Dear Neighbors:

On Thursday (June 21st) the contractors finished the installation of thepiping for the meters and installed the meter bar for the new risers.Then the systems were pressurized to check for leaks. Unfortunately,the meter bar showed a pressure drop. The contractors repressurized thesystem and searched for the leaks, which they found on the 4 inch "head"before the meter bar on a defective fitting.

They removed the meter bar and all piping up to the defective fittings,and ordered new fittings. The new fittings were installed after theyarrived (on Friday, June 22nd), and then the contractors "repiped" up tothe gas meter. They reinstalled the new head and the meter bar andpressurized system again, which held for the requisite 3 hours.Following that, the contractor put in a call to the D.O.B (Departmentof Buildings) to request an appointment for an inspection. We have stillnot heard back from the D.O.B., and are awaiting word from them as towhen they are coming. The gas will not be turned off until the D.O.B.schedules an inspection, and the new risers pass that inspection (apressure test). As you may recall, this "inspection" is scheduled bythe D.O.B., but is actually conducted by Con Edison.

At this point we are in limbo with the D.O.B., but our contractor doeshave an expediter working on the matter for us, and doing all that canbe done to speed the process. Once that inspection is scheduled and wepass, we will schedule a date for the gas shutdown, and provide everyonewith notice.

We will continue to keep you posted as the project progresses.

As a reminder, you can also view these updates on line as well at thewebsite Todd Dubner set-up for the building: www.50rsd.blogspot.com.

The Board of Directors

Sorry for the delay in posting. This was the update from over 1 week ago.

Todd

Dear Neighbors:


As of this past Wednesday, all three of the new risers were completed. On Thursday our contractors performed an "air test" on each riser to check for leaks. This involves putting a temporary pressure gauge on the risers, putting pressurized air into the risers and leaving it overnight. This air test was already done by the contractor on the basement piping. If the risers hold the air overnight, then the risers will be pressure tested again, but this time as a whole together with the basement piping, on Friday, June 15, 2007 (this too is done with air).

On Monday morning, assuming there are no leaks from the weekend pressure test, our contractor will contact Con Edison to get specifications from Con Ed as to what size permanent meters will need to be installed on the new system. These specifications will allow the contractor to install the necessary additional piping to lead to those meters. Once that is completed, the contractor will contact ConEd again, this time for ConEd to perform a pressure test and, if the system passes this ConEd test, permanent meters will be installed by ConEd. Following that, we will be in a position to determine with ConEd's input when to shut the gas down and start testing apartment branch lines.

As of now, assuming no problems or delays, we may still make the rough target of the week of July 2nd for a gas shut down. However, that could slip a bit to the extent anything is delayed, or to ensure reasonable advance notice of the shut-down date. But, for now, you should still loosely target the first week in July for the gas shut-down.

We will continue to keep you posted as the project progresses.


The Board of Directors

Here are some pictures of the new riser pipes in place in our basement.

Dear Neighbors:

We are pleased to report that the contractors continue to make good progress on the gas piping project. Last week we advised that our contractors prepared for and began "core drilling" to open the holes for the risers up from the basement to the top of the building. As of today (Thursday, June 7th) all of the core drilling is completed on both the AB and the CDEF sides of the building.

The new riser on the AB side of the building is now in place, though there may remain some work to do to on the riser before it is "complete." The new riser for the CF apartments is also now complete (with the same caveats as the new AB riser), and the new DE riser is up to the first floor. Our contractor's goal is to have all 3 new risers completed by the end of the week, but that may not happen until early next week.

As you will recall from our first update, completion of the risers is the first milestone. The second milestone will be the passing of the Department of Buildings and Con Edison inspections upon completion of phase 1. We advised that we were very loosely estimating around July 2nd for completion of phase 2, but that there are many variables that we cannot control, and approvals could come earlier or later. For now, we continue to use the July 2nd date as a very loose target date for completion of phase 2.

We will continue to keep you posted as the project progresses.

As a reminder, you can also view these updates on line as well at the website Todd Dubner set-up for the building: www.50rsd.blogspot.com.

The Board of Directors

Dear Neighbors:

We are pleased to advise that the project is thus far proceeding on schedule. As of last Friday, the new gas piping in the basement was completed and tested. This week our contractors prepared for and began "core drilling" to open the holes for the risers up from the basement to the top of the building. Placement is important to ensure that the riser has a clear path to the top of the building, and placement in the basement can be tricky as there are many other pipes and electrical systems that must be worked around before the basement drilling could commence. The drilling is noisy, and presumably those of you in the building during the day have heard it. As the drilling is completed our contractor will be installing riser pipes.
We will continue to keep you posted as the project progresses.

The Board of Directors

GAS RISER PROJECT UPDATE

Dear Neighbors:

The gas lines replacement project has begun, with the first phase being construction of the 3 replacement risers. At this point materials have been delivered and preparatory work is being done. The noisy work (drilling and construction of the new risers in the stairwells) should start on Monday, May 21, 2007. As stated at the annual meeting, we expect this first phase to last about 4 weeks, plus or minus 2 weeks. As noted, there are several variables that go into the projected timing, and these are purely estimates that may not hold. We will keep you updated as the project progresses and of any changes in timing as we learn of them.

Riser completion is the first milestone. The second milestone will be the passing of the Department of Buildings and Con Edison inspections upon completion of phase 1 . It will be after the first and second milestones that the gas will be shut off. To have a date circled on the calendar we are very loosely estimating around July 2nd. Again, there are many variables that we cannot control, and approvals could come earlier or later so this is a very loose date that may easily change.

The 3rd Milestone will be turning gas back on for the first sets of apartments. As discussed at the annual meeting, the apartment order will be from the top floor to the ground floor on each of the risers. Once we pass the inspection after the second milestone, we should be in a better position to provide a rough estimate of timing for this phase as well as an estimated range of when your floor would be checked.

We will keep you posted of progress and developments.

Opening Post

As The Board sends out updates on the gas riser replacement project I will post them here. I hope this helps.

Todd Dubner, 8F