Co-op City’s official newspaper serving the world’s largest cooperative community. © Copyright 2010 Co-op City Times
Vol. 45 No. 37
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Co-op City to have all its street lights replaced BY BILL STUTTIG All curbside street lights in Co-op City will be replaced over the next month as part of a maintenance program administered through New York City’s Department of Transportation (DOT). Contractors hired by the city’s DOT have been on-site over the past week replacing lamp posts. According to Ken Kearns, District Manager of Community Board 10, the entire community should have new street lights within a month’s time. Kearns said that the DOT is not considering the project to be a major capital improvement project, but instead a routine maintenance program and as such the program has been initiated without any major public announcement or notice. Nicole Garcia, a spokesperson for DOT, said the agency is currently replacing older street light poles with the current standard ones. Work is taking place throughout the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn, and the work in Co-op City is part of this project.
One of the first of the new street lights for Co-op City was erected this week on Asch Loop. Photo by Bill Stuttig
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HEAT CHANGEOVER The Riverbay Power Plant plans to shut down the chillers on Monday, September 27, and return with the heating system on Tuesday, October 12.
Riverbay updating contact information for Co-op City Notification System BY BILL STUTTIG Riverbay has been reaching out to all Co-op City shareholders to update their current contact information for participation in the upcoming Co-op City Notification System. Testing of the phone numbers Riverbay currently maintains for residents began in late August when the system was implemented. During the testing, residents in one building per section are called randomly during the week. Residents who answer the phone hear a message similar to the following: “This is the Co-op City Notification System calling to confirm your phone number. If you live in building #, apartment #, please press the 1 key. If you do not live in this apartment, but you live in Co-op City, please phone the number at the end of this message to give us your correct building and apartment numbers.
If you do not live in Co-op City, please let us know the building and apartment numbers mentioned in this message by calling the number at the end of this message. Phone (718) 879-6000 on business days between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Please press the “*” key to listen to this message again. Thank you.” Residents who do not answer the call receive a voice mail message similar to this one: “This is the Co-op City Notification System calling to confirm your phone number. If you live in building #, apartment #, please phone (718) 879-6000 during business days between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. and leave your building and apartment numbers to confirm that we have the correct phone number. If you do (Continued on page 3)
25¢
Coinmach to revert to $3 value added card in laundry rooms BY ROZAAN BOONE After being contacted by Riverbay’s management about unauthorized changes in the development’s laundry rooms, Coinmach has agreed to eliminate the new $5 value added cards that were implemented recently and to revert back to the $3 card that were previously in use. The increased charge applied only to new or replacement value added cards, not for replenishment cards for which there is no charge. Essentially, a new or replacement value added card used to cost $3 so that if a shareholder inserted a $10 bill into the machine to purchase a card, the balance on the card to be used for the washers and dryers was $7. With the charge going up to $5, the balance on the card was reduced to only $5 for utilizing laundry services. Riverbay’s General Manager Vernon Cooper said this week that the change was
never discussed with management, nor did management approve of it. The matter was brought to management’s attention by Riverbay’s Ombudsman Joe Boiko. “We contacted Coinmach and the company’s president called back to assure me that they have ordered the $3 cards and they should be in stock within a few days at which time Coinmach will replace all of the $5 cards with the $3 cards once again,” said Cooper. Boiko, who was charged with reaching out to Coinmach, said: “We immediately advised them that they had to reverse this as soon as possible and that such an increase was an unconscionable jump in these tough economic times, and especially since the increase was never discussed with us first.” Boiko added that after the discussion, (Continued on page 2)
Benedetto wins Democratic primary; faces Republican challenger in November BY BILL STUTTIG victory, Benedetto said: “It is gratifying to Mike Benedetto, Co-op City’s repre- win by such a large margin. I was confisentative in the New York State Assembly dent of victory, but never expected to win for the last four years, won the right to run by such an overwhelming margin. I am for a third term in November’s general grateful for the wisdom of the electorate election. and promise to continue Benedetto won the to work hard for the peoopportunity to run on the ple of Co-op City specifDemocratic ticket in ically in the area of November by posting a transportation where my relatively lopsided vicfocus will be on restortory over two chaling some of the service lengers. cuts by the MTA which In the unofficial tally, has hindered transportawith 100% of the vote tion in and around this reportedly counted, community over the past Benedetto received two months. The people 72.83% of the vote or of Co-op City have 4091 votes, more than again given me their four times the numbers support and I will conof votes received by New York State Assemblyman tinue to work hard for either of his two chal- Michael Benedetto them as I have done in lengers. the past.” Attorney and Co-op City resident Before Benedetto gets the chance to Herbert Moreira-Brown, who ran unsuc- continue his work over the next two year cessfully for the Co-op City Board of term, he first has to fight off a Republican Directors earlier this year, received 14.4 % challenger, Mike Rendino, a former fireof the vote or 889 votes and Community fighter and current manager of the popular Board 10 member Rafael Dominguez, a Stan’s Restaurant and Bar near Yankee resident of the nearby Country Club com- Stadium. munity, received 12.76% of the vote or In previous elections, winning the 717 votes. Democratic primary in the Bronx virtually After receiving word of his decisive (Continued on page 12)