As per a recent memo on the bulletin boards on each floor by the elevators, the water is going to be turned off in the building from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday February 27. They're working on "valves".

Great. How much of a rent reduction can we get for reduced necessary services? This is beyond ridiculous. We recently had only one elevator working for most of the day, and people were getting into major arguments as they waited for elevators for 15 or more minutes.

How long are tenants in the building going to put up with regular interruptions of services by management without getting some action from the city agencies that can impose fines and violations? H.S.I. only seems to respond to things that cost them a lot of money.

According to one HSI social worker, the reason the Stop Work Orders were issued by the Department of Buildings is because the existing permits for plumbing and electrical work had expired, and that this was the contractor's bailiwick. 

Credible? You decide.

Here's a post I'd like to get some tenant responses to. Please post comments regarding this. You can do it anonymously, if you like.

Do you think that Francesca Rossi should be able to "punish" tenants for talking about her sordid affair with Juan Thompson? Do you find her credible in any way after everything that's been published about the whole thing in the  mainstream press?

When she "bans" tenants, who's really going to enforce the ban? 

Our "security" officers aren't actually security. They'd need licenses from Albany to qualify for that. They're not allowed to put their hands on us.

Staff can threaten to call the police, but if tenants aren't actually doing something violent, how seriously do you think the police are going to take this (and do you think this is a productive way to use police resources when there are actual crimes that require their attention)?

There's no written policy posted anywhere about what the grounds for banning tenants should be. 

Speak up.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BREATHE EASIER AT HOME IN KENMORE HALL?

The Asthma-Free Housing Act (Intro 385C) requires New York City landlords to annually inspect and correct indoor allergen hazards, including mold, pests, and underlying symptoms that may cause hazardous conditions, such as water leaks and pest entryways (holes and cracks), in the homes of residents diagnosed with asthma, COPD, or lung cancer.

The Asthma-Free Housing Act’s main sponsor is Council Member Rosie Mendez, and it is also supported by The Coalition for Asthma-Free Housing, comprised of over 30 organizations citywide, including community-based organizations, legal advocates, medical associations, and labor unions.

Working on making THIS work here would have been a much more intelligent way to spend several million dollars - INSTEAD of replacing cabinets and stove tops and toilets. THIS would have a real impact on the quality of life for tenants.

Many of Kenmore Hall’s tenants have serious lung issues; the building is infested with mice, roaches, and mold. Cleaning up the building would help prevent many tenant trips to the Emergency Room and stays in the hospital. Let’s all talk to caseworkers and management about how they plan to cooperate with this new law that should improve the quality of life of tenants. H.S.I. says they provide supportive housing; let’s see how seriously they actually take supporting the health and quality of life of tenants. H.S.I.’s headquarters are located at 243 West 30th Street, Second Floor, New York, NY 10001. The phone number is 212-252-9377; the fax number is 212-252-9322. The general email is info@hsi-ny.org. Call and ask to speak to Molly Mattimore. Her email is mmattimore@hsi-ny.org.

If you don’t get an appropriate response from your caseworker, you can contact the following politicians about this issue.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 2
Council Member Rosie Mendez (D)
237 First Ave. Ste. 504
New York, NY 10003
 phone: 212-677-1077 fax: 212-677-1990
 email: rmendez@council.nyc.gov
 website: http://council.nyc.gov/district-2/
 twitter: RosieMendez facebook: rosie.mendez

 WE ACT for Environmental Justice (part of The Coalition for Asthma-Free Housing)   Brooke Havlik, 212-961-1000 ext. 320, communications@weact.org

Have you noticed the two partial stop work orders glued to the window at the front of the building? One is for electrical work, and the other is for plumbing. They’re right next to all the permits for the construction work being done in the building.

According to the Department of Buildings (they’re the ones who issue construction permits, AND stop work orders):

“The Department issues a Stop Work Order when Inspectors find hazardous or unsafe work and/or conditions. Stop Work Orders are issued to protect workers, tenants, the public as well as buildings and properties from unsafe conditions.   
Full Stop Work Order Stops all work on a construction site or building, excluding any necessary remedial work to make the site safe. 
Partial Stop Work Order  Stops a certain type of work or work on a particular section of the construction site or building. A partial Stop Work Order does not stop all work on the site and certain work is still allowed to continue 
To lift a Stop Worker Order: 
1. Correct all the violating conditions that resulted in the issuance of the Stop Work Order 
2. Request a re-inspection from the unit that issued the Stop Work Order to verify that all the violating conditions have been corrected.   
3. Pay any applicable civil penalties 
Violating a Stop Work Order If the Department finds work being done against a Stop Work Order, additional violations may be issued: 
First Violation of a Stop Work Order:    $5,000 Any subsequent violation of a Stop Work Order: additional $10,000 
The penalties for these violations must be paid before the Stop Work Order can be lifted.”

