Dear FSH Owners and Residents,
We would like to keep you up-to-date on the latest happenings at the Fort Sumter House:
FSH Annual Meeting
Please attend at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, October 29, 2012 in the FSH lobby. We have not yet finalized the agenda but it will include election of new board members, review of the budget, discussion of upcoming repairs and maintenance.
Enhanced security
Several incidents such as people being in the building who should not be there, damage to cars and people urinating in our parking lots have provided incentive to beef-up security. We installed security cameras and will soon implement a new exterior door entry system that uses a FOB. This is a small device, kept on your key chain, that you wave over a pad next to the door to unlock it. It is easier than a key and can be programmed. This will replace the current key that has been used for more than 15 years and is in the possession of some who should not have it.
Enhanced appearance of the building and grounds
We continue to make improvements to the appearance of the building: the outside of the building was pressure-washed, flowers in front of the building, new entrance mats with the words “Fort Sumter House,” new furniture in the lobby, bushes and trees trimmed, planting beds raked , cleaned, and mulched, the diseased wax myrtle trees near the pool have been removed.
FSH website
You can learn more about what’s happening on our website. It is easy to find and use: https://fortsumterhouse.org. You can add your comments on this site also.
Units for sale
The real estate market is indeed picking-up. Currently, there are only two FSH units for sale. You can keep up with this on our website.
Hiring staff to do minor personal projects
Many owners and residents have commented positively about the performance of the FSH staff. In addition to their work as employees, owners and residents periodically hire staff employees on their off-hours to do minor personal projects. It is important to note that FSH employees do not carry personal liability insurance for any work done here at FSH. When employees are working their shift for FSH, then Workman’s Comp and the FSH Liability Insurance provides coverage. The policy regarding liability insurance when owners/residents hire FSH employees to do personal projects on off-hours is as follows: If a FSH employee is injured when working on an owner/resident’s personal project, then the owner/resident assumes all liability for the employee. If any injury occurs, the owner/resident must file a claim on their personal Homeowners Insurance Policy.
The Regulations for Engagement of Contractors and Staff Employees is posted here: https://fortsumterhouse.org/?page_id=208.
Finances
We are “on budget” through the first half of the year. This is important because we have a very strong desire to not have to increase the regime fee. We work hard to balance the need to keep our aging building well-maintained and managed without increasing the regime fees. That said, we know we will need to replace our 35 year old HVAC system in the very near future. Typical life is 20 years, so we are on borrowed time and constant repair bills are growing. Replacement cost estimates are in the $300,000 range but not replacing it is not an option. Imagine living in a building without air conditioning!
We welcome your ideas and comments.
Sincerely,
Dick, Joy, Beth, Glenn, George
FSH Board of Directors