Highlights from the 3/14/19 HOA board meeting

The official minutes from the HOA board meeting on 3/14/19 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 of the five board members, with Pat Pound out for personal reasons. Building Manager Karen DeGraw was also present and approximately 25 additional Esplanade residents were on hand.

Treasurer's report:

• None

Committee reports:

• Safety Committee: No report at this time

• Rooftop Rocks Committee: Dennis Murray reported that he is waiting for a work session with board members to discuss budget; board agreed to schedule soon.
  

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.

• Construction on circular driveway: Construction is currently suspended until the weather warms up. One week of temperatures above 40 degrees is needed for the next phase. Karen is working with the city on permitting for a height-restrictor. See more under "New Business" regarding the decorative silver dome.
• Karen is working with Goodwill Industries on getting a drop-off box located in our garage, on a trial basis. Goodwill Industries will set their own criteria for acceptable items.
• The 4:00 a.m. fire alarm last month was the result of a failed compressor; that compressor has now been replaced. 
• The water storage tank located under the entrance ramp 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. This will be done in the next several weeks, and will necessitate a one-week closure of one side of the ramp. Cars will be able to go in and out of the garage, but there will only be one lane, so cars will have to take turns going in and out.
• The first carpet cleaning in the residential halls will be done in late April. The building has contracted with a maintenance company for four carpet cleanings per year; three will be "dry" cleanings and the fourth is a "wet" cleaning.
• The water pipes in the stairwells are due for testing; however, there are no drains in the stairwells. Thus, hoses may need to be attached to the pipes and run down the stairs and outdoors, in order to drain and test the pipes. More information on this project will be forthcoming. 
• Once again this week, one of the building's large recycling bins was rejected for pickup because of inappropriate material in the bin (styrofoam, glass, and a concrete block). 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:

• Letter from resident Alex Tennent regarding replacement of decorative silver dome in the circular driveway. Advocated for keeping the dome.
• Letter from resident Cheryl Barsness regarding decorative silver dome in the circular driveway. Claims the dome is a liability, and attracts skateboarders and bikers to perform stunts on it. Advocated for the dome's removal.
• Letter from resident Bennie Baldwin regarding replacement of decorative silver dome in the circular driveway. Advocated for keeping the dome.
  
  [See "New Business" for the board's responses regarding the silver dome]
  
  
• Letter from resident Bennie Baldwin regarding proxy votes in the last HOA board election. Contends that the current proxy system allows a few individuals to hoard proxy votes, resulting in undue influence on election results.
  
  Board President Margo Holm responded by noting that proxy votes are needed for those homeowners who may be ill, or traveling, or who do not live in the building. Homeowners who cannot attend the yearly general meeting still deserve to vote by proxy, and can give their proxies to whomever they wish. If many homeowners decide to give their proxy votes to the same person, there is little the board can do about it. However, Margo did concede that the most recent election might have been conducted better, and there were some irregularities. She stated that next year, a proper ballot will be printed with names on it, and more control will be exercised over proxies to prevent confusion and voting impropriety.
  
  
• Letter from the "Friends of the Foss" group, asking for a donation to help fund summer concerts on the esplanade. The board tabled any decision on the matter for the time being.

New business:

• Prevention of "hostile work environment" for building employees: Board President Margo Holm gave a brief rundown of poor behavior by some residents toward the building manager, which could be considered a hostile work environment. These behaviors include: threats to take legal action against her for merely performing her job duties; using the word "bitch," and other pejoratives to her face; dumping trash in her parking spot; yelling and cursing; using threatening body language; etc. Margo explained that such behaviors by residents absolutely will not be tolerated, not only for Karen's protection, but for the protection of the HOA as a whole. Residents who take issue with actions by the building manager should not engage in hurtful or threatening retaliation, instead they should talk with a board member, or contact the board via the property manager.

• "Ad Hoc HOA Boards": Board President Margo Holm raised the issue of individual HOA members acting as representatives of the HOA Board, without authorization. She cautioned individuals to be careful not to misrepresent themselves when dealing with local government agencies. She also questioned what would happen if, for example, the City of Tacoma decided to issue a permit, or levy a fine based on such an individual's actions.

• Decorative silver dome in circular driveway: [This item came up for discussion at several points in tonight's meeting.] Many residents have advocated for and against the dome's permanent removal. Some appear to believe the dome is aesthetic and classy, while others dislike its look, and have seen it attract skateboarders and bikers. It was noted that the dome could be judged an "attractive nuisance," which would make the HOA liable in the case of an injury sustained by a skateboarder. Several ideas were brainstormed, including:
• Karen looked into the possibility of attaching sculpted metal fish to the dome, which would hopefully deter young people from climbing on it. However, the cost seemed exorbitant to her.
• One resident suggested that a concrete planter be constructed some feet off the ground, and the dome could be placed in the middle of the dirt, with plantings around. This might deter skateboarders and bikers, as well as satisfy those who want a planter as well as those who want to keep the dome.
• A suggestion was floated to look into the cost of replacing the dome with a tall metal sculpture which would not be conducive for skateboarding tricks.

• Esplanade Litter Patrol seeking official committee status: The Esplanade Litter Patrol, which has been picking up litter in the neighborhood for over a year, requested to have official recognition as a board committee. The board voted on and granted this request. Committee Chair Lynn Dutton said that the group is planning to work about every six weeks. Residents who would like to be on the committee's mailing list should contact Lynn at  lynnrdutton@aol.com.

• New house rule regarding estate sales: A situation arose last month which does not seem to be dealt with in the building's current house rules. [Note that the "house rules" differ from the CC&Rs. The house rules are the board's interpretations of the CC&Rs, and can be changed by a simple board vote. Alteration of the CC&Rs requires a vote of all homeowners.] As a result of the unforeseen situation, a new house rule will be added prohibiting estate sales in the building. Individual items may still be sold by posting notices on the community bulletin board, but full estate sales must be moved to an off-site location.

Old business:

• Garbage can in P1 elevator foyer: Board President Margo Holm explained that the board had considered the request for returning the garbage can, but decided against it. The maintenance person hired by the HOA works only 12 hours per week, and it was estimated that the previous garbage can sometimes took as much of an hour of his time each week to empty, dispose of inappropriate items, and clean up messes. It was felt that this time was taking away from his time spent vacuuming, cleaning glass, cleaning the bathroom, etc.

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 homeowner asked about a previous request to the board regarding changing, for next year, the date on which holiday decorations can be displayed - from "December 1" to "the day after Thanksgiving." The board agreed to consider this request and report back.

• A suggestion was made to use the cameras in the upper garage to see who is putting inappropriate materials in the recycling bins. Building Manager Karen Degraw said this was a good idea, and she has tried, although the position of the cameras makes it difficult to tell what someone is putting in the bins, and scrolling through hours of video is not always an effective use of her time. She noted that it is possible that some inappropriate items might be put in the bins at night, after they have been wheeled out to the sidewalk, but she did not think this was likely. Karen also stated that residents could help by "self-policing," in other words, looking in the bins, and taking out inappropriate materials if you see them.
  
  Board President Margo Holm added that it is a problem that requires everyone's help. She shared that when she recently found a neighbor putting large, unflattened boxes in the cardboard bin, and inquired about flattening them, the neighbor replied that "the staff should do that." This perspective unfortunately drives up maintenance costs, and subsequently HOA dues.