River Place Owners’ Association
FINAL Minutes from the Board of Directors’ Monthly Meeting
Thursday, February 12, 2015 – 6:00 PM
In Attendance – Board of Directors
Robert Lesnick – President, South
Sara Shahade – Vice President, Parcel 5
Troy Dibley – Treasurer, North (via telephone at 6:58 p.m.)
M.J. Schmelzer – Director, East
Robert Turman – Secretary, North
Pat Fairman – Director, West
Janice Mays – Director, Parcel 5
Regrets – Board of Directors
Vikram Reddy – Director, Parcel 5
In Attendance – Property Management
Will Smith – General Manager
I.
Call to Order
A meeting of the River Place Owners’ Association Board of Directors convened on Thursday, February 12, 2015 inside
the South Building’s Party room. OA President Robert Lesnick called the meeting to order at 6:07 p.m.
II.
Approval of February 12, 2015 Meeting Agenda
MOTION: Ms. Schmelzer moved to approve the February 12, 2015 meeting agenda as presented. Ms. Mays
seconded, and the February 12, 2015 meeting agenda was unanimously approved by those Board members
present (6-0-0).
III.
Approval of January 8, 2015 Regular Board Meeting Minutes
Ms. Mays requested that “as Mr. Dibley had not yet joined the meeting” be removed from all motions, as Mr. Dibley is
not a voting member of the Board.
MOTION: Ms. Mays moved to approve the January 8, 2015 Regular Board Meeting minutes as amended. Mr.
Turman seconded, and the January 8, 2015 Regular Board Meeting minutes were unanimously approved by
those Board members present (4-0-2, with Ms. Fairman and Ms. Shahade abstaining).
IV.
Reports
A. President’s Report: Mr. Lesnick reported that long-time River Place resident Vincent Franco, who played the piano in
the lobby of the South Building, has passed away.
B. Managers’ Monthly Meeting: Mr. Smith reported he has been in touch with the River Place building managers. The
West Building is replacing their security doors. The South Building is installing new boilers. The East Building is
working on brick and façade work, elevator upgrades and looking into roof leaks; and the North Building has a new
chiller, new fire alarms and is updating their party room. The managers discussed possibly combining the sidewalk
repairs to be done throughout the property so that each building and the OA pays a portion of the bill.
ACTION: Mr. Smith will pursue the matter and update the OA Board.
V.
Board Approvals
A. Bids for Approval:
1. Renewal – Deep Blue Aquatics Pool Contract: Mr. Smith recommended renewing the contract with Deep Blue
Aquatics for a two-year pool contract for the 2015 and 2016 pool seasons. The 2015 pool season will last 108
days and cost of $46,350. The 2016 pool season will last 101 days and cost $44, 676 – an increase of $876 over
the previous year when taking the length of the pool season into consideration. Mr. Lesnick made a slight
adjustment to the contract’s wording.
MOTION: Ms. Mays moved to accept the two-year pool contract renewal with Deep Blue Aquatics.
Ms. Schmelzer seconded, and the contract was unanimously approved by those Board members present
(6-0-0).
2. Design of the Times Proposal: Mr. Smith recommended approval of the proposal from Design of the Times to
provide a new awning with cover and three new “Open/Closed” signs. The proposal includes removal of the
current awning; installation of the new awning; and installation on the three “Open/Closed” signs.
MOTION: Ms. Schmelzer moved to accept the proposal from Design of the Times in the amount of
$4,199.97. Ms. Shahade seconded, and the proposal was unanimously approved by those Board
members present (6-0-0).
VI.
Executive Session: The Board entered an Executive Session at 6:41 p.m. Mr. Dibley was called to enter the meeting at
6:58 p.m. The Executive Session was exited at 7:35 with the decision that, even though the land survey by Exacta was
unable to be completed, Monday Properties will still be approached regarding an agreement for the pathway design. In
the meantime, a new survey will be sought.
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FINAL Minutes from the Thursday, February 12, 2015 Board of Directors Meeting
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VII.
