Galaxy Towers Condominium Association
MINUTES OF THE MEETING
Of the Board of Directors
November 20, 2003
Directors in Attendance: Absent:
President: Martha Norget
Vice Pres.: Chad Gulrajaney
Secretary: Harlin Blank
Vice President: Allan Ellinger (departed 10:30)
Directors
Michael Baruch
Mirna Benitez
Kathy Moberly (departed 10:45)
Joel Price (arrived 7:54)
Jim Stumpf
Also Present:
Susan Fitzpatrick, General Manager
Robert Buckalew, Esq.
Donna Shahrabani, Esq.
A meeting of the Board of Directors was held on November 20, 2003 in accordance with the By-laws of the Association. The following business was conducted as indicated:
Call to Order
Open Session – 9:35 PM
Resolution #03-11-174
Minutes - November 6, 2003 Board Meeting
On a motion made by Kathy Moberly and seconded by Joel Price, the Board voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the meeting of the Board of Directors held on November 6, 2003. Allan Ellinger and Michael Baruch abstained from the vote as they had not been present at the meeting.
Resolution #03-11-175
Election Rules – 2004
For the purpose of continuing the discussion, Mr. Ellinger made a motion to adopt the Election Rules as proposed by Mr. Drasheff. Ms. Benitez seconded the motion.
The Board began discussions of the election rules. Mrs. Norget noted that the Board had made two changes to the rules that had been proposed by Gerry Drasheff;
Dr. Baruch stated that Mr. Drasheff “went to a lot of trouble” to revise the rules, and recommended that the Board support all changes set forth by Mr. Drasheff.
The motion was amended by Mr. Ellinger and seconded by Ms. Benitez to include the aforementioned two changes. The vote was called, the amended motion passed.
(Benitez, Blank, Ellinger, Gulrajaney, Moberly, Norget, Price, Stumpf, for; Baruch, against)
Resolution #03-11-175
Sonny Glazer and Medal of Honor Awards
Mrs. Norget briefly explained the history of each award. She advised the Board that the Executive Council had nominated Elizabeth Petriello for the Sonny Glazer Award, which is given to an employee who exemplifies outstanding performance. On a motion made by Joel Price and seconded by Kathy Moberly, the Board voted unanimously to approve Elizabeth’s nomination.
Mrs. Norget then went on to state that Robert (Bob) Collin had been selected by the Council to receive the Medal of Honor, traditionally given to a Unit Owner who has given his time and effort to the Galaxy community. Mrs. Norget called for a motion. Virtually every director raised his/her hand to make the motion. Mrs. Norget recognized Allan Ellinger who made the motion that was seconded by Kathy Moberly. The vote to approve the nomination was unanimous.
Mrs. Norget will contact Mr. Collin to advise him of his honor. Mrs. Fitzpatrick will advise Ms. Petriello.
Resolution #03-11-176
Change in the Parents’ Committee
Mrs. Norget introduced the issue by stating that the Parent’s Committee was requesting a change in membership by adding Caroline Krasnoff and removing Marie Barisha, Sandra Delnawaz and Karen Lee from the membership. The Committee Co-Chairs will remain as Helen Wood, Cindy Campos Alves Pereira and Steve Cowan. The members are Jacomien Ilbrink, Sandy Robins and Caroline Krasnoff.
On a motion made by Kathy Moberly and seconded by Joel Price, the Board voted to approve the aforementioned committee change.
(Benitez, Blank, Ellinger, Gulrajaney, Moberly, Norget, Price, Stumpf, for; Baruch against)
Resolution #03-11-177
Mrs. Fitzpatrick explained the current fee structure and stated that during Budget discussions, the Board had considered increasing the charge for a move-in/move-out from $100.00 to $150 per 4 hour period from 9:00am-1:00pm and 1:00pm-5:00pm. The current charge of $100.00 for the two hour period of 5:00pm-7:00pm will also increase to $150.00. A $500.00 deposit will be taken each time a move is scheduled, and the balance of $350.00 will be refunded, provided there is no damage to the building during the move. She added that the prior minutes did not indicate that the change was voted upon, or that the amount of the increase was clear. On a motion made Allan Ellinger and seconded by Harlin Blank, the Board unanimously voted to raise the fee from $100 to $150 for each designated block of time for a move.
