Quorum November 2020

Washington Metropolitan Chapter Community Associations Institute

NOVEMBER 2020

A Magazine for Community Association Volunteer Leaders, Professional Managers and Business Partners

CREATING GOOD HABITS ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

____________________________ Emergency Preparedness in 2020 – A Whole New Perspective ____________________________ The “Per Unit Water Damage Deductible” ____________________________ Can You Really Celebrate During a Pandemic? Yes, You Can! ____________________________ 2020 Scholarship Winners

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­CONTENTS 12 Dream Catchers: How to Lead Your Association from Good to Great

BY THOMAS L. WILLIS, AMS, PCAM

16 The Recipe to Realize the Dream is Teamwork!

BY JOYCELYN A. BAZEMORE, AMS, PCAM

18 Protecting the Environment with Conscientious Landscaping Habits— Even When Using Chemical Programs

BY FRED PERATT

20 Community Association Pollution Risk

DEPARTMENTS AND MORE 5 Message from the President 6 Chapter Benefactor: Cardinal Management Group, Inc. 7 Welcome New Members 8 Upcoming Events 11 People & Places 36 Classifieds 37 Index to Advertisers 38 Cul-de-sac: Can You Really Celebrate During a Pandemic? Yes, You Can!

BY ALLEN HUDSON, CIC, CRM, EBP

22 Good Ecological Habits Mean Good Habitats for Nature

BY RENEE GREBE

24 Creating Good Habits with, Yes…Trash

BY NIKKI PHENNEGER

26 Can’t We All Just Get Along?

BY BERNIE GUTHRIE, MBA, CMCA, AMS, PCAM

28 Emergency Preparedness in 2020– A Whole New Perspective

BY KARA PERMISOHN, EBP

30 DC’s Multifamily Benchmarking and Efficiency Requirements

BY JULIAN BELILTY

33 The “Per Unit Water Damage Deductible”

BY JOEY RICE

34 2020 WMCCAI Scholarship Winners

WMCCAI MISSION STATE­MENT To optimize the operations of Community Associations and foster value for our business partners.

BY ELENI OLIVEA VARLAS AND SORAYAH MELENDEZ

Reader comments and suggestions are welcome. Address your comments to: Quorum 7600 Leesburg Pike, Suite 100 West Falls Church, VA 22043

We also wel­come ar­ti­cle sub­mis­sions from our ­members. For author guide­lines, call (703) 750-3644 or e-mail publications@caidc.org.

Articles may be edited for length and clarity.

NOVEMBER 2020

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President Airielle Hansford, CMCA, AMS, PCAM President-elect Michael Gartner, ESQ. Vice President Ruth Katz, ESQ. Secretary Sara Ross, ESQ. Treasurer Kristen Melson, CMCA, AMS, PCAM Immediate Past President Rafael A. Martinez, CTP (EX OFFICIO) Executive Director Jaime Barnhart, CMP, CAE (EX OFFICIO)

“ G R AT I T U D E T U R N S W H AT W E H AV E I N T O E N O U G H , A N D M O R E . I T T U R N S D E N I A L I N T O A C C E P TA N C E , C H A O S I N T O O R D E R , C O N F U S I O N I N T O C L A R I T Y. . . I T M A K E S S E N S E O F O U R PA S T, B R I N G S P E A C E F O R T O D AY, A N D C R E AT E S A V I S I O N F O R T O M O R R O W. ” – M E L O D Y B E AT T I E

D IRECTOR S Leslie Brown, ESQ., Doug Carroll, Hilary Lape, AMS, PCAM, Judyann Lee, ESQ., Sara Ross, ESQ., Gary Simon, CMCA, AMS, Jon Stehle

CO U N C I L C HAI R S Communications Council Jennifer Bennett, CMCA, AMS, PCAM Education Council Kevin Kernan, ESQ. Member Services Council Bernie Guthrie, CMCA, AMS, PCAM

CO MM I T TE E C HAI R S Conference & Expo Donna Aker, CMCA, AMS, PCAM and Chris Goodman D.C. Legislative/LAC Scott Burka, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, and Jane Rogers, ESQ. Education Kathryn Hutchinson, CMCA, AMS, PCAM and Todd El-Taher Golf Adrienne Zaleski and Brian Lord, CMCA, AMS, PCAM Maryland Legislative Scott Silverman, ESQ. and Aimee Winegar, CMCA, AMS, LSM, PCAM

Public Outreach Elisabeth Kirk and Kim Myles, CMCA Membership Jeffrey Stepp, CMCA, AMS, and Noni Roan, CMCA Quorum Editorial Christopher Carlson, PE, SECB and Liliana Martinez, CMCA, AMS

Chapter Events Kristen Adams and Jen Ann Santiago, CMCA, AMS, PCAM Virginia Legislative Ronda DeSplinter, LSM, PCAM and William A. Marr Jr., ESQ.

QU O RUM Managing Editor Morgan Gaines, mgaines@caidc.org Design Six Half Dozen

QU O RUM E DI TORI AL CO M M IT TE E Co-chairs Christopher Carlson, PE, SECB and Liliana Martinez, CMCA, AMS Members Michelle Baquero, CMCA, AMS, Dan Blom, ESQ., Mira Brown, CMCA, AMS, Leslie Brown, ESQ., Kristen Buck, ESQ., Doug Carroll, Deborah Carter, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Sara Castle, Traci Castrovinci, CMCA, AMS, Frannie Crouse, Brittanie Davis, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Katie Halfhill, CMCA, AMS, Iman Jackson, CMCA, AMS, Kevin Kelly, Jessica Knutsen, EBP, CIC, Richard Kuziomko, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Crishana Loritsch, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Liliana Martinez, CMCA, AMS, Kirby McCleary, Susan Miller, CMCA, AMS, Kara Permisohn, Tracy Plazyk, CMCA, AMS, Brandi Ruff, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Lauri Ryder, CIC, CRM, CMCA, Janet Smith, Gunnar Thompson, Susan L. Truskey, ESQ., Olga Tseliak, ESQ., Lee Ann Weir, CMCA, AMS, Doug White, P.E., Aimee Winegar, CMCA, AMS, LSM, PCAM, Jim Wisniewski, Michael Zupan, ESQ. Washington Metropolitan Chapter Community Associations Institute, a 501(c)(6) organization, serves the educational, business and networking needs of the community association industry in 80 cities/counties in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Members include community association homeowner volunteer leaders, professional managers, association management companies, and other businesses and professionals who provide products and services to planned communities, cooperatives and condominiums. WMCCAI has more than 3,200 members including 300+ businesses, 1,100 professional managers from 85 management companies, and approximately 1,500 community association homeowners. WMCCAI is the largest of Community Associations Institute’s 62 chapters worldwide.

Quorum is the award-winning premiere publication of WMCCAI, dedicated to providing WMCCAI’s membership with information on community association issues. Authors are responsible for developing the logic of their expressed opinions and for the authenticity of all presented facts in articles. WMCCAI does not necessarily endorse or approve statements of fact or opinion made in these pages and assumes no responsibility for those statements. This publication is issued with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services and nothing published in Quorum is intended to constitute legal or other professional advice and should not be relied on as such. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought directly by the person requiring such advice or services.

Articles appearing in Quorum may not be reprinted without first obtaining written approval from the editor of Quorum. In the event that such permission is granted, the following legend must be added to the reprint: Reprinted with permission from Quorum™ magazine. Copyright 2019 Washington Metropolitan Chapter Community Associations Institute. Quorum is a trademark of WMCCAI. Receipt of Quorum is a privilege of WMCCAI membership for which $65 in nonrefundable annual dues is allocated. The subscription price for nonmembers is $75 per year; contact publications@caidc.org or call (703) 750-3644.

To advertise in Quorum, e-mail publications@caidc.org.

For more information about Quorum or WMCCAI, visit www.caidc.org.

November is National Gratitude Month. Despite the enormous hardships we have endured this year, there is still so much to be thankful for – generosity, resiliency, compassion, friendship, and community.

FROM THE PRESIDENT

O FFICE R S

We are nearing the end of this roller coaster-crazy year as well as my time as Chapter President of WMCCAI. While this was not the presidency that I anticipated and planned for, I could not be prouder to have the opportunity lead the Chapter during this difficult and unique time.

A few months ago, I began taking time each evening to reflect on my day; focusing on those people and moments that I am grateful for and allowing myself to let go of those things outside of my control. This practice helps me cope with the chaos and uncertainty of this unprecedented time, and it has given me new perspective. I think often about how grateful I am for the Chapter and the outpouring of support, compassion and understanding from our members and staff.

In my January 2020 President’s Letter, I wrote about the evolution of the Chapter over the course of the previous decade and I spoke of the exciting changes in store for 2020. And boy, did things change.

We started the year with two highly successful events – Jump Start January and the expanded Conference & Expo – before the COVID-19 pandemic transformed the world seemingly overnight. As the country shut down, we found a way to come together as an organization, a community and an industry. Through it all, the Chapter met every challenge head-on and adapted to meet the needs of our members and those communities that we serve needs.

WMCCAI may have evolved more this year than in the decade before. This has required a tremendous commitment of time and talent from our volunteers and chapter staff. I’d like to extend my appreciation to the 2020 Board of Directors, the Council and Committee Chairs and our committee members.

I would like to also recognize and thank our Chapter staff, led by Chapter Executive Director Jaime Barnhart for their creativity and tireless commitment to our organization and its mission. Their dedication, flexibility and positive outlook has been simply awe-inspiring.

In December, we will recognize and celebrate the efforts and accomplishments of our dedicated volunteers for their service to WMCCAI at the Chapter Awards Presentation. The Chapter Events Committee and our staff have an incredible, fun virtual event planned for us. I hope to see you there.

As my time at the helm comes to an end, I know that the Chapter will be in great hands under the capable leadership of my friend and colleague, Michael Gartner, Esq. Best of luck, Michael, and Godspeed!

It has been an honor and a privilege to serve WMCCAI as Chapter President and I am humbled and thankful to have had this opportunity. I encourage you to get involved and continue to engage with the Chapter. Your participation is vital, and the investment of your time will be well worth it. Lastly, please vote on Tuesday, November 3rd.

AIRIELLE HANSFORD,

CMCA, AMS, PCAM

Airielle is a Vice President at FirstService Residential. She has worked in community associations since 2004. Airielle has been an active volunteer with WMCCAI since 2007, earning the Chapter’s Rising Star Award in 2011 and Chapter Appreciation Award in 2018. Prior to joining the board, she served as the Member Services Council Chair from 2014 through 2015, chaired the Annual Awards Dinner Committee from 2011 through 2013, sat on the Social Media Task Force, and has written articles for Quorum. Airielle served as the WMCCAI Treasurer in 2017 and as the Vice-President in 2018 prior to Incoming President in 2019.

