Page 17 - CooperatorNews New Jersey Summer 2021

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COOPERATORNEWS NEW JERSEY
—SUMMER 2021
17
stein says, “We’ve had to make some adjust-
ments. Th ere’s more foot traffi c, as everyone
is home and everything is getting delivered,
so we’re getting the building cleaned twice
as much as before. We also are seeing more
repairs resulting from more wear-and-tear.
Early on we had issues with members not
wearing masks or sanitizing properly, but we
got it under control quickly and there haven’t
been any issues since. In terms of payments
and collections, everything was done online
remotely even before the pandemic, so that
hasn’t changed. Seventy-fi ve percent of our
members pay via direct payment online, and
25% slip a check under the treasurer’s door.
He makes deposits and payments online,
through his phone. Th ere isn’t any physi-
cal component to our cash fl ow items at all.”
Weinstein says the board does all their meet-
ings on the Zoom video conferencing plat-
form.
New England Strong
High View condos, located on Cape Cod
in Sandwich, Massachusetts, is a 96-unit con-
dominium community. Th e units are located
in four three-level garden apartment style
buildings that were constructed in phases
between 1974 and 1982. Th e property is not
age-restricted and features a clubhouse.
Ursula Price is High View’s treasurer,
and has served as such since 1993. She says
that when the property converted to condo-
minium ownership, it had a contracted man-
agement company. Th e association changed
companies several times, but the residents
(several of whom were professionals in ar-
chitecture, engineering, or real estate them-
selves) were unhappy with the management
SELF-MANAGEMENT...
continued from page 16
companies—mostly because of deferred
property maintenance. Residents with rel-
evant, applicable experience took over the
board and ended the management relation-
ship.
Since then, says Price, “Self-management
has served them well. Th e dynamic of the
property has changed. With the pandemic,
people are home much more, and they no-
tice things,” like maintenance projects left
too long without being addressed. “Th is has
caused some confl ict. Younger owners want
more work done to improve the look of the
property.”
For example, Price continues, “Th ere’s
been an issue with landscaping—some con-
“With self-
management, the
people live here, and
they are on site every
day of the week.”
—Domenick Lorelli
tention between older and younger residents.
We have 12 acres, but our landscaper hasn’t
had the staff needed to do the work, and the
older people don’t want to spend the money.”
Th at said, Price adds that they haven’t had
any other vendor problems during the pan-
demic. All their vendors are family-operated
businesses, and there was no interruption in
services this past spring or summer. Neigh-
bors have also stepped up to help neigh-
bors—especially the elderly—and even when
some confl ict arose over younger community
members wanting the association’s indoor
pool open, the issue was eventually resolved.
Th e board abided by the governor’s man-
dates and those of the local Board of Health.
Maintenance on the pool had been fi ve days a
week before, but was expanded to daily clean-
ing and sanitization, including the clubhouse.
Th e association’s attorney draft ed indemnifi -
cation forms, and the board required waiv-
ers from pool users. Th e Sandwich Board of
Health inspected the pool and clubhouse, and
initially advised against opening it for use—
but the board went back to the drawing board
and was eventually able to map out protocols
that satisfi ed the health inspectors that the
amenity could be opened with minimal risk.
Th e pool has been open since September, and
according to Price, “Everyone wears a mask,
and it’s never an issue.”
Midwestern Practical
Jose Rodriguez is the president of a three-
story, 26-unit walk-up condominium asso-
ciation at 1618 West Wallen Avenue in Chi-
cago. Th e building also features a courtyard
and garden, and it became a condominium
in 2006.
“It’s gone pretty smoothly,” says Rodriquez
of the community’s response to and manage-
ment of the pandemic. “Th e most diffi cult
part was fi guring out what the guidelines
were for prevention of spread, and compli-
ance with city and state rules. What the gov-
ernor and mayor have said was oft en diff er-
ent in the beginning; for example, there was
a time when Chicago was in lockdown, but
nearby suburbs were open.”
Rodriguez goes on to say that “the pan-
demic changed some of the things we do
concerning cleaning of common areas. We
had to hire someone who could do COVID
cleaning. Th ey come twice a week to do the
stairwells and sanitize, which is an added
expense. We did it ourselves before the pan-
demic on a volunteer basis, but now we’ve
hired someone, to protect owners and incur
less liability for the association. Th e decision
was based on our attorney’s advice, and the
community as a whole taking a decision to-
gether.”
“We have both back and front stairs,” Ro-
driguez continues, “so [residents] rarely en-
counter each other on the stairs, but masks
are required in the common areas, and signs
are posted everywhere. In the courtyard, the
city permitted 50 people or less, but people
don’t really congregate there anyway—usu-
ally just a few people, or the volunteer gar-
dener.”
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