Dear 336 CPW Friends and Neighbors,

We hope everyone started off 2018 on the right foot. It’s hard to believe that it is almost spring despite the irregular weather throughout the winter, during which the Board has tried to progress on its ambitious agenda.

Mandatory Local Law 11 is upon us, which demands a five-year inspection and, where necessary, repair of the building’s façade. We have engaged DNA Contracting as the first step in this process. As you will have noticed from the scaffolding enveloping the building, they already have begun their work. If all goes as planned, the scaffolding should be gone before the summer begins.

We have started preparations for our annual shareholders’ meeting, which will take place at 7:00 pm on May 7, 2018, at the Alexander Robertson School, 3 West 95th Street. Meeting materials will be forthcoming in ample time before that date.

Following a strong period of sales, shareholders’ demands to conduct alterations and renovations have accelerated. As many projects have been completed or are nearing completion, several new projects have begun and there are multiple others waiting for approval. As noted previously, the number of renovations creates a tangible strain on the building’s infrastructure, on Sergio and our staff. The Board continues to manage the alterations schedule on a monthly basis. We want to take this opportunity to remind you again that future projects may be deferred and/or supplemental charges for renovation projects may be assessed to cover the cost of additional staff support.

Your Board is very focused on stringently enforcing the rules in the published Alteration Agreement. These rules, fully laid out on our website at https://336cpw.org/, were refined and updated in the summer of 2017. It is the Board’s central responsibility to protect the financial interests, safety and well-being of the shareholders. The alteration rules have been set down to provide shareholders and their contractors with a clear, unambiguous view of the requirements, time and costs associated with a proper alteration package submission.

Poor contractor work can result–and has resulted–in water leaks, noise violations, and NYC code issues. If shareholders choose not to abide by the requirements, or use contractors who ignore or skirt the rules, your Board is obliged to be strict in its enforcement of the rules, to protect other shareholders and minimize risks of financial exposure for the co-op. The consequences can include longer review processes, higher costs for the shareholder, and remediation work that lengthens construction periods.

We require our independent building architect, Ethelind Coblin Architect LP, to review each alteration submission in great detail, and to undertake multiple, on-site progress reviews throughout the construction to make sure those plans are adhered to in full. The cost of those controls are incurred by the shareholder conducting the alteration. While some may see this as onerous, the process unquestionably benefits all shareholders.

We cannot emphasize enough, however, how important it is to work with and retain quality architects and contractors for all work. The experience of alterations over the years clearly proves that “you get what you pay for.” While some contractors may seem less expensive at the start, the costs can and often do rise as the realities of the requirements and remediation work evolve. The co-op can provide a list of recommended specialists who have conducted work successfully in the building, clearly understand the building’s rules and regulations, and have a strong working relationship with Orsid, Sergio and his team.

The inventory of the building’s windows has been completed and we will soon be able to move forward on the window replacement program, as we have laid out in numerous communications over the past year.

Please remember that we are using email for most shareholder communications. To make sure email from the building doesn’t get caught in your spam filter and diverted to your junk folder, please add information@336cpw.org to your safe list. For those of you who have yet to register, please do so at https://336cpw.org/register/.

We welcome noteworthy items for publication in these newsletters. Please e-mail James Graff (jamesgraff1@gmail.com) or any of the board members with news you would like to share with the 336 CPW community.

Cindy Michel (Apt. 12C) and Seth Segel (Apt. 9E)