Highlights from the Board of Directors Meeting of May 12, 2011

Transcripción

1 Volume 10 Issue 11 PROPERTY MANAGEMENT Property Manager Interviews in Progress Office Administrator Daisy Caporusso IMPORTANT # S: General (305) or (305) Fax (305) Security (305) mirocean@atlanticbb.net ASSOCIATION OFFICERS President Mario Gutierrez Vice President Rodolfo Leon Treasurer Hans Rothschild Secretary Barbara Hernandez Asst. Treasurer Miguel Beretta Asst. Secretary Roberto Hernandez Office Hours Horas de Oficina Monday - Friday (lunes - viernes) 9 AM - 5:00 PM Saturday (Sabado) Closed Sunday (Domingo) Closed (Cerrado) Mirasol Ocean Towers 2655 Collins Avenue Miami Beach, FL monthly newsletter July 2001 Highlights from the Board of Directors Meeting of May 12, 2011 CONCRETE RESTORATION- Contracts with both Pistorino and Alam (the engineering company) and with Paradigm (the swing stage company) were executed. The inspection for the Engineering Report is scheduled to start the week of May 16 th. We have selected Line 11 and Line 6 or 8, based on the results of the water intrusion surveys received from the Unit Owners. As a start, by competitively bidding the scaffolding services, we have lowered the cost of the work from $27,025 (approved by the previous board) to $23,400 for a 13% savings; however, due to unforeseen or unanticipated conditions, we cannot guarantee that to be the final cost, but we will do our best. COMMITTEES- Terrific News. A total of 45 individuals have volunteered to serve in the various committees. Copies of a chart with names were distributed during the meeting. See COM- MITTEE NEWS in another article of this newsletter. HEARING WITH THE SPECIAL MASTER- Disturbing news which Continued on page 2 Mirasol Newsletter If you have anything special you would like to share with the residents of the Mirasol Ocean Towers Condominium, please let the manager know by the 15 th of each month so we can include it in the following month s newsletter. May 2011 Aspectos Más Destacados de la Reunión de la Junta de Directores Ocurrida el 12 de Mayo de 2011 PROYECTO DE RESTAURACIÓN DEL CON- CRETO- Los contratos con ambas compañías Pistorino y Alam (la empresa de ingeniería) y Paradigm (la empresa de los andamios) fueron ejecutados. La inspección sobre el informe de Ingeniería está programada para comenzar la semana del 16 de mayo. Hemos seleccionado la línea 11 y la línea 6 u 8, con base a los resultados de las encuestas de las goteras recibida de parte de los propietarios. Para comenzar, hemos conseguido bajar el costo de la obra de $ 27,025 (aprobada por la junta anterior) a $ 23,400 debido a que obtuvimos varios precios competitivos, para un ahorro del 13%. Sin embargo, debido a condiciones imprevistas, no podemos garantizar que este sea el costo fi nal. COMITES- Buenas Noticias. Un total de 45 personas se han ofrecido voluntariamente para servir en los distintos comités de trabajo. Copias de los nominados fueron distribuidas durante la reunión. Ver NOTICIAS COMITE en otro artículo de este boletín. AUDIENCIA CON EL JUEZ ESPECIAL -Inquietantes noticias hemos descubierto al pedirle a la Ciudad una copia de la transcripción de la audiencia previa con el Juez celebrada el pasado mes de febrero. La nueva Junta Directiva no fue informada ni por la Junta anterior ni por el Administrador del edifi cio que el Sr. Hillman (el ingeniero anterior) había representado a nuestro edifi cio y prometió Pasa a la pagina 2 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Board Meeting Reunion...1, 3 Mirasol Newsletter... 1 Committee News... 4 Comites... 4 Did You Know?... 5 Ask Donna... 6

2 Page 2 Mirasol Ocean Towers May 2011 Meeting Highlights (cont. from page 1) we discovered by asking the City for a transcript of the previous hearing with the Special Master held last February. The new board was never informed by the previous Board or by the Building Manager that Mr. Hillman (the previous engineer) represented our building and promised the Special Master that he was going to be hired to do the complete package and stated and promised the judge that he would have the drawings ready for bidding at the next meeting, which is scheduled for June 2, 2011, just a few days away. At the time of the promise, Hillman had not been hired by the board for the next job and the process is just starting with Pistorino and Alam. We will have no choice but to be represented by legal counsel. ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES- As a start, the office is open for business on Friday afternoons. Also, we have instituted a series of logs and new procedures to better serve the Unit Owners. It includes Service Logs (your call or visit to the office will be logged to find out how long it has taken to solve your issue); Building Manager s Log (to find out the accomplishments of the Manager), Maintenance Logs (to find out what our maintenance people have accomplished during the week) The logs will be reviewed weekly and changes will be implemented, as required. The collection of the parking, coke machine and the Coin-o-Matic machines has started to be handled by two members of the board, who are logging the amount of monies collected. SECURITY ISSUES: Soon we will be tightening the security of our building, which has been too relaxed. New procedures will be implemented with contractors, visitors and we will try to enforce strict rules about renting, especially to abolish the illegal weekend rentals. The requirement for background checks will be strictly enforced. WASHER/DRYERS: A new time extension was granted by the Fire Department. We have now until approximately July 4, 2011 to legalize the current installation of washer and dryers in our building. For that purpose, a committee has been created to immediately deal with the issue and discuss the procedures which may be implemented, to perhaps open the installation of washers and dryers to all Unit Owners, not only a few. SERVICE COMPANIES: Pool: Recently, the pool was green and had to be closed for four days. After reviewing the issue in detail, we terminated the services of the pool company and obtained four proposals from four different companies. It was discovered that the chlorine storage tank was full of water instead of chlorine, the filtering sand had not been changed for close to seven years instead of the regular three years, there was no computer to regulate the chemicals, a valve was broken and the gauges were not functioning. The estimates still coming in shows a cost of between five and six thousand dollars, much lower than the figure that we had been told. The pool is being serviced now by Robert s Blue Pools, and the water is now blue. Cooling Towers: The Company that provides service to the cooling towers recently proposed a cost of $1400 to replace a cooling tower motor. The board requested a second opinion from Chem-Tech who indicated that the problem could be fixed for approximately $60. Then, it was discovered that algae was present in the cooling tower basin. When the pump that provides the algae inhibitor was checked, it was discovered that the pump was not working and the tank was empty. The tank with the scale and corrosion inhibitor was also empty and the pump was not working either. The monitor that checks the system conductivity was not calibrated. The company that maintains these systems is supposed to check and refill the tanks once a month and by the amount of dust on the surface of the tanks we could determine that the systems had not been checked in many months. We immediately terminated the contract with this company and we are in the process of getting bids to hire a new company. These two issues where we had to fire two of our service companies leave much to be desired from our current administration. BLINDS & SHADES FREE SHOP AT HOME SERVICE WE BEAT ANY ESTIMATE ANY BRAND, ANY STYLE FREE MEASURING & INSTALLATION FAST SERVICE, LOWEST PRICES GUARANTEED! 20% OFF ALL Roman & Solar Shades VERTICALS REPAIRED & CLEANED MOTORIZED SPECIALIST SHADES REPAIRED & CLEANED WE SHOW UP! 25 Years in Biz Law Office of Marc L. Stein, P.L. Wills Trusts Living Wills Powers of Attorney Designation of Health Care Surrogate Preneed Guardian HIPPA Authorization (305) Arthur Godfrey Road, 2 nd Floor, Miami Beach, FL The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Coastal Group Publications, Inc. (CGP) or its staff. CGP assumes no responsibility for any text or illustrations submitted for publication.

