Summary of ECA Board Meeting February 26, 2019

Board Present: Zlatan Beca, Makarand (Mak) 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 Jeremy Powell, CPA, Goldklang Group

Highlights of the meeting:

Yearly Audit Report

Jeremy Powell of the Goldklang Group presented the completed report saying that despite our loan debt, the Elizabeth is remarkably in good financial shape given our dire situation two years ago. We have adequate financial cushion in our operating funds.

President’s Report

·      He noted the passing of two Elizabeth neighbors: Helen Huntley and Arnold Kutzmak.

·      He urged Association members to keep in mind that the annual election will take place in May and that we should participate in that election at minimum by attending the meeting or voting a proxy.

Management Report

·      Garage Project

o   The last two phases of the project have required fewer repairs, which is good news.

o   The General Manager will try to arrange for an in-person report on the status of the project from one of contractors for next the Board meeting.

·      West Lobby

o   ServPro has completed its work and there is no mold.

o   Work to restore the lobby and the moldings is ongoing and should be completed by February 28, 2019.

·      Noise

As stated in the last meeting summary, noise that had been occurring for years with intermittent loudness in tiers 10 and 01 has been resolved by an expert from Thomas Downey Limited. What had not been stated is that minor plumbing issues in an apartment on the East Side were fixed and that was what allowed the noise problems to be resolved on the West Side.

Motions

·      Loan—motion to approve an additional payment of $75,000 for pay down of the loan was approved unanimously.

·      New Version of Employee Handbook—except for one modification, the new version of the employee handbook that was done by Rhonda Taller was approved unanimously.

·      No Smoking Amendment—Board voted to send it to the Association members after our legal counsel puts the package together. Vote of the Association will be accepted in the management office and at the annual meeting.

·      Merv Filters—additional information required the motion to be delayed until the March meeting.

Summary of ECA Board Meeting February 7, 2019

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

Absent: Rhonda Taller

Others Present: ECA General Manager MaryAnn Hall, Assistant Manager Romaine Cureton, and Jeremy Tucker (ECA Legal Counsel, Lerch Early & Brewer

Highlights of the meeting:

Management Report

·      Garage Project

o   The budget for this project has been exceeded by 20% with no cap yet declared. The work on G-1 is taking less time (so less expensive), but the work on G-4 is taking more time (more expensive).

o   In November, the estimated completion date was the end of August but now the contractor is not giving us a projection of cost or completion. 
See Comment below from Lyle Schwartz.  The info above on the garage project was taking from the management report.

·      Plumbing

o   In mid-January, a major backup problem occurred in the 14^th and 15^th tiers due blockage in the pipes from broken snakes (a.k.a. auger,  implement used to clear blockages) and other debris.

o   Also in January, O’Connor Plumbing cut into a hot-water pipe and caused flooding on the 9^th and 10^th floors as well as shorting out the fire alarm which blasted for 90 minutes.

o   In early February, a makeshift conduit for hot water which was an attempt by a past building engineer to bring more heat to the concierge desk burst shorting out the fire alarm again and dumping a considerable amount of hot water in parts of the west lobby and the west elevator lobby.

·      Noise

Noise that had been occurring for years with intermittent loudness in tiers 10 and 01 has been resolved in a common sense solution as advised by an expert from Thomas Downey Limited.

·      New Concierge Service

The Jeffrey Scott Concierge service began working in the Elizabeth on January 1, 2019.

·      Fire Evacuation Maps

The new fire evacuation maps need to be redone because they do not accurately identify the building layout. One resident suggested the Board and Fire Committee look at the easy-to-read fire evacuation maps in the nearby Marriott Courtyard which are much smaller and produced on aesthetically pleasing and durable brushed stainless steel.

Loan

Motion to approve an additional payment of $75,000 for pay down of the loan was withdrawn. At this time, we will continue the payments as scheduled.

Employee Handbook

        The motion to approve the employee handbook was tabled pending further consideration.

Rental Unit

         Approval of lease renewal on Unit 10 was tabled. Approved lease renewal with 6 votes in favor.


2-13-19 Comment on the garage project from Lyle Schwartz:

The current actual expenditures are at ~50% of budgeted (with contingency), but projections do suggest that the final total will significantly exceed that amount.
 
It was the already finished work on G1 that appears to have been the most expensive per sq. ft., due to spallation on the ceiling below. Current, very limited  work on lower floors seems to result in much less spallation and so less cost and more rapid completion. G4 will have no such issues since it is “slab-on-grade” with no ceiling below it and may actually end up costing a bit less than originally estimated..
 
