Posts under ‘Board Meeting Minutes’

Present: Eli Cohn, Mary Donovan, Ray Fattorini, Cheryl LeBan, Sabin Meyer, Lauralynn O’Halloran, Rob Parke

Visitors:                 Steve Fanelli – Bay Management

Mick Cartwright, Lynn Cartwright

Absent:

Previous Minutes:

• The Board approved the minutes of the last meeting.

Laurlynn welcomed Mick and Lynn Cartwright, new homeowners, in unit 6 and invited them to stay for the meeting.

Landscaping:

• As discussed at the last meeting the Board has decided to replace Regina and engage Carlo Fraoli for landscaping:
  • The Board asked Mary and Lauralynn to agree a 1 year contract with Carlo that would address the limited landscaping needs of the property during the winter months.  Eli asked that they obtain copies of Carlo’s workers compensation coverage, employer id number etc.  The Board agreed to engage Carlo from March 1 even though this would overlap with the old contract by a month because it was important that Carlo do early plantings and spring preparation on the property before April 1.
  • The Board asked Steve to notify Regina that her contract was not being extended after the contract with Carlo was finalized.

Swimming Pool:

• Lauralynn reported that she and Mary had met with Tobias Guggenheimer early December to engage him to develop a plan to undertake and oversee the renovations to the pool.  This plan was discussed at the last Board meeting and reflected the a consensus of homeowners:
  • Not too undertake a major renovation that would result in an all weather facility
  • Repair the roof, doors, windows etc.
  • Consider green energy, including a pool cover
  • Consider enhancements to the outside areas by the pool entrance and around the waterfall.
• Lauralynn said she had called Tobias a few times for a status update but had not had a return phone call.  She will follow-up.

Financial Accounts:

• Eli handed out copies of the financial statements.  He said that he expected the reserve fund to increase to about $50,000 this month.  He noted that heating costs for the swimming pool had been very low over the last year (even after a large increase in fuel costs) because of maintaining the water at a lower temperature.  Rob said he would post copies of the condominium’s year end balance sheet on the website.
• Eli reported that he had sent holiday gifts to the Police, Fire Department and Sanitation.
• Eli said he will remind homeowners that an additional condominium fee was due in February (13 payments are payable by homeowners each year with the 13th due in February)

Miscellaneous:

• Steve reported that the condominium’s Insurance Carrier was investigating a leaking roof at unit 1 that was possibly damage caused by wind.
• The Board agreed to erect a plaque in front of the new tree in the traffic circle near the exit to commemorate Fred Gottlieb.  Mary will talk to Bernice once the tree is planted.
• Lauralynn asked Rob to send a letter to homeowners to remind them that before work is done on a unit, the homeowner was required to notify Bay Management and provide appropriate evidence of contractor insurance before proceeding.  There had been a number of incidents recently when dumpsters were placed on the property and work undertaken by homeowners without appropriate authorization and notification.
• Lauralynn asked Rob to remind Toni and Bernice to provide the recommendations for attorneys to review the condominium’s bylaws that they had volunteered at the annual meetings.  These should be sent to Eli and Lauralynn.  As discussed at the annual meeting it was important that the bylaws are updated and clarified.  Once we engaged an attorney the Board would appoint a subcommittee to work with the attorney.

Next Meeting:  The next meeting was scheduled for Thursday March 13, 2008 at Eli’s house.

Respectfully Submitted,

Rob Parke, Secretary

Present: Mary Donovan, Cheryl LeBan, Sabin Meyer, Lauralynn O’Halloran, Rob Parke

Absent:                  Eli Cohn, Ray Fattorini

Previous Minutes:

• The Board approved the minutes of the last meeting.

Annual Meeting:

• Lauralynn said, as agreed at the annual meeting, she would speak with Toni Schoen and Bernice Gottlieb to obtain recommendations for lawyers who could review the bylaws of the condominium for suggested clarifications and updates.  Once this was done a subcommittee of homeowners would be formed to review the recommendations.
• Lauralynn said she had contacted the condominium’s insurance broker to obtain more specifics on the extent of coverage under the condominium policy and the responsibility of individual homeowners.  This was obviously related to clarifications in the by-laws as to collective and individual responsibility but she wanted to get this started.

