Your Disappearing Services at the Elizabeth

 

The General Manager (GM) at the Elizabeth has decreed that the Association WILL NOT

 

—recycle batteries & light bulbs

—dispose of small, broken household items like rollerbags, lamps, mops, etc. that can’t be sent down the trash chutes.

 

Instead, residents are being told to get rid of these items by themselves. This means the residents are supposed to drive these items to the Montgomery County dump which is about 40 minutes away or hire a company to haul the unwanted stuff away for them.

 

Initially, our GM said to throw the batteries in the trash, which is both an environmental hazard and, worse, a way to ignite a fire. I am the one who immediately advised our GM that this advice was a bad judgment call.

 

If we lived in a house instead of a condominium, we could call for a pick up of unwanted items. The county doesn’t do that for individuals who live in big buildings like ours.

 

How many of us are going to make runs to the Montgomery County Dump? Not me and think about how inefficient that would be for over 350 units having to drive their small number of batteries and broken items to the dump. We would be adding a ridiculous amount of vehicular pollution to our environment.

 

What can be done about this?

 

It’s time for residents to come to the board meeting and voice preferences for keeping services we have always had. OR write to the full Board now. You can do this through BuildingLink.

 

And by the way, move the batteries/bulbs recycle bins so the bins don’t sit next to the stairway. Put a trashcan there.

 

Also,  the following services have been discontinued by our GM. These are services that should immediately be reinstated. 

 

1.        Residents are now being told that the Elizabeth will no longer snake stopped up drains/toilets. Instead, residents are being told that they must hire a plumber to do this.  Another was told that the snake was not long enough to snake her pipes, yet I am told that the Elizabeth purchased a new longer snake when Barry was here.

 

2.        Since the building has existed, staff has always been willing to boost cars with dead batteries.  When Richard  Springer was here, he even purchased a new, improved hand-held battery charger. Sadly, people are being told that we are no longer providing this service.  This service has always been provided to our residents and guests, and only takes a few minutes to perform. 

 

3.        If people are putting the wrong things into the composting bins, then post a list of what is allowed in the bins AND put a memo under the doors to educate people. One board member told me that some people have been putting dog waste in the composting bins.

 

4.        Breaking down boxes is something management can ask people to do voluntarily, but there are plenty of people living in the building who just don’t have the hand strength to do it. This is a service we should continue. Our cleaning people are here to work for us.

 

Finally, our GM should NOT be making unilateral decisions about our services. It affects the quality life here in the Elizabeth and eventually it will affect our real estate values. This should be a Board decision in consultation with Association members, just like any other changes to House Rules. We pay high condo fees, and we should get the kind of services that make the Elizabeth a good place to live.