Several recent maintenance and security problems in the city’s housing projects have been slow to be resolved, but at a Hoboken Housing Authority meeting Thursday night, the politicians who attended the meeting competed to give solutions.
At the meeting, three residents told the Board of Commissioners that they and their neighbors had been without hot water during “peak” hours in the mornings and evenings since November.
Resident Arlette Braxton said that last time she complained, she was assured by management that the problem would be fixed by last week.
At the meeting, Housing Authority Deputy Director Carmelo García said the work would be completed in the next three days.
The Hoboken Housing Authority projects are 21 federally subsidized affordable housing buildings on the west side of town.
The water shortages have been occurring in 311 Harrison St. and 310 Jackson St.
Garcia said that the Hoboken Housing Authority installed new boilers throughout the developments in the fall, but the designers underestimated the need in these two of the development’s largest buildings.
He said the architects didn’t take into account the fact that many residents had washing machines and higher capacity showerheads.
The commissioners voted 5-0 (Commissioner Robert Davis III and Graciela Orellano were absent) in favor of an emergency resolution officially approving work that actually had already begun, installing three additional water heaters and two additional storage tanks at four buildings.
Zimmer, Russo, Cunningham show up
The housing projects in Hoboken are a political hotspot, because the 1,353 units are a source of many votes, and also a source of desirable affordable housing.
At Tuesday night’s meeting, the three council people whose wards contain the projects all turned out. Fourth Ward Councilwoman Dawn Zimmer, in whose district most of the public housing lies, addressed the board on several issues at the meeting.
Zimmer was elected earlier this year, and this was the first meeting she attended.
“It seems like we have to investigate the situation with the water,” Zimmer said. “I think we can all agree that the residents are not responsible. My heart goes out to the residents, especially moms and dads who have to bathe their kids in cold water.”
She asked the board to consider rent abatements for the residents who were affected, but board Counsel Charles Daglian shot down the suggestion, saying it would set a dangerous precedent for possible future legal proceedings.
Daglian also said that federal funding cuts wouldn’t allow for it.
“A dollar here a dollar there could cause us to have to raise rent,” he said.
Fifth Ward Councilman Peter Cunningham, whose district also includes public housing, also spoke, suggesting that the Board of Commissioners and the City Council work together to monitor progress.
“I think it would be a good idea if the Housing Authority issued a quarterly conditions report to the City Council, detailing when projects were started and their completion dates,” Cunningham said.
Cunningham said in the past, the City Council’s liaison on the HHA Board of Commissioners has only given oral reports.
The meeting was the first in which City Councilman Michael Russo was a member of the housing board. Councilman Russo was appointed to the HHA late last year after a struggle with Zimmer for the spot (see www.hobokenreporter.com for previous reports on the matter).
In response to Cunningham, Russo said, “If the administration wants to furnish a report, I have no problem presenting it to the council.”
Before the meeting, Russo outlined some of his goals for this year as a commissioner, which included making overall improvements in the conditions and attention paid.
“There’s a big disparity between classes in Hoboken,” he said, “and the Housing Authority is often forgotten and left for the last.”
He added, “In Hoboken, we have low-income people and wealthy people, and that middle ground can’t afford to stay here. If that could be done, it will be a major accomplishment.”
73 vacant units; turnaround slow
Also during the meeting, Garcia – filling in for Executive Director Robert DiVincent, who was away – announced that the number of vacant units in the developments has increased from 54 to 73.
“At the next meeting, you will have a vacancy-to-occupancy cycle, so you can see the flow,” said Garcia. The announcement of the vacant apartments caused a bit of a stir, especially in Hoboken, where affordable apartments are at such a premium.
Garcia responded that apartments sit vacant because they require so many repairs before the next tenant can be allowed to move in.
Some people in the audience said they were on waiting lists for transfers or just to get in for up to four years.
Electric locks not operational yet
Another item commissioners discussed were the electric locks that were placed in the family units, which were installed and are still not operational. This was apparently because of the contractor’s failure to get access to a T-1 telephone line in time.
Commissioner Perry Belfiore complained, “What we’ve just done here is, we’ve just bought a TV and we don’t have electricity. The first thing you do with construction is you order what you don’t have.”
He was sure to tell García his criticisms were “informational” and not “accusational.”
“If we don’t have locks we don’t have security if we don’t have security, we don’t have quality-of-life,” he said. Russo came up with a suggestion.
“Make sure none of those bills get paid before they explain exactly what they have done and how and when,” Russo said.
Garcia also said that to increase security, the agency has started the process of taking photos of residents for ID cards.
Comments on this story should be sent to mfriedman@hudsonreporter.com.
Residents concerned about police Some residents at the meeting were concerned about a lack of police presence in the buildings, and worried that a number of officers had actually shared their information in cases in which a resident called to complain about another resident.
After hearing concerns, board members agreed they would invite police representatives to attend HHA’s next meeting in February.
Hoboken Police Department Captain James Fitzsimmons said that officers should honor the anonymity of complainants, as part of a “common sense policy.”
“It’s not part of the protocol,” Fitzsimmons said. “Officers should honor anonymity if someone calls police headquarters, whether it is to register a complaint or to make an internal affairs complaint.”
He said that the officers patrolling the projects would be reminded not to share that information.
Board of Commissioners Chairman Angel Alicea – himself a police officer in Union City – said after the meeting that the HHA pays the Hoboken Police Department over half a million dollars for a contract for additional security services. In response to the residents’ complaints, Alicea said he said is not completely satisfied with the work that is coming out of it.
“There are certain conditions that were agreed upon that were not met,” Alicea said. But he added, “some members do a good job.”
And during the meeting, he congratulated the local police on apprehending a fugitive in the area two weeks ago (see briefs page). – MF