The Colonies Finances: Incompetently 'Managed'

Happy Autumn!

The morning of Wednesday, August 29, 2012, I received an email with a copy of the following announcement attached (to be the first of three meetings):

Never in the history of The Colonies could co-owners owning units back to as early as 1980 recall this practice EVER being done. A pro-active co-owner took the initiative to notify co-owners via The Colonies Connection Google Group forum then numerous emails followed. Some (obvious) factors to consider about this 'sudden' change of practice and statements sent are as follows:

- One Day notice of the first meeting to co-owners was hardly enough time to get anyone who had wished to attend be made aware of the meeting, particularly Colonies investor owners who live locally

- Holding the first meeting the night before a holiday weekend commenced ensured for the esteemed Colonies Finance & Insurance (F&I) Committee and Management an even lower co-owner attendance turnout

- One Co-Owner queried to me 'Board should be directing management' and not the reverse as appears evident here; Management giving the F&I Committee the numbers to 'run with' seems the logical route

- One person stated since there had been a slight change in Board Members in recent years including the addition of an Attorney could be the reason the notice was posted

- e-Mail message from Colonies Board of Directors President Brown to 80-member The Colonies Town Hall Google Group forum

From: coloniesboard@gmail.com
To: the-colonies-townhall@googlegroups.com
Sent: 8/29/2012 4:17:18 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: 2013 Budget Preparation

Hi All,

There seems to be some confusion over a scheduled meeting of the
budget committee tomorrow night, with at least one resident urging
others to attend to provide input and share their views. Tomorrow
night's meeting is for the budget committee to begin work in putting
together a draft budget. Although as with all committee meetings it
must be open to residents, this is a working meeting to start
preparing the budget.

There WILL NOT will be an opportunity for observers to comment or
provide input. If you have comments that you wish to share with the
committee, please put them in writing and send them to the office to
the attention of committee chairman Bruce Freitas for consideration.
In keeping with Virginia law, we will hold an open budget meeting
where resident comments are solicited and welcome. We will advertise
this meeting well in advance so that owners can make plans to attend.
Only after input from the residents will the board make a final
decision on the budget.

Best wishes & please have a happy and safe Labor Day Weekend!

Carol B. Brown
President

President Brown sending this message to the 80-member forum vs. also including the 177 member The Colonies Connection Google Group forum is priceless (so much for 'transparency' and communication the Board purports to be a priority). The Colonies Crier Newsletter for the months of June, July, August and September did not mention the 2013 budget preparation being in progress let alone submitting input. It is refreshing reading The Rotonda Rostrum as they actually list the names of the committee members for each of their committees whereas The Colonies does not (only exception is the Nominating and the Elections but that is done at the last minute). What is the fear of telling the co-owners who the members of the F&I Committee are (these people are after all the ones deciding on 'our financial future')?

Based on his demeanor at previous years' Annual Budget Hearing Meetings and the recent 'budget committee working meetings', F&I Chairman Freitas (Colonies co-owner since 1989 and ALSO a co-owner at The Rotonda since December 2009) is an angry man (his retort at the October 2010 Annual Budget Hearing to co-owner complaints at the $20 monthly condo assessment increase was that $100 was proposed).

Highlights of these 'working budget committee' meetings held Thursday, August 30, 2012 and Thursday, September 6, 2012 include:

- Topic of standard of living level The Colonies community is at presently was raised; esteemed Chairman Bruce Freitas gave the analogy of a car and said he thought The Colonies to be a mid-sized sedan

- 3% pay raise for staff; outrageous amount because the average civilian increase for the 12-month period ending June 30 per the Bureau of Labor Statistics was 1.7% (the salary increase for the 2012 Colonies budget was 2%)

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/eci.nr0.htm

- Move-In base fee to be increased to $150 (a 50% increase from the current $100 rate); increasing the fees to $125 for move-in's occurring during the week and $200 for Saturday move-in's would be more reasonable/practical

- No Eagle Security personnel were present at the meeting deemed surprising by some co-owners present given they are present at EVERY Board Meeting, Annual Meeting and Budget Hearing (2012 budgeted amount for Contracted Security was $318,000)

