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Home , Avenue A (Manhattan), Cooper Square, Stanton Street

The Committee Presents Our 52nd Anniversary Gala “Celebrating the Cooper Square Mutual Housing Association”

The Gala Committee & The Steering Committee of the Cooper Square Committee invite you to join us in celebrating 52 Years of Community Organizing, Preserving & Developing Affordable Housing, Community & Cultural Spaces. ❖ Thursday, October 20th 2011 Restaurant 417 New York, N.Y. 10003 The Cooper Square Committee wishes to thank The Sponsors of our 52nd Anniversary Gala ❖

Community Champion Co-Sponsors The Cooper Square Mutual Housing Association

BFC Partners

The Owners of 10 ❖

Supporting Sponsor Goldstein Hall PLLC

52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA  Celebrating The Cooper Square Mutual Housing Association

Dear Friend, Twenty years ago, in 1991, the Cooper Square Committee created the Cooper Square Mutual Housing Association (CSMHA) to manage twenty buildings, primarily on East Third Street and East Fourth Street. These buildings had originally been taken through eminent domain by the City of New York in the 1970s after they designated the Cooper Square Urban Renewal Area (which extended from East Fourth Street

MHA building 13 East Third Street to Stanton Street). After years of trying to get the City to maintain these buildings in good repair, the leadership of the Cooper Square Committee decided that self management would achieve better results. Our 1986 Revised Plan for the Cooper MHA building 83 Second Avenue Square Urban Renewal Area called for renovating these old law tenement buildings, transferring them from the City to non-profit ownership, and letting the tenants make the day to day decisions to ensure that they were managed effectively. In 1990, the Dinkins Administration agreed in principle to this idea, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding, committing the City to invest MHA buildings at 63-77 East Fourth Street. millions to renovate the buildings, and transfer them to a housing company to be formed by the Cooper Square Committee. A year later, we did just that.

52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA  Today, all of the buildings have been renovated, In January, 2011, all of the Cooper Square with newer systems from boilers to windows, Mutual Housing Association tenants electrical wiring to plumbing, and hardwood received the offering package. The Cooper floors. Instead of water closets in the hallways Square Committee, with a grant from and French bathtubs in the kitchen, the New York Community Trust, conducted apartments all have three piece bathrooms and a series of co-op education workshops modern kitchens as required by the New York to educate residents so that they can be City Building Code. Some apartments were informed and empowered shareholders. combined to accommodate larger households Workshops dealt with understanding that had been overcrowded in studios and one- what a cooperative is, from the Articles bedroom apartments. During this long process, of Incorporation to the By Laws, and MHA building 9 East Third Street the Cooper Square Committee assisted the the governance functions of the Board MHA Building at 13 Stanton Street Mutual Housing Association with relocating tenants into other buildings of Directors of the Cooper Square while their homes were renovated. Mutual Housing Association and the Along the way, the Cooper Square Community Land Trust. Ongoing Committee brought 89 East Third workshops are planned. Street into the Cooper Square Mutual Our successful partnership with the Housing Association portfolio in 2000. Cooper Square Mutual Housing A few years ago, the CSMHA also took Association during this process has over management of 16-18 Second resulted in 85% of the residents Avenue, a low income cooperative deciding to become shareholders that the Cooper Square Committee MHA buildings on East Fourth Street at the insider price of $250. In the sponsored in 1989. years to come, we are confident that Cooper Square Mutual Housing The final phase of the unique Cooper Association shareholders will continue to work to preserve this precious stock of Square Mutual Housing Association MHA buildings at 21-27 East Third Street. project was to convert the twenty-one buildings, with 328 apartments, from affordable housing for the next generation rentals to cooperatives. Last year, the New York State Attorney General’s of residents. Office reviewed the multi-building cooperative offering package prepared by Yours truly, the CSMHA’s attorneys, Goldstein-Hall PLLC, and issued a “No Action” The MHA Co-op Offering Plan Book. letter, which gave approval to proceed with the co-op offering plan. The Cooper Square Committee

 COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA  Our Programs

Tenant Organizing And Counseling The Cooper Square Committee recognizes that community victories do not happen without struggle. Unless tenants are informed and stand up for their rights, they are at risk of being displaced. This is why our housing staff works to educate tenants about how to preserve their right to keep their rent regulated housing that is constantly under attack. This past year, we joined tenants throughout New York State Cooper Square and GOLES in Albany to support housing issues. in advocating for renewal and strengthening of the Rent Laws, which were extended until 2015.

