URGENT: Upcoming Board Decision Will Affect You!

 

On September 26, 2023, I spoke with our General Manager Lee Ann Weir to understand what is involved in the Maintenance Contract that the Board will vote on Wednesday evening, September 27.   Lee Ann explained the following:

 

·      The contract is slated for a company named Tolin.  Tolin would find and interview candidates for the engineering positions for our building. (This means the new engineers would be on contract with Tolin -- not employees of The Elizabeth. It also means that once Barry Blanton leaves, we would lose our institutional memory.)

 

·       The engineers most likely would NOT live in The Elizabeth.  (This probably means that they would be here Monday through Friday during normal working hours, but be on call evenings, weekends and holidays.)

With so many problems involving water, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing, building structure, and other issues that are part of an aging building, live-on Engineers are critical, and the Chief Engineer is perhaps our most critical position.  Please consider this:

·      Water damage, not fire, is the #1 cause of high insurance claims in condominiums.  In emergencies, response-time is critical to prevent serious damage.

·      Outside contractors mean delays in attending to critical situations. If water is pouring into an apartment, every second counts. In 30 minutes, a flood on a higher floor can wreak havoc, affecting neighboring units on the same floor and on the floors below, including the common areas. 

·      Such water damage can easily result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in insurance claims, including loss of insurance, as The Elizabeth experienced a few years ago.

·      If contract engineers are only here Mon-Fri, what happens in the evenings, on weekend, and holidays when a flood occurs? 

o   Even assuming they will respond to calls, and they can get here in 30 minutes, how much water damage will be done in 30 minutes? 

o   How many of our residents know where the water turn-offs are in their unit? 

o   Even if we explain where the cut-offs are, how many are able to get down on their hands and knees to turn off the water?
 

o   Will those with arthritic or weak hands be able to turn the knobs?

o   What about flooding that originates in an apartment whose owners are away?

 It is important to point out that not only does this position require a license, it requires a Class I Stationary Engineer License because of the size of our largest chiller. Barry Blanton has a Class I license. Breach of these requirements can result in fines and jail time. (This requirement cannot be waived.)  Refer to FAQs on Maryland Department of Labor website at https://www.dllr.state.md.us/license/stateng/statenggenlfaqs.shtml (Questions 6, 7, and 8) 

 

Please feel free to share this blogpost with others in the building who may not receive this.

Mosquitoes—Are You Getting Bitten?

 

 

Recently I stood outside the front door here at The Elizabeth and got several mosquito bites on my ankles and legs. Have you noticed that our night time concierge covers up not only his arms but also his head?  While opening the front doors allows mosquitoes to fly into the lobby, with the large gap between the doors, mosquitoes can get in regardless.

 

Many of the mosquitoes in our area bite all day and some of them are known to carry Zika and Dengue Fever. https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/mosquito/species.html

 

We need the exterminator to treat the outside flower beds as well as our lobby and garage now. This problem typically persists until the first frost which might happen in October.

 

Do your part and let our Board of Directors know you want the mosquito problem addressed now. After all, we pay high condo fees and deserve quality service to ensure we are not plagued by rodents or insects like roaches, spiders, and mosquitoes.

 

Karren Alenier

 

Important ECA Personnel Issue: Chief Engineer Position

 

Maintenance Technician Vacancy

Many residents are concerned about the inability of Elizabeth to fill the Maintenance Technician for almost a year, a position which does not require any certification or licensing.  They are asking:

·       What steps has management taken to fill this position, and what were the results?

·       Were ads placed, and if so, where and how often, and with what results? 

·       What organizations were contacted in a search for applicants? 

 

According to the Maryland Condominium Act, the only personnel matters that may be held in closed session are discussions pertaining to individual employees and personnel, such as those regarding performance and disciplinary matters.  General personnel matters, such as recruiting and related activities, to include advertising can be discussed in open session. 

 

Chief Engineer Retirement

More concerning is that our Chief Engineer Barry Blanton will be leaving by the end of the year.  With so many problems involving water, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing, building structure, and other issues that are part of an aging building, the Chief Engineer is perhaps our most critical position. 

