BREAKING NEWS @ 380-402
FEBRUARY 2011 NEWSLETTER
FEBRUARY 5, 2012: Congrat's to all Giant fans. Tom Brady was tough, but not quite a match for our Eli.
There was nasty graffiti in one of the 380 elevators yesterday during the Superbowl. Pieces of paper taped to the elevator, and making reference to a Premier security guard. This is a really low-class thing to do, whoever did it, if you are reading this it shows that you are the low-class person, not the guard you don't like. RapAd responded rapidly, and staff took it down within 2 hours.
(Feb 6 note: This is not meant to imply that both persons are low class. Posting graffiti, making derogatory comments, and defacing RapAd property is a low-class thing to do)
FEBRUARY 4, 2012: RapAd's contractors and Ricky were changing existing (new) copper pipe fittings in the 380 parking garage, at the bottom of the G-line riser. This is to fix the source of yesterday's steam event. We are happy that it was fixed promptly. Any issue affecting our quality of life is most certainly our concern.
The garage door in 402 is constantly malfunctioning..... something is triggering it to keep opening so all weekend it kept going up and down. RapAd is aware of this and working to resolve the problem.
Jude Mason was seen at Fine Fare today, asking for permission to post an advertisement for apartments here. They are looking to fill vacant units. It remains to be seen if Fine Fare is a good source for credit-worthy tenants.
Tenants in Jersey City are beginning their push for state legislation on legal fee parity (meaning that tenants will be able to recover legal fees if they win in court, provided that the lease says management has the ability to recover legal fees if THEY win.).
FEBRUARY 3, 2012: In the event that there is no heat in either building, Code Enforcement can be reached at 973-733-6471.
Steam filled the 380 parking garage from the bottom of the G-line riser a little after 3:00 PM. Jude Mason and the Super (Ricky) were here till after 8:00 PM addressing the issue. One of the 3 heaters in all the "G" apartments will temporarily have no heat until this is fixed.
The TENANTS AGENDA FOR NEWARK, located on the home page, has been completely revamped and updated. This is really the first comprehensive agenda. Any changes or upgrades will be made in consultation with all three tenant associations.
FEBRUARY 2, 2012: After completing millions of dollars in repairs and capital improvemennts, reducing the vacancy rate from 30% to <1%, substantially altering the demographics of the building, and telling tenants that they have no plans to sell the building, sources have revealed that the owners of The Colonnade now have their building up for sale. Lesson learned: No matter what the building owners or managers say, tenants don't know what the real plan is.
JANUARY 31, 2012: NEW RAPAD MARKETING PLAN. Property Manager Jude Mason outlined plans to make the two buildings more hip and trendy, part of a new marketing plan aimed at young adults. They are talking about:
- start a recycling program for tenants,
- use part of the rear yard at 380 for community gardening (a fenced area to grow your own vegetables),
- create a picnic area (also behind 380) and remove the old asphalt there
- establish an art gallery in the 380 lobby,
- new and brighter hallway light fixtures, and
- add a chair-rail and repaint all the hallways.
Eric asked RapAd to reconsider the possibility of making a fitness center in the main room of the 380 basement (directly across from the elevator) for both buildings to use, arguing that it would be consistent with their own marketing plan. This would require new flooring, lighting, and major ventilation work possibly extending from elsewhere on the basement level, and the purchase of basic fitness equipment.
RapAd asked for help from the Tenants Association in making connections to secure artwork, and in finding out how to reactivate the long-discontinued recycling program here. A call made to the city's 4311 system on recycling was absolutely useless. They said to go down to 62 Frelinghuysen Ave and pick up the recycling bins that homeowners use, as if this is a 1 or 2-family house. Then they refused to provide a phone # to the city's sanitation dept. for further information, claiming that they resolved the inquiry.
We are reaching out to Jim, curator of the art gallery at The Colonnade, for assistance and advise.
Many vacant units have been rented and there will be a surge of new tenants moving here soon. Mason anticipates filling all the vacant units by the summer.
JANUARY 30, 2012: The roof repairs at 402 are nearing completion, per Jude Mason.
JANUARY 23, 2012: The Tenant Resource Directory (grey tab up top) has been updated, so that the section entitled GENERAL ADVICE ON GETTING REPAIRS DONE is close to the top, and contains more relevant information.
JANUARY 22, 2012: A review of the tenant database for 380 shows the following about 6 months after RapAd has taken over from Audubon:
32 long-term tenants (here before Audubon),
30 units rented by Audubon (2006 - June 2011),
19 units rented by RapAd (July 2011 - present)
25 vacant units.
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106 units total
There are 106 units in the building. These numbers could be off slightly if new tenants have not put their names on their mailboxes. RapAd has rented a lot of units (no complaints, by the way, on the tenant quality coming in), but RapAd is slow to overcome the vacancy deficit they inherited from Audubon because new tenants appear to be coming in about as fast as old ones are leaving. A few positive things should change this: all the heating/cooling pipes are fixed, the buildings are more secure, and RapAd is catching up with repairs inside units.
We strongly support the buildings filling up, so that RapAd is in the financial position to provide the level of services and staffing expected. Tenants should not be living in a dreamworld that RapAd can accomplish everything they want to do here with 25 vacant units not paying rent. The Tenants Association has asked what we can do to help, but there has been no response from RapAd.
Audubon has announced that new keys are ready for the 380 front door, and tenants may come to the office to pick them up. The front door will be locking and secure by Wednesday.
JANUARY 21, 2012: Word has reached us that Senator Theresa Ruiz is our new neighbor. She and her husband have purchased a luxury condominium across the street at 375 Mt. Prospect Ave. The unit runs the full width of the building front to back (about 75 feet), and with a great view of our high-rises. After she moves in, this will be a great plus for our block.
Adam Zipkin is the new Deputy Mayor / Director of Housing & Economic Development for the City of Newark. This is one of the top positions at city hall. Various departments report to him (including Rent Control), and he works closely with the Mayor's Office as well. Our Tenants Association has an excellent relationship with Zipkin. He was our primary contact when we wrote the city's revised Security Guard Ordinance in 2007, which finally passed in the Spring of 2009.
There are 24 units at 380 with Verizon FIOS and 10 units at 402. Verizon wants to come back and inspect every unit for compliance issues. Eric is putting them in touch with RapAd for this.
JANUARY 19, 2012: A move is underfoot at Newark City Hall to privatize the city's Code Enforcement Department. The department was chopped from 40 employees to 8 after the budget crisis 2 years ago. Privatization is probably a positive move, because a for-profit private sector vendor would have the financial motivation to provide quality service. Tracking violations and keeping records of violations has been a concern of tenants. Privatization will also reduce the infiltration of politics into the code enforcement process. Code Enforcement handles everything from "no heat" complaints to deteriorated walls, floors, and ceilings, broken appliances, etc.
It has come to our attention that there is a major rent strike going on somewhere in Newark.
JANUARY 18, 2012: Eric Martindale received a call from the brand new Police Captain for the 2nd (North) Precinct, which is Capt. Yvonne Roman. Today was Capt. Roman's first day on the job, and she wanted to reach out to various community leaders. Her predecessor, Capt. Antonio Perez, is no longer Captain.
Eric identified the vicinity of Mt. Prospect and 2nd Ave as the source of most problems in the neighborhood, and explained that far fewer problem people live in our buildings now than in 2009. "Most of the bad element was thrown out of here over the past two years. Our buildings are much quieter and safer, and under new ownership as of last July", Eric said. Eric encouraged the police to improve communications and cooperation with our Property Manager and our lobby security guards, so that any issues can be effectively addressed.
JANUARY 17, 2012: The laundry machines have been replaced and operational as of Saturday in 402, and Monday in 380. The cost of the smaller washing machines is $0.25 - $0.50 higher than before, depending on what you previously paid, however the large machines are still the same price. We would like to note that the new laundry cards have a $5.00 credit on them...Thank you RapAd. Perhaps to soften the increase? In any event we acknowledge the gesture.
A Vice-President of Verizon came to inspect the FIOS system and take pictures.
JANUARY 16, 2012: Our affiliates in the Colonnade, Pavillion, and Hallmark House are gearing up for several major initiatives, including a joint battle against their landlord at Rent Control Board hearings that affects us here at 380 and 402. This ongoing battle has city-wide repurcussions, and the last hearing drew 300 tenants. These buildings are more active than we are right now, although their news is not regularly updated online here. Note also that the Colonnade has recently created an Executive Board and adopted bylaws, as per the advise of Eric Martindale and Mitch Kahn. They are now an official organization, and also part of the NJ Tenants Organization (NJTO).
JANUARY 10, 2012: Some positive news items
(1) RapAd has the main garage doors for the 380 and 402 buildings secured and in working order with the new swipe system, as of Jan. 9th. Tenants who do not yet have the swipe bullet can visit the office during regular business hours. Tenants who lose the swipe bullet will be charged $25 for a replacement.
(2) RapAd's laundry contractor has gutted the laundry rooms in 380 and 402. The new washer and dryer machines are onsite and ready to be installed. Some prep work on pipes and vents is needed, and the laundry rooms should be back in working order by Friday. Upgrading the laundry rooms has been a stated goal of the Tenants Association since our inception 5 years ago.
(3) RapAd will soon be distributing the new key for the 380 front door to all tenants there. The main door is now working and locking, and once everyone has the new keys it will no longer be propped open unless someone is moving. RapAd still has plans to convert both lobby entry doors to the swipe system, but not in 2012.
(4) RapAd reports that unit vacancies are about half what they were when they purchased the buildings around July 1, 2011.
Very heavy police presence continues at Mt. Prospect and 2nd Ave, in response to merchant concerns over crime.
JANUARY 9, 2012: Tenants in 380 are complaining about a sweet smoky narcotics smell on one of the upper floors. It is believed to be crack cocaine. This has been reported to RapAd by many tenants over the past few months and we know which unit it is coming from. Until today we have not posted this information, but a police officer living here advised that it be posted immediately.
JANUARY 8, 2012: A long-term tenant, Frank Hurtz of 402 Mt. Prospect, #10A, passed away this afternoon at his home. Paramedics and the coroner were both here. He is believed to have died of natural causes. Hurtz organized a short-lived tenants association here sometime around 2005, but it soon folded. He was never involved with our tenants association. He was known as a frequent speaker at city council meetings on a variety of political issues. We express our condolences to any family, friends, or neighbors who might be reading this blog.
JANUARY 7, 2012: RapAd has begun to ask long-term tenants for additional security deposits, and in some cases they don't have records from Audubon of tenants' original deposit, so they want it all paid in full. The NJ Tenants Organization has issues with this. They said it is 100% the landlord's responsibility to secure records of security deposits from the seller. In cases where the security deposit on file is way less than 1.5 months because of inflation, state law allows for the landlord to charge up to 10% a year additional security until it is caught up.
For about the last 3 days, there has been significant police presence on Mt. Prospect near 2nd Ave, the result of multiple armed robberies of retail stores. Austin Liquor was hit twice in two weeks, and Brothers Wireless (a new store) was hit once. A pedestrian was also robbed near the intersection. Everyone is fed up with the high level of crime coming from that vicinity.
JANUARY 6, 2012: There are still a few issues with the 402 rear lights, and these were brought to the attention of management by the Tenants Association. The 380 front entry door was fixed, but now most tenants don't have a working key.
JANUARY 5, 2012: Thanks to RapAd for fixing the 402 rear lights. This was requested by a representative of the Tenants Association.
NJTO has advised that landlords cannot touch the security deposit until the tenant moves out. RapAd cannot deduct from the existing security deposit to cover damages, and then charge the tenant for new security deposit.
JANUARY 4, 2012: RapAd announces that the 380 and 402 garage doors will be re-secured within a week or so, and using the new "swipe" technology. Every tenant will be issued an individual swipe device which can be deactivated when they move out. Keys can be copied, this cannot. It's a better system
JANUARY 2, 2012: Happy New Years to everyone. It's back to the basics, folks. It's time again to focus again on our security needs here. The locks of all gates and doors need to be functioning. All buzzers need to be working in 402. If the doors are closed, visitors will need to use the buzzer system and show ID's. Onsite Super's are needed to address issues. We have only ONE Super, and he doesn't live in either building.
No matter what the weather, the lobby doors do not need to be propped open unless someone is moving in or out. Note that RapAd ignored the Tenants Association request to add more heaters/AC units in the lobbies so that the guards will not be sweating to death in the summer and then they leave both doors wide open.
A newsletter will be coming out soon.
JANUARY 1, 2012: Complaints coming in from residents of 380 regarding a loud party in 402. Residents shouting on a balcony of 402 facing the street, approximately the 10th floor. Fireworks being shot from an apartment at 402, possibly the same party. Calls to the security desk did nothing, and there is no Superintendent onsite.
DECEMBER 28, 2011: CAR STOLEN FROM INDOOR PARKING GARAGE: The Leasing Office Manager confirms reports that a car was stolen from the INDOOR 402 parking garage, which is scheduled to be secured in January. The gate is currently not working The police were here and took a report. Reports also indicate an attempted theft of a motorcycle that was thwarted by the security guard. See also December 26 news.
Security has always been the #1 concern of the Tenants Association. It is unacceptable that both the 380 and 402 indoor parking garages have been left open and exposed for months. This should be a much higher priority than the lobby upgrades and some of the other notable accomplishments here. RapAd is on a slow learning curve regarding the problems of the neighborhood, and we are suffering.
DECEMBER 27, 2011: A movement is underfoot in the Forest Hill neighborhood to address the root source of crime in our part of the city, which is two of the apartment buildings in the vicinity of Mt. Prospect and 2nd Ave. There's half a dozen buildings there, but only two of them are the real problem. Details to be announced soon. Securing the full support from RapAd Management, our Tenants Association, the North Ward Center, and the condo association at 375 is part of what is being talked about.
DECEMBER 26, 2011: Emails are flying around in 402 regarding complaints that the lights are out and the parking garage is open. "It's bad enough that someone could be lurking in the garage thats been open for months...but now with this issue, as they voiced, there could be someone lurking in the alcove by the door...the lights have been out for quite some time..." RapAd responds that work on the 402 parking garage door will commence on December 28th, and that it will be completely operational with the new swipe system "within the first two weeks of January".
DECEMBER 25, 2011: Lots of information was updated on the right column of this page. Now contains all contact information for RapAd and Premiere. Tenants Association information and Hall of Fame follows.
It appears likely that wall repair work for the 380 risers project will continue at least into February or March. This projection is based on the amount of units that still need work, and the reduced pace of repair work. RapAd had initially announced in late August that the entire project will take 30 days. They were upset at that time that the Tenants Association announced to everyone that we expect the project to last well into October, possibly November.
DECEMBER 24, 2011: Wishing a Merry Christmas. The Exec. Board had agreed to give each of the security guards a Christmas gift, but Premiere's supervising guard, Christine, declined to provide the organization with the names of every guard, therefore no gifts are forthcoming.
DECEMBER 23, 2011: The Superintendent, Rickie, says "Give me a year, and everything will be fixed and running smoothly here".
Over the past few weeks, five different women have complained to the organization that there is excessive loitering, sometimes 2 or 3 men at a time, talking to the same security guard for extended periods of time. It is encouraged for the guards to be friendly and sociable with everyone, but at some point it just becomes too much. Most of the time it is RapAd workers (shouldn't they be busy working ???)
DECEMBER 22, 2011: There was work scheduled today in the 380 parking garage for the garage access door, but it is still not operational. RapAd still has plans to secure the front access doors of 380 and 402, but they don't want to repair the locks because the goal is a transition to the keyless swipe system.
