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The Voice of jwt127
To: All the Shareholders of Jamaicaway Tower & Townhouses
The Board of Directors,
The President of the Board of Directors Mr. Steven Glickel,
Barkan Management Company
Manager Eric Richardson
Subject: Assessment for Replacing Air conditioning & Heating System.
Hello everyone.
A.) I’m a resident and shareholder in Jamicaway Towers sense 1997.
Jamaicaway Tower & Townhouses is a cooperative.
The shareholders are the owners of the Jamaicaway Tower & Townhouses properties.
My shares of the cooperative is a two-bedroom unit, in the percentage basis it means certain amount of shares.
But in reality everyone is responsible for his or her own apartment unit, just like in a condominium.
For example: If I decide to do the improvements in my unit,
I cannot ask shareholders or Board of Directors, or Management Company to share my cost for the work needed to be done.
I have to pay out of my own pocket.
B.) It’s always been a question in my mind who is responsible for the decisions concerning the well being of the Jamaicaway Tower, my home.
That is a big concern for me and I think for every shareholder that is involved in the matter of spending and improving life standards of the Jamaicaway tower.
I understood, when I purchased my Jamaicaway Tower shares of the cooperative union,
There would be rules of the cooperative for each shareholder to respect and obey.
I also understood as a cooperative union
We should have the Board of Directors & Management Company to foresee
The correct running ways the budget, spending & services.
C.) The shareholders pay fees on the monthly basis to Barkan Management Company for the services they provide for us, which include:
Maintenance of air conditioning-heating systems,
Changing filters twice a year it was never done in 2011,
Minor repairs, cleaning, etc…
Also Management Company provides 24-hour security.
D.) The boards of the directors are volunteer shareholders that are elected by the shareholders of this cooperative and their responsibilities are:
To foresees that the Barkan Management Company does their duties correctly.
Not to make huge decisions for the all community of the
Shareholders on the assessments as such.
The large amounts of money the shareholders have to come up with
For the plans and the repairs.
Have to be presented and explained by the board of directors,
With a great details.
For all the shareholders to understand.
It could be more than one solution, to solve problems.
I feel It have to be decided by a vote. democratically
By all of the shareholders.
The Board of Directors meetings should be schedule
For the convenient's of all shareholders,
E.) I will not let myself being tricked again.
By the board of directors and/or Barcan Management Company
I have spend blindly $ 20,000 on the last repairs project,
Totally trusting and relying on the opinions of the Board of Directors
People that are total strangers, with out any experience.
The project created more problems for me,
Than the improvements was maid.
Some shareholder didn’t even paid their share of $ 20,000
All the shareholders in cooperative, had cover for them.
I would love to get information on the shareholders that didn’t paid
Their shares for the repairs and hold them responsible,
But I guess its privilege information.
Only the board of directors or Management Company knows
About it, and hiding this information from all the shareholders.
F.) The damages
I had to repaint my car twice; it was sprayed in garage by paint.
The little bumps that were created by valet parking attendants.
They carelessly parked cars so close to each other and when they opened the doors they bumped in to the cars standing next to them.
This valet company should have been held responsible for the damages.
My car was devalued up to - $ 8000.00
Heavy drilling on the outside created so much vibration
It cracked in the joints of my Sheet rock walls and ceiling.
The draft in the wintertime and summertime is very strong, the insulation was damaged and it doesn’t keep the temperature in rooms properly.
That means I have to spend more money on the electricity.
It’s a big waste.
The cost is to fix this problem. Is probably around - $10.000.00
Also because of the cracks, the red dust from drilled bricks covered everything in our unit and created a harmful and unlivable environment,
Especially when I just had a heart attack.
My lungs were with filled red dust residue, my cough was unbearable .
My wife and I had to clean our apartment for weeks.
The dust destroyed the carpet floors.
It will cost me to replace them about - $ 6000.00 to 10,000.00
The water paddles were created on my balcony and in the garage,
Those were never there before the repairs.
I have no idea how much that will cost to repair.
All windows in the outside still covered with dust from the repairs. The windows were never washed properly,
All though we were promise it will be done.
G.) No matter how many times I addressed those concerns to the previous manager Allen Carleton
The answer was always the same “ I will take care of it”
It was never taking care of, and Allen Carleton is not here
To take full responsibility for his actions.
In timely matter he quit.
So, who will reimburse me for the damages now?
The previous assessment didn’t cost me $ 20,000.00
In the result of the damages, it cost me more than a double of the amount.
Who will give me my money back?
Who is responsible the board of directors or Barkan Management Company?
By trusting the board of the directors and this Barkan management Company
That never supervised correctly the companies were involved in the repairs.
The companies were never held responsible for the damages they created for us.
The engineers never anticipated the workers could create the problems as such.