 

Not only does this position require a license, it requires a Class I Stationary Engineer License, which Barry has, because our plant includes a 600 HP chiller. (See Section 6.5-302 of the Maryland Stationary Engineers Act.)  Breach of these requirements can result in fines, jail time, etc. (See Section 6.5-401 of this Act)

 

Barry is also our institutional memory, and as such, his loss will be significant.  An overlap with the new Chief Engineer for a minimum of one month is essential.  With less than 6 months before he leaves, residents are asking:

·      What steps management has taken to fill behind Barry and provide for an overlap with his replacement?

 

Live-On Engineers

While some may think that having a contract for engineering support is an acceptable substitute to live-on engineers, that simply is not the case. 

·       Water damage, not fire, is the #1 cause of high insurance claims in condominiums.  In emergencies, response-time is critical to preventing serious damage. 

·       Non-resident engineers (to include those on contract) could take an hour or more to arrive at the Elizabeth, especially in inclement weather.  In 30 minutes, a flood on a higher floor can wreak havoc, affecting neighboring units on the same floor and on floors below, including the common areas as well.  

·       Such water damage can easily result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in insurance claims, including loss of insurance, as the Elizabeth experienced only a few years ago.  Let’s learn from the past and not repeat history.

 

Also, how many of our residents know where the water turn-offs are in their unit?  Even if we explain where the water cut-offs are, how many would be able to get down on their hands and knees to turn off the water in an emergency?  How many would even have the strength in their hands to turn the turn-off knob? And what about apartments where the residents are away?

 

Please feel free to share this blog with those who do not receive it and invite those who wish to receive it to send me their email address at Karren@Alenir.com.

 

Window Shaking During Violent Storm?

 One of our neighbors living on an upper floor experienced extreme shaking of her window during a particularly violent storm. She was so frightened by this experience, she decided she had to move her furniture away from that window for fear the window would fall.

 

Has anyone else had this experience? Please let me know or go directly to our management office and Board. It's important to let management and the Board know about such incidents so that preventative measures can be taken.

Highlights of ECA Board Meeting January 25, 2023

 Board Present: Joe Bucherer (president), Karen Bues, Bianca Coles, Francine Klein, Elisa Siegel, Jeremy Siegfried, Christopher Wemple

 

Others Present: Richard Springer, former General Manager; Jeremy Tucker (ECA Legal Counsel, Lerch Early & Brewer), Leeanne Weir (incoming General Manager as of Feb 1, 2023)

 

Friendship Heights Village News

Friendship Heights Village (FHV) purchased the “Red House” 4608 North Park Avenue (across from the Elizabeth) September 2022 and currently is running a survey until February 3 to see how the community thinks  the building should be used. To take the survey use this link: https://friendshipheights.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cUfcqmw2fsmFxqe (Find the survey on the FHVC website under ‘What’s New” / Red House Survey.

 

Try adding this suggestion for how to use the Red House: Create an Activity Room for children, teens and adults that has a ping pong table, pool table, board games.

 

President’s Report

The President kept his remarks short due to time set aside to discuss proposed House Rules.

—Next big project: Elevator renovation. Timeframe to start spring or summer 2023 and will run for one year. Very disruptive but necessary project.

—Replacement of the 50 year old boilers

—Why there was no hot water at the new year: the igniters failed.

—Storage: last chance to claim your things that are illegally in our common storage areas before they are disposed  of. Check with Management office for deadline and access.

—Security Audit by Montgomery County Police: done January 6. Meeting set for February 22 to hear recommendations.

—Upcoming events:

·      April 13—Townhall on Budget

·      April 26—Final Budget

 

 

Discussion of proposed House Rules

 

Over 50 people attended this monthly Board meeting and many residents spoke about the proposed house rules which were written by a committee led by Board member Francine Klein. Many non-committee members attended the open meetings, and many meetings were attended by Board president Joe Bucherer and then General Manager Richard Springer. While many people asked for a townhall meeting on this subject, the Board felt that the public nature of the committee meetings were adequate and that the two hours spent in this Board meeting with resident and Board discussions were additionally adequate coverage.

 

With a couple of points added to the proposed House Rules, this document was unanimously passed. There was some discussion that certain features of the House Rules, particularly pertaining to use of the West Lobby, might be reviewed in six months as to their acceptability to the overall community. Jeremy Tucker commented that the Board should keep an open mind if infractions of the Rules yield abuse that change to the House Rules might be in order.

