July 2020
Hi everyone,
Welcome to the July 2020 edition of the 303 Beverley newsletter. We missed last month, but we’ll make it up with copious amounts of new info this time! Thankfully, as far as we are aware, there still have been no known COVID cases in the building. Thanks to all residents for wearing masks in the public areas and keeping the elevators to one person or family per car.
The board would like to take a minute to pay respects to Frank Pecenik, longtime building resident who passed away recently at the age of 106! He was born in 1914 in Flatbush and followed in his father’s footsteps to become a tailor. Later in life he moved in to real estate after attending Brooklyn College. Frank was a wonderful man and his presence around the building will be missed.
Let’s move on to the business at hand:
Shareholder Meeting
Many residents have expressed trepidation at the idea of having an in-person shareholder meeting in the lobby due to the continued threat of COVID-19. After speaking with shareholders, discussing amongst ourselves and consulting with the coop attorney, the board has come to the conclusion that the best option is to hold the meeting digitally and by phone through Zoom.
For those unfamiliar, Zoom (www.zoom.us) is an online meeting platform that can be accessed via computer, tablet or smartphone. For those without access to any of those devices, you will still be able to join the meeting by phone. The board will be requesting the submission of agenda items ahead of time and an agenda will be distributed both via email and physically before the meeting so we can streamline the process. We will be able to take questions via the chat function on zoom.
The meeting will be held sometime in early September (date TBD), and we will hold a practice round in the weeks before to make sure there are no technical difficulties.
Board Elections
With the August maintenance slips, we will send out a flyer asking for anyone who would like to run for the board submit their information by the beginning of September. Should there be a contested election, all candidates running will get a chance to speak for 2 minutes outlining their platforms during the shareholder meeting.
Again, in the case of a contested election, we will be employing the company Honest Ballot (https://www.honestballot.com/) to run it. The board feels that all of these decisions will result in a fair, informative and most importantly safe shareholder meeting and election.
Porters and Staff
The board and management would like to take this time to express a heartfelt thank you to our staff. During the height of the pandemic, they continued to come to work at the building and make sure that it was clean and safe for residents. We ask all residents to take a minute and say thanks when you see the staff.
Boiler and Natural Gas
As we’re sure you’ve all noticed, the construction in front of the building and on E. 4th St. has reached a fevered pitch. This is due to the installation of the new pipeline necessary for natural gas to run to the building. Once this is finished and we receive our approvals from the DOB, we will be officially running on 100% natural gas. By the time the heat kicks in this fall, our oil heaters will be no more.
Elevator Construction
We are as anxious as you are to get the elevators finished. As you can imagine, the elevator company, Millenium, has a backlog of work to finish that got delayed during the pandemic and they are slowly working their way through it. It’s our impression that they will be able to return to work before the summer’s end, most likely in early August. We will keep everyone informed as we get more information.
Exterior Retaining Wall
Anyone who has walked by the front of the building I’m sure has noticed the leaning retaining wall of Kensington. Unfortunately for us, it has not yet become a tourist attraction. The board has decided to retain an engineer to get to the bottom of the leaning and determine what we can do to repair it. More on that soon.
Capital Improvement Projects
As things slowly begin to return to normal around the city, the board is once more looking at the capital improvement projects on our list. Within the next few months we’ll be determining the viability of the following:
– Lobby redesign- Intercom replacement- Basement and laundry room updates
That is all we have for now. Remember to please email board@303beverleyroad.org or mgmt@303beverleyroad.org if you have any questions, issues or concerns. Everyone stay safe!
