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 17th and 18th
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:
Submitted by: Daniel Kasprzyk - Kasprzyk on 3/7/20 12:44 PM
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