Open Letter to Nycha Chair and Ceo Shola Olatoye

OPEN LETTER TO NYCHA CHAIR AND CEO SHOLA OLATOYE

February 24, 2015

Ms. Shola Olatoye
Chair and CEO
New York City Housing Authority
250 Broadway
New York, NY, 10007

Dear Ms. Olatoye:

As the Ranking Member on the New York State Senate Committee on Aging, I write to respectfully call your immediate attention to the ruinous conditions of the NYCHA buildings that house the Castle Hill Senior Center, located at 615 and 625 Castle Hill Avenue in the Bronx.  Last night - once again - the pipes in that building burst.  Today, in 4° temperatures, my constituents who are seniors at the Castle Hill center and have nowhere else to go - will receive a cold brown bag lunch.

The Castle Hill Senior Center building is only 11 years old, and was intended to be state-of-the-art. Nevertheless, the water pipes burst and these frozen pipes need to be repaired and the cause of this problem needs to be rectified once and for all.  When the pipes froze and caused the heating to be turned off 10 days ago when the Castle Hill Senior Center held its Valentine’s Day Dance, we had to bring in generators to heat the room.  The temperature that day was also below freezing.

Although it was promised that the rooftop would be covered with a proper canvas to protect the apparatus on the roof from the winter elements, this cover never materialized. The ice and water that amass on the roof is causing serious water damage and flooding. The ongoing heating problems at this center are inexcusable, and the damage that is being done to the building will lead to more serious damage when mold from leaks sets in, which may put my senior citizens’ health at risk.

I need to be assured that senior citizens, who have given so much to our state and city, are being taken care of with dignity, and that these problems are being addressed.  I look forward to your reply.

Respectfully,


Senator Rev. Ruben Diaz
32nd Senatorial District