Maintenance:

• Lauralynn reported:
  • Numerous lights had been replaced on the property but the lights in the swimming pool were still out and needed to be replaced.
  • Sprinklers were still operating and would continue to operate for a few more weeks.
  • Gary pest control had been on the property a number of times to address the crickets in the pool house.  Traps had been placed and the building had been sprayed.
  • The Board authorized Lauralynn to renew the snow removal contract with the current contractor if there was no substantial increase in cost.

Landscaping:

• The Board agreed that Carlo Fraoli had done a good job with the landscaping on the traffic circles.  He had presented a proposal to undertake gardening on the property for March 2008 through November 2008 for $3,200 per month:
  • The Board agreed to engage Carlos next year at the expiration of Regina’s contract and to also get a quote from him to do fall plantings and plant trees around unit 13 that would need to be done in the next few weeks.
  • The Board agreed that the landscaping contract should be annual in future and not 3 years.
  • Lauralynn will talk to Bay Management about doing the minimal maintenance that is required on the property from November through March that is currently done by Regina
  • Mary will meet with Carlo to review the contract
• A number of dead trees had been removed on the property and all trees close to buildings had been trimmed

Swimming Pool:

• Lauralynn reported that the water temperature had been maintained, the windows had been installed and many homeowners were using the pool.  The pool would remain open until the weather became too cold.
• Lauralynn said based on the survey the consensus of homeowners appeared to be:
  • Not too undertake a major renovation that would result in an all weather facility
  • Repair the roof, doors, windows etc.
  • Consider green energy, including a pool cover
  • Consider enhancements to the outside areas by the pool entrance and around the waterfall.
• Lauralynn said she would contact Tobias Guggenheimer to get a quote for more specific recommendations, costs, project management etc. for undertaking the above.

Financial Accounts:

• Lauralynn handed out copies of the latest financial statement that Eli had given her.
• Mary noted that costs for heating the swimming pool were considerably less than last year because a lower water temperature had been maintained.

Miscellaneous:

• A homeowner had reported to Board members that it appeared that the tennis court was being used by non residents.  The tennis court is for the exclusive use of homeowners and their guests and if a homeowner sees strangers using the court they should make inquiries and give Lauralynn details.  Homeowners were also reminded to lock the tennis court after use.
• Lauralynn said she would ask Bay Management to call Toni Schoen to schedule a convenient time for Toni to meet Bay and show them the paint cleanup that was still outstanding.

Next Meeting:  The next meeting was scheduled for Monday December 3, 2007.

Respectfully Submitted,

Rob Parke, Secretary

Present: Eli Cohn, Mary Donovan, Ray Fattorini, Cheryl LeBan, Sabin Meyer, Rob Parke

Absent:                  Lauralynn O’Halloran

Visitor:                  Dale Greenwald, Tobias Guggenheimer

Previous Minutes:

• The Board approved the minutes of the last meeting.

Maintenance:

• Dale said that there was a drainage problem near his unit (3) and water was continually leaking into the basement.  It needed urgent attention.  He agreed to obtain an estimate for rectifying the problem and forward it to the Board.

Landscaping:

• The Board agreed that the tree in the circle near the entrance need to be replaced.  Mary will ask Carlos Fraoli for a recommendation of a replacement tree.
• Mary said that she would investigate why the sprinkler system was coming on at times when it was unnecessary because of rain.

Swimming Pool:

• Tobias Guggenheimer presented concepts on improvements to the pool, surrounding landscaping and the building adjacent to the pool.  The options were wide ranging and the Board agreed that consensus from homeowners on future direction was needed and that it was important for them to have the opportunity the hear Tobias directly and see copies of his drawings.  The Board will invite Tobias to present at the Annual Meeting to introduce the different concepts and begin discussions that would likely continue over a few months

Financial Accounts:

• Eli discussed the financial accounts.  The Board discussed an increase in common charges.  It was agreed that most condominium expenses were increasing and it would be prudent to increase common charges.  The Board voted to increase common charges by 5% effective October 1, 2007.  Eli will send out notification to homeowners of the new common charges.  Even with the increase, an assessment would still be necessary to cover needed repairs and possible renovations to the swimming pool.

Miscellaneous:

• The Annual meeting was scheduled for Tuesday September 18^th, 2007 at the Dobbs Ferry Library.  Eli and Rob’s terms expire.  We expect significant discussion on the future direction of the swimming pool renovations after Tobias has completed his presentation.

Next Meeting:  The scheduling of the next meeting will occur after the annual homeowners meeting on Tuesday September 18, 2007.

