Highlights from the 5/9/19 HOA board meeting

The official minutes from the HOA board meeting on 5/9/19 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 all five board members, as well as Property Manager Matt Brown and Building Manager Karen DeGraw. Approximately 20 additional Esplanade residents were on hand.

Treasurer's report:

• Board Treasurer Denice Faust provided the most recently-available balances in the operating fund and the various reserve funds.
• Denice and Board President Margo Holm also addressed at length some changes regarding the HOA's investment strategies. After meeting with homeowner Larry Kennedy and Property Manager Kevin Ducotey, the board is interested in pursuing investments with local banks, which might provide higher interest rates than the HOA's current investments. Three motions were approved this evening:
• To immediately purchase an additional CDARS, using funds from an HOA bank account currently exceeding $250,000. (Amounts over $250,000 in such accounts are not FDIC insured.)
• To change periodic funding allocations into residential/commercial reserve accounts, so that the balance between residential and commercial accounts reverts back to the originally-intended proportions.
• To liquidate current CDARS (as they mature) and move the funds to a different institution offering higher interest rates.
• The board agreed that prudence and caution regarding HOA investments is very important. The existing HOA investment policy was referenced, as well as a caution about chasing after higher rates without considering all other important factors.

Committee reports:

• Safety Committee: No report at this time. The committee has not met in some months, and will be soliciting new members in the near future.

• Esplanade Outreach: This label will be used for the time being as an "umbrella" for various building efforts to improve and interact with the local neighborhood.
• The "Esplanade Neighborhood Litter Patrol" will meet Saturday, June 15, to clean up the area directly across Dock Street from our building (between the railroad tracks and Hood Street), as well as the A Street sidewalk leading up to the locomotive sculpture. Meet on Hood Street at 9 a.m. For more information, contact Lynn at lynnrdutton@aol.com.
• The "Friends of the Foss" neighborhood improvement group (not to be confused with the "Friends of the Foss" gardening group) is represented in our building by Tom Ebenhoh and a few others. Tom mentioned the free concert series on the esplanade this summer, beginning on May 19. Click HERE for more information!

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.

• Exterior window washing: Tie-downs used by the window washers for their ropes have undergone their 10-year inspection, and window washing will begin the week of 5/13. The white membrane roofs will be cleaned first, with the windows to follow. [For those who are new to the building, window washing typically lasts several days, and you should expect to see workers hanging from ropes outside you windows at any time, without notice. The workers will clean all of your exterior windows (including the ones on your deck) in addition to the deck's glass railing.]
• Construction on circular driveway: It was originally thought that the waterproof barrier underlying the concrete was intact. However, after the old concrete was pulled away it was found that the waterproof barrier was damaged. A new barrier had to be designed. While the engineering of that layer has now been completed, a contractor must now be found to manufacture it. Once the barrier has been installed, the concrete company should be ready to begin their work.
• Karen requests that whoever keeps removing the emergency contact information from the elevators, please stop.
• Birds: After a resident brought the issue to her attention, Karen discovered that at some time in years past, the "spikes" used to prevent birds from roosting on certain areas of the roof had been removed. The spikes have been located and will be reinstalled.
• Worn-out coverings on the weight benches in the gym have been replaced.
• The hall table for the 9th floor is being painted and will be returned.
• Freight Elevator: Contrary to popular belief, elevator #1 (the one on the far left) has not been completely disabled or restricted on weekends. Instead, the elevator is being put into "freight mode" on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. This means:
• Any resident may use that elevator for moving freight, when it is not specifically reserved for a move-in or move-out. (Note that there is still a $500 fee for every move-in and move-out.)
• An elevator key is no longer required, but in "freight mode," the elevator will stay on one floor until it is intentionally moved to another floor. (Complete instructions for using the elevator in "freight mode" are taped to the inside of the elevator on weekends.) 
• It is important that the elevator be returned to the lobby after use, much the same as residents should return carts to P1 after use. If you do not return the freight elevator to the lobby, then other residents will have to go up and down the floors searching for it. If you happen to see the freight elevator "parked" on a residential floor on the weekend, please return it to the lobby. 
• The intent behind this new strategy is to free up the other two elevators on weekends, which are the busiest days for moving. It is believed that designating elevator #1 for freight on these days will improve the efficiency of the other two, although the board has agreed to try to monitor this efficiency.
• Some residents have requested that instead of the system described above, that the elevator only be put into freight mode "as needed" on weekends, and returned to regular operation at all other times. However, board members expressed doubt about the practicality of this plan, and also seemed disinclined to pay an employee for this purpose on weekends.

Correspondence to the board:
Board President Margo Holm summarized the following letters received by the board in recent weeks. Please note that the following section does not necessarily include all correspondence received by board members, only those noted at tonight's meeting.

• Letter from resident Roger Van Der Vliet regarding appropriateness/inappropriateness of proxy votes in the last HOA election. Board President Margo Holm summarized the letter, and stated that the board had sent an explanatory reply to Mr. Van Der Vliet.

