June 2023 Updates

Unofficial Minutes by Community Member Elizabeth Chaponot

MINUTES

04/12/2023 Open Session

05/10/2023 Open Session

Board Approves Minutes

MANAGEMENT REPORT

June 2023

FINANCIAL REPORTS / ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE / LIENS

1. April 2023 Financials

Board goes over the financials in detail ensuring that all questions related to expenses are properly discussed and reviewed.  Individual board members request clarification from Willis to ensure every dollar of association funds are properly spent.  

Financials suggest that utilities usage is high.: 

• Monthly budget for gas is just over $9,000 and we spent over $14,000 in April.

  • YTD gas usage is almost $30k over budget. 

  • Gas usage is less of a concern than water as gas is not used evenly over the year and we are entering into the warmer months 

• There is a water usage discussion. We budgeted $3800/month for water and it looks like we spent $6464 in a month (April).

  • Water usage is $2800 under budget YTD but the monthly figure is super high so some clarification needed. Board asks to get more clarity about the water bill to see if there is an error.

Board discusses the extraordinary expenses that we are currently faced with. We are spending from reserves on maintenance and improvement needs.  

• Sump Pumps were expensive; 

• Boiler repair we are significantly over budget $6000; 

• Elevator repairs are $7000 over budget in addition to the maintenance contract.

  • Discussion related to concerns that certain vendors are overcharging us. Willis has been trying to get more detailed invoices to have costs charged better explained. Board feels we need to explore new vendors for these.

• Phone expenses are also in question. Phone lines are used only for call boxes, elevators, and fire alarm systems.  

  • The costs had been negotiated with AT&T by Willis to be $7200 for the year.  We are currently $6k over budget TYD. The negotiations had been documented so the board is requesting that Willis follow up with AT&T so that they honor the rates they had promised.

We are operating at a $24,000 deficit overall.  Hopefully we catch up with warmer months around the corner.

Board approves the budget with reservations noted and desire for Willis to get clarification about the issues brought up.

Important other expenses incurred by association this year:

The board did take time to discuss the major costs that the HOA has been hit with this year in addition to the ongoing financial realities that we are dealing with.

UPGRADES TO SECURITY

• Raising perimeter fence improvements $11,000 that we pulled from reserves to accomplish.

• The vehicle gate is also another major expense. Board is pleased to have found a much more solid design and gate that is said to be more robust than gates found at certain correctional institutions.The board is also changing vendors. This gate is just under $104,000. This is a very large expense to the association. The board does not take that lightly and how this gets categorized is still under discussion. Possible use of some leftover funds from reconstruction fund litigation.

• Replacement of the grating around the garage (the wire mesh squares). Board has approved replacing that with iron pickets that will be more robust. That project comes in at just under $54,000. That is a big project to improve the perimeter security.

• Last but not least, the cluster boxes in the mail room will be replaced. They have been tampered with too many times and will be replaced with some high security steel mailboxes. This does not solve stolen key issues. The cost is just under $20,000.

OTHER MAJOR REPAIR

• We also have a very concerning water leak issue in the main electrical room in the garage. This is another important repair that is expected to be a significant expense  

Board is balancing how to pay for all these things and is mindful of long-term permanent solutions, preservation of adequate savings, and limiting assessments. 

2. Accounts Receivable

$17,695.35

3. Liens

No new liens recorded at this time

4. Owner Occupancy

Remains constant at 58.1% owner occupancy

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

1. Governing Document Amendments/Policies

A new draft has been sent to the association's attorney who is reviewing the board's edits. The board is currently working on rules and regs focusing on architectural updates and parking rules.

2. Waterproofing Project

California consultants, a waterproofing specialty consultant, has been retained and they will be inspecting the property and providing a complete scope of work recommendation in the coming months. A board member will be present when they are onsight to oversee their work.

3. Landscape Renovation

No updates about moving forward with the landscape company. We are doing this in two phases. Interior courtyards will come first. Exterior will have to come after the waterproofing project which could require digging up parts of the exterior front of the building.  

4. Driveway Damage Prevention

This is tabled until the new garage gate has been installed and we can see how that works.  Adding driveway barriers (which would cost another $100,000) may not be necessary.

5. Security Monitoring

The video system we have is reactive and can not stop undesirable activity.  We would need to get the offenders in real-time. Board is investigating possible solutions.  An initial rough review led to the board contacting 3 different types of vendors. The best vendor, Elite, appears to have good relationships with the Emeryville police. Having a vendor that communicates well with police and can get officers on the scene quickly seemed the most viable.  In addition the system could be implemented on a temporary basis. It is costly. Temporary installation would be $5000  for cameras as well as an extra $2800 a month. Company would monitor after hours and could be used as a temporary solution until we get the new gate installed.

Board discussed whether this is worth pursuing at this time with costs being what they are currently. Discussions around whether this would be a NOW solution as we wait for upgrades or to be added if issues continue even after the major upgrades have been put in place.

The upgrades to security have already been locked in and voted on and our new reinforced gate should be in within the next 4 weeks to be accompanied with other strong measures being put in place for perimeter fencing and mailroom.  

The board decided that, should we have another catastrophic event moving forward, this type of solution could be something we could jump on right away to ensure better security if we ever found ourselves in as vulnerable a position as we have been this year.

NEW BUSINESS

1. Dryer Vent Cleaning

There is ducting connected to dryers and bathroom vents that need to be inspected and periodically cleaned. Willis has investigated the dryer vent cleaning. Vendors have been contacted. Pricing and timeline are TBD. Expected cost would be around $200 a unit for dryer vents.  This could be something that would be charged back to individual units as it is not part of the common areas.  Further information needs to be sought about whether there is additional ducting that needs to be maintained (bathrooms) and whether it is worth doing everything at once.

2. EV Charging Rules & Regulations

Small change to the rules.  Instead of charging a parking fee when the car is fully charged, the association will be charging after 12 hours.  The previous rule was too punitive and forced people to move their cars in the middle of the night or led to users not fully charging.  The new system should be more user friendly, though cars should still be moved as soon after charging as possible to maintain equitable access for others. Board will continue to monitor the usage reports & adjust rules as necessary.

Open session closed at 7:28 PM