The 402 upper parking gate to Clifton Ave is using the keyless swipe system now, and it appears to be working fine.
DECEMBER 20, 2011: Making the observation that general construction activity is tremendously reduced from before Thanksgiving. This is partly because some of the contractors working for RapAd are no longer working for RapAd.
DECEMBER 19, 2011: Tenants waiting for repairs in their apartments is the biggest issue in the buildings, especially repairs connected with sheetrock work for the 380 risers project.
DECEMBER 8, 2011: The Exec. Board met this evening. A few key decisions:
(1) We voted to reactivate our charter with our parent organization, which is the New Jersey Tenants Organization, located in Hackensack. NJTO was instrumental in helping us organize in 2007. They lobby for tenants rights in Trenton, and at this critical time they strongly need support against a pro-landlord governor, and against the strongest lobbying effort for landlords ever organized in NJ. Bad things are happening in Trenton for tenants. See the opposition: www.njaa.com
(2) We signed a letter to the Mayor and Council asking that they restore staffing levels to the city's Code Enforcement Division. They do not have enough staff to respond to tenants' complaints on habitability issues.
(3) We approved a new Executive Board member, which is Jama Bridges (pronounced Ja-may), a brand new resident to 380. We were impressed that she drove to the landlord's headquarters office in Paramus to address her issues, and to meet with the top owners directly. This is the type of energy and determination that we need for our Executive Board.
We now have 8 of the 10 seats on the Exec. Board filled. There are 4 members from 380, and 4 from 402. There are currently 5 men and 3 women on the board, and a good age spread among the members. About 50% of the residents here are either dues-paying members of the organization or strong supporters of our organization.
Special thanks to Exec. Board member Buzz Willis of 402 for helping to energize us, build a sense of community, and to re-focus our priorities. We are formulating plans to address important tenant concerns with RapAd management.
DECEMBER 6, 2011: All heat issues in 402 are resolved. The entire building has heat. A comprehensive extermination effort is also underway in 402.
DECEMBER 1, 2011: RapAd's contractors are attempting to re-tile a bathroom by SPACKLING the wall to make it smooth, and laying new tiles. NO WAY. Every contractor knows that you cannot lay tiles on spackle no matter how dry and smooth it is. This tile job is 100% guaranteed to fail; spackle is water-soluble.
NOVEMBER 30, 2011: We've been contacted by the Grandview Tenants Association (3060 Kennedy Blvd, Jersey City). They are thrilled with our website and the Tenants Agenda for Newark (see our home page). They have announced to the Jersey Journal and other parties that they are creating a Jersey City Tenants United organization and website, both modeled after us. Their number one goal: Adopting a security guard ordinance modeled after Newark's !!! This is a large high-rise with no security guards. We'll put an email link to them once their site is up and running.
Water was off for a few hours at 380. Tenants wanted some form of notification.
NOVEMBER 29, 2011: A truck came to pump water out of the 380 basement. Unsure the cause.
Word has reached us that Ms. Coppola, 380, Unit 3F, passed away recently. Unsure what day. She has lived here with her son (Frank Coppola) and grandson since 1977. She rarely left her apartment in the last 10 years; but a few people have seen a thin elderly white-haired woman with piercing blue eyes being pushed in a wheelchair. There are people who may have wanted to express condolences to the family; we wish RapAd had informed the Tenants Association of this loss.
NOVEMBER 23, 2011: On Tuesday, the following happened:
1. RapAd's new policy is to call their regular office number for problems and emergencies, and dial 3. It will route to the Super, Rickie, and various other parties if the Super cannot answer the call. The security guards will no longer be in the middle of reporting issues to RapAd. This is fallout from last night's issue at 380.
2. The State Dept. of Community Affairs conducted it's 5-year inspection of the 402 building, accessing many units. Issues were noted. Tenants report that the heat was briefly up during the inspection, and then down again after they left.
3. RapAd staff have been given a policy directive not to fix their automobiles on the premises. Jude says what happened last night at 380 will never happen again.
4. RapAd's new riser replacement plan will be the A-line first, then the B-line, and finally the line between the A & B units. The most recent leak was caused by the A-riser itself on the 5th floor, not one of the connector pipes. They caught the leak before it was a full-scale burst. Dozens of heaters were delivered to 380 today
5. The Super, Rickie, says he intends to "go after a tenant on the 5th floor of 402 who has a zoo of animals, including a snake and a monkey, as soon as I find out which apartment". We know who this is, but we are not providing the information.
6. The Tenants Association tells Jude Mason that the old buzzer system from the 380 building is in storage at 402, for the specific purpose of shedding parts to fix the 402 buzzer. He was unaware of this, and he hasn't seen it.
NOVEMBER 22, 2011: We wish to note the staffing level changes since Audubon
RapAd: 1 Super who is a Black Seal (living offsite); 4 workers; 2 porters. Plus several contractors and their crews working on many project.
Audubon: 2 Supers (one was a black seal, both living onsite); 2 porters, one reporting to each Super.
RapAd has purchased a buffing machine, and Ismael has been hard at work buffing and polishing all the tiles in 402 on each floor. There is too much construction going in on at 380 for this, Rickie says.
Thumbs up for the gorgeous lobby in 402. It's much smaller than 380, but they really made the most of the space. The new furniture and the new security desk present a shocking difference from the lobby under Audubon.
At 9:00 AM, one can still smell the fumes in the 380 parking garage from last night's incident.
NOVEMBER 21, 2011: Somehow a low-ranking RapAd worker got himself in the middle of a dispute between two tenants this evening, one of which lost her parking spot (but was still paying for it), and a new tenant who was re-assigned the same spot. The new tenant called 911 to report that she was threatened, but the police never came.
At the same time, the same RapAd worker and another RapAd employee pushed a broken down car into the 380 parking garage so that they can work on the car at night, in the corner by the sump pump. They were gunning the engine to attempt to start the car for at least 10 minutes. They filled the entire parking garage with a choking fumes and smoke, so thick as to reduce visibility. The senior owner, Larry Rappaport, is so concerned about air quality in the parking garages that they are installing new ventilation systems. The workers responded angrily to a request by a tenant leader to stop the work, and refused.
The new Super, Rickie, was summoned to respond to both incidents.
Rickie advised that there has been multiple incidents of discontent regarding tenants who didn't respond to two flyers asking that they register their parking spots, and therefore their spots have been reassigned. Some tenants may have filled out the forms, but they weren't recorded by RapAd. Rickie completely defends RapAd's handling of the situation.
Before the parking spots were reassigned, RapAd knew WHICH CARS in the lot were not registered. They didn't know who owned them, but they knew which spots were unregistered, and in dispute. A final notice could have been slipped under the windshield wipers, advising that these specific cars will lose parking rights within 24 hours if the car owner does not contact RapAd and register. This wasn't done, and now the result is considerable chaos.
NOVEMBER 20, 2011: The leasing agent, Lisa, has been working on the parking allocation, determining who has a spot, who has registered, and who should lose their spot.
NOVEMBER 19, 2011: An Exec. Board member living in the 402 building has requested that the following be posted:
1. multiple units still have no heat, and they are trying to determine the reason
2. There is no working buzzer/intercom system in 402. This is a violation of city codes
NOVEMBER 18, 2011: We are THRILLED to announce that RapAd Management has agreed to remove and replace all the riser and connector pipes in the A & B lines of the 380 building. This is needed to minimize various problems. Work may start as soon as early next week.
Residents in 402 are happy to announce that RapAd has posted a notice about planned utility work. This is in response to yesterday's email from an Exec. Board member in 402.
RapAd has removed and replaced a clogged storm drain in the 380 parking garage. This involved substantial concrete work. The garage venting project appears to be nearly complete.
A tenant on the 10th floor of 380 left the hallway in a tremendous mess after receiving a furniture delivery, including pieces of litter everywhere. The old furniture was left in the hallway as well.
A Christmas tree has been put up. Thanks to the security guard (Jenny) for decorating.
NOVEMBER 17, 2011: At around 1:00 AM, there was a pipe burst somewhere in the "A" riser of the 380 building. Heat is down for the entire building while they search for the break and conduct repairs. The extent of damages is not yet determined.
This is the second pipe burst in the A, AB, or B lines for the 2011/2012 heating season.
We sent an email to RapAd urging that they replace the pipes in the A & B lines. This email outlined all the impacts to RapAd if the pipes are not changed out.
Another email was sent to RapAd on behalf of the Exec. Board, as follows:
"A note from the Tenants Association: With all the positive work RapAd is doing, the most challenging task for us is to get them to communicate disruptions to the tenants in advance when the disruption causes outages affecting quality of living. We assure the tenants that we are trying to emphasize to them how important communications is and that we can all live with an interruption as long as we know it will happen.....case and point, water shutoff on 11/17/2011 for approximately 3 hours in 402. The work was scheduled by management, so the tenants should have been notified 11/16/11 tenants could prepare. Water shut-offs happen quite often; some emergency and some with the work scheduled. Of course we acknowledge that an emergency is a different story"
NOVEMBER 16, 2011: TENANTS RIGHTS THREATENED FROM TRENTON. The New Jersey Tenants Organization met with tenant leaders in Newark last night. All the tenants rights that they have won over the past 40 years are threatened and could be unraveled in just a few years by the current State administration. Governor Christie has authorized a group called the NJ Law Review Commission to review all laws in the state with the intent on cutting red tape. This is a good idea, but what they are instead doing is proposing to eliminate virtually all tenants rights. One suggestion on the table is to allow landlords to force tenants to pay the annual rent, up front, and all at once. Other proposals will make it easier to evict tenants for any reason. Yet another will allow landlords to install water meters and force every tenant to pay for their own water.
Mitch Kahn of NJTO was clear that Governor Christie is the most anti-tenant governor in the history of New Jersey. Virtually all of the Republican legislators are going along with this, and some of the Democrats are swaying over. NJTO will be advising Tenants Associations statewide on actions to take.
NOVEMBER 15, 2011: Our buildings are not in compliance with New Jersey's Landlord Identity Disclosure Act. According to Mitch Kahn of the NJ Tenants Organization, this requires a letter be posted in the lobby (such as on a community bulletin board) identifying the persons who own the building.
NOVEMBER 14, 2011: Work on the risers project has slowed down over the last few days, unsure why. RapAd is still installing new heater units. Unsure if all the new pipes are wrapped yet. Sheetrock is going up in some units to cover the holes. There is still WEEKS of work to sheetrock, spackle, sand it smooth, and paint.
NOVEMBER 13, 2011: The Newark Fire Department came this evening to 380 and rescued a RapAd worker trapped in an elevator. Both elevators were down, and for the same reason, which is the door sensor problem. This has been an ongoing nuisance that should be addressed by RapAd.
NOVEMBER 11, 2011: Tenants are very upset about a form letter distributed to all units accusing ALL tenants of being late with their rent. Several versions of the letter were sent, but every single unit received the letter in one form or another. We went through this with Audubon, and the reaction is the same: People who pay their rent on time, which is most of us, are insulted. Nobody wants to be called a deadbeat.
NOVEMBER 10, 2011: Armando confirms that he is no longer Superintendent. A new Super has been hired, and will be in charge of both buildings. He is a black-seal certified boiler operator, and he will be living onsite, probably in 380.
We are noting that there are 25 mailboxes in 380 that say VACANT. This is not an exact count because some units might actually have new tenants already, and some other units that really are vacant still have the old tenant's name. In any case, the vacancy rate here is extraordinary and unprecedented, and higher than during Audubon's tenure.
We think that with the improved security, the rehab of vacant units, and the resolution of the riser problems and 402 parking lot issues, that more units should be rented. Rents for this class of high-rise are much lower than in other cities, so we don't know what the problem is.
NOVEMBER 9, 2011: Work is active on the new ID card swipe system for both buildings.
NOVEMBER 5, 2011: Connector pipe burst in Unit 15B, 380 building, at about 9:00 AM. This affected multiple A & B units with water damage on various floors. The heating supply line was turned off after about 30 minutes, and the line was bled (We consider this to be a slow response time). RapAd's plumbers were called. We appreciate that Jude Mason also came out to see for himself the damage and the plumbing repairs in progress.
NOVEMBER 4, 2011: A contractor working for RapAd was scalded on his leg. He reportedly was treated at a local hospital.
The paving of the 402 parking garage appears to be complete. New lines painted as well.
Lobby furniture appears in 380. Four leather chairs and a small table.
OCTOBER 28, 2011: Tenants representatives meet with RapAd's primary owner, Larry Rappaport. The most important details: A second Superintendent to be starting soon, and an ID/card swipe system will be installed very soon.
OCTOBER 26, 2011: Our two affiliates (Colonnade, Pavillion) are not actively updating their webpages. However, both groups have become very active, and they are working together with the Hallmark House to fight a proposed rent increase for their three complexes. They are getting great support from their Councilman.
OCTOBER 21, 2011: Tenants at 402 report that the heat was turned on for the first time on the 20th. However, several units and/or several lines are inactive. Possibly lines need to be bled.
Jude Mason says that RapAd is reviewing whether or not a second Superintendent needs to be hired. City regulations require that a Black Seal Operator and a Superintendent live in each building. Compliance with these regulations was a condition of a legal settlement between Audubon Communities and the Tenants Association in early 2008. Most buildings accomplish this with one person/one salary, by hiring a Superintendent that has a Black Seal certification.
The ventilation contractor at the 380 parking garage has been trying for 4 days to cut out windows in the poured concrete wall; this is needed for the ventilation units. The concrete is much harder than they expected.
OCTOBER 20, 2011: An incredible amount of projects continues to advance at 380 and 402 Mt. Prospect, kudo's to RapAd. The heat was turned on at 380 on October 19th. Remaining work to be done with the risers project includes insulating the new pipes, city inspections, new sheetrock, spackling, sanding the spackling, priming, and painting. Work will continue into November, as we had announced previously. We had even speculated December, but since they are not changing the pipes in the A and B lines, I now believe it is possible that everything could be done before the end of November. 1 of the 3 risers in the A & B lines was replaced by Audubon, and 2 are old risers.
The paving of the 402 upper deck began today. They are working around one car that was left in the parking lot. Jude has graciously held back on calling in the towing company. At least for now. They are unable to identify the owner because parking assignment records from Audubon are pitiful, and many tenants are late turning in their parking spot assignment forms to RapAd. The Tenants Association urges all tenants to cooperate and submit the forms.
A door contractor visited both buildings, and both front entry doors now close and lock properly. Both are ready for conversion to the swipe-card system, which will happen soon.
OCT 17, 2011: The 402 parking deck is empty, but work hasn't started as of 1:20 PM
OCT 16, 2011: Work set to begin tomorrow on the 402 upper deck paving project. Flyers went out to every unit in both buildings advising tenants that cars must be moved, or will be towed. This project has been the top priority for the Tenants Association for 402 for over a year.
At 2:00 AM on Sunday, a car alarm was blasting for 20 minutes in the 402 upper deck; it was probably set off by the wind. Many people were woken up. The 402 lobby guard could not be reached because the phone was busy for several minutes, so I had to investigate myself. The offending car was parked in outside spot #5 at 402, a very old Ford station wagon, NJ license plate MFW95D, sticker says "Hillside Fire Dept". Nobody would ever steal this car. The 402 guard was not at his station at 2:08 AM, nor was he behind the building, in front of the building, or in the 402 driveway. At 2:14 AM, he walked in the front door. He said he was walking his rounds. But I didn't see him, and he didn't know about the car alarm, and said nobody called him about it. He then claimed to have been walking around the outside of both buildings.
