MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The meeting was called to order at 7:05 PM. 4 of the 5 Board members (Teresa Vilar “Tere”, Bonnie Ramos, Lina Blanco, and Al Gross), along with Manager Belinda Behar (“Belinda”), were present, therefore, a quorum was met. Additionally, Massi Voto (“Massi”), our engineer of record for the 40-year project, was also present. A motion was passed to waive the reading of the minutes from the previous meeting.
First order of business was a determination on whether contractors are allowed to work on holidays. It was determined that the rule to be applied is that: if the office is closed, contractors are not allowed to be scheduled to work. A motion was made to adopt this rule, 4 Board members were in favor. The motion passed.
Next on the agenda was a report by Management about the following items:
Status of the Elevator Modernization Permit:
The Association has canceled its contract with Empire (Coastal Elevator’s sub-contractor for generator work) due to their inability to extend our permit in a timely manner. The existing permit is about to expire and has to be renewed. They are requesting payment of $2,100 for costs incurred. Massi recommended that we request receipts for the costs incurred before reimbursement. Also, we must determine if the permit can be transferred to the new engineer. In consideration of this, it will be determined if the $2,100 is paid or not. Marisol mentioned that the Board is allowed to unilaterally file to transfer the permit to a new contractor, and this will trigger an automatic renewal. We are not dependent on the original issuer. Gabriel was given the floor and mentioned that there was only one month left on the permit. Further, 2 sub-permits have already expired, and Empire failed to present to the City proof of license and insurance. While the permit has very little time left, it’s hoped this will not be an issue with the automatic renewal.
An Opening of the Clerk Position in the Management Office:
Marta has left, and is now only a part time employee. The Association is actively looking for a full-time replacement.
Impact Glass for the Pool Clubhouse:
Deposits have been paid and supplies have been ordered for the enhancement of the clubhouse’s exterior windows. Scheduling of the work will be done once supplies have been delivered.
Cabanas have until April 15th to file for permits to upgrade to impact glass, otherwise the Association’s insurance costs will increase. Cabana owners that miss the deadline may be fined.
Next on the Agenda was a presentation by the Construction Committee. However, since they did not meet, the presentation was pushed to the next meeting. It was then determined that the next meeting would be in May.
Next was a presentation by Massi of Thornton Tomasetti (“TT”) our engineer for the 40-year recertification project.
The waterproofing applied to the balconies 10 years ago was not one that is formulated to have tiles laid on top it. It’s possible that the waterproofing has worn off by now if tiles were laid on top.
Our neighbor (Jasmine Condos) is cooperating on the issue with the water intruding into our property from theirs. They agreed (in principle) to move the plants and eliminate the water accumulation problem being caused. Massi recommends keeping them to a fast timetable for this, since we cannot initiate restoration of the basement until it’s resolved.
In the basement, some of the joints are not watertight, and this has caused some post-tension cables (“PTC’s”) to break. Where repairs have been done in the past, the work has been sub-par. So it is recommended that selective demolition be done in conjunction with ground-penetrating radar testing.
Significantly more damage was noticed on surfaces exposed to the exterior. And once these areas are repaired, a proper waterproofing coat must be diligently applied. The next step is to complete this investigation to determine how many PTC’s must be replaced and what the action plan for these repairs will be.
A motion was made to approve the completion of the investigation by the engineers of the damage done to the building’s PTC’s so that an action plan can be designed. On the basis of this plane, a change order will be issued to AG Contractors and National Concrete.
Further, trucks (such as the trash pickup trucks) cannot be allowed onto the ramps that go up from the street to the building’s ground floor. The ramp was not designed for vehicles that large.
Lastly, Marisol suggested that if action on a faster timeline on behalf of Jasmine Condos becomes necessary that the Association can appeal to the City of Miami Beach who has the power to compel associations to act on issues of “life and safety.” And Massi reminded us that we must nevertheless maintain good relations with them, because it may be necessary in the future to access their property in order to fix some of the damage to the PTC’s. And we need to stay in the loop on the kind of work they do fix the issue. We can also offer to have our engineers specify the scope of work and we can bid it out, leaving them to just pay the bill.
A motion was then made to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded. All were in favor and the motion was passed. The meeting was adjourned at 8:11 PM.
