August 2023 Updates

Unofficial Minutes by Community Member Elizabeth Chaponot

MINUTES

07/12/2023 Open Session


Board voted to approve minutes (can be found on the Willis management system)

MANAGEMENT REPORT

August 2023

FINANCIAL REPORTS / ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE / LIENS

1. June 2023 Financials


Reviewed by the board. Certain items have some overages that need investigation. Transitions in Willis have caused a delay on this investigation. Examples of things to review more closely: Elevator repair is a target vendor to potentially replace; AT&T phone lines costs which had been negotiated by Willis and do not seem to be put in place by the company; Water bills also seem to be off.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

1.  Vehicle Gate Install – New Stop Sign / Painting Markings Needed


The launch of the gate has been less than smooth. Initially contacting the company was impossible when the gate went down on Friday night. There appears to be an actual emergency line that was not released initially – this led to the distressing situation the first weekend and initial frustration. 


Our HOA Board has elevated the conversation to a higher level within the company to discuss the extremely problematic initial roll out. The CEO of the company is on vacation. Our board has left messages and the company has acknowledged receipt and pledged to be in communication shortly.  


There are definitely a series of issues: 


Two board members were present with the technician on the 9th after the second stall-out.  They worked with the A&D technician and requested that he make sure that they were looking at potentially bigger alignment issues that could be leading to the breakdowns. The technician was communicative and did attempt to re-align the left side.

Two A&D techs were on site Thursday the 10th to follow-up and board members and discuss all the issues we are experiencing.


We now understand that a week or so of testing is relatively normal after a brand new install, and the company is giving us a lot of attention and detail. This attention has led the board to feel more confident that the initial glitches will get resolved. 


On a positive note, the board had previously discussed making the driveway less wide to make it difficult to have multiple entry and exits at the same time. The design of the gate seems to, by its very nature, lead to people taking the central position which does make it more of a one at a time system.


There was discussion connected to making sure that people do not position themselves in a way that would put their vehicle at risk of being hit as the gate opens. An easy fix to ensure safety of vehicles was offered: a yellow line painted to indicate where vehicles should stop. Willis will look into implementing this fix.


2. Governing Document Amendments/Policies


Discussion for the upcoming working meeting of board in a couple of weeks:


3. Waterproofing Project


There are problems around the complex. When the major rains happened last winter, a main area of concern was connected to the leaks into the electrical room. The inside of the room was waterproofed, but that only provides partial protection. The exterior has to be waterproofed as well.


The electrical room is not the only potential area of concern and ensuring that the building is protected from water intrusion to maintain the structure’s stability is a priority.


The board is working with consultants that seem to be very knowledgeable. They will give us a proposal for testing to be able to target where we are vulnerable and what needs to be done to ensure the integrity of the building. The first phase is the testing. Once we know what we are looking at we will get a better idea about how extensive a project it is.


4. Landscape Renovation


Focus this summer was pulled toward the obvious safety issues for the complex. Board is working with a contractor who is currently in the process of a move. There is a planned meeting in mid September to discuss all the subcontracting needs for the larger project so we can start parceling things out. 


5. New Mailbox Installations


New mailboxes have been delivered to the vendor and the Board has received the keys.  We are currently waiting on USPS to provide the master key system that connects to the boxes.


Once the boxes are installed, owners will need to pick up their new mailbox keys. The details of that process will be communicated by Willis and notices will be posted so everyone is aware of when things happen. Owners that rent their property will need to provide Willis the authorization to release the new key to their tenant.

NEW BUSINESS

1. Auxiliary cameras


We have some temporary cameras that can be moved around to help us identify areas of concern on site. Three of these cameras will be moved around the facility to help us monitor the property and ensure the Board can properly identify what new vulnerabilities we could be dealing with as we roll out our security upgrades.


2. Bids and Proposals


Sewer Line Cleaning:


This is recommended to happen at regular intervals. The goal is to push out any accumulated debris out to the main line to avoid back-ups. Three proposals were received with wildly different price points. All vendors toured the facility. Bids came in anywhere from $3,400 to $16,000. Board is requesting specific questions be posed to understand the potential different scope of work to be able to make an educated decision.


Garage perimeter fencing:  


All the panels are constructed and done but their truck and trailer were stolen so they have not been able to pick them up to deliver them and move this project forward. We are on temporary hold as crime in Oakland seems to be plaguing more than Green City Lofts.


Open session closes at 7:14PM