THE ELIZABETH CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION
4601 North Park Avenue
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting April 30, 2012
Board Present:
Charles Bressler ...................Vice President
Alfred Muller ........................Treasurer
Alexandra Kielty ...................Asst. Treasurer
Ilo-Mai Harding..................... Secretary
Judith Barth ............................Director
David Robinson..................... Director
Absent:
Seth Levine President
Others Present:
Gregory Roby ............Senior Community Manager, Legum & Norman
James M. Santos .........ECA General Manager, Legum & Norman
Jana Bowcut ...............ECA Recording Secretary, On the Record
On March 26, 2012, in accordance with Section 11.109.1 of
the Maryland Condominium Act, the Board met in executive session.
Call
to Order: Mr. Bressler called the meeting to
order at 7:30 p.m.
Approval
of Meeting Minutes:
MOTION Dr. Muller moved, Dr. Robinson seconded to
approve the March 26, 2012 regular meeting minutes as amended. The motion
passed (6-0-0).
Project
update from Ted Ariev: Mr.
Ariev regretfully announced that resident owner, David Drazin, had passed away,
and expressed appreciation for his many contributions to the ECA.
Mr. Ariev stated that the end of the first phase of proposals
for needed refurbishments is almost complete. There will ultimately be an
overall plan addressing all of the needs of the building, which will require a
clear financing plan. Copies of the initial
presentation regarding refurbishment needs are available in the management
office.
Treasurer’s
Report: Dr.
Muller provided a report, which is provided as an addendum to the minutes and is available in the
management office.
Financial
Committee: Mr. Herman Stekler spoke for the committee. The
committee coordinated with Dr. Muller to obtain all information about ECA’s
finances that included the operating budget, the five year plan, and a planning
model EXCEL spreadsheet developed by a prior treasurer.
The committee made the following three recommendations to
the Board:
11) The
Board should increase the condominium fee for FY 2013 by 3%, and if this
generates an operating budget surplus, it should be moved to the capital
reserve.
22) The
board should ask consultants working with Ted Ariev to provide options for any
deficiencies that they might discover.
33) Options
should be provided for reducing the refurbishment costs by 10 or 20 percent.
Discussion:
-A resident stated that it is taking too long to go forward
with improvements in the building. Dr.
Muller stated that the budget as presented will replace windows, doors and
corridors, and will cover all known expenses. Under this budget the work could be completed
in the next four years.
-A resident suggested that a charter should be drafted to
set guidelines for committees.
-A resident expressed concern that emergency medical
technicians were not correctly directed by staff to the right part of the
building.
-A resident stated that year-end statements should state what portion of
condominium fees go to taxes. She added that her condominium fees are often
mishandled by management.
-A resident expressed concern about a front desk employee
leaving.
-A resident expressed concern about Board comments regarding
the finance committee. She stated that the committee fulfilled its charge as it
was understood.
-A resident stated that until Mr. Ariev’s report is completed,
the costs of improvements are unknown, and the present Board should just approve
an interim budget.
MOTION Dr. Muller moved, Ms. Barth seconded to
approve the FY 2013 budget. The motion passed unanimously (6-0-0).
The following votes were made in regards to the FY 2013
budget:
MOTION Dr. Muller moved, Ms. Barth seconded to
approve to increase the projected income generated from the party room from
$1500 to $2000. The motion passed unanimously (6-0-0).
MOTION Mr. Robinson moved, Dr. Muller seconded
to approve other income totaling $38,068. The motion passed unanimously (6-0-0).
MOTION Dr. Muller moved, Ms. Kielty seconded to
approve $329,396 in administrative expenses. The motion passed unanimously
(6-0-0).
MOTION Dr. Muller moved, Mr. Robinson seconded to
approve $843,421 in payroll expenses. The motion passed unanimously (6-0-0).
MOTION Mr. Robinson
moved, Mr. Bressler seconded to approve $804,208 for utilities. The motion
passed unanimously (6-0-0).
