380-402 TENANTS ASSOCIATION

Welcome to the home page of the 380-402 TENANTS ASSOCIATION, which is part of an alliance called Newark Tenants United.  Each Tenant's Association within the alliance maintains it's own Steering Committee, and focusses on its own issues.  We share a website and common goals, and we are in communication to share ideas. 

Our mission is to build community spirit and to improve the safety and Quality of Life of our high-rise buildings and our neighborhood.  We are located at 380 Mt. Prospect Ave and 402 Mt. Prospect Ave in the Forest Hill Section of Newark, NJ. The buildings are called Mount Prospect Tower and Abington Tower, although the owners refer to the complex as Audubon Center.  Nowhere in North Jersey will tenants find such large units with spacious floor plans, located in liveable neighborhood, and at our reasonable rents. We are proud of our buildings and enjoy the diversity of our community. 

OUR HISTORY: The 380-402 Tenants Association was founded on May 1, 2007 because 24/7 security personnel were removed from the lobbies of 380 and 402 Mt. Prospect Ave on April 1, 2007. This website was launched on July 10, 2007, originally under the name www.380402tenants.org. On November 23rd, 2008, the 380-402 Tenant's Association entered into a Partnership with The Pavillion. The website was renamed www.newarktenantsunited.org on November 30, 2008. Security guards were restored to the lobbies on May 15, 2009. We adopted new bylaws on Nov 12, 2009.  We believe that conditions here have improved dramatically since the inception of the organization, and we encourage readers to view the "BEFORE VS. AFTER" gray tab up top.

EXECUTIVE BOARD: As of November 2009, the composition of our Steering Committee is Samuel Delgado (Chair), Vincent Britt (Vice Chair), Arenda Bankston (Treasurer), Eric Martindale (Secretary), Haven Abdullah (Sargeant At arms), and Gail Henry in Building 380, Anthony Pierre, Carol Harris, Dawn Vasquez, and Toi Miller in Building 402. There are no empty seats.  To reach us be email, use info@newarktenantsunited.org to reach us.   

OUR ATTORNEY:  Charles Auffant of the Rutgers Community Law Clinic.  He represented us in the rent strike of 2007-2008.  He's actively working with us again, as of January 2010.

To reach us:  info@newarktenantsunited.org

code is 246

The Bylaws of the 380-402 Tenants Association must be posted on this website, as per the bylaws themselves

See: MEMBERSHIP FORM for those wishing to join

See: INTERESTED TO MOVE HERE and  YES, WE'RE IN NEWARK, NY Times 8/27/2007

See: BUILDING RULES AND DOG POLICY

See: Photos of Our Buildings  and March 10, 2008 storm damage  photo 1  photo 2

See  FHCA COMMUNITY EVENTS CALENDAR of the Forest Hill Community Assoc. Updated regularly.

Audubon is part of the New Jersey Apartment Association, which pushes for landlord rights.  See what they are up to www.njaa.com

AUDUBON CENTER CONTACT INFO:

380-402 CONTACT INFORMATION
24/7 hotline:  866-290-5685  
fax#:               973-481-0062
Office:             973-481-6544
Beeper:           866-835-1785  email:    workorders@auduboncommunities.com
Property Manager. Jaime Mejia's email:  jmejia@auduboncommunities.com

Tammy Shield's email:        tshields@auduboncommunities.com   Tammy Shields runs all properties in all states, if the Property Manager cannot resolve your issue, Tammy is the next step higher on the food chain.

PROPERTY MANAGER:  Mr. Jaime Mejia
Business hours:    Management office is unit LB1 of 402 Mt. Prospect Ave, Newark, NJ 07104

Former Property Managers
Leslie Rodriguez (till March 2008)
Trudy Kellett (March - Dec 2008)
Cheryl Cook (Dec 2008 - July 2009)
Cynthia Gainous (July 2009 - Feb 2010)
Jaime Mejia (Feb 2010 - current)

Former Superintendants at 380
Joshua Figueroa (2007)
Alberto Hernandez (2008)
Stephen Lewis (2009)
Anthony Lee-Pow (2009)

Former Superintendants at 402
Jose Reyes (till Feb 2010)

SUPERINTENDANTS / BLACK SEAL:    
Building #380:   Ron Gainous, Bldg 380, Unit 11F  (since 2009)   
Building #402:   Ivan Gonzalez, Bldg 402, Unit 9E.

PORTERS:        
Building #380:  
Building #402:  Ismael Garcia
 Assisting weekends / other:  2 part-timers have been hired, one for each building

Former Porters:
So unimportant their names shall not grace this web page

LEASING AGENT:        None as of Mid-January, 2009. 

REPAIR CONTRACTORS:    Audubon is again using outside contractors for some duties.  Superintendants and maintanence staff are upgrading vacant units and addressing common area issues instead of fixing problems for existing tenants.  One of these is Five Star Contracting.

BLACK-SEAL CERTIFIED BOILER OPERATORS:  (certified in accordance with the law)
Bldg 380:  Superintendant Ron Gainous
Bldg 402:  Superintendant Ivan Gonzales  (resides in 402, #9E). 
Property Manager Jamie Mejia
Frank Bembry, former Black Seal operator, still lives in 380 and helps from time to time.

SECURITY STAFF:   24/7 in the lobbies
      380 security desk:    973-481-0211   Alfredo works 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM
      402 security desk:    973-686-6068   
      Unarmed:   Alfredo (lives in 380, 14th floor)       
      Unarmed:   several others, as assigned by Fidelis

FIDELIS SECURITY:  Eric Vega, President.  201-686-6068  fidelisssecurity01@gmail.com

380-402 Tenants Association officers
Chair:        Samuel Delgado
 Vice-Chair:  Vincent Britt
Treasurer:   Arenda Bankston
Secretary:  Eric Martindale
Sergeant-At-Arms:  Haven Abdullah
Board member:  Gail Henry
Board member:  Carol Harris
Board member:   Toi Miller
Board member:   Anthony Pierre
Board member:   Dawn Vasquez

Regional Office – Audubon Communities:  Tammy Shields, VP of Operations. 1000 South Lenola Road, Maple Shade, NJ 08052   Phone : 856-914-1700. Fax (856) 914-1702. Tom Loughery answers phones and handles work orders.

Corporate Office – Audubon Communities:
Charles Reyher, President. 
15 W. 39th Street, Suite 800, NY, NY 10018
Phone: 212-279-9600    
Fax: 212-279-0887

Andrew Schwartz is the CEO of Audubon Communities, Charles Reyher is the President, Gavin Sachs is the Senior VP, and Tammy Shields is the VP of Operations.  Our property manager, reports directly to Tammy Shields. Aububon owns and manages buildings in at least four states. Contact Tammy Shields or Charles Reyher at the Maple Shade office if you are dealt with in an unprofessional manner, or if your issues do not get handled in a complete and timely manner.      

CODE ENFORCEMENT APPROACH:  The organization has determined that one critical way to advance our specific agenda is by making the appropriate contacts at Newark City Hall and cause the city to enforce the law.  This can also be done anonymously. As of March 21, 2008, the primary focus of tenant activities will be on the city level.  It is important for tenants to understand this. As a result of this approach, management was found GUILTY on July 31, 2008 of the existing security guard ordinance. That's why there is now an armed guard working the overnight shift in the guard booth. When we ask that tenants make phone calls to city hall, to send letters or emails, or to attend a city council meeting, it must happen.  As of August 2008, we now have cooperation with Newark Code Enforcement, and they are taking a more comprehensive approach.
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In October, 2008, we realized that much more serious focus must also be made on the State level.  There are State codes that all buildings have to follow. These codes regulate staffing levels for maintenance people, requirements for Black-Seal certified boiler persons, etc.  It would be great if there was a tenant organization in New Jersey that has already compiled and posted this information online, including phone numbers and contact names of persons on the State level who can assist.  If this important document already exists we haven't found it yet. Some effort will be made by contacting the Department of Community Affairs and the Attorney General's office to gather this information, and seek their cooperation in enforcement.  We also have a State Senator and two State Assemblypersons who could potentially assist us with this.

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Newarks' tenant movement is evolving to the next level. What Newark does may become the model for tenant rights in the State of New Jersey for the 21st century. Tenant activists in buildings throughout Newark should be able to get serious things done, anonymously, by contacting city hall.
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The organization is also expanding our focus to community issues affecting our tenants, including park improvements, bus shelters, public safety, and other matters.

On April 1, 2009, Newark passed a stronger revised security guard ordinance which was written by the 380-402 Tenants Association.  We have the right to ask our city leaders to amend any ordinance, and we are doing so.  Our legal counsel has advised us that management cannot make arguments to Newark code enforcement, Newark Municipal Court, or any higher court that they are exempt from  the regulations of the City of Newark.  
  

HOW A RENT STRIKE WORKS

Note 3/26/2008:  The advise of the 380-402 Tenant's Association to any readers from other complexes is that a rent strike is the absolute last resort. The primary focus of tenant organizing should be to get the city or town to bear down upon management and enforce any and all laws, rules, and regulations.

This section contains general information on how to conduct a rent strike. It does not contain information about any one particular rent strike.

Rent strikes are entirely legal in the State of New Jersey. Those participating in a rent strike are individually protected by the laws of the State of New Jersey (N.J.S.A. 2A:42-10.10) against threats of eviction or any other reprisals by management. A rent strike is similar to the bulk rents, except this time the organization keeps the money in escrow in a Tenant's Association bank account instead of writing a bulk check to management.  Instead of paying rent to management, checks are written to the Tenant Association, and put the month of the rent and your unit number in the lower left corner. The Tenant's Association will send a CERTIFIED letter to management detailing the reasons for initiating a rent strike. This is the procedure of the NJTO; this has been done many times in New Jersey.

Rents collected by a Tenant’s Association are held in escrow in the organization’s bank account.  Residents cannot legally participate in a rent strike without paying rent, and having it held in escrow by the Tenant’s Association. It is advised that residents also be registered members of the Tenant's Association.
 
The matter will quickly wind up in court by action of management, and each tenant will receive individual notification to appear in Court. When the court date is held, the organization's leaders (or attorney if any) will advise that the money is being held in an escrow account. It is extremely important that all tenant's checks have CLEARED in the organization's bank account. The organization must come with it's checkbook and be ready to write a check to the court.  Typically in a rent strike, the court holds the money. Then in subsequent months of the rent strike, checks will be written to "Treasury, State of New Jersey" and put the docket number in the lower left corner, with your name, the month of rent, and unit number. If the Tenant's Association has a lawyer, expect the rent strike to go on for many months.     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

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The following is quoted directly from the New Jersey Tenants Organizing Handbook regarding the Tenant Non-Reprisal Law (N.J.S.A. 2A:42-10.10) “This law prohibits landlords from retaliating against tenants for organizing or joining a tenants organization, or making good faith complaints to the landlord of public official about a landlord’s violation of health and safety codes. Tenants can sue landlords who violate this law for civil damages”. There have been several constitutional challenges to this law, and the law has been repeatedly upheld. 

We also want dual posting in the building lobbies of the Superintendant's name, Unit #, cell phone number, and Black Seal Certification number. Residents in each building need to know the information for both building Superintendants.

UNIT UPGRADES

Any long-term tenants seeking to relocate to a fully upgraded unit are encouraged to apply. Upgraded units have new kitchen cabinets, new kitchen appliances, new tile floors, new carpeting, and are freshly painted. The tenant will have to pay the established rent of the new unit, which could be higher or lower.  This is something to request directly to management, and then cc: to us.  A maximum of two transfers per month can be scheduled. The fee is $200.

MORE MEMBERS ARE STILL NEEDED

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Despite some people's initial skepticism, we are quickly advancing our goals and building strength and unity. We have a full board, a bank account, and a website. Most important, we have joined the NJ Tenant's Association, and have begun a rent strike.  For those who are waiting to see if we can organize something real, be advised that we have arrived. None of the tenants who tried to organize a tenant's association in past years actively participating in organizing our effort. In fact, those are the most skeptical people we have come across, but we would welcome them to join as members. We are here, we are here to stay, and we are already making a difference. It's time for everyone to chip in, we do have expenses. 

NOTE:  Frank Hurtz of 402 Mt. Prospect Ave has NEVER JOINED this Tenant's Association, or attended our meetings. Hurtz attempted and failed to organize a tenant's association years ago, and he turned off many tenants. He appeared in the lobby of 402 Mt. Prospect Ave when Charles Reyher came on July 31, 2007; and he supported management. He is also an outspoken opponent of the Booker Administration, and he frequently speaks out at council meetings against the elected officials whom we are working with to accomplish things. As a result of these activities, he will not be permitted to hold a seat on our Steering Committee.

