Board
Present: Sharon Bobb, Patricia Batey, Clifford Cohen, Peg Downey, Jim Jones,
John McNerney, Steven Schattman
Others
Present: ECA General Manager Terry Lee, ECA Assistant General Manager Wanda
Powell, ECA Legal Counsel Jeremy Tucker, WJE representative Ken Kosteva
President’s Report:
—Board is
considering the recommendation of the Budget & Finance Committee for an
auditor to do the Transition audit. A
selection is anticipated shortly.
—Two thefts
in the Elizabeth garage as well as two others in the Willoughby. Advice is to
report all thefts and avoid leaving valuables in your vehicle.
—Appointment
of nominating committee: Jerry Feldman, Tobi Esler, Jeffrey Axlerad (Chair)
Comments from the floor:
—Pam Dillon
raised question about whether the Bylaw Amendment regarding reducing the
percentage vote of the Association down to 66 and 2/3 was registered in the
Montgomery County Courthouse and when could owners expect to get a copy of that
document so that individual owner documents could be up to date. Jeremy Tucker
said that the amendment had been recorded and was available online. Although
the Association is not obligated to provide copies, he would arrange to have
copies at the Concierge Desk.
—Rita
Miller said the dome over the pool is leaking and wants to know when that will
be fixed. She also said one of the swimmers was bringing her dog to the pool
and the dog was urinating on the pool deck. Sharon Bobb asked Wanda Powell to
identify the dog and take appropriate action.
—Linda
Kontnier asked for monthly updates on the land development issue that impacts
our block in Friendship Heights. Peg Downey, our representative to the Council,
agreed to keep the Association informed.
—Pam Dillon
asked for an update on the FY 2015 audit report, which is late. Tucker said
that the Association was doing everything in its power to ensure that the
required data from Legum & Norman would be made available to the auditor so
that the audit could be completed.
—A status
on the new leak that occurred on the 18th floor East. Answer, provided
by Terry Lee: cause was snow and ice on the grate located on the roof. Problem
being attended to.
—Mary
Catherine Curran asked about whether the canopy replacement project would also
address the cracks seen on the lower level walls (West side) at the front door
and replacement of the air-leading front doors.
—Karen
Hendricks asked whether the old fire pump works since rumors abounded that it
did not. Terry Lee said the fire pump passed fire department inspection every
year. Questions related to the fire pump replacement were: will the shut down
on Jan 29 effect water (as well as electricity). Answer: Yes, it could. How
would people get into the garage after the electrical power is shut down. Sharon
Bobb asked Terry Lee if he could hire security guards to be stationed at the
entrances/exits from the garage by hiring security guards at those locations. He
responded that he could.
—Karren
Alenier asked for assistance from outside engineering companies to look into a
building-wide problem that causes excessive heat in some apartments when their
individual HVAC units are not on. Additionally the four pipe system is not
working which means there is no air conditioning.
—Molly
Franz had numerous questions. She was
reminded the purpose of the monthly Board meeting is to conduct the business of
the Association. In order for meetings to proceed in a timely manner, and not
go until midnight, the Board has asked residents to limit their comments to 3
minutes (a common practice for condominiums), and respectfully requests that
comments be limited to the topics on the agenda. In order to provide an open forum for
residents to air their concerns with the Board, but without regard to topic or
length of time they wished to speak, the Board introduced “Conversations with
the Board” several months ago. The
meetings were suspended due to holiday activities and the press of business,
but Cliff Cohen announced they would begin again soon. Frantz objected and said the reason most
people come to the meeting is to address problems that have not been taken care
by management.
Treasurer’s Report:
McNerny
said the ECA reserve account was deliberately kept low to avoid borrowing too
much money. However, he said the line of credit substitutes for the reserve.
Question from the Floor on High Gas
Cost:
—Pam Dillon
asked why the expenditure for gas was $16,000, which is more than current costs
although that figure occurred during an abnormally warm period. Answer: Teri
Lee said the figure was an accrual estimate and not actual but the next report
should reflect actual costs. Jeremy Tucker said the Finance Report is for the
Association Board and not up for detailed discussion by members of the
Association.
Committee
Reports:
FINANCE
The Finance
Committee interviewed two auditors referred by Counsel for our consideration
and made a recommendation to the Board.
DESIGN
The next
meeting with Phyllis Hartman will take place Feb 8 at 4 pm.
LANDSCAPE
Ruppert,
our current landscaper which has not been satisfactory, has merged with the
largest landscaping company in the area so this will be taken into
consideration in deciding who will address our needs.
CONVERSATIONS
WITH THE BOARD
Audience
members want this committee to resume its service. Cliff Cohen asked if Mondays
at 6 pm might be a better time for Association members. He said he would
schedule a meeting soon on a Monday night.
Old Business
Canopy Replacement: Ken Kosteva presented two design
concepts for a new canopy. These are not THE designs he is recommending. They
are just two concepts to give us an idea of what sort of change a new canopy
would make to our building. He pointed out that the current canopy is leaking
and must be repaired. Moreover, it does not completely shield people from rain
and snow when they board the bus. A new canopy would solve those problems, and
would improve the overall appearance of the building. Questions
were asked about when this would take place since it was in the budget for 2017
or 2018. Some Association members were against starting the design phase
without implementation being close to that product production. Ms. Bobb
suggested that the canopy replacement project by addressed by the new
management team, scheduled to take over on February 1.
New Business
A motion to
authorize Densel to conduct asbestos testing of insulation around heating
supply line on the 18th floor was passed.
A motion to
approve a second smoking questionnaire was passed.
