HomeMy WebLinkAboutJanuary 23, 2007
HOUSING & REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES OF JANUARY 23, 2007
Call to Order - The Regular Meeting of the Columbia Heights Housing &
Redevelopment Authority (HRA) was called to order by Chair, Tammera Diehm at
7:33 p.m., January 23, 2007, in the Parkview Villa Community Room B, 965 40th
Avenue NE, Columbia Heights, Minnesota
OATH OF OFFICE
Jindra administered the Oath of Office for Diehm, Kelzenberg, and Ecklund Jr.
Roll Call- Tammera Diehm, Bruce Nawrocki, Bobby Williams, Dennis Ecklund Jr.,
Patricia Jindra, and Bruce Kelzenberg
Pledge of Allegiance
CONSENT AGENDA
ELECTION OF OFFICERS
The current officers are Tammera Diehm-Chair, Bobby Williams-Vice Chair and Patricia
Jindra-SecretarylTreasurer.
Motion by Kelzenberg, second by Ecklund Jr, to nominate the same officers. All ayes.
Motion Carried.
Approval of Minutes and Financial Report for the months of October, November
and December 2006, Resolution 2007-01.
Nawrocki stated on the minutes of October 24, 2006 the first page states October and
the following pages say April 25, 2006. Diehm directed staff to make the change.
Nawrocki stated it looks like on both the north and south buildings net results, there is a
reduction in the cash balance carryover, even though the rental income has increased
each year. Is this correct.
Lindig stated in looking at the cash balance of December 31, 2005, which was $82,811
and one year later it was $51,271, which is decrease of $31,540. Keep in mind they did
transfer $58,016 out of Parkview Villa North to the Cities investment pool to invest it on
behalf of Parkview Villa North. So absent that transfer we actually generated about
$27,000 in positive cash flow.
Motion by Williams, second by Nawrocki, to approve the Minutes and Adopt Resolution
2007-01, approving the Financial Report for the months of October, November and
December 2006. Motion Carried.
HRA RESOLUTION 2007-01
RESOLUTION OF THE COLUMBIA HEIGHTS HOUSING & REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (HRA)
APPROVING THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR OCTOBER, NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER OF 2006
AND PAYMENT OF BILLS FOR THE MONTHS OF OCTOBER, NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER OF
2006.
Housing & Redevelopment Authority Minutes
January 23, 2007
Page 2 of6
WHEREAS, the Columbia Heights Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) is required by Minnesota
. Statutes Section 469.096, Subd. 9, to prepare a detailed financial statement which shows all receipts and
disbursements, their nature, the money on hand, the purposes to which the money on hand is to be
applied, the HRA's credits and assets and its outstanding liabilities; and
WHEREAS, said Statute also requires the HRA to examine the statement and treasurer's vouchers or bills
and if correct, to approve them by resolution and enter the resolution in its records; and
WHEREAS, the financial statement for the months of October, November, December of 2006 and the list
of bills for the months of October, November, December of 2006 are attached hereto and made a part of
this resolution; and
WHEREAS, the HRA has examined the financial statement and the list of bills and finds them to be
acceptable as to both form and accuracy.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Commissioners of the Columbia Heights Housing
& Redevelopment Authority that it has examined the attached financial statements and list of bills, which
are attached hereto and made a part hereof, and they are found to be correct, as to form and content; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the financial statements are acknowledged and received and the list of bills
as presented in writing are approved for payment out of proper funds; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED this resolution and attachments are to be made a part of the permanent
records of the Columbia Heights Housing & Redevelopment Authority.
Passed this 23 day of January, 2007.
MOTION BY: Williams
SECONDED BY: Nawrocki
All Ayes
NAYS: None
Attest by:
BUSINESS ITEMS
Report of Management Company
Gravemann stated he provided copies of the management report for the past three
months and as requested at the last meeting, there is also a breakdown of the costs
associated with apartment turns.
Diehm asked Gravemann if there was anything exciting that happened over the past
few months that he would like to tell them about. Gravemann stated they finished the ih
floor modernization and are requesting the fire doors be replaced on tonight's agenda.
