NYCHA chair surveys ‘chronic issues’ at long-neglected
Pomonok Houses, promises to present action plan
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | FEB. 14-20, 2020 5
BY JENNA BAGCAL
The chair of the New York
City Housing Authority (NYCHA)
visited the Pomonok
Houses last week with local
officials to survey a “litany
of challenges” that affect
residents’ quality of life.
NYCHA Chair Gregory Russ
joined Assemblyman Daniel
Rosenthal, Pomonok Residents
Association President Tamika
Williams and representatives
from the offices of Congresswoman
Grace Meng, Senator
Toby Ann Stavisky and Councilman
Rory Lancman for a
tour of the facilities. The officials
raised several chronic
issues residents face including
security concerns, unsanitary
conditions and NYCHA’s failure
to address residents’ work
order requests.
“The living conditions faced
by my constituents at Pomonok
are absolutely unacceptable,”
said Rosenthal. “I would like
to thank new NYCHA Chair
Gregory Russ for an honest,
but frank conversation that
was necessary in order to look
forward, collectively, and work
together to improve the lives of
residents.”
Built in 1952, Pomonok
Houses is a 35-building, 4,200
resident development and
boasts the “largest concentration
of individual buildings in
all of Queens County.” Once
considered NYCHA’s “crown
jewel”, Pomonok Houses was
the center for a “record number
of complaints” in 2019 according
to Rosenthal’s office.
A major focus of Russ’ visit
was the subsequent problems
following a simultaneous
breakdown of over half the development’s
trash compactors.
The officials highlighted the
fact that this issue exacerbated
health and sanitary concerns
for residents.
Officials also addressed
safety concerns, namely, the
defective intercoms, “inoperable
locks” to entryways
and dozens of extinguished
exterior lights.
“Productive politics encompass
open and honest dialogue
followed by accountability,
and that was our achievement
today,” said Williams. “Pomonok
constituents are happy
to have Assemblyman Daniel
Rosenthal, NYCHA Chair
Russ, and all of our elected
officials at the table. Together
we can restore Pomonok
Houses to its original state as
‘the jewel’ it once was.”
In addition to those complaints,
officials had worked
to get lead paint tested and removed
from Pomonok Houses,
which according to NYCHA
data, has the “highest number
of children under 6 in
Queens.” In 2019, Meng urged
NYCHA to expedite lead testing
at the development, which
was part of Mayor de Blasio’s
LeadFreeNYC campaign.
Officials were reportedly
“hopeful for change” at the
end of the walkthrough and
NYCHA scheduled a return
visit “within eight weeks” to
present an action plan for the
development and its residents.
“I would like to thank
my colleague Assemblyman
Rosenthal for arranging this
walkthrough at the Pomonok
Houses with the new NYCHA
Chairman Gregory Russ,”
said Stavisky. “Over the past
year my office has been inundated
with complaints from
constituents about the deteriorating
conditions at Pomonok
that were being completely
ignored by local management
at Pomonok. I am delighted
to hear that leadership
changes were made. I appreciated
Chairman Russ’ candor
about the challenges facing
the facility but also his willingness
for a fresh start and
an effort to increase capital
improvements at Pomonok.”
Assemblyman Daniel Rosenthal and NYCHA Chair Gregory Russ at
Pomonok House walkthrough. Courtesy of Rosenthal’s offi ce
/QNS.COM
