Happy Holidays and

MERRY CHRISTMAS

TO ALL

The Managed

The Board of Directors stated in mid-November that they were going out for tender regarding the hiring of a permanent Property Manager and that co-op members would be notified in January as to who they hired.  It now appears that our present Property Manager is the chosen one as she has circulated calendar notices for January and February, when she will be in the office.  A backgrounder:  Our present Property Manager was one of three 'experts' who were foisted upon us in April, 2009 for a 3-year stint in order to prevent the co-op from going into bankruptcy.  Quite abruptly, when the co-op parted ways with our then Office Co-ordinator, this Board member suddenly became our temporary Property Manager.  She, too, parted with the co-op for a bit and in a re-invented sort of way re-emerged to be our Property Manager once again.  As stated above, the co-op, in order to legitimize the whole affair, while simultaneously appearing to be neutral, has now initiated a so-called tender process.  It appears that this will be the third blessing of our Property Manager.

In August a Must Read notice was delivered to members.  It stated, in part, that 'Over night parking must now be registered through the office either by collecting a visitors parking pass during open office hours or by leaving a message at the office' ... and that  ... 'Members parked in visitors parking will be towed'. The latest notice circulated to members stated that 'After hours parking will still be enforced'.*

There's a problem with the implementation of the above instructions.  There are no Visitor or Member parking signs in our part of the co-op.  In the summer time parking spots were enumerated in bright paint on the pavement.  It is now winter and the yellow lines, letters and numbers are no longer visible. 

The notice reminds members that the office is open from 9:00-12:00 p.m. until December 31, 2012 with the exception of the holiday closure.  The holiday closures are from December 21, 2012-January 1, 2013 - a veritable mind-numbing oxymoron!

The co-op is now looking for members to volunteer on three committees, a By-law review being one of them.  However, the Board of Directors will approve the four members for this committee, and no doubt, will closely monitor the input and impact this committee will have on the By-laws.  Translation:  The Will of the Board of Directors will be imposed.

The newsletter ends with a quote by the Property Manager. Although the quote is rather lame, it is a step above other quotes, the likes of Abraham Lincoln and the German writer, Goethe, plucked from the internet and which has no relevance whatsoever, other than an egotisical attempt to appear to be well read.


* I have yet to see a Visitor's Parking Pass in the windshield of any car in the co-op.  For a satirical take on this public parking fiasco, see my September 4th blog post entitled The Strange & Loving Saga of Stéfan & Stéfane.
 

Time Frame

When our mortage is paid out in 2023, CMHC will stop providing housing subsidies to our members - the co-op will have to foot the bill.  The money which will not be going out for mortgage payments will, in turn, finance the housing subsidies.  However, co-ops are aging and will need expensive upgrading.  Co-op's are being encouraged by CHF to carefully plan for this step out phase by building up their Capital Reserves and to keep in mind Vision 2020, a series of videos and articles, featured on their web site.

Here's a link to one such co-op which is now undergoing their loss of subsidies:

http://www.ctvlondon.ca/2012/12/subsidies-gone/ 

Re-financing is being discussed as a possible solution to this financial crunch, but would aging co-op buildings be sufficient collateral for a long-term loan?  In addition to co-ops having to finance expensive structural repairs, they'd also have another mortage to pay off.  Is this sustainable?  

The Federal goverment might also be approached to provide subsidy funding.  To my mind this should be linked to co-op oversight by the Federal government, as I don't think co-ops will be able to go it alone.

Our Diner

My husband and I love to pop in to the Zeller's restaurant and have a belated breakfast together and a whole booth to ourselves.  The waitress in this Sunday Edition clip is so kind.

The last time we were there a camera man was patiently waiting for the right time to interview a very elderly patron.  My husband and are newbie seniors and not part of the regular crowd.  Nevertheless, we will really miss this out-of-the-way gem.

http://www.cbc.ca/thesundayedition/popupaudio.html?clipIds=2313438336 

PIPES

A few weeks ago we had our furnace cleaned.  It took all of ten minutes.  The technician did not vacuum our furnace and pipes as did the previous furnace contractor we had for many years.  The technician replicated this half-hearted inspection in other units in the co-op.

