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!