| News |
Dozens of people are displaced
Wednesday night after one of the
biggest fires this city has seen
in years destroyed more than 20
condo units in downtown
Anchorage.
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MD: Controversy Engulfs
Condos
Residents of Strathmore
Tower, a condominium in
Upper Park Heights, are
challenging the board's
decision not to have a
Shabbat elevator. Over
Memorial Day weekend,
residents sent a petition to
the condo association board
calling for a special
meeting to discuss the
issue. In addition, a letter
was sent to the board
explaining the importance of
the Sabbath elevator and
asking it to reconsider its
decision.
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A plan to remove about 19 Canada
Geese from a Fort Mill
neighborhood is sparking debate
among residents who complain
about the mess the animals are
leaving in their yards.
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Unhappy
that his year-and-a-half-old home has
wall cracks wide enough to stick a hand
through, Ronald Jech recently took an
unconventional path in the hopes of
getting his home repaired.
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The treasurer of the Eagle Lake
Manor Community Association is
charged forging checks against
the association's accounts to
pay personal bills.
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Home-based businesses in
Lansdowne will have 13 months in
which to come into compliance
with the homeowners association
covenants or face closure,
according to the three elected
board members who met in a work
session last week.
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The environmental consultant who
lives in Cascades brought the
signs, created by her father,
Jack Strickland, to express her
concern over the fact that
several playgrounds in Cascades
contain lumber that has been
pressure-treated with 0.40
Chromated Copper Arsenate.
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A fourth person turned himself
in to police in connection with
a Hallandale Beach condo scheme
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NY: A runaround over condo
complaints Winton, who
bought her two-bedroom unit five
years ago and pays about $230
monthly maintenance, says she has
been pleading with the condominium's
board of managers to replace the
leaking roof. In response, she
has gotten vague promises, lame
excuses and slipshod repairs.
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News of the arrests of three people so far
in connection with an alleged Hallandale
Beach condo kickback scheme is triggering
suspicions among some South Florida owners
about the honesty of their condo boards.
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The notice came from the Arroyo Ridge
Homeowners Association, which told Denise
she could have the banner as long as it's
posted properly on a flag pole. But Denise
doesn't want to spend 200 dollars on
something she'll only use two weeks a year.
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The director
of the Midport Place II condominium
association was arrested Thursday for not
having a required state license, a detective
said Friday.
The reason this
seems noteworthy, at least to my geeky mind, is
that I see many of the same set of issues
repeatedly, so I�d like to offer some sort of
list of the things one might find when looking
at a condo of, say 45 years.
TN: Condo Goes Up in Flames, Hints at Bigger
Problem The Condo
Association's Vice President says there are
173 units with different owners, some who
can't be tracked down. The association
boards up vacant units, but the vagrants
still break in and rig up their own
electricity.
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2007 Advertising Policies and Rate Sheet
Word Doc
PDF |
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Articles
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You Have to Identify Energy Costs
Before You Can Start Reducing Them
Do you know how your community association is
using energy? The question is more complicated
than it seems. Looking at your bills for
electricity, gas, and water, will tell you how
much you are spending on those utilities. But it
won’t tell you exactly how and where you are
spending your money, or whether you are spending
it as wisely, as efficiently, and as
cost-effectively as possible.
Rising energy costs are increasing the urgency
of those questions, and for associations that
don’t like the answers, new technologies are
providing opportunities to make a significant
positive difference for the environment as well
as for their communities.
To understand – truly understand – your energy
consumption patterns and costs, an energy audit
is an essential first step
Read More
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[Note: every year we
write about fires that burn down condo units and
homes because BBQ's were placed next to the
building. Here is one area that's doing
something about it - and you might want to
consider adopting a similar policy for your
association.]
Fire Districts Throw Cold Water On Summer Fun By
Banning BBQs
It's summer - which means it's time to haul out
your bathing suits, sunscreen, and BBQ grills.
But wait a minute, should you really take the
time to clean and fire-up your BBQs? This
article examines the regulations that many fire
districts in Denver have adopted to prevent
fires resulting from grilling and it's a must
read for all BBQ enthusiasts.
Read More
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Don't Fret the Deck
There are just two things the homeowner wants to
know when purchasing a deck: what are my
choices, and how much will it cost? Routine
maintenance, additional coatings and the deck’s
lifespan are all things assumed to be part of
some magical all-inclusive warranty. With the
new advancements in decking technology, builders
are finding it easier than ever to keep up with
the homeowner’s expectations.
