Sunday, January 22, 2023

King Manor suffering from slumlord negligence by NYC Parks

King Manor crumbling without help from Parks 2

Queens Chronicle

King Manor Museum in Jamaica lost its Wi-Fi on Dec. 18, 2020. In the more than two years that have elapsed since, meetings have been forced to employees’ nearby apartments, personal funds have been spent on connectivity and, according to museum Executive Director Kelsey Brow, “hours of work” have been lost.

Last Thursday, Brow got word from the head of Verizon government affairs, with whom she had to coordinate herself, that the problem was to be resolved as soon as this week. Even as that saga comes to a close, the building continues to lay in neglect.

Brow has reported problems related to the Wi-Fi, cracks in the walls, a deteriorating mantlepiece, mold-like black growths and other maintenance needs. She says the response from the Historic House Trust, a partner of the city Parks Department that Brow says serves as something of the liason between the museum and the agency, has been less than expedient.

“Our internet is supposed to be provided to us by the Parks Department through ... the Historic House Trust, and they were just like, ‘Oh, that’s too bad,’” Brow said of the Wi-Fi problem.

Failing plaster in the dining room, which Brow says is the museum’s staple, has led to the area being at least partially closed off to visitors. Brow says she was promised a “speedy, cosmetic fix” a year and a half ago that never came to pass.

Black growths on the side of the mantle led to some concern of the potential presence of mold. Brow says she reached out about the issue three or four years ago, only to get an air-quality monitor just at the end of this past fall. Results came back negative for any toxic growth.

The house is supposed to be painted every five to eight years. It’s been over 20 years since its last touch-up job, with mildew forming on exposed wood on the building’s exterior. The lack of a paint job has led to the failure of many of the windowsills, leading to the seepage of moisture into the structure.

Repair work that was completed on the building’s roof in 2018 did not include re-plastering the ceiling of the second floor, which had been failing due to the condition of the roof. Brow and a pair of colleagues performed those repairs themselves.

When asked why King Manor was having such a hard time hearing from the HHT, a Parks Department spokesperson pointed to investments the agency has made at the site — including the $1.8 million roof renovation and a 2021 $718,000 heating, ventilation and air-conditioning repair — and that the most recent HHT executive director retired late last summer and is expected to be replaced early this year.

“In recent years there has been significant investment in Rufus King Manor’s roof and HVAC system,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We are aware of some of the concerns outlined, and are working to resolve them.”

Brow says the neglect has led to a loss of revenue for the museum. The dining room typically would be rented out for events including weddings, baby showers, book launches and business meetings. Between the deteriorating condition and the extended period of limited Wi-Fi (the museum did have access to an internet connection box through a nonprofit group called Mobile Boost, but its capacity and reliability were limited), the space has not been suitable for prospective inhabitants.

“We have film festivals that sometimes rent out the space, and they had an issue because they had some of their films on the cloud and they couldn’t get them because the internet didn’t reach here,” Brow said. “So, it’s not only lost work hours for us, but loss of income through rental opportunities.”

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

New Yorkers in that district voted over 95% for DemOrAts so let them enjoy.

Anonymous said...

Let’s go Brandon!

Anonymous said...

"Revitalized" Jamaica went to hell since Carlilse Towery of the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation retired a few years ago.

Anonymous said...

Think Things Are Bad Now? Just Wait, Says Chris Hedges.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqIEyzW_Iqs&ab_channel=TheJimmyDoreShow

Anonymous said...

Landlords are fascist lowlifes.
Prove me wrong …

Anonymous said...

Why do the "So-Called" most educated people keep getting things wrong over and over again ?

Anonymous said...

The Biden Bucks Blowout said...
Not to worry sheeple the Biden administration is coming to the rescue. LOL...

Anonymous said...

Dem Cities, Counties, and Towns are broke !

Anonymous said...

Why not knock it down and build a luxury affordable apartment complex there.
Build baby build!

Anonymous said...

Larry Sommers paraphrased Aristotle in saying "No one washes a rented car"

Anonymous said...

Of course it is why would anyone expect anything different, after all it's in Jamaica, the universal center of slums

Anonymous said...

Listen all you little sheeple the rules DO NOT apply to NYC Parks. Now shut up!

Anonymous said...

I thought Donald Trump fixed all this.

Anonymous said...

The City is broke...

Kitara said...

Let’s abolish the IRS. That’ll fix all problems and teach those libturds a lesson.

Anonymous said...

House some illegals in there. That place will get plenty of nice upgrades

Anonymous said...

Expecting the government to do this is communism. Give it to a private company to manage. We could rename it, the Twitter house Or the Goldman Sachs park.
How wonderful….

Anonymous said...

@Kitara said...
"Let’s abolish the IRS" Now you are talking logic.

Anonymous said...

Proud Libertarian said...
@ "Give it to a private company to manage" Sounds good to me !
Libertarians like me strongly oppose any government interference into their personal, family, and business decisions. Essentially, we all believe Americans should be free to live their lives and pursue their interests as they see fit as long as they do no harm to another.

Anonymous said...

What a dump ! Been down hill in Jamaica for over 60 years....

Anonymous said...

Volunteers from Jamaica should fix it up !

Anonymous said...

Hmmmmmm, I assume George Santos worked on these figures for them ?

Anonymous said...

A Eric Adams "Build back better" success story.