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Garage Roof and Interior Repair Program

The following is a reproduction of a memo delivered to shareholders by Managing Agent Justin Verret on 16 April 2014.

(View/download the scanned memo [PDF, 63KB].)

To: All Residents of Nagle Apartments Corp.
From: Justin Verret
Re: Garage Roof and Interior Repair Program

The garage roof replacement and interior garage repairs are set to begin next week. The garage will remain open for parking until May 31st. The focus of the first part of the project is to remove the existing roofing off of the garage roof and install a new waterproof membrane and roofing material.

On April 21st the garage roof will start to be removed. Just like the building roof removed 2 years ago, there is asbestos in the original material that has to be abated. A professionally licensed and insured asbestos abatement company has been hired to do the removal. Rand Engineering is overseeing the process and it is filed and signed off on by the State of New York. In order to follow federal regulations, the garage roof will not be accessible by residents during the abatement process. The abatement is scheduled to take 5 weeks. During that time there will not be access to the garage roof from any of the buildings. The playground and garden area will still be accessible from the Nagle basement exits. However, they will not be accessible directly from Bogardus. If you have plans to use these areas for activities, please plan accordingly. The roof deck furniture will be moved to the garden area.

The path from the Bogardus basement to the trash area and sidewalk ramp will have to be closed for one day. A special barrier is being installed after that one day so that the exit and access to the trash and the ramp will be available at all times. There will be a notification when that date is scheduled sometime within the next 2 weeks.

Those on the second floor with windows that open directly out onto the garage roof will have to have your windows protected while the abatement is being performed. This is a federal requirement and has to be done during the process.

The type of asbestos in the roofing material is only dangerous if it is turned into dust. To prevent this, the material will be sprayed with encapsulating foam and immediately sealed in airtight bags. This is the same process done to the building roofs and is the proper way to abatement the material.

An updated schedule on the actual roof replacement and work will be posted towards the end of the abatement project. The roofing waterproofing should take 4–6 weeks, then the majority of remaining work will be done inside the garage and will not affect the day-to-day operations or activities in the building. The whole project is expected to be completed in early September.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

STAR Credits, Tax Abatements and Tax Assessments

The following is a reproduction of a memo delivered to shareholders by Managing Agent Justin Verret on 27 February 2014.

(View/download the scanned memo [PDF, 234KB].)

To: All Shareholders
From: Blue Woods Management Group
Re: Star Credits, Tax Abatements and Tax Assessments

Please be advised that the STAR credits and Real Estate Tax Abatement credits have been received for those shareholders that have applied and are eligible. The credits are being applied in 4 equal installments on the March to June maintenance bills. Only shareholders who are primary residents are eligible for the credits.

If your building assesses the Real Estate Tax Abatement, the assessment is being charged to all shareholder accounts over the same 4 months March through June. The assessment is billed at the same price per share for every apartment regardless if they receive any tax credits. [Note: NaBors Apartments does not assess the tax abatement.]

If you have any questions please contact the accounting department at 914-524-8600.

Time Warner Cable – Discounted Rate Program

The following is a reproduction of a memo delivered to shareholders by Managing Agent Justin Verret on 27 February 2014.

(View/download the scanned memo [PDF, 213KB].)

To: All Residents of Nagle Apartments
From: Justin Verret
Re: Time Warner Cable

Please be advised that the building has entered into a discounted rate program with Time Warner Cable for TV and Internet. The discounted fee is $79.95 plus taxes and fees and includes the HD television service, Turbo Internet, one set-top box, one modem, and one remote control. Any additional services are billed to you individually by TWC.

The billing takes effect March 1, 2014. For anyone who has already received their March statement, you will see the changes reflected in the following month’s statement, including credits retroactive to March 1st. If you receive your bill in March, the new rates will be applied.

If you have any questions, you need to contact TWC directly [at +1 212 358-0900]. The co-op and management do not handle the billing for cable or Internet services.

Personal Income Tax Data for 2013

The following is a reproduction of a memo sent on 14 January 2014 to all shareholders by our co-op’s certified public accountants: Prisand, Mellina, Unterlack & Co., LLP.

(View/download the scanned memo [PDF, 678KB].)

TO: Shareholders of NAGLE APARTMENTS CORP.

RE: PERSONAL INCOME TAX RETURN DATA FOR 2013

Dear Shareholders:

Under the provisions of Section 216 of the Internal Revenue Code, a tenant stockholder of a Cooperative apartment is entitled to deduct from personal gross income a proportionate share of interest and real estate tax paid or incurred by the Cooperative Corporation. Note that these deductions are generally available if the taxpayer itemizes tax deductions.

