140-142 West End Ave Coop Association - Amazon S3 · 2016-07-25 · 140-142 West End Ave Coop...

11
140-142 West End Ave Coop Association Summer 2016 Volume XXX, No.3 Dear Shareholders – We hope you are enjoying your summer. We wanted to thank everyone who contributed to this issue and the new volunteer committee that will be helping with the newsletter going forward. We welcome your input and contributions and are pleased with all the new ideas for articles and columns we’ve received. For ideas or submissions, please email your newsletter committee at [email protected]. - The Editor Welcome Party - Jane Shaulis and Joseph Gasperec hosted the building’s most recent get together for new shareholders. Pictured (in alphabetical order) are: Lisa Bloom’s daughter, Melanie Brazil, Joseph Gasperec, Micah Guttman, George Hardy, Bella and Greg Itkis, Amy Kargauer, Ann and Bruce Loeb, Marie O’Brien, Jane Shaulis, Sheryl Siegel, and Matthew Wallach and his daughters.

Transcript of 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association - Amazon S3 · 2016-07-25 · 140-142 West End Ave Coop...

Page 1: 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association - Amazon S3 · 2016-07-25 · 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association Summer 2016 Volume XXX, No.3 Dear Shareholders – We hope you are enjoying

140-142WestEndAveCoopAssociationSummer2016

VolumeXXX,No.3

DearShareholders–Wehopeyouareenjoyingyoursummer.Wewantedtothankeveryonewhocontributedtothisissueandthenewvolunteercommitteethatwillbehelpingwiththenewslettergoingforward.Wewelcomeyourinputandcontributionsandarepleasedwithallthenewideasforarticlesandcolumnswe’vereceived.Forideasorsubmissions,[email protected] TheEditor

WelcomeParty- JaneShaulisandJosephGasperechostedthebuilding’smostrecentgettogetherfornewshareholders.

Pictured(inalphabeticalorder)are:LisaBloom’sdaughter, MelanieBrazil,JosephGasperec,MicahGuttman,GeorgeHardy,BellaandGregItkis,AmyKargauer,AnnandBruceLoeb,MarieO’Brien,JaneShaulis,SherylSiegel,andMatthewWallachandhisdaughters.

Page 2: 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association - Amazon S3 · 2016-07-25 · 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association Summer 2016 Volume XXX, No.3 Dear Shareholders – We hope you are enjoying

2

OpeningsExpressoMatto– 2541Broadwayand95th St(replacingFilicoriZecchini)

Guyer’sBar – 286ColumbusAveat74th,replacingWine&Roses

H&HBagels– 526ColumbusAvebetween85th and86th

MaisonPickle– 2315Broadwayat84th St(replacingOuest)

Starbucks– 141AmsterdamAveat66th Street(replacingFurryPaws)

UncleLuoYang– 928AmsterdamAvebetween105th and106th - Reopening

ClosingsJacksonHoleDiner– 517ColumbusAveand85th – 42yearsinbusiness!

SoupStop – 517ColumbusAveand85th

Starbucks152-154ColumbusAveand67th

Telepan – 72W69th St– overadecadeinbusiness!

OutdoorCafeMap:Asaspecialsummersupplement,NYC’sDepartmentofConsumerAffairshascreatedaninteractivemapofthe144SidewalkCafesintheUWS:https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dca/SidewalkCafeMap/index.html

ShareholderMelissaTowbinworksattheMuseumofNaturalHistoryandkindlycontributedalistoftheirlatestexhibits.

Crocs:AncientPredatorsinaModernWorldDiscoverthecomplexlivesofcrocodiliansinthisnewexhibitionfeaturinglivespecies,lifesizeddioramas,andmore.

ANCIENTCROCS- Ancientcrocscameinahugevarietyofbodyshapes,fromdolphin-likeoceanichunterstoheavilyarmoredvegetarians.

