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Board of Directors, 2013–2014

From: Steve Vernon, President
Date: 23 September 2013

Dear Shareholders,

I wanted to let you know of some Board member changes since the annual meeting.

At the annual meeting, Terry Vernon was on the ballot to return to the Board (Terry and I are married). During the meeting, Terry declined to run again when someone new showed interest in running, our longtime neighbor, Vilma Rios. With these two changes, there were nine people vying for nine seats and so no runoff election was necessary and the shareholders voted on all via acclamation.

Subsequently it was discovered that, while Vilma is a long time resident, she was not yet a shareholder and thus ineligible to run for the Board.

Two names surfaced in the interim to fill Vilma’s seat: Terry Vernon and Kristin Tsafos. Both candidates had prior Board experience.

Babette Crain offered to step down from the Board so that the Board would not have to choose between Terry and Kristin to fill the one slot (as with Babette stepping down, there were two open seats).

I wanted to thank Babette, though belatedly, for her service and dedication to the Board, the building and to me personally. She is an example of what being a great neighbor is all about.

Since Babette is no longer on the Board, she is requesting that if you have a comment, compliment or complaint, please reach out to the other Board members, management or me. Being as active as she is, however, I am sure I will still “hear about it” from her if things go astray.

Here are your 2013–2014 Board members:

President: Steve Vernon, 6S*
Vice President: Ross Williams, 5S*
Treasurer: Ryan Scott, 2T*
Secretary: Kristin Tsafos, 4R*
Scott Lahodny, 1J*
David Sykes, IT*
Terry Vernon, 6S*
Elisabeth Furtado, 6J
Jeaninne Jones, 2K

*Served on a prior Board

Co-op Board Meeting Calendar 2013–2014

Co-op Board meetings for 2013–2014 are typically scheduled on the second Monday of every month (with one exception), from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., in the community room in the basement of 37 Nagle Ave.

All shareholders are welcome!

The Board meetings and other meetings for 2013–2014 have been scheduled as follows:

  • Monday 23 September 2013 (fourth Monday)
  • Monday 14 October 2013 (second Monday)
  • Monday 11 21 November 2013 (second Monday third Thursday)
  • Special Board Meeting — Saturday 7 December 2013, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
  • Monday 9 December 2013 (second Monday)
  • Monday 13 January 2014 (second Monday)
  • Monday 10 February 2014 (second Monday)
  • Monday 10 March 2014 (second Monday)
  • Monday 14 April 2014 (second Monday)
  • Monday 12 May 2014 (second Monday)
  • Monday 9 June 2014 (second Monday)
  • Annual Shareholders Meeting — tentatively Wednesday 25 June 2014 (TBC)

All meetings are scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. and are subject to be changed.

Annual Meeting of Shareholders Reminder

Please remember that the annual meeting of shareholders is scheduled for this Wednesday evening [26 June 2013] in the courtyard behind 37 Nagle Avenue.

  • Dinner starts at 6 p.m. – wine will be served.
  • Meeting starts at 7 p.m., given a quorum.
  • All shareholders are encouraged to attend in person or sign a proxy so that business can be conducted. You can give your signed proxy to any shareholder, Board member, or Justin Verret (the co-op’s manager).
  • Vote on Board members for the 2013/2014 term.

Become a Board Member

There are some retiring Board members this year. If you would like to run for the Board, please contact Justin.

Proprietary Lease Change Voting Continues

Since 2011, the co-op has been voting on nine proposals to bring the proprietary lease current with the times and to give the Board more financial tools. This vote is almost complete. However, management does not have record of receiving votes from the following apartments:

  • 31 Nagle Avenue: 4M, 6L
  • 37 Nagle Avenue: 1B, 1F, 2B, 3B, 5C, 6A
  • 14 Bogardus Place: 3U

We would like to conclude voting on these very important topics by this year’s annual meeting. If you need voting materials, or if you have your ballot ready to cast, or if you have any questions, please contact Justin. Also, if you have voted and you see your unit number above, please contact Justin to make sure he received the ballot.

