Success stories that we can apply as a community leader volunteer and professional manager are all too often hard to find. Sometimes we hear about a huge project highlighted by a top-rated contractor chronicling how the project got off the ground, then encountered and met various challenges to the satisfaction of all. Underpinning these successes is something a whole lot deeper that makes the relationships click and the special project or challenge turn to success. We’ll briefly explore three “success stories” and focus on what was common to each positive outcome. These examples include a pool replacement more than 30-stories up, a complete re- skinning of a condominium building, and the troubled community which succeeded in remediating defects in new construction.
The first “success story” started with the apparent need to install a swimming pool liner. The swimming pool was located more than 30-stories up inside a high-rise tower. Replacement of the entire pool was thought to be out of the question because of its location. Instead, installation of a liner seemed to be the best option. The professional manager suggested that the board form a committee to assist with guiding the community to getting the job “done right.” The association had the good fortune of a dedicated community manager who had been with the property for many years, an active board, and a dedicated volunteer committee. Having a committee means more eyes and brains on the problem. In a sense, these three parties or groups (manager, board, and committee) worked to: 1) define the goal, 2) define the problem and 3) work toward defining and implementing a solution to meet the end goal. Working together, the manager used prior expertise in understanding the difference between credible estimates compared to anticipated cost in the proposed project. The board gathered a tremendous amount of data and the management team evaluated the information with the project committee. The three groups never lost sight of the final goal. From start to finish, the professional manager worked to identify and build consensus among the stakeholders. The goal was to replace the function of the existing pool with a long-term solution which resulted in the lowest lifecycle cost of ownership for the foreseeable future. The management team organized information from contractors and compared these data to independent information contained within the reserve study. The committee gathered detailed information from contractors and their proposals. The board listened intently and evaluated all of the information without rushing the decision. Replacement of the entire swimming pool, rather than repair, became the best solution. The final solution, as often is the case, was not the anticipated course of action suggested at the outset.
Another community association located in Colorado comprised 10 units in one building, 3-stories high. Construction dated to the 1980s and the building lacked an elevator. To make matters worse, the community
was at a crossroads. Thirty years old and faced with huge expenditures, deferred maintenance, and the real potential of turning completely into a rental income property, the ten unit owners embarked on a decision- making process with the help of a management team which would secure that community’s future for decades to come. They realized the building, needed a serious facelift. Old T-1-11 plywood siding and the second lifecycle of asphalt shingles were typical of other residential buildings being torn down and re-purposed for other uses. Even with ten owners, the group was not homogenous with respect to age, long term thinking, commitment or wealth. Some could afford a huge special assessment while others did not want anything to do with the renovation. The association was fortunately blessed with a strong management team, a three member board and other volunteers who worked to build consensus over three years before the start of the project. Owing to the relatively small size of the association, the management team was typically involved in the financial affairs of the association: collections, payables, and routine financial statements. However, a strong long-term relationship underpinned the need to find alternative methods to fund the project lacking any
1) define the goal
2) define the problem 3) work toward defining and implementing a solution to meet the end goal.
significant reserves. With the ten owners understanding that different sources of funding were possible, consensus resulted in the need to renovate the entire building envelope. With this consensus, the group of owners agreed to replace the entire exterior, doors, windows, plywood siding, the roof system, install an elevator, and replace the exterior balconies and porches. Options for financing the funding of replacements included: 1) special assessment, 2) community association loan, and 3) individual home equity loans. In fact, combinations of all three options were used by the homeowners. Eighteen months passed and the building took on a new character. What didn’t change was the location, just steps from the gondola leading up to the ski lifts.
The last example is a 16-unit duplex, townhome-style condominium overlooking a medium sized downtown area with high-rises. Rather than mountains and the view, these homes had a beautiful downtown within walking distance and were located in a decidedly quiet residential neighborhood. The problem: major defects in the stucco application on these 4-story buildings. I don’t have to tell you that unless you have at least six or seven figures
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