Announcements

November 13, 2023

To All Residents:

Our building, like many in the City, has unfortunately experienced a few instances of
package theft during the last year. The most recent incident happened a few weeks ago
in 870. From our security tape, we know that someone held the door open for a man
and woman on a weekday afternoon. These two individuals then left a few minutes later
with several packages.

The Board has implemented many security features to our buildings over the past few
years to address instances of package theft, most notably installing new security video
cameras, better locking systems, and the Butterfly intercom system.

We’ve also explored the possibility of creating a package room or protected package
drop box/locker. At the time, there were several constraints and USPS restrictions that
limited feasibility and usage so we decided not to pursue. We’ll continue to keep this
issue on the “front burner” and will re-evaluate if new solutions become available.

In the meantime, with the holiday season coming soon and with it a likely increase in
package deliveries, we ask for your help in keeping our mailbox areas safe:

• Please be diligent in not letting unknown individuals into the building either via the
  intercom or by holding open the vestibule door. If you see suspicious activity, please
  do not confront the individual(s) but contact the police and Bashkim.
• By retrieving packages in a timely fashion from the mailbox area, you’ll help to
  decrease any temptation or opportunity for potential theft. For most retail
  merchants and delivery carriers, you can enroll to receive delivery updates and
  alerts via text or email.
• In 860, please do not prop open the door next to the elevator or let anyone
  unknown through it. In 870, help keep packages out of sight from the street view by
  pushing packages to the left side of the hallway against the mailbox wall.
• Be a good neighbor! If you see a package for someone on your floor, consider
  bringing it to their door. Or take the package inside your apartment and keep it for
  them until they are able to retrieve it from you.
  If you have any questions, please contact the Board at wghboard@gmail.com or Howard
  Landman at 212-483-0700 ext. 309 or hlandman@sirenmgt.com.

Thank you,

Board of Directors
West Gate House, Inc.

Please join us for the annual West Gate House holiday party! All are welcome.

Sunday, December 11th
4:00-6:00 p.m.
Lobby of 860 West 181st Street

Please bring your favorite sweet or savory treat to share with everyone!

Please join us for a party in the garden to celebrate the gardening work we’ve done this summer, and to thank the garden volunteers who care for the gardens throughout the year.

All residents of 860 and 870 are welcome.

When: Sunday, October 9, 3-4 pm
Where: In the Cabrini courtyard (860 side)

Light refreshments will be provided.

We would appreciate it if you would RSVP to help us figure out how much food we’ll need. Please RSVP to: wghGardenGroup@gmail.com

– Board of Directors

To WGH Shareholders:

The Board of Directors is looking for interested shareholders who’d like to participate in a working committee focused on exploring the feasibility of a roof deck.

This outreach is one of several steps the Board is taking to explore this potential amenity. The Board has started to identify and discuss other action steps needed to fully and responsibly explore a potential roof deck. These include, but are not limited to, design and architecture guidance, city permit and regulatory requirements, one-time and ongoing costs, safety concerns, and alternate uses of our roofs. The Board also plans to reach out to shareholders to gauge interest and discuss any concerns, particularly from those living on the 6th floors.

To help with this work, we’re looking for volunteers from amongst our shareholders to help with project research and related tasks as part of an exploratory effort. Volunteers will collect important background information and carry out due diligence tasks aimed at helping the Board of Directors to make an informed decision about the feasibility of this project. Board members Gregory Orwat and Carol Lopilato are leading the project team.

Please note this project is purely exploratory at this time. In addition, please note that all decisions/approvals will be made by voting members of the Board.

If you would like to serve on the committee or have any questions about participating, please contact Gregory at gorwat@gmail.com or Carol at carollopilato99@gmail.com.

Thank you,
Board of Directors

The Board is hosting an informational meeting with Detective Bryan Polster and Officer Kenneth Armstrong of the NYPD 34th Precinct on June 8 at 7:30 pm. The meeting will take place via Zoom, and all residents are welcome to attend.

The Board of Directors asked Detective Polster and Officer Armstrong to meet with us following an increase in concerns about building safety earlier this spring. We expect them to discuss:

• Rising crime: What kinds of incidents are increasing in our neighborhood and what the NYPD is doing about this.
• Noise: Ongoing concerns about loud music and fireworks in the vicinity of our co-op.
• Our role: Tips and guidelines on what we can do to minimize problems related to these issues.

The session will be informal and we hope you’ll come with questions. If you’d like to submit a question in advance, please email Devin Leonard at devleonard@gmail.com.

We’ll distribute dial-in details to all residents closer to the meeting.

As always, we welcome your input, ideas, and thoughts on ways to enhance the security and safety of our buildings. You may contact the Board at wghpresident@gmail.com or our Managing Agent, Howard Landman at 212-483-0700 ext. 309 or hlandman@sirenmgt.com.