On Friday our sewers were semi-cleaned.  Plugs were placed in basement floor drains, while the sanitary sewer company flushed the main street drains.  It was a 'quiet' affair - no vacuuming occurred, as our very competent contractors had done in the past, and sewer lines from individual units were not flushed out to the main drains.  The technician placed a plug over our basement one-way sewer check valve and destroyed it in the process.

When I approached the technician outside to ask if he knew what had happened, our Property Manager in a very loud voice told the technician NOT to talk to me - that she would deal with it.

This was extremely rude behaviour on the part of our Property Manager.  Members are coming forth with horror stories. This must stop, but how?  Members must not communicate with individual Board Members, as declared in a recent newsletter.  Everything must first go through the office.  Who opens confidential Board letters - the Property Manager!  And word has it that the Board of Directors are absolutely delighted with the dictates of our employee.  

It seems that we will have to raise our voices higher and louder to see if anyone cares to listen.

April, 2009 - April, 2012

It was stated in the Board Correspondence newsletter which we received earlier this month that arrears owing to the co-op have been lowered to approximately $40,000 by our Property Manager since April, 2012.

The Property Manager, however, was one of the three external Board Members foisted upon the co-op under our Solvency By-law to resolve our financial difficulties.  The 3-yr. Solvency By-law ended in April, 2012.  What did the co-op inherit after the Solvency By-law ended?  Over $40,000. in arrears!

The external Board of Directors who were depicted as 'experts' did not monitor arrears, nor did they oversee the errant ways of our Office Co-ordinator - to the detriment of the entire co-op.

The co-op is now congratulating our Property Manager (ex-Board Member) for not doing her job under the Solvency By-law.  

Only in co-ops, you say? 

Opaque Clarity

The co-op, in a newsbrief earlier this month, has dedicated themselves to transparency in all things.  In fact, they have vowed to divulge how much money they have raised to date for the playpark and (eventually) it will be posted on the bulletin board in the common unit.  Of course, they would have known how much money they had raised before they bought the playpark structure, but they will not answer that simple question. 

The co-op has stated that they will be looking at some safety features for the toddler area come Spring.  Let's hope that children won't use the icy slide in the Winter time.     

The co-op is endeavouring to strike up some committees - the Diversity Committee being one of them.  Catchy name!  The Block Committee will be the strong arm of the co-op, as they will be responsible for taking in 'participation slips'.  At the moment I cannot envision anything more bizarre than handing in a piece of paper every time I rake or pick up garbage.  The units in the co-op are rented out to anyone who will take them.  The co-op will not evict these members for non-participation, as it will ultimately entail huge vacancy losses.  The co-op will, however, attempt to evict a vulnerable few, which is a loss unto itself.

The co-op is in the process of hiring a permanent property management firm to be in place by January, 2013.

Lastly, the newsbrief contains a very strong admonishment to the effect that Board members, under no circumstances, will address individual complaints.  The Board will only address member concerns at a properly held meeting, being professional and all. 

If the weather isn't too adverse, I may from time to time shuffle on over to the common unit to see if the Board has yet to post how much money they have raised to date for the playpark.

Email notifications don't exist, you see.  It's all a matter of how one views transparency.

CRIES

Dim light

Black night

Kid's park

In the dark

Car coming

Kids running

Car creeping

Shadows weaving  

Danger!

Danger!

                            

Concoctions

The figure which appears on an ODSP stub as Shelter Allowance must be used for the calculation of one's subsidy, not the maximum Shelter Allowance, which does not appear.  The co-op may not assign a maximum Shelter Allowance until that member receives same.  The utility allowances listed on the co-op's confirmation of housing charge must not be decreased willy-nilly, in order to ascertain a fictitious housing charge.  

It was stated at an All Members Meeting last night that 35% of a member's income was used to calculate one's subsidy in Phase 1 because of our Solvency By-law.  Well, the Solvency By-law is now over, so reduce the 35% to 30% back to where it should be.   

The Sneeze

Oh my goodness, this cold is hard to shake.  Coughing, sneezing, breathing difficulties.  Yes, and dealing with cat fur as well.  Nice time for knitting and quilting and watching TV.  Seeing that the nice weather is here, raking leaves might be a possibility.

