Page 10 - CooperatorNews New York August 2021

We handle all sprinkler system inspections and violations. • Sprinkler System Design and Installation • Maintenance, repair and service • Flow and Pressure tests • Violation Removals • Monthly Inspections • Stand Pipes and Fire Pumps Big Apple Fire Sprinkler Co. Inc. 64-20 Laurel Hill Blvd. Woodside NY 11377 • 718-205-8580 • Fax 718-205-4590 Email: alevitt@bigapplesprinkler.com = Big Apple Fire Sprinkler_Oct2011.qxp:Layout 1 9/20/11 2:07 PM Page 1 10 COOPERATORNEWS — AUGUST 2021 COOPERATORNEWS.COM corporation—that’s the key,” he adds. “If We have consistently found, though, that you can elevate the feeling of commu- nity and coming together, that’s what it’s willingness. When we have a one-day about. “One board member initially took an of people for a one-shot deal. People are interest in the building’s garden,” Marks more hesitant to make a sustained time continues. “They wanted to be involved. commitment.” Slowly over time, they got more and more involved, and now they’re a board mem- ber. There’s a point of entrance—in this case for this person, the garden—that’s how we get them interested. There’s an entry point. The shareholder and the board have to find it for each person.” An Evolving Approach Mike (not his real name) has served on for five years and became interested in the board of his 56-unit co-op in Upper Manhat- tan for the past five years or so. He initially be- came involved in governance by volunteering for a commit- tee charged with renovating the building lobby. When the board president recent- ly stepped down after serving for a decade, the building held an election— but no one wanted the presidency. “We don’t have a president now,” says community is now self-managed—with Mike. “No one wanted to take it on. We Mary doing most of the management are trying to distribute the responsibili- ties of the former president between the board members. We will let the sharehold- ers know who to call with what issues, so members in name only. People say, ‘Oh no one person is overburdened with too no, I’m not doing that again. I did it be- much. It’s hard for any one individual to fore, not interested.’ They feel they don’t make that level of time commitment to have time.” But Mary feels that if she the building. The former president did can do it, others can, too. “It’s really no pretty much everything. No one person’s more than a couple hours’ commitment role will look like this. It’s just too much. a month,” she says. “The worst part is But we think we’ve come up with a cre- ative way of handling the situation.” To encourage residents to get involved with board service and building gover- nance, Mike reports that they use the munity and cohesion, including social same method as the building on the Up- per East Side mentioned above: commit- tees. “We try to bring people onto commit- tees to get them started,” he says. “We’ve orated.” also found that with the introduction of Zoom meetings as a result of the pan- demic that more people attend. We may Mary says there was no response. They continue to use Zoom for meetings of no longer even have meetings. She says all kinds for better attendance—though that one owner volunteered for the board, personally, I miss the schmoozing after saying he wanted to help, and a week later meetings with wine and cheese.” He adds that “people are hesitant to few things. “There’s a real resistance to volunteer for certain activities as a result doing anything,” she says, adding that she of the pandemic. They’re in overload, believes—in an ironic twist—it’s because navigating what they can actually do—in- cluding how much to interact with other people in person. Others are asking them- selves, ‘What can I do, being vaccinated?’ there is a distinction between apathy and event like weeding the garden, we get lots Be Careful What You Wish For Mary (not her real name) bought into a condominium development 45 min- utes outside Boston about six years ago. The property, a 15-unit townhouse-style condominium community, was built in 2006. Each unit has a two-car garage and back deck. She has been on the board board service when she first bought into the community, but the board at that time was controlled by an established group that resisted her attempts to get involved. Eventu- ally she was elected. Mary says her main motivation was to keep their fees low. She saw an oppor- tunity to do that by getting rid of the management com- pany the community had at that time— which she eventually was able to do. The herself. “I think people don’t want to be both- ered,” she says. “We have a lot of board there’s no community. I’ve had to referee conflicts between owners.” The community has made periodic at- tempts to build a stronger sense of com- programming like picnics, parties, and a yard sale. Mary says that seemed to help, “but the arrival of COVID-19 ended the experiment. It was nice, and then it evap- The community has also tried to get the owners involved via committees, but he resigned after she asked him to do a IMPROVING... continued from page 9 “When boards are very transparent, I find there is less resistance. Ninety percent of good governance is good communication.” —Andy Marks