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!)

Rent Goes Up, No One Cares

By now you should have gotten your new December rent for what you owe our landlord.  Remarkably there has almost been no comment from our TA, which has basically said the same thing over again: Albany. So, unless you are in SCRIE or some other program, you will be paying more for the pleasure of living here.

I know what I will be doing: Distributing less of my limited supply of money to the stores around here that need the money but which I can't give that much of because of this increase. I need to pay more to live here. Simple as that.

I pity the tenants who have to pay much more than I do. How do they do it, unless they decided to move out because of money? Unless, for some, a illegality of their lease can seem the way out?

Some people are dying here. Oh, not really leaving this mortal coil (though some do that, too), but spiritually. If you are not affected by the prices here, consider yourself lucky.

Our current landlord, Blackstone and Ivanhoe, doesn't really care. Oh, their reps can offer a nice word or colored lights for the season, but they just want this complex to meet and exceed its monetary demands. To them, success is not the same as your success.

Though there have been some positive changes under our new landlord, I still see the same infractions and still come across the same unwillingness to tackle these problems, aside from some sympathy. Yeah, thanks for that.

As we head to the holidays, I don't see much I can be cheerful about. I can only hunker down and try my best. Some of us are in the same boat. And some of us, aren't.

You Get the Idea....

Do I need to comment? All photos, except at the bottom (an official Stuy Town promo that doesn't show carpeting as per official instructions), are from the SpareRoom site, which is a treasure drove of apartments such as these.

 

https://www.stuytown.com/questions/why-is-80-carpet-coverage-required

And Now For Something Completely Different

Well, it is the fall.... By the Oval Fountain. And these leaf colors won't be there for long...

Important News: Public Safety and ST Workers Will Drive Little Tikes Cars

Management has heard your concerns and beginning next year, PS and ST workers will drive adult-size "Little Tikes" vehicles to go around the property.

"Yes, it was a no-brainer when we at Blackagain looked at it," stated GM Rick Duckalways. "This way, our residents will feel safer, and even those we hit (watch out, seniors!) will laugh about it when they wake up in the hospital."

First, though, a tool attachment on the back will have to be placed on the "Little Tikes."

"It is tough dealing with the population explosion here and all the AirBnb apartments. But where there is a will, there is a way," assured Duckalways.

The new Little Tikes vehicles will begin appearing in February, 2018.

Demo video:

Slowly but surely?

I've come to the realization that it can take some time and a lot of patience to implement any change in the city and, more particularly, in this complex. Aside from the usual infractions here, I have decided to zero in on two: One, motorized bikes. They are illegal to use, but there is a loophole, and it's a big one. The bikes can be around, but the motor can't be running. In other words, one can have a motorized bike but the motor can't be on. Doesn't make sense, but this is what the rule is. So, you have, for instance, Ess-a-Bagel, a tenant here, using motorized bikes, particularly in the busy weekend, but their "drivers" can turn off the motorization near Ess-a-Bagel and turn it back on once they are in the city proper, out on the streets. The police can't do anything if the bikes are not seen and running. (Of course, they are seen all the time, but that is another issue.) There is one way to stop this game: Make motorized bikes illegal in the city whether they are running or not. Only the City Council can do that. It seems simple, but were it so.

The second change is enforcing the dog lanyard rule. This is not my rule, but that of current management, with the General Manager, Rick Hayduk, stating:

"We'll be introducing a new process to identify registered dogs thus enabling Public Safety Officers to clearly approach offending dog owners. The registration will hang from the leash handle; clearly identifying the dog as registered.

"If the dog is not registered by May 1; a summons will be issued at the point of contact. If we learn the dog owner is not a resident, they will be escorted off the property."

This was stated in February, 2016.

As we know, the rule is continually not enforced. I have been here a long time (decades) but I've yet to see someone escorted out for not following this rule. My impression, from reading a couple of blogs dedicated to this complex, is that the ignoring of this rule is common knowledge. I would want this rule enforced and I will work toward that, despite the lack of will power to enforce it.

As I stated, there are other infractions, but these are the ones I will be reporting on and trying to change. And I am not the only one.

New York City Is Closed Until Further Notice

Sorry, but residents can suck it up, of course.

Meanwhile:

"Hey, lady, at least it's nicely arranged for you to go through."

"What's your problem? Always complaining! What's wrong with it, anyway?"

