vol. 33, no. 6 first class u.s. postage paid — permit no

Vol. 33, No. 6 First Class U.S. Postage Paid — Permit No. 4119, New York, N.Y. 10007 June 2003

By Eileen Elliott

Agency Plan Public Hearing, July 16th

Rave Reviews For NYCHA’s33rd Annual Talent Search

It was standing room only again this year, as resident performers lit upthe stage at the 33rd Annual Talent Search Competition held in theFashion Institute of Technology’s Haft Auditorium on Saturday, May

10, 2003. For two-and-a-half hours New York City Housing Authority(NYCHA) residents danced, sang, and in one case, recited an originalpoem, while the audience kept beat with a steady stream of enthusiasm.

Community Operations Deputy General Manager Hugh B. Spenceencouraged a round of applause for the performers who worked hardfor ten weeks to create a professional stage show under the direction ofLisa Dawn Cave. Chairman Tino Hernandez helped kick things off bythanking everyone involved and telling the audience to sit back, relaxand have a great time. Vice Chairman Earl Andrews, Jr. and BoardMember JoAnna Aniello were also on hand to say hello.

The quick-witted comments of this year’s master of ceremonies,Drew Fraser, kept the audience laughing for the few minutes in be-tween performances. Fans of the television show Comedy Central andthe Apollo Theater’s Amateur Night are probably already familiar withMr. Fraser, who is also a former housing resident.

Nineteen acts competed in four different categories: ages 6-13;ages 14-18; ages 19-55; and for the first time this year as a separate

By Allan Leicht

SAVE PUBLIC HOUSING was the cry that echoed through Capitol Hill as NYCHA residents joined withpublic housing residents from Boston, Newark, Cleveland and other cities to protest proposed budget cuts.

The rally was planned by theresidents to protest reductions infederal funding, but Gerri Lamb,Chair of NYCHA’s CitywideCouncil Presidents made certainthat Washington heard that “Welove America!” Having said that,she left no doubt about the mes-sage: “We are here to speak forthe rights of the people who livein public housing.”

A leading spokesperson forNYCHA’s residents, Ms. Lamb’sappeal to Congress and the WhiteHouse was echoed by residentsfrom Boston, Newark, Cleveland,the District of Columbia and oth-er cities. The ink on their hand-lettered signs ran in the downpour

but spirits remained high.“We need the rain,” Ms. Lamb

declared, “but it wouldn’t matterif the sun was shining or if it was110 degrees in the shade, our mes-sage is the same, ‘Save PublicHousing!’”

Reverend Mark Taylor, Pastorof the Church of the Open Door inBrooklyn, accompanied the resi-dents. He stood close by Ms.Lamb and told the crowd thattheir voices would be heard evenmore emphatically because oftheir commitment and persis-tence.

Paulette Shomo, Resident As-sociation President of Marble HillHouses in the Bronx had no doubt

that the journey was well worththe effort. A former NYCHA em-ployee of 36 years, Ms. Shomonow works in the office of Assem-blyman Adriano Espaillat as aconstituent liaison and knowsfirsthand the impact voters haveon elected officials.

“We get 100 calls a month inthe assemblyman’s office,” saidMs. Shomo, “and most of them areabout landlords and tenants.That’s the most important thing onpeople’s minds whether they’re inNYCHA or not.” Because almostall of NYCHA’s funding comesfrom Washington, she observed, itis in Washington that the concerns

(Continued on page 5)


FAME is the name of the dance troupe from Astoria Houses in Queens.These dancers won First-Place in the 19-55 age category at NYCHA’s33rd Annual Talent Search Competition on May 10, 2003.

Inside:Meet MSgt. Raymond Jackson . . . . . . . page 2The Draft 2004 Agency Plan . . . . . . . . page 3Attack On Rats In Bedford-Stuyvesant . . page 3Window Guards & Air Conditioners . . page 7

Over 1,000 New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) residents braved a rainstorm travelling toWashington, D.C. to rally in support of public housing outside the Capitol Building on Wednesday,May 21. Rain fell lightly at 5:30 A.M. when 53 buses left New York City, but six-and-a-half hours lat-

er, when the convoy reached the nation’s capital, it was pouring. Undaunted, NYCHA residents from all fiveboroughs made their way up soggy Capitol Hill to Upper Senate Park, where senators and congress membersinside the building across the street were within earshot of the loudspeakers on the rain-soaked platform.

RESIDENTS AND RAIN DESCEND ON WASHINGTON

THE HOUSING AUTHORITY JOURNAL June 2003

Message From The Mayor

Get In The Swim Of New York City This Summer

New York City’s 14miles of beaches offerall New Yorkers a free

and fun way to cool down andenjoy themselves during thehot summer months. Allbeaches opened on Saturday,May 24, 2003, and all outdoorpools will open on Saturday,June 28, 2003. And thanks tolifeguards from around theCity and around the world, allof the City’s beaches andpools will be open throughoutthe upcoming summer.

The Department of Parks & Recreation conducts an extensivelifeguard recruitment campaign which includes international re-cruitment, visiting public schools, distributing literature, andmaking public service announcements. An expected 50 foreignlifeguards will patrol City beaches and pools this summer. TheCity is seeking to place a total of 1,100 lifeguards at beachesand pools throughout the five boroughs.

The City decided to continue recruiting international life-guards because of the success of last year’s program. Last sum-mer, for the first time in the City’s history, 37 lifeguards fromaround the globe patrolled the City’s beaches and pools. Theselifeguards, who arrived from the Netherlands, England, Ireland,Scotland, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, and Yu-goslavia, along with local recruits, helped protect over ten mil-lion people who visited City beaches and pools last year.

