Building Workers Nominations
Do you know a fabulous doorman, porter or “handy-man” where you live? Is there an office cleaner, security officer or maintenance worker who helps make life a little easier at work?
Manhattan Media and 32BJ SEIU, the property service workers union, are pleased to present the third annual Building Service Workers of the Year Awards, honoring those workers who keep the city’s commercial, residential and other buildings running smoothly. This fall, in a special section in our community newspapers, we will honor building service workers who go above and beyond to make tenants’, residents’ and New Yorkers’ lives better.
These workers will be feted at an awards ceremony in October.
Building service workers in New York City residential and commercial buildings, public schools and other facilities are eligible for these awards.
Categories include:
Residential Doorman/Woman East Side
Residential Doorman/Woman West Side
Residential Doorman/Woman Lower Manhattan
Brooklyn Residential Building Worker – Superintendent, doorperson or porter
Bronx Residential Building Worker – Superintendent, doorperson or porter
Queens Residential Building Worker – Superintendent, doorperson or porter
Manhattan Superintendent or Porter
Midtown Office Cleaner
Lower Manhattan Office Cleaner
Outer-Borough Office Cleaner
Security Officer – Commercial Office Building
Security Officer – University
Security Officer – Public or City Building
Public School Cleaner
Window Cleaner
Thirty Year Award (Commercial OR Residential)
Life Saver Award (Commercial OR Residential)
Green Award (Commercial OR Residential)
DEADLINE EXTENDED! Nominations are due Tuesday September 15th
After the Storm
A Parks Department worker uses a chainsaw to remove a broken limb from one of the many trees along Riverside Drive that were damaged during the “microburst” storm that struck the Upper West Side on Aug. 18. Riverside Park was also hit hard, losing approximately 65 trees in wind gusts of up to 70 miles an hour. To view more photos of the damage and cleanup, visit our photo gallery. Photo by Andrew Schwartz
DANGEROUS DRIVING AT 96th AND B’WAY
By Dan Rivoli
Drivers speeding through the exceptionally wide West 96th Street and Broadway intersection ignore common traffic laws, according to a new study by Transportation Alternatives.
After eight hours observing cars driving both north and south on Broadway, the group found a total of 932 violations—an average of 117 an hour. They included a frequent disregard of traffic signals, signs and road markings, and a failure to yield to pedestrians. Vehicles also abused mid-block parking laws near bus stops and commercial truck loading and unloading zones.
West 96th Street is crowded with traffic from the Central Park West traverse and an entrance to the West Side Highway. Half of the 52 pedestrians surveyed at the intersection said they felt endangered by traffic.
Transportation Alternatives also surveyed three other locations throughout the city. The group suggests that police better monitor violations to identify hotspots of violations throughout the city.
YOGA STUDIOS SAVED
By Dan Rivoli
When the New York State Education Department announced onerous licensing requirements and a $50,000 penalty for yoga instructors who didn’t comply, State Sen. Eric Schneiderman and Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal fought back with a new bill that would exempt yoga studios from the requirements.
But after the bills were introduced, the department reversed the rule and supported Schneiderman and Rosenthal’s legislation.
“I am proud to say that the State Education Department has achieved supreme awareness and enlightenment on this issue,” said Schneiderman in a statement.
The legislators are still pushing the bill, which has passed the Senate’s Higher Education Committee and is awaiting a full Senate vote.
NADLER PUSHES TO SAVE P.O.s
By David Schlegel
Rep. Jerrold Nadler wants to use legislation to save 14 city post offices that are being studied for closure.
Nadler’s two bills would open up any post office closings to public scrutiny. The U.S. Postal Service would have to justify closings of branches, hold public hearings and require a public assessment for need of the closure. To save money, another bill would let the Postal Service tap into the retiree health benefits fund to pay health insurance for retirees.
Nadler stood with Postal Service union representatives and elected officials from the West Side and downtown Manhattan on August 20 to announce his plan.
“I am far from convinced that these…cuts and closures are actually creating real relief from the Postal Service’s massive budget woes,” Nadler said in a statement. “There is no excuse for the Postal Service to give short shrift to customers and cut services that every person and business depends on.”
CITY’S UNSAFE PLAYGROUNDS
By David Schlegel
City playgrounds harbor hidden hazards for the general public, according to a new study by New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG).
The group found that almost all of the city’s 29 playgrounds surveyed contained hazardous chemicals, inadequate fall zones and potential strangulation risk areas. The Ancient Playground, inside Central Park at 84th Street and Fifth Avenue, was cited as having an unsafe surface, inadequate fall zone, toxic playground risk and unsafe equipment height.
According to a federal consumer safety commission, nearly 200,000 children are injured seriously enough to require emergency room treatment by playing on playground areas.
“Public playgrounds can be wonderful places for children to have fun and face new challenges. But far too many New York playgrounds contain hazards that can injure and even kill,” said C.C. Song, a NYPIRG project coordinator at the Borough of Manhattan Community College.
Crime Check
Weekly, monthly and year-to-date crime stats from the 20th Precinct, on the West Side from 59th to 86th streets.
The Mayor’s Race: Focus on Crime and Safety
By Shayndi Raice
In past mayoral elections, crime has been one of the biggest issues for residents across the five boroughs. But with the city safer than it’s been in decades, the candidates have mostly focused on continuing the policies of the past eight years, with a few minor adjustments.
The combination of falling crime and budget deficits has resulted in a record low number of police on staff, leaving many precincts with limited resources. Read more
Celebrated Slugger Caps College Career
With stellar stats, Copeland-Halperin enters Williams College record books
By Adam Bloch
It’s late March in California, 2006, and Libby Copeland-Halperin steps up to the plate. She’s still a rookie, a freshman playing one of her first collegiate games for a team that will go 30-10. But on this day, Copeland-Halperin proves she belongs with her more experienced teammates. A poor pitch over the heart of the plate, a blur of aluminum as the bat flashes by and the ball takes off like a rocket, not landing until it clears the fence.
But wait! Hold on just a moment! Read more
Tax Facts You Need to Know
Six things to keep in mind when organizing your records
By Gary Reska
I often get a lot of tax-related questions in my business. Here are the answers to some of the most common queries:
• For how many years do I need to keep tax returns? You should keep your tax returns from 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005. The IRS will usually only go back three years, and New York State will go back four years. If you practice fraud, they can go back seven years. Fraud entails understating your income by more than 25 percent, or taking fake deductions of more than 25 percent. The State of New York does not have any limitations. After eight years, the IRS destroys their microfilm records. You cannot get a copy of your tax return after eight years. Read more