- The Uniform Rental contract expenses was actually discussed (2012 budgeted amount was $14,000); a consideration to reduce this gross expense is to have the employees wear Dickies style pants and polo shirts with The Colonies logo would be far less expensive (it should be noted a co-owner raised the issue of the high cost of uniforms at the October 2011 Budget Hearing) and one female member of the F&I Committee proclaimed ‘Colonies employees may quit if they not have their uniforms’. Scary thought if we have someone like her having a say on how our money is being spent but then we live in a community where our Treasurer works in the Office Part Time and that is a conflict of interest!!
http://www.amazon.com/Dickies-Mens-Relaxed-Straight-Cargo/dp/B008HF8NL8/ref=pd_sbs_a_23

- Those participating in the meeting came unprepared, notably Property Manager McCracken

- The third meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, October 2, 2012 is a mere 15 days before the Annual Budget Hearing Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, October 17, 2012. The subsequent Annual Budget Hearing letter sent to all co-owners will hardly be received by many with truly ample notice to make arrangements to attend (yes, the date was listed in the October edition of The Colonies Crier but some's decision to attend the Budget Hearing may be contingent upon the content of the 2013 budget and/or the 2013 monthly condo fee).

Fellow co-owners, reality is going to bite us all when the Annual Budget Hearing Notice letter is sent announcing the Budget Hearing and the 2013 monthly condo fee rate. The 2013 'increase' could be one or possibly a combination of the following:

- Nominal monthly increase of $5 or $15 to raise co-owner confidence after last year’s increase (funnily enough, the F&I Members had to be set straight as to the amount of last year’s $30/month increase by co-owners present at the second meeting)

- Hefty increase in monthly condo assessment fees (current rate is $510/month and the increase was $30/month from the previous year)

- Special Assessment charged; per Article IX (Fiscal Management) Section 5 of The Colonies Bylaws, The Board of Directors may levy in any assessment year - a special assessment or assessments, applicable to that year only, for the purpose of defraying, in whole or in part, the cost of any construction or reconstruction, unexpected repair or replacement of a described capital improvement located upon the Condominium, including the necessary fixtures and personal property related thereto, or for such other purpose as the Board of Directors may consider appropriate, provided that any such assessment which is designed for the purpose of new construction or expanding or enlarging any existing capital improvement shall first have the approval in writing of not less than a majority of the co-owners entitled to cast votes. A special assessment shall become effective and it shall be due after thirty (30) days’ notice in such manner as the Board of Directors may direct.

It is time for us as co-owners to band together and stop lining the pockets of Management! We should live in a community where the Board of Directors directs Management (the Smoking Petition co-owners were forced to circulate speaks for itself). Board President Brown sent the following email to The Colonies Town Hall Google Group Forum members as a way to further justify the 3% pay raises (they are doing their job) and the timing is to coincide with the Budget Hearing Notice Letter we co-owners will all be receiving soon:

From: coloniesboard@gmail.com
To: the-colonies-townhall@googlegroups.com
Sent: 9/11/2012 5:11:54 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: Kudos to our staff

Kudos to the Colonies staff, particularly groundskeeper Julio and this
team, who through their own ingenuity and hard work, recently saved
the co-owners thousands of dollars. During the last board of
directors meeting we discussed a couple of bids for about $8,000 from
companies proposing to remove the unsightly tree stumps from our
property. We decided to postpone a decision to seek alternative and
less costly solutions.

When Julio returned from his leave a few weeks ago, he and his team
immediately set out to cut back much of the overgrowth of weeds that
threatened to take over. After making great strides in cleaning up
the property, Julio rented equipment that allowed them to drill out 19
stumps in two days. Then they seeded the stump areas and covered them
with straw. Since these are our staff groundskeepers, the only
additional costs were approximately $2,000 for the equipment and
materials.

Thanks guys! We appreciate your hard work and efforts to help us cut
costs.

Carol B. Brown
President

The holiday season will soon be upon us. Today is Saturday, September 29, 2012;

- Hannukkah starts Saturday, December 8, 2012 - 70 days away

- Christmas: Tuesday, December 25, 2012 - 87 days remaining

All I want for the holidays are those Board Member and Management/Administration resignations!



