Saturday, December 9, 2017

About "That" Brochure....



By now, residents should all have gotten under their door what has been called the "brochure."  It measures about over 12 inches wide, and it's height is 8 1/2 inches. It comes as a foldout, 3 pages but 6 pages double-sided if you count that way. It is of cardboard-like material. In color. The printing and distribution of this brochure cost much, but probably not as much as the glossy brochures of our soon-departed councilman, Dan Garodnick, who promised to have all his brochures "green." Not their color, but their printing. Unfortunately these glossy brochures don't look like "green" to me or penny-wise. And thank you, Dan, for another business tower, the disruption to New Yorkers, and your promotion of this tower using tax dollars....

The Stuy Town brochure is titled "State of the Community." The last word is in a heavier font, just so you get the full meaning. I will not mention, aside from this, that the brochure is taken up in part with rather goofy shots of some people who work here, including dear Rick Hayduk, our General Manager and CEO of Blackstone, which now owns this property along with Ivanhoe.

Most of the brochure is taken up with a timeline. I thank the powers that be for this timeline. You can tell what time period and what is wrong with this place by this timeline. Obviously, this is not the intent.

That timeline:

We are informed that the "Good Neighbor" policy has started when Blackstone moved in here. On the timeline it states that this policy started at the beginning of 2016. Problem is, while the "Good Neighbor" policy is written all over the place in Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, its enforcement and residents following the "Good Neighbor" policy are not exactly what was intended. A good number of residents make fun of and/or ignore this policy. That is a fact.

Also mentioned, as early 2016, are "new laundry carts" and "battery-powered leaf blowers." Okay, if Management reads the blogs (and someone does), Management should know that there can be a problem with these laundry carts. A number of them can be missing and used by some residents to easily move in and out of their apartments, or just to fill up with clothes and taken to the apartment. There have been times, when the laundry room is lacking most of these carts. Managements response after new carts and new signs on these carts were not working: "We can't so anything about it, so we will replace the carts when they are gone."

As to "battery-powered leaf blowers," I can't state how many times I have been driven away by these blowers. Other residents, too. The blowers kick up dust and debris into the air, and frequently their workers are wearing masks to stop this dust and debris from entering their mouths and lungs. I have seen, against the morning light, this dust and debris flying in the air while these "leaf blowers" are doing their business. Plus the oversized blowers with diesel-running carts are very noisy at the Oval grass and can drive anyone out who may want to sit at the Fountain area or do Yoga or Tai Chi there.

We are also informed that "dog registration lanyards" were introduced in 2016.

Update 12/10/2017:

The dog registration lanyards promotion has to be the cruelest joke in this brochure. Blue lanyards were introduced over a year ago, and Rick had to twice repeat the same message, a year apart. Why? Because outsiders ignore this rule. I see a lot that goes on here, or doesn't go on, and I have yet to see an outsider escorted out of this complex because his or her dog does not have an official lanyard, which is part of this rule.

What I do see is that outsiders with their dogs can head into this complex, no questions asked. They can even go by the large booth at 1st Avenue, and they will not be stopped. I have seen this many times, and recently, too. The fact was also brought up that PS inside that booth has been told not to bother outsiders. Who told them this?

It seems the undisclosed policy is to not to confront any outsider. Again, and again, I have seen this with my eyes. I can verify that this "rule" is BS.

Now that does not mean that there is zero effort by PS, but it is random, very random,and limited to an extra presence and maybe a word or two about the lanyard rule. But even this, something that is so minimal, has no "teeth" at all, so much so that the rule might not as well exist.

Update 12/12/2017:

That brochure again. Continuing... Something about a "laundry technician." I guess the laundry rooms should be fine now, as this technician was introduced in 2016. Then we have dogs, what else? Dog days, and dog friendly areas. No, not the entire complex, wise guy!... Okay, also in 2016 we have the introduction of something called "Noise Reducing Gifts." Did everyone get those? Cause I can't hear a thing. Oh, I forgot "Oval Office." You know, where a resident can voice his or her problems to a representative of Management. Don't laugh, it's not becoming.... Then there's 5 Stuy Cafe, the place that was closed by the Health Department and that has dog urine is all over the stone wall in front. What's that I smell? A particular brand of pizza? No, it's dog piss! But aren't the dogs cute?

(To be continued!)