Candidates for lifeguard positions must be 16 years or older,swim 50 yards in 35 seconds, and complete 40 hours of train-ing, including CPR instruction. The Department of Parks &Recreation still has lifeguard openings, and potential applicantsshould call 311. I encourage all qualified New York City Hous-ing Authority (NYCHA) residents to apply.

The City’s beaches are open daily from 10:00 AM to 6:00PM. City beaches include Orchard Beach in the Bronx;Brighton Beach, Coney Island, and Manhattan Beach in Brook-lyn; Rockaway Beach in Queens; and Midland Beach, SouthBeach, and Wolfe’s Pond Beach in Staten Island. Swimming isprohibited when beaches are closed. As a matter of public safe-ty, we remind beach-goers to observe all beach rules and regu-lations, and especially to never swim when there is not a life-guard on duty.

This summer the City is offering a new service — peoplemay ride free MTA ‘F’ and ‘Q’ Beach Buses from nearby sub-way stations non-stop to Coney Island. The free Beach Buseswill operate between the last stops on the ‘F’ and ‘Q’ subwaylines and a temporary beach terminal located on Surf Avenue atWest 8th Street near the Cyclone. The special buses will runSaturdays, Sundays, and holidays between 8:00 AM and 11:00PM through the weekend after Labor Day. Passengers mayboard the ‘F’ Beach Bus at the Avenue X station and the ‘Q’Beach Bus at the Sheepshead Bay station. In addition to theBeach Buses, there will be more frequent weekend service onthe ‘W’ subway line, which will offer the only subway serviceto Coney Island while rehabilitation work continues at the sev-eral local subway stations, as well as increased weekend andweekday ‘F’ shuttle service, and B1 and B68 bus service.

I’d like to wish all NYCHA residents a happy and safe sum-mer season and encourage you to take advantage of the City’sbeaches and pools. City beaches and pools are free to the pub-lic and will be open through Labor Day, September 1, 2003.

Michael R. Bloomberg

ESTABLISHED 1970 • CIRCULATION 200,000

Published monthly by the New York City Housing AuthorityDepartment of Public and Community Relations

250 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10007Tel. (212) 306-3322 • Fax (212) 577-1358

Michael R. Bloomberg ...........................................Mayor

Tino Hernandez.......................................................................................ChairmanEarl Andrews, Jr. ............................................................................Vice-ChairmanJoAnna Aniello ...............................................................................Board MemberFrank Marín .............................................................................................SecretaryDouglas Apple.............................................................................General ManagerSheila Greene .................................Director of Public and Community RelationsHoward Marder ............................................................Public Information OfficerEileen Elliott .................................................................................................EditorRuth Noemí Colón ............................................................Editor, Spanish EditionAllan Leicht .........................................................................................Staff WriterDeborah Williams ................................................................................Staff WriterCarlos M. Casanovas ..............................................................................TranslatorPeter Mikoleski, Kevin Devoe............................................................Photography

If you are interested in placing an advertisement in the Journal,please call our marketing representatives in the Department of Economic and Business Initiatives at (718) 250-5907. The inclusionof any advertisement in this Journal does not constitute any endorsement by the Housing Authority of the advertiser or its prod-ucts or services or any other representation by the Housing Author-ity with respect to such products or services.

T h e H o u s i n g A u t h o r i t y

Journal 69years

of Public HousingIn New York City

Former Edenwald Resident Retires At 44 After Successful Career In The Military

Raymond Jackson is one ofmany former NYCHA residentsfor whom public housing hashelped to provide the foundationfor a wonderful future. And al-though he has lived all over theworld, in a recent interview Msgt.Jackson said that wherever he is,he always considers New YorkCity and Edenwald Houses in theBronx his true home.

“I’m so proud of my baby,” saidMrs. Louise Jackson, Raymond’smother, who still lives in the devel-opment where she raised Raymondand his seven siblings. “He’s reallyaccomplished a lot. He’s a verygiving person. When Raymondcomes home my house justjumps—its full of young people.”

Msgt. Jackson shared only fondmemories of Edenwald. “I spent alot of time with the Police Athlet-ic League when I was growingup,” he said. “I had the bestfriends anyone could have. We dideverything together. After schoolwe went to the Community Centeron 229th Street where we weregiven snacks and played games. Ialso really enjoyed communityactivities like trips to Bear Moun-tain and block parties.”

Jackson first became interestedin the military during his senioryear at the Food and MaritimeTrades High School in Manhattan.After his high school graduationin 1977, Raymond Jackson enlist-ed in the United States Army andwas sent to Basic Training at Ft.Jackson’s Tank Hill in South Car-olina where, “The hardest thing atfirst was taking orders.”

He then went on to TechnicalSchool at Ft. Lee, Virginia, and atthe age of 19 his first duty assign-ment took him halfway around theworld, to Zweibrucken Air Basein Germany. While there, he was asmall arms weapons instructor forthe Combat Intelligence ImageryInterpretation Detachment of the66th Military Intelligence Group.When his enlistment with theArmy was up in 1981, Jacksonjoined the U.S. Air Force.

Why the Air Force? A simplereason. “The Army had barracks,with three or four to a room; onthe Air Force Base I would have aroom to myself.”

In June of 1981, RaymondJackson attended Jet Engine Me-

chanic Technical School atChanute Air Force Base in Illinois.His first Air Force Assignmentwas at Langley Air Force Base inVirginia, with the 48th Fighter In-terceptor Squadron, Air DefenseCommand. At Langley he servicedthe engines of the F-106 DeltaDart and was instrumental in thetransition to the F15 Eagle.

Jackson continued to hone hisaircraft maintenance skills at HillAir Force Base in Utah before hewas assigned to Misawa Air Basein Japan. There, his dedication toduty and attention to detail earnedhim the “Five Star DedicatedCrew Chief Award” for the bestjet in the wing in February 1990.His aircraft also won the “HighFlyer Award” for Exercise CopeThunder at Clark Air Force Basein the Philippines.

