POUGHKEEPSIE – City of Poughkeepsie First Ward Councilman Ernest Henry is holding an emergency meeting for tenants of the Rip Van Winkle Housing (The RIP) complex tonight (Thursday, February 1). The residents of the waterfront high-rise apartment building have experienced several health and safety concerns over the past few years since the building was acquired by Cleveland, Ohio-based PK Management LLC.
When issues first started to affect the residents, including non-functioning heating systems during a sub-zero winter a few years ago, then-councilman Chris Petsas stepped up and brought together a number of organizations and pressure from the city to make building management repair the problems immediately.
“When Chris left office and Ms. Long came in, she didn’t apply pressure like Mr. Petsas did,” said a third-floor tenant who asked to remain unnamed. “Miss Long gets angry with people that speak out against her and I don’t need that grief,” she explained.
While the issues continued, including complaints of poor security and several maintenance problems, tenants said on social media that the city was unresponsive.
Ernest Henry became the First Ward Councilman in January and has begun addressing the issues, with the assistance of former councilman Petsas. Henry also pledged to keep the tenants informed and is following through by hosting the tenants’ meeting at Mahoney’s Steak House on Thursday. Henry has involved several city departments to force the building owner to keep the building and living environment acceptable for the tenants.
Working with Mahoney’s, located across the street from “The Rip”, Henry has reserved the second floor of the restaurant from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. to meet with tenants and address their concerns, as well as provide updates to the issues the city is working on.
Calling it a “difficult week”, Henry said in a note to the tenants, “repairs have been made and the city’s building inspectors have been on their jobs without pause.” Henry also credited the mayor, saying “Mayor Flowers made the necessary calls, and meetings are being scheduled to resolve this matter once and for all.”
The councilman is hoping that tenants make an effort to attend. “The only thing that will change the issues at Rip Van Winkle is a unified effort to bring about change,” Henry said in his plea to the tenants.
PK Management owns several housing projects in several cities across the country. In New York, the only properties owned by the LLC are located in Smithtown (Long Island) and Poughkeepsie. The full listing of the company’s properties can be found here.
