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Brentwood Annual Meeting of Co-Owners May 11, 2023; 6:30 PMBraeswood Lobby Check-in begins at 6:00 PM, by the Braeswood pool. Community Meetings Community members can choose to watch Community Meetings via Zoom.Look for your link in the Brentwood Beacon Blast just prior to each meeting. Mansard Project Mansard Updates - June 8, 2017 - Read the notice here. Mansard Updates - April 19, 2017 - Read the notice here. Mansard Updates - March 21, 2017 - Read the notice here. Mansard Updates - September 16, 2016 - Read the notice here. Mansard Updates - September 9, 2016 - Read the notice here. Mansard Test Area July 15, 2016 - Update. Read the notice here. Mansard Siding Test Area June 6, 2016 - the Mansard Siding Test Area has begun. Read the notice here. Manager Announcement Read the notice here. Notice of Increase in Monthly Assessment Read the notice here. Assessment Notice Read the notice here. New Access Cards Read the notice here. Post Foundation Leveling Sheetrock Repair Read the notice here. Recycling has come to Brentwood The Brentwood now has recycling!!!!
A/C Maintenance It's that time of year again! Time for the staff to clean the coils and change your A/C filter.Download the form Special Meeting for Foundation Assessment November 5, 20136:30 PM Braeswood Lobby Fire On Monday, June 10, 2013, there was a fire in unit #262 located on the Underwood side of the community. The Houston Fire Department responded quickly, and the fire was contained to this unit. Surrounding units suffered some smoke and/or water damage. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and the investigation is still on-going. Remediation of the damage is underway and is expected to take several months to complete. Thank you, The Brentwood Board Proxy Announcement from Annual Homeowner's Meeting We were unable to reach quorum at this year's Homeowner's Meeting. As a result, Management is still collecting proxies. You have until the next general meeting, July 9th, to turn in your proxy. At that time, votes will be counted and the results of the election will be announced. Thank you, The Brentwood Board Results of the Special Meeting held 1/9/2013 January 11, 2013 This Special Meeting was called by a small group of co-owners, representing 13% by weighted vote of the total council of co-owners. The request of this group was the removal of the board of directors in whole. Pursuant to Brentwood's By-laws, Section 5, C: "Removal and vacancies: Any Administrator may be removed from the Board with or without cause, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Council by Co-Owners voting in person or by proxy at a special meeting called for such purpose or at an annual meeting." Judge Katie Kennedy acted as Mediator of the special meeting and John Greco, Attorney at Williams, Birnberg & Anderson L.L.P. presided. A quorum was established with 56% of homeowners present or by proxy. One hour of homeowner opinion was allowed. Persons were given three minutes to comment, alternating either on behalf of homeowners supporting the current Board or those that proposed the current Board be removed. At the end of one hour, the vote was called. The vote was tabulated by Associa, and verified by Judge Katie Kennedy with 0.24553 to remove the current board. The petitioner’s request to remove the board in total was not upheld. This group failed to obtain a 2/3 of co-owner’s vote. All votes and proxies were sealed. As a result, the current board of directors remains. Respectfully, Tally Jenkins, CMCA, AMS Introducing Our New On-Site Community Manager December 17, 2012 Associa and the Brentwood Board would like to introduce our new on-site property manager, Thalia Jenkins, aka, Tally. Tally has 24 years of experience in property management and has earned the highly sought after CMCA and AMS® certificates from the Community Management Institute and plans to sit for the PCAM®. Additionally, Tally is highly regarded in the local property management community. She also assists in teaching courses at CMI. Please join us in giving Tally a warm Brentwood welcome! Take a moment to stop by the office and introduce yourself!! Welcome Aboard Tally, The Brentwood Board New Coupon Books September 16, 2012 The new coupon books have been mailed. These books contain maintenance coupons for the months of Oct, Nov and Dec. On each coupon, the dollar amount going to the general assessment and the dollar amount going directly into a capitol reserves account is indicated. In addition there is a fourth coupon which is the sum of all three months. It is NOT an assessment. It is an option of convenience, so that if one so desires, one could pay the remaining three months maintenance in a single coupon. Please discard it immediately if this is not your payment desire. For those who use direct deposit the increase in fees has been added. Respectfully yours, Brentwood Board of Directors Coupon Books September 10, 2012 Dear Homeowners: Please note that new coupon books reflecting the increase in maintenance fee for the remainder of the year will be mailed out tomorrow. Those who use direct deposit to pay your monthly fees will receive a letter in lieu of the new coupon book. Please look out for this information in your mailbox. Thank you, Brentwood Board of Directors Breezeway #2 Update August 24, 2012 We are happy to report that the project on breezeway 2 will be getting started very shortly. We finally received the engineer’s drawings and confirmed with the contractor that the bid previously provided will not be impacted because of the changes in specifications. In an effort to reduce further delays, we were able to talk with the contractor about starting the work as soon as possible, rather than waiting several more weeks. Because of this, work will begin in the next few days on the second breezeway. The courtyard will be completely closed to pedestrian traffic (this includes the first floor) to avoid liability. We appreciate your patience during this time. Thank you, Brentwood Board Change to Answering Service August 23, 2012 Effective September 1st, we will be changing answering service providers. We will start using Associa’s answering service since they can contact vendors directly in case of emergency. We believe this will reduce the response time when