3 May 2011 de la junta (viene de la pagina 1) al Sr. Juez que él iba a ser contratado para hacer el proyecto completo y declaro y prometió al Juez que tendría los dibujos listos para la licitación en la próxima reunión, prevista para el 2 de junio 2011, a sólo unos días de distancia. En el momento de la promesa, Hillman no había sido contratado por la junta para el próximo trabajo y el proceso apenas está comenzando con Pistorino y Alam. No tendremos más remedio que estar representado por un abogado para esta reunión tan importante, para evitar ser multado por el Juez. CAMBIOS ADMINISTRATIVOS - Para empezar, la ofi cina está abierta al público el viernes por la tarde. Además, hemos instituido una serie de registros y procedimientos nuevos para servir mejor a los propietarios. Incluye Registro de Servicios a Realizar (su llamada o visita a la ofi cina se registrará para averiguar el tiempo que ha tomado para resolver el problema); Registro del Administrador (para saber los logros o fallos del Administrador), Registro del Mantenimiento (para saber qué obras han realizado nuestro personal de mantenimiento durante la semana) Los registros serán revisados semanalmente y cambios se implementarán, según sea necesario. También, la colección del estacionamiento, la máquina de refrescos y de las máquinas de monedas-o-matic ha comenzado a ser manejada por dos miembros de la junta, que está registrando la cantidad de dinero recaudado. CUESTIONES DE SEGURIDAD: Pronto estaremos apretando la seguridad de nuestro edifi cio, la cual pensamos es demasiada ligera y relajada. Se anticipan nuevos procedimientos con los contratistas, visitantes y vamos a tratar de hacer cumplir las normas estrictas sobre el alquiler, especialmente para abolir los alquileres de fi n de semana, que son ilegales. El requisito de verifi cación de los antecedentes ( de trabajadores y de otros) se aplicará estrictamente. TEMA DE LAS LAVADORAS Y SECADORAS: Una nueva prórroga fue concedida por el Departamento de Bomberos. Tenemos hasta el día 4 de julio 2011 para legalizar la instalaciones actuales de lavadoras y secadoras en nuestro edifi cio. A tal efecto, un comité ha sido creado para hacer frente inmediatamente sobre el tema y discutir los procedimientos que pueden ser aplicadas, tal vez para abrir la instalación de lavadoras y secadoras a todos los propietarios de las unidades, no sólo a unos pocos. EMPRESAS DE SERVICIOS: Piscina: Recientemente, la piscina estaba verde y tuvo que ser cerrada durante cuatro días. Se descubrió que el tanque de almacenamiento de cloro estaba lleno de agua en lugar de cloro, la arena de filtrado no se había cambiado durante casi siete años en lugar de los tres años en que normalmente debe cambiarse, no había equipo para regular los productos químicos, una válvula estaba rota y los indicadores no estaban funcionando. Después de revisar la cuestión en detalle, se puso fin al servicio de la empresa de la piscina y se obtuvieron cuatro propuestas de cuatro empresas diferentes. Todo parece indicar que el costo de arreglar la piscina costara de 5 a 6 mil dólares, mucho menos de lo anticipado por el Administrador. La piscina está siendo mantenida ahora por Robert s Blue Pool, y el agua es ahora de un color azul. Page 3 Mirasol Ocean Towers Torres de enfriamiento: La empresa que proporciona servicio a la torres de refrigeración sometió recientemente una cuenta de emergencia para el reemplazo de un motor a un costo de $ La Junta pidió una segunda opinión a la compañía Chem-Tech, que indicó que el problema podría ser arreglado por aproximadamente $ 60. Entonces, se descubrió que había una cantidad extraordinaria de algas presentes en el depósito de las torres de enfriamiento. Cuando la bomba que proporciona el inhibidor químico de algas se probó, se descubrió que la bomba no estaba funcionando y que el tanque estaba totalmente vacío. El tanque con el inhibidor de la escala y la corrosión también estaba vacío y esta bomba no estaba funcionando tampoco. También, el monitor que verifi ca la conductividad del sistema no estaba calibrado. La empresa que mantiene estos sistemas se supone de comprobuebe mensualmente este sistema tan importante para el sistema de aire acondicionado de todo el edifi cio. Se determinó que los sistemas no habían sido probados en muchos meses, en vez de mensualmente como indica el contrato. Inmediatamente despedimos a esta empresa y estamos en el proceso de obtener ofertas para contratar a una nueva empresa. Estos descubrimientos nos dejan mucho de desear de nuestro sistema de mantenimiento, así como el monitoreo de los mismos por nuestra Administración. Friendly, Accurate Tax Preparation with a Money Back Guarantee SOUTH BEACH 1234 Washington Ave. Suite 204 Miami Beach FL (305) NORTH BEACH 7455 Collins Ave. Suite 208 Miami Beach FL (305) % Tax OFF Preparation For new customers. Valid at participation locations. Cannot be combined with other offers or used toward past services. One coupon per return. Valid thru 6/30/ LibertyTax.com Published monthly at no cost for Mirasol Ocean Towers by Coastal Group Publications, Inc. Contact CGP at T: (305) F: (305) to advertise in one of our newsletters or to get a free newsletter for your property.

