1105 Massachusetts Avenue Condominium Trust
Board of Trustees Meeting
November 16, 2023
The meeting of the 1105 Mass. Ave. Board of trustees was held on Thursday, November 16, 2023 via zoom.
Present for the Board were Steve Cohen, Rick Landau, Roger O’Sullivan, Peter Sullivan and Bev Thornton.
Also in attendance was Myra Miller.
PREVIOUS MONTHS MINUTES: The minutes of the October 26, 2023 meeting were approved as presented. All in favor
FINANCIAL STATEMENT AND ACCOUNT STATUS: The Board reviewed the list of delinquents and prepaids. There were no other questions on the financial statement.
2G RENOVATIONS: The renovations are completed. The unit parquet floor had to be refinished as well as the bathroom floor replaced. New blinds were installed in living room and bedroom. There is still a missing plumbers bill for installation of a new disposal and the replacement of the branch lines feeding the kitchen. We are currently about $2,000 over the budget.
Marion suggested asking $2900 for the rent. Peter recommended that we give the listing to other people to widen our reach. Bev reported that Marion has others that help her with listings, so it is not just one person. We also want to get the lease time period on the summer renewal cycle.
BONUSES: Were discussed and approved
ROOF REPLACEMENT OVER BOSTON BURGER: The roofer has the City permit and will start within the next 2 weeks. Hodan is sending a contractor to inspect the roof HVAC units and remove any that are no longer needed. There was a question about the outside temperatures and the roof warranty. A question was also asked if the contractor is bringing the roof insulation up to current codes. We need an answer as to whether the installation meets new codes or old codes.
ELECTION: 27 ballots were received. There were 4 people running for 4 positions. The remaining board members have voted to appoint the 4 candidates into the 4 vacancies.
BEUDO: There is no current update. Roger will present a little bit of history of BEUDO at the Annual Meeting.
ENERGY REBATE: We are getting a proposal from an energy consultant for purchasing electricity for the common areas. We want to see all options including the city option before making a decision.
BICYCLE INVENTORY: Stickers have been received in the office and a notice put out that all current bike owners should label their bikes by December 31st or they will be considered abandoned.
WASTE COLLECTION PIT: We need to charge back Hodan for the abuse of this pit and their tenants not cleaning grease traps in their businesses. This pit is used solely by the businesses on the lower mezzanine. Myra will be sending Hodan the most recent bill for the clean up to them to pay. Elder found a device that can be added to your sink to separate and collect grease. We will share this information with Ray and Vera and see if the tenants will consider installing it.
ANNUAL MEETING PREPARATION: The Board signed off the regular meeting and signed into the Annual Meeting.
No date was set for the next meeting.
Respectfully submitted,
Myra Finn Miller
ELN Management
1105 Massachusetts Avenue Condominium Trust
Annual Unit Owners Meeting
November 16, 2023
The Annual Meeting of the 1105 Mass. Ave. Condominium Trust Unit Owners was held on Thursday, November 16, 2023 via Zoom.
Present for the Board were Steve Cohen, Rick Landau, Roger O’Sullivan, Peter Sullivan and Bev Thornton.
Also in attendance were Elder Nunez and Myra Miller
The unit owners present were: Tom Pardee, Elizabeth Lunt, Sera Miller, Fran Rosenthal, Michael Ho, David Seipp, Andy Chu, Brad Settle, Ray (3E), Mary Akerson, and Don Meyer
Bev welcomed everyone to the 2023 meeting.
Trustee election results were announced. The 4 people running for the 4 positions were appointed to fill the vacancies. They are: Roger O’Sullivan, Peter Sullivan, Laura Cohen and Brad Settle.
2023 list of accomplishments and the accountant’s year-end report were distributed prior to the meeting. There were no questions on the report or Accomplishments.
There was a request made that for any owners who have suggestions for future building improvement projects, please let Myra or a Board member know.
Bev wanted to thank the team that keep our building in shape and clean, thank you Elder and Jose for such a great job. She also thanked Myra for over 35 years of service.
Bev welcomed the 2 new trustees, Brad Settle and Laura Cohen.
Brad Settle is a recent owner and resident. He is a software engineer for a local company and is enjoying living in Cambridge and in our building.
Laura Cohen has joined the board but, unfortunately, could not be here tonight. But she has been familiar with the building for years since her family business is CEA Group which has been here since the l980s.
Peter Sullivan was appointed to the Board in March 2022, and we welcome him. He has extensive experience in the real estate and asset management industries and has lived in 1105 since 2016.
Bev stated that these 3 new Trustees bring great experience and expertise to our group and will increase our productivity over the next few years.
Bev wanted to acknowledge our 2 retiring trustees, Steve Cohen and Marge Mulkerin. We thank them and appreciate all that they have done to help us run the building.
Past year overview: most common area drain and plumbing replacements have continued. Kitchen and drain line replacements in units are currently on hold. We will do them on an emergency basis only. Materials and labor costs are very high. We have renovated unit 2G, which is owned by the association.
The finances are in good shape, the reserve fund is healthy. We held fees flat this past year.
Future projects: our wish list items are on hold right now. If you have a specific request let Myra or a Board member know.
Roger talked about BEUDO. BEUDO is a city energy ordinance calling for a reduction of the use of gas and oil and a switch to other clean energy (electric and solar). The implementation was supposed to go into operation in 2030. It lacked a lot of detail on how to accomplish this goal (even Eversource reported that they would not be ready to supply enough electricity to those wanting it). The Board of Trustees of 1105 joined 20 other condominium associations and created a condominium coalition, (Cambridge Condominium Alliance). The City had made no provision for the complicated ownership structure of a condominium. The group lobbied the city council to delay the implementation of this ordinance for condominiums until 2035. We have some breathing space for this conversion. The original ordinance stated a $300 a day fine for noncompliance.
Year-end financial report: This was sent out to all owners. The reserve fund is earning between 4-5 ½% interest.
There were no questions and no further business to conduct. The meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
ELN Management
Myra F. Miller