it is most critical. Owners may contact Associa’s office directly at (832)864-1200 and the emergency number will be provided or they may contact (713)770-0702 for after hour emergency calls. Starting 9/1/12: For non-emergency calls, please call: For (after hour) emergencies (i.e., water pipe burst), please call: Thank you, Brentwood Board FHA Approval August 23, 2012 The Board would like to advise that the certification for FHA is finally complete. This certification is good for two years and expires August 22, 2014. Respectfully, Brentwood Board of Directors Monthly Increase Effective October 1, 2012 August 16, 2012 To immediately increase funds in our capital reserve account, the Board unanimously voted to increase maintenance fees starting October 1st. The amount of increase was not unanimous, but a majority of the board voted to implement a $.05 increase, per square foot, per month. This increase will be adjusted in January, based on the finalization of the reserve study and final results of the surveys sent to owners. According to Brentwood’s Declarations, the square foot per unit is:
A minority of owners expressed an interest in waiting until the reserve study and budget is final before moving forward. However, 80% of the total dollars we need to expend over the next 5 years has been confirmed, this represents $2 million out of the $2.5 million currently projected. Another minority of owners wants to have more meetings to discuss the reserve study. Although further community discussion will take place, more discussion is not going to change the dollars or the projects that are being considered such as roof replacement, air conditioning, and plumbing. Brentwood has a history of delaying implementing necessary increases to cover capital needs or increases in operational expenses. This only compounds our cash reserve problem, so the board is moving ahead with a partial increase to begin the process of strengthening our financial position to meet our near-term capital needs. Starting the increase in October will increase reserves by an additional $45,000. As of June 30th, we have approximately $190,000 in reserves, which is far short of our capital replacement needs for 2012 and 2013. Based on the information currently available, a minimum of $.10 per square foot, per month is needed. As discussed in the update for the week of July 23rd large projects identified in the reserve study (placed in order of priority and timing) include but are not limited to:
As discussed in the community meetings, once the reserve study is fully complete, letters will be going out to owners that include a survey on funding option preference. Methods of funding the needed increase include 1) monthly fee increase (no approval needed from homeowners), 2) an annual assessment, or 3) combination of assessment and monthly increase. If you prefer option 2 or 3, the survey asks for your approval for those funding options. The results will be incorporated into what goes into effect January 1, 2013. Thank you, Board of Directors
August 2, 2012 The Board has received a number of individual letters from homeowners expressing an interest regarding the increase in maintenance fees and/or special assessment. Also, the projects included in the long-term plan to bring our property back to the level that will assure the continued vitality of our investments. As mentioned in the annual meeting, the board commissioned an outside firm to perform a reserve study, and while it is not yet final, it is available for your review on our community website (www.brentwood-condominiums.com). In the interest of transparency, the reserve study has been posted since our annual meeting. The presentation given, by Brian Barragy and Gipson Wells of our Capital Committee, at the five (05) community meetings held last week was based on an analysis of the reserve study. The committee has taken a lot of time to try to make the reserve study as accurate as possible (please see other Post dated 8/1/12). The capital budget will be completed once the reserve study is finalized. The minutes related to last weeks meetings will be posted on the bulletin and website as soon as they are available. As you are probably aware, this is a huge undertaking. The board and the committee need to spend their time focusing on gathering historical information, contacting and meeting contractors and engineering firms, etc. With this in mind, regretfully the board will not be sending individual responses relating to the following topics:
As updates are available, they will be posted so everyone will receive the same information. We are making every effort to communicate as much as possible, as can be seen by the countless hours spent on preparation and discussions during the meetings held last week. In the meantime, if you would like to take the time to learn more, the preliminary reserve study is a good place to start. The board’s fiduciary responsibility is to the asset and we must do what is needed to ensure the value of the asset. As one homeowner stated last week, while the increase may be unwelcome, it will help Brentwood maintain its place in the surrounding community as a sought after place to reside in the Braeswood/Medical Center area. Cordially, Brentwood Board of Directors Capital Committee Update – Week of July 23rd August 1, 2012 The capital budget committee (CBC), along with the board, held community meetings every day this week. We had a fairly good representation from the community; unfortunately there were still many owners who did not attend. Brian Barragy and Gipson Wells, of the CBC, discussed in detail the reserve study (available in draft status on the community website) – including the big projects that were identified and related estimated costs. They also discussed other projects that are not currently on the draft reserve study, and how all of the related costs for these projects will impact the community. We are hoping to have a final version of the reserve study available in the next 30 days once all pending information is compiled on some long term projects. The committee has had several discussions with the reserve group and has been in the process of compiling historical information, specifically for foundations, roofs, and plumbing. They have also met with contractors and engineering firms on