Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Review Process: Part two June 20,2016

Presentation by Folake Fabunmi; Mark Day, Connie Row, of the Budget and Finance Committee

 

The B & F committee has met frequently and, working with management, have identified some areas of multi-year savings, and have now reduced the recommended condo fee increase from 15% to 13%. The savings (over $100,000 per year) come from renegotiated or new contracts with service providers. Stephanie Deodes explained that the services were not cut, and in fact, would be the same or in many cases, better.

 

Nevertheless, as the committee dug deep into the numbers it became clear to them that we are in a transition year, a perfect storm as a result of deferred maintenance, rising costs from every day operation of the building, major repair and replacement projects, increased insurance expenses and the need to budget for the large deductible imposed by the insurance company. The premiums increased 250% and the deductible increased 400%.

 

The Elizabeth is largely dependent on condo fees to cover the costs of running and maintaining the building. The good news, as reported by Stephanie Deodes, General Manager, is that the windows, doors, and balconies are done, phase two of the fire safety improvements are completed, the elevator work, and the new contracts are for two years, allowing for greater stability and predictability in expenses. The ePipe project is set to begin and will be completed in 2017 which will fix the pin-hole leaks in the domestic hot and cold water pipes. New cut off valves will be installed simultaneously so that unit residents and building engineers can shut off the water quickly. Many of the deferred maintenance items will be done, including clearing the air conditioning condensate lines and the lint lines. We will then be moving to a phase of preventative maintenance rather than deferred maintenance. Will have a new reserve study by November 2016 which will help guide the budget process for the coming year. The reserve fund will be robust.

 

Still, the reality is that we have increased insurance premiums for about 3 years, we have to repay the $5M loan for the windows and doors and we ARE living in an older building. The committee and management will continue to look for ways to economize, various ways of financing, and ways to increase revenue.

Thanks to Jackie Lapidus for these notes.

 

Summary of the ECA Board Meeting May 24, 2016

Board Present: Sharon Bobb, Patricia Batey, Clifford Cohen, Mark Day, Peg Downey, Jim Jones, Constance Row

Others Present: ECA General Manager Stephanie Deoudes, Gates Hudson Vice President of Operations Larry Hirschman, ECA Legal Counsel Jeremy Tucker, Robin Manougian, Manougian Insurance Broker

Here are highlights of this board meeting:

President’s Report

—Welcome to new ECA Board directors Mark Day and Constance Row.

—Introduction of newly hired assistant engineer Martin Seranno who will live on the property.

—2016-2017 Committee Chairs:

Budget & Finance: Pat Peyser & Folake Fabunmi

Conversations with the Board: Cliff Cohen

Design: Peg Downey

Fitness: Cliff Cohen

Landscape: vacant

Library: Stephanie Olshan

Making a Difference: vacant

Newsletter: Jackie Lapidus

Social: vacant

Website: Pat Batey

Report from ECA Legal Counsel

—Audit report will be uploaded to BuildingLink as soon as it is finalized.

 —Final proposal from EPipe received for approval. The EPipe project is a capital reserve expenditure and the project must start June 15 to comply with stipulations in the new insurance coverage.

Budget Committee Report

—Insurance costs tripled this year.

—Insurance deductible quadrupled this year.

—Need to fund Contingency Fund.

—Need to start paying off the windows & balcony doors loan.

—EPipe project will cost $2.5 million and will be 50 weeks in duration.

Budget Committee recommends a 15% increase in condo fees.

New proposed budget will be sent to owners for a 30-day comment period.

Comments from Robin Manougian

—Our current insurance coverage is dependent on initiating the repair of our pipes. Project must start in June 15 without fail.

—Owners need to remain vigilant for any leaks in their units and take these precautions: do not leave home with water running (washer, dishwasher, faucets, etc.) and be extra cautious about what you put in toilets and garbage disposals.

—Owners must carry own policies.

—Call Robin Manougian if you have questions.

Management Report

Our new general manager has been hard at work in many areas of maintaining our building from our major systems to landscaping. See the separate blog post that details that work. 

Comments from Association Members

Community Living & Courtesy:

—People need to stop parking in the circular driveway and blocking our community bus. Displacement of the bus dropping riders at the front door is especially hard on folks with mobility issues.