OCT 15, 2011: Workers were at 380 discussing the installation of a large ventillation units for the 380 parking garage. New opening will be created, reinforced steel i-beams to frame out the openings.
OCT 14, 2011: 380 and 402 got their new lobby conceirge desks. They are large and very professional. Hallway tiles on some floors scrubbed, along with the lobbies. 402 elevators have new floors, same coming soon for 380. RapAd staff talking about running new lines for the proposed new security camera system, including a conduit to connect both buildings.
There was a flood in 380, Unit 2B. The tenant is relatively new to the building, and very upset about it. RapAd is drying out the carpet with dehumidifyers, but the tenant wants the carpet replaced because it smells bad from the water damage. Jude Mason says the cause was a "valve" on a pipe, but that it should not be counted as a riser break. This is one of the lines not getting new risers this year.
OCT 10, 2011: Multiple residents in the A and B lines of 380, including one Exec. Board member of the Tenants Association, have advised that RapAd is not replacing the A and B risers at this time. This is not what was promised in the flyer distributed to everyone in August, and not what was promised to our organization in our meeting with RapAd. Now with an incomplete project, if a riser bursts anywhere, heat or AC will still be down for the entire building.
We will find out from RapAd what is going on, and post it.
Tenants in 380 have voiced concerns that RapAd has entered their units without notifying with a flyer. Presumably for the risers project.
OCT 9, 2011: RapAd will be repaving the 402 upper parking deck next week. Notices are everywhere.
OCT 2, 2011: TWO LOCAL CRIMINALS ARRESTED: The Forest Hill Community Association reports that an alert neighbor contacted the organization's security company, Sterling Security, and identified that a burglary was in progress in a vacant mansion on Highland Ave undergoing renovation. A member tipped them off. The police were called and two criminals were captured in the act. They were in the process of stealing a brand new furnace, hot water heater, and all the copper pipes in the house.
2010 Breaking News is now an attachment at the bottom, with all the other past years' news.
RapAd has removed the freshly painted salmon color from the most of the 380 lobby wall where it was mistakenly painted too high. There were some objections to the color, and some people who liked it. A lighter color to match the beige ceiling was painted on the top 60% of the wall. Most residents are pleased with the pattern.
OCT 1, 2011: Today was the first full day for the new Security Company at 380 & 402, which is Premiere Security. Here is their contact information:
Premiere Security
90 Harmon Cove Tower
Secaucus, NJ 07094
201-553-0800 till 4PM, then 24/7 answering service
Owner - David Arnold
Operations Manager - Frank Vattelana
Field Supervisor - Chris Simisi
Premiere has been providing services for RapAd for other properties.
Eric met with Frank Vattelana and Chris Simisi early this morning, 6:55 AM, to establish a working relationship with the Tenants Association. Both came to give instructions to the new guards.
They manage many prominent residential buildings in Northern New Jersey, and one other complex in Newark, which is Renaissance Towers (Mulberry Street & Market Street, across from Gateway IV).
They set higher standards for the guards, and nicer uniforms. There are Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's) for everything, and they'll be enforcing the rule to ID all visitors. Guards found sleeping at night will be fired immediately. RapAd has set expectations for the guards' duties, which we are in general concurrence. Unlike Fidelis, these guards will know who to turn to if there is a major problem. The guards will all be given the Super's phone #'s to call 24/7, and also instructed to call their own superiors. Premiere said they interviewed a tremendous number of candidates for the positions before selecting the guards for our complex.
The Tenants Association anticipates a positive working relationship with this security company. Eric was clear that we expect the same level of service here, not some lesser level because this is Newark. There will be less issues to communicate to them, or to RapAd. The new security company is positive news.
Their first first day here was not uneventful. There was a major disturbance on the 11th floor. Multiple tenants called the Police to report screams for help. They responded, and one man who was reportedly fighting with a woman in the hallway was arrested.
SEPT 29, 2011: RapAd has begun major lobby renovations at 380. There will be a two-toned paint pattern and a chair rail separating them. Workers mistakenly extended the lower paint color to the entire wall height. RapAd says that strong color will be removed from most of the wall height. It was not their intent.
SEPT 27, 2011: In an email to an Executive Board member today, Jude Mason announced that Premier Security will very soon be taking over security services for 380 and 402 Mt. Prospect Ave. They will be replacing Fidelis Security. This must be a surprise to Fidelis as much as to us, because they came to our meeting the other day looking to establish better cooperation with the Tenants Association.
Premier Security has been monitoring the riser repair contractors at 380 for the past month. Evidently this was a trial run for them.
SEPT 26, 2011: Announcing two cultural events
(1) Sunday, Oct 2nd is Festival de la Familia Latina 2011. Bloomfield Ave from Clifton Ave to Lake Street.
(20 Wednesday, Sept 28th at sunset is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. The new year will be 5772. The Tenants Association wishes our new owners a Happy Rosh Hashanah. This announcement was suggested by one of the Jewish members of the Tenants Association. There are several tenants of Jewish background living in our complex.
SEPT 24, 2011: Congrat's to Mr. Buzz Willis of 402 Mt. Prospect Ave for securing a seat last night on the Exec. Board of the 380-402 Tenants Association. Two of the ten seats are still empty.
SEPT 23, 2011: The Tenants Association Exec. Board met with the owners of Fidelis Security and a representative of the Newark Police Dept. The goal was to facilitate cooperation, share information, and address security-related concerns. A Forest Hill Task Force is being set up by the police to address crime issues.
The organization feels that we have established the best communication and cooperation to date with Fidelis Security. They have a better feel for our concerns, and have been providing better quality guards.
RapAd has not completed the riser replacement project at 380 by the September 22nd deadline that they announced on August 19th in a flyer to all residents. Eric estimates that the real work, which is installing the new pipes, will take 4 - 8 weeks. Then they have to be inspected by Newark, wrapped with insulation, and inspected again before the heat can be turned on. We'll be deep into November or December before the 380 building has heat. Then another couple of weeks to patch up all the sheetrock and paint in every unit.
Tenants in 380 who have been through riser work before never believed it could be done in one month, even with two companies doing the work. RapAd has probably never done a project like this.
Jorge Meza, Superintendent at 380, is no longer employed as a Super. We have not yet announced his replacement.
RapAd says they will soon pave the 402 parking deck, fix both lobbies and install new furniture, install security cameras and monitors for the guards to view them, and new lightpoles for the 402 parking lot. It will be bright and lit up to deter crime.
SEPT 21, 2011: Eric met with Tommy McDonald last night in a meeting between tenant leaders of The Pavillion and The Colonnade. Code Enforcement is short-staffed due to the budget cuts last year, so they are no longer in the business of speaking with property managers and warning them that corrective action has to be taken or a violation will be processed. Now, the policy is that if a Code Enforcement Officer walks onto any property and a violation is found, it immediately and automatically is documented and the matter goes to Court.
SEPT 20, 2011: Fidelis is making changes with their guards. The new guard on duty at 402 tonite, "Joe", is an armed guard and also a retired policeman. Unsure if RapAd is paying extra for armed guards, or perhaps Fidelis is short-staffed and has to send an armed guard.
Spot check at 4:02 AM finds both guards alert at their posts. Everything is very quiet on the street and on the property.
Tenants in 402 are also inquiring about the loss of furniture in the lobbies. Perhaps RapAd is in the process of lobby upgrades.
SEPT 19, 2011: SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE REAR ENTRANCE TO 402.
Regardless of what Jorge' thinks (Breaking News of 9/18), the Tenants Association should continue to advocate improvements. Now that we have new owners, perhaps it is time to address some issues Audubon would never have considered:
(1) It is also possible to remove the rear stairs to 402, excavate, and make a wide patio/entranceway that is modern and more aesthetically pleasing. They could excavate and create a patio (about 400 or 500 sf of interlocking pavers) at the level of the tiny landing at the rear door and stretching from the rear door all the way to the parking garage. It could be 20 or 25 feet wide, with a modern retaining wall on each side. Add a few urn-style planters. 4 or 5 steps could be built to leave the patio to the left (towards the stairs to the upper parking), and another 4 or 5 to the right (towards the garage door). The rear entrance to 402 could be something very appealing, it doesn't need to be hideous and industrial-looking.
(2) We are noting that there is already an inner and outer doorway at the rear hallway of 402. It would be possible to make the inner door a secure door, keyed to match the front door, and not impacted by the winds. Restore the sidelite windows around the inner doorway, they are closed up with some weak tacky-looking boards and painted. The outer door could be non-locking, but have an industrial-strength closing mechanism that never slams, and can withstand the winds back there. It is a design flaw to have the locking door out in the winds. Basically there would be a two-door system just like the lobby at 380 or 402. That was clearly the intent when the building was built, unsure why there is only one door there now, or if there was ever two doors.
(3) The lower hallway of 402 should be skim-coated with plaster; the cinderblocks look like the hallway of the Essex County Jail. Maybe that makes some people feel right at home, but not the tenants we want here.
SEPT 18, 2011: This evening the Superintendent at 380 Mt. Prospect Ave, Jorge, offered his advise on spiritual living and community building in our buildings: Everyone should mind their own business. Don't ask any questions. Don't get involved. You are not going to get anything done no matter what you say to RapAd. Just worry about yourself and your own apartment. Wouldn't following this advise make the world a better place ? You decide.
SEPT 16, 2011: Now that the pipe demo in 380 is done, RapAd has decided to temporarily seal up the open walls in apartments with sheetrock while each tenant waits for the actual riser pipe replacement. This is in response to tenant concerns that dust and debris is continually falling. They don't need to worry about this webmaster's apartment, I had my temporary sheetrock up AND painted 5 hours after they were done, at my own expense.
Residents are wondering what happened to the furniture in the 380 lobby.
Today is the first real Fall temperature day. We continue to estimate that the risers project will be done by mid-late October.
SEPT 15, 2011: Here's an update on the vandalization of the new Nissan sportscar parked on the street on Sept 6th. An identical crime was committed a few days ago in the parking lot of The Pavillion (MLK Blvd). The perpetrators also user half a cinderblock to prop up each side of the chassis, and vandalized the vehicle in the exact same way. The police are correct: It's a band of criminals operating in Newark, and it has nothing to do with any houses on our block.
SEPT 14, 2011: The Hallmark House and Georgia King Village are considering joining Newark Tenants United. We'll have to update the website from 5 pages to 10 pages. Those are the options available.
SEPT 13, 2011: 300 Tenants swarm Newark City Hall at a special hearing of the Newark Rent Control Board. They were tenants from 3 complexes managed by Alpha Properties (Colonnade, Pavillion, Hallmark House). They sought approval for a special rent hike to offset the increase in property taxes. Also present was News 12 NJ camera crew and several Newark City Council members on the side of the tenants. The application was effectively denied, but the applicant might come back in 2012 and try again.
We made contact with Raphael Brito, Chair of the Hallmark House Tenants Association. There is a good chance that the Hallmark House will seek to affiliate with us, the Colonnade, and the Pavillion, all under the banner of Newark Tenants United. If so, they would get a page on the website. Special thanks goes to Marisol Peters of The Colonnade for being such a motivational driving force behind this movement.
The Colonnade and The Pavillion each designated persons to regularly update the Breaking News on the website. As a result of this, we'll be switching back to having Newark Tenants United as the Home Page.
SEPT 12, 2011: The plumbers from both companies showed up and resumed the pipe project. Of the two contractors, S&S Properties is ahead of PHEM in terms of the Scope of Work. S&S is already starting to put in new copper risers, while PHEM is still doing the demo. PHEM is handling risers A-D, and S&S is handling risers E-H.
SEPT 11, 2011: Tenants at 380 are wondering if the plumbers will show up on Monday the 12th to continue work on the riser pipes. They didn't show up on Friday. Reason unknown.
Tenant leaders from our complex, The Pavillion, and The Colonnade met tonite. It was a good meeting.
Our security guards have locked the side door at 380 with a padlock. They are worried about potential theft of copper riser pipes being stored onsite. The door handle to the basement door in the same area has also been removed.
The 380 boiler room door is unlocked and ajar. It's Sunday night, and we don't know how long it's been like this. This door should be closed and locked at all times.
SEPT 10, 2011: Former Property Manager Jaime Mejia wants it to be know that he is not going to work in Maintenance for RapAd. He objected to the Sept 2 Breaking News, and stated that it was unfair to him. We edited the Sept 2nd Breaking News to state clearly that Jude Mason advised the Tenants Association that Jaime Mejia has been offered to work in Maintenance for the company. This is the first time that we know of that an outgoing Super was offered another position. (However, that doesn't mean that Jaime is going to do it).
For the record, the Tenants Association never complained about Jaime Mejia to the new owners. We simply stated that he's only as good as the amount of money that Audubon allocates him to try and get the job done. The emphasis was always on the funding needed to run and maintain this complex. Jaime had his pluses and minuses; he has his friends and his detractors. Unlike the Property Managers over at The Colonnade and The Pavillion, Jaime always strived to work with the Tenants Association. He will be missed by many tenants here.
SEPT 9, 2011: RapAd continues to actively audit the books and tenants rent receipt records. They are working with many tenants and issuing credits where needed to clean up accounts.
SEPT 8, 2011: RapAd has improved the notification system for apartments that need to be accessed for the riser pipe replacement project. More notices are going out, and the security company has two persons onsite working with the tenants, holding keys, monitoring the jobsite, and generally working to ensure that tenants are at ease with work occurring while they are not home.
Tenants in 402 are inquiring about the backlog of common area issues at 402. It would appear that the work at 380 on the risers is consuming RapAd's attention at this time. The riser issue in 380 is the single most serious issue facing the buildings because it has to be completed ASAP in order for 380 to have heat in the upcoming cooling season. The Tenants Association recognizes this, but would also like attention directed to pressing issues at 402, including the parking deck, roof issues, gates and doors, etc.
SEPT 7, 2011: Jude Mason of RapAd Management is the Acting Property Manager for 380 and 402.
There was a spectacular car fire on Mt. Prospect Ave in front of 375 Mt. Prospect. According to Sterling Security it is the subject of a police investigation. Not all car fires are suspicious, but evidently this one was.
SEPT 6, 2011: Today was the first day for "Sherese", who is the new leasing agent hired by RapAd. She has previously worked at a high-rise in Bergen County, and she presents an air of professionalism that we haven't had since "Crystal" was here about 2 years ago. Note that Audubon was able to fill the units to nearly 0% vacancy when Crystal was here, and then after she left, the unit vacancy rate rose steadily.
RapAd has decided that Jude Mason will be the Acting Property Manager, at least for now. There is no female manager starting despite those exact words from Mason last week. We don't know when Jaime Mejia will return to start his new job here.
Tenants are unnerved about a serious of disturbances and crimes affecting our residents here
(1) Sometime before 6:00 AM today, a new Nissan sportscar was broken into and severely vandalized on Mt. Prospect Ave across the street from 380 Mt. Prospect. The security guards on duty did not see it happen. The tenant (a resident of 402) is on vacation and left it for several days in front of the one and only house on our street that has repeatedly been the subject of police raids (the square red brick house). Perhaps that is a coincidence, but perhaps not. Leaving a really nice car in the same spot for multiple days isn't a smart thing to do, especially in front of that house. The police do not suspect the residents of that house, they said it's probably a ring of petty thieves operating in the area.