Warmth

This is one of the lampshades I've made over the years.  I'd spend hours and hours beading fringes, sometimes up to a metre in length.  I'd browse through second-hand stores for old glass lamps, disassemble them and rebuild them anew.  On this particular lamp I handbeaded black seedbeads over the separator couplings.

I love the intimacy of Victorian and Flapper-style lampshades. In period movie settings, replica lampshades are like product placements - sometimes three or four are featured in a single camera angle. 

Lately, I've been going through my beads and supplies, not letting go just yet.  Maybe, just maybe, I'll find the passion once more to feel and see these lampshades come to life before my very eyes.

The light is beckoning me . . .

WHEW!

DEAR BOARD:

This is the letter I emailed to the Board of Directors of our co-op on October 30, 2012:


*****

The placement of the play structure slide is extremely dangerous for children as it is built right out to the roadway and is not fenced in.  When ____ Housing Co-op was built back in the 1980s, the architect designed a buffer zone (greenspace) in front of the play park for two reasons:  safety and visibility.  You will note that these buffer zone greenspaces are also around all the units in the co-op.  The architect's design enclosed the play park on three sides for a reason - children's safety. 

Children dart about in frenzied delight when they play and without a moment's hesitation will run into the roadway.  Children love to tightrope walk on wooden beams and last night I saw such an activity -  a car came within inches of a 7-8 year old child while she was balancing herself on the beams.  Children could be clipped by passing cars if they play or sit on these beams.

The greenspace buffer zone also allowed for a margin of error for cars, delivery and garbage trucks.  The co-op has experienced on occasion, cars careening in and out of the co-op squealing their tires. The exposed play park is at the helm of  the U-shaped track used for this illegal and hazardous activity.  The park is the co-op's legal responsibility.  As it now stands, the park's lack of protection for children is negligent in the extreme.  It is incumbent upon the co-op to move the play structure into the centre of the park where the old structure was, and fence in the entire play area.  Many members are in disbelief with the present location of the structure because of the danger it presents for children.

The wooden beams will soon be covered with snow.  Snowplows and/or cars could very well destroy these beams, damaging their vehicles in the process. 

On a visual level - the location of the large structure has no aesthetic appeal.  It is not pleasing to the eye and does not flow with the existing structures.  The natural play park in ___ Park has such a flow.

On a financial level - the co-op must publish the names of the play park sponsors and the amounts they donated.  It does not suffice to merely acknowledge the donors' names in a speech.  Standard bookkeeping methods must be adhered to, including the cost of the play structure and any monies owing thereunto.  The co-op has a judiciary duty to its members to produce such information, with no exceptions.

Thank you.

Playing On The Edge

The play park build day was today and this is what occurred.  The playground is a small tract of land shaped like a peninsula with Reserved and Visitor Parking on either side.  The road turns on a sharp 90º angle at the narrowest edge of the play park.  The architect who designed the co-op had made a landscaped buffer zone at this narrow edge outside the chain linked fenced area. The children's slide and climbing structure was deep within this peninsula facing a grassy common area.  The approach to this fenced in play park was from this landscaped side. 

The narrow portion once had two 'springy-thingies' for the children to sit and rock on.  They were eventually removed because of constant breakage.  Visibility was excellent on either side of the narrow part of play park.  People driving on our side of the play park could easily see vehicles approaching the buffer zone on the other side of the park.  The problems we've had over the years are cars speeding around the corner and the wear and tear of the landscaped buffer zone by garbage trucks and snow plows.

The play park committee has today set a precedent for absurdity.  Gone is the buffer zone, gone is any safety fence whatsoever.  They have constructed a slide play structure at the narrowest part of the peninsula, right up to the edge of the U-shaped road with no protection barrier, leaving only a few feet between the child at the bottom of the slide and a parked car, or cars zipping around the corner.  The committee outlined the perimeter of the play park with one-foot high wooden beams.  This does not provide any protection whatsoever for children, it is merely for decorative purposes.  Because the play park is built right up to the roadway, children balancing themselves on the beams, or sitting on the beams could be clipped or killed by passing vehicles.  When children take turns going down a slide, they have to get out of the way for others and could easily dart out into the street.

