Winter 2015

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; perhaps it says "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.” ―- Lewis Carroll, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” &” Through the Looking-Glass” 

While we have enjoyed a gloriously mild, visually vivid and unusually long autumn this year, our trees have mostly shed their leaves now and it is time once again for our gardens to occasionally pull up their “white quilts” of winter before too long and sleep snugly until Spring once again stirs them awake. 

Accomplishments this year include additional building pointing, implementation of the Gate Lock System, Bench Replacement and Laundry Room renovations and we hope that you all are enjoying these improvements. 

Future projects for Spring 2016 will include: 

INSTALLATION OF HOT WATER HEATERS  
Our boilers are nearing the end of their life expectancy, although we hope to get a few more years of useful service before having to replace them, which will be costly. Hot water heaters will allow us to shut off the boilers during the summer months, saving wear and tear, with the added bonus of not interrupting hot water availability during boiler maintenance and repair. 

118th STREET PROJECT
We will be re-thinking our plantings in this area, since too many people are allowing their dogs to relieve themselves on the bushes and flowers which have killed them. We are currently considering other options for this area. 

OUR THANKS
As always, we would like to take this end-of-the-year opportunity to thank all those who work tirelessly to make Forest & Gardens such a special place to live: our wonderful maintenance staff under the direction of Super Andi Proko: 

Angel, Mario, Enis, Peter and Billy; the Newsletter
Committee: Gabriella Cott, Wendy Williams and Stephanie Rosenberg; the Social Committee: Stephanie Rosenberg and William Rodriguez; our Webmaster, Lorena Dictter and our Landscape artist, Renata Jelito. When you see them, please thank them for the time and effort they devote for the betterment of our community. 

We wish all residents the “gentle kiss” of winter and extend all wishes for a prosperous, safe and Happy New Year! 

Brenda Scott, President 

Juan Solla, Treasurer 

Diane Devine, Secretary

We wish all residents HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Autumn 2015

 Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Perhaps it is the beginning of the new school year or the start of the new cultural season after the languid days of summer, but this quote from Fitzgerald hits home as it always seems that the year really does start anew in September rather than January!

UPCOMING PROJECTS

We are pleased to note that we are once again back on budget for the year due to cost-saving measures and increased apartment sale prices.  Most of the beautification projects that were undertaken over the past few years have been completed and we now turn our attention to infrastructure items:

We have chosen a new laundry vendor and the new company will take over at the expiration of the current contract in November 2015.  We will have more specific information on this in a separate communication when the time for turnover nears but we think the new machines, upgraded laundry rooms and amenities and features will be welcomed by all residents. 

Another project will be the installation of a security system that will allow us to keep our gates locked 24/7, cutting down on the transient traffic that uses our property as a short cut.

With new technology, the gates can be opened by residents from their phones (even remotely) and regular service providers (US Mail, UPS, Fedex) and emergency responders will receive a code to allow swift access.  More about this later as well but we will still be keeping our security company as they are a visual deterrent to crime in the overnight hours and are also necessary to respond to emergencies or witness noise complaints and other issues on the property.

Finally, we are considering installing hot water heaters as an adjunct to our boilers which will allow us to continue to have hot water even when the boilers are taken down for maintenance.  It will also cut down on the wear and tear on our aging boilers which we hope to replace when we next re-finance our mortgage in five years.

We wish to thank the shareholders who attended the Annual Meeting in July for re-electing the Board for another term.  We are grateful for your trust in us to manage our resources wisely and we look forward to serving a new term with renewed energy and enthusiasm.

When it “gets crisp in the fall”, we wish all residents a sense of renewal and new beginnings.

Brenda Scott, President

Juan Solla, Treasurer

Diane Devine, Secretary

Summer 2015

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” ― John Lubbock, The Use Of Life 

After one of the latest Spring seasons in memory, our gardens have finally blossomed and it is a blessing once again to have the pleasure of the quiet enjoyment of sitting in the sun, watching clouds float by, hearing the birds chatter and watching the squirrels scamper while our property cat lazes in the grass. Our thanks once again to Renata Jelito for her hard work in maintaining our grounds all year long so that we may enjoy the fruits of her labor all Spring, Summer and Fall. 

UPCOMING PROJECTS 

As noted in the Spring Newsletter, the harsh winter has negatively impacted our operating budget once again. Although a welcome drop in gas prices has been a mitigating factor and a pick-up in apartment sales has generated additional income through the flip tax, we are still operating at a loss as we have had to do additional pointing and repair work which was unexpected. We are hoping to recover with additional apartment sales and lower heating costs during the summer months.

Spring 2015

 “That is one good thing about this world...there are always sure to be more springs.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea 

As this is being written, one could be forgiven for doubting this quote – the temperature is in the 20’s and more snow is forecast for this afternoon. Yet, our mourning doves have returned and the vernal equinox will come shortly bringing Spring officially, if not weather-wise. But we take heart in knowing that the earth, under its blanket of snow and ice, is already stirring with new life and it will not be long before the crocuses and daffodils will push their way through to deliver the promise of another Spring. 

UPCOMING PROJECTS 

Another harsh winter has impacted our operating budget. While the tractor snow blower that we purchased last year has helped to cut down on overtime necessary for snow removal, fuel oil and salt costs have exceeded what was budgeted (although a welcome drop in oil prices has been a mitigating factor). While we have a list of improvements that we hope to accomplish this year (including bench replacement and additions), these decisions will be made after a budget review at our March Board meeting. If we do go forward with any new projects, we will have more information in the Summer Newsletter. 

