing the electronics that control and monitor our heat distribution system in PCV, repairing the damaged water pumps in PCV and helping residents gain access to their personal property located in basements.   At the same time, we are also working hard to return a sense of normalcy to our community, particularly around the holiday season.  While life at PCVST will go on, please understand that this work is being done separately with separate resources from the restoration efforts.  Restoring services to our property as safely and quickly as possible remains our top priority. 

In the update below, we have tried to provide the most up-to-date and complete information that is available.  In some cases, we are still not yet able to provide estimates due to the extent of damage and complexity of the required repairs, but we are aware of these issues and are working to resolve them. We continue to work through the challenges the storm has caused and will provide updated information and timelines as they become available. 

We want to extend our continued thanks for your patience, understanding, and support during the last few weeks.   We have all been faced with a difficult set of circumstances as a result of the storm and we are incredibly proud of how our entire community pulled together to support one another. 

UTILITY SERVICES

Electricity:  All 110 buildings have had full power restored. 6 Peter Cooper Road is the only building currently running on generator power due to the damage sustained by the manhole explosions.

Unfortunately, Con Ed has found that the damage to their systems was worse than anticipated and as a result, 6 PCR will remain on generator power for an additional week.  As a preventative measure, we have taken the following additional steps to ensure consistent electricity from the generator:  we are manning the generator 24 hours a day; we have increased fuel delivery to maintain the generator and are keeping back-up fuel available at all times; and we are keeping an additional backup generator onsite in the event of any malfunction with the current generator. We ask residents to be mindful and conserve energy wherever possible, especially during morning and evening peak times, in order not to overload the temporary generator.

We will notify you in advance of the conversion from generator to permanent utility power which will necessitate a temporary power shut-down of several hours. Elevators will be checked and shut down prior to shutting down power for the conversion.  

Gas Service: We remain on or ahead of our previously published schedule to restore gas service.  We are happy to report that gas service in 7 Peter Cooper Road and 531 East 20th Street has been restored.  In the event there are any delays in restoring gas to the remaining buildings, we will notify you immediately.
     
Please note that in order to complete the restoration of gas service, it is necessary for our staff to access all of the impacted apartment homes throughout the coming two weeks (except Thanksgiving) between the hours of 9AM and 7PM.  Unfortunately, it is difficult to provide advance notice as we are dependent on ConEd.  Access to apartments in the impacted buildings is necessary to complete service restoration and your cooperation in the matter is essential to the restoration of gas service. A security guard and locksmith assist with entry into all apartments.  If you have installed your own top lock, please be sure to leave it unlocked daily during these times until gas service is restored in your building.  If we need to access your apartment and the top lock is locked, we will have no choice but to drill through it.

We continue to expect gas service to be restored by Saturday, November 24th for the following buildings:  309, 315, 319, and 321 Avenue C; 400 and 410 E20th Street; 330 First Avenue.  At this point, our assessment indicates that gas service will not be restored for these buildings in time for Thanksgiving and we apologize for that inconvenience.  However, we remain on track for the restoration schedule published on November 3 and we will continue to update you as new information becomes available.

Unfortunately, we also experienced new gas service interruptions earlier this week in two Stuyvesant Town buildings, 285 and 287 Avenue C, due to shut downs required by ConEd as a result of pressure issues in their systems offsite. Initial assessments indicate that gas will be restored to these buildings within three weeks. We will continue to keep you informed as we get additional updates from ConEd.

Regarding buildings which sustained damage to gas meters and were flagged for a "Potential Shut-Down," our assessments thus far lead us to believe that the shut-down will not be necessary. We continue to monitor these affected buildings: 441, 511, 541, and 601 E 20th St; 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 Peter Cooper Road. We will alert you in case of any change in status.  

