Grounds Committee Report for 2011 and 2012
RECAP OF WORK ACCOMPLISHED FOR 2012
- Dan Graff installed the Salt Water Pool System in September - much thanks to Tom Nicholson's expertise and knowledge of pools leading the way. Tom also saved the Association over 50% by purchasing the equipment at wholesale and installing the equipment in-house.
- Dan G. installed (3) Safety Ladders at the Boat Dock. Savings was realized through Tom Nicholson purchasing them at wholesale.
- New WP Awnings installed over our two entrances - adding protection to the residents from rain, as well as, adding beauty to the front of the building. Thanks to Rich Taddeo for his efforts in completing this task.
- Pressure washed Pool area and the entire front of the building.
- Replaced Emergency Lights throughout the building - By purchasing them ourselves and installing, we saved the Association in excess of $18,000.00. Thanks for Dan & Tom who installed in-house and Rich Taddeo's extensive research on finding the correct lighting.
- Found solution to the Roof Exhaust Fans and installed all new variable speed controllers along with testing & balancing. After a lot of effort from Rich Taddeo, the Association received a check in the amount of $3,694.00 from the contractor for their error. Again, the Association saved even more money by having Dan G. monitor the installation by our subcontractor then, performing the test and balance of the exhaust fans himself.
General Note: As you can see, a lot of work goes into maintaining our building by Dan Graff, Maintenance and Our Grounds Committee; Tom Nicholson & Rich Taddeo. They are a great team and are the ones responsible for making our building look so beautiful....Many Thanks and Appreciation to you guys!!
RECAP OF WORK ACCOMPLISHED FOR 2011
Item 1) HIRED NEW MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR FOR THE BUILDING....After numerous complaints from Unit Owners and dissatisfaction by various Board members over the past two years the Board decided to replace the maintenance supervisor. Several Board members, Debra Taddeo, Michael Frankum and Tom Nicholson, reviewed several applicants and a decision was made by the Board to hire Mr. Daniel Graff. Dan has come up to speed very quickly with the various operating systems in the building. Dan also has attended school for the Fire Protection System in the building.
Item 2) INSTALLED OBSERVATION CAMERAS IN THE BUILDING...As a direct result of the insurance savings noted below, it was finally decided that this year was the year to install observation cameras in the building. Tom Nicholson worked with Rich Taddeo in finding the right system for this building. Basically a wireless type digital system was installed which will allow us to easily increase additional cameras if they are ever required.
Item 3) LANDSCAPE WORK AROUND POOL AND AT GARAGE ENTRANCE...Dan Graff worked with the grounds committee to get a cost proposal to have landscaping done around the pool area and at the entrance to the garage. The cost appeared excessive so the Board had Dan purchased the plantings, mulch and stone and had Dan do the installation. This resulted in a cost savings to the Association of over $1,000.00 (50%). Great Job Dan!
Item 4) REPLACED THE GAS GRILL IN POOL AREA...A new Charbroil Grill and cover was purchased for the pool area.
Item 5) TWO NEW DOGGY STANDS AND SIGNS WERE PURCHASED AND INSTALLED IN FRONT OF WINDWARD PASSAGE....We now have Doggy Bags and Doggy Disposal Containers at each entrance to Windward Passage....Thanks to Tom and Dan
Item 6) HIRED NEW POOL CONTRACTOR....After Tom Nicholson and Dan Graff reviewed the subcontract with the current pool contractor it appeared that their monthly charges were excessive. They obtained proposals and reduced our pool expenses almost 50% monthly by having the new pool contractor included chemicals in their proposal in lieu of separate charges on a monthly basis.
Insurance Committee Report:
Item 1) REDUCTION IN PREMIUMS FOR FLOOD INSURANCE FOR WINDWARD PASSAGE RENEWING IN 2011
One of the most important accomplishments for the Board in 2011 was the reduction in insurance premiums for the annual Flood Insurance renewal. The committee worked on this for over 9 months investigating this situation and managed to obtain a new Flood Elevation Certificate for Windward Passage which changed the flood zone from AE/VE to AE. This resulted in the Annual Premiums being reduced from $180,000.00/year to $6,100.00/year going forward. This huge savings has allowed the Board to reduce the monthly HOA fees for every Unit Owner on average of over $250.00/month. This HOA fee reduction has also given Windward Passage some of the lowest HOA fee's in the Clearwater area which has created more sales in the building. Thanks to committee member Rich Taddeo for his perseverance after being told many times, this couldn't be done. He proved a lot of people wrong.
Item 2) REDUCTION OF PROPERTY AND LIABILITY INSURANCE PREMIUMS WHILE INCREASING COVERAGE'S STARTING IN 2012
The Property and General Liability Insurances for Windward Passage were reviewed by Rich and Debra Taddeo to try and reduce these annual premiums. After reviewing the previous policy it was noted that our coverage was lacking in several areas. It failed to meet the Appraised Value, which was a violation, which meant the building was under-insured. It also found that our carports were never insured. The Board voted to switch our coverage over to Ameri-Flood, where we not only added Windstorm coverage for the Fences and Carports, but we also added a much needed Umbrella Policy for an additional $15,000,000.00. This was all accomplished with a net overall savings of approximately $12,800.00 from the previous Agency's revised proposal.