Summary of ECA Board Meeting September 24, 2019

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

Absent: Elisa Siegel, Jimmy Whalen

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

Highlights of the meeting:

President’s Report:

—Work is being done to complete the design phase of hallway renovation. See Elizabethan newsletter for overall details of hallway renovation.

—New Action Item List has been started and will be part of the Management Report each month.

Legal: Lawsuit in small claims court resolved without problem to the Association. [No further information on what the suit entailed.]

Management Report

Garage

Still having major problems with unauthorized parking. Complete jack hammering projected as January 29, 2020. Completed project July 14, 2020. Weekend work will continue as needed. [Note: not mentioned in the GM’s report is that the project sped up because the Association now has a contract with a towing company and is towing cars when vehicles have not been moved as requested.]

Marble Flooring

Cleaning of the marble floors in the lobby has become a problem given they were not maintenance properly for an extended period of time. Returning them to standard will require considerable cost, including replacement of the grout. The GM suggested waiting to do this work until after the major projects (like the garage project) are completed. Francine Klein indicated this was not acceptable.

Filter Changes & Condensate Line Inspections

Filter changes will occur starting in October as this work is now being done every four months. Anyone who wants a different Merv rated filter from the standard must fill out a form prepared by our legal counsel. [There is the danger that higher rated Merv filters may burn out HVAC motors as they collect more particulates. The hope is that frequent condensate line inspections will avoid leaks like those that occur in the summer when the humidity is high.

Elevator Inspections

We now have renewed certificates for our six elevators through August 2020. One problem that was resolved dealt with elevator phones failing to communicate with the front desk. From now on there will be a weekly phone check on all six elevators.

Fire & Safety

The Fire Marshall made a visit last week and found some “minor” issues but we were not told what those issues were. The GM is waiting for the Fire Marshall to send his report before the issues can be corrected. [No mention was made about what caused the false alarm recently and when it was suggested that we use BuildingLink to communicate with residents, the GM said the Fire Marshall prohibits communications until after the fire department arrives to ascertain the situation. Nevertheless, the GM was sitting at the front desk telling people who came to the lobby that it was a false alarm.]

Pool will be closed for some unspecified amount of time in November for repairs.

Treasurer’s Report:

Making progress reducing loan balance. A refinance was done to reduce the cost of interest.

Social Committee

—School welcome—30 Children enjoyed cookies & juice

—Ice cream social—highly successful party attracting new and long-time residents.

—Celebration for Hollis Alleyne (45 years of service) October 10.

—Oct 30 kids Halloween party.

—Holiday potluck in mid-December.

MOTION: United Healthcare renewal approved unanimously.

Resident Comments:

Dogs

Pat Peyser discussed the problem of ignoring bylaws relative to pets and their size. She suggested we adopt the American Kennel Association’s regulations on small dog weighing 15-25 lbs. She suggested grandfathering in dog already living in the building but enforcing the bylaws. [Obviously, people looking to buy in the Elizabeth need to be informed better about our rules in a more prominent way. Just handing them the bylaws does not get newcomers’ attention. Given we now have a lot of large dogs and at least two owners who have 2 dogs each, this does not help us stop newcomers from bringing in large dogs and multiple pets.]

Rita Miller also complained about dog owners who allow their pets to relieve themselves in front of our building. [This also causes other dogs to do the same as the dogs “mark” their territory.]

Noisy Fan in the Pool

While the GM said the fan noise had been resolved with installation of a new fan, that is not true. The GM said she would look into the problem.

Non-smoking Building

Enforcement of no smoking rules depends on residents making complaints. Someone suggested making tent cards for every floor to say this is a non-smoking building.

Change Orders for the Garage Project

One resident who is an architect made a strong case for getting a third party structural engineer to review all the change orders that are yet to come. He feels we are overpaying. He was invited to meet with ECA president Lyle Schwartz and the structural engineer we are currently working with.