As The Colonies Community Smoke Burns and Burns and...

Summer is upon us at The Colonies and it is usually such a wonderful time of year but it is such a shame seeing what the community is being reduced to!

1.   The Smoke smelling Administration Building (7681 Provincial Drive) to the point many people avoid it at all costs

2.   The Cat in the Administrative Office (simply loved being told of no signs warning anyone entering office especially given as much as 30% of the population could be affected by cat allergies as per the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA)

Should ANY co-owner really be surprised at Management's blatant disregard for who they ACTUALLY work for (The Council of Co-Owners of the Colonies Condominium at McLean which ALL Colonies co-owners are automatically members upon taking title to their unit as per Colonies Bylaw Article I Section 3)?  It should be noted the Administrative Staff also includes Colonies Board of Directors Treasurer Kathleen Kelleher (conflict of interest cannot be any more brazen given Treasurer roles responsibility also includes Budget Preparation, detailed below but then the Board of Directors has yet to prove to the co-owners they are not serving their own agendas and continuing to appease the management staff).  Some Colonies Bylaws for your reference:

-     Treasurer (Article V Section 7): The Treasurer shall have the responsibility for the Council of Co-Owners's funds and securities and shall be responsible for keeping full and accurate financial records and books of account showing all receipts and disbursements, for preparing all required financial statements and tax returns, and for the deposit of all monies and other valuable effects in the name of the Council of Co-Owners in such depositories as may from time to time be designated by the Board of Directors.  The Treasurer shall be responsible for the preparation of the budget as provided below.

-    The Budget (Article IX Section 2):  The Board of Directors shall prepare and adopt a budget for each calendar year that shall include estimated costs of operating the Condominium project and services furnished as well as to fund all reserves established by the Board of Directors.

3.   WAKE UP Fellow Co-Owners - The Colonies community is now a HUD community!  Effective July 30, 2012, Unit 4-304, a 1 Bedroom 855 square foot B-unit was sold to The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (c/o Property Disposition/ Acquisition) for $220,156.  The unit had been in foreclosure since April 2011.

- Fairfax County Real Estate Tax Record

There have been foreclosures in The Colonies but a review of the sales history of each of the 459 Colonies unit in the Fairfax County Real Estate Assessment Information Site has never had a unit 'owned' by HUD since three units in December 1999 (05-215, 09-107 and 10-212) and one unit (07-110) owned by the Department of Veteran's Affairs in June 1999.  Difference between Foreclosures and HUD homes are explained here.

The smoking in the Administration building prompted many co-owners to circulate a web-accessible Petition to Ban Smoking in the Administrative Offices at The Colonies of McLean to all Colonies Co-Owners and Residents throughout the community.  The Administration office is the first location many encounter when coming to The Colonies and the smell of smoke in the office does not leave a favorable impression of The Colonies community to visitors and vendors let alone prospective purchasers.  Some thoughts to consider and observations:

-       Calls to John Yetman Fairfax County Environmental Health Supervisor to complain about the smoke in the Administration Building and more importantly see what courses of action could be taken against The Colonies resulted in learning that not only had many complaints been received BUT complainers have included Real Estate Agents who made it known they will not show Colonies units (easily verifiable)

-       Potential of current employees, many of whom have worked for The Colonies long term (exceeding 15 years), to file lawsuits in the future after having endured second-hand smoke exposure in the workplace so many years (Board's retort to that suggestion was 'our employees would never do that')

-    The Board of Directors is incapable of BASIC READING COMPREHENSION based on the statement in the August 2012 edition of The Colonies Crier in response to The Petition to Ban Smoking in the Administrative Offices at The Colonies of McLean being circulated throughout the community which stated:

Request that the Board facilitate the anonymous petition being circulated to ban smoking in administrative offices and clubhouse. This petition is NOT an official Colonies' or Board survey, and many calls have been received by the office complaining about the anonymous petition. The Board has already stated that since the issue was first promoted by some as a personal attack on the Colonies' General Manager, disguised as a public health issue, there is no substantive reason to change our smoking regulations.  Currently there is no smoking in the public areas of the office; it is only permitted in private offices. Further, it should be noted that a large percentage of clubhouse renters smoke and considerable income would likely be lost if smoking was banned there. Enforcement of a ban on smoking at private parties in the clubhouse would be extremely difficult.  The Board President pointed out that there are many more serious issues that currently need the attention of the board and co-owners.