CROCBIOLOGYANDBEHAVIOR- Fromtoothtotail,moderncrocodilesarebiologicalmarvels,withruggedbodies,keensenses,andincrediblestrength.

LIVECROCKSINEXHIBITION– Seefourlivespecies,includingAmericanalligatorhatchlingsand aforest-dwellingcrocodile.Dates:May28,2016- January2,2017

In TheNeighborhoodIntheNeighborhood

The only known fossil of the tiny crocodylomorph Hoplosuchus kayi.

© Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Artist’s rendering of the pug-nosed crocodylomorph Simosuchus clarki.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Crocs today are mostly aquatic animals, but many early crocodylomorphs—the group thatincludes living crocs and their extinct relatives—were small animals that lived onland. Hoplosuchus kayi was a tiny, graceful crocodile that lived about 140 million years agoin what is now Utah. With needle-like teeth and long legs built for running, it probably ateinsects and other small animals.

A Croc For All Seasons

Hoplosuchus wasn’t the only animal that would be hard to recognize as a crocodilian. Intheir heyday, crocodylomorphs filled a huge variety of ecological roles, or niches.Metriorhynchids were dolphin-like crocodiles—lithe, unarmored aquatic hunters. Simosuchus,on the other hand, was a pug-nosed croc from Madagascar that lived on land, protecteditself with thick, armadillo-like armor plates, and probably ate mostly plants.

Dinosaur Hunters

A fossil specimen of the ancient giant crocodile Deinosuchus hatcheri on display at the Natural HistoryMuseum of Utah.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Crocodiles as long as school busses and as heavy as elephants roamed the Earth asrecently as 8 million years ago. These massive crocs tackled some of the most ferociousprey around: dinosaurs. Bite marks on the bones of two tyrannosaurs found in NorthAmerica match the teeth of the giant crocodile Deinosuchus. One of the wounds waspartially healed, signaling that these crocs weren’t just scavenging—they were hunting livetyrannosaurs.

Lead image: Metriornychus jaekeli was an ancient marine crocodyliform with a body plansimilar to modern dolphins. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Read More

Dinosaur Brains and Lungs

Dinosaur Feathers

(http://www.youtube.com/user/AMNHorg)

(http://www.facebook.com/naturalhistory)

(http://instagram.com/amnh)

Follow @amnh 284K followers

Select Language▼

American Museum of Natural History

Central Park West at 79th StreetNew York, NY 10024-5192Phone: 212-769-5100

Open daily from 10 am-5:45 pmexcept on Thanksgiving and Christmas

Maps and Directions

AMNH Expeditions

Traveling Exhibitions

Host an Event

Shop

(http://shop.amnh.org/)

About the Museum

The Gilder Center

News and Blogs

AMNH.tv

Apps

Accessibility

Visitor Information

Press Center

Contact Us

Careers

Privacy Copyright Information Non-Discrimination Notice

Like 977KSIGN UP FOR EMAIL NEWSLETTERS

Page 3: 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association - Amazon S3 · 2016-07-25 · 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association Summer 2016 Volume XXX, No.3 Dear Shareholders – We hope you are enjoying

NewsBacktoSchool

Yes,it’sBack-to-SchoolTime.Asparents,youknowthatasuccessfultransitionfromthelong(long!)summerbreaktothenewschoolyearrequiressomeplanningahead.Andyouknowthatplentyofadviceisoutthereonhowtohelpyourchildrenmakethattransition.Asamiddleandhighschoolteacher,Ioffermyversionofthetopfivesuggestionsforhelpingyourchildsettleintonewterritory.Bonamfortunamomnibus – goodlucktoall– forthe2016-2017schoolyear.

First-dayjitters. Establishinganewroutineseveraldaysbeforeschoolbeginswillmakethatfirstdaylessjarringforthewholefamily.Foryoungerchildren,practicetheroutetoschoolandfamiliarizethemwiththeschool’slayout.Olderchildrenandadolescentswillfeelmoreconfidentiftheymeetoneortwooftheirclassmatesbeforetheschoolyearbegins.Evenstudentswhohaveattendedthesameschoolformanyyearswillneedtoacquaintthemselveswithnewteachers,newbooks,andhigheracademicexpectations.

