Ambassador II Condominiums

Ambassador II Condominium Board Minutes

http://ambassador2.com

Meeting was called to order at 7:07pm. 

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

Introduction and Sign-in:

• Quorum was not met with the number of persons present and proxies received.
• The Proof of Meeting notice was provided to all attendees.
• The IRS resolution 70-604 was read aloud by the Treasurer as per federal law.
• The membership approved the 2023 annual meeting minutes as written.

Key Business Over Past Year

• Ashley provided some key highlights of what the Board has been spending time and energy on between annual meetings.
• We refinished the 5th floor decks.
• We recovered much of the money owed by Ambassador I residents for garage taxes.
• We engaged with a contractor to repair the alley fence.
• We began the process of replacing the sprinkler lines. We also learned that we were due for the sprinkler systems to be flushed, which has been approved and completed.
• We continued to work with TKE on modernizing and maintaining the elevator.
• A large water intrusion incident with a hot water tank failing was a big event, and mitigation and restoration have been completed and funds collected in full.
• We went through the process of trying to find a new insurer; prospective insurers declined either because they do not cover five storey plus wood frame buildings, or because their quotes (particularly for earthquake insurance) would not be as competitive as our current quot.
• We engaged Lisa Lightner, the site manager for Ambassador I, to do janitorial and onsite management work for us, saving us a lot of money and providing someone who can help with providing vendors access, etc.
• Window and dryer vent cleaning, decks pressure washed.
• We’ve collected bids for the roof replacement and repair and the anchor system installation.
• Multiple astragals have been installed on doors around the property to improve safety.
• No committees to report, and no questions about old business at this time.

New Business

• The Board is generally in favour of focusing on the roof replacement this year. Roof leaks currently affect many units and can cause more water intrusion events. Currently, the bid we have for roof replacement is quoting around 300k for the roof and 200k for the anchor installation. Anchors would be necessary for vendors doing work safely on the side of the building, and would make some types of subsequent work cheaper as well.
  • The roof replacement is due – while the pitched roofs were replaced 8 or 10 years ago, the flat roof hasn’t been replaced since the beginning.
  • We are also considering adding the anchors as a separate action later on to spread out the cost.
• The roof replacement is one of many projects that are on the roadmap.
  • The stairs have had water damage for a long time, and the concern is raised every year.
  • We’ve had an envelope firm come out to assess the situation; the bid has not yet been received.
• We also have smaller-scope matters, such as the fire alarms not working in every unit and needing to fix that.

Nomination & Election of Directors:

• No positions expire this year.

Financial Report:

• We are proposing a 9% increase in dues. The main reason for this is that we have had a 65% increase in insurance costs and despite exploring alternative options, we haven’t found better rates.
  • We are hoping that with the roof replacement, our insurance will either not rise as much, or we can find a decrease in insurance elsewhere.
  • The budget passes as is and dues will be affected August 1.
• A homeowner pointed out that the interest rates from our account with BECU is very low.
  • Brian is actively looking to move some accounts to banks where we would have closer to 5% interest rates.
  • Another homeowner proposed getting in contact with a financial advisor for finding higher rates of return, etc. and has been asked to contact the board to get a discussion going, even if it’s just to move accounts.
• Our insurance increase is directly related to an increase in hot water heaters failing! Please get these upgraded and under warranty. Also, watch out for needing to replace toilets and other appliances and fixtures as well.
• Per a newly enacted regulation we are required to provide the following information:
  • As of the 2024/2025 budget approved at the Annual Homeowner Meeting, we are saving $13,863 per month in reserves. Our Reserve Study consultant recommends saving a minimum of $12,600 per month and a maximum of $15,500 per month to fully fund our reserves to cover the highest repair estimates our Reserve Study predicts. The most recent study spans the period between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025. A new study is pending completion and will be posted to our website when available.

