First-Class U.S. Postage Paid New York, NY Permit No. 4119 NYCHA Vol. 43 No. 4 www.nyc.gov/nycha May 2013 NYCHA’s Maintenance and Repair Action Plan: Q & A with GM Cecil House By Eric Deutsch as we work hard to reduce the backlog. What will NYCHA do to prevent the YCHA’s maintenance and repair To reach our goal by the end of the year, backlog from getting big again? NAction Plan to reduce its backlog we need to reduce the backlog by a little There always will be new work orders; of work orders by the end of the year more than 1,000 work orders per day. we get about 10,000 new maintenance is leading to significant results – the Once we reach our target level, then re- and repair requests at the Customer Con- number of outstanding work orders as quests will be fulfilled within an average tact Center every weekday. But the back- of May 1 is down to less than 274,000,Journa of seven days for basic repairs, and 15 log is made up of our older work orders.l a decrease of approximately 149,000. days for repairs that require skilled trades Our target level by the end of the year is NYCHA General Manager Cecil House workers. As always, we respond to emer- to have the number of outstanding work answered questions for the Journal to gency repair requests within 24 hours. orders on any given day be no more than give residents more details about how we can handle within our service level the Action Plan benefits them. How does NYCHA determine what expectation. That will allow us to reach is an emergency repair or a non- our optimum service performance level A NYCHA maintenance worker plasters a wall at How is the maintenance and repair emergency repair? of addressing all work orders within an Marble Hill Houses. experience different for residents? If We take every maintenance and repair average of seven or 15 days, based on a resident makes a request for repairs request seriously. So while we certainly the type of repair needed. the future of public housing in today, will it be fulfilled in 7-15 days, or will fix the plaster on your wall, we ask New York City. will it be fulfilled sometime much later? you to recognize that your neighbors What will happen if NYCHA continues We are improving our processes to next door might have water dripping to have funding cuts from the federal Will there be changes to NYCHA’s make sure our employees have all of from a leak in their ceiling that we need government? policy of what happens if a resident the necessary supplies on the day they to fix first. We consider emergency Reducing the maintenance and is not home for a scheduled mainte- need them. Residents will not have to repairs items like heat not working, repair backlog is a major part of Plan nance call? make multiple calls anymore to have someone stuck in an elevator, having no NYCHA; it is not our intention to slow For regular repairs, we will go to a work orders completed. Our focus right electricity or a gas leak. (Ed. note: to see down this process. We possibly would resident’s apartment at the scheduled now is on old work orders that are long a list of emergency and non-emergency have to make more spending cuts in time, with all necessary equipment and overdue. Currently, new requests still will items as defined by NYCHA, you can go other areas, but this Action Plan is parts needed, ready to perform the work. be scheduled for some time in the future to its website at on.nyc.gov/11RGhlm). critical to the residents we serve and to If the resident is continued on page 2 INSIDE Land Lease Plan: Residents Voice Concerns THIS ISSUE at NYCHA Meetings s discussed in Chairman John developments. Residents voiced their preserve public housing for future gen- AB. Rhea’s message on page 3, concerns and learned more about how erations. NYCHA’s plan to lease land NYCHA held roundtable discussions the land lease plan will benefit them. on 14 locations at the eight develop- with hundreds of residents, elected NYCHA emphasized that with the ments will generate $30-$50 million in officials and community advocates for federal government decreasing the capital funding every year – and every a second round of meetings about amount of money it sends every year, dollar will be spent on fixing buildings. its plan to lease land for the develop- the Authority must be creative in finding Following are the most mentioned ment of new affordable and market- other sources of funding, as outlined in residents’ concerns, and NYCHA’s rate housing at eight Manhattan Plan NYCHA, its five-year roadmap to facts about the land lease plan. More information can be found on NYCHA’s website at on.nyc.gov/landlease. Land Lease