Heat Service: Heat service has been restored to all 110 buildings. The electronic system which controls the distribution of heat, and therefore regulates apartment temperature, was damaged by the storm. The system which supports Stuyvesant Town has been repaired; the system which supports PCV remains under repair.  As a result, in PCV, valves must be opened and closed manually by our engineers, which means that for the time being, some apartments may experience excessive heat.  

Water Service: Hot water service has been restored property-wide, though the motors for the water pumps which support water distribution to all of PCV are still undergoing repair. Of the 12 pumps in PCV, only two functioned after the storm. We now have six pumps working but the additional six remain out of service. We continue to procure the necessary parts to fix the motors and restore all 12 pumps.  In the meantime, these six pumps have been providing increased water pressure, nonetheless we ask everyone to continue to be mindful and conserve water, particularly during peak hours in the mornings and evenings.

Elevator Service: Elevator service has been restored property-wide, with only three PCV buildings, 7 and 8 Peter Cooper Road and 440 E23rd Street, still undergoing elevator repairs to one passenger elevator. 6 Peter Cooper Road has one elevator in service while it remains on temporary generator power. We remain on schedule to have these elevators fixed by November 21st.   In PCV buildings affected by flooding, the elevators will not go to the lower levels until the basements are fully restored.

Handicap Lifts:  All handicap lifts in affected Peter Cooper Village buildings have been restored and were operational as of last night. 

Cable Service: If you are still experiencing outages for cable service, please contact your provider directly. Below is information we have received regarding specific providers -
-          RCN completed repairs to their on-site to equipment damaged by the storm.
-          Verizon crews are on-site working on repairs to their equipment damaged by the storm.
-          Time Warner Cable has not contacted us since the storm concerning any repairs.



PCVST MANAGEMENT OFFICE & SERVICES

Due to the extent of the damage to the PCVST Management Office, we have relocated most of the staff to various locations throughout the property, as well as certain functions such as Accounting and Legal to temporary offices off-site. We have restored access to our IT systems; continue to repair the phone system, and to provide staff with supplies and equipment so that they can resume full business operations.

We are also working on more suitable, long-term plans for the relocation of the Management Office staff throughout the property. We appreciate your understanding while we work under these constraints. Below you will find updates about various departments from which you may require assistance.

Resident Services: Resident Services has been relocated to Oval Study from Oval Kids due to a building-specific flooding issue. Operating hours are Monday through Friday from 8am to 8pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 8:30am to 6pm. Contact information for Resident Services is provided below, as well as how to reach PCVST staff members concerning accounting, legal or leasing matters. 

In addition to responding to emergency Work Orders (toilet/drain stoppages and non-functioning refrigerators and stoves), we have also resumed servicing normal work order requests. Residents may request maintenance repairs either via the PCVST Resident Portal, accessible via pcvst.com or by calling (888) 885-8490 and leaving a voice message with detailed contact information and the nature of the issue. While we continue to restore our normal operations, we are limited in our ability to complete repairs when residents are not home, even if they provide permission to enter. To address this issue, we are working to expand service capacity during evening hours when more residents are at home. We will notify you once this is in effect.

Public Safety: The new headquarters for Public Safety can be found at Oval Studio. We will continue to supplement our security team as necessary over the coming months as we complete restoration efforts. Security cameras have been restored and the property key room remains secure and has been relocated.

Management Office Contact Information: While we work to repair our phone system, we have set up email addresses in order to make it easier and faster to reach the appropriate PCVST staff member.  When sending emails, please include your name, contact information, and the nature of your inquiry.    We will respond to email submissions within 24 hours between the hours of 9am to 5pm.  

Resident Services:                 living@pcvst.com 
Accounting:                           accounting@pcvst.com
Legal:                                    legal@pcvst.com
Leasing:                                lease@pcvst.com

You may also call (888) 885-8490 to leave a voice message with your contact information and the nature of your call. A staff member will get back to you within 24 hours between 9am to 5pm.  We continue to work on complex phone system repairs required due to the damage caused by the storm to the Verizon equipment. We hope to restore our phone lines in the next week. 