Why should I trust the board of directors or Barkan Management Company now?
This time I would like to know who will be responsible and who will give a full 100% guarantee that this project will be done correctly.
H.) In my opinion, the present Board of Directors in Jamaicaway Tower is influence by Barkan Management Company.
To go forward with this deal blindly again.
Of course if you put multi million-dollar projects in front of any Company
They will tell you exactly what you want to hear.
It’s profitable for Management Company to have repairs, construction, and projects.
The reason is that they are spending our money and
They can careless how we feel about it.
A catch 22
The Management Company is never responsible for any damages, because
They can always point their fingers at the Board of Directors and make us feel like it was our fault.
The Board of Directors are the shareholders too.
Barkan Management Company only wants to control of our money
With out having any responsibilities for the consequences on repair projects they want to supervise.
I.) This year 2011 the Barkan Management Company truly made us suffer this summer.
They didn’t do any proper maintenance on the air conditioning unit in the basement.
They did not change the filters in the air conditioning units in the apartments.
I think it was done on purpose, to make us think that we need those repairs.
The air conditioning unit always worked previously.
They didn’t prepare the air condition system to be turn on
Before the Memorial Day long-weekend,
The temperature outside was almost 100 degrees.
When I personally asked Manager Eric Richardson why the air condition wasn’t on,
He’s answer was, I didn’t know it would be so hot.
Manager Eric Richardson also said
By the rules of the Boston Housing Authority
The air conditioning should be turn on June 15.
My answer was we are not subsidized apartments in the city of Boston.
The Boston Housing Authority don’t pay your salary Eric Richardson,
The shareholders of the Jamaicaway Towers Cooperative do.
This decision is reserved for the shareholders or the Board of Directors.
When is the appropriate time to turn on our air-conditioning.
Where was the Board of Directors at that time?
Eric Richardson probably wouldn’t wanted for someone to dictate when he should or shouldn’t turn on his air conditioning, in his household.
I think Eric Richardson could have anticipated the hot weather, or could have watched the weather forecast for Memorial Day weekend.
J.) This summer the air conditioning worked well only in the lobby and management office, they probably have changed filters in their units.
Would that make you feel that something is not right?
The security man in the lobby was wearing a winter jacket all summer time, at 6:30 in the morning everyday,
which is time my wife and me usually were going to work and we were passing the lobby.
Would that make you question the integrity of this deal?
The swimming pool was never open until the end of July.
Where was the Board of Directors at that time?
K.) The reason why Barkan Management Company truly made us suffers this summer.
I think is to convince our board of directors, that is
Absolutely necessary to spend millions of our hard working dollars.
And put Eric Richardson and Barkan Management Company in charge
Of the repairs, with out taking any responsibilities .
I have a feeling Barkan Management Company interest is to have a control over the capital that doesn’t belong to them, it belongs to us.
They want to be compensated even more on the top of the fees they already receiving from us on the monthly basis.
Which I think it’s already too much.
Barkan Management Company wants for that deal to come true; it’s in their interest.
It seem like it’s a good reason for them to push us to the limit.
Whichever contractor company will get this contract for the repairs.
I bet Barkan Management Company will get some percentage from the amount we all have to pay.
This project is a multi million-dollar contract,
Anyone has been in the business knows, what it means for the company in charge.
They want to make another big dig out of this project.
The Board of Directors, I really don’t know who they represent?
But in my household my wife and I are in charge of our capital.
Simply because we have to work hard for our money.
It would take a lot of effort from the Board of Directors
To make me believe and trust them to spend that kind of money again.
L.) Ever sense the new manager Eric Richardson came here to work.
His is very eager to spend our money by creating repair projects
Like changing locks in all units, the cost is $ 50.000 dollars.
By convincing Board of the Directors we absolutely need that.
My question why fix it, if is not broken?
It worked for 45 years.
M.) I think Eric Richardson and Barkan Management Company should be Remained why they here.
They are not guests or family members to anyone here.
They are in our home working.
And we should expect from them
A full 100% of their ability’s to manage our property
I’m sure they’ve been well compensated.
THIS IS NOT A PRIVATE ENTERPRISE
For Barkan Management Company
THEY GET PAID WELL FOR THEIR SERVICES
NOT TO CONTROL OUR RESOURCES.
N.) Anywhere I go. Anywhere I worked, I had to pay for a parking space even in my home.
The employees of the Jamaicaway Tower have privileges to park here for free.
I pay $80 per month to park here.
I don’t see any reason for employees to park here for free.
They should pay for parking just as all of us do.
Other than that, there are plenty of streets parking outside the facility.
Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely jwt127.
P.S. I spoke with more then a dozen shareholders, and they were all agree
With me on the issues I stated in this statement.
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