Summary of ECA Board Meeting June 26, 2018

Board Present: Makarand (Mak) Dehejia, Monique Fridell, Al Muller, Lyle Schwartz, Rhonda Taller, Christopher Wemple

Board Absent: Zlatan Beca

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

This summation will focus on highlights of the meeting. Mac Dehejia chaired this Board meeting.

Legal Report:

Legal counsel provided new information on building-wide non-smoking policies as is happening in other comparable Montgomery County, MD condominiums and co-ops (Grovesnor Park 2 & 3 and Promenade). The Board has directed him to draft new ECA rules to eliminate smoking in all common elements which include balconies and a new bylaw proposal to eliminate smoking in all units. The bylaw proposal was considered previously by the owners but did not pass. The rule proposal will be sent to all owners who will have 15 days to submit comments before the potential Board vote which is binding on the rule change. 

He will also draft the bylaw change which will be put to a vote by all owners.  It will include a grandfathering provision, which will likely have a town hall meeting about it before going to a positive vote of 60% of the total ownership in good standing to be approved. Another bylaw change be drafted for ownership consideration requiring owners to have insurance to cover damages not covered by the ECA master insurance policy as well as covering any required deductible if the damage starts in an individual unit. New Montgomery County law emphasizing that owners have adequate home-owners insurance to cover claims requires only a positive vote of 50% of the total ownership percentage. He said a new bylaw will be written to conform with new Montgomery County law emphasizing that owners have adequate home-owners insurance to cover claims.

Treasurer’s Report:

ECA Treasurer Lyle Schwartz reported that the Elizabeth is back on the desirable list regarding real estate sales and accessing mortgages and insurance. The Budget & Finance Committee has new leadership in Jimmy Whalen. The Committee is working on improving financial information packages to eliminate redundancy, improve clarity, and provide useful information to the Board for better decision-making. The Treasurer’s report, which is more detailed, will be accessible on BuildingLink.

Management Report:

Garage Project:

Step one (chain dragging, to find cement weakness that needs repair) will be completed June 28, 2018. Results show more work needed than expected on G-1 & G-4 but less work needed for G2 & G-3.

Step two (concrete repair) is expected to begin July 9. So far, our contractor CPR does not have the work permit needed from Montgomery County. CPR will use week of July 2 to bring in equipment and supplies.

Landscaping—Legend Landscaping will replace certain shrubs on the pool patio next week.

HVAC filters—Despite recent efforts to educate attendees in other monthly board meetings, the question continues to surface as to whether a suitable grade of HVAC filter is being supplied by the Association. The MERV 4 filters used by our maintenance staff is ideal for our purpose as long as they are changed every six months. Those wishing other MERV graded filter may choose to buy themselves and can get help from our staff in replacing the old filter at no charge.

Window washing—The window cleaners will return July 2-6 to correct any windows not properly washed this spring. The Fall window washing will take place November 1-2, 2018.

Fire Marshall Inspection—June 18 inspection was completed and passed. However, the Fire Marshall asked for: a door closer put on the Diving School door in the Arcade, trash chute door locks replacement on three different floors. Our GM is arranging meetings for Elizabeth residents to review what they should do when the fire alarm sounds and to ask questions.

More information may be seen in the June 26, 2018 Management Report which may be obtained in the office.

Communications Committee:

Celesta Jurkovich and Judy Gann are working on a review of existing Elizabeth rules on building-wide communications and use of public spaces in the building.  As a first step, they are surveying the policies of three other FH condos (4620, Carleton and Willoughby) to gather information about their experiences/rules on these topics.  The Carleton is also has begun reviewing their communication rules and their Board lead person on the project is interested in having ongoing contact.  They also use Building Link for communications.   

Gary Costello and Chris Wemple have also volunteered to get involved in the building communication issues, including restarting a regular newsletter for owners/residents.  However, to develop consensus concepts on each of these reviews and identify what is possible and practical for new initiatives, more Building owners and residents’ participation is needed.  It is likely these two projects will be split up as they move forward so volunteers can participate in whichever issue is of interest to them.   Anyone interested in participating in either of these reviews and research should contact Celesta Jurkovich, #1211 who is available at cjurkovich@verizon.net or 301-657-8134. 

Refurbishing Committee:

This group (Tobi Esler, Judy Gann, and Suzan Stafford) met to recommend immediate measures to spruce up the hallways. Five recommendations were made: replace chairs with benches (if there is a budget for a temporary fix), use uniform light bulbs throughout the property, repair wallpaper as needed, remove notices from tables, and procurement inexpensive centerpieces for these tables.

