Summary of ECA Board Meeting September 23, 2020

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

Board Absent: Jimmy Whalen

 

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

 

Meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM

 

President's Report:

—Long time resident Mary Catherine Curran died from cancer on August 23, 2020.

—Commercial units 101, 102, 103 (Montage) had police and FBI removing things from their units as our meeting was in progress. No further information was available.

—October 7 is the new date for our annual meeting (postponed originally from early May to September due to coronavirus) because the company with electronic counting fell through. Owners are asked to be sure to turn in their proxies to ensure 51% participation. There is a monetary cost if the Association fails to get 51% participation and is forced to reconstitute the meeting at a later time.

—Gates Hudson is transitioning its financial software and will not be processing any of transactions until after October 7.

—Accounting for the detailed costs of the garage project will be presented at the next board meeting.

—While there are still details on a checklist being worked on, the garage project is completed BUT some consideration is being given to an additional four-week project to treat and paint the floor of the G4 level. Additionally work is being done to repair the ceiling at the entrance of G1.

 

Important Dates:

-October 7 at 5 pm deadline for turning in Proxy Ballot to ECA Management Office

-October 7 at 7:30 pm Annual Meeting on Zoom

 

  General Manager's Report

 

Boiler Blowout:

—For 19 hours (September 20-21), residents were without water (including inability to flush toilets) and without heat. The noise of an expansion coupler could be heard in the lobby and the lower floors of the West Tower. According to the GM, NAC was called to the site that night but they failed to fix the problem because they did not have access to the needed parts. The next day couplers on both boilers were replaced to avoid this problem happening again. Travelers’ Insurance agents have inspected the boilers and reported, as is required to Montgomery County, that all meets standards. Communication about this extremely serious problem (since residents have no options to go elsewhere during the pandemic) was delivered late from the General Manager whose job description details 24/7 duties.

 

Garage Project:

—The expected completion of the final checklist, including the ceiling repair over the incoming G-1 garage, is October 9. However, more extensive repairs were identified September 23, requiring that scaffolding be built to reach these newly identified problems. (Sounds like this effort will take longer to repair.)

—The floor of G4 is now being considered for additional concrete crack repairs, smoothing of the floor and application of an epoxy coating. Due to pending cold weather this project would be put on hold until the spring. One proposal put this work at $231,000.

—This news raises several questions, especially given the cost. Were the cracks in the G4 there when the original garage project was evaluated for cost? If so, why weren’t these cracks repaired already? Since the industry doesn’t recommend treating the foundation floor, what advantages besides aesthetics are there to preparing the floor and then treating it with an epoxy coating? Does this epoxy coating hold up since it is the foundation floor? There must be some reasons why the industry doesn’t recommend doing this.

 

Pool Access:

—Changes to how reservations will be handled were detailed in distributed documents.

—One disturbing aspect of the changes was how frequently the pool area would be disinfected (down from cleaning before each new set of users entered the pool to twice a day).

—Another idea being considered is bringing back water aerobics classes.

—Here are some things to consider for the upcoming colder months: Health experts are now telling us that six feet distance is probably not enough given that tiny particles known as aerosols linger in the air in the same way as tobacco smoke. People who participate in a water aerobics class would be more likely than swimmers to spread aerosols. Wearing masks is impractical given the possibility that the masks will get wet. Additionally, the air circulation in our pool area is not particularly good (no cross ventilation). We haven’t had Coronavirus cases here in the Elizabeth that we know of and we should keep it that way.

 

Elevators:

Inspections have been done and elevators safety certified.

 

Roof Replacement:

This is on hold for three years. One thing to know is that we cannot use the same materials we currently have which involves some kind of stone.

 

Front Door Canopy:

The leaks have been repaired.

 

Corridor Renovations:

Hallway assessment will begin and residents need to remove anything they have been leaving outside their doors such as carts, strollers, and shoes.

 

Lobby Climate Control:

This project is on hold due to Coronavirus.

 

Emergency Radio Antennas:

The GM received additional information from two bidders and will be forwarding the compiled data to the Board.

 

MOTIONS

—Board voted unanimously go forward with an additional loan paydown in mid-October after Gates Hudson has made its transition to a new financial system.

—Board approved new pool rules.

 

Meeting was adjourned after 9 PM.

Summary of ECA Board Meeting July 29, 2020

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

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

Meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM

President's Report: Board President, Lyle Schwartz, announced that an ECA “Renovation Planning in the Age of Covid-19” paper had been distributed to all residents. He stated that the Social Committee's Food Truck event had been highly successful. Residents, please fill out the survey and return it to the front desk by Sunday, August 2. The Annual Budget was well-developed but we cannot anticipate the impact of COVID19.

Important Dates:

-No Board Meeting in August

-August 26: “Meet the Candidates” night

-September 23: Annual Meeting followed by Board Meeting

Election of Board Candidates:

The Election Committee will distribute candidate information.