I cannot think of a parent alive who would not be alarmed with this play structure configuration.  The co-op's architect had placed the original play structure deep inside the peninsula for a reason and had left a buffer zone, with clear visibility, for a reason as well.  The new play structure completely blocks visibility for drivers, which creates another level of danger.

Members of the committee are stating that the play park is not the co-op's responsibility.  Who's responsibility is it?  The individual committee members?  The playground equipment provider?  Of course not, the co-op is responsible.  Public play grounds, which this one is, are subject to preliminary and yearly safety inspections by The Canadian Standards Association.  As well, our insurance agent must be apprised of this new play park, in addition to filing a change to our site plan with the City of Ottawa.  

Apparently, this is just Phase 1 of the new play park.  Phase 2 (for older kids) will be built in May and that one will be where the original structure was - deep within the play park.

I took some photos of this play structure this afternoon.  The property manager snidely remarked as she passed by behind my back:  'Are you going to send this to CMHC too?'

I might.

MANNA

The play park committee specifically stated on their web site that donors would have their logos/banners and names prominently displayed on their web site.  No such logos, banners or names of donors appear, so I posted a query as to why this information is not available. The Property Manager, who is also one of the members of the play park committee, stated to me in an email that the committee will be thanking each sponsor as a whole.

She stated that they 'are likely to receive sponsors up until the build day and beyond'. I responded that playground equipment has to be paid for weeks before the build day.  If the committee is still receiving funds and hope to receive more after the build day, that means that the committee had to borrow money to pay for the equipment.  I asked where had they borrowed the money from.  The Property Manager answered 'No it doesn't'.

I then asked how much the co-op was on the hook for.  The Property Manager answered, 'Nothing'.  I responded that if the committee does not receive enough in the way of donations, you can be sure that our co-op will be on the hook for the rest of the money owing to the playground equipment company.  The Property Manager responded: 'Not true'.

I then asked how much money has the committee raised for the play park so far.  The Property Manager answered that the committee was going to sort it out at their meeting last night.  The build day is next Saturday and the committee doesn't know how much money they've raised?

The committee, in all likelihood, has not reached their fundraising goal and may only have garnered a fraction of the monies needed for the play park.  That is why they haven't proudly displayed their donors' logos, banners and names.  They are hoping to receive funds up to and after the build day.  Where did they get the money for the playground equipment and who is ultimately responsible for the remainder of the funds owing to the playground equipment company - the co-op!  This is perhaps the reason why the co-op has been nickeling-and-diming members lately and subsidized members have had their utility and other credits reduced.

As I stated in my previous blog, members will never be able to track any monies from the co-op's coffers to pay for this play park, because of propped up fictitious entry lines.  Members are being told by maintenance staff that the co-op has no money to do repairs.  Windows, porches, decks and fencing are completely rotten. Many long-standing members have had no unit upgrades for 20 years - carpets are threadbare, linoleum worn through - yet, it was decided right from the start that the pet-project play park would go through no matter what.  A playground committee member stated at an All Members Meeting that they had raised only $400., but that their playground equipment company's coach assured them that they could raise $80,000. in four months.  This mode of thinking is based on The Secret - envision the outcome and it will happen. 

The Property Manager stated that I was welcome to attend their meeting last night, but that I would have to adhere to the coach's admonitions.  I declined the offer as the company's dictates are cult-like.

AND THE WINNER IS ...

Our Co-op

Those were the first words we heard back in the spring.  The prize was a new play park for the kids in our co-op.  The "win" wasn't free and clear - it had strings attached.  The co-op had to fundraise to the tune of $50,000. - $80,000, which sums would then be matched by a playground equipment company.  As stated in my previous blog, the playground committee raised approximately $4,000. from various co-op events.  Large corporate sponsors were to foot the balance of the funds needed to replace our original park.

A notice from the office was delivered today to co-op members re sundry matters and in very small italic font was the build day for our play park.  No mention was made as to who our corporate sponsors are, nor how much was raised.  This is most peculiar, because one would expect in big, bold letters:

A Great Big Thank You to ____, whose generous contribution of $20,000. is very much appreciated by our co-op and all of our children.  We'd also like to thank ____  for their $10,000. cheque, without which this play park could never have been built.  And last but not least our appreciation to  _____ for their $30,000. cheque, which will allow children to enjoy this park for years to come.

