Haven Plaza residents rally over response to Legionella concerns

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Residents of Haven Plaza, community advocacy groups and local elected officials gathered yesterday outside the East Village housing complex on Avenue C and 12th Street to demand more transparency and action from city officials following the discovery of Legionella bacteria in the building's water system. 

The rally, hosted by local City Councilmember Harvey Epstein, comes more than a month after the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene confirmed the presence of the bacteria at the five-building complex.

Epstein said residents deserve clear, consistent guidance from the Department of Health and shouldn't have to question whether the water coming from their taps or showers is safe. He also called for greater transparency about the remediation effort and a timeline for when it will be completed.

Since the bacteria was detected, residents say they've received inconsistent guidance about showering, bathing and when the building's water will be considered safe. (ABC 7 first covered this here.)

At the rally, Haven Plaza residents said they have spent weeks seeking answers from building management and city agencies about the remediation effort. Several tenants described receiving conflicting information about the risks posed by the bacteria and what precautions they should take. 

Haven Plaza is owned by Catholic Homes, an affiliate of the Archdiocese of New York, and managed by Wavecrest Management. The complex provides 371 units of affordable housing for families and seniors, per its website.

Dana Cruz (below), president of the Haven Plaza Tenants Association, criticized building management for what she described as poor communication and delays in responding to residents' concerns. She said tenants had to purchase their own supplies after the discovery of Legionella bacteria and that promised resources — including portable showers and hoses — never materialized. 

Cruz also said city guidance to residents changed over the course of the response, creating additional confusion.

One Haven Plaza resident who attended the rally told EV Grieve that she remains especially concerned about elderly neighbors and those with disabilities or underlying health conditions, adding that some residents do not have internet access and have struggled to keep up with changing guidance.

"We've been getting conflicting information," she said. "Wouldn't you be worried?" 

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams also sharply criticized Wavecrest Management, saying residents deserved clearer communication and a more urgent response.

He assured those gathered that his office would continue monitoring the situation.

Other speakers included Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assembly Member Keith Powers (seen below with Harvey Epstein).

According to previously published reports, tenants also described ongoing problems with the building's water, including periods without hot water, discolored water and uncertainty about when the water system will be considered safe. 

The Haven Plaza situation is separate from the recent Upper East Side outbreak of Legionnaires' disease, which health officials traced to contaminated cooling towers. 

At Haven Plaza, the investigation centers on the building's plumbing and hot-water system. 

According to The City Reporter in June, the city's Health Department launched an investigation after two cases of Legionnaires' disease were linked to Haven Plaza within a year. Subsequent testing detected Legionella bacteria in more than 20 locations throughout the building's water system, prompting remediation efforts and guidance for residents while follow-up testing continues.

Residents at yesterday's rally said they will continue pressing for clearer communication from management and city agencies, greater transparency about the remediation process, and a timeline for when the building's water system will be considered safe.

In a statement posted on social media last week, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said the agency has provided guidance to Haven Plaza residents and hosted several town halls since the investigation began. The spokesperson added that follow-up testing must show Legionella bacteria is under control before the Health Department concludes its evaluation.

In a story published yesterday morning, Catholic Homes and Wavecrest Management told NY1: "Management is fully committed to the health and safety of the residents and is providing regular updates to the tenant association."

Stormproofing watch: Haven Plaza

Two years have passed since our last look at the natural disaster-resistant infrastructure to protect Haven Plaza here on Avenue C at 12th Street... here's how the project is shaping up...



The project was announced in the summer of 2017 for the affordable-housing complex.

Here's is a recap via the media advisory:

This new two-story structure plus basement and the upgrades throughout the complex are in direct response to 2012’s Hurricane Sandy, when the nearby East River overflowed its banks, the Con Edison East River Generating Station adjacent to Haven Plaza exploded, and, as a result, Haven Plaza lost all electricity and steam for heat. Residents – many elderly – were trapped without elevator service, electricity, heat or water. Men and women of the National Guard shared their field rations with residents until the power returned.