-    Petition is for Administrative Offices and NOT the Clubhouse (many co-owners would like to see smoking banned there too as well as the pool area)

-    Most places (workplace and social/dining) do NOT tolerate smoking.  The Colonies and namely the Board and General Manager needs to get with the times!

-    The Colonies Crier writer forgets that Colonies Board of Directors Vice President Pollak raised the issue of eliminating smoking in the Administrative offices at the January 2012 Board Meeting

-    It is most hypocritical for Board Member Gallagher to be opposed to the petition with her working at the National Library of Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of HEALTH

-    Enforcing No Smoking in the clubhouse would be difficult??  Start by removing ashtrays, replacing the carpet and furniture and placing tasteful ‘No Smoking’ plaques throughout and those utilizing the Clubhouse would know the policy changed (a fine structure for violators could make for some income too – not sure what category it would fall under but easy enough to work out)

 

I receive email messages and a question posed to me by one person was 'What will it take for you to go away and deactivate this blog?'

This is viewed by many as an interesting forum because the opinions and views expressed are not just by one individual but also by co-owners who have provided feedback.  To answer the question, three CURRENT members of the Board in Officer Roles to resign and a complete reorganization of Management/Administration would need to occur before I would take down this blog.  Colonies Co-Owners not only need to have their voices heard but to live in a democracy vs. a dictatorship!
 

In closing, a vocabulary lesson for the inept Colonies Board of Directors Members (and thoughts to fellow co-owners of the community by which we are ruled):

-    Democracy: Government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system

-    Dictatorship: Form of government in which absolute power is concentrated by a dictator or a small clique

-    Totalitarianism:  Centralized government that does not tolerate parties of differing opinion and that exercises dictatorial control over many aspects of life

The Colonies Board of Directors members should actually adhere to Colonies Policy Resolution I-B-14 Code of Ethics (copy of statement each Board of Director member is believed to sign upon being elected to Office is attached) as that alone would make all the difference in this community (agreeing to promote harmony within community and keeping co-owners informed as to The Colonies business and to counter all attempts to mislead co-owners).

Enjoy the remaining weeks of Summer!

The Colonies Management: A Comedy of Errors in Derecho's Aftermath

Happy July Everyone!

Hope everyone managed to successfully weather the recent storm.  The Colonies, specifically Management, as usual, came up far short in basic management principles when our community was in crisis mode (the contracted Security staff was the exception, with their limited resources, did the best they could to address issues that arose).  Personal observations and feedback received from co-owners and residents include:

-       Not one person of The Colonies Management staff was seen on property the day after the storm, particularly Property Manager McCracken, Operations Manager D Smith and General Manager Carlton

-       Two maintenance staff employees were seen Saturday on multiple occasions sitting on the steps by the side entrance of the smoke-filled Administration building vs. cleaning up the debris, notably the tree blocking the entrance to building 5, hindering any emergency crews needing access to the building

-       General Manager Carlton had an opportunity presented to her Saturday morning when Security was approached by a long-term Colonies resident concerned for older residents with health concerns suffering with no electricity to open the clubhouse’s then very cool lower-level lounge room as a ‘cooling center’ to escape the insufferable heat and when called, Her response was NO because there were not any cameras!  There were no operational cameras anywhere because there was not any electricity!  A stupid response but then The Colonies chain-smoking General Manager has been likened by one co-owner to the One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest’s cold, heartless tyrant Nurse Ratched character; Nurse Ratched is all about power as is Carlton, the corrupting influence of power and authority over The Colonies Board of Directors! 

