Oakbrook Townhouses Board Meeting Minutes - May 10 2021

 

DRAFT

Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting

May 10, 2021

Oakbrook Townhouses, Inc.

c/o Northwest Properties Agency, Inc.

9527 Bridgeport Way SW

Lakewood, WA 96499

 

The regular meeting of the Board of Directors of Oakbrook Townhouses (OT) was held May 10, 2021 in the garage at 7531 Zircon Drive SW.  All members present reported being fully vaccinated against COVID 19.

A quorum being present, Board President Ken Karch called the meeting to order at 7:08 PM on May 10, 2021.  This was the first Board meeting since September 14-15, 2020.  All intervening issues have been handled via email due to the restrictions imposed by COVID 19 and permissions granted HOAs by the Governor’s proclamations.

Board members present were Rick Boulware, Al Glamba, Ken Karch, Doug Martin, Mike McDonald, Lew Mildon, and Mike Tierney. Also attending via conference call were Michelle Selberg and Chris Morris from Northwest Properties (NWP).

Minutes

McDonald moved and Boulware seconded to approve the September14-15, 2020 meeting minutes as submitted. The motion passed.

Current Issues

McDonald and Selberg brought the Board up to date on the major repairs needed on the two-level deck structure at 7707 Zircon Drive.  We have two bids (from PDQ (our general maintenance contractor) and TransBlue) while a third contractor declined due to heavy workload.  The Board agreed that a formal proposal from Trans Blue will be sent to the President as soon as possible, with a recommendation to be provided to the Board by Monday May 17. Board approval will be sought via email   As this is a repair and not new construction it is not necessary to secure a permit. The Board agreed that expeditious completion is a key requirement, recognizing that many contractors are over-loaded, and building materials prices are growing rapidly.  There was further discussion on the issue in the financial section.

A second subject is the reconditioning of 7509 by the new owners. The garage door has been replaced with what appears to be an acceptable door. Although the door appears to be acceptable, NWP will again remind the owners that they require board approvals for exterior structure changes. A full list of required improvements was provided to the previous owner in our demand letter to him, and will be provided to the new owner.

It was reported that Trans Blue personnel had been on site to assess the condition of gutters and downspouts on buildings 7, 8, and 9, in anticipation of replacement, and a gutter issue at 7807 Zircon.

Morris and Selberg were excused to attend another meeting.

Treasurers Report.

McDonald reviewed the current financial status. As discussed previously we are looking at a major expenditure for the deck repairs to 7707 Zircon. McDonald recommended that we allocate $25,000 from the capital projects budget to cover this cost. That still leaves more than $28,000 in our capital projects budget account.

McDonald then advised the board that we have received two checks from our insurance company totaling $205,149.46 to cover the costs of the fire damage at 7617 Zircon. Spending on the repairs to date is $124,599.26. Our deductible is $5,000.

Our earthquake insurance will now be payable in August when our other insurance coverage bill is due.

There was a major discussion regarding the costs of material for repairs and new construction. They have increased in some cases by five to ten times.

The final report was the unpaid dues from 7509 Zircon of $2,760 that are lost due to the bankruptcy declaration. There is now a new owner, who is making repairs.

Boulware moved and Glamba seconded acceptance of the financial report. The motion carried.

Old Business

Karch reported on the Board’s approval to combine the two major insurance renewal dates to a date in August.

There was a discussion of Ruby/Zircon single Family Home construction.  It appears that the builders are suffering somewhat from the delivery of building material supplies. This is an ongoing dilemma in the construction business.

Karch addressed the necessity again of updating our Reserve Study.  The board approved $1,690 to prepare the study during 2021. This study is required by state government for all homeowners associations, and will update those conducted in 2009, 2012, and 2016.  It provides detailed estimates and cost projections for a variety of projects for a 30-year period, and is provided to members and prospective buyers of properties in Oakbrook Townhouses.

Karch and Tierney reported on the status of the Chambers Creek Trail. The trail is a project being managed by the cities of Lakewood and University Place, and Pierce County. The initial project plans appear to have been revised due to overall cost. The City of Lakewood will invite members of our board to a meeting with them, University Place, and Pierce County when they have developed a revised plan.

We have experienced some transient problems near, and possibly on, Oakbrook Townhouses property in the Chambers Creek ravine. This is an ongoing issue. There have been complaints from home owners in Buildings 1 and 2 regarding some encampments and also some issues with strangers walking throughout the area. We have called the city regarding the problems and the Lakewood police have evicted the violators at least twice. We will maintain awareness of this issue. We also will be installing some Private Property signs along our boundaries.

The flat roofs have been replaced on Buildings 10 and 12 along with new 4” gutters and drains. The result from the work on the projects appears to be positive.

The Board also discussed a major repair due to water damage on the siding and the garage at 7513. The estimated cost of the repair is $7,000.

New Business

The Board agreed to authorize Edwin to paint the water damaged ceiling at 7421 Zircon.

McDonald reported he will contact Comcast regarding the renewal and cost of a new contract.

The board will issue letters to home owners on the following subjects:

·         Awareness of strangers throughout the property. We need to review methods of communicating to owners when we have contractors or visitors coming through the properties.

·         The requirements of not leaving combustibles on garage roofs and decks that could lead to combustion.

·         Watering directions to homeowners

·         Planting landscaping policy.

Next Meeting

The next Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 14, 2021 at 7:00 PM at 7419 Zircon Drive SW

Adjournment

Boulware moved and Mildon seconded to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed.  The meeting was adjourned at 8:50 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

__________________________

Mike Tierney, Secretary

__________________________

Ken Karch, President