Fire Code Violation

Have you noticed that no one is taking care of the building and the problems are escalating?

Yes, there are plenty of small things like the elevator pads hanging in car 4 of the West Tower  for several days, dog pee on the elevator floor, and some kind of noxious spray defacing the brass and stainless steel panels that control what floor you select in both the garage elevators and the West Tower Elevators, as well as the metal plates on each floor where you call the elevators.

However, for many days, in stairwell A, the gate between floors 1 and 2 is broken now and can no longer be opened by applying pressure on the horizontal bar. Needless to say, that if we have a fire or some other emergency requiring that we evacuate the building, this would prevent an orderly exit.

There is no excuse for not sending our engineer on duty to fix this gate or to bring in a contractor. This is a fire code violation and our safety is in jeopardy.

On May 23^rd I sent a message to the entire Board, our General Manager, and our Assistant GM. I have not gotten a response.

The only thing that makes a difference is when people write in large numbers to the Board or speak up at the monthly meetings.  I have said it before but I will say it again, we need a new General Manager who wants to do what the job requires.

Need Action on Clearing Condensate Lines BEFORE Leaks Occur

I am concerned about the prospect of a humid summer and the leaks that happen when the condensate lines above my apartment are not cleared.

The condensate lines are associated with the HVACs systems in every apartment.

After receiving the notice that residents could optionally ask for their filters to be changed and at that time condensate lines would be treated, I wrote to the Board with copies sent to our General Manage to strongly suggest that treating the condensate lines be a mandatory action for every apartment and that action be taken now before the humidity becomes acute. Why? Because it will save the Association unnecessary costs and staff time related to damaged walls and floors from leaks.

Last year, my apartment had a series of leaks from clogged condensate lines above me and my apartment was in disarray for 2 months.

So, I wrote to the Board on May 19 and got a prompt reply from our Board president Lyle Schwartz saying “thanks for copying management. I’ll leave the response to MaryAnn.”

On May 21, after not getting any response from the GM, I wrote to the Board president and Board and copied management, the following:

“Has MaryAnn reported to you about the issues I raised regarding comprehensive clearing of condensate lines” and did he consider this appropriate response time from the General Manager?”

Lyle Schwartz answered me quickly that day, “The issues have been referred to management. Please direct your further questions on these subjects to her.”

In the recent past, Lyle has asked that problems be addressed to him before escalating the issue. However, as Board president of the Elizabeth, he represents Association members and he is our General Manager’s supervisor. As such, he needs to follow up with the general manager.

Today at close of business May 22, there has been no response from MaryAnn Hall. This is typical of Ms. Hall’s behavior. We need a general manager who is not only responsive to such issues but one who will take a genuine interest in maintaining our building.

Alert: Budget Item pertaining to future management

ATTENTION please: Budget Proposal re: management  will cost us dearly

Buried on page 8 of the 11 page budget document, under the heading “2. Staff Succession Planning,” is a proposal for an increase of $70,000 to hire an understudy for the current GM in the event of her retirement. 

Please review the budget documents carefully. The case is made for hiring a second Assistant General Manager or Associate General Manager, using the following justification:   

1.     Failed attempts to hire a part-time clerical temp.

2.     Concerns about adequate personnel during the garage project which is scheduled to be completed in July 2020, and which has a Project Manager who is not our current General Manager.

3.     To plan “for the eventual retirement of the GM” for which “no firm decisions have been made.”

The Board should consider the following:

1.     No one hires a trainee for an executive position.  A qualified General Manager should have at a minimum 10 years of property management experience, excellent oral and written skills, supervisory experience, and financial management, etc. Why would such an individual sign on to be an understudy? Elizabeth condominium bylaws, policies, and House Rules are available in written documents.

2.     Is it appropriate to hire support staff when a new General Manager is needed?  It is the responsibility of a NEW General Manager to ensure he/she has the support staff required to make his/her management successful.   Our current AGM, Engineers, and Maintenance Staff will provide the necessary continuity and institutional memory during the GM recruitment, transition, and orientation process.  They have as much, if not more, experience at The Elizabeth than our current GM.

3.     Let’s face it: salary determines the caliber of applicants, applicants who are experienced professionals. 4620 advertised for a General Manager in March, with a  salary range of $120,000 - $135,000.  What kind of a person will we get—One who is willing to wait indefinitely for the GM position,  perhaps at a higher salary if and when the position comes open?

4.     A good executive search firm charges approximately 30% of hiring salary and usually provides one replacement  if their candidate does not work out during the first year.

5.     Do we want a clone of our current General Manager? Please consider the following:

a.     Many owners are dissatisfied.

b.     The building looks shabby and poorly maintained, inside and out.  

c.     Excessive absenteeism – sick days, late days, etc. occurring prior to coronavirus work-at-home schedule.

d.     Poor customer service skills—does not respond to phone calls and emails in a timely fashion.

e.     Does not walk the building.

f.      Supervisory skills leave much to be desired.  Often publicly criticizes staff or blames them, frequently failing to accept responsibility.

g.     Does not enforce the bylaws and House Rules. We now have several apartments which have multiple and/or large dogs, in violation of bylaws, House Rules and policies, as well as bicycles and furniture frequently moving through front lobby, and more. 