For Public Safety, please continue to call (347) 680-2212. In case of emergency, please call 911.

Access Cards & Keys: All Stuyvesant Town Card readers are operational at this time. In PCV, card readers are currently out of service in a number of buildings due to damage to the card reader control panels located in the basements caused by the flood. In the meantime, security guards are posted at these doors checking IDs and controlling access. The buildings affected include the main entrances to 511, 531, 541 and 601 E 20th Street; 440, 510, and 530 E 23rd Street; 7 and 8 Peter Cooper Road; and the basement entrances to 441 E 20th Street; 420 E 23rd Street; and 3, 4, 5 and 6 Peter Cooper Road.  We are working with our third-party security contractors to restore the system as quickly as possible and will keep you informed of progress on these repairs.

As an interim solution, all buildings with damaged card key access will have new cylinders installed on the entrance doors which can be unlocked using the carriage room key for that address. We will provide keys, free of charge, to any resident who may require a key.

We are now able to provide new building access cards, which can be requested at the Public Safety office in Oval Studio. Residents may also request to have keys made by contacting Resident Services and picking up the keys at Oval Study. Please do not share access cards or keys with others.

Intercoms: The intercom systems at Stuyvesant Town are operational, except that at this time they cannot reach Security through the intercom due to the flooding of the Security office on Avenue C. We are working to re-route the security lines to the new security office and expect that to be completed by early next week.

The system which supports intercom service in several of the buildings in PCV has been damaged by the storm. We continue to work with the intercom system manufacturer to repair the service.  We expect intercom service to be repaired by the week of November 26th for the following buildings:  431 and 441 East 20th Street, 2, 3, 4, and 5 Peter Cooper Road, and 350, 360, 370 and 390 First Avenue.  Other intercom systems in Peter Cooper Village sustained greater damage and will take longer to repair.   The intercom company is working to expedite those repairs but is not yet able to provide an estimated timeline.  These buildings are:  420, 440, 510 and 530 East 23rd Street, 511, 531, 541 and 601 East 20th Street and 6, 7 and 8 Peter Cooper Road.  We will provide an estimated timeline as soon as it is available.   

Sanitation:  The trash chutes are now operational in all 110 buildings. In PCV, bins placed outside of buildings affected by flooding should no longer be used for household trash, but rather for recyclables until further notice. 

Basements:  Basements in PCV and the terrace level of Stuyvesant Town buildings were impacted by flood water and sustained significant damage. We remain focused on restoring and repairing all of the basements and will continue to work with our professional contractors, our environmental engineers and our professional restoration crews to complete the work as safely and as quickly as possible.  Residents should be comforted to know that there is no common ventilation system between basements and the upstairs residential and common areas in any of our buildings.  As a preventative measure, we are in the process of sealing off some of these basements and dehumidifying these areas to remove excess moisture from the concrete and to help us restore these basements to their original conditions. 

While we have engaged professionals in large scale restoration efforts, we would also advise our residents to review the information laid out by the New York State Department of Health which addresses questions regarding flood recovery including how to handle personal property that may have been stored in flooded areas. Please refer to: http://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/emergency/weather/hurricane/faq/docs/faqs.pdf   

Limited Access: In some cases we have closed basements for ongoing restoration work. We will soon begin providing controlled access to some buildings, where residents will have the opportunity to retrieve personal property from their NTT storage units and remove bicycles.  Residents will have until November 30th to retrieve their property and any items left behind will be discarded. The controlled access schedule is as follows:  Weekdays between 5:30PM and 9PM and weekends from 10AM-2PM. Controlled access begins this afternoon at 5:30PM.  Tenants wishing to access these basements should report to the tent outside of PCV Playground 1 at these times and they will then be escorted by security to the basements.  Only residents who reside in the buildings or have an NTT storage locker in the buildings will be given access. 

The affected basements with limited access are as follows: 3, 4, 5, 6 Peter Cooper Road; 441, 541, and 601 and 620 East 20th Street; 420, 440, 510, and 530 East 23rd Street.

