BY JON MINNERS
The Superintendents Club of New York has witnessed a surge in the number of Spanish superintendents in the Bronx. With this in mind, the organization has responded with the formation of a bilingual chapter headquartered at Hostos Community College, located at 149th Street and the Grand Concourse.
The club maintains that the worth of maintenance workers is often not sufficiently appreciated in many city buildings. Oftentimes, the group alleges, advice from these employees is ignored, later resulting in unnecessary increased costs of running the buildings.
"The Bronx has been reborn, as far as housing goes," explained Dick Koral, Secretary Treasurer of the Superintendents Club's Brooklyn headquarters. "Neighborhoods are becoming beautiful again. We need to maintain that. That's what groups like this are for." The organization is the first technical society of multifamily building maintenance personnel. It promotes the dignity of maintenance workers and steadfastly encourages that their voice be heard. The club also strives to provide continuing education to improve the skills of workers. This is a sorely needed "step-up" in the programs originally offered.
"There are a lot of Spanish supers," says Koral. "So there was a need for this bilingual chapter. The Bronx Chapter has been holding bilingual monthly meetings since its launch last March. A Spanish edition of the club's free monthly newsletter, Super!, is also planned."
At the group's meeting on January 24 the chapter director, Angel Ortega, discussed the proper care and maintenance of toilet bowls. "It may not sound sexy," says Koral, "But it is very important. Water conservation is a high priority and water closets are ubiquitous!"
Koral stresses the importance of the group, intimating how easy it is for a beautiful neighborhood to go back to being a rundown one if people take it for granted. "The new chapter really needs to be brought to the attention of Bronx landlords, managers and maintenance personnel," he says. "This technical society is a win-win matter for all sectors of the Bronx."