SleepandEat. Insistonanearlybedtime!Thisisdifficultforkidswhohavespentthesummerstayinguplateandsleepingaslongastheylike.Itisespeciallydifficultforteenagers,whohaveabiologicalneedformoresleep.Andwithincreasinghomeworkloads,standardizedtesting,andtheconstantsirencallofthesocialnetwork,astudent’sdayisstretchinglongerintothenight.Also,makesuretheyeatbreakfast.

Sharpenthose#2’s. Makesureyourchildhasallhisschoolsuppliesonthefirstday.Nochildwantstofeelthathe’smissinganything,particularlyiftheteacherhasalreadypostedthesupplylistontheschoolWebsite.Throughouttheschoolyear,doroutinechecksofhisbackpackandmakesurehehasatleastonepencilandseveralsheetsofloose-leaf.Nothing– exceptmaybeafiredrill– takesupmoreclasstimethanastudentwhospendsthe“donow”borrowingsuppliesfromhisclassmates.Goodorganizationalskillsareoftenhalfthebattle.

Giveteachersaheads-up. Letyourchild’steachersandguidancecounselorsknowaboutanythingthatmightaffecthisschoolwork,suchaschangesathomeorthedeathofafamilymemberorpet.Goodteacherscareabouttheirstudentsandliketoknowhowbesttohelpandsupportthem.

Beagoodlistener. Attheendoftheday,ratherthanaskingyourchildhowherdaywent,towhichyouwillprobablyreceiveamonosyllabicgrunt,tryaskingaspecificquestion,suchas,“Whatwasthefunniestthingthathappenedinschooltoday?”Aftertheseessentialmomentsofquality,unstructureddowntime,thenyoucanaskwhensheplanstobeginherfivehoursofhomework.

CarolRussellCondos,LatinTeacher,EdgemontJr./Sr.HighS

3

Page 4: 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association - Amazon S3 · 2016-07-25 · 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association Summer 2016 Volume XXX, No.3 Dear Shareholders – We hope you are enjoying

OurBuilding- ArticleDowntheChute– byLarryFreund

Thebananapeelthatexitsyourapartment,enclosedwithasurroundingaccumulationofhouseholdtrash,takesashortbutcomplexjourneyfromthechutetothelandfill,butfacesapossibleeco-consciousalternativeinthedaysahead.

Thetripbeginsineachfloor’scompactorroom,whichisabitofamisnomersince,asResidentManagerBrianMinihanexplains,thedevicesinthebasementatthebottomofthechutesaremorebaggersthancompactors.Picturealargesausage-makingmachine.Eachbagistiedoffasit’sfilled– about 30poundsoftrasheach– andiseventuallytakentothe66th StreetcurbforpickupbycitySanitationDepartmentcrewsthreetimesaweek,Mondays,WednesdaysandFridays.(Briannotesthatthecurrentsystemreplacedthebuilding’soriginalincinerator,whichcreatedcansofashratherthanbagsoftrash,andalsoemittedcloudsofpollution.)

Recyclingisnowanimportantmainstayofthedisposalprocess.Instructionsonwhatgoeswhereareclearlypostedineachcompactorroom,basicallynewspaperonthetoprack,metal,glassandplasticsinthebin.Someconcerns:unrinsedjarsandcansplacedinthecontainers,pizzaslicesstillnestledincardboardpizzaboxes.“Whatwefindnow,”saysBrian,“isrecyclingisbetterbutthereisstillanissueofsomeglassandmetalinthegarbage.”Healsowarnsthatmedicalwaste,includingsharps,shouldneverbedisposedthroughthebuilding’strashsystem.