Thank you,
Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is removing the mask mandate in the building for all individuals including residents, staff, and visitors. The change in policy is effective immediately. Of course, anyone can continue to wear a mask if they so choose.

The Board is aware that certain risks remain and may revise this policy at any point based on new CDC guidance or other information that the Board deems relevant. For example, if COVID cases increase, the Board may reinstate a mask requirement.

The CDC recently transitioned from using “Community Transmission” to “Community Levels” to determine recommendations for local population COVID prevention measures, including masking. Manhattan is now in the “low” tier of “Community Levels.” At this level, mandatory masking is no longer recommended as a prevention step by the CDC.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss these guidelines, please contact the Board at wghpresident@gmail.com or our Managing Agent, Howard Landman at 212-483-0700 ext. 309 or hlandman@sirenmgt.com.

Last Thursday (November 11), packages were vandalized and contents stolen from the 860 mail room. After reviewing footage from the lobby’s video camera, it appears that someone was buzzed into the building. That person was then allowed further access into the mailroom.

As a reminder, please do not let unknown people into the building, do not buzz in unexpected visitors, and do not let anyone who you don’t know come through the door along with you. While none of us can control the behavior of delivery people and others who visit the building, we can at least do our part by following good security practices.

We appreciate your remaining vigilant about the safety and security of our building, and ensuring that building entry is only provided to confirmed visitors. Especially during the holiday season, when there’s an increased number of package deliveries, we appreciate your help to keep our mailrooms safe.

If you have any questions, please contact the Board at wghpresident@gmail.com or our Managing Agent, Howard Landman at 212-483-0700 ext. 309 or hlandman@sirenmgt.com.

– Board of Directors

You are all invited to a party to celebrate the garden, and mark the close of gardening for the year. Gardeners call the process of getting ready for winter “putting the garden to bed.” It’s getting to be that time of the year.

Please join us if you can. There will be simple, light refreshments and we will have a chance to say hello to our neighbors.

Sunday, November 7th | 1 – 2PM
860 Courtyard

We would appreciate it if you would RSVP to help us figure out how much food we’ll need. Please RSVP by November 5th to: wghGardenGroup@gmail.com

– Hosted by the WGH Gardening Group

Given the recent increase in coronavirus cases in the city as well as the CDC’s new guidance on mask wearing, the Board requests that residents and visitors continue to wear a mask while inside our building’s shared spaces. Regardless of vaccination status, masks are required in all common areas.

We appreciate your continued adherence to this policy.

If you have questions, please contact the Board of Directors at wghpresident@gmail

The Board of Directors would like to share a number of important updates and reminders:

Open Board Position

A Board of Directors position has become vacant as Robyn Fleming recently decided to step down. When there are Board openings off-cycle from our annual meeting, the Board selects a shareholder to serve until the next annual meeting so that the Board can continue operating with a full slate of officers.

We welcome any shareholders who are interested in serving on the Board for the remainder of this term (May 2022.) If you are interested, please email a brief biographic statement and a statement of interest to Howard Landman at Siren Management at hlandman@sirenmgt.com by May 15. The Board of Directors meets monthly. Members are expected to actively participate in various Board-related projects. If you’re unsure but would like to learn more, you can also email the Board President, Doug Zywiczynski, at wghpresident@gmail to discuss further.

A huge thank you to Robyn for her many years of service!

Refreshing the Bike Storage Waitlist

If you are interested in a bike rack, please email Howard Landman at hlandman@sirenmgt.com to add your name to our waiting list. Please include the number of racks you’re requesting. If you’ve emailed Howard in the past, we ask that you please email again to confirm your spot on the waiting list.

The Board of Directors has recently started a new project to assess available storage space in both buildings. Our focus is on helping to better organize the building’s cleaning, repair, and maintenance materials. As part of this project, we are also hoping to identify more bike storage.

Ecycling and Compost Updates

A reminder that West Gate House residents may “ecycle” their electronic recycling items. The ecycle bin is located in the 870 basement, near the laundry room. Acceptable items include:

• TVs
• VCRs, DVRs, and DVD players
• Cable and satellite boxes
• Video game consoles
• Computers: including small servers; monitors; laptops and their peripherals (such as keyboards, hard drives, mice, etc.)
• Printers/scanners
• Fax machines
• Small electronics: including tablets; mobile phones; MP3 players

NOTE: Appliances, batteries, and light bulbs are NOT accepted.

We have also learned that the Department of Sanitation’s curbside composting program is targeted to return in October 2021. Our building previously participated in this program and intends to do so again once it resumes. Each building has several brown bins for collecting composting.

– Board of Directors