Ambassador II Condominiums

Ambassador II Condominium Board Minutes

https://ambassador2.com

Meeting was called to order at 6:37pm. The June 2021 minutes were approved as written.

Monday, May 10, 2021

President Jay Larson	Vice President Kenny Long (absent)	Secretary Amy Zhu (interim)
Treasurer Brian Heuston	Member at Large Jeanne Perrin	Association Manager Fletcher Morgan (absent)

Homeowners Forum

• One homeowner attended the meeting this month.

Treasurer’s Reports

• For period ending June 30, 2021   

US Bank Checking:          $25,039.31
WaFd Bank Replacement / Special Assessment Reserve:      $275,606.62
Sound Credit Union Savings:      $227,926.70
Umpqua Bank 12-month CD:      $243,242.91
Petty Cash:             $100.00

Total Assets:      $771,915.54

Old Business

• Unless there’s an emergency, tenants may not directly contact Board members or Property Concepts. They need to contact the unit’s owner or owner’s representatives with any property concerns.
• Spitting on the walls is not permitted. Please stop. If caught, fines will be assigned to unit owners.
• Resurfacing of the west building walkways and bridges may occur this year.
• Replacing the timer for the garage exhaust fan will be included in next year’s budget.
• Our new security contract appears to be effective. There are reports that security personnel have already stopped at least one break-in. Though expensive, we consider personal safety and security far more valuable than any monetary amount.
• Here’s notice that the Board will be enforcing the Rules & Regulations. Warning notices will be sent to unit owners with fines following if the violation has not been resolved.

New Business

• The Annual Meeting is scheduled for July 15. Notice has been sent out to all homeowners with the budget.
  • Our Association Manager has indicated that he will be in attendance.
  • We will make the meeting remotely available via Zoom.
• The Vice-President, Kenny Long, will be stepping down as of August. A new Vice-President will be elected at the Annual Meeting. This will be for a 2-year term.
• The Board Secretary will also be elected at the Annual Meeting. This will be for a 1-year term.
• Electric vehicle charging stations will be discussed in the Annual Meeting. The Board is interested in collecting homeowner sentiment on whether this would be strongly desirable and what a proposal would look like.
• Other ideas for what projects to look into in the future (a “wishlist discussion”) will be solicited at the Annual Meeting.
• The ordering of coupon books is delayed until the new budget is approved by the association at the general meeting.
  • For those who have payment automatically withdrawn, we will clarify how the increase will be applied by the Annual Meeting.
• The reserve has decreased in the past year due to unexpected repairs. We are still quite healthy. The reserve study should be completed before next month’s meeting.
• The Board has conditionally approved a bid from a pressure washer. We hope to have him come out as soon as possible, provided he finishes the ongoing stairwell paint job first in a timely manner. If he cannot complete the work by early August, we will contact another bidder who will come to do the pressure washing.
• We are also looking to schedule our landscaper to sweep out the garage. They have already finished removing the dead tree and putting new bark down in front of the building.
• One of the vents into unit 508 has had birds inside it. Bird Busters was contacted and they will come clean it out this week. The Board will cover the cost of Bird Busters. This appears to be the first incident of a nest being built in a vent that we are aware of.
• In the interest of transparency, our treasurer and the accounting at Property Concepts will assemble a report on the unbudgeted dollars spent in the last year. We have used a quantity of reserve money related to repair of various units and repairs around the building.
• We briefly discussed the possibility of jointly installing a package locker in tandem with running ethernet ports into every unit, as the package locker requires either an ethernet connection or its own wifi source ($2k). This would be a fairly major project, tied to activities such as fire sprinkler replacement.
• On Saturday evening, the outdoor lights, which are supposed to be routinely activated before sunset, were on for an hour and shut off. After investigation, Jay determined that the failure was due to the pins on the control slipping and tightened them manually. We will continue to monitor this issue to see if the failure occurs again.
• Ambassador I is interested in having the fence along the alley replaced due to potentially rotting wood posts in the ground. We have asked them for a more detailed estimate of the commitment they would like from us.

Committee Reports

• We are investigating the possibility of installing a package locker for package deliveries, including looking at different styles. The quote we received would be 11k for the installation fee; however, this is not something we have allotted for our 2021-2022 budget. We will discuss this at the general meeting to get a sense of homeowner sentiment. 
• A homeowner has suggested the creation of a forum, such as a Facebook group, for communication among homeowners. The homeowner has set this up – https://www.facebook.com/groups/ambassador2seattle/. 
• Google Fiber has offered free service to our property. After inspection, it was determined that our building was ineligible without performing some upgrades. We will investigate this in the future.
• Fitness Room room equipment procurement remains on hold.

Security

• We had one vehicle stolen. However, we have received reports of several unsuccessful attempts.
• No locker break-ins reported in June. Please don’t store valuables in lockers.
• No package thefts reported in June. Please pick-up your packages as soon as they arrive or, better yet, schedule them to be delivered to a more secure location like your work address or an Amazon locker. 

Rules

• Rule 3.12 – Rules & Regulations state that 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. All non-Realtor key boxes will be immediately removed and disposed of without notice.
• 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 CLEANED PRIOR TO PLACEMENT IN THE BINS

• Rule 4.10 – DO NOT leave garage remotes in your vehicle. Non-resident owners, please discuss this continued security issue with tenants.
• Rule 3.17 – 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. We strongly advise residents to never leave anything in vehicles or lockers that one does not wish to lose.

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. 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 submit a request to the Board, which will render a decision.
• 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.

Meeting adjourned at 7:20pm.

Next Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 9th, 2021 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 / Fletcher Morgan: 206-935-7951 fletcher@propertyconceptsinc.net.

