By TATYANA TURNER

The gated community known as Fordham Hill Oval Cooperative welcomed a new board of directors, ending a hostile saga sparked by some dissatisfied cooperative owners of the sprawling complex.

The election for the new board was held on June 8, with nine new board members voted in. The new board members are Myrna Calderon, vice president; Sheila Hurdle, secretary; Elizabeth Tillman, treasurer; and general board members Marlene Connor, Milton Francis, Douglas Henry, Israel Ruiz, Jr. and Dr. Pereta Rodriguez. Dr. Nancy Alvarez will serve as the new board president, replacing eight-year president Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter, who was accused of mismanaging the board. Calls and emails to Pilgrim-Hunter went unanswered.

Alvarez said, “ I think the new board members are wonderful and diverse and we work together well. I hope to make Fordham Hill the community it once was.”

In early February, tenants of the Fordham complex held a meeting to work on replacing their board members who they believe were illegally voted in since there was not enough voting members, or quorum, to move forward with an election. Much of the anger was directed at Pilgrim-Hunter, who tenants felt approved an increase on shareholders’ cable and maintenance fees to their monthly bill with little to no notice.

Shareholders were also trying to get rid of Argo Real Estate Management, who tenants believe mishandled the buildings’ finances, delayed construction on the outside of each building and warehoused vacant housing units, claims the firm vehemently disputed. Tenants wanted to see improvements within the nine-building complex, but were met with lengthy delays. Argo Management  has long argued the corporation is in good financial standing. Although Fordham Hill Oval has new board members, the complex is still managed by Argo. A representative for Argo Management did not return a request for comment.

With the help from the law firm of Santamarina & Associates, shareholders were ready to start the process of finding a new board they felt would better represent the building and form stronger communication between the 1,116 co-op residents and the board of directors.

Frank Murillo, a resident at Fordham Hill Oval said, “I feel very happy about the new board because they are no nonsense folks and have the toughness to face the many challenges a complex of this size will inevitably be faced with.” Murillo led tenants in a protest earlier this year to expose the mismanagement of the previous board.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.