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Public Safety to host Coffee with a Cop this Friday in Section 5 Vol. 51 No. 33
In an effort to give Co-op City residents a chance to speak one-on-one with the officers who patrol their community and express their concerns and suggestions in a private forum, Co-op City’s Public Safety Department will host the first a series of one-on-one discussion programs with officers over a cup of coffee this coming Friday. All community members are invited to attend the program entitled, Coffee with a Cop. The event begins at 10 a.m. on Friday, August 19th in room 45 of the Einstein Community Center in Section 5 and will last for approximately 90 minutes. No prior registration is required, but residents with questions about the event can contact Public Safety at (718) 320-3330. “I know from many years of experience in attending building meetings and other public forums in this community that people are often very hesitant to discuss observations and crime concerns in a public forum, such as an open meeting, because of various concerns regarding their own safety after reporting publicly potential criminal or anti-social activity that they have observed,” said Chief Frank Apollo, commander of the Public Safety Department. “This is one of the reasons why we are offering this chance for residents to meet one-on-one with officers and supervisors to discuss what they see and offer suggestions to me and others as to how and where we can better concentrate our resources. “Shareholders will be given that chance to hold private conversations with a Section 5 beat officer and/or one of their supervisors over a casual cup of coffee,” Chief Apollo added. “In my own personal experience, some of the most meaningful and productive converBY BILL STUTTIG
Splash Day on the Greenway
On Thursday afternoon, as heat indexes approached 100 degrees, more than 100 Co-op City children found a fun way to beat the heat by taking part in Riverbay’s Splash Day on the Greenway featuring a giant water slide and other cool attractions perfect for a hot summer day. Photo by Brandon Ortiz
Saturday, August 13, 2016
sations in my life have been over a cup of coffee, so, with that in mind, we are extending an invitation to the community to come and enjoy some coffee with us as we try to get to know each other.” While this session will be held in Section 5 and this time involve officers currently assigned to Section 5, similar programs will be offered in the other two community centers in the near future so the program will reach the entire community in the coming weeks and months. Coffee with a Cop is an initiative that started a few years ago in other communities in this nation, but over the last few months, as relations between the community and police have become strained and adversarial in many cities due to some recent violent and deadly confrontations, many local police departments have been turning towards this initiative as a way to improve communication, strengthen the necessary partnership between the community and police, and reduce any growing animosity. “My entire 30 year career as a police officer in Coop City, and especially since I became chief seven years ago, has centered on the philosophy of community policing and how building relationships with the community one person at a time is essential to being effective both as an officer and as a department.
Taking it to the streets: Co-op City merchants offer sidewalk sale Saturday (Continued on page 2)
Today, Saturday, August 13, Co-op City is having its first ever sidewalk sale from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. in all of the three shopping centers throughout Co-op City. The goal of the sale is to make the Co-op City community more aware of the small businesses present here, and to hopefully have the community and the merchants benefit from increased patronage of these local stores, according to Kim Umstead, Riverbay Director of Commercial Leasing. “This is Riverbay’s way of highlighting Co-op City’s many merchants. We want the community to come out and support the local stores and get some free stuff, too,” Umstead said. Tables will be set up in front of the businesses and stores to help give residents a sample of what each store offers the community. Riverbay will also have a table of its own in each section with general information about the company and the community. There are over 100 locally-owned businesses in the Co-op City area and this Saturday is the chance to get to know what each offers and what options they provide to the residents, said Ms. Umstead. —Brandon Ortiz
25¢
Co-op City basketball “phenom” to officially begin college career this week BY BILL STUTTIG From the asphalt courts of Section 5 to the hardwood courts of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is the remarkable journey that Co-op City’s Paulina Afriyne, 17, has taken over the past decade. Ms. Afriyne, a life -long resident of Co-op City, reports to North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina to begin what both she and her mother Kendra believe will be a successful NCAA Division One Women’s Collegiate Basketball career and maybe more importantly a successful collegiate Paulina Afriyne academic career. The 17-year-old and soon-to-be freshman college athlete began her interest in the sport of basketball on the courts of Section 5 as she started shooting baskets at the age of seven, she recalled. Within a few years, she said, she was competing (Continued on page 2)
Silver Lining update
Work on applying an epoxy solution called “Silver Lining” to the damaged hot water pipe behind Cooper Place began on Thursday and continued into Friday. Because of Thursday evening’s thunder and lightning storms, work had to be temporarily suspended for approximately eight hours but resumed Friday morning. The leak has been an ongoing problem for approximately 19 months and the application of the Silver Lining product will hopefully seal the leaks while avoiding more costly repairs involved in bypassing the damaged section of pipe. The piping delivers hot water to a large section of the community including 12 buildings and three townhouse clusters. While hot water service to those buildings has continued since the damage was discovered in the autumn of 2014, the leaking steam and hot water has cost the community approximately $20,000 per month. Photo by Bill Stuttig