BREAKING NEWS - OCT 9, 2008:  MANAGEMENT CHANGES DOG POLICY.  Notices are posted everywhere saying that residents are no longer permitted to walk dogs on our property.  This is because too many dogs were leaving "gifts", and residents were not cleaning up after the dogs.  No dogs are allowed to live in the building either, although there are still grandfathered dogs, and also a few people who came with dogs in violation of building rules.  Quite a few dogs have been evicted, by action of management, especially large and/or aggressive dogs.

"STOP WORK ORDER" FOR 401 MT. PROSPECT:  At the urging of a member of this Tenant Association's Steering Committee, various community leaders in the Forest Hill neighborhood submitted multiple complaints to Newark Code Enforcement and other city officials regarding the illegal paving of the entire front yard of 401 Mt. Prospect Ave. This is the Greek Revival home with four columns, located directly across from Abington Tower. Inspectors came promptly and determined that the work is in violation of the zoning ordinance, and possibly the historic preservation codes for the Forest Hill National Historic District.  There is now a red violation sticker prominently displayed on the front door.  About half the paving has been completed. There is a good chance it'll have to be ripped up.

BREAKING NEWS - OCT 7, 2008:  SPECIAL HEARING ON SECURITY GUARD ORDINANCE.  Newark conducts a special public hearing on the Security Guard ordinance, prior to final adoption which is scheduled for October 15th.  There is massive opposition to the ordinance, mostly coming from building owners and managers. Charles Reyher, President of Audubon, attended with a lawyer from their law firm. Most of the objectors focussed on a clause that allows tenants in buildings between 50 and 100 units to initiate a process to get security.  This was not in our original draft to the city, but was added during the 12 month period that the city studied and rewrote the ordinance after it was tabled in October 2007.  

Management at 1180 Raymond Boulevard made a very arrogant request on October 7, 2008, which is to reword the Newark security guard ordinance so that they can petition the city to eliminate the armed guard requirement without notifying their tenants.  Ironically, that is the building that most needs an armed guard at night due to its downtown location.  Once the sun goes down and the office workers leave the area, vagrants and the criminal element descend upon downtown Newark from Baxter Village, the YMCA, and other troubled places. Yes, the new 1180 building is the most upscale residential tower in Newark, but it is definately not in a safe location at night. Now that I have posted this online, any google search for 1180 Raymond Boulevard should pop this paragraph. Hopefully their tenants will find out about this.

Opposition also came from leaders of the HUD Tenants Coalition, which is an association of Tenant Groups representing subsidized buildings.  They feel the ordinance isn't strong enough, and it should be tabled and re-written. They also pointed out that the ordinance no longer regulates townhouses and garden apartments.  That is not exactly true, but clearly it has become a gray area due to how the city re-wrote our proposal. Our original draft continued the security guard requirements for garden apartments and townhouses, as well as providing security in the lobbies for each and every freestanding building over 100 units.  Representatives of our organization attended.  Our position is that the ordinance itself is the middle ground between the two groups of objectors. It should be passed, and the city can always tinker with it some more afterwards. We feel that if it is tabled again, the ordinance would be at great risk of dying.

A mason has been busy adding stucco with wire mesh to the lobby and canopy ceilings of 380. 

Residents of the "C" line in 380 got notice of an upcoming riser replacement project on floors 2 - 7.  It is unknown if floors 8 - 15 will eventually be replaced.

BREAKING NEWS - OCT 6, 2008:  Most of the members of the Newark Rent Control Board visited the complex for a private "fact finding meeting" with management, in preperation for the October 14th Capital Improvement Surcharge hearing.  Tenants were not informed or included. One member of our Steering Committee chanced upon the end of the meeting in the 380 lobby, but was not allowed to participate. The Board listened to management's standard answers and half-truths regarding staffing, maintenance and repair issues.  Maria Hernandez, Director of Rent Control, stated that tenants who disagree can air their views at the October 14th hearing.  That's kind of difficult, when we don't know everything that management said at today's private meeting.  So in that regard, today's meeting was unfair to tenants and it was totally biased in favor of management.  Tenants are NOT given the right to have a similar private meeting with the Rent Control Board, so why should the landlords? 

