The Annual Meeting of The Fort Sumter House Association was called to order by the president, Glenn DeBiasi, at 6:30 on Monday, October 26, 2015.
Members of the Board of Directors in attendance were:
Glenn DeBiasi – President
George Boniface – Treasurer
Beth Dixon – Secretary
Beau Clowney – Board Member
Also present at the meeting was:
Joe Yetsko – Admin Manager of FSH
Joy Jarvis – Assistant Admin Manager of FSH
1. Calling of the Role and Certifying Proxies
Joe Yetsko and Joy Jarvis confirmed that we satisfied the quorum requirement (>50%) for a valid meeting. The percentage of ownership is based on square footage owned, not headcount. We had a quorum of 65.26% which includes those owners present at the meeting and those owners who sent in a proxy. Thank you to all who sent in proxies! Without your proxies, we would not have had a quorum.
Present: 22 Owners (41.5% of ownership)
Proxy: 12 Owners (22.6% of ownership)
Not present / no proxy: 19 Owners (35.8% of ownership)
2. Proof of Notice of the Meeting
Proof of notice of the meeting was confirmed. The letter scheduling the meeting was dated and mailed on October 8, 2015, meeting the requirements of the Master Deed.
3. Approval of Last Meeting Minutes
A motion was made to approve the minutes from the 2014 Annual Meeting and it was seconded. The minutes were approved and are posted on Fort Sumter House web site (fortsumterhouse.org).
4. Welcome to New Owners
This year we welcome these new owners to Fort Sumter House:
David and Kate Doub in Apt 303
Peter and Mechelle Zografides in Apt 403
Francesca Wilson (“Franke”) in Apt 704
5. President’s Report
Glenn’s slide presentation covered the following topics about FSHA.
A. Board Goals
The Board goals are:
Ensure the financial viability and financial integrity of the FSH
Maintain the physical facility
Ensure safety, cleanliness and livability for the residents
Govern within the Master Deed, By-laws and Rules/Regulations
Ensure effective and efficient operation of the building
Upgrade the physical facility, when feasible, within FSHA budgetary constraints
B. Property Values
The trend in property values is going up. In 2012, the average price of a unit here sold for $540/sf. In 2015, the average so far is $900/sf.
The resident mix in the building is:
Full-time residents – 36%
Part-time – 34%
Rental – 27%
C. Accomplishments in 2015
The following projects were completed in 2015:
Halls updated
Cleaned up and organized bike room
South Battery landscaping
Hired new staff
Repaired and painted pool fence and door
Repaired leaking pool skimmers
FSH Guide and Trifold Brochure
Fixed roof flashing
Pressure-washed building
Fixed fire system pump
Fixed domestic water pump
Purchased security monitor
Purchased new washers/dryers
Purchased and installed coin machine in laundry room
Installed elevator safety mechanisms
D. Flowers
Connie Likes in Apartment 208 has provided and arranged the beautiful flowers that appear at the FSH entrances and in the lobby. The Board wants to recognize and thank Connie for all she does to beautify Fort Sumter House.
E. October Rain Storm and Flooding
During this storm, there were lots of leaks in the lobby and elevator shafts, as well as in the loading dock shed where the HVAC system and bike room are located. We expect that that planned repairs to the terraces will stop the leaks.
F. 2016 Projects
There will be a one-time budget supplement of $650,000 in 2016 to do the following projects:
Resurface terraces and balconies (1st, 2nd, and 3rd floor only)
Resurface shed roof
Modernize lobby elevators
Refurbish front of building
G. Future Repair and Maintenance Projects
In the future, we anticipate the need to do the following repairs and maintenance projects.
Roof
Recoat building
Back doors and back door awning
Resurface parking lots
Digital electric meters
Pool interior, deck, furniture and shade
The Reserve account is inadequate to fund these projects. The Board strategy is to build up the Reserve Fund as much as possible and, when we have big projects, to “pay as we go.” Our priority is to do the things we have to do, like fixing the terraces and replacing the HVAC system. There are other potential upgrades on a wish list, like landscaping the parking lot, building a wall and gate for the Murray Blvd parking lot, expanding the exercise room, and refurbishing the lobby.
