Friday, August 31, 2007

Nauru Tower Pool and Jacuzzi Rules (Revised)

NAURU TOWER POOL AND JACUZZI RULES

(Revised August 22, 2007)

7. Swimming Pool and Jacuzzi Rules

a. Pool Gate: State law requires that the pool gate be closed and latched at all times.

b. Pool and Jacuzzi Hours: Use of the swimming pool and Jacuzzi is permitted only during the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily, except during pool maintenance. Excessive noise is not permitted.

c. Minimum Age to Use Jacuzzi: For safety reasons, no minors 10 years of age and under may use the jacuzzi and all minors between the ages of 11 to 17 years must be accompanied by an adult or legal guardian 18 years of age or older when using the jacuzzi.

d. Use at Own Risk: Occupants and their guests shall use the swimming pool, jacuzzi and other recreational facilities entirely at their own risk. The Association accepts no responsibility therefor.

e. Persons Allowed to Use: Only owners, tenants and immediate family members may use the 5th floor pool deck. Guests upon advanced request and approval by the Resident Manager’s office may register to use the pool.

f. Guests: Guests are not permitted in the pool area or other recreational areas unless accompanied by a responsible Nauru Tower resident.

g. No Pool Parties: No pool parties on the 5th floor pool deck area.

h. Use of Pool by Minors: Children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult or legal guardian 18 years of age or older when using the pool.

i. Swimming Attire: Swimming is allowed only in proper swimming apparel. Hairpins, bobby pins and hair rollers can damage the pool pumps and filters and must be removed before swimming.

j. Horse Play: Running, pushing, shoving, boisterous or loud conduct, or loud playing of radios is not permitted in any recreational area. Radios should be muted so as not to disturb other users of the facilities.


k. Pets: Pets, except for certified guide or signal dogs assisting handicapped persons, are not allowed in the pool area at any time.

l. No Tents: No tents or other items may be erected on the project.

m. Prohibited Conduct: Snorkels, diving gear, rafts, large toys, surfboards and other such equipment are not permitted in the pool or pool area. Diving is not permitted.

n. No Food or Drinks: No food or drinks, except water, are allowed in the 5th floor pool deck area.

o. Prohibited Items: The use of glass bottles, ceramics, chinaware or other breakable items is not permitted in the pool area. Used paper cups shall be deposited in trash bins provided for that purpose.

p. Required by Board of Health Regulations:

(1) All persons known to be or suspected of being afflicted with infections, disease, suffering from a cough, cold, or sores, or wearing band-aids or bandages, shall be excluded from using the swimming pool or jacuzzi.

(2) Spitting, spouting of water, or blowing the nose in the swimming pool or jacuzzi is strictly prohibited.

q. Recreation Facilities Party Restrictions:

Special requirements pertain to use of the recreation facilities for parties. These include proof of adequate liability insurance and execution of a party agreement form and other obligations on the part of the party host.

No more than 50 persons may be allowed at such parties. For parties of 30 to 50 persons, the host will be required to hire an off duty security guard from Nauru Tower’s staff. The fee will be $l2.00 per hour, or as otherwise established by the Board, payable before the function. Reservations are required for parties of 15 or more persons.

Any resident planning to host such a party, should consult with the Resident Manager well in advance of the planned party date.

r. Refusal of Admittance: Nauru Tower reserves the right to refuse admittance to the 5th and 7th floor recreation deck and reserves the right to eject any person who is not abiding by the House Rules.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Please Consult Nauru Tower Web Site

This Blog is your forum for Nauru Tower news as it happens. Please bookmark it and visit it often. All Nauru Tower owners, residents, and employees are entitled to submit suggested postings to this Blog by following the instructions on the right side.

At the same time, since Nauru Tower’s own new web site has been established at

http://www.naurutowernews.com

everyone is invited to consult it for essential Nauru Tower information, such as management details, financial reports, Minutes of Directors Meetings, and other data updates.

For this reason, in the future the Minutes of Directors Meetings will no longer be posted on the Blog but shown only at the www.naurutowernews.com site, under “Resource Center” and “Meeting Minutes.” The Agenda prior to any upcoming Board Meeting will continue to be posted on the Blog.

Read the Blog to stay on top of Nauru Tower news! Tell your neighbors and Nauru Tower friends, too.

August 22, 2007 Board of Directors Meeting

MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING OF
NAURU TOWER
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2007, 6:00 P.M.
ONSITE, LOBBY
DRAFT
CALL TO ORDER

Executive Vice-President Chuck Heitzman called the regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Directors of Nauru Tower to order at 6.03 p.m.

