NPCA Backup

Dear Owners and Residents, As the fiscal year winds down, we have a couple of important announcements. Annual meeting First, the Annual Meeting for owners will be on  Tuesday, January 24, 2017  beginning at  7pm  in Unit  502 .  You will receive formal notice in December along with the agenda and proxy forms. Board of director election At the Annual Meeting, there will be two (2) director seats on the Board open as two members are completing their terms in January.  This is a great opportunity for new(er) owners to bring new perspectives to our Association.  The Board is made up of 5 directors.  At the first meeting after the Annual Meeting, the directors vote on officer positions - President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary.  There is one at-large director.  Therefore, you would not be running for a particular office at the Annual Meeting.  The term is two years to ensure that the Board has overlap as directors transi...

Phase 2 of New Plaza's interior renovation project will begin on Monday, April 18th and will last approximately two weeks during regular business hours (Monday to Friday, 8am-4pm).  As discussed at the Annual Meeting, Phase 2 includes the following work: Replacing all carpeting on Floors 2-7; Installing brush mats in front of unit doors on the ground level and Floors 2-7; Installing kick plates on all unit doors (including the first floor); Replacing all lighting fixtures on Floors 2-7; Replacing all exit signs on Floors 2-7; Installing a chair rail on Floors 2-7; and Painting Floors 2-7.  For additional details, read more here . Residents MUST remove all personal door mats from the hallways NO LATER THAN Sunday, April 17th . NPCA will not be responsible for the loss of or damage personal door mats.  Workers will be on multiple floors each day, depending on the progress of the work. While residents will have access to all parts of the building at all times, the Board as...

Annual Meeting Summary January 21, 2016 President's Report List of 2015 accomplishments Planned 2016 projects include: 1) Phase 2 of the interior redesign (Floors 2-7; see separate section below for additional details); 2) De-rusting and repainting of building fire escape along Mass Ave, and; 3) replanting of dead trees in front yard Treasurer's Report 2015 income and expenses  (scroll to bottom of document) 2016 proposed budget  (scroll to bottom of document) Legal Update Roberto Montesino, attorney at Whiteford, Taylor & Preston (NPCA's legal counsel), detailed a few of the most important recent amendments to the D.C. Condominium Act, which have implications for NPCA Association operations: Meeting notic e: Board meetings (but for closed, executive sessions) have to be open to observation by all unit owners in good standing. The agenda of board meetings must be available for review by unit owners prior to the meeting. Association books and records : The Association...

NOTICE:  Removal of Lockboxes Fastened to Fence Dear New Plaza residents, The proliferation of key lockboxes on the fence outside the building entry has become unsightly. Per Section 2.6 of the House Rules, "no lockboxes are allowed to be displayed on the exterior of the building, including being fastened to the fence."  Because the Board realizes that some residents prefer to use lockboxes instead of the building call box to provide others access to their units, lockboxes may instead be fastened to the portion of the fence facing the alley-- where they will be less conspicuous.  PLEASE REMOVE AND/OR REMOVE lockboxes as indicated above .  All key lockboxes still fasted to the fence outside of the building entry will be removed and disposed of after January 24.  The realtors to whom the realtor lockboxes are registered have been notified as well. Many thanks, New Plaza Board

NOTICE   The building's water supply will be temporarily shut off tomorrow, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29 between 9:00 AM and 1:00PM.   Apologies for any inconvenience. Contact board@thenewplaza.com and office@thosdwalsh.com with any questions or concerns.   

Dear Owners, The Board of Directors is sharing the following information in an effort to ensure all owner requests are being addressed in a timely manner.  Consider printing a copy of this notice and keeping it on hand for your reference. Renters, all requests must be made through your landlord (the owner of your unit). STEP 1: Determine whether your request should be made to the Board of Directors or the Association's Property Management Company, Thos. D. Walsh WHEN TO CONTACT THOS. D. WALSH (TDW) All issues related to... Condo fees Building maintenance (common areas or front yard only) Facility operations (laundry machines, elevator, front door, etc.) Access to building utility rooms (cable hook ups, roof, electric panels) Unit key copies and building keyfobs Selling your unit Water damage or flooding Building emergencies  WHEN TO CONTACT THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS All issues related to... Violation of House Rules or Bylaws  Renting your unit (Board authorization ...

MEMORANDUM FROM NEW PLAZA BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO: All Unit Owners DATE: October 13, 2015 RE: Unit Window Replacement At the September 30 Board meeting, which followed the Window Replacement Informational Session ( click to see agenda ) led by Rich Carlson of Supreme Windows, the Board voted to proceed as follows: “Non-historic” windows (windows NOT facing 12th St or Mass Ave) Owners may move forward with replacement of non-historic windows at any time on an individual basis. Feel free to reach out to Rich Carlson from Supreme Windows ( RCarl96114@aol.com or 301-322-3450 ) and reference this estimate . Alternatively, owners may seek another vendor of their choice. However, all non-historic windows (whether provided by Supreme Windows or another vendor) MUST meet the following specifications: Bronze exterior; Two panes; No crosshatching. All other window features (ex: vinyl vs. aluminum; noise cancelling glass; etc.) are at owners’ discretion. Owners will have individual contracts with ...

