In Memoriam – Charles Rosen 1942-2023

It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Mr. Charles Rosen on Sunday, May 21, 2023, at Calvary Hospital. He was 80 years old.

Mr. Rosen was the leader of Co-op City’s historic 13-month “rent strike” – the largest in American history – and resulted in shareholders being able to establish a 15-member resident Board of Directors to take over management of the development. In addition to chairing the strike’s Steering Committee III, Charlie also became chairman of the new Riverbay Board of Directors in July 1976. This original Board shareholders who were later appointed. That October, an election was held in which shareholders voted in their new Board of Directors.

Charlie was born in New York City in 1942. His parents, Dave and Eva Rosen, were garment workers. The family resided in Washington Heights where Charlie and his brother, Jake, grew up and lived until they moved out on their own. In their later years, Dave and Eva Rosen also moved to Co-op City.

Charles Rosen became a Co-op City shareholder in December 1970 when he and his wife, Lynn, moved in.

In 1975, Co-op City’s 60,000-plus shareholders faced a 25% increase in carrying charges due to a $250 billion initial mortgage that had ballooned to $390 bilwere widespread construction defects during building of the development from top to bottom. In addition, many shareholders felt that they had been misled by the United Housing Federation (UHF) which, they learned after they moved into the development, never intended to keep carrying charges affordable as there was back, the shareholders began withholding their carrying charges and the state of

Proper Convector Maintenance

Air conditioning season is here. Some shareholders encounter convector leaks due to condensate or dirt and/or debris build up in the convector trays, which result in block- proper steps and procedure below to keep your convectors clean and free of debris and objects.

Steps To Maintain The Convectors

1. Remove convector cover.

2. Remove all and any debris (pennies, pencils, plants, etc.)

3. Clean inside drip pan (make sure it is clear of debris) so

4. Pour hot water down drip pan, use a bottle or cup (if clogged, call Maintenance.)

5. Insulation on convector cover should be washed with or sponge. damaged, you may purchase from your prospective CSO of-

7. If your drip pan is metal and rusted, you may contact Maintenance to have them replaced with a plastic drip pan.tact Maintenance.

9. Please refrain from blocking the convectors with furniture, plants, curtains, drapes, etc., either on or in front of the convector as this will create mold.

To view a video demonstration on how to service your convector, type the following address in to your browser: https://

Riverbay offers assistance to senior and disabled shareholders to clear the convectors for the AC season. For an appointment, please contact the Call Center at (718) 3203300, select Option #2.

At right, please find an emergency contact form. Shareholders are encouraged to complete and return the form as the information will assist the corporation in contacting you in case of an emergency and to prevent forced entries. Once completed, return the form to your assigned CSO department.

CSO Department located in each Community Center or via email to:

CSO1@ riverbaycorp.com

CSO2@riverbaycorp.com

CSO3@riverbaycorp.com

Riverbay Management

New York became the caretaker of the development after the sponsoring Board set up by UHF resigned.

Ben Cirlin, another steering committee leader who later became vice president of the Riverbay Corporation and remained a close friend of Mr. Rosen’s, remembers that it was a remarkable time of ordinary people standing up to the state and was so in touch with working people and their needs and he helped them to develop themselves,” said Mr. Cirlin. “He showed us what we were able to accomplish as housing professionals to run this multi-million-dollar corporation and that was a remarkable undertaking that we were able to achieve and that legacy lives on today with the resident Board still running the Riverbay Corporation.”

By the time the “rent” strike was settled in 1976, the new Riverbay Board resolved to take steps to curtail carrying charge increases. Among those initiatives- dry machines by hiring an outside contractor who paid money back to the corporation, thereby generating additional revenue – a contract that was negotiated by Mr. Cirlin, a school bus driver.

“This is where Charlie was so dynamic, so knowledgeable, he was able to literally educate everybody,” Mr. Cirlin said of his friend. “He really took us out of the depths of despair and helped produce the Co-op City of today.” is planning a memorial service to be held in the summer.

BSA –––––– (Continued from page 1)

Chair Shanda began her remarks by examining documents provided by DOB and discussing how certain maps indicated that the boundary of the New England Thruway included its service roads.

“In its documents, the DOB refers to a Department of City Planning’s November 27, 2019 letter, which was based on a 1948 map as approved by the Board of Estimates on March, 19, 1948…The 1948 map was primarily for establishing the lines and grades of New England Thruway and it involves realignment of several streets bordering the thruway and the elimination of the streets within the thruway. Baychester Avenue was included in that realignment…What was critical in this statement is that the New England Thruway includes its easterly and westerly service roads, and based on that, Baychester is one of those service roads,” Chair Shanda said.

