Highlights from the 5/12 HOA board meeting

The official minutes from the HOA board meeting on 5/12/16 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, and Building Manager Karen DeGraw. Property Manager Matt Brown was ill and not in attendance. Approximately 10 additional Esplanade residents were also on hand.


Treasurer's report:

• Board treasurer Pat O’Donnell explained that Property Manager Matt Brown has been working on a new "monthly financial cover sheet," which simplifies the monthly revenue and expenditures. This cover sheet will soon be available every month on the documents page of "The Esplanade News," HERE.
• Pat also provided the balances in both the operating fund and the reserve fund, plus a few highlights of the spending in the last month.

Committee reports:

• Social Committee:
  Committee Chair Sallie Zimmer requested permission from the board to conduct an informal resident survey regarding possible future social events. The board granted permission for the committee to conduct the survey by leaving questionnaires outside or under resident doors. The questionnaire will also be available on this blog next week, and residents will have an opportunity to comment and discuss the options online.
  
  Please return questionnaires to Building Manager Karen DeGraw (you may slide them under her office door during non-business hours).
  
  

• Safety Committee: 
  Committee Chair Pat Pound explained several items of note regarding building safety issues:
• New lines and arrows were painted this week on the garage ramps, to aid in safe traffic flow. New stop signs, pedestrian crossing signs, etc. will be added soon.
• Caution warnings have also been painted on the curb in the traffic circle, to make the curb more visible.
• The Safety Committee will host tables in the lobby area on Saturday, June 4 with information on disaster preparedness.
  
  

• Finance Committee:
  Committee Chair Tim O’Donnell presented several items of note regarding HOA finance issues:
• The committee is continuing to work on its goal of raising the return on HOA reserve investments from the current rate of approximately .1% to a more lucrative 2%. Committee members have researched the laws regarding HOA investments, and also found sample HOA investment policies, philosophies and strategies, some of which were presented to the board at tonight's meeting. The committee's work is ongoing.
• Committee Chair Tim O'Donnell recently met with Jami Block from Commencement Bank (who was a special guest at last month's meeting) to discuss opening an account for the HOA's operating funds. Jami recommended an account which would provide a return of .5% on the funds, while still keeping them safe.

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.

• Excess building materials in storage rooms
  Building materials (granite counters, slate tiles, cabinet doors, etc.) stored in two lower-garage storage rooms are being inventoried and photographed, for re-sale to individual unit owners.

• Upper garage door damage/replacement 
  A new door is being fabricated. Installation of the new door is expected in 3-4 weeks. Installation of the door will take 2 full days; access to both garages will be restricted during business hours on those 2 days.

• Community Room and Club Room
  Extra folding tables and chairs are currently being stored in the hallway at the back of the Club Room, however, the clutter of the tables and chairs is both unsightly and partially blocking the exit. To create storage space for these items, the countertop in that hallway will be removed - Karen is currently getting bids for this job.

• Dryer vent hoses
  After the dryer vents were cleaned  in April, it was found that many units' dryer vent hoses are connected to the wall with duct tape. It is recommended that residents replace the duct tape with a clamp (see photo below). Clamps can be purchased at a home improvement store, usually for under $2.00.

• Miscellaneous bids for work
  Karen is currently working on getting bids for new and better security cameras in the garages, to better identify license plates and faces. She is also hoping to upgrade to a better landscaping service, and is in conversations with several companies. Also, the wood decking leading from the building's main entrance to the esplanade is in need of pressure washing and sealant - bids are being sought for this work. A large job that must be bid in future months or years is the replacement of the grey, nonslip coating on all concrete decks.

• Current work
  Pressure washing of 1st floor roof areas is ongoing this week. Next week, the carpet in front of the elevators on floor 4 will be replaced.

Old business:

• Commercial unit sewage pump
  An agreement has been reached with one of the building's commercial units, regarding a recent sewage pump failure. The commercial unit owner will reimburse the HOA for repairs on the pump system, and has agreed to properly maintain the system in the future.

• Bathrooms on building's north side
  The company which originally built The Esplanade and sold all units, iStar, has reached an agreement with the Foss Waterway Development Authority to transfer ownership of the public bathrooms on the building's north side. Once the FWDA takes control of these bathrooms, the locks will be changed and residents' keys will no longer unlock the bathrooms.

New business:

• Landscape guidelines
  While a new landscaping service is being sought, the board is also considering adopting "landscaping guidelines." The Foss Waterway Devlopment Authority currently has such guidelines in place, and the board is considering adopting those same guidelines for use around The Esplanade.

• Foss Waterway Seaport request
  The Foss Waterway Seaport has requested a donation of $500 from the HOA; in return, the HOA would be listed as a supporting organization of the seaport, and would promote the work of the organization. No motion on the matter was made and the board did not seem inclined to designate HOA funds for this purpose.

• Comcast "Thirsty Thursday" event
  On Thursday, 5/19 from 5-8 p.m. a representative from Comcast will be in the building to answer questions about rates, service, etc. Food and drink will be provided at the event.

• Policies/fees for use of Community Room and Club Room
  The recently-adopted building rules and regulations designated a $35 cleaning fee, and a $100 damage deposit when residents reserve and use the Community Room/Club Room for nonresident functions. HOA members have requested revisiting these fees, and perhaps drafting policies that are more specific and fair, and take into account the size and nature of events in these rooms. The board discussed at length the different types of events held in these rooms, and noted that residents may not always realize the extent of the maintenance required for these rooms, particularly after large functions.
  
  The board ultimately decided to schedule an open work-group meeting to draft new policies and fees. The time and date for this meeting will be announced soon. All interested HOA members are encouraged to attend; this is an opportunity to help resolve the matter instead of merely registering complaints. Written comments will also be accepted from those who cannot attend the work-group

Resident questions:

• A few clarifying questions were asked regarding items above.
• Questions were also asked regarding the periodic audit of HOA finances and the annual reserve study update.
• A question was asked about possibly hosting a representative from Tacoma Public Utilities to discuss energy efficiency in the building.