Respectfully Submitted,

Rob Parke, Secretary

Present: Eli Cohn, Mary Donovan, Cheryl LeBan, Sabin Meyer, Lauralynn O’Halloran, Rob Parke

Absent:                  Ray Fattorini

Previous Minutes:

• The Board approved the minutes of the last meeting after a discussion confirming the water temperature discussed at the meeting.  The Board agreed that the maximum temperature of the swimming pool should be 84 degrees.

Maintenance:

• Sabe said that he had not yet purchased 2 solar lights for testing near the tennis court.
• Lauralynn said that the lights near the tennis court had been repaired.
• Lauralynn said that the Jim Sanock had inspected the driveway.  He said that the wear a tear was normal and that he recommended sealing the driveway at the end of the season and repairing the driveway in front of unit 3 and around the grate near unit 18.  In a year or two the driveway would likely require milling.  The Board asked Lauralynn to have the repaired done as recommended.  She will also follow up with Ray on the status of the repairs to the driveway in from of unit 7.
• A leak to the sprinkler system near the entrance had been repaired.

Landscaping:

• The Board discussed the many problems that it was having with Regina.  It was unlikely that her contract would be renewed at the end of the summer.  The Board asks homeowners to document their complaints and send them to Mary so she could create monitor Regina’s performance.
• The Board asked Mary to get a quote from Carlos Fraoli for the gardening contact.  Lauralynn said she would also ask Bay Management to obtain bids for the gardening contract.
• Lauralynn said that Rayal had quoted $1,750 to be on the property for a day to trim the trees near the pool, near units and over the parking spots for unit 5 and unit 18.  The Board approved having Rayal do this work.
• Cheryl reported that the repairs to the back of her unit and patio were to begin soon.  The Board had approved her plans at a previous meeting.

Swimming Pool:

• Lauralynn said that Robison could install a new temperature gage that could better regulate water temperature.  The current thermostat was old and made regulating the temperature very difficult.  She would have Robison install the new control
• Mary said that she had contacted someone to repair the doors and windows on the pool.  He had done a walk through of the swimming pool.  She was waiting his quote.
• Lauralynn said that she and Mary had checked references on Tobias Guggenheimer.  They were all extremely favorable and she had engaged him to draw up a master plan for the swimming pool.  He said that expected to have plans to present to homeowners by end of August or the beginning of September.
• Lauralynn said that Tobias had asked for a copy of the survey of the property.  Eli said that one had been taken as part of the roadway repair.  Lauralynn said she would contact Jim Sanock and Steve Fanelli and ask if either had a copy.

Financial Accounts:

• Eli discussed the financial accounts.  He said that because of the work that was done on the swimming pool so far expenses exceeded income by approximately $25,000.  This had been discussed at the last homeowners meeting and necessitated an assessment in the near future once the pool plans were further developed.

Miscellaneous:

• For homeowners using the tennis court the combination for the lock on the tennis court is 18-20-6.
• The Board scheduled the annual homeowners meeting for Tuesday September 18, 2007 at the Dobbs Ferry Library.  By this time it was hoped that Tobias Guggenheimer would have completed his plans for presentation to homeowners at eh meeting.  Rob said he would notify homeowners at the appropriate time.
• Rob said he had established a website for the condominium.  Board members had reviewed the website and approved sending details to homeowners.  The website would be password protected.  Homeowners should be asked for suggestions on improvements and what information should be posted on the website.
• Eli gave Rob a copy of the Condominium’s latest insurance policy.  A copy will be posted on the website.
• Eli gave Rob copies of emergency contact details for those homeowners who had provided them to post in the section of the website reserved for Board members.  Copies would also be given to Bay and the police (for those homeowners who had asked).
• The Board requested that Lauralynn instruct Bay Management respond to complaints from Toni and David Schoen about the poor paint job that had been done at unit 4.
• The Board discussed the many complaints that had been received from homeowners about Bay Management who were slow or didn’t respond to homeowners.  Homeowners contacting Bay should copy Lauralynn so that she could monitor this.

Next Meeting:  The next meeting was scheduled for Tuesday August 28, 2007.

Respectfully Submitted,

Rob Parke, Secretary

Present: Eli Cohn, Mary Donovan, Ray Fattorini, Sabin Meyer, Lauralynn O’Halloran, Rob Parke

Absent:                  Cheryl LeBan

Previous Minutes:  The Board approved the minutes of the last meeting.

