Highview Condominium II
Board of Directors - Meeting Minutes
November 12, 2002, 7:30 p.m.

The first regular meeting of the 2002-2003 Highview II Board of Directors was called to order at 7:45 p.m. (Previously scheduled October 8, 2002 meeting postponed to this date.) In attendance were Board members Victor Bellini, Sanchie Bobrow, Robert Boynton, Marg Cannon, Stephanie Greenberg, Frank Mattera, and Virginia Re. Board members Carl DiLorenzo and Miriam Montalvo were absent. Jennifer Ogman attended from J.A.L. Diversified Management.

As the first order of business, Victor Bellini resigned the Board Presidency. He indicated that the position required a greater time commitment than he could manage. Stefanie Greenberg expressed a willingness to serve as President. She was formally nominated and seconded. There were no dissenting votes. The Board's other officers affirmed their willingness to continue as elected at the Board's special meeting on September 25th: Virginia Re as Vice President, Bob Boynton as Secretary, and Sanchie Bobrow as Treasurer.

Stefanie requested that Victor chair the remainder of this meeting. Victor consented.

Next, there was discussion of the major areas of Board responsibility that members could participate in outside of regular meetings: a) Quality of Life (regular maintenance and resident concerns) - Virginia Re will work with Jennifer Ogman; b) Landscaping (plantings, tree maintenance, pruning. and sprinkler contracts and purchases) - Virginia Re, Victor Bellini, Sanchie Bobrow, and Marg Cannon; and c) Capital Repairs - Stefanie Greenberg will work solely with Jennifer Ogman).

Next, there was discussion of the frequency of Board meetings. The Board's meetings will be held quarterly instead of monthly, still on the second Tuesday of the month. J.A.L.'s monthly management reports should provide a complete log of repairs, correspondence from owners, fiscal reports, status of contracts, record of needed repairs, and legal compliance issues. Between the quarterly Board meetings, the entire Board has access to email and discussion/decisions/votes can be conducted by email, using a majority of the full-Board (5/9) for passage as in the past. The week after management reports are distributed, Virginia Re will meet with Jennifer to review the status of all maintenance projects.

Virginia Re asked Jennifer Ogman whether it would be in the building's interest (and whether it is possible) for Highview to participate in a utility budgeting program. Jennifer agreed that it might be a good idea and will explore.

There was a request that all Board member will be provided all keys to the building. (In the past, only the four officers had keys.) There were no dissenting votes and the motion was passed with the provision that individual Board members may decline to accept this responsibility if they wish. In case of emergency, most of the nine board members will be in a position to assist. This access includes roof, boiler room, garage, storage rooms, gas and electric meter rooms, compactor room, and the building super's apartment (for video and other security systems).

There was a discussion of the Laundry Room contract. CoinMach's latest offer was reviewed. The Board was not satisfied with the offer. Jennifer Ogman will continue to seek alternative vendors. Ogman reported that a proposal will be offered by an alternative vendor in the next few weeks.

There was a discussion of exterior water leaks caused by lintel and brick work problems. There was discussion of the considerable time that has gone into attempting to resolve the situation including Maxwell-Kates nine months with the project and the mostly inaccurate full-building inspections performed by the last two supers. Jennifer Ogman reported that Rob has inspected all apartments, that a questionnaire was sent to all owners, and that contractors will complete their preliminary reviews of the building before December 31st. Ogman reported that by January 31st the options for repair will be settled, and that the Board should be able to take action at the next quarterly Board meeting in February to authorize repairs.

Exterior discussion continued with questions of how thorough these repairs will be and whether the contractor estimates would adequately deal with the long-term health of the building exterior. Since the major cost is set-up and scaffolding, repairs on a wall should be comprehensive. Due to the building's proximity to Clove Road, ground-up scaffolding (increasing repair costs) may be required by City code. Furthermore, NYC building code dictates certain exterior inspections (including Local Law 11) and Jerry Lemmermann is reviewing exactly when Highview II is due for re-inspection.

Jennifer Ogman provided an estimate for installing hard-wired (AC) smoke detectors in the hallways. This estimate had been requested by the Board for comparison in advance of installing battery operated units. The Board agreed that that estimates for an AC system were too expensive. Battery smoke detectors will be installed in the hallways as soon as the exhaust ventilation system is deemed to be operating properly per NYC code. Jennifer Ogman will review the current status of the venting system and will update the Board at the next meeting.

There was discussion of the new elevator flooring. Jennifer Ogman indicated that she had not been notified of the Board's approval of any specific floor sample. The Board agreed that the pattern had been settled in October, but in sharing opinions realized that the exact color was still unresolved. Stefanie Greenberg will contact the tile manufacturer for additional samples.