Ecklund stated the board asked him to talked to the residents about internal move fees
and they voted at the resident council meeting to recommend $250 for the first move
and $400 thereafter.
Nawrocki stated on that particular item he read the sheet and thinks it's a little bit petty
to support the position of the management on the cost, some of these costs are already
Housing & Redevelopment Authority Minutes
January 23,2007
Page 3 of6
incurred, you don't hire any more or less people in the office, you have the manager
and maintenance manager. The point I made at the last meeting was in terms of a new
unit. Whether it is somebody moving from someplace else in the building or someone
from outside, there is no extra cost, just costs for general wear and tear. If the internal
move has anything beyond normal wear and tear that should come out of there damage
deposit. The $250 amount previously mentioned would be sort of a compromise and
we should act on it.
Ecklund stated he and Gravemann have talked about this issue and determined the
resident usually knows when they are going to move and would try to clean up their unit
before they move.
Diehm asked Gravemann how many internal moves they have had in the last year.
Gravemann stated he believed it was approximately four.
Fehst stated one fault that he finds in Mr. Nawrocki's statement is that the staff is sitting
around doing nothing, is that right. Nawrocki stated that was his interpretation, he tries
to delight himself and take hits at him, and was glad to see he found something to
amuse himself during these meetings.
Fehst stated he was sorry. He appreciates what Nawrocki was saying. It is just that
there is a cost for everything, government isn't free, and he understood that he doesn't
want residents to pay too much, but, maintenance staff here has plenty of stuff to do.
Diehm stated we should put this on our next agenda, as that is the normal procedure or
we could consider a motion tonight if that is the pleasure of the body.
Motion by Nawrocki, second by Jindra, to waive the cost of moving internally as the
costs are the same as what they are for someone moving into the building.
Upon Vote: Nawrocki-aye, Jindra-aye, Williams-nay, Diehm-nay, Kelzenberg-nay,
Ecklund Jr.-nay. Motion fails.
Jindra stated when this was first brought up there was one resident moving four times,
within a short period of time. Diehm stated the resident council recommendation would
make sense.
Williams stated he voted against Nawrocki's motion, as he would make a counter
motion to go with the recommendation of the resident council.
Motion by Williams, second Kelzenberg, to approve the recommendation from the
resident council revising the Internal Move Policy to read a maximum of $250 for the
first move, and up to $400 for the second. All ayes. Motion Carried.
Nawrocki stated he asked at previous meetings to be involved with the screening of the
new manager and he wasn't involved.
Housing & Redevelopment Authority Minutes
January 23,2007
Page 4 of6
Diehm stated Jindra and her were involved with the screening process and they asked
questions on how he would react to certain situations, customer service skills, his
background with HUD buildings and form processing. Bruce is what you are asking is
for Gravemann to tell us a little about himself? Nawrocki stated he would like that.
Gravemann stated he has experience with Section 42, low income housing from the
ground up, has experience with managing, both with the lease up phase as well as the
undertaking of preparing the tax credits for that building. This means, in order for
someone to move in under tax credits in section 42, they have to meet certain
qualifications, verify income and other qualifications such as home keeping, house
cleaning. He had approximately 80 units under section 42, all with senior housing, also
managed an additional 142 units of multi family under section 42 as well. Prior to that
he was assistant manager for a 500 unit, luxury apartments, rented to whoever
qualifies.
Nawrocki asked what section 42 was. Gravemann stated it is similar to public housing,
but it isn't income based. It is a type of apartment complex where investors will build a
community of low income, housing apartment complex, they receive tax credits for 10
years of the loan of the property, but can only rent to individuals that are at or below the
area median income, for the number of people in their household. In Minnesota it is
called MHFA.
Nawrocki asked about the bingo held there. Ecklund stated the resident council started
having them report each month at their meeting what funds they receive and where the
funds will be donated.
Nawrocki stated the 9th floor was also discussed at the last meeting. What is the current
status of the water leaks. He was concerned about this as the tenant in the unit below
has some sight problems.
