$5,000,000.00 Town Hall Meeting

OK, listen up everyone. We've called this town hall meeting because we've just won $5,000,000. and we want to fix this place up.

(Loud Rahs Rahs and Cheers from members)

OK - any suggestions as to how we should spend this money? No. 10, then 24, then 6.

'Fences - I think we should begin by fixing up the exterior. It wouldn't cost that much and the unit fences are a real mess.'

Good suggestion, #24?

'Windows and doors.'

Excellent point - we all know about leaky, moldy windows - #6?

'Kitchen counters.'

OK, but let's just deal with the exterior of the co-op for the moment. Any more suggestions? Numbers 89, 5, 17.

'The 2-bedroom units have no sheds and it's hard to lug our recycling boxes and garbage to the front of the units. That's why we sometimes keep them beside our steps.'

Good point - maybe we can look at a different recycling model for the 2-bedrooms - #5?

'The driveways need to be repaved. A lot of them have depressions or cracks and are growing weeds. Too bad we can't relocate parking. There's no room to walk.'

YUP, that was bad planning on the part of the architect. Don't know if we could change that now though - #17?

'Seeing that we have some money now, maybe we could bring in a landscaping company to put new sod throughout the co-op. I know that the volunteers who mow the common grounds work very hard, but there's a lot of grass out there. Maybe we could hire a landscaping company to come in and do the work for a few years.'

OK - I could see that happening. Any more suggestions? Numbers 32, 64, 28.

'If we get new windows and doors, can we get the wood trim painted?'

Now that's a very good idea - #64?

'Our chain-link fencing - what a mess. We fix it up one year and the snow removal companies knock it down. Could we put in stronger fencing?'

Most probably and it would look great to get our fences upright again - #28?

'Our siding is terrible. I heard that there's mold underneath and it's even inside the units now. It's been suggested that we get our siding changed.'

Now that would be big job. But we'll definitely have to look into that one for health reasons. Any more suggestions? Numbers 3, 47, 15.

'The decks in Phase II are rotten and pulling away from the units. We need to get them fixed.'

We could look at replacing the long decks with porches and steps and having patio stones installed. That would be neat - #47?

'I was going to say revamping the play park, but I also want to add that Phase I's porches are rotten and rickety. Plus we should check out the concrete steps outside the patio doors.'

For sure - we'll do them all - #15?

'We need to establish good snow removal sites, or have the snow hauled away. It's an eyesore having a permanent rock platform created where landscaping used to be. How stupid is that?'

YUP, certain things have happened without any thought whatsoever. Well, that's pretty good for starters. Any suggestions for indoor renovations? Numbers 55, 21, 13.

'Number 55 here - Sorry, I just want to say one more thing about the exterior of the co-op. We need to look at all the balconies. A few balconies were renovated because of wood rot. Surely, the other balconies also have wood rot, so we need to change them all, not just a few.'

Right! If there's wood rot in one, you can bet it's in others too. Very good point - #21?

'I was going to say that we should replace the fridges and stoves that haven't been changed, but I also wanted to say that we have carpenter ants chewing away at the wood foundation. Big problem!'

And we all fall down, right? OK - no joking here. Yes, it's a big problem. We'll have to get that assessed as soon as possible. We'll also take an inventory of the fridges and stoves and try to find the records - as difficult as that may be - #13?

'Phew - thought I'd never get my turn. I want to talk about flooring. I think it's a good idea to go with laminate flooring as it is much more sanitary than carpeting. Plus, it's wise to invest in good linoleum. It doesn't rip as easily and retains it's finish.'

So, that's pretty exciting, eh, to see renovations being done inside the units? Any more suggestions? Numbers 93, 18, 37.

'The bathroom flooring also needs to be looked at and the shower walls. How solid are the floors and what's the mold situation?'

We've already done a few units. For sure shower walls aren't forever.

'And we need to change sinks and bathtubs, too, if there's rust or the finish is gone.'

Good points - #18?

'I'm tired of freezing in my place. I don't think that there's much insulation in my walls. Can anything be done about this?'

You know, we've heard this over and over again. I wonder how this place ever passed the building codes at the time. We're going to have to knock out a few walls and re-insulate if necessary - #37?

'The sliding cupboards and tracks are getting quite old. The tracks are rusty. Is there a better product out there?'

I'm sure our sliding cupboards are getting rather tired looking. We'll check out new products. So, what do you say everyone? Did we get a good start on everything? What about we start with these issues and we'll have more meetings to see how we're progressing. So, how does everyone feel - HAPPY?

Tons of clapping and laughter and

Good Cheer

*****

We can dream, eh?