Annual Shareholders Meeting Wed 26 June 2013

The Annual Meeting of Shareholders is scheduled for Wednesday 26 June 2013 at 6 p.m. in the courtyard (or in the basement Community Room if it rains). Dinner will be provided.

The purpose of the meeting is:

  • To elect officers and directors to serve for a term as stipulated in the By-Laws of the Corporation;
  • To consider and act upon all actions taken by the Board of Directors and Officers of the Corporation since the last meeting of shareholders;
  • To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting.

For more details, please read the Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders, which you received in the mail earlier.

In case you are unable to attend the Annual Meeting, please fill out the Proxy form appointing a trusted shareholder who will be attending to vote on your behalf. This is needed to ensure that there is a quorum for the meeting. Mail or fax the completed proxy to the Managing Agent. If you do attend, the proxy will not be used.

If you wish to run for the Board of Directors, please send a biographical sketch to the Managing Agent by 24 June 2012 so that it can be distributed to the shareholders before the meeting.

See you at the meeting!

STAR Credit and Co-op Abatement Update

To: All Shareholders
From: Blue Woods Management Group
Date: 29 March 2013

Please note that the STAR credit has started to be applied to the maintenance bills for those shareholders that have applied and qualified for the credit. It will be on the April, May and June bills. In past years it has been given out equally over six months averaging $45/month. This year it is given over three months averaging $90/month due to the delay from the city.

The co-op abatement has not been issued as of yet. The city has changed the criteria for qualifying and is in the process of verifying information with some shareholders. Those shareholders have been notified by our office and the city directly. This credit will be applied when the final figures are received from the city. This should occur in July 2013.

If you have any question, please contact the managing agent.

For more information about these credits, please see Tax Relief Programs.

STAR, Veteran and Senior Citizen Credits

To: All Shareholders
From: Blue Woods Management Group
Date: 23 January 2013

We wish to advise all shareholders that the City of New York still has not issued the STAR, Veteran and Senior Citizen credits that are normally issued by this time. We are, therefore, unable to apply the credits to the February maintenance bills, as we had hoped. As soon as the information is received, we will apply the credits to your account.

Thank you for your patience while the City processes this information.

For more information about these credits, please see Tax Relief Programs.

Personal Income Tax Return Data for 2012

The following is a reproduction of a memo sent on 14 January 2013 to all shareholders by our co-op’s certified public accountants: Prisand, Mellina, Unterlack & Co., LLP.

(View/download the scanned memo [PDF, 47KB].)

TO: Shareholders of NAGLE APARTMENTS CORP.

RE: PERSONAL INCOME TAX RETURN DATA FOR 2012

Dear Shareholders:

Under the provisions of Section 216 of the Internal Revenue Code, a tenant stockholder of a Cooperative apartment is entitled to deduct from personal gross income a proportionate share of interest and real estate tax paid or incurred by the Cooperative Corporation. Note that these deductions are generally available if the taxpayer itemizes tax deductions.

For the year 2012 your Per Share individual income tax deductions are as follows:

MORTGAGE INTEREST    $10.6756 per share

REAL ESTATE TAX    $19.3888 per share

For the year 2012, if you were granted any real estate tax abatements, reflected in a maintenance credit or received by check, your real estate tax deduction as stated above should be reduced by the amount of the abatements you received.

In order to compute your total deductions for 2012, multiply the number of shares owned by you, as indicated on your stock certificate, by the amounts per share stated above. If you became a stockholder, or sold your stock in the Corporation during 2012, you are permitted to deduct a fractional part of the figures, based on the proportionate part of the year you owned the stock

Contributed capital in 2012 was $22.7010 per share for mortgage amortization and $1.8600 per share for capital assessment. This is not a deduction, but an increase in the basis of your investment.

Should you have any questions regarding the application of the aforementioned information to your individual income tax returns, please consult your personal tax advisor.

PRISAND, MELLINA, UNTERLACK & CO., LLP
Certified Public Accountants

Annual Budget Meeting 2012 – Update

On Saturday 1 December 2012, the Board of Directors met to review the operating budget for 2013. The following is a reproduction of the follow-up letter sent on 11 December 2012 to all shareholders.

[PDF version]

Dear Shareholders,

Here are the cash requirement changes for 2013.