-       The community is in the middle of a crisis for days and the esteemed Board of Directors President, Brown who purports ‘transparency’ only posts messages/updates to the 73-member Board run Colonies Town Hall Google Group vs. also including the 177-member co-owner run Colonies Connection Google Group; some of the update postings are as follows:

From: coloniesboard@gmail.com
To: the-colonies-townhall@googlegroups.com
Sent: 7/1/2012 2:27:09 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: Falls Church Water Advisory

From: coloniesboard@gmail.com
To: the-colonies-townhall@googlegroups.com
Sent: 7/2/2012 4:38:39 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: Message from Fairfax County

From: coloniesboard@gmail.com
To: the-colonies-townhall@googlegroups.com
Sent: 7/4/2012 3:45:54 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: Re: Cox is Still Down

From: coloniesboard@gmail.com
To: the-colonies-townhall@googlegroups.com
Sent: 7/5/2012 8:30:33 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: Cox Has Crashed Again

            It is hypocritical for her to ever claim transparency!  Times of crisis such as that the area endured this past weekend is when one puts their differences aside.

-       Generators in three (3) buildings were not functioning at the onset of the storm Friday evening.  They had not been inspected/refilled with propane and hurricane season had officially started June 1.  Completely unacceptable!  Other buildings had some relief in hallways with emergency lights and, were cooler.

Fellow co-owners, it is clear The Colonies Management is incompetent based on the recent post-storm performance.  Management, at a minimum, should have been on property immediately after the storm the next morning to assess damages.  The time has come to reassess our community being self-managed vs. enlisting the services of a Property Management Company.  It should be noted about the following local communities:

-       The Rotonda, a self-managed community, was NEVER without power and their staff was onsite Saturday after the storm 

-       The Gates of McLean, a professionally managed community, had power restored at approximately 3:00 PM Sunday but their staff was onsite during the weekend to address post-storm issues

It is apparent with the following budgeted amounts concerning salaries that Colonies co-owners are NOT getting their value with the amount spent per unit each month on assessment fees (2012 budgeted figures):

-       Amount to be spent on all wage and salary expenses (not including the $318,000 Security contract for Eagle Security) is $1,028,895 (44.64% of 2012’s total projected operating expense amount of $2,304,872)

-       Administrative Salaries amount is $230,010 (22.36% of all wages; 9.98% of total expenses)

Co-Owners have rights to salary information per § 55-79.74:1 Books, minutes and records; inspection of the Virginia Condominium Act:

B. Subject to the provisions of subsection C, all books and records kept by or on behalf of the unit owners' association, including, but not limited to, the unit owners' association membership list, addresses and aggregate salary information of unit owners' association employees, shall be available for examination and copying by a unit owner in good standing or his authorized agent so long as the request is for a proper purpose related to his membership in the unit owners' association, and not for pecuniary gain or commercial solicitation. This right of examination shall exist without reference to the duration of membership and may be exercised (i) only during reasonable business hours or at a mutually convenient time and location and (ii) upon five days' written notice reasonably identifying the purpose for the request and the specific books and records of the unit owners' association requested.

C. Books and records kept by or on behalf of a unit owners' association may be withheld from examination or copying by unit owners and contract purchasers to the extent that they are drafts not yet incorporated into the unit owners' association's books and records or if such books and records concern:

1. Personnel matters relating to specific, identified persons or a person's medical records;

2. Contracts, leases, and other commercial transactions to purchase or provide goods or services, currently in or under negotiation;

3. Pending or probable litigation. Probable litigation means those instances where there has been a specific threat of litigation from a party or the legal counsel of a party;

4. Matters involving state or local administrative or other formal proceedings before a government tribunal for enforcement of the condominium instruments or rules and regulations promulgated by the executive organ;

5. Communications with legal counsel which relates to subdivisions 1 through 4 or which is protected by the attorney-client privilege or the attorney work product doctrine;

6. Disclosure of information in violation of law;

7. Meeting minutes or other confidential records of an executive session of the executive organ held pursuant to subsection C of § 55-79.75;

8. Documentation, correspondence or management or executive organ reports compiled for or on behalf of the unit owners' association or the executive organ by its agents or committees for consideration by the executive organ in executive session; or

9. Individual unit owner or member files, other than those of the requesting unit owner, including any individual unit owner's files kept by or on behalf of the unit owners' association.