NOVEMBER 2020

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CHAPTER NEWS

C H A P T E R

B E N E F A C T O R

Cardinal Management Group, Inc. 4330 Prince William Parkway, Suite 201 Woodbridge, VA 22192 Telephone: (703) 569-6797 Fax: (703) 866-3156 Website: www.cardinalmanagementgroup.com Year Established or Incorporated: 1987 • CAI Member Since: 1988

• Certificate of Insurance: Yes • Bonded: Yes • Areas you serve: Northern Virginia & Naples, FL • Services Provided: Full Service, Financial Only, Financial-Plus and Commercial Management • Corporate Associations: AAMC, BBB, CAI,VACM, WMCCAI Since launching the privately held firm in 1987, Cardinal Management Group, Inc. owners—brothers Thomas and Don Mazzei—have remained steadfast in their commitment to superior service and the development of long-term partnerships as a full-service community management company.

Founded in Northern Virginia, we are proud to serve as a boutique community management specialist wholly dedicated to offering tailored management solutions that meet the needs of our community partners. We understand every community has their own set of goals and challenges and our unique ability to provide a customized, hands-on, proactive and flexible approach to the management of a multitude of community associations is what sets Cardinal apart.

No matter what type of community we’re honored to care

for, our highly experienced and accredited professionals are enthusiastic, accountable and committed to making our clients’ lives easier. Not only do we offer peace of mind management solutions, leadership & professional guidance, but our services and cutting-edge technology makes volunteering for and managing communities simpler and more transparent.

We take pride in the communities we manage and foster a sense of community and giving back to local families. At Cardinal, you are never just a number, you are family!

Our Mission: • We will create an empowered organization where every employee understands they are vital to our success and to the success of the communities we manage.

• We will treat ALL those who come into contact with us with dignity and respect.

• We will perform our duties with honesty and integrity.

• We will be good citizens in society and work hard to protect and enhance what is entrusted to us.

We are thankful for all those who contribute to our long-term success and well-earned reputation as one of the most well-respected management firms in the region. Our team is proud to support CAI as a benefactor and are dedicated to volunteerism that further enhances the community association industry and resources available to our community partners and their families.

Contacts: Victoria Garner, Executive Vice President, cardinal@cardinalmanagementgroup.com

Article Submissions:

Are you interested in sharing your experiences and expertise with our readers? Quorum magazine is always seeking new article ideas, submissions, and content. If you have an idea or would like to submit an article for consideration, please make sure you contact us before you begin writing to see what our upcoming themes are. Questions and interests should be directed to Morgan Wright at publications@caidc.org or by phone at 703.750.3644.

Advertising:

For advertising, availability, rates, and specifications, please contact Morgan Wright at publications@caidc.org. Targeted advertising in WMCCAI’s Quorum, opens the door to thousands of prospective customers and contacts in the community association industry.

6 | QUORUM

WMCCAI proudly welcomes the following members who joined the chapter in September 2020.

Homeowner Leaders from the Following Associations Belmont Bay Homeowners Association Blooms Crossing Cardinal Forest Condominium Unit Owners Association Christopher Condominium Unit Owners’ Association Fairlington Towne Condominium Association Hayfield View Homeowner Association Heritage Hunt Condominiums II Kirkpatrick Farms Lake Ridge Parks & Recreation Association Rippon Landing Master Association Rotonda Condominium Unit Owners Association West Village of Shirlington Condominium

Scott Greges, CMCA, AMS, Select Community Services Nina Motley, Legum & Norman, Inc., AAMC Amy Nelson Lisa Nokes, CMCA, Coventry Group Community Management, Inc. Christopher Prescott Tris Marie Thomas

CHAPTER NEWS

Welcome New Members

Management Company PMI Prince William Business Partner Selzer Guruitch Attorneys at Law

Individual Managers Alton Bailey, First Priority Management Jo Banky, Community Association Services, Inc. Kelly V. Bernard Capricia Butler, Community Management Corporation Carmen Constantino, The Wisconsin Condominium Kasim B. Dahl Jennifer Diaz

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Please Note: All Upcoming Events are considered TBD and subject to change as we continue to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic. We encourage you to frequently visit our website at www.caidc.org to find the latest information, event updates, and member resources. Stay healthy and stay connected with us and your colleagues on our social channels as we navigate these next few months together!

NOVEMBER 2

WEBINAR: Legislative Series: Part 2 (DC Homeowner Education & Update) 6:30 – 8 p.m.

Online

Join WMCCAI for a Monday Legislative Madness a three-part series on legislative updates in Virginia, DC, and Maryland. These insightful sessions will be led by the Virginia LAC and Legislative Committee, DC LAC and Legislative Committee and Maryland LAC and Legislative, respectively. Each session will update on state legislation and what to expect heading into 2021.

The DC session will include a few board leadership modules and budgeting. Each session is worth 1.5 credits. Please visit www.caidc.org for additional information or to register online.

NOVEMBER 5

WEBINAR: CMCA Exam Study Group 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Online

Take the fear and anxiety out of taking the CMCA exam. Join us for a webinar style session and become familiar with the structure and content of the test in this interactive study session tailor made for managers and administrators pursuing the CMCA designation. Participants will be guided by a panel of professionals representing each of the knowledge areas covered in the exam.

This session is not conducted as a lecture, but rather is a unique opportunity for participants to apply what they know in a discussion setting along with their peers and industry professionals.

PLEASE NOTE: CMCA Study Group has been created for those individuals who have completed the M100 series. *A one hour break at 12pm will be provided. Please visit www.caidc.org for more details, or to register online.

NOVEMBER 9

WEBINAR: Legislative Series: Part 3 (MD Legislative Update) 12 – 1:30 p.m.

Online

Join WMCCAI for a Monday Legislative Madness a three-part series on legislative updates in Virginia, DC, and Maryland. These insightful sessions will be led by the Virginia LAC and Legislative Committee, DC LAC and Legislative Committee and Maryland LAC and Legislative, respectively. Each session will update on state legislation and what to expect heading into 2021.

The DC session will include a few board leadership modules and budgeting. Each session is worth 1.5 credits. Please visit www.caidc.org for additional information or to register online.

NOVEMBER 12

WEBINAR: Building Maintenance Series: Part 3 (Building Exteriors – Brick, Siding, Balconies & Decks) 12 – 1 p.m.

Online

Join WMCCAI for a three-part series on building maintenance. These insightful webinars lead

by Doug White of Thomas Downey, Ltd., Consulting Engineers, Ted Ross of TRC Engineering and Kathryn M. Hutchinson, CMCA, AMS, PCAM General Manager at Greenhouse Condominium Council of Co-Owners, Inc. will help you understand the system and structural basics of buildings, including, routine maintenance needs. Additionally, you will be well positioned to identify problems, develop repair options and budget for building maintenance costs. Please visit www.caidc.org for more details or to register online.

DECEMBER 3

2020 Annual Awards Celebration: 007 – Bond as Never Before 7 – 9 p.m.

Online Zoom Meet-up

Dress to Kill for our 2020 Annual Awards Celebration – Bond as Never Before at the virtual event of the year. Celebrate WMCCAI Chapter Volunteers with a zoom party to remember. We will have surprises, prizes and a 007 of a good time. Events don’t get any bigger than…Bond…

James Bond. Don’t miss out! Please visit www.caidc.org for more details, sponsorship opportunities, or to register online.

For more information on WMCCAI meetings or upcoming events, contact the chapter office at (703) 750-3644, email info@caidc.org or visit www.caidc.org.

8 | QUORUM

2020 Virtual Awards Celebration:

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7 : 0 0 p . m. - 9:00 p.m.

Dress to Kill for our 2020 Annual Awards Celebration - Bond as Never Before at the virtual event of the year. Celebrate WMCCAI Chapter Volunteers with a zoom party to remember. We will have surprises, prizes and a 007 of a good time. Events don’t get any bigger than… Bond…James Bond. Don’t miss out!

This virtual Awards Event is Complimentary!

Registration for this event is required.

A Zoom link will be sent 24 hours prior to the celebration.

Attire: Black tie, in theme or attend as you are Sponsorships are available. Please contact Christine Domin (Director Programs and Events) cdomin@caidc.org Celebration Host Sponsor:

Toast Sponsors:

Schedule : 7:00 p.m.

7:55 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

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PEOPLE & PLACES

Remembering Longtime WMCCAI Member Iman Jackson WMCCAI is saddened to hear of the sudden passing of longtime member, Iman Jackson on September 5, 2020.

Iman was a true advocate for integrity in the real estate field. She began her real estate career in 1998 and quickly transitioned to Sales Manager for Marlboro Ridge, Prince Georges County’s first equine community of 998 homes. She went on to work in association management. As a Portfolio Manager she was responsible for budgets, contracts, maintenance, and interface with boards of directors for multiple properties.

Iman was an active member of the Community Associations Institute, serving on the Quorum and Maryland Legislative Committees of the Washington Metro Chapter, as well as a contributor to its Quorum Magazine. She was a member of the XYZ Committee for Associated Builders and Contractors of Metro Washington and a Notary Public for Maryland and Virginia. She held the Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA) and the Association Manager Specialist (AMS) designations granted by the Community Associations Institute.

In addition to her son Anthony, she leaves behind her mother and father; two brothers, Aaron Jackson and Richard Scales; sister Chiqwita Arnold Garnes; three aunts, Deborah Taylor, Sharon Mitchell, and Michele Lyons of Ohio; Godmother Lorraine Fauntleroy and family; and cousins of the Russell, Jackson, Smallwood and Whittington families, and numerous friends and colleagues.

Please keep Iman’s family and friends in your prayers. For more information or to view her obituary online, please visit www.johnsonsandjenkinsfh.com.

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By Thomas L. Willis, AMS, PCAM Tom is the owner of Association Bridge, LLC, dedicated to creating spaces where community association leaders and the professionals who serve them can successfully navigate the challenges they face, reach the goals they choose, find satisfaction and joy in their service, and make raving fans of association members.

Dream Catchers:

How to Lead Your Association from Good to Great

I

magine a community association where members respect and appreciate their boards, committee members, and management team. Meetings are productive and upbeat. Different opinions are welcomed and lead to interesting discussions and innovative solutions. The board has a plan and gets things done. Volunteers are not hard to find, and the leaders celebrate passing the baton to their successors. Community members love where they live.

This is no dream. It’s a reality for highly-functioning community associations. I was privileged to be a part of WMCCAI’s Conference & Expo Committee well over a decade ago. We saw it then and wanted to find a way to help outstanding volunteer leaders share their success stories and spread great ideas. The current “Best Practices” format to celebrate the Community Association of the Year Awards was born. Ask anyone who attended those sessions through the years. They will tell you that certain themes run through the volunteer interviews.

