September 2010 Minutes of ECA Board Meeting

THE ELIZABETH CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION
4601 North Park Avenue
Chevy Chase, MD 20815

Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting September 20, 2010

Board Present:
Alexandria Kielty .........................President
Dr. Alfred Muller .........................Vice President
Monique Fridell ...........................Treasurer
Molly Frantz ...............................Assistant Treasurer
Charles Bressler ...........................Director
Judith Barth ................................Director
Seth Levine .................................Secretary

Others Present:
Scott Murdoch ...............Community Manager, Legum & Norman
James M. Santos ...........ECA General Manager
Jana Bowcut .................Recording Secretary, On the Record

Call to Order: Ms. Kielty called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.

Approval of Minutes:
MOTION Dr. Muller moved, Ms. Barth seconded, to approve the August 16, 2010, regular meeting minutes as amended. The motion passed with two abstentions by Ms. Fridell and Mr. Bressler, who had not attended.

President’s Report: Ms. Kielty stated that a working meeting was held on August 24, 2010, to discuss the five-year Reserve Expenditure plan, which will be voted on by the Board in this meeting. There will be a briefing from the Mendoza Company on their report at the October meeting. The lobby construction is progressing, and should be near completion in late October. Ms. Kielty expressed appreciation to Mr. Santos and Mr. Murdoch for their oversight of the refurbishment and many other projects.

Treasurer’s Report: Ms. Fridell reported that the FY 2010 audit is underway.

Old Business:
Lobby renovation: Mr. Murdoch reported that the bid received for a complete storefront glass (lobby front of building) replacement was $18,000 in addition to the $24,000 quoted to replace the window flashing. The work has been completed and carpet can now be installed. Current cost projections for the project, with an estimated completion date of early to mid October, total $1.3 million.

Mr. Santos stated that the lobby level carpet installation is scheduled to begin September 23, 2010. The audio visual equipment is being installed in the ceiling as well as new security cameras. Tile floors are being installed in several of the rooms and millwork, particularly behind the front desk, is in progress. The front doors need calibration, weather-stripping felt on the glass edges is under consideration. The satin brass finish needs to be cleaned and sealed, which has been discussed with the contractor (HBW Group) and they will assume responsibility to complete. The door access control project will move forward this week, but no lock cylinders will be removed until management is ready to transition to key fobs, which will be in four to six weeks. Dr. Muller thanked Mr. Santos for posting fulsome construction updates for the residents.

Mr. Bressler asked about the costs and need for interior door replacement for the five condominiums on the lobby level. Mr. Santos responded that this was included in the scope of work to ensure a uniform look on the lobby level, but the Board will need to discuss whether other resident doors throughout the building should be replaced to match. Ms. Barth stated that keeping the existing doors on the lobby level was considered, but the costs of restoring them and putting on new hardware was greater than purchasing new doors.

Ms. Barth reminded the Board and residents that even though the lobby level construction will be completed this fall, the full set of furniture ordered will not arrive until the end of the year. The Hartman Design Group will place all of the furnishings at one time. Dr. Muller suggested that the Board consider devising rules about what will be allowed in the refurbished space, such as food, drink, pets, bicycles, etc.

Emergency Generator: Mr. Murdoch stated that plans are progressing, but there is still an issue with the air flow design. The challenge is to ensure adequate air intake and exhaust for the generator while meeting the County noise limitations. The architect and mechanical engineer will submit the planned changes to the County for permits. The project is planned to be completed within the next six to seven weeks.

Ms. Fridell noted that the Management Report stated that the project’s cost overruns of the generator project will reduce future expenditures. She then asked if Mr. Murdoch could quantify those future costs. Mr. Murdoch responded that he could not, but that the Five-Year Reserve Expenditure plan provides for some electrical upgrades, some of which will be brought forward to be implemented now in this project. Mr. Santos added that there were items in the main switchboards that had to be replaced for $10,000, which is an expense that will be incurred now and not in the future.

