Co-op City Times 11/17/2018

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Celebrate 50 Years!

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Building 33 Gets ‘Red Tagged’ by Con Ed Vol. 53 No. 46

Saturday, November 17, 2018

Gas Leak leaves residents without gas for the holidays

Shareholders of Building 33 came out to a meeting with management on Wednesday for an update on the gas shutdown in their building. Because of the lengthy process to complete the repair work on the gas piping, followed by inspections and final sign off by the city which has implemented stricter codes, it is expected that the shut down could last up to two months. Photo by Toriea McCauseland BY TORIEA McCAUSELAND

Riverbay’s executive management team met with residents of Building 33 in Section Five on Wednesday, November 14, to let residents know of the planned work ahead regarding the recent gas shut-off. During the meeting, residents received the shocking (Continued on page 2)

Lead In Co-op City Water In Conformance With US EPA Standards Analysis of 252 random samples of water taken from residential buildings and townhouses throughout Co-op City show none of the results exceed the standard for lead set by the NYS and US Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA). Earlier last month, after news reports that Co-op City water contains high levels of lead, Riverbay’s management immediately met with the corporation’s environmental compliance contractor to devise a water sampling plan. This, despite the fact that the communications director for the NYC Independent Budget Office (IBO), the agency that issued the report, admitted to the Co-op City Times that there were very few tests conducted (Continued on page 2) BY ROZAAN BOONE

$1.25

City Council Approves Animal Shelter By Vote Of 49-0

The full New York City Council, by a unanimous vote of 49-0, approved the proposed Bartow Avenue Animal Shelter and the bill now goes on to Mayor Bill de Blasio for his signature. Groundbreaking was projected originally for the spring of 2022 and the projected move-in date is the fall of 2024, six years from now, on the city-owned property near the Red Lobster restaurant. The ongoing campaign by many Co-op City residents opposing the location of the shelter right next to the community was heard by Council Member Andy King, who brokered a deal with the city to provide upgrades to the Co-op City community. The offer was spelled out in a Memorandum of Understanding with the Mayor and Council Speaker that Councilman King presented to the community on Nov. 3. Among the items the Mayor’s office has offered are a $3 million Beacon Program at Truman High School; $2 million in improvements if the former Bingo Hall property hosts a non-profit tenant to offer arts & music youth programming; a new exit ramp from the northbound Hutchinson River Pkwy that will flow onto Bartow Ave.; $130,000 annually for senior breakfasts; $1 million in capital funds for playgrounds at PS 153 – Helen Keller School, MS 180 – Dr. Daniel Hale Williams and IS 181 – Pablo Casals; and 1,000 square feet of space as a community room on the ground floor of the shelter. BY JIM ROBERTS

Thanksgiving Discounted Parking Available for Upcoming Holiday Discounted holiday parking will be available for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday when transient parking will be significantly discounted to $8. The holiday parking discount will be in effect from 12 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, until 6 a.m. the following day. Vehicles parked in the garages prior to 12 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and after 6 a.m. on Friday, November 23, are required to pay the (Continued on page 3) BY ROZAAN BOONE

First Snowfall of Season Causes Traffic Nightmare

In preparation for the first snowfall of the season, a good week before the first official day of winter this year, Riverbay readied snow and salt trucks to clear roads on Thursday. What was expected to be only an inch of snow, quickly accumulated to more than 6 inches of slippery, icy snow, which caused traffic nightmares as commuters tried to make their way home on Thursday evening. High winds down 150 trees across the city, according to the NYC Parks Department. Photo by Brandon Ortiz


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