BOARD’S HALF-HEARTED ANSWER ONLY RAISES MORE QUESTIONS

This past winter, laminated signs were taped to the doors of the garbage rooms instructing residents to keep those doors open because it “will prevent the windows from freezing and getting moisture in the walls.”

Which begs the questions:
Why were these windows not addressed by the supposedly thorough engineer reports that were good enough to base a whole-building construction project on?

Why does the board not have money in reserves to address this window issue?

What about all the other windows in the building that were installed with the same materials and by the same means; won’t they freeze and produce moisture in the walls of residents who don’t spend winter here, or maybe don’t use heat in every room?

THUMBS DOWN: YAHOO USERS REPEATEDLY GIVE VISTA "ONE STAR" REVIEWS

Out of a five star rating system, Yahoo users consistently gave Vista Property Management of Villa Park, IL, one star reviews.

Some of the reviewers also took the time to leave comments.

On 09/20/2010, screen name “Mike” proclaimed, “VISTA SUCKS!!!!! Stay away from them. They took pictures of my windows accusing me of having blankets as curtains. [T]his is not true. I do not have blankets as curtains. They took pictures of my windows with my curtain open. Isn't that an invasion of privacy? If I went and took pictures of their windows with their curtains open, I would be arrested. They have several city code violations on their clubhouse. I will be calling the city to investigate their violations.”

On 11/11/2010, visitor number “17330016” remarked that, “[One] star is even too many! They have no regard for the housing laws or don't even know them. They allow discrimination by condo board members and look the other way when the law is being broken. It's family run, so there is no going to a higher authority. What needs to happen is that we all get together and bring a suit against these people.”

On 01/07/2010, screen name “Lukas” concisely posted, “They are one of the worst property management. They don't care about nothing. Stay away from Vista.”

ANOTHER BOARD MEMBER BRINGS A CHILD TO TEARS AS REAL ISSUES GO UNADDRESSED

There is a very special boy who lives on the third floor with his single mother and grandfather. He decorated their door with a bright and colorful design of paper hearts that he made.

Yesterday, I noticed some of the hearts were missing.

Today, I walked by and noticed a sign posted on the door, directed at Board Member Mary Theodore, who passes this door from the elevator on the way to her third floor condo.

The note from the single mother (words are in bold here that were underlined in the handwritten note) states:

“Mary,

Please return my son’s hearts immediately as you are making him cry for stealing property off of my door.

These are his crafts and would like them back at once. (Or else!!!)”

She wrote another note on the top corner of the page:

“I will press charges if it happens again!”

With homeowners facing foreclosure and bankruptcy because they have been financially bled dry from the actions of the board that this same Mary Theodore has been a long-term member on, Ms. Theodore’s primary concern is ripping down a child’s art project.

With priorities such as these, it is little wonder 2000 St. Regis is in the dire straits it is.

VISTA STANDS BY CONDRADICTING STATEMENTS

Vista’s Jennifer Ranieri and resident/former board member Jennifer Bratanch exchanged the following four emails after Bratanch received management’s December 28 letter stating that the special assessment was “$898,831.00 over the original budgeted costs”.

1. Bratanch to Ranieri, Tuesday, December 28, 2010 at 9:24 AM

“I asked you what my FINAL bill was and you gave me a FINAL price to the cent. How is it, that 3 months later that I owe you $4,590? You didn't know that you were over-budget?”

2. Ranieri to Bratanch, Tuesday, December 28, 2010 at 10:13 AM

“Yes you asked for you final amount due and at the time of the request the balance I gave you was your amount due. The Board was aware of the overages, in fact the letter the Board sent out back in March 2010 explained that the projects costs were over budget and that an additional amount would be due but the total had yet to be determined. The first week of December we received the final costs from McGuire and preparations were made on how to handle the overages. Thus the most recent letter dated December 20th and the additional amounts being requested from the homeowners.

Jennifer”

3. Bratanch to Ranieri, Tuesday, December 28, 2010 at 10:55 AM

“Well then why did you write this on April 20th, 2010?

‘On 4/20/10, Jennifer wrote: The total special assessment is still based on the $1,200,000.00 that was discussed when you were still a board member. You should already have copies of all the documentation that was used to arrive at these numbers. At this time nothing has changed to the amount that will be special assessed to the owners.’

What the hell? $900,000 over budget with a total cost of $2,100,000? That's 43% over budget. Who got fired for this? You can't go nearly 50% over budget with some dumb ass losing their job. If this was an apartment building the owners would have fired the management company immediately. Vista is the most incompetent company that I have ever seen. And how the fuck do you have the gall to drop this on everyone right after Christmas? Like everyone didn't spend too much cash on Christmas. Oh, but we have a full two weeks to find that $5,000?”

4. Ranieri to Bratanch, Tuesday, December 28, 2010 at 2:05

“I stand by what I said in my emails both today and on April 20th.”

