Friday, March 2, 2012

--------------------------Sticker Shock !



Wow!   Peace and Harmony at Southpoint.  It is possible, after all.    


The Special Meeting held last night was a prime example of how a good meeting can be held, even at Southpoint, with many diverse views.  Congratulations to the audience for their good behavior.


Although not everything was to my personal liking, for instance I did not think that we should have approved of the minutes without having a chance to point out errors.  However, there was discussion.  A vote was taken. I lost.  -- As long as there was discussion and as long as the Board voted, I am satisfied.

The rest of the meeting was as close to perfect as anyone could desire. We met the contractors. Bids were opened. All Members of the Association (Owners) who were present had a chance to speak their mind. Questions were asked and answered.   Ideas were shared.

As the discussion continued did you notice that a consensus started to form.?  Although the Members were about equally divided on the issue of glass railings, all of us began to understand the problem of the balconies.  There was "sticker shock" on the part of many -- (me included.)

Sticker Shock: The three bids were in the same area:  $1,558,000  to   $1,785,000.

 That would mean an assessment about 60% larger than the assessment you paid for the HVAC. 

Bruce Bromley, our engineer explained that his specifications were quite conservative, in the sense that he tried to cover every eventuality, He thought that most likely, the contractors would not actually expend as much as their bids;   and that the likelihood of extras was reduced because of the all - encompassing nature of his bid sheet.

But:  there is also the possibility that taking down all balconies and building new ones from scratch would be cheaper in the long run. I asked Bruce how long it would take him to come up with numbers for that possibility. He said he could have them by Monday.

One Member in the audience, Michael Abelson, suggested that we completely re-do the balconies and add glass enclosing railings. There was some discussion, and without knowing cost, about half the Members liked the idea.  The balconies facing the pool on both sides are in what sometimes becomes a wind tunnel. They would get less wind and balcony sitting would become more pleasant.  The glass would upgrade the look of the buildings and would add value to the building.   I would suggest polling all the Members about the glass railings.

Here is what Emma Popolow had to say about the meeting:


"The information received at last night's meeting was very helpful. I think at this time the smartest, most prudent thing to do is to completely remove all of the terraces and do it right. This way we will also get our money's worth of work. Who can tell if the charges for patch-work, a foot here, a foot there, are correct. Nobody from the building will be able to figure what is what.

To me, Carousel is the only way to go. The other 2 companies talked a lot about painting and paint and not about replacing terraces.

I am for the glass railings. I know some of the people are concerned about all of the money for the assessment. I too, do not want to spend a dime unless there is some good reason behind it. I think this the right way to go about this project and we will reap the rewards in the future. We will have balconies that last us for another 30+ years.

In order to give the people the true cost of the job, let us not forget to deduct the cost for reconditioning and repainting the old railings and also give the people a ball park figure on what we will get back for selling the old railings. In today's commodities market these railings are worth something. Good negotiating can help here.

Also, Carousel talked about financing plans they can help us with. Let us check them out if we use them.
One never knows, they might be terrific.  

Constructive input is appreciated."

Emma Popolow
1709 S 

Last:  the purpose of this blog is to discuss Southpoint matters in a rational, fair-minded way.  Attacks on people are regrettable (and I apologize for any of my own); but discussions of issues are fair and are desired. 

For instance, I shouldn't say that John Doe is a dope, and doesn't know what he is talking about, and that he is a crook on top of everything else. But I might say, that John Doe's idea for a permanent raft to be anchored in the ocean  in front of Southpoint, is unpractical and too expensive. 

Michael E Katz
Director
Southpoint

954-563-0959  

katz8356@comcast.net

www.Southpoint-condo.blogspot.com   










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