NEWSLETTER 2013

Dear Residents:

It is hard to believe that over a year has passed since our last newsletter.  It has been a relatively calm year with little or no adversity. Yet to be honest, I would like to point out even the adversity we have experienced was not a problem because it shows how well the Board works together as a team.

We had a very traumatic experience regarding a cyber-attack in March. The computer system was infiltrated by hackers when I was out of town and we almost lost $181,000.00. But our management team was able to prevent this catastrophe.  They immediately informed me, which allowed me to be able to coordinate a plan of action with our bank in order to circumvent this pending financial disaster. Thanks to everyone’s cooperation, diligence, professionalism and loyalty, the hackers were unsuccessful.  Everything is running properly now, we have installed the most secure software and hardware systems and we will be continually upgrade them at the highest security levels. FULL STORY

Now that I have gotten this news out of the way, I can concentrate on informing you about all of the good experiences we have been through and all the projects we have in store for you.  So, let us continue…

UntitledThis is the time when I have the chance to express my gratitude to our management, housekeeping, security, maintenance and valet teams.  As president of the Association, I feel honored to be able to work with such a positive group of people without whom our Board would not be able to sustain our property in the manner at which we are currently successful.  The Board members we have today have been the most efficacious and loyal friends of our community. As a team we have persevered through  all different situations, whether good or bad, and we are always on the same page. What more can we ask for?

Also. I would like to personally express my appreciation to Stephanie Boren, who was a Board member for several years, and whose work and  dedication still can be seen today. She put in lots of efforts to make our Association financially strong , stable and make our Condominium a  desirable place to live.
At this time, we have finished a few projects that have taken a lot of work to complete. First I would like to discuss the new 7-year contract with Atlantic Broadband, which took more than 5 months of negotiations.  Our residents are now able to enjoy a top-of-the-line cable package at bottom prices. This package we are now using should normally cost $145.00 a month. But our Board was so influential and firm, they were able to negotiate the same package for a mere $11.00 a month per resident, which includes the highest speed internet available!!!! You can’t beat that! So, needless to say, this is our first step in showing our residents the improvements our Board can accomplish at a savings.

We just recently celebrated one year with Bryant Security Corp.  You all remember the bumps and confusion in the beginning; people were beginning to lose hope. But due to the persistence of our Board members we were able to smooth out all the snags and everything seems to be running efficiently now. Remember, we have saved money as well by changing to Bryant Security Corp.  A new IBM computer with a large screen has been installed at the front desk, which keeps our security team up to date at a superior level.
Our beautification projects include the following: The hot tub has been resurfaced with Diamond Brite and looks brand new! The roof breezeway (the walkway between the garage and the entrance of the building) was tiled to match the roof of the porch-cochere. New pavers were installed at the entrance and exit of  the property, valet area, as well as at the entrance of the garage. We all know how important it is to keep our facade beautiful for real estate purposes.
We now also have a beautiful black baby grand piano in the lobby for your listening pleasure, which adds a much more luxurious ambiance.
New carpeting has been installed on the 1st , 3rd , 4th , 5th , 6th , PH, and TS floors. The process of the installation will take approximately two days per floor. No special assessment will be associated with this project.
The KeyScan (security) system is being upgraded to include visitor/vendor management whereby all vendors and visitors will have their photo taken and put into our database. This will greatly increase our ability to protect our residents even further.
We are looking at repairing our 11-year-old roof, which is in need of attention, (which is not unusual for a roof of this age). Our Chief of Maintenance, Igor Bond,  is keeping the Board abreast of the condition of the roof, seeking solutions and getting bids for this project, which should be done sometime in 2014. Another project in the future is to reface the hallway walls on the first floor with Venetian plaster. Additionally, the east side of the gym is cracked underground, causing water to enter the gym. This has been fixed and new carpeting was installed on the first and second floors of the gym.

The Board of Directors and the Chief Engineer have fervently worked to lower expenses in the building. The savings in our electricity bill continues; $12,000-$14,000 less per month as compared to 2011.  I would also like to inform you that we expect the total of the surplus to be close to $340,000 before December 31, 2013. We have already transferred $200,000 to the reserves and another $140,000 will be transferred before January 1, 2014.

Furthermore, the delinquency rate of maintenance payments has reduced from 2.8 % in 2012, to 1% this year; (in 2009, the delinquency rate was more than 43%!!) Delinquency of more than 90 days totals $52,000 at this time. In 2009, the delinquency rate was $780,000  (see graph below).

Untitled1The Board is in the process of replacing the gate in the receiving area. We are reviewing different designs and getting bids. We expect to have the gate installed before the new year.
For the last 18 months, the Association has been self-managed by the Board of Directors and Igor Bond. By going this route we have been able to add about $115,000 a year to our reserves as a surplus.

Our annual community  Halloween Party, chaired by Ms. Whitney Walker of the Social Community, was again, a huge success. Whitney Walker, Ken Caban, Loretta Wand, Blanche Gitnick and Natalie Morales, the Board thanks you for your hard work and great ideas that made this event one to surpass all others.

We are still renowned as being one of the most desirable building and financially stable Association in Aventura. We are proud to announce that we are also members of the Aventura Marketing Council, which gives us more opportunities to get licenses, better vendors at better prices, and networking advantages.
The Board of Directors and I are totally committed  to all of our residents and promise to keep our community safe, beautiful and an enjoyable place to live.  There will always be time for me to discuss matters that are important to you, so please do not hesitate to contact me if you need any help or you have any questions.

Thank you for your support.
Gregory Arzumanov

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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