Saturday, March 1, 2014

I've never seen it so bad here....

I've never seen it so bad here, so mismanaged with an obvious disdain for tenants from management. And there's hollow silence from the TA and our councilman (who, I believe, still has to take his garbage outside of his PCV building) on several key matters of concern. Perhaps, in the spirit of "need to know," things are "in the works" from the TA and Garodnick that we are not being told about. We do know about the years-long-held fantasy of tenant ownership of this complex. The answer to all our problems, they say.

The TA Facebook page is still a valuable source of tenants' frustrations, however. We read that noisy work on the new Public Safety office was being done even at 10pm (that's not a typo), that an important notice about storage units was handed out with just a three-day window of opportunity for affected tenants to act on, that there's been no progress on the MCIs, or if there has been, it's--surprise, surprise--a secret, that locked bicycles have been removed without notice from management and other bicycles stolen with no clue as to the perpetrators, despite the fact that we have an award-winning security system in place, that maintenance workers are now being used to spy on check apartments for lease violations. And no one knows anything about the soil samples and possible contamination of soil at the area where the new management office is being built. (The website that was monitoring this has slowed down to a stop.) Of course, we still have dog crap about the complex and outsiders walking their pit bulls and German shepherds through the complex with Public Safety seemingly oblivious to the fact, or, by now, just not caring anymore. We still have nighttime noise coming from partying students, etc., etc.

But we all are getting candy vending machines in laundry rooms.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

STR you are the only true advocate we have left. The fact that Handsome Dan has to take his own trash to the curb like a peasant because his "luxury" building still hasn't been repaired from Sandy is a monument to his lack of genuine care for his own community. The TA are well meaning but ineffective because they are volunteers, lack motivation, and are unqualified for the work they do. Whatever that is. Stuyvesant Town is a gangsters paradise. Someone could get murdered in the oval in broad daylight and nobody would notice, care, or do anything. But as you say, we have candy.

Anonymous said...

This place sure gone crazy.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

>>STR you are the only true advocate we have left.<<

Thanks, but I do think there are others. As you state, the TA has limits, and Dan--well, he has done some good, at least in speeches, but he could be doing far more. A nice guy, perhaps, but pro-progressive when it comes to real estate and friends with our enemies. Bottom line is that we all need to be our own advocates, and press for change as individuals and keep "the powers that be" in check. Ultimately, the people still have the power, though few use it or are aware of how to use that power. This is true of me, also, and my strong intention is to research, and then post, what we can do as individuals to protect ourselves as tenants.

Anonymous said...

Many thanks STR for all that you do. The time and effort you invest in keeping us informed is truly a community service to us all.
In addition to all the other issues you mentioned, we now are left to wonder why there has been no update on the Roberts settlement second phase distribution. The distribution of the paltry settlement funds appears to have been "delayed" yet again. According to posters on the TA FB page, CW is being permitted to delay the distribution of these stolen "overcharges" yet again. Who is benefiting from these repeated delays? Who is following the money trail? Who is accountable and what can be done to force them to respond to our questions?

Anonymous said...

I stopped a guy with a German shepherd the other day in PCV to tell him that breed isn't allowed here, and he told me he lived here. Considering how CW functions, he could have been telling the truth.

Anonymous said...

Would like to see some new faces run for TA office. A new board with no ties to Brookfield would be welcomed.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

>>I stopped a guy with a German shepherd the other day in PCV to tell him that breed isn't allowed here, and he told me he lived here. Considering how CW functions, he could have been telling the truth.<<

There are registered pitbulls/pitbull mixes in STPCV. I've never gotten an answer as to how management could let this happen.

Anonymous said...

No amount of unattended rallies, postcards, fliers taped to the wall, stickers, etc., can undo the damage that has been done here. It's fighting a losing battle. As STR has pointed out, there are so many terrible things allowed to happen here on a daily basis that even the most well-intentioned handful of volunteers are like spit in the ocean.

Anonymous said...

