Summary of the ECA Board Meeting January 26, 2016

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 18^th 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 18^th floor was passed.

A motion to approve a second smoking questionnaire was passed.

Summary of ECA Board Meeting December 2, 2015

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 Jason Fisher

Meeting preceded by wine and cheese

Opened with President’s report:

·         Ruptured Heat Line: The heat line from the boiler (not the domestic water line) located in a common space located above the ceiling in unit 1814 (East tower) ruptured December 1, 2015. This space provides for the common plumbing and mechanical distribution to the risers.  The pipe has been repaired, but several apartments were damaged. 

·        Board process of selecting new Management Company:  The Board met in Closed Session on Nov 2, 3, 10, 11, and 12, to interview, and to discuss the results of our vetting.  At the November 17 meeting, the Board unanimously selected Gates Hudson Community Management as the new professional property management company.  As part of that decision, all staff will be employed directly by the Elizabeth Condominium Association: General Manager, Assistant General Manager, and Chief Engineer will join Hollis, Marcel, Kevin and Bouchra as our employees. The Board believes this is in the best interests of the Elizabeth owners and residents.

·        Gates Hudson Community Management will begin work here on February 1, 2016, and Legum & Norman will remain on staff until that time.  In the interim, Gates Hudson will be working on the transition. Owners and residents can expect to hear from Gates Hudson prior to February 1.

·        The Secured Access System of the building and property (the system that controls the key fobs) failed and on Nov 12 meeting, the Board unanimously approved the proposal from Electronic Security Services, Inc. to replace the software control panels for $26,720. 

·         Pool Temperature: the October Conversation with the Board was dedicated entirely to pool temperature and hours.  The Board has authorized a survey to all residents, and non-resident owners.  Board President, Sharon Bobb suggested that Management should handle this matter in coordination with interested residents and our pool contractor, Winkler.  The survey results will be turned over to our new Management staff, and it will be our new Management’s responsibility to work with all interested parties toward a solution.

·        Library Bench: A new bench has been installed in the library, with attractive baskets underneath for children’s books, returned books, and new book donations.

·        Card Tables Alteration: In response to complaint that the tables in the card room are too high. Phyllis Hartman worked with the Design Committee and our furniture repairman, Bob Licurgo, to lower the tables several inches. 

 Partial list of accomplishments for the year:

·      KeyLink was installed and all emergency keys and keys for recurring visitors were loaded

·      Approved attendance at Board meetings via electronic media.

·      Established Conversations with the Board, an open monthly forum for residents to speak directly with Board members about any and all matters of concern, without time constraints

·      Established a Committee for the Competitive Recruitment of a Property Management firm. 

·      The agendas for our monthly meetings are more transparent and in greater detail. 

·      Approved the purchase of a new bench for the Library .

·      Approved a Board of Directors Code of Professional Ethics

·      Approved draft Elections Policy and Procedures to amend the House Rules for comment by the owners. 

·      Approved proposed amendment to the House Rules (4.D.1.a.) regarding increasing Moving Fees which would bring the Elizabeth more in line with neighboring buildings. 

·      Arranged for the Mayor of Friendship Heights to be a guest speaker at the July Board meeting

·      Arranged for Robin Manougian, our insurance agent, to make a presentation at a Town Hall meeting July 23  to discuss insurance coverages, claims, and the coverages owners need to carry. 

·      Arranged a Town Hall Meeting October 6 to educate our community regarding concerns for pipes in aging buildings, and the methods available for sealing domestic water pipes

·      Arranged two Town Hall Meetings to discuss the Request for Proposal (RFP) for a Property Management firm so that the community could share its thoughts with the Board.

·      Approved replacement of the original fire pump to comply with a county requirement

·      Approved the proposal from Wiss, Janney, Elsner Associates to complete a review of the interstitial spaces incident to the Fitness Center and the indoor pool for evidence of distress, uncontrolled water penetration/leakage and evidence of microbial growth.

·      Approved a motion to contract with an engineering consulting firm to conduct a study focusing on mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) equipment and operations in order to address leaks and other water-related damage .

·      Approved AmeriClean to clean common area ducts

·      Approved the purchase of notepads for the engineering and maintenance staff.

·      Appointed a Smoking Exploratory Committee to gather information on the issues surrounding second-hand smoking in a residential high-rise building and approved a survey questionnaire for issuance to all owners.

·      Appointed Barbara Pollack, as a Committee of One, to research the issue of condominium fees in the Friendship Heights neighborhood.  She reported her findings to the Board and the community at a Board meeting, and issued statistical findings that show that the Elizabeth is “in the ballpark” when it comes to condo fees – not the highest nor the lowest in the neighborhood.

·         Lerch Early & Brewer Legal Report. Jason Fisher discussed Election Rules and Procedures and distributed a marked-up copy showing the proposed changes as a result of member comments on the previous Rules and Procedures.

·        Resident Comments: Discussion of Holiday fund distribution proposal.

Treasurer’s report

·        Management Report: Further discussion of the burst hot water pipe.

·        Peg Downey reported that the design committee had determined that replacing the existing doors with wooden doors, trimmed to shape in each doorway was least likely to result in damage to resident apartments during the renovation project. The question of whether the thresholds would be modified to be flat, as they had in the west lobby area was raised.

·        After the book give-away, which took place before and after the board meeting, the remaining books would be given to an organization that assists veterans. 

 Old Biz: Motion to amend the House Rules to raise the move-in/ move-out elevator usage fee to $500 for moving in and $200 for moving out ($75 refundable if no damage) to be more in line with other buildings. Motion amended to specify that owners would be responsible in the event that a renter failed to pay.

 New Biz: Motion to approve the completion of Phase II of the Fire Alarm installation $220,295. This is a project that must be completed. There was discussion about the installation of Strobe Lights in the hallways to comply with ADA specifications. Some people mentioned that Strobe Lights can cause seizures among those who have epilepsy, but there is no choice in the matter.

 Motion to approve WJE to develop exterior restoration design for main entrance, including new canopy for $40,000, with a $3,000 expense allowance.  There was an objection to sole bidding and questions about why the work should be done now when it is not scheduled until 2019 in the plan. Motion was tabled.

Thanks to Jackie Lapidus for taking these notes!