Newsletter #175    Acrobat file    Return to archive    Newsletter #177

350 BLEECKER STREET CO-OP NEWSLETTER #176
December 11, 2004

The board met on December 8, 2004. Among the issues discussed:

SHAREHOLDERS ELECTION

A new board was elected at the annual meeting of the shareholders held on November 9, 2004. The new board members are:

David Briman, 6KL
Robert Geils, 1DE
Laura Herbert, 5M
Jim Kafadar, 6E
Dan Mizrahi, 4M
Jeff Sirak, 1R
Ryan Stempniewicz, 3X

They can be reached via e-mail; the addresses are listed on the website. Jeff Sirak was elected president; Rob Geils will continue as treasurer and Jim Kafadar will be the new secretary.

Warmest thanks to Armanda Squadrilli and to Gregory Colucci for their service on the board. Armanda served as secretary last year, and Gregory served on the board for two years.

ELEVATOR MAINTENANCE

The board is actively pursuing an upgrade to the elevator system. Because the repairs are costly, we are taking bids to repair the elevator motors and traveler cables. The repairs will mean that each elevator could be out of service for about one week.

Many shareholders would like "new elevators" which would mean 1) a new controller 2) a new motor and 3) a renovated car. Such an upgrade has two major drawbacks: the cost would be approximately $125,000 per elevator, and the elevator would be out of service for three to four months.

Before attempting such a major repair, the board will consult closely with the shareholders. Having only one elevator would mean longer wait times for the sole, remaining elevator. And the costs would have to be carefully incorporated in the budget.

Rob Geils is currently investigating the costs of refurbishing the elevator cabs, which will be coordinated with the Design Committee. All shareholders are free to join the Design Committee. The next meeting will be held on December 21, 2004 in the exercise room. Bring a chair!

ROOF GARDEN

Solar lighting will be added to the roof garden next spring. Most of the lights will be located at the base of the trees.

2005 BUDGET

The board decided unanimously to defer its decision on the 2005 budget until there were more definite bids on upcoming construction projects. Furthermore, some board members wanted to review estimates of our real estate taxes, the largest single line item in the budget.

LOCAL LAW 11

To comply with rules set by the City of New York, the brick facade of the building must be inspected every five years by a licensed engineer. The building did not need this inspection in 1999, since we had just finished a complete re-pointing of the entire building. Our engineer will look for loose bricks, cracks in the mortar, and so forth.

NEW HALLWAY LIGHTS

The new hallway lighting project is completed. The florescent lights were replaced with modern halogen fixtures. The previous board weighed the extra energy costs versus the improved look of the hallway.

FUTURE PROJECTS

The board has many requests each year from shareholders to improve the building. Naturally, each request must be looked at with an eye on the budget. For this reason, the budget meetings are often quite long and involved. The board set up a Budget and Construction Committee to report on the price and feasibility of the following projects.

With so many possible projects, the board will be seeking input from its shareholders, especially for any high ticket items.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

There will be a small party in the lobby on December 15, 2004 at 7:00 PM. We will be decorating the lobby and having wine and other refreshments.

350 Bleecker is fortunate to have dedicated and caring staff. At this time of year, many shareholders give tips to our staff. Our staff members are:

Rifo Otovic, super since 1989
Jerry Rawls, porter and doorman since 1963
Armando Sanchez, doorman since 1989
Jasmin Orahovac, weekend doorman since 1993
Geoff Merrill, weekend doorman since 1993.

FOR SALE

Newsletter #175    Acrobat file    Return to archive    Newsletter #177