River Place South Board Minutes-August 23, 2018

River Place South Housing Corporation (RPSHC)
FINAL Minutes From the Board of Directors Meeting
Thursday, August 23, 2018 – 5:45 p.m.
 
In Attendance – All Board of Directors

• Janice Mays, President
• Waqas Ali, Vice President (via video conference)
• Jim McInerney, Treasurer (via teleconference)
• Sara Shahade, Secretary
• Vikram Reddy, Director
• Richard Villegas, Director
• Dave Williams, Director
   
  In Attendance – Property Management
• Joette Waters, General Manager
• Bryan Hernandez, Assistant General Manager
• Bob Porco, Financial Manager with FirstService Residential
   
  In Attendance – Shareholders
• Nancy Greenberg, Unit 542
• Lauren Hall, Unit 1029
• Karen Imler, Unit 1111
• Naomi Pena, Unit 721
• Marguerite Pradas, Unit 1103
• Jim Wolf, Unit 441
   
   
• Call to Order
  The Board of Directors of the River Place South Housing Corporation held a meeting on Thursday, August 23, 2018.  Board President Janice Mays called the meeting to order at 5:47 p.m.  Introductions ensued of management and members of the Board of Directors.
   
   
• Financial Report
  Mr. Porco reported the cooperative has over $300,000 in its operating account; and there were $1.2 million in reserves at the end of July.  The budget for the new fiscal year includes a $600,000 reserve contribution.  Delinquencies are low year-to-date; and there is a surplus of approximately $53,000 after the first three months of the fiscal year, as operating expenses were $56,000 below budget.
   
  (Jim McInerney joined the meeting via teleconference at this juncture at 5:51 p.m.)
   
  Representatives from The Goldklang Group CPAs will be on site in late August or early September as part of preparing the 2017-2018 fiscal year audit.  The draft audit will be completed for Board review at the end of September.
   
  Zalco Realty has become FirstService Residential.  Although those working in the office have not changed, some of the company’s procedures are being revised.  Mr. Porco has communicated with Avid Exchange, and accounts payable will be accessible online to allow for faster payments.  Vendors will be instructed to send invoices to an email portal which will be downloaded by Avid Exchange and sent to River Place South management for review and approval. Starting in the beginning of 2019, the majority of vendor paperwork will be handled online.  ClickPay will also be used beginning on or about January 1, 2019 to offer a more user friendly option for shareholders to make cooperative payments.
   
   
• Approval of Agenda
  Mr. Williams moved to approve the August 23, 2018 Board meeting agenda with the addition of a discussion concerning the “Package Log System” under New Business.  Ms. Shahade seconded, and the motion carried unanimously (7-0-0).
   
   
• Approval of Meeting Minutes (June 19, 2018)
  Mr. Williams moved to approve the minutes from the June 19, 2018 Board of Directors meeting as presented. Ms. Shahade seconded, and the motion carried unanimously (7-0-0).
   
   
• Resident Participation
  Lauren Hall, Karen Imler, Naomi Pena and Marguerite Prados expressed strong disagreement with lowering the minimum rental length, as they believe short-term renters are not invested in the building; that frequent moves into and out of the building will lead to increased pests such as bed bugs; and that they will be an increase in lost keys and FOBs; an increase in wear and tear on the building; more frequent fire drills; and an increase in paperwork for the front desk.  They also believe short-term leases will make the building less desirable for shareholders.  Ms. Mays explained she has received several emails from residents expressing the same concerns; and stated the Board has already unanimously agreed to keep the current rule on rental minimums with no initiative to shorten the rental period.
  Jim Wolf arrived late but added that he feels there should be special accommodations made for the occasional exceptions (lease terms greater than one month but less than 3 months), stating that the inconvenience of the short term rentals can be offset by charging a greater registration fee. He added that allowing for these exceptions will make River Place South more attractive to investors and believes the bylaws were amended improperly in 2010 in that there was no notice to the shareholders of such change.   
   
   
• < >President and OA Reports: Ms. Mays reported the following information:
• The new garage doors are faster and more attractive than the old doors.
• The front of the building is currently being landscaped.
• The OA is securing bids for replacing the air conditioners in the multipurpose room and main gym, which has led to an assessment of whether the roof can hold the size and weight of the new air conditioning units.
   
  1. Treasurer’s Report: Please see Section II of these minutes.
•  
   
  1. Management Report
  2. Laundry Room Keypad: Management discussed changing the keypad to the laundry rooms. Ms. Waters explained that it is cost prohibitive to tie laundry room access into the existing key FOBs.  However, the existing passcode will be changed in the interest of security, as management has received several complaints that residents from other River Place buildings are using the laundry room.  Management will send the new passcode to residents.
      
