Co-op City Times 02/11/12

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Co-op City’s official newspaper serving the world’s largest cooperative community. © Copyright 2012 Co-op City Times

Vol. 47 No. 6

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Rental costs in NYC increase by 5% in 2011, nearing the all-time high BY DEREK ALGER While Co-op City remains the most affordable housing in the tri-state metropolitan area, rents in Manhattan continue to skyrocket, last month jumping close to a record high. The average price of a rental apartment in Manhattan was a “whopping” $3,352 per month, an increase of 5% compared with January of last year, according to Citi Habitats, one of the city’s premiere rental agencies, the Daily News reported. Average Manhattan rents are now only $42 away from the historic high of $3,394 per month, which was reached in May of 2007. Perhaps more disturbing is the fact that rents jumped by over 1% from December 2011, even though rents usually decline during the winter months. President Helen Atkins observed that the rental market in Manhattan is more proof positive of what a wonderful housing buy Co-op City is, especially since the rent rates cited by Citi Habitats do not include the cost of utilities. “I think we have it pretty good and I’m happy I found a home in Co-op City,” Atkins said. “Since the first cooperators moved in, Co-op City has been a true community for both seniors and young families to live in quality, affordable housing.” Average rents in Manhattan were higher in every category of apartments compared to last year, with the average one-bedroom apartment going for $2,652 a month, an increase of 6%, and a two-bedroom apartment also rising by 6%, and renting for an

average of $3,762 per month. Also, it was noted, many are not able to buy now since banks have tightened their mortgage requirements, plus the uncertain economic climate has prompted a more conservative approach concerning purchases, especially major investments like a house or condo. “Driving the rent rush,” Phyllis Furman stated in her Wednesday article in the Daily News, “is still a shaky economy which has some Manhattan dwellers taking a wait and see approach when it comes to buying.” Some 13% of transactions brokered by Citi Habitats offered an incentive to potential tenants, such as a free month’s rent or payment of the broker’s fee, compared to 11% in December of 2011, which is typically done during winter months. The current apartment landscape in Manhattan, however, is still a landlord’s market, as evidenced by the fact that 21% of landlords offered such incentives in January of last year. In an article this week, dated Feb. 8th, Crain’s NewYork Business, reported rentals outside Manhattan are also in high demand. Gary Malin, president of Citi Habitats, told Crain’s that his agency “began marketing a new 90-unit development in Astoria, Queens, called Thirty-Fifty in mid-December and in six weeks, the development was 75% leased out. At that leasing rate, Malin expects the project to be rented out in less than the three or four months it usually would take, according to Crain’s.

Kaufman to report to full Board this week on the fight to have the community’s asbestos abatement costs waived BY DEREK ALGER President Helen Atkins has announced that Stephen B. Kaufman, who represented Co-op City in the Assembly for 18 years, will address the full Board this week on specifics concerning the unnecessary abatement testing and air monitoring Co-op City is being forced to perform at a cost of approximately $4 million per year.

Atkins praised Kaufman for successfully gaining concessions from the city to reduce the amount of air monitoring tests required to be performed, which has resulted in a savings of some $300,000 per year. Specifically, Atkins wants Kaufman to discuss the findings of an extensive report, Stephen B. Kaufman

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Correction: In an article in last week’s Co-op City Times regarding the date for the commencement of City Councilman’s Larry Seabrook’s upcoming trial following last December’s mistrial, the newspaper referred to an extortion related charge against Councilman Seabrook. The superseding indictment filed on September 13, 2011, does not include a charge of extortion against Councilman Seabrook. The Co-op City Times regrets the error.

25¢

Contrary to reports, I do not own a home outside Co-op City Dear Cooperators, President’s Message who is the I must start off champion of this President’s affordable Report by setting housing, owns President the record straight. two houses in I do not own a house outside of Co-op addition to an apartment in Co-op City. I have no idea why fellow board City. member Andrea Leslie would publish Let me be clear, when word sursuch a statement in her Viewpoint last faced that Director Cylich owned a week without checking it out to conhouse in North Carolina, in addition firm if it was true. All she had to do was to a house he owns in Copake Falls, simply ask me! New York, questions were naturally It’s pretty clear to me, and almost raised, and needed to be answered, everyone I know, that owning a about whether his primary residence house isn’t the problem but citing was still Co-op City. another property as a primary resiAs President, the Riverbay Bydence, while living in Co-op City, is laws clearly state “The Board of certainly a problem because Co-op Directors, acting through the City is a Mitchell-Lama housing President, must, upon receipt of and shareholders are required under knowledge declare vacant the office State law to make it their primary of a director when he is found to no residence. longer be a resident of Co-op City. While I am more than satisfied For the purposes of this section a and extremely grateful to live in an director is no longer a resident when affordable community like Co-op any one or more of the following City, like most of my fellow cooperevents shall occur: …(4) his primary residence is no longer Co-op City.” ators, I do not own a house, much Director Andrea Leslie likes to less two, like Director Bernie Cylich! (Continued on page 2) Board Director Bernie Cylich,

Helen Atkins

Crime prevention workshops for seniors teach how to avoid becoming a victim BY BILL STUTTIG Believing that true and effective crime prevention begins with giving a community the knowledge it needs to keep itself safe, the Department of Public Safety, under the charge of Chief Frank Apollo, has begun a series of workshops for Coop City seniors designed to teach them how to prevent an attack and also how to fend off and stop an attack if one occurs. Chief Apollo explained, “Any law enforcement official will tell you that one of the most effective ways of preventing crime and keeping a community’s crime rate low is to make sure that the public has the knowledge it needs to keep them out of situations that compromise their safety and make them vulnerable to attack. By having these workshops, similar to others that we have had in the past, we are making residents aware of factors that make them a target, how to negate those factors, and also if an attack occurs, how to increase your chances to escape that situation with little or no physical harm.” Public Safety Emergency Services Officer Milton Gregory, who is also part of the defensive tactics training program

under Public Safety’s training leader, Lt. James Keappock, leads the workshops, two of which were held last week for the Dreiser Retirees and the Bartow Senior Center of JASA. Two more are scheduled for Monday, February 13th from 10:30 a.m. to noon at JASA’s Dreiser Senior Center and from 1 to 2 p.m. at a meeting of the AARP at Dreiser Center. Gregory said that techniques that are taught deal more with psychological strategies to avoid being a victim rather than physical defense techniques, although that is a part of the program as well. “We teach the seniors how to trust their instincts, be alert and above all, avoid being self absorbed in other matters when they are walking in public,” Gregory said. The training officer explained that many modern devices represent a danger on several fronts. iPhones, iPads, iPods or any similar digital device that people commonly use when out in public, Gregory explained, distract that individual from paying attention to conditions in their immediate (Continued on page 4)


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