Fwiw (and I have kids) not only noise from students partying , but many adults and young kids or just adults who HAVE NO CARPETS , bang, drop things, run, scream , play ball

in their flats. With no regard for those under them and next to them.

IT'S NOT ONLY NYU.

Anonymous said...

Thanks again for all you do STR. As one of the first market rate tenants in PCV some nearly 12 years ago I've seen this place driven into a trash heap.

After waiting and waiting for things to get better I've officially given up and am buying a co-op uptown. I was an active and generous financial contributor to the tenants association ( over $100 a year) throughout my tenure . Being well intentioned, as no doubt the tenant association leadership is,is simply not good enough - even for an all volunteer group. Like any organized group they have an awesome responsibility and on any measure they've failed. They should be emailing daily to have all tenants calling every day and emailing every day Dan G, the mayor, Gov C and anyone else so that the cannot ignore what's going on here. They would fix many of the issues we are having if for no other reason than to shut us up. Mailing a post card once of year I'm sure was effective political pressure in 1970! And where is our PR strategy to shame these greedy and shameless people. Nowhere to be found other then Town and Village - a quaint periodical with no power - just like the TA.

It's so sad as I had hoped to be part of the tenant buy out and to make PCV my long term home. When I first moved in the place was impeccably maintained (inside and out) with mostly great, friendly, classy, professional, caring, long-term neighbors. Now it's a drug infested, subdivided, illegal sublet, three dogs an apartment, garbage everywhere, flighty elevators and take three years to remediate the basement from Super Storm Sandy DUMP!

I do not gloat in having the resources to move. Rather I'm saddened by the willful and greedy destruction of an amazing community and neighborhood. Wishing the rest of you well in fighting the good fight - and may you prevail!

Anonymous said...

"Would like to see some new faces run for TA office. A new board with no ties to Brookfield would be welcomed."

YES!!!! Maybe STR could run?

Anonymous said...

"Would like to see some new faces run for TA office. A new board with no ties to Brookfield would be welcomed."

Feel free to run. Be the change you want to see.

Anonymous said...

"There are registered pitbulls/pitbull mixes in STPCV. I've never gotten an answer as to how management could let this happen."

No big mystery, STR. It happens because the MisManagement here writes the rules and breaks them at will to suit its purposes.

Anonymous said...

Someday someone will get mauled by an illegal breed here. Security will whisk the victim to the nearest laundry room and get him some candy.

The cost of the candy will be added to the victim's next rent bill.

Anonymous said...

With the literally HUNDREDS of problems that we face in STPCV, installing candy machines was at the top of Andrew MacArthur's to-do list? I hope the bond holders are reading this. Andrew MacArthur is running these buildings into the ground.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

>>YES!!!! Maybe STR could run?<<

Well, not yet, that's for sure. Maybe when I've retired. I really think being on the TA is a full-time job; otherwise, one is spending each moment of one's free time on TA/tenant business and probably going crazy in the process. One of the chief problems, which will get worse, is that our transient population is growing while our permanent tenant population is decreasing. Transients have no interest in joining a TA. This works out very well for whatever landlord is here.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

>>As one of the first market rate tenants in PCV some nearly 12 years ago I've seen this place driven into a trash heap.<<

Sorry to see you go. I think we all understand. If you have the money, you can do much better elsewhere in the city and be treated better by the landlord.

Anonymous said...

"As one of the first market rate tenants in PCV some nearly 12 years ago I've seen this place driven into a trash heap."

It's sad that you lived here for 12 years and had to see both the original (good) and new (horrible) versions of PCV. I myself have lived here for over 20 years and in a way wish I'd never seen this place pre-2005/6/7, because then I'd have no frame of reference by which to judge the current state of affairs. I'd just assume the students, weed stink, garbage, spying maintenance people and crumbling basements were status quo without knowing that for years it was a hidden jewel in Manhattan.