Wait till the Rent Control Board finds out about all the Building Code violations. That'll be an eye-opener.

Today's 5:00 PM hearing for transfer of a liquor license to a proposed "Liquor Warehouse" at 690 Mt. Prospect Ave has been adjourned until a future date. Reason unknown.  Other liquor stores on the street are fighting it with lawyers, and the Mt. Prospect Business Improvement District is also opposed.  Word has begun to circulate throughout the Forest Hill Community, thanks to information gathered yesterday by Councilman Anibal Ramos.

Tuesday's important "event" at 3:00 PM is still on.  For those who know what it's about, we'd like you to attend.

BREAKING NEWS - OCT 3, 2008 - Many tenants are outraged with the terms of the new lease, effective October 1st.

BREAKING NEWS - OCT 2, 2008 - MANAGEMENT CANCELS NEGOTIATIONS SESSION WITH CODE ENFORCEMENT

A joint meeting set for 6:30 PM tonite between Management, representatives of the Tenant’s Association, and Newark Code Enforcement was canceled – by management.  They categorically refused to sit at the same table as us to discuss any issues.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the lengthy list of violations identified by Code Enforcement at 380 Mt. Prospect, and to prioritize what is most important. A consensus could have been reached to grant management additional time for certain repairs, instead of submitting every violation to the Court.  Well, since there was no meeting, Code Enforcement will promptly submit every violation to the Court.  The list is too lengthy to mention every item, but some of the big items are:

-          Clean and sanitize all compactor rooms on every floor, and repair / replace the floor tiles

-          Scrape, repair, and paint all areas of deterioration in common hallways, including floors and ceilings

-          Repair cause of all pipe leaks throughout the entire indoor parking garage, and provide pipe covers.

-          Repair cause of leakage from the walls into the basement storage rooms and laundry room

-          Complete upgrade of the laundry room; many issues cited

-          Repair all defective exterior walls of the building, including the front canopy and nearby sections of walls

-          Repair and replace all defective light fixtures and/or dead lightbulbs in all common area hallways, stairwells, front canopy, lobby, and mailroom.

-          Clean / sanitize all stained carpets in main common area hallways near compactor rooms.

-          Clean / sanitize all balcony drains in every unit on every floor. Many are clogged.

-          Provide working window guards in every window of every apartment where children 0-10 years old reside

-          Remove and prevent water accumulation in boiler room and entire indoor parking garage

-          Repair or replace all defective air conditioning (AC/heat) systems to provide proper service in every unit

-          Repair or replace all defective Sidewalks and Curbs, including outside steps on the north side of bldg.

-          Repair or replace all defective asphalt driveway and exterior parking lot

BREAKING NEWS - OCT 1, 2008:  FOUR NEWS BRIEFS, JUST FOR TODAY

(1) Some bad news --- the Security Guard Ordinance has been TABLED again.  Councilman Ramos still believes that it will eventually pass. The matter needs to be discussed more, and support from some Council members may be wavering.

(2) Last night's Community Forum at the local church was attended by about 150 people.  It was a lot less contentious than the first meeting; no tough questions were posed to Mayor Booker by residents. He continued to press that Newark has led the nation among major cities in the reduction of violent crime. Also, the North Ward of Newark has seen the greatest reduction of murders in the city. The Mayor credits the city's police leadership. They certainly deserve much credit, but another factor is the long-term effect of demolishing Newark's high-rise public housing complexes, which happened many years ago. The city now has a new population of 15-30 year olds who have never lived in high-rise public housing complex.  This is the age group that creates most of the crime in any urban setting. Without the high-rise public housing, today's 15-30 crowd just isn't as bad as the 15-30 crowd in past decades.  Eliminating those buildings dispersed the problem, and a lot of the problem people were either jailed or moved to Irvington (which now has the highest crime rate in New Jersey.) The more urban problems are concentrated, the worse they become. The widest possible dispersion is the best medicine.

