Co-op City’s official newspaper serving the world’s largest cooperative community. © Copyright 2011 Co-op City Times
Vol. 46 No. 51
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Postal Service delays decision of post offices closures until May BY BILL STUTTIG The United States Postal Service (USPS), in response to a request made by multiple Senators and Congressional representatives, has agreed to delay the closing or consolidation of any Post Office or mail processing facility until May 15, 2012, according to a statement released by the USPS on Wednesday. But the Postal Service added that it will continue with all the necessary steps required for the review of these facilities during the interim period, including public input meetings. “This is a delay, it is not a victory,” said Eleanor Bailey, a Riverbay Board Director and retired postal worker who is leading the fight in this community to stop the Postal Service from enacting its threatened cuts which include closing of Co-op City’s two satellite Post Offices in Dreiser and Einstein Centers. “We still need to keep the pressure
on and it is essential that all residents here fill out the questionnaires they recently received and send them in before the deadline, December 26th,” Bailey added, saying that residents who have not yet received their two surveys in the mail or who might have misplaced them can get additional surveys by contacting the District Office of Congressman Joe Crowley office at (718) 320-2314. Following the announcement by the Postal Service on Wednesday about the delay in the potential closures, Crowley said: “With the holidays just days away, this decision is welcome news for families in Queens and the Bronx. While this decision does not mean our postal facilities are in the clear, it does allow for more time to seek alternatives to help USPS meet its financial obligations. I understand the Postal Service has a bottom (Continued on page 2)
25¢
Board votes down resolution for referendum on privatization BY DEREK ALGER A resolution calling for a communitywide referendum on whether Riverbay Corporation should prepare a preliminary plan to explore and explain privatization to all shareholders was overwhelming defeated by the Board this week. Although the resolution stated no such vote should take place until a positive court decision in the Trump litigation that a transfer tax should not apply after a voluntary vote to leave the Mitchell-Lama Housing program, several Directors stated there was no point on passing such a resolution at this time. Other Directors voted to reject the res-
olution because of strong positions against privatization overall, while those who favor or have an open mind toward privatization stated now was not the time to commit money to such a plan based on the outcome of a future legal decision. The resolution proposed by Director Raymond Tirado and seconded by Director Bill Gordon was defeated 8-2, with two Directors abstaining. Court decision in February created major issues throughout the Mitchell-Lama community, when a judge in Kings County Supreme Court ruled that the privatization (Continued on page 10)
Mistrial declared in Seabrook case after jury deadlocks; prosecutors vow to try again BY BILL STUTTIG After nearly two years of preparation, more than one month of testimony and one week of deliberations, federal prosecutors failed in their attempt to have a jury convict City Councilman Larry Seabrook on any of the 12 felony counts that he was facing related to alle-
gations of corruption, extortion and money laundering. Judge Robert P. Patterson Jr. of the Federal District Court in Manhattan declared a mistrial last Friday afternoon after hearing from the jury foreman that the 12 jurors remained (Continued on page 4)
Visitors to receive reduced parking rate during Holidays BY ROZAAN BOONE Visitors to the community during the upcoming Christmas and New Year holiday season will receive a reduced parking rate as a result of a resolution that was approved by the Riverbay Board earlier this year. Resolution 10-96, which was introduced by Board Director Raymond Tirado and seconded by Director Bill Gordon at the Board’s February 9th meeting, states that “during the holiday season, many family and friends visit Co-op City and due to the lack of on-street parking, must park their vehicles in Co-op City garages.” The resolution continues, “The Board of Directors believes that a special holiday rate would foster cooperative community spirit and make our community more accessible to visiting families and friends and therefore, it would be in the best interest of Co-op City to charge a temporary reduced rate of $5 from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. on every December 24th, December 25th, and December 31st…” “Year after year, I would see the expressions of frustration on the faces of families and friends visiting in Co-op City
during the holidays as they endlessly searched for a parking spot,” said Director Tirado. “I thought to myself that I would like to come up with a solution to help alleviate the visitors’ annual street parking shortage. I am confident that the holiday parking program will be a success and shareholders and visitors will enjoy the extra time spent with each other.” Director Gordon, Chair of the Board’s Garage Committee, said: “The Board understands this is the time of year when families like to visit. This is our gift to the cooperators of Co-op City, something to make their holiday season a little less expensive.” In preparation for the implementation of the reduced rate, the Board directed management to file the appropriate notifications with the city’s Department of Consumer Affairs and to proceed with the reduced parking rate for Christmas Eve, December 24; Christmas Day, December 25 and New Year’s Eve, December 31. Beginning this holiday season, and going forward, on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve, (Continued on page 4)
Best porters and groundskeepers recognized… Riverbay, in association with its
managing agent, Marion Scott Real Estate, Inc., sponsored a competition to find the buildings with the best day-to-day maintenance staffs. Supervisors inspected each building over a series of weeks to determine which building in each section was the best maintained. “Details meant a lot,” explained General Manager Vernon Cooper as judges looked at everything from the cleanliness of the compactor rooms, to the shine on the mail boxes. The staffs of one building from each section were honored except Section 5 which had two winners because of its larger size. The winners were: Buildings 4’s Santos Rodriguez, Belaminio Tavares, Alexis Pina Ocasio and Freddy Cruz; Building 11’s Ramon Baez, Nathan Garcia, Paul Grant and Jorge Rodriguez; Building 18’s Jeffrey Camacho, Antonio Fernandez, Marcial Garcia and Abel Poll; Building 21’s Alexi Claros; Luis Dominguez, Petar Meckic, Pedro Rodriguez and Irving Torres; Building 26’s Angel Bravo, Bonifacio Molero, Ezer Rosario and Antonio Suazo and Building 35’s Bovell Campbell, Louis Fino, Francisco Gonell, and Florentino Hernandez. Winners from the Grounds Department were Christopher Cole, Herman Higgs, Anibal Lopez, Franklyn Robinson, and Delroy Young. On hand for the presentation were Board Directors Helen Atkins and Bill Gordon, General Manager Cooper, Director of Janitorial Services Luis Salazar, Director of Building and Grounds Donovan Plummer, Director of Cooperator Services Juanita Net and Director of Human Resources Collette Ragin. The prize money awarded to the winners was donated by Marion Scott Real Estate, Inc. Photo by Bill Stuttig