ESTABLISH A QUORUM A quorum was established.

Members Present:
Win Straube President (via video conference)
Charles Heitzman Director/Executive Vice President
Robert Bosley Director/Senior Vice President
Gerald Greer Director/Vice President
Setsuko Hayakawa Director/Secretary/Treasurer
Harry Inouye Director/Asst. Treasurer
Eric Hill Director
Doug Shackelford Director

Member(s) Absent:
Keith Horita Director/Asst Treasurer

Present By Invitation:
Don Higgins Resident Manager
Kevin Cole Hawaiiana Management Co., Ltd.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Board Meeting Minutes of June 21, 2007: By unanimous consent the Board meeting minutes of June 21, 2007 were approved with no corrections or additions.

RESIDENT MANAGER’S REPORT

Mr. Don Higgins was introduced by Robert Bosley as the new Resident Manager of Nauru Tower. A motion was made by Eric Hill and seconded by Harry Inouye to ratify the hiring of Don Higgins, effective August 15, 2007. The motion carried with Keith Horita abstaining (via email).

TREASURER’S REPORT

A. Financial Statement for June & July 2007: Kevin Cole reviewed the June and July, 2007 Financial Statements. By unanimous consent, the reports were accepted subject to audit.

B. Employee Appreciation Fund: Setsuko Hayakawa reported the Employee Appreciation fund has a current balance of $4,825.13.

C. Delinquencies: To be discussed in Executive Session.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

A. Administration & Personnel: Chair Robert Bosley reported that a near drowning was prevented because of the quick action of association employees. Because of this incident, Louis Chang has donated $500.00 to the employee appreciation fund.

B. Budget & Finance: Chair Setsuko Hayakawa discussed the proposed 2008 budget which has been distributed to all Board members. A final budget meeting will be scheduled at Hawaiiana Management Co. in early September. Committees should submit all final 2008 Budget requests. The 2008 Budget will be approved at the October Board meeting.

C. Building & Ground: Chair Chuck Heitzman reported the following:

a. Pool: Currently in litigation. This matter will be discussed in Executive Session.
b. Booster Pumps: Doonwood Engineering has reported that mid-zone booster pump #3 needs to be re-built or replaced. A motion was made by Chuck Heitzman and seconded by Eric Hill to re-build this booster at a cost of $11,500.00 plus tax. The motion carried unanimously. Harry Inouye commented that he has had no hot water on numerous occasions.
c. Fountain Lighting: Indirect lighting around the fountain rim is scheduled to be installed in the next week.
d. Central Filing System: In progress.
e. Building Exterior Paint: A preliminary examination ADL, with laboratory tests, indicates that there are significant deficiencies in both the product and the application of the last exterior building painting in 2000. This matter will be discussed in Executive Session.
f. Lobby front Door: A motion was made by Chuck Heitzman and seconded by Doug Shackelford to approve $60,000.00 in the 2008 the turn-key installation of the bi-parting automatic lobby doors. Work to be accomplished in 2008. Assurances from the door supplier that their unit will operate in our wind conditions need to be obtained. The motion carried unanimously.
g. Electrical and A/C Sub metering: A motion was made by Chuck Heitzman and seconded by Harry Inouye to approve $3,000.00 for work to calibrate the master meters and the sub-metering systems of those units that have complained of erroneous reading. The motion carried unanimously. Hawaiiana Management Co. will be asked to provide a 6 month summary on the monthly billing statements.
h. Health Club & Fitness: Pending.
i. Lobby and Recreation Area: Chuck Heitzman reported that Architects Hawaii has withdrawn from the lobby renovation project. A motion was made by Chuck Heitzman and seconded by Eric Hill to interview other design firms for this work including developing a design plan (furniture plans) with different themes, for these areas, graphic design and to help the Board determine a preliminary & final budgets for the work. The motion carried unanimously.
j. Cleaning of Parking Spaces: Chuck Heitzman thanked all residents for the tremendous improvement that has been made in the cleaning of stored items from the parking stalls. Work will continue.
k. Car Wash Issue: After a discussion, this matter was tabled pending an investigation and report from Don Higgins.
l. Non Structural Cracks: RCM Construction has been authorized to repair non-structural cracks in the service rooms on floors 34, 32 & 14. The cost of the work will not exceed $3,000.00.
m. Rust on Elevator Frames: A motion was made by Chuck Heitzman and seconded by Eric Hill to have ADL investigate the cause of the rust along the edge of the elevator frames. The motion carried unanimously.