Homeowners’ Forum:

• A homeowner reports continuous noise issues from the Clay apartment building and notes that they are currently suing the manager in small claims court.
• What about the stucco? The stucco is due to be replaced on the east building; the west building was done a few years ago in stages. However, the east building stucco hasn’t been redone in some time (there are conflicting accounts, some say since the special assessment and some say since 2002). So far, stucco hasn’t been a problem yet, but it is something we are actively looking to address in the next few years.
• Reminder that we have a facebook group for the building where neighbors may share resources like plumber recommendations, communicate information about the property, etc. (One homeowner says they will document their water heater replacement journey hese.)
  • However, do note that this is not a method of communication with the board. If you wish to get in touch with the board, use official channels only. 
  • Specifically, please report any security incidents.
    • Having reports helps drive future actions of the board.
• Important precaution: watch out for things being placed on the summit alley, as outsiders can use these to jump onto decks.
• Is there an update on the exercise tax room situation?
  • Unfortunately, we did not find a way to divide up the interest. Ideally, each unit would take a flat percentage so this interest (which costs no money) is evenly distributed, but this would require 100% approval.
  • Right now, the issue is tabled as we did not want to spend legal fees when it was not clear we would get the desired result, especially with our inability to divide up the common element interest.

Meeting adjourned at 8:18 pm.

Next annual meeting is tentatively scheduled at 7pm on Wednesday, July 16, 2025 in the courtyard.

May 2025 Board Minutes

Meeting was called to order at 6:35pm. The April 2025 minutes were approved as written.

Monday, May 12, 2025

Homeowners Forum

• One homeowner attended the meeting this month.

Treasurer’s Reports

• For the period ending April 30, 2025

Business

• We have a new association manager as of this month. Welcome, Rachel!
• We are rescheduling a fire alarm repair for the x04 stack, but trying to find a day that will give enough notice. Hopefully this will finally resolve the problems with the alarm system in that stack.
• We did not perform well on the fire inspection, as 50% of the units did not give access.
  • We were given a grade of “yellow”, and a grade of red would incur a fire watch costing a few thousand a month.
  • Fire extinguishers must also be replaced by next inspection.
• There have been several security incidents, including stolen bikes and a broken door to the garbage room.
  • There are no signs of forced entry in the bike room, leading us to believe that the thief had a key.
  • We are starting with more low-cost measures to deter theft in the bike room, such as tinting the windows, but it might be necessary to re-key the building (costly) eventually.
  • We will be asking Bulger to install an astragal and get some quotes for rebuilding the garage door.
• The board has approved a bid from V&R roofing to repair the roof without anchors for now, as the anchors almost double the price. We will look at getting those installed down the road.
• One of the side walls seems to have a water intrusion that originates from outside. We are seeing whether it’s possible to limit mitigation to that unit alone as a stopgap measure, but we may need to hire a building envelope consultant to find the source, then repair and redo the stucco.

Security

• Previous Month Reported Incidents: Vehicles Reported Stolen: 0; Locker Break-Ins: 0; Package Thefts: 3
• Promptly report all security incidents to board@ambassador2.com (thefts, break-ins, broken doors/locks, etc.).

Meeting adjourned at 7:57pm.

Next Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 9th, 2025 at 6:30pm in the Fitness Center.

Association Contact Information

** Renters are only permitted to contact Property Concepts and the Board for Emergencies and Urgent Security Issues (e.g. building point of entry that is compromised). Otherwise, the renter must contact the unit’s owner/owner’s representatives.

April 2025 Board Minutes

Meeting was called to order at 6:35pm. The February 2024 minutes were approved as written.

Monday, April 14, 2025

Homeowners Forum

• No homeowners attended the meeting this month.

