BREAKING NEWS - AUG 7, 2008:  Tenants met yesterday in the 380 lobby to strategize and organize for the August 12th hearing at the Rent Control Board, and advise of other recent news.  We now have several new members to the Tenant's Association.

BREAKING NEWS - AUG 6, 2008:  CODE ENFORCEMENT BLITZ OF 380  --- Earlier today was the Code Enforcement blitz of 380. Three inspectors, including Supervisor Tommy McDonald blitzed the building, accompanied by representatives of management and the Tenant's Association.  Over 100 building code violations were noted in common areas and utility areas.  These included many cases of exposed electrical wiring, about a dozen leaks in the parking garage, barrels of chemicals, chipped steps in the lobby, broken sidewalks, holes and cracks in the asphalt parking lot, deterioration of walls, leaks and pooling water in the boiler room, and many issues on the 17th level (roof), as well as the elevator equipment structure, which is the 18th and 19th levels. A long-collapsed water tower on the 19th level was one of the shocking finds of the day.  Unit interiors were not the focus, but 4 units were visited and violations noted there as well.  Code Enforcement had a private meeting with Charles Reyher after the inspection to advise the findings.

After enduring open garage doors for over a month at 380, and over two months at 402, management found the will to repair them only hours before the inspection.  The official reason for the delay was "parts were on order".

Code Enforcement will compile a list of violations and present it directly to management. They will be given 20 days to complete all repairs.  Anything not repaired will go to Court. Prosectors are specifically waiting for violations found here, as per a prior meeting. Marilyn Colon, the North Ward liaison to Mayor Corey Booker, is also following these developments closely, and reporting back to the mayor. "Either they pay Contractors to resolve these violations, or they pay the city, but either way they are going to pay", said McDonald.

A roof hatch was found in the "open" position on the 19th level, directly adjacent to the top of the defunct garbage chute mechanism.  Rainwater enters the building here.  Eric believes that the rainwater runs down the outside of the garbage chute all the way to the lobby level, causing damage to the ceiling of the mailroom, and in front of unit 1A. The garbage chute is in the garbage closets on every floor, which is just south of the elevator shafts. The mailroom is also south of the elevator shafts. This theory cannot be substantiated, but water damage to the mailroom area mysteriously appears every time there is a heavy rain of 2" or more, including Saturday 8/2/2008.  Vincent Britt brought owner Charles Reyher up to the 19th level to see the collapsed water tower. Reyher exited the roof, and even he left the hatch in the "open" position.  Eric closed the hatch later in the day, and is emailing management to advise them of this theory.

Inspectors also want heavy duty metal-mesh gates, with emergency bars, installed on the stairwells above the 16th floor, to restrict resident access to the roof.

The entire system of how garbage has been collected and disposed of for the past six years will be changed. The garbage closets on every floor are in violation because there is no ventilation. All were found to be filthy and disgusting, even though managment had them cleared of garbage bags 1/2 hour before the inspection. Inspectors also didn't like the storage of bags of garbage on the south side of the building. They looked in disbelief when told that dozens of bags are dragged to the curb the night before garbage pickup, once a week.  The entire system of garbage disposal in the building will change. Code Enforcement will consult with other city departments, probably including the Dept. of Sanitation, and come up with a plan to present to management. It is uncertain if this will involve re-activation of the garbage compactor, which has been out of commission for 6 years.

One rusting barrel of chemicals was moved from the garage to the south side of the building, where it is now exposed to the weather. Alberto says they want to determine what type of chemical is contained before it is "thrown into the dumpster".  He's referring to the large container on the north side of building 402. There are at least 6 other full 55-gallon drums of chemicals in the far corner of the 380 parking garage.  That means that these drums might go into a landfill somewhere if management has their way. That's been against the law in New Jersey for decades. Their waste hauler would blow a cork if they knew that management intends to use their containers for this purpose.  There are at least six other 55-gallon drums in the far corner of the parking garage.

BREAKING NEWS - AUG 2, 2008:  Management has not met their timeline on the D-line riser project.  It was supposed to be finished this past Friday.  We're told that it is "mostly done", and that "air conditioning will be restored to the C and D units by Tuesday".  Unsure when all the walls will be patched up.

Newark police arrested someone dumping a large amount of debris on Chester Ave where it passes under Route 21, leading to Route 21 North.  They were caught in the act of dumping.  We're told that it was contaminated dirt excavated for the construction of the new Second Precinct police headquarters under construction at Grafton Ave and Route 21.  We're also told that demolition of the Elliot Street School (Elliot & Summer) will begin on Monday.  Let's see if bricks get dumped on the same road leading from Chester Ave to Route 21 North.

BREAKING NEWS - JULY 31, 2008:  MANAGEMENT PLEADS GUILTY !!!!
Management pleaded guilty and paid a fine for not having a security guard at 380 Mt. Prospect Avenue. This is the result of a Code Enforcement violation on the existing (weak) security guard ordinance that finally made it to Court after so many months.  Clearly, our meeting of July 29th with city officials paid off.  We've been advised that Mayor Corey Booker has directed the Prosecutor's office to strongly enforce all violations at 380 and 402 Mt. Prospect Ave. It looks like management's options for delaying and denying the law are running out.  What's ironic is that we beat them on the OLD security guard ordinance. 

Now that they've been found guilty, we can just keep logging violation after violation until it becomes cheaper to hire security guards than to pay the fines and attorney fees. If necessary, we'll assign different members to call every day, for each building.

There will be a walk-through of the properties next week, attended by Management, the Tenant's Association, the Prosecutor's Office, and Code Enforcement.  All violations will be noted and management will be given a firm timetable to comply. 

A house behind 402 Mt. Prospect was leveled today. The land will be used to create a small park and children's playground for the Robert Treat Academy.  Councilman Anibal Ramos has taken measures to ensure that this playground will be OPEN for use of local residents as well. It's a narrow lot, but the park may eventually be expanded all the way to Abington Ave. That could be years, or decades, from now.

Management gained access into 380, Unit 10D to replace the black pipes associated with the heating and cooling risers.

BREAKING NEWS - JULY 30, 2008 6:15 PM:  Completion of the D-Line riser pipe project is seriously imperiled.  Unit 10D absolutely refuses access into his apartment, saying that they can complete the project "in October" when he moves out. "I have huge pieces of furniture, there's just no way", he said.  The family is currently purchasing a house just a few blocks from here, in the Forest Hill Historic District.  A few tenants on the "B" line were also uncooperative when their riser pipe was replaced a few months ago, but management took some unspecified and very aggressive moves to gain access into the units.  That might not happen this time, because management knows that the tenant in 10D is a Newark policeman. Failure to complete the project by October 1st means NO HEAT in the C and D units, which is a major Code Violation. Those units are currently suffering from no air conditioning.  Let's see how this plays out.

BREAKING NEWS - JULY 30, 2008:  Libre' Jones and Eric Martindale had a meeting with 5 city officials yesterday evening, at city hall.  There will be some major changes in how the city proceeds with Code Enforcement and Prosecution, specifically as it pertains to our buildings. The city-focussed approach of the Tenant's Association is starting to succeed.

Vincent Britt accepts a position on the Steering Committee of the Tenant's Association.

August is going to be an extremely busy month for this Tenant's Association, with major developments happening on several fronts.

BREAKING NEWS - JULY 29, 2008 5:15 PM:  Tenants receive notice in the mail for the August 12th hearing at the Rent Control Board.  Rents could be raised as much as 25% if management prevails.  We'll be having a meeting of all tenants to discuss, and we'll be attending.

The Riser Pipe project for the D-line in 380 began today. 

Tomorrow, Newark is having a press conference to announce the beginning of their program to condemn and demolish abandoned properties.  They are launching a "Demolition Taskforce".  The press conference is at 1:30 PM at 200 12th Avenue, in the Central Ward.

BREAKING NEWS - JULY 28, 2008  1:00 AM:  The Fidalys security company has assigned a State Policeman, "Johnney" to be the primary full-time armed guard for the 11-7 shift.  "My assignment here is permanent", he said. He is a Supervisor, not a rookie in training.  He was not on duty this past Tuesday evening when Anthony Pierre's car was stolen via the unlocked gate on Clifton Ave. (it was recovered the next day).  Another guard, "Jose", was on duty that night, and he was much less experienced. Jose will not be returning, he says. He will be on duty Sunday overnight to Thursday overnight, with Friday and Saturday assigned to another person.  I advised him that the Tenant's Association was watching to see if the prior armed guards were starting at 11:00 PM and completing their shift till exactly 7:00 AM. This was a very passive way of advising that we'll be watching all the guards going forwards, and reporting back to management. He understood. The Tenant's Association strongly supports the guards' assignment here even though it does not fully meet our security goals. We want to have a positive working relationship.  All the mini-blinds in the booth were open or partially open, and he will not draw them closed.

Tenants are encouraged to take a minute out of your schedule to meet the armed guard, so that we know who he is, and he knows who we are. Management should also tell the guard where to park, because he was parking in a spot that appears to be undesignated, but is actually leased to a tenant.

BREAKING NEWS - JULY 27, 2008:  Tomorrow management will start the "D" line Master Bedroom riser replacement project in 380.  Letters were sent out to all "D" units laying out a timetable of only a few days to break the walls, replace the pipes, and re-seal the walls.  Specific dates were given for each task. There are multiple contractors involved, and no General Contractor (GC). Therefore, we'll be impressed if they pull it off in the timetable presented. We'll be watching and reporting on this in a completely fair and unbiased fashion.

Eric had a chance meeting with a current Member of the Newark Rent Control Board. He name is "Annie", and she was also the manager of our complex until 3 years ago. She complained generally that tenants in Newark are always asking for too much, and that "New Jersey is a tenant state, the laws are in favor of tenants. It's not that way in other states". She knows nothing about the Resolution from the City Council a few months back requesting that they defer final vote on the electricity seperation issue. This confirms our theory that Maria Hernandez, Director of the city's Rent Control Office, never forwarded that information to the Board members.  Also, the Rent Control Board is comprised mostly of landlords and their agents (or retired agents).

Early this morning, BOTH the garage door and the front lobby door of 380 were wide open and fully accessible to the public.

BREAKING NEWS - JULY 26, 2008:  Tenants are very upset that garage doors are always open and/or always broken and stuck open. The front lobby doors are also frequently left open.  Our safety and security is at stake.  The greeters in the guardbooth are allowing people to prop open the front doors for extended periods of time, even when nobody is moving furniture in and out.