How do they do it? How do they consistently promote good organizational habits and a commitment to continuous improvement?

Learning to Lead It starts with the understanding and application of sound leadership principles and practices. Effective leadership is an inside 12 | QUORUM

job first, an expression of who you are in the service of others, hence the concept of the servant leader. It is recognizing that you serve a greater good. When you do, you realize why the great leadership teacher Warren Bennis called leadership “the art of being more fully human.”

One of the best guideposts I’ve come across is from Kouzes and Posner’s seminal work, The Leadership Challenge, which identifies characteristics of leaders performing at their best. The resultant five practices provide a great checklist for community volunteers: • Clarify values. Affirm the shared values of the organization and teach others to model them.

• Inspire a shared vision. Imagine the possibilities, find a common purpose, and animate the vision by appealing to common ideals.

• Challenge the process. Search for opportunities, revisit old assumptions, experiment, generate small wins, and learn from experience.

• Enable others to act. Foster collaboration by creating a climate of trust, facilitate relationships, and strengthen others by developing competence and confidence.

• Encourage the heart. Recognize contributions, expect the best from others, personalize recognition, and celebrate the

value and victories, creating a spirit of community.

Think about leaders you’ve admired and I suspect you will realize they employed these five practices. All apply to community association leadership. The question is, how can you do it?

Culture – The Missing Link The culture of an organization either creates the space for sustainable, defined success or makes it difficult, if not impossible.

A healthy culture allows the organization to tap into the knowledge, talents, experience, energy, and intellectual capital of participants. It does not permit ego, politics, or dysfunction to get in the way. And yet… community association boards almost never talk about culture.

In this context, culture can be defined as the environment that establishes norms for behavior for the people in the organization. It involves the connection between individuals’ goals and values and those of the group. Culture is embodied in author Seth Godin’s statement: “People like us do things like that.”

Organizational culture provides the context in which the stakeholders understand their roles and can concentrate on doing their best. Healthy cultures in community associations put boards in a position to establish

desired results and provide the necessary resources to achieve them.

Focusing on those results delivers rich payoffs. Building a healthy culture yields exponentially compounded interest in terms of time, energy, progress, and community spirit.

Three Cultures Organizational culture tends to fall into one of three general categories: • Intentional Culture. Values, goals, and norms have been identified, codified in some form, and provide the basis for principled action. People in the organization are clear on “The Why.” • Unintentional Culture. Values, goals and norms are left to chance. Defining them depends on who the influential people are in an organization at a particular time. Frequently, decisions are made and actions taken on an ad hoc basis. Sometimes leaders focus on rules and written procedures without explaining why they matter. Other times, there is no focus at all. Everybody works too hard reinventing the wheel or making it up as they go.

If such a community is fortunate, things will go well riding on the backs of a few good people.

• Actual Culture. Values, norms and goals have been identified.

There may be mission, values, and vision statements with lofty aspirations printed on glossy marketing materials and plaques on walls. Yet, leaders and members of the organization violate those ideals on a regular basis without correction. The inherent hypocrisy of the organization destroys morale and trust.

Most organizations fall into the unintentional category. Their leaders may have no concept of culture or fail to recognize the benefits of the time investment necessary to build a successful one. They cannot see that the hard work up front will significantly decrease their time and effort in the long run. They are so caught up in the day-today operation that they miss the bigger picture.

Let’s Get Intentional Organizations create and perpetuate effective and sustainable culture in which principled action is fostered. They tend to employ some version of the following hierarchy: • Values (The Why – what’s really important?) drives Vision • Vision (Where do we want to go?) drives Mission • Mission (This is what we are about) drives Strategy • Strategy (How do we make this happen?) drives Tactics • Tactics (The day-to day actions we take) Why do many community associations tend to have an unintentional culture? First, boards can be mired in tactics, too busy putting out fires and being stuck in the weeds to elevate their perspective.

Second, exclusive devotion to the standard board meeting model can cause an unintended consequence. Leaders and managers are trained to follow the legal requirements for board meetings. They correctly do the association’s business in accordance with open meeting requirements and the standard meeting agenda. Well planned and executed board meetings are highly effective in handling the day-to-day business of the association. However, regular board meetings are horribly ill-suited to address bigger picture issues, complicated projects, and strategic planning. These discussions will never fit into a standard board meeting agenda in the best of times. Change it up by scheduling some town hall or special meetings to listen to what members have to say, get ideas flowing, and deal with big picture issues.

Continued on page 15 NOVEMBER 2020

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Beware Culture Killers There are some insidious traps that will destroy good habits and crush the culture of continuous growth.

Beware ego and fear of looking stupid or making a mistake. The truth is, if you try new things and work towards progress, mistakes will be made. Admitting mistakes and allowing for some vulnerability will earn you more respect than pretending to be perfect. Humility is a huge asset for effective leaders. It builds trust.

Management consultant and author Patrick Lencioni’s comprehensive work with teams yields a useful model that is a guidepost for analysis. According to Lencioni, effectiveness starts with trust.

Trust allows for healthy conflict, which in turn fosters commitment. Commitment sets the stage for acceptance of accountability.

These four elements naturally lead to results. Lencioni also offers a converse approach that can be used as a scorecard. Check out the “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” www.tablegroup.com/download/ the-five-dysfunctions-model-and-summary/. Hopefully you won’t experience too many “uh oh” moments!

Finally, pay attention to how leaders act when mistakes are made. If the first question asked is “Who is responsible?” something’s wrong.

Organizations with healthy cultures react with the following questions, in this order: • What? Determine exactly what happened. Make no assumptions.

• Why? Was this a performance issue, a systems issue, or a combination?

• How? What factors contributed to the issue? And only then….

• Who? Now you can address the matter, take the appropriate action and help people to grow and learn.

That All Sounds Great, But… The concepts all make sense, but where can you start? What practical steps can volunteer leaders take to create and promote a culture of good habits and sustainable progress?

1. Adopt the three-word mantra. One of the reasons I stuck with my main professional mentor for over 30 years was because he consistently stressed three powerful words. Best idea wins. No politics.

No ego. A great idea is a great idea, no matter who came up with it.

Be prepared to hear it. Any board that adopts that mantra encourages participation and collaboration.

2. Start with shared values. Begin the process of identifying the shared values of the community and board. They can be accomplished with a series of work sessions. An outside facilitator can help. You can also back into it with another process I will describe below. Listening to members is crucial, whether it be at board and annual meetings, by soliciting input through town hall meetings or surveys. Quantifying shared values may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. A few key questions can get the ball rolling. Borrowing from the affirmative inquiry method, you could try these: • What were the factors that drew you to this community?

• What do you enjoy most about living here?

• When things were at their best, what did it look like?

• What is the most valuable thing about living here?

• What was the best thing the board ever did?

• How do you describe the association to your friends or family?

Look for common themes. Find what resonates. Start writing. Any resultant statement of values, vision, and/or mission that will provide context and a guidepost for the decisions and actions of the organization would be beneficial. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You will periodically adjust as needed anyway. Baby steps are OK. 3. Hold an annual board orientation/tune-up. Consider an annual training session. The ideal time for such a session is soon after each annual meeting. The session can reinforce industry-specific and leadership fundamentals and help new board members get up to speed quickly. The management team should attend. Boards have found these sessions helped their group gel quicker, promoted principle-based discussions and decisions, and increased efficiencies especially early in the board year. Some boards include committee members.

4. Schedule annual planning sessions. Schedule an annual brainstorming session with key team members to set goals for each upcoming year. Reverse-engineer the goals to identify the steps needed to achieve those goals. Create a realistic timeline of events to get them done. Priorities will be set and a trackable plan established. Boards that follow this discipline are focused, productive and forward-thinking. They also establish expectations for themselves, their support staff, and the community. Some boards find that the process also helped them identify or clarify their values, vision or mission. It makes sense – if you listen carefully to what people want to do, you’ll know what’s most important to them.

Make it Happen!

Great leadership and a healthy organizational culture are infectious.

They create success cycles. It’s not easy to get it going. In Good to Great, author Jim Collins likens progress to a massive metal flywheel. It takes time and energy to get the wheel turning. But once it starts and inertia kicks in, it gets easier and you reap the rewards of your hard work. Don’t give up. It will pay off. Just ask the Community Association of the Year winners!

NOVEMBER 2020

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By Joycelyn A. Bazemore, AMS, PCAM Joycelyn has been a community association manager for almost 16 years, serving in various capacities from portfolio manager, general manager to regional director. She currently serves as a senior account executive with Barkan Management for almost 8 years, managing 2,991 units within her portfolio.

The Recipe to Realize the Dream is T

he core of progress is teamwork, which requires collaboration, cooperation, and communication. We must be willing to work together with respect to accomplish things. We all come from different walks of life, with different experiences to share that can benefit the majority.

One of the most, if not the most important key, to any successful relationship is communication. The ability to effectively and hon-

Teamwork!

estly communicate with respect determines the success of any relationship. As a trained and developed Community Association professional, you have the skills, experience, and credentials to guide the leaders of an association in running their business. You are responsible to assist in setting and expanding guidelines for community governance and well as assisting in the development of the community, whether through governance or building character. Reminders of good

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habits to a board/committee, include ensuring that all board members have a chance to be heard, especially when making decisions. Each member of the board/committee has the same vested interest – their home and community. It is helpful to engage each board member, committee member and sometimes other homeowners depending on the topic. Boards, committees, and management should regularly communicate to the community and solicit feedback. Board meetings should not be the first avenue or attempt of communication for anyone. Some items, such as changes/amendments to the governing documents, require an additional level of engagement and communication to be achieved. Non-board meetings, such as Town Hall meetings, may be necessary for effective communication on certain topics. Meetings should be open, respectful, orderly, productive, and concise. If the multi-million-dollar Ford Motor company can conduct business in an hour – surely your Association can too!

Communication to the board should be timely and thorough by anticipating questions and proactively answering them in the communication. This will ultimately minimize questions, strengthen the board and the community’s confidence in management, a committee, or an industry re-

COMMUNICATION

SUCCESS

LEADERSHIP

source, and lessen the stress for the board. There is always a level of tact and diplomacy involved in achieving such success on both sides and promoting harmony in a team. Managers can sometimes walk a tight rope in working where our clients live. While you may not always agree with a decision that is made, as a manager or board member, you agree to what the majority of the board decides as a team. Barring unethical or illegal actions, all emotions or feelings of not being heard should be removed and a board’s decision should be respected. Ensure the information you have provided to the board is clear, concise, and correct. Contrary conversations outside of a board decision are a sure way to create derision in the group, at all levels. Communication, both verbally and non-verbally is very important. You must be the model in every moment.