Other Items:

Car Charging Stations: The Board is again exploring the installation of electric car charging stations in the garage.  Information on the concept which was considered previously will be reviewed and costs involved will be determined as well how to charge those who would use such facilities

Owner Maintenance Requirements for HVAC Units: The Board also discussed distributing general information to all owners on appropriate unit owner maintenance requirements for HVAC units to avoid leak problems.

Summary of ECA Board Meeting May 22, 2018

Board Present: Zlatan Beca, Makarand (Mac) Dehejia, Monique Fridell, Al Muller, Lyle Schwartz, Rhonda Taller, Christopher Wemple

Others Present: ECA General Manager MaryAnn Hall, Assistant Manager Romaine Cureton, Jeremy Tucker (ECA legal counsel, Lerch Early & Brewer) and several CPR staff members

President’s Report:

ECA president Z Beca announced names of those heading up various committees:

—Budget & Finance: Jimmy Whalen

—Library: Stephanie Olshan

—Social: Judy Gann & Celesta Jurkovich

—Safety: Folake Funbunmi

—Newsletter: looking for additional members

Garage Project:

ECA General Manager provided a comprehensive report on the Garage Project and her notes were copied and put under every door in the Elizabeth the next day.

Here are some of the highlights of that report and other things learned:

Why it has to be done: There are serious structural problems that involve falling concrete and unseen holes in the concrete.

Frquency of such projects: CPR said the Elizabeth was very lucky that the last major repair was done 16 years ago. He indicated these kinds of repairs are required more frequently than that.

By-products of project: loud noise and dust. Lower floors will hear the noise more than upper floors.

The process involves 4 steps and will operate on multiple levels at a time:

—Chain dragging to find unseen holes in concrete (about 3 weeks).

—Concrete repairs (expected to start July 2 and depends on permit from Montgomery County)

—Application of coating to garage floor

—Paint vertical walls

Estimated duration of project: from June to early December.

Working crews: 2 crews working from 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday. (Noise starts at 9 am.)

No Guest Parking: beginning June 7, there will be no guest parking. It will be used to move cars out of work areas. 50 parking spaces will be worked on at a time.

Protecting your car: do not wipe concrete dust from your vehicle. It will scratch the paint. Notify GM and crew will use water spray to remove the dust. Plastic will not be issued to cover the cars. Move your car when asked and make arrangements for moving your car if you are on travel. Photos will be taken of your car before the project starts to establish baseline in case repairs are requested.

Work areas: Do not disturb working areas which will be established by plastic “curtains.”

Questions: go to ECA Management office. Do not approach workers—it will slow the process and you will not necessarily get correct information.

Communications: for the most part will be through BuildingLink.

Legal Report:

Legal counsel is preparing a bylaw amendment for building-wide non-smoking as is happening in other Montgomery County, MD condominiums.

Financial Report:

Since many financial activities have been moved in-house, the GM MaryAnn Hall has been able to recover additional funds.

Treasurer’s Report:

The ECA Treasurer Lyle Schwartz is calling for more input from the Budget & Finance Committee in advising the Board on a regular basis.

Management Report:

Landscaping—new spring flowers have been planted.

HVAC filters—GM Hall has researched the issue about the MERV rating. It is recommended that we continue to use MERV 4 filters and have them changed every 6 months. Higher MERV filters require more frequent change and may burn out the motor of the HVAC system if not properly attended to..

Window washing will be Saturday May 26 & Sunday May 27 just ahead of the garage project. Fall windowing washing will be in early November.

-->

Analysis of the Voting for 2018 Board Members

Because our voting system at The Elizabeth is a weighted vote such that the square footage of one's property and how high up the unit is located increases your points, it is hard to understand what the published percentage of the vote means. This year the six candidates, running for four positions on the Board, got these percentage points:

Winning Candidates
Wemple: 44.80
Schwartz: 44.34
Dehejia: 43.57
Taller: 40.82

Other Candidates
Schattman: 24.15
Bressler: 22.39

Because these numbers do not add up to 100%, we are fortunate to have Jim Jones translating these numbers.  Here is his pie chart which shows how the voting relates across the entire Association and in relation to the concept of one hundred percent.

What the picture shows is the majority of those voting supported the Board of Directors we already had since three of the winners had already been working Board members. This was not a close count for any of the candidates elected to the Board.