Photos would have been taken of the corporate donors holding one side of an over-blown prop cheque, with an ever grateful co-op member holding the other side.  These photos would be replicated over and over again in our local and federal co-op newsletters.

As no such information, nor photo ops have been forthcoming, I ask this very pertinent question:  

Where did this money come from?  Did it come from one of our contractors?  If so, that is a blatant conflict of interest.  Distribute to the members the corporate donors letters.  Would this money by chance be coming from our co-op's capital reserves, or buried in our operating budget?  

This information must be provided to co-op members immediately.
 
 

The Players

There has been a fundraiser underway for the past six months to build a new play park in our co-op.  Let's be clear though - it is not for the kids.  Our present play park has never been maintained over the years, nor do parents clean up the park.  The Property Manager stated that the co-op would not contribute to the cost of the new play park.  The fundraising committee raised approximately $4,000. from different co-op events.  Sponsors would have to commit additional sums in the order of $50,000+, which would then be matched by a playground organization.  Most of the fundraising committee members quit, leaving about three main organizers.  Many members have been extremely skeptical as to the prospect of the committee receiving any donations whatsoever, as we are not a large enterprise, nor do we have a notable presence in the community.  This past week a sod-turning event was held in the co-op for the launching of the new play park.  Members were not notified of this event, so the attendees consisted only of the key organizers and some members who happened to be passing by.

Where did this miraculous amount of money come from?  Who are the supposed sponsors? Produce the signed letters of committed corporate donors.  The Property Manager is on side with the Board Members who are on the fundraising committee.  If the money has come from the co-op's coffers, members will never be able to find it in our Financial Statements, because of propped up fictitious entry lines.  If the Board states that the co-op has merely loaned the money to the play park committee, members should have voted on it.  In addition information on the debt owing will become so diluted, it will dissipate into thin air.  

Word has it that the Board of Directors has stated that replacing rotten windows is high on their agenda.  Is this a diversionary tactic to appease members who might be irate that our limited funds might be illegitimately diverted to the play park fund?

Members of the Board of Directors, who are also on the fundraising committee, have been suspiciously silent on the financial aspects of the play park, but they absolutely glow under the media spotlight. 

All is not what it seems in kiddie land.

Lest You Forget

The co-op has been taken over by a corporation.  It is not a hostile takeover - it is a holistic one. In fact, the Board of Directors are so enamored by the CEO of this corporation, that they deferred all matters over to her at our Special Members' Meeting.

The CE0 has a varied history with our co-op.  She was one of three external 'experts' who took over our co-op under our Solvency By-law.  Two of these Board members left their positions prematurely.  The third Board member (our present CEO) stepped down to become our paid Office Co-ordinator.  (The external Board of Directors failed to monitor the goings-on with our previous Office Co-ordinator, nor did they listen to the complaints by members, until the office was in such disarray it could no longer be ignored.)  The ex-external Board member disappeared for a week or two, until negotiations brought her back, minus the Property Management company she worked for.  At our Special Members' Meeting she stated that she is now a corporation and even brought an employee with her.  The corporation must be extremely fast growing in order to support two substantial incomes.

The Agenda stated that the CEO would conduct planning sessions  after the main order of business was finished. However, seeing that this meeting was a Special Members' Meeting to deal with an eviction, members were successful in limiting the Agenda to address the eviction. (The Board of Director's decision was successfully overturned by the Members.) The CEO then wanted to engage in a discussion to ask members for guidance for future Board decisions.  She was reminded that the meeting had already been adjourned. 

The Board of Directors has apparently gone out for tender for property management.  This is a smoke and mirrors tactic to bring the CEO back into the fold of the co-op (once again) under her newly incorporated company - for a long-term contract.

All correspondence coming from the office is presently signed:
 
                              YOURS IN CO-OPERATION

                               MANAGEMENT 

We are being duly conditioned to withstand the patronizing ways of our co-op's latest form of democracy.