The new meeting date will change to the fourth Wednesday of the month

Next meeting: Wednesday, October 23, 2019.

However because of Thanksgiving: November 20, 2019 (not fourth Wednesday)

Humidity Issues

At the last Board meeting, it was noted that issues regarding the performance of fan coil units in individual apartments, to include problems with high humidity, are not the responsibility of the Association, and therefore should be resolved between the unit owner and the installer, manufacturer, or HVAC contractor.  On the other hand, it should also be noted that the Association is responsible for equipment that provides heating and cooling to the common areas, such as the residential hallways.  If you are experiencing high humidity in the residential corridors, please contact the management office.

Summary of ECA Board Meeting July 23, 2016

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

Absent: :  Zlatan Beca

Others Present: Assistant Manager Romaine Cureton, Jeremy Tucker (ECA Legal Counsel, Lerch Early & Brewer)

Highlights of the meeting:

Three motions passed unanimously:

Motion: to appoint Francine Klein to fill the vacant seat left by Rhonda Taller’s resignation. Ms Klein, who has lived in the Elizabeth since 2016, is Chief Counsel at Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

Motion:   to approve garage project consulting service by an additional $25,000. 

Discussion:  Original contract included $50,000 to cover the consulting service for 6–7 months during the contract administration phase. We are now in the 13th month. 

Motion: To approve a deferred assessment resolution for FY 2018-2019.  More specifically, “The Association elects to apply all or part of the excess assessment income to the following year’s assessments and that such final amount shall be at the Board’s discretion.” 

Discussion:  This resolution simply means that the Association will plan to use any surplus earned during the last FY during the current year. We have passed this same resolution every year at the suggestion of our auditor.

On an annual basis, condominiums choose to file tax returns either one of two available methods:  Corporate Method or Exempt Method. Once the current fiscal year ends and the audit and/or income tax preparation has been completed, Goldklang recommends the best filing method.

For us, assessments are the major source of income, so when we have a surplus in a year, it is a sort of gross profit. Under the corporate rules, when we commit surplus income to normal purposes (Maintenance, reserve funds, etc.) it no longer is considered “profit” in the same sense, and our taxable income is reduced. So, this assessment resolution helps strengthen our income tax filing the decision to use the Corporate Method. 

Other Business:

·      Infrared roof testing has been completed on three spots on the roof.  Only 9% revealed wet spots.  The Tremco roof has been in place for 15 years.  Tremco will send technicians to determine source of water and make repairs.  This will preserve the 91% good roof at a cost of $2081. Tremco recommends a restoration of the roof, which will come with a 20 year leak free warranty. This is planned for 2020-21 at an estimated cost of $725,000.

·      Licurgo Furniture Service is repairing furniture in the West Lobby. This is the same contractor who visited the Elizabeth periodically since the new lobby design was installed.

·      Marble floor and metal refinishing process is beginning within the next two weeks. The marble work in the mailbox corridor has been completed. Plan is quarterly visits.

·      New pool and patio furniture is being ordered for the pool area, patio adjacent to the pool and patio adjacent to the West Lobby.

·      Filter changes have been completed in both towers and condensate lines have been cleaned.

·      Someone broke the glass tabletops in the West Lobby Media Room. New tops are being made by Bel Pre Glass and should be here in two weeks.

·      Loan was re-amortized in mid-June. We will continue to pay the same monthly payment, (at the same interest rate), however, the final payment is scheduled to occur in April of 2025. This means the loan will be paid off 18 months sooner than originally scheduled (October, 2026).  The loan balance now is slightly less than $3,100,000.  As we continue to provide further pre-payments of principal, our payoff date should continue to move closer.  At the moment, the board has agreed to make 3 additional prepayments next year, which are reflected in the current budget.   Beyond that, to the extent that funds are available and circumstances permit, more prepayments may be made.

·      .  $58,000 in delinquencies were collected in July.