STR Has Had It

Yes, this is a nasty place. Don't let them tell you otherwise. Don't believe that New York City was always like this. When? Where? I'm not talking about Times Square or the Lower East Side.

Stuy Town and Peter Cooper Village, the latter the "jewel" of the complex, were dreams that many wanted to live in. People had to wait years to get into this complex, it was so good to live here and to raise a family here. Don't believe differently. They, the new masters, are lying to you. They want you to believe that the noise and the pollution was always here, because "it's New York." Don't believe their lies.

Not the first time, I was chased around this complex in the morning because of the noise and smell of continual zambonis running around and trying to clean the filth that is here. I was chased by the continual noise of leaf-blowers, with their attachments that spew dirt and dust while trying to clear the area of debris. And they (Management) is full of excuses. If you call, you will hear these excuses over and over again, unless you are persistent, then they will get annoyed at you.

Take it from me, and from the residents who have lived here for years, it was never like this.

They value "Peace and Quiet." Don't believe them. They are just selling to the masses outside. If I am chased around the complex, looking for a restful place to read or meditate or whatever, then the probability is you are too.

I wish I could move, get out of here. Financially, right now it is not doable.

But, believe me, this place is nasty. And it seems to be getting worse.

Sunday - September 17 - A Disaster?

Okay, several things happening. I don't want to post individually on the main page, so I'm putting all this together. You can make larger by just clicking on the photo.

I took my morning walk and this is what I saw:

This is a shot of my floor. The rugs are a disaster, as you can see. No matter how many times the floor is cleaned, the markings still come up. This is what I see every day when I leave my apartment.

I walk along the 20th Street Loop. It is already past 9am, closing in on 10am. (The "garbage" is still there at 11am.) This is what I see:

Now I'm at the jewel of this complex -- Peter Cooper Village:

Relief! Some nice flowers along the 1st Avenue entrance:

But, as I head back, I spot that Ess-a-Bagel uses motorized bikes to deliver. I knew this, of course, but this is a nice photo. (Looking at the photo, what else do I see? A fire-hydrant covered by the bikes.)

What else do I spot as I head inside? All over the new big signs telling riders not to ride their bikes inside the Oval is this new sign:

Yes, you are on camera and your life, photo-wise, is in somebody's hands. These signs can be debated legally, but, right now, whatever.

It's humid, so I go to Oval Study to work. (Yes, I periodically belong, as I have no AC in my apartment.) What do I find there? No ventilation! Inside, it is like a locker room, if not worse. So I drudge over to Abigail, the company that is responsible for Oval Study. The explanation? "You are the first person..." And: "I will inform somebody on Monday."

Monday!!

So I head back to my apartment. The front door which greets me every day:

Perhaps it's best to go to Chinatown today?

New BIG Signs Come to the Oval, But...

Here are some of the signs. You can't miss them. Impossible. Almost intrusive.

I figured that this was a good idea, as some are not seeing the original much smaller signs, or so they say. Plus, it is a shaming sign, so large....  So I waited a few minutes.... Two moving bicycles go by and the people head to Oval Cafe. I decided hell's bells, I may as well ask them why they passed the BIG signs that are now at all points of the Oval. I was nice and just doing my STR duty.

The response: Aside from one of them, the male, getting instantly belligerent, the response was because they, the bicyclists, are "defiant." A few other words were spoken, which I won't get into. ;-)

Anyway, I decided to walk around and check out the other signs. I saw two speeding bicyclists around the Oval, one of whom was a delivery person. The BIG signs were ignored.

Okay, so I'm about to head home and what do I spot? A woman leaving the Oval Fountain area...with her dog.

BIG signs, but I guess they are not working right now.

September 12 - Polls Open for City Council

To use old Brooklyn talk, they are called "bums." Not all, but a lot of the politicians running for local office, and, for me, the ones who are running to replace Dan Garodnick in this district. I've had it with hearing and spamming from most of them. Yeah, I know the line. You are a smooth talker and have a response to everything, from "Yes, I agree with you" to "I'll look into it." I'm more than tired of politicians saying what the people want to hear.

Money for this, money for that. Quality education, affordable housing, the subways running well--we have all heard the talk and the talk keeps on coming. "A chicken in every pot" still works, it seems.