– Eli, John, Esther, Mohammed and Elizabeth
May 2020
Hi everyone,
Welcome to the May 2020 edition of the 303 Beverley newsletter. As you can all imagine, a lot of things we are currently working on in the building are unfortunately on hold. That being said, we still have our work cut out for us to make sure that everything at 303 is safe, secure and sanitized. Remember to check back in to www.303beverleyroad.org for more regular updates and your daily dose of musical mollification in Gordon’s Corner. Here we go:
Cleaning and Sanitation
You may have noticed cleaning crews in the building periodically. We have hired an outside company to regularly clean and fully sanitize the public areas of the building. Additionally the porters are cleaning the high touch surfaces with disinfecting wipes at regular intervals and the doormen have been equipped with masks and gloves. You may have also noticed the hand sanitizer station by the elevators in the lobby. We are doing everything we can to make sure this building stays COVID free, but if there’s anything you feel we’ve missed please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Boiler
Thankfully, because of the nature of the work, we were in fact able to get our boiler construction finished. We are waiting on city approval and inspection of the work which, as you can imagine, is taking a little longer these days. Thankfully, you can be sure that by next winter we will be heating the building with cleaner, more efficient natural gas. Nice to put one in the win column.
Elevators
The elevator construction is still currently on hold. We cannot take the old elevator out of service during a period when so many more residents are home in the building and depend on having two working elevators. We do, however, have the elevator company on call to deal with any issues. Last week the old elevator did get stuck, but Millenium came promptly to repair it and it’s now back in good working order.
AC Sleeves
As spring turns to summer we know that many residents are getting ready to fire up their AC units. Some issues continue to arise with the older AC sleeves in the building. Unfortunately, the sad truth is that replacing these sleeves would be a major construction project requiring scaffolding on the building exterior. That is not currently in the cards. There are, however, stopgap solutions that can be performed from the interior. Our new super Izzy is well-versed in these methods and is happy to assess any problems you may have to see if something can be done. We do wish we could provide a more permanent fix to these problems, but this is the solution as it stands.
Landscaping
While we are putting our full landscaping redesign on hold for the time being, our landscaper Dahill will be coming by this week to plant fresh flowers and some new trees in time for spring. Just a little something to spruce up the exterior while we’re all sheltering in place.
Shareholder Meeting and Election
As you know, it is in our bylaws that we have a shareholder meeting and board election in July. Obviously, with things as they are, we cannot know if that sort of meeting can or should take place in person. As of this writing, we are planning to have the meeting. With luck, by then the city and state will have relaxed lockdown restrictions and will be able to go about our business.
Projects still on the docket (in brief):
– Intercom system update – Lobby redesign – Hallway repainting
Thanks to all of you who continue to make 303 Beverley a wonderful place to live, even in these difficult times. Remember to reach out to the board or management at board@303beverley.org or mgmt@303beverleyroad.org with any issues. We all live here, too, and we’re committed to making this place the best coop in Brooklyn, pandemic be damned.
– The Board: John, Esther, Mohammed, Eli and Elizabeth
April 2020
Dear 303 Beverley neighbors,
These are difficult and unprecedented times for all of us. That includes residents, the co-op board members, management company and our dedicated staff. We are all doing our best to navigate these uncharted waters, and hoping for the best that we are making the right decisions. As of this moment we are NOT aware of any confirmed cases of COVID-19 within 303 Beverley. That all said, out of an abundance of caution, here are some of the steps the building is taking to make sure our community is safe and secure:
– The staff are all being provided with gloves, masks, sanitizer and additional protective equipment regularly. We have more sanitizer arriving early next week and we are doing the best we can to make sure there are no lapses in gloves and masks. We are committed to keeping the staff safe!
– Sick leave is being offered to the staff with no questions asked. We definitely do not want any staff member to feel the need to show up to work sick just for a paycheck. Anyone who is feeling ill or showing symptoms is asked not to come to work. We want to make sure that we have a safe and healthy staff!
– All staff will be provided with hazard pay at the end of April. We are working on a hazard pay package for every employee of 303 Beverley to show appreciation for their hard work in this difficult time.
– All construction projects in the building are put on hold. The elevator and boiler projects are currently suspended and any construction projects in shareholder apartments that are submitted for approval will be told to hold off until such time as we feel it is appropriate to proceed.