BREAKING NEWS - JULY 24, 2008:  Partipants in the six-month rent strike that started in August 2007 met last night to discuss issues and new developments. The meeting was well-attended.

BREAKING NEWS - JULY 22, 2008:  In regard to the July 11th breaking news, we have received word from Newark Rent Control that applications for rent hikes to cover capital improvement surcharges are never denied.   Management wants to raise rents to cover their expenses in repairing elevators, roofs, boilers, and chillers.  We are unsure if anything can be done and will evaluate options. 

Maintenance worker Julio has returned to work, OK per his doctor.

Trudy Kellett reports that she has successfully evicted a suspected drug dealer (AND his pit bull) from the 402 building, and she took final possession of the unit as of today. We are withholding information on his name and unit number. The Tenant's Association applauds management for their actions in evicting this tenant. This organization has zero tolerance for criminals in our buildings, and that includes criminal activities committed in other parts of Newark by our residents. We've come extremely close to the goal of having no bad apples in our buildings. 

BREAKING NEWS - JULY 22, 2008 12:30 AM:  Armed guards started duty at 11:00 PM last night till 7:00 AM this morning. Management did not order them to be stationed in the lobby, and they are not logging visitors into a logbook like the former lobby greeters used to do.  Three representatives from the Tenant's Association went out to meet them, after the evening shift guard advised us they would be starting at 11:00 PM. We advised the new guards that our buildings themselves are populated with decent and honest residents of all backgrounds, and remain virtually free of the criminal element. We told them to focus on the outside criminal element, including problems on the street impacting us.  The two armed guards are employed by Fidalis, a security company based in Hackensack. One of them, "Johnney", is a State Policeman, and he showed his badge. The other is named Jose. These are real guards who are professionally trained and fully capable of preventing the criminal element from entering the property. These are not old men walking around with canes. The presence of the armed guards brings the building into closer compliance with Newark's existing ordinance.  Management is still not in full compliance, and a stronger security ordinance is still pending.  It is also uncertain if management will continue with TWO armed guards every night, as the guards themselves didn't know that two of them were starting duty. While we were there discussing neighborhood problems, the guard "Jose" prevented a crazed woman from entering the property. She was obviously very high on illegal drugs, and was making a lot of noise. She was disbursed.

An email was sent to management advising them that the exterior of 380 is very dark because so many lights are out. These include two floodlights on the post behind the security desk, and five lights on the underside of the 380 canopy.

BREAKING NEWS - JULY 21, 2008:  Tenant's Association Attorney Charles Auffant and management's attorney, Bruce Gudin, had a conference in the judge's chambers on Thursday July 17th. This is NOT regarding a new matter.

BREAKING NEWS - JULY 15, 2008:  380 had no AC for part of today. There was a complete shutdown of the entire system, following unconnected pipe bursts on seperate floors of 380 within 30 minutes of each other.

UPDATE FROM MANAGEMENT:  (1) Trudy says that four seperate tenants from "Forest Hill Estates" (NW corner of Mt. Prospect and 2nd Ave) applied to move here within a week. All cited a tremendous crime wave inside their building, and claimed that management is "renting to anybody" and allowing the criminal element into the building.  This is the building which has a liquor store and several severely run-down low-end storefronts facing Mt. Prospect Ave. Those units may be spacious, but all the past glory is long gone.  

(2) Trudy has evicted 3 pit bulls, and has a pending court hearing against a pit bull which was previously removed from the 12th floor of 380, but has now returned to live with it's owner.  The goal is zero pit bulls in our buildings.  She will followup on her correspondance with Mr. Jones, the city's animal control officer, on determining which dogs are registered and which are here illegally.

(3) Trudy submitted 3 bids to Audubon on the D-line riser pipe, and is awaiting the award of the contract. 

(4) The custom-measured new garage door for 402 has arrived, and will be installed soon. Gail Henry advised Trudy that the 380 garage door is malfunctioning today, and does not open, and Eric Martindale confirmed with his key. She's calling the service company 

(5) Alberto and Trudy agreed to completely remove the mini-blinds on the guardbooth, and install a filter-sheet on the glass to resolve the sun issue. We want the guards seen and visible to all potential criminals.

BREAKING NEWS - JULY 11, 2008:  The Tenant's Association is gearing up for a major battle with management over management's plans to increase tenant's rents to cover the costs of repairs to elevators, boilers, chillers, and the roof.  A hearing will be held by the Newark Rent Control Board, and we'll be there strong.  (((Note made on July 22: according to Newark Rent Control, applications for rent hikes to cover capital improvement surcharge are never denied)))

Chairperson Libre' Jones sends a strongly worded letter to Mayor Corey Booker, click here to see:  Jones-to-Booker-letter

BREAKING NEWS - JULY 10, 2008:  250 ATTEND A FOREST HILL ANTI-CRIME COMMUNITY MEETING. Special thanks to the Third Presbyterian Church (@ Abbington & Ridge) for hosting the event last night in their enormous sanctuary.  The focus of the event is to discuss home break-in's, auto break-in's and other crimes, changes going on within the police department, and specific efforts that the police are taking to remedy the situation. There had been a rising tide of anger at the city over crime in Forest Hill. Mayor Booker appears to be taking this very seriously. He and top police brass were there for four hours, both speaking and fielding questions.  read all about it: Donna Mitchell Notes

Officials said that Newark's is LEADING THE NATION among all cities in the decline of violent crime and the decline of non-violent crime.  Crime is down 40% over 2 years ago, while most other cities have rising crime due to national economic problems. The resurgence of many community organizations are helping to advise the police on specific problems. But the new organizations (including our group) have enabled better communications within each neighborhood, which has allowed the NEWS of crimes to reach more people. This, officials say, has given people the false impression that crime is rising.  There is also far less tolerance of any crime, and more desire within each neighborhood to DEMAND more police protection. This is a positive sign that Newark is improving. People are no longer apathetic or resigned to defeatism.

The police said that 90% of auto break-in's in Forest Hill are to steal GPS systems and iPOD's.  Residents parking on the street are advised to hide these items (especially the GPS suction cup often left on the windshield) and to advise their guests to do the same.

There was a spate of 9 home-break-in's in Forest Hill in 3 weeks centered around early June, but none in the last 21 days.  Arrests had been made, police said.  Several speakers, including Mike Sheehan, singled out group homes and boarding houses as one of the major sources of crime.

On a positive note, Police Director Gary McCarthy does appear to be completely modernizing and restructuring the entire police department.  McCarthy comes to us from NYC, and he was instrumental in reducing crime there. Under the Sharpe James administration, crime statistics weren't even organized into a computer database, and several precincts had no computers, only typewriters.  The deficiency in information flow led to police spending huge hours in the office logging crimes via typewriters, instead of being on the street. 

BREAKING NEWS - JULY 8, 2008:  Management has a new 24 hour emergency answering service number, which is 866-290-5685.  This was created to respond to resident complaints that Trudy isn't in the management office to answer the phone (because she's personally addressing some issue on the premises), she's on another call, or she's busy in a meeting.  Well, at least this means that Trudy is working hard.

Julio won't be back to work till sometime after July 17th, date uncertain pending his doctor's advise.

BREAKING NEWS - JULY 3, 2008:  Trudy reports that Julio is back from the hospital, as of yesterday.  He is expected to return to duty in a week or so, pending rest and a followup appointment with his doctor.  In case anyone is wondering, Audubon Communities does provide medical coverage for their crew.

Workers were busy today on interior repairs to 380, Unit 11E, after a devastating flood emanating from Unit 12E's toilet. That happened on June 7th.  A wood table has appeared in the Laundry Room.  Alberto fumigated the 10th floor hallway in #380, following reports of a strong rotting stench. The source could not be identified, and it definately was not from the garbage closet.

BREAKING NEWS - JULY 2, 2008:  Libre' Jones blasts Mayor Corey Booker at City Council Meeting.  Our Chairperson, Libre' Jones, spoke at the July 2nd council meeting to address actions taken by the Mayor to divert Police resources from the residential areas of Newark (especially the North Ward) to the downtown district. This has cited as causing an increase in crime in our area, including home burgularies, car break-ins, and muggings. Her speech was met with applause. A video crew filming a documentary on Newark taped her speech, and she gave concent for it to be used in the movie. Councilperson Anibal Ramos and Dana Rone offered words of praise and support for Libre's position.  Libre' suggested that Newark accept the standing offer from the Essex County Sheriff's Department to patrol parts of Newark. 

Note also that the Security Guard ordinance was NOT introduced, as promissed.  Now we're looking at September as the earliest time for passage.

BREAKING NEWS - JUNE 30, 2008:  Trudy Kellett has advised that one of our most valued maintenance staff, Julio, has been hospitalized since Saturday.  He was found collapsed on the floor of his apartment, from **** text deleted 7/15 at the request of Trudy Kellett ****  All readers are urged to keep him and his family in your prayers. Regular cleanup of common areas, especially in the 380 building, may be temporarily delayed because they are short-staffed. Julio is generally in good standing with the Tenant's Association. That says a lot, since we set very high standards for the buildings and our building staff, and we are not easy to please. We are hoping for his return.

BREAKING NEWS - JUNE 26, 2008:  Libre' had a Police Detective here examining everything at the 380 building from a safety standpoint.  Numerous problems noted, details forthcoming.  Eric met briefly with Trudy Kellett, who is waiting for parts to fix both garage doors again, she says.  402 garage door was destroyed a week ago by someone who drove completely through it.  It cannot be repaired, must be replaced.  She's getting bids to replace the plexiglass on the front entry door. The materials storage inside the 380 parking garage has been cleaned up somewhat.  There's still some plywood and an ancient rusted 55-gallon drum filled with unknown chemicals, possibly related to the former swimming pool.  But the real mess has been eliminated.

She is still getting bids on the riser work for the 380 D-line.  It was conveyed to her that tenants in the D-units will not tolerate the disruption of their Master bedroom, and/or holes in their walls for more than a few days while the work is ungoing to replace the pipes and restore the sheetrock. Eric is highly recommending that the winning bidder who is replacing the riser pipes SUBCONTRACT the wall demolition and restoration. That way they can keep a tight rein on their own subcontractors and coordinate the project smoothly. Most importantly, the General Contractor (GC) won't be paid by management until THEIR SUBS have restored the walls. That will ensure that the restoration happens quickly because the GC wants his money. Making Trudy act as the GC is utterly unacceptable. She is way too busy for that, it's not her area of expertise, and it is a recipe' for problems in which the work phases will be delayed because the Contractors are not communicating with themselves to time the project. No way, we already had that problem with the B-line risers. If the pipe contractor doesn't want to be a GC, tell them "next". It should be mandatory. This Tenant's Association supports the pipe replacement project, and wants it done ASAP so that air conditioning can be restored to the affected C and D units.