CPR has certainly continued to give us estimates of both cost and completion dates, but they and we recognize the uncertainty of such estimates as the work load on the G2 and G3 levels can only be estimated based on previous experience. Current estimates seem to be on the high side as we find less work required on the lower levels, and will likely be adjusted as they get more experience on other parts of G2 and G3.
 

Summary of ECA Board Meeting November 27, 2018

Board Present: Zlatan Beca, Monique Fridell, Al Muller, Lyle Schwartz, Rhonda Taller, Christopher Wemple

Absent: Makarand (Mak) Dehejia

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

Highlights of the meeting:

President’s Report

·      Noted the unexpected deaths of long-time resident owners Alexandra Kielty and Sally Hart.

·      Described dissatisfaction with NFC, the concierge service we currently employ.

·      Mentioned Thomas Downey engineer ongoing investigation of noise issue affecting West side tiers 01 and 10 as well as common areas that include mail corridor and West side lobby areas.

Legal Report

·      Reviewed details related to the Larry Hirschman embezzlement with some new information:

o   Letter with the summary of findings helpful but not complete.

o   Accounting firm Burdette, Smith & Bish did the forensic audit. They only furnished the ECA with the portion that dealt with the Elizabeth.

o   Questions remain:

§  What analytic procedures were used by forensic accountants?

§  Was anyone else involved in the embezzlement?

§  Can we see the paper trail on the analytic work?

·      Look for a mailing on the proposed bylaw on new smoking restrictions at the Elizabeth. This is a draft for comment. There will be a town hall meeting January 16, 2019.

Financial

·      Loan payment—Motion to approve a $75,000 loan pay down per the 2018-19 budget passes with attending 6 directors unanimous.

·      The General Manager is monitoring when ECA needs to refinance the loan.

·      The ECA annual financial audit was delayed by waiting for the forensic audit results but will move forward with new information provided.

Management Report

·      Garage Project

o   Work is being completed on the incoming side of the guest parking entrance. The FOB reader will be moved back to the incoming side around Dec 3. Work will then proceed around Dec 5 on the outgoing side of guest parking.

o   Estimated total completion of the garage project is now set for August 2019.

·      Garage Door Replacement

o   On Dec 4 the resident entrance of the garage will have its door replaced due to numerous people hitting the door with their vehicles.

o   Exiting and entering the garage will be difficult on that day from 9 am to 3 pm. If it is at all possible it is advised to leave the garage before 9 am and return after 3 pm. Instructions for that day, including how to re-enter the garage have been put under resident doors.

·      Plumbing

o   Septic pits in the garage have been cleaned and pipes replaced as needed.

o   In meeting with several plumbing contractors, the ECA GM has determined that main lines should be cleaned quarterly on the lobby, first, and second levels where most of the clogs occur. Additional plans have been discussed.

o   If backups from these lines continue to occur than all drain lines will require replacement which will run into millions of dollars

·      Noise

o   Steve Johnston, Ph.D. from Thomas Downey Limited (consulting engineers) have been onsite to investigate the noise in the building as described in the ECA President’s Report above,

o   The report will be shared with the residents.

·      Landscaping—fall flowers have been installed

·      General maintenance

o   Apartment inspections are proceeding on the East Tower; West Tower is done.

o   Window Cleaning—is completed and went better than last time.

o   Metal and Stone Cleaning—was done on Nov 7, 2018.

·      Roof—Temco Roofing inspected the roof without major issues. Roof inspections are scheduled for every six months.

New Business

·      Concierge Companies were considered:

o   NFC—current, not meeting their contract specifications.

o   S.P. Jones Enterprises—used by the Carleton

o   NVT Staffing—more for temporary staffing

o   Jeffrey Scott Concierge

§  24/7 staffing without extra cost.

§  Pays employees more than minimum wage with built in bonus program.

§  Trains employees in a 40-hour program with exam, includes conflict resolution.

·      Motion to hire Jeffrey Scott Concierge as new concierge passes with attending 6 directors unanimous.

Committee Reports

·      Fire & Safety

o   The committee completed a draft evacuation plan but needs information from the Fire Department to complete the document.

o   General Manager MaryAnn Hall said she has someone working on evacuation instructions which will be posted on each floor since the Fire Department is requiring immediate compliance.

·      Merv Filter for HVACs

o   Molly Frantz brought used filters of various Merv ratings to show how much dust was collected.

o   ECA GM said she would get additional information on pricing. The Board will decide at the next board meeting in January.

·      Social Committee—there will be a holiday potluck on Saturday December 29, 2018 from 6-9 pm.