FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com JANUARY 28, 2016 • The Queens Courier 29 RESIDENTS OF ACROPOLIS GARDENS IN ASTORIA ARE COOKING WITH GAS AGAIN AFTER TIRELESS EFFORTS BY BUILDING MANAGEMENT, LOCAL LEGISLATORS AND CITY’S PUBLIC ADVOCATE FOLLOWING MONTHS WITHOUT SUCH SERVICES WHEN CON ED CUT SUPPLIES. Residents of the Acropolis Gardens co-op in Astoria, Queens, one of the largest such complexes in New York City, who have been suffering without hot water or cooking gas for months, have now all had their vital services restored, thanks to the roundthe clock efforts of building manager Steve Osman and his staff. They received tremendous support from local legislators and the city’s Public Advocate. On May 1, Cons o l i d a ted Edison turned off the hot water and cooking gas in eight of the 16 buildings in the complex, which spans Ditmars Boulevard to 21st Avenue between 33rd and 35th Streets. The services were shut Building manager Steve Osman at a rally to turn on the gas. off after a fire occurred outside one of the co-op’s buildings. A bush was ignited by a falling ember from a welder working on the building’s fifth-floor. Con Ed had said there were problems with internal pipes. But Osman and Brandon Osman, the management company’s executive vice president and chief operating, said the giant utility had made a major mistake and that all of the buildings in the complex were deemed safe by the New York City Fire Department, all permits were up-to-date and no occupants reported any problems. There as no odor of leaking gas, either, the Osmans said. The complex is managed by Metropolitan Pacific Properties, a family-owned and operated company for over 20 years. “We are extremely pleased to be able to announce that all of our residents once again have these vital services,” said Steve Osman, president and chief executive of Metropolitan Pacific. “We very much appreciate the patience our residents showed during this period, and we also want to thank our local legislators and the city’s Public Advocate for their support.” Brandon Osman said “We hope to never have a repeat of this terrible situation, but if we ever do, we know we can count on our local legislators for help and assistance. I’d also like to thank our residents for their patience.” The hot water and cooking gas were all restored in the last few weeks. But because of what Osman described as Con Ed’s failure to understand its own mistake it had made in shutting off the services, some residents were without hot water for four weeks and others were without cooking gas for up to six months. Some residents had described extremely difficult living conditions during this period, and blamed Con Ed. Many residents were forced to eat out every night in restaurants and shower at local gyms. Steve Osman, said that he will be seeking rebates from Con Ed for the lack of services. Acropolis Gardens residents who had been living without hot water or cooking gas received a tremendous show of support from local legislators, who attended rallies, spoke to top city officials about the situation and contacted Con Ed. Among the major supporters were New York City Public Advocate Letitia James, and U.S. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney. Rallies were held outside the complex throughout the summer and the fall. Public Advocate James had called the situation “unfathomable” and had demanded immediate action to remedy the situation. Brian McNamara, a board member of the co-op, said about 1,000 residents in all were without services for various periods of time. “Everybody is back to normal and we are all grateful for that,” said McNamara. Advertorial
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