Dues can be paid to ANY board member:  Eric Martindale (380 #10-C), Libre Jones (380, #10D), Carol Harris (402, # 15E ), or Anthony Pierre (402, # 4H ), and these persons will get the checks to Libre’. The membership form is available on this website, just download it.

PIGEON CONTROL --- HOW TO RECLAIM YOUR BALCONIES FOR HUMAN USE

The higher units had severe pigeon problems. Ms. Silva of 444 Mt. Prospect Avenue was responsible for feeding over 300 pigeons at the corner of Mt. Prospect and Abington.  This is why so many pigeons were roosting and resting on our balconies. Management of Wesley Towers has previously threatened her with eviction and taken her to court to try to stop her. These efforts were unsuccessful.  Health Dept officials confronted Ms. Silva in June 2007 and explained to her that pigeons carry disease and despoil property with their droppings. They threatened her with arrest if she is caught doing it. She has been in and out of court on this issue, and all efforts to evict her have failed. Pigeon feeding and pigeon roosting on our buildings are both dramatically down in 2008.  There are three proven solutions to eliminating pigeons.
 
(1) At your request, pigeons can be 100% eliminated by installing fine fish netting over your balconies, and Maintenance staff will install at your request. 

(2) Another effective solution is to install 2' high 1"-hex wire mesh (from Home Depot or Lowes) around the bottom of the balcony railing by using cable ties. Use the thinest metal version available, not green or orange plastic which looks unsightly when looking up at the building. Then use cable ties to attach plastic pigeon spikes to your railing (www.northerntool.com, item # 168357).  This is 99% effective, and also prevents kids from climbing on the railings. Some say this is the preferred alternative because fishnets affect your view.

(3) Aggressively scaring them away, without striking or injuring them, really does work.  Residents have been swinging brooms and tennis rackets, or even charging at them while waving arms and yelling. Individual birds who think in their own bird brain that they just narrowly escape death DO NOT come back. The closer and more aggressive your attack is, the more effective. Starting around March of every year, birds begin pairing off and looking for nest sites where they won't be disturbed.  Therefore, make sure you disturb them. They'll find somewhere else to nest. Leaving your blinds open most of the time will keep them off the window sills because they don't want to be watched.  If you are on the 4th floor or higher, nobody can see into your apartment.  There is no reason to have mini-blinds drawn closed 24/7 all year long.

Fake owls and ultrasound devices are total failures, don't waste your money. 

 

 

RENT CONTROL ORDINANCE

Newark has a rent control ordinance that fully protects us from predatory rent increases every year. In addition, the ordinance has a unit turnover clause which prevents management from increasing the rents to market rate after tenants move out. Charles Reyher has stated that this particular clause is a major disincentive to economic investment, and this is why no economic gain will come from restoring security to the lobbies. This is false; we've determined that our units are rented for LESS than the allowable increase by the City, and less than slightly smaller units in the more upscale "Forest Hill Towers" just up the block. 

Our low rents are due entirely to "market conditions", specifically the condition of common areas, the security situation, and our proximity to the unsafe intersection of Mt. Prospect and 2nd Ave.  Spiff this place up, and give us a conceirge in the lobby, and they'll get the higher rents they want when units turn over.
 
SOCIAL SCENE

 We would like to do more social things to build unity among the tenants.   We will give more details as we get closer to handling all the details. See Community Calendar for more info.  Anyone interested in walking/jogging around Branch Brook Park on the weekends? Why not get a group together to get some exercise safely in the park? If interested please email us to sign up. We have begun to network with the Forest Hill Community Association, our initial meeting was 8/15. There is also a "super-neighborhood organization" that covers everything bounded by Bloomfield Ave, Summer Street, Branch Brook Park, and the Belleville border.

NEXT MEETING:  A General Meeting to discuss issues and options.

NEXT COURT DATE:   No legal actions are in the court system at this time.

TENANT RESOURCE DIRECTORY: How to file suit against Audubon and secure a monetary award via Landlord-Tenant Court, or to solve almost any problem or to find information, see our Tenant Resource Directory. Just click the gray tab at the top on the top control bar 

BREAKING NEWS @ 380-402

Sorry, website is not set up for users to post comments due to legal risks associated with entries. 

Most recent minutes:   Meeting of Dec 1, 2009
Most recent newsletter:   March 2010 newsletter


JULY 27, 2010:  Some residents of 402 have discovered that you don't need the special card to access the gate to Clifton Ave. Any card works, driver's license, bank card, Staples Rewards card, you name it. This evidently was the 'solution' to Audubon not having special cards for everyone.

There is a red porsche with no license plates parked in the 380 exterior lot, spot #10.  The story is that the tenant on the 8th floor just purchased it, and he is getting insurance and license plates. How he got it here, legally, without plates is another whole story. This is NOT a stolen car, a drug car, or a car parking without paying for the spot. The problem is the appearance of chaos and disorder, which we don't like. It sets a very bad example. Jaime is on this one, and has given the tenant a timetable to comply with Audubon regulations. Cars without plates are not allowed to park onsite.

Jaime says the "F" line of 380 riser work is done. Other lines still not done, including "E".

JULY 26, 2010: Residents of the North Ward interested in learning more about the MUA proposal for our water supply can attend a special hearing:  Wed, 7/28 at 6:00 PM, at Park Street Elementary School, 120 Manchester Place, Newark.  Meanwhile, Mayor Booker thinks he has the votes and is scheduling another (3rd) special council meeting just for this issue, to introduce the ordinance. That is on Tues 7/28.

Today and yesterday were incredible hot and humid, and tenants suffered greatly without air conditioning.

JULY 25, 2010:  After 2 incidents of sewer overflows, management is again posting notices to tenants to be careful what to flush down the toilet.

JULY 22, 2010:  The other day Property Manager Jaime Mejia personally saw a small dog  sitting on the balcony of 380, Unit 3J. He rented the unit to these tenants, and they signed the no-dog pledge. The arrogance of some tenants here is unbelievable. Since there are only 5 grandfathered dogs left in the building and none on the 3rd floor, it's easy to identify new dogs.  He will address the matter immediately. The dog will be evicted. 

Tenants throughout the building are happy the incidents of dogs pissing in the elevators are down over 90% from when the building had 12 - 15 dogs in 2008.

JULY 21, 2010:  The 380-402 Tenants Association will look into setting up a system of security cameras that can be viewed from our website. One whole page on the website can be called "View Security Cameras", with all the links to click on. Potentially we can film the front door intercom's, the security desk, our side and rear doors, and 'places of interest' on our block. Tenants can 'save' any camera of interest as a "favorite" on their computer, to view it as needed. For instance the front buzzer. It would also be great to have a constant watch on the security guards, to see how they are always alert and awake and at their stations. Via our website, entities such as the Newark police, the Mt. Prospect Partnership, and Fidelis Security could also have access to the cameras. We're not an island here; things on our block strongly affect us. A homeowner on Highland Ave who is a computer networking specialist set up a system for his block, and he reports this it has dramatically reduced crime and loitering, and has helped to foster a local block watch. He lives on a high-crime block full of vacant houses just south of Bloomfield Ave. We'll be meeting with him to see what's involved. It's most likely in the $3,000 - $5,000 range, depending on the amount of technology. It's possible that this could be done with the cooperation of Audubon (at least for the cameras on our campus).  It might be possible, for much less money, to get Audubon's cameras up and running, and then link Audubon's existing technology to our website. Then we can expand from there with camera's to film 'places of interest'. Audubon says they want to work with us, so let's see.

There appears to be over 10 vacant units at 380 Mt. Prospect. Our friends at The Colonnade report only 4 vacant units in the entire complex, which has over 650 apartments. They had at least 25% vacancy on a few years ago, prior to changing management companies.  Audubon is it's own management, so there isn't an exact parallel.

JULY 20, 2010:  Superintendant Ivan asks the Tenants Association to post on our website the cause of the Saturday's flood in the basement:  He reports that women in 380 have been flushing their used female sanitary pads down the toilets, and they are clogging up the entire plumbing system of the building.  Our policy is to report the truth, no matter how ugly a picture it portrays. He and Ron snaked out the clog, and this was the cause. This is a 'quality of tenant' issue; it is indirectly the result of indiscriminate tenant selection practices. This may go into the next Tenants' newsletter, so that all residents can be advised.

The Newark City Council votes again to deny the creation of a Municipal Utility Authority, and this time the vote is 7-0, with one abstention (Gonzales), and one Councilmember was late to the meeting and missed the vote (Ras Baracka)

JULY 18, 2010:  A resident reports that the Deluxe Wheel Covers on their car were stolen yesterday for the 3rd time since late 2007.  The car is parked inside the 380 parking garage, and the garage door has been in good working order lately.  By email response, Eric Vega of Fidelis Security strongly objects to the suggestion that their guards' duties be officially expanded to include occasionally looking into the parking garage.  We have not suggested that Fidelis is negligent regarding this theft. Looking into the parking garage hasn't been part of the guards' official duties, and we've been asking for this change for over a year.  As an advocacy group, it is our right and indeed our responsibility to our residents to advocate for security-related improvements. 

The 380 basement level is in serious need of being sanitized.

JULY 17, 2010:  A drainage problem has again caused the entire 380 basement level to flood very early on Saturday morning, including all storage rooms and the laundry room.  It was reported to the Tenants Association by an 8th floor tenant. Thanks to Super's Ron and Ivan for responding promptly. Around 8:00 AM, they were seen snaking out the system with a huge mechanical snake. 

Before the days of the Tenants Association, we had no Super's / Black Seal Plumbers living on site, no 24/7 number to reach Audubon, and no guards in the lobbies. Can anyone imagine how this crisis would have been handled under that situation. We'd be waiting till Monday. We've made a lot of progress.

JULY 16, 2010:  Today's tragedy in Hackensack has us wondering....are we next ?  The parking tower of an ultra-luxury highrise collapsed, destroying dozens of cars. At least one person is missing and possibly dead.  This was a modern building, only 20 years old.  Our parking towers are 50 years old, and full of deterioration from leaks. Our Code Enforcement efforts are for a REAL reason, not just to make things look pretty. 

Newark is threatening to lay off 200 police.

JULY 15, 2010:  The City Council of Newark rejects by a 5:4 vote the special ordinance to create a Municipal Utilities Authority. There's nothing wrong with an MUA if they were restricted by law to bond money solely for their own purposes. The plan is to give $70 million (just for starters) to the City of Newark to cover the budget deficit for just one year.

A few weeks ago, Shariff defeated Charlie Bell in the Central Ward runoff election by 7 votes.  Shariff was one of the "NO" votes.  This shows how important it is to vote.

JULY 14, 2010:  A tenant in 380 who lives close to the ground level suffered a home break-in at 1:30 AM through a window that was left open (due to lack of air conditioning in the building). The burglary was thwarted and nothing stolen, but the tenants sense of security has been violated. This is all we'll publish, more about this was emailed to our contacts.  

Long-time tenants say this was the FIRST EVER break-in here, other than domestic-related issues in which an unwelcomed person still had a key.  Our units' steel entry doors are impenetrable.

JULY 13, 2010:  Supt. Ron Gainous explains that he fixed a non-mechanic part in the elevator.  Says it was "a roller" that operates with the door.

JULY 9, 2010:  Supt. Ron Gainous proudly stated to an Exec. Board member:  "I fixed the elevator myself", in regard to the broken elevator at the 380 building. We are not as happy about this as he thinks. Elevator repairs must be done by a licensed elevator repair company. Super's without these credentials may be violating the law by tinkering with the mechanical and electrical components of elevators.  We have not been notified that Mr. Gainous is certified in this area; we suspect he is not.  Mejia knows that safety-related issues are the focus of the Tenants Association; he should have known better than to authorize this work. Our lives are literally on the line here, while our friend Ron learns how to fix elevators. We like you Ron, but this may have to be reported to the proper authorities. Please don't take it personal.

Word has reached the Tenants Association that two "persons of interest" who lived in a unit on the 5th floor of 380 have moved out. They were the source of significant "street" traffic as well as loud music. That's two less bad apples living among us.  This is a step in the right direction. Staff are busy painting the unit and readying it for new incoming tenants.

