2011 April
2011 April Vol. 9, No.4
Focus on...Landscaping & Lawn Care
Mark Your Calendar for Expo 2011
It’s time to turn our attention to The New Jersey Cooperator’s 2011 Condo, HOA & Co-op Expo, a must-attend event for the Garden State’s property managers, board members, real estate professionals, shareholders and
unit owners.
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Bountiful Harvest
The “greening” of condominium living is expanding to the landscape, where shared fruit and
vegetable gardens get residents involved and add beauty to the property. They’re not the Garden of Eden, but from small to large, they provide a bountiful
harvest year-round for the resident homeowners.
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Don't Bug Me
Forget about things that go 'bump!' in the night; anxiety over pest insects
plague any green thumb and can frustrate the newer gardener. Not only can ants,
grubs, and termites give you the willies, but they can also destroy property,
lawns and gardens – and the array of critters that landscapers and gardeners have to contend with
can be as numerous as the legs on a centipede.
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Is Grass Passé?
When most people think of landscaping, they think of shrubs, trees, meticulously
laid-out and maintained flowerbeds, and artful plantings scattered around a
building or development. Landscaping doesn’t end with growing things, however; hardscaping is a industry term coined to
describe non-plant-related landscaping; things like rock gardens, patios and
outdoor kitchens, walking paths, terraces, and decorative wall elements.
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Managing Capital Improvement Projects
Meet George Shelfliner, the fictitious owner of the fictitious Shelfliner
Remodeling, a company that (hasn’t really) been around for two decades. Shelfliner is working on a remodel of a
fictitious common room at the fictitious Friendly Estates condo association.
The (also fictitious) property manager of this small association hired
Shelfliner for the job, shook his hand, looked for him on-site each day, and
waited for the job to be completed in the promised one month’s time.
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Trees for All
Since its founding in 1972, on the centennial anniversary of the very first
Arbor Day, the Arbor Day Foundation (ADF) has been steadfast in its mission to
"plant, nurture, and celebrate trees."
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New & Improved
Almost a century ago, if you lived in The Ansonia, a residential hotel on
Manhattan’s Upper West Side, you would have had access to a variety of very interesting
amenities that make the screening rooms and tennis courts of today's condo
communities seem mundane by comparison. Ansonia residents lived in luxurious
apartments with multiple bedrooms, parlors, libraries, and formal dining rooms.
They enjoyed a central kitchen and serving kitchens on every floor, tea rooms,
restaurants, a grand ballroom, and Turkish baths—all in-house. Even more spectacularly, the building was home to a rooftop
menagerie that included a huge flock of chickens and ducks, some goats and a
small bear (yes, a bear). To top it all off, the grand lobby fountain came
complete with live seals.
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Going Rogue
There’s nothing worse than dealing with someone who has let power go to their head.
Just because someone is on the board of their building or HOA does not give
them the right to operate under a different set of rules from the rest of the
community. Preferential treatment for parking spots, flouting pet rules, and
fast-tracking one's own alteration projects are not only unethical, they're a
breach of fiduciary duty and downright toxic for the community as a whole.
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Money, Money, Money
From attorneys to contractors, every building and HOA has a list of various
professionals to work with to keep things running smoothly. One of the most
important of these professionals is the building’s accountant. One wrong calculation or missing component in a community’s finances can lead to angry residents, cash flow problems, even lawsuits. As a
manager, it’s important to know how to find a competent person to crunch those numbers, what
expectations you can hold for him or her, and how to get the most of your
relationship.
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New Legislation & Oversight for HOA Elections
On February 17, 2011, the New Jersey Legislature introduced a new bill to help
ensure fairness and accuracy in homeowners’ association elections. New Jersey Assembly Bill (A3802)—or its companion bill in the Senate (S1293)—sponsored in the Assembly by Reps. Nelson T. Albano, D-1, and Matthew W. Milam,
D-1, both representing Cape May, Millville and Vineland, addresses a number of
issues surrounding homeowners associations including recalling and removing HOA
officials, creating a governing board, election timing, voters’ eligibility and allowing for electronic voting. The bill is a significant move
towards achieving and establishing fair election procedures and a great move
forward for on
line voting for homeowners associations. Read More