Project Reports
A. Management Report: Mr. Smith presented the following information:
1. The OA’s delinquency balance presently stands at $13,428.96.
2. There are currently 3,183 release and waiver forms on file for use of the entertainment center.
3. A fire occurred on February 6th in a 12th floor unit of the East Building. Fortunately, no one was hurt. The
North Building Manager was on the scene and both security and OA management met with him to discuss
the matter. The fire appeared to be an isolated incident and did not cause any damage to the common areas
of the building. The representative at Associated was contacted. However, Affiliated Insurance was not yet
placed on notice, as it appears to be an issue that will not affect the master policy.
4. Four new Kichler Mount Veron 191/2 high outdoor wall lights were installed around the commercial
properties, as well as four LED bulbs in the fixtures and two 30-watt LED flood lights – one near the
convenience store and another near the island in the front of the complex. This has improved the look and
quality of the lighting on the property. In the process of upgrading the property’s lighting, several lighting
issues were discovered that possibly pose safety hazards. Management is in the process of having them fixed.
These issues include bad ballasts, shorted wires and broken conduits. The property will continue to be
surveyed for potential issues and addressed in an expeditious manner.
5. In an effort to continue improving the upkeep of the property, C&L Contractors conducted a survey and
produced a new lighting map for the property. They were given the old map as a template. However, it was
very outdated and, in some ways, inaccurate. The new map is more detailed and provides a solid picture of
the fixtures relative to their conduits as well as their panel location. Hopefully this map will provide assistance
to all those who work in the OA going forward.
6. OA management has continued to keep the gymnasium in good working order. There was recently a problem
with one of the Matrix machines. Fitness Repairs came to the gymnasium and replaced the power cord and got
the machine in good working order. The water fountain has had issues and management is in the process of
repairing it.
7. There was an alarm set off in the MP Garage and water was sent out to part of the system. River Place
management, s e c u r i t y , and the engineer from the North Building were on the scene; and Stanley Security was
contacted to place the s ys tem on test mode until the issue was addressed. ATS Fire was called and
confirmed what RPOA and the North engineer had concluded – that a broken sprinkler head caused the system
to trip. The result was the freezing of six drip drums which were replaced. Management has continued to
drain the drip drums daily and have even re-reviewed the procedure with ATS. One other issue occurred with a
drip drum on the 3rd floor of the parking deck. As the drip drums are drained daily, it could only be concluded
– in conjunction with the opinion of ATS – that this particular drip drum was more susceptible to
consolidation. Management decided to have all the drums double checked on a daily basis with particular focus
on the 3rd level drip drum until the weather is less formidable.
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FINAL Minutes from the Thursday, February 12, 2015 Board of Directors Meeting
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8. The Board approved a proposal by Designs of the Times to provide replacement signage for some of the faded
signs within the property, as well as new signs near the garage entryways to make people aware of possible
security concerns in that area. As reported earlier during the Board meeting, these signs and canopies have
been installed and have made a noticeable improvement to the appearance of the property. The Board
approved of a new canopy and several vendor signs during the current meeting as noted in the “Bids for
Consideration” section of the minutes.
9. Management continues to work with Monday Properties and WJLA on a number of areas such as generators
and HVAC units that have needed to be replaced in the adjacent building. Thus far, vehicles have been moved
on a few occasions without incident so that the work could take place in a safe and effective manner. Flyers
were sent out in every occasion in addition to making an effort to contact them directly by phone. Rosslyn
Preparatory was contacted to ensure that the work – done in an area across from their school – would not
interfere with their program or their safety standards. Alternative parking was provided and coordinated with
security in every instance.
10. ValleyCrest pre-treated the complex during all periods of inclement weather, and the results so far have been
favorable. Additionally, the maintenance staff should also be given credit for coming in early to de-ice and
shovel the sideways and common pathways of the property.
11. It was discovered that part of the bench had partially collapsed in the steam room area. The area was closed off, and
estimates were requested from Monarc Construction and C&L Construction. The Board will be kept abreast
concerning this matter.