Drainage on the Property:

Following the recent drainage problems on the property, Lauralynn said that she had engaged an engineer to do an evaluation of the drainage on the property.  He had walked through the property and asked for a topographical map of the property.  No one on the Board was aware of such a map.  Lauralynn will ask Toni Schoen for the keys to the condominium’s filing cabinets to check if there was one among all the condominiums papers.

Maintenance:

• Sabe will purchase 2 solar lights for use near the tennis court and see if they are adequate.  Lauralynn said she was still waiting for  Steve to get back with quotes to reconnect the light in this area to another power source that will not require that the roadway is dug up
• Lauralynn said that the driveway was in very poor condition and needed repairs.  This was surprising for the age of the driveway and seemed beyond normal wear and tear.  She would ask the contractor and the architect that performed the resurfacing of the driveway to rectify any problems.  She would also see if she could get quotes from another contractor.
• A leak to the sprinkler system near the tennis court had been repaired.

Landscaping:

• Mary said that Carlos Fraoli had finished work on new landscaping in the two circles.  Once the new plantings had become established she and Lauralynn would evaluate his work and if they were happy ask for a proposal for the landscaping contract when Regina’s contract expires.
• Lauralynn said that she had twice contacted Regina to walk through the property with her.  She was still awaiting a response.
• Lauralynn said that Tree Care had reviewed the trees near parking spot 18.  They had recommended removing a pine tree in the area.  Eli complained that this was not the tree whose leaves, berries and sap were destroying the paint on his car.  Sabe said that he disagreed that a tree needed to be removed.  He agreed to swap spot with Eli and Lauralynn said she would ask Rayal Tree to trim back the trees in the area.  If this was still not adequate the Board would consider having the tree removed.  Lauralynn said that David Schoen had also contacted her and said that trees near his parking spot were causing similar damage and that she would also have Rayal trim the tree near his parking spot.

Swimming Pool:

• The Board discussed the fact that some homeowners were again complaining about the high temperature in the pool.  The temperature recommended by most authorities for maximum comfort and fuel efficiency was between 78 and 82 degrees.  The temperature in the pool was often greater that 90.  The Board agreed that the temperature should be kept between 78 and 82.  Lauralynn said that the current thermostat was old and made regulating the temperature very difficult so she would ask H2O to replace the current thermostat with one that could keep the temperature at the recommended level.  She would also ask Steve to have the thermostat encased and locked to prevent unnecessary adjustments to the temperature.
• Lauralynn said that Glass Garden contractor had repaired the levers on the roof in the pool.  The lever controlling the vents on the north side of the roof was automatic and controlled by a thermostat so homeowners should NOT touch this.  The lever controlling the vent on the south side was manual and could be opened by homeowners.  If homeowners opened the vent they should close it again before they leave the pool.  The broken panel in the roof had also been repaired.
• Lauralynn said that a local architect, Tobias Guggenheimer, had walked through on the property with her to discuss drawing up a master plan for the swimming pool.  She and Mary had been very impressed with his ideas.  He quoted $5,000 to draw up 3 concepts for the whole pool area – one of these would be to turn the pool into an all year facility.  The Board asked Lauralynn to check references and if they were satisfactory to engage Tobias to draw up master plans which could be presented to homeowners at the next annual meeting.

Financial Accounts:

• Eli discussed the financial accounts.  He said that all costs were increasing in excess of inflation, particularly fuel, water and insurance and that it was likely that common charges would need to be increased next year commensurately to cover the increased costs.
• Eli said that one homeowner was persistently late in paying common charges and this created a significant amount of additional administrative work.  The Board agreed that from July, in addition to the late charge of $35, homeowners who were late with common charges would be assessed a late fee of 1/15 of 1% for every day after the 15^th of the month on which the charge was due.

Miscellaneous:

• For homeowners using the tennis court the combination for the lock on the tennis court is 18-20-6.
• The Board discussed a date for the annual homeowners meeting and felt that it was important to be able to present to homeowners possible master plans for the swimming pool and as a result decided to only set a date at the next Board meeting.  At this meeting the Board will have a sense of when or if such plans will be available to present to homeowners.
• Rob said he would establish a website for the condominium before the next Board meeting.
• Rob said he would ask Steve for a copy of the latest insurance policy to send to homeowners.

Next Meeting:  The next meeting was scheduled for Monday July 2, 2007 at Ray’s house.

Respectfully Submitted,

Rob Parke, Secretary