(3) Frank Petolino of the Mt. Prospect Business Improvement District says that the city has committed to $2 million to improve the streetscape of Mt. Prospect Ave from Heller Parkway to Verona Avenue.  This will involve new curbs, sidewalks, lighting, benches, garbage receptacles, etc.  This block runs north from downtown Mt. Prospect Ave, which is the block from Elwood Ave to Heller Parkway that was already improved.  One hopes that similar improvements will eventually be done on our block. A new brick office building is nearing completion at Mt. Prospect Ave and Elwood Ave. A dentist office will occupy part of the building.  New construction always adds to the economic vitality of any downtown, especially if it is well-constructed and architecturally appealing. 

(4) The Fall, 2008 newsletter of the Tenant's Association was distributed yesterday to all units. This will be the first exposure to the Tenant's Association for many new tenants.

BREAKING NEWS - SEPT 30, 2008:  380's Superintendant Alberto believes that a bathtub leak in Unit 2G is responsible for the repeated deterioration of the mailroom ceiling. He says it is only a coincidence that the events are happening on the same days as torrential rains.  The tenants were allegedly refusing to allow access to make repairs (we've all heard that one before, right ?). Now they have recently vacated the premises, and he has repaired the plumbing.  Let's see if he's right.

Tonite is the Community Forum at the 3rd Presbyterian Church, 7:30 PM.  At the first meeting 2 months ago, 250-300 people attended. It was an anti-crime rally hosted by Mayor Corey Booker and top police brass.

BREAKING NEWS - SEPT 29, 2008:  CODE ENFORCEMENT PROVIDES LIST OF VIOLATIONS TO TENANT'S ASSOCIATION.  Now that the violations are public knowledge, Thomas McDonald of Code Enforcement hand-delivered a thick list of violations at 380 Mt. Prospect Ave to the Tenant's Association, all of which are going to court. This was the end result of the initial inspections on August 6th (scroll down to August 6th Breaking News).  "Most of the violations weren't fixed", McDonald says.  The list is so thick it takes 15 minutes just to read through it. Eric is making copies for Vincent Britt and Libre' Jones. Chief Prosecutor Marvin Adames knows all about the problems of our buildings, and is waiting for the cases to reach the courts. There will be no excuses.

The Tenants Association will create a spreadsheet detailing all the violations, so we can keep track of what is going on.  We'll provide columns for repair dates, court dates, and other action items.

GARBAGE SOLUTION DRAWS NEARER:  Inspector McDonald says that Code Enforcement, the Newark Dept. of Sanitation, and Management are meeting today to discuss options on how to resolve the violations regarding how garbage is collected and disposed of in the 380 building.  Storing garbage in the garbage closets on each floor will not continue. Tenants are disgusted with those stinking closets.  The weekly staging of thousands of pounds of garbage on the south side of the building is also an ongoing violation, along with dragging all those bags to the curb every Sunday evening.  The whole garbage disposal system is a mess (literally).  It will change as a result of the advocacy efforts of the Tenant's Association. We'll announce the resolution as soon as it is determined. It may involve repairing and reactivating the garbage compactor, along with detailed procedures for the proper use of a compactor in order to minimize issues involving odors and rodents.  Management inherited this particular set of problems from the Boston-based ownership team, and we hope they look kindly upon the expert advise of the Newark Dept. of Sanitation in coming up with a better system. Especially since the advise is FREE. We do not expect management to oppose any improvements to the flow and disposal of garbage.

Code Enforcement still plans to blitz Abington Tower (402 Mt. Prospect Ave). It is not know when this will happen.  A similar level of violations exists in Abbington Tower with the exception of the boiler room.  The 402 boiler room is an amazing sight to behold, especially the collapsing ceilings and leaks sprouting everywhere.

