Summary of ECA Board Meeting February 26, 2020

Board Present: Lyle Schwartz (president), Zlatan Beca, Makarand (Mak) Dehejia, Elisa Siegel, Christopher Wemple, Jimmy Whalen

Others Present: General Manager MaryAnn Hall, Jeremy Tucker (ECA Legal Counsel, Lerch Early & Brewer)

This meeting was a teleconference.  Despite misgivings by the Board president, it ran efficiently and well.

Highlights of the meeting:

President’s Remarks:

—Good Samaritan among us: Tobi Esler reported that she responded to Gwen Mak who made an offer via BuildingLink to fill grocery orders for anyone who needs help Toby said it was a ray of sunshine.

Text is quickest: 7032820477
Email: gwenmak@gmail.com

—Upcoming Board Meetings: could be teleconference or audio/video conferencing.

—Garage Work: continues on schedule

—Emergency Radio Antennae for police and fire communications: Waiting for revised proposals from two vendors under consideration. This will cost about $200,000.

—Hall Renovation: planning with Hartman Group still ongoing. Expect a final design package in next few months. Owners will be able to understand what is happening via audio/video teleconference.

---Reserve Study.  In the process of getting a revised Reserve Study, a best practice in condos every 3-5 years to project reserves.   The Study report provides a comprehensive architectural and engineering review of the entire property, projects the useful life of the boiler, elevator, roof and other components, as well as the cost to repair and/or replace them and the amount of money to be set aside each year to meet that cost.  According to industry standards, condominiums should maintain a balance in the Reserve Fund of 10% - 20% of the total component replacement value, more on the higher end for older buildings.  The total value of components in the Elizabeth as of the last study was $17 -18 million.

Motions:

Contract with Gates Hudson:  Board unanimously approved for another year on the advice of our legal counsel Jeremy Tucker. This includes help with financial data and we can cancel after a-60 day notice.  The main complaint involves delinquencies. Tucker said there is no perfect management company. He pointed out that performance has increased dramatically in the past year, there is a risk associated with changing to a new management company, and this is not a good time to try another company in the middle of  the pandemic Coronavirus.

Increase Funding in Replacement Reserves:  Board unanimously approved moving additional funds from checking account to the replacement reserves while we had the money to do so. This will cover the unexpected expense of the emergency radio antennae for police and fire communications within our building

— Annual Meeting:  Board unanimously approved postponing the annual meeting to a date to be determined and in a second motion and action to keep the candidate election on the current schedule.

Management Report:

For an electronic copy, contact the management office at  ecamanagement@elizabethcondo.com

—GM and assistant GM will work remotely from home part time. They have been issued laptops.

—Garage Project in Part II (Coating and painting) fourth of twelve two-week phases.

—Covid19 Status: no one currently has the virus in the building that is known.

—Reduced hours for cleaning staff: won’t be collecting recycle daily.

—Ceiling Tiles in Pool: will be replaced during this period when the pool is closed.

—Brass and Marble: Odyssey Restoration will continue working to restore the marble floors.

I reported these concerns to our Board President:

—Dust from garage needs better ventilation. I am suffering allergic reaction on a daily basis. When the coating is done, the noxious fumes also increase my allergic symptoms.

—Traffic pattern in garage is most challenging yet. It require one-way traffic through a path with 2 turns. Board president says nothing can be done about this, but I am concerned that this will cause collisions, damage to cars, and increased anxiety and aggravation to those required to drive through this maze

—Infrequent removal of recycle from the floors: Residents need to be reminded to wash out containers to avoid insects and bad odors. My floor typically has overflowing bins, so I am not in favor of housekeeping neglecting this chore.

Other Comment:

Request for contractors working in private apartments: Keep six-foot social distance from residents, especially those exiting the elevator.

Dear Elizabethans,

There is a budget meeting today. It will be online:

B&F meeting, Mon. 3/23 at 6:30 pm

 Conference dial-in number: 301-907-2801
 Conference ID: 5
Conference password:   305018





The same call-in info will work for the Monthly Board meeting at 7:30 pm on Wednesday  3/25.


Hopefully, the Management Office will get BuildingLink updated with this info.


Today I saw that there were two trucks working on cleaning our sewers today. At least that is what I am guessing after reading what was written on the truck seen on the right. The other truck was passing a hose down an open manhole.

 Let me know if you have issues you want to discuss, particularly as they concern our well being here at the Elizabeth. Email me at 
karrenalenier  @  gmail.com.
      

Summary of ECA Board Meeting February 26, 2020

Board Present: Lyle Schwartz (president), Zlatan Beca, Elisa Siegel, Christopher Wemple

Absent: :  Makarand (Mak) Dehejia, Jimmy Whalen

Others Present: General Manager MaryAnn Hall, Assistant Manager Romaine Cureton, Jeremy Tucker (ECA Legal Counsel, Lerch Early & Brewer)

Highlights of the meeting:

President’s Report:

—Garage Project: Coating and painting of the garage floor began and initially there were noxious odors escaping up the elevator shaft.

