Trustee Meeting Oct 18,2011

Pursuant to the Article V. Section 5.9 of the By-Laws of Queensberry Condominium Trust, a monthly meeting of the Trustees was held on Tuesday, October 18, 2011, at 6:30PM at the offices of Boston Choice Properties, 125 Jersey Street, Boston, MA.

Those Present: Bill Gentz, Ning Hernandez and Jeff Schwarz, Sheryl Kelly, and David Sherf via telephone

David Modica and Pamela Pendias , Modica Associates

The meeting was called to order at 6:40 PM.

OLD BUSINESS

An electronic version of the monthly financial report for September had been e-mailed to the trustees along with a “draft” budget for fiscal year 2012. The balance sheet at the end of September reflected $1,242 in the operating account and $110,352 in reserves. Assessment revenues are being deposited into the reserve account. There is one more month (October) to collect the balance of the $130,000 assessment.

The first item of business was the status of the roof replacement project. Everyone agreed that the work has taken an inordinate amount of time to complete. Despite the contractors difficulty obtaining permits, and having electrical wires moved, the project started in June and it is now October. Several owners are not pleased with the finish of the skylights in their units and have requested that the white vinyl be removed and replaced with a wood trim. A unit owner has contended that the roof is not pitched properly as there is some standing water that can be seen after heavy rain. David Modica explained that the board opted not to seek bids for a fully tapered roof due to the higher cost. The board opted instead to level and taper the roof down to 4’ of the gutters. There are dips, low spots on the roof where water will accumulate after a rain. The engineer has stated that as long as the water evaporates within 72 hours it should not jeopardize the integrity of the roof. The board opted for a fully adhered rubber membrane roof in lieu of a vinyl roof, again due to cost constraints There is an area of standing water outside of the penthouse at 111 Jersey and the engineer called for the application of a secondary cover strip over the top of the seam to add another layer of protection to this location. David Sherf offered to speak with the contractor about liquidated damages for untimely job completion. Once Modica compiles a final punch list, Eagle Rivet will be given a specified period of time to complete and if necessary another contractor will be called in to complete and the costs will be deducted from monies owned Eagle. It should be noted that Eagle was initially paid the sum of $14,000 in July to mobilize, and is owed the sum of $55,575.

The magnetic doors leading to the roof have been installed and are working properly. David stated that Modica would put a simple handle on the inside of each roof door to aid in pulling the door shut.

The gate on the alley side was replaced a few months ago as a security measure. It had been working satisfactorily until a resident reported that the gate would not latch. The company that installed the gate was called and found that the latch was filled with metal shards that prevented the mechanism from retracting so in fact it would not lock. A new latch was installed the following day at no charge to the building. .

The ceilings on the 4^th floor of both buildings have been repaired and painted. The contractor will also be re-finishing the wood doors and frames on the exterior of the building as well as touching up the paint in the common areas. Once the painting is finished the carpets will be steam cleaned.

The exterior front door at building 107 has a new “roton” hinge that picked up the door enough so that it would open

without binding on the tile. This has exacerbated the gap under the door. The vendor is looking into options for a door sweep that would insulate the door as well as allow the door to open and close without binding.

The trustees will not renew (extend) the laundry contract in exchange for new laundry equipment for building 107.

Residents were notified that any bicycle parked in the courtyard is required to have a bicycle sticker. Stickers were distributed and any bicycle found without a sticker was removed.

The association paid $5,496 to the gas company to install a new gas line into the building so the association could convert from oil to gas heat as a cost saving measure. Currently, oil costs approx $1.00 more per gallon than it did last year. The gas company will be providing (2) new gas burners at no charge to the building. Other costs associated with the conversion include having the chimney flue re-lined $5,900 and new piping for the boilers $12,500. The revenues from the assessment will cover the costs associated with the conversion.

Modica distributed a memo informing building residents that air conditioners need to be removed from the windows to conserve energy and as required by the City of Boston.

The trustees signed an access agreement with RCN. Residents will now have a choice between using Comcast or RCN for cable and internet service. David Modica is also talking with Comcast about a lump sum payment.

Pam furnished the trustees with proposals from two other pest control companies. Both were within dollars of one another for the service they would provide. Pam to get clarification and report back to the trustees to make a decision to change vendors.

