By Amanda Moses
Spring Creek Towers’ (SCT) residents participated in a more hands-on and interactive tenant meeting with management on March 13th in the Brooklyn Sports Club’s (BSC) gymnasium where 31 members of the Twin Pines team offered an extension of their services.
Since the inception of the Starrett Tenants Association (SCTA), residents have gathered to discuss their issues and concerns. The meetings—which occur the second Wednesday of each month—are usually organized like a town hall where SCTA’s elected officials moderate the discussion as individuals take turns sharing their qualms. A few times throughout the year, Twin Pines Management’s team partakes in the discussion answering residents’ questions.
However, on March 13th all of that changed with a new method for management to directly engage with tenants in a more meaningful and private manner. The new SCTA forum served as a late-night extension of management’s daytime services to assist residents in resolving an issue with Twin Pines leadership present.
At 7pm, residents entered the BSC’s gymnasium where they were greeted by various tables set up throughout the space consisting of representatives from JASA Starrett Senior Center, The Opportunity Hub, Senior Partners, The BSC, as well as Maintenance, Recertification, Billing, Collections, Property Management, Parking, and a general area that assisted with services and inquires.
For Jacqueline Ramsey, this new meeting style was a pleasant surprise because it afforded her the dignity and opportunity to have her problem addressed in a more private way.
“It’s personal, so everybody does not have to hear your compliant,” Ramsey said.
Ramsey stressed that the experience was refreshing and provided an opportunity to privately, but directly converse with each department. She firmly supports this new mode of meeting management and wants others to know that through this SCTA forum everyone’s questions and concerns could be directly facilitated.
“You don’t have everyone speaking out at once or sidebar conversations happening all at the same time. Nothing gets done that way. This way you are holding people accountable in a public space. It feels personal, one on one versus a panel where everyone is yelling. It also gives an opportunity for [residents] to meet with [management] face to face and not just over the phone,” Ramsey said.
Annette Brown, a longtime tenant advocate and resident applauds the new way management is reaching out to its tenants.
“I enjoyed this and we gotta do it again. It’s another thing I love like the call center,” Brown said happily. “It works. This works because you are put in your own private situation.”
The next SCTA general meeting is on April 10, and the next time management will be in attendance will be on May 8th.
Photos by Amanda Moses