In October of 1992, Jackson re-turned to Germany, this time toSpangdeahlem Air Base where hewon more medals and awards, in-cluding the 1994 Foreign ObjectDamage Fighter of the YearAward. His next assignment wasto Holloman Air Force Base inNew Mexico.

In 1997, Jackson was promotedto Master Sergeant. A master

Master Sergeant Raymond M. Jackson

sergeant is a sergeant who hasmastered his career field, in thecase of MSgt. Jackson, that fieldis aircraft maintenance. In 1999,he completed the Senior Noncom-missioned Officer correspondencecourse and was awarded his Com-munity College of the Air Force(CCAF) Degree in Aircraft Main-tenance Systems Technology, andanother CCAF Degree in Person-nel Administration.

Mr. Jackson said he is mostproud of a recent AchievementMedal he received when hestopped a civilian aircraft fromtaking off because of possibleFOD — that’s military talk forForeign Object Damage. He saw amechanic accidentally drop somenuts and washers in the front in-take of the plane’s engine, andalerted the crew to prevent it fromtaking off.

“He saved a whole plane full of

By Eileen Elliott


During his more-than-25-year career in the military, MasterSergeant Raymond M. Jackson has received many awards anddecorations. He has serviced aircraft with names like the Ea-

gle, the Warthog, the Fighting Falcon and the F-117 Stealth Fighter. Hehas circled the globe. But on June 6, 2003 at 1400 hours (that’s 2PM)Master Sergeant Raymond Jackson went back to being just RaymondJackson. At the age of 44, he retired at a gala ceremony held at theWright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, where he has been stationedfor the past two years.

June 2003 THE HOUSING AUTHORITY JOURNAL

Message From The Chairman

Make Your Voice Heard On the Draft 2004 Agency Plan

Most New York CityHousing Authority(“NYCHA”) residents

are aware that each year NYCHAand the Resident Advisory Board(RAB), now comprising 54members, work together to com-plete an Agency Plan. This planis required by law and submittedto the U.S. Department of Hous-ing and Urban Development(HUD). Crucial issues that affectthe lives of residents, issues likeCommunity Service, rent, crimeand safety, and NYCHA’s tenantselection procedures, are just

some of the policy issues that are addressed in the annual plan.The 2004 Draft Agency Plan has been available for public inspec-

tion since May 30, 2003 and will continue to be available throughJuly 16, 2003, at which time the Housing Authority will hold a pub-lic hearing at the New York Marriott on 333 Adams Street in Brook-lyn, from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM. The hearing will provide the publicwith an opportunity to speak directly to NYCHA’s board. There aremany opportunities for NYCHA residents to view the plan. EachResident Association President has a copy, each RAB member andtheir alternates have a copy, management offices in each NYCHA de-velopment have a copy and it is also available at nine designatedcommunity centers. Residents with computer access can also logonto www.nyc.gov/nycha to view a draft copy of the plan.

In addition to the public hearing in July, NYCHA has alreadyheld three town hall-style meetings, in Brooklyn, Manhattan andQueens, to solicit resident comments, and will hold two more, onein the Bronx at the Classic Center at Melrose Houses on June 25,2003 and one in Staten Island at the Snug Harbor Cultural Centeron June 30, 2003. (See “Notice” on page 5 for full details.)

We want to hear from you! Communication between NYCHA’sadministration and the nearly half-a-million residents of our 345public housing developments is the best way of making sure thatyour concerns are taken into account as policy decisions are madefor the upcoming year. If you haven’t seen a copy of the 2004 DraftAgency Plan I urge you to do so and if you feel strongly about anyof the issues in that plan please come to one of the two remainingtown hall meetings, or the public hearing on July 16 and let usknow what you think.

I would also like to encourage residents who are unable to attendany of these meetings to submit written comments on the draft plan.The deadline for receipt of these comments is the same as the dateof the public hearing, July 16, 2003. Comments can be sent to theHousing Authority via the internet at the address mentioned above,or by mail to The New York City Housing Authority/Public Hous-ing Agency Plan Comments/Church Street Station/P.O. Box 3422/New York, New York 10008-3422.

What happens after the public hearing? Once all of the commentsare received NYCHA will take them into account in preparing a fi-nal version of the plan. In August, the Final Plan will be submittedto the RAB for their final comments. NYCHA’s response to thesefinal comments will accompany the 2004 Agency Plan when it issubmitted to HUD in October. If HUD does not disapprove the planin 75 days it will be approved.

One of the hottest topics addressed by residents in recent town hallmeetings is Community Service. The law suspending the Communi-ty Service requirement — that some residents perform eight hours amonth of community service as a condition of their tenancy — hasexpired and the New York City Housing Authority has no choice butto implement the law. However, NYCHA has expanded the list of ex-emptions from community service to approximately 20 differentclassifications and will consider suggestions for additional classifica-tions received at the town hall meetings and at the public hearing.

Tino Hernandez

Deborah’s Diary

By Deborah Williams

Congratulations to Tiffany Wright of 131 St. Nicholas Avenue inManhattan. On May 4, 2003, Tiffany graduated from Paul SmithCollege with an Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts. In August of2003, Tiffany will be off to Delhi New York, where she plans to at-tend SUNY Delhi to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Food Serviceand Restaurant Management. Tiffany is the granddaughter of 131St. Nicholas Avenue’s Resident Association President GloriaWright. Tiffany, your grandmother contacted me because she want-ed to tell the world how proud she is of your accomplishment. Ican’t guarantee the world will read this but the NYCHA Journaldoes have a circulation of 200,000 and will at least get the wordstarted. I too would like to say congrats on a job well done and I ex-pect to hear from you when you get your Bachelor’s Degree. In themeantime stay focused and study hard to make your dreams becomea reality.