What is disturbing is that nearly 45% of the Association cast no vote at all. Owning property in Chevy Chase is no small investment. What elected Board members decide on behalf of the Association can make or break our property values as we saw when our reserve fund was spent down with Board approval.

Note: The 232 ballots cast includes parking spaces that are not counted in apartment ownership. This count does not figure in how Jim calculated the pie chart.

Jim  has also provided a graph showing Association member voting abstention rates from 2002 to 2018.

What this chart shows is that more votes were cast in 2009 than any other year during this 16 year period. What the downward trend (as documented by the red line) in Association members NOT voting might mean is that we have more rentals in the building and some of the owners of those rented units may be investors as opposed to people who formerly lived here or who intend to live here in the future. Off-site owners typically make little effort to vote.

New Board Members Elected

It's official, here are the winners in the order of most votes:

Christopher Wemple
Lyle Schwartz
Mak Dehejia
Rhonda Taller


More info will follow anon.

Kudos to Z Beca who provided a touch of levity to the annual meeting. I think it was the best annual meeting we ever had because everyone laughed at some aspect of what Z delivered.

Congratulations to the new Board. Thank you Connie Row for helping the Elizabeth do an amazing financial turn around.

Summary of ECA Board Meeting April 30, 2018

Board Present: Zlatan Beca, Makarand (Mac) Dehejia, Monique Fridell, Al Muller, Connie Row, Lyle Schwartz, Rhonda Taller

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

President’s Report:

ECA president Z Beca acknowledged this is the final meeting of this sitting board and the final meeting for Treasurer Connie Row who led the project to create a financial strategic plan which played a large role in turning around failing finances at the Elizabeth.

Beca urged Association members to vote carefully in the upcoming election saying, somewhat wryly, "If you elect a clown you get a circus."

During the next fiscal year, he would like to work on getting more people for the newsletter and for getting down complaints which is he says comes from 2% of the Association.

Financial and Treasurer’s Reports:

Connie Row presented both reports touting the work that has been achieved to turn around Association finances and saying she was very proud of the accomplishments by this board, the last board, the Budget and Finance Committee, and the General Manager MaryAnn Hall. She said the financial strategic plan should serve as a guide for the future and that she was very pleased that they could manage everything they hoped to achieve with just a 2% raise in the condo fee

Management Report:

Garage Project—CPR, the firm that will do the garage work, has received our letter of award and will start negotiations with Montgomery County to get their approval and necessary permits. The project is expected to run five to six months with three phases involving 50 parking spaces on different levels in each phase. Expect noise, dirt, and inconvenience but remember this must be done for everyone’s safety since there is concrete falling in the garage.

FY 2019 Budget—prepared for approval.

Insurance Renewal—We have moved into the primary insurance market with water deductible down from $100,000 to $15,000 per occurrence. No claims were submitted in 2017. The cost of our insurance is high (triple what we paid before our substantial water claims from 2014 through 2016). Factors making our insurance high are our recent five-year claims that include six large claims and our lack of a full sprinkler system throughout the building. We should get better rates if we continue to have a falloff in claims and this is based on a five-year review.

West Tower Patio Restoration—completed but an additional area of repair was found in the roof on either side of the entrance canopy. The repair will be under $5,000 and get done this week.

Annual Meeting—May 2, 2018 in West Lobby with registration beginning 6 pm. Meeting starts at 7:30 pm providing we have 51% quorum. Vote your proxy now and take it to the management office or vote at the meeting but be sure to vote.

Delinquencies—Given we now have a financial only contract with Gates Hudson, all delinquencies are being handled in the ECA management office.

Cooling Tower— standard spring cleaning and maintenance in advance of the summer heat was performed.

Marble and Metal Cleaning—completed.

Landscaping—new spring flowers will be planted the week of May 7.

HVAC filters—those wishing specific filters may request or self-purchase in advance of the six-month routine unit maintenance. Mak Dehejia explained that the MERV rating for filters in commercial buildings is 8, which is what the ECA supplies at no cost to each unit. More information: http://www.mechreps.com/PDF/Merv_Rating_Chart.pdf

New Business:

Al Muller questioned why there was a rise in office expenses. Our GM said past expenses reflected the overlap between our temporary office assistant and our new assistant manager as well as money paid to the former GM. New budget reflects a rise in expense to pay for paper, toner, and maintenance for excessive copying done by Association members in the business center.

Motions:

Unanimous approval of 2018-2019 operating and capital budget including a 2% condo fee increase, approved capital projects at $1.531 M including garage and hallways Phase I and pay down of loan principal by approximately $300,000.

