October 2024 Updates
Unofficial Minutes by Community Member Justin Molineaux
Virtual Meeting Held on October 9, 2024; 6:00 pm
Attendees:
Liam Clickenger (president)
Benay Curtis-Bauer (treasurer)
Michelle Ferriera (managing agent, WMG)
Gizelle Cadogan (member at large)
Cassandra Adams (vice president)
Kim Cotton (owner)
Justin Molineaux (owner)
Jessica Sparr (owner)
I. CALL TO ORDER
II. EXECUTIVE SESSION ACKNOWLEDGMENT/ANNOUNCEMENT
III. OPEN FORUM
One owner asked about the status of their architectural modification request related to water damage to their unit’s door. The request was submitted a couple months ago, but the owner had not received a status update. Without formally approving the request in the meeting, the board affirmed:
Unit door maintenance is the responsibility of the owner
It’s wise to seek outside opinions on water damage prevention
Board members did not foresee a problem with the request that would prevent approval
One owner mentioned that the noise from the roof fans seems to have stopped. The board clarified that no repair had happened.
IV. CONSENT CALENDAR
Approval of minutes - September 11, 2024
Board approved
Financial Statement - August 2024
No discussion
V. REPORTS
Management report
No discussion
Work order report
No discussion
VI. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Swiftlane entry system update
The board reported that the install will begin on Monday, October 14.
Installation will take 2 days, one door at a time, so there will always be 2 doors that are working.
Residents and owners will receive a series of emails beginning Thursday morning, which will include links to video instructions about the swiftlane system.
One board member pointed out that after installation, we’ll no longer need three of our landlines, so we should identify which ones and cancel them.
Status of recent Comfort Dynamics work orders
Comfort Dynamics is the contractor who maintains our heating system.
Two work orders were issued based on an owner’s reports of heating problems in their unit.
Comfort Dynamics has not issued a status update, but they have a record of quick response.
Governing document amendments/policies
The board sent more notes back to the attorneys, but there’s hope once again that this will be the final round of notes.
Waterproofing project
California Consultants requires an “as built” set of blueprints in order to draft the RFP on which contractors will bid. These blueprints reflect deviations from the original plans that occurred during construction.
California Consultants claims that we have not submitted these, which is consistent with some board members’ recollection that the board’s copies were lost in the departure of a previous board president.
In lieu of these as-built blueprints, California Consultants can create renderings of the building that will suffice in the RFP, but it will cost GCL an additional $3275.
Some board members expressed that it’s likely worth the effort to obtain these as-built documents from the city, paying the necessary fees, so that the board can have the copies in our possession once again.
Proceeding would require California Consultants to generate renderings of the building at an additional cost of $3275.
Board approved a base cost of $10,000 for the RFP creation, on the condition that as-built drawings can be obtained through the city. One member of the board volunteered to lead the effort to obtain the documents.
Monitoring wells
No new updates from Weiss.
2025 Budget
The board has reviewed FSR’s proposed 2025 operating budget. Two board members met with FSR to make some minor changes from the proposal:
Made changes to contingency funds, and on utility expenditures, namely gas.
Crafted a “repayment plan” for the $175,000 that had been withdrawn from reserves in recent years.
The plan will mean an extra $20,000 annual contribution to the reserve fund for each of the next 5 years.
With these changes the board believes it has arrived at a reasonable operating budget, with an assessment increase that is in-line with last year.
Other board members expressed a few non-blocking concerns:
Boiler maintenance line-item might be too small, given that the boiler is old. Currently at $6000, based on historical data (spent more than that only once in last 5 years)
One board member suggested that, in light of the age of the boiler, the board should talk to mechanical engineers to understand what options exist for modernizing or replacing.
There is no line item for the heat-exchanger.
Questions about whether the correct general ledger code was used on some line-items (perhaps mis-mapped in the transition from WMG to FSR):
GL code 50150: gates maintenance & repair. This description appears on two lines with different amounts, so the board suspects one line refers to the elevator elevator maintenance budget
GL code 50130: Water damage repair line item. The bulk of repair costs (in event of a claim) are covered under insurance, and prior years are showing actual expenditures as $0, yet $2,000 is budgeted for this year. Board determined this line is accounting for out-of-pocket minor repairs.
It’s not clear that we are getting our money’s worth on janitorial expenditures.
Board moved to approve the budget.
This implies an average monthly assessment increase between 13% and 14%.
2025 Reserve Study
One board member expressed that interior service to the elevator line-item of $11,400 seems high. There was discussion about whether this meant for a single year, or a span of years.
This year’s reserve study was based on an analysis of historical expenditures, useful life expectancy, and other document analysis. Next year’s (and every third year’s) reserve study will include a thorough on-site inspection of the property. The board agreed that although some numbers raise questions, next year’s study will likely correct them and at least create a more thorough base of information from which to adjust those numbers.
Board Approved Study
VII. NEW BUSINESS
Board of Directors composition
Liam Clickenger, serving as president of the board, announced that he is stepping down from his role as president due to an increased professional workload and demanding schedule that no longer allows him to keep up with board responsibilities.
Liam nominated and the board approved Gizelle Cadogan, current board member, as the new president.
Liam then resigned his position on the board for the same reasons.
To fill Liam’s open seat and serve out the remainder of his term, Gizelle, acting now as president, appointed Justin Molineaux, owner, to the board.
The composition of the board is now:
Gizelle Cadogan, president
Cassandra Adams, vice president
Benay Curtis-Bauer, treasurer
Thomas Horn, secretary
Justin Molineaux, member at large
Garage gate
Attorney is working directly with both manufacturer and installer, and has issued demand letters to both in an attempt to recoup some of our installation expenses in light of the post-installation problems.
VIII. NEXT BOARD MEETING
Wednesday, November 13th, 2024