·      Garage Project is 63% complete by June 30. Main problem is that people are not parking in the spaces assigned while their spaces are being repaired. Some  weekend work has been approved by the Board.

·      Town Hall on Fitness Center was attended by 35 owners, all users of the center.  While the committee is continuing ono planning for this project, a questionnaire will be sent out to all owners re:  current usage of each type of equipment.

·      The Hallway Planning Committee met July 11.  Members are:  Lyle Schwartz (Chair), Elisa Siegel (Director), Judy Gann, AJ Young and Connie Rowe.  MaryAnn Hall will attend all meetings.

·      People have been sneaking contractors in without signing in at the Concierge Desk and without completing the required forms which include the license and insurance information of the contractor.  These contractors have been responsible for damage to other apartments in the course of their work.  These contractors are getting a letter saying they may no longer come in the building. If they do, they will be cited for trespassing.

·      Social Committee Chair, Suzan Stafford, announced a few upcoming events:  Sept 3 – cookies and juice in lobby for the children on the first day of school; Sept 14 – ice cream social and welcome for new people; October – Halloween Party; December – Holiday Party.

·      Storage Committee Chair, Layo Fabunmi, announced that the committee now has five members. Plan to re-organize the storage facilities is taking longer than expected due to safety concerns during the garage project. The Committee will work toward removing dangerous items from storage. A letter to residents to this effect should be coming out this week.

·      Stephanie Olshan advised that an owner was the subject of an unprovoked attack by another owner’s pet. The attacked/bitten owner suffered seven puncture wounds from the dog, and consequently went on two medications and had to have a tetanus shot. Animal control was called, but Counsel said the state of Maryland has a “two-bite rule,” meaning that the county will not remove the pet unless it has bitten twice. The Board is addressing this issue. Management has spoken to the dog owner and has been assured that the dog will be carried in and out of the building. The bylaws and House Rules address pets and provide that a nuisance pet can be removed by the Board. 

·      Some owners are reporting high humidity.  Ms. Bobb, former Board President, pointed out that high humidity in apartments with the new fan coil units was a big problem when the new HVACs were installed in the 2014-15 timeframe. These new units were purchased directly by owners, not by the Association. Suggestion was made to identify whether apartments reporting high humidity are running the new Daiken McQuay units. If so, in accordance with the determination made previously, the issue should be resolved between the owner and the installer or the manufacturer, as it is not an ECA responsibility.

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Summary of ECA Board Meeting June 24, 2019

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Board Present: Lyle Schwartz, Zlatan Beca, Jimmy Walen, Christopher Wemple

Absent: Makarand (Mak) Dehejia, Elisa Siegel

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

Highlights of the meeting:

President’s Report:

Resignation of Rhonda Taller.  She and her husband owned two units.  Elections matter. Let go of the past.  Elect new people and get the hall renovation done. (Notes from her letter that she asked be read into the record.)

Merv filters brought up again. Decided that we will use 4/5 pleated filters as available. Merv 8 will be provided at no cost but only after owner signs a waiver regarding the problems associated with Merv 8.

Legal: None

Management Report

Garage Project: Project is 56% complete.  More weekend work.

HVAC maintenance delayed because a failure of the Key Link System. West side will be completed by June 28 when work begin on the East side.

Unit 1801 condemned: discovered after a leak detected in 1701.

Committee Reports

Fitness Center:  July 17, 2019, town hall meeting to renovate the fitness center.

Storage Room: Dangerous junkyard. Asking for help.

Motion: Approved 2 motions to improve control of water temperature in the pool and to replace the exhaust fan.

Motion: Approve a replacement refrigerant monitor control panel in boiler room.  This affects a/c.

Comments from the Floor

--A number of people voiced concern about getting 3 bids for various jobs especially those involving plumbing issues.

--Lunch hour for the staff in management needs to be accommodated.

--July 4 party at Friendship Heights Village Center.

