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!

The Go Around

A Building Condition Assessment (BCA) of our co-op was organized with the assistance of the Agency for Co-operative Housing and completed in mid-summer, 2008.  Members were only apprised of one of the recommendations and that was a one-sentence instruction to members in our Office Co-ordinator's newsletter to leave their bathroom fans on for two hours after a shower in order to cut down on mold.  Our co-op painter though was informed that all the windows in Phase I needed was a coat of paint.  He was astounded at this finding because in many instances he couldn't paint the windows because they were so rotten, they were falling out.

The Building Condition Assessment has resurfaced, this time in connection with large gaps under most of the co-op's front steps.  Critters, such as groundhogs are still occupying these spaces and pest control measures are being undertaken to control this situation.  Members were not told if this meant that these animals are being killed, or are being trapped and relocated.  I certainly hope it's the latter.  It wasn't clear at the meeting whether the co-op is going to be pro-active in closing these gaps.  Considering no remedial action was ever initiated from any information contained in the BCA, perhaps just reading the report once again will suffice.

Inside/Outside

  Vitality

  Vibrancy

 Our Co-op's Visitor Parking Signs

Common Area Grass

Cooking Leftovers

While cleaning up debris in visitor's parking (where our drug dealers and friends) park, I noticed something, aside from discarded  cigarette packages, coffee cups with domed lids, straws, and cigarette butts - that something was a spilled box of baking soda.  I picked up the box with contents inside.  It was impossible with my rake to scrape up the residual baking soda, so I left it there.  So there it lies, all white and powdery, waiting for our members and visitors upon their return. I am a very thoughtful grounds keeper.

The Morning After

Our Annual General Meeting was held last night overseen by an outside Chairperson.  We zipped though the Agenda very quickly as members were unusually conciliatory approving everything in sight. The auditor presented the Financial Statements ended March 31, 2012.  Our vacancy loss was $42,584. down from $62,515.  Bad debts increased from $26,014. to $32,607.  Windows were replaced in 2 units in Phase I in the amount of $6,576.  These were Directors units and remained unidentified in the Auditor's report.  Our Replacement Reserves are $161,137, which the Auditor stated is raising concerns with CMHC as this amount is completely inadequate for the age, size and upkeep of our co-op.  

The Property Manager presented her report, indicating that there are no vacant units and that the Board of Directors did a splendid job of managing the co-op.  I cringe at the thought of the drug dealers alongside my unit being viewed with rose-coloured glasses, as I continue to pick up their discarded beer bottles, drug paraphernalia and garbage,  cars being dropped off with licence plates removed, tires being tossed into our gravel pit (a.k.a. our previously landscaped berm), the signing of a 3-year snow removal contract, most likely with the same company, which has had no regard for our landscaping in the past.

Six Directors were elected, two of them will now have been on the Board for four years.  I was elected to be a CHASEO/CHF delegate as I was deemed capable for my reporting abilities.

There's one more thing which I would like comment on.  I raised an issue after the Property Manager gave her report and that was the state of the common areas.  I described how shocking it is to see grass and weeds four feet high with our architect's beautiful landscaping buried deeply underneath.  The Chairperson quickly told me that this was not the place to talk about it - that it could wait for another time.  It can't wait, so I'm going to talk about it now.

There is a level one drought in the City of Ottawa.  If someone were to toss a cigarette into the parched grass, the flames would spread to the nearby co-op wooden fences, then on to the sheds and then quite possibly up to the roofs.  The units are in rows in a courtyard formation.  The results of a fire could be catastrophic.  Our insurance company would deem this to be co-op negligence, CMHC guarantees the mortgage on our co-op, they too would be alarmed, as well as fire prevention officers.  In addition to un-mowed common areas, members have similar hay fields in their back yards.  The co-op owns one gas mower.  A mower could not cut this height of grass, a weed eater must first be employed.  If members do not cut the common areas, or their back yards, the co-op must pay to have this work done.  There is no choice.

Visually, we could be a pretend condo development if there was some pride as to the co-op's upkeep.

Initiation Ceremony

An ad in a local newspaper for an orientation session, which reads:

Doors will open

at 7:00 pm for 

registration and session

will begin at 7:30 pm 

sharp, at which time the

doors will be locked.

Late comers

will NOT

be accepted.

Now a co-op info session is not a rock concert where thousands of people attend and so being there on time might secure your entry.  There are not hundreds of people vying to be on a co-op waiting list.  Nevertheless, the ad is strict and to the point and one should get the gist of what living in a co-op is like given the tone of the ad.

Now if a latecomer were to knock on the locked door at 7:31 pm and the info session attendees blatantly ignore that knock, they will have each made the transition to being a valuable potential co-op member.

And that's the way it is done.