Protesting conditions
Relying on patches on top of patches, many residents of Success Village coop were promised a short-term, hot-water solution while a modernized infrastructure takes hold. Their hopes have been dashed heading in the Memorial Day weekend.
CT Post reporter Brian Lockhart provides an update:
As previously reported, earlier this month state and local officials, following inspections in March, ordered Success Village’s main boiler turned off due to “serious life safety issues.” Bird obtained a temporary replacement which, after some delays, was turned on last weekend and supposed to provide hot water for the next few months as permanent infrastructure upgrades were implemented.
But some residents online and in messages to city officials and the media soon after complained of only briefly having heated water, if any at all.
“They’re really is no explanation (from management),” Mantos said Thursday. “They’ve said bad parts, missing parts, broken parts, a variety of excuses as to why this thing isn’t functioning.”
Reyes said, “I don’t think it’s working as expected because of the (aged) piping, because of the underground infrastructure, because one thing gets fixed, another thing breaks and now they have to fix the break.”
Full story here
Those of you who continue to follow Only In Bridgeport on a regular basis, know that I often post the four values of governance that organizations of all kinds need to exhibit while performing their responsibilities and/or showing their authority. Those governance values are OPEN, ACCOUNTABLE, TRANSPARENT and HONEST.
In the current Success Village story 900 or more units are victims of old equipment that has failed finally to provide hot water and/or heat. That makes for news headlines. But in Bridgeport with other examples of functioning owners of coop apartment units it is news because issues at Success Village have gone beyond delayed property tax payments to the City, perhaps a delay in WPCA amounts, accusations of failure to audit the books of the association, as well as financial mismanagement. Where are the by-laws? Does anyone have a set of them to see whether elections have been held, audits, if called for, have been performed, special meetings or regular meetings have been held as indicated, etc. What municipal body, commission or authority, beyond healthcare, should be addressed in such a situation beyond the courts? Remember that a series of Mayors have allowed a Fair Housing Commission to expire, “die in place” for want of new appointments over the past 20 years. Where is this subject today?
This is not primarily a “political” issue, but it gets to be so when City Council members hear from constituents about problems, issues, or concerns. Perhaps the Council needs to resuscitate Fair Housing, and provide it with the authority to review governance issues of larger assemblies of residents in coops or condo associations that are failing in their duties to neighbors? You cannot get yourself “out of the hot water” of ignoring duties to residents and neighbors for a position you were elected to. Providing the actual “hot water” to residents in this case will only temporarily deal with the real issues of better governance practices. How can the administration provide guidance and response on governance issues? Time will tell.
New Energy efficient Hot water heaters and heat pumps can make each unit totally independent.
Retrofitting the old system is just kicking the can down the road!
But what about the other outstanding issues hinted at in CT Post, but not with further follow-ups:
**Delinquent property tax payments to Bridgeport
**Alleged WPCA delinquency
** Reference to organizational By Laws and adherence to meeting schedules, agendas, minutes, communications with constituents and elections.
** Allegations about appearances of improper financial dealings with organization funds and failure to order fiscal audit.
Quite a list of issues to protest as a resident/owner. Formulate the questions. Seek answers, TIME WILL TELL