JULY 8, 2010:  The Executive Board met last night and agreed that another rent strike is necessary.  A rent strike is likely to commence for August.  As part of the process, Tenant's Attorney Charles Auffant is sending a letter to Audubon outlining grievances. Chief among them are the AC/Heat/Risers issue at 380, a chronically broken elevator at 380, and the 402 buzzer system which has been inoperative for nearly a year. Nobody has even attempted to fix it in all that time, despite a Code Enforcement violation. Audubon has been making a lot of promises and not keeping them.

Two representatives of the Tenants Association met with Jaime Mejia and advised of the decision to go on rent strike.

JULY 7, 2010:  Today makes four consecutive days with temperatures of over 100 degrees.  Readings for the four days were 101, 102, 107, and 101.  News 12 New Jersey noted that people called in from various parts of Newark reporting readings of 106 and 107 degrees, even though the official reading at the airport was 103.  We recorded 107, in the shade, on a balcony thermometer.

JULY 5, 2010:  The National Weather Service recorded a high temperature of 101 degrees on July 4th (that an all-time record for the date) and 102 degrees today at Newark Liberty International Airport. And those readings weren't just at the airport, Eric recorded 102 degrees at 5:45 PM today on his balcony thermometer. Tomorrow and Wednesday are both projected to be triple-digit days for Newark, with increasing humidity each day.

Residents are suffering without air conditioning. The Executive Board of the Tenants Association will be meeting Wednesday evening to discuss air conditioning and other matters.

JULY 4, 2010:  A major summer heatwave has begun, and temperatures may hit 100 degrees soon.  Most or all of us are still without air conditioning, and no relief in sight.  A large number of tenants are inquiring to the Tenants Association to see if they can deduct the cost of purchasing window-mounted air conditioners from their rent. 

Work is ongoing on the risers.

380 is again without the north elevator. It was only up and running for a couple of days. Tenants holding the door open have repeatedly caused it to malfunction.  It is suggested that a sign be placed inside all four elevators which states "holding the elevator door firmly open will cause the elevator to malfunction and become out of service for an extended time"

JULY 2, 2010:  Jaime Mejia is no longer rehabilitating the old kitchens in units that are turning over.  He says "it's my decision".  The lack of a new kitchen could deter more economically stable tenants from moving in. The condition of some of the older kitchens is terrible since the buildings are 50 years old.  It is very disturbing to think that Audubon will rent units that way, and then tell the Tenants Association that they are doing everything possible to get quality tenants. Mejia is the first manager here to reject Audubon's long-standing committment to upgrading all of the older kitchens.

We believe that NONE of the security cameras are working, because Jaime knows nothing about them, and because the screens in the old security booth are inoperative.

JULY 1, 2010:  Residents facing west enjoy the annual fireworks in Branch Brook Park.

Today was the last day for census takers striving valiantly to reach a few people who are philosophically opposed to "the government knowing my business".

JUNE 29, 2010:  There is more talk about dividing the enormous 07104 zip code, and creating a seperate zip code for Forest Hill. It will be suggested to Audubon that they stand behind the effort, so that the complex can be marketed as being located in "Forest Hill, NJ" and not "Newark". Rentals in the Star Ledger and other newspapers are organized alphabetically, by city or town. Many potential tenants will look alphabetically at Livingston, Maplewood and Millburn, and then completely skip over everything in Newark, and then look at what's available in Nutley, as they continue alphabetically.  But they would look at rentals in Forest Hill if listed seperately from "Newark", because the quality of this district is well known. This will significantly effect the supply-demand equation and potentially bring in tenants from a wider area.

JUNE 23, 2010:  Jaime Mejia tells representatives of the Tenants Association that someone reported the lack of armed guards to Code Enforcement.  We don't know who did it. 

Based on comments from various sources, it looks like 380 will go MOST OF THE SUMMER without air conditioning.  The "F" riser is almost replaced, but work has to commence on 2 others.

Complaints are pouring in about the 402 security guard, and how he was hanging out in front of 380 last night with 9 of his buddies.

JUNE 22, 2010:  About 80 people attended the community forum organized at the North Ward Center to discuss crime in Forest Hill.  Police Commissioner Gary McCarthy, Councilpersons Ramos, Crump, and Gonzales attended.

Many attendees stressed the need for city officials, the police, and the Courts to help the Forest Hill neighborhood, and to prioritize tougher sentences for crimes committed in our area.  The problem is that the legal system cannot differentiate between crimes committed here and those committed elsewhere in 07104 zip code.  It's just an address in "Newark", as if it could be anywhere in Newark.

Eric suggested that we push for a seperate zip code for the Forest Hill Historic District and noted that there are about 6 zip codes reserved for use in Newark that have never been allocated.  We need more status, more prominence, to be taken seriously be city hall.  Then we won't just be another part of 07104.  Another attendee suggested to Eric that our automobile insurance rates would plummet if this change was made.

JUNE 18, 2010:  Tenants in 380 have been told that they will have to endure 2 or 3 more weeks without air conditioning while pipe repairs are ongoing. The 380 north elevator is reactivated, as of today.

JUNE 11, 2010: Congratulations to Sam Delgado to securing the Chairmanship of the 380-402 Tenants Association.  Eric Martindale has taken the position of Secretary of the organization. The change was Eric's request, and approved unanimously by the Executive Board, including a few votes by email. An email was sent out to everyone advising of the change.

The Executive Board met last night, our first meeting since March 4th, and is mapping out a plan of action.

It was reported that Audubon will not replace Fidelis Security with a new company due to cost issues.

JUNE 10, 2010:  John and Jewel Rotundo report in an email to the Tenants Association that "a relative of ours on Clifton Ave was robbed by "three black males in a white car last Friday at 5:15 AM"  That's Friday, June 4th.  This is probably the same case referred to in the June 8th news, but with a little more information.  Again, it's THREE assailants working together to cause crime in Forest Hill.  The police are working hard on this case.  The Rotundo's stress that Audubon needs to keep the garage doors and rear doors working and closed.

A change was made to the May 30th breaking news regarding the cause of the elevator outage at 380. It was a Fidelis security guard who gave that information, via a Superintendant, to the Tenants Association.  It is not correct to identify the Superintendant as the source. 

The Mt. Prospect Partnership responds to the email blast on the crime wave by reporting that crime is down 40% on Mt. Prospect Ave over last year. This is partly the result of their efforts and their security company, Sterling.

JUNE 8, 2010:  A wave of high-profile crimes in the quiet tree-lined streets of the Forest Hill historic district has stunned the community.  Mayoral Candidate Clifford Minor was mugged at gunpoint outside of his Ridge Street home and surrendered his wallet with $1500. There was also an early morning home invasion on Clifton Ave. On Sunday, June 6th the Chair of the Forest Hill Association reports that her husband was the victim of a car-jacking, right in front of his home on Grafton Ave, by three assailants wearing blue bandanas covering their faces and weilding guns.  He had left the keys in the ignition while speaking with a neighbor, just enough time for the idling car to be spotted and stolen.

These crimes come in the wake of last month's fatal stabbing at 449 Mt. Prospect Ave and a home invasion two months ago on or near Ballantine Ave.  The 'seige mentality' that the Forest Hill District has been legendary for is intensifying once again, and there will be renewed pressure upon city hall and the police department.  We've already seen a renewed presence of the horse-mounted police in our area.

At this point, everything that the City has done to reduce the murder rate and violent crime rate citywide means absolutely nothing to our part of Newark if residents in the city's most affluent district have to live in fear of their lives.

JUNE 7, 2010:  Dawn Vasquez reports in an email to Chuck Reyher the following issues need to be addressed at 402:

1. Air conditioning not working
2. Back door still slams and is not fixed
3. Garage door constantly upon all night, closing mechanism not working
4. Weekend porter is not working hard and not cleaning the incinerator room
5. no upgrades to laundry room

Note also that the long-promissed repairs of the buzzer system are not happening

The 380 entry door was promptly fixed during the day on Monday.

JUNE 6, 2010:  Eric Martindale reports in an email to Chuck Reyher the following issues that need to be addressed at 380

1. North elevator inoperative for 8 days and counting
2. Front door locking mechanism was recently broken, doesn't close and lock
3. Still no air conditioning in entire building
4. Water flooded a unit on the 7th floor with an open riser because "someone" turned on the water in the riser
5. Riser repairs not completed, and ongoing for over a month

We reported to Reyher that we are happy with the bathroom rehab by the laundry room, and that a trouble-making tenant moved out.

JUNE 3, 2010:  Eric Martindale attended Mayor Cory Booker's Interfaith Breakfast at NJIT, as one of the Bahai representatives.  Booker announced that they completed a 6-month drug investigation at the Garden Spires high-rises. The police raided and made 147 arrests for drug trafficking. Garden Spires consists of two red-brick high-rises about 25 stories tall. They are on First Street along Route 280 westbound, on the west side of Branch Brook Park. (Directly across the park from the Colonnade). Garden Spires is notorious as the worst high-rises in the city; this is what we continue to guard against here.  A good percentage of Garden Spires is now vacant. Rents there are much lower than here because of the unsafe environment and the gang affiliiliations of so many residents there. Audubon should be especially watchful of any applying tenant giving a First Street address.

Booker lamented that incarcerating so many young adults isn't the long-term answer, and  he noted that the prison population both locally and nationally is disproportionately African-American. He seeks a spiritual solution.

Booker than announced that he wants to work with religious leaders of the community to mentor the city's youth on a scale never before attempted in an urban center in the United States. The model program he wants to duplicate is that of High Point, NC.  This is to be a preventative measure to keep kids away from the street culture of gangs and drugs.  How this will develop hasn't been detailed, but it is something we should support.

JUNE 2, 2010:  Word has reached us that Audubon is in the process of evicting 40 tenants for late payment or non-payment of rent.  This is an extraordinary number.  For years, it had been averaging 15 - 20.  This is because of the Recession, and because prior property managers rented to "anyone" so that Audubon corporate will see that units are being rented.

380 North elevator is still down.  Apparently a part needs to be ordered.

JUNE 1, 2010:  A member of the Exec. Board met with Chuck Reyher and Andrew Schwartz to discuss issues of concern.  It's a rare day that Schwartz is here in Newark.

Residents in both buildings increasingly upset about lack of air conditioning

Fidelis advises that they want to jointly meet with the Executive Board of the Tenants Association and Manager Jaime Mejia to address issues of concern. We will set up a date for this.

MAY 30, 2010:  Mike Ganning and his girlfriend Nessie, of 380, 7th floor, moved out today.  He no longer has to worry about the Tenants Association watching him. And we have one less person of interest to watch.

A Fidelis Security guard advises the Tenants Association that Ganning is the person who broke the 380 north elevator, while moving out.

MAY 29, 2010:  There was a small kitchen fire on the 15th floor of 402 in the evening.
Residents are concerned because the fire alarms DID NOT go off.  The entire floor was filled with smoke.

Fidelis guards complain that a male caller, (believed to be a resident in 402) is making sexual phone calls to various male security guards, especially at 402 and sometimes at 380. The caller knows both security desk numbers. The Fidelis guards are uninterested in these very overt sexual advances.  The problem is "non-stop" during the overnight hours, and that it has already been reported to Jaime Mejia. The caller can be researched by looking at the phone bills.

The Tenants Association reported a rash of broken lights in the hallways and stairwells, all in the last 24 hours.  Jaime pledged to have them quickly fixed.

MAY 28, 2010:  Police visited 380 on Friday night, a disturbance on the 12th floor.  Details unknown at this time, but it was substantial enough that the 380 guard had to secure assitance from the 402 guard, leading to complaints from tenants that 402 was left unguarded.

MAY 27, 2010:  Tenants in both buildings continue to be upset about lack of air conditioning.  Jaime discovered that 380's AC system is designed with 2 vertical systems that can be run seperately if needed. They plan to activate the northern half of the building "in a few days", while riser pipes are being worked on the southern half.  402 AC is down pending major parts.

MAY 26, 2010:  380 Supt. Ron Gainous announces by flyers posted everywhere that he has reactivated the 380 laundry area bathroom.  It hasn't had a sink and toilet for over 10 years.  The bathroom has new walls up to about 4 feet, a mirror medicine cabinet, and new industrial tile floor.  The sink and vanity was donated by Eric Martindale, who removed it from one of his "local" construction jobsites. Unsure the source of the toilet.

Note also that 380 now has a bathroom that is "acceptable" to be used by the female guards. They had refused to use the bathroom at the entry to the parking garage, and we instead spending time away from the building to visit the 402 laundry room bathroom.