Owners will be able to vote one of three ways.

1.Vote by mail.

2. Vote on line.

3. Vote by placing your ballot in the black box outside the General Manager's office.

There was a correction of the previous meeting's minutes re the vote on a measure re:

the Fitness Center. This was resolved and the Board meeting moved on. Lyle asked C. Row to have the COVID 19 Task Force study and recommend ways to deal with the air handling issue. J. Boucher suggested moving the Fitness Center to a remodeled Management Office or to a remodeled Unit 10, the Association's rental unit.

 General Manager's Report

The GM reported that the new completion date for the garage project is August 20 and that she is working with CPR to reroute G1 exit traffic. The pool has reopened and one needs to sign up at the desk for a time to use it. Elevators 1 and 2 have passed reinspection. There have been 5 condensate leaks this year. In mid-August, the repair of the G1 entrance should address the condensate line leak.

NAC has completed cleaning, inspecting and performing routine maintenance of the boilers. As the office has resumed normal hours, the GM requests that all residents limit their interactions with the staff by using the telephone or email and set up appointments rather than “dropping in.”Maintenance staff will be working Monday through Friday and Ricardo and Barry will be on call Saturday and Sunday.

New Business:  Four Major Projects

1. Emergency Radio Antennas

Gathered prior to the COVID-19 shut down, information from 2 companies projected a budget item for this project at $190,000. The County modified specs and estimated cost now is $250,00, which the County has agreed to Grandfather in once the project is completed. Scheduling of work is dependent on availability of vendor with the project involving two to three technicians and taking two to three weeks. Ms. Hartman was consulted and presence of wiring in the corridor areas will minimal and aesthetically concealed.

2. Roof Renovations

Based on a written report submitted by Board-hired consultant who reviewed the project,

the roof renovation could be delayed 3 to 5 years as long as it is kept in good repair. While the FEA reserve study recommended that the two towers be repaired at separate times, the consultant suggested that the projects done simultaneously would result in significant savings.

3. Corridor Renovations

Phyllis Hartman has placed this project, due to commence in 2021, on hold due to COVID 19. That date is tentative and will depend on conditions at the time. The project is estimated to take 36 months and will be disruptive due to the number of workers and the type of work done.

E. Segal suggested that Ms. Hartman be advised to use American products in order to ensure  delivery.

4. Elevator Renovations

Board- appointed Elevator Committee comprised of GM and J. Boucher will search for an elevator consultant. All six elevators will need to be refurbished. Starting with those needing the

most repairs, one elevator in each tower will be down at the same time, along with one going to the garage. Repairs will take a few weeks to several months depending on their condition; they will be serviced by a few skilled technicians with much of the work being done above the elevator cab.

Meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:05 PM.

ALERT: Corridor Renovation Possible Delay & Elevator Renovation

CORRIDOR RENOVATION:

IF you got the five-page paper titled “ECA Capital Renovation Planning in the Age of Covid-19” authored by ECA President Lyle Schwartz and dated 7-24-2020, you might have read that “the designer, Phyllis Hartman is awaiting input from the ECA Board whether to proceed with the design…or put the project on hold for a year until state and county guidelines [COVID] are relaxed and work in the corridors might be more acceptable to owners.” 

The corridors were last renovated 30 years ago. The Reserve Study calls for renovation of such common areas every 20 years. The project was originally scheduled to be completed over a three-year period, beginning in March-April 2021, and to run for 3 years. Is it acceptable to you to postpone this project yet another year? 

Are you embarrassed to have friends visit, with wallpaper torn and patched, paint in terrible shape, hallways dark and dingy, and carpet so worn and duct-taped in places? In addition to the damage to our property values that such shabby hallways have, a delay would most likely mean that some of the materials will go out of stock and new selections made, increasing the design cost.  

At the coming Board meeting, the Directors will vote on whether to continue the design process to reach completion of the RFP, giving flexibility to the Board to proceed with “whatever schedule seems appropriate months from now when that process is completed.” If you feel strongly that we should no longer postpone the renovation the corridors, but move as quickly as reasonably possible to begin this project, I hope you will either attend the Zoom Board meeting and make your feelings known, or if you cannot attend, send an email to the Board.

ELEVATOR RENOVATION:

In addition, a new requirement for elevator renovation looms on the horizon with worrisome urgency. We are talking about renovation of the interior of all six elevator cabs as well as safe operation of our elevators. Of course, actual work on this project cannot begin until the corridors are renovated.

Since renovation of the interior of the elevator cabs requires input and guidance of someone with good aesthetic sense, it is curious that the Board did not consider using the Design Committee to work on this and adding AJ Young to this effort. AJ is a Project Manager with Marriott and has a master’s degree in Architecture. He did a custom design (at no charge) for the renovation of the elevator cab interiors at his Florida condo, and that Association did not have to pay any more for the custom interior than for the more generic basic laminate panels like we have in the garage elevators.  