4 Page 4 Mirasol Ocean Towers May 2011 Committee News (Noticias Sobre Los Comités) Extremely happy to announce that a total of 45 individuals have volunteered to serve in various committees which have been organized as follows: (Estamos muy satisfechos de anunciar que un total de 45 personas se han ofrecido voluntariamente para servir en varios comités que se han organizado de la siguiente manera:) Washer/Dryer (Comité Sobre Lavadoras /Secadoras): Brad Kain, Juan Padron, Luis Ayala, Olga Garcia, Lilian Alamo, Joel Marcus, Mario Gutierrez Finance Committee (Comité De Finanzas): Jorge Fernandez, Luis Garcia, Kiki Prats, Hans Rothschild, Joel Marcus, Ailsa Carpenter. Prats, Liesel Gras, Michelle Barder, Mary Fleites. Cultural Committee (Comité Cultural): Aida Gonzalez, Lester Sharlack, Mary Hernández, Liesel Gras, Michelle Barder, Rita Geada, Amalia Bosh, Estrellita Arrabal, Fefita Menéndez, Oscar Osman. Communication/Security Committee (Comité De Comunicación Y Seguridad): Juan Padron, Bibiana Gutierrez, Bárbara Hernández, Roberto Hernández, Miguel Berretta. Bylaws and Rules and Regulations Committee (Comité de Estatutos, Reglas y Reglamentos): Brad Kain, Luis Ayala, Douglas Jensen, Lester Sharlack, Isabel Garcia, Vince Principe, Jose A Bello, Lorena Escobar, Marvin Michaels. Concrete Restoration Committee (Comité De Restauración De Concreto): Brad Kain, Raul Esparza, Miguel Arronte, Mario Gutierrez, Rodolfo Leon Maintenance Committee (Comité De Mantenimiento): Luis Ayala, Marta Cusimano, Mary Hernandez, America Galvan, Fefita Menéndez, Juan Marques Social Committee (Comité Social): Marta Cusimano, Aida Gonzalez, Mary Hernández, Lilian Alamo, Teresita Utilities Committee (Comité De Servicios Públicos): Juan Padron, Olga Garcia, Roberto Hernández, Bibiana Gutierrez. Beautification Committee (Comité De Embellecimiento): Scott Bridgeman, Maria Elena Esparza, Liesel Gras, Mario Gutierrez, Adriana Davis. We will try to have a permanent section in the Mirasol Newsletter dealing with the progress of the various committees, who have been asked to announce meetings 48 hours in advance and conduct the meetings open to all unit owners. (Vamos a tratar de tener una sección permanente en el Boletín del Mirasol para mantenernos al tanto de los avances de los distintos comités. Le pedimos que anuncien las reuniones con 48 horas de anticipación, y que lleven a cabo las reuniones abiertas a todos los propietarios). COMING VERY SOON!!!... brought to you by Coastal Group Publications, your community newsletter provider, since 2001 SCOUP o n Miami At SCOUPONline.com we will provide members the daily SCOUP on a local business and offer a SCOUPON for members to experience that business s product or service at a 50-90% discount! Restaurants Spas Golf Area Attractions Hotels Salons Special Events & much more! Get Your A big THANK YOU for everyone s patience while we have taken the necessary time to ensure everyone s experience at SCOUPONline.com will be rewarding not only in monetary savings but in the ease and overall experience of our system. With hundreds of you having signed-up, we are anticipating our launch will happen very soon. Shortly before, we will send an to all registered users with your login information. To ensure receipt of this (& all daily deals), make sure to add: info@scouponline.com to your provider s safe sender list. For those of you not registered, we ask that you do so ASAP so that you too may be rewarded for early registration with $5.00 in SCOUPON bucks. Simply go to and sign up! For more information as a consumer or a business that would like to offer a SCOUPON, feel free to visit the site at: or contact us at: info@scouponline.com or call:

5 May 2011 Page 5 Mirasol Ocean Towers Hurricane Season is Here! As you may know, the start of the hurricane season is June 1st and it is to exercise your shutters. We have started a program to promote Unit Owners to exercise and oil their shutters in preparation for the hurricane season, with our assistance. Be Prepared.!Temporada de Huracanes Esta al Comenzar! Como bien pueden saber, la temporada de huracanes comienza el 1 de Junio. Este el momento oportuno para abrir y cerrar sus shutters. Hemos comenzado un programa para que ustedes ejerciten y engrasen sus shutters, con nuestra ayuda. Preparense. We Come To You! Your Personal IT Department Networks Same Day Service Great Rates PC/Mac Service & Repair Commercial/Residential Data Recovery Home Theater Installation KITCHEN & BATHROOM REMODELING specializing in condo and apartment interiors Jeff Diamond & Anthony Lasorsa Lic. CC#94B CGC Lasorsa Enterprises, Inc. Licensed & Insured General Contractor REMODELING INSTALLATIONS Kitchen / Bathroom New & Resurfaced Cabinets Cabinets / Vanities Custom Baseboards / Crown Moldings Granite / Marble / Mica Counter Tops Your Experienced Handyman 40 YEAR BUILDING CERTIFICATION SERVICE New Ceilings Popcorn Ceiling Removal Smooth Ceilings Ceramic Tile & Marble Installed Framing, Drywall & Finishes Plumbing & Electrical Service Mechanical Service Doors / Windows Mirror Installation visit our website: EST Serving Dade & Broward Counties Call Design & Management Services Custom