Website: Mr. Levine reported that he recently met with Mr. Santos, Mr. Murdoch and Ms. Kielty to review the first draft. All residents are welcome to view it at “www.elizabethcondo.com”. Once the website is finalized, residents will be given detailed instructions on registration. An IT company will be hired to add some advanced features to the website. Mr. Santos stated that the primary goal of the website is for communication. There are currently about 25 unidentified unit owners in the building, and Mr. Santos has been trying to contact those residents. Mr. Bressler inquired if the front desk has the capability of finding a resident who, for example, may have left their car light on in the garage. Mr. Santos stated that given the lack of a unified Association database, he would be the only one who could identify such an owner, but that should change once better communication tools, such as the website, are in place.

Party Room Air Handler: Mr. Murdoch stated that installation is complete and the air handler is running well. An Energy Management System software upgrade will be installed in the engineer’s office, which will enable him to monitor the air handler. Dr. Muller inquired if the installation delayed completion of the party room, to which Mr. Santos responded, that it had not.

Five-Year Reserve Expenditure Plan: The Board discussed projected costs of various items in the Five-Year Reserve Expenditure plan, such as the door security system, skylights, exterior light fixtures and canopies. Mr. Santos recommended addressing the canopy item this year since several are leaking and could impact the aesthetics of the lobby refurbishment work. Ms. Frantz asked if all the building canopies should be done together in a single design plan. Mr. Santos suggested choosing those that are the highest priority and save the others for later. He added that because an architectural firm is currently working with the Association, that he could consult them about work on the canopies and skylights and obtain some costs. The Board agreed to have Mr. Santos explore this.

It was clarified that the $700,000 included in the Five-Year Reserve Expenditure plan for the common hallways includes funds for hardware on the condominium doors, but not for replacement of refurbishment of those doors.

MOTION Ms. Fridell moved, Mr. Bressler seconded, to approve the Five-Year Reserve Expenditure plan, as amended by discussion, to be included as Supplemental Information in ECA’s FY 2010 audited financial statements. The motion passed unanimously.

New Business:
MOTION Dr. Muller moved, Ms. Barth seconded, to begin negotiations with the Hartman Design Group to initiate design work for the next phase of refurbishment, which is the renovation of the hallways in the east and west towers. The motion passed unanimously.
Dr. Muller asked that the HDG be asked to provide the full-range of options regarding the unit front doors (from cosmetic to refurbishment to replacement) as part of any proposal on the hallway refurbishment project. Ms. Frantz reiterated how critical it was to have that information available when decisions are made regarding the refurbishment of the hallways.

Ms. Kielty suggested that the luggage carts be replaced. The current carts are difficult to manage and often bang into walls. Ms. Barth stated that the renovation advisory committee previously discussed this and recommended purchasing these before the renovation is completed. Mr. Murdoch said he will research some options.

Managers Report:
Dr. Muller requested that the items to be discussed by Management also be included on the Board meeting agenda and distributed to the Board and the residents before the Board meetings.

Mr. Santos stated that he obtained one additional window washing proposal since the September Board meeting. Valcourt Building Services provided a proposal that was about $2,000 more than the original proposal by Extra Clean, Inc., which has been hired by The Elizabeth in the past. He added that he will obtain another bid, but Mr. Santos expressed concern about waiting any longer due to the weather. Mr. Santos recommended hiring Extra Clean, Inc., and adding balcony doors and screens to the contract. Ms. Barth stated that last year Extra Clean, Inc. missed a number of windows and had to return to finish the job. She suggested that this be brought to their attention when they are hired. Mr. Bressler felt washing the windows should be deferred until next spring. Ms. Frantz felt that the owners should be responsible for cleaning their own balcony doors.

MOTION Dr. Muller moved, Mr. Levine seconded, to accept the proposal from Extra Clean, Inc., for $7,525.00 to clean the windows, balcony glass (sliders and stationary) and screens. The motion passed, with Mr. Bressler and Ms. Frantz opposed.