Dime A Dozen Evictions

There is an extreme abuse of power underway by the Board of Directors evicting members for sums under $25.00 and $1,000.00 respectively, purportedly owing to the co-op.  These members were never notified by letter from the co-op that sums were owing, nor were Performance Agreements ever entered into. 

Serving members with Notices of Eviction is the most serious action a Board of Directors can take. To lose one's housing without fair justice is a blatant violation of Section 7 of The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom.

Community-oriented agencies have stated that our housing co-op has one of the worse reputations in the City of Ottawa for mismanagement and abuse of its members.

Directors' Refrain

Down at the office
Past the great big bend
The Directors assembled
To decide once again

Who shall we evict?
They said with a snap
It must be someone we know
To effect a great slap!

Rules do not matter
Rights do not exist
When we make decisions
Using delectable twists

We love to exact pain
In all the right places
For it gives us great power
In these vulnerable cases

We will make them shudder
We will make them shriek
No one will escape
Our impenetrable Feat

To destroy is our passion
To evict is our lust
No one will survive
Our divine Will to Crush

We will Win and we Know it
As we tighten the noose
We've done this before
AND

      WE WILL 

                      NOT   

                             LOSE!

At Our Leisure

Members received a 48-hr. notice that on Monday, September 3, 2012 and on Wednesday, September 5, 2012, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., a maintenance person would be entering our homes to install CO/Smoke Detectors. 

How long does a 48-hr. notice last?  For us, it lasted for 144 hours, not including the two days mentioned above.  Now that's a very wide 48-hr. window.

It kind of reminds me of the eviction once taken against me.  It was merely 'postponed'.

Speaking of evictions ...

Side Trip on Saturday Night

Well, that was interesting - my very first ambulance ride as a patient.  The diagnosis was Hypokalemia - low potassium.  I experienced electrical currents up and down my arms, I began to shake, my teeth chattering and lips quivering.  I'm not out of the woods yet as I feel very slowed down and a tad light headed.  

All-in-all this is extremely weird.

The Strange & Loving Saga of Stéfan & Stéfane

Je t'adore Stéfane - Oh, how I long to spend the night with you.

Je t'aime aussi, Stéfan, but your car ...

Mais pourquoi mon auto, ma chérie?

Parce que Stéfan, you have not registered to stay overnight.

But what can I do, mon lapin?

You must make arrangements with the office, mon amour.

Ma chérie, I called the office, mais la machine is on FAX.  Ques que je peux faire?

C'est compliqué, Stéfan.  We must get in touch with a Director then.  The Board has said that it is our duty, or there will be a punishment.  Mais, it is after nine o'clock at night and if we knock on a Director's door, I could get evicted.  Je ne sais pas quoi faire ...

Oh my pet, I long for you vraiement a ce moment.  How could I leave you now?

Je sais, Stéfan, tomorrow is but a long ways off.

Je vais retourner, my love.  I would traverse the Great Wall of China and scale all the fjords in Norway just to be in your arms again. 

I await your return, Stéfan.  My heart aches seulement pour toi ...

The moon's glow will caress us both Stéfane.  Until then  - ma chérie.

Stéfan, we will embrace once again.  Je t'aime Stéfan!

Moi aussi, Stéfane - je t'adore ...


Postscript:  After the failed attempt by Stéfan to reach the office, the co-op has declared that there will be no Visitors Parking until further notice.  The fate of Stéfane is still unknown.

Director Dictates

Director #1 to a friend debtor:

You know that you've owed months of unpaid housing charges before and now you want to go on an exotic vacation - again? 

Well – OK, how about you pay us when you feel up to it ....

*****

Director #1 to a non-friend debtor:

What?  You owe the co-op $200.? I am going to put my education to good use – you are EVICTED!

*****

Director #2 to a co-op member:

I know that I've been in arrears before – actually LOTS of time, but that was then and this is now.  Besides which, I'm making plans to go up to the cottage.  I vote you EVICTED!

Is the Board meeting over yet?

*****

Director #3 to a co-op member:

Listen, I am an upstanding member of society.  True, I haven't been coming to very many Board meetings over the years, but I do attend – some of the time.  I'm not up on my By-laws, but then again, they are not needed — when I make decisions.  Even though I don't participate much, they seem to like me here on the Board.  And as such, YOU ARE EVICTED!