Please attend the next Board Meeting Wednesday, July 11, 2012 at The Colonies Clubhouse at 7:00 PM and speak up about these issues.  Additionally, if you have not already, please sign the Petition to Ban Smoking in the Administration Building, revising Policy Resolution I-B-17 Smoking in Common Elements.  The online petition may be accessed at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDYtdk9JZVJGbkk1Q292RHVyNFRWZWc6MA or you may send an email to thecoloniesmclean@gmail.com to request a copy of the Petition and the Policy Resolution. 

Only trying to effect positive change for our community!  Please help to bring about positive change!

Updates and the Petition to Ban Smoking is OUT!

Having received the audio of the Annual Meeting, it was most disappointing the incumbent Board Members were re-elected; a most pleasant surprise were candidates from the 2011 election receiving votes Basile and Martin and a third person receiving a vote Ferraras - none of whom were on this year's ballot. Another highlight was Board President Brown's response to co-owners who inquired why the Board did not appoint any of the petition candidates who fared so well during last year's election to any of the 3 vacancies that have occurred with the resignations of previous Board Members (Devine, President Lauricella and Natividad) this past year was that The Colonies Board of Directors only wants people they get along with!! No diversification on that board is allowed!  Hopefully one of the newer board members Crane (an Attorney; http://www.hoganlovells.com/tj-crane/) knows what he is getting into with that crowd!

Some information – Did you know that July 1, 2012, co-owners will have the right to request salary information?  VA Condominium Act § 55-79.74:1. (Effective July 1, 2012) states as follows:

All books and records kept by or on behalf of the unit owners' association, including, but not limited to, the unit owners' association membership list, addresses and aggregate salary information of unit owners' association employees, shall be available for examination and copying by a unit owner in good standing or his authorized agent so long as the request is for a proper purpose related to his membership in the unit owners' association, and not for pecuniary gain or commercial solicitation.

As previously reported, a motion to amend Policy Resolution I-B-17 Smoking in the Common Elements, was raised at the January Board Meeting by Colonies Board Vice President Pollak.  The motion was voted on at the March Board meeting and all members except Pollak voted against amending the resolution by not seconding the motion.  Oddly enough, Board Member Gallagher works as a Computer Programmer at the National Library of Medicine so her not seconding that motion could not be any more hypocritical but then many co-owners have surmised that trait must have qualified her to be appointed to the Board aside from the living in the Board Member Frat Building (Building 6 where 4 of 7 members own).

The message and link to the petition containing Policy Resolution I-B-17 sent via email is as follows:

From: thecoloniesmclean@gmail.com
Reply-to: dominicbasile@gmail.com
To: thecoloniesmclean@gmail.com
Sent: 6/16/2012 2:31:34 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: ACTION REQUESTED: Petition to Ban Smoking in the Administrative Office at The Colonies of McLean

Hello Fellow Co-Owners,

Below you will find a link to a petition to prohibit smoking in the administrative offices of The Colonies of McLean.

For years co-owners have been asking for the Board to ban smoking in the administrative office, yet to date the Board has taken no action. Second hand smoke is toxic and has been proven to cause disease, disability, and death. Our administrative office should be maintained as a healthy non-toxic environment that is welcoming to everyone. It’s time our administrative office is smoke-free. Co-owners, residents, employees, realtors, vendors, prospective buyers, and guests should not have to be confronted with the distasteful smell, health hazards, and the negative impression it places on our community. Please vote via the petition on whether we should/should not revise the existing Colonies Smoking Policy I-B-17 (attached).

We are confident the results will clearly illustrate that co-owners feel smoking in the administrative offices should be banned. The petition, which can be completed in less than a minute, will be presented to the Board within the next few weeks. Upon presentation of this petition we hope the board will realize this is not merely the desire of a select few but rather the desire of most co-owners. In turn, we expect the Board to act appropriately, taking the necessary steps to execute the wishes of the co-owners whom they represent.

We acknowledge there is a significant number of owners that do not have access to email. If you know of such a person please let us know via thecoloniesmclean@gmail.com and we will hand deliver a copy of the petition and policy. Also, for privacy reasons the email distro list is undisclosed but please feel free to forward this email on to any other co-owners/residents. If you have any questions, concerns, or comments please email thecoloniesmclean@gmail.com.

