IT'S SUMMER TIME!!

Since summer is a time for relaxation and beach reading, the Federation feels that this might be a good time for some reminders and updates. The following is an article, which appears in the latest NYARM (New York Association of Realty Managers) newspaper written by their Executive Director Donna Klein.This update is more detailed than what the Federation published in the March 2000 issue.

CITY PASSES HIGH RISE RESIDENTIAL SPRINKLER BILL

Effective April 13, 2000, the Rules of the City of New York were amended to add a new chapter, Local Law 10 High Rise Residential Sprinkler Bill. This section applies to all residential buildings and spaces including apartment houses, apartment hotels, school dormitories and other residential buildings and spaces that are primarily occupied for the shelter and sleeping accommodation of individuals on a month-to-month or long term basis.

CO-OPS/CONDOS

In buildings and spaces with a cooperative or condominium board form of ownership and management, the board of directors, condominium association or other party generally responsible for maintenance of the common areas shall be responsible for the preparation and distribution of the fire safety plan; the preparation, posting and maintenance of fire safety notices in common areas and the preparation and distribution to individual dwelling unit owners or proprietary lessees of fire safety notices for dwelling unit doors. The owners of proprietary lessees of the individual dwelling units in such residential buildings and spaces shall be responsible for the posting and maintenance of the fire safety notice on their respective dwelling unit doors.

FIRE SAFETY PLAN

The purpose of the fire safety plan is to inform building occupants and service employees as to the building's construction, fire safety systems, means of egress and evacuation and other procedures to be followed in the event of a fire.

The plan must include the above stated information, printed as a single- or double-sided document, stapled or bound, in full-page or booklet format, on paper not smaller than 8" x 11" nor larger than 8" x 14" in size. The text must be legible, using contrasting lettering and a type size not smaller than 11 point Times New Roman or the equivalent. The plan must be printed in English though the owner may print the fire safety plan in other languages that he feels would benefit the occupants and employees of the building or space.

The fire safety plan shall consist of two sections: a building information section and a fire emergency information section. The fire emergency information section shall include basic fire prevention and fire preparedness measures; building construction information; means of egress; information on the fire sprinkler, fire alarm and public address systems; emergency fire safety and evacuation instructions, etc.

The building information section shall be competed by the owner with the following information: the address of the building; name and address of the owner or his representative; number of floors; year of construction; type of construction (combustible or non-combustible); sprinkler and/or alarm systems, etc.

The owner of each residential building or space shall be responsible for the accuracy of the information contained in the building information section of the fire safety plan and for the accurate reproduction of the fire emergency section of the plan.

DISTRIBUTION

The fire safety plan shall be distributed to each dwelling unit in the building or space and to each building service employee. It must be distributed on an annual basis by hand delivery or by first class mail during Fire Safety Week (the first week of October), or, if the plan is distributed together with the window guard notice as mentioned above, it shall be delivered annually, in accordance with the rules of the Department of Health.

A new occupant must be given a copy of the fire safety plan along with the signing of a lease, sublease or other agreement allowing occupancy of the dwelling unit or space. If there isn't any written agreement, the occupant must be given a copy of the plan when he assumes occupancy of the premises.

A new building service employee shall be provided with a copy of the plan no later than the date upon which he commences the performance of his duties on the premises.

FIRE SAFETY NOTICES

The purpose of the fire safety notice is to inform all building occupants, service employees and visitors as to the evacuation and other procedures to be followed in the event of a building fire. The notice must be printed on a single-sided sheet of paper framed under a clear Plexiglas cover or laminated with a firm backing and designed to be affixed by mounting hardware or an adhesive, or printed on a matte-finish vinyl adhesive-backed decal not less than three mils in thickness, using thermal printing, screen printing or other permanent, water-resistant printing technique.

The notice must be 5" x 8" in size (excluding the frame). Fire safety notices posted in common areas may be up to 8" x 11". Print must be legible and not smaller than 10 point Times New Roman or equivalent. The notice must be printed in English. Again, the owner may print the fire safety notice in other languages that he feels would benefit the occupants and employees of the building or space.

A fire safety notice must be posted on the inside surface of the front or main entrance door of each dwelling unit in the building or space. A notice must be posted in a conspicuous location near any common mailbox area customarily used by the occupants of the building or space. If there is no common mailbox area, any conspicuous location in or near the elevators or main stairwell will do.

Each fire safety notice must be securely affixed to the door or wall so that no part of the notice is lower than four feet from the floor or higher than 5 feet from the floor.

If you would like a copy of Local Law 10 High Rise Residential Sprinkler Bill along with sample notices and fire department information, we can fax or mail you the 23-page document. Please call NYARM at 212-505-8770 with your preference.

WEST NILE VIRUS -- NEW REGULATIONS

In April 2000 the Department of Health issued new regulations regarding owners (and those in control) of property maybe subject to a potential $2,000.00 fine for allowing stagnate water to accumulate. It takes mosquitoes seven days to hibernate; they do so in stagnic water. So, the Heath Departments position is you must eliminate stagnate water and also the areas and places where stagnant water may collect (such as old tires garbage and recycling bins without drain holes etc). They are now known as public nuisances and conditions dangerous to life and health. The Federation urges you to please take this seriously. For more detail information, please call Jessica Morris at the Department of Health @ 212-788-4735.

ENERGY

With the high cost of fuel and Con Edison looking for a 30% increase for the summer in electricity rates, maybe its time to start looking for a new energy provider. The Federation has been endorsing 1st Rochdale (a co-op energy provider). They have now started to provide oil in the same cooperative spirit. They will not only provide you with a competitive price but will provide you're with conservation methods to save you dollars. For information, please see end of newsletter under "ELECTRIC DEREGULATION."