BREAKING NEWS - SEPT 26, 2008:  Once again there is a ceiling leak in the mailroom of #380 on the SAME DAY as very heavy rains. The roof hatch was closed, so that theory is debunked.  However, I still think it's rainwater from the very uppermost roof section, that part above the elevator shafts.  If you scroll up 5 inches above the video link, you'll see "Photos Of Our Building", which includes storm damage to the lobby mailroom from the heavy rain of March 10, 2008.  It happened on the day of the big storm, just like this time. Same for the two very heavy rains in 2007 (first week of August when the basement flooded out the hot water heaters), and the epic 9" rainstorm in the Spring of 2007 that flooded major rivers. The mailroom ceiling has now failed during 4 major rains, and there may have been others in between that weren't recorded. Is it a coincidence every time that "plumbing problems" are the real cause. After four mailroom events during heavy rains, that possibility is becoming statistically difficult to believe any longer.

However, Tropical Storm Hannah passed through on September 6th of this year, and there was no damage to the mailroom ceiling.  I suspect that the ceiling of the elevator shaft accumulates water, and when it gets deep enough, it reaches areas of failed roof flashing or sealants. Wind direction may also be an issue, if water only reaches the failed roof flashing only by running down the adjacent wall.  Hannah struck after a dry spell and may not have filled the pooling water deep enough, or the wind direction was blowing rainwater against a wall with good flashing. Either way, after water enters the building via the uppermost roof, it then runs down the OUTSIDE of the garbage shute all the way to the mailroom, destroying the ceiling.  So it is still caused by rain, but has nothing to do with the roof hatch.  

If this theory is true, our Maintenance staff could slap a coat of silvery roofing sealant all over the flashing, and prevent water infiltration. It would be an hour of their time and $20 in materials.

BREAKING NEWS - SEPT 24, 2008:  NJ's proposed sprinkler rule is DEAD.  A proposal had been made to the State Dept of Community Affairs which would require that all existing high-rise buildings retrofit and add sprinkler systems, for fire safety.  This move was opposed by the NJ Tenant's Organization, as well as by building owners.  500 high-rises statewide would have been affected. The Dept received over 1000 letters in opposition, mostly from tenants concerned with Capital Improvement surcharges being added to their rent. Our Tenant's Association was on record as officially oppposing the move. Joseph Doria, Commission of the Dept of Community Affairs, has announced that the Department will not adopt the proposed rule.

It would have made absolutely no sense in our buildings.  There is solid concrete between the units, and at least 6 inches of concrete between floors.  Fires are never going to spread from unit to unit.

BREAKING NEWS - SEPT 22, 2008:  Newark has a new 4311 NON-EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBER.  This is the number for residents to report the following problems:  Abandoned vehicles, graffiti, housing code violations, illegal dumping, pot holes, problems with street signs or lights, suspicious of annoying behavior by individuals or groups, and traffic signal problems.  They will also handle questions that residents have on matters such as garbage and recycling pickup, housing inspections, snow plowing, street and sidewalk repair, tree trimming and/or removals, and vacant lot cleanups.  Just pick up your phone and dial 4311 from a land-line phone.  IT DOES NOT WORK FROM CELL PHONES.

The 4311 call center is open from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM.  This is part of Mayor Corey Booker's Quality of Life initiative (once dubbed Q-Life), designed to make the city more livable and more responsive to residents concerns. Another goal is to reduce the burden of nuisance calls to 911. It is likely that the 911 call center will tell many people to call 4311, and then terminate the incoming call in a few seconds.  This will allow them to better handle real emergencies.  All persons calling will get a Service Request Identification Number, and callers can remain anonymous.

