Summer 2018

Dear Shareholders,

Summer is around the corner and with it’s arrival we usher in the following events and updates for our complex. We look forward to seeing you at the Annual Shareholders Meeting in July!

Shredding Services
Our previous shredding events have been so well received that the Board has decided to add an additional date for this summer. Please bring your paper waste to the supers office to be shredded on Sunday, June 24th between the hours of 9:00am and 12:00pm.

Shareholders Meeting
Our annual shareholders meeting will be held at P.S. 99, 82-34 Kew Gardens Road. It is scheduled for Thursday, July 12th at 7:00pm.

NEW Security Hours
The security hours have changed, as of Friday, June 1st the new hours are:
Sunday - Thursday  8:00pm – 2:00am
Friday & Saturday   7:00pm - 3:00am

Boiler Project
The new boiler is installed and operational, please note that we will be making intermittent adjustments as needed in order to calibrate the new system. We will do our best to notify shareholders of interruptions in service before they occur and we thank you for your patience throughout the duration of the project.

Thank you,
The Board of Directors

Spring 2018

Dear Shareholders,

We all received the notice from the NYC Department of Finance regarding our property tax abatement. Be assured that our accountant, Percy Landa, took all the necessary steps to renew our property tax abatement electronically before the February 15th deadline. Percy has all the documentation to prove this and is currently working with the city to rectify the situation. We have received reports that other Coop's received the same notice and suspect it is a citywide glitch. We will provide updates on the situation as we get them on our website ( www.thegatescomplex.com), please check there.

Boiler Project

We are approaching the final stages of the project, testing of the new boiler will begin within the next few weeks. Be aware there may intermittent interruptions to service while the new system is being tested. We appreciate your patience during this time.

Reminders

Dogs must be kept off the grass, landscaped areas and on a leash while on the property at all times. When walking your dog please remember to use the service exits only. 

Maintenance Increase 

We have received many questions regarding the 3% maintenance increase that was instituted this past February. We will reiterate that the increase is needed to offset the continued increases in real estate taxes. Costs such as real estate taxes are dictated by the city and are not under direct control of the board.

Thank you,
The Board of Directors 

Autumn 2017

As incoming Board Secretary I’d like to thank everyone for the well wishes and support I’ve received thus far. It has been a privilege to be part of this community for 14 years and to witness the property beautification and improvements. I look forward to giving back by serving to the best of my ability.

Boiler Update
As of today permits have been filed with the contractor as scheduled. Once these are approved the work will begin. Stay tuned!

A reminder to all residents, the property management is not responsible for missing packages within the complex. Please take extra precaution to ensure the safety of your delivered goods by using the signature release feature, local lockers in the area or by having the post office hold your items for you. Thank you for understanding.

Happy Autumn!

Juan Solla, President
Joanna Marin, Treasurer
Lorena Dictter, Secretary

Summer 2017

“To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven” - Proverbs

Those who read this letter regularly will notice that I have not chosen my usual seasonal literary quotation and there is a reason: this will be my final Letter from the Board. After eight years serving as Forest & Garden’s Board Secretary and two years prior starting this Newsletter and working with the previous Board in developing property improvements, I will be stepping down at the end of this year’s term. It is a bittersweet decision but it is time for me to free myself up to pursue other interests.

My thanks to former Board President, Brenda Scott, current Board President, Juan Solla, Board Treasurer Joanna Marin and property Managers Terry Artus and Peter August for their support and encouragement during my tenure on the Board; I am extremely proud of all the property improvement projects we were able to accomplish together over the past ten years.

I would also like to thank our present and former Committee Members, Gabriela Cott, Wendy Williams, Stephanie Rosenberg (Newsletter), Jillian Pino and Melissa Ackerman, Stephanie Rosenberg and William Rodriguez (Social Committee) and Lorena Dictter (Webmaster) for giving so generously of their time for the betterment of our community.

As always, I appreciate our hardworking Maintenance team (Angel, Mario, Enis, Peter and Billy led by our Super, Andi Proko) for all they do to keep our property pristine and for their enthusiasm and help with our holiday decorations!

And Forest & Gardens wouldn’t have its beautiful gardens without our dear Renata Jelito, whose artistry takes my breath away every time I walk through our gates.

It has been a privilege to serve all of you and I wish all of you Seasons of purpose!

Diane Devine, Secretary

Autumn 2016

Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.” ― Lauren DeStefano

With the record-setting and punishing heat we experienced this summer, it wouldn’t be surprising if Fall has become everyone‘s favorite season! We offer a special “tip of the hat” to our maintenance crew and garden “guru”, Renata Jelito, who always persevere no matter what the weather.

NEW SOCIAL COMMITTEE VOLUNTEER
We are pleased to announce our new Social Committee volunteer, Jillian Pino, who has taken over from Stephanie Rosenberg and William Rodriguez and we thank her for donating her time to our community.