Assessment

The Board voted to increase the imposed assessment from $0.155 per share to $0.310 per share per month to be paid with the monthly billing. This is an increase of 2.5% for 2013 based on the current maintenance per share of $6.20 and it will be used to fund the Capital Reserves. This increase raises the assessment to 5% of maintenance overall with 2.5% imposed last year and 2.5% this year.

The corporation was able to repair the building roofs, improve tree pits, replace windows and AC units, and perform other capital improvements without having to ask shareholders for funds. This is because the corporation has rental units which, when sold, the funds from the sale can be used for these purposes. As of 12/31/2012, the corporation has five left (one unit, 5E, has a sale contract pending). However, the timing of when these remaining four may be sold is uncertain and unpredictable.

The assessment is envisioned to supply only a portion of the funding necessary for upcoming necessary capital repairs and discretionary improvements such plans to make much needed structural improvements to the garage and garage roof as well as improvements to the shared garage roof area. Any additional amounts will likely come from additional assessments, co-op income, loans and the sale of rental apartments, or a combination of sources. The assessment will start with the January 2013 bills and it has no end date.

Additionally, newer regulations from Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac, two large mortgage guarantors, require co-ops and condos to set aside 10% of their annual maintenance charges each year in reserves as a condition of granting mortgages to buyers. Frankly, without the approval of Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac, it will be harder for shareholders to sell their units as the financing Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac provide may not be available. While one can take the view that the 10% amount is heavy handed and arbitrary, despite these objections, the regulations also make prudent financial sense.

The enforcement of these new regulations has been spotty, with condos taking the brunt of the enforcement action so far. However, one doesn’t want to be on the short end should they go after co-ops too. With the assessment and the expected sale of 5E, our co-op will have met their requirement for 2013.

Maintenance Charges

While there are significant and unpredictable events occurring in 2013 (for example, both the garage lease and the laundry service contracts expire), the corporation’s cash needs for operations have improved slightly. This is due to tax credits which Blue Woods applied for and received on our behalf from NYSERDA, and projected Real Estate Tax savings. These savings have been used to fund anticipated increases in union charges, a forecasted colder winter and other items. While we are grateful for these savings, the resulting financial benefits are only temporary and are unlikely to last beyond one year.

As a result, there is no maintenance increase for 2013; the charge remains at $6.20 per share per month. This will be the third year at this amount.

Staff Holiday Tips

If you want to give holiday tips to the superintendent or the porters, please do so directly:

  • Shahabudeen “Sha” Hayatt – since 1996
  • Andres Mangual – since 2008
  • Narine “Ricky” Doelaal – since 2008

Building Security

Management and the Board wished to remind everyone that the doors are meant to let you in and keep unwanted individuals out. Forcing the door open without a key or propping the door open compromise resident and building (property) security. If you need extra keys, please contact the superintendent or the building manager.

The Marriott Model: How a Middle-Class Co-op Put a Million in the Bank

When I looked at my co-op’s financial situation in 2005, we had less than $10,000 in reserves, negative equity and barely positive cash flow. My building needed a sustainable, long-term fiscal plan. And I had my prototype: the Marriott hotel chain. I had worked for Marriott in the late 1980s into the early 1990s. At that time, the chain set aside a percentage of its revenue each year for capital repairs and improvements. As a result, management is able to repair and improve the property so that it stays current. Our co-op was in desperate need of a Marriott-style makeover! …

My building is not wealthy. But we were able to take small steps to improve our finances, and your co-op or condo can, too.

Read the whole article in Habitat.

Board Officers Elected for 2012–2013

At the Board meeting held on 30 July 2012, the new Board of Directors elected officers for 2012–2013. The results were as follows:

Board Officers

President – Steve Vernon (6S)
Vice President – Ross Williams (5S)
Treasurer – Ryan Scott (2T)
Secretary – Babette Crain (3S)
Assistant Secretary – Justin Verret*
*Nonvoting Managing Agent

Board Members

Todd Fries (5U)
Joanne Hoffman (2H)
Scott Lahodny (1J)
Annica Schroeder (3J)
Paul Vellucci (6C)