Gravemann stated the problem has been rectified and any mold abatement issues have
been corrected.
Diehm stated they could not discuss this further as there may be someone here tonight
that is involved. This is something management needs to handle for us privately. If you
have any further questions you may want to contact Bob Alsop, the attorney for
Parkview.
Fehst asked Ecklund if he felt management has handled this issue. Ecklund stated
they have.
Housing & Redevelopment Authority Minutes
January 23, 2007
Page 5 of6
Resident Council Minutes
Jindra asked if there were any questions about the two reports and stated the
information about bingo funds was in her minutes.
Diehm asked what does the Sunshine Committee do. Jindra stated they provide cards
to residents when they go into the hospital.
Citizen Forum
Ecklund stated he would like to have something put on the next agenda to have
someone put a snake down all the drains in the apartments that they haven't already
cleaned out. Nawrocki stated he thought we already dealt with this.
Terry Bushe stated we did have a problem on the first floor, the pipes were buried
behind the sheetrock, which made them hard to find, this was cleaned out, he has been
in contact with residents on the first and second floors. When we have unit move outs,
he cleans out the drains. He also thanked the residents for there help in reporting any
maintenance work needed in their apartment as it is easier to fix the problem before it
happens.
Fehst stated he wanted to commend Bushe as he has received a lot of good comments
from residents about the work that he does.
Ecklund asked if the sidewalk could be cleaned off a little better next to the mall as a lot
of residents walk over there. Fehst stated he would talk to public works to see what
they can do.
Fire Door Replacement in North Building
Gravemann stated staff consulted the Fire Chief and Building Inspector from the City
and it was their recommendation that all fire doors be replaced in the north building,
which would bring them up to current fire codes. Staff obtained bids from three
companies: K & K Sales in the amount of $18, 719.96, Twin City Hardware in the
amount of $22, 378. 99 and Empire Door and Glass in the amount of $30, 590. 00. All of
the bids included installation, removal of debris and cleanup of hallways. The total
number of doors to be replaced will be 19; 17 internal doors and 2 external. Staff
recommends approval of the bid from K & K Sales in an amount not to exceed
$18,719.96.
Nawrocki asked if the bid from K & K met the specifications completely. Gravemann
stated they meet the state fire codes.
Nawrocki stated he didn't see anywhere in the bid that it meets state fire code and what
are the specifications of the door. Diehm stated what Nawrocki is asking is that he
wants to see the specs for the doors to make sure they are up to code and he isn't
seeing that in the packet. Streetar stated we could have the building official and the
Fire Chief inspect the doors, which would satisfy this question.
Housing & Redevelopment Authority Minutes
January 23, 2007
Page 6 0[6
Nawrocki stated he isn't an experl, he assumes when we go out for a bid we have a
spec sheet, a level of quality, are we asking them to meet fire code. For instance, the
highest bidders bid states they aren't providing the painting, and staining for the doors.
Bushe stated those are items we felt we could do in house. He isn't sure if Nawrocki
was concerned for the type of handles on the door, but the handles have to meet a 3
hour burn time. The manufacturer has to meet the State and Federal specifications,
they have to go through these tests and then there will be an approved sticker on the
door.
Dorothy Schafer, Unit 425, asked if they would have the same kind of locks on the
sliding doors. Gravemann stated yes the cards would be used.
Jindra stated she heard the Schwan's man can just put his hand in front of the door and
it opens. Bush stated the main door had an issue and that the door has been repaired.
Gravemann stated the repairman said there was something in the mechanism that was
malfunctioning, which has been repaired.
Motion by Jindra, second by Kelzenberg, to approve the bid from K & K Sales not to
exceed $18,719.96, submit to approval by the Fire Chief and Building Inspector, and
furthermore; to authorize the Chair and Executive Director to enter into an agreement
for the same. All ayes. Motion Carried.
Other Business
The next regular HRA meeting will be held Tuesday, April 24, 2007 at Parkview Villa.
Adiournment
Chair, Diehm adjourned the meeting at 8:31p.m.
Resp~tfUIlY submitted,
~L_
Cheryl. ken
Recording Secretary
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