Planning is another strategy for success. There must be established goals to work towards. It is essential to understand the needs and wants of the board and the community at large by setting goals and expectations. The game plan for the year should be determined on a large scale. The board should determine the “ends,” which is essentially what they would like to achieve in a fiscal year. This will give management its marching orders in executing the “means”, which is how the board accomplishes their goals.

The manager can then use the list of needs and wants to assist the board in prioritizing, creating a timeline and to determine the necessary resources to achieve the goal. Management, as a paid professional, is responsible for the execution and enforcement of the

TEAMWORK

COLLABORATION

governing documents. They are responsible to be in the weeds and bring forth the pertinent high-level information for the board to make decisions, which management will in turn execute. Therefore, in preparing a board to make a decision, management must ensure that information is provided in a timely manner, is well thought out and clearly presented. The information may include the use of a board appointed task force, ad hoc committee or standing committee to provide alternate points of view, specialized experience, and feedback or simply to lessen the load for the board. It is essential for a manager to also use other professional resources and share the need for the Board to consider other paid industry professionals for a specialized project (i.e.: roofs, elevators, etc.). Although board members and managers may have some level of experience in a project, things are different from property to property and things change (i.e.: laws, codes, etc.). Boards must read the information that is provided by management and be ready for productive discussion and decision making for the benefit of the community. Personal vendettas and adverse positions should be put aside if they do not align with the overall goals and direction of the community. Ultimately, everyone should be working together towards a common goal.

Although some goals may seem to be a daunting task either from management or the board’s perspective, the key is to remember you don’t have to do everything alone. Management, boards of directors, committees and homeowners should work in tandem towards one primary goal – protecting and promoting the investment – the homes in the community.

Teamwork makes the dream work!

NOVEMBER 2020

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By Fred Peratt Fred is president of Environmental Enhancements Inc., an award-winning landscaping company serving the DC metro area since 2001. Fred is wellknown in the landscaping industry for his dedication to innovation, teamwork, and the highest standards of workmanship. His role as Advisory Council Chair for the National Association of Landscape Professionals provides insights and best practices that enable Environmental Enhancements to offer industry-leading service to commercial, HOA, and residential clients.

Protecting the Environment with Conscientious Landscaping Habits – Even When Using Chemical Programs

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our tenants have children, pets, and bare feet in the summertime.

They care about the environment, and when they find out you do, too, they will be more likely to choose your properties. Far too many landscaping companies are careless about their impact on the environment, and beyond meeting regulations, fail to make an effort to preserve our delicate ecosystem.

And, of course, this reflects back on you.

Simply put, a sustainable landscape strategy optimizes the resources dedicated to landscape maintenance while keeping waste to a minimum. Organic options are a plus, but synthetic programs can also incorporate best practices that reduce the harmful impact on the environment. Throughout the installation, your service provider should tailor a solution that best utilizes your property’s topography, climate, and the seasons so mother nature can do her thing.

But when human intervention is required, you will want a system in place that reduces waste, run-off, and excessive caretaking.

In order to assess how environmentally con-

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scious your provider is, we suggest you do a deep dive in each of these four areas:

Irrigation Systems An efficiently operating irrigation system is a MUST for any environmentally-conscious solution. Your system should be optimized for each area of the property and synchronized with rainfall to avoid over or underwatering. Sometimes, it’s the little things that count, like making sure spray-heads aren’t aimed toward the street, the clocks are operating correctly, and the system has no major leaks. One potentially harmful oversight is failure to monitor backflow devices; making sure these devices are working properly protects potable water sources from becoming contaminated.

Waste Removal Maintaining your landscape necessarily creates debris: grass clippings, branches, dirt, run-off etc. Your provider should have a plan for removing, composting, and recycling wherever possible. They should NOT be dumping waste in natural (or hidden) areas of your property, or leaving debris to pile up in streets, driveways, and in front of storm sewers. Yard waste scattered throughout the

surrounding area can quickly end up in lakes and streams, clogging waterways and contaminating the water with chemicals.

Equipment Best Practices One of the biggest threats to the environment is careless operation—and maintenance—of landscaping equipment. Ideally, equipment should skew toward low emissions and be properly maintained to maximize efficiency: engines tuned, blades sharpened, oil changed regularly and recycled. Proper handling of equipment also has an impact: scheduling trucks to minimize travel time, turning engines off rather than idling them, or something as simple as not mowing grass too short. Short grass invites more weeds—and requires heavier doses of fertilizer.

Training and Certifications Chemicals in the landscaping industry continue to evolve; they have become more targeted, more effective, and in some cases, more potent. Crews should be highly-trained on the use of 1017001_Cowie.indd chemicals so that fertilizers and insecticides are used sparingly, are well-contained, and are disposed of properly. It’s not unusual to see a careless landscaping company indiscriminately spraying chemicals all over a lawn—unnecessarily so—and failing to post warning signs before, during, and after each application. Anyone applying chemicals should have an almost encyclopedic knowledge about where and when to apply, and how to determine the threshold for treatment.

Once you have a clear understanding of your landscaping provider’s attitudes—and approach—toward environmentally conscious care for your property, you can feel confident that everyone involved is doing the right thing for you, your tenants, and the community at large.

But don’t stop there. Now that you know what to look for, be sure and conduct some spot checks every now and then. Even though a company may have environment-friendly core values, if they are not adequately communicating standard operating procedures to their crews, you may not be getting the type of service you thought you were.

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NOVEMBER 2020

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By Allen Hudson, CIC, CRM, EBP Allen is the director of real estate at Sahouri Insurance & Financial. He and his team have been exclusively focused on delivering tailored insurance solutions for the community association industry for over 10 years. Allen and his wife Jessica live in Tysons and have two beautiful sons (Liam, age 5 and Ari, age 3).

Community Association Pollution Risk YES, even a community association has the (very real) potential of becoming liable for third party bodily injury or property damage resulting from the release of pollutants.

T

his article will identify two of the more common sources of pollution liability for community associations and offer some guidance on limiting these liabilities.

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But first let’s be clear about the need for concern. That is: coverage for pollution related injury is excluded in the industry standard General Liability form (ISO CG 00 01).

The first exposure I’ll touch upon is the more regulated and therefore less uncertain liability associated with communities that have heating fuel underground (and above

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ground) storage tanks. Many older communities, especially those that were in suburban and rural areas when they were constructed, utilized large underground storage tanks for heating fuel. The EPA began regulating and administering strict inspection and usage requirements for these tanks beginning in 1984. Many of those tanks are no longer in use today, but unless/until these tanks are excavated or permanently ‘capped’, the liabilities and corresponding insurance requirements for the ‘owner’ still apply. But again, with so much oversight and regulation, those communities in which this exposure applies generally carry the appropriate coverage to address this concern. If however, a community that was developed before 1984 IS aware of an unreported underground storage tank, I strongly recommend contacting the EPA or state authority immediately because as the legal ‘owner’ of said tank at the time of this legislation, your community could would be uninsured and expressly liable for any escape or dispersal of contaminants from this tank.

The second exposure is very much applicable to any community that applies (or contracts to apply) any EPA regulated herbicide, pesticide, or hazardous material. This exposure exists whether the community employs its own landscaping staff or (more likely) hires a landscaping company to perform this work on their behalf. A pollution liability policy for the former is obviously strongly encouraged. Whether it’s necessary for those communities that contract out their landscaping services depends on the risk management safeguards the community has in place to ensure that ALL of their contractors carry appropriate types and amounts of insurance coverage, and ensure the appropriate risk transfer agreements are securely in place.

What does this mean as far as landscaping contracts specifically?

The community association and/or its agent should require a ‘cer-

tificate of insurance’ evidencing (among other things) that the landscaping contractor has a pollution liability policy. More importantly, the certificate should list the community association as ‘additional insured’. While this practice significantly reduces an uninsured liability, it does not eliminate the exposure entirely. Every community should at least consider their options for this coverage. Costs are commensurate with exposure and so if the work is subcontracted to a properly insured and licensed landscaping company, this ‘if any’ coverage can be purchased for penny’s on the dollar. Many carriers are now offering (low limit) pollution coverage ‘extensions’ on their package policies with minimal underwriting requirements.

It’s also important to point out that the application of chemicals, although one of the more significant exposures, is not the only exposure to pollution liability. It’s not a bad idea to require that any contractors hired to perform work that would involve the use (not just the application) of chemicals or hazardous materials be required to carry pollution liability and list the community as an additional insured. A few that come to mind are large scale painting or resurfacing contracts, any excavation work or work involving land grading, obviously any stormwater, water treatment or environmental work should be done by properly licensed and insured contractors listing the community as additional insured.

There is a growing trend in the real estate development industry whereby owners and general contractors are putting a pollution liability insurance requirement on all of their subcontract agreements, whether they are an excavator or an electrician. While I think this might be an unnecessary burden on many types of contractors, the thought behind this growing trend is two-fold and summarizes this article very well. 1. The cost of limiting this risk is commensurate with the actual exposure; and 2. It is better to be safe than sorry.

NOVEMBER 2020

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By Renee Grebe Renee is the Northern Virginia Conservation Advocate for the Audubon Naturalist Society, leading efforts in Northern Virginia to protect watersheds and to respond to the climate emergency. She serves on Fairfax County’s Environmental Quality Advisory Council, is trained as a Master Naturalist and has considerable experience leading conservation projects within her HOA and removing invasive plants from parkland.

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s humans build homes in which to live, we also are affecting the home where nature lives. What is your association doing to help, or inadvertently hurt, the survival of our natural world? Here are three good habits to get into for creating healthy habitats in your community:

Maintain Lawns and Soil Health with Ecology in Mind While lawns do not add ecological value to nature, you can manage them in a way that keeps them as an asset to your residents and prevents further ecological harm. These simple tips will keep your grass, and the soil in which it grows, healthy.

• Mow high: keep grass at 3” or 4” tall – Taller grass means longer roots which result in a lawn more tolerant of droughts. Taller grass can also help to shade out weeds and prevent them from getting the upper hand.

• Aerate lawn areas regularly – Poking holes in your lawn is like poking holes in a plastic bag – you allow water, air, and organic material to seep more easily into the soil, allowing it to act more like a sponge. This makes it easier for your grass to thrive. Areas with clay soil or high traffic may benefit from yearly aeration.

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• Avoid chemicals and fertilizers – With the two tips above, you can keep your grass chemical-free and healthy because weeds have fewer opportunities to invade. Applying chemicals and fertilizers negatively impacts both the life that rely on the earth’s soils and our drinking water sources.