MAY 24, 2010:  The 380 north elevator was fixed today after several days down time.  Repairs made on Sunday were unsuccessful. This elevator is more tempermental than the others, possibly due to sensors.

MAY 20, 2010:  Tenants at 380 are concerned that one of the security guards, a young Latino man who has lived in the building, is frequently wearing a red cap along with his Fidelis uniform.  This is considered to be gang colors.  We do not believe that he is a gang member, but gangs are everywhere in Newark, and all young adults who live here have friends and contacts in gangs.  Given this perspective, it is therefore wholy unacceptable for him to sport gang colors.  Fidelis might be transferring him to 402 as a result, which isn't an answer either.  He has to stop wearing the red cap or stop working for Fidelis. Either way he would stop representing Fidelis in this fashion.

MAY 18, 2010:  Meeting of the 2nd Precinct Council, a precinct-wide block watch.  They will set up a text-system to notify the heads of local organizations of murders, car jackings, home invasions, or shooting "hits".

Police are looking for a man by the alias of "dirty Mike", who has been stealing copper pipes from vacant houses, especially around Parker Ave south of Bloomfield Ave. Any tips would be appreciated.

The Mayor's North Ward liaison, Marilyn Colon, attended.  She remains unfriendly to our cause, and she may be one of the reasons why Corey Booker has never done anything for us. She had several contrary things to say, and she didn't want a concerned tenant at Parkwood Place to network with our organization, instead referring him to the Forest Hill Community Association.

A police detective responds to our inquiry about finding out the status of those arrested for crimes. We can research anyone using the NJ Dept. of Corrections website, and just put in the person's name and see if there is a criminal record. It's free for the public to use. I already tried and found lots of information on several people. No details,that's confidential: https://www6.state.nj.us/DOC_Inmate/inmatefinder?i=I
 
MAY 15, 2010:  There was a murder at 449 Mt. Prospect Ave.  This is the middle of three 4-story brick buildings directly across from the 444 Seniors Tower. It was not in the building housing the convenience store, despite widespread rumors. Police later stated that the murder was the result of a domestic dispute, it was not gang or drug-related.

Capt. Perez outlined the following scenario which the police believe represents the facts of this case:  A man left Girlfriend #1 and their 2 children to live with Girlfriend #2.  After some time, the man left Girlfriend #2 to go back to his family. Girlfriend #2 was furious and visited Girlfriend #1 with two other men. There, Girlfriend #2 killed Girlfriend #1 with a knife. Perez did not confirm rumors that bleach was first thrown in her face, or that Girlfriend #2 was pregnant. The victim's children witnessed the attack. The older daughter, age 10, called her father by cell phone to report that her mother was killed. Girlfriend #2's car was the getaway car. The male driver of the getaway car left the car somewhere, and he vanished, afraid to be connected with this murder. Girlfriend #2 visited the East Orange police to report her car stolen, and she gave the license plate #. There was a warrant out for her arrest in connection with this case, and she was immediately arrested. One of the male accomplises was also arrested shortly afterwards.

MAY 13, 2010:  Audubon's contractor started the riser replacements in the 380 building. A few residents have complained that workers have made holes in their walls to replace pipes. We've told them to endure this project, it means that riser will never break and flood their unit

MAY 13, 2010:  CENSUS TAKERS HAVING DIFFICULTIES HERE  Representatives of the Tenants Association met today with 2 Census takers who are still tracking down about 2 dozen occupied units in the 380 building that have refused to respond to the 2010 Census. About 36% of the occupied units in 380 failed to mail in the form. Of those about 10 have since filled out the forms directly with the census takers, they said. With very few exceptions, almost every woman who lives alone is denying to provide her census data.  It's an amazing correlation, and it really shows that single women are living here in fear. How sad.  Readers should be advised that personal census data is not released to the public for 70 years. Nor is it provided to the IRS, INS, FBI, local law enforcement or any other federal agency.  We provided a few names for the units in question, but the census taker still needs to speak with every unit. Jaime Mejia verbally told them to make an appointment, and he'll also provide information on who lives in each unit. 

We told the census takers that there are several units with "extra" people who live there as non-family members. So even though the forms may have been mailed in, everyone might not have been reported. However, since they can't release ANY collected information, there is no way to share notes and determine which units UNDER-REPORTED the actual number of occupants. This makes sense, it is fair.

It was a surprise to learn that the Latino residents of 380 are doing the best job in cooperating with the census. Almost half of the 380 building appears to be Latino. Yet 90% of the units that the census takers are still chasing after are the non-Latino residents. This contradicts claims by the media that Latino's in urban areas are the most under-counted.

The census takers will be here on Mt. Prospect Ave for a couple of weeks, and will repeatedly contact non-responding units until every person is counted.  We advised them that the Tenants Association has no objection to the census taker roaming the building and knocking on the doors of all non-responders. They represent the government and therefore they can freely do this without signing in to visit each unit.

MAY 12, 2010:  Tammy Shields authorizes management to distribute a survey to all residents asking how satisfied they are and how long they plan to stay.  All residents should respond, and list any unaddressed repair issues in your unit.

MAY 11, 2010:  Corey Booker wins his 2nd term as Mayor.  North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos also re-elected.  Voter turnout was shockingly low for a city this size, the winners in some wards took in less than 3000 votes.

MAY 7, 2010:  Tammy Shields' responds to our Chair's email about the Priorities at each building.  "...I am going to forward this to Jamie so he can address your issues". 

We had asked her and Chuck Reyher to finalize the contract for the riser project in 380 (needed before AC can be activated) and finalize the 402 buzzer contract so that project can start.  There is nothing for Jaime to do on either issue because the ball is in Shields' court. She shouldn't be pushing the blame back on him.

MAY 6, 2010:  Residents of 402 do not know when their buzzer system will be fixed, nor does the Property Manager.  To the best of our knowledge, no contract has been signed. This is an active item with Code Enforcement.

Residents of 380 do not know when air conditioning will be turned on.  No contract has been signed to replace two affected vertical lines of riser pipes.  This is necessary before the air conditioning can be turned on.

MAY 5, 2010:  Mejia says that the long-awaited 3rd porter started on May 4th, and will be active in painting common areas and assisting in the overall workload.

Governor Christie and Mayor Booker announce that Newark's tallest building will be built next to NJPAC, a 44-story highrise with over 300 units, 20,000 square feet for retail, a pool, spa, security, etc.

Stephon Henry of the Audubon Place Tenants Association in Belleville reports that "Patrick" has been hired as their new Property Manager, and he is starting on May 10th.  Henry reports that Cheryl Cook will continue to work in Belleville as the Assistant Property Manager. It's getting hard to keep up with the revolving chairs over in Belleville.

MAY 4, 2010:  Jaime Mejia confirms that all of the 380 building will be without air conditioning until the riser pipes are fixed in 2 vertical lines.  And we know that these projects take 3-4 weeks, or possibly as long as 6 -8 weeks.  That means there is NO CHANCE for air conditioning at 380 until sometime in June or July. 402 will be up and running. He is hard at work getting the systems ready, so that "his end" is done and ready to activate.

Jaime has no information as to when the 402 buzzer system will be fixed.

A resident in 380 and a resident of 402 had a huge blow-up today behind the 380 building, involving their dogs.  The woman in 402 owns 3 dogs.  Their yelling and the dogs barking at each other disturbed the complex.  Complaints were made to Audubon independant of each tenant visiting the management office to complain about each other. 

APRIL 29, 2010:  Pipe burst today at 380, Unit 3H, which severely affected Unit 2H.   Property Manager Jaime Mejia, who is also a black seal plumber, got directly into the action as a plumber.  Supt. Ron Gainous is on vacation. 

Tenants are becoming very concerned that we will have no air conditioning this coming summer season.  We've suffered with no heat, thank God it is not the dead of winter. No air conditioning on hot days won't be accepted at all. We'll be using window-mounted air conditioners, and Audubon has no authority to enter our units to remove them. Lack of air conditioning is going to result in costly litigation against Audubon.  It's projected to hit 90 degrees this weekend, that's a taste of what's to come.

APRIL 28, 2010:  Ivan Gonzalez would like tenants in 380 to be certain that they are leaving the garage door locked.  Check the key position when done using the key system.  If the door is stuck open or broken, it is a safety concern. 

APRIL 27, 2010:  The Tenants Association would like to take collective action against Audubon for NO HEAT in the 380 building.  We are seeking a new volunteer to coordinate this with the Newark Rent Control Board. The person previously coordinating this has recanted his pledge of April 7th to do it on everyone's behalf.

APRIL 23, 2010:  BIG COURTROOM DEFEAT FOR AUDUBON  Yesterday, the City of Newark concluded it's 20-month Code Enforcement case against Audubon Communities with a $5,000 fine against the landlord for taking so long to resolve the code violations at the 380 building. A case for 402 is still pending.

The Tenants Association was very timely in choosing to unleash our attorney, Charles Auffant.  We sensed that this would be the final hearing and that his presence would be needed.  Mr. Auffant has not seen combat against Audubon's law firm (Levy, Ehrlich, & Petriello) since the conclusion of the rent strike over 2 years ago.

With Auffant on the scene, Audubon's counsel was unable to persuade the city prosecutor to release the case without a fine.  Audubon's counsel firmly rejected the city prosecutor's proposal to make a substantial monetary contribution to the Tenants Association as an alternative to appearing before the judge, and possibly incurring a much larger fine. Sort of like the old game show Let's Make a Deal. They chose Door #3.

They chose to plead their case for 'no fine' to the judge. Door #3 was a bad move. The judge lashed out against Audubon using strong terms, and made it very clear to them that they better resolve code violations before appearing in this court again.  The judge referenced the pending case for the 402 building.  Audubon could have instead given a lesser amount to us, and we would have reinvested some of the money on upgrades to the building.

Auffant's presence in the courtroom made the difference.  Audubon would have otherwise walked away with little or no fine.  It was important for Audubon to be fined, so that they know that they can't defer repairs, push the court around using their lawyers, and then walk away with no fines.  The total loss to Audubon is greater than $5,000, considering the amount of legal fees that they have expended on this issue.

The case was initiated in August 2008, and involved four property managers (Trudy Kellett, Cheryl Cook, Cynthia Gainous, and Jaime Mejia).  Just how many times was the judge going to be told:  "A new property manager has been hired who will address these violations. Just give us more time".

Our specific victories in the 380 Code Enforcement Case include, but are not limited to:

1. New flooring in garbage closets on every floor
2. Defective roof door fixed. Gates and alarms installed to prevent random public access to the roof.
3. Dilapidated wooden water tower on roof removed
4. Some wall and ceiling repairs to common area hallways and lobby (we are not satisfied with the results)
5. Dozens of lights fixed in lobby, canopy, hallways, stairwells, etc.  New light fixtures in mailroom
6. Most of the 380 parking garage leaks resolved, including installaion of a trench drain
7. Upgrades to laundry room including painting walls, new flooring, new machines
8. Repaired raw sewage leak at entrance to laundry room
9. Replaced roof ventilation systems
10. Asphalt paving for entire parking lot
11. New concrete steps on north side of building to reach rear yard and 402 parking lot
12. Fixed exposed electrical wires and missing electrical covers in many places around the building
13. Cleaned and sanitized stained carpets in common hallways (some are stained again)
14. Cleaned and sanitized tile floors in common hallways
15. Window guards for every unit with children
16. Removed barrels of chemicals from parking garage
17. Removed debris, old toys, and other items stored by tenants in parking garage
18. Addressed issues inside several tenant's units that made their issues known to the Tenants Association
19. Chipped steps in lobby, and most importantly
20. New intercomm / buzzer system

Going forwards, the Tenants Association hopes to resolve issues through the process of regular meetings with Chuck Reyher, Tammy Shields, and Property Manager Jaime Mejia.  Such as our meeting the prior evening.

APRIL 22, 2010:  Notes from last night's Exec. Board meeting with Chuck Reyher, Tammy Shields, and Jaime Mejia.

1.  In May, Audubon will be hiring a 3rd porter to "float" between 380 and 402.  This is a major breakthrough, as the Tenants Association has been telling Audubon for years that the buildings are short-staffed and cannot be run at current staffing levels. He will initially focus on the painting common areas, but we suspect he'll be painting vacant units as the priority.  We requested lobbies first, hallways second, and basements third.  Mejia wants to start with the basements.