There was a discussion of several electrical and plumbing emergencies in the building occurring after 5:00 p.m. In each case, residents were having plumbing or electrical work performed after the super's work hours and when a water pipe was broken or a electrical main was tripped, no one was able to access to the building's emergency shut-offs - resulting in considerable inconvenience or damage to neighboring units. In response to these continuing situations, the Board reaffirmed its understanding that all damage resulting from these situations is the liability of the owners. Residents and owners should notify the building super whenever electrical or plumbing work will be performed, so that the super can be available if the unexpected happens. Furthermore, no electrical or plumbing work should be conducted after 5:00 p.m. except in case of emergency - in which case, the super and management should be advised before work begins.

JAL reported that a portion of the lobby floor is buckling. The situation is being investigated. More information will be available at the next Board meeting.

There was discussion of boiler maintenance and heating settings (hot water and unit heating). Boynton reported that Star Boiler had volunteered to come to the building once a new super was hired to color-code (and arrow direction of flow) all boiler plumbing. They had recommended this to help deal promptly with emergencies. This meeting would also act as a review for the super of boiler operation and weekly maintenance issues. Jennifer Ogman will arrange the meeting and report at the next Board meeting.

There was discussion of the 1993 Capital Reserve Study commissioned with an engineering firm. In 1993, Highview was advised that the building's capital reserve funds were inadequate and a savings program was recommended. The Board was reminded that at their August, 13, 2001, there was an agreement to make a comprehensive decision about the building's finances at their September meeting, however after 09-11 and management changes, the Board did not meet until February. It was noted that more recently, John Shall had written a letter to the Highview Board recommending a new reserve study and that Shall's letter was raised by Boynton at the annual meeting, but there was little interest expressed by the general membership in discussing the topic at length.

This discussion was tabled until the next Board meeting and Jennifer Ogman was asked to review the 1993 capital reserve study and comment at the next Board meeting. It was noted that the Board should quickly decide whether to use DeSantis & Shall for the fiscal year 2002 audit and 2002 tax returns.

Jennifer Ogman shared a letter from a unit owner claiming that the failure of an AC unit was due to a water leak from above. Stefanie Greenberg said that she will inspect the two apartments involved and report at the next board meeting.

Jennifer Ogman requested that the Board re-confirm its authorization to replace apartment L-K's air conditioner. The replacement in the super's apartment had been approved by the Board last Spring, but the project had been put on hold after the super, Miguel Gonzalez, denied management access to his apartment. The Board re-affirmed its authorization of the replacement per the estimate provided in the JAL management report.

Jennifer Ogman reported that three delinquent unit owner accounts have been forwarded to the building attorney, Michael Swaaley for collection action. She reminded the Board that the cost of the attorney and collection is passed along to the delinquent owner.

The Board authorized the building super to paint unit doors and frames. This is a maintenance item and they will be painted in their current color in semi-gloss finish. The job will hopefully be completed before the holiday season. It was noted that at a previous Board meeting, it was agreed that all hall carpeting will be cleaned before the holidays.

Jennifer Ogman reported that there are still two active leaks in the garage's building foundation. She indicated that the contractor correcting the problem has been conscientious about his work, but the initial repair was quite extensive after being allowed to deteriorate over many years without corrective action. The repair project of summer 2002 project came with a warranty and the contractor will be working on the problem next week.

There was discussion of garbage and the refuse recycling area. Jennifer Ogman indicated that there should be no obstructions in front of the gas meter room according to fire code. Accordingly, the two garbage cans kept in front of the gas meter room door must be removed. Since the area is not fire retardant, keeping garbage in the area presents other code concerns as well. There was a question about the fire safety of the compactor system and the answer was that the compactor contains a fire sprinkler system. Jennifer also noted that NYC Sanitation has been conducting inspections of the building's curbside garbage and she has been advised that inspectors are expected to meet ticket quotas with respect to both compacting and recycling violations. Since all of Highview's regular garbage must be compacted before going curbside, Ogman offered a proposal to replace the two garbage containers with a new chute constructed for lobby-level residents - thus saving the super's time in manually moving garbage from the containers to the compactor. The Board asked about a larger size for the chute opening and Ogman will check. In the meantime, one of the trash containers will be removed from the recycling area and the other will be relocated away from the gas meter room door. It was also noted that storing garbage at the curb beyond 24 hours of a scheduled pick-up is a code violation - so that the building must keep all trash either inside the building or in the cage constructed last year. Residents taking garbage outside must place it in the cage - not at the curb, as placing anything at the curb when it's not a garbage collection day can get the building fined.

Jennifer Ogman reported on apartment L-C's water damage and her discussions with the owner to help resolve the situation. There was discussion of the source of the damage and how this is the only apartment in the building resting on a cement slab. Although most apartments in the building have suffered at one time or another from water spills and leaks from units above, L-C's floor is a solid slab and water cannot drain to any open space or the next floor below. Previous engineering investigations and test borings have confirmed that the damage is not caused from water infiltrating from underneath the slab. Jennifer Ogman will continue working with the owner to help find a solution.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 11:30 p.m.