H. Who is Responsible for Damage to Your Unit?
The Association is only responsible for the common area. Individual owners are responsible for any issues in their apartment regardless of who causes the damage. You must have an H06 insurance policy and we strongly recommend that you also purchase an earthquake insurance policy.
Recently a pane of glass from an old window fell to King Street from the 7th floor. This could have severely injured someone had there been a person below. It could have resulted in everybody (all of us) being sued. Chris Weiner is inspecting all of the windows in the every apartment. If he finds there are dangerously old windows still in place, then the owner will have to install new windows.
I. Construction Projects
All owners must work with Chris Wiener, the Facility Manager, before any project can be started. There is an impact to all owners since individual units are part of whole building. We need to make sure all construction is done correctly and you must provide the required documents before you can proceed. The web site link to Regulations Governing Building Projects is here: https://fortsumterhouse.org/?page_id=208.
J. Building Decor
The common areas and limited common areas are the sole responsibility of Board. Our goal is to have a common unified look for all halls. There should be no door decorations, no furniture in halls, no lights on railings, etc. You can review the rules here: https://fortsumterhouse.org/?page_id=1392. We will enforce compliance because we want to have a nice looking building.
K. Staff and Board Changes
The FSHA employees are responsible for the common area only. They are not responsible for individual units. If you need staff for more than 10 minutes, then you need to hire someone, or locate a tradesperson.
There are some changes on the Board. George Boniface is leaving the Board after serving for 8 years. Joy Jarvis has accepted the Administrative Manager position and has resigned her membership on the Board.
Joe Yetsko has been the Building Manager for almost 20 years and he has done an excellent job managing FSH. He started working here on May 13, 1996 and is retiring at the end of this year. Joe has had a tremendous impact on the policies and practices of our organization. We want to thank Joe for his many years of dedicated service and all of his contributions to our Association.
L. Update on Front Entrance of Building Project
Beau Clowney provided drawings of the plans for the front of the building. The plans include removing the canvas awning and support structure, repositioning the stair railings to allow for a wider entrance, and installing a smaller awning extending out about 6 feet that allows more light into the lobby. Throughout its history, the Fort Sumter Hotel had a number of awnings that varied in both style and their materials. There were also years where there was no awning on the King Street entrance of the building. There was some discussion about the new awning not providing protection from the rain. An alternative may be to extend the awning at the rear entrance further into the parking area.
We will be installing two new sets of doors at the King Street entrance. The existing doors are in bad shape and pose a security issue.
We will also be resurfacing the King Street entrance terrace at the same time that we resurface the 2nd and 3rd floor terraces. All terraces need repair and sealing to prevent leaking into the building.
BAR has approved the design and the Board has voted to proceed with this plan. The drawings will be on display in the lobby soon.
6. Financial Report
The 2015 Budget (Jan. 1 through Oct. 23) was provided to those owners present at the meeting. We believe we are on target for our 2015 budget.
George Boniface, FSHA Treasurer, commented that the income from regime fees is not enough to pay all of the operating expenses. We use approximately 40% of the income from the antennae rentals to help with the operating expenses. The Board is endeavoring to increase the Reserve Fund and 60% of the antennae rental goes into the Reserve Account every year.
7. Unfinished Business
There was no unfinished business.
8. New Business
Beau Clowney proposed that the Association vote on allowing pets on the ground floor only. There would be restrictions, a one-time or annual fee, fines, etc. In order for this proposal to pass, 2/3rds owners must vote in favor of it. Beau will send his proposal to the Board for review prior to being presented to the owners for a vote.
Martha DeBiasi suggested that FSHA purchase a defibrillator for safety reasons.
Julian AvRutick thinks that the outside door to the exercise room poses a security risk. He suggested that it be made into an emergency door.
9. Election of Board Members
A notification letter about the Annual Meeting and election of officers was duly sent out on October 8, 2015, as required by the Master Deed. Steve Anastasion, Glenn DeBiasi, and Granice Geyer-Smith were elected to the Board for two (2) year terms by majority vote.
10. Adjournment
A motion was made to adjourn the meeting and it was seconded.