Rose Associates says: Get along, little doggies!

Came home today to find this posted in the lobby and under our door:

In case you can't read it, it basically says it's a "friendly reminder" of the rules and policies on dogs. I read it as Rose trying to get people out however they can, now by "enforcing" the dog rules and ordering offending parties to move or live in LTG sans canine companion.

Here's the short version of the rules:

Dogs have to be carried or on a short leash in public areas (what do they consider short?)
Owners must control their pets so they don't "jump on" or act threatening (what do they consider threatening?)toward another tenant.
Dogs are not allowed in any public areas unless going to or from their apartments, esp. the laundry room or courtyard (I always take Tony to the laundry room, what's the big deal? It's not like he pees on the floor, and he's even killed a roach or two. They should be happy for the help, they need it, if you get my drift).
And "most important of all" we are required to "curb and promptly clean up after" our dogs. (Well, no shit. Literally. I have walked out in the morning to a veritable mine field of dog poo and wondered who on earth is leaving it. I mean, the size of some of these turds makes you wonder what else the owner didn't notice.)

Yes, these are all fairly common sense policies, but just the fact that they came from Rose makes me suspicious. This is the company that threw out all of our doormats. It's also the company that erected a "sidewalk bridge" around the whole building cause they don't have the money to fix the falling bricks. And that's the same company that took six months to repair the entrance at 420.

It also sounds all kinds of illegal to "revoke permission" to keep a dog in a building that allows pets, but hey, I'm just a little ol' dog owner who's disappointed that I will no longer have the company of my canine while folding laundry.

London Terrace is falling down ... YET again

Ok, so the joke is getting less and less funny.

Not only is the scaffolding STILL up around 450 from nearly a year ago, now falling bricks have closed down the 460 entrance.



The "management" tacked up this notice by the elevators, telling everyone to avoid 460. Ironically, this notice can only be read by people who have already successfully navigated the challenge of finding an alternate entry into the building, ha. Note that it says "emergency" repairs were necessary. I wonder what their idea of an emergency is, and I've started a pool among some of the neighbors as to how long till scaffolding goes up, and how long till they do any kind of "emergency repairs." Anyone wanting in on the action, there are a few choice spots left.

I heard that they were measuring around the hydrangea this morning, presumably for scaffolding and more of that nasty green mesh crap that's draped all over 450 like a Christo (can I just add again, for nearly a year while no one has touched the bricks with any intent to repair, and which smells like a green tunnel of urine since every dog in the nabe pisses on it).

I heard that Rose blew their budget on renovations in vacant apartments that weren't really necessary in their unchecked effort to charge a small fortune for the so-called "luxury pre-war" apartments here. They ran out of money, and now don't have the dough to either "finish" the brickwork on 450 or to even begin to work on 460.

Maybe we should just take the pot from the pool and donate the proceeds to the London Terrace Gardens "luxury pre-war" repair fund. WTF?

Here's an article from yesterday's NY Times that relates to the whole doormat situation. The article quotes Francis X. Gribbon, the deputy commissioner for public information for the FDNY.

The building code, Mr. Gribbon said, “includes language that says, ‘Corridors shall be kept readily accessible at all times, free of combustible items.’ ”

Are doormats combustible items? Well, yes. But this still sounds like ball-breaking to me.

London Terrace Door Mat Update

Well, since I slept through the LTTA meeting on April 12 I had to wait until today when they gave out the newsletter to find out if anyone confronted the building rep about the doormat situation. Here's the quote:

Doormats - In answer to questions, Mr. Di Schino addressed the removal of doormats from hallways, saying it made Rose subject to a code violation. Several tenants queried the Fire Department and were told that there is no regulation forbidding the mats. However, Rose will continue to remove them but will hold them in the basement - not throwing them out.

Because they're such nice people.

I bumped into a group of firefighters last week and asked them if it sounded like doormats were a legitimate fire code violation. They said that it didn't sound familiar, but that they (Rose) may be interpreting some vague wording to their advantage (advantage, for what?! To toss doormats? WTF?), like "no flammable materials shall be stored in common hallways." I can see that, but why be such ball breakers over this? I'd be interested to hear from others in large apartment buildings if they have doormats or not.

More on the No Mat situation in London Terrace

Update: I just talked to a neighbor in 430 who said they came "in the middle of the night" and took away all their doormats. In all fairness, they could have come very early in the morning, but still ... go to sleep with a doormat, wake up without one. I know it sounds crazy and petty maybe to be complaining about the lack of doormats, but methinks Rose Associates is just breaking balls. Anyone reading this who has access to a NYC Fire Code, please contact me and let me know if this is indeed a valid part of the code.

No mas mats in London Terrace!

What's wrong with this picture? Oh, yeah, that's it, they came around yesterday and threw out all our doormats! We'd gotten a memo a few weeks ago to the effect that it was some sort of a fire code violation and that as of the 15th of March (beware the Ides!) any doormats left in the hallways would be considered abandoned and would be disposed of by maintenance staff. Of course, we didn't think they'd actually do it, everyone sort of thought that it was one of those "enforce it if you need to" rules. No one expected them to toss out all the door mats! Yet, inexplicably, my neighbor's equally flammable and obstructing umbrella stand remained untouched in the hall.

I'm on the case now to find a copy of the NYC Fire Code to see if this is in fact a violation. Till then, wipe your feet in the elevator!