– The porters are engaging in additional regular cleaning procedures. The elevator panels, door handles and other “high-touch” areas are wiped down multiple times per shift. We are providing the porters with sanitizing wipes and they are diligently cleaning and sanitizing the public spaces in the building.
– We are hiring an outside specialized sanitation company. They will be doing a deep-cleaning on all the public areas of the building including the laundry room.
Additionally, we’d like to ask the following of all residents:
- Please limit the elevator to one person or family unit at a time.
- If possible, please refrain from moving, having furniture delivered, or any other activity that would bring more people into the building.
- Be courteous to the staff! They are working hard for all of us, show them you care!
- Be good to your neighbors. This goes for always, of course, but more so during these times.
The board wants to stress to all residents AND staff to please reach out to JK Management if there are any issues related to safety and security in the building during this time. Thanks to everyone, stay safe and sane and we’ll get through this together!
-Eli, Elizabeth, Esther John and Mohammed
March 2020
Hi everyone,
Welcome to the March 2020 edition of the 303 Beverley newsletter. As winter finally turns to spring we’ve got a host of new updates for the 303 family. Remember to check back in to www.303beverleyroad.org for more regular updates (as well as new music in Gordon’s Corner). Let’s get going:
Laundry Room
You might have noticed the laundry room looking a little bit nicer these days thanks to a new coat of paint. Now we have some more good news to share: Effective immediately, our laundry room will be open 24 hours! For those night owls (or some of our new parents) who have the urge to do a load of wash at 3 AM, your wish is our command!
Boiler/Chimney
The permits are in and we’ve dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s so it’s time for work to begin. As mentioned in previous missives, the conversion to natural gas will not only save the building money, but it’ll help lower our carbon footprint as well. The new chimney liner to accommodate the hotter burning temperature has been completed and now the boiler conversion will begin in earnest. Luckily, this building has two boilers so one will be able to continue to heat the building while work is done.
Elevators
You may have noticed some cosmetic issues with the new elevator. Rest assured, these will all be taken care of before the elevator company receives its final payment. They will start work on the left side elevator on March 30th and should be able to complete its refurbishment in less time than it took for the other one. The board understands the frustrating nature of this project since we all rely on the elevators every day. Rest assured, we are just as concerned as you are (if not more) and we want to get this done and done right!
Intercom system
The proposals to replace the system are in and the board has been reviewing. We will most likely make a determination of which company to work with at our April meeting and hopefully complete the project this spring!
Landscaping and Building Exterior
Thanks to the beautification committee we now have a proposal for landscaping around the building. The board is currently reviewing and will make a determination soon. We’re also looking at repairing/replacing the front wall on the Beverley side as it has developed a significant lean. We’re hoping to give the building exterior a spruced up new look for spring.
Lobby redesign
Since there are no blueprints for the building, we’ve engaged a team to do a survey of the public spaces in the building. The goal is to produce plans of the existing condition of the space. Knowing what we’re working with is the first step towards a lobby redesign. More to come on that soon!
Public events
We’ve had some inquiries as to events in the public spaces in the building (lobby, front of the building etc..). After reviewing with our insurance company, we’ve determined that board sponsored events open to all residents are approved. This means that more events like our Halloween pumpkin carving extravaganza are coming in the future. If you have an idea for a building-wide event, please reach out to the board directly.
A final note on neigborliness:
As you all know, this is a large building with a lot of people living in close proximity. Complaints about noise and other issues are inevitable, but we do our best to promote an atmosphere of harmony and neighborliness. In the spirit of that, we want to remind everyone that it is a city law that 80% of walkable spaces (not under furniture etc..) are supposed to be covered with rugs or carpet to help with noise. Additionally, we have been receiving some complaints about smoke, both cigarette smoke and marijuana smoke. Suffice it to say that this is a smoke free building and if the perpetrator is found, there will be consequences. In conclusion, be nice to your neighbors and they’ll be nice to you!