Choose Native Plants and Trees Your landscaping can be transformed into a habitat that is the keystone for nature to

thrive. Too often, common landscaping plants are invasive plants which cause ecologic harm – their aggressive nature makes them easy and profitable for nurseries to grow. Common plants like English Ivy, Nandina, and Japanese Barberry should be avoided or replaced.

Making the decision to choose native plants and trees when landscaping can have a positive impact on the creatures who have evolved over the millennia with these plants.

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Insects require native plants as a food source, and insects are the biomass which feed wildlife up the food chain. Plant NOVA Natives’ is a great resource: plantnovanatives.org/plant-lists-for-professionals. Some easy-to-maintain examples for community landscaping include: • Native sedges or Golden Groundsel: Nice options for evergreen groundcover that make excellent replacements for English Ivy. • Winterberry: A good replacement for Nandina; males of this species have lovely bright red berries for stunning winter interest.

• Common yucca: A hearty, evergreen substitute for Japanese Barberry • Inkberry holly: No prickly leaves here – just a lovely native, evergreen shrub that resembles the non-native boxwood bushes.

• Oak trees: Choosing a native oak tree to replace tree canopy offers the most ecologically valuable option — oaks support over 500 species of moths and butterflies (important food for wildlife).

Get Free Help and Guidance Your landscaping company will be a critical partner in achieving the goals above but bringing in an outside consultant (for free!) can help your community get an independent perspective on a path forward.

Here are some good starting points:

Where Can I Learn More?

Plant NOVA Natives, a coalition of local non-profit, governmental, and private groups, is a great regional resource. See their “HOA and condo associations” page at plantnovanatives.org/hoa-and-condo-associations for more information.

Attend Workshops and Community Talks Signing up for Audubon Naturalist Society’s Action Alerts is a fast and easy way to learn more about creating healthy habitat. Input your zip code and get updates on relevant conservation-oriented news and talks near you: anshome.org/sign-up-for-ans-action-alerts/ Live in Loudoun County? Join Audubon Naturalist Society’s free Greening Your Neighborhood program for Loudoun County HOAs and Condo Association residents and board members. Sign here: conservationblog.anshome.org/loudoun-county

• District of Columbia: Department of Energy and Environment’s “Environmental Services” section of their website • Virginia: Local Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) and local Virginia Cooperative Extension office (through Virginia Tech) • Maryland: Local Maryland Extension office (through University of Maryland) NOVEMBER 2020

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By Nikki Phenneger Nikki lives in Winchester, VA with her 17-year-old son, Dalton, and five-yearold brindle boxer mix, Knuckles, who was rescued as a puppy. Nikki has been with American Disposal for 5 years and is passionate about helping others, and enjoys sharing and educating homeowners, board members, and property managers everything she has learned. In her spare time she enjoys baseball games, fishing, hiking, and traveling to new places.

Creating Good Habits with,

yes…Trash

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e’re better together! Creating good habits amid a pandemic can be very challenging, especially since we’re all learning new ways to adapt. But there’s good news, developing good habits with trash and recycling is actually very easy. In this article we’ll explain how the pandemic has impacted the industry, and also provide helpful

tips on how you can begin to create good habits when preparing and placing your trash and recycling materials out for collection. Educating ourselves, and starting at home, is beneficial in helping us to achieve our goals; so, we can continue to provide the highest level of service you’ve grown to expect from your local trash and recycling hauler.

The impact to the trash and recycling industry was instantaneous. Trash and recycling increased by 30% – on our residential side – overnight. The amount of trash and recycling being produced at home has required us to take more trips to the disposal facilities, longer than normal service times to remove the material being put out, and additional work hours for our crews. Did you know

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that our drivers are required to hold a Commercial Driver License (CDL) and can only work 60 hours a week to stay within the Department of Transportation (DOT) requirements? Many of our drivers are pulled from their routes early some days to meet the demands, the six days a week that we operate, in order to provide services to all our residential, commercial, and roll off customers.

But delays in service can also occur for other reasons, not just during a pandemic. Dumpsters or carts placed at the curb should never be blocked – always make sure trash and recycling equipment is unobstructed. Some of the trucks in our fleet are Automated Side Load (ASL) trucks. This type of truck is used for residential curbside collection. It’s important that trash and recycling carts are placed facing forward (handlebar and wheels facing away from the street) and spaced 2 feet apart from one another, as well as other objects such as light poles and mailboxes. Excessive heat and weather conditions also are conditions that create delays for our crews, and unfortunately not something we can plan ahead.

them, which causes them to suffocate, because they think they are jelly fish. Using reusable bags as much as possible is not only ideal but is a better alternative for our environment.

Yard waste is collected during the months of March – December.

Knowing what is acceptable and what is not is extremely important to eliminate material from not being collected. Grasscycling is something we highly encourage for grass clippings because it creates a healthy yard, and environment, by returning nutrients and moisture back into your lawn. Dirt, sod, mulch, and rocks are just a few items that are not acceptable and will not be collected with yard waste material. Tree limbs, no longer than four feet long, must be bundled and tied. No more than ten bags of yard debris material will be collected at one time.

Everyday household trash items should always be placed in bags and tied tight before placing in carts and/or dumpsters. Household trash should always remain inside the containers as much as possible to avoid bag breakage, loose debris, and unwelcome animals. Large household bulk items must be scheduled in advance and require an additional charge. Always call our Customer Service Team or your HOA to determine how bulk items are handled per the individual community and never place out beforehand – this will reduce the number of unwanted/uncollectable items within communities.

Cardboard should always be broken down. Cardboard larger than three feet long should never be placed out for curbside collection or inside dumpsters. No grocery store plastic bags should ever be put in recycling carts or dumpsters – they should be thrown away with regular trash or taken to a facility that specifically can recycle them. Plastic bags get tied around the spindles of the machinery at our recycling facility and cause us to stop production for two hours every day. Plastic bags also end up in the ocean and sea turtles eat NOVEMBER 2020

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By Bernie Guthrie, MBA, CMCA, AMS, PCAM Bernie is a Regional Director and Large Scale General Manager at FirstService Residential and has been a well-respected community association professional for almost twenty years. As a member of WMCCAI since 2004, she remains active as Member Services Council Chair, author, lecturer, the 2018 recipient of the President’s Award, and a past Board Member.

Can’t We All Just Get Along?

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his year, our harried lives were upended by an unexpected pandemic that compelled abrupt changes to every facet of our lives. One surprising lesson has been the awareness of issues with neighbors.

The small silver lining amongst the chaos is the opportunity to re-learn forgotten conflict resolution skills.

Clashes between neighbors are older than any POA, COA, or HOA rules established.

Typically disputes arise over four things: space, property, money, and human personalities. Sheltering in place and a generalized increase in anxiety created a stage upon which small interpersonal differences ignited intense arguments. Let’s review ways

to evaluate conflict and steer towards resolution more amicably.

Complaining to someone is never easy, especially to a neighbor. In fact, it can be so intimidating that you tolerate a horrible problem just to avoid the confrontation.

However, by being prepared, you can make the task more comfortable.

Assume they don’t know about the issue or how it affects you. Most people do not intentionally set out to create problems with their neighbors and are often the last person to know they’re disturbing you. By assuming they don’t know, you can frame your mindset in a positive manner to help you handle the situation more constructively.

Choose neutral ground. Stomping across the lawn at 11:00 PM yelling is likely not going to create the setting needed for an uncomfortable discussion. Instead, observe their habits and approach during a mundane task such as taking out the trash, washing the car, raking leaves, etc. If you cannot catch them in person, then try calling. A personal approach is key!

First, talk about something else. Don’t jump directly into a discussion of what is bothering you. Catch up a little on their life by asking about their family, sports, their new

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turn down our televisions, so we don’t disturb others?” Through conversation, the neighbor may help solve the problem and you may avoid the confrontation entirely.

Be part of the solution. By offering to help, we show a willingness to help resolve our concerns. Being part of the solution may create a closer relationship with your neighbor which can have tremendous personal value and facilitate any future issue which arises. You may even be able to team up and help each other with another neighbor issue and keep the positivity flowing!

Sometimes you just have to say it. There will be times when you’ve exhausted your ability to enter the discussion lightly. At times, you need to be straightforward. However, you can take a minute to craft the speech in a way that leads to the discussion rather than an ultimatum. Most people are sorry to have to complain, so if you apologize at the beginning of the message delivery, then it’s easier for them to also.

vehicle, upcoming holiday, or even the weather! Set the stage and show interest in them as a human before tackling the substance of the matter.

Introduce the problem as a common concern. Instead of marching up to your neighbor and yelling “Why can’t you trim that tree? Don’t you see the damage it’s causing?!”, just look up at the tree and possibly say “Wow, I didn’t realize that tree has grown so large. My how time flies! Aren’t you afraid one of those limbs may fall?” Another scenario may be “The weather is so much cooler this month and it’s wonderful to have my windows open, too. Do you think we should

Have a solution to the problem. It’s smart to have a goal formulated in your mind and be ready to offer it. For instance, “Would you be willing to trim this tree before it causes damage?” or “I’m willing to help or share the cost of trimming the tree,” will inspire a more positive response than “Trim that tree or else!”

While we all want to believe that issues between neighbors won’t arise or will be constructively received. By preparing ourselves in advance, we can reduce less anxiety and set the stage for a pleasant discussion and positive outcome. Practicing ways to resolve conflicts in a more harmonious manner can build relationships with amazing benefits!

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By Kara Permisohn, EBP Kara has worked in business development for Minkoff Company, Inc. since 2004. She is a past president of the Chesapeake Region Chapter of CAI (CRCCAI), has served on both WMCCAI and CRCCAI Boards of Directors, is an Education Business Partner (EBP), and is active on committees in both chapters.

Emergency Preparedness in 2020 A Whole New Perspective

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mere year ago this article might have been a regurgitation of many past articles in Quorum. As I am challenged to make it new and fresh, COVID-19 has put a whole new twist on what it means to be prepared in 2020!

Communities, managers, and homeowners have been tasked with many new proto-

cols to provide a safe and healthy scenario.

This now includes masks, hand sanitizer, increased cleaning schedules, gloves and more. As each region moves into new phases of opening this will require great thought to prepare buildings and their amenities. As we enjoy the fall and winter seasons we cannot forget about the basics.

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$1,000,000 Condominium balcony joist and crawl space repairs Germantown, MD

Are you prepared for an evacuation at your office, home, or community? Best Practices are that “Grab & Go” kits need to be updated regularly. A good way to remember checking is to audit your supplies when you change the clocks and fire alarm batteries for Daylight Savings. Per www.Ready.gov items that we are familiar having in a kit might include water (one gallon of water per person for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation), food (a three-day supply of non-perishable goods), a battery powered or hand crank radio, flashlight, first aid kit, extra batteries, a whistle to signal for help, plastic sheeting and duct tape for sheltering in place, wipes, garbage bags and ties (for sanitation), a wrench or plier (to turn off utilities if needed), manual can opener (for food), local maps incase WiFi and GPS aren’t working, and cell phone with chargers, backup battery, and blankets (in winter should the heat go out). Now we need to add a few additional items…Do you have masks for each staff or family member?