Treasurer’s Reports

• For the period ending March 31, 2025

Business

• The annual fire alarm testing will happen tomorrow, with Jonathan taking point.
• Three companies have been solicited for roof replacement, with one company declining to bid. V&R (roofing company) bid 309k for the replacement with anchors, Macleod (general contractor) bid 345k for the replacement + 152k for anchors. The Board has unanimously voted to accept the V&R bid.
• A siding inspection report has been completed for part of the east building and water intrusion has been identified. As we do not have the funds to do a complete siding replacement this year (though the Board is seriously looking at this project for next year), we will investigate what measures can be taken now.
• Bulger will be coming out tomorrow for various around-the-property tasks, including installing new astragals and fixing the garbage room door.
• We have seen several elevator communication failures in the last month, after a spell of good elevator behaviour. We will be reaching out to TKE to see if a more permanent, Board-administered solution might exist. 
• The Board has paid for the 112/212 repairs and coordinated with the homeowner for the cost assignment. 

Security

• Previous Month Reported Incidents: Vehicles Reported Stolen: 0; Locker Break-Ins: 0; Package Thefts: 0
• Promptly report all security incidents to board@ambassador2.com (thefts, break-ins, broken doors/locks, etc.).

Meeting adjourned at 7:13pm.

Next Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 12th, 2025 at 6:30pm in the Fitness Center.

Association Contact Information

** Renters are only permitted to contact Property Concepts and the Board for Emergencies and Urgent Security Issues (e.g. building point of entry that is compromised). Otherwise, the renter must contact the unit’s owner/owner’s representatives.

Due to a lack of quorum, we decided to cancel the March 2025 board meeting.

February 2025 Board Minutes

Meeting was called to order at 6:34pm. The January 2024 minutes were approved as written.

Monday, February 10, 2025

Homeowners Forum

• No homeowners attended the meeting this month.

Treasurer’s Reports

• For the period ending January 31, 2025

Business

• We have secured two bids for the whole-roof replacement. V&R roofing have bid 309k tax-exclusive with anchor installation. Macleod have bid 345k tax-exclusive without the anchor installations. The Board notes that in 2007, ledgers indicate we may have had a small patch of the roof repaired, but the business who performed it seems not to exist anymore, thus the entire roof replacement.
  • Additionally, we have been alerted to a roof leak on the 5th floor, and a crew has been provided access to look at this.
• Fire safety testing will happen soon; we need a date and 100% compliance for the day of this activity. Jonathan will get on schedule for this.
• Amazon Key for Business seems to be malfunctioning – we will reach out and hopefully have this replaced. 
• Repairs for the leak between 112/212 have been completed at this time.
• We will be removing a lock on the 4th floor elevator area window. Do not add your own locks to common area windows.
• Our insurance was recently renewed; this year, we have obtained a separate earthquake insurance policy, which saves money.

Security

• Previous Month Reported Incidents: Vehicles Reported Stolen: 0; Locker Break-Ins: 0; Package Thefts: 1
• Promptly report all security incidents to board@ambassador2.com (thefts, break-ins, broken doors/locks, etc.).

Meeting adjourned at 7:19pm.

Next Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 10th, 2025 at 6:30pm in the Fitness Center.

Association Contact Information

** Renters are only permitted to contact Property Concepts and the Board for Emergencies and Urgent Security Issues (e.g. building point of entry that is compromised). Otherwise, the renter must contact the unit’s owner/owner’s representatives.

January 2025 Board Minutes

Meeting was called to order at 6:32pm. The December 2024 minutes were approved as written.

Monday, January 13, 2024

Homeowners Forum

• No homeowners attended the meeting this month.

Treasurer’s Reports

• For the period ending Decmeber 31, 2024

Business

• We have recovered the funds that were previously put in limbo and they are now in the WaFd account. We are looking into ways to store that money and may go for something simple like a 3- or 6-month CD for the time being while we decide.
• The Board discussed the matter of the garage door getting stuck several times. For now, we are attempting some fixes that should tide us over, such as sealing the sensor from water, but at some point will look into having it replaced considering its lifespan.
• Regarding the bike racks, we are currently in the process of vacating the spaces of bike owners who have not renewed for the current year.
  • Several of the slots are unfortunately broken, and Jonathan is looking into getting replacement parts or perhaps a different bike solution.
• The Amazon locker offer had expired at the end of the year, but we’ll keep our eyes peeled for further offers.
• The Board is booking at switching our earthquake insurance provider for more competitive rates.
• We are looking at potentially low-impact, low-cost things we can do to improve the outdoor stairwell this year, given that our focus is the roof repair/replacement.

