On August 1^st, , a CPN Board notice outlining the implementation of an HPD-approved “CPN Dog Policy” was distributed “under doors” to all CPN apartments, emailed to Shareholders within the BuildingLink System, and posted on our various CPN bulletin boards.  Subsequently, the CPN Board, DEPM Management and HPD received (via certified mail dated September 4^th) copies of a petition submitted by a CPN “Ad Hoc Committee for Dog Policy” (Contact: Sonia Collins 20J).   On re-count, the petition represented input from 67 apartments.  The petition’s cover letter requested a “deadline extension to January 1” since the signers thought that the originally-stated deadline starting September 1^st for dog registration did not give dog owners “enough time to process all requirements”.  This concern and other questions regarding the policy were voiced from the floor at the Board of Director’s Open Meeting of September 12^th.

CPN’s attorneys believed that January 1^st was too far from the original deadline.  However the CPN Board (your fellow Shareholders and elected representatives) have accepted the petitioners’ position that a softer launch is called for–and the registration period is therefore extended while the Board reviews the implementation timetable.  More details will be discussed at the Open Meeting on October 3^rd.  However, please note that the HPD-approved CPN Dog Policy is not rescinded–so if you are a dog owner and already have put together the required documentation for registration, you should complete the process via the Management Office.

In the interim, here are some clarifications and some policy parameters:

–for both community safety and legal & financial liability reasons, it is essential that all dogs in residence at CPN be registered with management as soon possible (non-compliance leaves ALL Shareholders of the Corporation legally and financially vulnerable);

–future annual dog registration renewals may be scheduled to coincide with Income Affidavit and Garage Agreement submissions.  In that context, registrations that begin during this current period will be considered effective and in force through April 30, 2020;

–among the issues the Board is reviewing is how to address/credit Shareholders who registered their dogs (and paid appropriate fees) under the prior, non-HPD-approved Dog Policy.

Please remember that your elected CPN Board represents the interests of ALL Shareholders in our community (dog owners and non-dog owners alike).  We take this opportunity to thank Sonia Collins and the Ad Hoc Committee on Dog Policy for their input and suggestions and welcome and encourage continued contributions by the Committee and other Shareholders with viewpoints on this topic.

Thank you again for staying involved.

CPN Board of Directors