We got dirty laundry.

Our laundry contract with Fowler expired in April, and some of you are probably wondering where the heck are the new machines? The minutes posted for the month of March says the board approved Coinmach as our new vendor, but before we signed the contract there was an interesting development. Hercules came back with a better offer. Since we had no legal obligation to Coinmach we felt we should consider it. Lo and behold Coinmach came back with an even better offer. They gave us an additional $60,000. plus we will get to keep the washers, dryers, card readers, and accessories when the contract expires. At that point we could sell them or we would just pay for a service contract. This means we could nearly double our monthly income for a minimum of 2 more years. Currently LG residential washers come with a 10 year warranty, so with proper maintenance the commercial model should fare just as well. David Baron said he has never seen a deal this good in his many years of managing properties. There will be a period of about a week where no laundry can be done as the rooms will undergo electrical and asthetic renovations. In all liklihood they will be up and running in June. Keep your shirts on a little longer you will be pleasantly surprised, and not reported to the local authorities.

No more dirty laundry

Monsters Ball

At our recent open forum the main topic of conversation was the board's decision to terminate the contract with the Educational Alliance (Ed Al). They provide services for our seniors, and some shareholders were angry they weren't consulted in advance of the decision. At this point the question of why the board removed the Ed Al as the administrator of our NORC (Naturally Occurring Retirement Community) program is less important than how will we move forward to provide the services you've come to rely on, and expect. We have are in the process of interviewing organizations and agencies, and we ask your patience as we put a program together. Actually we ask you to partner with us in this endeavor. Since Village View will be administrating the program all seniors can have direct input on what programs, and services they would like. Something that was not possible with Ed Al. It's time to put down the pitchforks, and torches because there are no monsters. Fear of the unknown is the only thing that can stop us from possibilities that lie ahead.

Photo taken at recent open forum.

3/5 Meeting with H.P.D.

Joanne Batista our property manager, Jeff Schwartz our attorney, and four members of the board were given an opportunity to meet with Julie Walpert and Joe Quigley of H.P.D. on 3/5. The topic of conversation was a new rule that requires shareholders to be charged an additional $150. a month penalty on top of a 50% surcharge if they didn't state their income on the affidavit. In the past residents were allowed to accept the full surcharge without disclosing the exact dollar amount. It's interesting to note that H.P.D. was forced to drop the long standing rule that shareholders whose earnings were over the income limit for three years would be evicted. This rule instituted since the time of Moses was unenforceable, and left them in an awkward position. How do they deal with shareholders with very high incomes when the surcharge is capped at 50%? Whether you make 150k or 1.5 million you pay the same maintenance charge. In this current environment of class warfare that is unacceptable, at least as far as Warren Buffet and his secretary are concerned. H.P.D.'s plan (or lack of one) seems to involve collecting income information, penalizing those who don't comply, and hopefully in the future some bureaucrat will develop a formula for a sliding scale surcharge of as was alluded to by Julie Walpert. She indicated it might go as high as 100 or 150%. This is putting the cart before the horse. Develop a formula first, hold hearings, then codify and enforce. This is an issue that is long overdue, it cannot be improvised as you go along, and highlights a lack of vision on the part of H.P.D. They are also genuinely concerned that once the 99% finds out that millionaires live in subsidized housing there will be an Occupy H.P.D. demonstration. I just hope those chefs from Zuccotti Park show up.

I'll occupy the salmon cakes, wild heirloom
potatoes, and quinoa salad please.

This article does not reflect the opinion of any board member other Dan Nasco, and is written to entertain as well as inform. 

Don't fence me in

Are the sparks coming from his torch or his cigarette

Many of you have seen the new fences that have been installed around Village View, especially by building number 3. You may also have noticed that the welding is being performed by our maintenance personnel specifically Edguardo. The fact is that welding is usually expensive, but thanks to our crew Village View is saving tens of thousands of dollars on the installation. There was once a song called "Don't fence me in", but at these prices who can complain?

Village of the Giants

No it is not a new sci-fi movie it's just that the Dept. of Parks has planted new trees that eventually will become giants. Here is a picture of the tag denoting the variety known as "Tilia tomentosa Sterling".

Tilia tomentosa can grow up to forty feet, but the Sterling type can reach 90 feet! Granted it grows 1 foot per year so very few of us will live long enough to see it that tall. Ultimately it still begs the question why plant that type of tree in a 5' by 10' area where there are underground utilities? Inevitably the concrete sidewalk will have to be replaced, but that will be the problem of a future board.

They are so cute when they are babies.

The good: Tolerant of pollution, heat, poor soil, and drought.
The bad: Grows fast. Toxic to bees. Requires frequent cleanup in spring and fall. Sooty mold. Will probably fall on my car when it gets tall enough.

Breaking new ground

Sidewalk in front of parking lot 3

As you might have noticed the sidewalks have been cut so new trees can be planted. While trees improve the air quality, and beautify the landscape I don't support planting trees that will grow thirty feet or more. It is inevitable they will require maintenance that the city will fail to provide (except in emergencies), and eventually destroy the sidewalks. Semi-dwarf trees grow slowly, attain a height of 10-15 feet, and seem to be a better choice when you've provided a space that is only 5' by 10' wide. You can also plant a redwood seed in a ceramic planter, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea.

The View Up Above

Smile! Your on Village View
camera.

The name Village View has become rather prophetic thanks to the numerous cameras that monitor our elevators, lobbies, and now our upgraded playground. Do you remember the old saying "he knows if you've been bad or good so be good for goodness sake"? Now it not only applies to the wisdom of Santa Claus, but to our security as well. So if the kids find coal in their stockings Christmas morning and ask why, you can imitate Warner Wolf and say "lets go to the videotape".