That dog who sniffs for bed bugs in my opinon is a sham.
the dog is trained to smell blood residue which is blood, what bedbugs need. But a women who has a her period and could leak on her mattressor clothes, the dog could pick that sense up and mistake it for bed bugs. Also bed bugs do have a scent that these dogs pick up, so if the apt adjacent to yours has bed bugs and the dog comes into your apt the dog can pick up the scent of the bed bugs and bark or point or do what ever it is they do and FALSELY imply that you also have bed bugs. I know this because I work as a Resident Manager, and i have seen this scam in action. Use a professional exterminator such as CORBETT who is wonderful and is a hell of alot cheaper then the dog scam.

do NOT use Corbett - they are spamming this website.

How do you fight this scourge when the infested residents don't care and use the communal laundry room and the board will not intervene.

We are just finishing with some sidewalk repairs which came about as a result of some violations. We are using the same company that also recently refurbished our parking area - City & County Paving Corp (www.cityandcountypaving.com).

They did great work for us the first time and they are doing great work for us once again.

try A.P.A. Restoration Corp.

www.aparestoration.com
718 545 7510

We used Jerrick. Nice job.

Our building started to use them in certain areas, they work great and I hope to change the others when they are available.

Call Manhattan Bulbs (646) 996-7928 and ask for Andrew

We started to but never finished. They are great, they don't give off heat and they are extremely energy efficient. You can call Aaron at 866-532-1666 to set you up with the proper product.

Maytag machines, Hercules Laundry Company

WARNING!! Stay away from COINMACH!!!

Our experience was mixed for our 111 unit co-op. We used Service Directions for our two rooms which they renovated. We pay approximately $1,650 per month for 6 small and 3 large washers (Maytag), and 12 gas dryers. We get the income from the card machines (legacy of former 80/20 considerations). We are at a loss position thus far with the lease expense exceeding the income (not even adding in the utility costs).

We very much liked how they upgraded the rooms. Service has been good and the dryers are great too (our porters clean the rooms daily). Shareholders are having difficulty adjusting to the HE machines (they recycle water) and need HE detergent. I have noticed that without a load that has bleach (Clorox) added recently, the water in the recycling tank can get 'funky'. So I do whites first. The residents complain that they don't clean as well as the former machines. They don't come with a pre-wash either (it says pre-wash on the machines however the machines go directly to the wash cycle). So now, some go down the street to a lower priced shop. We were also forced to add sprinklers to the rooms too.

I hope this helps and good luck!

The Maytag small washers are front loaders w/o a see through portal. Some shareholders didn't like this as they wanted to "see" the machine work.

I agree we had problems with coinmach and now use Hercules, they revamped our laundry room using a lot of imagination. The problem (for many)is the card system. Many do not have credit cards or credit and some just do not like the card system and they go to the local laundromat instead.

I love the card system but have to be very careful not to loose the card but that goes for Metro cards!

you need a card machine inthe laundry room that takes cash. it is very weird that herculeus supplies one that only takes credit cards. here is how it works: you put in cash: out comes a laundry card with that amount of credit on the card (it is not a credit card)

make SURE the laundry company you choose renovates the room and supplies tables chairs etc and pays for it.

also make sure to get the most energy efficient machines possible - sideloaders NOT top loaders.

Habitat Magazine has a good article about negotiating a new contract with your laundry company (do a search on its website). To get or keep your account, a company will typically redo your laundry room & put in new machines, but it's important to have oversight of those plans.

Our revamped laundry room wound up with stacked machines that are too high for many to reach into. The machines we had before were stacked also, but a better design. We also lost our clothesline for hanging up things, and all the lint flies out of the dryers onto our pavement. There's gotta be a better way!

Good luck!

Few questions:

Do you rent out the storage space?

Are there lockers that are locked, or just a central room where everyone stores their belongings with one central door that is now locked?

Do you have an agreement or a license to place your items there?

Who has access to the key for the lock? Just the employees, or all people with storage space?

the strorage space contains loose items mainly air conditioners. it also has individual lockers rented out with individual keys to them (owned by the renters of the lockers)

the key to the entire area is avialable to residents who must sign for it each time and also the staff who does not have to sign for it.

the items in question are air conditioners.