Unanimous approval of building insurance Renewal for FY 2018-19.

Unanimous approval of three-year window washing contract.

Other Items:

Manougian Letter—Parts of the letter written by our master insurance broker Robin Manougian was read into the record. Monique Fridell asked for a copy of the letter to be included with the minutes and she said the EPipe project was instrumental in helping us get back into the insurance market at our lowest point. Rhonda Taller read the closing remarks of the letter which stated that Manougian knows of no other condominium that came back to the primary market as quick as the Elizabeth from its lapse to the secondary market. Again, much of this achievement has to do with the hard and smart work done by Connie Row as Treasurer, the Board support, the work done by the Budget and Finance Committee under Rhonda Taller, and the cost saving measures by our General Manager MaryAnn Hall.

Community News:

Muller reported that Parcel 6 briefing put on delay. There will be no briefing at the FHV center in May.

Owner Comments:

Schattman & his association with spending down the reserves—Marge McNerney said that Karren Alenier provided misleading information in her recent blog post on Steven Schattman who should not be blamed for spending down the reserves.

The blog post on Meet the Candidates (April 18, 2018) reads: “Steven Schattman bought into the Elizabeth in 1996. He was on the Board that voted to draw down the Reserve Fund to what became an historic low…”  My blog post of August 29, 2013  reads: “Reserve funds will be drawn down before loan funding is used.” Sitting board members were David Robinson, Ted Ariev, Jim Jones, John McNerney, Dr. Alfred Muller, Steven Schattman, Jim Vuko.

Here is what was recorded in the official ECA August 2013 minutes:

Mr. McNerney stated that Premier lending has approved ECA for a $5 million loan. The plan set for the maintenance, repair and replacement program, outlined that $3.25 million would be needed in the third year of the program, and then would decline after that. Mr. McNerney clarified that the Association would pay on only what is owed, and there would be no prepayment penalty. Interest costs will not incur until the loan begins.

A resident questioned what the dollar amount this loan will cost to the ECA. Mr. McNerney calculated that it would cost $600,000 for the 8-year period of the loan. The first 3 years would be interest only, and reserves would be drawn down before taking the loan. Dr. Muller added that although he does not favor borrowing, the Treasurer has obtained the best loan options. Mr. Santos stated that the longer some projects are put off, the more it costs the Association in repairs.

MOTION Mr. McNerney moved, and Mr. Schattman, seconded for the Board of Directors for the Elizabeth Condominium Association to enter into a loan agreement with Premier Association Lending in the principal amount of up to $5,000,000. The motion passed unanimously (7-0-0). 

Here is what was recorded in the official ECA October 2013 minutes (same board members):

 

Here’s how the paragraph reads:

On 15 October your association finalized a line of credit with Premier Association Lending in the amount of $5,000,000. Interest rate for the first 3 years is 3.9%. We only withdraw funds as needed for the improvement program, and we only pay interest on the amount provided to us. We anticipate that the first withdrawals will take place in the spring, after we have first drawn down our reserves.

Respectfully submitted:
John C. McNerney
Treasurer, Board of Directors, Elizabeth Condominium Association

-->

Handling of Proxy Ballots: An accusation was made that our General Manager was mishandling proxy ballots. GM Hall said proxies are deposited in a box in her office. Some are in envelopes and others not. Legal Counsel Jeremy Tucker said there was no direct evidence of any mishandling based on information he has received.

-->

April 17, 2018, Meet the Candidates Event

Stephanie Olshan and her committee ran a very civil program that was organized around having audience questions written on index cards. The caveat was that any question exhibiting a personal attack on any candidate would not be presented.

Each candidate was invited to give a 3-minute presentation to express what he or she would do if elected to the Board and why he or she was qualified. These opening statements were the most important things said during the evening.  See below for Candidate Statements.

As most Association members know, we have achieved a significant financial come back from near financial collapse in 2016 when the reserve fund had been spent down to approximately $1000. We had lost our FHA certification and we were under threat of losing the master insurance policy because of overwhelming water damage claims. Our former management company (Legum & Norman) was producing inaccurate financial statements and there were over $700,000 in unpaid bills and liability to Washington Gas, including a termination of service notice that had not been disclosed. Poor building maintenance put us at high risk of fire (dryer lint had not been cleaned in many years) and additional water damage from uncleaned HVAC condensate lines and other pipes. Association members who wished to sell their units were shocked to learn how their property values had declined.