Thebuilding’spaperrecyclingisputinlargemetalbinsneartheWestEndAvenueentry,withvaryingpickupdays.Theremainingrecyclingisputinclearbags,thenplacedatthecurbonFridaysforSaturdaymorningpickup.Pickupofbulkgarbage– oldchairs,couches,etc.– happenstwiceaweek.Refrigeratorsdepart,byappointment,onFridays.

Whatthen?Thepaper-filledtrucksdeposittheircontentsintobargesatthecity’sMarineTransferStationat59th StreetandtheHudsonRiver.Fromthere,thebargestransferthewastepapertoapapermillonStatenIsland.Theotherrecyclables,accordingtotheSanitationDepartment,areshippedtoNewJersey,thebagsoftrashtolandfillsinthatsamestate.

OurbuildingispartoftheSanitationDepartment’sDistrict7.In2015,accordingtothedepartment’sfigures,thedistrictproduced2tonsoforganicrecycling,26.2tonsofmetal/glass/plastic,45.4tonsofpaperand222.4tonsofrefuse.That’sarecyclingdiversionof24.9%comparedtoacitywideaverageof16%.

Intheimmediatefuture,ourbuildingisjoiningthecity’snewe-cycleNYCprogram.Computers,televisions,MP3Players,etc.maynolongerbeplacedinthegeneraltrashbutshouldbedepositedatnochargeinacompactorroomor,whenitarrives,anewelectronicsrecyclingbinthatwillbeplacedinthecompactorroominthe142basement.Thecityisalsopromotingprogramsforrecyclingtextilesandorganicwaste.Ifandwhenthebuilding’sorganicsarecollectedandturnedintocompost,yourbananapeelwillhaveanewdestiny.

4

Page 5: 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association - Amazon S3 · 2016-07-25 · 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association Summer 2016 Volume XXX, No.3 Dear Shareholders – We hope you are enjoying

Our Building- ArticleWhyarerentersstilllivinginLincolnTowers?byAnnePerryman

Someoneaskedmethatquestiontheotherday,andI’dliketoansweritforothersaswell.

NewYorkCityexperiencedarenaissanceofdevelopmentinthelate1950sandearly60s,thanksinlargeparttoTitle1oftheNationalHousingAct,whichencouragedlarge-scalerenewalofentireneighborhoodsincitiesacrosstheU.S.Withgovernmentfundsforacquiringandclearingurbanareas,capitalbecameavailabletodevelopers,andresidentialneighborhoodsweretransformed.OnManhattan’sWestSide,thattransformationincludedtwohugedevelopments:LincolnCenterandLincolnTowers.

BeforeconstructionbeganonLincolnTowersin1961,themovieversionof“WestSideStory”wasfilmedinabandonedbuildingsthatoncestoodonour20-acresite.Theeightspanking-newbuildingsfrom66thto70thStreetalongWestEndincluded3,837rent-stabilizedapartments.Theoriginaltenantsinthoseapartmentsreceivedafreemonth’srentfortheir“pioneering”move.

LincolnTowerswasconvertedtocoopsin1987witha“non-evictionplan”forthoseofuswhochosetoremaininourapartmentsasrent-stabilizedtenants,withsuccessionrightsforourchildrenorotherfamilymembers,basedonDepartmentofHousingandCommunityRenewalrules.Atthetimeofthecoopconversion,53percentoftheapartmentswerepurchased.Todaytherearefewerthan300rent-stabilizedunitsremaininginallofLincolnTowers.

Theresidentsoftheseapartmentsareadiversegroupofmostlyolderpeople.Afairnumberwerethefirsttenantsintheirapartments.Manyofusraisedourchildrenhereandhavebeenactivecitizensinourcommunitythroughgoodtimesandbad.

In1975wefoundedtheAssociationofTenantsofLincolnTowers(ATLT),ofwhichIamprivilegedtoserveaspresident.Formanyyearswewerethelargesttenantassociationinthecity.Whenwecelebratedour40thanniversaryin2015,wereceivedCommendations,CitationsandProclamationsfromcityofficialsandneighborhoodorganizations.