Our Housing Specialists counsel nearly 1,000 tenants every year about their rights. We help them deal with a variety of issues such as lease renewals, subletting, rent overcharges, preferential rents and fraudulent rent registrations, harassment, and lack of services.

We educate and organize tenants in distressed buildings. Our staff assists the tenants in negotiating with the landlord Brandon Kielbasa counseling a client in the Cooper Square office. for repairs, or if this is not possible, to

52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA  carry out litigation in housing We are now in the process of doing pre-development work for a vacant court to get the Judge to order city-owned building on East Thirteenth Street to assess whether it’s repairs. Among the tenants we feasible to renovate it as transitional housing for homeless LGBTQ have organized are SRO tenants on youth in partnership with the Ali Forney Center. If we can get the , tenants in buildings site control, we will be applying for Homeless Housing Assistance in foreclosure, and buildings Program (HHAP) funds from New York State in order to house at purchased by predatory equity least a dozen homeless youths. landlords who use aggressive Social Services tactics to displace tenants. MHA building 10 Stanton Street Our Social Services staff serves

Housing and Community Development low income residents in need of Our staff looks for opportunities to develop and preserve affordable entitlement assistance. Staff assesses housing and community/cultural spaces. This past year, we got the owner their income support needs, and helps of the Thelma Burdick building (10 them access Food Stamps, Medicaid, Stanton Street) to carry out almost $1 Public Assistance or other support if million in weatherization improvements, they are eligible. Homeless individuals such as new windows, boilers, hot water Christian Valerio counseling an MHA client and families, and victims of domestic in the Cooper Square office. heaters and other energy efficiency violence, are assisted in obtaining upgrades. With our help, the Cooper temporary and permanent housing as well as Section 8 certificates. Square Mutual Housing Association Our staff also refers many is applying for free windows and new residents seeking ESL or boilers for a number of buildings that GED classes, immigrants they manage. seeking citizenship classes, and they help people get off In June, we completed administering MHA building 222 East 13th Street welfare by referring them Round Two of Main Street funds on to employment training and East Fourth Street. The funds assisted with facade improvements for five placement programs. buildings on East Fourth Street, from power washing to re-pointing and

repairing window lintels and scraping and painting fire escapes. Wasim Lone of GOLES and Georgina Christ of CSC in Albany to support renewal of the rent laws.

10 COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA 11 Special Projects

Seward Park Advocacy were more likely to decide to During the past year, we have become co-op shareholders participated in Community since they had a better under- Board Three planning efforts standing of how the coop- for this large urban renewal erative will function. Our staff area. We continue to advocate helped residents fill out the for development of 1,000 mixed purchase agreements. The Urban Renewal Area (SPURA) income apartments, and quality Don Castano with CSC staff & members protest, in June 2011, at a public hearing of the Rent Guidelines Board, which has design and a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement. raised rent on rent-stabilized apartments every year since 1969. (Boardmember Georgina Christ and member Kamala Mottl.) Accessibility Project The Cooper Square Committee has Bowery Preservation done surveys of public accommod- We supported the efforts of Greenwich ations in the neighborhood and Village Society for Historic Preservation, found that more than 25% are not Lower East Side Preservation Initiative, accessible to people with physical Historic Districts Council and Bowery disabilities. We’re now in the process Alliance of Neighbors to strengthen zoning of reaching out to these service protections for the Bowery, and we testified providers to discuss how they can in support of the East Village/Lower East A Day Nursery in need of accessibility modifications. make their spaces more accessible. Side Historic District. We will continue to

support these efforts. Steve Herrick speaking at rally mourning the ducating esidents bout ooperative wnership E MHA R A C O loss of 35 Cooper Square on May 25, 2011. Our Cooperative Housing Specialist conducted a series of workshops this year for Mutual Housing Association residents from March through June. Topics included “An Introduction to Cooperative Ownership,” “Understanding the Articles of Incorporation and the Stock Certificate,” “Understanding the By Laws,” “Running for the Board of Directors,” and “Serving on the Board of Directors.” Tenants who attended the workshops

