Highlights from the 3/17/16 board meeting

The official minutes from the HOA board meeting on 3/17/16 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 five current board members, Building Manager Karen DeGraw, and Property Manager Matt Brown. Approximately 30 other Esplanade residents were also on hand.

Treasurer's report:

• Previous board treasurer Dave Rodenbach provided the balances in both the operating fund and the reserve fund. Condo owners who would like to see financial reports can view them in Karen DeGraw's office, or see the documents page of "The Esplanade News," HERE.
• At next month's board meeting, a local banker will be on hand to discuss how the HOA might earn higher rates on its investments, while still keeping those funds safe.
• The new "insurance reserve fund" is growing. This fund will be used to pay periodic insurance premiums, as those payments were previously made out of reserve funds.

Announcement regarding HOA officers:

• New HOA officer positions were announced: Pat O’Donnell will now serve as board treasurer, Dave Rodenbach will serve as vice-president, and Kory Keath will continue as secretary.

Committee reports:

• Safety Committee: 
  Committee Chair Pat Pound announced that the Safety Committee will host an information booth for disaster preparedness on June 4, time TBA. This information booth will coincide with a statewide earthquake preparedness day.

• Social Committee:
  Committee Chair Sallie Zimmer made three announcements. First, that the committee has, as previously promised, purchased new round tables for use in the Community Room. Second, Sallie announced a wine-tasting event, to be held on April 1 at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room. The cost is $10. RSVP at SallieNHerb85@comcast.net. Finally, Sallie announced the date for the next Social Committee meeting, which will be April 20 at 7 p.m. in #911.

• Finance Committee:Committee Chair Tim O’Donnell explained that the committee is working to simplify the monthly HOA financial reports, to make them more readable for HOA members.

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 is working on - it is merely a glimpse of a few projects.

• Upper garage door damage/replacement 
  (See new business)

• New security cameras
  Karen is currently getting bids to install a few additional security cameras. New high-definition cameras are particularly needed in the upper garage. Money for this has already been allocated.

• Possible new sensor(s) for lower garage door
  Karen suggested the possibility of additional sensors for the lower garage door, so that the door will stop when a car is 5-10 feet away. Current sensors only recognize a car that is actually in the doorframe. The board asked for more information on this and agreed to vote on the proposal at the next meeting.

• Cleaning of dryer vents
  Karen stated that she has gotten bids for having the building's dryer vents cleaned. All of the dryers are connected to common ventilation shafts, which must be cleaned every three years to prevent a fire hazard. On the day(s) of the cleaning, the vendor will need access to all residential units. At this time Karen believes that the workers will move the washer and dryer units to access the vent shafts, and then move the appliances back, but this will need to be confirmed. Individual unit owners are still responsible for cleaning their dryer ventilation hoses that connect to the wall; this should be done periodically to prevent a fire hazard!

Old business:

• Excess building materials in storage rooms
  Building materials (granite counters, slate tiles, cabinet doors, etc.) are currently being stored in two lower-garage storage rooms by iStar. By contract, iStar maintains control of these storage rooms until they have sold the last of their 9th floor units (there are currently three units that remain to be sold, with two of those pending). iStar made an offer to sell the building materials to the HOA, and surrender control of the storage rooms to the association. The board voted tonight to buy those materials for $750. The materials will be catalogued, photographed, and re-sold to individual unit owners.

New business:

• Books in Club Room
  There are stacks of books in the Club Room, that were previously located on a "book exchange shelf" in the Community Room. Concerns were expressed that the bookshelf gets messy, and that residents might "dump" excess books in the room. The board would very much appreciate any resident who would be willing to serve as a "volunteer librarian," to manage the book exchange shelf. This would involve keeping the shelf tidy, and periodically purging the shelf of unused books. Residents attending the meeting also suggested that a librarian might manage a magazine exchange, a board-game checkout, etc. If you are interested in serving as librarian, please see Karen DeGraw.

• Upper garage door damage/replacement
  Once again, the upper garage door was hit by a driver attempting to beat the door as it closed. Karen DeGraw explained that the HOA now has two choices: 1) Use the insurance settlement from this latest accident, and replace the door with the same model door, or 2) Supplement the insurance settlement with additional HOA funds ($21,000) and purchase a door for the upper garage that is the same model as the lower garage door. The major advantage of the better model is that because the door is in segments, a hit to the door will likely only damage the bottom segment, instead of the entire door, and future repairs will be simpler. Additionally, the better model comes with a 5-year warranty. The board discussed the two possibilities, and voted unanimously to spend the additional funds for the better door.

Special guest, Su Dowie:
Su Dowie was present to answer questions and give information about developments on the Foss Waterway. Su is the Executive Director of the Foss Waterway Development Authority. Information presented by Su included:

• A history of the waterway cleanup and development since the 1980's.
• An announcement that 21st Street Park will be re-named this spring in honor of George Weyerhaeuser. For more information about the park and Weyerhaeuser's contributions to our neighborhood, click HERE.
• Updates on Foss Central Park and Foss Waterway Park. Click HERE for more information on those two parks, including detailed drawings. (Yes, Dowie confirmed that an off-leash dog area is planned for Waterway Park.)
• Art on the 15th Street Bridge light poles, as part of the development of the Prairie Line Trail. (See more information HERE and HERE.)
• Hollander hotel just south of The Esplanade: Dowie said the project is still under development, and may now include office space in addition to the hotel.
• Development north and south of the Murray Morgan Bridge: Dowie said there are currently proposals to build multi-story housing units just north and/or just south of the bridge. One proposal calls for an assisted living facility on Site 8.
• Homeless debris under I-705. Dowie explained that although the FWDA does not control the area under I-705, the organization definitely advocates for solutions to this problem. Dowie explained that one complicating factor is the multitude of agencies who have jurisdiction, including the City Of Tacoma, The Department of Transportation, and Burlington Northern, all of whom control different parts of the area. Dowie also stated that if Esplanade residents want to see improvement, they should advocate: report the litter problem(s), report unlawful activity, attend meetings, write emails to city council and city departments, etc. She believes action will be taken.
• Mosquitos breeding in the water puddles on the Hollander site? A resident raised this issue, and Dowie agreed to contact Hollander and ask them to look into the problem.
• Prior to Dowie's retirement this spring, the FWDA will announce a meeting where the public can meet candidates for her replacement. Watch this blog for an announcement regarding this meeting.

Resident questions:

• A few clarifying questions were asked regarding the upper garage door. (See above - the information reflects the clarifications.)
• A question was asked regarding the disabled elevator. The elevator is waiting on a part, which should be repaired in a couple days.