NEW BUSINESS

The next item on the agenda was to review the “draft” operating budget for fiscal year 2012 that Pam had furnished the board to review. Pam noted that the only outstanding item of which she was aware the trustees were entertaining was creating a planter on either side of the stairs at the front entrances to discourage vagrants from loitering in the front of the buildings. David Modica stated that due to the monolithic construction of these stairs that the board may wish to entertain installing metal urns to hold plants that could be embedded on either side of the stairs. Modica to obtain proposals for this as well as repairing and painting the iron railings out front.

The proposed operating budget provided for no increase in condo fees. Pam will review the proposed budget after the month of October closes and up-date the figures and send it to the board for final approval next month.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:55 PM.

Respectfully submitted by:

Pamela Pendias

Modica Associates

For the Recording Secretary

Queensberry Condominium Trust

October 19, 2010, Meeting

Attending:

Nancy (MA) --Modica Associates

Ning Hernandez (NH) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust

Bill Gentz (BG) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust
Yelena Chigirinskaya (YC) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust

Distribute to:

Douglas McClennen (DM) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust
David Sherf (DS) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust
107 Mail Room for general information
111 Mail Room for general information

Window Replacement
DS has not written the letter to HADCO yet, but indicates that the letter will go out by 10/20/2010.
(Later edit: DS and MA confirmed that the letter was sent on 10/20/2010).

107 Laundry Room Floor
MA has contacted Capuccio and Vogt and obtained their commitments to honor the original bid price from 2009. However, the board needs to determine if the scope of the project has to change--e.g. the fire wall has to be put in.  The board will discuss the issues with David Modica at the November meeting.

Note:  Our laundry contract will expire in 2013. $850 is still available (from extension of the contract). MA to determine if the laundry company will upgrade our washers and dryers now.

Bad Smell in 107
Same

Terrazzo Sidearms Need Repairs
MA to schedule the work with Chiccarelli & Pires.  The work is expected to be completed sometime before the end of the year (before mid November). Temperatures have to be above 40F for the treatment to be effective.


Water Damage/Leaks Due to the March 15 Storm
Skylights for units 107-18 and 107-19 have been ordered.  Installation will take place once stock arrives from the factory. 

Repairing the ceiling in 107 common area is on hold until the skylights are fixed. 


Roof Replacement
RMX Northeast completed the roof study for our buildings and provided a proposal for a written spec that would cost $2000.  RMX Northeast were able to utilize the existing test cut performed by US Roofing Systems as a cost saver.  The result of the roof study served to confirm rather than add any value to the existing spec developed by Modica and Richard Roofing.  MA suggests that we do not need to hire RMX for $2000 to write the spec.

The board has the following questions for RMX Northeast:

• Are the sewer vent pipes leaking into the building?
• Why are they there?
• What do we do about these pipes?

MA also to ask RMX to provide the board with engineering specs for another building as an example.

Insulations would be 2 inches--the industry standard.  There would be a choice in which materials to use. 
Repolishing Wood on the Front Doors
Crescent Paint provided a revised proposal ($4950, up from $3500) that includes carpentry work to ensure that the 107 door closes appropriately.  (DM and MA met with John Farley of Crescent Paint to review the specs.)

MA to negotiate with Crescent Paint to use the first proposal and to add the work to fix the jam at the originally proposed price ($3500). 

This work can wait untill spring.

Financials:
MA brought three invoices to be reviewed by the trustees:

• $1300.00 to service all heating and hot water boilers
• $3577.50 to remove section of 4 inch cast iron main stack from basement ceiling in unit 1, and to perform additional work in unit 7. (The work was done on 09/09/10 and 09/10/10 and completed on Thursday 9/16/10. The invoice is for labor and materials.)
• $395.00 to clean and flush all accessible traps in both buildings.

MA to check if all three of these invoices have accidentally been billed twice.

Budget for 2011
The budget will need to include an assessment based on $80K (roof $70K and reserve $10K). Fees will be increased by 8%.