BREAKING NEWS - JUNE 22, 2008:  The green mansion across the street is bringing in dumploads of dirt to backfill the rear of the property. They want to erect a 30-foot tall reinforced concrete wall and level off the slope with a 33-car parking lot.  Exactly what the parking lot will be used for is a matter of debate.  The city's Historic Preservation Commission has been alerted that the parking lot might be used as a construction yard for a roofing contractor to store vehicles, materials, and debris. Mike Sheehan says they are looking into it, and says their new windows are in violation of their codes.

BREAKING NEWS - JUNE 16, 2008:  An inspector from Newark Code Enforcement visited 380 today and noted several violations, including deteriorated ceiling of the entry canopy, deteriorated exterior wall near the entry way, wobbly handrail leading to the parking structure, lack of a doorknob on the worker's bathroom, improper storage of construction materials, and more. Management will be given a time period to resolve before reinspection, and formal violations will be cited for any item not resolved.  Eric email management the list to give them a jump-start on repairs.  The Tenant's Association is no longer asking management first on repairs, because they delayed over two months on repairing the 380 lobby ceiling. So we're back to using the Code Enforcement process. This change has the blessing of our legal counsel.

The fire trucks that came around 8:15 PM today were apparently a false alarm from the 6th floor of 380.

BREAKNG NEWS - JUNE 14, 2008:  Lawyers for Management and the 380-402 Tenants Association will be in court on July 17th. This is not regarding a new issue.

BREAKING NEWS - JUNE 13, 2008:  Introduction of the Security Guard ordinance is still pending, and keeps getting pushed back.  Now they're talking July.  Lobby ceiling repairs completed 6/12.

BREAKING NEWS - JUNE 11, 2008:  It was reported in www.dailynewarker.com on 6/9 that various Councilpersons are rifting from "Team Booker" and are dissociating themselves from the administration. One has openly declared, and two are pending. We are unsure what is really going on.

BREAKING NEWS - JUNE 10, 2008:  A contractor hired by management begins lobby ceiling repairs in #380.

BREAKING NEWS - JUNE 7, 2008:  An overflowing toilet in 380, Unit 12E, affects many units, especially 11E. The water was running and overflowing for hours.  We're told that the tenant caused this problem.

BREAKING NEWS - JUNE 4, 2008:  Chairperson Libre' Jones submits letter to management inquiring about the lobby ceiling in #380, after 2 months of promises to repair it.

Newark passes the new zoning ordinance. City officials in the Planning Dept and elected officials liked many of the recommendations (see June 3 breaking news), and will consider them as part of the ongoing Master Plan update. The ordinance "had to be passed" as a stop-gap measure to address some ongoing problems, they said. Adam Dambach explains that the ordinance is written to encourage construction of 2 and 3 family houses in high-crime areas with vacant lots and boarded up houses, and where people live in constant and daily fear of the criminal element living amongst them. In these neighborhoods density of new construction is seen as a salvation by bringing in middle-class people who are watching for crime, and not committing crime. I'll concede that the ordinance may be a solution for those neighborhoods, but in other parts of Newark such as the the Forest Hill section, it appears that most people fear the encroaching density of construction and the outside criminal element coming into the neighborhood to commit crimes. There is little or no criminal element living in our neighborhood to fear. The ordinance is not relevant for our problems or our needs.

BREAKING NEWS - JUNE 3, 2008:  Click here to see Eric Martindale's Zoning Recommendations for Newark. The file is too large a file to email to city officials, so it is being posted here.  This organization has not reviewed this document, so it does not officially support any of these recommendations. It is just being posted here for practical and logistical purposes.

BREAKING NEWS - JUNE 2, 2008:  Tenants have been inquiring about air conditioning, which is supposed to be up and running by May 15th. Technically all tenants are due a rent rebate for lack of air conditioning for over 2 weeks. It was 85-degrees yesterday afternoon, as the bright hot sun poured into all units facing west. The company that installed the chillers in 2006 is at the complex now, giving an overview of the systems prior to activation.  AC will be up and running within 24 hours, says Alberto and Trudy. 

The main entry door at the #402 building is also pending repairs.  The lock was sticking, and staff inserted a screw, temporarily, to keep it unlocked until repaired.

Replacement of the 380 D-line riser pipe (exterior right corner of all "D" unit master bedrooms) is set to commence in June, from the parking garage all the way to the 16th floor. Residents will have to relocate furniture during the repairs.

We're told that Frank Bembry is still handling boilers and chillers in the evenings and still lives in #380, although he hasn't been seen. Alberto, who is the Super for 380, plans to move from #402 to #380 as soon as a 3-bedroom unit becomes available. Management has been attempting to evict one resident of a 3-bedroom unit for repeated late payments of rent, and many other reasons. The Tenant's Association does not oppose this particular eviction, if it occurs.

BREAKING NEWS - MAY 30, 2008:  Saturday May 31st is the "Walking Tour" for those who wish to see historic homes in the Forest Hill section.  Tickets are $20, meet at Lake Street and Ballantine (the park gates) at 1:00 PM.  Also added link to the Community Events Calendar for the Forest Hill Community Association

BREAKING NEWS - MAY 27, 2008:  See last Sunday's Star Ledger article about an FBI raid on Ridge Street here in the Forest Hill section, entitled Innocent and Detained

BREAKING NEWS - MAY 21, 2008:  Councilman Ramos is still hoping that the Security Guard Ordinance sought by the 380-402 Tenants Association will be introduced at the first June Council Meeting.  It’s in the final stages of review, he says. Our Steering Committee may get to see it before it’s submitted to the City Council.  The ordinance affects all large buildings in Newark by setting much stronger and more professional standards for security guards. It contains clauses which ensure that 380 and 402 Mt. Prospect Avenue will be forced to place security guards in the lobbies 24/7.

The city council voted to defer passage of the new zoning ordinance.  Eric Martindale had submitted 8 pages of objections to the City Council. Click here to see objections.  The vote to defer came after the council heard him speak at the public hearing against passage of the ordinance, which caused them to discuss themselves and raise further objections  The ordinance had been set for a final vote, after two years of work by the city’s Planning Department.  This is the “Bayonne Box” ordinance.  It will be studied further.  The ordinance will eventually be approved at some future date, probably with changes to reflect the concerns of the city council.  

There was a motion by Councilman Ramos for the City to hire a Historic Preservation Officer to monitor historic districts, due to ongoing violations.  There is a house that just got slapped with a red violation sticker diagonally across from 402 Mt. Prospect Ave.  I cannot confirm that this is the house Ramos was talking about.

The city’s African-American Heritage Parade is this Sunday 5/27, on Broad Ave from Lincoln Park to Central Ave.  Skydivers will land at City Hall at precisly 12:00 noon. Residents from all city wards will be attending.  For info, see http://aahp.org/index.htm

BREAKING NEWS - MAY 19, 2008:  Lawyers for Management and the 380-402 Tenants Association had a scheduled court date. This is not regarding a new issue.  No further statement is to be made on this website.

BREAKING NEWS - MAY 8, 2008:  TRIPLE SHOOTING IN LOCAL HIGHRISE.  A nearby high-rise was the scene of a triple shooting on Wednesday, May 7th at 11:02 PM.  Reportedly, the victims were shot on 3 seperate floors by a rampaging gunman. All three survived. The attacker has not been caught.  Blogs posted on the internet refer to security guards being afraid to address criminal activity in the building.  This REALLY high-lights the need for our security guard ordinance to be passed.  Let's get REAL GUARDS in all high-rise buildings, so that troubled buildings can be taken back from crime and drugs, one at a time.  This particular complex consists of two high-rises just north of Route 280, and just west of the end of Branch Brook Park. The address is 175 First Street. When you get on Route 280 westbound from Clifton Ave, these are the first buildings you see on the right. They are red brick buildings over 20 stories tall, with huge "For Rent" signs. These buildings have a reputation for being a den of crime, drugs, and prostitution. The site of the shootings is about 1 mile away. It's not in the Forest Hill neighborhood, but it's close enough for us to be concerned.  The late breaking news made it under deadline for today's Star Ledger, so expect a much larger article tomorrow. 

BREAKING NEWS - MAY 7, 2008:  Management considering more riser replacement projects in the 380 building.  The "D" line master bedroom riser is next, then the "J" riser, which hits "E" units from the 9th floor up.  Trudy Kellett says that replacing the "B" line was a learning experience, and that the next one will go much smoother and quicker.

In other news, Mayor Corey Booker was walking Bloomfield Ave today near Mt. Prospect Ave to listen to and address community concerns about crime, drugs, shootings, and police presence.  About a week ago, there was a shooting death on Bloomfield Ave.

BREAKING NEWS - MAY 5, 2008:  Website content, including this home page, has been restored to view after changes have been made to help satisfy concerns.

BREAKING NEWS - APRIL 18, 2008:  We suspended the former Home Page and the 380-402 Issues Pages of this website, in order to consider our options regarding website content, and to allow time for editing.

BREAKING NEWS - APRIL 14, 2008:  Management hasn't repaired the lobby ceiling in the 380 building, which was damaged on April 4th.  The B-line plumbing project is nearing completion. 

The Cherry Blossom Festival started last weekend with opening events including the Cherry Blossom Run on Sunday.  But the main event with all the vendors (barbacued foods and ethnic foods, arts & crafts, etc) will be this coming weekend, April 19th and 20th.  Many local residents have never gone to this event, even though it draws tourists from distant countries. America's largest display of Flowering Cherry trees are in full bloom all along the trails and the brook in the northern half of the park.

BREAKING NEWS - APRIL 12, 2008:  Special thanks to Charles Auffant of the Rutgers Community Law Clinic for continuing his representation of the 380-402 Tenants' Association, and for Rutgers student Lisa Sperber for helping to spearhead our legal matters.

BREAKING NEWS - APRIL 11, 2008:  Staff attorneys at City Hall met with police officials yesterday to discuss revisions needed to the Security Guard ordinance prior to its reintroduction. Legislation was passed not too long ago in New Jersey which covers police officers working part-time as security guards.  Some revisions are needed to the proposed ordinance so that it will be in compliance with the State's rules. This is not a significant obstacle, but it will delay introduction of the ordinance until May.