PROJECT $900,000 OVER BUDGET

Reserves plundered, another loan, residents to pay even more

Yesterday, St. Regis homeowners received a letter which bluntly stated, “The Bottom line is this: we are $898,831.00 over the original budgeted costs for the project.”

Despite the fact that a loan has been taken out to cover the costs of this special assessment, the building’s reserve funds have been tapped into, and homeowners will now have to pay an additional $3,600-5,400, depending on unit size.

The letter states, “Another $140,000 will be paid from a loan that the association will carry.” What is not stated is where the money to pay this loan will come from.

FACT: The board, Vista, and the engineer assured homeowners that this do-everything-at-once construction plan would save homeowners money (as opposed to doing necessary repair projects over time, which was the course of action preferred by the residents).

FACT: The board and Vista assured homeowners that the engineer’s report was authoritative and thorough.

FACT: In October, they blamed budget overruns to “unexpected structural repairs”.

FACT: As project manager, Vista’s Mark J. Ranieri receives a percentage of the final project costs.

FACT: The project promised to be $1.2 million, amassed “approximately $900,000 additional cost” and is now $2,098,830.75.

SATIRE – RIDDLE ME THIS

SATIRE - HAPPY HALLOWEEN

BOARD MEMBER CALLS COPS ON 5-YEAR-OLD

Despite the fact that the pool is paid for out of the regular monthly assessment, the board refused to issue pool passes to those who did not pay the deposit on the unrelated special assessment.

This past summer, a homeowner took her 5-year-old to use the pool. A board member believed to be Tom Mull allegedly told her that if she didn’t pay her assessment, the board would shut off her electricity. He then proceeded to call the Lombard Police Department to have the mother and child removed the pool area.

For months, this family lived in fear that their power was going to be turned off because of this board member’s threat.

An empty threat, it turns out, because only the electric company can shut off your power (if you don’t pay your electric bill), not the board because an assessment wasn’t paid.

The board member apparently was unaware of that, just as he was also unaware that the police department has no jurisdiction in board issues such as pool passes.

No, a police officer had to show up and inform the board member of that fact – all the while, a 5-year-old is trembling, thinking he’s the one about to be arrested.

Threatening residents and scaring children.

BOARD IGNORED AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE SPECIAL ASSESSMENT

For a brief period of time, there was a minority of board members who were against the special assessment.

Jennifer Bratanch was one such board member looking to find alternatives to the proposed $1.2 million project that the majority of the board fervently favored.

She invited the president of a construction firm to a September 24, 2007, homeowners meeting to listen to the presentation given by the engineer the board had hired. The following day, he sent her this:

Bratanch presented the letter to the board and said, “We don’t need the special assessment.” Not one of them read the letter.

With $1.2 million of homeowner money at stake, not a single board member would take five minutes to consider an alternative option.

Mr. Weldon, at no cost to St. Regis homeowners, literally handed the board his professional opinion, and not one took the time to review it.

It’s little wonder that Bratanch - and others in the minority who could not in good conscience be party to the sprawling assessment - resigned in disgust.

The majority of the board members had a singularly dedicated obsession to pass the $1.2 million assessment, and nothing was going to sway them – not a professional contractor, not other board members, not even their neighbors.

MANAGEMENT’S “SAVE MONEY” PROJECT OVER BUDGET AND REQUIRES MORE MONEY

The above Project Cost Update arrived in the mailboxes of homeowners at 2000 St. Regis this week.

When the hard sell was being made for this project by the board and Vista, homeowners were assured that the engineer’s report was authoritative and thorough.

Today, they blame being hundreds of thousands of dollars over budget to “unexpected structural repairs”.

The board, Vista, and the engineer assured homeowners that this do-everything-at-once construction plan would save homeowners money (as opposed to doing necessary repair projects over time).

Today, more than a year behind schedule, they say the special assessment will have to be raised, that the reserve funds will have to be tapped – and that the final cost of the project is still unknown.

MORE WATER PLAGUES 4th FLOOR RESIDENTS

The above photograph was taken on September 28 and shows that water is still in the fourth floor hallway that was supposed to be cleaned and disinfected the week prior.

According to one resident, the hallway “smells like a litter box.”

BOARD MEMBER IGNORES RESIDENT’S CONCERNS, PASSES THE BUCK

The following conversation reportedly occurred in the halls on September 18 between longtime board member Fran Carroll and a resident affected by the flooding that was happening on the fourth floor (see September 25 blog, “STANDING WATER ON 4TH FLOOR”):

RESIDENT - "Uh, Fran, please come up to the forth floor to see what's going on."

FRAN CARROLL - "I just got off work."

RESIDENT - "Well you are a board member and I want you to see what's going on up there."

FRAN CARROLL - "Call Vista if you have a problem. I don't need this, I just got off work."