• Assessment may need to be higher to build up reserves further
• How can we cut down on the office supplies costs?  MA to review what items were involved.
• Can the board collect all owners' email addresses in order to make necessary announcements by email?  
• MA raised management fees by $75/month
• The $73K for capitol repairs might be a low estimate.
• The board decided not to finalize the 2011 budget until November.  The letter about the assessment should go out to the owners next month. Assessment should be done over the first 6 months of the year.
• The buildings' insurance – based on the new policy amount, includes earthquake
• The recent mandate requires the association to transfer 10% of the income to reserves.  MA to talk to an attorney to understand what this means. $73K roof repairs can be part of that 10%. 
• Landscaping
• The board will consider changing landscaper
• The board will consider not having regular maintaince done
• Can janitors pick up trash in the garden;

Miscellaneous

• Queensberry Street gate has been repaired by Ninos Iron Works, but it still squeeks.  (Later edit:  the gate has been fixed).
• MA has received no further complaints regarding the presence of vagrants.  The board does not think the pot smoking/vagrants problem is serious enough to warrant outer door locks. People should call police if they see any issues.
• Wires:  Dave Modica wanted to send certified letters before MA goes in to remove the wires and charge the owners. The letters have been sent out. Dave Modica will go in and remove the wires, if there is no compliance by 10/31/2010.
• Faucet in 107—still needs to be fixed, but the water has been shut off for the winter.
• The light in the courtyard is out.  Probably the bulb needs to be replaced.
• Recycling in 107: Someone continues to put trash in the recycling bins. MA to move the recycling bins into the courtyard and put up signs to indicate the new location for the residents.
• The board would like to present the list of expenses over $1000 at the owners meeting.

These minutes are written to Yelena’s best recollection. Please notify her of any discrepancies immediately.

August 17, 2010, Meeting

Attending:

Nancy (MA) --Modica Associates

Douglas McClennen (DM) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust

Bill Gentz (BG) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust

Ning Hernandez (NH) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust

Yelena Chigirinskaya (YC) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust

Distribute to:

David Sherf (DS) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust

107 Mail Room for general information

111 Mail Room for general information

Window Replacement
MA made one further phone call to Hadco, asking for a final refund of $250.00. MA has received no response and therefore asked David Sherf to write a letter.

107 Laundry Room Floor
The board discussed possible ways to repair the floor: pouring the slab on grade vs floating slab.

• Floating slab—is lifted on joists above the soil, creating a "gap" between the ground and the floor.
• Slab on grade—is poured down against the soil, thus sealing the so called "gap".

The current floor is a concrete slab on joists with plywood on top.  The proposal (whose?) is for thicker concrete slab with the floor. 

The board needs the following questions answered before deciding on the "slab on grade" floor:

• Are there any pipes between the current "floating slab" floor and the dirt?
• Is there a significant price difference between the 2 types?
• If plumbing work needs to be done (pipes burried to allow for the "slab on grade" floor, what would the extra costs be?

Fire code violation was discovered when the laundry room wall was opened. No insulation (no 2nd layer of sheet rock) between the laundry room and an abutting unit.  David Modica is aware of this problem, and this minor issue will be fixed with other work in the laundry.

MA to request 2 specs from Wolf Rock Development and ask about pros and cons. The board will review the specs.

[Later edit:  In an email David Modica reminded the board that we have reviewed bids for this work and questions the need to rebid the work.  Notes about previous bids can be found here -- the latest bid information was noted in the March 16th Meeting Notes.]

Bad Smell in 107
The BWS contractors have found the problem.  The pipe in the street is not only sagging, but also collapsing.
This is now a major problem that with effect the entire block. The city will now have to rip up the entire street from Queensberry to Perterbourgh in order to fix the problem.  The time line for this work is not known, but the smell can intensify at times until the problem is repaired.  David Modica continues to work with BWS to try to get some idea of what it is involved for going forward.

DM met with David Modica in the laundry room and looked into the cut in the slab.  Failed pipe (in the street) was leaking and filling up the space under the slab.  The town should fix the pipe.

Landscaping

Tree was cleaned up where the branch was cut.  The faucet (by the 107 entrance) is leaking.  A rhododendron bush has died (on the Jersey Street side of the building).  MA to inform Malkasian about the dead  rhododentron bush. 

[Later edit: The dead bush has been removed.] 

Terrazzo Sidearms Need Repairs

Chiccarelli and Pires has estimated repairs of the sidearms at $1,600.00 with the additional costs of permits.  The board has reviewed the bid and approved it.  MA to schedule the work sometime before November. 