For the year 2013 your Per Share individual income tax deductions are as follows:

MORTGAGE INTEREST    $9.3775 per share

REAL ESTATE TAX    $19.7030 per share

For the year 2013, if you were granted any real estate tax abatements, reflected in a maintenance credit or received by check, your real estate tax deduction as stated above should be reduced by the amount of the abatements you received.

In order to compute your total deductions for 2013, multiply the number of shares owned by you, as indicated on your stock certificate, by the amounts per share stated above. If you became a stockholder, or sold your stock in the Corporation during 2013, you are permitted to deduct a fractional part of the figures, based on the proportionate part of the year you owned the stock.

Contributed capital in 2013 was $23.5902 per share for mortgage amortization and $3.7200 per share for capital assessment. This is not a deduction, but an increase in the basis of your investment.

Should you have any questions regarding the application of the aforementioned information to your individual income tax returns, please consult your personal tax advisor.

PRISAND, MELLINA, UNTERLACK & CO., LLP
Certified Public Accountants

STAR and Co-op Abatement Credits

The following is a reproduction of a memo posted to the bulletin boards by Managing Agent Justin Verret on 13 January 2014.

(View/download the scanned memo [PDF, 300KB].)

Dear Shareholders,

The city has just released the breakdowns for the annual STAR and Co-op Abatement credits. In years past the breakdown was received in December or January and the credits were given back to those that qualify in equal monthly installments through June of that year. Last year the program was changed so that only shareholders who live in the building as their primary residence are eligible to receive the credits. The city was determining shareholder eligibility as of last June 2013, and the final list was not received by management until July 2013 with the credits being applied to accounts in August 2013.

Last year the STAR credits were given back before the Co-op Abatement. This is not going to be done this year to avoid the issues created by changes to the credits by the city after the fact. This means that STAR and co-op abatement credits will not be given back until the final list is received from the city. Hopefully this will be as soon as March 2014. This does not affect the total amount you are to be given back. It only affects the total number of months the amount is divided over.

If you do not receive STAR credits, you can still apply for the 2014/2015 tax year. The deadline for that is March 1st. The forms can be found online or by calling 311. The co-op applies for the Co-op Abatement on your behalf. You do not need to apply for that.

If you have any questions please call 914-524-8600.

Regards,

Justin Verret

Annual Budget Meeting 2013 – Update

On Saturday 7 December 2013, the Board of Directors met to review the operating budget for 2014. The following is a reproduction of the follow-up letter sent on 9 December 2013 to all shareholders.

[ PDF version ]

Re: Cash requirement changes for 2014

Dear Shareholders,

Maintenance charges

On Saturday December 7, the Board met to discuss cash needs for 2014. Planning for 2014 and beyond was made difficult this year due to not knowing the level of garage income the co-op will receive. The garage provides significant subsidy to the shareholders of approximately $1.20 per share per month [1]. Our current garage lease agreement expires at the end of this month.

Sometime in 2014, we will likely need to close the garage and remove all vehicles for approximately three to four months. This is to facilitate necessary structural repairs that the Board is considering beginning in early 2014. The Board has asked for a three-month extension to the current garage lease so that people who use the garage will not be inconvenienced during the cold months (it is unlikely that garage work can begin during the winter too). When that agreement is finalized, Management will circulate a communication.

While the Board is planning on adding the lost garage income to the project financing, if allowed, it is not known how much rent or income the co-op will receive from the garage when the repairs are complete [2].

As a result of the above and regular expense increases, the Board voted to increase maintenance for 2014 by 2.5% (from $6.200 per share to $6.355 per share). The last increase in maintenance was in 2011.

Assessment

The Board voted to increase the imposed assessment from 5% of maintenance to 7% of maintenance. This equates a movement from $0.310 per share to $0.445 per share per month to be paid with the monthly billing. The amounts collected will be used to fund Capital Reserves for future projects.

As a reminder, two major and some minor building capital replacements and improvements were completed without having to ask shareholders for funds. This is because the corporation has rental units which, when sold, the funds from the sale can be used for these purposes. As of 12/31/2013, the corporation has four left. However, the timing of when these remaining four may be sold is uncertain and unpredictable.

The assessment is envisioned to supply only a portion of the funding necessary for upcoming necessary capital repairs and discretionary improvements. Any additional amounts will likely come from possible additional assessments, co-op income, loans and the sale of rental apartments, or a combination of sources. The assessment will start with the January 2014 bills and it has no end date.