BREAKING NEWS - SEPT 16, 2008:  NEWARK CODE ENFORCEMENT SUBMITS VIOLATIONS.  Inspectors from the City of Newark submitted 3 pages of violations to the management office today, and thats only for the 380 building. They have only 10 days to fix everything.  We're in the process of getting a copy of the violations, stay tuned.

A contractor was working on installing a new door between the mailroom and the south stairwell. That's one of the violations.  He says it will be an alarm door, only to be used in emergencies. This means that persons who use the stairs instead of the elevators must restrict themselves to the North stairwell.  It would make more sense to put the alarm on the North stairwell door, so that people coming and going via the South stairwell can easily check their mail.

BREAKING NEWS - SEPT 15, 2008:  POSTAL DEPARTMENT DISCRIMINATES AGAINST US, IN TWO WAYS.  It was discovered that the Newark Postal department will PICK UP MAIL from every single family house in the Forest Hill neighborhood.  But they refuse to pick up mail from a 100+ unit high-rise.  We're told that it's too much extra work for the postal carrier to pick up our mail; tenants can instead use the mailbox on the street.  But it's not extra work to pick up mail from every little house. What a double-standard.  Clearly the post office treats tenants as second-class citizens.  If a building has a certain minimum unit count, and it has a mailbox in the main room for outgoing mail, the Newark Post Office should pick up the mail there.  And it gets better, read on....

Bloomfield has a population of about 47,683. Somehow, it was determined that Bloomfield must have 4 post offices, all serving the same 07003 zip code.  Our zip code, 07104, officially has a population of 51,438 (it is likely that many illegal aliens and other people weren't counted; the real population is probably closer to 75,000).  Either way, 07104 has only 1 post office, and there is often only one staff person there. The average wait time is at least 1/2 hour to do anything there.  In this case, all residents of Newark are treated as second-class citizens.  Someone at city hall needs to sit down with the chief of all post offices in New Jersey, and change how business is done in urban areas versus suburban areas.

BREAKING NEWS - SEPT 11, 2008:  REINSPECTION DAY FOR 380 MT. PROSPECT.  Inspectors from the City of Newark's Building Dept. were in the 380 building today making their re-inspection.  This is a followup from the August 6th Code Enforcement blitz.  Following the blitz, management received a letter listing everything that needs to be repaired, and they were to be given 20 days to make the repairs. Anything not fixed now becomes a violation. The Inspectors were under specific orders from Tommy McDonald to NOT speak with any representatives of the Tenant's Association.  They would not discuss how many of the initial issues were fixed, and how many will now be officially recorded as violations.  Some things have been fixed, such as adding real glass to the front door and removing the dilapidated water tower.  But a great many of the issues were not resolved. There was no attempt from management to address some of the issues inside apartments that were inspected last month.

The Tenant's Association had previously been told that we would receive a list of all violations, AND there would be a round-table meeting between Code Enforcement, Management, the Tenant's Association, and other involved parties.  It is unknown at this time if these promisses will be kept.

We're also waiting to get the official results from the October 2007 State Inspection of the premises.  Many of the violations found then have also not been repaired.  Generally speaking, violations are not being repaired because management is short-staffed.

BREAKING NEWS - SEPT 7, 2008:  Tropical Storm Hannah apparently caused no damage. Winds were far less than expected, but rain was extremely heavy. There is no water damage to the ceiling of the 380 mailroom this time. Evidently the roof hatch remained closed, and water did not run down the outside of the garbage chute to the mailroom.

BREAKING NEWS - SEPT 5, 2008:  RENT CONTROL BOARD CLARIFIES CONTROVERSY ON THE 4% OCTOBER RENT HIKE.  Maria Hernandez of Rent Control made a clarification on their policy today, following additional research that was prompted by large the number of calls from our buildings questioning the unscheduled rent hike.  They have now determined that Audubon Communities is NOT ENTITLED to the 4% rent hike unless the lease states in the fine print that the rent will increase on October 1st.  Hernandez explained that all apartment buildings have the right to increase the rent every October 1st instead of the lease expiration date, BUT that most of them don't have the clause in their leases because they don't know their rights. "If they don't know their rights, that's their tough luck", she said. 

