Highlights from the 6/9 HOA board meeting

The official minutes from the HOA board meeting on 6/9/16 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, along with Building Manager Karen DeGraw and Property Manager Matt Brown. Approximately 6 additional Esplanade residents were also on hand.


Treasurer's report:

• Board Treasurer Pat O’Donnell described how she and Building Manager Karen DeGraw recently attended a meeting with several representatives of Condominium Management, in an attempt to clarify some of the HOA's financial documentation, specifically income/expense reporting. While there is no suggestion of improper accounting, the meeting was part of the board's ongoing effort to make the HOA's financial records more clear and "user friendly." (To this end, HOA members may refer to the monthly financial statements 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:
  No report
  

• Safety Committee: 
  Committee member Lynette Chandler described several items of note regarding building safety issues:
• The disaster preparedness information table in the lobby last Saturday was successful, although the committee would like to get the information out to more people. A suggestion was made to possibly pair such information with a social event, such as a barbeque.
• The committee may at some point look into sponsoring emergency training for Esplanade residents, specifically CPR training and/or CERT training. It was noted that the more people in the building who are trained in these areas, the better.
• A suggestion was made that the committee might look into acquiring a portable defibrillator for the building, and/or registering residents with a smartphone app such as PulsePoint, to provide faster emergency assistance for cardiac arrest.
  

• Finance Committee:
  Committee Chair Tim O’Donnell was present, and explained that the committee's work on several fronts is ongoing, although there were no new developments to report.

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 replacement 
  The new door is installed, however, work on the project will continue for at least another day. Residents may drive in and out while this work is being completed.

• Code changed on lower garage door
  This week the code to the lower garage door was changed. Residents may bring their transmitters to Building Manager Karen DeGraw to have the new code entered, or you can call/email her for instructions. Karen stated that in the interest of keeping the lower garage secure, she plans to have the code changed about once a year.

• Miscellaneous projects
  Karen described several other ongoing projects, such as upgrades to several security cameras in the building (particularly in the garages) and replacement of carpet near the elevators on some floors. Residents should expect to see this work being done in the next couple weeks.

Old business:

• Landscaping contract and guidelines
  A contract has been signed with a new landscaper, Greenleaf Landscaping. The contract is somewhat more expensive than with the previous landscaper, but should provide much better service. One of Greenleaf's first tasks will be to repair damage to plants, sprinklers, etc. caused by the previous landscaper. At this time the board decided not to adopt official written guidelines for landscaping the building.

• Investment policy/philosophy
  Finance Committee Chair Tim O’Donnell provided a sample investment policy from another HOA. The board generally liked this sample policy, and requested that Building Manager Matt Brown adapt the policy for use by the Esplanade's HOA. The adoption of such a policy would require changing the building's CC&Rs, which would necessitate a general vote of HOA members (see new business).

New business:

• Changes to Conditions, Covenants and Restrictions (CC&Rs)
  Board President Debra Goodrich raised the possibility of drafting some minor changes to the building's Conditions, Covenants and Restrictions (CC&Rs), and then submitting those changes to the HOA membership for approval. Possible changes might include the addition of an investment policy for the HOA's reserve funds; adding language allowing enhancement of the building's insurance coverage; changing outdated language regarding the "declarant," or the building's developer; updating language regarding the bathrooms on the building's north side; etc. HOA members will be given plenty of notice before any such changes are put to a vote.

• Policies/fees for use of Community Room and Club Room
  The recently-adopted building rules and regulations designate 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. Last Tuesday (6/7) the board held an open work-group meeting to draft new policies and fees, which was attended by a handful of residents. Ideas under consideration include:
• Only requiring a fee/deposit for events larger than 15-20 people, with no fee/deposit for events open to all residents.
• Developing improved methods for determining how damage and messes occur in those rooms. Possibly creating a checklist of items in the rooms to clean and assess for damage; possibly improving security camera monitoring of the rooms; etc.
• Requiring a reservation for gatherings of a certain size, instead of allowing impromptu use of the rooms.
• Possibly holding a drawing for reservation of the rooms on major holidays (Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.)

Resident questions:

• A few clarifying questions were asked regarding items above.
• A comment was made about leaving surveys/information in front of residents' doors. It was noted that as a security measure, any papers left outside residents' doors should be collected after 24 hours, so as not to indicate that someone may be out of town.
• A question was asked about controls/reporting on units being rented, as opposed to owner-occupied. The board feels it has a clear process for reporting that a unit is being rented out, and clear rules regarding rentals. It was reported that 15-20 percent of the units in the building are currently rentals.