Read More
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Managing Micromanagement Part II -
The Development of Constructive Board
Stewardship and Executive Awareness and
Intervention
 Last
month, in Part I of this article (May 2007), we
discussed in detail how micromanagement is
time-consuming, energy draining, ever maddening,
and demoralizing busy-work that accomplishes
little. In that article, I listed some reasons I
have observed on why Boards or Board members
feel the need to micromanage, but I believe the
underlying reason is that they truly have no
idea what their role is in relationship to each
other nor the community as a whole. I believe it
is up to us as management professionals to guide
Board members to a path of constructive
stewardship. Constructive stewardship leads
Boards away from destructive micromanagement.
This serves not only the Boards and their
communities it serves management. To that end
there are two courses of action, which should be
implemented concurrently involving long term and
short term solutions. Like the name implies,
long term solutions take a long time to develop
and bear fruit, so we have to know how to deal –
congruently – with the day to day stuff until
the long term “root of the problem” solutions
take effect. How to deal with day-to-day
micromanagement is an article unto itself and
will be discussed next month. This month, we’ll
discuss the following:
- The Long Term Solution: Leadership
development within Boards
- Executive Awareness and Intervention
- The Cost of Micromanagement for
Management Firms and Associations
Read More
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| HOA Target, Process
& Objective
 Lack
of communication is often one of the biggest
complaints that many boards receive. Yet, good
communication is a fundamental imperative of
every homeowner association. If the board is to
succeed with its objectives, it needs
cooperation from the members. How is this
cooperation best obtained? The board needs to
identify priority targets to aim for. Hitting
each target requires a process to achieve a
positive objective that will improve the HOA.
Here are some examples of priorities:
Read More
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Community
Maintenance Evaluation / Inspection Form
Facilities management is one tangible aspect of
community association management and it is
interwoven into the financial, risk and
communication threads of the community. When
reviewing the condition of physical assets of a
community, it is important to note the current
conditions of each asset so that appropriate
repair or replacement is scheduled and fund
planning occurs to accommodate the needed work.
Instead of using note pads while walking the
community for the asset evaluation, I often use
a small tape recorder and simple excel spread
sheet listing of items tailored to the community
being inspected. The use of the tape recorder
speeds the actual walking review and the later
spread sheet entry into the data base provides a
great working tool for community board members
and me when determining which asset needs
attention and when. The inspection form provided
here is a sample that you may alter to fit your
needs at your community and we hope it aids you
in the evaluation of repair or replacement of
the assets in your community.
Read More
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| Unwanted
Guests: What Makes Some Condominiums
Susceptible to Mold Growth?
What makes some condominiums susceptible to
mold growth? The method and quality of
construction; the choice of building envelope
materials and HVAC system; maintenance practices
and the location or climatic region can all play
a role. Keep in mind that mold growth is the
result of a water problem. The mold problem
cannot be solved until the water problem is
identified and corrected. The mold question may
be best answered by describing the analytical
process of identifying the sources of moisture
and mold growth in building investigation.
Read More
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| Building Communities Through
Committees
To begin the committee selection process, it
is advisable to hold an open meeting describing
the types of committees available and their
purpose. In order to guide each committee, a
board member should hold the committee liaison
position - - thus, serving in an advisory role
to the committee. It is recommended that the
Board promote social events for general
membership and to build a sense of neighborhood
and community involvement. It is also advisable
to focus on the special interests of different
age levels, as capturing the interest of one
segment of the community often draws others.
Read More
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| Sponsored Links |
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HOATalk.com
Meet with thousands of HOA
leaders online. HOA news & information too. Free!
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Join Community
Associations Institute Today!
Gain access to expert
resources and the latest trends in community association
living, governance, and management.
Join today!
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Community Association
Leadership Series DVDs!
Four
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Editor's Notes |
This issue is
a little late as I'm just back after a short vacation
It will take a few days to catch up with all of the
e-mails and other requests, but I should get back to
normal by early next week. In the meantime, I'm
still finding great articles, but can always use new
sources. They don't have to always be about
community associations, but if the article can relate to
them in some way, i.e. leadership, maintenance, then
we'll add them to the source list.
Joe
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