L E H A V R E N E W S 3 N O V E M B E RPRESIDENT’S REPORT: Co-op Tax Assessment Update BY STEVE YOUNG, VICE PRESIDENT LE HAVRE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Le Havre has been keeping abreast of the co-op tax assessment issues through updates from the Le Havre co-op attorney, Geoffrey Mazel, the President’s Council, and from local elected officials. There are two major issues facing Le Havre Owners Corp. at the present time: 1. The extremely onerous tax situation that coops face and which has resulted in assessment tax hikes in the triple digits on co-ops and condos. Co-ops are not assessed like single family homes, with a 6% assessment cap. Instead they are WWW.QNS.COM | NOVEMBER 2016 | LEHAVRE COURIER 3 BY STANLEY R. GREENBERG, CPA The annual meeting of Le Havre Owners Corp. took place on October 20th at P.S.193 in Whitestone. As indicated last year, I am very disappointed at the poor turnout of shareholders at this meeting. I will emphasize again that it is the responsibility of all shareholders to take part in all voting matters of the co-op and to participate at the annual meeting. Your apartment is probably one of the major investments that you may have and it is up to you to ensure that the people running the co-op are representing your interests. During the meeting I gave a run down on the projects that we have been undertaking in recent times. They are as follows: LED Lighting Project: This project involved the replacement of all fixtures and bulbs on the property with LED lighting. This should result in a 30% energy savings to the co-op and also savings on maintaining the fixtures and lighting. Cement Work: Eleven buildings will have had the cement in the portico areas replaced by the end of this year. The contractor is presently working on B#3 and this should be finished by mid-November. Each subsequent year our program calls for the replacement of the cement in the portico areas for at least four buildings and will continue until all buildings are completed. Lobby Door Replacement: We are in our third year of the lobby door replacement project. The last eight doors will be completed by the end of 2017. Gym Improvement: The three existing treadmills are being replaced by three new ones within the next couple of weeks. The repairs on the old treadmills had become too frequent and costly. Renovation of Lobbies/Landings: The Board is still conducting research and meeting with interior designers to further educate ourselves and to make comparisons etc. We will update you as progress goes forward. This will be a very large project to undertake and, therefore, we will be making sure that we have covered all aspects of this program before we make any commitment to vendors. Holiday Activities: With the holiday season fast approaching I would like to make mention of the numerous events that will be taking place at the Le Havre Clubhouse. First and foremost, we are planning our annual New Year’s Eve party. This year it will take place on a Saturday from 8pm-1am. I urge all residents to sign up as early as possible as the seating will be limited. This is a great opportunity since you can walk to your party and not have to worry about having to drive anywhere. Please sign up as early as possible. Also for the holiday season, we are planning several events for the children as follows: November 8th - Kids movie: “Finding Dory” November 19th - Thanksgiving Arts & Crafts December 3rd - Cupcake decorating followed by a movie December 10th - Toys for Tots Event December 27th - Kids movie: “Secret Life of Pets” Please watch out for the flyers on these events. I hope that many parents will be participating with their children in these events to make for a joyous holiday season. The more participation, the better, as this will help us plan for additional activities. Financial: The results for the 3 months ending September 30, 2016 (budgeted versus actual) showed revenues of $4,191,169 (25.33%) of the budgeted amount of $16,544,208 and total expenses of $3,655,308( 23.14%) of the budgeted amount of $15,794,662 as reported by our accountants. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Management, Maintenance, the Clubhouse staff and my family and I, I would like to wish everyone at Le Havre a Very Happy Thanksgiving Holiday. Thank you, as always, for your continued support. CORRECTION: An advertisement in last month’s issue incorrectly indicated that parking spaces at Le Havre may be available for rent. Just to set the record straight, Le Havre residents hold a parking lease from the corporation and re-renting their spot would create an illegal situation. assessed similar to rental/investment buildings with no cap on assessments, which can result in exorbitant increases in real estate tax costs. 2. The inability of our co-op and other co-ops in Queens to receive direct aid from FEMA for storm related damage, such as Sandy. We have received tremendous support on both of the above matters from Senator, Tony Avella. The Queens Co-op President’s Council has advised that they are putting their support behind Thomas Souzzi, Candidate for U.S. Representative, New York 3rd District Democratic Party, who has promised to make the FEMA matter a priority. Congressional Candidate Thomas Suozzi & Queens co-op Board members discuss the issues. Senator Tony Avella and Steve Young The Welcome Wagon The Le Havre Board of Directors and Management would like to welcome new shareholders to the community. Below is a list of our most recent new residents. We hope that all of you settle in comfortably, get to know your new neighbors and enjoy living here at Le Havre! Jennifer & Mario Decuycuy Carmina Mitchell Eric & Shana Mencher Esra Tezer
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