A new financial approach using “Condo Best Practices” and a strategic financial plan has restored FHA certification, returned the Elizabeth to the primary insurance market and helped us show a 2017 $26,000+ gain on operations while keeping our operating expenses under budget through February 1 by $260,000. We have a general manager who saved us thousands of dollars through renegotiated contracts and other cost saving measures while still getting building maintenance accomplished. Money spent on water damage has gone from over $500,000 in 2016 to $49,000 in 2018 so far.  

Three of the candidates running currently sit on the Board which has brought about significant improvements to our financial and maintenance picture which in turn is showing an uptick in our property values. They are:

Mak Dehejia

Lyle Schwartz

Rhonda Taller

Christopher Wemple moved into the Elizabeth in 2016 and immediately began attending the monthly Board and Budget and Finance meetings, volunteering last year to help run the Meet the Candidates event.

These four candidates expressed in their opening Meet-the-Candidates statements a desire to continue moving the Association finances and maintenance programs forward into the future for the good of everyone in the Association. Each of their messages emphasized the positive and the desire to continue a spirit of cooperation. Chris Wemple particularly emphasized enhancing communications between the Board, management, and the Association members. Check out their bios in the Annual Meeting package to see their individual level of substantial professional experience.

Charles Bressler is an original Association member who has a vision of the past glory of living in The Elizabeth. He has served on various ECA Boards over the past. His Meet-the-Candidates statement emphasized his extreme displeasure with our current General Manager despite the significant work she has done to help turn around our finances. Nevertheless, he was very concerned about having enough money to fund important maintenance projects like refurbing the hallways and questioned whether the current 2% raise in the condo fee was adequate.

Steven Schattman bought into the Elizabeth in 1996. He was on the Board that voted to draw down the Reserve Fund to what became an historic low. His Meet-the-Candidates statement is remarkable for his emphasis on the word “anger.” He said that the current Board has no tolerance for opposing points of view, it exercises no transparency, and it operates in secrecy. These accusations are not true.

What must be underscored is that our financial turn-around is fragile. Who we elect to the Elizabeth Condominium Board will make a difference in whether we continue to show financial improvements, steady building maintenance, rising property values, and good quality of life here in this community. I recommend voting for: Mak Dehejia, Lyle Schwartz, Rhonda Taller, and Christopher Wemple.

If you have questions, please contact me and I will do my best to forward them to someone who can answer your concerns.

Karren Alenier #301

CANDIDATE STATEMENTS;

CHARLES BRESSLER

LADIES and GENTLEMEN,

IN ABOUT THREE WEEKS WE SHALL HAVE AN ELECTION AT THE ELIZABETH TO FILL FOUR SEATS ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. NEVER BEFORE HAS YOUR PARTICIPATION BEEN SO IMPORTANT. I HOPE FOR THE GOOD OF THE BUILDING THAT THIS ELECTION WILL NOT BE TOXIC.

THE REASON I WANT JOIN THE BOARD IS THAT IT PAINS ME WHEN ;            -RESIDENTS TALK ABOUT MOVING OUT OF THE ELIZABETH BECAUSE OF THE MANAGER , TOXIC ENVIREMENT AND I UNDERSTAND.

-THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS SHOULD DIRECT THE MANAGER AND INSTRUCT HER TO BE MORE VISIBLE TO THE RESIDENTS, WALK THROUGH THE BUILDING ONCE IN A WHILE AND BE MORE RECEPTIVE TO GENUINE COMPLAINTS.

-SHE DOES NOT TELL THE TRUTH WHEN ASKED QUESTIONS AT THE BOARD MEETING SAYING THAT SHE HAS WORKED OUT AN AGREEMENT ABOUT THE REFURBISHING OF THE GARAGE.

-SHE SHOULD REPORT TO THE ENTIRE BOARD WHEN A BOARD MEMBER ABUSES HIS PRIVILEDGES AND VIOLATES  HOUSE RULES..

-THE PRICE OF OUR APARTMENTS HAVE NOT INCREASED AND ARE ON THE MARKET LONGER THAN OTHER BUILDINGS AROUND.

- REPORTED SAVINGS MADE BY MANAGER HAVE COME WITH A REDUCTION OF QUALITY IN SERVICE. BI-ANNUAL UNIT INSPECTIONS ARE REDUCED TO ONCE EVERY 18 MONTHS. THE MATERIAL  LIKE THE FILTERS ARE OF POOR QUALITY AND COULD DAMAGE THE HVAC UNIT.

