380-402 TENANTS ASSOCIATION
RESOURCE CENTER
| HOW OUR BUILDINGS HAVE IMPROVED | ||
| BEFORE VS. AFTER | ||
| It has come to our attention that some prospective tenants are REFUSING TO RENT HERE because they review our website and apartment rating websites, and read about chaos and negative information. This is the last thing that management or the Tenant's Association wants. This has prompted us to create this document. Most negative ratings reflect problems that no longer exist. | ||
| Anyone who is concerned enough to research the buildings online is somebody that we want as our neighbor. We want to make it EXTREMELY CLEAR to everyone that conditions here have dramatically improved, and that ratings posted in 2007 and earlier do not reflect the current conditions of Mt. Prospect Tower and Abington Tower. Conditions are expected to continue to improve. | ||
| LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This document makes no reference as to what events transpired in order for these changes to occur. It merely a STATEMENT OF FACT documenting before vs. after conditions. | ||
| APRIL 30, 2007 (BEFORE) | MAY 4, 2008 (CURRENT) | COMMENT |
| ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES | ||
| There is no Tenants Association at 380 and 402 Mt. Prospect Ave to represent the tenants | 380-402 Tenants Association remains active and organized. | 380-402 Tenants Association has first meeting on May 1, 2007 and registered dozens of members |
| Residents don’t know where to turn to resolve problems and don't have the information | Tenants Association assists greatly; residents talk to us and/or review this website for information | www.380402tenants.org June 10, 2007 and the Tenant Resource Directory was posted on Feb 4, 2008 |
| City of Newark does not have its own TENANT RESOURCE HUB | It still doesn't, but this is being seriously talked about. | Our organization is pushing city leaders to make this a reality |
| BUILDING STAFFING ISSUES | ||
| No security guards in the lobbies. 24/7 personnel were removed in early April of 2007 | 24/7 lobby security to be re-instated upon passage of Newark's new security guard ordinance | passage is anticipated by June 2008, with enforcement immediately afterwards. |
| No Black-Seal Certified Boiler Operators live in the buildings; nor are they on duty 24/7 | In October 2007, Frank Bembry, an 8-hour Black-Seal Boiler operator, moved into the #402 building. | State Inspectors are periodically reviewing this for compliance with State Statutes. Full compliance is not achieved |
| The Building Superintendants do not live in the complex, therefore they are not true 24/7 Supers | There are two onsite Superintendants, one for each building. But both live in #402 | They moved in August and September of 2007. Issues of certification still outstanding |
| Dissatisfaction with the Superintendent for 380 Mt. Prospect Avenue | Alberto takes over as full-time Superintendent for 380 Mt. Prospect Avenue | Joshua Figueroa is no longer the Superintendent. He was reassigned elsewhere approx. 3/11/08 |
| There is nobody to answer the phone at the management office, except 9-5, and not even then at all times | A live answering service answers in overnight hours. | This was set up in June, 2007. Answering of the phone DURING normal business hours is still on issue |
| Even in emergencies, there is no Maintenance staff available to respond during non-office hours | Maintenance staff will be ordered to respond to a "true emergency" 24/7. Log books are kept of all instances. | This was set up in June, 2007 |
| Management is non-responsive to complaints, and responds slowly and incompletely to repair requests | Management responds promptly, and major improvement has been made in getting repairs completed | We've clearly turned the corner on this, but some old repair requests are still outstanding |
| Management is generally arrogant and doesn't take tenant complaints seriously | Management no longer dismisses the concerns of the Tenants Association | Senior management still doesn't like us and won't meet with us; but we are taken seriously. |
| Leslie Rodriguez is the Property Manager; she is considered inept by many residents here | New professional Property Manager, Trudy Kellett, has taken over. Wants to work with Tenant's Association | Leslie Rodriguez was reassigned elsewhere on 2/7/08; Trudy Kellett hired 2/11/08 |
| MANAGEMENT POLICY ISSUES | ||
| Buildings have no Rules and Regulations | Building Rules & Regulations have been established | These were distributed by Management on 1/11/08. Additional rules are possible. |
| Tenants not getting receipts for rent checks | Tenants can get receipts for rent checks upon request | This is the policy for all tenants, , effective February 2008 |
| Record-keeping of each tenant's account is shoddy | We believe that some improvement has occurred | |
| There are no records kept of repair requests made by tenants, either ongoing or completed. | Every call to management generates a "work order" and records are kept. | Tenants are requested to sign the work order to establish that the repairs have been completed. |
| Band-Aid repair approach to the heating system riser pipes; they will not consider replacing riser pipes | Management acknowledges that entire failing riser lines will need to be replaced, "as needed" | One of the two "B-Line" heating system risers at 380 has been replaced, ground to 16th floor |
| No effective policy on dogs. Issues include barking, attacks on persons, urinating in common areas | Some action has been taken on this; including a ban on new dogs which grandfathers existing dogs | further policy changes under very strong consideration by Trudy Kellett and Charles Reyher. |
| MAINTENANCE & REPAIR ISSUES | ||
| Central Boilers and AC units not checked and monitored according to state statutes | They are required to check boiler and AC systems every 2 hours, release pressure as needed, & keep a log. | Some progress with the log books, but we suspect that "gaps" over 2 hours are still occurring |