No Access: Residents may not access basements in 511 and 531 E20th Street and 7 and 8 Peter Cooper Road for the foreseeable future due to the extensive damage in these areas.

-          Storage: NTT Storage will communicate to customers with storage units in those buildings with further details by Saturday.

-          Bicycles: To the extent that we are able, we will remove bicycles and securely store them in  Playground 1 in PCV where residents can claim them over a period of 30 days, after which, unclaimed bikes will be discarded.  To claim your bicycle, please be sure to bring the key or combination to your bike lock. 

Trunks: Trunk retrieval has been suspended throughout the property. We will remove all trunks located in buildings impacted by flooding. Those which are salvageable and intact will be moved to a warehouse where residents will have the opportunity to claim them over a thirty day period.  As soon as the trunks have been relocated, we will provide additional details. 

Peter Cooper Road: Peter Cooper Road has been reopened following repairs completed due to the storm. The 30-minute parking rule is back in effect.

Playgrounds PCV1 and PCV2: These playgrounds are currently closed while we assess and repair the damage that may have occurred to the surface area during the storm. We will inform you once they are reopened.

Local Law 11 Project / Façade Work: Despite the on-going property wide restoration efforts, the on-going façade work in PCV and façade work planned in ST remains on schedule and in compliance with Local Law 11 which mandates the inspection and repair of all building facades every five years. In Peter Cooper Village 7 PCR and 601 E20th Street the work has been restarted and should be completed by end of January. The initial phase of work in Stuyvesant Town has commenced at 2, 4, 6, and 16 SO. Over the next couple of weeks start of work notifications be communicated to residents in the following additional building: 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21 Stuyvesant Town Oval; 610, 620, 622, 624, 626, and 628 E20th Street; and 315, 319, and 321 Avenue C.


RENT ABATEMENT

Tenants without heat, elevator service, or electricity following the storm will not be charged rent for any day in which they were without one or more of those services. Residents will receive a communication advising of your abatement amount. Unfortunately, due to the damage of our technology equipment we will not be able to provide the credit in the December bill.  We expect to be able to offer the credit in time for the January billing cycle.  


THIRD PARTY SERVICES

Parking Garages: Quik Park has reopened garages 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 for business.  Customers whose vehicles were in Garages 2, 3, 4, or 5 during the storm will not be billed for November and for December 1-15.  Please contact Quik Park directly to work out your accommodations concerning your vehicle. The Garage Manager will be available at Garage 1, located on 20th Street. Please also note that all damaged vehicles not removed from Garages 2, 3, 4 or 5 by December 15 will be towed by Quik Park at the vehicle owner's expense. QuikPark sent a more detailed update to all customers earlier this week.   For additional information, please see the Manager in Garage 1 or contact Quik Park at 212-832-2066.  

Laundry Service: We are working with MacGray, our laundry service contractor, on a detailed plan to restore laundry rooms flooded during the storm. Buildings with laundry rooms damaged by the flood include: 441, 511, 531, 541, 601 and 620 E20th Street; 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 Peter Cooper Road; and 420, 440, 510 and 530 E23rd Street; and 319 Avenue C.  Additionally, the dryers will not work in buildings currently experiencing gas outages: 285, 287, 309, 315, 319, and 321 Avenue C; 400 and 410 E20th Street; and 330 First Avenue. We will provide a timetable for the restoration of full laundry service in those buildings as soon as we can.

In response to inquiries we have received, we cannot provide access to buildings with functioning laundry rooms at this time. In the meantime, Oval Concierge offers free pick-up and delivery for laundry service. All residents are welcome to use this service. In the buildings where laundry rooms were not affected by the flood, we are aware that laundry card machines are currently taking cash only. This is due to the damaged phone lines and hope to have the issue resolved upon the restoration of our phone system. For additional information, please call 1-800-MAC-GRAY. For a list of laundry rooms in the neighborhood, please visit the pcvst.com Alerts page.