(2) Police Director Samuel DeMaiao responds to an email complaint about the police not properly responding to a 411 call from the Fidelis security guard stationed at 380 on Sept 4 (see Sept 4 news). He wants an explanation why the Fidelis guard didn't walk outside and direct the officer to the issue (a loitering person who was hostile to the guard).
(3) The affected tenant on the 10th floor of 380 who's unit was the subject of police activity (see Sept 2 news) has authorized the Tenants Association to print what happened. His unit was burglarized and electronic items stolen. RapAd says that the lock was defective. Also, no deadbolt is in place on the door. The doors and jams are solid steel, and even with only one good lock, it's virtually impossible to break in.
RapAd was busy today bailing water out of the 380 parking garage.
The Tenants Association would like them to fix the entry door locking mechanisms on each door, and to expedite the security camera installation.
SEPT 4, 2011: The police response today at 380 was pathetic. Fidelis Security called the police at 11:00 AM because a tenant evicted from an 11th floor apartment by his own relatives was loitering in the lobby and became verbally abusive with the guard. A police car pulled up at 11:50 AM into the circle driveway, stopped, looked around without leaving his car, and then drove away 2 minutes later. The policeman knew that the Fidelis Security guard placed the call, but he did not get out of the squad car to enter the lobby and talk with the guard. The person loitering was still on the property, but this time on the grassy area along the 380/402 property line.
In this case, the Fidelis guard did everything that the tenants here expect, there is no issue there. The guard just couldn't believe his eyes, to see the cop pulling away after doing nothing.
The suspect is described as a white male of middle-eastern descent, about 30 years old, with brown hair and brown eyes.
There has been an inquiry from Georgia King Village, their Tenants Association (Georgia King Residents Council) is looking for advise.
SEPT 3, 2011: A resident of the 11th floor calls the police because she is evicting a relative from her apartment, and he refused to leave. The police came 8 hours later, at 6:00 AM.
SEPT 2, 2011: NEW PROPERTY MANAGER: One of the owners of the building announced to the Tenants Association that a new Property Manager is starting on Monday. She reportedly has experience running large apartment complexes. As for Jaime, Jude Mason stated that he's been offered a position in Maintenance for the company. RapAd is also hiring a full-time leasing agent for both buildings.
There was a major police investigation yesterday at 380, involving the apartment of a 10th floor resident who has only been here a few months.
SEPT 1, 2011: Eric Martindale of the Tenants Association advises Jude Mason of resident concerns in 380 regarding the riser replacement project. The contractor replacing pipes from units "E" through "G" is not as clean and does not protect furniture from dust as well as the other contractor. Other tenant concerns include the promptness of notification on gaining access into the units.
Eric gives Jude a quick tour of the water leaks in the parking garage, and advises on the frequency and severity of each leak and past work done to fix leaks. The leak from the 2D patio to the entry area is the most severe. RapAd will look into resolving it soon. Also discussed with Jude Mason the possibility of a new doorway from the 380 lobby to the parking garage, along with a straight 4-foot wide handicap ramp. Also to be used for people moving or pushing carts and baby strollers.
RapAd's engineers are evaluating the bids for the 402 parking garage repairs. There may be changed to the Scope of Work, specifically with how the structure will be waterproofed after the asphalt is removed.
AUG 31, 2011: Sam August of The Pavillion Tenants Association (one of our 3 affiliates) is calling for a joint meeting of the organizations on Sunday. They are in the process of reactivating their organization. Same for the Colonnade Tenants Association, which also plans to attend.
AUG 29, 2011: Today is the real start of RapAd Management's replacement of heating and AC riser and connector pipes at the 16-story Mt. Prospect Tower, located at 380 Mt. Prospect Avenue. This is the centerpiece of a multi-million dollar restoration of the building. This pipe project is literally the difference between the building becoming an abandoned building and the building being restored to its former glory. The previous owners, Audubon Communities, didn't have the money to undertake this work, and were on the verge of bankrupty when the buildings were sold in July. This is the reason why we have new owners. The Tenants' Association anticipates that RapAd's work will fully resolve the following problems that have long been a focus of our attention:
1. Frequent lack of Heat from pipe bursts
2. Frequent lack of Air Conditioning from pipe bursts
3. Apartments flooding; damage to walls, ceiling, wood floor, and carpeting
4. Overwhelming work load of repairs; overwhelming delays
5. Irate tenants, tenants withholding rent, tenants filing legal action
6. Tenants moving out; high vacancy rates
7. Inability to attract new tenants due to horrific reports on Apartment Rating websites.
All the pipes are being replaced, and therefore there will no longer be pipe bursts. The boilers and chillers are only a few years old, and in great working order. The Tenants Association looks forward to the resolution of all these problems. We fully support this work, and we urge all tenants to cooperate with allowing access to the contractors. On August 19th, RapAd announced that the work will be done by September 22. This is not realistic, but we are hoping that all plumbing and sheetrock repairs will be done by October 22nd.
AUG 28, 2011 10:30 AM: First reports on Hurricane Irene impacts on our complex. The eye of Irene came ashore for the second time at 5:35 AM, at Atlantic City. The eye moved up the Garden State Parkway and was downgraded to a Tropical Storm upon reaching New York City around 9 AM. We had gusty winds and about 9" of rain. The final death toll from the storm has not been recorded. Most rivers in North Jersey are experiencing all-time record flooding.
We fared generally well. There were no power outages. Fidelis staff were on duty throughout the storm. Almost everyone complied with the order to remove everything from their balconies, with the notable exception of Property Manager Jaime Mejia. Great example, Jaime.
Minor damages were observed around the property, as follows:
(1) A large round metal object believed to be a ventilation hood blew off the roof of 402 onto a tenants balcony on the 15th floor. The same tenant reports ceiling leaks (Note: RapAd has plans to resurface the entire 402 roof within weeks and resolve ceiling leak issues left unaddressed by Audubon)
(2) A window-mounted air conditioner fell into the 402 entrance driveway and was destroyed.
(3) Water infiltration damaged the ceiling and wall in the 380 lobby in an unexpected spot, in the corner nearest the security desk.
(4) Minor rainwater in the 380 basement, just in a few areas; it is definitely not sewage water
(5) The usual heavy water infiltration into the 380 parking garage, especially under the Unit 2D balcony and also the SW corner where they recently did demolition work. (Note that the trench drain and sump pump installed 2 years ago by Fire Star Contracting performed excellently. There is some water in that corner only because a jet of water is shooting over the trench drain from a crack in the building foundation.)
Any additional damage reports will be posted.
We expect winds to increase again, and to become very gusty from the west all afternoon.
AUG 26, 2011: The Tenants Association asks RapAd to send out a hurricane flyer advising tenants to remove everything from their balconies in anticipation of Hurricane Irene, forecasted to strike NJ on Sunday, Aug 28. We are pleased to report that they already had plans to create and distribute a flyer.
AUG 25, 2011: RapAd met recently with Fidelis Security to set performance expectations. The Fidelis owner (Alfredo Godoy) and the Supervisor (David) were here today speaking with the guards. We look forwards to improvements in the performance of Fidelis.
RapAd contractors have installed additional lighting in the parking garages. Big improvement. Most of the dirt and debris from the corner of the 380 garage has been removed.
AUG 23, 2011: An earthquake registering 5.9 on the Richter Scale struck central Virginia today at 1:51 PM. This was the largest East Coast quake in decades. This editor was home at the time, and felt the 380 building moving and swaying. We are pleased to report that there were no cracking, grinding, or popping noises. Evidently there was no damage to our buildings.
AUG 22, 2011: Seniors in the buildings want US Postal service pickup restored to the lobbies. Mail is picked up from every house and every apartment building in our part of Newark, except for buildings on our block. We have to walk to what might be the last mailbox remaining in a residential area of Newark. Seniors with canes or bound to wheelchairs don't like having to cross a busy street in all kinds of weather to mail a letter.
AUG 22, 2011: RapAd Management has not yet fixed the gate from the 402 building to Clifton Ave. At 1:00 AM this morning, a car was stolen from the upper parking deck and driven right out the broken gate to Clifton Ave. The tenant spent hours driving around high-crime areas of the North Ward looking for his car. He reportedly found and recovered the car a few hours later about a mile away on Mt. Pleasant Avenue (one block off Route 21).
At 5:15 AM, a random check found both Fidelis guards awake and sitting at their desks.
The Forest Hill Community Association triumphantly reports that their new security company, Sterling Security, facilitated its first arrest. The Sterling guard who drives around the neighborhood saw a suspicious vehicle parked near Clifton Ave and Berkeley Ave. He contacted the Newark Police and interrogated the suspect until the police arrived. They arrested the driver after it was determined that the car was stolen out of Belleville. The man arrested is considered to be a suspect in a string of home burglaries in the area. About 75 houses are pooling funds to pay for the Sterling patrol. They need 100 houses to make the program last beyond the 3-month pilot period. This news will help them recruit more contributors.
AUG 21, 2011: Another tenant from the 11th floor of 380 sends the Tenants Association a handwritten note complaining that at 11:30 PM last night (Sat. night) there was no guard on duty in the 380 lobby and BOTH DOORS were left wide open. Saturday night is the worst possible time for this nonsense. This is at least the 3rd time in the last week or so that this has come to our attention. The tenant waited several minutes, and the guard was nowhere to be seen, so she closed the door which was propped open by a carpet.
The Tenants Association continues to advocate that RapAd Management eliminate Fidelis Security as soon as possible, and bring in a better security company. The Fidelis guards have been boasting that Fidelis signed a new contract for one year in May, and they think they are bulletproof. If this is true, Fidelis might know that they'll be terminated in May, 2012, so they have no incentive to provide quality service now. Fidelis' performance has deteriorating markedly in the last month.
The Tenants Association wants RapAd Management to add additional heating and air conditioning to the 380 lobby as part of the risers project. Otherwise there will always be a situation in which the guards are leaving the doors wide open in the summer because "it's too hot in here".
AUG 20, 2011: A tenant from the 11th floor of 380 texts us a picture of the keys of a Fidelis security guard sitting on the floor under the security desk. The guard was nowhere to be seen, and both doors were left wide open. The picture was taken Thurs or Fri evening around 10 PM, need to verify. Eric told Alfredo about it on Saturday.
AUG 19, 2011: RapAd Management sends a notice to all residents in 380 that the riser upgrade project will begin on Monday 8/22 and will take 1 month to complete. Access is needed into all units to make the necessary repairs. This is what we've been wanting for 4 years. This will resolve the problem that broke Audubon, the former owner. It's a multi-million dollar project.
AUG 15, 2011: Car Theft Turns Tragic. Revised 11:40 PM with information direct from Newark Police. A Newark Police Lieutenant called us as part of their community notification process for crimes. Here's the scoop: A red SUV with LoJack was stolen out of Jersey City. The woman who owned the car took matters into her own hands. She tracked it via LoJack to the corner of Mt. Prospect and 2nd Ave. She saw the car and the suspect, and she called the Newark Police. They confronted the suspect, who attempted to flee in the vehicle northbounds on Mt. Prospect Ave. The vehicle jumped the curb and struck a woman from Bloomfield who was walking on the sidewalk in the park. It is possible that the car was attempting to cross the park to get to the back street, not knowing that a 5-foot retaining wall drops off precipitously. Officers ran after him, opened fire, striking the suspect as he ran over the pedestrian. The car crashed into a tree at the top of the retaining wall. The suspect is a man from Wall Township, Ocean County. Three shots were counted, according to the Fidelis guard. The woman was pinned under the car, and she was rushed by paramedics to the hospital. The street has been blocked off for hours right along the south property line of the 380 building. The suspect is in very serious or critical condition in the hospital. The woman is also hospitalized but expected to recover.
It's unfortunate that this happened near our buildings, it literally could have happened anywhere. The police do not know why the suspect was in our neighborhood. The police have all the evidence they need, the nature of which we cannot post.
This happened only a few feet from where a huge tree limb snapped in a windstorm a few years ago, killing another woman walking home from Fine Fare.
RapAd continued with work to repair the 380 lobby ceiling, and to clean out Audubon's excess storage area in the rear corner of the parking garage.
AUG 14, 2011: 6.5" of rain deluged Newark.
AUG 12, 2011: RapAd is still getting bids on the 380 riser project, and still intends to have all the pipes replaced by the heating season. They have confirmed that many or all of the connector pipes between the risers and the heating/AC units will also be replaced. This concern was raised by the Tenants Association during our first meeting with them, and they had promised to discuss this with the Engineers.
Garage lighting installation to begin. RapAd has switched the front desk of the rental office with the 402 lobby desk. The result is a professional appearance the visitors to 402 see. They have promised a new desk for 380, but no timetable.
Work continues on the plumbing pipe burst at 380, Unit 3J, and associated damage to the lobby ceiling.
AUG 11, 2011: Jude Mason of RapAd says that Steve Adubato has no interest in the properties, and that he stopped by to introduce himself and welcome RapAd to Newark. Fidelis Security Guard Alfredo chuckled at this news and said "I'm not saying nothing".
AUG 9, 2011: A member of the Tenants Association alerted us at 9:45 AM that Steve Adubato, Sr. of the North Ward Center and Evelyn George were visiting 380 and 402 Mt. Prospect Ave with the new owners. Adubato is the most powerful political figure in Essex County, and has a heavy say in who the Democratic Party nominates for City Council, Mayor, State Senator, State Assemblyman, US Senator, and US Congressman. He is also the founder of the Robert Treat Academy, and his son (Steve, Jr.) runs a political talk show on PBS. We have not yet determined what his interest is in our buildings. Whatever it is, it's probably good news. Evelyn George is a former member of the Newark Board of Education. Her interests are also unknown.
Here's news out of Montclair: A tenant paying $1450 a month was up for renewal. Rather than accepting an increase, she said to the landlord: "I want to pay $1400, take it or leave it". The landlord accepted the deal, fearful that the unit would otherwise go vacant because rents have been going down throughout the area.
AUG 8, 2011: A member of the Tenants Association advised us that someone who parked a car on the street left their keys in the lock. Why not tape a big sign that says "steal me". Eric took the keys and left a little post-it note. The owner came later to retrieve the keys from Eric. It was someone who lived in Parkwood Place, and he was happy.
RapAd continues their progress on improvements to our buildings, as follows:
1. New parking garage lights to arrive 8/9 and to be installed by August 11th
2. American flags have arrived and are installed
3. Architects are busy making blueprints for the risers project in 380. (presumably to submit to the city for building permits)
4. Engineers designing ventilation repairs to parking garage
5. Dying trees removed on north side of 380
6. Walkie-talkies for maintenance staff have arrived.
This is like the first 100 days of the Roosevelt administration. Let's hope it continues. The "Statement regarding ownership change" is moved to the right column".
AUG 4, 2011: Jude Mason has advised, via RapAd's blogsite, some of the following news:
1. Contracts has been signed to refurbish both laundry rooms, and the 380 roof repairs
2. The chiller to repair the 402 air conditioning is due to arrive today (8/4)
3. Management met with a lighting and security expert to assess building needs
4. Management met with Waste Management to discuss the dumpsters and garbage disposal
5. Doors in both buildings have been fixed
6. Major work ongoing in 380, #1A. This unit is severely damaged and vacant for over 2 years.
Tenants are very happy the RapAd Management distributed the letter to all units announcing their arrival, and their agenda for repairs. Everyone is talking about it.
JULY 28, 2011: At the suggestion of the Tenants Association, RapAd management distributes a memo to all residents informing everything that there are new owners, and outlining their agenda for repairs. The repair schedule is almost an exact duplicate of the agenda of the 380-402 Tenants Association for common area issues. We are pleased with that.