| Periodic outages of heat and AC, almost 50% of these at 380 caused by problematic B-line riser pipe | Entire "B" line riser in 380 to be replaced from garage to 16th floor in February 2008. | Work is under way at this writing, to be completed within days. There will be less outages in the future. |
| There was no chemical treatment of water in the riser systems, causing severe rust and corrosion | Chemical treatments of water in the riser systems has begun. | This problem was worse in the 380 building, that's why 402 has much less riser problems. |
| If one riser pipe breaks, the entire building is without heat or AC until the repairs are made. | Vertical water lines have been isolated, so entire building will never be affected by a riser break | A series of shutoff valves were installed over many months Fall 2007 thru Winter 2008 |
| Elevator installs in progress in each building. Only one elevator works in each building | Each building has two brand new elevators. | Issues with calibration were ongoing after installation, Millenium couldn't effectively resolve these. |
| Millenium Elevators is slow and ineffective in repairing elevators | Atlantic Elevator Co (of 841 Mt. Prospect Ave) has taken over as the elevator maintenance company | as of Feb 19, 2008. Elevators repaired that day; everyone is very happy with elevators since then. |
| Hallways are not properly lit, and stairwells go black if the power is out | Hallways are lighted, and stairwell lights are battery operated | there are still occasional outages |
| Stairwells are dingy | Stairwells may soon undergo a painting job | |
| Laundry rooms are old and dingy | No improvement yet | Management pledged again on 2/4/08 to completely overhaul the laundry rooms "soon" |
| Lobby and grounds not regularly cleaned of litter | Maintenance personnel usually respond quickly to pick up litter | |
| Driveways are in serious need of repaving | Contracts were pending for Spring of 2008, but is being postponed. Instead painted the lines | Unsure when driveways will be paved |
| INVOLVEMENT OF CITY OFFICIALS & POLICE DEPARTMENT | ||
| Newark's Security Guard Ordinance is vague; potentially allows landlords can skimp on security | New ordinance introduced in September, was written by our Tenant's Association | Under review; it will be passed, and will require 24/7 security at each highrise bldg over 100 units. |
| Tenants have no working relationship with city officials | Tenants leaders here have a close working relationship with our city councilman | North Ward Councilman is Anibal Ramos, Jr. See also www.anibalramosjr.com |
| Newark's Code enforcement personnel are not giving proper attention to our buildings | Code enforcement prioritizes complaints from our buildings and responds promptly | Newark City Council resolution in mid-2007 orders Code Enforcement to respond fully to us. |
| Newark Police don't know what is going on in the buildings | Tenants leaders meet with Police Captain and detectives, as needed | Yes, we discuss existing or potential illegal activities. |
| Ongoing pigeon feeding on Abington Ave causing pigeons to roost and nest on our buildings | Pigeon feeding dramatically down in 2008, along with roosting activity | Due to city's enforcement actions |
| NEIGHBORHOOD ISSUES | ||
| JANUARY 1, 2007 (BEFORE) | CURRENT CONDITIONS | COMMENT |
| Run-down bodega called C-Town is at Mt. Prospect & 2nd. Prices high, store is dirty and nobody shops there | $1,000,000 + project was completed to rehab into a Fine Fare (it is a small supermarket, not a bodega). | Fine Fare opened 12/28/07. Within walking distance. Clean and busy, prices are more reasonable. |
| Downtown Mt. Prospect Ave (Elwood to Heller Parkway) needed a facelift and there wasn't enough parking | Angled parking installed, adding 28 spaces to the block. Two boarding houses closed down. | Completed in phases; fancy light poles to be erected next and old telephone poles will be removed |
| Street is unpaved | Mt. Prospect Ave is newly paved | Street was paved in August 2007 |
| Storm sewer clogged, causing flood waters to surge into #380 basement in heavy rains, damaging systems | Brand new storm sewer with narrow slots to prevent bottles from falling in. This has resolved that problem. | It was installed with the street paving in August, 2007 |
| No organization to represent merchants and advance improvements of Mt. Prospect | Mt. Prospect Business Improvement District (BID) is established. Collects special tax to improve the street | BID organization was setup in 2007, and it will be funded by June, 2008 |
| No organization to represent the interests of the Forest Hill neighborhood within City Hall | Mt. Prospect Superneighborhood Council elected | Forest Hill Superneighborhood setup in 2007, still organizing for major projects |
| Triangular Mt. Prospect Park (next to Fine Fare) is run-down, sloped, and underutilized | It is still the same way | Talks underway to regrade and rehab the park, possibly with a fountain or playground |
| Houses across the street are worn and deteriorated | Major renovations began on two houses in March, 2008 | biggest improvement is the mini-mansion next to 380 Mt. Prospect Manor |
| No openings exist at any of the quality day care centers in our neighborhood | North Ward Center opens their third Child Development Center. | Opened in Sept, 2007, in walking distance from our building |
| Police Station is old; and there is no community recreation center for the North Ward | Still the same way, but….. | Groundbreaking in 2008 on 7 acre police station/community center on Grafton Ave near Route 21 |
| For more info, see www.380402tenants.org | ||
| The 380-402 Tenants' Association is here to stay. Our input, our leadership, and our advocacy for our buildings have helped to bring about some of the above listed changes. Other changes were made solely at the initiative of management. Neighborhood improvements are also happening at the same time, which neither or us are responsible. The purpose of this "BEFORE VS. AFTER" is simply to document what has changed, it is not assign credit either to tenants or management. At some point in the future, management will look back and appreciate what has been accomplished. | ||