Hernandez' statement today differs from what she told Tenant Association Chairperson Libre' Jones a few days ago, but this is the most recent information. Hernandez is of the belief that some leases here have the October clause, and some don't. This has yet to be verified.

All residents are encouraged to check your leases for the October clause, and resist the increase if it is not present.

ALL RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO BRING YOUR PATIO FURNITURE, FLOWER POTS, ETC INSIDE, AS TROPICAL STORM HANNA IS FORECASTED TO STRIKE NEW JERSEY LATE SATURDAY.  Gusts could easily hit 40-60 mph, especially on the upper floors.

BREAKING NEWS - SEPT 2, 2008:  Many tenants receive a notice from management saying that they will experience a 4% increase in their rent NOW, rather than the month that their lease expires.  We suspect that this is illegal. Every tenant is encouraged to resist this premature rent increase.

Tenants receive a letter from the Newark Rent Control Board stating that the rescheduled hearing will be on October 14th at 6:00 PM. This hearing is for a Capital Improvement Surcharge, an attempt to increase rents to cover costs to repair the elevators, Roof, hallways, Lobby, etc.  The original hearing was August 12th, but management voluntarily withdrew the application due to damaging comments from tenants that packed the room. 

BREAKING NEWS - AUG 27, 2008:  The 380 main entry door and north elevator were both fixed today.

BREAKING NEWS - AUG 26, 2008:  Earlier this month, the Essex County Parks Dept. installed two gorgeous fountains in the large pond near 2nd Avenue, in Branch Brook Park.  This pond is only a few blocks from our buildings. The fountains help to beautify the neighborhood, and to restore the tarnished prestige of the Forest Hill District. The fountains appear to be spouting about 12-15 feet. The County is working on electrical and utility lines to service the fountains.  It is hoped that the final phase of the project will involve cutting back some of the low-hanging vegetation along the water's edge, so that the fountains can be prominently seen from the 2nd Avenue park entrance.  For those who don't know, cutting through Branch Brook Park from 2nd Ave to Park Street, and then turn left on First Street, is the quickest way to reach Route 280 westbound. It's a scenic route that provides an escape from the densely populated neighborhoods, and it avoid many traffic lights. 

The park is there to be used and enjoyed.  Significant work is ongoing throughout the park, including new and improved recreational facilities, re-paving of the pathways, and many more flowering cherry trees.  There appears to be an environmental agenda at work as well.  A small cat-tail bog was established within the "Great Lawn" of the park over the past two years, simply by designating a no-mow zone. It provides wildlife habitat, and adds to the beauty of the landscape.

BREAKING NEWS - AUG 25, 2008:  The locksmith failed to show up today to fix the 380 entry door lock, broken now for several days.  This is unrelated to the glass replacement successfully completed a few days ago.  Contractors began dismantling the former water tower on the 19th level (uppermost roof) of the 380 building.  It was very similar to the exposed water tower on the 375 building, except it is encased in a wall.

Fine Fare has secured building permits from the City of Newark to erect posts connecting their pedestrian entrances to stop an epidemic of shopping cart thefts. Since opening late last December, business losses from shopping cart thefts have exceeded $1,000 a month, says Robert, the Evening Manager for Fine Fare.  They hire a man named "George" to drive around and collect carts, and they pay another person during "peak theft hours" to watch customers coming and going from the parking lot. "They belong to us, we paid for them, these are our property", said Robert. Once the posts are up, they expect 99% of shopping cart thefts to be halted.