Additionally, newer regulations from Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac, two large mortgage guarantors, require co-ops and condos to set aside 10% of their annual maintenance charges each year in reserves as a condition of granting mortgages to buyers. Frankly, without the approval of Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac, it will be hard for shareholders to sell their units as the financing Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac provide may not be available. While one can take the view that the 10% amount is heavy handed and arbitrary, despite these objections, the regulations also make prudent financial sense.

The enforcement of these new regulations has been spotty with condos taking the brunt of the enforcement action so far. However, one doesn’t want to be on the short end should they go after co-ops too. With the assessment and reserves on hand, it is believed that our co-op will have met their requirement for 2014.

Staff holiday tips

If you want to give holiday tips to the superintendent or the porters, please do so directly [3]:

  • Shahabudeen “Sha” Hayatt – since 1996
  • Andres Mangual – since 2008
  • Narine “Ricky” Doelaal – since 2008

Building security and loss prevention

Management and the Board wished to remind everyone that the doors are meant to let you in and keep unwanted individuals out. Forcing the door open without a key or propping the door open compromise resident and building (property) security, especially during the holiday season.

Please also keep your fire escape windows closed when you are not in the room or unit. If you need extra keys, please contact the superintendent or the building manager.

Don’t forget, if you have a digital cable television converter box, you can press “998” [4] to see a picture of the entrance of each of your buildings.

Notes:

[1] Source: 2012 audited financial statements

[2] Due to a lack of lease agreement if the Board decides a lease is best, or garage income/expense information if the Board decided to run the garage operation ourselves.

[3] The co-op supplies a small bonus to the staff each year, as it has in prior years.

[4] It is not listed on the TWC guide; you have to press “998” on your remote.

Heating Season and Radiator Maintenance

To: All Residents
From: Justin Verret, Managing Agent
Re: Heating Season and Radiator Maintenance

Now that the heating season has started, I want to remind all residents about proper radiator maintenance. Radiators and radiator valves are the responsibility of each shareholder. Following the procedures below will minimize repairs and damage to your apartment as well as your neighbors’.

  • Radiator valves should only be kept in the on or off position. That means turned completely and not left partially open or closed. If the valve does not move freely, please contact the superintendent. Do not try to force the valve.
  • Please check the radiators periodically to see if they are leaking. Most leaks occur by the valve and drip slowly. Report any leaks to the superintendent immediately. The sooner they are reported, the more quickly and easily they can be repaired. Damage can result to the flooring as well as the plaster ceiling and walls in the apartment below you.
  • If you feel you are too hot, please notify me so that I can track overheating complaints. Please try to close all your radiators and try not to open windows to regulate temperature. The building is required by law to heat all apartments following specific guidelines. However, due to the nature of the radiator system and the size of the building, overheating can occur. Turning off radiators as opposed to opening windows helps in lowering fuel costs.

STAR Credit Program Registration for 2014

Re: STAR Credits – Block 02171, Lot 0012

Please be advised that New York State has made changes to the STAR credit program effective for 2014. For those that currently receive the STAR credit you will need to re-register by 31 December 2013 to continue receiving the credit. The STAR credit is given back each year on your maintenance bills. This year the credit was given back over three months, April, May and June.

New York State is mailing all shareholders who currently receive STAR credits a personalized letter with instructions and an ID required to re-register. Registration can be done online or over the phone. Click here to register online. You need to follow the instructions on the site. You may also register via phone by calling +1 518 457-2036.

If you do not receive the letter from the State in the next couple weeks, you can retrieve your ID code online by following the instructions using the above link.

Please make sure you register as soon as possible, it only takes a couple minutes to complete the questionnaire.

If you currently do not receive the STAR credit, you have to apply on your own. The building cannot apply for you as it does for the co-op tax abatement. The deadline to apply for the next tax year is 15 March 2014. Fill out the application. The Block and Lot for the building is listed above.

The managing agent contact information to use is on the managing agent page, and you can include Justin Verret as the contact person.

This notice will be sent out multiple times through the end of the year. Please make sure to register before the deadline to ensure you continue to receive the credit. If you do not receive a notice and are not sure if you currently receive the STAR credit, please contact the managing agent.

Laundry Room Open House, 3 October

The new laundry vendor Hercules will be installing the final pieces of technical equipment in both laundry rooms and will be holding an open house on 3 October 2013, 5:30–6:30 p.m., to go over the new features.

A touch screen service console will be installed in each room that can be used for direct access to Hercules to report any issues and check on machines. There will also be a laundry alert system that will allow notifications remotely when your laundry cycle is completed or if machines are available.

The open house will be held in the Nagle laundry room (basement of 37 Nagle Avenue), since there is more room. We hope you all can attend.

If you have questions about any of the machines or features, you can contact Hercules directly using the information posted in the laundry rooms.