Cooperator - Articles - 2008 Sept

Q&A: Running a Business in a Co-op

no@spam.com (Mark L. Hankin) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:55:20 EDT

I am a shareholder in a Westchester County 73-unit cooperative, two of which are commercial units generating approximately two percent of the co-op’s income. The president of our five-member board of directors has been president for over eighteen years. Several years ago he became a realtor and since that time has been a very active agent in both our community and in our co-op. This past year he purchased one of the two commercial spaces to open a real estate office that will be paying only the regular shareholder rate as its maintenance.

Leading More Buildings to Co-Generate

no@spam.com (Jonathan Barnes) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:35:42 EDT

The energy crisis of the 1970s created long lines of cars, with drivers waiting to fuel up at gas stations. These days, increasing fuel demands and rising prices are forcing the cost of everything from groceries to construction materials and other everyday expenditures ever upward. Heavy demand on the overtaxed utility grid has resulted in periodic blackouts in some major cities during summer months. Since utility costs comprise part of a building’s maintenance budget, maintenance costs for residential buildings also have been affected.

Q&A: Dealing with a Noisy Neighbor

no@spam.com (Richard T. Walsh, Esq.) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:54:40 EDT

I have a neighbor whose door is just across from mine and whenever she enters her apartment, she closes her door with a very loud bang. Sometimes, I am asleep and I wake up and can’t go back to sleep. This has been going on for years and years. I talked to her about it, begged, cried, and shouted but to no avail. Sometimes she remembers and no sound, but 90 percent of the time the noise persists. What can I do short of writing to the board? This is a condo building and both of us are renters.

Dealing with Difficult Board Members

no@spam.com (Lisa Iannucci) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:53:33 EDT

On last season’s “The Apprentice” reality show, celebrities volunteered their time to team up and compete, not for a job with the Donald Trump organization, but to win a large donation to their favorite charity. The show’s concept is to win tasks and prevent hearing the infamous words, “You’re Fired!” from Donald Trump.

Q&A: Can the Board Set a Minimum Sales Price?

no@spam.com (Andrew B. Freedland, Esq.) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:53:12 EDT

I recently received a memo from the board of directors of my co-op in Queens Village, stating that the building will not allow cooperators to sell their apartments below a sales price that they determine. Is this legal?

Skid Row to Luxury Gold?

no@spam.com (Brendan Flaherty) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:24:49 EDT

Examining a few pounds of freeze-dried goji berries in the Bowery neighborhood’s Whole Foods market, it is easy to forget that you might be standing in the exact spot where the Bowery Boys, clad terrifyingly in stovepipe hats and flared trousers, clashed with rival gang, the Dead Rabbits. You snag a smidgeon of organic goat cheese and stroll up the Bowery, completely unaware that in a different time you might have been stepping over Bowery bums stumbling out of McGurk’s Suicide Hall. And passing the New Museum of Contemporary Art with a parasol slung over your shoulder, you can scarcely hear the piercing electric echoes of CBGB, a launching pad for American punk rock and bands like the Ramones, Blondie, and the Talking Heads.

What you Should Know

no@spam.com (Adelaide Polsinelli) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:23:58 EDT

Having sat on a board for almost ten years, I continue to be astonished at how little most volunteers know about what the job entails. While it is important to volunteer your time for this position, there are things you must know in advance in order to prepare for what is ahead.

Aiming to Make All Buildings 'Green'

no@spam.com (Stephanie Mannino) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:20:54 EDT

It seems that nearly everything is going “green” these days. Whether it’s the special green issue of a popular consumer magazine, an advertisement for a fuel-efficient hybrid car or a push toward environmentally friendly building materials, the message is clear: green is here to stay. But the idea of green building is not new—it’s been the primary mission of the U.S. Green Buildings Council (USGBC) since the organization’s founding in 1993.

A Look at Buildings and Energy Use

no@spam.com (Greg Olear) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:19:55 EDT

The concept of a “carbon footprint” has been widely circulated in the media for the last couple of years—particularly as global warming has become such an urgent topic of discussion for people other than Al Gore. Essentially, a carbon footprint is a representation of the total carbon emissions for a given person, organization, building, or operation.

Barking Up the Wrong Tree

no@spam.com (Bob Friedrich) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:18:20 EDT

The City Council is at it again with another attempt to create havoc for our co-ops. Intro 13, sponsored by Councilman Tony Avella is artfully crafted to conceal its true objective: Prohibit the right of co-ops and condos to control pet ownership in their buildings. When will council members realize that co-ops and condos are governed by boards of directors that are freely and fairly elected by those living in their communities and are empowered to set policies and house rules in order to create a meaningful quality of life for the hundreds if not thousands who live there? I know because I am the President of Glen Oaks Village, New York’s largest garden apartment co-op with 10,000 residents. Deciding whether to allow pets or not is fraught with many considerations and is best left to those living in their co-ops.