“I further looked at the analysis that’s being provided and DOB also provided the Bronx section map, which is also known as the monument map from April 11, 1948 and from September 17, 1996. These are the maps that are used to measure width, length and grade of map streets. Surveyors rely on these maps to show the boundaries of streets. Both of the maps show Baychester Avenue and New England Thruway as one road…Upon review of the documents provided, I concur with DOB’s assessment…The Bronx section map establishes that the subject’s site butts New England Thruway, an arterial highway, and thus the entire site is located within 200 feet of an arterial highway and the signs located on the subject’s site is contrary to Zoning Resolution Section 32-662. Also, the New York City online street map shows Baychester Avenue as part of the New England Thruway and not as a separate street,” Ms. Shanda went on to say.

During the public hearing portion of the review session, Baychester Retail III LLC’s legal representation argued that the proposed sign would not be in violation of the zoning resolution because the distance from the New England Thruway’s boundary actually exceeds the necessary amount needed to erect their sign.

David Karnovsky, of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and Jacobson LLP, represented Baychester Retail III LLC during the public hearing session and explained the developers’ argument.

“We do not accept that the 1947 and 1948 mapping actions established the boundary of the New England Thruway at our lot line. As shown on the current alteration map, in fact, the New England Thruway is a roadway distinct from Baychester Avenue, such that the appropriate measurement of the 200-foot distance would be taken from the edge of the arterial itself,” Mr. Karnovsky said to the BSA.

Following the public hearing, BSA Chair Shanda motioned to close the matter and keep the record open until a subsequent hearing in late August or early September. She also mentioned that members of the public can submit testimony to BSA until that hearing later on in the summer, and that any written testimony should be no more than 10 pages in length.

Co-op City shareholders so inclined can email their testimony to submit@ bsa.nyc.gov or mail their testimony to: NYC Board of Standards and Appeals, 22 Reade Street, Main Floor, New York, NY 10007. Shareholders with any questions about the process can call 212-386-0009.

Little League President Requests Tree Pruning Around Field

Co-op City Little League President Alex Ruiz this week wrote to Gregory Haber, deputy director of Bronx Forestry, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, to ask that trees in Co-op City Boulevard be pruned and maintained after a tree limb snapped off of a tree during a game last Sunday, May 21.

“I can’t tell you how bad this situation could have been,” Mr. Ruiz informed Deputy Director Haber. “Our park has over 75 kids and 100 parents in attendance on the weekends. That tree limb weighed easily over 100 lbs. and could have caused a serious injury or even death to one of our kids or parents. We desperately need the trees pruned in and around our park for safety reasons.”

Co-op City Times / May 27, 2023

The Co-op City Times welcomes issue-oriented letters to the editor to be considered for publication. All letters, in prose, not poetry, must be addressed to the editor, be typed. All letters must be in the Co-op City Times in that week’s edition. Views and opinions expressed in letters are solely the writer’s and not necessarily shared by the Co-op City Times or Riverbay Corp.

• Letters to the Editor • –

Suggestions for Convector Maintenance

To the Editor: conditioning season, some thoughts and suggestions come to mind. and may end up not doing the maintenance. They must be helped. And frankly, in my opinion, anyone who needs help should get it – the costs are too high if there is a leak. that it was not able to be done.

As we all know, many convectors leak and cause huge problems – and expenses – for Riverbay and the community. Replacing these convectors is not feasible, as it could cost millions (which we don’t have).

While there have been a number of suggestions, many of which are not really helpful, why not try some simpler (although not foolproof) suggestions.

1) First of all, on the front page of the CCTimes, put the convector procedures, and, most importantly, that seniors will be helped to do these if needed.

Perhaps some extra workers can be hired temporarily (and properly trained) to help out before the beginning of the season. The cost of these temporary workers would surely be less than the damage caused by neglected convectors.

2) Give to every cooperator who needs them an inexpensive plastic or aluminum pan to place under every convector. Again, this would surely cost less than the damage (and manpower hours) caused by leaks. Be sure to instruct the cooperator, at the same time, to check the pan on a regular basis (and empty) and most importantly, to call Riverbay if water is consistently accumulating.

Admittedly, if there is an actual pipe break, this is a different and very serious problem.