BREAKING NEWS - AUG 24, 2008:  PROFESSIONAL SECURITY GUARD THWARTS CAR THEFT.  Shortly before 5:00 AM this morning, the recently-hired professional security guard broke up a car theft on Mt. Prospect Avenue in front of the 380 building.  Men were attempting to steal a white BMW owned by a female tenant who lives in one of our buildings. The security guard started yelling and ordering them to cease, stating that she knows they don't own the car. She did not draw her weapon, but she did call the Newark Police with her cell phone.  Meanwhile, the ruckus attracted the attention of a resident of 380 who assisted her in scaring away the criminals.  The overnight armed guards who work for the Hackensack-based Fidalys Security Company started their shifts on July 28th, as a direct result of the efforts of the 380-402 Tenants Association.  This is the type of results that we expect from a professional security company such as Fidalys.  We will post additional details, as they become available.  The low-paid "greeters" that were previously on duty overnight would likely not have seen this theft in progress, and if they had, they would never have intervened regarding any matter outside of our perimeter fence.  This is one crime that has been prevented.

Newark Police believe that there is an organized ring of car theives who work out of older houses on some of the inner-city blocks of the North Ward, where very old houses are divided into 2 and 3-family rental units, and typically seperated by very narrow alleys.  Word of this incident will circulate among this ring of car thieves. Hopefully they'll think twice before attempting to hit our block again. There are always easier targets out there.

BREAKING NEWS - AUG 20, 2008:  Management has been busy working on some of the issues identified by Newark Code Enforcement on the blitz of August 6th.  It is unknown if the official list of repairs has been submitted to Management by Code Enforcement. 

The plexi-glass doors of both buildings were replaced with glass today. The doors need to be kept open for 24 hours until the glue dries. A mostly dead Maple behind the 380 building was cut, and a Mulberry that has been deteriorating the patio walls of Unit 2D was trimmed.  The Tenant's Association wants that Mulberry completely removed because it is above the parking garage.  Mulberry trees are rapidly growing "weed" trees which quickly resprout from cut stumps, so the stump needs to be ripped out. The Mulberry roots pose a long-term threat to the structural integrity of the parking garage and the 2D patio wall, and could also cause future leaks. Work will commence soon on the 380 canopy and associated deteriorated areas.  Instead of replastering again and again, it is reported that they will contract for stucco work. This includes meshing to hold the stucco in place.

It is unknown what Management will do to repair the chipped steps inside the 380 lobby door.  There is a product called "Duraquartz", made by Enecon, which would work, see http://www.enecon.com/products/duraquartz.asp.  A company called Ato Custom Flooring, 201-493-8098, provides and installs advanced floor coatings originally designed for aviation hangars, and now used for garages and high-pedestrian applications. They market an ornamental product called "Corazzo" that comes in a variety of speckled colors, some of which color coordinate with our marble columns.

BREAKING NEWS - AUG 12, 2008:  CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT APPLICATION WITHDRAWN UNDER FIRE.  Management was overwhelmed by a strong showing of several dozen residents (members and non-members alike). The building owner's lawyer asked for a postponement following comments and criticisms made by the members of the Rent Control Board, voiced by the tenants.  Management is expected to re-introduce the application in October or November, therefore tenants are still at risk of a rent hike. If or when the application is re-submitted, the Rent Control Board will do an onsite inspection of the property. Tenants will be notified by mail of the new hearing date.  Maria Hernandez, Director of the Rent Control Department, was aghast when told that each building has only 2 onsite workers, one Superintendent and one Porter.  Rent control was also concerned that there isn't a proper work order system in place with paperwork  to accompany each complaint.

The items that management wanted for the 380 building included a partial new roof ($43,670), upgrades to the hallways and landings on every floor ($69,397), remodeling of the original lobby floor and replacing marble columns ($24,350), new boiler and chiller ($233,925), and two new elevators ($228,730 Management had previously told the Tenant's Association that the elevators cost "nearly a million dollars" for each building. The rent control board decided that both buildings had very similar issues and decided that the tenant sentiment expressed counts for both buildings.

