The Inside Scoop On The Ongoing Drama At Quantum On The Bay
A building that was once known for its sweeping bay views and convenient location is quickly becoming known for its incessant drama and infighting, and there are no signs of a slow down at Quantum on the Bay. In a letter to residents of the South Tower, Sue Nelson (the new South Tower board president), details her grievances with the way the building has been run and we have to admit that she has a point.
Two years ago, as a new member of the South Tower condo board, Sue was reviewing the “2014 Actual Expenses” spreadsheet and noticed two line items that seemed “off.”
1 – Water Expenses: While $1,000 was budgeted for the year, the actual amount paid was $13,480! After further investigation, it was discovered that the overage was for bottled water for the management office. That works out to over $1,000/month for bottled water, that’s a lot of water!
2 – Housekeeping Coverage: While the management company has 10 housekeepers on payroll for Quantum, whose salary expenses are passed to the owners of the building, there was still a $26,000 charge for “Housekeeping Coverage.” This was a fee that was paid to a separate housekeeping company to provide additional housekeepers on an “on-call” basis at a higher hourly rate than the full-time staff earns. To complicate matters further, it appears that the housekeeping company in question is owned by the partner of the former North Tower condo board president, who was in office at the time of the expense.
In an effort to remedy this double expense, Nelson proposes to outsource all of the housekeeping department to one company. According to an estimate she received, this would save the owners upwards of $100,000 per year, while providing better equipment.
Communication
As we saw in last month’s spat, the board members are also displeased with the Master Board’s insistence that they remain the sole source of communication between the boards and the residents. The South Tower Board has now regained the ability to send messages directly to its residents, but from what I understand, the North Tower has not.
Condition of the Building
Once everything is settled, the owners would ultimately like to see the building maintained more efficiently. They shared photos of the valet area, that once had shrubs and greenery in the planters along the entry, but are now filled with cement and rocks. The tiles are chipped and the ones that were replaced were not replaced by tiles of the same color, leaving a mix and match look as the first impression when visitors arrive at the building. They feel it looks cheap, and they are right.
Do you think the building owners and the Master Board will be able to settle their differences without (another) lawsuit?