Kitchens + Bathrooms OUR SPECIALTY No Job Too Small Free Estimates Service & Quality at Reasonable Prices Commercial & Residential 15% Off complete kitchen or bathroom remodeling 10% OFF Any Service Valid With Coupon. Not To Be Combined With Other Offers. Exp 7/31/2011 FLOOD FIRE WINDSTORM HURRICANE WATER DAMAGE ROOF LEAK VANDALISM Got Property Damage? Filing an Insurance Claim? CALL US BEFORE YOU FILE! The insurance company sends their own adjuster... YOU need representation to maximize your claim! THOUSANDS OF SATISFIED CLIENTS NATIONWIDE EXPERIENCED ADJUSTERS MILLIONS IN RECOVERED SETTLEMENTS ATTORNEY, MEDIATOR AND GC ON STAFF Commercial Residential Business Loss of Income Re-Open Old Claims Call today for a free consultation Professional Insurance Claim Representation Info@StellarAdjusting.com Fax: NE Miami Gardens Drive, Suite 100, Miami FL Lic. No. P We offer customized cleaning services to homes, apts. and offices. We also do cleaning for move in/out, carpet cleaning & more. FREE estimate! Persons submitting same agree to do so voluntarily. CGP is indemnified and held harmless from any and all liability arising out of such publication. Coastal Group Publications (305)

6 Page 6 Mirasol Ocean Towers May 2011 Q: How can an association collect monthly assessments from a bank-owned property? Donna: You collect them the same way you would collect dues from any other delinquent owner. If a bank does not voluntarily start paying assessments for property it owns in your community, you must send them a demand letter that complies with the applicable Statute(s) and then proceed with a lien and a foreclosure lawsuit if your demand for assessments goes unheeded. My firm has commenced foreclosure actions against several banks on behalf of our association clients. It s really a sad sign of the times when you have to start foreclosing on banks! Q: Can condominiums allow access for certain types of service deliveries deemed essential and restrict others deemed non-essential, such as pizza or newspaper delivery? Donna: Any board action must be reasonable and applied uniformly. Making a subjective determination as to which servicemen are essential and which are not can be problematic. I would suggest the way to allow convenience for the owners while still protecting the association is to have an indemnification and hold harmless agreement on file for each owner requesting to have delivery servicemen enter the community. Not allowing a pizza delivery seems overly harsh, might result PROPERTY MANAGEMENT Complete Property Management Services: Call us today! Collec ng rent services. Trust and escrow account services. Accoun ng monthly reports day no ce & evic on coordina on. Handle any problem which may arise on a responsive individual basis. We minimize the cost of repairs and maintenance using our extensive network of contractors, vendors, and handymen. Arranging any necessary maintenance such as u li es, gardening and pool services. We Speak Spanish & Portuguese in membership backlash and would probably not withstand a challenge in Florida courts. Donna DiMaggio Berger is Executive Director of the Community Advocacy Network ( and Managing Partner of the community association law firm of Katzman Garfinkel & Berger ( com). your questions to Donna today at AskDonna@kgblawfirm.com. pvillate@bestbeach.net Remember Wilma, Frances & Jeanne? Be Prepared... The 2011 tropical storm season in Florida kicks off June 1st... and it s never too early to prepare your community for the worst-case scenario of a direct hit by a major storm. Unfortunately, many condominium and homeowners' associations don t realize that most standard hurricane preparedness materials are not geared towards community association boards whose decision-making authority in preparing for and recovering from storm damage must be exercised in accordance with applicable Florida Statutes and the community s own governing documents. That includes having all insurance documentation in order before a storm, date stamping video and photography of the community and insisting on proper filing of any claim to ensure your community can recover all insurance monies owed to you. It is possible to avoid what happened to associations like the Monaco Beach Club in Naples after Hurricane Wilma in 2005 where owners were each burdened with $100,000-plus in special assessments for repairs their insurer should have covered. The members of that community have since filed a class action lawsuit against their board for an insurance claim gone horribly wrong. That s why the Law Firm of Katzman Garfinkel & Berger and its Community Advocacy Network have once again released the Hurricane Preparedness Guide for Community Associations as part of their Law and Learning Center Guidebook Series, available at no cost as a public service to your association. Download a free copy of the Hurricane Preparedness Guide for Community Associations from our website or call us toll free to learn more about how Katzman Garfinkel & Berger South Florida Office can help your community in its hurricane preparation and damage recovery efforts. KGBLawFirm.com Toll Free 855-KGB-FIRM CANFL.com Toll Free