––Katharine Wood

Convector Problem Solution

To the Editor: thing called a raspberry pi how dry the soil was and programmed to activate a waterfor me. And the trip was cancelled anyway. engineering types searched out comparable water sensor andautomatic water shut-off system technology to apply to our convector leakage issues. was surprised, though, to read the next week, some pooh-poohing the idea. it would go faster each time, like everything else. And how

But people used their raspberry pi’s for lots of things, like making doorbells or do-it-yourself security cameras. They even use them to mine bitcoin because they’re cheap and use very little electricity.

These sophisticated gizmos do indeed instantly shut off the convector fan and the water supply when they sense convector coil springs a leak.

Not only would an auto-shut-off valve stop more than 90% of our convector problems, in my estimation, but any water damage could be contained to a small area of just that one affected apartment. Containing water damage could save priceless aggravation and millions in asbestos abate- a dozen of others on the market –– could save us an enormous amount of money and frustration.

And who says we’d have to do all 65,000 installations at once? Don’t we know where the chronic individual convectors or convector lines are? Start with those!

Convector Flooding

To the Editor:

75,000 convector coils and adding 75,000 sensors and electronic water valves.

There are two types of water problems:

1.Convector coil leaks that cause major damage in an apartment (last year, there were four such leaks).

2. Convector drain back-up, which accounts for 99% of calls to Riverbay.

A. We can reduce the damage caused by convector coil leaks by doing work in the basement. The sensors would compare the amount of water going up and coming down for a given convector line and when they differ, it would do the following: i.Turn off the water pump. ii.The water value would stop water going up that line. iii. A message is sent to Riverbay of the problem.

B. Convector drain back-up, which accounts for 99% of calls to Riverbay i. This is due to a design error in the drain size. The size of the drain allows small amounts of solids (rust) to back-up the ii. moist air over the convector’s coils, that are cooled by cold water passing through them. The result is moist air gives up the moisture in the form of water and the hot air is cooled. The

Co-op City Times

Rozaan Boone

Editor-in-Chief

Jennifer Piovanetti Operations Manager

The Co-op City Times

Co-op City Times iii. the sensor detects water, it does the following: a. Turns off the fan in the convector as Riverbay has told us to do, and sounds an audible alarm to advise the shareholder. b.Call Riverbay.

To the Editor:

Back in 2018, the Bartow Avenue Animal Shelter Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) –– signed by then-Council Member Andy King, Council Speaker Corey Johnson, and Mayor Bill de Blasio –– had promised us “1000 square community,” (page 4, item #1, https://issuu.com/cctimes/ docs/cct_111018 ). Then, not a word for years.

But! The Animal Care Center’s 5/18/23 press release, announcing the ground-breaking, contains this fabulous quote: “The new building will also include a space for the community to use as well,” said NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Thomas Foley.” (https://www.nyc.gov/site/ddc/about/press-releases/2023/ pr-051823-NYCACC.page).

Yay! We shouldn’t have been so skeptical. Though it took quite a while, the 2018 MOU delivered the Beacon program, as promised, and though we didn’t get JASA breakfast, our seniors did getTuesday through Saturday dinner at Bartow. (Now let’s remember to remind the ACC folk [Animal Care Centers of NYC] that they also promised that only eligible people –– living within our no-pet community –– will be allowed to adopt!)

We, here in the land of no, have got to stop beating dead horses. The Animal Care Center is coming.

And so is the exit ramp to Bartow Avenue.

We fought them both –– The RAMP and the Animal Shelter –– tooth and nail and fang and claw. Ground has the Co-op City Times tisements in the Co-op City Times do not Co-op City Times sion for reprints of advertising or ediCo-op City Times

Letters To

We welcome letters to the editor, only from Co-op City shareholders, at to the Co-op City community. Comments ters should not personally attack others and must be written in a respectful manner.

Co-op City Times

Submissions must include the writer’s address and phone number – which will

Thank you for your cooperation.

And you know what? These two projects will be a boon to many. 1.) Nearly 900 authorized assistance animals will soon be cared for locally and 2.) Soon non-locals won’t need to traipse through Section 5’s overly-crowded roadway on the way to the Mall. We still need to gather all the allies we can –– allies like Assemblyman “Coffee with Mike” Ben2.) Demand an entrance ramp off Bartow to the Hutch south. 3.) Stop the “Parkland Alienation” destruction of our valued roadways.

––Mary Pearson