Security

• Previous Month Reported Incidents: Vehicles Reported Stolen: 0; Locker Break-Ins: 0; Package Thefts: 0
• Promptly report all security incidents to board@ambassador2.com (thefts, break-ins, broken doors/locks, etc.).

Meeting adjourned at 7:31pm.

Next Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 10th, 2025 at 6:30pm in the Fitness Center.

Association Contact Information

** Renters are only permitted to contact Property Concepts and the Board for Emergencies and Urgent Security Issues (e.g. building point of entry that is compromised). Otherwise, the renter must contact the unit’s owner/owner’s representatives.

December 2024 Board Minutes

Meeting was called to order at 6:36pm. The November 2024 minutes were approved as written.

Monday, December 9, 2024

Homeowners Forum

• No homeowners attended the meeting this month.

Treasurer’s Reports

For the period ending November 30, 2024:

Business

• The Amazon delivery locker quote has been issued and the price is appealing. Jonathan will ask if the discount can be extended slightly so we can get started in January.
• The Board is not happy with TKE’s performance; unfortunately, our contract with them was renewed in 2023. We are collecting a list of grievances and statistics for posterity.
• We are discussing additional low-effort security measures such as frosting the lobby and having at least half the garage lights be always on rather than motion-activated. 
• We are trying to repair or replace the elevator key lock box.
• The Board is preparing to either increase our deductible or find another measure to stay insurable after continued claims against our insurance in the past few years.
• We are still looking to engage the right contractor to fix the fire alarm system in the x04 stack. We also discovered that there is at least one unit where the fire alarm panel was removed and will look into that further.

Security

• Previous Month Reported Incidents: Vehicles Reported Stolen: 0; Locker Break-Ins: 0; Package Thefts: 0
• Promptly report all security incidents to board@ambassador2.com (thefts, break-ins, broken doors/locks, etc.).

Meeting adjourned at 7:27pm.

Next Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 10th, 2025 at 6:30pm in the Fitness Center.

Association Contact Information

** Renters are only permitted to contact Property Concepts and the Board for Emergencies and Urgent Security Issues (e.g. building point of entry that is compromised). Otherwise, the renter must contact the unit’s owner/owner’s representatives.

November 2024 Board Minutes

Meeting was called to order at 6:35pm. The October 2024 minutes were approved as written.

Monday, November 11, 2024

Homeowners Forum

• One homeowner attended the meeting this month.

Treasurer’s Reports

• For the period ending October 31, 2024

Business

• The Board voted to proceed with the restoration of Unit 112 from the water damage incident. 
• The x04 stack was to be inspected for deficiencies in the fire alarm system. The vendors recommended an electrical firm to perform repairs, rather than a fire protection company. We will get some bids for this.
• The dentist’s office has engaged their own towing company; they will be towing any time if they see parking violations in their spots including evenings and weekends.
• We are documenting the problems we have encountered with TKE elevators since the modernization.
• Energy benchmarking as required by the city has been completed and we have successfully made a case to have the fine removed. 
• Amazon has reached out again about package lockers with a discount offer. Jonathan will investigate.

Security

• Previous Month Reported Incidents: Vehicles Reported Stolen: 0; Locker Break-Ins: 0; Package Thefts: 0
• Promptly report all security incidents to board@ambassador2.com (thefts, break-ins, broken doors/locks, etc.).

Meeting adjourned at 6:29pm.