12. One of the residents broke the back gate on their way out of the property. Security was there to report the incident,
and the resident bought a gate replacement which was promptly placed within the gate mechanism.
13. As directed by the Board of Directors, in conjunction with approval from the owner of parking spot WP-228
which is adjacent to RPOA parking spot WP-229, the spaces have been switched. The maintenance equipment
is now kept in the new area, and a renter is parked in the OA’s old section. The move was mutually beneficial,
and the spots have been painted to reflect the change. After reaching out to an owner about another space
which management would like to change, it was found that the spaces may not be available for changing until
August 2015.
14. Fitness classes are set to launch on Saturday, February 28th. In preparation for this event, a number of
questionnaires have been placed throughout the buildings to generate interest, and gather opinions and
information. Water bottles and towels have been purchased with the River Place logo which will be given out
during the initial event. Yoga mats have been purchased for residents in order to help generate participation.
Refreshments will be provided, and flyers will be distributed to advertise the event once arrangements have been
finalized.
15. A car received some damage to its back end in the WP garage. The OA was contacted, and video copies were
made of the days that the vehicle owner believed the accident may have occurred. The videos were reviewed,
and the individual who rear-ended the vehicle was identified.
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FINAL Minutes from the Thursday, February 12, 2015 Board of Directors Meeting
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16. The staff has proven particularly adept in terms of getting the grounds clean in an expeditious manner after holidays
and throughout the year. During the current winter season, they have been available for work at very early hours and
have done a great job maintaining the property.
17. There are no further updates concerning the October 19th car break-in that occurred in the WP garage. A potential
suspect was investigated by the police, but was dismissed after some of his physical characteristics were found not to
match the perpetrator.
18. The initial design sketches for a new walkway have been completed. There are three design options to
choose from. Once a choice has been made, the designer will be contacted to initiate final designs for
the work.
19. Exacta Land Surveyors is no longer working on the property’s survey. According to Exacta, they have
looked at all records and concluded that they could not find enough information to conduct a valid survey.
OA Management has been in contact with the attorneys concerning this matter, and they are currently
looking to obtain a proposal for an alternate company. Mr. Smith will keep the Board posted concerning this
matter.
20. Associated Insurance is still on notice concerning a potential “slip and fall” that occurred in one of the
buildings. No further claims have been made.
21. The credit card machine is currently not in use.
(Mr. Turman exited the meeting at this juncture at 7:56 p.m.)
B. Treasurer’s Report – Troy Dibley:
1. The January 2015 financial statement will be released by the next Board meeting. The Board will then conduct a
three-quarters of the year review.
2. The Goldklang Group has made a recommendation to approve a specific resolution. Mr. Dibley will send the
resolution to the Board via email for review. A vote will then be taken concerning the resolution during the next
Board of Directors meeting.
3. Mr. Dibley reviewed the RPOA “Delegations of Authority” policy. The policy establishes delegations of
authority concerning contracts, projects, and unfunded expenditures, as well as personnel pay rate changes.
ACTION: The Board will consider the policy and follow up.
River Place Owners’ Association
FINAL Minutes from the Thursday, February 12, 2015 Board of Directors Meeting
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VIII.
Adjournment
With no other business brought forward, Ms. Shahade moved to adjourn the February 12, 2015 meeting of the River Place
Owners Association Board of Directors. Ms. Mays seconded, and the February meeting was officially adjourned at 8:20
p.m.
The Board of Directors will not hold a March Board meeting. Therefore, the next OA Board of Directors meeting will
occur on Thursday, April 2, 2015 at 6:00 p.m.
These minutes were respectfully drafted and submitted by:
www.ThePDService.com
Attested By:
Board Approval Date:
___________________________________________
Robert Turman, Secretary
River Place Owners Association Board of Directors
____________________________________________
River Place Owners’ Association
FINAL Minutes from the Thursday, February 12, 2015 Board of Directors Meeting
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