2. Audubon is close to signing the contract with Verizon FIOS for 380 and 402. "The contracts are going back and forth", says Reyher.  FIOS will be a new amenity for the complex, a selling point for the rental office, and we'll also get gorgeous crown moldings in all our hallways (that's how they'll dress up their cable and duct work)

3. Audubon is in advanced negotiations with Sterling Security, the company that patrols up and down the street for the Mt. Prospect Partnership. This plan includes putting a monitor on the 380 security desk for the guard to view the ongoing taping of the surveillance cameras.  We noted that the performance of Fidelis including the quality of their guards has improved dramatically since they found out that the Tenants Association wants to bring in Sterling.

4. We discussed the April 23rd Code Enforcement case.  Reyher acknowledges that some parking garage leaks in 380 remain unresolved.

5. Reyher is still promissing further upgrades to both laundry rooms.

6.  Audubon reports that all common area door issues and gate issues are resolved, including recent repairs to the 402 front door. Mejia complained that door locks have been sabatoged.

7. At the request of the Tenants Association, Reyher has authorized Mejia to contact the Postmaster and request permission from the US Post Office to relocate the 380 upper floor mailboxes about 3 feet away to the wall across from Unit 1A.  This is because the current configuration leaves a narrow corridor in violation of fire codes.  It's so narrow that the wall is repeatedly scratched up by Audubon staff bringing shopping carts full of debris to the side door. We will take pictures and provide to Audubon.

8. Mike's Towing failed to come a few days ago to tow a car parked in a tenant's spot at 380, but they did tow 2 cars parked in the 402 driveway near the dumpster.  Audubon plans to bring in the new towing company that Tammy boasts is "ferrocious".  They were recently selected in Belleville and when they start here they will be scanning the parking lots daily for any and all cars parked without Audubon stickers. This is good news for tenants who's parking spots are stolen by visitors, and bad news for people parking in the 380 circle driveway.  We cautioned them about issues to address with this, including a system to allow tenants to let their guests use their parking spots. Newly purchased cars that don't yet have Audubon stickers could also be towed. A system of "temporary passes" will be created. The Tenants Association has requested to be involved to minimize "mistake towings".

Tenant's Association attorney Charles Auffant will be attending tomorrow's Code Enforcement court case.

APRIL 21, 2010:  Notes from yesterday's meeting of the 2nd Precinct Council:

1. There was a shooting death in the early AM of April 20th on Bloomfield Ave at North 11th Street, not far from Colombus Hospital. A 43-year old Hispanic male, shot twice in the back. This is considered to be a "good" part of Newark. The shooting was captured on a police surveillance camera and they anticipate an arrest to be made

2. The police arrested a man (Alberto S.) at McCarter Highway and 3rd Ave. He then confessed to a string of robberies in the north ward on Garside, Summer, and Broadway, as well as a carjacking in the South Ward. He's off the streets.  Good work.

3. The group elected Stephen Lewis of Highland Ave as the Chair, and Abraham Maury as the Vice-Chair. Lewis one by one vote.

4. An illegal taxi business was shut down on Davenport Ave, the result of citizen complaints

APRIL 20, 2010:  Tonite is a meeting of the 2nd Precinct Council Meeting, which is a community group to advise the police on local issues.  We just found out about it 2 hours ago, so no time to inform possibly interested tenants.

APRIL 19, 2010:  Much to our surprise, Councilman Anibal Ramos has been completely unresponsive to our request to review Oscar James' proposed city ordinance which affects Code Enforcement and tenants.

APRIL 15, 2010:  Mitch Kahn of the NJ Tenants Organization has advised us that Newark City Councilman Oscar James has introduced a pro-landlord, anti-tenant ordinance that affects Code Enforcement. For this to come at a time that we need city hall to get tougher on landlords is unbelievable. We have contacted our Councilman, Anibal Ramos, and requested a copy of the ordinance for out review and recommendations.  We hope that it wasn't scheduled for a vote at yesterday's council meeting.

A white SUV parking in another tenant's exterior parking spaces was ticketed last night at 10:30 PM by the Newark Police and we believe it was towed away.  Special thanks for the Fidelis evening guard at 380 for spearheading the situation and interacting with the police. Supt. Ron Gainous called Mike's Towing to authorize the removal.

The city held a special event yesterday honoring long-time tenant activist Frank Hutchins, who recently passed away. He had been active with the Newark HUD Tenants Coalition and was a voice of reason and respectability within that organization. Whether or not they can continue without him is unknown.  His accomplishments over his 40+ year career in tenant advocacy were many. He was considered a giant, statewide, for tenant rights. We didn't find out about it until after the event.  It would have been a golden opportunity to network with tenant leaders from around the city.

APRIL 14, 2010:  A Fidelis guard outlined the security changed that they have proposed to Audubon

1.  They will keep a list of all tenants at the guard station. Everyone getting buzzed in will be asked to verify who they are visiting

2. All guests will show ID, the sign the guest book, and the guard will make sure that the names match.

The Tenants Association supports and endorses these changes.

APRIL 13, 2010:  Concern is raised over a statement made by Jaime Mejia to a Board member that Audubon is looking to rent to "large families".

APRIL 12,2010:  The 402 front door lock was not fixed.  Previous information that it was fixed was false

APRIL 11, 2010: Rumors are spreading that Audubon wants to put the 380 porter back on weekend duties and to hire a new porter. 

APRIL 10, 2010:  It might be Spring, but tenants in 380 are still cold at night, with no heat

APRIL 7, 2010:  Audubon secures 4 of the 5 vacant units at 380 to prevent vandalism.  A spot check at 7:00 AM shows that new locks were installed on 5H and 10B.  8A and 16D, which had locks but were left open to the public, at now locked. Unit 6B, the only unit with a wood entry door in the entire complex, remains unlocked and unsecured. The security guard was on duty, and the side door at 380 was locked.

APRIL 6, 2010:  Tenants Association sends another letter to Audubon requesting to meet with Chuck Reyher and Tammy Shields.

The young man on the 12th floor who's friends decided to party in a vacant unit on another floor advised the organization that he cursed them out for making this trouble, and that they won't do this again. We thanked him for addressing the matter.

APRIL 5, 2010:  DRUG PARTY BUSTED IN VACANT UNIT.  The Tenants Association identified a vacant unit in the 380 building that was being used for a drug party last night.  Blasting music in a vacant unit at 2:00 AM gave it away.  The Fidelis guard, and then Supt. Ron Gainous were summoned at 2:00 AM. Ron arrived on the scene in only 3 minutes. Ron confronted the 3 partiers as they were boarding the elevator to leave, and recognized at least one of them as a resident or frequent visitor. One man identified himself as a resident of a 12th floor unit, a unit that has been the source of several issues in the past (unit # withheld).  On Monday morning, the head of the household on the 12th floor emphatically denies that he lives there, or that she even knows who these people are. 

The police were summoned after the fact, at around 2:30 AM. They arrived at 4:30 AM and found little drug bags and an opened condom wrapper. This was also shown to the Property Manager Jaime Mejia. It would have been better to have called the police first, and had them raid the party and make arrests.

In the haste to leave one of the 3 guests, a woman, left her handbag with her driver's license.  Her name is Elyssa, she is 19 years old, and she lives in Clifton. We'll withhold printing her full name, D.O.B., home address, and driver's license. The police took her handbag and driver's license.  Unsure if a police report will be generated. The Tenants Association was unhappy with the performance of the police investigation, and this will be reported directly to Capt. Perez.  It's already been communicated to Councilman Ramos.

This happened because the unit was vacant and without any lock. We identified 3 such units in the building, and at least 2 more with locks that are open and unlocked.  Mejia has directed staff to have every unit secured by the end of the day.  We'll be checking and reporting progress online.

APRIL 3, 2010:  Wendell was removed as the Porter for the 380 building. The weekend porter has been promoted, and is now working during the week.  Wendell started out real strong, and he then turned weak.  We hope that this other guy sees that Wendell was removed, and that he has to work hard.

The 380 building has been without heat for nearly a week.  Note that the J, H, and E lines have been out since March 16. A few tenants are planning to sue Audubon.

APRIL 2, 2010:  There was reportedly a pipe burst in the F or G lines of 380, need to verify which unit.  Note:  This was later confirmed, an F-line riser break.

The 380 laundry room has been reopened.  The north elevator fan cover is missing

APRIL 1, 2010:  Tenants suspect that the complex is delaying repairs on the risers until the summer, which may mean no air conditioning for many units for a good part of the summer. 

MARCH 31, 2010:  Audubon is intensely focussed on the complex being "self-sufficient", which means they refuse to tap funds from other Audubon accounts to cover repairs.  That is not our concern, and not the concern of the Courts.  Things have to be fixed here.

MARCH 28, 2010:  The 380 laundry room is "closed until further notice" due to a recent pipe burst, possibly the unit 1A burst. The doors at the bottom of the side stairwell are locked from the inside.

Audubon's crew has cleaned and sanitized the site of sewage water spill in the 380 parking garage.  The 380 garage door, left open to ventilate, is now operational again.

MARCH 27, 2010:  Eric Vega of Fidelis Security responds to email complaints that the guards are letting visitors in without them using the intercomm / buzzer system.  He responds that his Supervisor has been dispatched onsite to advise the guard that visitors are not to be let in without using the intercomm / buzzer.

Note that tenants here are generally not happy with the older afternoon guard at 380.  He is unfriendly.

402 is still without any intercomm / buzzer system. Tenants there very upset about it.

MARCH 26, 2010 @ 5:00 PM:  The riser break was in Unit 1A, which is below the J & H lines, not the A-line.

There was actually 2 major riser breaks today. The second affected the ceiling on Unit 6C in 380.  We need to confirm the source unit of this riser break.  Unsure the timing, which riser break happened first.

We also learned that City of Newark Code Enforcement inspectors were dispatched here by Councilman Anibal Ramos, and were investigating reports of raw sewage coming from the 380 parking garage ceiling, near the lobby entrance. 

MARCH 26, 2010:  Another riser break this morning affects the J & H lines of building 380.  We've lost count now. The unit burst is believed to be a lower floor unit. Ron says he has "isolated the break" so the rest of the building has heat.  It was in the 30's last night, and tonite forecast to be 25 degrees and windy.

A white 4-door Honda that constantly parks with the front or end blocking the 380 entrance driveway was TICKETED and TOWED around 9:15 AM today. This time it was blocking 1/2 the entrance driveway of the 380 building, it was so bad that a UPS truck could not enter the circle driveway. The police came promptly when called.  This person is reported to live in a house across the street, unsure which house.

Jaime Mejia has been talking about landscaping improvements, which we support.  But the lobbies are more important.

MARCH 25, 2010:  The number of vacant units appears to be rising, especially at 380.  Tenants have noted that the condition of the lobby and mailroom is a serious deterrrant to renting units. Prospective tenants are left with a negative impression of the common areas. 

The Super, Ron, has noted that at least one vacant unit was accessed without permission, and some minor damaged occurred in the bathroom.  

Also building 380, unit 6B, door has been kicked in and is cracked.  That is a wood door in violation of building codes, every other door here is steel.

MARCH 24, 2010:  Raw sewage spilling from 380 parking lot ceiling into garbage cans. Health Dept. refuses to come out.  They've never come out, always refers matters to Water Dept or Code Enforcement.  Not sure why Newark has Health Codes on the books, if we can't get inspections and court summons on matters like this.

Last night, the city's 2nd Precinct held a meeting of neighborhood leaders, the first of many such meetings to follow.  They want to elect a Neighborhood Council.

MARCH 23, 2010:  Except for a few units that need heaters bled, heat in 402 is restored.

Heavy rain again causes serious flooding in the 380 parking garage, and also pooling on Mt. Prospect Ave across from the point of Mt. Prospect park, blocking the entire southbound side of the street due to a blocked storm sewer.

MARCH 22, 2010:  The Tenants Association is wondering if the entire complex can be declared to be under HUD supervision because there has been a slight increase in the number of units rented to HUD tenants.  HUD supervision comes with much stronger HUD guidelines for property maintenance and staffing levels.  We are unsure what the cutoff % is, but we know for certain that privately-owned highrises in Newark have come under HUD supervision once the tenant count rises to a certain %.

We would not consider this to be a victory, because we want the complex to be more upscale and more attractive to market-rate tenants.  We want Audubon to actively market the units to city employees, police and firemen, graduate students, and employees of downtown Newark office buildings.

We also know that HUD is not paying Audubon their unit subsidies because HUD-ordered repairs on certain units have not occured. We're told that nearly $20,000 is outstanding.  Audubon has not been collecting the tenant portion of HUD units, as they are generally unaware of the HUD process.  The more Section 8 people that comes, the worse Audubon's financial situation will become.