Next Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 9th, 2024 at 6:30pm in the Fitness Center.

Association Contact Information

** Renters are only permitted to contact Property Concepts and the Board for Emergencies and Urgent Security Issues (e.g. building point of entry that is compromised). Otherwise, the renter must contact the unit’s owner/owner’s representatives.

October 2024 Board Minutes

Meeting was called to order at 6:33pm. The September 2024 minutes were approved as written.

Monday, October 14, 2024

Homeowners Forum

• One homeowner attended the meeting this month.

Treasurer’s Reports

• For the period ending September 30, 2024

Business

• A proposal to gain access to the x04 stack to assess the fire alarm system has been approved.
• We have learned that energy benchmarking, as mandated by the city, had not been performed this year. The benchmarking has already been performed and an appeal made with the city. It seems very likely that this will be forgiven and cleared up soon.
• We are launching a new email to keep track of maintenance requests, maintenance@ambassador2.com, for whatever problems residents or homeowners notice around the property. These may be small things or bigger-picture ideas. Hopefully, if it’s something simple, a board member can attend to it quickly. We will be keeping track of issues and noting when they have been resolved.
  • N.B. that there is no guaranteed timeline for a response, but your reports are appreciated.
• Several incidents have been occuring in the garage of late, between cars being broken into and several storage units. The Board is working on installing brighter lights that will stay on rather than the current motion sensor lights we have. Additionally, please make sure to wait for the gate to close behind you.

Security

• Previous Month Reported Incidents: Vehicles Reported Stolen: 0; Locker Break-Ins: 3; Package Thefts: 0
• Promptly report all security incidents to board@ambassador2.com (thefts, break-ins, broken doors/locks, etc.).

Meeting adjourned at 7:55pm.

Next Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 11th, 2024 at 6:30pm in the Fitness Center.

Association Contact Information

** Renters are only permitted to contact Property Concepts and the Board for Emergencies and Urgent Security Issues (e.g. building point of entry that is compromised). Otherwise, the renter must contact the unit’s owner/owner’s representatives.

September 2024 Board Minutes

Meeting was called to order at 6:35pm. The August 2024 minutes were approved as written.

Monday, September 9, 2024

Homeowners Forum

• One homeowner attended the meeting this month.

Treasurer’s Reports

• For the period ending August 31, 2024

Business

• Jay, the external Gardening Committee, proposed postponing the window washing in fall and resuming in spring.
• The Board is considering looking into a fourth-floor cell-phone camera which could also go in the lobby. These would remove the need for wifi to be set up.

• Reminder to please report your package thefts; we are currently investigating at least one missing package.
  • The Board will be rolling out a system that will centralize reporting incidents, so please be on the lookout for that information soon – in the minutes, on the bulletin, and in additional places. 
• We have heard concerns about people jumping over the gates. The Board has on deck soliciting bids for either replacing it or getting something that can be placed above it. 
• A bid for replacing the fourth floor carpet has been acquired and accepted.
• The paint and drywall around the elevator panels are still in need of attention on all floors. We will be soliciting bids for this.
• The Board has its eye on a backup system or service for when Lisa is unavailable. 
• We are missing fire covers. Replacement covers are needed and a bid will be solicited.
• From the fire inspection, we found that the x04 stack’s issue is still persistent, and that some units were missing speakers. Ashley will report back with more information.

Security

• Previous Month Reported Incidents: Vehicles Reported Stolen: 0; Locker Break-Ins: 0; Package Thefts: 0
• Promptly report all security incidents to board@ambassador2.com (thefts, break-ins, broken doors/locks, etc.).

Meeting adjourned at 7:40pm.

Next Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 14th, 2024 at 6:30pm in the Fitness Center.

Association Contact Information

** Renters are only permitted to contact Property Concepts and the Board for Emergencies and Urgent Security Issues (e.g. building point of entry that is compromised). Otherwise, the renter must contact the unit’s owner/owner’s representatives.