*****

Director #4 to a co-op member:

I vote and support the winning side.  That way, I'm always in good favour with the folks in power.  And I get to enjoy the PERKS of the position I've had on the Board – for many years now.  I'm kind of the friendly type of person.  I get along with everyone.  Oh, by the way, YOU ARE EVICTED!

******

Director #5 to a co-op member:

I'm a newbie on the Board of Directors.  I always say make the member accountable for the Office Co-ordinator's mistakes.  I like to see the effect of my POWER on vulnerable members.  My lofty position requires that I mete out the most judicious decision at my command.  You are to be summarily executed, er — evicted.

*****
 
Director #6 to a co-op member:

I know that you are thousands of dollars in debt to the co-op, but aren't you a friend of Director #4?  Just go home and forget this ever happened, OK?

*****

Director #7 to a co-op member:

What are you doing here?  Aren't you part of the Guns & Gangs unit?  Oh – YOU are the guy they are after!  Well then, just carry on and GOOD LUCK! 

NEXT?
 

Redirections

"I'm so sorry to have sent you the wrong eviction notice - I mixed them all up", said the Manager to the evictee.  "Oh, and have a very nice long weekend" ...

Imagine if the co-op had monitored the Reserved parking spots and the illegal parking of member vehicles in Visitor parking for all these years.  At $20. a month per each vehicle, we could have built a new kiddies' play park - no problem.

Now that would be good property management.

Linden Legacies

Linden trees adorn many front lawns in our co-op.  The twiggy branches of the trees seem somewhat fragile, but when the trees sprout their leaves, they suddenly becomes full and provide lots of shade.  There is, however, a downside to the gracious trees, in that sticky droppings muck up everything in sight.  We refer to this annual event as tree sapping.  I've just read that this sticky goo is not tree sap at all - it is aphid excrement.  Sure enough when I examined the leaves of the tree, they were full of aphid eggs.

Tea anyone?

PARKING

Parking spot yellow lines were recently painted in the co-op delineating Reserved from Visitors parking.  The spaces are enumerated as such:  R1, R2, R3, V1, V2, V3.  There are five Visitors Parking spots across from our row.  All five spaces are presently taken up by member vehicles, including a dumped car without a license plate front or back.  

Visitors do not have access to these parking spots.

I shall monitor the 'monitoring' of these spaces.

 

Any Which Way is Up

"Curb Appeal" is just one of the aspects of good management described in CHF's Getting Management Right - A Guide to the Core Management Standards for Housing Co-ops, 2020 Vision.

An extract from the document in this regard states:

It’s important that your property looks its best. That means getting the bigger jobs done, like keeping up with exterior painting. And it also means staying on top of the little things that make a big difference – getting the grass cut, keeping the weeds under control and picking up garbage from your property. How your co-op looks matters a lot. Your members, present and future, want to make sure they can come home to a community that is well cared for, something they can be proud to call home.

Our co-op's "Curb Appeal" is rather shocking.  Three foot high weeds and a dilapidated rotten wooden flower box grace our front entrance, where our office building is located.  Upon further entering our co-op, one cannot miss wooden air conditioner shelf supports whacked into the co-op siding, together with plywood windows. Grassy areas are strewn with garbage pails, recycling bins and household items.  Some driveways have been converted to auto and bike repair shops.  

And, alas, common areas are still not being mowed.

The document states that management should inspect it's property - inside and out, including co-op equipment.  The co-op should put a preventive maintenance program in place to spot "small problems" so that they don't become "big and expensive headaches".  Careful records of unit inspections and unit repairs should be kept to document the history of the unit.  Co-ops should attend to safety hazards, such as lifting or cracked paving, slippery walkways or poor lighting in common areas.

No walk-a-rounds are conducted in this co-op. Back steps and fences have collapsed with rot, the storing of hazardous materials is not documented or addressed, trees are not trimmed, sewers are not maintained, common area lighting is extremely poor, annual unit inspections are not conducted and records are non-existent. 

Committees, the report concludes, are no longer essential - and never have been. It would have been heresy in the 1970s and 80s to even suggest that hired co-op management could replace committees.  Now co-ops are being told that committees were never part of the seven international co-op principles. 

