RIVERBAY BOARD ELECTION SUPPLEMENT: PAGES 31-40
Buildings 11 A, B & C Being Tested By Health Department For Potential Presence Of Legionella Bacteria Vol. 53 No. 17
Saturday, April 28, 2018
No Other Co-op City Buildings Affected
The New York City Department of Health (DOH) and Riverbay management have been working closely throughout the week to determine the source of Legionella in three reported cases in Buildings 11 A, B & C. At a meeting with Building 11 residents on Tuesday night in the Dreiser Auditorium, Ricky Wong, director of community affairs at DOH, advised residents that the cooling towers at the Power Plant are not the source, and no other building in Co-op City is affected – only Buildings 11 A, B & C, a triple core. Mr. Wong said that the buildings’ plumbing system is being tested for the potential presence of the bacteria, which is a water-borne, pneumonia-like disease. The testing, which began this week, will take sevBY BILL STUTTIG
eral days and involves gaining access to about onethird of the 500 homes in the triple core building. Though the building is comprised of three different addresses and separate lobbies, it shares the same plumbing system. DOH notified management of the necessity for the testing process on Tuesday, April 24. That same day, DOH officials informed Building 11 residents by flyers distributed door-to-door that three cases of Legionnaire’s Disease have been reported in Building 11 residents over the past 12 months. One of those cases was fatal. In the other two, the patients were treated and are now recovering, the DOH said. This week, DOH Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett reported that the fatality was someone who was “very elderly,” one of the high-risk (Continued on page 2)
Shareholder Designs New Co-op City Times Logo Premiering In This Issue
The Co-op City Times held a contest in January of 2015 for shareholders to help update the look of the paper and give it a more modernized appeal. The goal of the contest was to engage residents and promote pride in their local community newspaper. The artist behind the Co-op City Times’ new logo, premiering at the top of this page, and the contest winner, is artist Bernard Cameron. He has been a resident of Co-op City for eight years and has been involved with art for the majority of his life. Mr. Cameron was an art director for over 20 years, as well as having his Bernard Cameron own pieces displayed in over thirty galleries right here in New York City to across the ocean in Lagos. Most (Continued on page 11) BY BRANDON ORTIZ
“To all Co-op City residents and staff, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) is currently conducting an investigation of the building hot water system associated with 100, 120 and 140 Carver Loop to determine if Legionella bacteria are present. Only the triple core building with address 100, 120, and 140 Carver Loop is affected and being evaluated. For residents who live at these addresses, information has been shared about the investigation. For residents who do not live at these addresses, your building is NOT affected.” —Ricky Wong, Director of Community Affairs, NYC Department of Health
Sign up to speak between 6:45-7:30 p.m. BY ROZAAN BOONE On Wednesday, May 2, the final of the three official forums for shareholders to hear directly from the candidates running in this year’s Board election will be held at 7:30 p.m. in auditorium B in the Dreiser Center. Shareholders who would like to ask the candidates questions are advised to arrive early and sign up between 6:45-7:30 p.m. Those who cannot attend, but would like to ask a question of any candidate(s), may email their question to boardelection@riverbaycorp.com. Only one question is allowed per shareholder. Shareholders must include their name and address in the email for verification purposes. The 2018 Election Committee will then choose two questions from among the pool of (Continued on page 4)
A contractor who failed to appear for scheduled maintenance work at the Riverbay Power Plant has relented and will do the work as required by its contract following a trip to court by Riverbay’s General Counsel Jeffrey D. Buss. Riverbay has a 10-year maintenance and repair contract with Siemens Demag Delaval Turbomachinery to perform annual maintenance and repair work on the turbines that power Co-op City’s energy and heating systems at Riverbay’s cogeneration facility on Bartow Avenue. When Siemens failed to appear at the Power Plant on April 9 to conduct the scheduled maintenance work earlier this month, Riverbay’s General Counsel immediately headed to court seeking a judge’s order to force Siemens to comply with its contracted maintenance service. “The turbine is a complex machine which requires ongoing maintenance and repair. Failure to perform scheduled repairs and maintenance, with Siemens approved parts and labor, will result in damage to the turbine, and a shut down of Riverbay’s central energy plant,” according to (Continued on page 4) BY JIM ROBERTS
DOH Statement On Legionella To Co-op City Community
Final Official Candidates’ Forum To Be Held May 2 In Dreiser Auditorium B
Siemens Agrees To Perform Maintenance Work At Power Plant
Lucas Rodriguez, 21⁄2 years old, from Section 2, does his part to Save Our Planet on Earth Day 2018. See more pictures on page 5
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