12 COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA 13 reserve fund, and pooling of commercial income, thus reducing operating costs and preserving the building’s affordability for low-income residents. The Cooper Square Committee sponsored the formation of the Cooper Square Mutual Housing Association, incorporated in 1991, to manage these properties and to oversee the renovations. Four of the twenty original MHA buildings were vacant. A The Board, Staff and Building Captains of the Cooper Square couple of the vacant buildings, 71 East Fourth Street and 13 East Third Street, were Mutual Housing Association among the first ones renovated by HPD in the early 1990s, and the last of the twenty- one MHA buildings, 89 East Third Street (a new addition to the MHA program), was In 1959, the Cooper Square completed in 2007. Committee (CSC) was formed to successfully fight displacement Pursuant to the MOU, these properties are being maintained for low and moderate income of over 20,000 neighborhood families. The tenants of the Cooper Square Urban Renewal Area are predominantly low residents by a Robert Moses’ income and very ethnically mixed. Roughly half of the households are Latino, and the other “urban renewal” plan. Today, half consists of White, African American and Asian households. The MHA is surrounded over fifty-two years later, we on all sides by higher-income neighborhoods, and has been an oasis of affordable housing are still helping Lower East amidst advancing gentrification. Side tenants from This year, the Cooper Square to , from Third Committee is honoring the Avenue to the East River, to keep MHA Board Members: (Top left to right): Shirley Campbell, Cooper Square Mutual Housing their apartments affordable. We Michael Atkins, Wai-Ling Wong, Sharon Golstein, Bonnie Brower, Association (MHA). Twenty aid rent stabilized tenants, rent Brad Pattinian, David McReynolds, Brian Sullivan. (Bottom left to years after forming the MHA, controlled tenants, Single Room right): Carmen Gonzalez, , Ed Delgado, Maxine over 85% of the tenants—in Fee, Maria Torres Bird. Occupancy tenants—anyone who the twenty-one MHA buildings wants to keep their homes safe and sound. We continue to demand what is ours—a with 328 apartments—have decent home at a rent we can afford in a secure, clean and green community. signed purchase agreements The Cooper Square Committee has learned that small and large victories do not for this historic cooperative. Many of us have worked for happen without struggle. In 1990, after many years of community meetings that MHA Building Captains: (Top left to right): Sean Killean, Amy led to letter writing, petitioning, demonstrations, and arrests, the Cooper Square this end, but the people who Scarola, Ken Wah Chez, Simone Harris, Haydee Santiago, Shannon Committee signed an agreement or “Memorandum of Understanding” (MOU) have struggled the hardest for Harrington, Maxine Fee. (Bottom left to right): Roseanne Hamila, with the City of New York. The formerly city-owned residential buildings on Third this plan’s success have been Carmen Gonzalez, Laura Triana, Wai-Ling Wong, Amir Bey, Marlene and Fourth Streets would be renovated and a non-profit entity would be created to the MHA Board of Directors, Askew, Isabel Thompson. Eighteen building captains not pictured. manage the housing. This agreement called for permanent affordability for current the MHA Staff, and MHA and future residents. Building Captains. We honor them today for the preservation of decent housing at rents affordable to low-income tenants. To complete this victory, The Cooper Square Committee reached out for continuous community input. Future MHA tenants thoroughly discussed choices from apartment The Mutual Housing Association’s fifteen member Board, the governing entity of the renovation to prevent overcrowding, removing bathtubs from the kitchens and cooperative, consists of several committees that provide for tenant participation and input. installing three piece bathrooms, to the various ownership options. Together we These include the Finance Committee that helps put together the MHA’s annual budget; ultimately decided to create a unified Mutual Housing Association (MHA) to enfold the Construction Committee that monitors the building renovations; the Commercial all the renovated buildings into a single multi-building self-governing cooperative. Committee that deals with the storefronts and the Tenant Selection Committee that Residents understood that the MHA autonomous model would create an “economy handles apartment rentals. We honor and salute all board members. We give special of scale” permitting bulk purchase of supplies and services at a lower price, a large recognition to Maxine Fee, the Board Chairwoman during the co-op conversion process.