D. Legal & Rules: Setsuko Hayakawa reported that updated parking rules will be emailed to the Board in approximately 2 weeks. Legal matters will be discussed in Executive Session.

E. Information and Communication: Chair Gerald Greer reported on the following:

a. Newsletter: Thanks were given to Alexandra Palko for her work and efforts on past newsletters. Don Higgins and Ginger Gertsch will now take over publication with assistance from Alexandra Palko if she is available.
b. Website: Update to the Association website will accelerate in the next few weeks.
c. Building Signage: Chuck Heitzman will consult with the new design firm to be selected for the proposed Lobby and Recreation area renovation.

F. Parking Committee: Gerald Greer reported on the following:

a. Outside Parking Issues: $3,000.00 has previously been approved to expand employee parking. Work is continuing on this project.
b. Inside Parking Issues: Setsuko Hayakawa reported that the numbers and lines in the parking garage need to be repainted. Don Higgins will investigate to determine if this work can be done “in house” or should be contracted out. Eric Hill also mentioned the need to clean the parking lot floor.

Director Harry Inouye asked the Chair if he could leave the meeting and he was excused.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS Please see Committee Reports Above.

A. Building of The Year: Because a new Resident Manager has just started work, this project will be deferred until 2008.

NEW BUSINESS

A. Association Funds – Spending Authorization: A motion was made by Setsuko Hayakawa and seconded by Chuck Heitzman that all Association expenditures over $1,000.00 but less than 2,000.00 will require approval of 2 Officers by e-mail; over 2,000.00 but less than 10,000.00 will require approval of 5 Board Directors by e-mail. Expenditures in excess of $10,000.00 will normally require to go through Reserve Process. In case of emergency, however, approval will be granted by majority votes of the Board. The motion carried unanimously.

B. 2008 Proposed Budget: See Committee Reports, Budget and Finance.

C. Mechanical Upgrades for Energy Conservation: Doug Shackelford reported that items with a 1.6 year and less payback period should be considered. Estimated cost for the 2008 budget is $50,000.00.

D. Elevator Door Frames Rust: See Committee Reports, Building and Grounds, Item m.

E. Disclosure of Conflict of Interest: Setsuko Hayakawa reminded Board members to disclose all potential conflicts of interest. This includes ownership in companies doing business with the Association.

F. Pool Use: A motion was made by Chuck Heitzman and seconded by Eric Hill to amend the House Rules regarding Pool Use. The motion was carried unanimously and a copy of this amendment to the House Rules will be made a part of these minutes. Kevin Cole will check with the Association attorney regarding the age limit for Jacuzzi use.

G. Release of All Appointed Assistant Officers: A motion was made by Chuck Heitzman and seconded by Eric Hill to remove all Assistant Officers as follows; Assistant Treasurer’s; Liza Eveleth, Keith Horita, Dawn Smith, Harry Inouye, and Assistant Secretary Terri Bosley. The motion carried unanimously. The Board thanked all of these volunteers for their hard work.

H. Lanai Railings: Mr. Hayakawa in apt. #3901 requested permission to repair and re-paint his lanai railing. Kevin Cole will investigate this matter and report to the Board.

I. Vandalism in Elevators: It was reported that vandals have scratched the interior wood in several elevator. If this type of thing continues, the Board will investigate installing cameras in the elevators.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

By unanimous consent, the Board went into Executive Session to discuss legal and personnel matters at 9:00 p.m. The Board resumed regular session at 9:35 p.m.

DATE, TIME AND PLACE OF NEXT MEETING

The next regular meeting of the Board of Directors will be on Tuesday, October 9, 2007 at 6:00 p.m. onsite in the building lobby.

ADJOURNMENT

The regular Board Meeting was adjourned at 9:37 p.m.

Submitted by:

________________
Kevin D. Cole
Management Executive

Monday, August 27, 2007

Direct Line to Your Directors

With the installation of Don Higgins as the new Resident Manager, communications with Management have become much easier. Don is available for residents at his office during business hours Monday to Friday.

To meet with one or more Board Members, starting in September, the “Open Door” times will be every second Saturday morning of the month, from 10:00 to 11:00 AM in the Manager’s Office. A Sign-up sheet is available at the Security Office.

