Table of Contents Page 1 Letter from the Director Page 2 Playground rules Sidewalk chalk rules Play ball! Storm doors Kids on bikes Page 3 Summer Picnic Word Search Puzzle Page 4 Changes in Ceiling Rents Smoke Free Housing Page 5 Farmer s Market Herkimer Community Museum Library Summer Activities Solution to Word Search Puzzle Page 6 Social Security Statements Maintenance mowing Meals on Wheels help wanted Fraud! Summer 2014 Newsletter Herkimer Housing Authority 315 North Prospect Street Herkimer, NY 13350 315-866-2252 - (Fax) 866-3942 Letter from the Director Now that we have survived the flood of 2013, and the unusually brutal winter, we will now concentrate on 2014 and what we can look forward to. No Smoking Policy - The Housing Authority has completed a plan to protect tenants from second hand smoke, to protect lives and property from fires due to smoking, and to eliminate costs associated with smoke damage in apartments. More and more public facilities are going smoke free, and HUD is encouraging housing authorities to follow suit. Therefore, we will be implementing a no smoking policy in all of our buildings. Informational meetings will take place for tenants residing in all three locations, and the new policy will go into effect on January 1, 2015. Community Garden - Residents at Mid-Town Apartments have started a community garden with both flowers and vegetables. Maintenance has provided the beds and plants. It is now the responsibility of the residents to tend the garden. Parking lots - Parking continues to be a major problem at Eastern Gardens and Creekside Courts. Some of the problems occur from tenants having more than one vehicle, and visitors parking in our lots. A plan is being developed to assign parking of one car per apartment, and any additional cars in the household will be required to park in the visitor s parking lot. The parking lots will be striped with apartment numbers painted in each space. Violators will be ticketed and fined, and illegally parked cars will be towed away. Summer Picnics - This year we are hoping to have a summer picnic at each complex. Sign up sheets will be available in the office, and if there are enough people interested, we will set a date. If not, then there will be just one date set for a Mid-Town picnic and everyone will be invited. More information is in the newsletter. Dolly Parton Imagination Library - The Herkimer Rotary Club, along with other Rotary Clubs in the area, is offering a FREE program to encourage reading and early childhood literacy in our community. Every child under five years old who lives in the 13350 zip code is qualified to receive a free age appropriate book each month which will be mailed directly to their home. This can amount to 60 books in a 5 year period! Application forms are available in our office and are easy to obtain by contacting Jessica at extension 701. Also, applications are available at Herkimer Basloe Library, NBT Bank, Herkimer Tool and Equipment Co. or on-line at www.imaginationlibraryhoc.org. Have a wonderful and safe summer. Sincerely, Richard M. Dowe Executive Director
Play at your own risk Playground closes at dusk Playground Rules Playground is for children age 1-12. Teenagers do not belong on the playground Parents, please have your children pick up after themselves. Candy wrappers and gum should be disposed of properly Children under 5 must be supervised by an adult Chalk on sidewalks and buildings: Just a reminder about the use of chalk in our complexes. Please don t allow your children to draw on the front sidewalks and buildings. Although it may seem innocent, chalk drawings on a building or front sidewalk is unsightly and prohibited. They may use the fire lane in back to do their chalk drawings. If we find chalk on your apartment unit, you will be responsible for cleaning it off. Now that the weather is nice and the children are going outside to play, please remind them that playing ball in the yards is not allowed. Eastern Garden children may play ball on the field at the end of the complex by the visitor parking lot, and Creekside Courts children may play in the field by the playground. Storm Doors All residents at Eastern Gardens and Creekside Courts, please do not lock your storm doors. The doors need to remain unlocked for safety reasons. If maintenance, the fire department, ambulance, etc. needs to get into your apartment for any reason, we can unlock the main door, but not the storm doors. In case of fire, the storm door needs to be unlocked so you can get out quickly! Kids On Bikes Parents, please instruct your children not to ride their bikes in the parking lots. An accident could occur when a driver doesn t see a child when they ride out between parked cars. Drivers are not accustomed to looking for bicyclists in the parking lots! Also, there isn t a lot of room between parked cars, and we have had instances of bicycles scratching parked cars. Because of these things, riding bikes in the parking lot is not allowed. Don t forget, according to NYS law, all bicyclists under the age of 14 are required to wear approved bicycle helmets when bicycling or riding as passengers on bicycles in New York State. The maximum penalty for an offense is a $50 fine.