Graduation Announcement Ms. Mary Ealey of the Moore Housesin the Bronx would like to announce that on May 23, 2003 herdaughter Monica Ealey graduated cum laude from the State Univer-sity of New York at Stony Brook with a Bachelor’s Degree in Polit-ical Science. In the words of your mom Ms. Ealey, “You Go Girl!”

Monica, it takes great strength and commitment to your studies tograduate cum laude, and for that I believe you deserve a round of ap-plause and praise. Beverly and Thomas Jr. wanted to take this oppor-tunity to also extend congratulations to their sister on a job well done.

Being a modest person and unwilling to accept all the glory,Monica would like to acknowledge that without her family’s dedi-cation, their hard work and sacrifice, her graduation would have notbeen possible. She extends her heartfelt thanks to her family. Aftergraduation Monica will continue to work at the NYC Department ofMental Health and Hygiene. However, her educational career is farfrom being over. Her Bachelor’s Degree is just a stepping stone. Sheplans to go on to law school later in life.

Honorable Mentions Murphy Community Center Director LeroyWilliams didn’t know when he submitted the essays of ten childrenfrom his center to the Bronx Times Mother’s Day Essay Contest thathe would open the newspaper one day and read the names of all ofthose children. However, on May 15, 2003 he did just that! Heopened the paper and read the names: Kevin Martinez, Getsie MarieRichards, Brandon Seda, Augustin Molina, Kristopher Brown, TisaTana Evans, Naisha Turner, Carrie Dueno, and Antonio Nieves.

“When one of the children came to me and showed me that tenof the children in the community center were given honorable men-tions for their writing, I was thrilled and excited. It made me feel asthough we are able to make a difference in these young people’slives in such a short amount of time, since the Community Centerhas only been open for four months. I am very proud of these chil-dren,” wrote an enthused Leroy Williams.

This was quite an accomplishment for the children, since over2000 contestants submitted their essays to the Bronx Times. Withpen and paper in hand, these remarkable children aged 6 to 13 yearswere able to create inspirational Mother’s Day messages that wouldearn them all an honorable mention. Well kids you deserve a stand-ing ovation and a round of applause—you did great! Remember ifyou really enjoy writing stay with it because the ability to write wellcan open the door to an exciting future.

Educate, investigate, exter-minate! That’s State Sena-tor Velmanette Mont-

gomery’s motto as she and a TaskForce of City and State agencieswork to end what has commonlybeen referred to as an “infesta-tion” of rats in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood ofBrooklyn. Over the past year, theSenator and concerned residentsand merchants in the area haveworked together with the NewYork City Housing Authority(NYCHA), the City’s Departmentof Health and Mental Hygiene(DOHMH), the Department ofSanitation, the MetropolitanTransportation Authority and anumber of state agencies to put anend to the resilient rodents.

Representatives from theseagencies provided an update forarea residents in a panel discus-sion hosted by the Senator on theevening of May 22, 2003 at theBoys and Girls High School onUtica Avenue. State AssemblyMember Annette Robinson alsoparticipated.

“Our first meeting was in theSpring of 2002,” the Senator toldan audience of 50 or so area resi-dents. “Most of the 12 people onthis panel have been meetingsince then to resolve a long list ofissues and problems and havebeen involved in many levels ofactivity. We decided then that weneeded to establish an ongoingprogram to keep this problem inabeyance.”

There are many NYCHA de-velopments in the area includingBrevoort, Armstrong, Albany,Tompkins and Sumner Houses.NYCHA’s Technical Advisor forPest Control Jamal Rashid andRefuse Management and Recy-cling Coordinator Tony Solomitawere on hand to discuss proce-dures for dealing with rodents onNYCHA property. Mr. Rashid in-formed the audience that NYCHAhas 91 licensed exterminatorswith nine supervisors to cover allproperty — apartments, grounds,and basements. NYCHA receivescomplaints from a variety of City

Attack On Rats InBedford-Stuyvesant

State Senator Velmanette Montgomery


To Report Dangerous Dogs

Call the Dog Hotline: 1 (888) 895-3647

VisitNYCHA’sWeb site:www.nyc.gov/

nycha


The NYCHA “Not Wanted” List

In this issue we continue our editorial policy of publishing the names ofindividuals who have been permanently excluded from our public hous-ing developments. Listing the proscribed persons is part of the effort to

keep residents informed of NYCHA’s ongoing efforts to improve the quali-ty of life for all New Yorkers in public housing and to allow for the peacefuland safe use of our facilities. Here follows a list of the people excluded af-ter hearings were held on March 13, 27, April 3, 10, 24, and May 8, 2002.REMEMBER, IF YOU SEE ANY OF THESE PERSONS ON HOUS-ING AUTHORITY PROPERTY, PLEASE CALL YOUR MANAGE-MENT OFFICE OR THE POLICE! THIS LIST IS PROVIDED TOALL POLICE SERVICE AREAS.

Prohibited as of March 13, 2002Ira Santana Case 656/02 formerly associated with the

third floor of 55 Rutgers Street, LaGuardiaHouses, Manhattan.

Prohibited as of March 27, 2002Roosevelt Joye Case 867/02 formerly associated with the

thirteenth floor of 2940 West 31st Street,Surfside Gardens, Brooklyn.

Michael Ward Case 869/02 formerly associated with the fifth floor of 426 Columbia Street, Red Hook West Houses, Brooklyn.

Anthony Hawkins Case 873/02 formerly associated with thethirteenth floor of 314 East 143rd Street, Patterson Houses, the Bronx.

Ayesha Carter Case 874/02 formerly associated with the first floor of 1315 Amsterdam Avenue, Grant Houses, Manhattan.