-THE PRESENT BOARD AND PRIOR BOARD DESERVES SOME CREDIT FOR THE TURNAROUND BUT AT WHAT COST. WE HAVE TURNED THE CORNER BUT AFTER CONDO FEE INCREASES OF 13% IN 2017 FISCAL YEAR AND 7% IN 2018. WE STILL HAVE TO PAY THE LOAN OF  $2,4M

IN 2015 THE BOARD OVERSPENT BY CLOSE TO $900,000 AND STILL SPENT MONEY.

I HAD PREDICTED THAT WE WOULD HAVE A FINANCIAL PROBLEM WHEN I SUGGESTED AN INCREASE OF 6% IN 2014 WHEN I RAN FOR THE BOARD. UNFORTUNATELY MANY RESIDENTS THOUGHT THAT I WAS A BIG SPENDER AND DID NOT VOTE FOR ME. I AM A PRUDENT SPENDER.

I BELIEVE THE ELIZABETH SHOULD LIVE WITHIN OUR MEANS, JUST AS YOU DO IN YOUR LIVES. WE CANNOT FUND EVERY PROJECTS IMMEDIATELY. AS A MEMBER MY VOTES WOULD REFLECT THIS.

I WILL ALWAYS BE AVAILABLE TO HEAR YOUR SUGGESTIONS AND COMPLAINTS AS DID WHEN I SERVED FOR 22 YEARS ON THE BOARD AS MEMBER, VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENT.

-->

MAK DEHEJIA

Good evening!

Thank you for this opportunity to introduce myself and to share with you some of the reasons why I am running for the Board and to ask not only for your support, but also to ask you to have your friends and neighbors support my candidacy.

I am Mak Dehejia. My wife and I own 1711L. After 2 years here I still don’t know why we have an L behind our unit number when no one else seems to call it that way

I want to tell you briefly why we purchased a unit in the Elizabeth, why I am running for the Board and what I have to offer to this condominium association.

First, Why the Elizabeth. I want you all to know that my wife and I consciously chose this place to be our final residence. We were first introduced to The Elizabeth through our interest in watercolor painting. So, I wrote to our watercolor instructor in Maine asking him to put us in touch any of his former students living in this area. He introduced us to a Barbara who lived here in the Elizabeth. She invited us over for cocktails when we met her husband Ed, an ex IBM executive. The 4 of us hit it off extremely well which resulted in our visiting their unit in The Elizabeth quite often. They had a beautiful unit in the 11 th tier. We liked it so much that my wife and I decided that an apartment in the 11^th tier had to be our final residence. Barbara & Ed’s unit came up for sale; we bid for it but lost. We were very disappointed. So, we asked our real estate agent to keep looking for a sale in the 11^th tier. When 1711 came to the market we instructed our realtor to make sure that we would get it. And we did!

So, my being in the Elizabeth is a deliberate and conscious choice, not something we inherited or found at a bargain sale.

Why do I wish to serve on the Board?

I have been fortunate in having the opportunity of serving on the Board filling an interim vacancy. During the past few months, participating in Board discussions, I have realized that my prior experience with management of condominiums and cooperatives, as well as my long experience in the academic and business world can be useful to the work of the Board here.

The kinds of issues we have encountered here – replacement of sliders and windows, leaking water pipes, problems with the management company, upgrading hallways and corridors, stretched financial condition, borrowing funds etc. – are what I have come across before and experienced how they have been addressed. As one popular ad for an insurance company points out: “WE KNOW A THING OR TWO BECAUSE WE’VE SEEN A THING OR TWO”

In addition to previous experience with condos and coops, I have found in my working life that my approach to problem solving stemming from my background in mathematics and physics – the practice of going down to first principles – has always stood me in good stead. I saw this at work very clearly, for example, when the Board was discussing the garage repair project. It was very easy for me to see right away that the biggest issue in estimating the project cost was the estimate of the square footage of the damaged area. When I raised that question with our consulting engineer, everyone recognized that the usual 10% contingency provision in the budget is not likely to be adequate enough.

Finally, may I say that my wife and I are very much looking forward to spending our final years in in this lovely community in an atmosphere of mutual trust, friendship and caring. In order for this to happen we must all work to restoring the trust between owners, management and the Board. In order for that to be possible we have to ensure that the fabric of the building is sound and pleasant. And, for that to happen we need to have a robust financial situation.