There’s more detail on the partial stop work orders, available from the Department of Buildings:

“NYC Department of Buildings
Overview for Complaint #:1471699 = RESOLVED
Complaint at:  145 EAST 23 STREET BIN: 1018044   Borough: MANHATTAN   ZIP: 10010
Re:  PLUMBING WORK WITHOUT A PERMIT

Category Code: 5G      UNLICENSED/ILLEGAL/IMPROPER WORK IN PROGRESS
UNLICENSED/ILLEGAL/IMPROPER WORK IN PROGRESS : PLUMBING


Assigned To: BUILDING MARSHAL'S OFFICE Priority: B     Received:   02/06/2018   11:56 Block:  879 Lot:  27 Community Board:  106
Owner:   KENMORE ASSOCIATES LP

Last Inspection:  02/06/2018 - - BY BADGE # 2694
Disposition:  02/06/2018 - L1 - PARTIAL STOP WORK ORDER
DOB Violation #:  020618PLOBMCJ02
ECB Violation #:  35255131M
Comments:  PARTIAL SWO & OATH SUMMONS ISSUED FOR PLUMBING WORK WITHOUT A PERMIT ON 2ND FLOOR APARTMENTS.”

Here’s background on the electrical SWO:

Overview for Complaint #:1471700 = RESOLVED
Complaint at:  145 EAST 23 STREET BIN: 1018044   Borough: MANHATTAN   ZIP: 10010
Re:  ELECTRICAL WORK WITHOUT A PERMIT

Category Code: 5G      UNLICENSED/ILLEGAL/IMPROPER WORK IN PROGRESS
UNLICENSED/ILLEGAL/IMPROPER WORK IN PROGRESS : ELECTRICAL


Assigned To: BUILDING MARSHAL'S OFFICE Priority:  B   
Received:   02/06/2018   11:57 Block:  879 Lot:  27 Community Board:  106
Owner:   KENMORE ASSOCIATES LP

Last Inspection:  02/06/2018 - - BY BADGE # 2694
Disposition:  02/06/2018 - L1 - PARTIAL STOP WORK ORDER
DOB Violation #:  020618ELOBMCJ01
ECB Violation #:  35255130K
Comments:  PARTIAL SWO & OATH SUMMONS ISSUED FOR ELECTRICAL WORK WITHOUT A PERMIT ON SECONDFLOOR APARTMENTS.

It’s scary to think that all the electrical and plumbing work done on all the floors above the second floor (3 through 23) may have been done without legal permits. Does this put us at higher risk for fires and floods? I wonder what H.S.I.’s insurance company would think of this if they knew.

Keep in mind that all of this work being done on the building is a Major Capital Improvement; while it may look like a pretty improvement, and management tells us that the new infusion stovetops are safer than hotplates, the new stovetops are hardwired into the walls and cannot be unplugged. This could be dangerous if there are malfunctions. The new cabinets, stovetops and toilets are more cosmetic than practical - they’re not essential things that actually improve life. H.S.I. was loaned the money for the construction by HPD, the same organization that pays many tenants’ Section 8 rent subsidy. Because this work is a major capital improvement, H.S.I. can raise tenants’ rents this year - in spite of the Rent Guidelines Board’s ruling that tenants in SROs and residential hotels would receive NO rent increases this year. H.S.I. hasn’t had to spend a cent to get the work done, and because of the rent increase, H.S.I. will profit forever from having the work done - and the tenants who pay their share of their rent out of their own pockets will be paying for the work forever. There’s another issue with the stovetops; they’re under warranty, and the only people permitted to fix them if they break are the construction workers, or the warranty will be voided. What happens when the construction workers are gone, and repairs may become necessary?

Some tenants would love to know why it’s taken so long to get the Department of Buildings to show up and do something. Work started months ago on the 23rd floor; none of it has been “tented” to contain the huge amounts of dust that have spread throughout the building. While some may say “big deal, construction creates lots of dust and you can’t do anything about it”, it actually IS a legitimate big deal for anyone who has a respiratory problem, especially if it’s chronic, like asthma, COPD, or severe allergies.

We also have NO idea whether the cuts made to the walls in the hallways to install the metal cabinets over the trash areas, and the new somewhat larger grilles for the ventilation system, and the alarm system are disrupting decades-old layers of lead-based paint, and possibly asbestos. Airborne lead dust can lead to poisoning in adults.

Has anyone else noticed that while the construction workers are all working without masks, our own maintenance staff has finally gotten the point about potential airborne hazards and many now wear masks on the job. Let’s hope it helps, but since most of the building is currently an active construction site, why aren’t tenants given masks also? We walk through the same hallways, and breathe same air. When the construction work started, the paperwork claimed that everything they were doing was safe for tenants and that it didn’t require people being moved off site. What they failed to take into consideration are all the tenants with chronic lung issues like asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; this population is much more sensitive to dust and airborne chemicals. They’re not about to compensate us for time lost - and possible expenses - associated with visits to the Emergency Room and being admitted to the hospital.