There are a number of important updates and reminders which the Board of Directors would like all residents to please take note of, many of which are related to New York City’s entering Phase 2 of reopening:
Laundry Room Upgrade Scheduled for September
As communicated in previous months, the laundry rooms in both buildings will be upgraded this year. The work was put on hold during PAUSE. With non-essential construction and renovation work now allowed, we’re targeted September to begin laundry room renovations. We’ll communicate again with you regarding timing once specific dates are set.
Open Houses, Apartment Sales and Renovations
With Phase 2, real estate sales can now resume. To help keep the flow of visitors into the building at a minimum, showings by appointment are permitted but open houses are not allowed. The Board will revisit the possibility of resuming open houses after Labor Day depending upon the situation.
Renovations and other in-apartment construction work can now begin, with residents following the standard approval process as outlined in the Alteration Agreement (please see our website for more details on the approval process). Please make sure your contractors follow social distancing guidelines within the building and common spaces.
The Board, also in an effort to reduce the number of visitors into the building, has decided to delay some minor renovation work to the building’s interior common areas. We will of course still continue with any emergency or urgent work inside the buildings as needed.
Watering and Tree Pit Plantings
After a delay due to PAUSE, we’re now resuming with the planting of our tree pits (with even more plants, currently on order, to be added shortly). Many thanks to those of you who’ve already volunteered to help with planting and watering this summer. If you’d like to help, please contact Jane Maisel at 917-678-1913 or jsmaisel@gmail.com. Jane can provide more information on new procedures for keeping our volunteers safe. The Board has also approved the repair and replacement of the tree pit fences on Haven and Cabrini that were recently damaged.
Stolen Packages
As you may have seen recently posted in both buildings, we had an incident where a grocery delivery person held the door open for a woman in 870 who then to proceeded to open (and steal contents) from packages in the mail area. Sam spoke with the police, who saw the video and took a copy. 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, e.g., do not let unknown people into the building, do not buzz in unexpected visitors, do not let anyone who you don’t know come through the front door along with you.
Covid-19 Safety Guidelines
Finally, a reminder about CDC and NYC Department of Health safety guidelines. While we appreciate that it’s easy to become relaxed about maintaining safe practices around the building, the reality is that Covid-19 is still with us (and will be for a while). These buildings are our homes and so it can be tempting to treat the lobbies, laundry rooms and courtyards as extensions of our apartments but we share our space with many older and immune-suppressed individuals. Let’s please do the following to be safe, courteous and respectful to our neighbors:
• If you leave your apartment, you must wear a face mask or cloth covering over your nose and mouth. Children less than 2 years of age should not wear a face covering.
• Maintain a physical distance of at least 6 feet between yourself and others.
• Reduce overcrowding. Do not crowd the laundry rooms, lobbies, garbage and recycling areas or any other public space in the building.
• Do not get into a crowded elevator. Take the next elevator or take the stairs instead if you can.
If you have any concerns or questions, please contact either the Board of Directors at wghpresident@gmail.com or Howard Landman at 212-483-0700 ext. 309 or hlandman@sirenmgt.com.
Continued best wishes that you and your families remain in good health.
– Board of Directors