Thank you for your time in helping to move this initiative forward.

I've invited you to fill out the form Petition to Ban Smoking in the Administrative Offices at The Colonies of McLean. To fill it out, visit:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?fromEmail=true&formkey=dDYtdk9JZVJGbkk1Q292RHVyNFRWZWc6MA

Everyone - Thanks for your support!
Renters - Please forward this petition information to your landlords to ensure they receive it.
Addtionally, if you have not joined The Colonies Connection Google Group - http://groups.google.com/group/thecoloniesconnection

No Quorum for Annual Election Sends a Message...

of NO confidence to the Board...  This message was forwarded to me earlier today.  Keep up the momentum fellow co-owners and unite by NOT VOTING....

-----Original Message-----
From: Carol Bates Brown <cbrown109@cox.net>
To: thecoloniesconnection <thecoloniesconnection@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Thu, May 3, 2012 2:48 pm
Subject: [ColoniesConnection] From the Colonies Board

Help! We need a quorum for the Colonies Annual Meeting!!! It is crucial that we obtain a quorum for the meeting, which is Wednesday night, May 9.

So far we are nearly 50 proxies short of the necessary 33 1/3%

By law we must hold an Annual Meeting during the first two weeks in May. Failure to obtain a quorum for Wednesday night’s meeting could force us to incur additional costs in rescheduling the event.

Even if you plan to attend, please get your proxy and ballot down to the office now. If you come to the meeting you can always retrieve your proxy at that time.

In addition to sending in your proxy, please try to attend the meeting. Be an informed co-owner - we want to hear from you!

Thanks so much for your cooperation.

Carol B. Brown

President

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Annual Meeting Considerations and the on-Going Smoking Saga

This letter (text below) was received over the weekend from the Concerned Colonies Co-Owners.  Nice to know many are behind changing the policy concerning smoking in the Administration Building.  This is 2012 not 1975!!  I am certain more information will follow but please show no confidence by NOT voting in the Annual Board of Directors Election!

April 27, 2012

Dear Fellow Co-Owners:

 

Our Annual Meeting and Board Election is Wednesday, May 9, 2012 (12 days away).  As you review your ballot, you will see there are no new candidate options.  After last year’s election, when the then incumbent – now former – Board members maligned the “Petition” candidates (Dominic Basile, Nelson Boj, Allison Martin and Kevin Pepe), it’s no surprise that no one wanted to pick up the mantle of challenger this year or run the risk of being accused of driving off our “loyal and dedicated” staff (who, by the way, all still work here, despite the resignations of the Board members they insisted they had to serve).

 

Three Board members have resigned since the May 2011 Annual Meeting: 

-       Patricia Devine (August 2011) – replaced by Marie Gallagher;

-       Sal Lauricella (November 2011) – replaced by TJ Crane;

-       Amarie Natividad (March 2012) – replaced by Jo Sanders 

With these resignations, the Board has had not one, but THREE opportunities to nominate one of their four neighbors who were candidates in last year’s election to serve. These candidates came within 6-20 votes of the incumbents, after a positively grueling vetting.  Refusing to turn to these well regarded neighbors naturally makes you wonder.  If they operate as they say, “with great transparency,” then why not extend the opportunity to those that were willing to serve and had significant voter support among their fellow co-owners?

 

Given this Board’s unwillingness to truly engage co-owners in a dialogue of ways to facilitate positive change within the community, we think it’s important to review what we were promised versus what we’ve received. As co-owners, we need and must demand far greater accountability for and transparency of how our condominium assessment fees are being spent.  We also need to meet infinitely higher standards. We’re paying top dollar.  If we don’t demand better for our $2.8 million per year business, then we have no one to blame but ourselves when our condo fees continue to rise, steadily pricing us out of the McLean/Tyson’s Corner real estate market.