Developments Resident Concern about the Baruch Houses Land Lease Plan: Whether the land Campos Plaza is being sold and NYCHA property Carver Houses will be privatized NYCHA KEEPS ON FIXING: Douglass Houses NYCHA Facts about the Land Lease Capital Projects Update » see page 6 LaGuardia Houses Plan: NYCHA is not selling any land Meltzer Tower or privatizing existing public housing ENHANCING SECURITY: Smith Houses developments. It plans to enter into More Developments Get Cameras Washington Houses 99-year ground leases with develop- » see page 4 ers. The developers will finance, con- struct and operate the new buildings, FIGHT THE MOLD! but NYCHA still will own the public NYCHA Trains Residents » see page 7 housing land on which the new build- NYCHA staff and residents discuss the land lease plan at a community ings are built. round table meeting at Campos Plaza on April 9, 2013. continued on page 2 2 May 2013 The Housing Authority Journal NYCHA Action Plan continued from page 1 Reduction of Maintenance and Repair Backlog NYCHA’s Maintenance 450,000 NYCHA and Repair Action Plan: Q & A with GM 400,000 Board Meetings Cecil House 350,000 otice hereby is given that the New York City Housing Au- not home, we will close that 300,000 Nthority’s Board Meetings take place every other Wednesday work order and the resident will at 10:00 a.m. in the Board Room on the 12th floor of 250 Broad- have to call in a new request. 250,000 way, New York, New York (unless otherwise noted). The remain- However, for health and safety- 200,000 ing meetings for Calendar Year 2013 are as follows: related issues, we will make more attempts to enter the 150,000 May 22 July 17 September 11 November 6 home. We will not close a work June 5 July 31 September 25 November 20 100,000 order that threatens the health June 19 August 14 October 9 December 4 50,000 July 3 August 28 October 23 December 18 or safety of our residents or staff, or that could compromise the 0 Any changes to the schedule above will be posted here and integrity of a building, such as January 2013 May 2013 on NYCHA’s website at nyc.gov/nycha to the extent practicable a roof leak, without addressing Original backlog Backlog as of May 1, 2013 at a reasonable time before the meeting. the issue. These meetings are open to the public. Pre-registration at continued from page 1 least 45 minutes before the scheduled Board Meeting is required of revenue that can be directed ployment opportunities, both by all speakers. Comments are limited to the items on the Cal- Land Lease Plan: towards capital repairs. The af- permanent and construction endar. Speaking time will be limited to three minutes. The public Residents Voice fordable units will be available by jobs, with priority for qualified comment period will conclude upon all speakers being heard or Concerns at NYCHA a lottery. They will be distributed residents. NYCHA will pro- at the expiration of 30 minutes allotted by law for public com- Meetings throughout the buildings and vide job training for residents; ment, whichever occurs first. Resident Concern about will have a proportional share of those who already are quali- Copies of the Calendar are available on NYCHA’s website or the Land Lease Plan: Whether apartment sizes. fied may gain more experi- can be picked up at the Office of the Corporate Secretary at 250 the request for proposals (RFP) Resident Concern about the ence at other jobs to improve Broadway, 12th floor, New York, New York, no earlier than 3:00 process is being rushed and if it Land Lease Plan: Funds gen- their qualifications. p.m. on the Friday before the upcoming Wednesday Board Meet- will include resident input erated should be used at the Resident Concern about ing. Copies of the Disposition are available on NYCHA’s website NYCHA Facts about the Land respective development the Land Lease Plan: Loss of or can be picked up at the Office of the Corporate Secretary no Lease Plan: The feedback resi- NYCHA Facts about the Land open space and playgrounds earlier than 3:00 p.m. on the Thursday after the Board Meeting. dents provided at the commu- Lease Plan: The amount af- NYCHA Facts about the Land Any person requiring a reasonable accommodation in order to nity roundtable meetings pro- fected developments receive will Lease Plan: In developments participate in the Board Meeting should contact the Office of the vided helpful information that be based on how much capital where outdoor space is im- Corporate Secretary at (212) 306-6088 no later than five busi- NYCHA is using to draft the need each development has pacted, NYCHA will work with ness days before the Board Meeting.