The only thing missing from the memo was a pledge to address all tenants outstanding repair needs. The Exec. Board advised the owners earlier this week that "over 100 units" have outstanding repair issues, and that they'll be surprised when they see the condition of some of the apartments after years of lies and neglect from the prior owner, Audubon Communities.
JULY 25, 2011: The Exec. Board of the Tenants Assoc. had a positive meeting with the new owners on July 25th. Mr. Larry Rappaport attended along with Jude' Mason and Adam Altman. We are optimistic about the future of the buildings, and we encourage all existing tenants to recommend to their friends and relatives to move here.
The owners outlined their vision of the building, and their plans to spend millions on repairs, upgrades, and improvements. High on their priority list are safety-related issues, repairing all AC and heating systems, lighting and ventilation for the parking garages, gates and doors, security cameras and monitors "everywhere", and paving and fixing the 402 parking garage. Cosmetic issues will come later.
The new owners pledged to improve the work order system, and to address any and all issues inside of tenants apartments. Tenants need to file new work orders for all old issues. We explained to the owners that there is a much bigger backlog of issues than they expect, due to neglect from Audubon (the prior owners).
It is highly likely that a new security company will be hired, and that the services of the current security company will be terminated. The new owners don't like the appearance of the current guards, complaining that they sometimes show up for work in t-shirts. However, the owners will likely not be hiring Sterling Security, which is our preferred vendor.
The Tenants Association will completely cooperate with removing cars from the 402 parking deck for the repaving and sealing, and we will advise all tenants to cooperate.
The Tenants Association will also cooperate completely with allowing management access into all apartments to replace all the old riser pipes in the 380 building. We explained to the new owners hat these repairs constitute a "building emergency" and that they have the right to enter any and all units to make these repairs whether the tenants agree or not. And if problems arise, our organization will tell this to the tenants. The new owners and the Tenants Association both agree that it is very important to resolve the riser issues before the Fall/Winter heating season. This goal can only be met if there is on-demand access into apartments.
The Tenants Association explained that our vision is for the buildings to be clean, safe, and quiet. We look forwards to any and all vacant units being rented, and to having a cooperative relationship with the new owners. It would be great to reach the point that the Tenants Association has no issues to address.
JULY 23, 2011: Yesterday at 11:00 PM, ABC news aired a segment on the all-time record heat in Newark and no air conditioning at 402 Mt. Prospect and parts of 380 Mt. Prospect. ABC anchor Tim Fleischer filmed Tenants' Chairperson Dawn Vasquez and 4 average residents of the 402 building. All 5 people had their 15 seconds of fame. It was part of ABC's feature story on the 11 PM news.
The news segment was made possible by staff at Mayor Booker's office. ABC news contacted them and asked if there were any buildings that had no AC. Earlier in the day, at least one resident at 402 called the mayor's office to complain about no AC. They put two and two together, and had ABC directly contact the Tenants Association to schedule the filming.
The hottest temperature recorded yesterday in the entire United States was 108 degrees in Newark, NJ (the airport). This 108 was also the hottest temperature ever officially recorded in Newark, any day, any year, shattering the old record of 105 which was hit 3 times, including last July. Of note, our thermometer here recorded 106 on July 22, 2011 (and 107 on July 9, 2010). Yesterday it was 104 or higher for 9 consecutive hours.
JULY 22, 2011: The new owners want to meet with the Tenants Association Exec. Board at 7 PM on Monday. They got our letter asking for a rent credit for all the units affected, and they will agree to a rent credit on air conditioning, says Adam Altman of Rapid Management (located in Paramus, NJ). The details will be discussed on Monday. "We are working diligently to repair the air conditioning, parts have been ordered, and we're paying extra for rush delivery. We only took over the building 10 days ago. The property has been severely neglected for years". Altman says he wants to have a positive working relationship with the Tenants Association. "Our intent is to make these buildings the two best buildings in Newark and on Mt. Prospect Ave", says Altman. Rumors that they own other buildings on the street are FALSE. It's going to be tough to get these buildings to surpass 515 and 555 Mt. Prospect Ave in quality, but not impossible.
It's going to be over 100 degrees for the second day in the row. There were two other days over 100 last month. Tenants are really upset about the air conditioning situation.
The Tenants Association suggested to Altman that Rapid Management circulate a memo to every unit, as soon as possible, to introduce themselves, to promise to repair all issues inside all apartments, and to outline a rough schedule of repairs and upgrades for the complex. We explained that people are afraid of the unknown with the ownership change, and we need some assurances.
Major sewage flood in the 380 basement this morning. It's again coming from the street or the pipe connecting to the street. It hasn't rained in over a week, that's not it.
JULY 21, 2011: An article appeared in the Star Ledger about the heat wave, and tenants suffering with no heat. 402 Mt. Prospect Ave was mentioned in the article. Thanks to Judith of Building #402, 12th floor, for coordinating this. She is not a member of the Tenants Association, and she has never attended our meetings or communicated with us.
It was 102 degrees in Newark today. Overwhelming heat and humidity.
There was some sort of fight in the 402 lobby involving the Fidelis security guard. Perhaps with a problem person from the building or the street, we don't know yet. Glass was broken. We will post the details as soon as we do.
JULY 15, 2011: The Exec. Board met tonite. We are sending a letter to management and the new owners about the lack of air conditioning in all of 402 Mt. Prospect Ave and 1/3 of the 380 building.
A representative of the new owners called one of our Exec. Board members earlier in the day, and talked generally about their vision. It involves making a lot of improvements to the property, including security cameras, ventilation, security gate replacements, and general upscaling of the properties. It all sounds very positive. They also offered to meet with the Exec. Board.
There are DOZENS of tenants who plan to move out within weeks or months due to accumulated frustration over "Audubon" issues and fears of a huge rent hike. It would be smart for the new owners to send out a flyer introducing themselves and pledging to resolve all outstanding issues inside tenant's units.
The Tenants Association is in communication again with Sterling Security, and we are trying to coordinate them replacing Fidelis Security. It's the new owners who will make that call.
Audubon's new painter, Miko, is hard at work fixing up 380, Unit 10E.
The new owners directed a contractor to replace the side door leading from the 380 parking garage to the 380 dumpster. Not sure why that was a priority. Also there are new lighted exit signs in some of the hallways.
JULY 14, 2011: Word has reached us that a great many owners of apartment buildings all over Newark read this website. They are realizing that they need to keep up the quality of life, or tenants will organize. We're glad we're helping to keep them honest.
JULY 13, 2011: The car of a Fidelis security employee was towed by the Newark Police. He was parked on Mt. Prospect Ave in a handicap-only space across the street.
First order for business for the new owners: Have the maintenance staff take all personal items in the parking garage and throw them into the dumpster without telling the tenants or posting a notice that personal items must be removed within 24 hours.
JULY 12, 2011: The big staff meeting happened, as expected. We are not privy to the results.
JULY 10, 2011: The new owners are coming on Tuesday to have a major staff meeting with Jaime Mejia, the new Super's and the maintenance crew. Let's see if heads roll within the next 2 months.
The above red text was edited to reflect that it is the position of the website editor. Other members of the organization want to start off with a new rent strike, in order to show the new owners that we are very serious about resolving issues here. The Executive Board hopes to meet soon and decide a course of action.
It would be great if the new owners could meet with the Tenants Association as soon as possible.
JULY 9, 2011: Jaime Mejia calls Eric Martindale, and confirms that there are "new owners/investors". There is currently a transition period, and it is unknown how long Senior Audubon officials will be involved.
JULY 8, 2011: The 402 Super told an Exec. Board member of the Tenants Association in 402 that the "new owner" was giving him grief about the building's mechanical systems. This is the strongest evidence to date that the buildings have sold, and that there is a new owner. Eric texted Jaime for an explanation.
JULY 8, 2011: A new flyer is out, advising residents of Mt. Prospect Ave to contact Sterling Security at 877-652-7633 for any problems on the streets and sidewalks, including loitering, cars blocking the driveway entrances, gang or drug activity, vandalism, car-break-ins, robberies, or any other suspicious activity. Our security (Fidelis) handles all issues INSIDE the fence, Sterling handles issues OUTSIDE our fence plus will also address robberies and other crimes in progress. Tenants should still
JULY 7, 2011: We apologize that Breaking News hasn't been up-to-date, including the issue of the dumpster blocking the 402 driveway. I have had computer issues.
JUNE 30, 2011: Tenants in 380 are waiting for the garage door to be fixed.
JUNE 25, 2011: RESULTS OF 2009 POLICE INVESTIGATION. The last and worst of the 9 units discussed with the police in 2009 was evicted for non-payment of rent 3 weeks ago. The family, located on the 12th floor of 380, has two sons incarcerated. The younger son was arrested a few months ago for ROBBERY. His bail is $150,000 with no 10% option. He'll sit in his cell till his case is ready to be prosecuted. He has 3 prior arrests, that we know of, all for NARCOTICS DISTRIBUTION in the vicinity of Mt. Prospect Ave and Montclair Ave. The police have been investigating this family for at least 4 years.
Of the 9 families, the final tally is 3 arrests. The others were evicted for non-payment of rent or moved out because they were tired of being watched by everyone. Some people don't like the atmosphere around here in which law-abiding citizens watch things, talk to each other, and talk to the police. Sorry, that's how it should be around here.
JUNE 24, 2011: Eric Martindale of the Tenants Association has offered to Audubon to build, at his expense, an 8-foot wide ramp from the 380 north corridor to the 380 parking garage. It will serve
1. Tenants in wheelchairs
2. Tenants with baby strollers
3. Audubon employees and contractors pushing carts full of parts, tools, and debris.
4. Deliveries of all sorts
5. People moving
6. Tenants bring in their groceries or laundry.
It will be far sturdier than the prior ramp constructed by the late John Rotundo about 20 years ago. It will include three 2 x 8's for supports, 3/4" plywood, and a railing to meet building codes. No response from Audubon.
It must be OK for everyone to get window-mounted Air conditioners because Property Manager Jaime Mejia has the biggest one sitting in his living room window. It must be draining a lot of Audubon electricity...lol. But it's keeping his family cool, and that's what's important.
Multiple tenants report that the 6/17 Breaking news is false, the AC
was NEVER turned on at 402 this year.
JUNE 23, 2011: Chuck Reyher, Tammy Shields, and Property Manager Jaime Mejia have an open offer to submit by email any statement that they wish to be published on this blog. Whatever they want to write, we'll post it word-for-word. Jaime is unhappy with some of the postings within the past few weeks. If Audubon has something to say, say it here. We're not holding them back.
JUNE 22, 2011: Gary Bootes of Sterling Security told one of our Exec. Board members that one of the companies very seriously considering purchasing our buildings has already been in touch with them about switching over security services. Our Tenants Association had recommended to Audubon over a year ago to switch from Fidelis to Sterling. Audubon considered the suggestion, but Sterling cost more money than Fidelis.
Sterling Security made their presentation tonite to the Forest Hill Community Association about providing security for the entire neighborhood, in addition to currently patroling Mt. Prospect Ave for the Mt. Prospect Partnership Business Improvement District. "I run my business like a police department", says Bootes. "We have 80 clients so far, and have never lost a single client", he added.
Our guard at 380, Alfredo, has been telling tenants that the buildings already sold. This is incorrect, per Jaime.
JUNE 20, 2011: Word has AGAIN reached the Tenants Association that "the buildings were sold", and that the sale was completed within the last 3 days. This is literally about the 20th time in the past few months. So we are again waiting to verify.
JUNE 19, 2011: ADDITIONAL SECURITY PATROL COMING SOON ??? The Forest Hill Community Association (FHCA) is having a meeting at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, 6/22 to discuss hiring Sterling Security to patrol up and down all the streets from Clifton Ave to Lake Street, and from 2nd Ave to Verona Ave. Residents of the nice houses will be paying out of their pockets for the extra protection. Sterling Security already patrols Mt. Prospect Ave for the MPPSID (Mt. Prospect Partnership Special Improvement District). The FHCA is upset about auto thefts and home robberies, and slow police response time. If hired, Sterling will be in direct communication with the police on all issues.
FHCA special meeting
3rd Presbyterian Church
395 Ridge Street (corner of Abbington)
Wed, 6/22 7:00 PM
This may involve additional signage designating the coverage areas and the boundaries of the Forest Hill Historic District, with the intent on "informing" the criminal element that the historic district is going to be a virtual police state. It is not the place for criminal activity of any sort. Probably the signs should be in English and Spanish.
Our buildings are located in the historic district, so this definately benefits us. We want the entire neighborhood to be "off-limits" to the criminal element.
JUNE 18, 2011: Flyers are posted on every floor of the 380 building alerting tenants that this is a "Drug-Free building". The flyer notes all activities that will not be tolerated, and the police officers, management personnel, and tenants who care live here.
JUNE 17, 2011: Air conditioning was reportedly turned on Friday for 402, and for all of 380 except the "C" and "E" lines. There was a pipe burst under the C-line into the parking garage, but Jaime says it was not associated with the risers. Says it was a residential plumbing problem. There is talk about replacing the "C" line riser from floors 6 to 16, so "C" tenants will probably be without AC for the entire summer.
JUNE 17, 2011: For the 2nd time in 2 years, the house at 403 Mt. Prospect was forced to rip up the concrete paving of the front yard. This is the house with the Greek Revival architecture. After he ripped it up the first time, he then paved just 1/3 of the yard. Not good enough, this is still against the regulations of the Forest Hill Historic District. Only grass is allowed. He has likely spent over $20,000 to pave twice, and then to rip it up twice, and fnally to plant grass again. Our Tenants Association originally reported the first violation. Hundreds of people in our buildings look at this house from our terraces, and we want it to look like a normal house with a lawn. Thank you.
JUNE 12, 2011: The sickly sweet/smoky smell of dope is again overpowering on the 10th floor of 380, as of 11 PM tonite (Sunday). Multiple tenants have complained to Jaime Mejia about this, and it is becoming a serious quality of life issue. Several tenants intend to contact the Newark Police for a narcotics investigation. They will investigate the unit in question, and look at the guest log in the lobby, possibly to investigate the tenant's guests. This is not the type of building to try and get away with this.
JUNE 11, 2011: It's been much cooler for the past 2 days, but it'll be hot again. Residents are also encouraged to swap out standard incandescent lightbulbs for spiral flourescant lightbulbs which are energy-saver. Especially for the bathroom vanity light. They give off much less heat, and help prevent your apartment from being too hot. It's also good for the environment and energy conservation for the State of New Jersey. (we don't care if it saves Audubon).
JUNE 9, 2011: Today it hit 101 degrees in Newark, before the clouds rolled in. Tenants have no air conditioning in both buildings.
Workers were wrapping the pipes in 380, and told tenants that the AC would be on "as soon as we're done". It's not on yet.
The new tenants in 380, Unit 11D have a small kiddie pool on the balcony. Unsure what Audubon's policy is on this, and if the balcony can handle that much weight.
The Verizon FIOS sales rep has a table set up in 380 lobby.
It was reported on the news that Newark Mayor Corey Booker is eyeing a run for the US Senate.
JUNE 8, 2011: Both buildings are suffering through the summer's first real heat wave, with NO AIR CONDITIONING. Temperature hit 99 degrees in Newark at 3:51 PM, according to the National Weather Service. Eric Martindale recorded 97 degrees at 6 PM, in the shade. It could have been hotter earlier.
