Page 18 - CooperatorNews NY November 2021

Write to CooperatorNews and we’ll publish your ques- tion, along with a response from one of our attorney advisors. Questions may be edited for taste, length and clarity. Send your questions to: darcey@cooperatornews.com. Q&A Please submit Pulse items to Darcey Gerstein at darcey@cooperatornews.com 18 COOPERATORNEWS — NOVEMBER 2021 COOPERATORNEWS.COM ATTORNEYS Abrams Garfi nkel Margolis Bergson, LLP 1430 Broadway, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10018 212-201-1170 • www.agmblaw.com Barry G. Margolis, Esq. • Robert J. Bergson, Esq. Himmelfarb & Sher, LLP • (914) 682-0040 Cooperative and Condominium Law—Real Estate Closings One North Broadway, Suite 800, White Plains, NY 10601 Contact: Ronald A. Sher, Esq. • Norman D. Himmelfarb, Esq. Law@himmelfarb-sher.com • Direct Dial: 914-461-0220 ACCOUNTANTS ARCHITECTS SERVICE DIRECTORY  Over 30 years of coop & condo experience  Hands on Personal Attention Timely Service  Contact: Gary Adler, CPA Sarah Haar CPA   www.bassandlemer.com 516-485-9600 adler@basslemer.com Contact: Lauren Ziemba, CPA Sarah Haar, CPA lziemba@basslemer.com n n FSI ARCHITECTURE Restoration Preservation Investigation Interior Design 307 7th Ave, #1001 New York, NY 10001 FSI.NYC 212.645.3775 110 E. 42nd Street, 17th Floor New York, New York 10017 Robert J. Braverman, Scott S. Greenspun (212) 682- 2900 www.braverlaw.net rbraverman@braverlaw.net sgreenspun@braverlaw.net Braverman Greenspun, P.C. ATTORNEYS Abrams Garfi nkel Margolis Bergson, LLP 1430 Broadway, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10018 212-201-1170 • www.agmblaw.com Barry G. Margolis, Esq. • Robert J. Bergson, Esq. Him Coo One Conta Law@ Belkin Burden Wenig & Goldman, LLP Specializing in all aspects of Cooperative and Condominium Law including Landlord/tenant proceedings. Copy of Monthly Newsletter available upon request. (212) 867-4466 contact: Aaron Shmulewitz/Daniel Altman ashmulewitz@bbwg.com/daltman@bbwg.com www.bbwg.com w 462 • • Lan Real • Zon Rig Contact: Three 48 New Y A full service real estate law firm serving the cooperative and condominium community Eric M. Goidel, Esq. egoidel@borahgoldstein.com (212)431-1300, Ext.438 Manhattan: 377 Broadway l New York, NY 10036│(212) 431-1300 Queens: 108-18 Queens Blvd│Forest Hills, NY 11375│(718) 263-6611 www.borahgoldstein.com ARCHITECTS architecture interior design engineering project management forensic investigations 307 7th Avenue, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10001 Tel. 212.645.3775 Fax. 212.645.4099 Form Space Image ARCHITECTURE PC Contact: Gary Adler, CPA Sarah Haar CPA   516-485-9600 adler@basslemer.com Re Pro 2 J H Ans C R Te Please submit Pulse items to Darcey Gerstein at darcey@cooperator.com 18 THE COOPERATOR — JUNE 2020 New York Residents Notice Mail Delays During Pandemic While “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these cou- riers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds,” as the United States Postal Service’s motto goes, CBSNewYork reports that the organization has experi- enced delays in service as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic—and New Yorkers are noticing. should be brought to their CBSNewYork reports that according to some Bronx residents, they haven’t re- ceived their mail—including packages, bills, and medications—in almost a week. Maryann Monte, a retiree who lives in an apartment building in Kingsbridge, indi- cated that she received an email from her building stating that their local post of- fi ce has been “inactive, apparently due to numerous employees’ COVID-19 related exposure and/or diagnosis.” At one Riverdale co-op, says CBS, rumors have been circulating that coro- navirus has ripped through the local post offi ce, resulting in noticeable mail delays. Co-op resident Kevin Ploth tells CBS, “I’ve noticed, along with some of my neighbors—we have a mailman who we know by name, and the last we saw of him was Th ursday of last week.” When CBSNewYork reached out to USPS regarding the delays, a spokesper- son’s response was, in part, “\\\[W\\\]e con- tinue fl exing our available resources to match the workload created by the im- pacts of the ongoing coronavirus pan- demic.” In other words, completion of ap- pointed rounds will not be “stayed” by the pandemic—yet—but it may be less “swift ” than the delivery times to which we’ve be- come accustomed in the 21st century. CBSNewYork notes that while the Centers for Disease Control and Preven- tion (CDC) and the World Health Orga- nization (WHO) say there’s no evidence of the virus spreading through contact with mail or packages, at least one study has shown that coronavirus can remain on surfaces such as cardboard for up to 24 hours. Th erefore, it is recommended that any packages be left outside the home for at least that time period, and to clean any surfaces with which the package comes in contact. And—of course—wash your hands aft er handling any mail or packag-k es, or anything else received from outside of your home. re- n able not only you, but also to other unit owners who are eligible to receive this abatement. This is a serious lapse in their respective duties and calls into question whether the condo needs to hire a new managing agent and elect a new board.” Officer Duties in Question Q I’ve been a board member for five years. I got elected as treasurer and we had a board president that’s been president for several years doing all the board’s duties and got reelected again. I was assuming that I was supposed to recover