How about extra gloves, ample hand sanitizer, and disinfectant spray? Remember extra toilet paper just in case there is another panic at the stores (one roll per person stored in a waterproof container). These items are now vital to include for everyone’s safety!

KIM MYLES, CMCA communityadvantage.com

VICE PRESIDENT Wintrust Community Advantage - MD/DC/VA kmyles@communityadvantage.com C: 734-276-3330 | D: 240-772-1212

Wintrust Community Advantage is a division of Barrington Bank & Trust Company, N.A., a Wintrust Community Bank.

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If your community offers a fitness center, how will you be certain to be prepared? Will management be expected to monitor the use and require a reservation so the space remains socially distanced and clean of germs? How will ordering of supplies affect

your tasks? Are masks going to be required? What sort of signage will be needed to communicate this? What about a sign-in sheet, waiver form, and temperature checks? Will residents be expected to wipe down all equipment themselves or will a service be hired to disinfect between each user? To be ready will take thorough discussions and difficult decisions. This also begs the question of basic emergency preparedness.

Additional preparedness tasks in a community or your home are to compile a list of emergency numbers for Police, fire (911), and your vendors who handle mitigation services. Update signage inside and out for the most effective communication. Brush up on familiarity with your insurance policy, what is included, and make sure it is current. Survey the property to ensure that seals on doors and windows are tight and caulk where needed before the weather gets too cold. Have a snow removal plan in place. It helps to review everyone’s expectations for tasks such as who will be responsible for shoveling walkways and salting side-

J O B

walks. Have your fire hydrants been well marked in the event we have another blizzard? An easy solution are the reflective stakes that attach to the tops. Are the fire lane curbs well painted? When was the last time the gutters and streets were cleaned for leaves and debris? If balconies have storage closets, are they well insulated to prevent pipe freezes or cleared out of unwanted items to prevent fire hazards? When was the last reserve study done to ensure that the foundation is properly waterproofed before winter? The last thing you want to deal with when the temperatures are dropping is a basement flood which involves black water and mud.

While all of these suggestions should be part of Best Practices as taught by the Community Associations Institute, we all need a little reminder sometimes. Hopefully, these lists get your mind thinking and re-educate your staff, boards of directors or family before it is too late. You will be able to rest easily knowing that you are prepared for emergencies during the season.

P O S T I N G

Portfolio Manager - KPA Management We are seeking a Candidate with relevant experience to manage a portfolio of 5- 6 HOA’s and Condominium Associations in Northern Virginia exclusively. Must have the CMCA designation and/or AMS designation. The successful candidate must have excellent verbal and written communication skills, good time management skills and can manage multiple tasks. If you are tired of managing too many Associations, send us your resume.

Company: KPA Management Location: Falls Church, VA Job Type: Full Time Industry: Community Association Management Job Level: Management Salary Range: Commensurate on experience Posted: September 16, 2020

TO APPLY: Please email your resume to Ed Alrutz at ealrutz@kpamgmt.com.

NOVEMBER 2020

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By Julian Belilty Julian is CEO and Co-Founder at Honeydew Energy Advisors. He is passionate about transforming rooftops into solar power stations and making energy efficiency easy. Prior to starting Honeydew, Julian served as a Sr. Energy Advisor at Nextility, a DC-based solar financing company, and helped launch Citizen Energy, an LED financing company providing a unique shared-savings model. He also worked as Orange County’s (FL) Energy Advisor where he performed energy audits and developed Energy Savings Reports for 200+ government buildings.

DC’s Multifamily Benchmarking and Efficiency Requirements

I

magine it’s May 1st. In your mail you find a “Notice of Violation” from DC’s Department of Energy and the Environment. You open the envelope to learn that you have failed to report your benchmarking numbers and are now subject to a $100 per day fine from the City. Whoa!

This begs the question: What the heck is benchmarking?

Benchmarking is the reporting of energy and water data to the city, county, or state government. The purpose is to give them a tool for diagnosing inefficient buildings.

This will allow them to better tailor local policies to improve building performance. This is a critical step in creating a clean energy economy.

In addition to giving your local government a tool, Energy Benchmarking also provides your Association with a tool to identify weak spots in your building’s performance and to proactively manage it while reducing your energy expenses. Simply measuring and cre30 | QUORUM

ating awareness of your building’s energy use can lead to significant reductions in energy expenses. That’s an immediate win.

In DC, buildings above 50,000 sq ft are required to submit their Benchmark Reports to the District by April 1st every year. Starting in 2022, all buildings above 25,000 sq ft will be required to benchmark, and by 2025, all buildings over 10,000 sq ft will be required to benchmark, as mandated under the Clean Energy DC Omnibus Act. The penalty for non-compliance in the District is $100 per day.

In Maryland, only Montgomery County requires benchmarking and it only applies to Nonresidential buildings, or groups of buildings that have the same tax ID, that are above 50,000 sq ft. These properties must submit their annual Benchmarking Reports

by June 1st. The penalty for non-compliance in Montgomery County is $500 for an initial violation and $750 for repeated violations.

In Virginia, there is currently only a mandate for municipal buildings, similar to DC’s initial requirements. If it continues to follow the path of DC, this mandate could soon expand to cover additional properties, though no bills or regulations have been proposed to do so at this time.

So what are the nuts and bolts of reporting?

All data must be entered through Energy Star’s Portfolio Manager, which is facilitated through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This software requires you to identify various aspects of your property, including: • Property type; • Gross floor area; • Number of workers/residents; • Appliance information; • Hours of operation; and, • Other attributes depending on the property type.

It then requires you to enter usage data for electric, natural gas, and water. Once this information is entered, the platform rates your property based on all other similar properties in the database - adjusting for climate zone. This rating is scored 1 to 100, with 100 meaning your property is in the top percentile of efficiency compared to similar building types, sizes, etc. As such, your score can go down even if your building remains the same, if the average building in the data set becomes more efficient.

The Energy Star Score is very important as states and municipalities will begin to use these scores to crack down on inefficient

buildings. Beginning in 2021, DC will require buildings above 50,000 sq ft to have scores above DC’s median Energy Star score currently at 64 for multifamily buildings. This threshold will lower to 25,000 sq ft in 2023 and 10,000 sq ft by 2026.

Buildings that do not meet the required standard will be placed in a 5-year compliance cycle. The building owner (Condominium or Cooperative Association) has until the end of the cycle to bring their building into compliance.

What you can do now: • Double check your benchmarking data to make sure everything is accurate; • Compare 2019 scores to the 2018 multifamily median score (64) to get a sense of how your building is performing; • Begin to identify solar opportunities and energy efficiency measures that can help increase your Energy Star score; • Engage with your Association; • Create an internal team to start aligning energy actions; • And start developing a strategic energy management plan.

Many buildings have square footage hidden away that could be converted to additional savings without any capital outlay — empty roofs. Reducing your energy load through onsite solar will increase your building’s Energy Star score. There is currently a ‘green rush’ in the DC solar market. In exchange for the solar incentives, solar companies in DC are offering to cover 100% of installations, handle all maintenance efforts, and compensate the building owner by providing significantly lower rates for the solar energy produced from the system than what your Associations

are currently paying through Pepco. Solar companies are also offering to provide additional funds towards roof replacements or other building upgrades. With federal incentives scheduled to decline in 2021 and a potential peak in local incentives, solar panel supply is becoming scarce.

With generous utility rebates from DCSEU and other local utilities in the DMV region and falling manufacturing costs, retrofitting to LEDs has never been a better value. LED retrofit projects typically have a 3-year payback period and IRRs of 20-40%. Not only will it help improve your energy performance and reduce operating budgets, it will also increase your building’s Energy Star score. Some LED companies are also offering an off-balance sheet, shared-savings program where Associations simply share a percentage of their savings with the lighting provider each month over a 5-year period including a maintenance service.

We don’t know what’s going to happen with these incentives in the future, but every year these projects are deferred, the maintenance costs on inefficient systems increase and utility expenses continue to bleed your building’s budgets. As such, the sooner you benchmark and implement energy conservations measures, the more your community will benefit from your efforts.

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Webinar Series

JOIN US FOR A

Legislative Series

Join WMCCAI for Monday Legislative Madness – a three-part series on legislative updates in Virginia, DC and Maryland. These insightful sessions will be led by the Virginia LAC and Legislative Committee, DC LAC and Legislative Committee and Maryland LAC and Legislative, respectively. Each session will update on state legislation and what to expect heading into 2021.

The DC session will include a few board leadership modules and budgeting.

SPONSORS

REGISTRATION RATES PER SESSION

PER BUNDLE (3)

MEMBER

$30

$85

NONMEMBER

$35

$100

Legislative Sponsor

WHEN

Part 1 - VA Legislative Update 10/26/2020 | 12 - 1:30PM Part 2 - DC Homeowner Education & Update 11/2/2020 | 6:30 - 8PM Part 3 - MD Legislative Update 11/9/2020 | 12 - 1:30PM

DC Registration Sponsor

WHERE

Weblink will be emailed to registered attendees

WHO

This program will benefit Homeowners & Managers

CREDITS

Each webinar is worth one (1.5) credit hours (a total of 4.5 credit hours for all three webinars)

HOW

Visit www.caidc.org to register

7600 Leesburg Pike, Suite 100 West

E-mail: events@caidc.org

Falls Church, VA 22043

Web: www.caidc.org

T: 703.750.3644 F: 703.941.1740

Building Maintenance Series

Webinar Series

HVAC

PLUMBING & PIPING

Join WMCCAI for a three-part series on building maintenance. These insightful webinars lead WHEN

by Doug White of Thomas Downey, Ltd., Consulting Engineers, Ted Ross of TRC Engineering Part 1 - 9/16/2020 and Kathryn M. Hutchinson, CMCA, AMS, PCAM General Manager at Greenhouse Condominium Part 2 - 10/29/2020 Council of Co-Owners, Inc. will help you understand the system and structural basics of Part 3 - 11/12/2020 buildings, including, routine maintenance needs. Additionally, you will be well positioned to 12 - 1 PM identify problems, develop repair options and budget for building maintenance costs.