Multiple members of the Tenants Association have begun calling TV news stations and newspapers in a bid to get coverage. And we have someone in city hall who will direct media to us if the media themselves want to do a story. Next will be Code Enforcement.
Tenants who do not have their own air conditioners are strongly advised to go out and buy them. If possible, select the type that stand on the floor. These are economical, prices have come down. If it is on the floor, management can't see it in the window, and they can't complain. And they can't even get an accurate figure of how many tenants are using their own AC's.
A board member from 402 emailed Jaime with the city ordinance affecting air conditioning, in response to his claim that there is no ordinance in Newark requiring AC. Ordinance 18:3-1.19 requires air conditioning from May 15 to Sept 30th. It only applies to buildings with central air conditioning such as ours, and it states that the existance of a central AC unit does "constitute prima facie evidence of an implied contract to supply air conditioning to occupants." So it doesn't matter what type of legalese is in our leases, the city says there is an implied contract to supply AC.
What's the reason for no Air conditioning ??? We don't care, to be honest. We pay a lot of money to live here, and we expect to have a certain level of service for the type of building we are in. That's what we think. They should be checking the AC systems before the cooling season and fixing what needs to be fixed. And scheduling maintainance calls way before the cooling season. And finding the money to pay for it, regardless of the finances of the buildings. Jaime lives here, and his own wife and baby are suffering the same unless he has his own AC's. So either its no money, gross negligence, or Jaime's hands were tied by senior Audubon and he couldn't get repairs authorized in a timely manner.
Another possible theory is that the buildings are under contract to be sold, so the owners don't care. Maybe the idea is to let the new owners worry about all the upset tenants. Meanwhile this is an opportunity to save a few thousand dollars on service costs and electricity, and stick it to the tenants of the buildings that are virtually bankrupt. Any money saved goes right into the owner's pockets right before the sale. This is possible, and they aren't above this.
JUNE 5, 2011: Spot check of the Fidelis guards at 3:55 AM finds both guards awake and sitting at their stations. Both said that the buildings are quiet.
JUNE 4, 2011: A survey of the mailboxes showes that there appears to be about 30 vacant units between the two buildings.
There has been a significant demographic shift in the buildings, especially in 402. There are far less Latino's in the complex, and meanwhile there has been an increase in persons from India and the Middle East. Only about 25% of the mailboxes in 402 have Latino names on them in 402, down from over 50% two years ago. The same change has occured at 380, but less pronounced. We are not saying that this is good or bad, only mentioning it as news. This is the first time since the website was established in 2007 that we made any mention of racial or ethnic demographics here. The change is so pronounced that it is newsworthy.
There are also only a handful of mailboxes with 3 names on them in 402. There used to be an abundance of mailboxes with 4, 5, 6, 7, and even 8 names on them. Those were frequently the units not paying rent, and it stands to reason that they were maxing out Audubon's water, gas, and electric bills. One of the former Property Managers, Cheryl Cook, had a strategy of renting to huge extended families without any single family member economically qualified to live here. The idea was that all of them could pool their monies and come up with the rent every month. For the most part, those people have either moved or been evicted for non-payment of rent. The same trend has occured at 380, but less pronounced. For instance, there was between 8 and 10 people living in 380, Unit 4F, (a 2 bedroom unit) before the family(s) moved.
Things are quieter around the complex, let's just fill up the empty units with good rent-paying tenants.
I think one of the reasons that the buildings are quieter is that there are so many less people living here, both in terms of the number of occupied units and the number of people per unit.
JUNE 3, 2011: Tenant's Association President Dawn Vasquez sends a scathing email to Audubon over unaddressed common area repairs at 402.
"...the gate of the 402 parking lot has not been working for the past week. Last night, a 402 tenants car was broken into and her radio stolen out of the car. If the gate is not fixed right away, there will be more break-ins. As we have discussed in the past, we pay for 'secured' parking and are charged for it on a monthly basis, however, we are not receiving what we are paying for..."
"...I understand that 75% of your job is to fill vacant apartments. But if Audubon put a little more effort into keeping EXISTING tenants happy, maybe you wouldn't have such a high turnover rate..."
Vasquez also notes that the 402 parking lot still hasn't been paved, and that AC is not operational in 402. This potentially presents a life-threatening condition to elderly people. (380 doesn't have the air conditioning up and running yet either).
JUNE 2, 2011: At least 3 tenants on the 10th floor of 380 have complained to Jaime Mejia about a neighbor on the 10th floor smoking some funky stuff. The hallways was filled with smoke today, you could see it and the smell was overpowering. Mejia says he has a nose for marijuana, and that it is not traditional pot. He says that perhaps it some uncommon type of hashish, some exotic imported blend. He says that "I don't tolerate that stuff, I'll evict him out of here". Mejia lives on the 15th floor of 380.
MAY 27, 2011: The Super, Jorge, has asked Jaime Mejia for permission to put a lock on the 380 side door, so that it will be locked shut during off-hours, approximately 6:00 PM - 8:00 AM. Nobody needs to use that door except Audubon personnel throwing out garbage or loading the dumpster during business hours. This is good idea, glad he thought of it. This will resolve the problem of people leaving that side door open so that anonymous visitors can enter the building, go down the stairs, and use the elevator without signing in at the guard desk. This happens mostly in the evenings and overnight hours. The new 380 guard reports tonite that he closed the side door 3 times in only 3 hours. Someone here REALLY wants to have an anonymous visitor. Perhaps we should ask "what are they buying ?"
MAY 26, 2011: A Fidelis security guard stationed at 402 Mt. Prospect Ave reports that he confronted and chased away a criminal looking to break into cars on Mt. Prospect Ave. This happened a few days ago. The suspect, described as a 6'0" tall thin Latino man in his early 20's, was distributing flyers to all cars parked on the street, and meanwhile checking to find open car doors, and otherwise casing cars to identify valuable items. The flyers was just his cover. Car thefts and thefts from cars is a big problem in the Forest Hill neighborhood. Fidelis' official policy is not to worry about issues on the street. We are glad the guard took the initiative.
MAY 25, 2011: Tenants at 380 are advised to purchase small window-mounted air conditioners and use them when Audubon isn't able to provide air conditioning. Small ones for around $100 or less can be purchased at Home Depot or Target. Larger ones will blow your fuses, and might need special outlets. We anticipate that there will be frequent AC outages this summer at 380, starting with yesterday. It's unfortunate that the owner will pay a higher electricity bill, but tenants have the right to be cool. Please don't use the window-mounted units while the building system is up and running.
MAY 24, 2011: Jaime confirms that one of the prior owners is considering repurchasing the complex, and recognized Alfredo when he visited. The buildings have NOT been sold as of this writing.
A random check of security at 9 PM finds the front door of 380 propped open with the carpeting (2nd night in a row for this) and the side door of 380 is also wide open. Each guard is at their station.
Audubon has cut one of the pesky mulberry trees on the north side of 380 that could compromise the foundation and the new steps. The Tenants Association recommended this years ago. The other mulberry appears to be dying.
There is a ceiling leak, source unknown, in the 380 main basement hallway.
Still no work on the 402 parking garage.
Audubon is trying to identify WHO has a defective security clicker. Someone's broken clicker is causing the 380 garage door to malfunction.
MAY 23, 2011: Rumors of the building's sale are increasing. Tenants are reporting that the guard, Alfredo, is telling people that the original builders of the complex have bought the building and will return "Peace" as the Superintendant for one of the buildings. Peace last worked here in 2007, and departed before the 2007-2008 rent strike. We cannot confirm any of this.
MAY 15, 2011: Word has reached the Tenants Association that investors looking to purchase the buildings met with a city official (who shall remain nameless) to discuss their plans. On top of the asking price for the two buildings (reported to be $17 million), the investors want to spend $13 million in capital improvements "immediately" after the sale. This will include fixing the 402 parking garage, replacing risers in 380, and complete overhaul of the lobbies. The exact term used was "million dollar lobbies", and to make the buildings look like something on Park Ave in NYC. The owners hope to partially recoup the costs by hitting the tenants with a major capital improvement surcharge.
A few facts are becoming clear. (1) whoever buys the building will have to spend millions of dollars in needed repairs (402 parking garage, 380 risers), and (2) No investor is going to spend millions of dollars in repairs without increasing the rents here.
The Tenants Association will monitor the situation and advise. We know that the existing situation will lead to bankruptcy, in which case the buildings services will collapse and people will move. And now we know that the only way to fix these problems will price many people out of the buildings. Rents are increasing in NYC and other areas, mostly because people can't qualify for mortgages.
MAY 14, 2011: The garage door for 380 has been broken for several days. No word on when it will be fixed.
MAY 12, 2011: It has come to our attention that Superintedants even if black-seal qualified are NOT ALLOWED to work on the riser pipe and connections. They are supposed to be using licensed plumbers.
MAY 8, 2011: Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers in our complex.
MAY 7, 2011: Due to budget problems, Newark may cut as many as 100 additional police this year, on top of 167 last year, and property taxes will increase over the state-mandated budget cap. Police coverage is so thin that they no longer respond to traffic accidents unless there is an injury. Lack of effective police coverage is more reason for us to stress our security and safety needs. The top security-related concern for the Tenants Association is getting the security camera system up and running, and putting monitors on both desks for the guards to watch them instead of watching videos. We'll probably have to wait for the buildings to sell for this.
City officials say that cities everywhere have the same budget problem. That is not correct, Hackensack isn't cutting any police, they are complying with state-mandated budget caps, and the average homeowner is getting a 12% tax DECREASE this year.
MAY 6, 2011: A 60" television worth several thousand dollars was stolen from 402, unit 1G. The tenant, Thelma Barrett, is in the hospital, and keys were given to Audubon to make repairs on walls and ceilings. The tenants daughter, Juanita Barrett visited 5/4 and found the TV missing. The police were called and found no sign of forced entry. Jaime Mejia advised the Tenants Association that he believes it was an inside job, probably that another family member got access to the unit and stole it. He says it's not the only incident with this same apartment. Juanita Barrett is consulting with an attorney, and wants Audubon to be held responsible. As far as the repairs, no work was ever done.
MAY 5, 2011: So far, 17 units have renewed their paid memberships with the Tenants Association, approximately evenly divided between the two buildings. Another 50 - 100 units consult with the organization or monitor the webpage. A few years ago, we had over 30 official members.
There was a very serious traffic accident yesterday at Ballantine Parkway & Ridge Street.
MAY 4, 2011: Newark Police Directory Garry McCarthy is resigning and taking a position to head the Chicago police dept. A Newark native is said to be his likely replacement.
Newark is anticipating cutting another 100 police to balance the budget this year, on top of 167 last year.
APRIL 28, 2011: Two investors looking to purchase the buildings met with Eric Martindale of the Tenants Association. They are looking to upgrade the buildings and create a "new brand name". Eric stressed the importance of the security guards, and that the organization wants the guards to have monitors on their desks to view working security cameras.
They already know about "The Engineer's Report" for the 402 parking tower and about plumbing issues in 380.
Eric said that the Tenants Association wants an ownership change here, and that we want to have a good working relationship with any new owners. It is uncertain at this time if they will buy the buildings or not.
APRIL 26, 2011: Police were at 380 early in the morning, in force, looking for a young man on the 12th floor who is in the process of moving out of here.
APRIL 22, 2011: IMPORTANT BREAKING NEWS:
It can be stated offically that the 402 Superintendant, Freddie, has resigned. He is taking a higher paying position at another building in Newark.
The Newark City Council passed a resolution opposing the privatization of water and the creation of a Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA).
Panasonic has announced that it is moving its USA headquarters from Secaucus to downtown Newark. There will be approximately 800 new jobs in Downtown Newark, including many which are high paying.
Property Manager Jaime Mejia firmly denies that the vacancy rate is higher than ever, and he says that he is slowly reducing it. He says he is "clearing out" all the non-paying tenants rented by Cynthia Gainous, Cheryl Cook, and Trudy Kellett. He also denies that the buildings in the financial shape reported in some of the organization's communications. Audubon would rather have the units empty than occupied by tenants behind in their rent, he explained.
The 380 parking garage door is not broke, management is leaving it open to "air out" the garage, and dry out the puddles of water.
APRIL 21, 2011: Tenants Association conducts its first election. There were no challengers. New officers: Chair = Dawn Vasquez; Vice-Chair = Patrick Warren; Secretary = Eric Martindale; Treasurer = Anthony Pierre; Seargent-At-Arms = Haven Abdullah. Carol Harris and Toi Miller remain as Exec. Board members.
14 units have renewed their paid memberships, some for multiple years. For the first time, there are more members in 402 than 380. There are still over 20 units have pledged to renew but haven't done so (mostly residents of 380). This includes many in the last few days.
This is the first time an election has been held in accordance with the bylaws.
A major staffing change for Audubon will become news soon, cannot announce it yet.
One of the attendees to the meeting who works in real estate briefed us on what would happen in the event that the building goes bankrupt. He explained that a more likely scenario is that the bank which holds the mortgage could declare a "technical default" and sell the mortgage note. If the bank finds out what the actual rent roll is right now, how much is being spent on repairs,and how much money needs to be spent to repair the 402 parking tower and 380 risers, a technical default is a realistic scenario. At this point, we welcome the change. We need new owners.
If the buildings aren't sold willingly by the owners, this is one way that we could still get new ownership.
Fidelis is non-responsive to the request to meet with the Executive Board.
APRIL 20, 2011: The garage door for 380 is again broken.
APRIL 18, 2011: Heat was turned on in 380, and there was promptly a pipe burst in Unit 8D.
APRIL 17, 2011: NOTICE TO THE BUYERS OF OUR BUILDINGS AND PROSPECTIVE TENANTS--- This Tenants Association wants to have a positive working relationship with any new investors here. Any google search regarding these properties finds this website very easily, so we are sure that all investors and many potential tenants are reading this.
Every building has tenants who want everything to be safe, clean, and quiet, and who pay their rent on time every month. That's us. We like our buildings and we want a sense of community. Every building has tenants who are inconsiderate of their neighbors, dirty, loud, and who violate the law and the rules of management. Those are the people who hate the Tenants Association, who don't like being "watched", and who wind up moving or getting thrown out of here. Almost all of the "bad" tenants from the peak of trouble in 2009 are out of here. We are very happy about this. From this perspective, the buildings are improving.
The number one thing our buildings need is Superintendants who know how to run the boiler systems. This is the root source of all the problems here from the overwhelming schedule of maintenance repairs to maintenance costs to the high number of unit vacancies. It even impacts legal costs.
As recently as the Spring and Summer of 2009, the former property Manager had almost every unit rented and occupied. She did it by renting to ANYBODY with no consideration of their character, rent history, or credit-worthiness. Her selection of employees was even worse. A great many of her tenants have been thrown out of here for non-payment of rent, or are in the process. Renting to "anyone" was a failed strategy, and meanwhile we lost a lot of good tenants who didn't like the selection of incoming tenants. A better strategy would be to fix and upgrade the buildings, install security cameras and a monitor on each security desk in each lobby, and generally improve our quality of life. Then you'll have no trouble renting the units at the price asked. And this Tenants Association will be very very happy with everything.
APRIL 16, 2011: Unsure why the heat is down in 380. It's unseasonably cold and rainy.
APRIL 13, 2011: Connector pipe to the A-line riser bursts in 380, Unit 9A at around 7:00 AM today. The same riser also provides heat to the G-line. Other apartments also affected, including 8A (vacant) and 7A. This was NOT one of the risers leaking into the parking garage. Tenant reports steam erupting from the wall, and that Audubon is so far refusing to change the ruined carpets. The parquet floor under the carpeting is already buckling.