GARDENS
We have trimmed the hedges and small trees on the property and have installed our beautiful antique fountain in the garden area across from the benches which has been received with enthusiasm by our residents. Super Andi Proko will be installing soft solar-heated uplights around the fountain to gently illuminate it at night.

INSTALLATION OF HOT WATER HEATERS
We have chosen George Bassolino & Sons for this project and work will begin once the necessary permits are issued and paper work is completed. More information on this project will be forthcoming once the dates for the start of work are determined, although we anticipate no disruption of service during the installation.

TAG SALE
Since we did not have a social committee volunteer in place until the end of August, there will be no Tag Sale in September. We will try again for early May 2017! We wish you all great pleasure in witnessing nature’s grand finale!

Summer 2016

“It was a splendid summer morning and it seemed as if nothing could go wrong” - John Cheever

We have been fortunate to be having some spectacularly splendid summer mornings of late and there is nothing more splendid than waking up to a sunny summer morning with the sound of birdsong in one’s ears and looking out at our lovely lush gardens all in bloom. 

NEW BOARD ADDITION

We are pleased to announce that Juan Solla has moved into the position of President of the Board and that shareholder Joanna Marin has been appointed Treasurer. Joanna is an eight-year resident of Forest & Gardens and will be a welcome addition to the Board. Diane Devine will remain as Board Secretary. 

GARDENS

We have updated and re-calibrated our sprinkler system, pruned all 32 trees on our property and replaced the tree guards in the bench area of the courtyard with stacked cobblestones. We will also be installing a beautiful antique three-tiered cast iron fountain in the garden area across from the benches which will provide a focal point and add architectural interest to the area. The fountain will operate on treated recirculating water, has a beautiful aged patina and sits on a base of four bent-necked cranes, the symbol of longevity and happiness in the Asian culture. We hope this soothing water feature will add to our residents’ enjoyment of our beautiful gardens. 

INSTALLATION OF HOT WATER HEATERS

We have sent out the RFP, conducted a property walk-through and expect all proposals to be received by June 13th. After reviewing the proposals, the board will interview the potential contractors and hope to make a decision by the end of June. More information on this once the vendor and dates for installation are determined, although there should be no disruption of service during the installation. 

118th STREET PROJECT

Renata Jelito has planted some sky pencils and Scottish broom which seem to be thriving in this area; thanks to all our dog owners for not allowing their dogs to relieve themselves in this area – let’s keep up the good work! 

ANNUAL MEETING 

Our Annual meeting and Board elections will be held on Thursday, July 14th at 7:00 PM in the PS 99 Annex located on Lefferts Boulevard and Kew Gardens Road. 

We look forward to seeing you there! 

We wish you all many splendid summer mornings!

Spring 2016

“Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems.” -  Rainer Maria Rilke

While the winter always appears to be a slow time around the complex, the Board was busy with preparations and planning to make further improvements, both physical and financial.  The rising sale prices of our units across the board are increasing shareholder value and that, at the end of the day, is the Board’s primary fiduciary responsibility.

BUDGET

We are pleased to let you know that we are back on track with our budget, thanks to the recent assessment, maintenance increase and the relatively mild winter which, despite the blizzard of January 23rd, resulted in only two days of snow removal overtime and lower heating costs due to generally milder temperatures and lower gas / fuel prices.  

MORTGAGE REFINANCING

Although we re-financed our mortgage four years ago, the elevator refurbishment project, extensive re-pointing of the buildings and other improvement projects left us with a dwindling reserve fund that might not have seen us through the six years until the next re-financing.  To shore up reserves, the Board took the step of re-financing the property’s underlying mortgage to lock in the current historically low interest rates for the next ten years.  This allows us to lower our rate (and our monthly mortgage payments) which will benefit our operating budget and to pull down well over a million dollars to the reserve fund to give our co-op a comfortable cushion for future improvements and any unforeseen capital expenditures.

INSTALLATION OF HOT WATER HEATERS  We are in the process of developing a Request for Proposal for this project, under the aegis of shareholder Michael Ashkenazi, P.E. and hope to begin this project in early June.  As previously communicated, this should help to extend the useful life of our aging boilers and allow us to maintain hot water to the buildings even when they are down for maintenance and repair.  More information on this once the vendor and dates for installation are determined.

GARDENS

We will be looking into updating, modifying and improving our sprinkler system, especially on the 118th Street side of 83-83 to prevent water run-off due to the steep slope of the lawn.  Hopefully, this will save money on water usage and make our system more efficient.  Also on tap will be replacing the tree guards in the bench area of the courtyard as the wood is rotting and becoming loose.

Once again, we ask that all dog owners relieve their dogs at the street curb and not on the fences or planting areas as this destroys the metal and kills the plants.

HOUSE RULES

We have updated and revised the Co-op’s House Rules and will be distributing them by the end of the month.  Please be sure to read them thoroughly as there are some new items and more details on others.  They will also be posted on the website for easy reference.  

May all residents find poetry in the beauty that is Spring!