Roosevelt Island Rivercross Mitchell Lama Cooperative Residents Meet Again To Discuss Issues Of Common Concern & Solve Problems - Maintenance Going Up

Image of Rivercross from Adventures of a Goodman

Are you a resident of Roosevelt Island's Rivercross Mitchell Lama Cooperative and interested in learning more about what is going on in your building? If so, consider joining with some of your neighbors as they meet to discuss common interests of concern and find solutions to existing problems.

Rivercross resident David Bauer sends the following report from the most recent meeting held yesterday. Mr. Bauer writes:

Folks --

At the meeting last evening --

1) Shareholders were encouraged by the several moves made by our cooperative recently:
a) the start of the Board open conversation sessions with shareholders
b) establishment of a window screen maintenance policy
c) raising the temperature setting for the common spaces
d) the active search for a window washer
e) starting the creation of a book exchange center
f) clarifying the process for reporting/correcting the transmission of odors between apartment
g) upon request, building staff will install u-shaped handles to facilitate window opening .

It was noted that at the second Board Conversation session the five minute time limit for one shareholder to speak was relaxed. One shareholder took 20 minutes to offer comments pro and con for the Board to consider.

2) Arline reported on conversations with Landscape Architect Mark K. Morrison. He was positive in his cursory review of the Rivercross Building as being suitable for a 'Green Roof' installation. As a next step, she will be asking Zeniel Pereizic for technical information about the building structure.

3) Vicki reported on positive conversations with Board member Steve Kaufman about both the ramp as a replacement for the six foot wide steps down to the entrance plaza, and about the placement of benches for persons waiting for a transportation vehicle.

4) Judy raised the matter of the need for a published price list of maintenance/renovation services offered by the building staff. The list would preferably show those items the building staff will do as a matter of course, and the things that would be a 'off duty' job by the staff. She will pursue the matter further.

5) Deborah Beck, former Board member of RTC and RIOC, joined the group and offered information and opinions about the proposed book exchange self location, about the building staff, about the process involved in converting from a Mitchell-Lama building to a private operation, the attitude of DHCR toward RTC being colored by the operating experience of other M-L buildings, and the building staff.

6) During the end of meeting opportunity for each person to comment, there ensued a general discussion about the advisability of a letter writing campaign focused on DHCR questioning the proposed 5% increase in monthly carrying charges next year, in the need for help for many people in moving furniture in connection with the annual cleaning of the heating/AC units, and formalizing shareholder concerns.

Meeting adjourned at 8:35 to meet again on Tuesday September 7 at 7:30.

Mr. Bauer's report from prior Rivercross meeting is here.

There is also an online Rivercross Google Group for residents to communicate with each other as well.

Another Rivercross resident sent in this memo from the Rivercross Tenants Corp Board of Directors informing shareholders of an upcoming 7% maintenance increase starting September 1, 2010 and an additional 5% increase ordered by the DHCR to begin September 1, 2011 to fund additional Reserves for Replacement Contingencies which the Rivercross Board did not think was necessary.
River Cross Surcharge Memo