BREAKING NEWS - APRIL 4, 2008:  Another massive ceiling leak in the #380 lobby. Building personnel say it is a plumbing burst.

BREAKING NEWS - MARCH 31, 2008:  PROGRESS ON CITY-WIDE MOBILIZING.  Eric Martindale makes a 40-minute presentation on tenant organizing, the Tenant Resource Hub proposal, and the Security Guard Ordinance proposal to the Lincoln Park Superneighborhood organization. Newark Police Chief Campos and a representative from the Mayor's office also attended.  Representatives of high-rise buildings at 31-33 Lincoln Park and 440 Washington Ave were present, and they will spread the word on supporting the ordinance and distributing the petition letter. Lincoln Park Towers (#31-33) is an 80-unit building currently facing severe conditions in the neighborhood which are now impacting inside the complex. At 80 units, Lincoln Park Towers would secure 16 hours of security guard coverage under the ordinance proposed by our organization. Representatives of the Lincoln Park Superneighborhood want to attend the council meetings when the ordinance is introduced and/or voted upon, so that they can speak in support..

CHIEF CAMPOS of the NEWARK POLICE DEPARTMENT pledges his support for the security guard ordinance, and he wants it worded so the Newark Special Police officers are also qualified to serve as security guards. Chief Campos says that 440 Washington Ave and another troubled highrise on Irvine Turner Boulevard are major sources of crime for the neighborhoods surrounding them, and he strongly wishes to see those buildings install new security guards who meet the criteria established in the ordinance.  Once the proposed Tenant Resource Hub is up and running, there will be staff at city hall who can help identify buildings that are in violation of numerous ordinances because they are run "lean" by their owners at the expense of the safety and well-being of tenants. "Cleaning up these buildings will go a long way towards reducing crime in the City of Newark, you should be proud of what you are doing, how you are helping so many buildings", said Carolyn Jairdullo of the Lincoln Park Superneighorhood. Chief Campos was thoroughly familiar with the Security Guard Ordinance proposal, and he predicts that it will be passed by the City Council despite resistance from landlords. Campos also wants a clause so that buildings under the numerical limit chosen can still be forced to have security guards based on a history of crime and heavy police calls.

BREAKING NEWS - MARCH 29, 2008:  DOG POPULATION WILL DECLINE FURTHER.  Trudy Kellett says that the dog population in our buildings is past its all-time peak, which was reached in January 2008 before she took over. Ms. Kellett is not renting to any tenants with dogs, and she is making it very clear to prospective tenants that the anti-dog policy will be aggressively enforced.  One pit bull from #402 has been removed by it's owner due to threats of action from management. Another dog, a 75% pit bull mix living in Unit 9B at #380, moved out along with its owner in February. Senior management is against allowing dogs in the building, especially potentially dangerous breeds. (Note: Audubon President Charles Reyher was bitten by a pit bull at our complex in early 2007.)

BREAKING NEWS - MARCH 28, 2008:  Management confirms that 7 tenants were locked out by Constables on March 25th (not by US Marshalls as previously published here).  Several tenants came up with money, and they paid through the court in order to get back into their units.  3 units were actually evicted, specifically for non-payment of rent.

BREAKING NEWS - MARCH 26, 2008:  CONSTABLES RAIDED OUR BUILDINGS yesterday.  We're still trying to confirm how many tenants were evicted and locked out, as a result of late rent payments or non-payment.   THE EVICTED TENANTS WERE NOT MEMBERS OF OUR ORGANIZATION.  We remain fully protected against retaliation by laws of the State of New Jersey; nobody has been evicted because they were part of the rent strike.

All tenants are strongly encouraged to pay your April rent on time (by April 5th). One tenant reports that management is trying to evict her because they misplaced her rent from January of 2007. That's 15 months ago. This may be a situation of shoddy recordkeeping, which was rampant at that time and affected a great many tenants.

In other news, it appears that the 380 building no longer has a Maintenance Technician.  Peace has been gone for nearly 2 weeks, and will not be replaced. The new Superintendent, Alberto, will function as both employees. He still lives in the #402 building, but is planning to move to #380. We are investigating State codes to determine if this is within the State's regulations for a 106 unit building to have only one full-time person around.

BREAKING NEWS - MARCH 24, 2008:  The plumbing contractor has returned to install new sections of "B" line riser pipe at the 380 building, after a delay of several weeks.  Following installation, sheetrock contractors will enter all "B" units and repair the enormous holes made in the walls.  Tenants in the "B" units voiced concern that their apartments have been in chaos from construction for weeks.

BREAKING NEWS - MARCH 22, 2008:  The organization has learned, through trying different things, that the best way to advance our specific agenda, and tenant rights in general, is by making the appropriate contacts at Newark City Hall and causing the city to bear down upon management.  This can also be done anonymously. As of March 21, 2008, the primary focus of the tenant activities will be on the city level.  It is important for tenants to understand this. When we ask that tenants make phone calls to city hall, or to send letters or emails, we need it to happen. 

The sub-page of this website entitled MEMBERSHIP FORM was made a downloadable document to make room for ALL NEWARK TENANTS  The above red paragraphs in the home page were added today.

BREAKING NEWS - MARCH 20, 2008:  NJ DEVILS SPOIL OUR RALLY.  Unknown to the Tenant's Association, the NJ Devils were playing at the same time we wanted to rally residents to a city council meeting last night. City hall is basically next door to the stadium. Those tenants that weren't deterred by the rain and extreme traffic jams found NOWHERE TO PARK and simply turned around.  All the local parking lots were changing $25, and most of them were filled.  We don't expect anyone to pay $25 to attend a council meeting. As a result, only a handful of supporters came to the rally to support the security guard ordinance. 

BREAKING NEWS - MARCH 19, 2008:  Senior management has become aggressive in evicting anyone who pays their rent late.  Evictions are currrently pending against many residents.  They want to remove anyone who pays late.  

BREAKING NEWS - MARCH 17, 2008:  REMINDER................Tenants are organizing to attend the Wednesday 3/19/2008 6:30 PM Newark City Council meeting to ask the city council to promptly reintroduce the Security Guard Ordinance.  The ordinance had been tabled last October, but it will soon be ready for reintroduction. We will be speaking in support, and also requesting revisions to make it better able to withstand challenges. The Mayor and most of the council members have personally pledged their support to us individually.  Once passed and enforced, the ordinance ensures that 24 hour security will be restored to building lobbies that meet the new conditions.  Our will. Specific clauses in the ordinance also require higher quality security personnel than whom previously existed.  It will NOT be a return to the previous status, it will be BETTER.  

NOTE:  The revised ordinance will not require complexes under 100 units with multiple entry doors to hire security guards. That was the clause that various other landlords were objecting to.

BREAKING NEWS - MARCH 15, 2008:  Two old houses across the street have hired painting contractors.  One is a Greek Revival architectural gem (probably circa 1875) with four enormous columns, like the White House. This is the house across from Abington Tower that cut down an enormous Oak tree a few months ago. The other house, almost directly across from the Mt. Prospect Tower exit driveway, is a large white mansion (probably circa 1850) with a slate roof. This house had become severely dilapidated.  This block is located within the Forest Hill Historic District, which prohibits vinyl siding on the front of any house. 

BREAKING NEWS - MARCH 13, 2008:  Here's some highlights from last evening's meeting. Numerous people stated that they are pleased with Trudy Kellett so far, and highlighted some of the actions she has taken. Management will be hiring a receptionist, pending passage of a drug test.  They will replace a missing railing requested by the Rotundo's. We discussed the ceiling leak in front of Unit 1A in 380, and that management thinks it is coming from a riser pipe (The leak only happens when it rains heavy, is this a coincidence ? ). We discussed leaks and the delays in repairing walls for the "B" line units in 380.  Those residents will all be advised to call Code Enforcement.  We discussed that the actual seperation of electricity is over a year away, and that well over a million dollars will be spent on the rewiring.  Money is not a problem, they have it.

Councilman Ramos wants our support an application by the Robert Treat Academy for the demolition of a house within the Forest Hill Historic District to create a playground. It's a yellow house directly behind 402 Mt. Prospect Avenue. We think it is a good idea, and that this particular house has no historic value or architectural integrity.  Ramos has taken steps to ensure that the new playground will be open to the public after school hours, and has made sure that it will NOT include a basketball court.  Our organization will write up a letter of support and attend the Historic Commission hearing.

Now that the Forest Hill neighborhood will finally have a playground, design efforts for the triangular Mt. Prospect Park just to our south can focus in another direction. Perhaps there could be a fountain, flower gardens, benches, and maybe a gazebo. Ramos said he would like an architect to come up with plans.  Ramos also says 6 new cops were hired to patrol the North Ward on bicycles (dubbed the "killer bees"), and that graffiti arrests of kids as young as 10 and 11 year old were made. Much progress is being made against the worst graffiti epidemic since the 1980's.  Ramos reiterates support for the Security Guard ordinance, gives a timetable for it's introduction, and says there is no chance for it to be stopped again. 

BREAKING NEWS - MARCH 12, 2008:  We learned yesterday that Joshua Figueroa is no longer employed as Superintendant of the #380 building. He may have been transferred to the Audubon Place garden apartments in Belleville. The exact reason is unknown at this time. . Audubon Place is the same complex where Leslie and Crystal have gone. We support management's decision to remove Joshua Figueroa.

Alberto, the 8-hours per day Black-Seal boiler tech who lives in the #402 building is the new Superintendant for #380.  We are trying to confirm that he has moved to #380, which would be required under city ordinance.  We are cautiously optimistic that Alberto will be knowledgeable and professional with regard to his duties.

BREAKING NEWS - MARCH 11, 2008:  Libre' Jones has been appointed as the Secretary for the Forest Hill Superneighborhood Council.  The group will be working on a neighborhood beautification project (planting a garden in a proposed park), among other initiatives. Margarita Muniz, Deputy Mayor of Community Engagement, is working hard on getting the Forest Hill group up and running.  The group's President, Oscar Rodriguez, has stepped down.

BREAKING NEWS - MARCH 10, 2008:  The organization is gearing up for a GENERAL MEETING of all residents on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 at 7:00 PM in the lobby of #380. 

Management had the uprooted tree cut and removed. The stump will be removed and the land regraded.  No repairs have commenced on the severe ceiling leak above the entrance to unit 1A in the 380 building.  This is also storm-related.  Water from the roof 16 floors up is somehow channeling to this spot after every heavy rain.

