BY JASON COHEN
Leaks, a broken HVAC system,
rotting ceiling tiles, mold
and vermin infestation have all
interrupted important services
for seniors at the New York City
Housing Authority (NYCHA)
East Side House Settlement.
Lawmakers have taken notice
and say they are sick and
tired of NYCHA treating Bronxites
like second-class citizens.
Recognizing the horrid conditions
at the Melrose Mott Haven
Senior Center, 372 E. 152nd
St., U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres and
City Councilman Rafael Salamanca
held a press conference
Aug. 31, where they called on
NYCHA to make immediate repairs.
Rotting ceiling tiles caused
by rainwater and second fl oor
leaks in the center’s main room
has rendered the space unusable,
exposing overhead wiring
in the process. The center’s
HVAC system, overrun by vermin,
has caused the center’s air
conditioning unit to malfunction,
eliminating the center’s
ability to serve as a vital cooling
center during sweltering
summer heatwaves.
“The purpose of today’s
press conference is to call out
NYCHA’s incompetence,” Salamanca
said. “NYCHA has
turned its back on the South
Bronx, and I’m fed up and
tired.”
The senior center — which
provides meals, case assistance,
programs and recreation activities
— can hold up to 200 people,
but the facility can’t even open
its doors to people right now because
of its current state of disrepair.
For the past few years, the
center has fallen into disarray
and NYCHA has done nothing,
according to lawmakers. Salamanca
has had multiple conversations
with NYCHA representatives,
yet his requests have
fallen on deaf ears.
The lawmaker does not understand
why it would take
seven years to make the upgrades
nor why NYCHA pays
its CEO Greg Russ $400,000 annually,
yet lets its residents live
in squalor.
“It’s frustrating to constantly
have to hold press
conferences and embarrass
NYCHA to get the job done,” he
said. “The world needs to know
how ineffi cient NYCHA is.”
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The poor conditions at the Melrose Mott Haven Senior Center include faulty wiring and ceiling leaks that have
caused the HVAC system to fail during the summer months. Photo Adrian Childress
Torres echoed Salamanca’s
sentiments and added that he
will not sign onto the federal
Budget Reconciliation bill unless
there’s a portion of money
set aside for public housing and
senior centers.
Having grown up in public
housing, Torres knows fi rsthand
how NYCHA treats its
residents. He added that for too
long seniors have been ignored.
“These are conditions that a
NYCHA executive would never
wish on their loved one,” he
said. “So why do seniors have
to live with constant leaks,
vermin and mold? For me, a
senior center is a sanctuary,
it’s a place where many of you
fi nd meaning and enjoyment
and you can’t put a price tag on
that.”
Among those who have experienced
the neglect fi rsthand
are Eva Gary and Emilia Pagan.
Gary, who has lived in the
building for 15 years, said the
senior center has deteriorated
over the last few years. “It’s gotten
worse as time goes on,” she
said. “We cannot hang in there,
it’s terrible.”
Pagan told the Bronx Times
they have fi led numerous repair
tickets to NYCHA, but
nothing ever happens. She said
typically people celebrate birthdays,
participate in Zumba or
socialize there, but now people
are stuck in their rooms.
“We complain all the time,”
Pagan said. “We feel angry. We
feel upset.”
NYCHA did not provide
much detail in how it plans to
address the defi ciencies.
“This property requires a
signifi cant capital investment
for a new roof and related repairs,
and we look forward to
discussing short- and long-term
solutions with our elected and
community partners,” said Rochel
Leah Goldblatt, deputy
press secretary of NYCHA.
Elected offi cials call out
NYCHA senior center
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