Prohibited as of April 3, 2002Lineton Brown Case 1042/02 formerly associated with the

third floor of 293 Dumont Avenue,Brownsville Houses, Brooklyn.

Tara Ruiz Case 1045/02 formerly associated with the first floor of 515 Rosedale Avenue,Soundview Houses, the Bronx.

Holis Forteau Case 963/02 formerly associated with the tenth floor of 450 East 169th Street, Webster Houses, the Bronx.

Raul Echevarria Case 1007/02 formerly associated with the sixth floor of 1595 Madison Avenue,Lehman Houses, Manhattan.

Latoya Phillips Case 1034/02 formerly associated with the fifth floor of 197 Gordon Street, Stapleton Houses, Staten Island.

Bryant Jones Case 1036/02 formerly associated with the thirteenth floor of 301 East 156th Street,Jackson Gardens, the Bronx.

Terrell Lauallen Case 1028/02 formerly associated with the seventh floor of 2237 Second Avenue, Jefferson Houses, Manhattan.

Cynthia White Case 1029/02 formerly associated with the thirteenth floor of 890 East 6th Street,Wald Houses, Manhattan

Richard Buel Case 1030/02 formerly associated with the third floor of 700 Morris Avenue, Melrose Houses, the Bronx.

Prohibited as of April 10, 2002Raymond Rivera Case 1076/02 formerly associated with the

third floor of 865 Cauldwell Avenue, UnionAvenue Consolidation Houses, the Bronx.

Kaseem Palmer Case 1104/02 formerly associated with thethird floor of 108-39 Flatlands Avenue,Breukelen Houses, Brooklyn.

Robert Hayward Case 1107/02 formerly associated with theeighth floor of 2160 Seward Avenue, CastleHill Houses, the Bronx.

Nelson Padial Case 1109/02 formerly associated with thesecond floor of 2120 Randall Avenue, Castle HillHouses, the Bronx.

Prohibited as of April 24, 2002Joseph Ramon Case 1434/02 formerly associated with the

first floor of 1595 East 174th Street, BronxRiver Houses, the Bronx.

Prohibited as of May 8, 2002Terrence Johnson Case 1649/02 formerly associated with the

seventh floor of 1595 Madison Avenue,Lehman Houses, Manhattan.

category, ages 56 and up. TheHousing Authority also intro-duced a special award this year,The Mel Edwards Award, in hon-or of the consultant who con-ceived of the Talent Search Com-petition, and served as its direc-tor for 27 years. The Mel Ed-wards Award is reserved for thatresident who shows initiative, en-thusiasm, show biz spirit and(most importantly) wins the heartof the audience.

The two hours flew by withmany notable acts: there was bal-let and modern dance, a lot of

singing of popular, hip hop andclassic songs, and as mentionedearlier, one poem. After the com-petition the audience was treatedto performances by some of lastyear’s winners. One was Eric Dar-by of Wagner Houses, who sang,“I Think I Can Fly” while the fivejudges, all of whom have impres-sive careers in the entertainmentindustry, made their decisions.

And the winners were…In the 6-13 Age Category: Isis

McIntosh of VanDyke Housestook First Place for her originalpoem about African American his-tory; Second Place went to thedance troupe Dynamic Expressionof Cypress Hills; and Third Placewent to vocalist Silvina Williams,also of Cypress Hills, whose talenttranscended her years when shesang, “I Keep Fallin’ In And OutOf Love With You.”

In the 14-18 Age Categorywhich was the most competitivewith eight acts: First Place wentto Cherelle Davis; Second Placewent to Dara Gadsen for her mov-ing ballet performance; and ThirdPlace went to vocalist KimberlyGonzales of Campos Plaza, whosang the inspirational, “The HeroLies In You.”

In the 19-55 Age Category,First Place went to the dancerswith hip street clothes and liquidmovements who seem destined tofulfill their name — Fame —from Astoria Houses; SecondPlace went to Music In the Centerfor their bluesy rendition of “GodBless The Child”; and Third Placewent to Sam Newton of WagnerHouses for his dynamic perfor-mance on the drums.

In the 56 and Up Age Category:First Place went to Gail Williamsof Cypress Hills; Second Place to

Mona Lisa of Langston HughesHouses who sang a spiritual; andThird Place went to Hope Thomasof Marcus Garvey Houses.Ms. Thomas sang “It’s All In TheGame.”

Vocalist Linda Hutchinson inthe 19-55 age category took theMel Edwards Award for her soul-ful rendition of the classic, “AtLast My Love Has Come Along.”

All of the performers joined theNYCHA Youth Chorus for agrand finale, singing, appropriate-ly, “Oh Happy Day!”

33rd Annual Talent Search(Continued from page 1)

Isis McIntoshFirst Place, Ages 6-13

Cherelle DavisFirst Place, Ages 14-18

Gail WilliamsFirst Place, 56 & Up

Linda HutchinsonMel Edwards Winner

West Nile Virus InformationThe West Nile Virus season is upon us.Residents, protect yourself against theWest Nile Virus:

· Wear clothing covering skin between duskand dawn

· Make sure all windows have tightfitting screens

· Repair or replace all torn screens· Report all standing water on NYCHA

properties by calling the City’s newall-purpose non-emergency number, “311,”or call your development Management Office

· Report all dead birds by calling 311 or yourdevelopment Management Office

NOTICENew York City Housing Authority Agency Plan 2004

In accordance with Section 5A of the Housing Act of 1937 as amended, the New York CityHousing Authority ( NYCHA ) has developed a draft agency plan for the year 2004. The draftplan was developed following weeks of meetings and discussions with the 54 members of thecitywide Resident Advisory Board.

