Minutes of the Trustee Meeting

Queensberry Condominium Trust

October 22, 2012

 

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 Monday,  October  22,  2012, at 6:30PM at the offices of Boston Choice Properties, 125 Jersey Street, Boston, MA.

 

Those Present:  Michael Grappo, Ning Hernandez and Jeff Schwarz , Trustees

Sheryl Kelly called in to the meeting

David Sherf was not Present

Pamela Pendias , Modica Associates 

 

The meeting was called to order at 6:35 PM.  

 

FINANCIAL REVIEW

 

The September financial report was sent out electronically in advance of the meeting.  The balance sheet as of September reflects $29,113 in the operating account and $43,104 in reserves.    The association has collected $600 in fines (trash left in common area) and $2,150 in move-in fees this year.   Jeff asked what the $6,000 capital expense was for the month.   Pam replied that it represented the requisite deposit paid to Nino’s Iron Works for material associated with fabricating the wrought iron fence.   Sheryl asked when the fence was going to be installed.    Pam stated that she checked with Nino who advised that it should be ready in 3-4 weeks.   Jeff inquired about the invoice for EZ Disposal Service.  Pam said it was for bulk pick up associated with the moves on September 1^st , 2012.   There were two pick ups Saturday, September 1^st and Monday, September 3^rd, 2012.   Michael noted that move-in fees collected covered this cost. 

 

OLD BUSINESS  

 

Touch up painting will take place shortly.   Painters have been busy working outside since weather permits but needs to get done, especially work in the basement of 107 where molding is missing.    

 

Pam suggested having the carpets cleaned,   Consensus of the trustees was that the carpet did not look dirty and to hold off until spring.

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

The work in the rear courtyard has now been completed.    Everyone is pleased with the appearance and believes it is a great enhancement to the property.    The fence should probably be painted in the spring that runs along the courtyard between the two buildings. 

 

The wrought Iron Railing is being fabricated and will be installed in the next 3-4 weeks.

 

Ning asked about RCN.   Pam stated that she had met RCN at the building and would inquire as to the status of when residents could begin to avail themselves of the service. 

 

 

Minutes of the Trustee Meeting

10-22-12

Page Two

 

 

One month of double condo fees is being collected this month, to defray the cost of the two capital projects, courtyard drainage and replacement and wrought iron railing to cost a total of  $30,200. 

 

Ning asked about the budget Pam had drafted for next year.   Pam said she would up-date the “draft” budget with month end figures from October for the board to review and approve at the meeting next month. 

 

MISCELLANEOUS OTHER BUSINESS

 

Sheryl noted that the area around the dumpsters was very dirty with lots of trash on the ground and that they did not have covers.   There are (3) three (2) CY dumpsters that have covers on two sides.   One dumpster has covers on both sides, two of the dumpsters are missing a cover on one side.    This has been talked about before – replacing a cover will cost about $400 and is not cost effective.   A new dumpster costs approximately $1,800.    Pam suggested that over the weekend, more people are at home and perhaps cleaning up their apartments taking out trash etc.    The trustees will monitor the area.

 

Sheryl suggested that new “water hog” entrance mats should be purchased for the front foyers of the building.   The trustees agreed to purchase two (2) black “water hog” mats.   Michael suggested 3’ X 5” so they wouldn’t get hung up on the front door that swings in.  

 

Sheryl asked about the A/C Memo.    Pam said it was posted at the building and would go under all the doors this week.  

 

Sheryl stated that the area underneath the windows in her livingroom is moist and that the entire wall will need to be replaced.    Pam met with the Mason and Jeff in his unit a few weeks ago and that the mason caulked around all the windows in Jeff’s unit.    The exterior façade of the building is in tact and the mason was certain not allowing moisture infiltration.   Pam suggested that the mason check Sheryl’s unit.   Michael suggested that Sheryl remove the wall, since it needs to be replaced anyway, and monitor the area.   There could be residual moisture trapped within the bricks which has been evidenced by efflorescence on brick walls seen in other units.    

 

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:20PM. 

 

Respectfully submitted by:

Pamela Pendias

Modica Associates

For the Recording Secretary

Queensberry Condominium Trust

August 18 Meeting

Attending:

Corinne Getchell (MA) --Modica Associates

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

Douglas McClennen (DM) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust
Bill Gentz (BG) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust

Distribute to:

Kristen Lipstreuer (KL) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust

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

Second Means of Egress
Samples have been delivered to Modica, and the board approves the samples. MA to call and schedule the installation.

Window Replacement
Same.

107 Laundry Room Floor
Carpenter (Vogt & Company) did a proposal and submitted to MA, with the cost of $7600. The proposal includes carpentry, but does not include tiling, removing and reinstalling the washing machines. The laundry company will have to do the removal and reinstallation of the machines. The laundry company will not give the association more than $700-800. The estimate is approximately $52.77/sq. foot (based on 8x18 ft area).