To contact the 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 receive a response from the Board within 48 hours, please contact Fletcher.

Ambassador II Condominium Board Minutes

https://ambassador2.com

Meeting was called to order at 6:34pm. The May 2021 minutes were approved as written.

Monday, May 10, 2021

President: Jay Larson	Vice President: Kenny Long	Secretary: Amy Zhu (interim)
Treasurer: Brian Heuston	Member at Large: Jeanne Perrin	Association Manager: Fletcher Morgan

Homeowners Forum

• Three homeowners attended the meeting this month.

Treasurer’s Reports

• For period ending April 30, 2021   

US Bank Checking:        $48,167.87
WaFd Bank Replacement / Special Assessment Reserve:      $275,583.97
Sound Credit Union Savings:      $227,917.33
Umpqua Bank 12-month CD:      $243,212.93
Petty Cash:             $100.00

Total Assets:      $794,982.10

Old Business

• Unless there’s an emergency, tenants may not directly contact Board members or Property Concepts. They need to contact the unit’s owner or owner’s representatives with any property concerns.
• Spitting on the walls is not permitted. Please stop. If caught, fines will be assigned to unit owners.
• Our new landscaping contractor is doing a great job. We’re still working on getting a bid to repair or replace our irrigation system later this year.
• Resurfacing of the west building walkways and bridges may occur this year.
• Replacing the timer for the garage exhaust fan will be included in next year’s budget.

New Business

• The Annual Meeting is tentatively scheduled for July 14, and will be held in the courtyard like last year. A notice about the meeting, as well as the proposed budget including notice of HOA dues increase, should be mailed out shortly. 
  • Our Association Manager has indicated that he will be in attendance.
  • We will consider making the meeting remotely available to view via Zoom.
• The Vice-President, Kenny Long, will be stepping down as of August. A new Vice-President will be elected at the Annual Meeting.
• The Board Secretary will also be elected at the Annual Meeting.
• Electric vehicle charging stations will be discussed in the Annual Meeting. The Board is interested in collecting homeowner sentiment on whether this would be strongly desirable and what a proposal would look like.
• Here’s notice that the Board will be enforcing the Rules & Regulations. Warning notices will be sent to unit owners with fines following if the violation has not been resolved.
• Please do not leave junk mail on the ledge in front of the mailboxes. 
• The Board approves deck refinishing in unit 508, which will be supervised and paid for by the unit owner.
• We have been affected by the widespread and ongoing labour shortage, which is hindering efforts to have work done around the building.
  • Gutter replacement, etc. and other repairs are temporarily blocked.
  • The Board has conditionally approved a bid from a pressure washer. We hope to have him come out as soon as possible, provided he finishes the ongoing stairwell paint job first in a timely manner.
• Window washing and dryer vent cleaning was completed on June 3 and 4. 
• Following up on water issues from last month’s meeting:
  • Steadfast will be contacted to repair the drywall hole in unit 501 left after the water intrusion repair.
  • Flynn has sent us a report with recommendations.
  • Steadfast has completed mold remediation in 402 and deemed it sufficiently dried, cleared of mold, and ready to be reconstructed. Any further mold remediation work desired (financed by the Board) would have to be approved by the Board.
• We are beginning to investigate delinquent units, particularly those over 90 days delinquent, vis-a-vis HOA dues. We estimate that the missing fees would account for about $17k. Brian will ask Property Concepts accounting for full information regarding these accounts. If needed, we may move towards more serious collections actions, such as placing liens on property.
• Our new security contract appears to be effective. There are reports that security personnel have already stopped at least one break-in. Though expensive, we consider the value of personal safety and security far beyond any monetary amount.
• The Board has approved the proposed budget for 2021-2022.
  • Ordering of coupon books will occur right away; we hope to be able to have homeowners receive them before the first payment is due.
  • In the interest of transparency, our treasurer and the accounting at Property Concepts will assemble a report on the unbudgeted dollars spent in the last year. We have used a quantity of reserve money related to repair of various units and repairs around the building.

Committee Reports

• We are investigating the possibility of installing a package locker for package deliveries, including looking at different styles. The quote we received would be 11k for the installation fee; however, this is not something we have allotted for our 2021-2022 budget. We will discuss this at the general meeting to get a sense of homeowner sentiment.
• A homeowner has suggested the creation of a forum, such as a Facebook group, for communication among homeowners. The homeowner has set this up – https://www.facebook.com/groups/ambassador2seattle/. 
• Google Fiber has offered free service to our property. After inspection, it was determined that our building was ineligible without performing some upgrades. We will investigate this in the future.
• Fitness Room room equipment procurement remains on hold.

Security

• No vehicle break-ins reported in May. However, we have received reports of several unsuccessful attempts.
• No locker break-ins reported in May. Please don’t store valuables in lockers.
• No package thefts reported in May. Please pick-up your packages as soon as they arrive or, better yet, schedule them to be delivered to a more secure location like your work address or an Amazon locker. 

Rules

• Rule 3.12 – Rules & Regulations state that 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. All non-Realtor key boxes will be immediately removed and disposed of without notice.
• 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 CLEANED PRIOR TO PLACEMENT IN THE BINS

• Rule 4.10 – DO NOT leave garage remotes in your vehicle. Non-resident owners, please discuss this continued security issue with tenants.
• Rule 3.17 – 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. We strongly advise residents to never leave anything in vehicles or lockers that one does not wish to lose.

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. 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 submit a request to the Board, which will render a decision.
• 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.

Meeting adjourned at 7:47pm.

Next Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 12th, 2021 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 / Fletcher Morgan: 206-935-7951 fletcher@propertyconceptsinc.net.

To contact the 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 receive a response from the Board within 48 hours, please contact Fletcher.