Availability of Plan for Public InspectionThe public is advised that the proposed plan will be available for public inspection at NYCHA s principal office,located at 250 Broadway, 12th Floor, Reception Area, New York, and New York, starting onMay 30.2003 through July 16, 2003 between the hours of 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The Plan will also be available atthe following locations:

On NYCHA s webpage, which can be located at http://www.nyc.gov/nychaAt the Management Office of each NYCHA public housing development during regular business hours.At the Community Centers listed below during the hours of 9:00 AM to 7:30 PM:

Campos Plaza Community Center611 East 13th Street

New York, New York

King Towers Community Center2 West 115th Street

New York, New York

Classic Center at Melrose286 East 156th Street

Bronx, New York

Baychester Community Center1220 East 229th Street

Bronx, New York

Bland Community Center133-36 Roosevelt Avenue

Flushing, New York

Ocean Bay/EdgemereCommunity Center

57-10 Beach Channel DriveFar Rockaway, New York

Atlantic Terminal Community Center501 Carlton AvenueBrooklyn, New York

Breukelen Community Center715 East 105th StreetBrooklyn, New York

Staten Island Community OperationsBorough Office

140 Richmond TerraceStaten Island, New York

Public CommentNYCHA will hold five Town Hall meetings at which the public is invited to raise questions regarding the draftplan to senior NYCHA officials. These meetings will be held between 6:30 PM- 8:00 PM at the dates andlocations shown below:

Tuesday, June 3, 2003 Thursday, June 12, 2003Brooklyn

Brooklyn Center for the Performing ArtsWalt Whitman Theater

Campus Road Between Nostrand Ave and Avenue HBrooklyn, New York

ManhattanPace University

Schimmel TheaterSpruce Street

Bet. Park Row and Gold StreetNew York, New York

Monday, June 16, 2003 Wednesday, June 25, 2003 Monday, June 30, 2003Queens

Elechester Industrial Center67-35 Parsons Blvd at Jewel Ave

Flushing, New York

BronxClassic Center at Melrose

286 E. 156th at Morris Avenue AvenueBronx, New York

Staten IslandSnug Harbor Cultural Center

1000 Richmond Terraceat Snug Harbor Road

Staten Island, New York

Public Comment:NYCHA also invites public comment on the proposed plan at a public hearing to be held onWednesday, July 16, 2003, from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM at

The New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge333 Adams Street

(between Fulton and Tillary Streets)Brooklyn, New York

Each location listed above is both handicapped accessible and can be reached using public transportation.

Written comments regarding the draft plan are encouraged. To be considered submissions must be received notlater than July 16, 2003. Comments may be sent either through the internet address set out above or via ordinarymail (fax submissions will not be accepted) to the address set forth below:

New York City Housing AuthorityPublic Housing Agency Plan Comments

Church Street StationP.O. Box 3422

New York, New York 10008-3422Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor Tino Hernandez, Chairman

■

■

■


Residents In Washington, D.C.(Continued from page 1)

JCPenney Catalog

Get Free Catalogs and a Free Gift at:MAN - 241 E. 10th St.

(1st / 2nd Ave.)(212) 533 1088

BK - 328 Flatbush Ave. (Park Pl. / Sterling Pl.)

(718) 857 5858

of public housing residents must be heard. “We want to make sure theHousing Authority isn’t strapped. Budget cuts have already affectedsome programs and they had to cut down on weekend workers.”

Raymond Ballard, Chair of the Brooklyn West Council of Presidentsand President of the Sumner Houses Resident Association, led thechant, “Save our homes,” and then addressed his remarks to PresidentBush. “Charity begins at home and the homes of public housing resi-dents are being neglected. Restore the money for our homes, Mr. Pres-ident,” said the 38-year NYCHA resident over the splattering rain.“That is what I call ‘Homeland Security.’”

Reginald H. Bowman, Second Vice President of the Citywide Coun-cil of Presidents and Resident Association President of Seth Low Hous-es in Brooklyn, told the crowd that it was time for the federal govern-ment to restore the cuts to operational and capital funding. “Put themoney back,” urged Mr. Bowman. As the residents headed back to theirbuses after the speeches, Mr. Bowman, Ms. Lamb and a group of resi-dents made their way to the office of New York Senator Hillary Clintonwhere they hand-delivered over 5,000 cards and letters from NYCHAresidents addressed to President George W. Bush and HUD SecretaryMel Martinez. Ms. Lamb requested that Senator Clinton’s staff makesure that they were delivered.

“I told them that there were more to come,” said Mr. Bowman.

people,” his mother, Mrs. Jacksonsaid.

Jackson said he has enjoyedtravelling the world and experienc-ing new and diverse cultures. Heattributes his success in the mili-tary to his strong work ethic. Nowthat he has retired, Raymond Jack-son plans to return to school. Be-cause his wife Nicole, who is also

in the service, will still be on activeduty, Jackson is unsure where hispermanent roots will be, since hewill follow his wife to whereverher assignments take her.

“The military has given me theability to look at life in greaterperspective. I have grown to thepoint where I feel I truly know themeaning of life and why we are

here — to help our fellow man orwoman — that’s what it’s allabout, not material things.”

And when asked what he con-siders to be the best thing aboutthe military, Msgt. Jackson wasemphatic in his response, “Thereare NO boundaries; anything ispossible!”

Edenwald Resident’s Military Career(Continued from page 2)

*Please note July 16 is a Wednesday, not Thursday as stated in last month’s Journal

*


FDNY wants you to become part of our Fire Safety Team.

Keeping you and your family fire safewhether at home, work or school takes

planning, preparation and teamwork. Fire prevention starts with you.So talk it over with your family.

And remember:

SMOKE DETECTORSTest them often to make sure they work.Replace the batteries at least twice a yearwhen you change your clock for daylightsavings.

HAVE A HOME FIRE ESCAPE PLAN Develop a home escape plan with your familyin case of fire. Practice it. Have a pre-arranged meeting place somewhere outside.