AJ has offered to do the same for the Elizabeth, and this was mentioned at a recent Board meeting, yet it is only Joe Bucherer and MaryAnn Hall who seem to be discussing our “options and needs.” Why is this? Why isn’t the Design Committee part of this effort? And why doesn’t the Board consider having Phyllis Hartman design the elevator cab interiors so that they tie into the design of the lobby and corridors?   If they do not want to spend the design fee for Hartman, then why doesn’t the Board add AJ Young to this effort, as he would provide professional design services at no charge? 

All of this begs the question about how we can continue to live in a building that is rapidly deteriorating. Start small and think about how our trash chutes do not receive adequate cleaning and constantly smell bad. Our property continues to lose market value because we have made due with cheaper contractors, and with delaying our hallway renovation because there was a surprisingly long garage repair project.

It is time to voice your concern about the state of our property.

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 June 30, 2020

Summary of ECA Board Meeting June 30, 2020

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

Absent: :  Jimmy Whalen

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

Highlights of the meeting:

—Delinquencies: are high at around $70,000 with $31,000 for garage spaces maned by Chevy Chase Land Company who are neither in their office or answering their phones according to attempts by our General Manager to resolve this.

—Garage Project: The unending work is now scheduled for completion the end of August. This last period, CPR failed to lay down the floor coating but painted lines. Now this work will have to be corrected.

—Management Office: The management office is now open with General Manager and Assistant General Manager in residence. However, the door is locked. Appointments must be made to see them.

—Elevators: The Montgomery County elevator inspection failed because the garage elevators had water pooled underneath them mixed with hydraulic fluid. Our chief engineer is working to resolve this problem.

—Annual Meeting & New Candidate Nominations: anticipated for September. A discussion ensued about allowing new candidates to either be nominated or self-nominated. However, this has to happen quickly given that a company has been hired to handle the election which will include electronic voting, mail in ballots and ballots placed in the management suggestion box mounted on the wall outside the management office.

—Candidates’ Public Forum: A suggestion was made to have candidates speak on issues facing the building. Connie Rowe was appointed to run this meeting.

—Pool Opening: July 8 (11am to 7 pm, 7 days a week—not mention made of time for a break) is when limited use of the pool is supposed to begin but this depends on getting the cleaning supplies necessary to keep the pool area safe. Once it opens, make appointments with the concierge who will lend a special fob for access. You will be required to fill out a disclaimer form attesting to your health and that you will not hold The Elizabeth responsible if you get Covid19. Masks must be worn to enter the pool area. Two people can use it at one time or small family units, no guests for a 45-minute session. 15 minutes will be allotted for cleaning. Glass doors to the outside will be open to keep the air circulating.

—Fitness Center: Because air circulation in the Fitness Center is poor, there will be no access to this facility at this time. Coronavirus makes this facility too risky.

— Contractors working inside individual units: According to Elizabeth house rules, individual unit owners are supposed to notify the management office and let them know that contractors are in the building and to schedule an elevator if needed. This has not been enforced for a long time and presents risks during this pandemic period. Our General Manager and AGM said this has been an ongoing problem. The owners give key fobs to their contractors and they park usually on G-1 in spaces assigned to residents. Board discussed criteria that any outside contractor had to wear a mas,k sign papers that they were healthy, and have business policies that ensure that employees are required to meet certain standards. Pat Peyser asked how the Association was going to enforce this since enforcement of rules and Bylaws seemed to be very hit or miss. The board insisted that enforcement would be done up to and including stopping the work. Legal Counsel Jeremy Tucker had said no building among his clients in Friendship Heights had opened their building to outside contractors, we would be the first. The board agreed to open the building to outside contactors. This a position was passed  by the Board. 

—Acquisition of Radio Antenna to comply with Police and Fire Communication Requirements: Bids are being collected.

— Guidelines for Window Cleaning and other Upkeep Services: Our GM said the cleaners sometimes have to go into apartments to complete their work.  It was not clear what these exceptions entailed. Board members Elisa Siegel and Francine Klein said now that management has returned to the office, it is time to pay attention to the building appearance and that the marble and brass and contractor should be allowed to come in the building as long as they follow the Elizabeth’s rule on social distance and masks and certify the health of their employees. 

—Corridor Renovation: No mention

—Meeting Documents: President Lyle Schwartz said that the June meeting was delayed because the Board lacked information to conduct the meeting. While there were 5 documents sent with the Zoom link for the rescheduled meeting (June 30), the management report was not among these documents. A limited supply of management report copies were left at the front desk. (Does this make sense in time of a pandemic?) Documents sent included: Meeting Agenda, Investment Guidelines for the Elizabeth Condominium Association, Recommendation for In-Unit Renovations, Phase 2 Montgomery County Guidelines for Re-opening the Pool, Phase 2 Montgomery County Guidelines for Re-opening the Fitness Center.

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.