Water Damage/Leaks Due to the March 15 Storm

• Unit owners of 20-19 and 20-19 have agreed to replace the skylights. MA forwarded them a couple of proposals and put them in touch with each other.
• Cresent Painting will be happy to repair and repaint the ceiling on the top level of 107 for $550.00 (includes replacing the ceiling) We need to wait till the skylights are repaired before scheduling that job.

Roof Replacement
MA has received two roofing bids. Richard Roofing was the least costly by far, at $69,000.00. Two more bids are coming (from Eagle and Cappucio).  We are using Maurice Richard’s scope/spec.
DM proposes that the board considers using white rubber roofing.  It is supposed to be good at reflecting heat.  MA to request prices for this version as well.  The board asks that the spec is revised to include the repairs/replacement of the damaged roof decking--there should be an allowance for fixing the decking (the amount to be discussed with David Modica).

Repolishing Wood on the Front Doors
MA recieved bids for sanding and refinishing the front entrance doors.  Corinne pulled out bids from last year, and both companies would honor the prices.  (Vogt & Company - $7600 total, and Crescent Painitng—3^rd bid. $3500 total.)  The board eliminated Summer Painting.  DM will talk to Vogt & Company(the high end bid), and MA will talk to Crescent.

Renegotiate Insurance Deductible
Earthquake insurance will be included in the master policy.  No flood insurance, because we are not in the flood zone.  Item Complete.

Financials

Overdue unit owners have agreed to pay the balances before September 1.  MA to send reminders and let the board know when the payments arrive.

Miscellaneous

• The gate on Queensberry Street side was repaired again but whether or not it is a permanent fix remains to be seen.
• MA have sent a letter to unit 21B asking to remove the wires from the window. No answer has yet been received.  MA suggests a legal letter sent via certified mail.  The board requests MA to send another letter to 21B and give them a deadline to remove the wires.  After the deadline, the unit owner will be subject to fines. 
• Wires in a 107 1^st floor unit.  MA to send a letter.
• The board requests that no hard copies of the financials and bills be made.  The board will review them electronically. 
• MA to find out if there is a new requirement (from state? from insurance companies?) about oil tanks. 
• The iron fence on the Queensberry Street side is severely rusted.

These minutes are written to Yelena’s best recollection. Please notify her of any discrepancies immediately.

July 20, 2010, Meeting

Attending:

Nancy (MA) --Modica Associates

Douglas McClennen (DM) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust

Bill Gentz (BG) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust

Yelena Chigirinskaya (YC) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust

Distribute to:

Ning Hernandez (NH) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust

David Sherf (DS) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust

107 Mail Room for general information

111 Mail Room for general information

Window Replacement

Refund request resulted in Hadco (the window contractor) refusing to refund the final $500. (Hadco have refunded $350 to date.) Corinne had made the request again with a cc' to Modica's attorney. This did not yield a positive result. The board would like to ask David Sherf to send a letter to Hadco, asking to split the remaining $500 and return $250 to the association.

107 Laundry Room Floor

Same.

Bad Smell in 107

David Modica has been working hard to get this solved. Due to the recent weather, there has been no available manpower to do anything in recent weeks. David has been assured that as soon as possible, there will be another camera test which will investigate a different area.

Still waiting for the report from BW&S.

Doug thinks that there maybe cracks in the foundation or cracks in the sewage pipe. Doug proposes to cut away part of the ceiling in the laundry room where he thinks the pipe is, investigate if there are any cracks, and seal them with cement. Doing that might stop the smell. Doug thinks that the smell is trapped between the 1st floor and the basement ceiling. MA to discuss this solution with David Modica, confirm where the pipe is, and see if this can be done.

MA will repeat the request for the report from BW&S.

Bill has not detected the smell since BW&S has been on site.

JM Mechanical: David Modica has indicated that he does not believe we can get either of the two invoices reduced because the smoke tests were ordered, and the manpower utilized.

Landscaping

Modica had the tree branch cut. Doug thinks that the branch was not cut cleaning. MA to request to recut it cleanly.

David Modica spoke to Rick Malkasian regarding the overage on the landscaping budget. (The bill came for $1150, after the board asked Malkasian to work with $1000). He has agreed to honor the $1000 budget amount and will write off the overage. The board members will consider getting together and planting some annuals using their own resources.

Terrazzo Sidearms Need Repairs

Chiccarelli and Pires has been to the property and a price is forthcoming.