HOME SAFETY INSPECTIONConduct a safety inspection of potential firehazards in the home. Eliminate them.Make every room fire safe.

FDNY TOP TENOP TENFIRE SAFETY FIRE SAFETY TIPSTIPS

1. Smoke alarms save lives.Test and maintainthem.

2. Smoking and drinking area lethal combination.Smoking carelessness isa leading cause of fire. Don’t emptyashtrays into the trash.

3. Keep matches, lighters and candlesaway from children.

4. Be careful with candles. Don’t leavethem unattended. Never sleep withcandles burning.

5. Remove electrical cords from underrugs and behind radiators. Never nailor staple the cord to walls or molding.

6. Never overload outlets and extension cords.

7. Never put a portable space heaternear drapes, furniture, bedding orother flammable materials.

8. Move flammable liquids stored nearthe stove or other heat source to asafe, distant location.

9. Remove all materials on or near yourstove that could catch fire, includingpaper, dishcloths, etc.

10. Early notification can make all thedifference – in case of fire, call 911.

➊

➋

➌

Girls and women from New York City Housing Authority communitycenters in Brooklyn came to the Waldorf Astoria on May 15, 2003 tocelebrate the Ms. Foundation for Women’s 2003 Gloria Awards. Theevent marked the 30th Anniversary of the Ms. Foundation. The Foun-dation’s Mission is to “support the efforts of women and girls, to gov-ern their lives and influence the world around them.” The girls who at-tended all participate in the biweekly rap session held at the Seth LowCommunity Center called, “Can We Talk?” Pictured here are (left toright) Glenmore Community Center Director Sadie Sanders, AnishColeman from the Tilden Community Center, NYCHA’s Depart-ment of Community Operations Brooklyn Borough Senior Pro-gram Manager Lisa Davis, and Breukelen Houses residents SelahBucknal and Shakira West from the Seth Low Community. The Ms.Foundation works in unison with NYCHA’s Department of Communi-ty Operations to sponsor such events as the Take Our Children to WorkDay, held this year on April 24th. Photo credit: Sarah Quintana.

agencies, as well as residents. Allpesticides used by the Authorityare registered with the U.S. De-partment of Environmental Pro-tection and are approved by theDepartment of EnvironmentalConservation.

DOHMH’s Rick Simeone nar-rated a ten-minute slide show thatprovided some basic rat facts. Forexample, the most common rat inNew York City is the Norway ratwhich grows to an average size ofone to one-and-a-half feet and hasa very thin bone structure — sothin that it can fit through a spaceas small as one-and-a-half inches.These rats live in colonies of 60 ormore, have seven to ten litters an-nually, and feed at dawn and dusk.

Signs that you may have rats ifyou don’t actually see them in-clude gnaw marks, droppings,high pitched squeals and odors.

In introducing Yves Rene, alsofrom DOHMH, Mr. Simeone saidhis “endless hours in the Bush-wick section training homeownersand working with communitybased organizations has resultedin a reduction of rats.”

Mr. Rene elaborated on Inte-grated Pest Management (IPM)techniques, which when imple-mented properly, reduce theamount of rodenticide and pesti-cide that needs to be used. Thesetechniques include blocking thepaths by which rodents travelfrom floor to floor or room toroom; keeping all surfaces in thehome clean, including floors and

countertops; keeping all food in containers and keeping trash wellsealed. Mr. Rene said that these simple techniques will eliminate ro-dents by up to 60%. “The biggest problem we have here in the City iscontainment,” he said, referring to inadequate storage of trash left onthe streets.

Assembly Member Robinson stated the single most important mes-sage of the panel succinctly when she said, “We as a community haveto work cooperatively with the City agencies to rid ourselves of thesefour-legged pests that cause sickness and disease.”

NYCHA residents who would like to register a rodent complaintshould call their development’s Management Office or 311.

(Continued from page 3)

BrooklynRat Forum

MS. FOUNDATION AWARDS


The New York City HousingAuthority’s Department ofHousing Finance and De-

velopment participated in the FarRockaway Homeownership Fairon April 26, 2003 at Junior HighSchool 198 in Far Rockaway,Queens. The purpose of the fairwas to inform people who live inthe Far Rockaway area abouthomeownership opportunities.

The event was co-sponsored bythe Congressional Black CaucusFoundation With Ownership,Wealth (WOW) Initiative and theFannieMae New York PartnershipOffice. The U.S. Department ofHousing and Urban Development(HUD), as well as approximately25 leading lending institutions,community organizations, realtorsand professional home service or-ganizations set up informationbooths at the fair.

Congressman Gregory W.Meeks officially opened the pro-gram and urged participants totake advantage of the homeown-ership opportunities that exist inQueens. There were six work-shops which focused on First-time Homeownership, Knowingand Understanding Credit, Howto Avoid Predatory Lending, Co-ops and Condos and the OceanBay HOPE VI HomeownershipProgram.

NYCHA’s Department ofHousing Finance and Develop-ment Director Sharon Ebert facil-itated the HOPE VI workshop.Deputy Director Richard Frenchserved as a panelist on the Findingan Affordable Home workshopand discussed NYCHA’s citywidehomeownership initiatives. NY-CHA is collaborating with theDepartment of Housing Preserva-tion and Development (HPD) andother organizations to help createhomeownership opportunitiesthroughout the city.

The overall goal of the OceanBay HOPE VI Program is tophysically and economically revi-talize the formerly namedArverne and Edgemere Houses inQueens, which have been re-named Ocean Bay apartments.The revitalization will result notonly in the comprehensive reno-vation of the physical environ-ment but will include a programof community and supportive ser-vices for the benefit of the resi-dents. The project also includesthe renovation of an existingshopping plaza and the construc-tion of a new 33,000-square-footrecreation center.