2000 NAHC CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

The National Association of Housing Cooperatives will be holding its 2000 Annual Conference from October 25-28, 2000, at the Hyatt Regency Washington D.C. Cardell Cooper, Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development at HUD, will deliver the keynote address at the opening general session. Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. has been invited to close the conference.

NAHC Executive Director Douglas Kleine notes that, "Our conference theme this year is 'Campaigning for Co-ops: Implementing the Promise,' so what better place to hold it than Washington D.C.?" He added, "The conference will offer opportunities to help co-ops be as successful as possible at providing quality, affordable housing." The conference site, located on historic Capitol Hill, is just minutes from the U.S. Capitol, Smithsonian, and other attractions in the heart of Washington D.C.

Over 50 educational workshops will be offered on a wide range of topics of interest to housing cooperative board members and professionals. A special session for new board members will be offered prior to the conference. In addition, the Registered Cooperative Manager Program and the Young Cooperators Program will be held in conjunction with the 2000 NAHC Annual Conference.

During the conference, NAHC will offer three separate tours of Washington area cooperatives: one of the Greenbelt, Maryland, cooperative community, one of the co-ops in the Southwest D.C. urban renewal area, and one of Connecticut Avenue cooperatives. The Potomac Association of Housing Cooperatives will also host a dinner cruise down the Potomac River.

NAHC is the nationally recognized leader in training and technical assistance for housing cooperatives. NAHC is a nonprofit national federation of housing cooperatives, mutual housing associations, other resident-owned or controlled housing, professionals, organizations, and individuals involved in promoting the interests of cooperative housing communities. Incorporated in 1960, NAHC is supported and governed by its members. For more information about the conference, or to request a brochure, contact NAHC at: Phone: (202) 737-0797; Fax: (202) 783-7869; Address: 1401 New York Avenue NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20005; E-mail: info@coophousing.org

NEW MEMBERSHIP SERVICES

A BULK OF THE FEDERATION'S TIME HAS BEEN DEDICATED TO OFFERING OUR MEMBERSHIP SERVICES THAT MAY HELP TO SAVE YOU MONEY OR HELP YOUR BUILDING.

THESE SERVICES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

The Federation's web site is now online, in its infancy stage. We will be mailing to all our members, an opportunity to list their building's information at our web site. Right now, the site provides a legal corner, event list with links to other cooperative sites, legislative issues, a question and answer page where you can ask your questions directly to the Federation and the Federation Newsletter. Please visit our site at "FNYHC.ORG", let us know what you think and don't hesitate to ask us questions.

The Federation has started a list server forum. This is a place were you can go on the Internet and exchange ideas, experiences and to gather information for you cooperative. It's the Federation's "Co-op Forum" and it's free to join. To subscribe to the "Forum", simply go to the Federation's web site (WWW.FNYHC.ORG); you will see a box about joining. Just follow the instructions and you are part of the "Forum". When someone writes to the forum, you get an email to all those who subscribe. You can answer, give your opinion, or just read the email. The Federation will oversee the "Forum" to ensure that correct answers are being given and the emails are about cooperatives and condominiums. Please join now -- and be part of this new exciting experience.

The Federation has signed on to the Durnan Group Managers Workers Compensation Safety Group. One of the line items on all of our member buildings with staffs is workers' compensation insurance. The Federation has been studying different workers' compensation insurance providers and has concluded that the Durnan Group best fits the needs of our membership. With discounted premiums up-front and a substantial dividend at the end of the year, this makes the safety group the best deal around. Each claim is investigated thoroughly, which is why this group can offer the best workers compensation package in the state. To find out more information or to sign up, please call the Durnan Group Managers at 1-212-768-9191 and make sure to tell them you are a Federation member.

ANNUAL TRADE SHOW AND SEMINAR TAPES AVAILABLE

Did you come to the Federation's Annual Trade Show and Seminar and missed a session? The Federation has prepared audiocassettes for the seminars listed below. If your building attended the Federation's Show, you can order a session listed below for a cost of $60.00 per session. Please note, these audiocassettes are available only to attendees of the show.

THE FOLLOWING ARE AVAILABLE FROM THE FEDERATION:

ATTORNEYS ROUND TABLE; PROFESSIONAL ROUND TABLE; YOUR CORPORATE DOCUMENTS; MANAGEMENT/BOARD RELATIONS; BOARD RESPONSIBILITIES; DISCRIMINATION -- WHERE YOU LEAST EXPECT IT; SAFEGUARDING YOUR ASSETS AND NATIONAL & LOCAL LEGISLATION -- WHAT NATIONAL MEMBERSHIP MEANS TO

ELECTRIC DEREGULATION

With all the confusion concerning electric deregulation, a new Energy Service Company (ESCO) is consumer oriented. 1st Rochdale Cooperative is an energy company that is owned by buildings who belong to 1st Rochdale. They are not just an energy provider, as the other ESCO's. Similar to what happens when you belong to a cooperative, there are no investors, so the consumers are the owners. In addition, they will do energy audits on your building to see what can be done to diminish or reduce your demand side electric bill, which will save you kilowatts and money. Now is the time to think about this phase in the deregulation process, which started in April 2000. Start now in preparing your building, talk to all the "ESCO's" and talk to 1st Rochdale, you will be surprised in what you hear. For further information, please call 1st Rochdale at 1-212-673-3900.

Finally, on behalf of the Federation's Board of Directors and Eva Rappaport, we hope you are having a great summer.

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