Doug proposes to just fix the floor, and put down rolled goods. Currently the floor is a potential tripping hazard.

MA to ask the carpenter to price items 1-3 on the proposal, without preparing the floor for tiling (described in item 2), without new cabinets or counters, and without painting.

When the floor is lifted, it is likely that they will find rot in the joices. Joices will have to be replaced. This work would not be included in the estimate.

Deformation Monitoring Points (DMPs)
Doug spoke to Cullinan Engineering. We did not lose a lot of information. The work is not completely redundant. The measurements have to be done 3 times due to temperature variances. They have to do it 2-3 times to get an accurate measurement. Cullinan will invoice one time once the work is completed. The board approves the proposal. MA will contact Cullinan Engineering to proceed.

Bad smell in 107
Doug and Bill have not noticed the bad smell for awhile. Item complete.

2008 Financials
Bill met with MA’s accountant and redid the summary for 2008. Transfer from reserve and other expenses items have been cleaned up, and the totals have changed as a result. Bill proposes to add footnotes when the new financial summary is sent to the owners. MA will put the new financial summary in a digestable form for the owners. Bill created a summary of income and expenses for the masonry project. The following will be mailed to the owners: reconciliation of 2008 financial summary with the footnotes, the masonry project summary, and trustee voting forms.

Torn carpet in basement
Same.

Landscaping
The landscaper is still working on the proposal.

Security cameras
Doug did some investigation on the cameras, and found that the association can get 5 WiFi cameras for about $500. Anyone can access the cameras if he/she knows the IP address and the password. The ongoing cost would be electricity and IP address. This is not a high priority, so the item will be moved to the Long Term projects list. This project may be coupled with redoing the front doors.

111 Laundry Sink Tap Is Leaking
Same.

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

June 16 Meeting

Attending:

Corinne Getchell (MA) --Modica Associates

Douglas McClennen (DM) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust
Bill Gentz (BG) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust

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

Distribute to:

Yelena Chigirinskaya (YC) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust
Kristen Lipstreuer (KL) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust

107 Mail Room for general information
111 Mail Room for general information

Second means of egress
Waiting on second sample for approval.

107 laundry room floor
Modica to get bids for new floor and investigate installation of back flow valve.

Deformation Monitoring Points (DMPs)
Doug will call Cullinan to clear up questions concerning new work. Will give Corrine a call to move ahead with work if satisfied with responses.

Bad smell in 107
Smell has lessened to a large degree, but longer term a back-flow valve need to be installed

Dead Tree in Front of 107
New tree planted. Item Complete.

2008 Financials
Suggestion that statements include a current balance sheet that reflect actual assets puchased by the trust beside just cash. Still waiting for final balance on exterior work.

Torn carpet in basement
Same.

Landscaping
Still waiting on proposal.

Security cameras
Doug to investigate WiFi camera.

111 Laundry Sink Tap Is Leaking
Have asked that plumber move sink valve handles to 9 and 3 o'clock.

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

March 17 Meeting

Attending:

Corinne Getchell (MA) --Modica Associates

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

Douglas McClennen (DM) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust
Bill Gentz (BG) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust

Distribute to:

Kristen Lipstreuer (KL) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust

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

Structural Needs Assessment Report
An independent engineer provided a report on the masonry work. In general everything was done well. Dave Modica will review the report and email the board his comments. The report points out a few oversights (e.g. page 10, photo 6, shows that the 111 Jersey entrance cornice has not been repaired). Chicarelli & Pires was paid all except $10,000. MA will continue to withhold the $10,000 until the items pointed out by the independent engineer’s report are fixed.
MA to check on when we last looked at the building settlement points.

Second Means of Egress
Same.

Window Replacement
Still waiting on refund from Hadco. Logan Grates will fix the grids.

107 Laundry Room Floor
ALS (Automatic Laudry Services) came and looked at the floor. ALS will give us $750 to fix the floor. When the floor is removed, we will need to investigate the drain pipes underneath to see if larger pipes have to be installed.
Our contract with ALS does not expire until 2014. Laundry breakdown: 55% to ALS, 45% to QCT.


Bad Smell in 107
The smell is still there, but not as bad. In February, John’s Sewer snaked the main sewer line in 107. The line has a few dips where water holds and at 83 feet line is possibly rotted at bottom. Also the 3 stacks on the roof were video inspected. The stack on the right has a small hole at about 48 ft from the room. Clean out is at 51 ft (white color). Doug inspected the Is the hole in the stack a possible cause of the smell, and can the hole be fixed? Inquire the drain companies. MA to ask Dave Modica and a plumber take a look and provide feedback on the video? Inquire about the possible rotted sewer line. After reviewing the video, DM thought that the middle pipe might also not be draining properly and maybe the cause of the smell.


