Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Illegal gas hookup found at Astoria complex

From DNA Info:

Elected officials and residents rallied outside the Acropolis Gardens co-ops Monday, where tenants have been living without cooking gas and hot water for nearly two months — despite management's initial promise that the service would be restored by June 19.

Con Edison shut gas off at eight buildings at the development on April 29 because of "unauthorized, improper hookups," according to a spokesman. As of yet, only two of those buildings have had service restored.

The co-ops are managed by Metropolitan Pacific Properties, whose president Steve Osman previously told DNAinfo that Con Edison made an error in shutting off the gas after coming to inspect the properties following a small fire.

A Con Edison spokesman, however, said the service was cut because of "unauthorized, improper hook ups that violate building codes."

"Building management has been made fully aware of what they need to do. Gas was shut off for the safety of the residents," the rep said. "We'll continue working with the city to make restorations as proper repairs are made.”

An attorney for the buildings' co-op board, which contracts Metropolitan Pacific Properties, said Con Edison told them they need to replace the meters at the buildings, but that the utility company were out of the replacement meters.

Con Edison, however, disputes this claim, saying they have not run out of meters.

The attorney, Michael Maio, said the repair process has also been drawn out because workers have to check every individual apartment for gas leaks — none have been found, he said — which requires that tenants be home.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Paying Con Edison for gas is for chumps...... and Americans. Same way immigrants love owning cash businesses because paying taxes is for chumps...... and Americans. Plus if things get serious with the law you can always skedaddle back to your homeland where you have been depositing you skimmed cash into your rainy day fund.

Anonymous said...

How are there illegal gas hook ups in a building complex that was built... when? 1920s?

Shady shit.

ron s said...

Hmmmm....which side is lying? A scummy landlord or sleazy Con Ed? 'Tis a puzzlement.

Anonymous said...

They have illegal gas hookups because the coop has been using unlicensed plumbers and unqualified handymen for years to do renovations and repairs. I dislike con Ed as much as anyone else and I believe them to be incompetent but I would still bet that the gas piping in these buildings is an absolute, dangerous mess.

Anonymous said...

It took the pols two months to stand 'proudly' next to their 'amazing' constituents?

Anonymous said...

I live here. There's never been anyone that looks like a licensed anything doing any of the plumbing work here. It's 100% management. ConEd gains nothing by shutting off gas that it makes money selling. They basically saved our lives. In Feb. I walked out of my apt to see black smoke coming out of the basement, Water had backed up into the basement from the courtyard blocking the flus to the boiler. The FDNY came and shut if off and checked all the apts for CO which was found. When the FDNY left management basically turned the boilers back on again like nothing happened.