Author: Skytrack

Board Meeting Minutes: Nov. 23, 2021

Meeting conducted via videoconference

Board Members Present:  Peter Levy, President; Katharine Flanders Mukherji, V.P.; Andrew Kurland, Sec.; Matthew Pilkington, Treas.; Michael Tedesco; Hannah Berkin-Harper; Terra Chalberg; Malik Ashiru

Also in Attendance:  Valdet Boleviq, Superintendent; Kathleen Malara, EM Holding Corp.

Superintendent and Management’s Report:

  • In preparation for winter the Super winterized exterior water and sprinkler pipes, sealed staircase exhaust fan, and made other necessary preparations.
  • The Super painted walls in Dean Street staircase, replaced and re-attached moldings, hallway doors, and completed other touchups.
  • The next phase of roof replacement is being scheduled.
  • Rat activity in the vicinity of the buildings continues to be an issue, but is being addressed, and improvements are evident; we are continuing to fight the war against rodents, relying on extra work from Val and increased frequency of visits from professional exterminators, and we are cooperating with and providing reports to the City.

Financials:

  • The financials were reviewed and all is in good order.  Common Charge collections are strong.
  • We fully expect to finish 2021 on budget, and well on track to cover cost of necessary maintenance and building improvement projects continuing on in 2022.
  • The Board discussed insurance coverage issues.

New and Ongoing Business:

  • The Committee that was formed to investigate solutions to water backup is awaiting an estimate from one more potential engineer candidate before their selection is made.  A report was provided regarding installing check-valves in the lower units which do not yet have but could benefit from them; they will be installed.

Notices and Reminders:

  • NYC is restarting weekly compost collection on December 11.  Our pickup day will be Saturday, so the brown collection bins will be available for your compost waste in the Buildings on Friday afternoons.
  • Please remember to ask Val for plastic bags to transport Christmas trees in and out of the buildings, and clean up any needles that may fall in Common Areas.

In this Holiday Season, please remember to show your generosity to Val and Patrick to thank them for their hard work this year.

Survey re Natural Gas to Units

In connection with our scheduling a temporary (~2 hour) shutdown of the natural gas supply to each of our Skytrack Units — which is necessary so that a valve can be replaced — please follow the link below which will take you to a Google Form with questions regarding whether your appliances have pilot lights which will have to be checked by the plumber.

Please contact Val or EM Holding with any questions.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdHtJznwltjfdYCxDJfp5s5pJomRY5Lcf8qGXixgcs9QHL8VQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdHtJznwltjfdYCxDJfp5s5pJomRY5Lcf8qGXixgcs9QHL8VQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Board Meeting Minutes: Oct 26, 2021

Meeting conducted via videoconference

Board Members Present:  Peter Levy, President; Katharine Flanders Mukherji, V.P.; Andrew Kurland, Sec.; Matthew Pilkington, Treas.; Michael Tedesco; Hannah Berkin-Harper; Terra Chalberg; Cameron Martin

Also in Attendance:  Valdet Boleviq, Superintendent; Kathleen Malara, EM Holding Corp.

Superintendent’s Report:

  • The recent heavy rains did not result in any of the flooding we experienced with Hurricane Ida; there were no backups reported, fortunately. Certain units experienced (comparatively, though still regrettable) minor leaks, which are being addressed.
  • In addition to short term actions taken this summer to address the flooding, we have identified two engineers for the longer term mitigation, and are seeking a third to bid on a study/survey of the buildings and property and offer a proposal on what measures might be taken to address flooding during heavy rains.  One of the engineers walked through the buildings already in order to help draw up a bid for such a survey/recommendations.
  • A contractor inspected walls in courtyards for potential issues.
  • The exterminator is working diligently to address rodent concerns and progress has been noted.
  • The E-Waste collection was very successful.  Additional collection days will be announced in the future.
  • Now that renovations in various units have been completed, paint touch-ups in Common Areas will be addressed, including in Dean Street lobby.
  • The next phase of the roof repair/replacement is being scheduled though the contractor is very backed up.