We wish all residents “more Spring” and a Happy Passover and Easter! 

Brenda Scott, President 

Juan Solla, Treasurer 

Diane Devine, Secretary

Winter 2014

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” ― Edith Sitwell 

There is a coziness to winter like that of no other season. Walking past homes in the dark evening chill seeing light-filled interiors makes us all long to hasten to the comfort and warmth of our own homes. 
We have completed many property improvements this year but will take a hiatus during the winter months from any further projects to conserve our resources as some unexpected repair work and the snow removal and salting costs from the past harsh winter have put us somewhat over our operating budget. We did purchase a riding snow tractor so that any future snow removal will not cost so much in overtime. We hope to still be able to replace and add additional benches in the Spring but that decision will be made by the Board after budget review in March 2015. 

118th STREET PROJECT 
The old, cracked, black asphalt has been removed, a new curb installed and grey cobblestone pavers and new plantings have revitalized and vastly improved the appearance of our 118th Street sidewalk. We give out sincere thanks to Renata Jelito for her tireless efforts in conceiving, designing and bringing this project to fruition. 

We can’t wait to see it blossom in the Spring!

Fall 2014

“Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves, we have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!” - Humbert Wolfe 

And what glorious summer evenings we have had this year! As the leaves change and put forth their final, showy bursts of color, we look forward to this season of crisp weather and turn our attention to spending cozy evenings indoors with family and friends. 

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• The elevator project has been successfully completed 

• New brass floor numbers have been installed. 

• The chain link fences have been replaced. 

• Garage drainage and emergency exit work was completed. 

• Installation of flag pole on Metropolitan Avenue lawn. 

FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS 

• The 118th Street beautification project will begin October 22nd 

• Replacing the garden benches (Spring 2015)

 

The Board of Directors of Forest & Gardens Owners, Inc.

Brenda Scott, President

Juan Solla, Treasurer

Diane Devine, Secretary

Summer 2014

“What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade.”-Gertrude Jekyll

We welcome this perfect young summer and all the promise for pleasant days that it holds.

ELEVATORS

A punch list of the elevators and any required “go-backs” are being addressed and corrected before a final walk-through and final payments are made. While this project took longer than expected (mostly due to circumstances beyond our control), we are pleased that it did come in within budget and we would like to thank our ConsultingEngineer (and shareholder) on the project, Michael Ashkenazi, for his diligence in overseeing the work and his invaluable advice to the Board for the past two and a half years.

We also wish to thank all residents for their patience and cooperation during the refurbishment; we all had to undergo the inconvenience that it entailed and hope that everyone is enjoying the results!

OTHER IMPROVEMENTS

• Andi and the team are painting the elevator andapartment doors as well as the basement walls

• New brass floor numbers are being installed.

• The chain link fences are being replaced.

• 118th St Beautification Project - applying for permits/see rendering at Annual Meeting 

• Wireless security camera system has been installed

• Garage drainage and emergency exit work was postponed due to the ongoing road work on Metropolitan Avenue and more info about this project will be sent to our parking spot holders by mid-summer.

• The severe winter weather and unusually high cost of heating and snow removal as well as the unexpected need for re-pointing the front two buildings has resulted in a delay of the replacement of our benches for budgetary reasons. We will revisit this project after the summer budget review but may postpone the project until Spring 2015.

We wish all residents the fulfillment of Spring’s promise in a glorious Summer!

Brenda Scott, President
Juan Solla, Treasurer
Diane Devine, Secretary

ANNUAL MEETING AND BOARD ELECTIONS

The elections will be held on Thursday, July 17, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at Public School 99 Annex. The current Board will stand for reelection:

Brenda Scott, President

Juan Solla, Treasurer

Diane Devine, Secretary

Spring 2014

“Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!” -Sitting Bull

And after the winter we have just been through, we  cannot wait to see our gardens burst forth once again with the results of the sun’s embrace! 

ELEVATORS 

Our final elevator in 83-83 passed inspection on April 14th. While there have been some issues with both elevators in this building, they have been addressed with FlorLift and we fully expect no more outages. We do remind all residents, however, that this project was a refurbishment, not a replacement of our elevators; although the controls were replaced and the cabs refreshed to bring us up to code compliance, other older working parts are existing.  Like all computerized machines, they are subject to maintenance and the occasional “glitch” from time to time until all fine tuning is done. FlorLift is in the process of addressing the outstanding punch list items (mostly cosmetic) which may result in taking the cabs out of service for an hour or two while they perform the necessary work. We will not have a specific schedule forthis work but the disruption to residents should be minimal. We appreciate everyone’s patience and cooperation as we enter the home stretch of this major undertaking. 

OTHER UPCOMING IMPROVEMENTS 

• Once the elevators are done, Andi and the team will begin painting the elevator and apartment doors as well as the basement walls and new brass floor numbers will be installed

• The chain link fence replacement will begin in early May

• Garage drainage and emergency exit work will begin after the fence replacement (most likely in mid-June) and more info about this will be sent to our parking spot holders by mid-late May. 

• Due to the severe winter weather further re-pointing will be necessary on the front two buildings and is expected to be completed by 4/30 

• Bench replacement and additions 

• Beautification of 118th Street curbside – more details to come! 

We wish all residents the embrace of the sun and hope all had a Happy Passover and Easter in this season of re-birth and renewal!

The Board of Directors of Forest & Gardens Owners, Inc.

Brenda Scott, President

Juan Solla, Treasurer

Diane Devine, Secretary