Pipes fixed, heat back up and running later in the day. Around 9:15 PM, there was an ominous noise in the c-line heating system, unsure what it was.
The tenant in 9A was advised by the Tenants Association to call Code Enforcement for severe wall deterioration in bathroom that has been there for years. The soaked and soiled carpeting may also be a violation.
Tenants in 402 want to see repairs to the potholes in the parking lot.
APRIL 12, 2011: 10th floor lights fixed in 380.Thanks to Jaime for responding. Code Enforcement will not be called.
APRIL 11, 2011: There are two risers running water into the parking garage of 380. C-Line living room, and one of the G-line.
Tenants at 402 want the broken glass fixed on the front entry door.
APRIL 10, 2011: Fidelis security has promoted David Kale to Supervisor. He is the short white guy with reddish hair that has worked both buildings over the past few months, but mostly 380. He's an all-round good guy, and an asset to Fidelis. He is one of their best guards, and we'll miss him.
Fidelis Security also provides services for Forest Hill Towers, 515 and 555 Mt. Prospect. Before passage of the security guard ordinance, they hired guards in-house.
Audubon has a garbage can under the c-line riser in the basement. That doesn't do any good, since the garbage can overflowing generates the same hourly volume of water as the original leak.
Tenants in 380, 12C, move out.
APRIL 9, 2011: Audubon has been asked to fix the 3 broken hallway lights on the 10th floor of 380 by Wednesday. Otherwise, there is no choice but to bring in Code Enforcement. There are other things that they can be shown while they are here.
APRIL 8, 2011: The 380 garage door is fixed, after many weeks of waiting for parts.
The foreman of the Verizon subcontractor installing FIOS denies having any knowledge of them shorting out 3 lights on the 10th floor of 380. They have no intent to repair.
The "suits" seen with Jaime Mejia and Chuck Reyher yesterday are reported to be two existing Audubon investors, not potential buyers.
Water is still cascading (lightly) from the c-line riser in 380, into the parking garage. Has been at same intensity since 4/2. Nobody has reported leaks in their unit, to our knowledge. Therefore, the leak is probably right in the parking garage ceiling, below any units.
APRIL 7, 2011: An sweet smoky odor, believed to be hashish or marijuana, was reported to Audubon from the 380 building. Information on the apt. is being kept confidential, per request of Jaime, so next time he can catch them in the act. Jaime has no tolerance for drug use, and wants all concerned tenants to anonymously report drug use to him.
APRIL 2, 2011: At 1:45 PM, the Tenants Association was alerted to water cascading into the parking garage from the c-line riser. Unsure what unit was hit with a pipe burst, probably below the 10th floor, which is dry.
We posted the March, 2011 letter to Audubon on the boilers, and other matters.
MARCH 31, 2011: 380 south elevator is back up and running. New tenant moved into a 3-bedrom unit, 11D (380) late in the evening.
Heat is down in 380 a few hours due to pipe burst in Unit 4G. This was the source of water yesterday in the parking garage. Staff referred to the burst as minor, but they were changing out connector pipes today, and the old pipes were in the hallway. Looked like a standard pipe burst, nothing "minor". Heat was back up in the evening.
The Tenants Association wonders if Audubon can bring back the old 402 Super, Jose Reyes, who is working in Belleville and would like to come back to Newark. He knows more about our plumbing issues than both Super's and Jaime Mejia combbined.
MARCH 30, 2011: It appears that most or all of 402 now has heat.
Eric repeatedly tells various Audubon personnel from 1 PM to 6 PM that water is running from the 380 G-line into the parking garage, and that they need to identify the source before there is a major burst. For some reason, they were unresponsive to this reported pipe burst.
Former Super Ron Gainous texts us, says he hears the type of noises in the pipes that indicate improper maintenance, and that a pipe burst is going to happen.
MARCH 29, 2011: Residents at 402 want to know when heat will be restored, noting that it's been below freezing every night for a week. Several residents report calling the city's Code Enforcement No Heat Hotline, but the inspector never shows up.
MARCH 28, 2011: Residents are again asking questions about security, security cameras, and how the role of Fidelis can be enhanced to provide better security. Some people still think that they are doormen.
MARCH 27, 2011: It is unknown if Audubon will continue to repaint the hallways at 380 a bright yellow. They did the 12th floor, but the color clearly clashes with the tiles. Keeping the same color pattern as before would be a good idea, it just needs to be repainted.
Tenants in 380 are happy that many "trouble" tenants have moved out of the building over the past year. The building is much quieter and safer.
The 380 building is still awaiting repairs for the south elevator (problem with the door sensor) and the main garage door. Jaime explained that someone hit the garage door with a car, and parts are needed for repairs. It's been at least 3 weeks.
MARCH 26, 2011: A tenant at 380 explained that she defeated Audubon in Small Claims Court on repairs-related items. They are under court order to complete the repairs, and the tenant won a rent freeze for one year. NO RENT INCREASE for one year. Small Claims Court appears to be a better avenue than Landlord-Tenant Court, so we will be revising our Tenant Resource Directory
MARCH 25, 2011: Yesterday's information on 402 is incorrect. Heat was restored to only part of the building.
MARCH 24, 2011: The Tenants Association Exec. Board met on Wedn evening amidst a rare sleet thunderstorm. We report:
- General meeting set for Thurs 4/21 7:30 in the 380 lobby. This includes a general election
- Congratulations to Patrick Warren of 380 for securing a seat on the Exec. Board. 8 seats are filled.
- Congratulations to Anthony Pierre, existing board member designated to be Treasurer
- Letter to Audubon owner Andrew Schwartz was edited and signed. Discusses 402 parking tower, 402 fire alarm, and boiler operation issues affecting both buildings. To be sent certified mail. Signed by 7 Exec. Board members who attended.
- Fire Dept. is waiting for a court date on the fire alarm system.
- The 1st floor tenant in 402 who caused the fire was given 24 hours to clean the disgusting apartment or be evicted. It was like an episode of "Hoarders".
- Side fence of the 402 parking deck was fixed
- Elevator at 402 was fixed today, but one of the 380 elevators is down due to the pesky door sensor malfunctioning
- Heat restored, for now, in both buildings. Broken pump reportedly replaced at 402.
- Audubon's intent to sell the buildings is causing them to not want to spend any money to fix things.
MARCH 20, 2011: There was a fire in a 1st floor apartment in 402 around 1:30 AM. The Newark Fire Department had to be called because the fire alarm system didn't go off. The cause of the fire was candles. Nothing to do with the "supermoon". Residents reported smoke in the lobby.
Tenants in 402 report "giant" potholes on the upper parking deck, and that severe damage to the south fence was never repaired. It was caused by a snow plow. The fence is leaning on a light post, that is starting to lean.
Hot water is back for 380, still waiting on heat.
MARCH 19, 2011: Pipe burst again in 380, Unit 12E, around 7 AM. 1st and 2nd bedrooms hit, plus damage to units below. The Tenants Association was alerted and texted Jaime Mejia first thing in the morning. They responded immediately and turned off the heat within minutes. It could have been much worse. 12E is tired of being hit so many times with pipe bursts, and even before this burst they had already made arrangements to move out by the end of the month.
The tenants report "steam" coming from the ruptured pipes, and that "the whole room looked like a sauna." Again, this is a hot-water system, there should never be steam in the system, except between the boiler and the heat exchange unit. There should be NO STEAM ON THE RESIDENTIAL SIDE OF THE HEAT EXCHANGE UNIT. Steam is overpressuring the pipes and causing ruptures. This is why the the 380 property is running in the red. This is why there are so many vacancies, and why so much money is spent to fix units. The Tenants Association wants Audubon to contact the boiler manufacturer and have them come and train the Superintendants on how to run the boilers so that the water on the RESIDENTIAL side of the heat exchange unit never surpasses 212 degrees. 212 degrees is the boiling point of water. The boilers were installed in 2006. We'll be sending a letter to Andrew Schwartz about this.
380 suffered no hot water all day. We don't understand. Hot water is supposed to be provided by the backup boiler. 380 also had no heat last night, and it was a cold night.
MARCH 18, 2011: Residents in 402 are upset about an elevator out since Monday 3/14. 380 has a non-working garage door for nearly 2 weeks. The 4" PVC drainage pipe in the parking garage is heavily leaking, causing the pooling of water that the sump pump was installed to prevent. It was installed by Five Star Contracting 2 years ago. They should be called back to fix it.
Wood flooring has finally been patched up in 380, 10C, following the pipe bursts on February 16th and March 3rd. The old parquet was buckling up in many spots.
MARCH 17, 2011: It was reported to the Tenants Association that Maple Gardens, located along the Parkway in Irvington, is considering purchasing our complex. Maple Gardens is a former public housing complex that was rehab'd and made a market rate building. It was "cleaned up" and now has ammenitites like a fitness center.
MARCH 11, 2011: Here's a first: Audubon staff replaced pipes in 380, units 3J and 4J after they discovered that a pipe burst was imminent to occur.
MARCH 4, 2011: Chairperson Dawn Vasquez has several maintenance items for Audubon to address:
(1) The stairwells need to be cleaned.
(2) The garbage isn't always removed on weekends
(3) The floors aren't being vaccuumed on weekends
(4) The elevator floors and inside walls should be cleaned every day
(5) Several lights in the 402 rear parking lot are out of order
(6) The key card to enter the 402 parking
garage is still "not secure". The exact nature of the situation will not be posted online; Audubon knows exactly what is wrong
(7) The buzzer system at 402 works for most units, but not all
(8) Fidelis guards are allowing solicitors to enter the building and put menu's under everyone's doors. This must be ended.
Eric adds that:
(9) 380 garage door broken for 3 days
(10) multiple lights out in hallways and stairwells
(11) Tiles on every floor need to be scrubbed
MARCH 3, 2011: Pipe burst at 380, again affecting the CD riser connector pipes on the 10th floor. Audubon staff burst open the 10D wall to fix problem, and had to do the same in 10C to get at all the pipes. All connector pipes are now being removed right down to the CD riser itself.
Eric saw steam and heard steam hissing when the burst occured at 7 AM or so. There should NEVER be steam on the residential site of the heat exchange unit. Steam and/or hot water vapor is causing old rusty pipes to burst. Audubon has never had a more difficult time operating the boilers. Former Supt. Ronald Gainous says when the system is being reactivated, allow the full 3-4 hours for it to completely fill by gravity before kicking on the boiler.
Eric adds the following
FEBRUARY 24, 2011: Reyher reported that all units in 402 have heat; the 3 risers were successfully bled. All air removed from the system.
FEBRUARY 23, 2011: UPDATED NEWS: Eric bumped into Chuck Reyher, President of Audubon, in the leasing office today.
(1) There was a buyer for the buildings, but the deal is not going to go through. He appeared resigned to the fact that Audubon will continue as the owner for the foreseeable future.
(2) Audubon's Engineer agreed that the 402 parking garage needs repairs. Reyher downplayed the issue and says that it is not in danger of collapse. He is not upset with the Tenants Association for pushing the issue. He says that the entire upper deck will be paved to prevent further water infiltration. Crumbling supports in the lower level will be evaluated, one by one. Rusted-out rebar will be removed, and new rebar installed along with new concrete. There will be a lot of scaffolding and plywood enclosures for the concrete pouring. Work on the 402 garage will begin in the Spring, since asphalt and cement work cannot be done in the winter.
(3) The hot water boilers in both buildings will be cleaned out ASAP. There will be no issues with weak or missing hot water after the main boiler is switched off and AC is switched on. He said that there was no redundant system before his ownership.
(4) Reyher volunteered some info: that all the hallways in 380 will be painted as soon as all the riser repairs and unit repairs are done.
(5) He supported the firing of Supt. Ronald Gainous.
(6) He is assessing the repair status of all vacant units
(7) He said he will consider putting the snow plow contract out to bid for next season, due to discontent with the current plow company
(8) Eric advised Reyher that 8 of the 9 tenants in 380 identified in a meeting about a year ago as "problem tenants" (noise issues, too many questionable visitors, etc.) have all moved out for one reason or another. Meanwhile only 1 problem tenant has moved in, and Eric advised him which apartment. This is important progress that he is happy about as well.
FEBRUARY 22, 2011: The crew that Verizon hired to run the FIOS lines had thousands of dollars of tools and equipment stolen out of 380, vacant unit 1A. They thought the unlocked apartment was a safe place to store their equipment, and that the Fidelis guards would keep an eye on it.
FEBRUARY 20, 2011: Still no word on whether or not the buildings have sold.
Each pipe burst is very costly to Audubon on many levels. There is direct staff and material costs for cleanup. There are tenants sueing them or withholding rent due to damages. There are tenants moving out, causing vacancies and lost rental income. And lastly there are potential tenants who research the buildings online and decide not to move in when they see that all these problems are occuring, with no foreseeable solution. The latter is certainly not the intent of this website or the Tenants Association. We document all news, good or bad. Management is encouraged to provide us with good news, and we will always post it.
This organization lives in the real world --- we strongly want all the units occupied with rent paying tenants so that the owners will be in the financial position to attend to the repairs and maintenance of the building, and to support the staffing level that we desire. The unit vacancy rate is not "their problem", it's our problem as well.
FEBRUARY 19, 2011: We're back into a very cold weather pattern, and a large number of risers in 402 are out, with no heat.
Tenants in 380 are awaiting repairs and cleanup from the recent pipe bursts.
FEBRUARY 18, 2011: Residents in 402 report that work has begun on the broken Fire Alarm System. We're waiting for Jaime to report if it is fixed and up and running, so we can document here.
FEBRUARY 17, 2011: Pipe burst in 380-14E affects multiple units, including 14D and 12E. This is the 2nd burst in just under 24 hours. Audubon again responded immediately, turned off the sytems, and began cleanup. At least they got the immediate response part right. This is important because it reduces the amount of water that causes damages.
Ronald Gainous explains some of the technical issues regarding boiler operations - there are more issues that cause pipe bursts. When the systems are reactivated, it is a mistake to fire up the boiler before all the pipes are refilled with water. Doing so causes air to remain inside the system, and as the water gets very hot, this air expands, causing pressure in the system and pipe bursts. This air will expand even though it usually doesn't reach the temperature to turn into steam. This is all basic high school physics --- cold air expands when it is heated, and it expands much more than cold water that is heated. That is what is overpressuring the system. It's definately not the setting on the water pump that fills the pipes, says Gainous. There's been a distinct pattern of pipe bursts occurring while the system is being reactivated, or otherwise within 48 hours. Many of the bursts here over the past 4 or 5 years could have been prevented. Having a Black Seal Boiler operator who really knows the systems is the most important measure to prevent bursts.
Tenants in 402 report no heat in several lines.
FEBRUARY 16, 2011: Hours after distributing the February 2011 newsletter which features the issue of risers and connectors bursting, 380 was hit with another major burst. Unit 10C (this webmaster's living room) was hit. This was not an old rusty pipe, it was human error on the last repairs. What burst apart was the brand new copper pieces that was installed by the Super Freddy a few months ago. It sounded like a bomb going off when it burst around 7 AM. The heat was off and the water was cold when it burst. Many other units were also flooded out, including 10D, multiple units on lower floors, and the parking garage.
