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The CB12 Housing and Human Services Committee meeting for the month of December was held this past week. Pictured here are (from left to right): Committee member Gabriela Rosa, Committee Chair George Fernandez, and Committee member Richard Lewis.
Story by Marisol Rodríguez
At December’s CB12 Housing and Human Services Committee meeting, guest speaker Leah Donaldson, the Manhattan Borough Liaison for New York City Department of Buildings (DOB), offered the committee an update on vacated buildings in the area in 2011, and also a presentation on Emergency Declarations v. Immediate Emergency Declarations.
The committee chair George Fernández expressed a concern on behalf of residents who have been vacated and haven’t been able to return to their residencies.
“When we lose residents, when a building empties out, that means we lose resources,” said Fernández, referring to the loss of residents in the area who do their shopping in the community.
Donaldson submitted a report that included the addresses of the 27 properties that have been vacated in the area in 2011, 10 of which were due to a faulty retaining wall near Park Terrace West.
Additionally, in response to the high number of illegal Single Room Occupancies (SROs) in the area, which included as reasons for vacate orders, the DOB has created flyers in order to alert residents about the dangers of these types of apartments, many of which are located in basements, less than 100 feet away from boiler rooms, making them a serious fire hazard.
“This is a prevalent issue in our community,” said Fernández, noting recent incidents in which families have died in fires in illegal SRO’s in the Bronx. The committee proposed a joint effort to promote education amongst community members on the dangers of these illegal residencies. Donaldson noted that the DOB relies heavily on community residents to alert them of such SRO’s, reminding the committee that residents can report these apartments anonymously by calling 311.
During her presentation, Donaldson also explained the nature of and distinction between Emergency Declarations and Immediate Emergency Declarations.
A property that poses an urgent threat to public safety to its residents is issued an Emergency Declaration. The notice is given to the property owner, who has between 15 to 30 days to hire a contractor to solve the problem. If the owner does not comply the city hires contractors to rectify the safety issue and bills the owner.
In cases where an Immediate Emergency Declaration is issued, such as a building leaning more than two inches, or a piece of a building facade is deemed to be in danger of falling off, immediate action needs to be taken and the city will act to solve the problem, later billing the property owner.
In 2011, 16 Emergency Declarations and 4 Immediate Emergency Declarations were issued, according to Donaldson’s report.
Although the building owner is notified in these cases and these declarations are also posted on the DOB website, the committee recommended there be more communication with tenants of these buildings. Committee member Gabriela Rosa suggested the DOB work with local elected officials in notifying tenant organizations when these declarations are issued as a more effective means to get the word out to residents.
The committee also discussed a community survey, the first of its kind organized by the committee, according to Fernández, as a means to get local residents’ feedback on needs and wants in terms of human services.
“It is good to know what people in the community think [it] needs or is missing,” said Fernández. The survey, which is in the planning stages, has a tentative launch date of February 2012.
In wrapping up the meeting, the committee also proposed a Community Resource event that would be held at the United Palace on 175th Street and Broadway. The event, as discussed, would bring local community-based organizations together in one place for residents to learn about resources as well as to network with the agencies and neighbors.
The Community Resource event has been tentatively set for the spring of 2012.
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