These are interesting questinos. We have one room, alternatively referred to as the recycle room or package room. It's also where bikes are stored and the supt goes through to get to his workshop. There's a lock on the door but much of the time it's left wide open with a door stop. Everyone living in the building has a key, as well as people who have moved out and took their key.

Delivered packages and discarded items are all left on the same table.

We depend on good will and good luck and it works most of the time!

I cant connect via the link since I have yahoo.

As requested- mblevine@ebmg.com

THANKS

Simple, board members are first and foremost shareholders, thus no special treatment e.g.: one can’t go to the head of the line. Butt out!!

Keep each of the lists in date of application sequence. Yes one for each parking area, e.g.; indoor upper, indoor lower, outdoor front, outdoor back, etc.

If a space becomes available in the indoor upper area, offer it to the shareholder on the top of list. If the shareholder declines, offer the space to the next shareholder, and so forth. The shareholder that declines goes to the end of the list declined with a new date, the date of offer and decline whichever is later.

Same goes for all the other spaces.

In this case a shareholder can be on all four lists. Having accepted any slot in one area, the resident remains on the other lists, untouched.

If one accepts an indoor upper space one can be still listed on the other lists. If the shareholder’s name is the next selected on any otherlist, the shareholder can either accept or decline (e.g.: go to the bottom of the list).

Even if the shareholder accepts a spot, e.g.: upper indoor, the shareholder can still go on the same list (bottom of course) in hopes of a better location at a future time.

Date of purchase has no meaning; only the date of application for one or more lists.

And, most importantly, a board member may never see the list, nor can the building manager reveal the contents of the list. Yes, the building manager must be trustworthy.

The date of closing should have nothing to do with the garage list. In our building it works on a first come first serve basis. You send a request to the managing agent and they put you on the list. When a spot becomes available the agent calls the next shareholder on the list. it doesn't make a difference if you have an indoor and outdoor if you wan tan inside spot you go on the list when you request. if no shareholder wants the spot than we can give it to outsiders.
The best is if you have your managing agent take care of the list so you don't have to get involved in any scuffle between the shareholders

Using the closing date is the only way to ensure the accuracy of the list and a fair process; otherwise you are always dealing with the human error factor.

The suggestion of multiple lists is clumsy and I believe is a waste of time for your managing agent. We maintain a single list and publish it on a regular basis. Shareholders are added to the list on request, using their closing date as the date of record. When a space becomes available, they have a period of time in which to accept or reject it. We will try to accommodate justifiable special requests, such as those for handicap access, but otherwise it's strictly a take it or leave it offer. Bottom line - keep it clean and keep it simple.

Our coop has 2 lists: the first is to get into the garage, according to the date a person asks to be listed; and the other for people already inside who want to switch parking places when one opens up. The latter has recently caused a fuss because an "insider" felt she should have first dibs to the space because she parked inside longer than the other person who asked for it (but who asked for it weeks earlier). Has anyone dealt with this situation before?

Also, does anyone have experience with shareholders who have left their name on the list, but have moved & kept their apartments? Some here firmly believe they should be offered the spot when their name comes up even if they return once a year. (Our waiting list averages 10 years). The rationale is that the shareholder might move back (and that does happen). We now have 3 people who have moved and have been offered a spot & turned it down, but their names stay at the top of the list.

I'd appreciate your input.

That's exactly why we only maintain one list. As I mentioned, we will try to accommodate extenuating circumstances but we will not shuffle people around every time a spot becomes available. That's also why we use the closing date as the date of record for the first request to remove any doubt as to who was first.

Another requirement is residency. Shareholders can live anywhere they want in the interim, but once their name rises to the top of the list, they must show proof of residency as part of the parking agreement by submitting a copy of Page 1 of their NYS tax returns with our address as primary residence. Also, their car must be registered in NYS with our address as the address of record.

Finally, if a shareholder is offered a spot and turns it down, their name comes off the list. If they wish to re-apply after refusing the offered spot, the date of record becomes the current date.

So that I understand and believe that we are following based on closing date... if a sh currently has an outdoor space and would like an indoor garage, it would be offer to the sh (when their names comes up on the list) but AFTER we have proceeded down the list to the next waiting named sh and their decision th take the apce indoor or out. They problem that we have is that when we have to go back up the list, who really knows to ask if one want an alternate space rather that simply moving down the list till it is exhausted. Comments!