Resolution # 03-11-178
Playroom Rental
Mrs. Fitzpatrick advised the Board that now that the playroom has been completed,the Spa Manager made a recommendation with regard to children’s parties. She reminded the Board that the fee for the rental of the playroom is $75.00 for 4 hours. She stated that since food is not allowed in the playroom, it was recommended that playroom parties where food is served should be required to book the Playroom and Room #3 for a total cost of $125.00. On a motion made by Allan Ellinger and seconded by Mirna Benitez, the Board voted to increase the fee from $75.00 to $125.00 but to add Room 3 to the party for the consumption of food.
(Baruch, Benitez, Blank, Ellinger, Gulrajaney, Moberly, Norget, Stumpf: for; Price: against)
Mrs. Fitzpatrick reported that the re-introduction of soil into berms 1 and 2 is now underway. She stated, however, that because of the onset of the cold weather, she and Mr. Shields have been discussing their concerns regarding the installation of the plant material at this time. She further expressed her growing dissatisfaction with the work product from the landscape architect, Sam Lawrence, relative to the issue of drawings and designs of the specific installation that is proposed at the berm. All agreed that the drawing that was received at the meeting was not indicative of the specific way in which the berm will look upon completion, as it did not delineate or depict the specific plant material as it will be installed.
The specifications are out to the qualified bidders and the bids are due back on December 1, 2003, Mrs. Fitzpatrick reported.
Resolution #03-11-179
As the result of continued inquiries about the purchase of additional umbrella coverage, Mrs. Fitzpatrick advised the Board that at this time, $25,000,000 worth of additional umbrella coverage could be purchased for $25,000. She added that although several Directors had indicated that they would like to purchase even more, she had asked Barbara Strauss to obtain a quote for additional insurance, but that at this time, it was not available, and was not being offered.
Mr. Blank noted that the Board had previously rejected this offer based upon Mrs. Fitzpatrick’s statements that that the insurance consultant did not feel that the insurance was necessary. Mrs. Fitzpatrick agreed and stated that the emails received from Mr. Shapiro, coupled with the phone conversations that she had had with him had given all indications that Mr. Shapiro did not feel that the additional coverage was necessary.
She added, however, that neither the consultant or the broker would be willing to make a statement advising the GTCA that such insurance is not necessary. She went on to state that Mr. Shapiro had now advised her that in the event of a catastrophe at the GTCA involving loss of lives, the additional coverage would be warranted.
Mr. Price offered his opinion, stating that the consultant appeared to be modifying his position because he had procured the quote and the additional insurance. Mr. Ellinger disagreed with the opinion.
On a motion made by Allan Ellinger and seconded by Chad Gulrajaney, the Board unanimously voted to procure the additional umbrella $25,000,000 worth of umbrella coverage at a cost of $25,000 or less.
Before the conclusion of the Open Session, Dr. Baruch asked Mr. Buckalew a number of questions and asked for clarifications regarding the proposed amendments to the Master Deed and By-laws.
In response to Dr. Baruch’s inquiry about the necessity for non-duplicable proxies, Mr. Buckalew responded by stating that it is not necessary to provide non-duplicable proxies, stating that questionable or objectionable proxies would be held to the side. In response to an inquiry regarding the necessity of attaching a photo identification to the proxy, Mr. Buckalew stated that it is not necessary. In response to his inquiry regarding the necessity of notarization, Mr. Buckalew stated that notarization is not necessary, adding that if a signature is challenged, the person producing the proxy would have to prove their own signature.
Dr. Baruch further objected to the form of the proxy ballot that was mailed, as well as Martha Norget’s mailing which he stated, in his opinion, was mis-leading. He then asked for Mr. Buckalew’s clarification of the By-Laws with respect to quorum and voting. Mr. Buckalew advised Dr. Baruch that Page 5, Section 5 of the By-Laws states that “33 1/3% in number and in interest entitled to be cast…” is the regulation to follow with regard to the vote.
The Open Session concluded at 10:25pm.