The Board that I have been privileged to serve has taken significant steps towards these goals.

I seek your support in allowing me to serve you all to further these goals in the coming years.

Thank you!

-->
 
STEVEN SCHATTMAN

Good Evening. I’m going to make this short and to the point, I don’t want to put anyone to sleep.

For those of you who don’t know me My name is Steven Schattman. My wife Robin and I bought our apartment here in the Elizabeth in the Fall of 1996 and moved in a few months later. I have been involved with the Association in one aspect or another for many years. I was on the original Finance committee, I was the long-time chairman of the Fitness Room committee and I have served on the Board of Directors both as an officer and a director. I did a year as Vice President and a Year as President.

Years ago, when I first ran for the Board I did so because I was angry. I felt the Board had its own agenda and had no interest in what anyone else had to say. Well, I’m angry again. The same situation exists today only its worse. The Board has little or no tolerance for opposing points of view. They are regularly discouraged and ridiculed, whenever possible they are simply ignored or suppressed. Transparency is almost nonexistent. The Board operates within a culture of secrecy. This began with the former President and continues with the current one. It is very obvious that there are issues being discussed and decided upon in Executive session that have absolutely no business being in that venue.  Maryland Condominium law is quite clear as to what can be done in Executive session. It is basically limited to two areas, employee issues and legal issues. Having the Attorney in the room and asking him a question does not make something a legal issue. This is unacceptable and needs to stop!

As owners and members of the Association you have a right to know what is going on. You also have a right to have your ideas, your thoughts and your concerns taken into account when decisions are being made. This is not happening and that is why I’m running for the Board.    

LYLE SCHWARTZ

Good evening everyone.  My wife and I moved to the Elizabeth two years ago. Besides location, we selected it as our home because residents seemed friendly and engaged. Our stay here has reinforced those impressions and we’ve begun many new friendships in this community. We’ve also learned of and shared the concerns about the fiscal health of our association and the appearance and safety considerations in the Elizabeth. I felt that by joining the Board of Directors, I could help address the challenges we faced.

I enjoyed a career that included 20 years in academia and an equal amount of time leading major science/engineering activities in the Federal government. I’ve been retired for 14 years and continue to serve as volunteer to several organizations. With this history, I brought experience to the Board including technical/computer skills; more than 25 years of condo living in Chicago and here in Friendship Heights; and many years of service on committees, boards and other management bodies. I’ve learned how to work with diverse views, arrive at informed group decisions and to publicly address groups, large and small, to help them understand and support those decisions.

During the last 10 months, while serving on the Board, I was privileged to play a significant role in transitioning from a near bankruptcy fiscal situation in 2016 to the current, much more hopeful environment. While my service on the Board has been brief, I think it had impact. Besides working directly on planning with my colleagues on the Board and our GM MaryAnn Hall, I’ve spoken publicly to owners to explain financial and Bylaw issues to address their very real concerns. I’m impressed by the progress we’ve made in this last year and want to complement both MaryAnn and my colleagues on the Board. 

My goal now is to follow through to implement plans for the ECA established over the last 10 months. These plans keep condo fees as low as prudent while delivering service to the residents through well managed operations, completion of necessary maintenance projects, accelerated loan repayment and increase of capital reserve funds to restore the fiscal integrity of our homes and investments. 

However, we have been so fully occupied with fiscal and capital improvement issues that other management needs haven’t gotten sufficient attention. Chief among them is communication. Better use of Building Link and restoration of a newsletter should be major goals for next year. A second focus should be clarifying our onsite management structure in a manual of procedures available to all owners.

Next year will be busy, with Board oversight required as the garage project proceeds, the staged hallway project initiates, and we address the budget for the next fiscal year. I look forward to participating in this process of making our shared home a better place to live and hope that you’ll give me the opportunity to serve by voting for me.

 
RHONDA TALLER

When my husband and I moved to the Elizabeth in 2015 we were not aware of the challenging financial situation, however like all owners we felt the pain of significant increases in condo maintenance fees over 3 years.  In 2016 we saw the value of a unit we owned drop significantly from the price paid in 2015.  That did not preclude us from purchasing a larger unit at the Elizabeth in a great neighborhood.