Financials:

  • The financials were reviewed and all is in good order.
  • The Board discussed working with our accountant to eliminate or reduce any potential tax liability for 2021.

New and Ongoing Business:

  • NYC compost collection, which was suspended in light of the pandemic, is expected to start again soon, though has not yet re-started for our buildings.  Additional updates will be provided as we learn more.
  • The Common Area renovation projects to 122 Boerum, 134 Boerum, and 15 Bergen are progressing; residents in these buildings have selected materials and bids are being obtained from contractors to accomplish the work; however, contractors are very busy and it has been difficult to obtain bids.  To the extent any residents have recommendations for contractors who might want to bid on the project please contact EM Holdings or the Board.
  • The Committee that was established to investigate adding electric vehicle charging in the garage is continuing its work.

Reminders:

  • Please do not put any “wipes” down drains!  These cause serious problems to building plumbing, and have caused sewer backups.

Board Meeting Minutes: Sept. 28, 2021

Meeting conducted via videoconference

Board Members Present:  Peter Levy, President; Katharine Flanders Mukherji, V.P.; Andrew Kurland, Sec.; Matthew Pilkington, Treas.; Michael Tedesco; Cameron Martin; Malik Ashiru; Hannah Berkin-Harper

Also in Attendance:  Valdet Boleviq, Superintendent; Kathleen Malara, EM Holding Corp.

Superintendent’s Report:

  • The Super provided a detailed report about the flooding and leaks many experienced during Hurricane Ida, and steps that have been taken, including dehumidification and professional cleaning.  The Super, Board, and Management are continuing to work with affected units.
  • The heating system was drained and multiple units have had work performed on their units’ valves and radiators.
  • The building exterminator modified amounts and types of poison and continues to take steps to fight the rodent problem that is now most prevalent on Dean Street and Boerum Pl.  We have also contacted neighboring buildings – many who have problems with leaving trash out – to “clean up their acts.”
  • There have been fewer reports of mice inside the building; some who have continued to note problems have identified additional means of access within their units, and have found much improvement when the holes are plugged.  Please contact Management for assistance with accomplishing this.  We are staying vigilant to keep all common areas addressed.

Financials:

  • Everything is in good order with the financials.  There is presently a surplus of funds but significant expenses are expected for the remainder of the year, including related to the next phase of the roof project, the NYC water bill, and fees and services related to flood mitigation work.
  • Reminder that you may sign up for automated ACH withdrawals of Common Charges; details are available on the website or from EM Holding.  Further, owners can voluntarily opt out of receiving monthly Common Charge statements by contacting EM Holding and making that request.

New Business:

  • The City is re-starting compost collection, and we expect the new collection bins will be delivered to the buildings in the near future.
  • The Board is coordinating the first e-waste collection event; information will be posted on website.
  • The committee that was formed after the recent flooding issues made a report as to the steps that have been taken and will be taken.  Presently, we have received four recommendations for engineers, and they will be interviewed. We also agreed that back-flow valves will be installed or repaired on certain units which will benefit from them, so that all apartments with basement levels are protected.
  • The lobby renovation project continues, and we are awaiting bids from contractors.  Material samples have been gathered and are being approved by the design committees and residents of 122 Boerum, 134 Boerum, and 15 Bergen.

Reminder: Please ensure the building doors are not left propped open for any period of time.  Propping open doors is not only a security issue, it is an easy way for rodents to enter the building.

E-Waste Collection Event

Dear Skytrack Community,
 We are pleased to announce the first of what we hope to be many Skytrack e-waste collection events.  For this trial, we will be allowing residents to leave their unwanted items listed below from this Sunday 10/3 through the following Sunday 10/10 in collection boxes in the lobbies of 134 Boerum and 15 Bergen, next to where recycling is deposited, and in the recycling area at the 1st floor of 120 Boerum (upstairs residents must go down to first floor at 120).  For larger items that will not fit in the collection boxes, please reach out to Val in advance, and he will assist in getting them to the proper spot for collection by the City. 