BREAKING NEWS - MARCH 9, 2008:  Storm uproots 30-foot Spruce.  A severe storm which struck overnight downed a picturesque 30-foot Spruce which had graced the lawn of Abington Tower for decades. It stood next to the building sign.  West winds funnelling between our two buildings are believed to have gusted over 60 or 70 mph, which followed over 24 hours of drenching rains which loosened the soil.   A sister tree closer to the driveway of #402 survived.  The tree fell over the metal fence along the sidewalk, but did not damage it. The tree is too big to be remounted and secured with cables. Other residents reported balcony furniture overturning or banging against the railings.

BREAKING NEWS - MARCH 4, 2008:  At 9:00 PM all the blinds in the security booth were down and closed tight, so I figured the guard was in there sleeping or reading. But I checked and the guard wasn't there at all, and wasn't in either lobby. 15 minutes later, still no guard, so Audubon was called. At 10:00 PM he was back in the booth, and says he was "walking around".  Joshua was seen and stated: "the security personnel have the right to leave any time they choose to eat dinner".  He wouldn't specify if this entailed visiting an apartment or leaving the property entirely, but either would be unacceptable.

Mini-blinds in the security booth defeat the purpose of having a guard.  We want the guard to BE SEEN, and for the guard to SEE what is going on. The mini-blind on the glass door faces north and will never get sunlite, so it should be removed and disposed of, along with the window blinds on the same wall. All other mini-blinds should be in the 100% raised position to maximize empty glass.  If direct sunlight is actually hitting the monitors, it's OK for just one of the mini-blinds to be closed at any given time, to block the sun. (I suspect that this would only be the south mini-blind since the monitor faces west and the building itself blocks any sunlight from the west). This request has been communicated to Property Manager Trudy Kellett.

BREAKING NEWS - MARCH 1, 2008:  Councilman Anibal Ramos presents Libre' Jones, Chair of the 380-402 Tenant's Association, with a Community Advocacy Award for taking large steps to improve our buildings and neighborhood, and for working with other community groups.  The event was a fundraiser for Anibal Ramos' election campaign.

BREAKING NEWS - FEB 28, 2008:  We have begun networking with other buildings and Tenant Associations in Newark who have pledged to help distribute a petition letter.

One of our volunteers, attempting to gain access to distribute the petition letter, was confronted by a Superintendant at a complex elsewhere in Newark.  The Superintendant said that the building owner knew of the petition letter, and left standing orders to barr our entry for distribution. But the Superintendant himself said he supported the petition letter, and that what we are fighting for would make his job easier. He let the volunteer onto the premises for distribution.

BREAKING NEWS - FEB 27, 2008:  Sources tell us that the main reason that riser pipes burst in high rise buildings is because the boiler system becomes OVERPRESSURED.  It will then break at the weakest and most rusted spot, causing damage inside apartments and then causing a heat outage. Overpressure conditions happen when the systems are not regularly checked and maintained (for instance if the boiler technician isn't around when he should be).  The boiler technician is supposed to check them every two hours, and take measures to release pressure as needed. If this theory is true, that also means that the boiler technician is typically not onsite when a major pipe burst occurs.  We're told that elsewhere in New Jersey, overpressured boilers in high-rise buildings have caused major explosions which have damaged property and injured people. One explosion even killed a worker a few years ago, possibly in Jersey City (unsure). A few years back there was a serious explosion at Forest Hill Towers.

BREAKING NEWS - FEB 26, 2008:  MEETINGS WITH MAYOR CORY BOOKER TO YIELD RESULTS.  Libre’ Jones and Vincent Britt had a private meeting with Mayor Cory Booker.  They raised several questions. (1) Why isn’t Code Enforcement responding to resident concerns (2) When Code Enforcement does cite violations, why are they frequently “abated” without any fines collected by the city (3) Why are tenants prohibited from attending these court cases and testifying, and (4) Why doesn’t Newark have a Tenant Resource Center for tenants. The Mayor was very responsive, and directed his staff to look seriously into all of these concerns.  We'll have answers on all of them.

A half hour later, Eric Martindale had a private meeting with Mayor Cory Booker and Councilman Carlos Gonzales, and received positive affirmations on the Security Guard ordinance. Eric also offered praise for the hard work of Deputy Mayor Margarita Muniz, who briefly joined the meeting.  Mayor Booker directed Muniz to conduct a full investigation regarding the Rent Control Board’s actions in defiance of the City Council.  We also discussed Zoning issues and graffiti. The city is compiling a list of an abandoned properties list pursuant to a new city ordinance that allows condemnation of abandoned (non-inhabited) properties.

BREAKING NEWS - FEB 25, 2008:  We have begun distribution of a MAIL-IN petition letter for residents to sign.  All residents have (or will) receive.  Please sign it, put it in an envelope, and mail it.

BREAKING NEWS - FEB 21, 2008:  Property Manager Trudy Kellett has been busy visiting tenants who have long-standing problems that predated her tenure. Things are happening.  One of our members requested that Trudy order a more regular cleaning of the hallways on each floor. Also, a friend at Forest Hill Towers has reported that the pigeon lady is feeding again in the early morning, despite her near-eviction last month.  Our readers are encouraged to keep a watch for her, and take pictures.

Yesterday was the Mayor's 2008 budget presentation, see summary.  Several members of the city council are quite upset that Maria Hernandez and the Rent Control Board disregarded their request for the board to hold off on the final vote to conclude the settlement terms for the electricity seperation issue.  Some of us will be appearing at the evening council meeting of March 19th to discuss various issues, mark your calendars now !!!

BREAKING NEWS - FEB 19, 2008:  Atlantic Elevator Co, Inc., located a few blocks away at 841 Mt. Prospect Avenue, was selected by Property Manager Trudy Kellett as the new elevator maintenance company. This selection was the result of a referral. Millenium Elevators, which installed all four elevators in 2006 and 2007, is now out of the picture. It is possible that Millenium never properly calibrated and programmed the elevators upon installation, and they have failed to resolve "issues" in a prompt and efficient manner. Atlantic Elevator quickly got the 380 south elevator up and running today. However, they say that the "arm" which holds the sliding door in place needs to be replaced after having been vandalized last Fall, only a few weeks after the elevator installation was completed.  Atlantic Elevator Co. has been in business for generations here on Mt. Prospect Avenue. We anticipate prompt and efficient service from this company. The selection of Atlantic Elevator Co. should mean the end of frequent elevator problems and lengthy elevator down-time.

BREAKING NEWS - FEB 15, 2008:  Property Manager Trudy Kellett received a noise complaint from a tenant yesterday.  The Superintendent wasn't available, so she grabbed the guard from the booth. They banged on his door and ordered him to lower the volume. She said she wants to be more proactive than her predecessor. This is a good sign that she'll be the type of hands-on manager sought by the Tenants' Association. Trudy says she'll be tough on noise violators and on the issue of illegal dogs, and she has a close working relationship with Newark police from her prior experience. She had the police onsite today due to a problem with a tenant in 380. Her priorities right now are selecting a new elevator maintenance company, completing repairs on one elevator, and completing the B-line plumbing project in 380. A contractor has replaced 8 missing or defective fire extinguishers in the 402 building, and he recommended replacing four defective ones at 380. Tammy Shields states that Leslie Rodriguez was "transferred" to another community within the Audubon organization, as of February 7th. 

Trudy states that "the full-time Black Seal Certified boiler technician is Alberto", but he is believed to work only 8 hours during the day, and she could not confirm that he lives here. Frank Bembry is supposed to cover for him during other hours. Our buildings remain in heavy violation of state codes for onsite boiler technicians. Management was fined for this last year.

BREAKING NEWS - FEB 14, 2008:  Before Vs. After document has been reorganized into a better format, with several categories. This better highlights the true extent of improvements here.

BREAKING NEWS - FEB 13, 2008:  Tenants met with our attorney, Charles Auffant of Rutgers Community Law Clinic, and his assistant Lisa Sperber. Auffant reaffirms his committement for he and the Rutgers Community Law Clinic to represent us an an ongoing basis. We appreciate this tremendously.

A representative of the Tenants' Association met briefly today with Trudy Kellett, Audubon's new Property Manager for 380 and 402 Mt. Prospect Avenue who started on February 11th.  She is a professional property manager with prior experience, but is new to Audubon. She wants to establish a positive working relationship with the Tenants' Association, which is good. Her priority right now is completing plumbing repairs at the 380 building. 

BREAKING NEWS - FEB 12, 2008:  The Electricity Petition was successful in getting the Mayor & Council to take action on our behalf, but the RENT CONTROL BOARD VOTED ON ELECTRICITY SEPERATION ISSUE anyway.  Yesterday the Rent Control Board voted "yes" to formalize their settlement with management on the electricity seperation issue. No changes were made to the settlement. The Board and their office director, Maria Hernandez, disregarded the 75-person petition letter given both to them and the Mayor & Council last Wednesday. They also disregarded the request by Councilman Anibal Ramos and the City Council to defer the vote for further study. The Tenants' Association wanted some revisions to the language of the settlement, particularly with regard to clarifying what constituted "a room".  We expect that there may be a conflict over what constitutes a room, and it is still unknown whether or not the Rent Control office will intervene on tenants' behalf.  It is known as fact that the Rent Control office has a document authorizing occupancy for each rehabilitated unit, and that this document clearly states how many rooms are in each apartment.   Nevertheless, Hernandez claims that her office has no documentation on file stating how many rooms are in each unit. She has repeatedly made statements which basically amount to washing her hands of any responsibility or further involvement with this issue, basically stating that tenants weren't proactive in defending their own rights.

BREAKING NEWS - FEB 11, 2008:  TV news from channels 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12, and 47 visited tenants at 380 Mt. Prospect who had experienced no heat.  The temperature this morning was 7 degrees with 25 mph winds, resulting in wind chills at least -20 degrees. Heat had been down due to a burst the "B" line riser pipe which is currently under replacement.

In other news, today was the first day for "Trudy", the new Property Manager for 380 and 402. This is unconnected to the media blitz, just a coincidence.

Tenants will be meeting on Wednesday at 7:00 PM at 380, Unit 11D, with our attorney, Charles Auffant.

