HOA Cambridge Crossings MONTHLY FEE INCREASE: "The Cladding Project".

The Cladding and Stoop Defects The Association has had these issues reviewed by two separate and independent engineering firms – R.V. Buric and Morris Engineering LLC – and their findings have been consistent with each other. What exactly is wrong with the stoops? There are a number of deficiencies that Morris Engineering has detailed in its report and representation to the community, but in summary, the stoops were not built with the proper water tightness, both for the stoop structure itself as well as the intersection between the stoop and the building, thereby allowing water to infiltrate the stoop and the adjacent structure. Are there any stoops that can be repaired rather than replaced? The engineers have concluded that, based upon their sample of inspections, all of the stoops suffer from these serious deficiencies and need to be replaced in order to have the defects corrected. A “patch and repair” approach would waste unit owner funds and would not address the root causes of the problems. Indeed, adding ventilation to the stoops, even years ago, would not have addressed all the water management problems and construction deficiencies with the stoops. What exactly is wrong with the cladding systems? The engineering reports go into the various deficiencies in great detail, and interested owners can view those reports in the management office by appointment to better understand these issues. Morris also presented these details in the two presentations to the community. In summary, the masonry-based cladding systems (synthetic stucco, adhered brick and adhered stone) were not installed pursuant to the applicable standards and manufacturer’s instructions, with great variation on the existence of property water resistant barriers, a lack of consistent weep mechanism to allow the release of water that permeates the cladding, and a lack of proper sealant joints between dissimilar materials – all of which result in a system that permits water to enter, but traps it within. Much of these defects appear to be the result of inadequate supervision and oversight during the original construction. Are there buildings whose masonry-based claddings can be repaired rather than replaced? The engineers have found pervasive and serious defects in the installation of these cladding systems in every location that has been opened up and inspected, and therefore they conclude that the repairs required would be so extensive that it would actually be less costly to replace than to repair the cladding. The Cladding and Stoop Replacement Project What about the vinyl siding on the rear elevation of the buildings – is that going to be replaced? Why not? Our experience with the vinyl cladding has been that it is far less problematic than the masonry-based cladding systems. During the deck project, we had ample opportunity to inspect areas around decks to see if there were problems with the vinyl siding, and we found that there were relatively few – and when there were issues (such as when a window flashing was found to be missing or defective), it was far easier to repair and restore the appearance. This has led the Board to conclude that there is no need to replace the rear elevation vinyl cladding. Why does the stoop and cladding work have to be done at the same time? The cladding and stoops have numerous points of intersection, so doing either project has an impact on the other component. The engineers have advised us that it makes the most sense to perform these together, to ensure a uniform, cohesive building envelope. If done piecemeal, there are concerns about impacting the warranties for the materials, as well as possibly higher costs. Are we going to look at alternate materials for replacement of these cladding systems? Yes, the Board has asked Morris Engineering to investigate different materials in an effort to manage the costs of the project, while still looking to have some architectural richness to the claddings that would be keeping with the original design. How will those decisions be made? Will unit owners have a voice in this? The Board will seek and welcome any input from the community on the choice of materials to be used, but ultimately the decision will be made by the Board. Please watch for notices of opportunities to see the renderings of these alternate materials, and to provide your input and thoughts. How long will this project last? The engineers tell us that weather permitting, it will take about 9 months, spread across two years, to complete this work, assuming we have funding for all phases of the project. Please note that funding issues could cause an elongated timetable. As we are all affected by this work on many levels, the Association will be diligent with making its decisions. Can we spread the project out over a longer period of time to lessen the financial impact? It is possible to spread out this project over a longer period if needed, although we believe that will cause the project to cost more in the aggregate because we could lose some of our economies of scale – which means that spreading out the work could cause the work to be more expensive in the end. The Board has not ruled out any option at this time, though, because how the project is financed may ultimately drive the decisions on the project timetable. What kinds of impacts will there be on the residents during the course of the project? Our community is fairly dense, with little open space, and that will present some challenges to our contractors in terms of staging materials and moving workers and materials through the property. Practically speaking, when a specific building is being addressed, the residents of that building will be impacted in terms of parking access, and will also be impacted by the requirement that all windows in the masonry-based cladding systems will have to be removed to allow installation of proper flashing details, and then reset. There will also be construction noise issues. We will ensure that our contract with the general contractor requires them to clean up the property daily, and to limit work to certain hours, but that will not eliminate all of the noise and related effects of a major construction project. As with all large construction projects, everyone must be cautious and aware of their surroundings. Funding the Project When will we have a better idea of the actual costs of this project? Of the breakdown between stoops and cladding? We expect to know more about the pricing of this project once the engineer has prepared the specifications and plans, incorporated them into a bid package that is sent to qualified contractors, and those contractor bids are received and reviewed. We hope to have that information by mid- to late-summer. How does the Board plan to fund this? The Board is exploring all of its options with respect to funding, but it hopes to be able to obtain a loan to cover as much of the construction costs as possible, with as long a term as can be obtained. That would allow the Association to engage the contractor and complete the work, and then assess the membership over a longer timeframe in order to service the debt. We will know more once we get firm bids for the work, which the lenders need to see when making the underwriting decisions. If we are able to obtain a loan for this work, we anticipate offering the ability for owners to finance their individual assessment, much as we did for the decks. What if the Association cannot obtain a loan for this work? If we cannot obtain a loan for some or most of this work, the Board is exploring alternate plans for moving forward, such as increasing the common expense assessments for the community and setting aside funds for this project, and then doing work as the Association accrues the funds (perhaps doing one building at a time, as the funds are available for same). Will the membership have to vote on an assessment? The Board sees this project as a necessary repair effort, within the scope of its authority and duty to safeguard the membership’s collective interests in the Common Elements, and not as a discretionary one. As a result, the Board does not plan to present any assessment to fund this project to a vote of the membership. How will these costs be allocated amongst the unit owners? The costs for the stoops will be assessed against the owners of the units that benefit from those Limited Common Elements, as set forth in the Master Deed. The costs for the cladding will be shared amongst all unit owners, in accordance with each unit’s percentage of common element interest. Since all units in Bromley Green have the same percentage of common element interest, all units will share equally in the cladding cost. This is regardless of how much masonry-based cladding there is on the building that your individual unit is in. How will we handle it when owners refuse to pay? The Board will be setting up a contingency in its project budget to address anticipated nonpayment by some owners, so that there is at least enough funds available to perform the work and pay the monthly loan costs. However, the Board will also vigorously pursue any and all owners who fail to pay, using the