Water Damage/Leaks Due to the March 15 Storm

Letters were sent to unit owners of 107-18 and 107-19 (units with skylights that had leaks). Unit 107-18 has refused, and 107-19 has been sent 2 letters. MA will contact the 107-18 unit owner to find out the reasoning for his refusal. The board request that a deadline of 8/15 would be set to receive an answer.

Richard Roofing speced the work and created a proposal for the skylights work. The units can bring their own contractors in, as long as the board approves the work.

Roof Replacement

Richard Roofing has developed the scope for the roof replacement and it has been distributed to two other contractors, Eagle and Cappucio, for bidding. MA to send the scope out to the board.

Repolishing Wood on the Front Doors

Same.

Renegotiate Insurance Deductible

Paula Modica reports that the insurance company has visited and revalued all of the properties. There will be no earthquake or flood coverage but the good news is that increases will be negligible and we were able to negotiate replacement costs. The deductible will remain at $15,000. The board plans to talk to the agent during the next meeting.

Financials

Two units (111-16 and 111-20A) are behind in paying their maintenance fees. MA will let the board know how much each unit owes in late fees. The board will make a one time offer to the unit owners--the board will wave the late fees if all the maintenance fees are paid up by September 1st, 2010. MA to notify the two unit owners of the offer.

Miscellaneous

• Power Outage: The electric company had no reports of any outages on the dates in question (on 6/13 and 6/14) and advised calling when the outage occurs so that a source can be determined.
• Modica repaired the gate on Queensberry Street side.
• MA will check out the cord/antenna coming out of a 107 basement unit.
• The board reviewed the "Modica Cleaning Specifications for QCT" document, and discussed options of cutting down on janitorial services in order to cut down on costs. The board concluded that maintaining the cleanliness of the common areas is important enough to continue with the current levels of janitorial services. In turn MA will discuss the work with the janitor and will do a walk through the building with the janitor in order to improve quality.

These minutes are written to Yelena’s best recollection. Please notify her of any discrepancies immediately.

Water Damage/Leaks Due to the March 15 Storm

(03/16/10) Multiple units have water damage from leaks from 3/15/2010 Noreaster. Units involved are 107-5, 107-10, 107-15, 107-18. Another unit in 107 has damage around the door (unit 107-?). The side of the door this unit is sheared, so there is possible serious structural damage. The contractors were working on it on 3/16/2010 already. They should take out a part of the wall above the unit door to see if there is more structural damage. MA will do the walk through with a mason and the roofer to assess the damage and to determine the cost to fix, and to see if the cost to fix will be over $15,000.

(04/20/10) Contractors fixed the problem with the damaged door of 107-19 (put in the new beam), and found no structural damage. DM did not like the quality of these contractors’ work. (They were Wolf Rock Construction).

Roof repairs (excluding skylights) to take place tomorrow. (A skylight is the owner’s responsibility. Skylight in 107-18 failed a long time ago and was sealed incorrectly. This improper seal now increased the effects of the leak. (Both skylights in 107-18 and in 107-19 are old. The skylight in 107-19 has been patched, but its seal was done correctly as opposed to the one in 107-18.)

MA to notify unit owners that skylights need to be replaced, and give them 60 days to do it. 107-18 and 107-19 both need higher curbs and/or better curbs. MA to ask them to present specs for the work before the work is done to protect the common areas. The board will review the specs promptly (within 3 business days) not to hold up the work.

The board questioned why the improper seal was not discovered earlier and proposed to add inspection of all skylights to our yearly roof inspection. MA stated that the skylights are already being inspected as part of the roof inspection.

The 107 door to the roof has wood with sealant on it, and the sealant is failing. The door needs to be resealed. Currently, resealing the door is not included in the quote from the roofer for fixing up the leaks in the roof. MA will ask roofers to fix the door as well (and hopes that it will be at no additional charge).

The ceiling in the common area will stay open until another big rain storm to make sure that the roof patches are holding up. MA to ask unit occupants in the nearby units to keep an eye out for any new leaks.

MA to start asking for estimates to replace the roof.

(08/17/2010)

• Unit owners of 20-19 and 20-19 have agreed to replace the skylights. MA forwarded them a couple of proposals and put them in touch with each other.
• Cresent Painting will be happy to repair and repaint the ceiling on the top level of 107 for $550.00 (includes replacing the ceiling) We need to wait till the skylights are repaired before scheduling that job.