Mr. Santos stated that a number of balconies need to have some repair work and painting done, but it is a time consuming process and there are not many good weather days left this year to complete this. Some residents want the work done soon. The Board was unclear about whether the balcony work expense was the responsibility of the unit owner or the Association and agreed to table the discussion.

Mr. Santos stated that a medical request was made by a resident in a neighboring building to use The Elizabeth’s indoor pool for 30 days. Some board members were concerned that The Elizabeth could be liable if an injury occurred, but Mr. Santos stated that the individual could be asked to complete a waiver of liability. The Board agreed that Management should accede to the request on such a condition. Ms. Frantz offered to sponsor the individual as her guest.

Contractor Policy Draft: Mr. Santos prepared a policy draft to minimize the Association’s risk and interference with operations when residents hire contractors to do work in their units. The draft incorporated the House Rules. Some feedback from Mr. Murdoch was incorporated into a second draft and third one will be prepared to incorporate the feedback from the Board. The Board agreed that it is important to implement requirements in regards to contractors’ presence in the building, insurance and qualifications. Mr. Murdoch stated the importance of creating a policy or standard that is practical and enforceable. Ms. Frantz suggested looking at how other buildings handle this. Mr. Bressler suggested that when an owner submits an application for work to be done, they should inform the contractor of the Association’s policy.

A question was raised about whether a staff member doing work in the building would be held to this policy. Dr. Muller responded that staff members typically do minor repairs and should not be held to these rules to the same extent. Mr. Murdoch stated the intent of the policy was for outside parties, not the staff. This interpretation was not universally held. Instead, the extent of a renovation project should be the measure, not who does the work. Dr. Muller also stated that the rules should be reasonable and that there should be penalties imposed if a contractor breaks a rule.

Committee Reports:
Energy: Committee Chairwoman Joan Rosenbach reported the committee has not met since the September Board meeting and therefore had no report. A meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 23, 2010.

Fitness: Ms. Kielty stated she would no longer be able to lead the Fitness Committee due to her extensive responsibilities as Board President and a participant of the Refurbishment Committee. She announced that a volunteer is needed to lead the Fitness Committee. Interested residents should talk to Mr. Santos.

Landscape: Committee Chairman James Rich reported the committee had a number of meetings last month with Mr. Santos and four potential vendors. A master plan will be developed, installation will be done in stages (possibly by a different vendor), and then maintained over time. During FY 2010, the Boar approved $20,000 to be allocated in the FY 2011 operating budget for the landscape design as a separate line item from maintenance.

Social: Ms. Barth stated that the annual Halloween party will not occur this year due to renovations. Instead, the Committee expects to hold a special children’s event during the holiday season.

Open Forum:
-A resident asked for clarification about the Mendoza Report. Mr. Murdoch explained that Mendoza, Ribas, Farinas and Associates is a professional engineering firm that was commissioned to review the Reserve Study and the Energy Audit with focus on the short-term items. He prepared a report to aid in developing a five-year plan with respect to mechanical and energy issues. A workshop was held in August that reviewed the results.

-A resident inquired if window and door replacements are included in the Five-Year Reserve Expenditure plan. Mr. Murdoch responded that the these expenditures are expected to occur beyond the scope of the current Five- Year Plan as the Mendoza, Ribas report identified other energy savings expenditures which were considered more urgent priorities.

-A resident stated that he agreed with requiring proof of insurance from outside contractors. He also stressed that only licensed contractors should remove asbestos.

-In regards to the window washing, a resident requested that special attention be given to apartments with storm windows. The resident also reminded the Board that when it considers replacing interior unit doors, it is important to note that any existing door that is removed or has holes in it has lost its fire retardant quality.

Adjournment
The President adjourned the meeting at 9:15 p.m.
The initial draft of the minutes, upon which these minutes are based, was prepared by Jana Bowcut of On the Record.
Respectfully submitted,

_____________________________________
Charles Bressler, Board Secretary