I'm surprised you held out here as a market-rate tenant for so long given the rapid decline in QOL over the last half-dozen years. Kudos for sticking it out for so long, I only wish we could return to the same ST/PCV you moved into in 2002.

Anonymous said...

"I only wish we could return to the same ST/PCV you moved into in 2002."

I wish it could be the way it was when I moved in in 1980. Apart from having no air conditioning in ST, it was as close to heaven as you could get in New York City. The Oval was lush and filled with trees and flowers. It has become such a shithole since it was sold that it is really heartbreaking.

Anonymous said...

Someone should explain to CW's spokesman, who reportedly said that the "inspections" were to determine what appliance are in the apartments so they can ensure that management has a supply of spare parts, that all of the appliance all of the appliances supplied by management are in the kitchen and, as a result, there is no need to tour the bedrooms and other areas of people's homes.

Someone should also tell him that, even if they lost all of the records to Sandy, that apartments do not have a wide variety of appliances and they should know what they are and what to order.

It is hard to believe that anyone could be worse than TS and Rose but these guys are. As for security, most of them have always been oblivious.

This is what you get with absentee ownership and absentee management.

Those who gripe about the TA should organize a slate, petition onto the ballot, put fliers under the doors and campaign to get elected.

Anonymous said...

"Someone should explain to CW's spokesman, who reportedly said that the "inspections" were to determine what appliance are in the apartments so they can ensure that management has a supply of spare parts"

Inspectors record appliance serial numbers hoping to discover unauthorized replacements. Their intent is to gather evidence for evicting stabilized tenants, or at the very least jack up rents.

Anonymous said...

Maybe a forum like this could serve to get a new TA board in place. First you have to pay your dues knowing that the same disasters might win. Second, who knows the process? Is it open and above board? And sufficiently publicized? Can anyone new get enough tenants energized for vote for a new slate? Maybe the only people who can vote are dues paying members. Maybe there are only enough of these to vote for the same old faces or their friends. That's a big problem with the TA. It's become a closed group. Any tenant should be able to vote.

Anonymous said...

10;14 should note; all tenants are stabilized. all tenants are stabilized.

so. ?

Anonymous said...

Read the TA election rules. The process heavily favors the incumbents and their friends

Anonymous said...

There should be term limits for TA elected officers and board members. And open monthly public meetings.

Anonymous said...

"10;14 should note; all tenants are stabilized. all tenants are stabilized.

so. ?"

There's continuous stabilized and there's deregulated subsequently re-stabilized.

CWC would very much like to boot out or boost up below market rents paid by long term residents of continuous stabilized units. CWC wants them miserable 24/7.

Absent failure to pay market or near market rents, CWC disregards residents of deregulated subsequently re-stabilized units. CWC just plain doesn't care about them.

Clear?

Anonymous said...



Deregulated RESTABILIZED???

WHAT//?

Anonymous said...

Apartments that were found to be illegally deregulated under the Roberts lawsuit, were subsequently brought back under the rent stabilization law due to the settlement of the Roberts case. Therefore, re-stabilized. Unfortunately, the landlord found an easy way out of the financial constraints of stabilization by taking advantage of the 20% vacancy allowance they get each time they turn over an apartment. This results in phantom "legal" rents, which might approach $10K a month, but the renters are granted a "preferential rent", which is whatever the landlord wants to charge, below the "legal rent". They still get to add a RGB increase to the $10K, plus the 20% "churn" when new tenants move in.

What an unbelievable and unconscionable racket. Our Statehouse should be ashamed for allowing this abuse of its citizens.

Anonymous said...

"What an unbelievable and unconscionable racket. Our Statehouse should be ashamed for allowing this abuse of its citizens."

you are so right! This situation just speaks to the corruption and graft that goes on in our Statehouse. Until the filth is exposed and cleaned out, nothing will change. In fact, it will get worse. CW is a prime example of how shady corporations, masquerading as "honest" can milk the system to enrich their coffers at the expense of ordinary, hardworking, taxpaying citizens/renters.