Co-op City Times 12/10/11

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Co-op City’s official newspaper serving the world’s largest cooperative community. © Copyright 2011 Co-op City Times

Vol. 46 No. 50

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Residents urged to mail back Postal Service Surveys BY BILL STUTTIG Calling it perhaps the most important step in the months-long process to try to save Co-op City’s two satellite post office from threatened closure, Board Director Eleanor Bailey and other community leaders are strongly urging each resident of the community to fill out and send back the surveys sent to each household here earlier this month by the United States Postal Service. “This step is just as important, and probably more important, than the petitions, the rallies, the protests, and the hearings of recent months,” said Bailey, who has led the community’s outspoken stance against the Postal Service’s potential closing of the community’s two satellite post offices announced this past summer. “There are a lot of folks here and we have to stay together and make sure that each of us return these surveys and let the Postal Service know that they cannot close our post offices. We have to be vigilant and do everything we can to make sure that everyone returns these surveys. This is a very important step in the process and we must react and respond.” Bailey added that aside from answering each question of the survey, each resident should submit written comments in

the space provided on the survey as to exactly why they feel these two post offices need to be saved. Bailey said that she is working with other community leaders throughout the community to make sure that buildings and sections organize to make sure that each household responds to this process and returns both surveys received before the December 26th deadline. Congressman Joseph Crowley, who led a protest rally outside the Einstein Post Office on November 14th, said earlier this week: “While the Postal Service can cite numbers and write studies, the only way they can truly understand just how much the Einstein and Dreiser Loop Post Offices mean to this community is by hearing directly from Co-op City residents. That’s why it’s critical that every resident fills out both surveys and send a strong message to the Postal Service that these post offices are much more than a place to mail a letter – they provide the essential services residents rely on every day.” The Congressman added that every household should have received two surveys – one for each post office. If residents only received one survey, they (Continued on page 2)

Riverbay’s household grease disposal program ahead of the game BY ROZAAN BOONE Representatives of the city’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) met with personnel of the Riverbay Corporation last week to discuss the community’s ongoing household grease disposal initiatives, as well as the city’s efforts. “We are told by the City of New York’s Department of Environmental Protection that we are ahead of the curve with respect to putting some kind of policy in place to prevent the disposal of fat, oil and grease (FOG) from being discarded into the kitchen pipes, which not only clogs the lines and causes sewer back-ups within the buildings, but the city’s main sewer system as well,” said Riverbay’s General Manager Vernon Cooper. The Riverbay personnel involved in the meeting with Charles Sturchen, Director Economic Development Environmental Compliance for the New York City Environmental Protection, and his team, included Cooper; Riverbay’s Director of Operations, Kevin Keenan; Joe Boiko, Riverbay’s Ombudsman, and Kim Umstead, Riverbay’s Director of Commercial Properties.

“Their objective was to provide Riverbay with information pertaining to the collection and disposal of cooking grease,” said Keenan, who also took the DEP team on a tour to show them the dynamics of Riverbay’s household grease collection and disposal procedures. “Cooking grease poured into a drain clogs the household waste pipes and can clog city sewers. We showed DEP that we started our own program a few months back where we collect the old cooking oil and dispose of it in compliance with NYC Department of Sanitation guidelines to reduce/eliminate cooking oil being poured into a drain. The representatives from DEP appeared to be impressed that we started our own program prior to being asked by NYC DEP.” Currently, Riverbay porters collect containers with used household grease placed in plastic bags which are tied or similarly secured and left in their respective compactor rooms for the building porters to pick up, not thrown in the trash compactors. Once the porters pick up the containers with the FOG, they are then (Continued on page 4)

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Edgar Perez named Riverbay’s new Director of Restorations BY BILL STUTTIG Edgar Perez, a 24-year Riverbay employee with more than two decades of supervisory experience in a wide variety of Riverbay operational departments, has been named the community’s new Director of Restorations, effective as of December 1st. Perez, who previously held the position of Director of the Cooperator Services Office II in the Bartow Community Center, brings a wealth of Co-op City operational experience with him to his new position, having previously served in a supervisory capacity in a variety of departments including preventative maintenance, restorations, community centers, central stores and inspections. For the last 12 years, he has been with CSO serving as an assistant manager and then manager of the Dreiser Center CSO office before being named manager of the Bartow CSO office earlier this year. Perez will be replacing Corey Jones as the community’s new Restorations

Director. Jones, who served well in the position for several years, left Riverbay last month to accept a similar position closer to his home and his family. Riverbay General Manager Vernon Cooper said of the change, “While we will miss Mr. Jones who was a hard working, conscientious person, I believe Mr. Perez is a very good fit in terms of finding a suitable replacement. Mr. Perez has a well rounded background which includes hands-on experience in multiple areas here at Riverbay, having worked in the maintenance, restorations, construction and CSO departments over the last 24 years. “I have personally had the privilege of working closely with Mr. Perez since the year 2000 and I know him to be a smart, hard working and diligent supervisor, who has always been more than willing to assist in conducting and meeting any tasks, whether it be related to his department or not,” Cooper continued. “Mr. Perez is also well respected by the men (Continued on page 2)

ATTENTION GARAGE HOLIDAY PARKERS Visitors will receive a special holiday transient rate of $5.00 from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. on December 24th, December 25th and December 31st in ALL garages. More information to follow soon. Have a very joyous holiday! —R iver b a y Pa r k in g Fa cilit ies Dep a r t m en t

The Co-op City Department of Public Safety’s medal month, honoring officers and others who have helped the department excel over the past year continued on Thursday afternoon when commendations were given to Officers Jonathan Frias and Shante Carpenter (2nd and 3rd from l.) for subduing and arresting an armed man earlier this year. Chief Frank Apollo (2nd from r.) and Deputy Chief Gerardo Blanco (l.) also gave awards to Chief Carlos Gomez (center), commander of the NYPD’s Patrol Borough Bronx and Captain Russell Green (r.), commander of the 45th Precinct, for helping to establish a great working relationship between the NYPD and Public Safety. During brief remarks, Chief Gomez said that the work and professionalism of Co-op City’s Department of Public Safety has played a very significant role in helping the 45th Precinct achieve a great reduction in its crime rate and keeping the Precinct the safest in the borough. Photo by Bill Stuttig


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