NTT Storage: Please refer to the updates regarding basements detailed above concerning access to storage units in buildings which sustained flood damage. Billing has been suspended for customers of affected units as of Monday, October 29, 2012. NTT Storage will provide tenants with individual notifications regarding their storage units shortly. For additional information, please contact NTT Storage directly at (212) 253-2435.

Oval Fitness: The fitness facility sustained significant damage from the flood. We are working to remove equipment, clean out the space, and rebuild the facility as quickly as possible and we hope to reopen within six months, if not sooner. Members will receive individual letters in the coming weeks providing the necessary details for their accounts, including information about refunds. Also, please note that because of the extensive damage and the extended downtime for the facility, American Leisure will no longer be involved in the day-to-day operations.  They have provided us with all of their records, so please email living@pcvst.com for any questions related to Oval Fitness.

Oval Kids, Café, and Study: These amenity spaces, which are currently operated by American Leisure, are closed indefinitely. We will update you when these amenities are scheduled to be restored. All Oval Essentials memberships have been suspended indefinitely and refunds will be applied. Members will receive individual letters with details about their accounts. For additional information, please visit the Oval Essentials office adjacent to Oval Café.

Oval Concierge: The Oval Concierge remains operational with standard operating hours (Mon-Sat from 8am to 8pm) and is available for package delivery and receipt, laundry, housekeeping, and other services. Shuttle service is running on its usual route and schedule.

PCVST Ice Rink: PCVST's seasonal ice rink, operated by Ice Rink Events, will open this Saturday, November 17th at 11am. Residents are invited to enjoy free admission all day this Saturday. For operating hours, lessons, and other details, please visit pcvst.com. For additional information, please contact icerink@pcvst.com.  The completion of the ice rink was accomplished using separate outside contractors and did not impact any of our on-going restoration efforts.

Community Center: The Community Center has resumed its standard operating hours and basic daily programming has resumed (including card and board games and Friday movie screenings), with the exception of the senior fitness classes due to the lack of available space (now that 300 First Avenue is occupied by PCVST staff).

Greenmarket: Due to the restoration efforts underway and the Local Law 11 work that has begun, the Greenmarket will not be returning to Stuyvesant Town for the remainder of this year. We will notify you if the market gets set up in a location near the property.

We thank you again for your understanding and patience throughout this restoration period. We will continue to provide you with updates and post information on pcvst.com. We also invite you to celebrate the holiday season among neighbors and friends, starting with the Tree Lighting ceremony on November 29th, followed by a number of other festive events in the coming weeks.
 

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Rent Abatement Notice from CWCapital

Dear Residents,

I am writing after one of the more tumultuous weeks in the long and storied history of this community. I want to express our sympathy for all that you have endured over the past 7 days and to express my thanks and appreciation for all that our staff has done since last Monday to ensure resident safety and the fastest possible restoration of services.

I know some of you still remain without some utility services and that our job is not finished until everyone is back to normal. As a demonstration of our commitment, and in appreciation for all that you have been through since last Monday night, I am announcing that anyone who has been without heat, elevator service or electricity will not be charged rent for any day in which they were without one or more of these services.      

While this last week has been extraordinarily trying, it also highlighted all that is special about our community. Our younger residents kept careful watch over their elderly neighbors and our elderly residents provided us all with an example of how to overcome adversity with good humor and fortitude.   Our political figures pitched in and the various resident groups have done their part. Finally, our staff has demonstrated a commitment to this community that is extraordinary.  During this last week, PCVST showed what it means to be part of a community you should all be proud to call home.

