Highlights from the 7/9 HOA board meeting

The official minutes from the HOA board meeting on 7/9/15 should be available on this blog in the next couple weeks or so. In advance of the official minutes, below are a few highlights from the meeting, attended in person by three board members. Board member Rodger Morris and Kevin Ducotey of Condominium Management participated in the meeting via speakerphone, and approximately 15 other Esplanade residents were also on hand.

Announcements:

Throughout the meeting, a few announcements were made:

• Newly-elected board member Ken McDonald, due to unforeseen circumstances, submitted his resignation and will not serve his term. The board has elected to leave the position unfilled for the remainder of the year, as allowed in the HOA bylaws.
• Newly-elected board member Dave Rodenbach has agreed to serve as both Vice-President and Treasurer of the board.
• The commercial space on the southeast corner of the Esplanade's ground floor has been sold to Hollander Investments. This completes the sale of all four commercial units in the building. At this time, Hollander's plans for the space are unknown, although it has been speculated that the space will house a restaurant to partner with Hollander's long, long-awaited hotel on the lot just south of the Esplanade.

Treasurer's report:

• The treasurer's report was presented by Dave Rodenbach, who gave the dollar amounts in the HOA's operating budget and reserves.

Committee reports:

• Safety Committee: 
  Committee chair Pat Pound addressed the issue of cars speeding in the lower garage. A resident's suggestion to create a circular, one-way traffic pattern in the lower garage was considered, but in the end was determined to be too drastic of a measure at this time, and would not necessarily solve the problem. Instead, the board authorized the Safety Committee to devise some "Slow Down" signs, and may at a future time consider speed bumps if the problem persists.

• Club Room Committee: 
  No committee members were present; Board President Debra Goodrich posed a question to iStar representative Rodger Morris regarding the furniture remaining in the club room. Rodger stipulated it could be removed if no residents were interested in any of the pieces. The board requested the furniture be removed by the end of the month.

Old business:

• Hiring of property manager: 
  Kevin Ducotey of Condominium Management informed the board that he has hired a replacement for the position vacated by Claire Scott. The new property manager, Matt Brown, has experience dealing with builders and vendors; he will begin in his new position on July 20.

• Loading zone:
  Building manager Karen DeGraw met with a representative from the City of Tacoma recently, and explained the need for a loading zone to replace the street parking on Dock Street, just north of the entrance to the Esplanade's circular drive. The loading zone is necessary to reduce the high number of delivery, moving, and service vehicles in the circular drive. (For more information about parking at the Esplanade, click HERE.) According to Karen, the city representative seemed amenable to the proposal and the matter should be resolved soon.

• Rooftop compressor replacement:
  Building manager Karen DeGraw has endeavored to quickly clear up this long-standing problem; she also noted that the unit in question is a "compressor," not a "chiller," as it has been previously described. Although the compressor failed before its expected time, and the replacement will be costly, the funds are available in the building's reserves. Karen has sought advice from a building resident with much experience in HVAC systems. She has brought in three companies to propose bids for compressor replacement, and two of the three bids are in, with the third bid expected imminently. Karen noted that once a bid is accepted, it will take some weeks to order the unit, obtain permits from the city, etc. If you are unfamiliar with the history of the malfunctioning rooftop compressor unit, you can find out more by reading past board meeting notes HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

• Repair of water pumps in 2nd and 6th floor trash rooms:
  Pumps in these rooms circulate hot water to the building, and excess pressure from the pumps has caused leaks in past months. A temporary fix has been applied, but Karen has sought bids for a more permanent fix. However, some of the bids are not specific enough, thus Karen has asked for clarification on some of the bids. The process is moving forward, with as much expediency as possible.

• Committees disbanded:
  In recent weeks, the chairs of the Landscape Committee and the Fitness Center Committee have resigned. The board moved to disband these committees, feeling that they had served their purpose, and that Karen DeGraw can handle resident suggestions and other issues in these areas.

• Parking request from commercial unit owner:
  Some commercial unit owners are currently paying $115 per month, per parking space, to Republic Parking for employee parking. (Republic Parking manages the publically-available spaces in the upper garage that are owned by the Esplanade HOA.) A request has been made to the HOA to create an "employee permit," which would allow employees in the commercial units to park in any available spot in the upper garage. The permit would cost less than the full rental amount for the month, but would only allow employees to park during regular business hours, opening up spots during evenings and weekends. This evening and weekend usage would, in theory, offset the lower cost of the permit as opposed to the full monthly rental.
  
  The board discussed whether to form a committee to study the issue, and/or meet at a later date to discuss in more depth. Board President Debra Goodrich noted that all commercial unit owners should have equal opportunity and information regarding this proposal. The board decided to meet again in the next week to discuss further and possibly come to a decision.

• Changes to residential rules:
  For many months, as some board members have come and gone, the board has discussed possible changes to the building's residential rules. (To see these rules as they currently exist, follow the "Esplanade Documents" link from the Esplanade News website, or click HERE.) The board hopes to make these long-discussed changes in the near future. Changes to the residential rules may include:
• Establishing a minimum term for rental of units, possibly 6 months.
• A fine for homeowners who fail to notify the building manager and the property management company that they are renting out their units. Some debate about the amount of the fine; it was suggested the amount be $250 for every month a unit is rented and notice was not given of its rental.
• More rigorous enforcement of move-in and move-out fees. Suggestion was made to enforce a $500 fee for each move-in or move-out, with $250 of that amount refundable if no damage is done to hallways, elevators, etc.
• Extension of hours available for moving and having construction work done in units - allow such activity from 8:00-5:00 on all days of the week, not just Monday-Friday.
• Create language regarding "courtesy notices" before fines are levied for violating residential rules. Residents may receive a courtesy notice on a first violation, and a fine on subsequent violations for certain offences.
• Continue to allow holiday decorations in residential hallways, but place a time limit on those decorations.
• Add "Presa Canario" to the list of "dangerous dog breeds" in the rules.

• Establishment of News and Website Committee:
  The board approved the creation of a News and Website Committee, and the enlistment of "The Esplanade News" as an official publication of the HOA. This will allow the HOA to use this website and blog to disseminate official HOA announcements. "The Esplanade News" will, however, remain an open forum for all Esplanade residents to share news, information, and civil opinions, as has been the policy since its inception.
  
  Any Esplanade resident who wishes to contribute a regular feature or a one-time submission to this blog is encouraged to contact the blog editor, Dan Hardebeck, with their idea.

New business - none

Resident questions:

At the close of the meeting, the board informally fielded several questions regarding clarification on several items above. Additionally, a question about trimming of bushes and grasses on the property was answered. Another resident volunteered to work on the Club Room Committee, and a new TV for the community room was briefly mentioned. A suggestion was made that the new rooftop compressor might be lifted to the roof via an air shaft which runs adjacent to the trash chute. 

Meeting adjourned