Ambassador II Condominiums

As a followup to the annual meeting of owners (August 2014), the Board has engaged a local security/access control company to advise us on various ways to improve our building safety infrastructure. The original discussions at the annual meeting surrounded a rash of thefts in our building, primarily in the garage, lobbymailbox area and exercise room. Subsequent to our annual meeting there have been additional (reported) incidences as detailed below:

● Continued infiltration of nonresidents onto the property.
● Disappearance of many packages from the lobby and hallways.
● A number of bicycles being stolen off the bike racks this past summer.
● Continued storage locker breakins in garages as well as vehicle breakins.
● Transients found multiple times throughout the building, especially at top of the east building’s N and S stairwells and sleeping in garages.

Below is a budgetary estimate, by distinct project, for installation services (prices do not include sales tax or incidental costs). The vendor is one that we have previously used and has demonstrated to the Board and building management a clear expertise to secure the property.

A. BUILDING VIDEO RECORDING
This includes installation of up to 16 vandal resistant dome color day & night cameras with digital video recording, UPS battery backup, monitor, locking security enclosure, and Wifi router for wireless connection. Estimated capital improvement cost is $15,000. Camera surveillance primarily in lobby, courtyard, garages, and possible partial exterior coverage. Garage cameras would be partially paid for by Ambassador I as these are shared areas.

B. BUILDING ACCESS CONTROL
Installation of card readers on building entry doors including power supplies with battery backup, door locking hardware with electronic proximity card or fob readers. Ability to delete lost security cards. Auditing access to compare to video monitoring. Estimated capital cost is $36,000. Card or key fob access devices range from $5ea to $35ea ($1500$ 10,500 for 300. Ambassador I would pay for their share). The most expensive device would operate remote garage gates as well as person doors. Note that this proposal does not include the east building hallway stairwell doors, only the doors accessible from the outside or from the garage. Unit doors are not included and will always remain under the control of unit owners. GARAGE GATE OPENERS: Network type receivers including door controllers, integration with card access system. Estimated cost is $5,000 for both garage gates/doors. Access control would be partially paid for by Ambassador I for shared access doors and gates. In line with current key policy, each unit would be assigned two access devices and unit owners could purchase additional devices as needed.

C. VISITOR/DELIVERY ENTRY GATE ACCESS CONTROL:
New visitor access panel (call box) integrated with card readers and capable of auditing all access. Estimated cost is $4,400.

D. IMPROVED PHYSICAL LOCKING HARDWARE:
Medeco Generation 3 high security key cylinders, includes installation, and Medeco Generation 3 keys. Estimated cost is $7,300. This would rekey all existing common area doors. Ambassador I would pay their share of common door costs.

E. EXTERIOR TRASH GATE:
Installation includes an electronic gate lock, power supply, and heavy duty keypad. Estimated cost is $2,200. Currently this gate is opened all day twice weekly for garbage bin emptying and is occasionally accessed by outsiders. This is a safety issue for residents.

F. DENTIST OFFICE PATIENT ACCESS SYSTEM (Summit garage):
Integrates with proposed new access control proposals. Includes door intercom stations, auto dialer, relay activation units. Estimated cost is $2,500.

The Board is providing this information to all owners for comment and suggestions. It is very important for you to provide your feedback as the Board needs to have a strong understanding of what security capital improvements are preferred by the general ownership. We hope to have all comments back to us by mid April 2015. Once we have received the general ownership response, the Board will prepare a formal recommendation and funding plan. There are various ways that these capital improvements could be funded and the ongoing upkeep expense be addressed, but it is important that we first establish a final budget so we can make sure the expenditure meets the HOA ByLaws and state guidelines. We hope that you will review this information carefully as the Board considers this a very important capital project, not only from a community safety point of view, but also from an insurance premium and property resale perspective. Please send all responses to “AMBASSADOR2 AT OUTLOOK DOT COM”

We look forward to your feed back!

