Meeting minutes for June and July Board Meetings
Ambassador II Condominium Board Minutes
https://ambassador2.com
Monday, July 9, 2018
President: Brien Sherman Vice President: Kenny Long (absent)
Treasurer & Acting Secretary Jay Heath.
Member At Large: Jeanne Perrin (absent) Association Manager: Jack Taylor
Homeowners Forum
● No homeowner was present at the meeting this month.
No quorum was present in June. These minutes summarize two months of meetings.
Things to Always Remember
● GARAGE SECURITY: 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). Do not leave garage remotes in vehicles (Rule 4.10). When a vehicle is broken into, thieves usually take the remote, as it’ll be much easier for them to re-enter the garage for additional burglarizing. We strongly advise residents to never leave anything in lockers or vehicles that one does not wish to lose. Leaving valuables or even non-valuables in plain sight is an invitation for thieves. It is our individual responsibility to secure the building. One vehicle breakin reported in July.
● PARKING IN GARAGE: The Dentist office spaces are not to be used after hours for guest parking. There is no guest parking in the garages. All parking spaces are assigned. Unauthorized vehicles may be towed without warning at owner’s risk and expense. Non-resident owners, please advise tenants. A tow truck was called to remove a repeat offender in June, but once again, they left before the truck arrived.
● WATER SHUT-OFF VALVE: Every unit has a water shut-off valve located above the water heater. This valve will shut water off to your whole unit only.
● 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 to the unit. Non-resident owners who live out of the area are required by statute RCW 59.18.060(15) to have a local representative to protect their interests.
Treasurer’s Reports
● For period ending June 30, 2018
Checking: $28,338.78
Washington Federal Replacement / Special Assessment Reserve: $253,871.97
Sound Credit Union Savings: $227,556.40
Umpqua Bank 17-month CD: $239,378.54
Petty Cash: $100.00
Total Assets: $749,245.69
● For period ending May 31, 2018
Checking: $12,391.92
Washington Federal Replacement / Special Assessment Reserve: $257,620.36
Sound Credit Union Savings: $227,556.40
Umpqua Bank 17-month CD: $239,378.54
Petty Cash: $100.00
Total Assets: $737,047.22
Committee Reports
● No update on the 600 E Howell project start time. Interior demo and boarding up complete. Exterior cleanup and property inspection performed erratically.
Security
● Continued burglaries of residential garages. Non-resident owners, please discuss this continued security issue with tenants. No vehicle break ins reported last month.
● No packages were reported stolen from the lobby last month.
Rules
● Recycling reminders : Our rules are identical to the City of Seattle’s recycling rules. Just because a recycling logo appears on an item does not mean the City will accept it. Also, just because you think it SHOULD be recyclable doesn’t make it recyclable. Multiple documents listing accepted and prohibited items are posted near the dumpsters.
● With warm weather and open windows we remind tenants to control their dogs barking. Many residents of Ambassador I and II are disturbed by loud dogs, especially overnight.
Old Business
● The Ambassador I window project is ongoing. As we are no longer directly affected we will no longer publish updates unless the situation changes. The contractor continues to enter the common area using both the Summit and Alley gates.
● Reconstruction of a 5th floor roof deck and one other minor deck project are being done at the same time. Damage to the roof deck is moderate upon preliminary inspection. This is subject to change. Contract has been let. Start date is between the unit owners and the contractor.
● The Board will seek bids to replace the east building carpet which is severely worn in places. We will wait until lighting upgrades and deck repairs are completed.
● The Board has finalized the light replacement project for both buildings Samples will be installed shortly with the entire project wrapped up late Summer. Funds were transferred from Reserves to our Operating budget to pay for the project.
New Business
● The Board finalized arrangements for the Annual Homeowner Meeting.
● A small leak in a garage drain line was repaired. No damage.
● The Board was following a proposal by the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce to expand the Broadway Improvement Area. We sent a letter opposing the expansion, which would have meant an increase of many thousands of dollars to the Association for minimal benefits. As a result of many such opposition letters, especially from Homeowner Associations, the Chamber has suspended their proposal. We shall continue to monitor the situation.
● Our contract with Property Concepts is 25 years old and has never been updated. While we have no intention of changing Association Management firms at this time the Board will sign a new contract with changes to reflect current practices and regulations. There will be no impact to unit owners or residents.
Meeting adjourned at 7:25pm.
Next Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 13th, 2018 at 6:30pm in unit 108..