To remind people, it was the City Council who voted a hefty pay raise for themselves. They and the people who come after them are not going to give away that perk. You, as a citizen, are paying for it. Some citizens can well afford it, as they have lots of money, but some can't. If the news reports are right, a lot of people are living paycheck to paycheck, with no "nest egg" to keep them afloat even for a month.

Politicians realize this, but still they will smooth talk you and let you hear what you want to hear.

But take a look around. Is this what you like? If you have no complaints, you are wonderful and the kind of tenant a landlord would want.

But if you look around and see Quality of Life problems, if you see high-rise condos going up and up, if you see New York disappearing for the usual high-price non-NYC box, if you see the REBNY rule, if you see no solid TA, then you may have an issue.

Out of all the local candidates to replace Garodnick, I see only Barry Shapiro as someone who can fight for tenant rights around here. He has tried to deal with some of the issues and has posted on various blogs about them. I'm sure that Barry Shapiro has differences with me, but that is not why I would want him to win. I am assuming that mountains will not be moved, but a serious attempt will be made to move them. The other ones who are running are posers to me.

Maybe I am wrong, but that's the way it appears to me.

Small Favors

TG, that we have those carts that residents can use!

The Fiasco

I'm going to write a new post here detailing what I consider "The Fiasco," which is the work stoppage, mandated by the DOB (Department of Buildings) at Peter Cooper Village, and the official explanations that happened afterward. Naturally, and not unusually, both the our TA and our councilman Dan Garodnick got on board as quickly as possible to make it seem as if they were the ones behind the work stoppage. I consider both of them to be worthless nowadays to tenants, but there they were, trying to shine the spotlight on themselves, rather than the high-level of noise and dust that tenants had to endure around the new refurbished apartments.

Update 8/24/2017:

While I will get to the Fiasco soon, I want to reiterate that Management is concerned primarily with filling these apartments and having these apartments filled with as many people as the can--legally, but that another story. In searching this blog, I went back in time and came across this, in February of 2016. The posted email is a response by General Manager Rick Hayduk to Barry Shapiro, who is now running for our councilman:

https://stuytownreport.blogspot.com/2016/02/general-manage-rick-hayduk-responds.html

>>We'll be introducing a new process to identify registered dogs (see the attached photo) thus enabling Public Safety Officers to clearly approach offending dog owners. The registration will hang from the leash handle; clearly identifying the dog as registered.

If the dog is not registered by May 1; a summons will be issued at the point of contact. If we learn the dog owner is not a resident, they will be escorted off the property.

Yes, enforcement has been lax but in defense of our team, they would have had to stop every dog owner because the registration tag could not be seen. The new process will allow the rules to be enforced.<<

A "summons will be issued at the point of contact".... If the owner is not a resident, "they will be escorted off the property." (BTW, the May date is of last year. There was a similar warning this year.)

Who are you going to believe?  Management, Public Safety? Or your lying eyes?

The above message is an insult to everyone here, if they care. Perhaps some people do not care or don't want to be bothered. Blackstone and their representatives here are counting on that: a lack of caring. If few people care, Blackstone wins. If there is no TA or an inefficient TA, Blackstone wins.

Update 8/27/2017:

This is a long post, so bear with me.

The question of lying vs. incompetence has been raised. My impression is that the representatives here of Blackstone, and even the "big chief," have been lying to tenants. Now what is a lie:

According to the defintion (and I am using Dictionary.com, but others will do also) a lie is a deliberate false statement with an intent to deceive. It can also be something intended or serving to convey a false impression. There are also other definitions, but you get the picture.

While calling someone a liar is, in my book, one of the worst things one can call someone, aside from calling someone a murderer, rapist, etc. You just don't call someone a liar and to their face.

However, unless there is the very fragile case made for pure incompetence (and one would have to ask why they are incompetent), it seems clear that Blackstone's representatives here are indeed liars. They serve one god: the god of selling apartments here. All other items--though I am sure these items they would like resolved--can take a backseat. Hence, the lie.

We as tenants have been lied to.

I've gone through many past postings and I continually see a landlord's lie. These lies are even posted on the TA Facebook by a few members. Unfortunately, the TA is remiss at dealing with these lies and the liars.

I will point out the various deceptions. But the lack of enforcement of the lanyard rule, a rule stressed by this complex's manager a year apart, has already been written about. Check above.