SPONSORS

REGISTRATION RATES PER SESSION

PER BUNDLE (3)

MEMBER

$30

$85

NONMEMBER

$35

$100

Bricks, Siding, Balconies & Decks

WHO

This program will benefit Homeowners & Managers

WHERE

Weblink will be emailed to registered attendees

HOW

Visit www.caidc.org to register

7600 Leesburg Pike, Suite 100 West

E-mail: events@caidc.org

Falls Church, VA 22043

Web: www.caidc.org

T: 703.750.3644 F: 703.941.1740

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CREDITS

Each webinar is worth one (1) credit hour (a total of 3 credit hours for all three webinars)

BUILDING EXTERIORS

By Joseph E. Rice, IV Born and raised in Maryland, Joseph graduated from DeMatha Catholic High School in 2008 and went on to receive his bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2012. He has worked in the insurance industry for eight years all of which have been with Associated Insurance Management, LLC. Joseph specializes in property and casualty insurance for community associations in the Washington D.C. metro area.

The “Per

Unit Water Damage Deductible”

W

ater damage related insurance claims have and continue to be an issue for many community associations in the Washington Metropolitan area.

Over the past few years, insurance companies have developed a unique way to help protect the insurability of these community associations, known as the “Per Unit Water Damage Deductible”.

The “Per Unit Water Damage Deductible” stipulates that each unit that sustains water damage has a separate water damage deductible.

A “Per Unit Water Damage Deductible” helps the association on two fronts. First, it will reduce the association’s loss ratio and it transfers the responsibility to adjust the claim to the Unit Owners personal HO-6 insurance carrier. The association’s loss ratio calculation is the historical premium paid divided by the losses and is a driving factor when determining the cost and/or the insurability of the association. Secondly, if the Unit Owners HO-6 policy is properly written it will provide coverage for damages to his/her unit that do not exceed the deduct-

ible under the Master policy allowing the association to stay out of the claims adjustment process.

The “Per Unit Water Damage Deductible” is becoming an industry norm and is being offered by numerous insurance companies in the association insurance marketplace. The actual policy form varies from insurance company to insurance company. In the event a board receives notice of the change from a “Per Loss Deductible” to “Per Unit Water Damage Deductible”, it is imp or tant that the y understand the value of this deductible option, review their governing documents with legal counsel and provide proper notice to all unit owners.

For example, if four units are affected by a single occurrence resulting from water damage and the “Per Unit Water Damage Deductible” is $5,000, each of the four units have a $5,000 deductible applied before the insurance company awards any payment for a claim. The amount of the “Per Unit Water Damage Deductible” can vary from $2,500 per unit to $25,000 per unit depending on the severity of the association’s loss history the number of units and building number of stories (the taller the building, the more units that may be affected by a top down main drain or roof water leak).

966879_Miller.indd 1

NOVEMBER 2020

7/18/19 3:56 AM

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2020 WMCCAI SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

“

“

Identify an opportunity for your community to improve or implement a green initiative and provide a detailed program for your community.

MEET OUR 2020 WINNERS

“Welcome to Constitution Hills Environmental-Decathlon”

by Eleni Olivea Varlas, First Place Winner

Eleni Olivea Varlas Eleni Olivea Varlas of Waldorf, MD is the 1st Place recipient of the 2020 scholarship award from WMCCAI and was awarded $3,000.

She will be attending University of Maryland-Baltimore County this fall.

Sorayah Melendez Sorayah Melendez of Sterling, VA is the 2nd Place recipient of the 2020 scholarship award from WMCCAI and was awarded $1,000.

She will be attending James Madison University this fall.

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The fact that global warming is alarmingly speeding up should be no surprise to Americans or anyone in the world. Humans continuously produce tons of waste due to improper disposal or not recycling items. America is the world leader of waste.

America wastes energy, electricity, water and materials. The U.S. is the #1 trash-producing country in the world. On average, each American throws away about 1,200 pounds of organic materials/garbage that can be recycled or composted (University of Southern Indiana). This can be changed with one neighborhood at a time.

What is a better way to motivate people than a competition? My green initiative is called the “Environmental-Cathlon.” Houses located in my neighborhood (Constitution Hills) would compete against each other to make the greatest environmental impact in our community. The Homeowners Association (HOA) would be the sponsor/organizer of this year-long event. The grand prize will be raised through the HOA fees required from every member of the neighborhood. A small portion of those fees will be allocated to create the grand prize of $500. In order to increase the utmost participation, there would not be a fee to enter. Each homeowner will fill out a participation form which will require their information and what category they will compete in. The Cathlon will consist of three different categories: reduce,

reuse and recycle. Homeowners, on their participation form, will check one or more of the categories they will compete in.

The three R’s will have their own rules and requirements in order to participate. The rules of the reduce category: Contestants will reduce their water, electricity, trash production, reduce litter found around the neighborhood, and/or reduce their carbon footprint by 5%. The rules of the Reuse category: Contestants will find everyday items in their home and use them in multiple ways consistently. Contestants must upload at least 100 photos to document the reuse. The most creative and consistent reused items wins this category. The rules of the recycle category: Contestants will measure the amount of recycled waste they create and then submit photographs as proof. The HOA website will have a separate site to upload monthly progress reports. The necessary documents to prove reduction in water and electricity will be the participants bills (sensitive information should be blacked out before uploading).

The information uploaded onto the website would be private and secure.

Constitution Hills HOA will be in charge of monitoring the competition. If there is any cheating or suspicious behavior reported then it will be investigated. If a homeowner is found to be cheating immediate disqualification will occur. Once the year has concluded, one winner per category will be chosen.

There will be a neighborhood barbeque where the winners will be announced publicly and rewarded with their prize money.

The WMCCAI Scholarship Program is open to all high-school seniors within the immediate Washington metro living within a community association (i.e. homeowners association, condominium association, or cooperative association).

The 2020 Scholarship Program was solely funded by WMCCAI members, along with our generous scholarship sponsors, Exterior Medics (Gold Sponsor), WINTRUST Community Advantage Bank (Silver Sponsor), and Cardinal Management Group, Inc, DoodyCalls, and TRC Engineering (Bronze Sponsors). Thank you to all who donated this year!

Along with the winners, the environmental impact will also be shared with the participants. This competition will prompt people in my neighborhood to change their wasteful habits to save the earth and also their money. Wastefulness affects your pockets along with the health of the Earth. I hope to see you join your own Environmental-Cathlon in your neighborhood. Let’s compete to save the Earth!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------by Sorayah Melendez, Second Place Winner

My community recycles regularly, and even provides residents with recycling and trash bins. However, I do not know anyone in my neighborhood who composts, let alone anyone who knows how to. Composting has many benefits, such as providing nutrients in the soil, limiting the need for chemical fertilizers, and reducing methane emissions, which in turn reduces an individuals’ carbon footprint. Twenty-eight percent of Americans’ trash is food and yard waste and turning this waste into compost would reduce the amount of space and methane gas in landfills (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2019). By providing community residents with compost bins and instructions on how to properly maintain a compost bin, community associations could single handedly reduce the amount of waste in local landfills.

Community associations should also provide a list and educate their residents about items that should not be composted, and

why. Items such as fire ashes, fruit peels, hair, and tea bags are commonly thrown in the trash; however, few people are aware that these items are actually able to be composted (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2019). Similarly, many individuals do not know which items recyclable and which ones are not; by educating community members about these differences, more items could be recycled or composted, resulting in a greener community and a greener planet. Providing composting knowledge and resources to community residents would be the most beneficial and effective way for each household to reduce their carbon footprint, with hopes that more items will be recycled and composted.

Along with the benefits of composting and compostable items, it is also important to include a list of items that are not compostable, as they could have the potential to harm humans or the environment. For example, dairy products are not able to be composted due to the odor they create and, in turn, attracting pests that could harm the plants (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2019). Other than the short list of items that are not able to be composted, this is an easy way to help beautiful gardens thrive in community homes. Making the homes look more pleasurable and aesthetic to potential buyers would benefit the association, creating more of an incentive to provide residents with composting materials. The community association could hold an annual garden competition in the spring to encourage residents to beautify

their gardens and put their compost to use.

Community association board members would judge residents on neatness, creativity and diversity of plants used; the sole requirement of this competition would be to have residents provide proof of the compost they created and used in their garden. One winner from each neighborhood in Countryside (Morven Woods, Belmont, Foxfield, etc.) would be chosen by the board members, and from those, a grand winner would be chosen, and their garden would be featured in the community paper. Local businesses or environmental agencies (such as Safeway, Delia’s Pizza, or Loudoun Water Co.) could also sponsor the competition, advertising and encouraging residents to compost their leftover meals along with other compostable items.

Sponsors could also help with awards, such as gift cards or useful items relating to environmental protection and composting. To educate children about the importance of composting, a competition could be held requiring elementary-aged children to draw a picture, write a paragraph, or create a video explaining why composting is important to the environment. This would educate younger generations about the importance of protecting the environment, in hopes that they will not make the same mistakes the human race has made for the past 200 years.

Works Cited: United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2019, November 13).

Composting At Home. Retrieved from https:// www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home NOVEMBER 2020

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Directory and Classifieds ASPHALT PAVING/MAINTENANCE/REPAIR

JANITORIAL

MANAGEMENT SERVICES (CONT’D)

Brothers Paving & Concrete Corporation 9469 Hawkins Dr T: (703) 393-1927 Manassas, VA 20109 F: (703) 393-1928 Paul Battista info@brotherspaving.com

Clean Advantage Corporation 9701 Philadelphia Court, Suite G-7 T: (800) 315-3264 Lanham, MD 20706 F: (301) 595-3331 www.cleanadv.com info@cleanadv.com

Comsource Management, Inc. AAMC www.comsource.com 3414 Morningwood Drive T: (301) 924-7355 Olney, Maryland 20832 F: (301) 924-7340 Gary M. Simon, CMCA, AMS, PCAM gsimon@comsource.com

Espina Paving, Inc. Asphalt/Concrete 15441 Farm Creek Drive T: (703) 491-9100 Woodbridge, VA 2191 F: (703) 491-9101 Serving: MD, DC, VA info@espinapaving.com

District Clean 10306 Eaton Place, Suite 120 T: (703) 533-8716 Fairfax, VA 22030 F: (703) 533-8648 www.district-clean.com info@district-clean.com

FirstService Residential DC Metro LLC, AAMC 11351 Random Hills Road, Suite 500 T: (703) 385-1133 Fairfax, VA 22020 Robert Teeling robert.teeling@fsresidential.com

ATTORNEYS

MANAGEMENT SERVICES

Thomas Schild Law Group, LLC www.schildlaw.com 401 North Washington Street, Suite #500 T: (301) 251-1414 Rockville, MD 20850 Thomas C. Schild, CCAL tschild@schildlaw.com Scott J. Silverman ssilverman@schildlaw.com ENGINEERS