BoroughPresidentGaleBrewerthankedusfor“fourdecadesofexemplaryserviceduringwhichATLTmembersworkedtirelesslyforasafe,affordable,diverseandvibrantUpperWestSidecommunity.”ShecitedourgeneroussupportfortheCoalitionforaLivableWestSideandProjectOpen,amongothergroups.ComptrollerScottStringercommendedATLTfor“providingafoundationonwhichfamiliescangrowandthrive”andforour“tremendouscontributionstotheCityofNewYork.”

Fortherecord,ourapartmentsareownedbyourlandlord,ACPRealtyGroup.Rentincreasesforleaserenewals,setannuallybytheRentGuidelinesBoard(RGB),haverisensteadily,sometimessharply.Ourrentsnowareroughlycomparabletoyourmaintenancecharges.Lastyear,fortheveryfirsttime,basedonrent-to-incomeratiodata,theRGBvotedtofreezeourrentsforone-yearleaserenewals.FormoreinformationaboutATLT,visitFacebookandthebulletinboardsinourmailrooms. 5

Page 6: 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association - Amazon S3 · 2016-07-25 · 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association Summer 2016 Volume XXX, No.3 Dear Shareholders – We hope you are enjoying

President’sLetterDearShareholders,

ThisisthefirstNews&ViewssinceIbecamethepresidentoftheBoardinMay.Forthosewhodon’tknowme,IamBruceLoeb,aresidentonthe140sideforthepast16years,andhaveservedontheboardfor1year.Iamhonoredbytheresponsibilityandchallengedbythedifficultyinworkingasavolunteertohandletheissuesinabuildingwithover500apartmentswithawidevarietyofresidents.

AsIhaveconfirmedduringthepastyearservingontheBoard,thetimeandenergycommitmentisaherculeantask.Inadditiontowhatmanyofyousee(LL11,lobby,laundryroom,chillers,etc.),thereisevenmoreworkbehindthescenesregardingcontinualpurchase/saleapprovals,buildingandtenant/shareholderissues,renovationrequests,financialandlegalissues,andconstantcorrespondencewiththeresidents.And,ofcourse,everyownerfeelstheirissueisthe#1priority.ThiswouldbeallmoredifficulttoaccomplishwithouttheterrificleadershipofHelenBasurtoofAKAMaswellasourfantasticsuperBrianMinihanandhisteam.Ican’tthankthemenough.

Inaddition,wehaveallofyou.Thisbuildingcontinuestobegreatbecauseoftheresidents.Therearesomanythingsyoucandoforourbuilding.Pleasevolunteerforacommittee.Putthegarbageinthechute,recyclablesinthebins,andlargeboxesinthebasement.Bringthecartsbackquicklytotheouterlobbydoors.Don’tleaveyourcarinfrontorallowyourdogstorelievethemselvesinthestairwells.Greetyourneighbors,andthanktheportersanddoormen.Wecanallmakeadifferenceinthebuilding.

Goingforward,theboardwilldoeverythingwecantomakeourbuildingagreathomeANDinvestment.Wewillcontinuewhatwasstartedwiththepriorboardwithincreasingandimprovingcommunication.Asmanyofyoumayknow:• Forthepastyear,amonthlyboardroomreportisnowdistributedwithadditional

informationthatgoesbeyondthemonthlyboardmeetingminutes.It’savailableelectronicallyandinthemailrooms.

• Wearenowsendingbuildingfinancialinformationregularly– inboardroomreportsandadditionalupdatesasnecessary.

• Additionalupdatesonmajorprojectsaresentfrequently(i.e.Helen’s/theBoard’sLocalLaw11andchillerupdates).

[email protected]%within24-48businesshours(weekdays)fromtheBoardorHelen– andtheentireboardreadseverynote.

