Disagreements among tenant leaders and a management agency bogged
down by a constant demand for repairs have caused some Tracey Tower
residents to look to the courts for help.

The officers of the Tracey Towers Tenant Association gathered
signatures on 122 notarized HP (Housing Part) Action forms and sent
them to the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development
(HPD), prompting building inspections. The forms allow the association
to represent tenants, a welcome solution for those unwilling to go to
court themselves.

“Most people are afraid or don’t have time to go to court,” said
Vilasario Rojas, a well-know fixture at Housing Court and a Tracey
resident since the two towers opened in 1974.

Rojas says he doesn’t wait to be ignored; he takes maintenance
complaints directly to court. It began in 2004, when a blocked terrace
drainpipe flooded his fifth floor apartment, and the units below.

“It was so bad, they had to put five-gallon drums in the foyer to
catch the water,” he said. Frustrated with maintenance’s patch job,
Rojas began visiting court.

“Every time I ask, they [management] don’t care. I got fed up. They
didn’t think I’d go that far,” he said. “As long as I got breath in my
body to go to court, I will. It’s the only way to get the repairs.”

RY Management District Manager Danny Durante is disappointed when he
hears Tracey Towers described as a rundown complex or a place with
dissatisfied residents. Framed photos around his office show his
involvement with thriving youth programs at Tracey and other buildings
under his watch. He says he wouldn’t ask residents to live where he
didn’t feel his own family would be comfortable, and he tracks
complaints called into Tracey’s maintenance office.

883 Complaints

“If you’re unhappy with something, call me,” he said, explaining
that the fastest route to repairs is contacting building maintenance,
not city agencies or politicians, which generates unnecessary paperwork.

Responding to the 122 forms, Durante hired additional staff and is
addressing an itemized list of 883 complaints, ranging from routine
paint requests to broken cabinets and dysfunctional intercoms. He
instructed his staff to make appointments with tenants, but he’s
frustrated that time and money has been spent on sorting out this issue
and visiting court, rather than running an efficient system for making
routine repairs.

“I’m going to do my job well whether they help [gather complaints]
or not. This is muddying the system,” he said, adding that an average
day of calls to maintenance generates about 40 work orders, plenty for
a staff of 30 maintaining 871 units.

Management is installing new cabinets and countertops for tenants who
complained, but Sam Gillian, the tenant association’s president, says
with summer coming, management needs to do more.

“People need blinds and screens and all we hear is they have no money,” said Gillian.

Durante priced blinds for the complex after a meeting with the
tenant association. It took three days to measure and determine a cost
of $500,000.

“Costs associated with [installing new blinds] make it prohibitive at this time,” he said.

Gillian also said residents who complain get less attention from maintenance, but

Durante said he wants everyone to work together to improve the
towers. He recalled how the former tenant association brought
Councilman Oliver Koppell and state Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera together
to help management appeal to HPD for two loans, for $1.8 million and
$2.3 million that allowed them to begin capital projects.

Together, tenants and management set short and long term objectives.
The loans were specifically for a new elevator system, boiler system,
façade repair and roof repair. The boilers are now functioning and the
elevators, infamous for stranding a Chinese food delivery man for
almost four days in 2005, are now completed.

Rent Increase

Management won their petition to raise rents three years ago, the
first increase in 18 years, but even that wouldn’t have paid for the
capital projects.

“The gross rent potential [rent from every unit] is insufficient to
maintain regular building operations and needed upgrades,” Durante
said. “Normally, we’d fund a reserve account [for large projects]. We
can’t do that right now.”

Sally Caldwell, called “Miss Sally” by many tenants, is a long-time
resident at the towers. Now on Assemblywoman Rivera’s payroll, she
works with Ricardo Concepcion, a constituent service representative in
Rivera’s office. He said he often calls landlords or 311 on behalf of
tenants, relaying complaints about lack of heat or hot water and
similar matters. Caldwell feels some of the work to keep the building
up needs to come from tenants: many floors have untidy incinerator
closets and graffiti continues to plague the walls, but she expressed
hope for Tracey Towers.

“Things are looking up,” she said, but added, “We all need to help make this a better place”

Rojas doesn’t agree with Caldwell’s assessment that it’s tenant neglect that leaves the building in disrepair.

“Nobody’s messing up stuff,” he said. “It’s cheap and installed poorly.”

Rift Between Leaders

Caldwell insists she would do more for Tracey Towers, but can’t work
with Gillian or the other association officers. Gillian accuses
Caldwell of making excuses for management. He attended a meeting with a
mediator and Caldwell on May 7, but a gag order agreement prevented him
from providing any information. The rift between the leaders has
created tension and polarized residents.

Brenda Caldwell, Sally’s daughter and the head of the 52nd Precinct
Community Council, argued with Gillian after last month’s community
board meeting, held at the towers.

“Unless my mother has done something, why dislike her?” Brenda
Caldwell said. “His focus seems to be on my mom. He needs to spend time
doing things for the Towers. I just want it to stop. We’re all adults.”

Meanwhile, a visit to the 50+ Seniors group that meets every weekday
in Tracey’s community room confirmed that not all tenants feel they’ve
seen building improvements. Many shook heads when asked if there is
better maintenance.

“Keys don’t work to go up the ramp and it’s a $45 fee to get a new
one,” complained a man who gave his name as Mr. Todd, another original
resident of the towers.

One resident who signed an HP Action form but didn’t want to give
her name, is disappointed with her new cabinets, which she called
poorly installed, plain boxes on her walls.

“It looks like a casket, like a piece of wood stuck up there,” she
said. She is also frustrated that un-patched holes left from the March
replacement have allowed mice and roaches in. She’s keeping her food
and dishware in containers in her living room. Also, the new cabinets
have fewer shelves and no backing, revealing plain walls.

Durante denies that management ordered cheap cabinets, saying they
even tried to match originals. He says when he learned that some
cabinets were missing backs, he ordered his crew to return and install
them, and that he has made sure no vendors send him backless cabinets
again. As for holes, he said the crew is supposed to visit the units by
appointment and finish the work.

“She will get a back to her cabinets and we will correct the situation,” he said.