Highlights from the 12/13/18 HOA board meeting

The official minutes from the HOA board meeting on 12/13/18 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 four board members, along with Building Manager Karen DeGraw, and Property Managers Kevin Ducotey and Matt Brown of Condominium Management. Approximately 30 additional Esplanade residents were also on hand.

Treasurer's report:

• Board Treasurer Denice Faust provided the balances in the operating fund and the various reserve funds.

Committee reports:

• Safety Committee:
  Committee Chair Pat Pound had no new items to report for this meeting.

• Social Committee:
  Sallie Zimmer gave her official notice to the board that she would be retiring as chair of the social committee, after several years of service. Sallie noted that she would be happy to help a new person learn the job, if someone wanted to fill her role in the future. Anyone interested in planning social events for the building should contact Sallie at sallienherb85@comcast.net.

Building Manager's report:

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

• Work is ongoing in the residential hallways: painting the walls, carpet replacement, and installation of hard surfaces in front of all elevators. Contractors are working their way downward. Still to come will be vinyl flooring in the trash chute rooms, transition strips, and metal corner protectors.
• Motion-detector lights are also being installed in the trash chute rooms, to save on electricity.
• Cleaning supplies are also being placed in the trash chute rooms. More information on the cleaning supplies will be forthcoming, however the general idea is for residents to have supplies handy in case of a spill, pet accident, etc. Also, Karen is requesting that the new carpets be cleaned ONLY with the cleaning solution provided in the trash chute rooms. In the past, residents have used cleaning products that stained the carpet.
• Karen is also arranging for quarterly professional carpet cleaning, in an effort to extend the life of the new carpet.
• Roof maintenance: The Esplanade has three distinct roof areas - the "London's Roof" which covers the salon, the "Lower Roof," which is the area visible from many city-side decks and is currently covered with decorative rocks, and the "Upper Roof," which is the large, uppermost roof. Preventive maintenance was recently done on all three surfaces.
• A water storage tank located under the entrance to the upper garage is in need of service (this is not the building's main hot water tank, it is a tank used as part of the fire-suppression system). There is sediment in the tank, and it needs to be drained, coated, and re-filled. Karen originally received a bid of $40,000 to do this work; this would have been a large, unexpected hit to the HOA's funds, at a time when there are a couple of other such hits taking place. Karen was able to find a much lower bid for the work, but she is checking on whether the scope of work is the same for both bids.
• IMPORTANT: Once again this week, two of our building's large recycling bins were nearly rejected for pickup because of inappropriate material in the bins. The only reason they were not rejected was because Karen waited for the recycling truck to arrive and was there to deal with the issues. There were wine bottles and other glass in the bins, and also some cardboard not broken down flat. Also, large, inappropriate items were left outside the trash room this week: a weight bench, a printer, a lamp, etc. In this situation, Karen must find a truck and take these items to the dump, costing her time and the HOA's funds. Residents, please familiarize yourself with trash procedures in this building. For a comprehensive review of garbage and recycling at The Esplanade, click HERE.

Correspondence to the board: None shared this month.


New business:

• None

Old business:

• Concrete Circle Committee: Board President Pete Cribbin gave a report on the work of the Concrete Circle Committee. Some of the more salient points of his report included:
• The Foss Waterway Development Authority has given approval for a change in the language governing the use of the easement. The easement language must also go to the City of Tacoma for approval by its legal department and/or City Manager. However, our building's CC&Rs must also be changed, as Article 23.6.2.iv. of the CC&Rs currently forbids most vehicles in the easement.
• It is the intent of the board to replace the existing concrete, which is unsuitable for cars, and cracking, and sitting above the underground parking garage. The current estimate to replace the concrete (with stronger, appropriately reinforced concrete) is $96,000. The board debated whether to dip into reserve funds for this expense or to create a special assessment, and finally decided to use reserve funds. This expenditure will necessitate a period of "catching up," to replenish the reserves lost to this project and several others.
• Despite the board's intent to replace the concrete, the circle still cannot be opened for general use without enough "Yes" votes to change the CC&Rs.  (Article 23.6.2.iv. of the CC&Rs currently forbids most vehicles in the easement.) A ballot will soon be mailed to all homeowners, requesting their vote. A two-thirds "Yes" vote will be needed to change the CC&Rs and open the circle.
• If and when the concrete is replaced, it still will not be suitable for vehicles over 10,000 pounds. Some method for preventing trucks from entering the circle will be needed.

• Decorative rocks: Homeowner Dennis Murray, who has been asked by the board to research options for replacing the rocks on the lower roof, gave a report on his work:
• Dennis found that while the roofs of our building are designed to last 30 years, they are not currently under warranty.
• The decorative rocks currently on the lower roof will, in all likelihood, need to be removed. While it was at first thought that they might be used in an alternative "roofscaping" project, the current rocks are definitely unsightly, and probably disintegrating, and could damage the roof. Because the rocks are painted, it may not be possible to recycle them, in which case there would be a cost to dispose of them.
• Leaving the roof with the white membrane exposed is not ideal. (For basic information about why rocks or gravel or other coverings are spread on flat roofs, click HERE.)
• Dennis has received a few preliminary estimates for replacing the existing rocks. Gravel and pavers might run in the neighborhood of $56,000. Other options might include a spray-on coating; or painting; or a mix of gravel, artificial turf and trees.
• The issue is complicated by the uncertainty of the roof's condition under the existing rocks. It would be unfortunate to put a new covering on the roof, only to then have the roof need replacement a short time later. A full picture of the roof's condition cannot be determined, however, until the existing rocks are removed - and it might not be prudent to remove the existing rocks without a plan going forward.
• Board President Pete Cribbin recommended that the "rocks committee" meet with members of the board for a study session, to lay out all the options.

Resident comments and questions:

• A few clarifying questions were asked regarding items above, and that information has been inserted into the notes above where appropriate.

• A request was made to change, for next year, the date on which holiday decorations can be displayed - from "December 1" to "the day after Thanksgiving."

• Several questions were asked regarding the removal of the garbage can from the P1 elevator foyer. A lengthy discussion ensued. Some of the questions and comments included:
• Is there a way that the majority of residents could still enjoy this convenience, even though a small minority abuse it?
• What were the abuses? [People have put large items such as coolers and furnace filters in the can. People have continued to pile the garbage until it is high and overflowing, particularly on weekends when cleaners are not here to empty it, etc.]
• A suggestion was made to use the video camera to find the abusers and fine them. However, it is difficult to write the rules specifically enough that people without common sense can follow them.
• It was noted that it is a significant waste of Karen's time for her to spend hours looking through recorded video in order to find small abuses regarding trash disposal.
• One resident stated that fines and letters correcting small discretions did not seem appropriate to her; she believes a building manager should be more of a "servant" than a rules enforcer.
• A suggestion was made that a small committee of people could be formed to review video for Karen, or that the live video feeds could be available online for residents to view.
• A suggestion was made to try purchasing a locking garbage can with a small hole, and also put up a sign stating, "small items only."