Acceptable items:

  • TVs
  • VCRs, DVRs, and DVD players
  • Cable and satellite boxes
  • Video game consoles
  • Computers: including small servers; monitors; laptops and their peripherals (such as keyboards, hard drives, mice, etc.)
  • Printers/scanners
  • Fax machines
  • Small electronics: including tablets; mobile phones; MP3 players

NOTE: Appliances, batteries, and light bulbs are NOT accepted.

Assuming this goes well, we intend to continue with periodic collection events, which will be announced in advance. This first event was scheduled for these dates because it works for those who are coordinating the collection with the City, including the Super.

Foreign Materials in Drains

With the assistance of professionals, we have determined that in certain instances recent sewage backups that have caused significant damage at Skytrack have at least in part been the result of items that should never be allowed to go down toilets/drains — including “wipes” — which became lodged in sewer pipes, causing partial or complete blockages.  Out of respect to all of our neighbors, please ensure that no foreign materials other than toilet paper ever go down our toilets/drains.  This includes items that are purportedly classified as “flushable,” which in reality, are not. 

In addition to causing severe backups in residents’ apartments and preventing drains from working properly for some, allowing objects and materials like wipes down drains also costs all of us financially, as we collectively have to pay for totally unnecessary emergency plumber service calls to clean drain lines when they become clogged because of these materials.

The Board is continuing to work to take all feasible steps to prevent flooding during heavy rainstorms.  While we cannot control mother nature or fix the deficiencies of the NYC sewer system, we can control what goes into the drains in our apartments.  Ensuring we all do our part with respect to this matter will unquestionably only help the situation.  Thank you for your careful attention to this.

Flooding Update

As an update, the Board, newly formed committee, management, and Super have been working on a daily basis to address the flooding situation.  We will be hiring an engineer to analyze exactly where the water is entering and leaving the system and causing water to enter specific apartments which, in each case, is different. 

Yesterday the committee completed a three-hour walk-through with an eye towards providing the expert that we will be hiring a complete accounting of the issues and mitigation steps taken so far, so the expert will be best equipped to provide recommendations for additional steps to be taken.  It is also our intention to install and confirm check valves are working wherever they are needed or will help, and work with the expert on this. 

We will continue to provide updates as we progress. Thank you.

Actions to take about 9/1 9:00-10:00 PM Downpour

For the many apartment owners whose apartments experienced flooding during the September 1st hurricane Ida 9:00-11:00 p.m. downpour, we request that you report your experience to the below entities. The more reports the city receives, the more likely we are to get action taken to protect us from future storms

From: Susannah Pasquantonio <pasquantonios@nyassembly.gov>
Date: Thu, Sep 2, 2021 at 1:51 PM
Subject: [BoerumHill] Flood Issues & Water Damage
To: <main@boerumhill.groups.io>

Please help NYC Office of Emergency Management assess the impacts of recent severe weather by reporting storm damage here: https://on.nyc.gov/report-damage. This tool is for data-tracking purposes only. Report concerns to 311 and call 911 for emergencies.

For those with flood damage: file a Water Damage Claim form with the City Comptroller’s office. Access the form here: https://comptroller.nyc.gov/services/for-the-public/claims/e-filing/

You can send the locations of the flood to our office as well, so we have a general sense of where it occurred and so we can also share it with the appropriate agency,  but please email it directly to simonj@nyassembly.gov

Thanks, and please stay safe – we know it was a difficult night & morning for many of you.

-Susannah 

Susannah Pasquantonio (she/her/hers)

Chief of Staff

Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon

341 Smith Street

Brooklyn, NY 11231

718-246-4889

In the meantime, the Board of Managers is attempting to set up an emergency meeting to address this topic again.