Minutes of Board of Managers Meeting, February 24, 2026, which was called to order at 7:31 pm, held via Zoom.
Board Members Present: Michael Tedesco, President; Katharine Flanders Mukherji, Vice-President; Matthew Pilkington, Treasurer; Rose Firestein, Secretary; Peter Levy; Long Vu, Anne Ashby Gilbert and Terra Chalberg.
Also in Attendance: Kathleen Malara, EM Holding Corp.; Valdet Boleviq, Superintendent.
Approval of Prior Board Minutes
Via email, the board approved the minutes of its January 27, 2026, meeting.
Management and Superintendent’s Report
- During the recent cold snap, Val concentrated on warming and clearing the drain pipes to prevent freezing and resulting leaks. Because of this drain on his time, he has had to put some other projects on hold, including painting the FIOS pipe in 134 Boerum Place and staircase B in 120 Boerum Place.
- There was a leak in the boiler room due to a frozen pipe, which Val was able to defrost and clear. His efforts prevented any other pipes from freezing, and no other leaks were reported.
- Also during the extreme cold, the boiler stopped working. Val reset it, which worked, and he continued to monitor it for three days. He called the plumber to check the boiler, but the plumbing service was making only emergency calls. The boiler and heat pump continued to work properly.
- Unit 2D reported a lack of heat. The owners were advised to check if the pipe bringing heat into the apartment was hot to the touch, which would indicate the heat was circulating to the unit. Other units used their personal supplemental electric heaters. In these cases, the cool temperature in the unit may have been due to leaky windows and doors. The patio door In Val’s apartment allows cold air to enter the apartment. As noted below, the board approved replacing this door, as the unit belongs to the condominium.
- The top floor of staircase B at 120 Boerum Place did not receive sufficient heat during the extreme cold. This was probably due to air in the heating pipe as air rises to the top of a system. The mechanism to bleed air from this pipe is defective and risky to use. A new mechanism to bleed air from the heating pipe is needed for staircases B and A.
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- Val will consult with a specific plumber who previously indicated he has some suggestions for how to optimize the heat pumps so they work more efficiently and reduce energy usage. This will be done in the spring when the plumber’s workload decreases.
- Kathleen reported she has purchased the carpet tiles the board agreed to replace in 120 Boerum Place. Because of the difficulty in obtaining these tiles, she ordered surplus ones in case they are needed in the future. The plan is to hire a contractor to lay the new tiles in March.
- Kathleen made five attempts to reach a specific exterminator an owner repeatedly urged as superior to the one the condominium currently uses. The board agreed that five attempts were sufficient.
- Kathleen has also attempted to obtain bids for painting the bulkhead at 120 Boerum Place and the railings outside the buildings and on the decks. She has not yet received responses and will continue to reach out to contractors.
- The condominium’s snowblower is being repaired and should be ready soon.
Financial Report
- Kathleen and Matthew are working on a budget for 2026.
- Matthew reported that the Condominium revenue for January was less than expenses, even though we had received a refund of $1,362.83 from NYS Workers Compensation Insurance fund. The shortfall was just under $3,300. The largest out flow was the final payment for the repointing of the cracked masonry on the outside of the Garage building for $19,450.
- The condominium retains $18,000 in its reserve fund as well as a $150,000 undrawn line of credit. As noted in previous minutes, Skytrack intentionally operates with a minimum surplus in order to avoid taxes on profits.
Old and New Business
- The board approved replacing the patio door in the Superintendent’s apartment, which the condominium owns. The existing door seal is not adequate resulting in unnecessary energy usage due to loss of heat, entry of cold air and loss of air-conditioned air.
- Matthew reported that he had Academy service his intercom. It is usable but does not operate as it did originally. It appears that new replacement parts are no longer available, although some can be bought on eBay. The board continued the general discussion of whether the intercom systems need to be replaced and whether owners understand how to operate them. Matthew is meeting with another company’s representative concerning a replacement intercom system and will request a bid for this alternative system.
- The board discussed whether the condominium’s budget for maintenance should be increased for 2026. It was noted that a number of expensive but necessary maintenance projects have been waitlisted because of lack of funds and that the cost of maintenance tasks should be covered by common charges, not special assessments. The discussion focused on whether the board has been unnecessarily frugal with respect to larger, more expensive maintenance tasks and whether this approach has been driven by the no surplus/no tax approach to budgeting (discussed above), resulting in common charges that are insufficient to address critical maintenance needs. These considerations will be taken into account in developing the 2026 budget
Skytrack Board Minutes, February 24, 2026, page 2
- The investigation into the condominium’s water usage is continuing.
- The owner who requested the board’s approval to install electric vehicle charging stations in her garage units and that the condominium pay for individually metering her garage units for that purpose was informed that her written request did not contain the elements required by the NY Condominium Law and would have to be resubmitted. She responded indicating that she may consider litigation against the condominium if the board denies her request. She has not yet submitted a request for approval that meets the statute’s requirements.
- The board concluded that transferring ownership of unit 3E to an LLC was permissible, but decided to ask the owner for the contact information for both the LLC’s owners/members and the individuals who will live in the unit after the transfer, as well as an assurance that the owner will inform the new owners about the limitations on the use of the “fireplace” in the unit.
- It was noted that Boerum Hill residents are seeing significant increases in the cost of natural gas. Currently, there is an expectation that electricity rates will increase to fund infrastructure maintenance.
Adjournment and next meeting date
A motion to adjourn was passed at 9:02 pm. The board will next meet on March 31, 2026.
Skytrack Board Minutes, February 24, 2026, page 3