ETC Engineering and Technical Consultants Inc. Water intrusion, roofing, exteriors, windows, balconies, property studies, structural & architectural services www.etc-web.com T: (703) 450-6220 Mindy Maronic mindy@etc-web.com The Falcon Group www.falconengineering.com 7361 Calhoun Place, Suite 325 Rockville, MD 20855 T: (240) 328-1095 Stew Willis info@falconengineering.com GENERAL CONTRACTORS

Ploutis Contracting Co, Inc. T: (703) 360-0205 8365 Richmond Hwy F: (703) 360-5439 Alexandria, VA 22309 info@ploutiscontracting.com Stella Ploutis www.ploutiscontracting.com INSURANCE

Griffin Owens Insurance Group www.GriffinOwens.com 847 Station Street, Herndon, VA 20170 T: (571) 386-1000 Offices also located in Falls Church & Manassas Daniel Flavin, CIC, CRM dan@griffinowens.com

Associa Community Management Corporation, AAMC 4840 Westfields Blvd, Suite 300 T: (703) 631-7200 Chantilly, VA 20151 www.cmc-management.com John Tsitos, CMCA, AMS, PCAM jstitos@cmc-management.com Barkan Management, LLC AAMC 8229 Boone Blvd., Suite 885 T: (703) 738-2501 Tysons Corner, VA 22182 F: (703) 388-1006 Michael Feltenberger, CMCA, AMS, PCAM Senior Vice President CAMP, AAMC (Community Association Management Professionals) www.gocampmgmt.com T: (703) 821-CAMP 4114 Legato Road, Suite 200 Fairfax, VA 22033 hgraham@gocampmgmt.com 209 West Street, Suite 302 Annapolis, MD 21401 sblackburn@gocampmgmt.com Capitol Management Corporation 12011 Lee-Jackson Highway, Suite 350 Fairfax, VA 22033 L. Peyton Harris Jr., CMCA, CPM lph@capitolmanagementcorp.net

T: (703) 934-5200 F: (703) 934-8808

Capitol Property Management Corporation, AAMC 3914 Centreville Rd, Suite 300 T: (703) 707-6404 Chantilly, VA 20151 www.capitolcorp.com Jeff Lawrence, CMCA, AMS, PCAM jlawrence@capitolcorp.com Cardinal Management Group, Inc., AAMC 4330 Prince William Parkway, Suite 201 T: (703) 569-5797 Woodbridge, VA 22192 www.cardinalmanagementgroup.com cardinal@cardinalmanagementgroup.com Thomas A. Mazzei, CMCA, AMS, PCAM CFM Management Services, AAMC 5250 Cherokee Ave, Suite 100 T: (703) 941-0818 Alexandria, VA 22314 F: (703) 941-0816 Christiaan Melson, AMS, PCAM c­­­­­­­­melson@cfmmanagement.com

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KPA Management, AAMC www.kpamgmt.com 6402 Arlington Blvd., Suite 700 T: (703) 532-5005 Falls Church, VA 22042 F: (703) 532-5098 Offering personalized service Ed Alrutz, CPM, CMCA, PCAM ealrutz@kpamgmt.com Legum & Norman Inc. AAMC 3130 Fairview Park Drive Ste 200 T: (703) 600-6000 Falls Church, VA 22042 www.legumnorman.com Marc B. McCoy, CMCA, AMS MMcCoy@legumnorman.com Sentry Management www.sentrymgt.com 7619 Little River Turnpike, Suite 210 T: (703) 642-3246 Annandale, VA 22003 602 South King Street, Suite 400 T: (540) 751-1888 Leesburg, VA 20171 Dave Ciccarelli, AMS, PCAM dciccarelli@sentrymgt.com Sequoia Management Company Inc., AAMC 13998 Parkeast Circle T: (703) 803-9641 Chantilly, VA 20151-2283 www.sequoiamanagement.com Craig Courtney, PCAM ccourtney@sequoiamgmt.com

­­INDEX TO ADVERTISERS A Alliance Association Bank...............................................................................................................16 Associa-Community Management Corporation, AAMC....................................................................14 B Barkan Management, LLC, AAMC..................................................................................................10 Brothers Paving & Concrete..............................................................................................................4 C Capital Painting Co.........................................................................................................................11 PAINTING SERVICES AND RETAILERS

Capital Painting Co. www.capitalpainting.net 5520 Oakwood Road T: (703) 313-0013 Alexandria, VA 22310 F: (703) 922-1826 George Tsentas george@capitalpainting.net Reston Painting & Contracting 619 Carlisle Drive Herndon, VA 20170 David Hamilton

T: (703) 904-1702 F: (703) 904-0248 dave@restonpaint.com

CIT - Community Association Banking & CondoCerts......................................................................22 Clean Advantage Corporation T/A Condominium Cleaning Service..................................................40 Cowie & Mott P.A............................................................................................................................19 F The Falcon Group.............................................................................................................................7

RESTORATION SERVICES

FirstService Residential DC Metro, LLC, AAMC................................................................................39

Titan Restoration Co Warrenton, VA T: (540) 349-1503 www.titanrestoration.com F: (540) 349-1512 Anita Puckett apuckett@titanrestoration.com

G

TWC Services, LLC PO Box 150277 T: (703) 971-6016 Alexandria, VA 22315 www.twcserv.com Linda Walker info@twcserv.com

Gardner Engineering, Inc................................................................................................................24 M Miller-Dodson Associates................................................................................................................33

WINDOWS & DOORS

P

Windows Plus, LLC 4321 Markham Street T: (703) 256-0600 Annandale, VA 22003 F: (703) 942-6987 Kimberly Wayland kknight@windowspls.com

Ploutis Contracting Co., Inc.............................................................................................................39 R Reston Painting Company................................................................................................................2 S Segan, Mason & Mason, PC...........................................................................................................26 Sentry Management, Inc.................................................................................................................11 T TWC Services.................................................................................................................................19 W Windows Plus, LLC.........................................................................................................................20 WINTRUST Community Advantage Bank.......................................................................................28

NOVEMBER 2020

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CUL-DE-SAC

By Désirée McCoy Désirée is the owner of The Difference Is In The Details, and holds over 20 years of experience in the event industry. What initially started as a hospitality sales job turned into a passion for helping people plan intimate events and celebrations. The most challenging aspect of her job is managing clients’ expectations. That is, making sure that what a client envisions as their dream event experience is attainable and within their budget. She believes what separates her business from others is that she focuses on the details.

“What life expects of us is that we celebrate.”

– José Eduardo Agualusa

Can You Really Celebrate During a Pandemic?

Yes, You Can!

“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”

– Oprah Winfrey

A

lot of things have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and the event industry was no exception.

Whether it is a wedding, a gala, graduation party, community block party, or any other type of celebration, there is a lot of pivoting that is required to pull these celebrations off but rest assured they do not have to be canceled! Instead, event planners must rely upon their ingenuity and think outside of the box and in the process, create memorable celebrations.

Thanks to the pandemic, the drive-by celebration has emerged as the way to party in 2020. Custom banners, yard signs, life-sized props, and yard card decor, allow for a visually festive experience. Throw in some lively music and a few dozen car horns blowing and the guest of honor and attendees are sure to have a blast! What about party favors you ask? Party goers can still be treated with gift bags and now they can be customized to include unique party favors (who would’ve thought personalized face masks would be in such high demand) and yet here we are, making the best of it. Do you still want to serve a sweet treat at your event? Instead of a big cake or large dessert table, think individually wrapped goodies. These take away treats are always a hit!

38 | QUORUM

Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Hangouts are not just for business meetings anymore. These are now avenues for connection and celebration. Now almost any celebration can be held using any of these methods, whether it is a happy hour, sip and paint party, a mixology class, wine tasting event, cooking demonstration… you name it, it can be done virtually.

Another positive with celebrating in this out of the ordinary ways is our guests are learning or relearning event etiquette. The power of the often-ignored RSVP is key to being included in the celebrations. It is important now more than ever to know who is coming so that we can ensure that appropriate cleaning and social distancing measures are taken. It honestly removes the pressure off the party host and event planner because there is little chance of an extra plus one or two or three slipping through the cracks. These limitations also help us to stay within budget when planning our events or in some cases, come under budget which is always a welcome thing. This is the best time to have an event if you ask the frugal part of me.

You only invite the people dearest to your heart and you cannot beat the low cost. It is a win/win!

Our new normal is celebrations are going micro. Venue spaces are limited and for those that are open for business, they are going micro too. Be ready to adjust your game plan and make it work. Do not limit yourselves to what you have done in the past. Allow yourself the flexibility to try something new and you will be surprised at how well it works out. Attention to the little details is critical and you can transform a little space into a fantastic venue, even if it is a basement or garage! The transformation is key, taking your event to the next level. The difference is in the details.

With the number of active COVID-19 cases in our country still rising and many can be traced to large social gatherings, it is imperative that we celebrate responsibly. It is our responsibility as individuals to follow the public health guidelines. If you are thinking of celebrating or meeting with others outside your household, look to meet outdoors, socially distanced if possible or indoors, socially distanced with face coverings to minimize any risk. Know that it is appropriate and reasonable to require certain safety protocols to be followed. Ultimately, we want to celebrate more big days and more of life’s celebrations, not less. It takes all of us to work together as a community to make this possible.

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2/10/20 11:52 PM

Dear Board Members, Thanks to our new communities in the DC Metro area, for trusting us during these difficult times.

As North America’s property management leader, we are aware of the impact the COVID-19 has had on our board members and communities at large. That’s why we are dedicated to helping you navigate this unprecedented time with greater confidence and peace of mind.

Our depth of experience and resources are best equipped to handle issues of this nature. During the crisis, we have onboarded 25 new communities in the region comprised of over 8,200 units.

As your trusted advisor, we fulfill our mission by delivering exceptional service and solutions that enhance the value of every property and the lifestyle of every resident in your community. Thank you for partnering with us and for your unwavering commitment to your residents and community.

MICHAEL MENDILLO President

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TRENT HARRISON, PCAM® President, MidAtlantic

“

The most immediate difference with FirstService Residential was their ability to understand and incorporate technology, allowing for more efficient communication and decision-making. Frustrations that seemed to have dragged on for months were resolved in a few days. Their strong communication with our board, their Connect portal and visible turnaround time for maintenance issues have helped during a socially-distanced pandemic period.

— Stephanie W., board president Seminary Walk Condominium

”

703.385.1133

www.fsresidential.com

NOVEMBER 2020

28/08/20 12:29 AM

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2020 CHAPTER BENEFACTORS

ASPHALT & CONCRETE

WMCCAI 7600 Leesburg Pike Suite 100 West Falls Church, VA 22043 www.caidc.org (703) 750-3644

PRESORT STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID ALEXANDRIA, VA # 5659

OUR MISSION To optimize the operations of Community Associations and foster value for our business partners.

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9/16/20 11:22 PM