Monday, August 8 Minutes

Victoria Village Atrium Association

Board of Directors’ Meeting

Monday August 8, 2022

 

Board members present: Sarah Wise, president; Larry Sagstetter, vice president; Margie St. Jacques, treasurer; Jerry McNevin; Hank French, secretary. Also present: Mike Severson, building manager.

 

19 Homeowners present.

 

I.               Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m.

II.             Secretary’s Report: Minutes for the July 2022 board meeting approved as written. 

III.          Treasurer’s Report: 

a.     For July 2022, the opening balance was  $329,790.11 and the closing balance was $328,157.68. This represents a decrease from the opening balance of $1632.43. As of the end of July, we had  $89,549.50 in our operating checking account, and $238,608.18 in reserve accounts. (Note: The reserve accounts are two money market accounts with Premier, and two CDs with North American Bank.)  Moved and seconded to approve the Treasurer’s Report.

IV.           Committee Reports:

a.     Welcoming Committee: There were no new residents in July.

b.     Recreation Committee: The committee is planning a Christmas Dinner for December. More information will be available as the plan develops.

c.     Plant/Interior Committee: The development of a plan to maintain our “green environment” while reducing related costs is a work in progress. The committee received a new proposal—responding to questions of the committee—from Lyndale. Since receiving the proposal, the committee has not been able to meet to discuss and respond to it, something they will shortly be doing. The committee will prepare a survey for homeowners to express their preference for all live plants, all artificial plants, or mostly live plants with some artificial plants. The survey will be placed outside each unit door. Completed surveys should be placed in the Suggestion Box.

V.             Management Report:

a.     Our Keller representative, Mike Severson, provided board members with our contract with Waste Management for review. (The current contract expires at the end of August.) The board indicated their satisfaction with the service we are receiving from Waste Management. Mike was expecting to receive costs for a contract renewal shortly after which the board will vote. (Subsequent to the meeting, Mike received those costs from Waste Management. The contract could be renewed for a monthly charge of $487.80 which would be only $11.71 more than our current monthly bill. The board voted by email to renew our contract with Waste Management for another three years.)

b.     Mike reported that we have received a quote from Owners Insurance Company to renew our property and liability insurance. If we pay in full, we will receive a discount of $1516.74, which will result in a lower premium than our last contract year. It was moved, seconded and approved that we renew our property and liability policy with Owners Insurance Company with an annual premium of $14,596.43.

c.     Mike reported that he had received an offer from Merles Water Conditioning for us to buy the water softener that was installed last year and that we are now renting. The offer stipulated that, if we buy the unit now, 100% of the rental fees we have paid to date will be a credit off the purchase price. It was moved, seconded and approved that we purchase the water softener unit from Merles for the price of $7,067. We should recoup our investment in approximately 3 and a half years.

VI.           Old Business:

a.     Roof: Mike reported that he is still waiting for a roof and skylight replacement bid from BEI. Apparently, they have a roof replacement bid ready but are still working to put a figure on replacement costs for the skylights. The board asked Mike to update the other bids we have received to account for any material and labor cost increases since the bids were received. Jerry noted that roofing contractors who have inspected the roof feel that we could probably get two to three more years from the roof as it is. It was noted that if we wait to replace the roof and skylights, we have time to increase our reserve accounts and potentially lower any necessary assessment when the roof is replaced. This has to be weighed against increases in material and labor costs the longer we wait. The board will continue to evaluate the financial ramifications of either waiting to replace the roof and skylights or proceeding to replace them in the near term.

b.     Window washing: Margie reported that the window washing vendors she has contacted have said they will only contract to wash the exterior of all the condo units. The best bid she has to date is from Kahuna who will charge $1228 ($21.95 per unit.) Jerry noted that Kahuna could power wash the exterior of the building and wash the windows at the same time. He will check on pricing and report to the board who will take it up at the next meeting.

c.     Vendor Check: Mike reported that there has been dissatisfaction with the plumbing services of Always Drains and recommended that we seek a new vendor. He will seek bids from Paul the Plumber and the One Hour Rooter to present to the board at the next meeting.

d.     Evergreen Treatment: It was noted that some owners have complained about the unsightliness of two evergreen trees on the east side of the parking lot along Victoria Ave. Mike noted that the trees have been treated by Savatree for needle cast. According to Savatree, in the year after treatment while the trees shed the diseased needles, the trees are going to be unsightly. In the second year after treatment, if the treatment was successful, new needles will replace the diseased needles. If that does not happen, the trees will need to be taken down. It is the opinion of the board that we should wait until next year to see if the treatment was successful before deciding to remove the trees.

e.     Tree Replacement: As it was reported last month, it has been decided to delay planting replacement trees for the three ash trees that were removed along Crystal Avenue until the fall due to the excessive heat and drought conditions this summer. In the meantime, the board is deliberating whether to replace all three trees or only two trees.

f.      Rain Garden: We have had several complaints about the condition of our rain garden. Last month Bobbi French reported on her conversations with an individual who works with the Shoreview Dept. of Natural Resources and an employee of the Ramsey County/Rice Creek Watershed. They both agreed that the rain garden was in a state of neglect but that the situation could be reversed  by eliminating invasive plants and replanting with native plants suitable for rain garden conditions. These experts made several helpful recommendations as to both cleanup and replanting. Bobbi has come up with a plan to do just that and reported it to the board. In that report, she noted that most of the invasives can be easily removed and she volunteered (hopefully with other volunteers) to do the work. She noted however that invasives such as burdock and tree seedlings will be difficult to remove due to long tap roots (burdock) and root structures (seedlings). She reported that a company called MetroBlooms, who works with rain gardens, could assign a crew of three individuals to work for half-a-day to pull out the hard-to-remove invasives at a cost of $780. Subsequent to the meeting, the board voted by email to approve the expenditure of $780 for rain garden cleanup. Bobbi’s full report is posted on the bulletin board in the basement near the elevators. If anyone would like an email or paper copy of the report, let me know and I will see that you get it.

g.     Insurance Renewal: See above under management Report V. b.

h.     Garage Usage: There have been reports that non-residents (relatives/friends of owners) have been using garage space recently. It was voted to update the Rules and Regulations to clearly specify that garage stalls and garage common spaces are solely for the use of homeowners. Board president Sarah Wise will draft changes to the Rules and regulations for board consideration.

i.      Security issues: It was reported that there have been recent thefts from garage stalls and lockers. Owners are requested to close the garage door immediately after exiting or entering the garage and to use your vehicle mirrors to ensure no one is slipping in unnoticed when the door is open. It was suggested that we install security cameras in the garage, but logistical and privacy issues speak against that idea. Owners are also requested to never leave entry/exit doors propped open unless they are in line of sight of the door.

j.      Water Softener Buyout: See Management Report V. c. above.

VII.        The next Board meeting will be held on September 12, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. in the Activity Room. It is a Board Member Only meeting.

VIII.      The meeting was adjourned at 8:13 p.m.

 

 

Respectfully submitted by

Hank French, Board Secretary