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NYCHA Now
Exceptional Colleagues Health & Safety January 2024 

NYCHA’s OMAR Team Honored at Customer Service Week Luncheon

Joshua Olesker

On the afternoon of November 13, NYCHA’s Office of Mold Assessment and Remediation (OMAR) team was recognized for its many accomplishments since its founding in 2018. The event, held at 1200 Waters Place in the Bronx, provided NYCHA’s leadership an opportunity to thank the OMAR team directly for the difference they make in the lives of their fellow New Yorkers every day.

OMAR was founded to create a department within the Authority whose focus would be to establish formal procedures, train NYCHA staff, build data architecture, and work with Operations and other departments to improve the effectiveness of NYCHA’s handling of a persistent challenge: mold and leaks in NYCHA residences. The office is headed by Senior Director Elena Tenchikova, who joined OMAR just two days before worldwide COVID shutdowns began in March 2020.

“I started on the 16th, and by the 18th, I had to move the whole team to be remote – it was quite a start!” Ms. Tenchikova said.

While the 2020 COVID shutdowns only made OMAR’s work more challenging, there was no alternative; the work had to get done. “We still had very aggressive expectations from our oversight entities,” said Ms. Tenchikova. “We simply had to grow as a department to handle all the work that was necessary.”

Back then, OMAR was still in its early days. “The office started with five staff in 2018,” Ms. Tenchikova said. “When I came on, we only had 20 or so people. Today, we’re at about 100. And this March, I will have been here four years. This office has really come a long way and has done such fantastic work! They really deserved a chance to hear about it from our leadership.”

On November 13, OMAR team members gathered from every corner of New York City for the special “OMAR Customer Service Event” at 1200 Waters Place. Following a catered luncheon funded by the supervisors, the OMAR team had a chance to hear directly from NYCHA’s senior leadership about the importance of their work. The afternoon event, hosted by Ms. Tenchikova, featured a roster of speakers that included Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt, Chief Operating Officer Eva Trimble, and Executive Vice President of Property Management Operations Daniel Greene.

CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt praised the OMAR team for its extraordinary efforts on behalf of NYCHA residents.

“Your work has and continues to be integral to improving the living conditions of our residents,” CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt told the assembled OMAR team. “I couldn’t be happier to be here to celebrate your dedication to hard work, innovation, and customer service. Thank you so much for everything you do for our staff and residents. Congratulations!”

In her remarks, COO Eva Trimble said, “Our OMAR team exemplifies the service orientation that shows our community what NYCHA can do. I’m proud to be your teammate, and I’ll do everything I can to give your team the tools you need to continue doing excellent work.” 

Some of the OMAR accomplishments highlighted by Ms. Bova-Hiatt and Ms. Trimble include:

 

  • The Mold and Leak Scorecard (and overall positive trends at NYCHA): In March 2022, NYCHA OMAR introduced the Mold and Leak Scorecard, an assessment tool that evaluates NYCHA performance on 11 key mold and leak compliance metrics which has revolutionized NYCHA’s approach to quality control and sustainability. Its successful implementation has helped NYCHA improve its mold response across the board, allowing staff to respond more quickly and efficiently at every level, ensuring improved living conditions for residents.
  • The Enhanced Oversight Program (EOP): A joint program between Operations, OMAR, an Independent Data Analyst, and an Independent Mold Analyst, the EOP improves mold and leak performance at higher-risk developments. NYCHA uses its Mold and Leak Scorecard to select the EOP sites based on consolidations’ performance on key mold and leak metrics; OMAR supports these sites with weekly check-ins and special inspections, as well as mold-cleaning and painting resources. 
    COO Eva Trimble expressed the pride the Authority takes in OMAR and its work and assured the team of NYCHA’s continuing support.
  • Operation Dry Out (ODO): Launched in April 2023, ODO is an Authority-wide initiative to reduce the backlog of open plumbing and tub enclosure work orders for leak and mold-related repairs. As of October 9, 2023, NYCHA successfully closed a total of 60.6 percent of identified work orders: 9 percent (1,830 out of 3,459) Tub Enclosure work orders, and 65.0 percent (3,875 out of 5,959) plumbing work orders. OMAR is primarily responsible for the weekly tracking of this initiative and is supporting a small universe of this work through its vendor services. 
  • Operation Mold Clean Up: Launched in May 2022, Operation Mold Clean Up targets the aging backlog of mold-removal and mold-cleaning work orders to provide relief to NYCHA residents. NYCHA is currently in Stage 4 of this initiative. As of October 9, 2023, NYCHA had closed 90.2 percent (23,927 out of 26,557) of these work orders. As part of this effort, OMAR’s specialized team assisted 46 consolidations with addressing over 3,200 work orders since May 2022.

  • Complex Cases Project: OMAR has completed 180 complex mold and leak repairs and three mega-projects. Complex repairs involve both the gut rehabilitation of a whole apartment as well as the eradication of an issue’s root causes. Megaprojects are major construction/restoration projects that reopen public community spaces which may have been forced to close for extended periods.
  • Building Line Initiative: The Building Line Initiative (BLI) project was first introduced in 2021 after the Federal Monitor requested assistance for a Red Hook East apartment. After careful assessment by the OMAR team, a “building line” approach was recommended, to address root causes and provide NYCHA with long-term investment. In the Red Hook East BLI (June 2021 to January 2023), OMAR facilitated the renovation of six apartments at a total cost of approximately $800,000. NYCHA kicked off its next BLI at Tompkins Houses in the spring of 2023, a comprehensive plumbing and renovation project addressing mold and leak conditions in 15 apartments by targeting root causes.
    OMAR’s November 13 Luncheon event at 1200 Waters was the first time the entire team had ever come together in one location.
  • Mold Response Unit: OMAR’s Mold Response Unit has helped resolve mold and leak cases for over 17,500 NYCHA residents. With the help of the Ombudsman Call Center to resolve any escalated mold and leak-related complaints, OMAR has overseen the completion of at least 90,000 work orders.
  • Office of Water Quality: OMAR’s Office of Water Quality (OWQ) was established in October 2022 and is headed by OWQ Director Jegan Abraham. The OWQ plays a crucial role in maintaining the health and safety of NYCHA residents by ensuring high standards of water quality and addressing any water quality issues efficiently.           

“I have the privilege of seeing how it all ties together, how the many teams within OMAR build on each other’s success,” said Ms. Tenchikova. “That’s why it was so important, as well as such an honor, to have leadership thank the team directly, telling them that they and their hard work are seen and are appreciated.” 

For more information about NYCHA’s mold-remediation activities, visit https://www.nyc.gov/site/nycha/residents/mold-busters.page. To download the 2023 public report outlining OMAR’s progress and specific achievements, visit https://www.nyc.gov/assets/nycha/downloads/pdf/NYCHA-Report-on-Mold-and-Leak-Response-Efforts-2023.pdf.