RESIDENT - "Fran, you are a board member. You come upstairs with me to see what is going on."

FRAN CARROLL - "I have groceries in my hand and I just got off work. Call Vista if you have a problem."

RESIDENT - "Shame on you, you are a board member, you should care of what's going on here."

FRAN CARROLL - "Don't cuss me. Shame on you."

SATIRE

CONDO PROPERTY MANAGERS IN ILLINOIS FINALLY REQUIRED TO BE LICENSED

Kudos to Illinois state lawmakers for passing the Community Association Manager Licensing and Disciplinary Act. According to a summary prepared by Kovitz Shifrin Nesbit, “While the Act is effective July 1, 2010, the licensing requirement will not be effective until 12 months after adoption of the rules providing for licensure. The rules have not been adopted, and that could take a year itself.”

My short time here at 2000 St. Regis is case study enough to know that such regulation is necessary. I’m reminded of the meetings where impassioned homeowners told the board and Vista that they could not afford the $1.2 million assessment, and that another construction plan needed to be considered. Vista’s Jennifer Ranieri told the owners if they didn’t have the money then to withdraw it from their retirement funds, get a home equity loan, or borrow it from family and friends.

Perhaps Ms. Ranieri would not have been so casual about people’s homes and financial struggles, would not have been so married to the singular construction plan, had her livelihood depended on the high standards state oversight would ensure.

STANDING WATER ON 4th FLOOR

The above is a photograph of the standing water that remained in the 4th floor hallway for four days this week before management finally sent the building’s janitor... to place a fan in the hallway.

One resident compared the smell to “a dead body” and is worried about mold issues that might arise in the wall and carpet.

On Thursday, September 23, Jennifer Ranieri of Vista promised the hall would be cleaned and disinfected, but according to available information, that has not yet happened.

2000 St. Regis has a long history of water leaks, which will be detailed in future posts.

SATIRE - MINUTES FROM A BOARD MEETING

MINUTES FROM A RECENT 2000 ST. REGIS BOARD MEETING

Board members in attendance:

Judy Weismann

Mary Theodore

Fran Carroll

Tom Mull

and one or two others.

I. New Business:

The board wanted to order a pizza for themselves and the 90 residents who attended tonight’s meeting. A call was made to a pizza delivery service the board assured everyone was reputable.

The phone call went as follows:

WEISMANN: Hello, Pizza Man. Of the over 90 people in attendance tonight, only a few of us are hungry, and only about four of us absolutely need to eat.

PIZZA MAN: So how can I help you?

CARROLL: Well, since everyone needs food to sustain themselves, and since everyone here is going to have to eat again eventually, just send over 700 pizzas.

PIZZA MAN: How many?

CARROLL: 700. And tell your driver to hurry up, because I want to get this meeting over with so I can watch Dancing With the Stars!

THEODORE: Shut up, Judy.

CARROLL: You shut up, Mary!

WEISMANN: Yes, 700 hundred pizzas sounds reasonable.

PIZZA MAN: Are you sure? I hear a lot of objection in the background.

WEISMANN: Those are just the residents we’re ordering this pizza for.

THEODORE: And we’re going to have some, too, don’t forget!

CARROLL: But it’s mostly an emergency, for those four or five who really need to eat, so just send over the 900 pizzas.

PIZZA MAN: I thought it was supposed to be 700?

WEISMANN: Other things came up.

PIZZA MAN: All right. Let me give you a total.

CARROLL: You can do that?

PIZZA MAN: … um, yeah. It’s a pretty standard business practice to know how much something is going to cost before you agree to pay for it.

Silence.

THEODORE: Clearly, someone does not have any experience serving on a condominium board!

PIZZA MAN: And you ladies do?

WEISMANN, CARROLL, THEODORE: Years and years worth!

PIZZA MAN: Then you’re sure everyone can afford this?

Silence.

DICKLER: If they can’t, they don’t deserve to live here!

WEISMANN: That’s our attorney.

PIZZA MAN: You pay him to talk to your residents that way?

MULL: Is this meeting over yet? Because I need a smoke.

WEISMANN: Just start working and delivering the pizzas and we’ll worry about how we’re going to pay for it later.

CARROLL: It might save money if we picked it up instead of having to tip a driver.

THEODORE: I nominate Mark J. Ranieri!

RANIERI: I accept! I’ll be happy to pick up the 975 pizzas. And instead of having to tip a driver, you’ll only have to pay me a percentage of the final cost of the 999 pizzas!

WEISMANN, CARROLL, THEODORE: Agreed!

PIZZA MAN: I’m sorry. This is wrong. I can hear the residents objecting to this even if you can’t. I can’t be part of any business transaction like this. I don’t know anyone of conscience who could. Goodbye, St. Regis Board.

WEISMANN: Now who are we supposed to order the pizzas from?

RANIERI: I know somebody!