Summer Picnic/Barbecue We are in the planning stages for our annual picnic/barbecue. This year, we would like to try something a little different. We thought we would have a picnic at each of our 3 locations. In order to do so, however, we need to find out in advance if the residents at Eastern Gardens and Creekside Courts have interest in having a picnic at their complex. If we don t get enough of a response, we will have just one picnic at Mid-Town, and everyone will be invited. We have selected the dates of August 19th for the Mid-Town picnic, August 20th for Creekside Courts, and 21st for Eastern Gardens. Residents from all 3 complexes, please RSVP to 866-2252 ext. 701 as soon as possible so that we can finalize our plans. SUMMERTIME WORD SEARCH PUZZLE ANTS AUGUST BARBECUE BASEBALL BEACH BEES BICYCLE BLUE SKY BOATING BREEZE CAMPING FISHING FLIES FLOWERS GARDENING GOLF GREEN GRASS HAT HIKING HOLIDAYS HOT ICE CREAM JULY JUNE MOSQUITOES NO SCHOOL PICNIC ROLLER BLADES SANDALS SKATEBOARD SOCCER SOLSTICE SPRINKLERS SUNBURN SUNGLASSES SUNSCREEN SUNSHINE SUNTAN SWEAT SWIMMING U V RAYS WASPS WATER FIGHTS WATERMELON Solution on pg. 5
Ceiling Rent Changes In January of 2014, President Obama signed the Department of Housing and Urban Development 2014 Appropriations Act. Section 210 of the Act amended the United States Housing Act of 1937 to update the rules for ceiling rents for Public Housing residents. Section 210 requires Public Housing Authorities to comply with the new changes by June 1, 2014. The 2014 Appropriations Act requires Public Housing Authorities to establish flat rents at no less than 80% of the fair market rent. Because of this change in the law, we were required to increase our ceiling rent effective June 1, 2014. The new ceiling rents are as follows: 0 Bedroom 1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom 3 Bedroom 4 Bedroom $494 $495 $623 $826 $927 There are no changes to minimum rent or income based rent at this time. If you have any questions on the changes in flat rent, please feel free to call Fred at 866-2252 ext. 705 Herkimer Housing is going Smoke Free! After careful consideration by the Board of Commissioners, it has been voted on and approved that beginning on January 1, 2015, all of Herkimer Housing Authority s buildings, including individual apartments will become smoke free. At the Mid-Town Apartments, smoking will only be allowed in the back of the building in the smoking shelter that will be provided, or 20 feet away from the building. At Creekside Courts and Eastern Gardens, smoking will only be allowed 20 feet away from any building. A copy of our new No Smoking Policy will be provided to every tenant prior to the January 1, 2015 effective date. Each resident over the age of 18 will be required to sign and return to the office a document acknowledging receipt of the policy and that they have read it and agree to abide by the terms of the policy. Failure to sign and return the acknowledgement will result in eviction. Smoking cessation information is available at the at the phone number or link below or at the office. You can request information for resources that can help you quit smoking by stopping into the office or calling Jessica at extension 701. NYS Smokers Quitline: 1-866-697-8487 http://www.nysmokefree.com/
Herkimer Farmer s Market has moved! The Farmer s Market that used to be located at Aubuchon Hardware near McDonalds has moved to Gems Along the Mohawk, across the street from the NYS Thruway entrance on Mohawk Street. Thursdays from May 15 through October 30th from 9 a.m. till 1:00 p.m. you can purchase fresh produce, baked goods, and other homemade items much cheaper than you would pay at the grocery store, and since the produce is grown locally, they will be fresher and healthier! Herkimer Community Museum 301 North Prospect Street Herkimer Looking for something to do with your children this summer? Did you know that Herkimer has a museum for kids and adults? The 3 exhibits which include lifelike reproductions of dinosaur skeletons and are titled: Mesozoica, The age of dinosaurs, Paleomania, Evolution of the Dinosaurs, and a Fossil Dig, where children can dig through sand and find bones from a full size Dimetridon. They also have reproductions of items found in King Tut s tomb in the exhibit titled Tutankhamen, Wonderful things from the Pharaoh s Tomb The museum is open on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday: 11:00 am 2:00 pm. Admission for adults is $5.00 (which includes admission for one accompanying child age 12 or under), children 12 and under cost $1.00 each. What a great and inexpensive way to entertain your children during summer vacation! Frank J. Basloe Library s Summer Reading Program! The 2014 summer reading program is a fun way to include reading and related activities into summer family time. It helps children maintain and improve reading skills. Children ages 15 years old and younger are welcome to participate in the Summer Reading Program. The Library will be offering a variety of programs as well as pre-school story times, so pick up a list of events at the library and drop in as often as possible. The library welcomes children of all abilities. Visit www.summerreadingnys.org to learn more about the summer reading program at New York State Libraries. The library also has a story hour for children ages 12 and under and a guitar group for all ages and skill levels. The times and dates vary, so call the library at 866-1733 for more information. Solution to word search on pg. 3
How to Get a Copy of Your Social Security Statement Up until 2011, the Social Security Administration mailed annual Social Security Statements to everyone age 25 and over (who was not already receiving Social Security benefits). Now you need to go online to get a copy of your statement or view it online, unless you are over age 60 and not yet collecting Social Security benefits. Go to www.ssa.gov/mystatement/ and open an account with Social Security to view your statement. (You can no longer request a printed statement.) Yard Work Has Begun! Maintenance has begun their outdoor work, and would like to remind everyone that the lawns must be clear of toys, figurines, solar lights, etc. When mowing lawns, maintenance can t be expected to stop and pick up items belonging to the residents. If items are run over by the mowers, Herkimer Housing Authority will not be responsible for replacing or reimbursement of the item. Meals on Wheels drivers needed. To deliver meals to elderly people. Monday-Friday; 2-3 hours per day; hourly rate plus mileage. You must have a dependable vehicle and a valid driver s license. Please call Dave @ 867-1414 ~READ CAREFULLY~ Drugs have no place in Public Housing! If anyone living in, or visiting your home is caught using or selling drugs, or anyone who is living at your home and caught somewhere else using drugs, the entire family can be evicted. Is your home worth the risk if you are using drugs? Public Housing is a privilege. In 1998, President Clinton proposed implementation of a strict, straightforward One Strike policy: people in public housing who engage in drug and other criminal activity will face certain and swift eviction. We are obligated to follow the law. Don t let this happen to your family! We will evict for FRAUD! All residents must report income. Not reporting income or having a person living with you who is not on the lease is fraud. We have evicted tenants for fraud in the past, and will do so again as necessary. Report all changes in income within 10 days. If you want someone to move in with you, they need to fill out an application and go through the same process as you did. Again, it s the Law and we are required to enforce the law!