BOARD of directors meeting august 7, 2021
DRAFT
San Francisco Suites
Board of Directors’ Open Meeting
August 7, 2021
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I. Call to Order
President Bellah called the meeting to order at 11:03 AM. The meeting was held online via Zoom.
II. Roll Call
Board Directors present:
Geoffrey Bellah, President
Jo Ann Trembath, Vice-President
Jeff Reichel, Treasurer
Linda Banner, Secretary
Chuck Meibeyer, Member-at-Large
Others present:
Cynthia Reid, General Manager
Fred Munroe, owner
Sue Jocelyn, owner
III. Owners Forum
Fred Munroe suggested reviving the Owners Bulletin Board at the Suites’ Website to allow for and improve opportunities for members of the Association to share information about the Suites. Sue Jocelyn mentioned that she enjoys the Zoom meetings.
IV. President’s Report
President Bellah reported that the city seems more lively and “normal” than a few months earlier, with more businesses open, pedestrians strolling, and cable cars running. Even so, the city and county of San Francisco have imposed a new mandate requiring indoor masking and social distancing in response to the increase in Covid cases from the Delta variant. That means the cancelation, once again, of the afternoon wine and cheese service and the reimposition of safety protocols at the Suites.
V. Approval of Minutes
The minutes from the June 19, 2021, meeting was approved unanimously, following Trembath’s motion and Jeff’s second. President Bellah thanked Secretary Banner for her excellent work.
VI. Treasurer’s Report
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A. The Association’s future finances remain in flux because of the consequences of this year’s shutdown due to Covid, with a higher number of non-productive Association-owned shares in the inventory, mostly due to deed backs. These shares will need to be sold, or at the very least adopted, in order for the Association to meet its annual budgeting needs.
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B. Borrowing from the Reserve fund to pay for unanticipated maintenance and repairs is acceptable if the money is returned from the following year’s assessment. 2021’s high legal expenses because of the Bylaws election will probably not be repeated in 2022.
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C. All in all, the Association remains is good financial condition, and the deferred Reserve payment from 2020 will be deposited by the end of this year.
VII. General Manager’s Report
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A. The Association currently owns 29 parlor shares. Of these, 13 were adopted in July, with 4 adopters promising to purchase them; 3 were sold in the recent Board of Directors’ Auction; and the remaining 13 will be available for adoption or sale in the fall.
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B. Seven owners have not paid their 2021 assessment and their shares will move toward foreclosure. The VOTA Auction of these shares (3 Masters and 4 Parlors) will be held in December.
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C. There have been 7 deed backs so far in 2021.
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D. The Reserve Study for 2021 has been completed and delivered.
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E. The parquet floors in several suites’ kitchens have buckled and are needing replacement, at $5,000 per floor. The buckling is due to age, with the adhesive drying out.
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F. Paint touch-ups are being scheduled for all suites.
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G. The annual fire sprinkler inspection has been completed.
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H. The boiler has been inspected and a small repair was done.
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I. The chandelier in suite 31 was balanced and rehung.
J. The Employee of the Quarter is Tony Verastegui.
Old Business
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A. Indoor masking and social distancing are again required at the Suites due to the surge in Covid infection rates. Moreover, the Board Room is not available for rentals. The afternoon wine and cheese in the lobby is cancelled. Instead, guests are encouraged to bring their wine and cheese selections to enjoy in their own suites.
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B. The Board unanimously passed a motion to change the Rules and Regulations prohibiting the storage of bicycles and other personal vehicles at the Suites. Trembath offered the motion and Meibeyer seconded it. President Bellah will revise the new rule to eliminate the vague term “recreational vehicle.”
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C. The Adopt-a-Share will be held in September.
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D. Mark Leahy, the Suites’ gardener, and florist will replace the plants on the roof for $2400. He has also proposed quarterly visits to the roof to maintain the garden at $60 per visit.
New Business
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A. A draft of the 2022 budget has been presented to the Board, for approval at the November meeting. It includes a 6% increase in Operations and a 5% increase in Reserves. (In 2021 the increased were 5% respectively for both.) The proposed annual assessment for 2022 would be $1453, an $80 increase over 2021.
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B. Bonus Time rate increases were approved unanimously by the Board, with Trembath making the motion and Reichel seconding it. The new nightly rate for Parlors will be $140, and for Masters $160.
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C. Bill Patterson, our webmaster is updating the website and needs to move the site to a new host. In order to do this, the sfsuitescsa.com domain needs to be attached to the General Manager’s email at creidgm@sfsuitescsa.com.
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D. The Board unanimously approved Manager Reid’s request to post sales of Association-owned shares at various online sites, i.e., Redweek, Craigslist, tug2.net, and eBay, with Meibeyer introducing the motion, and Trembath seconding it. In approving it, the Board emphasized the importance of selling shares over adopting them; and authorized Reid to hold a special sale of Association-owned parlor shares for $1 a share, not including closing costs. To further the appeal of these shares, the Board proposed seeking to reduce the high cost of escrow and eliminating the requirement to purchase title insurance. (Of course, escrow will still include a preliminary title search, which may or may not uncover any liens or other problems with the title.) Member Meibeyer agreed to create a form which would allow new owners to opt out of title insurance.
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Forward Planning
The long-anticipated Board Room remodel, window blinds replacement, and new lobby wallpaper projects are deferred until 2022.
Adjournment
President Bellah adjourned the meeting at 12:45 PM, following a motion by Trembath, seconded by Reichel, which passed unanimously.