Highlights from the 12/10 board meeting

The official minutes from the HOA board meeting on 12/10/15 should be available HERE in the next couple weeks or so. In advance of the official minutes, below are a few highlights from the meeting, attended by all four current board members and Building Manager Karen DeGraw. Property Manager Matt Brown was also in attendance. Approximately 12 other Esplanade residents were also on hand.

Treasurer's report:

• Board treasurer Dave Rodenbach provided the balances in both the operating fund and the reserve fund. Condo owners who would like to see these financial reports can view them in Karen DeGraw's office.

Committee reports:

• Safety Committee: 
  Committee Chair Pat Pound expressed the desire of the committee to arrange a test of the building's emergency electrical generator, to verify that emergency lights in the halls and stairs, as well as other emergency systems, will function during a power loss. This test would require that the building be temporarily disconnected from the city power grid for approximately 10-20 minutes. It was suggested that a test be done at a time that would minimize impact on the building's commercial units. The board authorized Pat, Building Manager Karen DeGraw and Property Manager Matt Brown to begin arrangements for this test.
  
  The Safety Committee is currently recruiting new members. Any residents who would like to serve on this committee should contact Pat Pound or Karen DeGraw.

• Social Committee:
  Committee Chair Sallie Zimmer thanked all who helped plan and all who attended the building Christmas party last week. The silent auction raised approximately $1,000 and the committee requested that a portion of those funds be used to purchase 4 round, folding tables and 12 additional folding, padded chairs, for use in the community room during events. After some discussion about the storage of these items, the board approved this expenditure.
  
  Sallie also announced that the committee is planning a wine tasting event for February or March.

• Finance Committee:
  Committee Chair Tim O'Donnell reported that the committee met with board members last month and suggested edits to the monthly financial statements (these statements are available for viewing in Karen DeGraw's office).
  
  A tentative meeting date of December 17 at 6:00 p.m. was set for the committee to meet to discuss the preliminary 2016 HOA budget.
  
  The Finance Committee is also seeking new members - any owners with an interest in HOA finances and budgeting are encouraged to contact Tim O'Donnell or Karen DeGraw.

Building Manager's report:

Below are a few of the projects that Building Manager Karen DeGraw is currently working on. This is not a comprehensive list of all she does - it is merely a glimpse of projects with which she is currently engaged.

• New door to lower parking garage: 
  The new door is under construction and every effort is being made to have it installed as soon as possible. Karen expects the door to be installed the first week of January.

• New door to upper parking garage:
  After collecting a $10,000 auto insurance settlement from the individual who hit the door, $3,000 was spent on the temporary fix that is currently enabling the door to operate. Bids for a permanent repair have been received, and while the insurance money would pay for a repair, all companies who submitted bids advised replacing, rather than repairing the door. The board voted to heed this advice, and also voted to use operating funds to cover the additional cost to replace the door, rather than repair it. It was also decided to wait on the upper door replacement until the lower door is installed, to avoid having both doors inoperable at the same time.
  
  Residents are reminded, once again, to please let the garage doors open all the way before driving under them.

• Water in lower garage:
  Heavy rains and clogged drains caused some minor flooding in the NW and SE corners of the lower garage this week. Karen, Nellie and several volunteer residents spent a lot of time cleaning up the water, and the drains will both be unclogged this week.

• Repairs to building main door:
  The "sticky" lock on the building's main door has been replaced, and the exterior call box has also been repaired.

• Miscellaneous repairs:
  Bids are being sought to patch or dye bleach spots on carpet. Minor paint touch-ups are also being completed.

Old business:

• IStar request for reimbursement: 
  IStar, the company which originally built The Esplanade and sold all units, some weeks ago requested a $1,900 reimbursement from the HOA for property taxes IStar paid on the exterior public bathrooms. The board notes that these bathrooms never have been, nor are intended to be, controlled by the HOA; the Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions indicate that IStar is responsible for transferring control of the bathrooms to the Foss Waterway Development Authority, or to the City of Tacoma. At its November meeting, the board declined to approve payment to IStar. 
  
  Subsequently, IStar has requested 50% of its original reimbursement request, in effect offering to split the amount with The Esplanade HOA. The board again declined to approve payment to IStar.

New business:

• 2016 HOA budget:
  The board was prepared to vote on a budget to submit to the general HOA membership for approval. However, a few last-minute concerns have delayed the budget process. The current iteration of the 2016 budget (subject to change) calls for no increase in HOA dues for residential units, and a possible corrective increase in dues for commercial units (based on corrections to common area expenditures). Board member Kelly DeLaat-Maher, who represents the commercial units, requested more time to look into these common area expenditures, noting that the commercial units have their own HVAC units, their own cleaning, etc. The board agreed to a short delay in their approval of the budget, but is attempting to finalize and approve the budget as quickly as possible.
  
  A general HOA meeting to approve the budget and elect new board members will be held in January or February - exact date TBA.

• Treadmill replacement in fitness room:
  The board approved an expenditure of $5,000 - $6,000 to replace the broken treadmill in the fitness room. This amount is to be taken out of the reserve funds designated for the purpose of replacing fitness room equipment.

• Parking revenue from upper garage:
  Revenue from public parking in the upper garage has fallen dramatically, and the board is attempting to set new rates/rules to increase that revenue, while still making the required number of spots publically available during business hours, as dictated by law. It is important to note that the board does not have absolute free reign to do as it pleases with the upper garage - a certain number of spaces must be publically available during certain hours. (For more information on parking at The Esplanade, click HERE.) It was also acknowledged that the board should provide residents with more notice when changing parking rates and rules in the upper garage.
  
  Numerous ideas were considered for increasing revenue and making the upper garage more available to residents. Some ideas that are under possible consideration include:
• Creating approximately fifteen or twenty monthly passes for residents, allowing them to park from 5pm - 7am (possibly for $75 per month).
• Creating approximately five monthly passes for residents, allowing them to park 24-hours (possibly for $120 per month).
• Reducing the hourly rate for public parking, in an attempt to draw more customers. The Esplanade currently has the highest parking rates in Tacoma.
• Establishing a $5-for-all-day parking rate for weekends, in an attempt to draw more customers.
• Possibly extending the allotted parking passes for London's Salon from 7pm to 9pm.
• Possibly seeking bids from other companies (Diamond?) for running the garage, as a means of lowering the operation costs.

Resident questions:

• Parking:
  Several clarifying questions were asked regarding possible changes to the parking rates/rules (see above).

• Solar panels:
  A resident noted a recent article in the Tacoma News Tribune regarding the increasing cost efficiency of solar panels on large buildings. (To read the article, click HERE.) Another resident volunteered to research the matter and provide a report back to the board. The fragile surface material on The Esplanade's roof was duly noted by the board.

• Budget questions:
  A resident raised two contentions regarding the 2016 budget: the propriety of increasing dues amounts for commercial units and not residential units; and also the delays in board approval of a budget set to go into effect next month. The board acknowledged both issues as legitimate concerns.