Communication between a Board of Directors and property management has to strike the right balance.  As well, the skills of a property manager have to be aligned with the co-op's expectations.  Any failure on this level, could spell disaster for a co-op.

The 2020 Vision report exclaims that members' satisfaction is first and foremost and members could fill out a "Membership Satisfaction Survey" and "compile the results online".   However, members have different standards.  Perhaps the derelict state of our co-op suits certain members and, therefore, no corrective action needs to be taken.

The report states that by-laws must be adhered to and applied fairly.  Our by-laws contain in-depth committee descriptions, which committees were never part of the seven international co-op principles to begin with.  Our by-laws are in serious need of revamping.

Under the guise of Getting Management Right, our co-op will continue to bumble along its course, with no apparent direction or vision as to it's future.  "Curb Appeal" be darned!

Last Call

Spacious Avenues

Intact Infrastructure

Skylights

Our mall is presently being demolished to make way for progress. Instead of an inviting enclosed space, we will have pods catering to the car industry.  It will become a destination strip plaza. The mall was built in the early 1980s and so by technical standards, it isn't very old. One by one retailers were encouraged to leave and the vacant premises became nifty tax write-offs for the mall owners.  I was told by one of the investment partners that the store owners were tired of paying for common utilities and all of them wanted the mall to be redeveloped.  I asked many of the merchants if they wanted the mall torn down.  Not one of them said that they did.

Whether a person was just resting on one of the benches in the mall, or browsing in a store, there was a human element of people connecting with one another.  The indoor mall provided sanctuary from the elements, and in return people shopped in the various stores.  Now we are losing a vital gem in our community.  The sturdy benches should be donated and used in the community, as a remembrance of once was.

Sadly, it's Last Call at our Mall ...

Callings

At our last All Members Meeting a Director stood up and took credit for filling all the vacant units - himself.  Members clapped.  Since when does a Director, all by himself, choose who comes into our co-op?  Now that we are through our semi-take over period, why don't we resurrect the Member Selection Committee?  Apart from the dumpsters needed to rehabilitate units after these elite members move out, what we have left is akin to living in a ghetto.

I've heard members say several times over that they have asked the Property Manager for permission to do this and that.  Why would we confer the role of Den Mother unto our Property Manager?  This kind of relationship lacks workplace perspective and the intermingling involved is just too cozy.  The Board of Directors and/or committees make the decisions and the Property Manager is an employee of the co-op.  Some professional distance is much needed.

Crop Sharing

On July 10th I informed the Property Manager that the tall, unkempt grass in a certain common area must be mowed, that Ottawa was experiencing a Level 1 drought (now Level 2) and that the fire hazard was too great.  I stated that members have not volunteered to keep this previously beautifully landscape common area mowed, so the co-op should pay to have this done.  The co-op's insurance company would deem this to be negligence on the part of the co-op should there be a fire.  The co-op has an obligation to keep the common grounds maintained as Per By-law 21, 4 ii) a) and doing so would also enhance the visual aspect of the co-op.

I asked that my email be forwarded to the Board of Directors.

The property manager responded a few days later saying that a volunteer had stepped up to mow these common areas, so therefore she would not hire someone to mow the grass. And then she proceeded to thank me for the information I provided.  

That was fifteen days ago and the long, tall grass is - well - getting taller! 

Perhaps the co-op should consider having goats graze in the common areas and in some back yards.  The goats could be shared amongst other co-ops and our volunteers could become goat herders.  It's always good to think creatively - that way our democratic right to speak up, not only gets heard, but also gets channeled into something useful.

       

Rails

These are photos of the rail for the bathroom's sliding utility doors in our unit.  It wasn't changed when we moved in.  The housing co-op refused to do any work orders we submitted, so we had to replace this rail ourselves. As we do not own a car, we walked home from the hardware store,which is several kilometers away, with the rail over our shoulders.  This was a feat unto itself.

Now here's the clincher.  The entrance closet rail is in the same condition.  When the flooring contractor laid new linoleum down, he first removed the worn, rusty rail and then re-installed it over the new linoleum.  As we continue to have problems getting work orders done in our unit, we will no doubt have to replace this one too. 

And that is the long and skinny!