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Good evening. Thanks for coming to the 34rd annual meeting of the Lauren Condo. I’m Roger Hirschland, and my fellow board members are Elizabeth VanderPutten, secretary; Amy Bertha, first vice president; Dwight Clark, second vice president; and John Filice, treasurer. We also have in attendance our legal counsel, attorney Joe Douglass. It is required that we acknowledge that a quorum of at least 33 percent of owners are present in person or by proxy. We have 52 proxies and nine votes among board members, as well as all of you present, which easily constitutes a quorum of 55 owners. My address this evening will cover what’s happened in the past year, and will be followed by comments from other board members, elections, and then discussion of any outstanding issues. Looking over the past year: • You will get a full report from our treasurer, but our finances are on a sound footing, including a clean audit, with thanks to Simmons Management, our manager Walter Krolman, and our treasurer. Our reserves are robust, we’re holding fee increases to a minimum, and we have an excellent record of owner responsibility in paying their fees. • As all who live in the building know, we’ve had issues of elevator reliability. To address these, we’ve taken two major steps. The first was to take care of safety concerns, including adding a help phone to each elevator cab, installing limiters that prevent the doors from being opened if the elevator is more than 18 inches from any floor, and checking the balancing of elevators and their counterweights. And second, we have contracted with elevator consultants Lerch Bates to provide us with guidance on renovation, upgrades, and how we can best improve reliability of service. • In the area of utilities, the costs for electricity are going down. For electricity, the board voted this year to purchase 50% alternative (wind) energy; we need to get feedback from you as to whether to move to 100% wind energy — something we’ll discuss after elections. • We elected to contract with facade contractor Culbertson to do two years’ worth of facade maintenance this year, which includes repointing, sealing, and strengthening brickwork. Because of all the equipment necessary to install on-site, we saved by having Culbertson work longer this year and cover two years’ projects. • In the area of maintenance, we are in the process of painting the dark areas around the elevators, which have been banged up during ordinary use. Our front desk window in the lobby has been reworked. We have new sidewalks in front and to the north of the building, which were repaired because of the uneven surfaces caused by tree roots. The windows near the elevators on the roof level have been fixed, so that they don’t leak. And in the area of safety and security, our exit doors on the north and south have been adjusted; our sliding door with fob control has been working well in the front; we have sound-activated microphones in the garage and the laundry room that anyone can use to call for help; our key box has been made more secure, and we have an ample supply of flashlights at the front desk for emergency outages. • Landscaping is on hold until facade work is finished (except at the southwest corner, which has all new flowers). And the signs to keep dogs off our lawns seem to be making a difference. • For better communications, we now provide Wi-Fi in the lobby and in the roof garden. • Our recycling is so well supported that we required a second bin in the garage. • We have formalized rules for dogs in the building that we were required to admit in compliance with the Fair Housing Act. In a legal sense, these animals are not considered pets, but companion animals. The board has consistently enforced the no-dogs rule for ordinary pets. • For our roof garden, owner Patrick Francis is looking into how we can repair or upgrade our grill. We plan on having staff coverage on weekends at the entrance to the roof garden in warmer weather; and we have all new cushions for the roof furniture. • Our replacement laundry equipment has been working well, and with exclusive use of cards, it is both more convenient and much safer that we no longer accumulate and transport cash to the bank. • Our north and south stairwells will be repainted shortly. • I mentioned before that we have an excellent record of owners staying up to date in payment of their fees. I should add that the board follows accounts carefully and aggressively pursues any accounts that are a month or more behind. For the first time in the history of the condo, we are currently seeking a court judgment before foreclosing on one unit whose owner is seriously behind. • In the area of liability for damages from fire, flood, or other causes, we have a new policy in place, which we will discuss after elections. I’d like to thank the rest of the board for their thoughtful service and the congenial manner in which we conduct our monthly meetings. We are fortunate to have a responsible staff, an attentive management company, and excellent counsel. I’d like to thank owner Joe Morris for his contribution to the treasurer’s report; Brian Larkin, for his most active service as condo webmaster; Mike Silverstein, a tenant and also an area neighborhood commissioner, for pushing to get the sidewalks fixed; and Keven Vanella, a tenant who helped us research alternatives in the energy field. We may hear from other board members now, and then proceed to elections. Thank you. |
