Any shareholder of record who meets criteria outlined in the annual Riverbay Board of Directors’ Election Rules & Regulations has a right to run for and be elected to the Riverbay Board of Directors, to elect directors, and to participate in the annual shareholders meeting. (see 2021 Election Rules & Schedule on pages 22-25.)
Vol. 56 No. 12
Saturday, March 20, 2021
Election packages due March 31, 2021 for candidates running for a Riverbay Board seat
Voting period: 6 a.m., Mon., May 3 – 9 p.m., Fri., May 21, 2021 BY ROZAAN BOONE
Prospective candidates for the Riverbay Board of Directors have until Wednesday, March 31, 2021 to return their election package that includes the signed Statement of Interest to the 2021 Election Committee. Election packages, which also contains an acknowledgement of the 2021 Election Rules and Regulations, and consent to the Riverbay Legal Department to conduct a background check, are available for pick up from Public Safety headquarters in the Bartow Center, 2049 Bartow Avenue, Bronx, NY, or by emailing a request to the 2021 Election Committee at Riverbay2021Election@riverbaycorp.com. Once completed, the package may be returned, along with proof of payment of the candidate’s March 2021 carrying charges, either by email or mail to the 2021 Riverbay Election Committee, 2049 Bartow Avenue, Bronx, NY 10475. Hand delivery to Public Safety is also an option. All packages must be received by the March 31 deadline. On March 3, the Riverbay Board of Directors approved Amended Resolution 21-05 directing Management to take steps to remind and inform both current and incoming Co-op City residents of their right as eligible shareholders to run and be elected to the Riverbay Board, to elect directors to represent them on the Board, and to participate in the annual election as voters. In the last several years, (Continued on page 6)
Riverbay manager of Payroll retires after 41 years of service to corporation BY TORIEA McCAUSELAND
Fresh out of college, Kenneth Duchnowski landed a job at Riverbay as a junior accountant on January 2, 1980, after being encouraged by his mom to apply. With 40-plus years under his belt, Duchnowski witnessed many changes throughout his years working at the corporation. “My mom found an ad in the newspaper and told me I needed to apply. By the time I got home after (Continued on page 8)
$1.25
Section 1 Power Outage Update Management Report
Bob Klehammer Power Plant staff and our consultants have made tremendous progress to determine the cause of the power outage in Section 1 that first occurred on February 26th. As we’ve been updating the community over the past two weeks in the Co-op City Times articles, we previously had traced the cause to a fault on the “C” feeder, one of two feeders that service the area. This past week, we were able to pinpoint the manhole where the fault was located and, on Thursday, made the repairs to the feeder. We have begun a three-step process to ensure that this is the only repair needed to the feeder and ultimately restore full service to the buildings this coming week. Yesterday, we introduced electric flow to the feeder. This process is known as a slow burn. We will monitor it for a few days to ensure that there are no indications of other issues. If all goes as planned, we will then allow electricity to flow to the “C” feeder transformer in Buildings 1-7 this coming Monday. These buildings are currently being serviced solely by the “A” feeder transformer. We will monitor this for 48 hours to confirm the integrity of the equipment in each substation. (Continued on page 2)
Exclusive vaccine hotline for Co-op City shareholders extended to March 30 (See page 3 for details)
Kenneth Duchnowski
CDC releases first guidelines for fully vaccinated people BY BRANDON ORTIZ
While the rest of the country waits for their turn to be vaccinated, the CDC has released its first set of guidelines for those individuals who have been fully vaccinated. The guidelines provide parameters for how and when a fully vaccinated individual can visit with other people who are fully vaccinated and with people who are not vaccinated. For an individual to be considered fully vaccinated, there must have been two weeks that have passed since receiving the last required dose of their vaccine. If the individual received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, they must wait for the two-week window as well to be considered fully vaccinated. Individuals who are fully vaccinated are still recommended to follow CDC approved COVID-19 precautions when in public, when visiting or coming into contact with unvaccinated people and especially when dealing with unvaccinated individuals who are at an increased risk for getting severely ill from COVID-19. According to a CDC estimation, currently only about 9.2% of Americans have (Continued on page 4)
MTA takes a big step toward a full recovery BY BRANDON ORTIZ
The MTA turned a major page in its road to recovery after President Joseph Biden officially signed the American Rescue Plan into law last week. The legislation provides much needed financial support for state and local governments across the US, but more specifically $6.5 billion in aid for the MTA. MTA Board members previewed a doomsday scenario late last year in which drastic service cuts of up to 40% and massive layoffs would become a reality if the MTA did not receive necessary funding. Despite receiving $8 billion in total funding from the first two COVID-19 relief bills, the MTA still faced a dire financial situation caused by massive revenue losses due to the pandemic. While MTA officials decided to postpone a fare hike for buses and trains, a 7% increase on tolls for bridges and tunnels was approved last month. Now with a total of $14.5 billion in aid that will help offset pandemic-induced revenue deficits, the MTA can resume improving its infrastructure and, more specifically, the $51.5 Capital Plan that was supposed to officially start in 2020 and go on through 2024. “This is a great day for all Americans, mass transit customers and our heroic employees,” MTA CEO and Chairman, Pat Foye, said in a press release. “This funding is crucial as we work to bring back ridership and recover from the pandemic. Critically, it will also further offset COVID’s impact and help protect against (Continued on page 4)