And,goingforward,thisboardhascommittedto3lobbymeetingsoverthenextyear–tentativelyplannedforAug./Sept.,Dec./JanandMarchinadditiontotheannualmeetinginMay.Webelievethosecanbeanothereffectivecommunicationmethodinagroupsetting.

6

Page 7: 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association - Amazon S3 · 2016-07-25 · 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association Summer 2016 Volume XXX, No.3 Dear Shareholders – We hope you are enjoying

President’sLetterPresident’sLetter– cont’d

AsyoumayhaveseenintheJuneBoardRoomReport(andisreprintedinthisN&V),wearecreatingadditionalcommitteesandhopemanyofyouwillgetinvolved.Pleaselookatthedescriptionsforallthecommitteesincludingthenewlyadded:• Riskmanagement/buildingpoliciescommittee(chair– MackenzieMeadows)• Gymcommittee(chair– MelanieBrazil)• Designcommittee(chair– MarieO’Brien)

Furthermore,thisyearwearetryingoutadditional“shareholderledcommittees”tocoverexpandingneedsandinterests.Therefore,wehaveanewlyreinstitutedLandscapingCommittee– chairedbyshareholdersDonaandAlDrangel.Althoughthebridging/scaffoldinghasnotcomedownyet,wewanttostartpreparingsoweagaincanhavebeautifulgroundsandplantings.

Wehopethesecommittees,aswellasthelong-standingones,willkeepshareholdersinvolved.Inthemeantime,theentireBoardwilldoitsbesttomakeourbuildingawonderfulhomeforallofus.Thankyouforyourtrustandsupport.

Regards,BruceLoebBoardPresident,140-142WEA

7

Page 8: 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association - Amazon S3 · 2016-07-25 · 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association Summer 2016 Volume XXX, No.3 Dear Shareholders – We hope you are enjoying

CommitteeUpdateCommitteeUpdateandCallforVolunteers– BruceLoeb

AttheJuneboardmeeting,theBoardofDirectorsreaffirmedbuildingcommitteesandestablishednewones.ArequestforvolunteerswasincludedintheJuneBoardRoomReport.Again,ifyouareinterestedinservingonacommittee,andthereisspacestillavailable,pleaseemailtheboardat140weaboard@gmail.comwiththecommitteenameinthesubjectline.Pleaseincludea)whyyouwanttobeonthecommittee,b)nameandapartmentnumber,andc)emailandphonenumber.Committeememberlistswillbepublishedinfuturecorrespondence.

ExistingCommittees:BuildingUpkeepCommittee(formerlyHousekeeping) Chair:GeorgeHardyThiscommitteemonitorstheconditionsofallcommonareasofthebuildingforsafety,repairsandideasforimprovementandtoursallhallwaysatleasttwiceayear.

CommunicationsCommitteeChair:MelanieBrazilThisgroupwillinvestigatewaystoimprovecommunicationwithshareholdersviamailingsandoure-communicationssystemMBO,andwillalsodevelopsurveystoassisttheBoardinmakingdecisionsonvariousquestionsofinterest.

Facilities&OperationsCommitteeChair:MicahGutmanWiththeupcomingelevatorprojectandmore,wearelookingforvolunteerswithbackground/experienceinarchitecture,engineeringorfacilityoperationsandmanagementtoevaluatebuildingsystems,operationsandinfrastructure,alongwiththedevelopmentandoversightofcapitalprojects.

FinanceCommitteeChair:MicahGutmanIfyouhaveexperiencewithcorporatefinancing,cashmanagement,budgetingorinsurance,weneedyourhelp.Membersworkcloselywiththecorporation’streasurerandmanagementtoensureourbuilding’sfinancialhealth.

LTCARepresentative:BruceLoebFromeachLincolnTowersbuilding,thereisonerepresentativewhoworkswiththeother7LincolnTowersbuildingsforfinancialandlogisticalissuespertainingtotheLincolnTowerscomplex.