At the Elizabeth we are all part of a community who want the same thing as owners.  Our homes are our biggest investment and source of pride.  I want to commend my fellow board members for their hard work, as volunteers, and diligence to addressing our financial challenges along with our GM, MaryAnn Hall.  Along with my appointment to the Board in late 2017 I had the opportunity to chair the B&F Committee this year.  The committee reviewed the operating budget monthly while making recommendations on sources of additional income. The committee reviewed/approved an operational budget for 2018-2019 while recommending the capital budget expenditures (based on overall recommendations from the reserve study).  Thank you to the volunteers for their hard work and collective expertise ---Jeremy, Woodie, Mak, BB and Jimmy.  It was a privilege to oversee the work of this committee this year.

I am seeking a term on the Board to help ensure we continue the forward movement for policies to maintain the financial health of the building.  The Elizabeth is an older building requiring ongoing maintenance.  There are must do’s like the garage renovations.  There are projects that have been delayed such as the hallway renovations that we currently have the financial resources to undertake in a reasonable and phased approach.  There is a plan to address our debt in a sensible way too.  I bring competencies in vendor negotiations, developing and monitoring budgets and human resources management.  Most important I am interested in hearing the views of all the owners and being a voice on the Board for everyone in the great community.  Today our financial position is significantly improved over recent years and maintaining the momentum is important for all owners at the Elizabeth.  Elections matter and it would be my privilege to continue serving on the Board, if elected.  Thank you.

Closing Statement:

During my opening statement I provided everyone with my rationale for wanting to remain on the Board and the competencies I bring.  If you want to learn more about my background my statement of candidacy is available and I can answer questions at any time prior to our annual meeting in May.

I do want to reiterate a few points though I don’t want to elaborate on past decisions: like all owners we felt the pain of significant condo maintenance fee increases over 3 years since moving to the building.  I do think our current financial results show we have turned a corner at the Elizabeth with very positive news for all owners including: operating expenses under budget as of the last financial report reviewed in March; financials only contract with Gates Hudson

with $40k annual savings; $258k in renegotiated contracts; adoption of a Strategic Financial Plan and our most current audit showing $26,316 in the black vs a loss on operations in 2016 of $397,635.

We need to continue on a path forward that the current Board has set in motion with includes necessary capital improvements while balancing the need to lower our debt and being mindful of current condo maintenance fees.  The Elizabeth is a community that all owners want to be proud of.  We want a diverse Board who each brings unique skills/experience to this volunteer role.  I want to thank the owners tonight for your attention and I will stop there as it is late.

CHRISTOPHER WEMPLE

I’m Chris Wemple; my wife, Suzan Stafford and I moved to the Elizabeth in late 2016.  

          My background is that I grew up on the eastern shore of MD, then went to the US Naval Academy.  After graduation, I flew helicopters for the Navy, followed by an assignment in Naval Intelligence.   After leaving the Navy, I continued working for the government on and off while I began my education in psychology.

I earned a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Catholic University and then worked as the assistant director of a university counseling center,  maintained a private practice, and, until I retired about a year and a half ago, provided counseling , crisis intervention and consulting services to the Montgomery County Police Department.

Suzan and I had been living in a house in NW DC, and came to the Elizabeth  because we both recently retired and were ready to downsize.  We wanted stay in the area we had come to love and to be close to our adult children and our grandchildren.

When we got here, we wanted to learn more about the Elizabeth community, so we began to show up for board meetings, and quickly realized that there was a lot going on (to say the least). Clearly, the Elizabeth was going through a difficult, contentious process of major change.

The more we heard, the more worried we became; the Association’s operating budget continued to be in the red, HUD certification had been lost, there had been major flooding incidents, and the association nearly lost it’s insurance coverage.  There was a 5 million dollar outstanding loan balance.  And so on. 

It turns out that there was some good news along with all of the bad news;   we were also seeing the beginning of a financial turnaround. Toward the end of last year, the current board adopted a strategic financial plan, which it has been following, and for the first time in several years the operating budget finished in the black.

Now the Board is in a position to consider a budget that should keep us on track with a modest condo fee increase.  Our HUD certification has been restored, and we are now able to get insurance on the primary market again.

If elected, I intend to support following this course, for as long as it is in the best interest of the Association.

There are still challenges facing the Elizabeth: most importantly, we have to stay on this course to fiscal health; there are likely be unforeseen problems.  This is an old building;  but – this is our home, we have to take care of it, and make sure that the resources to do that are available,

Speaking of resources -  besides money, a vital resource for the Association is the expertise  and hours of involvement given by those members who have been willing to serve on the Board of Directors and other committees.   If you choose me to serve,  I am ready to give my time, whatever expertise I may have, along with my willingness to learn AND my willingness to do my “Due Diligence.”

Thank you.