I want to extend a particular note of thanks to the building engineers, Public Safety officers, executive staff, and the many volunteers who helped our community get through the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. I personally witnessed several of our engineers working, at significant personal risk, to secure damaged electrical equipment in order to maintain safe conditions in those buildings directly effected by the flood waters. I watched as our Director of Operations had a manhole cover explode next to him as he struggled with workers from ConEd to restore power. I am aware of several staff members that chose to stay here and assist this community despite having lost their own homes to the flood. Many of our executive staff slept onsite for the past week, leaving their own families in cold and darkness elsewhere, while they lead the effort to restore normalcy here.  Our Public Safety officers carried over 200 elderly residents down from their apartments and checked on over 500 additional residents at the request of concerned relatives. I also want to extend our appreciation to the Tenants Association and Councilman Garodnick who responded to our request for additional volunteers to assist in our efforts to check on all residents without power and to help with the food distribution efforts. Everyone involved in this effort should be proud of their participation.

We still have work to do to restore services and return normalcy to this community. We will continue to work tirelessly until that job is complete.

With respect,

Andrew MacArthur
Managing Director - CWCapital


Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town Rent Abatement

Due to the impacts of Hurricane Sandy, we are instituting the following rent abatement measures for all residents of Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town:
  • We will abate rent for residents for any period their building was without an essential service (electric, elevators, heat).
  • We will abate rent for any resident with a scheduled move-out date from that date until the date they are actually able to move out.
  • We will abate rent for any resident with a scheduled move-in date from that date until the date they are actually able to move in.
  • We are trying to include the abatements as rent credits in the December rent bill, however we may not be able to include until January depending on how quickly our systems are able to be restored.
  • If you have a move-out scheduled in November, please email hurricanerentabatement@pcvst.comto discuss how your abatement will be handled.
  • Please pay your normal rent amount until the credits are reflected on your rent bill.  

November 9 Update, plus previous ones not yet posted here

From CompassRock:

RESIDENT NOTICE - NOVEMBER 9 UPDATE

We would like to provide a brief update concerning reports of heat service issues we received from residents over the past 24 hours, and about utility power restoration for 6 and 8 Peter Cooper Road.

Concerning heat service issues reported, the source of these issues is mainly due to the storm damage to the electronic controls that regulate temperatures in the buildings. As a result, heat may not always be evenly distributed throughout entire buildings at all times. Therefore, when we receive reports from residents regarding heat issues, we send our engineers to the identified buildings to open valves in order to control the heat distribution. We continue to work on repairing the electronic controls and responding to service issues. In the meantime, if you continue to experience issues with heat service, please email us at living@pcvst.com or call (888) 885-8490 and leave a voice message with your specific building, apartment number, contact information and details about the issues you are experiencing. We will try to get back to you as quickly as we can.

With respect to the conversion from generator to ConEd utility power, the conversion was completed for 8 Peter Cooper Road last night; that building is no longer on generator power and electrical service is fully restored.

We also worked with ConEd to restore utility power to 6 Peter Cooper Road yesterday, however the ConEd system sustained more damage from both the flood and the man-hole explosion last week than we had anticipated. As a result, ConEd could not convert the building back to utility power in the time frame we had initially planned, despite best efforts, and in the meantime, 6 Peter Cooper Road remains on generator power. The generator has been inspected and deemed safe; it is fully operational, as is the elevator service. ConEd is working to repair these issues and to convert back to the buildings permanent source of electrical power as quickly as possible.

When this conversion occurs, there will be a temporary interruption of electrical service to the building while the work is performed. This conversion will be done based on ConEd's ability to complete the repairs and the availability of the necessary crews on-site. We will attempt to provide as much advance notice as possible to residents of 6 Peter Cooper Road, but ask that residents understand that the timing is in part dependent on ConEd. Naturally, we will ensure that the elevators are empty prior to shutting down power.

Once again, we thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to work tirelessly to complete the restoration of utility services.