NewIdeasCommitteeChair:BruceLoebThisrelativelynewcommitteewillgenerateideastomakeourbuildingandcommunitybetterandrunmorecosteffectively.Thisisessentiallyanideagenerationandbrainstormingfunctiontoenablemoreshareholderinputandinvolvement.

8

Page 9: 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association - Amazon S3 · 2016-07-25 · 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association Summer 2016 Volume XXX, No.3 Dear Shareholders – We hope you are enjoying

CommitteeUpdateCommitteeUpdateandCallforVolunteers,cont’d

News&ViewsCommitteeChair:GeorgeHardy;Editor:DebraBarNews&Views,aquarterlynewsletter,disseminatesarticlesonavarietyoftopicsofinteresttoshareholders.Membersofthiscommitteewillassisttheeditorinproducingourpublication.Wearealsolookingforsubmissionsregardingbuildingandneighborhoodtopicsandnews.

WelcomeCommitteeChair:MarieO’BrienThisgroupgreetsandassistsnewshareholderswhentheymoveintothebuilding.Inaddition,thecommitteeholdsabi-annualreceptionforallnewshareholderstomeeteachother.

NewCommittees:GymCommitteeChair:MelanieBrazilOurexcellentgymisnowaboutfiveyearsoldandit’stimetoaskmemberswhattheylovemostaboutitandwhatneedschanging.Thecommitteewillsurveygymmemberstodevelopandimproveourgymforthebenefitofallusers.

DesignCommitteeChair:MarieO’BrienThiscommitteewillberesponsibleforidentifyingpotentialandpracticalinteriorsforthenewelevatorcabsfortheplanned2017elevatoroverhaul.Thedesignworkneedstobecompletedseveralmonthsinadvanceoftheactualworkandwewillworktogetherwithexperiencedcabcardesignersandthefacilitiescommittee.

RiskManagement/BuildingPoliciesCommittee Chair:MackenzieMeadowsThisgroupwillgenerateideasforpoliciesandproceduresinordertoimprovetheefficiencyandcosteffectivenessofbuildingoperations.Potentialtopicsincludereviewingtheco-opshareholderapplicationprocess,boardmemberelectionprocedures,propertytaxreductionopportunities,andfinancialriskmanagementsafeguards.

ShareholderLedCommittees:

LibraryCommitteeChair:SheilaGutter(shareholder)Thelibraryinthe140basementisan“entertainmentlibrary”withlimitedbookshelfspace.Thecommitteeisresponsibleforfilingnewbooksandkeepingtheshelvesalphabetizedandinanorderlyfashion.

LandscapingCommitteeChairs:DonaandAlDrangel(shareholders)Thenewlyreinstitutedlandscapingcommitteewillbeginasurveyofthecurrentlandscapetodeterminewhatmayremainandwhatshouldberemovedtoplanforourlandscapingfuture.

9

Page 10: 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association - Amazon S3 · 2016-07-25 · 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association Summer 2016 Volume XXX, No.3 Dear Shareholders – We hope you are enjoying

ViewsView:RitaHerzmansky

ADiscretionaryVoteWouldHavePreventedtheLobbyDebacleOneofthetopicsthatcameupattherecentCandidatesMeetingwastheimportanceofhavingbylawsthatallowshareholderstovoteonlarge,discretionary spendingprojects. Theamountdoesnothavetobesetexcessivelylow-- evenalimitof$250,000wouldgivetheBoardtheflexibilityitneedstomaneuverresponsiblywithoutoversteppingitsauthority. (Forclarity,thiswouldbeawell-informedvoteupfront,notaone-sidedballotafter$75,000hasalreadybeenlost.)