Consider attending the virtual Town Hall meeting by Zoom on May 13 at 7pm. Whether you intend to attend the meeting or not, please let the Board know how you feel about this matter.

lyle.schwartz2@verizon.net

mdehejia@gmail.com

fkklein@verizon.net

siegel.ek@gmail.com

cwemple@verizon.net

whalen.james48@gmail.com

zbeca33@yahoo.com

We need to raise our voices before it is too late.

Summary of ECA Board Meeting April 22, 2020

Board Present: Lyle Schwartz (president), Zlatan Beca, Makarand (Mak) Dehejia, Francine Klein, Christopher Wemple, Jimmy Whalen

Board Absent: Elisa Siegel

Others Present: General Manager MaryAnn Hall, Jeremy Tucker (ECA Legal Counsel, Lerch Early & Brewer)

This meeting held on the Zoom Platform, using Lyle Schwartz’s personal subscription.  Given the anxiety around whether uninvited parties might appear to disrupt the meeting (known as Zoom bombing), the meeting ran smoothly without incident. It was, however, annoying that the link to this meeting was not sent to Association members in an email message. Instead, the link, which is a long combination of letters and numbers, was displayed in the elevators and then hidden under an erroneous date on BuildingLink. Finally late in the afternoon, I learned what the link was and sent it around to those who subscribe to this blog. Just over 30 people participated in the meeting. Needless to say it did not make it easy for people to participate.

If Zoom is to be used in the future, the Elizabeth should buy into the service and someone who does not sit on the Board should moderate who comes into the meeting and should make sure that participants keep their mics muted unless they are recognized to speak.

Supporting documents for this meeting were delivered late to Association members via email. There was no management report, which I find quite troubling. Our general manager and her assistant were given new laptops so they could work offsite in the safety of their homes.  

Highlights of the meeting:

—Annual election of Board members: The election as part of the Annual Meeting of Association Members has been postponed until September. Voting will be by proxy ballot. No decision has been made for how these ballots should be tallied. At this time, the four Board positions only have four candidates and those four candidates are sitting Board members. The call for candidates is closed. So now if someone wishes to run for a Board position, he/she must encourage Association members to write in his/her name.

Garage Project: The project is on schedule and in the 6^th of 12 two-week phases underway. Insurance claims were filed that two car were damaged by CPR agents working above cars that were supposed to be protected by a plastic sheeting cover. In the last group of cars slated for this work which involves spraying a corrosion preventive coating on spots where repairs were made, residents were offered a limited opportunity to move their vehicles to spaces owned by Charles Bressler. Bressler generously offered without cost what limited spaces he had available to those who did not want to risk damage to their cars.

Additional garage repair work: The General Manage described newly identified areas, such as the entrance to the residents’ garage and a sump pump that need repair. Mary Ann Hall said she would prefer to use CPR to do the work since they already know the constraints of The Elizabeth property. The question is why not put this work out for bid and possibly find a better price and a firm that will better stick to the established schedule?

Renewal of Insurance: The Board approved the insurance renewal from May 15, 2020 through May 14, 2021.

Emergency Radio Antennas: Waiting for revised proposals from two vendors for installation of these antennas. This work does not have high priority for condos (premium clients are hospitals, fire and police installations) and will be delayed until the next fiscal year.

Hazzard Pay for Contract Staff: This question was addressed in executive session and it was decided to give gift cards as a thank you and to avoid issues with tax implications.

False Alarms and Better Notification: The question was raised about using the notification system built into BuildingLink for notifying residents when there is a false alarm. During this time when we need to use social distance, sending people into the stairwells and streets does not help us maintain social distance nor does it accommodate the prep necessary (donning masks and gloves) during an emergency evacuation. How long would it take people to return to their apartments after the evacuation if only one person or one family can use an elevator at one  time?

Newsletter: Gary Costello and Gwen Mak have resigned from the newsletter committee. New volunteers are needed to lead this effort. Costello suggested that the General Manager take on this project. Thanks to these two good Elizabethans for carrying these duties for two years.

Budget Town Hall: The Budget & Finance Committee will hold a virtual town hall in early May. Draft budget documents were sent out for this monthly meeting.

---

 [PP1]Be careful here. During the meeting Lyle solicited comments from attendees.  I think this statement that he did not want participation may look like a personal attack.

Summary of ECA Board Meeting February 26, 2020

Board Present: Lyle Schwartz (president), Zlatan Beca, Makarand (Mak) Dehejia, Elisa Siegel, Christopher Wemple, Jimmy Whalen

Others Present: General Manager MaryAnn Hall, Jeremy Tucker (ECA Legal Counsel, Lerch Early & Brewer)

This meeting was a teleconference.  Despite misgivings by the Board president, it ran efficiently and well.