MOTION Dr. Muller moved, Ms. Harding seconded to
approve $116,600 for repairs and maintenance. The motion passed unanimously
(6-0-0).
MOTION Mr. Robinson moved, Ms. Barth seconded to
approve $355,710 for in service agreements. The motion passed unanimously
(6-0-0).
MOTION Ms. Barth moved, Mr. Bressler seconded to
approve $22,000 for taxes and licenses. The motion passed unanimously (6-0-0).
Mr. Roby confirmed that the Board had approved the FY 2013
budget with operating expenses for $2,471,335.
MOTION Dr. Muller moved, Ms. Barth seconded to
set aside $1,437,544 for contributions to the reserve fund, which reflects a 2
percent increase in condominium fees. The motion passed unanimously (6-0-0).
MOTION Mr. Bressler moved, Dr. Muller seconded
to increase the condominium fees to 3 percent to cover future expenses and put surpluses
into the reserve fund. The motion passed
unanimously (6-0-0).
MOTION Dr. Muller moved, Ms. Barth seconded to
amend and increase the reserve contribution by 1.02% to $1,471,174. The motion passed unanimously (6-0-0). Management
recommends motion to amend minutes to reflect exact contribution to reserves
based on the approved assessment increase in 2012-2013 budget (amount
$1,482,343).
Management
Report: Mr.
Roby reported on the period ending March 2012.
General Manager’s report:
-Current work order
delinquency totals are $1,022.50, of which $306.00 is at or greater than 60 days.
Those residents have had their in-unit maintenance privileges suspended.
-The pool has passed inspection and the underwater lights
have been replaced.
-There have recent been service interruption with the
elevators. A technician has been on-site every day over the last week, and
there has been continuous operation since last Friday.
-Management recommends paying for a schematic diagram to map
the location of all valves and to identify replacements at a cost of $3,750.
MOTION Ms. Barth moved, Mr. Bressler seconded to
approve the production of a schematic valve diagram at a cost of $3,750. The
motion passed unanimously (6-0-0).
MOTION Dr. Muller moved, Mr.
Bressler seconded to execute proxy ballots for the Association-owned
condominiums (Units #10 and 12). The motion passed unanimously (6-0-0).
MOTION
Mr. Bressler moved,
Dr. Muller seconded to cast the Association’s ballots in favor of the by-law
amendments. The motion passed unanimously (6-0-0).
-A new e-mail address,
ECAmanagement@elizabethcondo.com
will be used at the front desk for communicating with residents regarding
package deliveries, work orders, etc.
-Management has held multiple meetings with the vice president
of Complete Building Services. CBS has
agreed to replace some valves up to the value of the current contract, which is
about $3000/month. This would cover the cost of ten (10) valves. The contract terminates June 30.
MOTION Dr. Muller moved, Ms.
Barth seconded to approve the proposal for the current carrier, with a cost not
to exceed $117,487, with the understanding that management will ensure that it
is their final offer, and that there are limits and liability for water and sewage
backup. The motion passed unanimously (6-0-0).
MOTION
Ms. Kielty moved, Ms.
Barth seconded to accept and approve the addendum to the website management
contract, which attaches the framework of the web hosting service to the
management contract. The motion passed unanimously (6-0-0).
Committee
Reports:
Landscape: The committee reported that a number of plants
have been moved , and summer annuals will be planted at the east terrace. Any
feedback from residents is welcome.
By-law Committee: Ms. Kielty stated that there are two
by-law amendments to be voted on at the next annual meeting on Wednesday.
Adjournment:
The Vice President adjourned the meeting at 10:30 p.m., with
the Board to meet immediately after for an executive session, in concordance
with section 11.109.1 of the Maryland Condominium Act.
The initial draft of the minutes, upon which these minutes
are based, was prepared by Jana Bowcut of On the Record.
Respectfully submitted,
Ilo-Mai Harding, Board Secretary
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