the larger items to make sure the estimated amounts are as close to accurate as possible. This has been a very time-consuming project , with an enormous effort placed on reconstructing historical projects, as well as obtaining current vendor pricing. Because of the growing enormity of this undertaking, we have not been able to hold these meetings sooner. The capital committee is currently budgeting for the next 5 years, which is when the most costly projects will be done. The total estimated cost of these projects for the 5 year period is approximately $2,500,000 (our current capital reserves balance is approximately $200,000). While this is still just an estimate, we feel very confident the amount will not decrease. There is currently enough information to confirm an increase is needed - and it should be implemented as quickly as possible. Further delays will only cause a larger increase in dues. At this time, the increase being discussed is between .08 cents - .14 cents per square foot monthly, and will most likely fall somewhere in the middle. Large projects identified in the reserve study (placed in order of priority and timing) include but are not limited to:
Thank you, Brentwood Board New Property Manager June 19, 2012 The Board of Brentwood Condominiums has the pleasure to announce the appointment of Mr. Anthony Snyder as our new Association Manager. Anthony will be replacing Sara Livingston. We would like to thank Sara for her dedication and her many years of service to Brentwood. We wish her well in future endeavors. Mr. Snyder is graduate of a Texas A&M, Corpus Christi. He has been with Houston Community Management Services/Associa since 2005. He is a Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA) and an Association Management Specialist (AMS). In addition to the Park on Cambridge and the Oaks of Inwood (Heights area), Anthony also manages mid-rise and townhome properties in Nassau Bay (Clearlake area) and a townhome property in Dickinson. The Board has high expectations for Anthony. Please join us in giving Anthony a warm Brentwood welcome! We look forward to working with Anthony and management to improve our community. Thank you, Brentwood Board Capital Budget Committee Update - Week of May 28th June 3, 2012 The board met with the committee on May 28th and walked the courtyards of the Underwood side. We met again on the 29th and walked the courtyards of the Braeswood side. This was done so that items could be compared to the reserve study to make sure all items were addressed. The committee has contacted AB Miller (our long time roofing vendor) to get a thorough history of what has been done on the roof. We are awaiting their response. The committee has also contacted Aestimo Inc. to come out and give us an independent assessment of our foundations. Aestimo is an engineering firm. The board has also contacted Associa in an effort to set up a meeting with Reserve Advisors. This is the group that conducted the reserve study. The meeting is to discuss the study and assumptions that were made in their estimating process. Assumptions include size of assets like the roof and material pricing. The board also picked up blue prints of the property and the breezeway specifications from management. The blue prints will be used by the committee in their analysis. The breezeway specs will be used to finalize the first breezeway punch list and come up with information to get bids for the second breezeway. As mentioned in the last update, meetings will be held by building. We will start with building F (on the Underwood side) and will be rotating the update meetings between Underwood and Braeswood. The meetings will be held around the middle of June, the schedule will be posted shortly. Thank you, Brentwood Board Capital Budget Committee Update - Week of May 21st June 1, 2012 As discussed in the annual meeting, and mentioned in the last update, a Capital Budget committee was formed to assist the board in addressing the deferred maintenance issue at Brentwood. The board met with the committee on May 22nd to have an initial discussion on the reserve study. There were quite a few suggestions including:
We will continue to post updates, hopefully you will find them useful. We plan to start having community meetings in June for all home owners to discuss the capital committee’s findings and recommendations. The meetings will be done by building. They are intended to be more intimate so as to involve more home owners, and to make them more aware and to get more input. Depending on interest, we will do more or less of these separate meetings. Thank you, Brentwood Board Capital Budget Committee Update May 18, 2012 The members of the recently formed capital budget committee are: Gipson Wells Based on the results of the recently completed Reserve Study, this committee will help identify projects, the timing of those projects, and creating a related capital budget for those projects. We appreciate these owners volunteering their time for this committee. They have a wealth of knowledge and experience and we look forward to working with them to come up with some good solutions for Brentwood. We will be having a community meeting in the near future to discuss options and solutions on how best to handle the large expenditures our community is currently facing. Thank you, Brentwood Board Wish List
In the past, home owners have generously donated from the wish list items that have been planted around the complex. If you so desire to donate from the above list, please contact Marion Brown.
Both of these tremendous donations were previously approved of by management and the board of directors. These donations are in keeping with the foliage already surrounding the Brentwood's property. They will create lovely and well-needed additions to the general appearance of our grounds. We are extremely grateful to such generosity and enhancement to Brentwood's lush appearance. We have already received many compliments to this affect. Inside Bike Racks There have been some requests for indoor bike racks. A few places around the complex with extra large stairwells have been identified as suitable locations for placement of such bike racks. These spaces would be rented on an annual basis. We would like your feedback. Please share your thoughts and ideas with Tally Jenkins. |