14 COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA 15 Maxine’s parents came here from San Francisco and settled at 57 East Fourth Street, Implementing board policy while dealing with day-to-day tenant problems has thinking their new home was part of Chinatown. Maxine lived with her parents and been the untiring work of the MHA office staff. Jasmine Garcia, Li Tao, Patrice her brother Clifford while attending PS 63 and Music and Art High School. Maxine Mulligan, and Nicole Canuelas attended, as well as lead, workshops and briefings got a “temporary” Post Office job that soon became permanent. Maxine gladly kept conducted jointly by the Cooper Square Committee and the MHA. They in turn this steady job with agreeable hours and benefits until she retired ten years ago. Many helped educate tenants on the specifics of the MHA plan. Elena Solero took care years ago, a friend surprised her with last minute opera orchestra seat tickets. Now an of the fiscal duties for the MHA. The MHA cooperative could not have been opera buff, her retirement gave her more time to pursue her passion for the opera. completed without the long hours put in by the entire staff. Retiring also gave Maxine time to run for office on the Cooper Square Committee slate, Keeping the apartments in quality something people had asked her to do for years. She first joined the Cooper Square condition has been the work of the Steering Committee in 2002, and ran for Vice Chair of the MHA board five years ago. porters and mechanics. In addition, Maxine finds her position as MHA chairperson demanding and challenging. the porters delivered flyers to the “Now that we have our affordable tenants’ doors when needed. We apartments” she says, “I hope that recognize the valuable work of the all the MHA tenants help other entire maintenance crew: Supervisor, tenants get the same benefits we John Isaza, Assistant Maintenance have — affordable, comfortable, Supervisor, Efrain Concepcion; safe apartments. We should Maintenance personnel Darrell spread MHAs all over the Lower Wilson and Mike Edwards; Porter/ MHA Administrative Staff: (Left to right) Jasmine Garcia, East Side, , the Assistant Mechanic Fausto Espinal, Jenny Santa, Patrice Mulligan, Valerio Orselli, Li Tao, Elena Solero, Nicole Canuelas. whole country.” and the Porters Edgar Ramirez, Milton Velez, Carlos Estevez, Carlos Paredes and Neptune Baptiste. Maintenance Staff: (Top left to right) Valerio Orselli, Efrain We honor all of the MHA Board Concepcion, John Isaza, Neptune Baptiste, Mike Edwards, members who contributed to the Finally, we honor the building captains of these twenty-one MHA buildings. They Darrell Espinal. (Bottom left to right): Milton Velez, Carlos success of the co-op conversion are the unsung workers who informed the tenants in their buildings as the plan Estevez, Edgar Ramirez, Pausto Espinal, Carlos Paredes. process: Officers Maxine Fee progressed. They went door to door in their residents discussing, debating with and (Chairperson), Maria Torres Bird (Vice Chairperson), Frances Goldin (Secretary), and Sharon educating their neighbors about the content of the plan so that everyone knew their Goldstein (Assistant Secretary) and members Michael Atkins, Bonnie Brower, Chris Brandt, rights, their responsibilities, and how the plan was progressing. They met with each Shirley Campbell, Ed Delgado, Carmen Gonzalez, Jessica Hamila, David McReynolds, other and the staff in order to return to their buildings with vital information to Brad Pattinian, Brian Sullivan, Reverend Winnie Varghese, and Wai-Ling Wong. be shared with other tenants. We recognize and celebrate their important roles as volunteers, and their selfless commitment to making sure that their neighbors were The MHA’s seven person administrative staff and the ten person maintenance staff have aware of the co-op education workshops being held, amendments to the co-op plan, worked very hard to bring the coop plan to a successful conclusion. Valerio Orselli, Executive and the process and deadline for signing the purchase agreement at the “insider price.” Director of the MHA, has shepherded the cooperative plan from its inception, working in The building captains are the true life blood of this cooperative. The MHA’s mission partnership with the Board and the MHA’s attorney to review the offering plan, revise and to preserve low-income cooperatively owned and resident-controlled housing could edit it, plan and implement the tenant education process in coordination with CSC. The not have been implemented without these individuals. MHA is in many ways his life’s work. Valerio Orselli stated: “Many government programs provide funding for the development of housing. These programs call for the housing to We thank the following Building Captains and Co-Captains for their outstanding work: be affordable for twenty or thirty years. The Cooper Square Mutual Housing Association, Nancy Thomas, Jessica Hamila, Ami Scarola, Haydee Santiago, Sean Killean, Amir in conjunction with the Community Land Trust, has as its mission the development of Bey, Francis Lyshak, Marlene Askew, Marisol Rios, Barry Keating, Katie Lyle, Isabel cooperatively-owned housing that will be affordable in perpetuity—for our children and Thompson, Simone Harris, Valois Mickens, Wai Ling Wong, Maxine Fee, Carmen our children’s children. We are pleased and honored that our MHA is now being viewed as Gonzales, Geronimo Salazar, Beni Apollo, Shannon Harrington, Roseanne Hamila, a model by housing activists throughout the U.S.” Scott Fedonchick, Brigitte Landou, Neil Borowski, Derek Berg, Yvette De La Cruz, Brad Pattinian, Ken Wah Chez, Laura Triana, Roland Davie, and Julia Grace.