MARCH 21, 2010:  Maintenance services in 402 are clearly superior to the 380 building on all measures from snow removal to litter pickup to the general cleaning of the hallways.  Building 380 needs a new porter. Many tenants feel that the existing Super's are "the best we've had", although there is always room for improvement.

MARCH 17, 2010:  The website has been reorganized.  The Tenants Resource Directory has been elevated to a gray tab of it's own. It is too important to be buried in the Newark Tenants United page.

Tenants in 402 are still without heat.  Day #8 for C, D, and E lines. Discussions are underway to enable all tenants to secure a rent rebate, pursuant to the law, without jumping through so many hoops.  Eric has a pending meeting with city officials to discuss strengthening tenant laws.

One of the Executive Board members in 402 is upset that the Property Manager is not responding to her emails.

MARCH 16, 2010:  The 402 roof leak was caused when a tarp or piece of plastic that was covering a hole blew off in the recent storm, allowing water to cascade into the stairwell and also affect multiple units on the top floor.

The 380 garage door is fixed.

MARCH 15, 2010:  Two pipe breaks today in 380, one in 3H seriously affecting 2H, and the other in the parking garage ceiling above this editor's parking spot. 

Most of 380 is without heat, and at least half of 402 is without heat for other reasons.  There is also a roof leak in 402 affecting some residents.

On the positive side, a tenant on the 2nd floor of 380 that has been fighting for over one full year to get wall deterioration scraped and painted finally got the work done by Audubon's painting contractor (the older Greek guy).

An email is being blasted out to advise tenants to call the NO HEAT HOTLINE.  It's going to be in the mid-30's tonite, with snow showers forecasted after midnite.

MARCH 14, 2010:  Last Thursday, Eric attended the press conference announcing the formation of the Georgia King Village Residents Council (a tenants association) and the Georgia King Village Family Success Center.  The latter is funded by NewarkNow, and has 2 staff members and a social worker that assists the 450+ units with a variety of social services.  It's a privately owned building, but a high percent of the units have Section 8 or other subsidies. The goal is to promote safety (seems to be a common theme everywhere), well-being, and self-sufficiency or residents. Workshops available on many subject. Councilman Rice and Gonzales and Mayor Booker attended.

MARCH 13, 2010:  Smell of natural gas (not sewer gas) permeates the 380 parking garage this evening.

Tremendous storm pummels Newark.  Several inches of rain.  3rd Ave is closed at the intersection of Clifton Ave due to a large tree that fell across the road.

MARCH 12, 2010:  Large numbers of tenants in the 402 building are without heat for the 4th consecutive day.  Affecting at least some tenants in the C, D, and E lines.

Security guards to keep a watch for illegal dogs and will report them.

Capt. Perez calls the Chair of the Tenants Association and other community leaders throughout his district to report that an internal investigation is under way regarding a video that was aired on television of a Newark Policeman kicking a suspect.  Note also that 2 weeks ago the Newark Police made some major arrests regarding crime in the Forest Hill area, including the suspect in a home invasion on Ballantine Parkway.

MARCH 11, 2010:  Tenants Association March 2010 newsletter

MARCH 10, 2010:  The 402 rear door has been completely replaced, but still not 100% functional.  The 380 garage door starts acting up in the evening.  The pesky leak into the parking garage near the 380 lobby door apparently has multiple sources.  Staff fixed one leak, but another is still sourcing.

MARCH 9, 2010:  TICKET BLITZ IN 380 FIRE ZONE --- Police came on Monday to issue 5 parking tickets to 5 cars parked simultaneously in the 380 fire zone at the lobby door. Five is a lot, but we've seen this many on other occasions. Two of the cars ticketed had persons in them waiting for somebody to come downstairs. This is not within the policy that the police outlined to the Tenants Association. 

The security guard advised us that the Property Manager was able to intervene and stop the writing of tickets on at least two occasions.

Also, a tenant who was moving into the building was almost ticketed. This tenant was able to talk his way out of the ticket because he mentioned that he is closely related to a Police Captain in the 3rd Precinct.  This is Newark, usually it's not what you know, it's WHO you know. 

Issuing parking tickets to tenants moving in or out is definately not within the policy outlined to the Tenants Association.  Movers and delivery persons should be allowed to unload. 

Only cars parked and unoccupied are to be ticketed. The Tenants Association will convey this to our contacts in the police department. Whether they are parked there for "10 minutes while I run upstairs" or for 2 hours is not our concern.

MARCH 7, 2010:  Emails were sent to Audubon regarding an illegal dog in a 10th floor apartment of 380 that has been barking and disturbing the whole floor for hours last night.

MARCH 6, 2010:  There was a possible sewer pipe break in 380, a second floor unit.  Water pours into parking garage near lobby entrance, same spot that has been leaking on and off for weeks now. Audubon personnel were summoned via the 24/7 Emergency Number and both Super's responded onsite in about 1/2 hour.  So the Emergence response system is working.  Staff drilled 2 locks to enter units of residents not home, and found the problem in the second unit.

Most of the water falls directly into a garbage can in the parking garage. The water is brown and smells of feces.  Many residents believe that the pipe burst is a sewer line, but this is not confirmed at this time.  402 Super, Ivan, believes that tenants disposed of dog feces, unwrapped, into the garbage can.  The  location of the pipe lines up with the bathrooms, not the heaters. The tenant's entry closet was flooded, and there is some water in the common hallway.

MARCH 5, 2010:  Tenants with outstanding work orders are advised to start from scratch because requests for repairs are coming in faster than they can be addressed. This means that Mr. Mejia will never get to look at the pile of old work orders that predate his arrival, even though he would like to address them. It is important to document everything. Keep a file folder with copies of work orders, letters, emails, certified letters.

MARCH 4, 2010:  The Tenants Association Exec. Board meets with Property Manager Jaime Mejia.  We discuss backlog of repairs in tenants apartments, code violations, buzzer system upgrades, and other matters. 

He complained about the contract cost for the 402 rear door, and is generally upset that code violations have been called in. The Tenants Association was firm that they will continue to be called in, and that Audubon will have to find the resources, one way or another, to address them.

FEBRUARY 25, 2010:  Newark Police again visit the lobbies.  The officer who works 8 AM - 4PM says he's issued 2 tickets to cars parked in the 380 fire zone, at the front door. Neither was a resident.  A few residents were warned, but not given tickets.

A minor pipe burst in 380, Unit 5G.  There was no flooding in the unit, just some water pouring into the parking garage.  The Super's get high marks for stopping the problem before it seriously flooded units, and for getting the heat up and running after only about 2 hours of down time.  One tenant on the 3rd floor called Code Enforcement for no heat.

A major snowstorm hits AGAIN, basically it was a major slush-storm.  402 again does a better job than 380 in clearing snow

Tenants wondering what landlords are up to can click here www.njaa.com

FEBRUARY 24, 2010  7:00 PM:  NEWARK POLICE PATROL ASSINGED TO OUR AREA:  Officer Dominick Sodano of the Newark Police Dept has been assigned to patrol the "grid" from Elwood Ave to 2nd Ave and from both sides of Mt. Prospect Ave to Lake Street (237A).  His tour is 4 PM - 12 midnight.  He is stopping into the lobby of every building on Mt. Prospect Ave, including Forest Hill Towers and some smaller buildings.  Capt. Perez has specifically tasked him to meet and great security guards, tenant leaders, and building managers, and to get to know as many people as possible. He also wants to learn more about problem houses and apartments.

Officer Sodano will immediately ticket any vehicle parking in the circle driveway of the 380 buidling, unless the driver is with the vehicle.  If it is turned off and parked there, a ticket will be issued.

FEBRUARY 24, 2010  2:00 PM:  BUZZER SYSTEM ALMOST DONE:  The buzzer contractor is here today at 380, and actually has the system up mostly working.  Visitors can talk to residents, but residents cannot yet buzz them in.  He says another part is needed.  Note also that they haven't signed a contract to fix 402 at all.  The contractor is:

Daniel McGrath
Digital Security Services
121 W. Merchant Street
Audubon, NJ 07106 (that's a coincidence)
856-939-4404
digitalsecurityservices@gmail.com

FEBRUARY 23, 2010:  Horrible smell of sewer gas permeates the stairwell of building 380 and the basement.  Ron Gainous was summoned, but there was no raw sewage this time in the basement, only gas.  The storm sewer on Mt. Prospect Ave across from Parkwood Place is stopped up and the water is pooling over the curb.  This might be the cause.  See picture:  water on street

FEBRUARY 22, 2010:  THROWN INTO THE FIRE.  New Property Manager Jaime Mejia has to deal with over 100 irate tenants who's accounts have been audited.  Some have been sent "Balance Due Reminders" and others sent "Eviction Notices", depending on how much was owed. In almost all cases, the situation was bad accounting on the part of Audubon.  The exact number of tenants audited is unknown, but Cheryl stated "over 100".

It was the universal feeling that Mejia should have sent out a letter of introduction to the tenants, stating that he's the new Property Manager, that he's here to help, and asking what he can do for the tenants. Instead he shows what is Audubon's priority, Account Receivables.  We already knew this, no surprise there.

Former Manager Cheryl Cook did most of the computer work to correct the mistakes.  Last Fall, someone at Audubon corporate automatically increased many tenants' rents, even though the leases weren't up. 

Audubon is encouraged to provide tenants a monthly accounting statement.  This would avoid situations in which the balance due is sitting for months on end, without the knowledge of the Tenants or Audubon.

Tenants who had outstanding repairs also took the opportunity to make it known to the new Property Manager.  He's starting to get the true picture of what is going on here.  What he doesn't know is that the complex traditionally had a full-time property manager, a full-time accountant, and a full-time secretary. Now one person, a Superman or Superwoman, is expected to fill this role.  That's why we're on our fifth property manager in 23 months.  Because it can't be done.

FEBRUARY 21, 2010:  The 380 garage door is broken again since last night, and this time it is something else.  The springs.

The 402 gate to Clifton Ave was "fixed" on Sunday.  It had been deactivated, deliberately, to allow the snowplows to enter, and wasn't fixed.

Management was made aware that a car with NC plates was parking all weekend in the aisle of the 380 parking garage, not even in someone's spot, and to please tow the car.

FEBRUARY 20, 2010:  It is noted that garbage cans are back out on the curb in front of 380, looking tacky. Mt. Prospect Manor across the street doesn't accumulate garbage at all, because it's kept so clean that nobody wants to throw litter there. And if they do it is picked up right away.

FEBRUARY 19, 2010:  Our chairperson has a talk with Wendell, the porter at 380. He has been asked to step up the pace, to work as hard like he did in his first week here.

FEBRUARY 18, 2010:  The Nets announce that they will be moving to the Prudential Center in Newark.

FEBRUARY 17, 2010:  Audubon hires a new Property Manager for 380 and 402, which is Mr. Jamie Mejia.  He worked his way up from porter to Super to Property Manager in a high-rise in Passaic Park, and also has a Black Seal Boiler license.  Two representatives of the Tenants Association met with him, Chuck Reyher, and Tammy Shields. He won't be required to move here for 3 months.  He pledges to be an assertive manager and to take charge of problems here.  He has asked for the help and cooperation of the Tenants Association.

Former Manager Cheryl Cook will be here for a few days to train Mr. Mejia on Audubon administrative practices.  Tammy Shields said Cheryl is relocating to Louisiana, and will continue to work for Audubon Communities.

The Tenants Association requested that Audubon provide a snow blower machine.

Former Property Manager Cynthia Gainous has no plans to move.  She'll stay in Building 380, along with 3 other former Property Managers who still live here.

Code Enforcement comes to visit the list of tenants in 380 who attended the Feb 4th meeting, and had repair issues.  Notices will be issued to Audubon.

FEBRUARY 16, 2010:  The City of Newark announces plans for a $2.5 million streetscape project for Mt. Prospect Ave.  There will be fancy lights, new sidewalks, bus stops, garbage cans, benches, trees, pedestrian-friendly intersections, etc.  We are not in the 5-block stretch, but the design elements being decided now will eventually be implemented on our block.

FEBRUARY 11, 2010:  14 inches of snow falls.  Lots of complaints about snow removal, both the snow plow contractor and the performance of Audubon staff.

FEBRUARY 9, 2010:  Tenants in 402 are still upset over cockroach and rodent issues.

FEBRUARY 7, 2010:  It is confirmed that former Property Manager Cheryl Cook is leaving the Belleville property soon.