Dead Tree in Front of 107
Same.

Torn Carpet in the Basement
AJ Rose Carpets will look at the problem this week. MA to ask them for a recommendation to possibly tear out that section of the carpet and replace it, or cover it with a “throw” type carpet matt.

2008 Financials
Bill is working with Modica's accountant to straighten out and simplify our financials. MA to send out the trustee ballots to the owners by mail (no quorum at the annual meeting), together with the financials in about two weeks.

Landscaping
The board is again reviewing the landscape design.

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

February 24 - Annual Meeting Of Unit Owners

Financial Review (at close of January 2009)

Operating : $ 444.94

Reserve: $56,077.90

A/P: $62,274.79 ($50K payable to Chicarelli & Pires and $12,274.79 to the Reserve Account)

- details will go out to the owners after the board reviews





2008 Year End Figures

- owners (Paul) request a revised/decipherable YTD Actual/YTD Budget that reflects 12 month totals (collected/spent/etc), not the 18 month project (How much expected to come in? How much actually came in, etc?)


Other questions on the financial statement:

- Transfer to Reserve-Assessment line --> confusing
- From Reserve
- Other Income

- Suggestion to separate out regular budget from the temp. fee increase and masonry costs



2009 Budget

- March is the last month of the temporary fee increase
- The condo fees go back to their original levels--no fee increase for 2009

- Q: Who pays for the water used by the laundry machines
A: The association does.

- Q: What kind of warranty (# of years) does Chicarelli provide on their work?
A: The information is in the spec--what kind of mortar was supposed to be used, etc.


- Bank Charges should be $0, because we switched banks
- Insurance was locked in for 3 years

- Q: When were the boilers replaced? Teddy thinks about 10 years ago. Doug thinks that information is noted on the boiler.

- Q: What is the breakup between water and sewer
A: Sewer is about twice as much as the water

- Q: What is the purpose of having a higher reserve
A: Emergency funds, guidelines for associations

- Q: What is the projected reserve total for the end of the project/temp. fee increase (end of March)? What is the projected reserve total for the end of 2009? What was the reserve prior to the temp. fee increase?



Masonry Project Review

- Engineer did a walk through, the board just received the report
- The report will go out to the owners with the minutes from this meeting
- From all the work that was done, we only had one add-on for $3600 (fire escapes)



Old Business

Window Grids on Garden Level Bedroom Windows have been fabricated and are ready for installation, weather permitting. Access to units will be required to ensure safety lock operates correctly. Cost is $3,150.00 installed.



New Business

- Heat
-- What happened with the heat in December?
-- Strange, that only one person complained

- 107 Laundry room floor
-- We are aware of the problem with the floor, and the laundry company is working with us to redo the floor
-- Q: Are dryer connections up to code?
-- The laundry company services the machines, but the management/association has to clean the dryer vents

- Drain in the courtyard in the wrong place, and the courtyard tends to flood

- Max noticed the 107 smell (107-11)

-- 107-7 owner also noticed the smell

- Max noticed an infestation of mice in his unit (107-11). He set out some traps, and the mice have gone away. If the problem reoccurs, Max will notify Modica for the unit to be treated.

- Need to add the TO DO list to the blog



Election of Trustees

Board Members Douglas McClennen, Helen Chigirinskaya, Bill Gentz, Kristen Lipstreuer and Dave Sherf have all volunteered to serve another one-year term. Modica did not receive any trustee nominations.

- Teddy volunteers to be a trustee

January 20 Meething

Attending:

Corinne Getchell (MA) --Modica Associates

Douglas McClennen (DM) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust
David Sherf (DS) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust

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

Distribute to:

Kristen Lipstreuer (KL) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust

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

107 Mail Room for general information
111 Mail Room for general information

2008 Finances
Corrine will have final numbers for Feb meeting. Bill asked for copies bank statements for the full year 2008.

Structural Needs Assessment Report
Nothing further on Lentil on exit at 111. Dave to meet with engineer Thursday Jan 22nd. Bill asked that engineer give his general impressions of the condition of the building.

Second Means of Egress
Grates are finished but Logan grate needs access to units to install. Corrine will schedule.

Damanged Bollards by the Dumpsters
Item Complete.

Window Replacement
Window Paining has been repaired. Waiting for Logan grate to reinstall.

107 Laundry Room Floor
Proposal by DM to motion at owners meeting that we consider reconfiguring entire space including storage locker area and boiler room to be more efficient. Including replacing current inefficient gas systems. Will ask owners for feed back on whether to hire engineer to make proposal.

Dead Tree in Front of 107
Same.

