Highlights of ECA Board Meeting July 28, 2021

 

Board Present: Joe Bucherer (President), Makarand (Mak) Dehejia, Francine Klein, Lyle Schwartz, Jeremy Siegfried, Christopher Wemple

 

Board Absent: Elisa Siegel

 

Others Present: Richard Springer, General Manager; Jeremy Tucker (ECA Legal Counsel, Lerch Early & Brewer)

 

President’s Report

The President gave a brief report stating significant progress had been made on the corridors, work in the storage rooms has begun, and the board is reviewing the policy on guest parking. Lyle Schwartz and Richard Springer will deal with these issues in their reports. The President encouraged every to attend July 29^th town Hall Meeting to discuss the development at 5500 Wisconsin Ave.

 

Resident Comments

Resident questions were raised about guest parking and landscaping on the east side of the building.

 

Treasurer’s Report

The Budget and Finance Committee will be recommending the reclassification of certain expenses from the operating budget to the reserve operating account.  The Budget and Finance Committee has recommended a pay down of the loan of approximately 50,333.55. The Board unanimously approved that payment.

 

The work on the audit has begun. 

 

Manager’s Report

Notices have been sent and articles have been removed from parking spaces.  Bicycles were not removed (as the bike room is crowded and disorganized. The bike room will be part of the ongoing reorganization of the storage areas0.  Also shopping carts were not removed.

 

The President and General Manager have begun to clear out some abandoned items that were on the floor in Storage Room G2. Items removed from G2 are in the staging area on G-4.  This will enable current residents to review these items, to ensure no items were removed by mistake. G3-G4 contain footlockers It is anticipated that shelves can be placed in those rooms, after the abandoned or discarded items have been removed, this will make it easier for residents to use the storage areas and to review and label their boxes and other items.  Mr. Springer has labels for all residents to use to label their boxes.

 

The Compost bins on the east side of the building has been relocated.

 

One hot water storage tank ruptured and has to be replaced. It was determined that a second storage tank should also be replaced. The second storage tank is the same age and is scheduled for replacement in the near future. Driving this decision is the high cost of insulation which includes renting a crane to lift and place storage tanks ($30,000).

 

Lyle Schwartz, Committee Chair, Corridor Committee

 

The Committee and Phyllis Hartman met with potential construction contractors.  They were given the specs to prepare a bid, as part of this process a building walk through with the contractors was conducted by the committee.  Engineering staff was made available to answer questions.

 

The President indicated that there  was a proposed change to the guest parking house rule.  The Board voted to distribute the recommended change to the residents.  A town Hall Meeting on Sept. 1 will be held to review the recommended changes and to answer questions.

 

(Copies of the recommended Guest Parking change was sent out via building link today, July 29, 2021) (Other copies will be distributed under the doors).