--Compliments for the newsletter.

--Number of expressions of concern about checking condensate lines and other sources of water in the individual units.

Next meeting: July 23, 2019.

Summary of ECA Board Meeting May 28, 2019

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

Absent: Rhonda Taller

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

Highlights of the meeting:

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Lyle Schwartz touted two accomplishments of the previous Board: the revised Employee handbook under the leadership of Rhonda Taller and passage of the no smoking bylaw which was approved May 1, 2019, and goes into effect August 21. The smoking ban which covers the entire property includes visitors, guests, and contractors.

Schwartz stated there is no known end date for the garage project and there is a undetailed plan for hiring a temporary part time person to join the management team.

MANAGEMENT REPORT

Garage Project:

General Manager reported that the garage project is 46% complete and the Association has paid $600,405.85 for this project so far. Work will sporadically happen on the weekends with jackhammering.

Budget:

The approved 2019-2020 budget was distributed to all owners either under their unit doors or through the mail for non-resident owners. A copy can be found on Building Link.

Maintenance:

Condensate leaks have occurred since air-conditioning has been turned on in the face of hot, humid weather. Management has delayed maintenance which was compounded by confusion over acquisition of the appropriate Merv filters.

Resident Garage Door:

The door was hit by a car and broke. Because a set of springs were in house inventory, the door was repaired immediately.

MOTIONS DEALING WITH OUR LOAN

Three motions dealing with our loan were approved by unanimous vote. This includes making the 4^th prepayment on the load for $75,000 for fiscal year 2018-2019, re-amortizing the loan (to lower the interest rate), making three prepayments of $150,000 each in fiscal year 2019-2020.

Next Meeting: June 25, 2019

Clogged Condensate Lines & Leaks

I don’t know about you but every time I leave my apartment when the air-condition is on and the humidity is high, I worry about the HVACs above me and their condensate lines. Will I come home to water damage?

It’s time to ask management about the schedule for clearing the condensate lines and when our filters will be changed and on what schedule?

Yes,  I know that apartments above me have already experienced water leaks from condensate lines being clogged. Until the condensate lines are cleared, there may be many more leaks to come

ACTION Requested: 2019 FHV Election

The Friendship Heights Village Council Election is Monday, May 13, 2019.

Carolina Zumarán-Jones, our Elizabethan neighbor, is running for re-election and deserves our support.

Background:

—Seven seats are open with eight candidates running.

—In theory, each Council member represents one of the eight buildings making up Friendship Heights.

—The goal of this election is to get a cooperative set of Council members who will work well together, given the discord that happened in the recent past.

—The election of the entire Council Board only happens every two years.

Why You Should Vote:

—Friendship Heights Village is a special tax district with a significant budget that comes from your tax dollars. This budget supports such services as the free shoppers shuttle bus, all sorts of programs at the FHV Center (i.e. blood pressure screening; live music programs; free film screenings; book club, classes—Tai Chi, language learning, arts, etc.), security (parking regulation and Montgomery County Police presence because of our support of a Police Field Office on North Park Avenue), maintenance of three neighborhood parks for our enjoyment; snow removal; compliance for ADA requirements (family friendly streets); venue for all National and State elections.

—Preservation of our green spaces (parks) is a critical concern and one that FHV Council takes seriously if we elect the best people.

—Addressing the needs of a changing demographics: we have more young people and more elderly people. We want Council members who will address both populations.

Recommended candidates to vote for:

Kathy Cooper, Paula Durbin, John Mertens,  Michael Mezey, Bruce Pirnie, Melanie Rose White, and Carolina Zumarán-Jones.

Why one candidate needs to be retired:

At the last Council meeting, the sitting Board voted  (4-3) to censure Michael Dorsey for uncivil behavior, making the Council meetings unproductive.

Do you civic duty and vote. Polls at the Village Center are open 7 am to 8 pm.