You can have a fair system whether you maintain one list or multiple lists. It's something that needs to be tailored to your building. How much work are you willing to put into designing and managing your queueing system? Do you have enough disparity of resources to make multiple lists worthwhile?

For indoor vs. outdoor spaces, two lists seems like a good idea. A resident who wants a space can -- and probably will -- be on both lists. When a space becomes available, the person on top of the relevant list will be asked whether they want the space, and whether they want to remain on the other list. It doesn't matter whether they already have a parking space: if they do, they have the option of switching to the newly available space. If they decline the space, they are removed from that particular list, though they may choose to try again from the end of the line. Their queue position on the other list is unaffected.

There's also the issue that people in general are lousy at math, much less queueing theory. (I've gotten into arguments with people who honestly believe that the provably inferior "One line per cash register" algorithm is preferable to a single queue for the next available server.) You need to ensure that your system is easily understood and *perceived* as fair. If it's too complicated, people are going to suspect unfairness even where none exists.

Finally, I don't agree with using closing date to determine queue position. Suppose Mr. A moved in ten years ago and never wanted a parking space. Mr. B moved in nine years ago and *always* wanted one. One day, Mr. A has a change of heart and suddenly vaults ahead of Mr. B, who has been waiting patiently for almost a decade. How is this fair?

I don't buy the argument that closing date is the only reliable way to validate ordering. At the time the request is made, have the managing agent mail back a formal reply on letterhead stationery, noting the date and time that the person was added to the queue. A resident can use this receipt to establish priority, if necessary. Publishing the waiting list(s) on a regular basis would also help: people will know their relative position, and disputes are less likely to occur later. If someone sees that they are missing or misplaced, they can straighten things out long before they get to the top of the list.

I agree with CDT about not using the closing date as a criteria for a spot on the parking list. When a person wants to get on the parking list, they notify the property manager in writing. We distribute and post the rules so everyone is aware of them and we also post the list so people can easily see where their names are.

However, shareholders are asked over & over if they want to get in. They just stay up there at the top of the list even when they don't use this as their primary residence. One non-resident without a car was even allowed to stay at the top of the list. !?!?!

Thank you very much, Board Prez, for your reply. The residency requirement is a major matter, and your other response about turning down a spot is particularly apropos. The other criteria I'd like to see on the registration is that that person owns the vehicle.
We try to accommodate all the shareholders, but it can get out of hand, too. I'd like to see set of rules applied to everyone.
Thanks again.

Thank you to "Board Prez" as well

I don't know about the board, but I'd say Mary's friend is a vile, gossipy busybody and no friend at all. Friends don't tell other friend's secrets.

Anon - I understand why you think my friend is a "vile, gossipy busybody" but she isn't. I've known her for years. She said when Mary told her about the affair with the super, she told her board because she didn't know where this might go. At the time (about 6 mos ago), they dropped it and didn't tell anyone else about it, and still haven't.

If the SH who saw Mary and the super in a compromising situation at a restaurant last weekend didn't tell everyone in the bldg about it, this wouldn't be an issue. If anyone is a loose-lipped gossip, I think it's this SH, not my friend.

I don't know anyone in that coop except my friend. I just wondered if any posters here had any ideas on what the board there should do if this doesn't die down on its own.

Stop talking about it -- and it will go away!

Sounds like two people are trying to stir a tempest in a teapot... and should mind thier own business..

Legally, the Super or SH have done nothing wrong or to harm the Building. AliceT

The Board's job is to abide by the responsibilities dictated by the governing documents. I know there is nothing in ours about this, and I doubt it exists in the docs of any other condo or coop. Stay out of it. And ask you friend to leave you out of it. Board business is time-consuming enough.

Unless moral turpitude is involved, stand down, back away and drop it.

The behavior defined may go against one’s mores, but that’s not the value that tips the scales against the superintendent.

Whoever started any of this dialogue at the co-op needs to be smacked for disturbing the peace.

Tell the rumor (nay story) mongers to go about their lives; there’s more important agenda in the world.

I agree - the board has enough to do without getting involved in personal matters. Your concern with the super is that he does his job well. Don't give life to the gossip.