-----------------

November 8th Update:

RESIDENT NOTICE - NOVEMBER 8 UPDATE

Over the past week, following the significant damage sustained by the property due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy, we have focused on ensuring life safety and restoring basic utility services to all 110 buildings, including power, heat and hot water. Additional restoration efforts are still underway to complete repairs of elevators damaged by the storm, gas outages, and repairs to the water pumps in Peter Cooper Village. All remaining restorations referenced in yesterday's communication remain on schedule (posted on www.pcvst.com). Once again, we would like to thank you for your patience, understanding and support.

We have also been busy dealing with the effects of the storm on the PCVST Management Office, including extensive flooding of the first floor, damaged phone systems, and the loss of equipment and supplies. We are in the process of establishing offices for our staff throughout the property, and in some cases, relocating staff off-site. We will continue to provide additional updates on these restoration efforts, particularly those which pertain to restoration of phone systems, work order requests, and other resident services provided by the Management Office.

In the meantime, if you need to report an urgent service issue, you can reach Resident Services, as follows -

-          Representatives are located at Oval Café between 7:30am to 8pm and at Oval Studio from 8pm to midnight. On Saturday and Sunday, Resident Services will be available at Oval Café from 8:30am to 6pm and at Oval Studio from 6pm until midnight.

-          Email living@pcvst.com with your building, apartment number and contact information and details about the service issue;

-          Call (888) 885-8490 to leave a voice message with your contact information and nature of the issue. Please note that due to our resource constraints resulting from the storm, we will return your call as quickly as we can, though it may take a day to get back to you. As soon as our phone systems are repaired, Resident Services will resume answering phones directly.

If you need to reach Public Safety for an urgent matter, please call (347) 680-2212. In case of emergency, please call 911.

Please note that we are currently addressing emergency Work Orders, such as toilet/drain stoppages and non-functioning refrigerators and stoves. We will update you once we are able to process other Work Order requests.

As we continue to restore our standard operational services and relocate our staff, we will continue to communicate regular updates to you. Now that electricity, heat and hot water have been restored to the entire property, and that elevator service has been restored to all but one building (7 PCR is still on track for restoration within four days), we will revert back to a weekly update rather than a daily update, unless we have an urgent notice to communicate to you. We will continue to post these same updates on www.pcvst.com, as well as on facebook.com/pcvst and twitter.com/pcvstliving.

--------------------------

November 7th Update:

RESIDENT NOTICE - NOVEMBER 7 UPDATE

We are pleased to report that power, heat and hot water have been restored to all 110 buildings Peter Cooper Village Stuyvesant Town.

In Peter Cooper Village, 6 and 8 Peter Cooper Road are running on generators and will need to be converted to ConEd utility power. The conversion to ConEd utility will necessitate a two-hour shut-down of electrical service, which we currently have scheduled to take place by Friday at noon. We will ensure that elevators are empty before the temporary power outage.

All buildings now have at least one functioning elevator with the exception of 7 Peter Cooper Road. We continue to work on the restoration of elevator service in the buildings affected by the storm damage. 7 Peter Cooper Road should have one working elevator within five days.

Please keep in mind that we may continue to experience service disruptions related to components of our electrical distribution system that were damaged during the storm. We continue to work with ConEd and other third parties to remediate these issues as quickly as possible. If you experience any service issues with power, heat or hot water which do not correspond with the updates above, please notify a Resident Services representative located at Oval Café from 7:30am to 8pm and at Oval Studio from 8pm until midnight.

The motors that run the Peter Cooper Village water pumps which were damaged by the storm and which affect water pressure in the PCV buildings are undergoing repair, one by one, as we continue to procure the necessary parts for the repairs. Please continue to be mindful and conserve water usage.

The schedule for the restoration of gas service to the effected buildings remains the same as the schedule published last night (posted on www.pcvst.com). We will continue to work on and provide updates about the gas service restoration efforts.

We also would like to reiterate our message from earlier today (posted on www.pcvst.com) regarding today's storm, urging you to take precautions, stay indoors, and ensure supplies at home.

A few additional updates and reminders for you:

Heating Centers: On Thursday, November 8, the ice rink tent will remain available as a heating and charging station between 8am and 8pm; the Community Center is available as a heating center for elderly residents from 8am until 8pm. Please let your elderly neighbors know. 

