North Shore Towers Courier n June 2013 3 BOARD UPDATE: Improvements, revenue on course, three board members say goodbye BY MAGGIE HAYES The North Shore Towers Board of Directors held an open meeting on Thursday, May 16 to update shareholders on the Towers status as they get further into 2013, and also to say goodbye to three board members who are leaving their posts. Board Chair Bob Ricken opened the meeting with remarks about Phil Plafker, Murray Lewinter and Phyllis Goldstein leaving the board. “To say Plafker will be missed is an understatement,” Ricken said. Plafker, chair of the Country Club Committee, created a “positive tone” in the country club, Ricken said. He recommended improving the golf club, gym and VIP programs, and updated gym equipment and the billiards room, among many other contributions. He was additionally able to establish a board-approved long range plan to update the golf course. Thus far, two holes have been done. Murray, chair of the Government Relations Committee, has been a member of the board for eight years, Ricken said. He has a longstanding history in the field of politics, and Ricken said politics was always “his priority.” Goldstein moved into the Towers 38 years ago and spent eight nonconsecutive years on the board. Ricken said she has made important decisions for the board that have benefitted membership for the long-term. She pre-screened member applicants and due to her efforts, Ricken said the Towers has the fewest number of foreclosures of any co-op in New York City. With Plafker, Murray and Goldstein not running for re-election, that leaves five board members left, Ricken said, and urged others to step up and run for a board position. “What we need are more active people;” Goldstein said, “more active people to make it a viable community.” The committee reports began, and Goldstein gave her screening report for this year thus far. “Financially, we don’t have any problems,” she said. Both the share price and the sale price have gone up. Sublet fees decreased, but Goldstein said “that’s okay” because this year there has been more sales revenue. Plafker then took the stage and spoke about the country club’s status. He said that towards the end of April, many residents began coming back from Florida, upping the number of inhouse members. The club has 1,764 members, which includes over 200 golfers and close to 100 tennis players. He said the financial position of the club is “very good thanks to mandatory dues,” and everything including sponsored members has been maintained. Previously, the club’s incentive program gave members a $250 credit towards the following year’s dues if they were to sponsor a golf member. This year, Plafker said, that amount is being upped to $500. He also noted that golf dues are one of the lowest in Nassau County. Lighting will be put on the tennis courts, and the tennis program has lined up outside leagues to come in and playing during the season. Free golf and tennis clinics will also be available in the coming weeks. For more information, stop at the front desk. Herb Cooper, chair of the Capital Improvement Committee, shared with residents the “largest and most important project at NST since its inception.” The aging generators are being replaced with up-to-date, high efficiency units through a multimillion dollar effort. The new generators will have lower maintenance cost and will meet the new, lower state emission standards. “The history of the reliability of our plant has been outstanding,” Cooper said. “While many sections of New York City went dark during various blackouts, the North Shore Towers was one of the few shining lights.” For the new project, Cooper’s committee got competitive prices and made sure they would meet the new emission standards. They are projected to be installed and running by summer 2014. Additionally, the entire project is within the board’s budget, and the cost is expected to be paid gradually over time. Mort Gitter, chair of the Finance Committee, said that operations for 2013 are close to budget which is “very good in these tough times.” The revenue, additionally, is close to what was anticipated. At a meeting scheduled for next month, Gitter will go over numbers more in depth. Expenses, which are “very tightly controlled” are also in line, and “dollars are flowing in through the mandatory membership,” Gitter said. The Towers reserve funds total $18 million, and Gitter said they are in good financial shape for an entity of NST’s size and also for a facility that is constantly upgrading its amenities. Gitter also addressed the real estate tax abatement, in which the city credits against the real estate tax bill a certain amount based on each apartment. This year, however, the city is still working on how much each shareholder is supposed to receive. Once the board receives that information, the amount will be sent out to each shareholder. Fred Chernow took to the podium with his update on the gym, aerobics program and pool. He noted new equipment as well as a virtually new boxing room. He said the aerobics room has “exploded” with 42 classes from aerobics to Zumba. The indoor pool’s Jacuzzi has been “revitalized,” he said, and the billiards room refurbished. Chernow also heads the 92nd Street Y Program, and said it is thriving. In September, the Towers will host a “film festival” made up of five short films. After viewing, attendees can vote on which they most favored. Mario Carmiciano finished off the committee reports and discussed the status of his House and Ground Committee. He said the library continues to be a success, the front plaza “remains to be a work in progress,” rounds of flowers are being planted around the grounds, and the theater is making progress. The committee received a sample of the new chairs, and will be filling the theater with 375 of them. There will also be a new screen and new carpeting, among other improvements. Carmiciano said the biggest necessity was the projection equipment becoming digital. A new dimming system and new surround sound speakers will also be installed. All of the lighting in the Towers will also gradually be replaced to LED fluorescent lighting, which is both more energy and cost efficient. The committee was able to get the drug store vendor to carry MetroCards for the express bus. Carmiciano said he also met with State Senator Tony Avella and MTA members to discuss extending the downtown express bus run to NST. “They didn’t say yes, but they didn’t say no. They’ll take it under consideration,” Carmiciano said. “We have our fingers and eyeballs crossed on that one.” General Manager Glen Kotowski also took an opportunity to introduce his staff that can help residents with any problem they may have. The meeting finished with a question-and-answer session in which shareholders could voice praises and concerns to the board.
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