Dear Residents, At its October meeting earlier this month, the Board of Directors adopted a new Key Replacement Policy, which has been added to the "Condo Docs" section of the blog (www.newplaza1115.com), and reprinted in full below for your review. As a reminder, the related  Unit Lockout Procedures can also be found on the "Condo Docs" section of the blog. - New Plaza Board ***** Replacement or Duplicate Key/Key Fob Policy Cost: A duplicate or replacement key (building master key or individual unit key) or Key Fob (“Fob”) is $50.00 payable by cash, check or money order. Duplicate or Replacement Keys/Fobs: Owners have two options to secure a duplicate or replacement key/Fob from Management: Visit Thos. D. Walsh Inc . (TDW) at 3628 12th St. NE Washington, DC 20017 during regular office hours (9:00am-5:00pm, Monday-Friday) and bring payment for your new key/Fob. This option is best for residents who need keys/Fobs immediately. Please be sure to alert Thos. D. Walsh...

Dear New Plaza residents, Over the past few days, several owners have contacted TDW stating that their mailbox keys/locks are no longer working . We are going to send a locksmith to check out each individual lock. Because this will require some coordination between the U.S. Postal Service, the locksmith, and owners/residents, please let us know if you are having similar issues no later than COB Thursday, March 12, 2015 by emailing  Office@thosdwalsh.com . TDW will then email the affected residents with instructions on dropping off mailbox keys and related details. Thank you for your assistance. Sincerely, Blake Barber

Dear Residents, On the morning of Sunday, February 15, an unidentified individual entered New Plaza and stole several packages.   Our  security cameras c aptured the individual standing outside the building front door at  9:45am  for about five minutes, waiting for someone to exit, and eventually dialing numbers on the callbox. At 9:50am, the individual gained access after claiming to be UPS with a delivery. Upon entering the lobby, the individual picked up several packages and proceeded to the basement outside of the laundry room to open the packages and stuff the contents inside a red duffle bag. Thereafter, the individual left through the front door at 9:54am. Do you recognize this individual? Please take a look at the pictures at the bottom of this email and contact the Board at board@thenewplaza.com and/or call the police at 911 if you have any information-- no matter how small-- about the  possible  identity of this individual. Prevention tips If som...

ANNUAL OWNERS MEETING Tuesday, January 20, 2015  |  7:00pm  |  Unit #502 DRAFT AGENDA President's Report Review of 2014 accomplishments Legal update Property management update Overview of planned projects for 2015 Treasurer's report 2014 summary Presentation of 2015 budget Board of Directors elections

The Board has excellent news -- after further consultation with the design team, the Board has learned that the painters can move up the painting schedule, completing the unit door painting prior to the Thanksgiving holiday.  The slight twist in the plan is that the painters will have to prime the doors on one day, keeping the doors open to dry for 45 min. to 1 hour after priming, and paint on the following day, again keeping the doors open to dry for 45 min. to 1 hour after painting.  Therefore, unit doors will be open for two days, as detailed below.    You must secure all pets on both assigned dates .  If you would like to be home while the painters are here, please plan accordingly.  As per the original email, in order to secure the building as quickly as possible, a Board member will be closing unit doors between  4:30 pm and 5 pm  each work day.   Please also be advised that per Section 6.9 of the Bylaws ("Right of Access...

NOTICE: UNIT DOOR PAINTING Lobby renovations are underway! The second phase of the project, namely, prepping and painting unit doors,  will begin on Monday, November 17th for first floor units and is scheduled to proceed to Floors 2-7 and the basement level as follows: Monday, November 17th -- 1st Floor / Lobby touch-ups ... Wednesday, November 19th -- 7th Floor Thursday, November 20th -- 6th Floor Friday, November 21st -- 5th Floor Monday, November 24th -- 4th Floor Tuesday, November 25th -- 3rd Floor ... Monday, December 1st -- 2nd Floor Tuesday, December 2nd -- Basement Level The painters are scheduled to work from 8:00am to 3:30pm. Unit doors must stay open to dry for at least 45 minutes after painting is complete. In order to secure the building as quickly as possible, a designated Board member will close all newly-painted unit doors each of the above days between 4:30pm and 5:00pm. Please be sure to secure all pets on the day when unit doors on your floor will be pain...

NOTICE: UNIT KEY TESTING Mon., Nov. 3rd, 10-11am   As noted in yesterday's blog post , the lobby renovation and exterior re-painting of unit doors is set to begin next week . The door re-painting project will require access to all units since unit doors must be open while the paint is drying. The Board will notify owners via the blog and building signage the exact date(s) that the painters will be working on each floor. Per Section 6.9 of the Bylaws ("Right of Access"), the Board and Thos. D. Walsh should be in possession of unit keys. In preparation for the project, the Board will be testing unit keys the morning of Tuesday, November 3rd, from approximately 10-11am. ALL UNIT OWNERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING SURE THE BOARD/TDW HAS A COPY OF YOUR UNIT KEY.   If you are not sure if the Board / Thos. D. Walsh has a current copy of your unit key, please make a copy and deliver it to a Board member no later than Sunday, November 2nd. Please email the Board at board@the...

