Vote Now If You Have Not Yet Cast Your Ballot In 2018 Riverbay Board Election
Vol. 53 No. 22
New MTA Study Could Improve Bus Service Within Co-op City
Saturday, June 2, 2018
$1.25
replacement ballot, should contact Election-America at 866-384-9978 immediately. Election-America personnel are available in each of the three community centers for anyone who would like to use the voting kiosk and needs assistance. The kiosks will be manned daily during the business week until the quorum is reached, according to the schedule below:
The 2018 Riverbay Board of Directors election has been extended to 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, June 12, or 11:59 p.m. of the day that at least 1/3 of the commuThe state-run MTA will study bus service in nity’s shareholders cast their vote to validate the electhe Bronx as the next step in their overall review tion, as required by the corporation’s bylaws. of bus service throughout New York City, and The decision to extend the election was announced Co-op City residents are expecting that this last week by the 2018 Election Committee when study will result in expanded service here. the required number of votes, 5,037, were not The MTA’s “Bus Action Plan” is the beginreceived by Election-America by the close of the ning of a “full-scale modernization” of the voting period at 8:59 p.m. on Wednesday, May 23. city’s transit system, and looks to specifically As of press time yesterday, less than 700 votes were still needed to make quorum. address lower numbers of people riding the Shareholders who received an election ballot, buses, according to New York City Transit but have not yet cast their vote are urged to comPresident Andy Byford plete and return their ballots immediately. Ballots Byford, speaking at an April MTA’s board can be returned by mail in the envelope provided, meeting, called the plan the first piece in an overor by voting electronically from personal comall project to get riders back on to the MTA’s bus puters, iPads or smart phones. Simply log on to system. System ridership has dropped by 14% the voting portal at www.riverbayvotes.com. The Riverbay ballots were mailed by Election-America in since 2007, now serving approximately 2.2 milsecure PIN and CODE included with your ballot lion riders each day along 325 routes and 16,350 are needed to vote electronically. The whole bright orange colored envelopes as depicted above. If stops. process takes less than three minutes and votes you have your ballot, open it and vote for the five candiAfter a multi-year study of bus service in Staten can be cast for five candidates of your choice dates of your choice, as well as on the proposed amendfrom among the ten shareholders running in this ment to the Riverbay By-laws. Don't have your ballot? Island that covered both express and local routes, year’s Board election by checking the box next to Call Election-America at (866) 384-9978. Vote now. the MTA announced in May a series of adjusttheir names. At the bottom of the ballot, sharements there that will increase the frequency of Einstein Center from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. holders will also vote “Yes” or “No” on an amendstops and re-institute express service into ManhatBartow Center from 12:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. ment to the Riverbay By-laws for term limits for tan. By now tackling the Dreiser Center from 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Board directors starting in 2019. Bronx, there is reason to (Continued on page 2) Following the close of extended voting at 11:59 p.m. The voting kiosks in the three community centers on Tuesday, June 12, or on the day that at least 1/3 of can also be utilized for electronic voting. Shareholders who have the shareholders vote in order for the votes to be misplaced their ballots – counted, Election-America will provide the 2018 which were mailed in bright Riverbay Election Committee with the final election orange-colored envelopes – count for review and certification, according to the and therefore require a election rules. Community Board #10’s public hearing on the proposed animal shelter to be built on city-owned property on Bartow Avenue next to Red Lobster will take place on Monday, June 18, at 7 p.m. in room 31 of the Bartow Center. At that time, Co-op City shareholders will have the opportunity to express their opinions on the shelter with a three-minute speaking limit. Following the comment session, Community Board #10 will vote on its recommendation regarding the shelter. BY JIM ROBERTS Work is set to begin in late July to install a new garage access system in the eight parking facilities throughout Co-op City, making entry and exit easier for shareholders, and bringing the latest technology so the Parking and Leasing Department can operate more efficiently. The new system will replace the current access cards that drivers wave at the gates with stickers on the front windshield of the car. The sticker will be read by an overhead scan just like an E-Z Pass. “Our current access system is antiquated,” said Danielle O’Connor, Riverbay’s director of Parking and Leasing. “Shareholders are familiar with frequent problems we have now with the gates and there are multiple system crashes when we lose all our data and have to import all the information,” she said. “Our current software is outdated and we can’t generate accurate reporting and revenue numbers we need to operate the garages efficiently.” The changeover for each garage will take approximately two weeks and will be done one garage at a time. The back entrance of the garage will be opened for traffic while the front is closed to install the new equipment. Schedules will be posted in the garages and buildings to let shareholders Officers and members of American Legion Post 1871 give military salutes know in advance when the work will be done. Each shareholder will need to fill and stand at attention as the "National Anthem" is played during last Sunout a form updating information about their car in order to have the sticker day's solemn annual Memorial Day ceremony. Photo by Toriea McCauseland installed. BY TORIEA McCAUSELAND Drivers will be able to get the new stickers outside of the garage during the The American Legion Post #1871 and the Riverbay Corporation celebrated changeover period along with the option of coming over to the Bartow office of its official Memorial Day ceremony last Sunday, May 27th, in Co-op City’s the Parking and Leasing Department. Bartow Center. Once the work is completed and the new system is in effect, anyone without (Continued on page 3) a new sticker will no longer have access (Continued on page 4) BY ROZAAN BOONE
BY JIM ROBERTS
Public Hearing On Animal Shelter June 18th In Co-op City Plan To Attend And Speak Up!
Work On New Garage Access System Scheduled To Start This Summer
Post #1871 Honors Fallen Heroes