MINUTES OF THE LAUREN ANNUAL MEETING
MAY 8, 2013

CALL TO ORDER
The 34th annual meeting of the Lauren Condominium was called to order at 7:35 p.m. by Roger Hirschland, President, Board of Directors. The meeting was held at the Washington Marriott Hotel, 1221 22nd Street NW.

PROOF OF NOTICE OF MEETING
The president reminded owners that they had received a mailed notification of the annual meeting.

READING (OR WAIVER OF READING) OF THE MINUTES OF PRECEDING MEETING
The reading of the minutes from the 2012 annual meeting was waived and those minutes were accepted by unanimous consent of the attendees.

QUORUM
There were 79 residential units and accompanying 21 parking spaces representing 45.9704% of ownership in attendance at the 2013 Annual Meeting either in person or by proxy to constitute a quorum.

REPORTS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President's Report
Roger Hirschland introduced the other members of the board of directors: Treasurer John Filice, Secretary Elizabeth VanderPutten, First Vice President Amy Bertha, and Second Vice President Dwight Clark. Also present at the meeting were Property Manager Walter Krolman; and legal counselor Joe Douglass of the law firm Whiteford, Taylor & Preston. 

President Hirschland reported that the Lauren has received a clean audit. The Budget continues to reflect careful budgeting of current expenses as well as plans for capital reserves. There are almost no delinquencies in payments of condo fees.  

Mr. Hirschland summarized major issues and activities of the past year. There have been operational issues with the elevators. Based on recommendations of Schindler, the maintenance contractor for the elevators, the Board approved three safety related changes. These are 1) in-cab telephones; 2) door restrictors so that the doors cannot open if the elevator stops between floors; and 3) checking the balance of the elevators to meet code. The Board also authorized a study of the elevator by Lurch-Bates to get short term ways to ensure greater reliability and longer term plans for updates. The Board, in consultation with a resident, implemented at a relatively nominal cost a mixture of 50% wind energy and 50% fossil energy. This was a cost of about $1,800. The building's facade is being re-pointed and sealed and additional angle irons are being installed to secure the bricks. This is a major project that is necessary but that has created a lot of mess. The elevator surrounds are being painted. Thanks to Mike Silverstein, former owner, current tenant and neighborhood commissioner, the city fixed the sidewalks along 20th St..and Sunderland Place. The large windows on the roof level had been leaking, but have since been sealed and seem to be fixed. The north and south doors have been fixed to ensure that they always close, which is necessary for safety and security of the building. Landscaping is not up to par due to the façade work, but the staff have planted flowers where possible. Wifi has been installed in the lobby and on the roof garden level. The recycling program is growing, with a second bin added. The Lauren does have a strict, no-dog rule, but under the Fair Housing Act, the Board had to allow four persons to have a service or assistant dog. The grill on the roof will be replaced. The new washing machines are working and the use of credit cards instead of cash is both safer and more secure. The stairwells are about to be painted. 

He thanked the other Board members for their thoughtful, responsible, congenial service, property manager Walter and staff, our financial manager Larry Simmons and Staff, legal counsel Joe Douglass, Joe Morris for the financial graphs, Brian Larkin who keeps the Lauren web site up to date and relevant, Mike Silverstein for help in getting the sidewalks repaired, Kevin Vanella for assistance with wind energy, and Patrick Francis for help repairing the roof garden grill. [For the full text of the president's address see President's Address ]

Treasurer's Report
John Filice reviewed each section of the Annual Meeting Treasurer's Report. The board continues to be pleased with the performance of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Investment firm. Capital Reserves are at $1,5 million, with about half for the projected replacement of the HVAC system. There will be major transfers from capital reserves this year for the elevator and for the façade repair. Since the last meeting, the cooling tower repair was done as were some updates to the security systems. There will be another reserve study in 2014 or 2015. Operating expenses and income are close, with no major surplus and no deficit. He pointed out the table of condo fee increases and noted that for the past two years the increase was less than 2%. Brian Larkin asked how the Lauren could have decreased operating expenses for three years in a row. The manager explained that while staff expenses are up, energy, some contracts and other costs are down. [For the copy of the Annual Meeting Treasurer's Report see Treasurer's Report]

REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
None

ELECTION OF INSPECTORS OF ELECTION
Inspectors of election were not elected given that the board was elected by acclamation

NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS
The following candidates were nominated:

• Amy Bertha
• Dwight Clark
• John Filice
• Roger Hirschland
• Elizabeth VanderPutten

NEW BUSINESS

Following the election, the President raised two issues.

Energy
The President cited a friend who is a chief consultant to the federal government on wind energy, whose view is that the switch to wind energy is going to be an eventual requirement, and that switching now is a responsible action. By buying wind energy, the Lauren is supporting the wind energy industry. Starting July 1, the current electric bill is likely to decrease about $6,000 due to price drops overall in energy. If the Lauren purchases 50% wind energy, overall costs would decrease about $ 4,000. If we go with 100% wind energy, we would reduce expenditures by about $2,000. In other words, it would cost the Lauren $4,000 to go full wind energy. Amy Bertha commented that the total energy bill for the Lauren was $125,000/year. 

The President pointed out that we are not necessarily technically buying wind-produced electricity, but are rather supporting the wind energy industry, which he said was important for society. Patrick Francis asked where the money goes. A suggestion by one owner that he would be happier if, instead of subsidizing the wind energy industry, the Lauren allocated its resources toward making the building greener, was well received. 

Several attendees asked what options the board had considered in making the Lauren greener. One idea suggested was insulating the ceiling in the garage. Others pointed out that there might be other ways to save energy such as solar power, but Dwight Clark explained that with current technology, solar power would not work for the Lauren given the orientation and size of the roof. Amy Bertha mentioned that the board had a consultant come to the Lauren and give us an analysis on solar. Another suggestion was replacing the remaining single-pane windows. Elizabeth VanderPutten pointed out that several years ago many owners organized together and had double pane windows installed at the owners' expense. A few years ago, similar attempts to get a group to invest in windows did not get any takers. The consensus of the meeting was that a committee should be established to look at the cost/benefit options for energy conservation and green initiatives.

Financial Responsibility for Damage to Units
The Lauren attorney Joe Douglass explained that unless negligence is involved, owners are responsible for damage less than $5,000.00 caused to their units. Damage above that amount would be paid for by the Lauren's insurance, after the condominium covered a $5,000 deductible. Owner Mohkless Al-Hariri asked about damage caused by another unit. According to Mr. Douglass, the owner of the damaged unit is responsible for paying for the damage, unless there is a claim of negligence. One person asked: If a tenant causes a problem in a negligent way, who must pay? The tenant would be responsible, but this would be between the tenant and his or her landlord. 

Owner Stephanie Marvin suggested that the Lauren should have a checklist of maintenance issues that would be inspected during the bi-annual changes of the filters. This met with strong agreement by attendees. The board agreed to look into the feasibility and practicality of this suggestion for the building. Elizabeth VanderPutten did point out that the Board would not be assuming responsibility for repairs or for any damage that might result from an unidentified leak.

ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 8:49 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Elizabeth VanderPutten, Secretary