all records from him having to do with the treasury. He has slowly given me some records because he comes back from work at times really late in the eve- ning... Now five years later I still haven’t gotten all the records from him and he has been doing my job as treasurer and after I told him to stop doing my job at a board meeting he got up and wanted to fight me. So I started to do a forensic au- dit of our books and found plenty of in- appropriate transactions all the way back to 11 years ago. And as recently as the last four months of 2020, he has written close gas on that fire.” He goes on to say that floor area ratio requirements and zoning laws can put limitations on architects in- corporating balconies and terraces into planned developments, but that local governments and authorities are gener- ally in favor of more outdoor space in- clusion in residential spaces and as such are encouraging it. “Natural spaces with greenery are very desirable,” he contin- ues. “Buildings having green roofs are also a bonus, as you get environmental benefits for it. New requirements \\\[like Local Law 97 in New York City\\\] will be- come prescriptive for more green roofs that include outdoor space for both resi- dent use and energy efficiency.” He says he fully expects the trend toward private outdoor space in individual apartments as well as community-wide green spaces will continue to grow. Who knows? Perhaps these changes in design concepts are the silver lining to the extremely dark COVID-19 cloud. n Q&A continued from page 5 COVID RESHAPED... continued from page 6 to $36,000 made out to cash. I need to know who I can report this problem to? —Ticked off Treasurer A “If the building has a man- aging agent and/or inde- pendent accountant, the discrepancy attention,” says attorney Lisa A. Smith, partner at the New York City offi ces of law fi rm Smith Gambrell Russell LLP. “If there are concerns that the accountant may not be independent, the board could engage a forensic accountant to perform a complete review of the books and records. Depend- ing on the amount of the discrepancy, and whether or not the missing funds are re- turned, the board may want to consider legal action and/or notifying the district attorney.” n Disclaimer: Th e answers provided in this Q&A column are of a general nature and cannot substitute for professional advice regarding your specifi c circumstances. Always seek the advice of competent legal counsel or other qualifi ed profes- sionals with any questions you may have regard- ing technical or legal issues. DEP. According to the Daily News report, aft er two days recuperating at the Wild Bird Fund, Fabio was taken to the Rap- tor Trust in Millington, New Jersey, where she joined three other young New Yor City peregrines, also females, that the Fund had brought in throughout the p vious week. Th e four birds rehabbed there for three months and were fi nally released in a fi eld in New Paltz—overlooking the Shawangunk Mountains—run by the Open Space Institute. “In the city, we have such a concen- tration of breeding falcons right now,” Nadareski says. “I want to give these birds the best chance.” n PULSE continued from page 4 Formerly known as Lipner, Sofferman & Co., LLP and Katz Viola Lebenhart & Mauro, LLP Over 50 Years Serving the NY Coop/Condo Community KVLSM LLP is a full-service accounting firm with a staff of professionals available to guide its clients through every facet of business and personal tax processing. The firm has been providing the highest level of professionalism and guidance to the New York coop/condo community for over 50 years. The firm’s services include, but are not limited to: • Financial Statement Preparation • Audits, Reviews, and Compilations • Mergers and Acquisitions • Tax Preparation • Cash Flow and Budget Analysis • Financial and Retirement Planning • CFO Services Formerly known as Lipner, Sofferman & Co., LLP and Katz Viola Lebenhart & Mauro, LLP Over 50 Years Serving the NY Coop/Condo Community KVLSM LLP is a full-service accounting firm with a staff of professionals available to guide its clients through every facet of business and personal tax processing. The firm has been providing the highest level of professionalism and guidance to the New York coop/condo community for over 50 years. The firm’s services include, but are not limited to: Contact Ken Lipner: klipner@kvlsmcpa.com • 516-294-0400 • Financial Statement Preparation • Audits, Reviews, and Compilations • Mergers and Acquisitions • Tax Preparation • Cash Flow and Budget Analysis • Financial and Retirement Planning • CFO Services 415 Crossways Park Drive, Suite C Woodbury, NY 11797 Phone: 516-294-0400 • Fax: 516-938-0491 kvlsmcpa.com Formerly known as Lipner, Soff erman & Co., LLP and Katz Viola Lebenhart & Mauro, LLP Over 50 Years Serving the NY Coop/Condo Community KVLSM LLP is a full-service accoun� ng fi rm with a staff of professionals available to guide its clients through every facet of business and personal tax processing. The fi rm has been providing the highest level of professionalism and guidance to the New York coop/condo community for over 50 years. The fi rm’s services include, but are not limited to: • Financial Statement Preparation • Audits, Reviews, and Compilations • Mergers and Acquisitions • Tax Preparation • Cash Flow and Budget Analysis • Financial and Retirement Planning Contact Kenneth Lipner, CPA: klipner@kvlsmcpa.com • 516-294-0400 415 Crossways Park Drive, Suite C Woodbury, NY 11797 Phone: 516-294-0400 • Fax: 516-938-0491 kvlsmcpa.com