That’s all for now, remember to reach out to the board or management at board@303beverley.org or mgmt@303beverleyroad.org with any issues. Thanks!
– The Board: John, Esther, Mohammed, Eli and Elizabeth
February 2020
Hi everyone,
Welcome to the February 2020 edition of the 303 Beverley newsletter! The board and management have been working in lockstep these days to get things moving in the right direction as we settle in to this new year. let’s get started:
Website
We have a brand new website! All things 303 can now be found at www.303beverleyroad.org. The new site is public, but has a password protected section that is for residents only. The residents section includes a contact form for the super, house rules and more. The password is 303BeverleyResident (case sensitive). If there’s something you’d like to see on the site that’s missing, please let us know.
Additionally, the board and and management have new email addresses: board@303beverleyroad.org and management@303beverleyroad.org, respectively.
Elevators
As you may have noticed, the right side elevator is open for business. There are some cosmetic issues as well as problems with the buttons on different floors that will be addressed this week. This means that Millennium will be starting on the left side cab refurbishment very soon. Most of the infrastructure work for both elevators has already been done, so theoretically the second elevator should take far less time to complete. Once both elevators are finished we’ll be repainting the trim around the doors and cleaning up the tile as well. We’ll keep you posted on the progress.
Boiler/Chimney
Our boiler company Bauer has begun work on the new chimney liner that is necessary for the hotter burning natural gas boiler we are installing. We are still waiting for permits from the city to get started on the actual boiler conversion, but we are expecting those imminently. Not only will natural gas be cleaner and better for the environment, the new boiler will be far more reliable so hopefully won’t be waking up to anymore cold showers!
Intercom system
We are currently accepting proposals to upgrade the building’s antiquated intercom system. This will include replacing the handsets in every apartment and having a new touch pad outside the building as well as a new station for the doorman. Once we’ve received proposals the board will review and hopefully make a choice by our next meeting in March. More on that soon!
The board’s agenda in brief
A few other things we are working on include:
– Landscaping around the building – Awning over the side door – Lobby redesign and renovation – LED Lighting in the hallways
More to come very soon! Thanks
– The Board: John, Esther, Mohammed, Eli and Elizabeth
January 2020
Welcome to the first 303 Beverley newsletter of 2020! A quick reminder to all of you at the top of this new year to check the batteries and overall health of your smoke detectors. Lots of news and updates coming to you from the board and management so let’s dive right in!
Elevators
As you may have noticed, the right elevator is slowly being dismantled to make way for our brand new one. All the work is proceeding according to plan and new elevators are imminent! The rapid pace does have its drawbacks, though: In order to complete the necessary work, both elevators will be down this Wednesday and Thursday (Jan. 8/9) from 10 AM until 3 PM. Please plan accordingly and spread the word.
Superintendent
We have a new super! Izzy has happily signed on to become our full-time superintendent. He will be moving in to the building shortly, but for the time being will be here during regular business hours during the week and is available to handle any emergencies after hours as well. His phone number is 347-499-2098.
Garbage Room Updates
The board would like to extend a huge thank you members of the green committee and in particular to Josh and Betty Kalin for working so hard on the new signage for the trash rooms. Word around the lobby is that things are already looking better in all the trash rooms and we’re hoping it stays that way! Job well done.
Boiler Conversion
We are well on our way to converting our boiler to natural gas. We are in contract with a company to do the work, we’re just waiting on our permits from the city and we’ll be able to get under way. While not as eye-catching as our new elevators, this much needed upgrade will save us money down the road and prevent much-maligned heat outages.
A quick look at the board’s agenda…
– Landscaping around the building
– Awning over the side door
– Intercom system upgrades
– Laundry room upgrades
Happy New Year everyone, here’s to another great one at 303 Beverley. Thanks-
– Eli, Elizabeth, Esther, John and Mohammed