Many thanks to all who came out yesterday for our chili cook-off. I’ll have a more complete write-up later, but wanted to send congrats to Juliet Leibon aka Chiliet for her blue ribbon chili in the “traditional” category.
We also had a people’s choice winner, and lots of honorable mentions — more to come …
Cooperator Michael Marino has inaugurated Friends of Corlears Hook Park, and has arranged a meeting with representatives from the NYC Parks Department, Partnership for Parks, and Senator Daniel Squadron’s office for Thursday, October 30 at 6:00 p.m. There will be a walk-through of the park and an informal discussion of issues and ideas for improvement.
Corlears Hook is our backyard, and our gateway to the East River. Over the past few years it’s seen a small revival through a new dog run and new baseball/soccer field. Its trees were devastated two years ago during Sandy, though the magnolias that bloom so briefly in the spring are a beautiful sight. And when there’s just enough snow you’ll find kids sledding down the short steep embankment next to the footbridge over the FDR.
And if that’s not enough charm, how about this fun fact from the history books:
So come by Thursday, October 30 — meet in front of the small dog run at 6:00 p.m. — and be a part of improving this lovely, hidden gem.
Email friendsofcorlears
Cooperators have been complaining for a long time that the gate to the Delancey parking lot breaks down too often. Today it’s again stuck on open.
A few of you have made rumblings in this direction for a couple of years, but this is finally the year it’s going to happen! There’s going to be a CHILI COOK-OFF on Sunday, October 19 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
There will be professional judges, plus a popular winner voted on by cooperators. We are advised that this event will be held rain or shine.
Here’s the registration form:
The Lower East Side Ecology Center is holding another e-waste recycling event in our neighborhood in a couple of weeks — Sunday, October 26 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Here’s what they take and don’t take:
We accept the following working and non-working equipment:
• Computers (laptops & desktops, servers, mainframes)
• Monitors
• Printers, scanners, fax-machines, copiers
• Network devices (routers, hubs, modems, etc.)
• Peripherals (keyboards, mice, cables, cords, chargers, etc.)
• Tablets and E-readers
• Components (hard drives, CD-ROMs, circuit boards, power supplies, etc.)
• TVs, VCRs, DVRs, & DVD Players
• Digital Converter Boxes, Cable/Satellite Receivers
• Portable music players
• Audio-visual equipment
• Video-games
• Cell phones, pagers, PDAs
• Telecommunication (phones, answering machines, etc.)
We cannot accept home appliances such as microwaves, refrigerators, or air conditioners and we also cannot accept ionization smoke detectors or carbon monoxide detectors (those that are labeled as containing radioactive material). For information on how to dispose of these items, click linked item.
Please note: To recycle media, such as disks, CDs, and VHS tapes please recycle with Green Disk. We can also accept media but suggest a donation of $.50 per item to cover our disposal costs.
The coop’s policy on posters has never been clear to me.
The bulletin boards by the mailboxes seem to have “official” communications, like the Shabbos elevator schedule. These boards are locked, so presumably you need to get management to post your notice there.
Laundry room bulletin boards are a brilliant free-for-all — though some buildings are tidier than others, apparently with self-appointed weekly curators.
But what about the sleeves installed on the ground floors by each elevator bank? Shiva notices compete with maintenance bulletins, next to community events (and, yes, Cooperatively Yours communiques). Can any cooperator post (and remove) whatever they wish? How long should a notice stay up? Should there be a size limit?
Every once a while you’ll find this seal of approval, but there’s obviously no enforcement.
I’m not saying there needs to be an official policy or lock-step enforcement. I admit that it bothers me when Cooperatively Yours announcements are removed (as now happens routinely in some sections), but that’s life. When we first started putting up notices a couple years ago, I asked the black hole (contact@coopvillage.coop) for a set of rules but never got a reply. With these pictures to illustrate, I’ll try again Monday.
Candidates for the board of directors and the house committee have until October 23 at 5:00 p.m. to submit a 1-page bio with photograph to the management office at 530 Grand Street. At the same time, they are expected to read and sign a Candidate Cover Sheet that you can pick up anytime the management office is open.
This cover sheet outlines the duties and responsibilities of elected members of the board and house committee.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS: A member is expected: to attend all meetings of the Board held once a month throughout the year; to serve as an officer of the Board if so directed; to serve (if appointed) as a delegate to community and other cooperative organizations; to serve on committees of the Board if so directed. A member is expected to actively participate in the review and determination of policy while avoiding the details of day-to-day management. A member has the fiscal responsibility to determine and review income and expenditures. A member must be in full compliance with all the provisions of our Lease and By-laws.
HOUSE COMMITTEE: A member is actively concerned with matters pertaining to the quality of life in the cooperative community. Meetings are held monthly except during the summer. Attendance at meetings as well as active service on one or more of the House Committees subcommittees is expected. The members of the Committee discuss issues related to the cooperative and make non-binding recommendations to the Board of Directors and/or Management. Some members will share in the input and feedback of various community groups. A MEMBER IS EXPECTED TO MAINTAIN THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF THE COMMITTEE. A member must be in full compliance with all the provisions of our Lease and By-laws.
In addition, our bylaws indicate that in order to run for the board, you must have been a shareholder for at least two years prior to the date of the election, and cannot be in arrears for two or more months’ of maintenance at the time of the election. You cannot be an employee of the coop or a relative of an employee. And you cannot also be a commercial tenant of the coop, or have any interest in a commercial tenant. (No such conditions, as far as I can tell, are placed on running for the House Committee.)
Have you ever been bothered by the huge amount of garbage you produce every week? What if I told you that you could reduce your contribution to landfills by 70%?
Have you ever come home from work and noticed a pungent smell coming from the compactor rooms on the ground floor? What if I told you that you could make that smell disappear?
That’s the promise of composting, and it’s why NYC is betting big-time that in addition to separating our paper and plastics, we can be persuaded to set our food waste aside as well. The challenge is — as with all waste disposal — creating new carrier routes to pick up the separate trash from the millions of residences in the city.
Now in partnership with the great Lower East Side Ecology Center, which has been promoting composting for decades, you can bring your food waste to a collection point on Grand Street and Clinton on your way to work — Mondays and Fridays , 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Here’s what’s acceptable for composting:
And here’s what’s not acceptable for composting:
The best way to collect your food waste during the week is in a plastic bag or small plastic container — a good tip is to keep it in the freezer, so you don’t have to worry at all about odor.
LESEC has five other drop-off locations in Manhattan, and we’re trying to figure out if we can get a pick-up closer to our coop, since LESEC’s HQ and compost processing is at the East River Fire Boat House just on the other side of the FDR from us.
A very useful memo from board president Gary Altman informs us that free flu shots will be provided to any cooperator over the age of 18 at 465 Grand Street, 4th floor, on October 27 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
You must call to register for the flu shot and priority will be given to seniors. The number to call is 646-395-4270.
The Coop Village NORC (Naturally Occurring Retirement Community) is a neighborhood non-profit supported by all four Grand Street coops, NYC, NYS, UJA, and Educational Alliance. (As of the coop’s last reported financials, East River contributed $42,444 for senior care.)
It’s a helpful resource — and free to join — for any cooperator over the age of 60. Call that same number above — 646-395-4270 — if you would like to join or want information for a neighbor.
Mr. Altman’s full memo is below. Click for larger image.