Issue 1:  Dwindling Reserve Funds

Carol Brown highlighted the need for an improved Reserve Fund when she ran for election last year.  In February 2012, we were about $150,000 below the fund level when she was elected, alarm bells began to sound, and suddenly the Fund jumped.  Still lower than when Ms. Brown and the other incumbents were re-elected, the Fund has increased to the $400,000+ mark.  Or so it appears.  Because we lack accountability and transparency, who can tell what the monthly Reserve Deposit figures are, are supposed to be, or are pledged to be?  This isn’t funny.  Yes, we can lose FHA financing as a result, and it makes one wonder, what are these people doing with our funds?  We absolutely must come together as co-owners and insist that, at a minimum, the Board disclose each and every month, that our Reserve Fund deposit was made on schedule, what funds if any were removed from the Fund and for what, and what checks have been issued out of the regular operating fund to which vendors and for what amount.  We encourage you to attend the Annual Meeting or e-mail the Board at: coloniesboard@gmail.com, and insist that the Board pledge to start immediately disclosing this information.  This is our money and we should know what Management is doing with it.

 

Issue 2:  Smoking in the Administrative Building

The Administrative Building occupies two condo units totaling 2,002 square feet and is paid for by monthly assessment fees of the 457 units of the collective Colonies Council of Co-Owners.  Policy Resolution I-B-17 currently prohibits smoking in the hallways, lobbies and stairwells of all residential buildings.  The Administrative Building is the face of our community.  Imagine how discouraging it was to learn from the Fairfax County Department of Environmental Health that numerous Colonies’ Co-Owners have complained along with Realtors who don’t want to bring prospective purchasers into the office.  People are offended by the awful smell of the office.  Board member Peter Pollack raised this very issue at the January Board Meeting and was summarily ignored by his fellow Board members with all voting against banning smoking in the Administration building at the March Board Meeting.  In fact, Board President Carol Brown stated “The issue of smoking in the Administrative Building is not up for discussion” and the Board/ Management felt this issue didn’t even deserve to be included in the “Splinters from the Board” update in the April edition of The Crier.  A co-owner raised the following points during the Owners Forum of the March Board Meeting to encourage the Board to vote in favor of banning smoking in the Administration Building and was refuted:

-     Add item as a referendum to the 2012 election ballot allowing fellow co-owners to have a voice on this issue

-     Potential for lawsuits exists from former employees with health problems due to second hand smoke exposure

-     Asked if Board would consider having an environmental assessment performed of Administrative Building

The fact that this important environmental and health issue —an issue of great concern for numerous Co-owners, and now a Board member, has once-again been disregarded for the sake of two employees, is egregious. The Administrative Building units were purchased with OUR condo dues.  If we as co-owners cannot get this Board to make OUR property non-smoking, then it’s time for a wake-up call.  Boards are there to represent the co-owners – not the staff.  If you agree, consent to adding your name to a forth-coming Petition to amend the existing Resolution that bans smoking in all common areas.  It’s time that co-owners, Realtors, prospective purchasers, employees and vendors can feel comfortable visiting and working in this area!  Please reply to this email (Coloniesmclean@aol.com) with your interest in joining this important cause. 

 

Issue 3:  Best Practices

The Colonies is a member of the Communities Association Institute.  For guidance on what to ask and expect of our Board of Directors and staff, several of us have turned to their recommended Best Practices guidelines (http://www.cairf.org/publications/best_practices.aspx.  We encourage you to also consent to sign a Petition, insisting that The Colonies’ Board and staff read and then pledge to operate within these Best Practices guidelines.  You can reply to this email (Coloniesmclean@aol.com) with your consent.

Why is this important?  One critical example lies in the “Finance” guidelines to which The Colonies does not currently comply.  It is noteworthy that The Colonies’ auditor James Ahlberg, CPA, recommended over 10 years ago, practices that have never been used or adopted at The Colonies.  We need and deserve, especially for what we’re paying in monthly assessment fees, to have the very best practices in place and use at The Colonies.  

We urgently ask you to take the time to become involved in what is happening with the management of our Association.  With this election, consider your vote, or non-vote, very seriously. A “no vote” for this Board is a vote of no confidence. Should you wait another year and let the continued decline of your community, and your property values, remain unchanged, or is this NOW THE TIME to demand that you are represented by a Board that will serve you in a manner in which you are entitled to by law?