—Dog owners need to take responsibility for cleaning up after their pets.

When will condo increase occur?

—Most likely August 1, 2016.

When will the insurance costs get back to normal?

—In about three years.

Association Members need a tutorial on how the Budget Committee and Board will be cutting costs.

Landscape Committee Report

Landscaping Improvements:

—Jim Rich was instrumental in identifying new landscaping contractor. ECA General Manager Stephanie Deoudes carried out management of plantings resulting in lots of improvements at a reasonably low cost.

ECA Management Report Presented at the May 24, 2016 Board Meeting

What follows is the Management Report from our General Manager to the Board of Directors. Because there were so many things accomplished, I think it is better to see this report as presented at the May 24, 2016 meeting.

MEMORANDUM

TO:            Board of Directors

FROM:       Stephanie Deoudes, General Manager

RE:             Management Report

DATE:       May 19, 2016

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Major Systems:

·      Both boilers are tuned and are now operating well;

·      

    The Cooling Tower is on – maintenance is needed and will be done in the next few weeks;

·      

    Roof exhaust fans (that serve kitchens and bathrooms) have been checked and maintenance performed;

·      

    Roof dryer vents will be checked and maintained, next week.

Plumbing Back-ups:

·      In an effort to prevent building plumbing back-ups 4 building drain lines have been cleared at the lowest level, to the street main;  Additional tiers will follow to ensure that the building lines are clear. 

Restoration of Water Damaged Units Continues.

·      Several more units have been restored – only about 4 remain.

Bi-Annual Filter Change will start soon:

·      Service will include check of AC and heat system drain lines, faucets, commodes, smoke detectors.  Notice to all will be issued next week.  

Phase 2 of Fire System Upgrade:

·      Garage upgrades have been completed;

·      

    Core drilling to bring a line to all floors will be run next week;

·      

    Work in hallways will follow with addition of “horns” and lowering of pull stations per fire code and ADA code;

·      

     Repairs of wallpaper and paint of these areas will be done as the work is completed, floor by floor.

Elevator Code Upgrades have been completed.

·      Otis Elevator Company has notified the Inspectors Office that code

violations have been cured and has requested re-inspection.  Certificates will be issued once that inspection has been done.

Fitness Center & Pool:

·      Fitness Equipment was serviced/repaired;

·      

     A new water Cooler for the Pool was installed;

·      

     Thermostat and pneumatic valves have been ordered for the pool.

Guest Parking:

·      A new Entry Device is installed

Arcade: 

·      Painting has begun in the Arcade

Lobby Marble and Brass Maintenance:

·      Will begin next week

Landscaping:

·      Front of building clean-up of planters and flowers was done;

·      

    New flowers were installed, planter bed soil was elevated;

·      

    Existing plants were rearranged to fill in places that were bare;

·      

     Some plants in the circle and hedges at the trash loading dock planter did not make it over the winter.  The hedges were replaced.

Building Interior Doors:

Some doors have been repaired, more are scheduled for repair.  After so many years of use, these heavy doors need adjustment.  Some have been repaired many times and new hinges and placement is needed as the existing has worn openings too large for the doors to hang flush, others need hardware and adjustment.  Please know we are working on this – it sometimes takes several tries.

Contracts and Services:

I have spent a lot of time this month going over your contracts, reviewing services stated in those contracts and noting the quality of service actually provided.  My review revealed services not needed, services not provided or not up to standard, duplicate services by several contractors.  Changes have taken place.  There are no more duplicate services or service providers.  You have excellent contractors providing necessary service. This change will result in accountability, tracking and reporting of services performed and proper maintenance, inspections and certifications done in a timely manner.

Staff News:

Barry Blanton, Chief Engineer, is now living on-site.                             

Martin, Serrano, Assistant Engineer, will begin work Monday, May 23^rd and will soon be living on-site, as well.

Terrace Clean-up and Lighting Restoration:

·      After many years with no lighting, the failed electrical feeds to the terrace at the Party Room and West Lobby have been repaired. They are now ready for you and your families and guests to enjoy. 

·      Weather permitting, we will enjoy wine and cheese on the West Terrace 

prior to the May 24^th Board Meeting.