Highlights of the meeting:

President’s Remarks:

—Good Samaritan among us: Tobi Esler reported that she responded to Gwen Mak who made an offer via BuildingLink to fill grocery orders for anyone who needs help Toby said it was a ray of sunshine.

Text is quickest: 7032820477
Email: gwenmak@gmail.com

—Upcoming Board Meetings: could be teleconference or audio/video conferencing.

—Garage Work: continues on schedule

—Emergency Radio Antennae for police and fire communications: Waiting for revised proposals from two vendors under consideration. This will cost about $200,000.

—Hall Renovation: planning with Hartman Group still ongoing. Expect a final design package in next few months. Owners will be able to understand what is happening via audio/video teleconference.

---Reserve Study.  In the process of getting a revised Reserve Study, a best practice in condos every 3-5 years to project reserves.   The Study report provides a comprehensive architectural and engineering review of the entire property, projects the useful life of the boiler, elevator, roof and other components, as well as the cost to repair and/or replace them and the amount of money to be set aside each year to meet that cost.  According to industry standards, condominiums should maintain a balance in the Reserve Fund of 10% - 20% of the total component replacement value, more on the higher end for older buildings.  The total value of components in the Elizabeth as of the last study was $17 -18 million.

Motions:

Contract with Gates Hudson:  Board unanimously approved for another year on the advice of our legal counsel Jeremy Tucker. This includes help with financial data and we can cancel after a-60 day notice.  The main complaint involves delinquencies. Tucker said there is no perfect management company. He pointed out that performance has increased dramatically in the past year, there is a risk associated with changing to a new management company, and this is not a good time to try another company in the middle of  the pandemic Coronavirus.

Increase Funding in Replacement Reserves:  Board unanimously approved moving additional funds from checking account to the replacement reserves while we had the money to do so. This will cover the unexpected expense of the emergency radio antennae for police and fire communications within our building

— Annual Meeting:  Board unanimously approved postponing the annual meeting to a date to be determined and in a second motion and action to keep the candidate election on the current schedule.

Management Report:

For an electronic copy, contact the management office at  ecamanagement@elizabethcondo.com

—GM and assistant GM will work remotely from home part time. They have been issued laptops.

—Garage Project in Part II (Coating and painting) fourth of twelve two-week phases.

—Covid19 Status: no one currently has the virus in the building that is known.

—Reduced hours for cleaning staff: won’t be collecting recycle daily.

—Ceiling Tiles in Pool: will be replaced during this period when the pool is closed.

—Brass and Marble: Odyssey Restoration will continue working to restore the marble floors.

I reported these concerns to our Board President:

—Dust from garage needs better ventilation. I am suffering allergic reaction on a daily basis. When the coating is done, the noxious fumes also increase my allergic symptoms.

—Traffic pattern in garage is most challenging yet. It require one-way traffic through a path with 2 turns. Board president says nothing can be done about this, but I am concerned that this will cause collisions, damage to cars, and increased anxiety and aggravation to those required to drive through this maze

—Infrequent removal of recycle from the floors: Residents need to be reminded to wash out containers to avoid insects and bad odors. My floor typically has overflowing bins, so I am not in favor of housekeeping neglecting this chore.

Other Comment:

Request for contractors working in private apartments: Keep six-foot social distance from residents, especially those exiting the elevator.

Dear Elizabethans,

There is a budget meeting today. It will be online:

B&F meeting, Mon. 3/23 at 6:30 pm

 Conference dial-in number: 301-907-2801
 Conference ID: 5
Conference password:   305018





The same call-in info will work for the Monthly Board meeting at 7:30 pm on Wednesday  3/25.


Hopefully, the Management Office will get BuildingLink updated with this info.


Today I saw that there were two trucks working on cleaning our sewers today. At least that is what I am guessing after reading what was written on the truck seen on the right. The other truck was passing a hose down an open manhole.

 Let me know if you have issues you want to discuss, particularly as they concern our well being here at the Elizabeth. Email me at 
karrenalenier  @  gmail.com.
      

Summary of ECA Board Meeting February 26, 2020

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 17^th and 18^th 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:

Request Description: The top step in the pool, (step not the ladders) is loose. It is dangerous. Going down the steps the left side (water side) is not attached to anything. It is dangerous, because only the other side is attached. The plank somehow has shifted and it is about an inch away from the bolts The plank moves when someone steps on it. It has been this way since the pool was worked on but this morning the plank moves more. Someone can fall, or the plank could come off completely (I guess) when someone steps on it. I spoke to the life guard to warn swimmers as well as call the concierge’s desk to report it.

Submitted by: Daniel Kasprzyk - Kasprzyk on 3/7/20 12:44 PM