BREAKING NEWS - FEB 8, 2008:  Aububon has taken the Tenant's Association recommendation to begin replacement of entire riser pipes.  Bursts of the "B" riser pipe and plumbing connections to the "B" riser pipe at 380 Mt. Prospect (especially on the floors 2-6), has been the source of 50% of heating and AC outages for the entire building over the past year, including the current heat outage. It has also caused repeated interior unit damage to the A, B, and C units of floors 2-6. "Frank" the plumber said this morning that Audubon has authorized his company to replace the entire B riser pipe all the way to the 16th floor. This will involve getting access into all the "B" apartments. All tenants are advised to cooperate completely with management for access.  Joshua also said that he was "written up", specifically because the building has no heat. The Tenant's Association disagrees with this, and does not blame Superintendants for riser pipe bursts.

BREAKING NEWS - FEB 7, 2008:  Building Manager Leslie Rodriguez is no longer employed here.  This is believed to be fallout from tenant relations. (Later it was clarified that she was transferred to another location within Audubon). We had some issues with Leslie, but our position has always been that the decisions of Senior Management caused tenants here to mobilize, not Leslie's actions. Nevertheless, the Tenant's Association looks forward to starting fresh with a new professional property manager.

BREAKING NEWS - FEB 6, 2008:   A representative of the 380-402 Tenant's Association, spoke at the Newark City Council meeting on two matters of immediate concern.  Eric Martindale presented a petition signed by 75 residents requesting that the Mayor & Council intervene and direct the Rent Control Board to renegotiate a new settlement regarding the electricity seperation court decision. This would remove gray areas, secure a greater rent reduction per room, and define in writing that Dining Rooms count as seperate rooms even if connected to the Living Room, and that Kitchens count as full rooms. The petition also calls for attention from Newark on the riser pipe issue. Councilman Ramos said he's already contacted the Rent Control Board, on our behalf, and requested that the vote be suspended while our concerns are reviewed in detail. This is the response that we hoped for, the petition was a success.

Eric also spoke on our proposed security guard ordinance for Newark, which has been under review and bouncing through different Departments in Newark for months. The council was very pleased with the new suggestion for staggered security, covering less than 24 hours, for buildings that have a single lobby entrance serving under 100 units. This would not require landlord PJ Calello to install any security guards to cover his 87 unit complex at Mt. Prospect & Abington Avenues, because it has 6 entrances. Calello previously pointed out that it would be no more effective than our current guard in the free-standing booth covering our two buildings, and we agreed. City Council President Mildred Crump, Councilman Anibal Ramos, and Councilwoman Dana Rone all praised Eric Martindale, saying that this is a creative compromise solution which they support.  If passed, the ordinance will require many of the older buildings around Fine Fare on Mt. Prospect Ave to install security guards for 8 or 16 hours per day, depending on the number of units in each of those buildings. Those hours will be cover evening, midnight, and early morning, at a bare minimum. This will help realize our goal of making the Fine Fare neighborhood safer, improving the quality of life, and allowing those buildings to control many of their own problems. This will also reduce the burden that buildings place upon the Newark Police Department, and help reduce actual crime.  That's what matters the most, and sometimes we lose sight of that. Councilman Ramos says he anticipates final passage of the ordinance, perhaps in March of this year.

Libre' Jones has done some research, and has determined that Newark doesn't have a good ordinance for Apartment Building Superintendants either, particularly with respect to defining their duties. She wants this to be our next goal.  Since we are writing ordinances and doing work that affects the entire City of Newark, at some point we might change the website name to reflect a city-wide orientation. This is more along the lines of what Mitch Kahn of NJTO is hoping for. One entire page could be set aside for our buildings.

BREAKING NEWS - FEB 5, 2008:  Approximately 75 signatures were gathered on the Electricity Petition to the Newark Mayor & Council.  Many new faces came to our meeting in the lobby of #380 to discuss recent issues.

This website launches TENANT RESOURCE DIRECTORY and BEFORE vs. AFTER, each linked near the top of this home page.  Both are very important documents, going forwards.

BREAKING NEWS - FEB 4, 2008:  One of our representatives met with Building Manager Leslie Rodriguez today. She says that complete upgrades of the laundry rooms will be made soon, including new machines, new tile flooring, and painting of the walls. The stairways in both buildings will be painted soon, as will many of the hallways.

BREAKING NEWS - JAN 31, 2008:  The Tenant's Association will hold a GENERAL MEETING on Tues February 5, 2008 at 8:00 PM in the 380 lobby regarding the electricity seperation issue.  We have determined that there is nothing in writing defining what constitutes a room. That's a gray area, and management will use it to count less rooms in our units, costing us money. We don't like that there are gray areas in the settlement.  Since we are just finalizing our own settlement, we know how settlements work; there is back and forth between the lawyers and their clients until they are signed.  The fact that electricity will be seperated and a settlement will be finalized is a "done deal", but what the settlement says is not a "done deal" until the Rent Control Board votes on it. We are taking some steps behind the scenes regarding the gray areas that could cost us money. Dining Rooms and Kitchens must each count as full rooms, and the large wrap-around living space in a studio unit cannot be counted as only one room.

Anybody wishing to write the Rent Control Board before their 2/11 meeting can do so:  Rent Control Board, 920 Broad Street, Room 113, Newark, NJ 07102, Attn:  Stefan Pryor, Acting Director.  Keep your comments limited to the issue of the gray areas. Objections to the seperation of electricity will not be considered.

BREAKING NEWS - JAN 29, 2008:  ELECTRICITY SEPERATION PLAN WILL BE APPROVED. All tenants received a letter from the Newark Rent Control Board announcing that their rent will be REDUCED at $9.10 per room. This will happen when electricity is seperated so that each unit pays for their own. We need to clarify if the fuse boxes will be upgraded, and what constitutes a "room".  Our stoves and ovens will remain natural gas-powered and free of charge, and cannot be converted over without approval by the Rent Control Board. Our heater/AC units are powered by hot or cold water in pipes, although there is a small electric-powered fan in each that blows air over the hot (or cold) coils. The power used by those fans is insignificant. Some units are expected to save money with this plan, while others will have a slight increase. Most residents in studios might lose money in the long run because they have less rooms. Also, households with four or more persons will likely do the worst, simply because more people equals more energy use. Single people who are rarely home and live in large units will do the best, and might actually save money. The electricity issue was not part of the rent strike, since it had already appealed to New Jersey Superior Court. It is likely that the overall power draw from buildings will reduce once people realize that they have to pay for their energy use.  All residents are encouraged to replace their incandescant light bulbs with spiral flourescant bulbs that are long-lasting and much more energy-efficient. Some of the board members on the Tenants Association already did this before the rent strike began, just for the purpose of being a good citizen and to conserve energy. A hearing will be held on Monday, 2/11/08 at 6:00 PM, but NO TESTIMONY will be allowed from the public. This is a done deal. However, there may be a battle over the definition of a "room". Especially regarding dining rooms. In some units, they are seperate from the living rooms, but others are L-shaped combo rooms.  And we need to clarify that management acknowedges that kitchens are full rooms, as specifically stated by Rent Control.

BREAKING NEWS - JAN 22, 2008:  Downtown Development News:  Military Park and Washington Park look to be the centerpiece of expanding residential growth in the downtown district. North of Military Park, a highrise will be built at Two Center Street. This is next door to the NJPAC, and 20% of the units will be set aside for artists. The groundbreaking will be in 12-18 months. Cogswell Realty, which recently converted a 30+ story vacant office building into luxury apartments (1180 building south of Military Park) has set it's sights on the Griffith Building and Hayne's Department Store, both located on Broad Street west of Military Park. Meanwhile, the iconic and historic tower at 15 Washington Street, long abandoned, will be converted into student housing. This building is next to Washington Park. Urban planners feel that creating a core of several thousand generally upscale residential units is necessary to attracting better quality retail stores. It is hoped that the gritty and inner-city identity of the downtown shopping district (vicinity of Broad & Market) can be transformed into something that will contribute more tax revenues and be attractive to everyone in Essex County.  Part of this plan is removing the street merchants, which must vacate the sidewalks within weeks.

NOTE - JANUARY 21, 2008:  Acting in good faith, this webmaster requests guidance by email from the Tenant's legal counsel on how to edit the website content prior to an important date, but receives no suggestions until February 7th. Copies of these emails have been preserved as evidence that good faith efforts to secure input on website content were made.

BREAKING NEWS - JAN 17, 2008:  Wesley Towers fails to evict the pigeon lady.  But the judge says if he sees her in court again for feeding pigeons, she'll be evicted.  Daniel Acosta, Manager of Wesley Towers, says Ms. Silva was in court yesterday late morning, and therefore the person that Marc Goren confronted yesterday at Fine Fare must have been ANOTHER pigeon feeder.  Acosta wants our association and other buildings to keep a sharp lookout for any future pigeon feeding, and to email any fresh pictures to him.  We have his email, contact us.

BREAKING NEWS - JAN 16, 2008:  PIGEON LADY COULD BE EVICTED TODAY !!!   Wesley Towers is in court TODAY for a final eviction hearing against Ms. Silva, for feeding 300 pigeons at Mt. Prospect and Abington. These pigeons are roosting and resting on our buildings and making a mess. We are in contact with residents of other highrises on the street who are also faced with this problem.

BREAKING NEWS - JAN 12, 2008:  Yesterday, management distributed a new set of rules and regulations to all residents today. The document is entitled "Community Policies and Procedures".  It doesn't mention pets, but Leslie confirmed by email that the ban on pets is still in place. We have requested it in electronic form, for posting on our website.

BREAKING NEWS - JAN 11, 2008:  Heavy work continued today in the 380 parking structure on leaks in the riser pipes for the heating system. This pipe failure was the riser itself, while many past breaks have been where the heater unit piping in an individual apartment connects to the riser. 

BREAKING NEWS - JAN 10, 2008:  The Forest Hill Superneighborhood Council www.foresthillnj.org secured a committment from Newark to work towards installing bus shelters on Mt. Prospect Ave, and has formed a subcommittee to pursue the matter.  This was at the request of our organization. They are also sending a letter of concern to the Mayor and Police Director regarding safety concerns of the entire Forest Hill district.

See January 10th Meeting Notes regarding the Forest Hill Superneighborhood Council.

BREAKING NEWS - DEC 30, 2007:   Drug dealing and other criminal activities has been reported directly to the POLICE, who keep the source confidential. We haven't reported these issues to management.  At least 6 residents in our buildings (including several people who are not officers with the Tenant's Association) have met with the police to report criminal activities in the last few months. It came to our attention today that several tenants are talking about it behind our backs, and spreading false rumors. What is this, an 8th grade classroom ???  Yes, we are watching for criminal activity. Drug dealing and gang activity will not be tolerated here.