Update 8/27/2017 - same day

So I checked the work order downstairs on both the M and T levels. Before I get to that, let me repeat one email I sent. (I sent several.) These mails were CCed to various people. One of my recent letters was sent to these people:

Debra Sabatino, Michael Prince, Rick Hayduk, Stephen Schwarzman.... Apparently CCed by Rick was PS chief, McClellan. My message was mainly to reiterate that I had not found the current DoB postings on work being done on two floors. This letter was dated August 8:

>>Once again, I see no DOB filing for the work that is being done on 522 East 20 St. (3RD FLOOR). I believe that is the number. It has been 2 weeks, at least, since I was assured that new DOB filings were put in and were to be posted, but I've checked both the T and M levels even this morning and so far there is no up-to-date filings that include the 3rd floor.  And I believe the 1st floor also needs them, since there is already one apartment that has its door sealed with plastic.<<

  

Rick responded to this and another email sent by me on August 14th that the up-to-date work permit was being waited for and that, besides, MetLife had requested a "building specific" rather than a "apartment specific" work order. This latter information is all and good, but all such notices carry an end term, so what MetLife did, though of some interest, is not to the point.

So I checked today and, yes, there are new DoB work permits in place. What is the starting date? August 24th. Let me repeat that: August 24th. That is the date that the work permit, waited on, covers all floors in this building for partitions and the work on wet walls. Unless I am wrong, the start date does not cover the work being done on these other floors before that date, WORK WHICH WAS ALREADY OCCURRING.

We know that Management was "caught" doing work on Peter Cooper Village apartments before a proper work order by DoB was in place.

UPDATE 9/1/2017:

This is basically retread of a comment I made in another section, but it is now on the front page here:

From the TA Facebook, the start:

"Intriguing development. A Stop Work order, citing 'work being done in a dangerous or unsafe manner' has been issued by NYC Buildings Dept for the PCV apt attached to mine (bedroom & bathroom). For the past few weeks I have been living with the noise nightmare as the apt gets reconfigured. It seems to me that the noise has been worse than the previous renovations I've lived through. To reconfigure a one bedroom, the old kitchen became a second bedroom. A new kitchen has been created in the living room and supposedly a wall had to be removed/moved. Any ideas what could be dangerous and unsafe."

Part of another post:

"But, to summarize: Electrical work without permit, plumbing work without permit, wall construction without permit."

A response from "Peter Stuyvesant":

"The TA is releasing the following statement: When tenants reported to the Stuyvesant Town–Peter Cooper Village Tenants Association that no permits had been posted for certain apartment reconfigurations underway in Peter Cooper Village, the TA pursued the issue with the Department of Buildings, City Council Member Dan Garodnick, and management. The DOB deputy commissioner confirmed that permits were needed for each unit being reconfigured and work should not be performed without permits unless they were both obtained and posted.

On Friday, August 18, DOB inspectors came to six Peter Cooper Village buildings to review units that had no permits. The inspectors ultimately issued 15 violations for five units (electrical, plumbing, and general) as well as four stop-work orders. The violations carry fines.

In the follow-up with management, the TA was told that, unknown to StuyTown Property Services, the Construction Manager started work on several units before permits were issued and neglected to notify SPS. SPS conferred with its reconfiguration consultant team to determine what had happened.

When the violations are 'cured' and permits issued and posted, work will resume.

Council Member Dan Garodnick commented: 'Thank you to the Tenants Association for their keen eye and advocacy on this, and to the DOB for responding to our request for an investigation. We expect management to play by the rules, and regardless of how they allowed this to happen, they to need deliver on their commitment to correct this practice immediately.'"

As you can tell, both the TA and our friend Dan sought to take center stage on what was illegally happening at Peter Cooper. The residents who had this noise and filth contacted the DOB and they should be applauded. Despite a general feeling of apathy around here, the residents did something to make sure Management heard about the problems: they alerted the DOB. Now, this will not stop the noise and filth, but it put a temporary halt that is legal from the city's point of view.

There are various laws that the city has which Management has decided not to be worried too much about since they "own" the place. It is up to residents, myself included, to make sure these city rules are followed.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words. But Does Anyone Care?

"To help the City's fight against bedbugs and to avoid a $100 fine, seal any mattress or box spring in a plastic bag before putting it out with your regular garbage for bulk collection. You can get large plastic bags at department stores, home improvement stores, and moving supply centers."

http://www1.nyc.gov/nyc-resources/faq/476/how-do-i-throw-out-a-mattress