• Letter from resident Bennie Baldwin regarding 15 minute limit on parking in the concrete circle, and the proposed "parking barnacle," which could be used to fine offenders. [Readers can see a video HERE about how the barnacle works.] Board President Margo Holm summarized the letter and the board's response, which was that the 15 minute limit is "directed by the city."

• Letter from residents Paul Francis and Jesse Richardson, thanking the board and Karen DeGraw for their kindness and helpfulness during their process of moving into the building.

• Letter from resident Scott Ahlsmith regrading the freight elevator. Scott's suggestion was to impose a small fee for the use of the freight elevator on weekends, thus raising money to pay an employee to take the elevator in and out of freight mode as needed. The board seemed understanding of the request, but questioned the practicality of the plan and did not seem inclined to approve.

New business:

• Building CC&Rs under review by city: Changes to the building's CC&Rs (new language governing the 16th Street easement, recently approved by a vote of HOA members) are under review by City of Tacoma lawyers. The board expressed uncertainty regarding this review.

• Misc. financial concerns: Board President Margo Holm, Property Manager Matt Brown, and Building Manager Karen DeGraw recently met with resident Ken McDonald regarding various financial matters. These included the inability to use the HOA's credit card at Costco, and financial irregularities dating back to the HOA's dealings with iStar some years ago.

• Cosmetic concrete work: The concrete company hired to pour concrete in the circular driveway suggested $5,000 worth of cosmetic work on the slope connecting the circle to Dock Street. The board voted against spending the money on this upgrade.

• Cracked concrete planter: The concrete company also noted a significant crack in a planter at the front of the building. The company offered to empty the planter and inspect for $900. The board voted to pay for the investigation and subsequent repair, if necessary.

• Lahar sirens: In October of 2017, the Esplanade's Safety Committee asked that Pierce County install a "lahar warning siren" somewhere closer to the Foss Waterway. Apparently existing sirens were installed before high-occupancy residences existed on the waterway, and while the Esplanade is in the danger zone for a lahar, residents cannot hear the nearest siren. Board President Margo Holm said that residents can call the county at 866-977-2362 to request the installation of lahar sirens.

• Other new business: The board thanked a resident for providing new, more aesthetic pads for the freight elevator. New sand will reportedly soon be poured in the sculpture garden on the esplanade (work being done by the FWDA). 

Old business:

• Chiller: Per a resident request, the rooftop chiller has now been set to activate at 49 degrees, so that residents can turn on their air conditioning when the outside temperature is at that point or higher. In conjunction with this adjustment, the HVAC contractor will make a presentation to the board in June, so that board members and other residents can learn more about the functions of the systems.

• Water meters for commercial units: The board voted to begin gathering information/bids for putting all four commercial units on their own water meters, rather than having those units using the common HOA water account.

• Pilera: It has come to the attention of the board that at first glance, it appears on Pilera as though the most recently-updated meeting minutes and financial statements are from many months ago. In fact, minutes and financial statements are uploaded much more frequently. Homeowners must go to the "Community" tab, and click on "Document library" to see these items. After contacting Condominium Management regarding this issue, board members were told the website "Can't be changed." Board members recommended that Condominium Management look into a different website contractor.

• Decorative rocks on lower rooftop: The board expressed regret that it could not in good conscience move forward with removing the unsightly rocks on the lower rooftop, until the concrete circle project is fully accounted for. The board did express appreciation to homeowners Dennis and Cindy Murray, who have done extensive research on the rooftop's issues, as well as homeowner Shoko Yoshikawa, who is a materials engineer and has provided some preliminary engineering work.

• Decorative dome/planter in circular driveway:  [This has been an ongoing discussion at board meetings for some time.] Board President Margo Holm stated that she has an appointment to speak with the President of a local technical college, to explore the possibility of students creating metalwork which might be attached to the silver dome, in order to discourage skateboarders. Margo also indicated that she would ask about the possible design of a height restrictor which might be bolted to the concrete and used to prohibit trucks from entering the circle. Another possible solution might be a width restrictor rather than a height restrictor. 

Resident comments and questions:

• A few clarifying questions were asked, and discussion followed, regarding items above. That information has been inserted into the notes above where appropriate.
• One resident was upset about parking limits in the circle, as well as a recent incident when Building Manager Karen DeGraw refused entry for a flower delivery. Karen replied that it is her practice not to buzz in friends, relatives, deliveries, etc. on behalf of residents. She tells these visitors who call her from the front door to contact the residents directly, and have the residents buzz the front door themselves. Karen stated this is for residents' protection - that she does not want to be liable for letting a potentially dangerous person into the building who might do harm to a resident.
• Another resident asked about re-starting the Esplanade Book Club, and using the community room for this purpose. The board indicated agreement, as long as the room was reserved in advance for this purpose. If non-residents will be regular attendees, then a deposit for the room's use is required.
• Three residents asked for further clarification regarding the use of the elevators (see Building Manager's report, above). Another resident asked about the resurfacing of the 9th floor hallway table, pointing out that it has been missing from the floor since January. These questions at times escalated into somewhat heated exchanges with Building Manager Karen DeGraw, and claims of disrespect/rudeness on both sides.