BREAKING NEWS - DEC 29, 2007:  Fine-Fare Supermarket opens at the corner of Mt. Prospect & Second Avenues.  Prices are mid-way between a bodega and a full-size Supermarket. The entrance is inviting and has the appearance of a mainstream Supermarket.  Fine-Fare replaces the former bodega known as the C-Town, which had a jail-like appearance..

BREAKING NEWS - DEC 27, 2007:  SECURITY GUARD ORDINANCE MAKING PROGRESS.  Regarding the revised security guard ordinance, we received word  today that it is making the rounds through the various departments within the City of Newark.  In one form or another, Eric Martindale's new security guard ordinance will become law.  It will force our management to install 24 hour security in each building lobby.

The Community Safety Meeting was very well attended, and a summary will be posted soon.

BREAKING NEWS - DEC 26, 2007:  A Community Safety Meeting is being held tomorrow, Dec 27, Thursday 6:00 - 8:00 PM at Templo Roco de Mi Salvacio, 860 Broadway (near Verona Ave).  Sponsored by the church and Councilman Ramos.  Invited guests are Mayor Cory Booker, Police Director Garry McCarthy, and Police Captain Tony Perez.  "The purpose is to discuss safety measures in response to recent criminal acts against the community."

BREAKING NEWS - DEC 20, 2007 8:40 AM:  Our Chairperson, Libre', has received word from the City Rent Control Department that the building owners are again moving forward with their 2006 plan to seperate electricity so that each tenant pays their own electricity. This does NOT affect the gas range or oven, or the heat/AC radiator units, except for the little motorized fan in each radiator.  Heat and AC is delivered by pumping hot or cold water into the radiators from centralized systems that provide for each entire building.

BREAKING NEWS - DEC 19, 2007:  See Crime Alert from Newark Police

Another major police incident has occurred because there are no security guards in the building lobbies.  An unauthorized person gained access to the 380 building the other day, and was found sleeping in the stairwell between the 6th and 7th floors.  The police were called and THE INTRUDER STRUCK THE POLICEMAN. Since there is no security desk with a sign-in sheet, it is unknown what unit he was attempting to visit. 

Last week there was an arrest in the 380 building, following a lengthy narcotics investigation. We later learned that drugs were not found, it was not a drug arrest. The accused is the son of a tenant who is a responsible and law-abiding citizen, and who strongly wanted her children to stay out of trouble. The flow of guests to this unit has ended.  On Saturday the 15th, another tenant (who's estranged boyfriend had vandalized common areas and the patio door of Unit 5H) moved out. She relocated to the nearby Forest Hill Towers. This was a family stress situation; they are the parents of 2 young children. Newark police pressured management over the repeated violent incidents.

Each of these units had been frequently inviting the "street element" into the building, in the form of guests.  The flow of "guests" has ended to both units.  The building is now a quieter and safer place.

BREAKING NEWS - DEC 13, 2007:  There has been heavy police action in the 402 building, and also in the 380 building against multiple tenants potentially engaged in illegal activity.

BREAKING NEWS - DEC 5, 2007:  While visiting the Essex County court complex, Eric had an impromptu meeting with neighboring landlord Jay Calello, and discussed various items, including the terminology of the security guard ordinance.

BREAKING NEWS - NOV 29, 2007:  Today we met Frank Bembry, who is moving into Unit 14A of #380 on Saturday.  He is a Black-Seal Certified Boiler technician.  This does not resolve an ongoing violation because he will only work two hours a day, 5PM - 7PM, from Monday to Friday.

BREAKING NEWS NOV 16, 2007:  Our website format is revised.  The section called "How to Contact" is now called "Links & Contacts".  Section called "Maintenance Form" is now called "Rent Strike Issues". The prior list of issues compiled months ago was removed and replaced with a new list originally compiled on 10/19. The Maintenance Form is still there via a downloadable link. 

BREAKING NEWS - NOV 15, 2007:  Inspections at 402 Mt. Prospect by the State Dept of Community Affairs have been completed.  The Forest Hill Superneighborhood Organization has launched it's website, www.foresthillnj.org

BREAKING NEWS - NOV 13, 2007:  Word has reached us that management was in court versus the State Dept. of Community Affairs because we advised the State that there is no Black Seal Certified staff onsite at 380 Mt. Prospect. Management lost in court, and we're told the fine was $150,000. The number was so high because of how long the violation had been ongoing. We're still looking to confirm this.

BREAKING NEWS - NOV 8, 2007:  Day 2 of State Dept. of Community Affairs inspections at 380 Mt. Prospect.  Management kept postponing this 5-year inspection (originally set for October), but after receiving a letter from us, they decided to do the inspections. Getting them to consider the corroded riser issue has proven to be a challenge. Also present today were CITY inspectors conducting an unrelated Certificate of Code Compliance inspection. This inspection came at our request, as a result of our investigations into irregularities. These multiple inspections without adequate explanation from management has confused many tenants, some of which left thinking all inspections were done.  This may be a deliberate tactic so that as few apartments as possible are actually inspected. Tomorrow they will finish floors 2-6 in the 380 building.

BREAKING NEWS - NOV 7, 2007:  The organization suffered a temporary setback today when the Newark City Council deferred passage of the new security guard ordinance, which was drafted by this organization. The ordinance was deferred for further discussion, but it will definately pass in one form or another, said Councilman Anibal Ramos. Ramos said they are reviewing the potential impact that the ordinance will have on the city's Senior Citizen buildings, because any building over 80 units would have to provide a guard (instead of 100).  Many residents were unruly at the meeting and protesting against the Booker administration on other matters, especially the removal of street vendors from downtown streets. Two lawyers representing management sat there for 5 hours, and they never spoke a word.

Also, the new website of the Forest Hill Superneighborhood organization was launched today by one of our Board members, and data will be fed as it arrives.  For now, the url is http://www.foresthillnj.org/.

BREAKING NEWS - NOV 4, 2007:  Our Chair, Libre' Jones, has affirmed that replacement of all the ORIGINAL riser pipes associated with the heating and cooling systems must occur. These pipes have corroded much faster than the tap water plumbing system because they carry very hot water from October to April every year.  Bursts of these pipes cause nearly 100% of "no heat" complaints, since the boilers themselves are new. Pipe bursts are the primary cause of the following problems (1) no heat or air conditioning due to intentional shutoffs of the systems to allow for repairs (2) water damages in units to ceilings, walls, carpet, and wood floors buckling (3) mold and mildew (4) water infiltration into parking structures.  We are not looking to achieve "band-aid" repairs of these problems, we want to stop them from happening going forwards. Since ALL the remaining original pipes are very old and likely to burst within soon, this is in managements best financial interests because they can replace the pipes in a BULK contract with a plumber, and they can do it WITHOUT the expense of repairs inside units, and the expense of dealing with upset tenants launching future rent strikes. These repairs will have to commence in late April or May, since the heating / AC systems would have to be shut down.

BREAKING NEWS - NOV 3, 2007:  Newark's 2nd annual Superneighborhood Conference at NJIT was an INCREDIBLE SUCCESS.  Turnout was far greater than the first conference. Newark is being divided into 20 Superneighborhoods, each of which will focus on creating an internal sense of community, and focus on "local" issues of concern.  Much of the change in Newark over the next decade is likely to come from this initiative. 25 people came for the Forest Hill Superneighborhood, the largest turnout of all the groups there. We will remain actively involved in this effort after we win the rent strike.

The Forest Hill Superneighborhood will be meeting the first Thursday evening of every month at the Ridge Street school.  The organization will work on improving parks and recreation, code enforcement, pedestrian safety, reducing loitering around stores, organizing block clubs, increasing community policing, and improving pedestrian lighting.

Libre' Jones spoke with Mayor Cory Booker at the event, and he wants to meet with our Tenant's Association. Libre' will communicate further to set up this meeting.

Eric Martindale spoke with Mike Greene, Director of Neighborhood Services at the event. He will direct the Newark Dept. of Sanitation to work with our management to find an alternative to "curbside" pickup of garbage bags. Dragging bags to the curb is a burden on our maintenance staff, and the staging of a hundred bags overnight along the sidewalk is very unsightly. 

Recycling:  At Eric's request, Mike Greene will also investigate if management can be forced to implement a recycling plan for cans, bottles, cardboard, and newspaper. (Hint: If existing city ordinances don't require private apartment buildings to recycle, the Tenant's Association will just have to write a new ordinance to make it happen).

BREAKING NEWS - OCT 31, 2007:  The rehab of Fine Fare has been delayed because the Newark Building Dept wants a building permit for the new large awning/signage, but they may open before 12/1. The Tenants Association held a Hallowean Party in the 380 lobby earlier this evening, and distributed candy to tenants and pedestrians on the street. 

BREAKING NEWS - OCT 30, 2007:   Major plumbing repairs are underway in the parking garage of #380, and have been for over 10 days.

BREAKING NEWS- OCT 29, 2007:  (1) Mt. Prospect Ave was finally paved today after we suffered three weeks of interim conditions (2) management began work on tenant repairs as part of the rent strike (3) heat is intermittant in many apartments (4) State Dept. of Community Affairs inspectors are coming 11/7 to do the standard inspection every 5 years, (5) City inspectors are returning 11/8 to review issues affecting the Temporary Certificate of Code Compliance dating from the building sale, and (6) we believe the "sale" of the building in January or February of this year was a transparent sale from one LLC to another within the same organization (7) We've been invited to the Superneighborhood meeting Saturday morning 11/3

BREAKING NEWS - OCT 21, 2007:  Tenants meet to discuss ongoing issues, including legal matters. Yesterday, eight inspectors from the City of Newark blitzed the 380 building and found numerous violations in units and common areas. Details are forthcoming, but they include lack of a Certificate of Code Compliance when they bought the building, an inoperative elevator, and a plexiglass front door. Joshua Figeroa told the inspectors that there are 2.5 staff per building, resulting in another violation (there must be 4 staff per building).  Several tenants have to move cars in the 380 garage tomorrow morning because water is being shutoff to repair the C and D riser pipes.  We are also awaiting the completion of street paving.  Mt. Prospect Ave has been rougher than The Badlands of South Dakota for over a week.

BREAKING NEWS - OCT 19, 2007:  Tomorrow the city inspectors will comb the 380 building from top to bottom to document code violations.

BREAKING NEWS - OCT 18, 2007:  A dozen residents attended the Oct 17 city council meeting to support the first reading of Newark's new security guard ordinance. 

