Minutes of Board of Managers Meeting, March 31, 2026

Minutes of Board of Managers Meeting, March 31, 2026, which was called to order at 7:32 pm, held via Zoom.

Board Members Present: Michael Tedesco, President; Katharine Flanders Mukherji, Vice-President; Matthew Pilkington, Treasurer; Rose Firestein, Secretary; Peter Levy; 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 February 24, 2026, meeting.

Superintendent’s Report

  • Val painted the lobby at 120 Boerum Place and the Verizon pipe at 134 Boerum Place; cleaned the portions of the awning at 120 Boerum Place that could be reached by ladder but left the writing intact; prepared the snowblower for use when needed; scraped, plastered and painted staircase A at 120 Boerum Place.
  • The glass in the exterior door at 134 Boerum Place cracked. It has been taped, and the contractor who previously repaired similar cracks has been contacted to replace the glass.
  •  Val is evaluating the hydraulic door-closures on interior doors and the exterior on staircase B at 120 Boerum Place, to determine whether they need to be adjusted or replaced. He will take appropriate action to keep them from banging closed.
  • On one day, at least two units did not have hot water. Val restarted the boiler, which restored hot water. The boiler’s error code was the same as it was during a similar incident in February. An appointment has been made with a contractor to determine whether the pilot requires maintenance.

Management Report

  • The delay in replacing the metal fence between units 1M and 1N is attributable to the weather. This will be taken care of once access to the two courtyards has been secured.
  • Kathleen is requesting bids for painting all of the railings throughout the condominium.
  • A bid for painting a bulkhead and outer staircase came in at $60,000. The board is considering whether to go forward with this maintenance at this time.
  • Kathleen noted that the recently repaired garage parapet is peeling. She has contacted the contractor that made the repairs to remedy this problem, which it will do. The contractor stated that the problem probably resulted from making the repairs when it was too cold to do so. 
  • Financial Report
  • Matthew reported that In March the condominium transferred $7,000 from its savings account to checking. The total loss for the month across all accounts was $7,599.22. Kathleen characterized Skytrack’s financial condition as serious and noted that further withdrawals from savings would be ill advised.
  • Major disbursements included payment of the quarterly water bill and the bill for natural gas, which included fuel for heating during an unusually cold period. The excess disbursements over the amount collected is particularly concerning because no insurance payment was due in March.
  • Going forward, the cost of  insurance, which increased by approximately 9 percent to $11,313 per month, will continue to burden the condominium’s budget. The current annual cost is expected to reach around $140,000, which contrasts unfavorably to the $90,000 budgeted for this item based on the prior year’s experience. Matthew suggested that the increased cost of insurance is at least partially due to the decrease of competition in this market as companies have stopped writing certain types of policies for condominiums.
  • The cost of insurance is not the only area in which the condominium’s expenses are increasing due to overall inflation. 
  • The board has intentionally avoided building a surplus that could be used in the short term to cover increasing expenses in order to reduce or eliminate taxes on such a “profit.”
  • In order to ensure the condominium remains financially stable, the board voted to increase common charges by at least 10-15 percent beginning in June 2026. The exact percentage will be determined following a consultation with our accountant.
  • New and Old Business
  • The narrowing of the sidewalk on Dean Street due to the new tree wells continues to be a concern. Anne suggested that thin-cut pavers could be placed flush with the sidewalk within the wells’ perimeter to create a stable, slightly wider space for pedestrian traffic. She will research the cost of such a solution and report to the board.
  • The carpet tiles the board previously voted to replace in 120 Boerum Place have been delivered and will be installed.
  • ReDocs has completed the 2026 annual LL 97 greenhouse gas report, and it will be filed on time.
  • The annual owners’ meeting will be held via Zoom on June 2, 2026, at which time the terms of three board members, Michael, Matthew and Rose, will expire. A formal notice of the meeting will be sent to the owners in accordance with the Bylaws. Michael and Matthew indicated they will probably run for another term, but Rose will not.
  • Several issues were raised about the condominium’s plantings. 
    • Several of the yews in the concrete planter that surrounds 120 Boerum Place have died, and others show signs of stress and probable disease. They also extend beyond the side of the planter which further reduces the width of the sidewalk on the Dean Street side. Because of how these plants grow, if they were pruned any further to be flush with the planter, they would have very little if any green on the side facing the sidewalk. The board voted to replace yews that die with boxwoods, which are extremely hardy, relatively fast-growing, more available and less expensive than yews and leaf along their branches making it possible to keep them green after pruning.
    • Rose will continue to water and care for the plants in the two most eastern tree wells on Bergen Street, the plants in the fenced area on Bergen, the tree wells on Boerum Place and the potted plants on Boerum Place through the three holly plants. She will not care for the yews, the tree wells and potted plants on Dean Street or  those in front of 15 Bergen Street. The board will ask the owners for volunteers to help maintain the plants in these areas in order to relieve Val who has a great deal on his plate.

Adjournment and next meeting date

A motion to adjourn was passed at 8:42 pm. The board will next meet on April 28, 2026.