This means that the next “Open Door” hours with Directors are on Saturday, September 8, 2007. Any owner, resident, realtor or employee is invited to stop by for a chat with a Nauru Tower Board Member then, to express comments, concerns, compliments or suggestions about the building.

Also, the Board welcomes comments or appointments via the following:

1.
In person: thru the Security Office, owner may request to schedule an appointment
2.
By phone: call 592-1203. Messages can be left and then forwarded to appropriate person
3.
By fax: Fax 592-1208. Fax us your issues or concerns.
4.
By Email: info@naurutowernews.com Subject Line: Attn: AOAO President
5.
Attend a Board of Directors Meeting: Dates are posted in lobby, 72 hours in advance. The next Board Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 9, 2007.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Agenda for Directors' Meeting August 22, 2007

NAURU TOWER
BOARD OF DIRECTORS' MEETING
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2007, 6:00 p.m. – ONSITE

A G E N D A

I. CALL TO ORDER

II. ESTABLISH A QUORUM

III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
a. June 21, 2007 Board Meeting

IV. RESIDENT MANAGER’S REPORT
Introduction of Don Higgins

V. TREASURER’S REPORT
a. Financial Statements for June & July 2007

VI. COMMITTEE REPORTS
a. Administration & Personnel – Chair Robert Bosley
b. Budget and Finance – Chair Setsuko Hayakawa
c. Building and Grounds – Chair Chuck Heitzman
d. Legal and Rules – Chair Setsuko Hayakawa
e. Information and Communication – Gerald Greer

VII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
a. Employee’s Simple IRA
b. Building Paint
c. New Lobby Door
d. Lobby & Recreation Area Renovation
e. Electrical & A/C Sub-metering
f. Car Wash Issues
g. Building of The Year Award

VIII. NEW BUSINESS
a. Association Funds – Spending Authorization
b. 2008 Proposed Budget
c. Mechanical Upgrades for Energy Conservation
d. Elevator Door Frames – Rust
e. Pool Use

IX. EXECUTIVE SESSION

X. DATE, TIME AND PLACE OF NEXT MEETING
Tuesday, October 9, 2007 - ONSITE - 6 PM

XI. ADJOURNMENT

Monday, August 13, 2007

New Nauru Tower Resident Manager: Don Higgins

The Nauru Tower Association of Apartment Owners Board of Directors is pleased to announce and welcome Don Higgins as our new Resident Manager. Don will take over the position of Resident Manager on Wednesday, August 15, 2007.

The Board of Directors search for a new Resident Manager was exhaustive in its approach. A Search Committee (chaired by Bob Bosley and including Chuck Heitzman, Gerald Greer, Setsuko Hayakawa and Eric Hill) evaluated the applications of close to 30 candidates, of whom 6 were selected for further consideration. These six were interviewed by the Committee, resulting in the selection of two finalists. The two finalists were interviewed yet again by the Committee and also by Win Straube, President of the Board of Directors. Of the two finalists, Don Higgins was unanimously recommended to the Board of Directors, who voted to accept his appointment. Very important in the final decision was Don's keen interest in managing a high-end property such as Nauru. He was unequivocal in his statement that he had always dreamed of managing Nauru.

Don Higgins brings extensive qualifications and experience to his appointment as Resident Manager. Don previously served as Resident Manager of Ko'olani, the $148 million, 46-story high-rise just behind Nauru. Don was responsible for all planning and staffing, ensuring a timely Grand Opening and readiness for occupancy. He worked closely with the developer-controlled association to achieve a smooth transition to a resident-controlled association. Prior to assuming this position, Don worked as Resident Manager of two other condominium properties over a ten-year period. In 2004, the Institute of Real Estate Management awarded Don Residential Manager of the Year.

Don served in the U.S. Navy for 30 years, with key assignments that involved the leadership and management of over 100 personnel. His most important assignment was his responsibility for the daily operation of a 135 person submarine, in which he was responsible for the monitoring and maintenance of complex machinery required to keep the submarine operating around-the-clock (these responsibilities are similar to the position he has accepted).

The Board of Directors welcomes Don and his wife, Saehee, to Nauru Tower. We believe that Don's leadership and management will take Nauru to an even higher level of excellence. Our goal is to once again be recognized as Condominium of the Year and we believe that Don's appointment is an important step in realizing this goal.

The Board would like to thank Kevin Cole of Hawaiiana Management for his outstanding support and the many long hours he devoted to the search, interview and final selection process. With people such as Kevin and now Don Higgins, our future does look extremely bright.