Those speaking before the application was tabled included Libre' Jones, Richard Ariza, Eric Martindale, and Councilman Anibal Ramos. A dozen tenants also spoke very briefly regarding the lack of air conditioning and heating, despite the upgrades to the central systems.  Trudy Kellett and Leslie Rodriguez appeared for management, along with an attorney from the law firm of Levy, Ehrlich, & Petriello. Libre'  testified that she wants all Code Violations rectified before any approval is granted.  Richard testified that management did not install new marble in the lobby as they claim; they only exposed the original marble by stripping away subsequent improvements to expose the existing columns as well as the cracked and deteriorated floor. Eric testified that the hallway upgrades were a "business decision" to spiff up the place in the hopes of increasing the market value rents for vacant units; therefore it is not something to be passed on to the tenants. He testified that the market rents of all units are far lower than the caps set by Rent Control, because of market conditions here associated with Code violations and mismanagement. Councilman Ramos made a general statement supporting tenants, and also testified that the Security Guard Ordinance is still pending.

BREAKING NEWS - AUG 10, 2008:  Tenants are mobilizing for the RENT CONTROL HEARING !!!  Thousands of dollars are at stake for EVERY TENANT.  We'll be meeting Tues 5:30 in the lobbies to car-pool.  Those coming late, no problem.  The 6:00 PM hearing is likely to go a few hours.  We've confirmed there is NO EVENT at the Prudential Center to cause a parking problem.  There is a guarded parking lot on Green Street across from City Hall which is never fill at that hour.  It is likely that the Green Street entrance to City Hall will be the only open entrance.

The exterior gate from Clifton Ave to #402 has been repaired. This is good, because less than 100 feet north of the gate is a house with tremendous loitering and potential gang activity. 

The "greeter" in the booth had to AGAIN be asked to please open the blinds facing the street so he can be seen at night.  He grumbled, but complied. We're awaiting word if all the walls have been repaired on the D-line riser project.  The pipe part was completed last week.

BREAKING NEWS - AUGUST 9, 2008:  Staff at the NJDEP hotline (877-WARN-DEP) refuses to log a citizen complaint that there are seven rusty 55-gallon drums filled with unknown chemicals at 380 Mt. Prospect Ave, including degreasers, pool cleaning chemicals, and possibly chlorine compounds. NJDEP was advised that the Superintendant told Newark Code Enforcement that the drums willl be "thrown into the dumpster". They won't log the complaint until they are actually thrown into the dumpster, and they refuse to call Management and advise them of the laws regarding disposal of chemicals. Of course when they are thrown into the dumpster, we won't be able to prove it because we are not watching the drums every day. They'll be carted away before we find them lying in the dumpster.  The bureaucracy and rigid policies of NJDEP appears to be a hinderance to its effectiveness. Those drums will wind up leaking chemicals into a landfill somewhere, in violation of State Hazardous Waste Disposal laws. And there's nothing we can do to stop that from happening. 

BREAKING NEWS - AUGUST 8, 2008:  CHEMICAL DRUMS ENDANGER RESIDENTS OF 380 MT. PROSPECT. Capt. Bill Sheehan of the Hackensack Riverkeeper organization www.hackensackriverkeeper.org says that the 55-gallon drums, and the three larger vessels pose "an extreme danger" to the residents of 380 because they are old, rusty, and the chemicals have become unstable. Six are inside the parking garage, and one is outside on the south side of the building. Some may contain chlorine chemicals associated with a former swimming pool. Sheehan described a scenario in which the drums would leak and then chlorine would combine with water to create a toxic fog that would endanger people outside the building or on their balconies.  When told that this toxic fog would actually be in the enclosed parking garage with minimum ventilation, Sheehan said that the danger to human safety within the parking garage multiplies exponentially. Five of the 55-gallon drums are behind a shanty plywood wall diagonally opposite the entry door, along with three 1000-gallon vessels. These possibly contain chlorine chemicals as well.

Sheehan advised that concerned residents call 877-WARN-DEP to report the drums as a violation.

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:  ARMED GUARDS START DUTY.  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 t