16 COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA 17 Congratulations to Val Orselli and all of the Staff, REVISE Board Members and Residents of the Cooper Square Mutual Housing Association on creating a model for affordable home ownership. ------Good luck to you in the years to come.

All the best, ------Don Capoccia and Ron Moelis BFC Partners

18 COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA 19 20 COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA 21 The St. Mark’s Bookshop has a long tradition in the Lower East Side and serves an admirable and increasingly rare function. St. Mark’s is struggling to pay the market rent that is charging them at 31 Third Ave. A significant rent concession by Cooper Union could save this irreplaceable neighborhood institution. YOU CAN HELP TO KEEP THE PRESSURE ON TO SAVE THE ST. MARKS BOOK SHOP! 1. Sign the on-line petition & send it to everyone you know. Visit www.coopersquare.org and follow the “Save the St. Mark’s Bookshop” link to locate the petition. 2. Call the President of Cooper Union, Jamshed Bharucha, (212-353-4250) to demand a substantial rent decrease. 3. Volunteer to help distribute leaflets. Contact Joyce at Cooper Square at 212-228-8210. 4. Buy a book at the St. Mark’s Bookshop. 5. Join the Cooper Square Committee to Save the Lower East Side!

St. Mark’s Book Shop, 31 , New York, NY, 10003 Phone: 212-260-7853 / Fax: 212-598-4950

22 COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA 23 Accessories & Gifts

77 East , New York, NY 10003 (212) 358-0650

24 COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA 25 26 COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA 27 Margaret Chin NYC Councilperson, District 1 District Office Address: Chatham Green 165 , Suite #11 New York, NY 10038 212-587-3159 ph 212-587-3138 fax [email protected]

28 COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA 29 “Congratulations on 52 years of assisting the community.” Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick 66th District 853 , Suite 1518 New York, NY 10003 212-673-5154 [email protected] ROD RODGERS DANCE COMPANY & STUDIOS

62 East 4TH St. / NYC (btw 2nd & 3rd Ave) Ph. 212.674.9066 ~ Fax 212.674.9068 [email protected] www.rodrodgersdance.org “...celebrating music, poetry, CLASSES / RENTALS / WORKSHOPS history and our heroes.” Before 3 PM discount rental (Mon. to Fri.) Congratulations to COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52ND Anniversary and to the Board, Staff and Building Captains of the Cooper Square Mutual Housing Association

FROM ROD RODGERS DANCE COMPANY & STUDIO STAFF

30 COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA 31 Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) Congratulates Cooper Square Committee Board and Staff & salutes this year’s honorees • Congratulations to everyone at the Cooper Square Mutual Housing Association

Asian Americans for Equality 108 Norfolk Street, New York, NY 10002 Tel: (212) 979-8381 | Fax: (212) 979-8386 www.AAFE.org

is proud to support Cooper Square Committee

Here Today — Here To Stay

Howard P. Milstein President & Chief Executive Officer

32 COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA 33 34 COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA 35 36 COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA 37 Come meet THE FREEDOM THEATRE TROUPE coming straight from Jenin, Occupied West Bank • October 27, 7:00 pm Unitarian Church of All Souls 1157 Lexington Ave. @ • [email protected] www.thefreedomtheatre.org • P.O. Box 1125 New York, NY 10276 (917) 991-5653

38 COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA 39 V-Nam Cafe Vietnamese, Sandwiches 20 First Ave., New York NY 10003 (Between First & Second Street) User Ratings: 4.465 Food 4.8 ����� Value 4.8 ����� Service 4.8 ����� Atmosphere 2.8 ����� Website: www.vnamcafe.com Phone: (212) 780-6020 (212) 780-6083 Hours: Sun-Thu: 11:30am-11pm Fri-Sat: 11:30am-12am Serves: Lunch & Dinner Features: Delivery. Online Ordering. Major Credit Cards. Take Out. User Reviews: Posted by Jenny 09/01/2011 The Best! Simply the best! Any item in the menu is delicious!

40 COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA 41 42 COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA 43 Congratulations to Cooper Square Committee! � From Joel & Lynn Selonick

44 COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA 45 46 COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA 47 48 COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA 49 REPLACE

50 COOPER SQUARE COMMITTEE 52nd ANNIVERSARY GALA 51