BREAKING NEWS - OCT 14, 2007:  Concerned residents are attending the Wednesday 10/17/07 7:30 PM City Council meeting to support the First Reading of a city ordinance to strengthen regulations requiring security guards for large residential complexes to be located in the lobbies. We wrote the ordinance, and it affects the entire city going forwards. It also imposes fines and jail time for building owners who violate the ordinance (we didn't write that part).

BREAKING NEWS - OCT 13, 2007:  It's after October 1st, it was cold last night, and there's no heat in the buildings. Tenants turning on their gas ovens to heat their units are advised to put a pot of water in the oven to absorb deadly carbon monoxide (CO) gas. Call the code enforcement 24/7 hotline at 973-733-6471 to report a violation.

BREAKING NEWS - OCTOBER 11, 2007:  At the request of the Tenant's Association and Councilman Anibal Ramos, city inspectors from multiple city departments will conduct unprecedented code enforcement blitzes of our buildings on Saturday Oct 20 (#380) and Saturday, Oct 27 (#402). They will inspect all common areas and inside very apartment.  This is UNRELATED to the postponed State Dept. of Community Affairs inspections originally set for Oct 10th.

BREAKING NEWS - OCT 9, 2007:  Fall 2007 newsletter contains abundant news. 

Also, Sam Delgado and Esmeralda Cameron are hosting a wine and cheese party / social gathering for our members and other residents from our buildings and the neighborhood to meet Theresa Ruiz and Grace Spencer, both Democratic candidates for the State Legislature. This will be on Wednesday,Oct 10, 2007 at 7:00 PM at 380 Mt. Prospect Ave, #15E.

Unit 16E, the luxury penthouse apartment in the #380 building is now vacant and for rent.. This 2000 square foot spread in a luxury high-rise is almost unmatched in Essex County. It contains 3 bedrooms, 2 baths,  a giant-sized living room, and 2 balconies (same floor plan as #15E, come see it on 10/10). Underground parking and 24-hour security in the lobbies (starting soon). The views of NYC and downtown Newark cannot possibly be described here, it simply must be seen. This unit would be $10,000 a month or more in Manhattan. At $1,600 a month, people might be fighting each other in the management office for the right to sign this lease. Former tenants Brian & Nancy have moved into their new single-family home in another part of Newark.

BREAKING NEWS --- SEPT 28, 2007:  We have no definitive proof that our buildings or Parkwood Place will be sold; we do not know if the October 10th and 12th inspections are sale-related. Charles Auffont, attorney for the Tenants Association advises that the Bush Administration isn't giving out new Section 8 subsidies. There are no government monies available for any low-income conversion projects. Therefore, this author believes that the investors are using classic 1950's scare tactics to drive down property values in advance of purchasing as many properties on this street as they can get. Auffont said we cannot stop the sales.

BREAKING NEWS --- SEPT 25, 2007: About 50 people from our buildings and the neighborhood met to discuss multiple issues. Guest speakers included Oscar Rodriguez, Chair of the Forest Hill Superneighborhood organization, Ann-Marie Gatling of the 375 Mt. Prospect Manor condos, Marguerita Muniz (Vice-President of the City Council), and Oscar Rodriguez and Kent of Fine Fare Supermarkets. The conversion of the former C-Town into Fine Fare will be a dramatic transformation, and the opening day is expected around November 1st. The group will forward our recommendations to Fine Fare.  Many of us went on a walking tour of the downtrodden apartment buildings as far south as 311 Mt. Prospect. We will be forwarding a list to Superneighborhood of code violations and issues for them to spruce up the street.  We discussed the building sale rumors, which are focussed on the Parkwood Place complex next to #380.  Sale of that building is said to be imminent. Gatling will be meeting with Mayor Booker, who is said to be concerned about the matter.

BREAKING NEWS --- SEPT 21, 2007:  Multiple groups of bearded investors, dressed in traditional black clothing have been walking up and down Mt. Prospect from Ballantine to past C-Town. We received a copy of a letter from Ann-Marie Gatling, Chair of the 375 Mt. Prospect Manor Condominiums to Mayor Corey Booker protesting what she thinks are the stated plans of the investors.  The investors told her and a resident of #380 that they intend to run the buildings as ******* (false rumor removed 1/27/08). Gatling takes this at face value. It's also possible that they want to colonize this district with an eruv, since they've run out of space in Brooklyn, and everything is so expensive there. In close walking distance, Forest Hill has estates and nice houses, as well as the lower-end apartments with storefronts that they can use for their stores, and all real estate here is at bargain price compared to Brooklyn. If they want to live here, it is universally understood that everyone is welcomed in our diverse neighborhood. If they want to be outsiders who will run the buildings down as slumlords, this is something we do not support.

BREAKING NEWS --- SEPT 13, 2007:  NJN airs a story on issues at our complex. Featured speakers include Libre' Jones, Marc Goren, Esmeralda Cameron, and Vincent Britt. 

BREAKING NEWS --- AUG 31, 2007:  Major progress was made on a secret initiative, known as "Operation Checkmate"..  (Note 1/27/08: this is regarding the Security Guard ordinance)

BREAKING NEWS --- August 27, 2007.  HOME MOVIE LAUNCHED on our website.  Watching the movie (created by Anthony Pierre) is a MUST, and it answers all your questions. It's only 20 minutes or so. You'll see right from the captivating introduction that THE MOVIE IS BETTER THAN BEING THERE. 

NY Times prints article on the Forest Hill Section of Newark, entitled: Yes We're In Newark

BREAKING NEWS:  AUG 9, 2007:  Libre' Jones sends a letter to Audubon Communities in Maple Shade advising Audubon that "your information as owners of the building is not registered with the city". This was based on information from the Newark Tax Assessor's office.

BREAKING NEWS:  AUG 4, 2007:  Press Conference in front of #402 Mt. Prospect Ave. The press conference was delayed 15 minutes because Libre's husband was trapped, and had to be rescued by the Newark Fire Department from the new elevator in Bldg #380.

The city's efforts to enforce the ordinance requiring onsite security guards has to start from scratch after 3 months. City Inspector Ruth Pomales cited violations to the previous owner because tax records were not up to date. Pomales inspected the properties on August 3, 2007, and cited the new owner with a violation notice for failing to have security guards in each building. After 30 days or so, she will return and issue final violation notices. A court date in Newark Municipal Court is not likely until November because the courts are backed up. Pomales will appear in court herself and square off against the owner's attorney. Pomales says that the Tenant's Association WILL NOT BE INFORMED of the court date, and has NO RIGHT to file a motion as a concerned party and testify on the matter. We will check with NJTO on this.  Pomales also says that it is not her duty to determine what a Superintendant's job responsibilities entails. As long as one is present at the building, she will not issue a violation notice. We are already investigating this matter further.  We've recently determined that the building is in violation of at least 8 more city ordinances.

BREAKING NEWS:  JULY 31, 2007:  Charles Reyher, President of Audubon Communities, appeared on Tuesday 7/31/07 with Tammy Shields and their attorney for one hour in each building lobby to try and pacify residents. They refused to acknowledge that the Tenant's Association exists as an organization, and refused to negotiate with us as an organization.  As a result of this insult, the Tenant's Association will expand the scope to include inspections and code enforcements actions. They refused to discuss the security guard matter, saying that it is going into litigation. This infuriated everyone.  Reyher was also bombarded with individual resident's concerns about leaks, faulty AC, etc. Most of the residents left the meeting with a negative opinion of management. Six more residents who attended this showing decided to join with us, and contributed checks to the organization within 24 hours.

We are not making a political statement, and we are not affliliated with any local or national politics.  (However, Mitch Kahn of the NJ Tenants Association has advised us that in reality we ARE making a political statement, which is that tenants have rights and have the right to organize to pursue those rights. He encourages us to attend city council meetings and get involved with local politics). We have nothing personal against Building Manager Leslie Rodriguez or the owner, Charles Reyher. We are all about ORDER and living in a structured community. We support the concept that the buildings must be firmly under the control of the superintendants and security guards. Simply filling the positions with bodies and giving them no responsibility or authority is unacceptable. Mr. Reyher doesn't realize it, but us tenant activists are actually the best tenants he has here. And we're the ones that otherwise pay our rent on time and keep our units clean. 

BREAKING NEWS: JULY 9, 2007:  Inspector Paulo DeSousa of the City of Newark cites management for violation of Ordinance 18:5-1.1, as follows "Owner/Operator/Agent must provide an armed security guard for (8) hours of every (24) hours, as well as an unarmed security guard for the remaining (16) hours, during each day of the year.  This was based on an inspection on June 25th.  Note:  Management was able to avoid this action because the new owners never registered with the city, and the violation notices were sent to the old owners.

BREAKING NEWS:  JUNE 20, 2007:  The Superintendant, Carlos, is dismissed by management.  He was the only live-in Superintendent in either building.

BREAKING NEWS:  JUNE 19, 2007:  Two members of the Steering Committee, Eric Martindale and Summarra Ortiz, met with Charles Reyher to discuss building issues.  Reyher says the elevator replacement project ran $200,00 for each of the four elevators.  He says the boilers and AC Compressors are new and the roof was replaced. He claims that one maintenance person for every 100 units is an industry standard.  We discussed the lack of response to emergencies during overnight hours.  Mr. Reyher was upset and had Leslie Rodriguez pull records showing how many times people were paid overtime to respond to emergency calls, when in fact no responses ever happened. He promisses to institute an emergency number that will be answered by a live person when the office is not open. Our representatives made a professional appeal to Mr. Reyher and stated that we want to work with management to make our buildings a better place. We stated that if security guards are not restored in the lobbies that a rent strike would commence.  He said that he would come in the second week of July "to meet with all the tenants in each building". He promisses new laundry machines and to pave all asphalt driveways and parking areas onsite. He also blames the Newark rent control laws, and says that they are a dis-incentive for him to run these buildings as high-end residences. 

BREAKING NEWS:  MAY 16, 2007:  Mayor and Council of the City of Newark pass Motion # 7MA1-051607.  This motion, sponsored by Councilman Anibal Ramos, is "Requesting that the Department of Administration Enforce City Ordinances Regarding Security Guards, Building Maintenance, especially elevator repairs and lack of active superintendent at the following buildings 376-396 (aka 380) Mt. Prospect Avenue and 398-406 (aka 402) Mt. Prospect Avenue".

********************************************* BASIC INFORMATION ********************************

HOW A RENT STRIKE WORKS

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

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

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

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