Ambassador II Condominium Homeowners Association:
506 E Howell St, Seattle, WA 98122 (not our mailing address)
Meeting minutes for May 2018 Board Meeting
Ambassador II Condominium Board Minutes
https://ambassador2.com
Monday, April 12, 2018
President: Brien Sherman Vice President: Kenny Long
Treasurer: Jay Heath Secretary: Vacant
Member At Large: Jeanne Perrin (absent) Association Manager: Jack Taylor
Homeowners Forum
● No homeowner was present at the meeting this month.
Meeting was called to order at 6:35pm. The April minutes were approved as written.
Things to Always Remember
● GARAGE SECURITY: 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). MULTIPLE REPORTS THIS MONTH OF LOITERERS IN THE GARAGE. THEY ONLY GET IN BECAUSE YOU OR YOUR TENANTS LET THEM IN!
● Do not leave garage remotes in vehicles (Rule 4.10). When a vehicle is broken into, thieves usually take the remote, as it’ll be much easier for them to re-enter the garage for additional burglarizing. We strongly advise residents to never leave anything in lockers or vehicles that one does not wish to lose. Leaving valuables or even non-valuables in plain sight is an invitation for thieves. It is our individual responsibility to secure the building.
● PARKING IN GARAGE: The Dentist office spaces are not to be used after hours for guest parking. There is no guest parking in the garages. All parking spaces are assigned. Unauthorized vehicles may be towed without warning at owner’s risk and expense. Non-resident owners, please advise tenants.
● WATER SHUT-OFF VALVE: Every unit has a water shut-off valve located above the water heater. This valve will shut water off to your whole unit only.
● 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 to the unit. Non-resident owners who live out of the area are required by statute RCW 59.18.060(15) to have a local representative to protect their interests.
Treasurer’s Reports
For period ending April 30, 2018
Checking: $6,754.32
Washington Federal Replacement / Special Assessment Reserve: $249,640.69
Sound Credit Union Savings: $227,556.40
Umpqua Bank 17-month CD: $239,378.54
Petty Cash: $100.00
Total Assets: $723,429.95
Committee Reports
● No update on the 600 E Howell project start time. The properties have been secured multiple times as a result of squatters breaking in. Some interior materials have been removed in advance of demolition.
Security
● Continued burglaries of residential garages. Non-resident owners, please discuss this continued security issue with tenants. No vehicle break ins reported last month.
● Several packages were stolen from the lobby in April.
Rules
● Recycling reminders : Our rules are identical to the City of Seattle’s recycling rules. An easy to read reminder is posted near the trash room door. Trash collection is every Monday and Friday. Recycling collection is Tuesday and Friday. Yard waste collection is on Sunday. Construction debris is prohibited due to lack of space and weight issues.
● With the beginning of warmer weather and open windows we remind tenants to control their dogs barking. Many residents of Ambassador I and II are disturbed by loud dogs, especially overnight.
Old Business
● The Ambassador I window project is ongoing. This project is well behind schedule due to the very wet spring and lack of workers. As a result our project to refurbish the -04 stack is postponed until the fall. Stucco does not cure properly in hot weather and we want to let residents keep their windows open without dealing with noise and dust.
● We have an opening on the Board. Any owner or resident is encouraged to stop by a meeting.
● All failing electrical outlets in the halls and walkways have been replaced.
● All residential electrical meters were replaced April 30. Commercial and common area meters will be replaced at a later date.
New Business
● The Board has approved a 6.5% increase in homeowner dues beginning July 1st. Details will be sent shortly. Significant utility, and insurance increases are the primary reasons the exceptional increase. Taxes are also rising at unpredictable rates. We must allocate more for repairs and reserves. There are also increased minimum wages that result in higher contracted services. Finally we have a Reserve account surcharge to repay borrowed money for leak repairs.
● Yet another roof deck has some structural problems that must be addressed. These decks have been an issue since the building was new and we must assume continuing high maintenance costs. We may need to add additional Reserve funding to maintain these decks on a regular basis. We will consult our Reserve Study professionals for advice.
● The Board will seek bids to replace the east building carpet which is severely worn in places. Paid from Reserve funds allocated for this project.
● The Board will also look at replacing our east building hall and west building walkway lights with LED upgrades. The east building ceiling lights especially are beginning to fail at a faster pace. Paid from Reserve funds allocated for this project.
Meeting adjourned at 7:25pm.
Next Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 11th, 2018 at 6:30pm in Unit E108.