FEBRUARY 4, 2010:  The Tenants Association meets in the 380 lobby. Guest speaker was Cliff Minor, candidate for Mayor.  Chuck Reyher and Tammy Shields attended, and made promisses to complete the intercom/buzzer repairs, fix the 402 rear door, etc.

FEBRUARY 3, 2010:  Chairman Eric Martindale speaks at the Newark City Council meeting about the need to overhaul how the city's Code Enforcement Department handles tenant complaints.  The speech was well-received by the City Council, with Councilmen Ramos, Amador, and Rice all pledged long-term movement in this direction.  Councilman Rice, in particular, wants change. He spoke about how much time and effort his office has to take to address tenant issues regarding Code Enforcement.  Copies of the speech were distributed to the entire city council and about 40 attendees, including candidates for public office.

Click to see: speech of Feb 3, 2010

Also present at the Council meeting were the newly-elected Chair and Vice-Chair of the New Community Corp Tenants Association, which represents over 3000 units. They were also concerned about the responsiveness and effectiveness of Code Enforcement. 

FEBRUARY 2, 2010:  Tammy Shields has confirmed that she will be attending the Tenants Association meeting on Thursday.

Residents of 402 have advised that the rear corridor door was back to "slamming mode" by 4:00 PM.  It was closing without slamming at 2:00 PM when the inspectors arrived, probably because management did a temporary fix knowing that Code Enforcement would be coming.

It's been made very clear by our Executive Board members in Building #402 that every time the rear corridor door is fixed, it breaks within hours or days. When it is broken, it is back into UNLOCKED MODE, SLAMMING MODE, or both.  Shock waves reverberate through multiple floors of the building, and it can be heard from the far side of the interior parking garage.  It slams so hard that it is a hazard to pedestrians, especially on windy days.  There is a hand-written notice there requesting that it be pulled gently shut.  This notice should remain until the problem is fixed FOR REAL.  Disregard the prior posting that it should be removed.

The entire push-bar mechanism needs to be either replaced or changed out for other technology designed for very high-use applications.  A door vendor should be consulted on what technology will work for this application.  We will advise Tammy Shields of our recommendation on Thursday.

FEBRUARY 1, 2010:  CODE ENFORCEMENT INSPECTS VIOLATIONS AT 402 - Inspector Wilder and Inspector Amos Crudup of Newark Code Enforcement visit the 402 building, at the request of Councilman Ramos.  Ramos received multiple complaints from 402 residents about violations affecting security which resulted in auto thefts and vandalizations.  Councilman Ramos called the Tenants Association Chairman to advise that they were on the property, and by pure chance, Eric was home today and able to walk the property with them.  Amos was willing to write a maximum of 5 violations.  Amos says that he is personally accountable to the Councilman on this, and he will see it through.

The status of safety issues at the 402 building is now as follows:

(1) BUZZER / INTERCOMM --- Violation. A violation notice will be written.  Cynthia explained the steps underway to replace the buzzers, but the bottom line is it doesn't work today.

(2) FRONT DOOR TO LOBBY DOESN'T CLOSE ---violation.  A violation notice to repair or replace the door framing will be written. Eric noted that if Audubon can resolve this problem by putting in a stronger closing mechanism, this will be sufficient.

(3) PARKING LOT LIGHTING --- Possible violation. Eric pointed out that 1 existing light is out and 2 lightposts have been completely removed, one on each side of the parking lot, near Clifton Ave. Inspector Wilder will come at night and determine if lighting is adequate. They are debating if they can force the restoration of the lights, which Eric pointed out were probably part of the original site plan of the building, and since destroyed by vehicles. Cynthia's electrician to look at all the lights today, she said.

(4) GATE TO CLIFTON AVE --- No violation found.  Someone tipped off Audubon that the inspectors are coming today, and Cynthia had an electrician there to activate the gate. She also showed us a box of brand new access cards that just arrived by mail. She says they arrived today. However, I have a feeling they've been sitting in her office for weeks.

(5) REAR DOOR TO LOBBY CORRIDOR --- No violation found.  It was generally working at the time of inspection, if allowed to close on its own.  However, if someone wants to leave it ajar, they can and it won't close itself.  It's time to remove the "no slamming" sign from the rear of the door, so that people will let it slowly close and lock on its own.

(5) PARKING LOT & DRIVEWAY PAVING --- Notice that action must be taken. A notice will be sent out that paving or patching is needed "when the weather is appropriate."  They won't force this work in the winter, so it's not a violation until the Spring. But if not fixed it's documented and will be a violation.

(6) PIT IN THE CEMENT --- Violation.  Between the 402 rear door and the 402 parking garage automatic door is a pit covered with rotten plywood.  This is a violation, if 2 adults walk on it at the same time, it'll give way. It must be covered with a steel grate or cemented over.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Eric made it clear to Cynthia Gainous and the Inspectors that our conflict is not with the Property Manager (Cynthia), it is with the owners of the buildings. We want to maintain our rapport with Cynthia.  Eric explained that none of these problems will ever be resolved without violation notices being written.

JANUARY 31, 2010:  It has been the coldest of the season so far.  Thankfully the heat is working and the garage doors are shut.

JANUARY 29, 2010:  Today was the last day for the security guard, Preston, was has served 380, and occasionally 402.  Many people felt he was making friends with the wrong people around here.

JANUARY 28, 2010:  The Cliff Minor For Mayor campaign called to confirm that he will be appearing at Thursday's Tenants Association meeting at the 380 lobby.  Outside of a few "minor" candidates, the mayor's race is between Minor and Booker, and is considered to be very tight.

JANUARY 27, 2010:  The rear door at 402 was fixed again.

JANUARY 26, 2010:  The security crisis at 402 Mt. Prospect is evolving to a whole new level.  It is no longer simply the Tenants Association versus Management to resolve the glaring breaches in security.

The forces of anarchy in 402 have reared their ugly head. The criminal element which lives in the building has vandalized the rear door, completely ripping off the push bar so that it no longer locks.  There are people who want complete open access so that they don't have to use a key to enter the building.  People of this mindset are typically the same people who despise the Tenants Association, and think we should each "mind your own business".  We suspect that the security camera that films the back door is still not working, having been cut by the same forces of anarchy some time ago.  This same element has repeatedly vandalized the rear gate to Clifton Ave, and the front lobby door. The fact that all this is happening at the same time as a wave of auto thefts is very disturbing to the law-abiding majority of tenants in 402.

This is now a battle between those of us who wish the building to be quiet, clean, and safe, and those forces of anarchy that if allowed to be victorious will turn 402 Mt. Prospect into another troubled inner-city building in the City of Newark.  The Tenants Association stands firm alongside management in our desire to maintain law and order at 402 Mt. Prospect.

It is imperative that we collectively win this battle. The very identity of the building is at stake.  Law-abiding tenants will definately be moving out over this, if unresolved.  The Tenants Association will maintain it's utter viligence on this matter, as issues such as this are the primary reason for our existance.

The security issues at 402 Mt. Prospect have now increased from 4 to 6 items.

1. Rear Gate to Clifton Ave
2. Insufficient 402 parking lot lighting
3. Rear door to the building
4. Security camera filming the rear door
5. Front door closing mechanism is defective. The door will lock if specifically pulled, but otherwise it is usually left ajar.
6. 402 buzzer and intercom system is completely down.

This will be an agenda item for our February 4th General Meeting, and we'll likely demand a sit-down meeting with upper management of Audubon specifically for the 402 security crisis.

The 380 buzzer system is supposedly being worked on Wednesday 1/27 by the Contractor, and supposedly residents have been given notice that access will be made into their apartments.

JANUARY 25, 2010:  Important news briefs:

1. Code Enforcement called and promised to come, but hasn't as of 5:00 PM

2. The rear door of 402 was fixed today

3. The Intercomm contractor is coming to 380 on Wed 1/27, and will drill the locks of all units that they need access to.

4. 402 has a new Superintendant, Ivan Gonzales, who replaces Jose Reyes.  Ivan is new to Audubon. He is a black-seal, and he will be moving into Jose's apartment as soon as Jose vacates it. The rumor that one of the porters will be changed is false.

5. Cynthia says that all Audubon employees are drug-tested when they are hired, but there are no random tests any time afterwards

6. Audubon employees have brand new spiffy uniforms

7. February 5th is towing date for all the cars that are parking without paying.  Cynthia would not say how many cars are affected.

JANUARY 24, 2010:  Resident thwarts car break-in at 402.  An alert member of the Tenants Association who lives at 402 Mt. Prospect Ave saw two male youth casing the 402 upper parking lot at 2:50 PM today. She saw them walk in from Clifton Ave. They were looking into various vehicles, trying to figure out which vehicles to steal tonite.  She confronted them verbally from a balcony, threatening them that she can identify them if there is any future break-ins or thefts.  They walked out of the parking lot via the non-working gate to Clifton Ave, and made a right, generally in the direction of 477 Clifton Avenue.

Both suspects are described as very skinny teenagers, one is Black and one is Latino.  The Latino wears black glasses.  Both are about 16 or 17 years old.

Tenants are upset with ineffective police involvement, and there are rumors that some are ready to physically take matters into their own hands.

JANUARY 23, 2010:  Police activity at 4:00 AM in the circle driveway of 380 has some residents talking, and others worried.  One tenant on the 7th floor reported that the city's Homicide Squad was here at 4:00 AM. It's unlikely that a murder occurred because we would have heard about it sooner, but it is possible that a resident here is the subject of a homicide investigation.  During the day today, two policewomen were in the 380 mailroom looking at the last names on the mailboxes. 

Fidelis seems to have a new guard every night at our complex.

JANUARY 22, 2010:  It's the 3rd night out of the last 5 that cars were broken into or vandalized in the rear of 402.  A 380 resident who parks behind #402 was the latest victim.  

Emails have been sent to Councilman Ramos demanding Code Enforcement on Monday for the inactive rear gate at 402, the lack of parking lot lighting at 402, the broken rear door at 402, and the broken intercomm system at 402.  Tenants are just plain fed up.

A strongly worded email was sent to senior Audubon officials on the need to repair these 4 issues. We specifically requested that Cynthia Gainous be told that these 4 issues and the 380 buzzer system are the top 5 priorities in our complex.

JANUARY 21, 2010:  Barry Shepherd, a resident of #402 who is working on the Cliff Minor mayoral campaign has confirmed that Cliff Minor will be appearing at our February 4, 2010 General Meeting of the Tenants Association, in the 380 Lobby.  Minor is a resident of the Forest Hill District, and he reportedly lives on Ridge Street.  Minor is squaring off against Cory Booker for the Mayor's seat.  Minor is a very strong candidate, and this Spring's election is shaping up to be close. 

Just to remind everyone, the Tenants Association is non-political per our bylaws, and we cannot endorse candidates.

We have no plans to ask Mayor Cory Booker to speak at any of our meetings.

JANUARY 20, 2010:  Eric Martindale appears at the Newark City Council meeting.  He discussed the rash of car break-in's and car thefts from our property, as well drug dealing in the area.

At the Council meeting Eric also presented a 4-page schematic illustrating improvements for Mt. Prospect Park, located just north of Fine Fare.  Narrowing the awkwardly-wide intersection to make it more pedestrian-friendly and to create more green space is the central element of the plan.  Stuart Koperweis of the Mt. Prospect Partnership was also in attendance at the Council meeting.  He said that Councilman Ramos has requested that the Mt. Prospect Partnership formally support this plan, and he wants them to work with Eric to push it forwards.  Ramos is also taking his own efforts to advance the plan, as per an email received from him today: "I reviewed your suggestions for the Park and forwarded them to our Engineering to see if it is possible to secure official designs for the park along with an estimate on renovation costs. There may be a few options on how we can get this project funded."

Councilman Ramos responds to the email complaint that the police ticket and tow cars that have been stolen and abandoned instead of reaching out to the owner. Ramos said  "...will ask the Chairman of our Public Safety committee to include this as a discussion item at our next meeting with NPD"

JANUARY 19, 2010:  At least three vehicles in the rear parking area of 402 were attacked overnight, severely vandalized in burglary attempts. Two vehicles had smashed windows, including a Mercedes.  This is the 2nd night in a row, and this time another Executive Board member was targeted. 

Eric filed a complaint with Councilman Ramos that the police are ticketing and towing cars that are identified as having been stolen and abandoned, instead of reaching out to the owner.