Hadthesebylawsbeeninplacepreviously,wewouldnotbesaddledwiththelobbydebaclewehavetoday. Shareholderspressedforavoteonthediscretionarylobbyprojectbuttheyweredeniedwhatwouldsurelyhavebeenamajorityvoteagainst. Asoneshareholderpointedoutatalobbymeetinglastyear,withoutashareholdervoteonsignificantdiscretionaryspendingtheBoardcouldhavejustaseasilytakenamilliondollarsofdiscretionaryshareholdermoneytoerectagargantuanstatueonthefrontlawn,andshareholderswouldhavebeenequallyhelplesstopreventit. PersonallyIwouldhavepreferredthestatue– itwouldhavebeenaneasiercatastrophetofix.

Todaywehavetolookatvapidbathroom-liketileswherespectacularmarblefloorsusedtobe. Wehavetolookatstreakybrownsludgewheremagnificentlyembossedbrasselevatorsusedtobe. Wehaveinsipidbeigeplasterboardwherestunningbeveledglassusedtobe. We’reconfrontedwithincompatiblecolorsandgarishmonsterlights. Theillogicalredesignofthepackageroomtakesourdoormanawayfromthefrontdeskuptothreetimeslongerthanbefore,creatingasecurityrisk. Anextraordinarylobbydesignofbeauty,qualityandefficiencywassenselesslydestroyed,replacedbyanincoherentsplatterofcheap-lookingcrap. Foranyonewithaneyeandasoul,thedevastationisceaselesslygut-wrenching. Shareholderscontinuetovoicetheirangerandfrustrationtome-- howtheirdiscretionarymoneywasmisallocateddespitetheirrelentlessprotests,howsickenedtheyfeelthattheirhomehasbeenruined,howthey’reembarrassedtohaveguests.

Somanyhavelostsomuchbecauseofsofew. I’mnotcertainwecanputourHumptyDumptylobbytogetheragainbutI'mverygratefulthatwehaveanewBoardthatiswillingtotry. Whilemoderateexpensestomakecriticalimprovementstothelobbywillnotrequireavote,it'sgratifyingthatthenewBoardunderstandsthewisdomandimportanceofgivingshareholdersafairvoteonfuturelarge discretionaryspendingprojects.

ResponsefromBoard:Thereareawidevarietyofviewsregardingthelobbyproject.TheBoardiscommittedtomakingsomeadditionsandadjustmentstoworktocreateawonderfullobby.Althoughtherearemanydifferentopinions,wehavetriedtolearnfromsomeoftheissuesinthepast.Thus,insteadofconstantlyreiteratingpriorsentimentsandviews,weinsteadwanttousethatknowledgetokeepmovingforwardforthelobbyandalltheotherbuildingbusiness.The140-142Board

10

Page 11: 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association - Amazon S3 · 2016-07-25 · 140-142 West End Ave Coop Association Summer 2016 Volume XXX, No.3 Dear Shareholders – We hope you are enjoying

Happenings

11

PublishedKyraKaptzanRobinov,alifelongNewYorkerandLincolnTowersresident,hasdeepRussianroots.Herhistoricalnovel,RedWinter,wasinspiredbythetruestoryofherfatherandgrandmother.SetinFareasternSiberiain1920,thelittle-knownhistoryofthisexotictimeandplaceisseenthroughtheeyesofareluctantheroinegrapplingwithadversityandlossduringthedangerouspoliticalchaosfollowingtheoverthrowofTsarNicholasII.

AgraduateofNYUTischSchoolofFilm&TelevisionandtheGraduateMusicalTheatreWritingProgram,KyrawastheProducer/HostofTheBalletBeatonWNYU-FM.Herrecentmusical,ToDance,tellsthestoryofRussianJewishballetdancerValeryPanovwhosestruggletoemigrateinthe1970smadeinternationalheadlines.RedWinterisKyra’sdebutnovel.RedWinterisavailableinprintanddigitalformatsonAmazon.

SUMMERREADING

Recommendedsummerreading– enjoysomeofthesebooks,recommendedbyTheNewYorker,– whileloungingonmanyofLincolnTowersoutdoorspaces.