After conferring with two other Black Seal Operators (Ron Gainous and Michael Chanda), there could be several reasons why new pipe would fail. (1) "Quick-connect" plumbing parts, (2) Improperly cleaning, fluxing, and/or sweating the fitting, and (3) use of 50-50 soldering instead of 95-5 solder designed for high-heat applications. (4) overpressure in the system. The bottom line was that the prior fix was done cheaply and inexpensively, and it burst. Brand new copper pipe ripped out of a brand new 90-degree copper elbow connector. And as a result there is thousands of dollars of damages in the building --- human error. Ron said that if he had fixed the prior pipe burst, this would have never happened.
When the same pipe burst a few months ago, 10C received no flooding because the concrete of the riser wall was intact. They removed the concrete and steel mesh to make the pipe repairs, and replaced it with sheetrock. Without the concrete "dam", this time the water poured through the wall visibly like a stream into my office, and flooding the entire room in 2 minutes. Once the original concrete is removed, your defenses are REALLY down for all future pipe bursts in your unit, or above you. That is why the same units are hit really bad again and again. Making a little concrete berm inside the riser wall should be standard practice to minimize future flooding.
Here's more advise for Audubon: Tiles in my entry area acted like a dam, keeping water out of the bedroom. Audubon would be smart to install entry tiles inside units, and also in the corridor of the 380 "D", "E" and "F" units (in front of the two bathrooms). That would help to isolate floods in any bedroom or the living room, as well as providing a better surface for high-traffic areas. Carpet could remain in the rooms, and more be more easily replaced.
FEBRUARY 15, 2011: The February 2011 newsletter was distributed. The 380 south elevator was fixed Monday after several days down time.
The new 380 Super, Jorge, is moving into 380, Unit 12F. He appears to be quiet and hard-working, and understands that his job is to work, not simply to supervise the porters. He is from Costa Rica, and he speaks fluent English and Spanish. He says he is going to enroll in courses to become a Black-Seal Certified Boiler Operator. Audubon seems to like to go this route, rather than hire someone who already has their Black Seal. Probably the level of qualification affects the starting salary. Meanwhile they are not in statutory compliance.
Final eviction notices were posted on several tenants doors in both buildings, including one each on the 6th, 8th, and 10th floors of 380. 2 of the 3 in 380 were rented in 2010, and the third in 2009. Better tenant screening is needed.
FEBRUARY 14, 2011: Happy Valentine's Day to all the sexy women in our complex (yes, this is a shameless flirt) from our male webmaster.
Freddie, the Superintendant at 402, contacted the Tenants Association this morning to inform us that the windshield of his car was just smashed. The car was parked in the 402 driveway, near the dumpster. He believes that it is retaliation for the recent pipe burst in 402 and tenant discontentment with the cleanup work. If anyone has any information on this property crime, please contact the Tenants Association or Jaime Mejia.
FEBRUARY 13, 2011: 402 was hit with a major riser pipe burst of the type much more common in 380. Unit 7F was hit and other "F" units on the lower floors. Water was also seen cascading into the 402 laundry room. Audubon employees, including Jaime Mejia, responded promptly. It's a major burst, and there is a lot of cleanup needed in many apartments. Good performance on Audubon's part in responding in under an hour, considering that it happened on a Sunday.
Jaime Mejia denies that the buildings are going to be sold.
The 380 dumpster is ridiculously overflowed. There is enough debris around it, and in the basment corridor, to fill another whole dumpster. Jaime says that he had a car towed last week for the dumpster to be removed, but the dumpster driver didn't want to wait around.
Jaime Mejia takes great pride in noting that most of the tenants in 380 that were identified as "problem tenants" by the Tenants Association when he was hired were evicted, or otherwise moved. He's right about that, 5 of the 6 are gone, and the building is so much quieter. Jaime's one year anniversary here is Feb 17th. Only one problem tenant has moved into 380 during this year
FEBRUARY 12, 2011: More rumors flowing that the buildings will be sold. One tenant alleges an exact closing date for the sale: February 15th. She claims an employee told her.
A woman on the 4th floor of 380 is overjoyed that the hallways no longer reak of marijuana. Last month, a "problem tenant" moved out, eliminating this problem.
FEBRUARY 9, 2011: We are pleased to announce some good news. Audubon has signed the agreement with Verizon to wire the buildings for FIOS. FIOS workers were seen here today scouting out the premises. Unsure when the work will start. The Tenants Association has been advocating this. It will allow residents to save money on high-speed fiber-optic internet access. This will also help Audubon market the complex, especially to tech-savy young adults. There will be some kind of molding in the hallways to cover the wires, but not the fancy trim that we were promissed.
Verizon advised the Tenants Association today that Audubon received a one-time cash incentive from Verizon, and they will also participate in revenue-sharing for every tenant that signs up for the services.
FEBRUARY 6, 2011: A Latino tenant has advised the Tenants Association that the weekend porter has been referring to African-Americans using an offensive racial slur word.
FEBRUARY 5, 2011: The Executive Board had an emergency meeting last night, and it was devoted almost exclusively to giving legal advise to former Superintendant Ron Gainous. No, we are not printing our advise.
There was a break-in in the 402 building. Vacant Unit 3G was hit, for the specific purpose of vandalism. The sinks and tub drains were stopped up with rags and rubber gloves, the water was left running, and the entry door lock was vandalized and rendered impossible to open. Water flooded most of the 3rd floor hallway, many units on the 3rd floor, and affecting units below.
The Tenants Association is in the process of getting the violation report for the 402 parking garage, and we will be following up on this soon. There are multiple fire safety issues at 380 and 402:
- 402 Parking Garage structural damage, especially at the entrance. There is a Jaguar parked where heavy crumbling is happening.
- rear exit door from lower level of parking garage of 402 is bolted shut. If the entry part of the garage collapses, there is no other way out.
- The Fire alarm system is not working in 402
- The pumps in the lower boiler pit of 402 were recently hard-wired with a 220 amp line directly from the circuit breaker to the pumps. That means if (when) the pit floods, the water will become super-electrified. (For explain further, consider that most electrical circuits in houses are 15 and 20 amp, and a high-power electric oven uses 40 amps. 220 amps is enough to toast a bull elephant, trunk and all.) Unsure who did it, but a licensed electrician would never do this, and nobody else should be touching the wiring and especially not the circuit breakers.
- Most of the backup emergency lights in both building stairwells are inoperative because fixtures are broken, and/or bulbs are no good
- There is a 2" steam pipe just outside of the 380 laundry room that is ready to burst. There is bubbling that is emerging from the floor around this pipe, a clear indication of a burst soon to occur.
FEBRUARY 4, 2011: There have been multiple connector pipe burst in 380 in the past 2 weeks. In addition to 2A/2B already documented, 9E was hit twice (both ends of the unit), 4A was hit, and this morning 4J was hit. Each time the heat was down for just a few hours while repairs were done.
A resident of 402 with a black dog came to visit 380 at 6:00 AM to put his rent in the rent box, and the dog left about 3 pounds of poop between the inner and outer doors. The guard Alfredo came at 7:00 AM, and scolded the overnight guard for not writing up an incident report.
It has come to our attention the the backhoe operator hired by Jaime to remove snow from the 402 parking garage gouged out chunks of asphalt and threw them over the fence to the back of the 380 building.
The parking garage lights at 402 were fixed, but not by Audubon. A tenant who lives in 402 tinkered with the system, and got them up and running.
FEBRUARY 1, 2011: Tenants in both buildings are expressing their upsetment over the termination of Ron Gainous. And when people find out the whole story, the anger at Audubon will multiple ten-fold.
Another major winter storm started last night. Weather forecasters rely on computer models of past storms to make predictions, and right now they are saying that Wednesday evening will be the peak of the storm. This winter storm is so immense that there are no good computer models.
JANUARY 31, 2011: Ron Gainous, Supt. of 380 was TERMINATED today by Audubon. Ron has been on disability since mid-October. This morning he walked into the Audubon office to joyfully announce that his doctor has finally given him permission to return to work. Audubon responded by saying that a new Super started today, and that Ron is no longer an employee of Audubon.
Property Manager Jaime Mejia said that the new Super, Jorge, was hired last week. Jaime said that he could not hold the position open any longer, and that he was getting pressure from higher levels of Audubon and from tenants to get a Super back into 380. Our organization was patiently waiting, because we like Ron. He says that it was a difficult decision, that Ron was "a good worker and a good friend". The new guy, Jorge, passed criminal background and drug tests, and was hired to be a Resident Super, meaning he will live here. He is not related to Jaime. It is unknown at this time what apartment he will be living in.
There is some question as to whether it is legal to fire someone who is on Disability, but in any case Audubon waited until just after he was off Disability to fire him.
Dawn Vasquez, Chair of the 380-402 Tenants Association, says that the organization will give Ron a letter of recommendation to use for his job hunting.
JANUARY 29, 2011: The tenants at 380, Unit 4F, moved out today. Maria was a former security guard who worked at 402 for several years, and was a fixture inside the rental office (not at the security desk) during the tenure of Property Manager Cheryl Cook. She was very active in bringing a great many friends and relatives to move into the two buildings, none of which were our members.
JANUARY 28, 2011: With over 100 weather stations reporting yesterday's snow totals in NJ, the winner was Newark Airport with 18.9". No, we didn't get that much here.
JANUARY 27, 2011: We are buried under yet another major snowstorm, about 15". It was one month to the day after the big blizzard. Unlike the powdery snow of the blizzard, this snow was wet and heavy and much more fell overnight than was forecasted only 12 hours earlier. Around 11:45 PM last night there was flashes of lightning in the snow, and a whiteout so intense that the houses on Clifton Ave could not be seen from the buildings here. It briefly upstaged the blizzard.
Residents are upset that the snowplow contractor took a very long time to get here. We should be a higher priority. The Fidelis guard, Jill, had to put in a triple shift at 380 because other guards didn't show for their shifts. Thanks to the porter, Ismael, for going out of his way to shovel snow.
Audubon Communities has still not invested in a snow blower. Raw muscle power is more economical, at least until one of the employees gets "hurt" shovelling snow and files an action against Audubon.
The 380 building had no heat for a few hours this morning because there was a heater pipe burst affecting Units 2A and 2B (again, same units affected). The Super, Freddy, seems to be quite adept at fixing these pipe bursts, so that is a plus.
JANUARY 26, 2011: Residents of 402 are increasingly upset about the fire alarm system being completely inoperative. Within the next week, the Tenants Association plans to have Capt. Cocci of the Newark Fire Dept back at the building to issue a summons on the parking garage and fire alarm system.
The weekend porter who is a frequent source of tenants complaints.
JANUARY 22, 2011: Heat was down for a few hours in 380 yesterday evening. A connector from the B-line riser to the heater unit in vacant apt. #4B burst. Same unit that has been hit with bursts so many times, causing the former tenant to move out. Freddie fixed it.
Audubon has installed laminate flooring in one entire unit as "a test". Laminate looks like wood flooring, but it is a thin composite material installed as "boards". Laminate flooring costs only $9 a square yard at Home Depot, and can probably be installed by Audubon employees. I haven't seen the apartment, so unsure if they installed new base molding to cover the little gaps around the edges. That's the professional way to install this product. It might prove more economical than carpeting, even in the short term.
Ron Gainous says he might be back as Superintendant in "a few weeks". Ron strongly wants to return for work and return to the Audubon payroll.
Eric toured The Colonnade's lower gallery today, which recently underwent a rehab estimated at $500,000 to $1,000,000. The address is 51 Clifton Ave. There is a new weight room/fitness center, a huge and very modern laundry facility, a larger onsite convenience store/deli, several community rooms available for meetings and tenant-sponsored events, and a brand new luxurious rental office, plus all new 24" tiles throughout the enormous lower corridors. Those owners REALLY want to upgrade the building, and they don't mind spending real money to make it happen. The Colonnade is back to what it was when it was built, a luxury building. Vacancies are down from 30% to less than 1%. The Colonnade has us totally outclassed, something unimaginable only 3 years ago. It just goes to show how important it is to have good owners.
JANUARY 21, 2011: Tenants in 402 are complaining that they have been suffering with only one working elevator for over 3 weeks.
Western Pest Services reports that the Audubon office is trying to force the company to switch its exterminating services to Saturday or Sunday. We support Jaime Mejia on this, and we've been asking for this change for years.
The exterminator says that the 402 building has much worse extermination issues than 380. He had only a half-dozen units were listed for services in 380 yesterday, and only one unit was actually serviced because "tenants refused entry" or "tenants were not home".
Bill Chappel has sent out an email warning residents that the city will again consider privatizing its water supply in 2011 by creating a Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA). The defeated 2010 proposal will be repackaged and resold to raise money for another one-time, one-year budget fix. This time it might include privatizing Sanitation operations in order to eliminate expensive benefits packages and pensions.
Note that Newark wouldn't have faced all these deficits if they didn't pay out around $250 million to build the Prudential stadium for the Devils. That money could have been set aside, at high interest, for a "rainy day", which is now.
JANUARY 20, 2011: We don't normally post news about city government issues, but today's article in the Star Ledger is ominous.
http://http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/01/after_selling_16_buildings_in.html
Last year, the city of Newark sold off most city-owned buildings to the Essex County Improvement Authority to plug a $40 million gap in the city budget, thus incurring $125 million dollars in debt payments, spread out over 20 years. That's an average of $6.25 million per year. In 2010, Newark laid off 743 employees, which amounted to 18% of it's work force. Unfortunately, that included 167 police.
The cause of the budget crisis is declining property tax revenues. That is caused by declining property values associated with the national decline in real estate values, and the Great Recession. The city is still facing a massive structural deficit. Cities and states all across America are faced with this same crisis.
For 2011, the city will be facing a $100 million budget deficit. The city is looking to beef up fees associated with Code Enforcement, which is something that our organization has been quietly advocating for 4 years. Additional city workers will also be laid off, property taxes will be raised, and "other proposals" will be considered
JANUARY 19, 2011: The basement of 380 is back to normal, smells eliminated
JANUARY 18, 2011: Several officers of the Tenants Association ae upset that Senior Audubon officials have been non-responsive to emails regarding issues. We haven't met with them in over a year, and it is time now to meet.
JANUARY 16, 2011: Tenants in both buildings have provided pictures of Red-Tailed Hawks sitting on their balcony railings. A resident of 375 Mt. Prospect confirmed a report out of 402 Mt. Prospect that there is a nesting raptor up on the roofline of the north side of that building, facing their front courtyard. This is helping with the pigeon issues.
JANUARY 14, 2011: The basement of 380 still smells like raw sewage following two sewage floods of Jan 10th and 11th. The Fire Dept was here for the first one.
JANUARY 13, 2011: Some tenants in 380 are waking up to a heat outage on this very cold morning. We'll find out the reason and post it.
JANUARY 12, 2011: Tenants in 402 are voicing concerns to Audubon that the Fire Alarm system is completely inoperative, and that one elevator has been down for 2 weeks.
8" of snow fell overnight in a short but furious storm that was over by 5:30 AM. By 6:30 AM, the driveways were already well-plowed. A far better peformance than in the blizzard 2 weeks ago.
JANUARY 11, 2011: Property Manager Jaime Mejia was seen at the entrance of 380 around 9:00 PM, inspecting salt that was spread in anticipation of a major snowstorm. It was just starting to snow. This is pro-active, we like that.
JANUARY 5, 2011: A tenant at 380 is upset about other people parking in her outside spot, and security not addressing the issue.
DECEMBER 31, 2010: Wishing everyone a Happy and safe New Years. The Tenants Association looks forward to filling a few more open seats, and with the passing of the holiday season, we'll be having an Exec. Board meeting soon. Top Priority for 2011: the 402 parking garage
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