Ambassador II Condominium Homeowners Association:
506 E Howell St, Seattle, WA 98122 (not our mailing address)
Meeting minutes for April 2018 Board Meeting
Ambassador II Condominium Board Minutes
https://ambassador2.com
Monday, April 9, 2018
President: Brien Sherman
Vice President: Kenny Long
Treasurer: Jay Heath
Secretary: Vacant
Member At Large: Jeanne Perrin (absent)
Association Manager: Jack Taylor
Homeowners Forum
● No homeowner was present at the meeting this month.
Meeting was called to order at 6:33pm. The March 2018 minutes were approved as written.
Things to Always Remember
● GARAGE VEHICLE GATE: Before proceeding away from the building or to your parking space, pleasewait for the Summit Ave garage gate to close completely (Rule 3.17).
● GARAGE OPENERS: Do not leave garage remotes in vehicles (Rule 4.10). When a vehicle is broken into, thieves usually take the remote, as it’ll be much easier for them to re-enter the garage for additional burglarizing.
● PARKING IN GARAGE: The dentist office spaces are not to be used for guest parking. There is no guest parking in the garages. All parking spaces are assigned. Unauthorized vehicles may be towed without warning at owner’s risk and expense. Non-resident owners, please advise tenants. One tow request was made in March. The vehicle left before the truck arrived.
● WATER SHUT-OFF VALVE: Every unit has a water shut-off valve located above the water heater. This valve will shut water off to your whole unit.
● 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 to the unit. Non-resident owners who live out of the area are required by statute RCW 59.18.060(15) to have a local representative to protect their interests.
Treasurer’s Report
● For period ending March 31st, 2018. Bank, Savings and Investment Accounts
Checking: $23,400.25
Washington Federal Replacement / Special Assessment Reserve: $241,661.04
Sound Credit Union Savings: $227,529.31
Umpqua Bank 17-month CD: $239,113.12
Petty Cash: $100.00
Total Assets: $731,803.72
Committee Reports
● The 600 E Howell project scheduled start date is delayed a few weeks as permits have yet to be issued. (#3024635). Total project length is projected to be 16 months. No revised start date has been issued.
Security
● Continued burglaries of residential garages. Non-resident owners, please discuss this continued security issue with tenants. We strongly advise residents to never leave anything in lockers or vehicles that one does not wish to lose. Leaving valuables or even non-valuables in plain sight is an invitation for thieves. It is our individual responsibility to secure the building. No vehicle break ins reported last month.
● No packages were reported stolen in March.
Rules
● Please re-familiarize yourself with the Rules & Regulations, which may be easily found on the website.
● Recycling reminders : Our rules are identical to the City of Seattle’s recycling rules. An easy to read reminder is posted near the trash room door. Remember that no plastic or metal is permitted in the food and yard waste container.
Old Business
● A clogged drain line led to water damage in a single unit. Repairs essentially complete.
● The Ambassador I window project is ongoing. Scaffolding should be down on our side and on Summit by mid to late April.
● We are currently getting bids for the -04 stack stucco repair and refurbishment project. As mentioned before, this project will be funded through our reserves. We are anticipating a start date sometime in May. If we cannot start by the first of June we will likely postpone the project until the fall. Stucco does not cure properly in warmer weather.
● We have an opening on the Board. Any owner or resident is encouraged to stop by a meeting.
● Window and dryer vent cleaning was completed.
● Budgeting for the next fiscal year, is ongoing. We will have a higher than normal increase in homeowner dues. Significant Property Tax, Utility, and Insurance increases are the primary reasons the increase. There are also increased minimum wages that result in higher contracted services. Finally we have a Reserve account surcharge to repay borrowed money for leak repairs. We will announce the new budget next month.
New Business
● Our annual Reserve Study is complete and posted to our website.
● Our webmaster has rebuilt our website and moved it to a new host. There is no significant user change except the Event Calendar Page has been removed.
● The emergency light replacement project is finally complete. Our next project is to replace failing electrical outlets in the halls and walkways.
● New electrical meters will be the installed sometime in May. All unit residents will experience a brief power outage. City Light will send a postcard a couple weeks in advance and the person responsible for the bill should receive a phone reminder a couple days in advance. We will also post notices in the lobby. This is a Seattle City Light project.
Meeting adjourned at 7:10pm.
Next Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 14, 2018 at 6:30pm in Unit E108.
Ambassador II Condominium Homeowners Association:
506 E Howell St, Seattle, WA 98122 (not our mailing address)