Co-op City Times 04/25/15

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Riverbay Election Supplement on pages 29-36

Co-op City’s official newspaper serving the world’s largest cooperative community.

First Candidates’ Forum Monday in Bartow Center

DOT presents their traffic plan to Co-op City residents on Tuesday morning in Dreiser

© Copyright 2015 Co-op City Times

Vol. 50 No. 16

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Sign up to speak between 6:45-7:30 p.m.

BY ROZAAN BOONE

The first of three official Candidates’ Forums for the 2015 Riverbay Board of Directors election will be held this Monday, April 27, in Room 31 of the Bartow Center at 7:30 p.m. and all certified candidates running in this year’s Board election have been invited to attend. Shareholders who would like to ask questions of the candidates must sign up between 6:45-7:30 p.m. Board Director Andrea Leslie, Chair of the 2015 Election Committee, said that Monday’s forum will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m., so if any shareholder would like to ask the candidates a question, they should arrive early and sign the sheet. The second of the three official Candidates’ Forum will be held the following Wednesday, May 6, also at 7:30 p.m. in Auditorium B of the Dreiser Center. The third and final Candidates’ Forum where shareholders will have a chance to see and hear directly from the candidates in the 2015 Riverbay Board of Directors

election will take place on Monday, May 11 in Room 45 of the Einstein Center, starting at 7:30 p.m. “The three Candidates’ Forums have been scheduled to take place in each of the three community centers making it convenient for shareholders to attend and I encourage everyone to come out and get the pertinent information you will need to make an informed choice for the directors who will be representing you on the Board of Directors,” said Director Leslie. “It is very important that you make an informed decision and that you also come down to your building lobby and vote on election day. We want major voter participation.” The 2015 Riverbay Board of Directors election is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, May 20, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the lobbies of the residential buildings. The 2015 Election rules state that if a candidate cannot attend the forum, he or she can provide the Election Committee

Friday is deadline for shareholders to comment on proposed 4½% carrying charge increase DHCR conference to be held Mon., May 4

BY ROZAAN BOONE

Co-op City shareholders have until this coming Friday, May 1, to send written comments to the New York State Division of Homes and Community Renewal (DHCR) about the proposed 4.5% carrying charge

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increase slated to be implemented on June 1, 2015. Comments should be mailed to George Chan, New York State Division of Housing and Community

25¢

BY BILL STUTTIG

Representatives from the City’s Department of Transportation, including Bronx DOT Commissioner Constance Moran, and several of the borough’s leading traffic engineers will be in Co-op City’s Dreiser Auditorium B on Tuesday morning, April 28, to formally present their plan to calming traffic on the streets surrounding the massive Bay Plaza shopping center. Preliminary indications from numerous sources are that the plan is to reduce Bartow Avenue from six lanes to four lanes to increase pedestrian safety in the reported view of DOT traffic engineers. The formal presentation of the plan, which was devised by DOT engineers in the wake of last year’s opening of the new 780,000 square foot Mall at Bay Plaza, which doubled the amount of retail space at the massive shopping complex, was originally scheduled for

earlier this month at the district offices of Community Board 10. However, after many Co-op City residents expressed an interest in attending the meeting, Community Board 10 District Manager Ken Kearns formally requested that Riverbay make space available for the presentation in Co-op City. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. this Tuesday, April 28th. DOT and the Community Board indicated that the early time was chosen so seniors, who they say will most benefit from the plan, can attend. In any case, the presentation will be video-recorded by Riverbay and shown on the in-house access channels later in the week, perhaps as early as that evening. Community Board 10, as the community’s representative body over matters

Home Improvement Fair this weekend in Dreiser

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Riverbay Home Improvement Fair is being held today, Sat., April 25, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and tomorrow, Sun., April 26, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Dreiser Auditorium. Come view vendor items to update the look of your homes. Door prizes & kitchen/bathroom & appliance give-a-ways, plus drawing on Sunday of the Riverbay Fund/County Recycling/United Donation Services Shoe Donation Drive for the chance to win $500 cash! Also tune in to Channel 12 (MATV) and Channel 591 (Cablevision) at 10 a.m. Sat. & Sun. for the broadcast of some of the offerings at the fair.

Coyote sighting

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Board approves one-year contract with Co-op City PBA BY JIM ROBERTS

The Riverbay Board of Directors approved new one-year contracts with the PBA units that represent Co-op City’s Public Safety and Lobby Attendants by a vote of 12-0 with three members absent for the vote at the Board’s April 22nd meeting. Approval of the contracts ensure that Co-op City residents will continue to be protected by the members of the union without a disruption in service for another year. Talks to reach this deal

followed four negotiating sessions carried out during the past weeks that concluded with the tentative deal that was reached on April 19. Co-op City Public Safety Chief Frank Apollo expressed his appreciation to both the members of the Riverbay Board and the Co-op City Police Department PBA for their efforts to reach this agreement. “The Board approval of the CCPD (Continued on page 2)

A dramatic increase in wild coyote sightings across the New York metropolitan area made the news this past week, including a coyote sighting on a ground level porch in the area of the Broun Place Townhouses on Monday. Public Safety investigated the sighting called in by a resident of the area who snapped this photo of Photo by Sylvia Ruiz

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