Vol. 60 No. 11
March 15, 2025
$1.25
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March 18th Income Affidavit Info Seminar to be Held Virtually By ROZAAN BOONE
Shareholders who have not yet attended an Income Affidavit Information Sesson to learn more about the electronic filing option now available in addition to the manual paper option are encouraged to attend at least one of the upcoming sessions being planned. The next session will take place on Tuesday, March 18, on Zoom. This is not an in-person presentation. To log in, use https://tinyurl. com/7byjnj7n (Meeting ID: 916 28026106; passcode: 539698) or scan the QR code at right. To join by phone: One Tap Mobile, (1-929-205-6099) 91628026106#, *539698# [US (New York) or 1-646-931-3860]. Shareholders who have general questions about the annual Income Affidavit filing are also invited to join the meeting. Riverbay Assistant Executive General Manager Cary Smith III is continuing to work with JASA Senior Services to secure dates when he will be able to present at each of the three senior centers operating in Co-op City. This request was made at the Feb. 23rd Information Session by senior shareholders who wish to attend daytime in-person sessions. As soon as the JASA dates are available, they will be publicized in the Co-op City Times and on the Riverbay Crawler.
Building Safety For the safety and security of everyone in our buildings, please do not buzz in or physically open the lobby door for anyone you don’t personally know. All guests and deliveries should only be let in by the person they are visiting. Being mindful of who we allow into the buildings helps keep our community safe. “Co-op City is a safe place, although we are not a crime free community. CCPD and NYPD maintain communication and CCPD detectives assist with all incidents and investigations led by the NYPD,” said Frank Torres, Interim Chief, CCPD. “The safety and quality of life of shareholders are our top priorities. NYPD has assisted with increased visibility throughout the campus and CCPD continues to maintain visibility, while conducting routine patrols and responding to calls for service. CCPD targets and patrols various buildings for violations, which can result in Community Complaints, criminal court summonses and/or arrests. CCPD is also constantly strategizing patrols while rebuilding the staffing levels to maintain the safety and quality of life for shareholders.” CCPD and Management thank shareholders for their cooperation! —Frankie Torres, CCPD Interim Chief
Shareholders are reminded that these Information sessions are different from the Help sessions that the Riverbay Finance department facilitates during the Income Affidavit period, which begins in April. Information sessions are to inform and educate shareholders on the electronic filing option and to answer shareholders’ questions on the annual Income Affidavit process, while the Finance department’s Help sessions are for shareholders who require assistance filling out their Income Affidavit and to notarize the document, a requirement that only applies to the paper form. Electronic filers go through a “knowledge based” ID verification process to securely verify their identity before they are able to access the digital Income Affidavit form. This step negates the notarization requirement for electronic filers. “The paper affidavit submission will continue to be an option however the new digital form is a necessary step in technological advancement that Management continues to implement across the corporation to enhance business engagement for shareholders’ convenience,” said Riverbay Assistant Executive General Manager Smith, who advanced this project to enable shareholders to take advantage of this additional filing option. “I encourage shareholders to attend the upcoming seminars to learn about improvements made to the electronic filing process and see the demonstration by Cap-
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Installation of Natural Gas Detectors in Co-op City Progresses BY DANIELLE CRUZ
Installation of natural gas detectors in Co-op City apartments, in compliance with Local Law 157, is moving ahead and on track to be completed by the May 1st deadline. Local Law 157, which was passed back in 2016, requires mandatory installation of natural gas detecting devices in residential buildings. The City Council passed this mandate in response to a number of deadly gas explosions in New York City in 2014 and 2015. The mandate required the Department of Buildings (DOB) to create specific regulations based on national standards. Those national standards weren’t finalized until 2023, when the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) published NFPA 715, which set forth requirements for the installation of gas detectors. The DOB used those standards to finalize Local Law 157, which officially went into effect on February 15, 2024. Under Local Law 157, gas detectors are required in every apartment and must be placed within 12 inches of the ceiling and at least 3 feet but no more than 10 feet away from the gas appliance. The device being installed in Co-op City is the Denoa Detect 10-Year Battery Operated (Continued on page 2)
DMV Offices Open on Saturday As REAL ID Deadline Nears By BRANDON ORTIZ
The New York Department of Motor Vehicles will open offices across the city on Saturdays starting next month to help New Yorkers looking to obtain their REAL ID or Enhanced ID. From April 5 to June 28, 10 DMV offices across the city and parts of Long Island will open on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. This period of time is dedicated to help individuals apply for a REAL ID or Enhanced ID, as well as those who wish to
upgrade from their current driver’s license, permit or non-driver ID to a REAL ID or Enhanced ID. Here are the offices that will be open on Saturdays: • Yonkers District Office • Bronx District Office • Harlem District Office • Midtown District Office • Richmond District Office (Continued on page 4)
311 Resolution Satisfaction Dashboard Now Live
By BRANDON ORTIZ
New Yorkers can now view how effectively 311 responds to Service Requests citywide by using a new online dashboard. When individuals file a Service Request through 311 and the responding city agency subsequently closes that request, 311 then sends the original filer a follow-up survey. In the survey, the individual who filed the Service Request can provide their feedback and overall satisfaction with how their request was handled. Starting with a satisfaction score, the survey asks the individual to respond to the following question: “Overall, I am satisfied with the way my Service Request was handled.” There are five possible options that correspond to a specific numeri-
cal score: strongly agree (100), agree (75), neutral (50), disagree (25) and strongly disagree (0). For individuals who put “disagree” or “strongly disagree,” the survey asks them to expand on their experience from a list of provided reasons, or they can put “other” and type in their reason. As for how to navigate the new dashboard, the survey data is broken down into various parts: average satisfaction score, the number of surveys sent out, the percentage of people who respond to surveys, the percentage of Service Requests handled within the respective agency’s Service Level Agreement, average satisfaction score for different city agencies and the most common service request types. The dashboard also allows users to sort data (Continued on page 5)