JANUARY 18, 2010:  The status of 402 Superintendant Jose Reyes remains in doubt.  Jose' hasn't been working for weeks since suffering extremely severe burns on one arm.  The scalding isn't in one spot, it's spread up and down his arm.  In addition to an Emergency Room visit, costs include medication and repeated visits during the healing process.  It is uncertain if Audubon will cover his expenses, or if they will allow his employment to continue. He is advised to contact the State Dept. of Labor if he is not getting 100% coverage for an on-the-job injury.  Someone else referred Jose to Councilman Ramos. Ramos knows a bit about Worker Rights due to his employment with Essex County, and will be able to explain his rights in Spanish.

A local contractor, Confident Home Remodelers, donated one 30" sink to Audubon Communities, estimated value of $100, so that Ron Gainous can make repairs during his off-hours to the 380 basement bathroom without purchasing materials.  More donations of materials towards this project are pending. Confident Home Remodelers handles interior and exterior home repairs throughout northern New Jersey.  See http://confidenthomeremodelers.com

JANUARY 17, 2010:  One of the Executive Board's members of the Tenants Association had his car stolen from the outside parking lot at 402 Mt. Prospect. The lot has a security gate which has been deactivated for about 5 months while we wait for Tammy Shields to make more access cards.  This is the 2nd time the same person had a car stolen from the same parking lot. 

Tomorrow is the start date for a new "Clean Team" that Cynthia is arranging.  Details unspecified.

JANUARY 16, 2010:  Audubon has fixed broken tile floor in the north elevator of the 380 building. They  ripped up the black commercial-grade vinyl tile and installed a new lighter-colored residential-grade vinyl tile.  Let's see if it holds up.

Staffing levels are again a big issue of contention, especially now that Jose cannot work due to his arm injury.  Audubon has implemented the same equation, one worker per 100 units, over in Belleville, with the same results. Staff are overwhelmed and cannot handle the workload. This really underscores the need to have more staff here. We think there should be one worker for every 50 units, not including the Super. This is a subject matter under investigation by the 380-402 Tenants Association.

Quiet Enjoyment has again become an issue. Multiple complaints have come in from tenants over the past few months regarding blasting music and heavy street traffic regarding 380, Unit 5C.  These tenants moved here in late 2009. One tenant who has lived on the 3rd floor for over 15 years will be moving out soon, specifically because Audubon is doing nothing about this problem. A letter will be sent to Audubon, because Cynthia Gainous has not resolved resident's complaints.

JANUARY 15, 2010:  The broken garage door at 380 Mt. Prospect has been fixed after about 12 days.  It seems like over a month.

Tenants at 402 want a heat-credit to their accounts for the days they endured no heat, and they want this done in one effort for the entire building, rather than to require each tenant to file a complaint with the Newark Rent Control Board.  We will discuss this with attorney Charles Auffant.  It might be appropriate to discuss new legislation with our Councilman, with the goal of reducing case load to Newark Rent Control hearings.

JANUARY 14, 2010:  On January 25th, the buzzer contractor will be back, and Audubon says there are still 26 units at 380 Mt. Prospect who haven't provided access. Advance notice will be given, and locks will be drilled if necessary. Tenants with drilled locks will have a charge assessed onto their account.

The Audubrook Times is definately interesting reading. When they get their website up, I'll create a link to each edition. I've been acused of posting too much controversial matters on this website, but my information here is really tame compared to The Audubrook Times. The irony is that Cheryl Cook left Newark thinking that she's finally away from the 380-402 Tenants Association, and now she is dealing with a much more combative Tenant Chairman in Belleville. Her son, John, is much less the focus of tenants' ire in Belleville because he's not an employee there. Francis Vargas-Crawford, who is back to working Belleville full-time, is well-liked.  But no Tim Barker, the groundskeeper who was promoted to leasing agent after 3 months on the job.

JANUARY 13, 2010:  AUDUBON TENANT LEADERS MEET.  Eric Martindale and 2 Exec. Board members met for the first time with Stephon Henry, President of the Tenants' Association of Audubon Place in Belleville. We met here in Newark. Audubon Place is all 1 and 2-bedroom units, owned by the owners that we have.  They are facing most of the same issues that we face, plus additional problems. Old boilers, unit break-in's and loitering in the laundry rooms are big problems over there that we aren't facing here.  The 404 unit garden apartment complex has no security guards.

Stephon Henry is a strong leader, an African-American born and raised in Newark.  He is the right person for this task. He mentors urban youth in Irvington and Newark, which is admirable. He strongly values building a sense of community for his tenants.  They print and distribute a 10-page quarterly newsletter called The Audubrook Times, in color.  A website is being planned. The most recent newsletter announces plans for a rent strike.  He gave us copies of the 3 newsletter editions, very impressive. We have done one of our 2-page newsletters since last Spring, probably it's time again. 

We'll be in regular contact to share ideas and information.

They are demanding that mandatory drug testing should be given to all Aududon Place employees.  Great idea, why didn't we think of it ?

The Tenants' Association of Audubon Place has an openly hostile relationship with Property Manager Cheryl Cook, who was our property manager until late July, 2009. She is blasted throughout the newsletter, in both text and cartoons. For the record, our relationship with Cheryl was cordial until the last 6 weeks of her tenure here.  Eric Martindale advised him to immediately develop a positive working relationship with Tammy Shields and Charles Reyher, and to interact less with Cheryl. We advised that we have gotten things done by working with senior Audubon officials, who respect us for being professional at all times.  Chuck and Tammy have learned that information from our Tenants Association is always accurate.

JANUARY 12, 2010:  The NJTO advises that the water sub-metering Bill has been defeated a second time.  This was the Bill that would allow landlords to install water meters and make tenants contract with utility companies and purchase water directly.

Tenants are requested to pray for the people of Haiti, victims of today's devastating earthquake.

JANUARY 11, 2010:  Tenants Association appoints two Liaison positions.  Melissa Bailey is now our official liaison to the State Dept. of Community Affairs, and Board member Sam Delgado is our official liaison to Councilman Anibal Ramos.

JANUARY 10, 2010:  402 NO HEAT CRISIS.  An electronic control panel broke, and by Sunday dozens of 402 residents were up in arms over no heat.  Calls to the city's no heat hotline are ineffective because the staff there is not taking the apartment number, just logging the complaints. Councilman Ramos responded to a complaint from the Chair of the Tenants Association at 10:00 PM on Sunday and he made an inquiry himself to the no heat inspectors. Ron Gainous anticipates repairing this by Monday.  402 Superintendant Jose Reyes is out commission due to severe scalding he got trying to fix a prior problem.

Residents in 380 are still waiting for the garage door to be fixed.

JANUARY 9, 2010:  380 Garbage chutes and compactor cleared of 20 years of debris and excrement.  Management decided to address the garbage smell situation over in 380 which was discussed in detail at our January 7th meeting.  Although the garbage chutes in the hallways are duct-taped shut and haven't been used since the late 1980's, over the years people have periodically removed the duct tape and used the chutes.  Garbage was compacted all the way to the 14th floor, and workers had to use poles to push the debris downwards.  Items found included dirty diapers, dozens of bags (some ripped) containing dog excrement, and newspapers from 1988.  Special thanks to Ron Gainous for coordinating this work.  Something will be done to permanently seal the chutes, possibly to tap screw each one, so that this doesn't happen again.

JANUARY 8, 2010:  At 3:00 AM, a pipe burst occured at 380, Unit 9G, affecting 9F and units at least as far down as the 6th floor. This comes only hours after our big meeting in 402.  Heat was out until about 10:00 PM, when it was 24 degrees outside. Supt. Ron Gainous has been putting in some heavy overtime working on this problem.  Work was delayed because Audubon didn't have parts available, and making new plumbing connections didn't start until at least 3:00 PM.  By 7:00 PM, Ron made a very impressive number of plumbing connections in less than 4 hours.  He changed out all the old copper connections to that riser, not just the broken piece. That's the policy now.

Audubon's legal counsel is also working hard attempting to persuade city inspectors not to issue violations. The policy is that they are supposed to report to units when no heat calls go out, but it isn't happening. 
Code Enforcement came out around 6:30 PM, but the Tenants Association didn't know that they were here.  Tenants with no heat were ready for inspection and temperature-taking, but it didn't happen.

The 380 Code Enforcement Case has been going on since Late July, 2008, that's nearly 18 months. The courts have been way too lenient in allowing Audubon so much time to fix violations. It has become unjust. A potential Code Enforcement Case at the #402 building was delayed by the city until 380 was done. By delaying the repairs at 380 for 18 months, Audubon has put off repairs at 402 for the same 18 months. Again this has become intolerable, and our Councilman Anibal Ramos is working on this problem now.  A code enforcement blitz of 402 appears to be on the horizon.

Note also that we found out at last night's meeting that the City Council passed a resolution on December 5th authorizing Code Enforcement to work more closely with Tenant Associations, especially as it pertains to notifying the results of cases.

JANUARY 7, 2010:  The Tenants Association holds one of the best attended meetings ever. About 40 tenants, mostly from the 402 building, turn out for a close-packed meeting in the 402 lobby. Guests included City Council President Mildred Crump, North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos, Marilyn Colon of Mayor Booker's office, Mr. Amos of Code Enforcement, Capt. Perez of the 2nd Precint, and 2 additional police officers.  Cynthia Gainous and both Super's also attended.  A great many issues were discussed.

The Tenants Association amended its bylaws to add a 10th seat, and appointed Sam Delgado of Building 380 to that seat.  Sam brings tremendous energy and organizational ability to the organization.  He will be serving as Secretary.  With the addition of Sam Delgado, it is clear that the organization is far stronger and more organized than at any time previously. Major progress will be made this calendar year.

We expect action soon from Code Enforcement, especially regarding the 402 building.  Amos will request from Melvin Waldrop to conduct a full property maintenance sweep of the 402 building, focussing on problems in apartments as well as common area issues. We were tough on Audubon, but acknowledged to the attendees that the current staff is the best crew we've had and we want to work with them.  We also acknowledged to the tenants that Crump and Ramos were the sponsors of the Security Guard Ordinance.

JANUARY 6, 2010:  Residents of 402 are complaining of no heat.  It appears to affect part of the building, and it has been going on for weeks.

Spot check of the guards at 5:00 AM found that they are both awake, alert, and on-duty.  The 380 guard desk has been unreachable by phone because the ringer was turned off, and since the guard's back is to the phone, they never see the flashing light for an incoming call.  The 402 guard desk has been unreachable because the number was changed to 973-481-0655

The 402 front door is usually wide open because it doesn't close properly, and won't lock unless specifically pulled shut.

Attempts to fix the 380 parking garage failed. 

All the washing machines were fixed in the 380 laundry room, but the right one is down again.  I killed a 1.5" roach, not including antenna, in the laundry room.  An email was sent to Audubon requesting regular extermination in both laundry rooms.

JANUARY 5, 2010:  The "Five-Star Glacier" continues to grow on the 380 parking lot just north of the garage door.  Five-Star is the contractor that installed the sump pump in the 380 parking garage which discharges water onto the outside parking lot.  It is a severe slip-and-fall hazard for several cars, and could cause cars attempting to park to slide into each other.  We had suggested at the time that the water be discharged to the lawn on the north side of the building.

JANUARY 3, 2010:  402 Tenants complain that there have been no guards present on most overnight shifts after Christmas.  It's definately time to contact Code Enforcement.

JANUARY 2, 2010:  GOODBYE TO THE BLASTING MUSIC --- Today was moving-out day for the 9th floor tenants in 380 who were the subject of a blasting music party and the 1:40 AM police raid at the end of last September. Many will recall the incident that led immediately to the termination of two porters (Julio Castaing and Cheryl's son John).  Julio was here helping his relatives move out.  At about 10:30 AM, and he levied threats of violence against Eric Martindale, Chair of the Tenants Association, including twice stating "If I see you, I'm going to bust you up".  Martindale was unphased, and simply responded: "Have a happy New year, Julio", and walked away.

At least 3 other families moved out this weekend just from the 380 building, an unusually high number.

JANUARY 1, 2010:  Tenants are very upset that Fidelis security guards were absent in both buildings during the 11-7 shift that covered New Years.  Confidential sources tell us that Audubon hasn't paid Fidelis in a long time, and the guards themselves complain that they haven't been paid in 3 weeks.

The Tenants Association will immediately call Code Enforcement and Councilman Anibal Ramos in the event that the guards are pulled.  Same for the buzzer system.

The Tenants Association wishes a Happy New Year's to all of our residents.  See you at our Generaly Meeting, Thursday Jan 7 at 7:30 PM, in 402 lobby.

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