Knickerbocker Village Subject of Public Meeting with Local Politicians Tomorrow

Two weeks without utilities, fed-up residents of Knickerbocker Village took to Cherry Street Saturday afternoon to air their frustration. It was essentially a tenant meeting to discuss next steps, including possible rent strike, but also doubled as rally. Media, police, National Guard, DEP, were all there. However, we hear that management was noticeably absent from the scene.

Nevertheless, the voices from Knickerbocker Village are now echoing through the offices of our downtown elected officials. Tomorrow evening, a powerhouse of political muscle – Speaker Sheldon Silver, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, BP Scott Stringer, State Senator Daniel Squadron, and Councilwoman Margaret Chin – is collectively hosting an “informational meeting about the lack of electricity and heat for Knickerbocker Village residents.” Stop by P.S. 1, 8 Henry Street, at 6 pm.

And below is a recent bulletin from management on the situation inside the housing complex:

KNICKERBOCKER VILLAGE RESIDENTS:
Management will publish a daily update to better inform residents of KVI on the status of restoration of services at the complex.

WATER REMOVAL
Water has substantially been pumped from the basements. The boiler rooms have been mostly pumped such that work can begin on repair of the boilers.

ELECTRIC POWER
Since Tuesday, November 6, staff has completed the restoration of power to units in the B and C buildings as well as a portion of the aprtemtns in the A and D buildings. This restoration of power accounts for approximately 450 units within the complex.

Testing of wiriny by an independent tester was scheduled for Thursday, November 8. If the test was successful, we are expecting to power up an additional 350 units in G, H, and I buildings.

Full electric service in the L building is not likely to be restored for another five to six days; however, we believe we have located temporary generators and are hopeful that we will have temporary power over the weekend. As various services are restored, we are trying to set up temporary fuels to power lobbies and stairwell lights in nearby dark buildings. G and I building were lit up on Wednesday using this approach.

WATER
We continue to pump water to the West Court; however, due to the damage to the electronics panels there may be times when service will be interrupted. Please notify staff as soon as you are experiencing issues and we will work to rectify the situation as soon as possible.

HEAT AND HOT WATER
We continue to search for temporary boilers throughout the country and have retained an engineering firm that specializes in disaster recovery to aid in the process. Supply is severely limited.

COMFORT ROOM
We have established a comfort/warming area in the B5 community room. It is for the use of tenants and the workers to temporarily warm up.

RESIDENT ASSISTANCE
Knickerbocker Village continues to receive blankets and hot meals on a daily basis. Every elected official within the district has been very active in locating assistance in addition to the continued support from Hamilton Madison, Red Cross, and Trinity Church.

GOVERNMENTAL SUPPORT
Additional requests for assistance have been made to various agencies. Additionally, management has been in contact with city, state, and federal officials to increase the aid to the building’s residents and to speed along the recovery.

Thank you for your patience  and understanding.

Property Management.

If you have a Knickerbocker Village horror story, drop us a line.