Who stole the hedges?

Some of you may have noticed that our hedges have been trimmed a little short lately. For all you city slickers this is a horticultural practice known as pruning. I have been assured that by summer we will have a bumper crop and all those prunes will be a tasty way to improve our colon health. In a naturally occurring retirement community we need all the help we can get.

NEWSFLASH: I heard NEWT Gingrich is running in 2012. His motto is "Iguana Be President", and if elected will be the first "Salamander In Chief". His campaign will be financed by Gordon Gecko of Wall Street.

Grounds for dismissal

I entered building 2 through the rear entrance and noticed a trench running through the grass this morning. My keen powers of observation led me to believe that an automated irrigation system was being installed. I was later informed that pipes carrying wires would link cameras to one central hub. I must admit I am embarrassed, considering I am on the buildings and grounds committee. Maybe the grounds I'm in charge of are for making coffee. Will that be regular or decaf?

Update: By hard wiring the buildings to one hub we will be be paying for one broadband connection instead of 7. This is in preparation for security camera monitoring.

Going to the dogs

At the open forum a great deal of time was spent on the increasing number of dogs at V.V. The board has been discussing a new comprehensive policy, but the question is will it be legally enforceable. A Mitchell Lama Co-Op called "Big Six Towers" in Queens approved very restrictive regulations concerning dogs and is now in court attempting to evict shareholders*. They have $100. registration fees, $15. monthly fees, weight limits, and dogs are not allowed on terraces or hallways unless they are being led out of the building. The lawyer for the dog owners claims the fees are unlawful, and this policy interferes with peoples rights under the law. An administrative law judge from H.P.D. will be making a decision in the coming months. If he rules in favor of Co-Op we can explore new regulations. If he rules in favor of the dog owners we should not attempt to implement a similar policy. The fact that Sec.27-2009.1 of the R.G.B. protects owners of dogs who have not had legal action taken against them for 90 days to be immune to eviction**. In reality this is a ridiculous law because it depends on the testimony of neighbors to establish the date of ownership. A task that most shareholders are not willing to testify to in court, and very expensive for V.V.

UPDATE: I spoke to Henry Dubro of Big Six Towers who told me the case has been withdrawn, but H.P.D. has approved their dog policy and they will go forward implementing it. I asked him to e-mail me their rules.

 *http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2010/05/05/2010-05-05_big_six_towers_coop_tenants_face_eviction_over_pets_in_woodside.html
**http://www.housingnyc.com/html/resources/hmc/sub2/art1.html