Ambassador II Condominiums

Ambassador II Condominium Board Minutes
https://ambassador2.com

Meeting was called to order at 6:45pm. The July ​2020 minutes were approved as written.

Monday, August 10, 2020

​● One homeowner attended the meeting this month.

Treasurer’s Reports

Total Assets: $949,508.61

Old Business
● Elevator repair: Before a repair date can be scheduled, Thyssenkrupp is waiting for all of the repair material to arrive into inventory. The elevator will be out of service for ​about 3-days ​for replacement of the power unit which includes the oil reservoir, barrels of oil, operating valve, motor, and the pump. Once dates have been set, the Association will notify all owners and post a notice on the property weeks in advance.
● The unit number and building signage replacement project has been placed on hold.
● Our apologies that the Reserve Study hasn’t been posted to the website as of yet. We hope to post it soon.

New Business
● Board positions will be selected and decided during the September meeting, as not all members were in attendance at this meeting.
● All non-Realtor key boxes have been removed from the front (Howell St) fence. We’ve been very lenient about these, however. They have become a security risk. As per the Rules & Regulations (Rule 3.12), all Realtor key
boxes must be removed within 7-days of the sale or lease of the unit. Otherwise, there should be no other key boxes attached to the fencing anywhere on the property. Any future non-Realtor key box found attached to any fencing/gates will be immediately removed and disposed of.
● If you see something, say something. As you know, we don’t have an onsite manager. If you spot any property issues, please contact Property Concepts or the Board directly at the email address below. For example, if one notices that a portion of the ceiling is falling down, please contact us right away with details. Please don’t assure that a Board member will notice, as we don’t wander the property everyday. We are all owners of the property and it’s all our responsibility to make sure the property is in good order and all damage is being addressed right away. Please don’t wait months to report something and then reprimand the Board for not reacting sooner, as we may not be aware of the situation.
● The east wall of the x04 stack re-stuccoing project is complete. With insight to some issues behind the stucco in this section, we’re looking into continuing the project on other walls on either the east or west building. The re-stuccoing of the buildings is a project we’ve been saving for with our reserves. Instead of waiting to do both buildings in another decade or so, we’ve decided to work on the project as funds become available.
● It’s been brought to our attention that there is some wood damage to a couple stretchers on the lower east building’s north stairs. We have requested an inspection and quote for repair.
● The garage door rails to the alley garage door will be replaced in the coming weeks. In late July, the door fell off track as two wheels broke through the rail.
● The West Building walkways and bridges will be resurfaced later this year. It appears that it wasn’t included within the x04 stack project.
● Property Concepts will be assigning a new association manager soon. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Property Concepts or the Board directly at our email address below.
● Surveillance system: There are a number of issues with installing a surveillance system. One of the most challenging is placement of equipment. In addition, if cameras are motion sensor activated they will store as much as 3 to 4 weeks of data and then start recording over the oldest entries. The second issue is monitoring. It would require someone to search files, camera by camera, when requests come in. Third is having this equipment doesn’t automatically mean persons will be identified and prosecuted. Also cameras in common areas are very
common targets for theft and vandals. The estimated cost of the project is anywhere between $30K to $50K, which falls under a Capital Improvement. A majority of the membership would need to approve the project and the
assessment that accompanies it.
● Tenants may not contact Board members or Property Concepts directly unless there’s an emergency. Tenants need to contact the unit’s owner or owner’s representative with any property concerns.
● Autumn window and vent cleaning is scheduled for October 12th and 13th.

Committee Reports
● The 600 E Howell building (The Clay) construction continues. Please see ‘Seattle in Progress’ for design details and scope of the project: ​https://www.seattleinprogress.com/project/3024635/page1/
● Fitness Room room equipment procurement remains on hold.

Security
● No vehicle break-ins were reported in July.
● A couple locker break-ins reported in July. Please don’t store valuables in lockers, as they are easily accessible to thieves entering the garage through unattended open doors/gates.
● A number of packages were reported stolen from the lobby in July. As a reminder, please pick-up your packages as soon as they arrive or, better yet, schedule them to be delivered to a different location like your work address or an Amazon locker. U-haul and The UPS Store offer mail receipt services.

Rules
● DO NOT​ leave garage remotes in your vehicle (Rule 4.10). Non-resident owners, please discuss this continued security issue with tenants.
● Please do not store any items outside your unit (Rule 8.3) especially outside the door directly. If there were to be an emergency and evacuation is required, these items may prevent a quick and safe exit. They may even cause injury as one trips over the item(s).
● No door mats may be placed outside doors on the East Building’s carpeted hallways (Rule 8.3), as one may trip over these mats during evacuation. Doormats are allowed on the West Building walkways.
● Recycling reminders​: Our recycling rules are identical to the City of Seattle’s. Please break down boxes, toss most packing materials into the trash, as most are not recyclable. ​IF IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT. ​All plastic
packaging is not recyclable. Paper towels are not recyclable. Caps on bottles are also not recyclable. ALL RECYCLABLE ITEMS MUST BE CLEAN PRIOR TO PLACEMENT IN THE BINS

Things to Always Remember
● MODIFICATION OF UNITS:​ Please review the Rules & Regulations prior to any modification of the unit (Rule 8.1 through 8.10). If one is planning to remodel their unit or make substantial construction noise, it is courteous to
contact all surrounding units and restrict work hours to when the units are mostly unoccupied, weekdays usually. All work should be done within the unit boundaries. An owner or contractor wishing to use common area space for storage or work space shall inform the Board, which will render a decision.
● GARAGE SECURITY:​ It is ​our individual responsibility to secure the building​. Before proceeding away from the building or to your parking space, please wait for the Summit Ave garage gate to close completely (Rule 3.17). We strongly advise residents to never leave anything in vehicles or lockers that one does not wish to lose.
● PARKING IN GARAGE:​ The four (4) dentist office parking spaces are not to be used for guest parking. There is no guest parking in the garage, as all spaces are assigned. Unauthorized vehicles may be towed without warning
at the vehicle owner’s risk and expense (Rule 4.1). Non-resident owners, please advise tenants of this continued parking issue. The dentist office has provided the Board a list of vehicles to tow on sight. NO WARNING!
● WATER SHUT-OFF VALVE:​ There is a water shut-off valve located in every unit above the water heater. This valve will shut water off to your entire unit without affecting the whole building.
● REGULAR UNIT INSPECTIONS:​ Owners not residing in their unit are strongly encouraged to inspect their unit on a regular basis, as tenants tend to not report damage. Non-resident owners living out of the area are required by statute RCW 59.18.060(15) to have a local representative to protect their interests.

Meeting adjourned at 7:39pm.
Next Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 14th, 2020 at 6:30pm in the Fitness Center.

Ambassador II Condominium Homeowners Association: 506 E Howell St, Seattle, WA 98122 (​not our mailing address​)
Property Concepts / Jared Satrom: 206-935-7951 (our temporary association manager)
To contact your Board of Directors please email us at ​board@ambassador2.com​. Due to past spam issues and if your email address has not been placed on the allow list, your email may be kicked back. If you don’t hear a response from the Board within 48 hours, please contact Jack Taylor.