NOTICE: Lobby Renovation The lobby renovation project will begin this Monday, November 3rd.  The renovation, re-carpeting, and painting of the lobby is expected to take two weeks. The exterior re-painting of all unit doors, storage room doors, and basement-level doors is expected to begin on Wednesday, November 19.  The Board will be sending additional notices about the exact timeline for unit door repainting on each floor, as well as instructions to verify that you have provided the Board with a working copy of the key to your unit. ***You may view the full renovation and unit door re-painting schedule  HERE *** For any URGENT issues and concerns during the renovation that require an immediate response , contact   Matt Miller and Julie Weber, with J.D. Ireland Interior & Architecture Design, who will be managing the renovation: Phone : (202) 986-4870 Emails : matt@jdireland.com ; julie@jdireland.com For all NON-URGENT issues, and general questions/concerns about...

NOTICE: BASEMENT DEMOLITION WORK The vendor installing storage cages in the basement Maintenance Room will commence the first phase of work on Thursday, October 23rd . This phase involves 2-3 days of work to remove an interior brick partition and non-functioning duct work in the room. The crew has been notified of allowable interior work hours and will do their best to keep noise, dust, and dirt to a minimum.   The Board will provide additional notice in advance of the actual installation of the cages.   Thanks in advance for your understanding and patience while the project is completed, especially basement residents.   Email the Board at board@thenewplaza.com with any questions or concerns.

Recently the Board conferred with legal counsel to clarify the Association's leasing policy on short term rentals, which have become increasingly prevalent with "sharing economy" services such as AirBnB.com. We would like to take this opportunity to communicate that our Bylaws prohibit all types of short term rentals, specifically including, but not limited to, AirBnB and VRBO rentals. Per New Plaza Bylaws: Only the entire unit (not a portion of it) may be rented . (Bylaws 6.8(B)(14)) This means that owners/residents may not charge someone to rent out a second bedroom, to share a one bedroom, to stay in the living room of a unit, to couch-surf, etc. Rentals for periods less than one year are not permitted . (Bylaws 6.8(B)(14); House Rules 2.5) Units may not be used for timesharing or any other similar arrangement that would allow occupancy on a daily, weekly, monthly, or any other period of time other than a year. (Bylaws 6.8(B)(14))  In sum, owners/residents may no...

Notice to Owners re: Monthly Condo Fees (Renters: please disregard) In working with our property management company Thos. D Walsh and the new legal counsel for our Association (Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, as of March 2014), the Board of Directors discovered discrepancies in the monthly condo fees paid by owners. The Board realized that the application of the yearly condo fee assessment across the 37 units was inconsistent with the par values (the share of the total yearly assessment paid by each unit) as established in New Plaza’s governing documents. These discrepancies date back to our previous management company, before any of the present Board members were elected directors. Most owners have been slightly underpaying their par value share of the yearly total assessment, while five owners have been overpaying. Over 90% of the discrepancy amounts are less than $2.00. Although the vast majority of the discrepancies are quite small, the Board has a fiduciary responsibility to rect...

Thanks to all owners who attended the July 29 Special Meeting, as well as to those who cast their proxy votes in advance. Thirty out of the thirty-three owners who were eligible to vote made their voices heard! The following is a brief summary of the Special Meeting. Meeting called to order at 7:48pm by Board President, Adam Beebe. Secretary Julia Whitelock confirmed 22 owner proxy votes cast online and 8 unit owners present at the meeting, which exceeded Bylaw requirements for establishing quorum. Per NPCA Bylaws, adoption of the six (6) proposed Bylaw amendments each required approval of 2/3 of all owners who were eligible to vote (22 votes out of 33 total). Per NPCA Bylaws, adoption of the proposed lobby renovation required simple majority approval of all owners who were eligible to vote (17 votes out of 33 total). ****** The final vote count was as follows: Bylaw Amendment #1 (Annual Meetings) ... 29 IN FAVOR... 0 OPPOSED... 1 ABSTENTION AMENDMENT ADOPTED   - The suggested text...

Attention Owners: (Renters, please disregard) Later today, you should receive (via email) a PDF packet of documents related to the July 29, 2014 Special Meeting  at 7:45pm in Unit #502 called by the Board of Directors. The Board is calling the Special Meeting to conduct a vote on the following two business items: Six (6) proposed amendments to the Association Bylaws, and A proposed redesign and renovation of the building lobby. You will also receive a hard copy of the packet via U.S. mail within the coming days. It is extremely important that all unit owners’ voices are heard for these two business items. The Bylaw amendments require 2/3 approval of ALL unit owners who are eligible to vote. The lobby renovation requires simple majority (51%) approval. All of the information contained within the packet is ALSO available on the following website created by the Board, where you are encouraged to read more about the two Special Meeting business items, and post comments and question...