 

The Board had no interest in editing the document for clarity and conciseness. The Board president said it would be up to the General Manager to carry out enforcement of the rules. One particularly disturbing incident reported at this meeting that points out how our rules are not enforced involved two large dogs living in the building, one of which lunged at the throat of one of our resident owners. Was this dog banished from our building? No, the dog now wears a muzzle.

 

The discussion of the New House Rules raises many questions. For example:

—What is the definition of a large dog?

—How many residents have more than one dog?

—What does the Board plan to instruct the General Manager to do with infractions of House Rules?

 

 

 

Zoom Link to Attend House Rules Discussion at Board Meeting Jan 25!

 I am posting the Zoom link for Board Meeting tonight January 25, 2023 because this is one meeting you should not miss. 

The Elizabeth Condominium Association, Inc.

    Board of Directors’ Meeting

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

6:30 p.m.

 

(Please Plan to Dial in 10 Minutes Before as  Meeting Will Begin Promptly at 6:30 PM)

 

Via Zoom

https://zoom.us/j/7648353586?pwd=c3RWOTZVeTBxcVZ3WlJxSGlHdHJ2Zz09

 

Meeting ID: 764 835 3586     Passcode: Lm5hmS
or

(301) 715-8592

Meeting ID: 764 835 3586   Passcode: 044470

Points to Consider about House Rule Changes

 

 

DOCUMENT REQUIRES LINE EDITING. The proposed ECA House Rules need thorough editing to eliminate redundancy and to establish clarity. Common sense informs us that no one will read a document that does not get straight to the point. This document needs to be part of the package presented to prospective buyers and renters BEFORE they decide to invest time and money here.

 

DOCUMENT REQUIRES A LEGAL REVIEW.

·      Has our legal counsel Jeremy Tucker read the proposed ECA House Rules? If he has, does he approve of this document?

·      I think we are opening ourselves up to lawsuits by allowing children and teens to “play” in our common areas. What is our potential liability for opening our common areas for “play”?

·      Who is going to serve as “lifeguard” to remind them not to run in these areas and to treat our furniture with care?

·      While people who are resident owners may treat lobby furniture and decorations with care, we cannot depend on renters to do the same. Many people, including some owners, may think of this property as a hotel where there is 24/7 cleanup staff.

 

EXPANDED USE OF COMMON AREAS

·      This will cause more wear and tear on our furniture and decorations as well as the physical plant (walls, floors, etc.).

·      This will accelerate renovation schedules and ultimately increase our condo fees.

·      Food in the West Lobby and on the terraces will invite rodents to our property. Rodents are naturally in our community already, but do we want to see them on a regular basis?

·      I’m in favor of Association sponsored events where supervision provides an element of preservation and careful use.

 

NOISE ISSUES. Expanded use of common areas will increase the level of noise and reduce the quality of life at the Elizabeth. It’s guaranteed that more residents will complain putting more stress on staff and Board members. Association sponsored events are more egalitarian and will cause less complaining.

 

BALCONIES. Inviting any kind of birds, including hummingbirds, to our balconies is an invitation to other pests, including bats, rats, and stinging insects.

 

PETS

·      Pets should not be allowed in our West Lobby.

·      Furthermore, it is time that Board enforce pet rules established in our Bylaws and be clear about the definition of one small dog. Keeping the building clean is a huge issue since we constantly have dog waste in all our common areas, especially elevators, that the pet owners do not clean up.

·      To avoid this problem, House Rules can be modified to require owners to carry their dogs in the elevators and throughout the common areas.  This was in our House Rules for many years from the time the Elizabeth opened its doors.  It had the added benefit of assuring that dogs met the requirement in the bylaws to be “small” and “orderly.”  If they can be carried, they are small.  And dogs that are carried are unlikely to urinate or defecate on their owners.

 

ENFORCEMENT OF OUR BYLAWS AND HOUSE RULES

·      Enforcement of Bylaws and House Rules is currently weak and indicates that if House Rules are more complicated that more infractions will occur and cause more contention among the residents.

·      In turn this will put more stress on the staff and on the Board who are tasked with upholding the Articles, Bylaws, and House Rules.

·      Furthermore, most of the infractions against our Bylaws and House Rules occur after the Management Office is closed at 5 pm as well as on weekends and holidays. Therefore, clean up and damage are not attended to promptly. Do we expect to hire more staff as if we were a hotel to manage these problems?