—Corridor Renovation: Hartman Group provided updated estimates which were higher than the original bid (in approximately 2012) but within the expected current day target and our capital reserves can cover the cost. 

—Antennae and receivers for fire and police communication: The cost for this project is $200,000. Once the contract is approved, it will take one to two months to complete.

—Annual Meeting; set for May 6. The Election Committee includes Connie Row, Deb Ryan, Linda Kuzmak, Bhaskaran Balakrishnan, and Jim Jones. The call for nominations will go out March 4. Deadline for board nominations is April 6. Meet the Candidates is April 22.

Legal Report:

—There are two bills pending in the Maryland General Assembly that may increase our personal expenses. The first bill would double unit owner responsibility for the condominium’s insurance deductible when damage to components of the condominium originates from a unit.  Currently owners are responsible for the first $5,000, but this bill will make owners responsible for the first $10,000. The second bill would apply a 5% sales tax to services, e.g., legal, audit, insurance, etc. This tax would be used to pay for Maryland State education expenses.

—Expect a letter detailing what can be held in storage.

Committee Reports:

Storage Committee: The plan is to clear out the storage room in steps. First, hazardous materials.  Next, furniture and carpets will be removed from storage. Layo Fabunmi said, “The Committee appreciates ideas that have been received on various approaches that can move the project forward. Ideas are always welcomed.”

 Financial Report:

Jeremy Powell, our auditor with The Goldklang Group, was expected to make a presentation on the draft audit, but unfortunately fell ill. The Board plans to reschedule his appearance.

The Reserve Study is expected the end of the first week in March.

Management Report:

(You can request a copy from the Management Office to get more details.)

Garage Project:

The next phase has begun, i.e., coating and painting the garage. Cars will have to be moved and each segment of the painting will take two weeks.

FHA Recertification: The Elizabeth is approved for a three-year recertification.

Pool Renovation:

The General Manager reported completion of the pool renovation that included resurfacing and coating of the pool floor, replacement of some ceiling tiles, and the acquisition of new furniture.

Regular users of the pool complained that the area under the steps that project into the shallow end of the pool was not treated at all and appears black. They also said that things collect under these stairs and that the stairs need refurbishing.

Additionally, it is unclear why leaking problems that emanate from the 17^th and 18^th floor washing machines cannot be fixed. Instead the General Manager said she was ordering mold and mildew resistant tiles.

While the new pool furniture looks nice, complaints were stated about the instability of the tables and how the furniture was lightweight and not likely to last long.

In response to questions about the new furniture, Jim Jones said that he and the General Manager selected the new furniture. 

Director Francine Klein has been tapped to represent the Board on the next efforts related to the pool renovation, e.g., selection of a mural and paint colors for the pool area.

Engineering Emergency Services:

The concierge will be provided a monthly schedule of which engineer is on call.  The Association purchased a cell phone for use by the engineer on call.  He will be expected to respond to all resident calls within 15 minutes. 

Crack above G-1 Garage Entrance: Repair of the drywall, stucco and pipe involved in this situation which has been noted months ago will not get repaired until CPR (contractor working on the garage project) removes their equipment that is located in the driveway. Scaffolding is required to make the repair. The crack is getting larger but it was not stated when the CPR equipment will be moved or who has determined whether there is a safety issue in waiting.

Motions: The following motions were approved with unanimous votes.

—Prepayment of $150,000 on loan

—3-year pool contract renewal for $50,496 per year

—Metal maintenance with Odyssey Restoration for 8,580 yearly

—Stone maintenance with Odyssey Restoration for 10.920 yearly

Note: Odyssey Restoration was the contractor who originally maintained our floors and kept them in beautiful shape. They will do marble maintenance monthly, including honing and polishing, and will restore the grout? as well as train our cleaners for how to effectively clean the floors on a regular basis.

Community Report:

There is some kind of parcel redevelopment project brewing where Brooks Brothers and the Marriott are located.

Comments from the Floor:

Ann Kasprzyk, a resident who uses the pool daily, provided a list of concerns about the recent pool renovation and furniture acquisition. She had contacted the Board president and the General Manager and stated that her questions were not answered. Also, she expressed that her concerns about the cleanliness of the pool (given the deplorable state of the steps and the lack of attention to floor under these steps) and the safety issues regarding the lightweight furniture were not adequately addressed. (Some of these issues were addressed above in the management report.)

An addendum to the pool staircase: Ann & Daniel Kasprzyk have filed this maintenance request:

Request Description: The top step in the pool, (step not the ladders) is loose. It is dangerous. Going down the steps the left side (water side) is not attached to anything. It is dangerous, because only the other side is attached. The plank somehow has shifted and it is about an inch away from the bolts The plank moves when someone steps on it. It has been this way since the pool was worked on but this morning the plank moves more. Someone can fall, or the plank could come off completely (I guess) when someone steps on it. I spoke to the life guard to warn swimmers as well as call the concierge’s desk to report it.

Submitted by: Daniel Kasprzyk - Kasprzyk on 3/7/20 12:44 PM