  3. Generator Failure: Ms. Waters explained that generator tests are performed every Friday as part of testing the fire safety system.  The most recent test showed that a controller had gone bad, which caused all four elevators to be out of service for approximately one hour. The controller will be replaced at an approximate cost of $2,200.
      
  4. Trash Removal: The trash removal company used by the cooperative has merged with other companies twice in the most recent six months.  The company is now called Waste Management.  River Place South management is currently looking into alternative trash removal companies.
      
  5. Roof Leaks: The overhang roof on the front of the South Building is leaking, as well as the main roof in the interior of the South Building.  Roofers were on site on Thursday, August 23, 2018; and about 30-feet of flashing needs to be replaced.  Management is currently obtaining estimates for the repair.
   
  1. Marijuana Smoking: Management has received several complaints regarding marijuana smells infiltrating their units.  Letters were sent to those suspected of smoking in their units.  Ms. Waters expressed that management is aware of the issue, and will place a note under the appropriate unit doors to remind shareholders that it is against the law to smoke marijuana in Virginia; and that the Association will press charges if they discover that residents are smoking marijuana on the property.
   
   
   
  1. Voter Registration: A shareholder requested authorization to conduct non-partisan voter registrations from 5:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. on one upcoming Saturday.  Ms. Mays stated this was done in the past, and was well received by many shareholders.  The Board agreed to allow non-partisan voter registration to be held on the property.
   
  1. Window Washing: Ms. Waters reported window washing is typically done once per year – usually in the beginning of spring.  Ms. Mays noted the windows seem to be dirtier now with the frequent rain, and the Board agreed to look into increasing the window washing frequency to twice per year.
   
   
  VIII.    New Business
  1. Electronic Resale Package: Mr. Villegas suggested converting the resale package binder into an electronic file to save the Association time and money.
   
  1. Unit S129 HVAC System: Mr. Williams suggested that the cooperative pay $782 for a mechanism to allow Ellen Williams of S129 to run her air conditioning year-round for medical reasons.  After a discussion, the Board of Directors and management recalled that similar requests for the cooperative to cover the costs for alterations to HVAC systems for medical reasons were denied. Therefore, the Board decided that Mr. Williams will be required to pay for the mechanism personally.  However, the Board will look at the precedents and, if necessary, reconsider the request from Ellen Williams.
   
  1. Package Log: Mr. Williams inquired whether the package log system allows users to pause in the middle of logging packages into the system to dispense a package that has already been delivered.  Ms. Waters explained interruptions with logging packages into the system create errors and delays.  Therefore, it is a policy that users cannot pause to dispense delivered packages while logging in new packages.  Mr. Williams also inquired whether it is policy not to accept food or prescription drugs.  Ms. Waters explained it is the cooperative’s policy to refuse food, prescription and floral deliveries, as there is no refrigerated area to store such items; food and flowers frequently go bad before being picked up; and there is a risk of theft of controlled substances and medications, as packages are sometimes delivered by FedEx while nobody is at the front desk.  Mr. Williams mentioned he has noticed packages delivered in the afternoon are often not logged into the system until after the shift changes.  Ms. Waters said she will hold a staff meeting to address package-related matters.
   
  1. Heating/Cooling System: Shareholder Jim Wolf mentioned that Ms. Waters requested he bring up the idea of looking into converting the building’s heating and cooling system to one that can be controlled individually within units. Ms. Waters explained such a change will require an engineering study; and would involve engineers entering individual units.
   
   
  1. Old/Unfinished Business
  1. Cell Towers: This matter was listed on the Board meeting agenda, but not discussed.
   
  1. AT&T: This matter was listed on the Board meeting agenda, but not discussed.
   
  1. T Mobile: This matter was listed on the Board meeting agenda, but not discussed.
   
  1. Skigen Property T4 Sale/Rental: This matter was listed on the Board meeting agenda, but not discussed.
   
  1. Roof: This matter was listed on the Board meeting agenda, but not discussed.
   
  1. Monday Properties Discussion: Mr. Ali explained not much was done during the summer, but three meetings were held with the landlord since the initiative began in fall 2017.  Future plans have not been substantiated, but discussions regarding a communications framework are ongoing.  Mr. Ali explained he will be very transparent concerning the process; and that, as soon as the Ground Lease Working Group of the River Place Owners Association has substantive things to report, he will make those things known.
   
  1. Unit Number Markers: Ms. Imler stated the 11th floor has been recently repainted and looks great, but inquired whether the room numbers can be reinstalled to avoid confusion for deliverymen.  Ms. Mays stated this will be addressed.
   
   
  1. Temporary Adjournment to Executive Session
     The Board of Directors temporarily adjourned the August 23, 2018 Open Session at 7:16 p.m. to hold a closed Executive Session for the discussion of an S1106 update.
      
      
  2. < >Following the conclusion of the Executive Session, the August 23, 2018 Board of Directors meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m.