Locations for free COVID testing
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J BTR AN. 8-14, 2021 29
BY COUNCILMAN
MARK GJONAJ
At the time of writing, the
COVID-19 case rate in the
Bronx exceeds that of all other
boroughs at 7.31%. The Bronx,
throughout the duration of
the pandemic has been hit disproportionately
hard in many
categories, and now we fi nd
cases on the rise again. The
borough’s resiliency is a wellrecognized
characteristic
and we will make it through
this together, as Bronxites always
have, but it requires our
collective and concerted efforts.
Specifi cally, it will require
our compliance with social
distancing practices and
widespread testing. To that
end, my offi ce will be providing
completely free testing,
once again, in cooperation
with Essen Health Care.
To protect yourself and others
please seek free COVID-19
testing at the three following
dates and locations: Thursday,
January 7th (9am to 2pm)
at the Bronx Jewish Community
Council (2157 Holland
Ave, Bronx, NY 10462); Friday,
January 15th (9am to 2pm) at
the Harvest Fields Community
Church (2626 E Tremont
Ave, Bronx, NY 10461); and at
Friday, January 22nd (9am
to 2pm) at the Pelham Parkway
Neighborhood Association
(2141 Holland Ave, Bronx,
NY 10462). No appointment is
needed for testing, but photo
ID is required. Again, this is
completely free testing.
If you have symptoms of
COVID-19, including but not
limited to: fever, chills,cough,
shortness of breath, fatigue,
loss of taste/smell or headache,
please seek COVID-19
testing at one of these three locations.
By identifying yourself
as COVID-positive you
can know to self-isolate and
prevent spread. Asymptomatic
spreaders of COVID-19
have also been observed, so
even if you don’t have symptoms,
I would recommend taking
advantage of this free testing.
For additional information
related to these testing
offerings or any other questions,
please contact me at either
(718) 931-1721 or at MGjonaj@
council.nyc.gov. Be
safe and let us work together
to #StopTheSpreadNY.
BY GEORGE HAVRANEK
An open letter to our
elected offi cials:
We are in dire need of help.
Many of our communities are
confronted with a wide range
of nuisance issues that infringe
upon Quality of Life.
Late night noises, maladaptive
behaviors, illegal certifi cate
of occupancies, parking deprivations,
neglected properties
are some items on the laundry
list of complaints. Many of
these issues can be traced to
absentee landlord situations.
The NYC 311system is not a
tool that addresses these concerns
in an expeditious fashion.
Pandemic related fi scal
issues, the prospect of defunding
NYPD and other agencies
add to this dilemma. City and
State legislations come with
the authoritative powers that
resonate. The following can
shed light upon our plight and
the needs for your advice, legislative
savvy, and action:
Research conducted in
multiple states showed undeniable
relationships between
absentee landlord ownerships
and neighborhood degradations.
Simply stated, absentee
landlord residences are more
apt to become neighborhood
nuisances than those that are
owner occupied. Multiple municipalities
including Reading,
Pennsylvania, Buffalo,
NY and Rochester, NY enacted
laws defi ning landlord
responsibilities to address
this troublesome problem.
These legislations hold absentee
landlords’ responsible
for property conditions and
to some extent the behavior
of its’ inhabitants. These necessary
actions bring transparency
and consequences
into the absentee landlordcommunity
dynamic. In this
area New York City has fallen
short. Well documented past
experiences with nuisance
situations, including those on
Clarence Avenue, give merit
to legislative action. The Clarence
Avenue dwelling was
listed on various web sites for
short-term rental. The history
of maladaptive behaviors that
emanated from this nuisance
house is a stark example of investor
greed before community
need. In the past, Spencer
Estate Civic Association
helped amicably resolve multiple
absentee landlord issues.
Well-known contact information
and amicable relationships
with property owners
led to communications that
fostered positive outcomes.
When a party is cloaked in
a shroud of secrecy communication
becomes improbable.
Contact information, including
phone numbers, for absentee
landlords should not be
shielded. Estimates indicate
absentee landlords own 20%
of 1-4 family dwellings in the
Bronx Community Board 10
footprint. A recent analysis of
a six-block grid in the Spencer
Estate footprint supports that
estimate.
Synapsis of mentioned legislations:
*Reading, Pennsylvania:
unanimously adopted Bill 41-
2017 requiring any local property
owner living outside a
twenty-fi ve mile radius of the
city to hire a local property
manager. The property manager,
free of fi nancial obligation,
is authorized to make decisions
related to quality of life
and emergency issues directly
related to their premises.
*Buffalo, New York: Assemblywoman
Crystal People
Stokes- majority leader of NYS
assembly, Assemblyman Sean
Ryan and Senator Timothy
Kennedy all worked in concert
to put aggressive absentee
landlord legislations in place
*Rochester, New
York: Mayor Lovely Warren
signed an amendment to section
90-20 of the city municipality
code that mandated
transparency in the absentee
-landlord community dynamic.
It is understood that there
are demarcation points between
federal, state, and city
legislative obligations; however
research into the aforementioned
actions indicate
that state support turned
these motions into actions.
Suggested Legislative
Actions:
1. Cease and Desist status
should be granted to all 1-4
family residences in NY State.
Cease and desist is a regulation
designed to protect homeowners
from unwanted real
estate solicitations by telephone,
mail, fl yers, door to
door, e-mail, text message or
any other direct means. Despite
the desires of many communities
only very select portions
of the Bronx, Queens,
and Rockland counties are
covered under the cease and
desist regulation.
2. Contact numbers
for landlords or authorized
agents in absentee landlord
situations must be easily accessed
public record.
3. All absentee landlords
must adhere to local municipal
ordinances; adequately
maintain their properties
and in the event of nuisance
issues or emergencies be
readily available or designate
an agent to legally act in their
stead.
4. Noncompliant absentee
landlords should be subjected
to punitive measures
including but not limited to
incidence escalated fi nes.
These rudimentary legislative
suggestions are mere
templates for actions that
can help our communities
properly deal with absentee
landlord related nuisance issues
and improve Quality of
Life. We thank in advance
for your anticipated efforts.
Looking forward to your response.
CIVIC CENTER
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