Bad Smell in 107
Smell still occurring occasionally. DM mentioned that ventilation in skylight is not working and needs to be addressed.

Issues in the Monthly Financial Statement
Item Complete.

Moped in the Courtyard
Removed. Item Complete.

Torn Carpet in the Basement
Corrine to call Braintree rug to look into replacing torn rug in basement.

Miscellaneous

• DM sent email regarding installing security camera
• DM asked to have Feb Trustee meeting scheduled for 24th instead of 17th
  These minutes are written to Douglas’s best recollection. Please notify her of any discrepancies immediately.

2008 Financials

(01/20/2009) Corrine will have final numbers for Feb meeting. Bill asked for copies bank statements for the full year 2008.

(03/17/2009) Bill is working with Modica's accountant to straighten out and simplify our financials. MA to send out the trustee ballots to the owners by mail (no quorum at the annual meeting), together with the financials in about two weeks.

(05/19/2009) Bill is working with Modica's accountant to reformat the monthly financial statements to make them easier to understand. Bill and Doug are also working to reorganize the financials for mailing out to the owners. So far the following problems have been identified: 1) balance sheets need to match the assets; 2) certain column items are superfluous and can be removed from the budget comparisons; 3) bank statements do not reflect the cut checks that have not yet been cached by the payee.

(06/16/2009) Suggestion that statements include a current balance sheet that reflect actual assets puchased by the trust beside just cash. Still waiting for final balance on exterior work.

(08/18/2009) Bill met with MA’s accountant and redid the summary for 2008. Transfer from reserve and other expenses items have been cleaned up, and the totals have changed as a result. Bill proposes to add footnotes when the new financial summary is sent to the owners. MA will put the new financial summary in a digestable form for the owners. Bill created a summary of income and expenses for the masonry project. The following will be mailed to the owners: reconciliation of 2008 financial summary with the footnotes, the masonry project summary, and trustee voting forms.

October 21 Meeting

Attending:

Corinne Getchell (MA) --Modica Associates

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

Douglas McClennen (DM) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust
Bill Gentz (BG) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust

Distribute to:

Kristen Lipstreuer (KL) --Trustee, Queensberry Condominium Trust

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

Structural Needs Assessment Report
The masonry work is progressing well. C&P expects to complete the project 1st week of November. See David Modica’s report for detailed information. A sill in the courtyard was missed and will be replaced. Also a lentil on the 3rd floor, Queensberry Street side has a crack running straight through it, and needs to be brought to the attention of C&P.

Second Means of Egress
All bedroom windows were properly marked by their unit owners. MA met with Logan Grate, and the windows were measured. In total, 6 grids will be replaced by the association. An additional (7th) grid will be replaced at the request and expense of the unit owner. Logan Grate will provide the final prices for the grids to MA.

Damanged Bollards by the Dumpsters
On Saturday, 10/11/2008, at 9:10am KL witnessed a Waste Management truck back into the bollards, knocking one of them completely out of place. David Modica is in contact with WM enquiring if they will pay for the damage inflicted by their truck.

Window Replacement
Window replacement is complete, and all screens have been fixed. MA is still working with Hadco, the company that replaced 111-2 unit windows in order to get the money back that the association paid for the panning that had to be later removed.

107 Laundry Room Floor
Same.

Dead Tree in Front of 107
DM and BG have removed the polls.

New Business:

Bad Smell in 107
DM and BG again noticed a strong smell of the sewer in the morning hours in building 107. There is speculation that the smell is from the 107 laundry, or from sewage backing up in the morning rush. Unit 107-20a had to have the drain cleared, and during the procedure a camera was run down the drain. Our buildings are on 4 times/year drain clearing schedule. MA to let the board know next time the drain clearing work occurs, so that we can see if the time of the smell correlates to when the drain clearing is performed.

Carpet Cleaning
The board ok's carpet cleaning to be performed in the common areas. Item Complete.

Issues in the Monthly Financial Statement
The numbers on the header page do not correspond to the numbers in the actual statement. MA will speak to the accountant and will email the board with an explanation.

Moped in the Courtyard
A Vespa moped is locked to the bike rack in the courtyard, and is blocking the walk way. MA will put a sign on the Vespa, as well as post notices on the doors asking the owner to move it. If not moved in a week, the vehicle will be towed.

Locking in Oil Price
The board discussed whether or not to lock in the oil price. Because the matter is so important, the board wants all members of the board to vote (only 3 present at the meeting). MA will send email asking the board members to vote over email.

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

Issues in the Monthly Financial Statement

(10/21/08) The numbers on the header page do not correspond to the numbers in the actual statement. MA will speak to the accountant and will email the board with an explanation.

(11/18/2008) Bank statement balance differs from the operating budget because checks may have been cut, but have not yet cleared. Item Complete.