Resident Check-Ins: Today, November 7th, we knocked on the doors of residents based on requests from concerned parties.

Security: We remind you that Security is now headquartered at Oval Studio. In case of emergency only, please call (347) 680-2212. For all other inquiries, please continue to go to Resident Services at Oval Café or call (888) 885-8490.

Resident Services: Representatives from Resident Services will be available throughout the week during extended hours, at Oval Café from 7:30am to 8pm and at Oval Studio from 8pm to midnight. We are able to address emergency Work Orders, such as toilet/drain stoppages and non-functioning refrigerators and stoves. We will update you once we are able to process other Work Order requests.

Garages: Garages 1 and 6 did not sustain any damage and are open for business. Garages 2, 4, and 5 are now open for damage assessment. Customers who have not had access to their garages should assume their vehicles suffered significant damage and act accordingly with their insurance companies.  As you prepare to have your vehicle towed, please note that the tow trucks should be lower than 6'8", which is the height of the garage gates.

A Message to Parents Enrolled at Manhattan Kids Club II: As you may know, MKC II sustained significant damage due to the storm. MKC II is working on clean-up of the site which is expected to be done by the end of week. The space must be dried out and safe before repairs can begin. MKC II reports that construction is currently scheduled to be completed by the weekend before Thanksgiving with a school re-open date of Monday, November 26th. MKC II encourages you to reach out to Bright Horizons (brighthorizons.com) and Children's Creative Learning Centers (cclc.com) for temporary child care; they have been supportive and welcoming.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

A new update (late yesterday)

CompassRock update:
 
RESIDENT NOTICE
NOVEMBER 5 UPDATE

We are pleased to report additional significant progress with respect to the restoration of utility services that was made last night and this morning.

Electrity & Elevator Service: All Stuyvesant Town buildings have had electricity restored, as have all of the buildings in Peter Cooper Village with the exception of the following four buildings which we expect to have restored by midnight tonight: 4, 6 and 8 Peter Cooper Road and 440 East 23rd Street.

As indicated yesterday, elevator service will be restored in all buildings which regained power within 12 hours of power restoration.

Heat & Hot Water Service: A number of buildings had heat and hot water service restored (please see matrix below); the restoration timeline remains the same as yesterday for all other buildings. Domestic water in Peter Cooper Village will continue to experience drops in pressure as a result of damage to pumping equipment. As more buildings in Peter Cooper Village regain hot water service, the water pressure issue will become more pronounced. Please be mindful and make efforts to conserve water.

Gas Service: Please note that the schedule for the restoration of gas service has been extended from two to three weeks for the six buildings in Stuyvesant Town affected by the ConEd and FDNY shut-downs. Additionally, restoration of gas service for 531 E20th St and 7 Peter Cooper Road will extend from one week to two weeks. This is due to the limited availability of supplies, equipment, and labor needed to make the necessary repairs. Gas restoration will also be dependent on access to apartment homes in order make required repairs and test connections.   
We also take this opportunity to remind you of the following:

Voting Stations: Voting stations at Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town will be open tomorrow. Please refer to the mailing you may have received from the Board of Elections for instructions on where to vote.

Heating Centers: On Monday, November, 5, the ice rink tent will be available as a heating and charging station between 8am and 8pm; the Community Center is available as a heating center for elderly residents from 6am until midnight. Please let your elderly neighbors know. 

Resident Check-Ins: Today, November 5th, we once again knocked on the doors of all residents in buildings without power; and the doors of all elderly residents without elevator service.   Elderly residents who requested food once again received food deliveries. 

Security: We continue to have additional Public Safety staff on-site, particularly in the buildings without power. In case of emergency only, please call (347) 680-2212. For all other inquiries, please continue to go to Resident Services at Oval Café or call (888) 885-8490.

We will continue to update you regularly.