Monday, March 9, 2015
President: Brien Sherman
Vice President: Venus Chan (absent)
Treasurer: Jay Heath
Secretary: Shaun Ross
Member At Large: Anand Singla
(absent) Association Manager: Jack Taylor

Homeowners Forum
● One homeowner was present at the meeting this month.
Meeting was called to order at 6:36pm. The January 2015 minutes were approved as written.

Treasurer’s Reports
For period ending February 28, 2015.
Bank, Savings and Investment Accounts
Checking: $38,391.60
Washington Federal Replacement / Special Assessment Reserve CD: $364,220.69
Sound Credit Union Savings: $211,260.03
Petty Cash: $100.00
Total Assets: $614,512.32

Committee Reports
● Security Committee: Following up on member discussions at the last Annual Homeowner Meeting, the Board has examined a variety of security proposals including new keys, electronic access control, video surveillance and other enhancements to our building security. We will explore ways to implement upgrades over time so as to pay for any work with only modest long term dues increases. Immediately implementing certain proposals would require special assessments, which would be subject to approval by the membership. Some proposals for increasing shared area security will also require approval by Ambassador I membership. A broad outline of these proposals is included with these minutes. Note that this is a wish list proposal. We may implement none, some, or all of these proposals over time. The Board is interested in any comments the membership may have and we will certainly discuss this further. Please contact us through a temporary email address (ambassador2 at outlook dot com).

Security
● CONTINUED REMINDER: Packages have continued to be rifled through or stolen from the lobby and hallways. We advise that everyone pick up their packages as soon as they arrive or have them delivered to your workplace or other address.
● Unauthorized people continue to gain access onto the property and into the east building. In the past month, we’ve had people camped out at the top of the east building’s north stairs. In addition, our security service removed a transient from the lower garage level. Please do not allow anyone you don’t know gain entry as you enter onto the property.
● The storage lockers continue to be a favored target for thieves. We haven’t received any reports of breakins in February. Please don’t store any item in the lockers that you are unwilling to lose.
● CONTINUED REMINDER TO ALL RESIDENTS: Please wait for the garage gate to close completely before proceeding away from the building or to your parking space. It takes less than a minute for the gate to close. Homeowners with renters, please discuss this security issue with your tenants. It’s their security too. This is the most logical way that transients gain access to the property.

Rules
● While in the common areas, dogs should be leashed at all times. Please also pickup after your dog and
consider using a Citronella collar to curb barking.
● A reminder that the City of Seattle now requires food and yard waste recycling, which includes houseplant trimmings. The green compost bin in located inside the alley fence at the north stairwell landing of the east building. Food waste, pizza boxes, napkins, paper plates, shredded paper and plant material must be composted. NO PLASTIC OR GLASS IS ALLOWED IN THE FOOD WASTE COMPOST BIN. If you are composting a pizza box, for example, please remove the plastic packets of cheese and peppers, as well as forks, aluminum foil, etc. Please toss these items into the garbage containers.

Old Business
● Please make sure Property Concepts has a valid phone number and email address for you and/or your tenant. This contact information is necessary for emergencies. Once again, this month the Association Manager had to struggle to contact unit owners for a water emergency.
● The new alley garage gate will be installed in early April. We will post notices when we have a firm date.

New Business
● Spring window and dryer vent cleaning has been scheduled for Thursday and Friday, April 2ND & 3RD. Please mark your calendars to remove your screens prior to the cleaning dates.
● Another original equipment Bradford & White water heater failed in February. Extensive and expensive water damage occurred in a lower unit, as well as within the unit the water heater failed. All water damage of this type is the responsibility of the unit with leaking/damaged water heater and/or plastic valve failure. ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT MUST BE REPLACED. It is much cheaper to replace old equipment preemptively than pay damage reparations.
● A noise complaint was sent to one unit for excessive exercise type activity in the unit, which has caused a light fixture to dislodge from lower units ceiling. Please take your gymnastics or aerobics outside or to the exercise room. These kinds of activities transfer noises to surrounding units. Please be a considerate neighbor.

Meeting adjourned: 7:18pm.
Next Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 13, 2015 at 6:30pm in Unit E108.
Ambassador II Condominium Homeowners Association:
506 E Howell St, Seattle, WA 98122