The $9.89-million project, which received funding through the New York City Build It Back program, was expected to be complete in August 2018, per the plywood signage. Obviously that deadline was missed.



Previously on EV Grieve:
Protection for Haven Plaza on Avenue C in case of another hurricane like Sandy

Work on disaster protection for Haven Plaza underway

Work started this past week on a natural disaster-resistant infrastructure to protect Haven Plaza in case of another destructive hurricane such as Sandy.

The project was announced back in the early summer for the affordable-housing complex on Avenue C at 13th Street.

Here's is a recap via the media advisory:

This new two-story structure plus basement and the upgrades throughout the complex are in direct response to 2012’s Hurricane Sandy, when the nearby East River overflowed its banks, the Con Edison East River Generating Station adjacent to Haven Plaza exploded, and, as a result, Haven Plaza lost all electricity and steam for heat. Residents – many elderly – were trapped without elevator service, electricity, heat or water. Men and women of the National Guard shared their field rations with residents until the power returned.

The $9.89-million project, which received the funding through the New York City Build It Back program, is expected to be complete in August 2018, per the new plywood signage.



Previously on EV Grieve:
Protection for Haven Plaza on Avenue C in case of another hurricane like Sandy

Protection for Haven Plaza on Avenue C in case of another hurricane like Sandy

Haven Plaza, the affordable-housing complex on Avenue C, is getting a natural disaster-resistant infrastructure to protect it in case of another hurricane with the force of Sandy.

Officials recently broke ground on the $9.89-million project, which will rise at 13th Street.

Here are more details via the official news release on the project:

This new two-story structure plus basement and the upgrades throughout the complex are in direct response to 2012’s Hurricane Sandy, when the nearby East River overflowed its banks, the Con Edison East River Generating Station adjacent to Haven Plaza exploded, and, as a result, Haven Plaza lost all electricity and steam for heat. Residents – many elderly – were trapped without elevator service, electricity, heat or water. Men and women of the National Guard shared their field rations with residents until the power returned.

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the New York City Housing Development Corporation awarded nearly $10 million to Haven Plaza for the project through the New York City Build It Back program.

Here's more in a statement from Daniel Allen, principal of CTA Architects, the project's designer:

"The new facility addresses Haven Plaza’s need to be self-sufficient during both regular operations and in case of a natural disaster, instead of relying on a costly ConEd steam supply. We also wanted the new structure to be architecturally attractive due to its visibility on a high-trafficked location. The front façade will be glazed to allow the passers-by to view the inner works of the building and equipment within."

[Rendering via CTA Architects]

This is a really good thing for those who reside in Haven Plaza. Of course, residents – many elderly – were also trapped without elevator service, electricity, heat or water in all the surrounding public housing buildings in the aftermath of Sandy. Where's the disaster protections for these residents?

In any event, according to DNAinfo, who first reported on this last week, the project will be complete in 2018.

The 371-unit, four-building Haven Plaza complex between 12th Street and 13th Street was completed in 1966.

Report: Power still out at 26-story Haven Plaza on Avenue C

[This morning at Haven Plaza by Dave on 7th]

Haven Plaza on East 12th Street at Avenue C is one of the many area buildings that is still without electricity or heat in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

As the Post reported today:

Water pressure in the building goes up only a few floors, elevators are disabled and residents are forced to trudge up and down the stairs for necessities.

“My daughter goes up and down 14 floors, five times a day, to bring me food and water,” said Iris Bido, 71.

Meanwhile, on the Lower East Side, the power is still out at Knickerbocker Village. The Lo-Down reported this morning that partial power has been restored at four of the 12 buildings in the affordable housing complex on Monroe Street.

And there's no end to the crisis here. There is still up to 25 feet of water in the mechanical and boiler rooms on the west side of Knickerbocker, The Lo-Down noted.