Co-op City Times 07/17/10

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Co-op City’s official newspaper serving the world’s largest cooperative community. © Copyright 2010 Co-op City Times

Vol. 45 No. 29

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Turn off the tap on wasted water BY JIM ROBERTS Experts estimate that the average household can cut its water usage by 30% by making just a few simple changes to use water more efficiently. And with water rates exploding in New York – costing Coop City an extra $2 million this year alone – saving water can add up to big money for shareholders. In 2009, Riverbay paid $16 million in water charges, making water one of the biggest expenses that cooperators pay for each year. However, even though the water rates went up by 12.9% this July, the total water bill that Co-op City pays doesn’t have to rise that much if everyone pitches in to use less water. There are many easy ways to stop water waste that everyone can help with. Making sure that taps are turned off all the way so water doesn’t drip all day, and get-

ting a leaking or running toilet fixed right away, will make a big difference in how much water is used each day by the 55,000 residents of Co-op City. For example, a steady drip faucet can waste 180 gallons of water each day, at a cost of $1.63. Even a slow drip faucet will produce 36 gallons of wasted water in a day. A fully opened faucet that runs all day long wastes more than 3,600 gallons of water in one day at a cost of $32.53. And a half-open faucet pours 1,620 gallons of water “down the drain,” at a cost of $14.64. A constantly running toilet can waste 6,000 gallons per day at a cost of $54.22. A leaking toilet can waste nearly 250 gallons, or $2.26, of water each day, and even a trickling toilet can produce 30 gallons a day. (Continued on page 2)

Save water – help make a difference Last year, Riverbay paid $16 million in water charges, one of the biggest expenses for Co-op City shareholders. Starting July 1, 2010, the rates increased by 12.9%, which amounts to an additional $2.3 million per year in operating expenses. The entire community can help by saving water to reduce this additional expense. What causes the increase in water bills? Water wasted in your toilet A trickling toilet can waste 30 gallons per day. Cost – 27 cents per day A leaking toilet can waste 250 gallons per day. Cost - $2.26 per day A constantly running toilet can waste 6,000 gallons per day. Cost - $54.22 per day Water wasted in your tub, shower and sink A slow drip faucet can waste 36 gallons per day. Cost – 33 cents per day A steady drip faucet can waste 180 gallons per day. Cost - $1.63 per day A half-open faucet can waste 1,620 gallons per day. Cost - $14.64 per day A fully-opened faucet can waste 3,600 gallons per day. Cost - $32.53 per day How can you make a difference? Bathroom Do take short showers and save 5 to 7

gallons a minute. Do fill the tub halfway and save 10 to 15 gallons. Do install water-saving showerheads and faucet aerators and save 2.2 gallons a minute. Don ’t run the water while shaving, washing your hands or brushing your teeth and save 2 to 3 gallons a minute. Don ’t use the toilet as a wastebasket, and d on’t flush unnecessarily. Kitchen and laundry Do check all faucets and make sure each has an aerator and reduce flow by one gallon a minute. Your CSO office has aerators. Don ’t let the water run while washing dishes. Kitchen faucets use 2 to 3 gallons a minute. Filling a basin only takes 10 gallons to wash and rinse. Don ’t run water to make it cold. Have water chilled in the refrigerator, ready to drink. Do run the washing machine only when full. Save even more by using the short cycle. Everywhere Do repair leaky faucets and turn taps off tightly. A slow drip wastes 15 to 20 gallons each day.

Riverbay Corporation thanks shareholders for their cooperation.

25¢

Repairs to balconies being done simultaneously on seven buildings

Workmen repair balconies from two scaffoldings set up on each line of balconies on the front side of Building 2. Each of the seven buildings that are yet to have their balconies repaired will have the work done on two lines of balconies simultaneously. Photo by Bill Stuttig

BY BILL STUTTIG A total of 14 crews are now working simultaneously on the seven Co-op City buildings that have not yet had their balconies repaired and restored in compliance with the city’s Local Law 11. Riverba’s Director of Construction, Tony Rasulo, reported this week that two scaffolds have been erected on each of the remaining seven buildings and two lines of balconies on each building are being repaired simultaneously in order to expedite the work and restore the balconies for shareholders’ use as quickly as possible. On the tower buildings, Buildings 6, 7,

and 8, where work began first, repairs are being done on two sides of the buildings simultaneously while on the chevron buildings, Buildings 1, 2 and 3 and the triple core building, Building 5, repairs are underway on two separate adjacent lines of balconies. Rasulo added that safety measures for the completion of the balcony repairs included the installation of over 11,000 linear feet of new 8-foot high chain link fence which has replaced the old wooden snow fencing. An additional 4,000 feet of (Continued on page 2)

Crowley criticizes MTA over AccessA-Ride’s weather-related eligibility BY BILL STUTTIG A controversial new MTA policy whereby eligibility for participation in the Access-a-Ride program for some depends on daily weather forecasts has not escaped the notice of Co-op City’s Congressional representative, Joseph Crowley. Congressman Crowley has personally written Thomas F. Prendergast, President of the MTA, to express his concern over the “arbitrary” new policy. Crowley, who sits on the U.S. Congress’ powerful Ways and Means legislative committee, which oversees, among other things, policy regarding tax credits and disbursements, wrote to the MTA executive: “I am writing on behalf of my disabled constituents who are outraged by the MTA’s new policy for Access-A-Ride customers whereby eligibility for paratransit service will be contingent on weather conditions for individuals deemed con-

ditionally eligible. Many of the disabled seniors feel that basing eligibility of something as intangible and unpredictable as the weather is an arbitrary policy that violates their rights to efficient and reliable transportation services.” Under the new policy, according to a letter sent to Access-A-Ride customers by the MTA last month, “Customers who have weather-related conditional eligibility will only be able to use Access-a-Ride when extreme weather conditions prevent them from using mass transit. Your AAR (Access-a-Ride) ID card will indicate the weather-related condition that applies. For example, if your AAR ID card indicates extreme cold, from December 1 through March 31, you will be able to reserve a trip on days when the temperature is 39 degrees or below. You will not (Continued on page 4)


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