As of March 2003, the modern-izaion work at Ocean Bay wasmore than 80% complete, withover 600 apartments slated to berented in the coming months.

Far Rockaway Homeownership Fair

(Above) Over 150 public housing and private residents attended the FarRockaway Homeownership Fair co-sponsored by NYCHA, Fan-nieMae, U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks and the With Ownership,Wealth (WOW) Committee Members. (Below) Youth who participatein the Ocean Bay Audio Program pose with two NYCHA staff, Care-taker Eugene Pinckard (front left) and Department of Housing Financeand Development Michelle Diaz (in second row).

Summer’s Here...Make Sure Your WindowGuards and Air ConditionersAre In Place!As the weather gets warmer it’s especially important to make surethat your window guards are in place and that air conditioners areproperly installed. Don’t think for a minute that simply havingscreens in your windows can prevent accidents the way windowguards can. They can’t!

The New York City Health Code requires all residential prop-erty owners to install window guards in every apartment where achild who is under 10 years old resides or at the request of a resi-dent whether or not a child lives in the apartment, free of charge.The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) takes it one stepfurther, and requires the use of window guards in apartments wherea child who is 10 years old or younger regularly visits.

NYCHA installs window guards in all windows, includingwindows leading to a terrace or balcony at no cost to the resident.Windows providing access to fire escapes and windows that are asecondary exit in a first floor apartment where there are no fire es-capes on the upper floors do not require window guards.

If you do not have a full set of window guards installed and ifthere are children 10 years of age or younger living in or visitingyour apartment regularly, or you otherwise want window guardsinstalled in your windows, please contact your development’sManagement Office IMMEDIATELY so that window guards canbe installed.

Every NYCHA lease requires that residents cooperate and doeverything necessary to permit NYCHA to comply with New YorkCity laws concerning the installation of window guards. Currentresidents and occupants are required to complete the Annual Win-dow Guard Survey. In addition, residents may not refuse the in-stallation of window guards.

Remember: It is a violation of the law if: You do not completethe Annual Window Guard Survey; You refuse or do not allow ac-cess to install window guards if children 10 years old or youngerlive in your apartment; you remove window guards from yourwindows. Residents and occupants who fail to comply may be sub-ject to penalties and/or termination of tenancy.

However, air conditioners are an acceptable alternative to win-dow guards only if they are properly and permanently installed(not seasonally removed). Prior to installation of air conditioners,residents are required to sign an Air Conditioner Agreement. TheAgreement requires that residents notify NYCHA within (3) threedays after installation of the air conditioner has been completed.Air conditioners are installed at the resident’s expense. Installationguidelines are as follows:

The air conditioner unit must fit the entire width of the window.There cannot be any open unguarded spaces greater than 4 1/2inches; two “L” shaped stops are required in the window trackwhen the space between the air conditioner and the fully raisedwindow sash is greater than 4 1/2 inches; “L” shaped stops must beinstalled in both sides of the inside window track to prevent thewindow from lifting upward; the air conditioner must be perma-nently attached to the window opening and the air conditioner musthave a permanent, structurally sound barrier installed when it doesnot fill the entire width of the window.

You must notify your Management Office immediately whenan air conditioner is to be removed and schedule an appointment sothat a window guard can be installed at the time the air condition-er is removed.

Thefinalpiece.

The State of New York Mortgage Agency offers closing cost assistance and zero points with all of its low interest rate mortgage programs.

Call SONYMA at 1-800-382-HOME (4663).

We are accepting applications for the Asbestos Abatement field for Section 3 hiring. Subject to NYCHA Approval

Applicants Must Have:NYS LICENSENYC DEP LICENSEPROOF OF UPDATED MEDICAL AND FITNESSTESTS & EXPERIENCE IN THIS FIELD

Please fax Resume, Medical & License Info To 718 418 7548.


Start Your Own BusinessIf you want to start your own business, please call NYCHA’s Business De-velopment Division. We are particularly interested in residents with thefollowing skills: painting, electrical installation and maintenance, plumb-ing, door and cabinet hanging, building maintenance, general construc-tion, landscaping, welding, and iron work. However, please call, whateveryour business idea is.

718-250-5987 or 718-246-6510

use Heroin?Cocaine?Alcohol? Marijuana?

You may qualify for free treatment with complete confidentiality as partof a research project.Treatment medication and individual therapy are free.

SUBSTANCE TREATMENT AND RESEARCH SERVICENew York State Psychiatric Institute (212) 923-3031

Want to STOP?

24-HOUR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE

1-800-621-HOPE


FREE JOB TRAININGFor Survivors of

Domestic Violence

GOOD PAYING JOBS in Building Maintenance & Construction

Call Project Superwomen212-591-0313

If you are unemployed or have a lowincome level you may be eligible forFREE training in the following courses:

For more Information, please call

212-349-9768Admissions office is located at:42 BROADWAY, 22ND FLOOR,NEW YORK, NY 10004

LICENSED BY NYS EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

• MEDICAL ASSISTANT

• MEDICAL BILLING

• COMPUTERIZED ACCOUNTING

• COMPUTER PROGRAMMING

• ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

• QUALITY ASSURANCE

• AUTOCAD

Call toll free: (877)39-GLOBE 291 Broadway, 7th Floor, New York City

www.globe.edu

More than 120 college courses available toward a:• Bachelor’s Degree• Associate’s Degree• Certificate

Including:• Accounting/Banking and

Finance• Business Management• Paralegal• Medical Billing and Coding• Video Game Design/Computer

Programming• English as a Second Language• Registered Nurse Exam prep

course (NCLEX)

All fulltime college

students eligible for a

FREE COMPUTER

AND PALM PILOT.

Some students are

also eligible for

FREE TUITION

vol. 33, no. 6 first class u.s. postage paid — permit no

Documents