BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES
Tuesday, December 21, 2021
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT
Joe Engle, President; Betty Schneider, Treasurer; Sandy Bagley, Secretary; Steve Chipman, Member-at-Large
BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT
Victor Blanc, Vice-President
MANAGEMENT COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE(S) PRESENT
Ellona Hess of Scott Management Company (SMC)
CALL TO ORDER
The following are the minutes of the 555 Esplanade Condominium Owners Association Board of Directors open session meeting, held on Tuesday, December 21, 2021 via Zoom. A quorum of Board Members was established, and Mr. Engle called the meeting to order at 10 AM.
HOMEOWNERS FORUM
Homeowners were provided with the opportunity to address the Board regarding items of interest or concern, in accordance with the open meeting act, CA Civil Code 4925(b).
APPROVAL OF BOD MEETING MINUTES (11.16.21)
MOTION Mr. Engle made a motion to approve the November 16, 2021 meeting minutes as prepared. Ms. Bagley made a second to the motion. The motion carried with all in favor.
APPROVAL OF MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT(S)
As of November 30, the Association had $10,106.83 in operating funds and $1,138,998.34 in reserves. There were no accounts in collections as of November 30, and ($5,067.80) in receivables. The Association is current with the monthly reserve contributions, each in the amount of $9,400. The Association currently holds the following CD maturities: 2022 maturities, $1,000,000 7 CDs.
MOTION Mr. Engle made a motion to accept the November ’21 Financial Report as prepared. Ms. Schneider made a second to the motion. The motion carried with all in favor.
OLD BUSINESS
- Exterior Retaining Wall Project – Railing Installations The final component of the project is the installation of railings. A to Z Construction (A to Z) ordered the new railings; delivery is pending.
- Sundeck Resurfacing Mr. Engle reported that the contract negotiation phase remains in progress. The Committee anticipates that the project will end up costing about $450,000. It is expected that the project will take ninety (90) days to complete, barring delays due to weather or unforeseen conditions. Next steps include: 1) finalizing the contract, 2) applying for permits from the Redondo City planning department, 3) purchase of materials by WICR (to avoid inflation) and arrange for storage on-site, and 4) starting the project construction around April 1 (to avoid the “rainy season”).
- Bicycle Room Clean-Out Letters were sent out asking all Units to identify and respond with their bicycle storage needs. The response deadline was August 6. Twenty-one (21) Units in total responded. Of the twenty-one (21), seventeen (17) Units reported bicycles. Thirty-nine (39) bicycles were reported by the seventeen (17) Units, with six (6) more to come noted, for a total need of forty-five (45). This compares with the current manual count of bikes in cages, eighty-one (81). The new tags, to be attached to the claimed bicycles, are in hand. The procedure that will be taken to relocate and/or remove bicycles will be announced.
- Structural Integrity Analysis of the Building, Garage (3 Phase Effort) The Board commenced a three (3) phase project to have the structural integrity of the building analyzed. The first relates to the structural integrity of the four (4) garage concrete and steel levels. The second is for the analyzing of the settling of the building, i.e. manometer surveying. The third will be inspecting the elevated structures, i.e. balconies, in compliance with Senate Bill 326 (SB326).
Phase II Hamilton & Associates performed the manometer survey of G4 and the first-floor hallway. They also reviewed the building plans. They expect to issue their report by the end of this week. FWC conducted manometer floor level surveys of the hallways on the west side of the building on December 8. FWC would like to review the geotechnical report and garage floor surveys by Hamilton prior to developing their report.
Phase III FWC proposed, concerning SB326 inspections, “The strategy that seems most efficient is to have FWC conduct the balcony inspections prior to the railing replacement.” The Board agrees with this strategy and will intend to embark on the effort following the completion of the sundeck project.
- Unit 115 West, Oceanfront Facing Slider & Plumbing Repairs West, Oceanfront Facing Slider This matter will be further addressed by the Board during the Executive Session. Plumbing Repairs Jose Rodriguez Plumbing has successfully completed replacing the drain line that services the master shower. Drywall repairs (in the common area) are being attended to.
- Replacement of Rusted/Rusting Screens Under Balconies There are balconies with screens on the bottom surface to allow for the release of moisture. Some of the screens are rusted; some are eligible for repairs while some will need to be replaced. The Board reviewed the proposal received from A to Z to install new cooper screen vents in six (6) different locations. A proposal is pending from Ewell, as well as an alternate proposal from A to Z for aluminum screens. Mr. Schneider will speak with both Ewell and A to Z about a different installation method that will entail less damage/repair work for the surrounding stucco.
- Rules & Regulations, Proposed Changes (Moving In and Out; Use of the HOA Gym; Hallways, Balconies, Patios and Decks; Fire Safety; Other; Do’s and Don’ts) The Board reviewed the full set of proposed changes to these sections of the Rules and Regulations.
- Entry Areas Surface Coating – Repair and Replace The Board reviewed the proposal by Ewell Construction to repair and replace the entry area surface coating. Additional proposals from decking specialty contractors will be pursued.
- Entry Areas Light Fixtures – Replace Ms. Schneider provided the Board with options for LED replacement fixtures for the entryway lights. Ms. Schneider and Mr. Engle will prepare a proposal for the Board to consider/vote on at the January meeting.
- Electric Vehicle Charging Stations The Board reviewed the information presented by the Committee.
MOTION Ms. Schneider made a motion to send out the survey prepared by the Committee to the Membership for input on the subject. Mr. Chipman made a second to the motion. The motion carried with all in favor.
- Relocation of Beach-Side Fence While the landscaping repairs/improvements on the Ocean/Westside of the building were being discussed with Rancho, Mr. Ed Schneider asked if the Board would consider the possibility of relocating/moving the existing aluminum fence to the edge of the property, to run parallel with the existing pedestrian path. Mr. Schneider prepared and put forth a Statement of Work for this project of consideration. This item will remain on the agenda and will be up for discussion at a future meeting.
- Stucco Crack Repairs (Monthly Report) The Board reviewed the proposal by A to Z to stucco the wall they constructed on the N side near the 535 entryway. The Board would like it to match the building stucco, since it is adjacent/an extension of the building. The Board discussed adding this to the scope of work for when the building is repainted. Ms. Schneider will request an inspection of the building(s) by ProTec, for the identification of stucco cracks. This request by ProTec will be done on a periodic basis.
- Dryer Duct Cleaning Vote It was recently clarified that the cleaning of dryer ducts is the responsibility of the Association. A schedule will need to be developed, for the cleaning of ducts on a phased basis; some will require roof access, and some will be easier to access than others. Ms. Schneider and Ms. Bagley will spearhead this effort.
- Schedule for Replacing Door Alarm Batteries The batters for (common area) door alarms were all recently replaced by ProTec. The Board would like to preemptively plan on replacing the batteries on an annual basis.
ADJOURNMENT | CONFIRM NEXT MEETING DATE
The meeting was adjourned at 11:33 AM. The next meeting of the Board is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, 10 AM via Zoom.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
An executive session was called to order at 11:34 AM to review the executive session meeting minutes, the aging report, governing document enforcement matter(s) and a legal matter. The meeting was adjourned at 12:09 PM.