Page 10 - CooperatorNews New York Expo May 2022

10 COOPERATORNEWS — MAY 2022 COOPERATORNEWS.COM Spring Maintenance Prepare & Perform BY DARCEY GERSTEIN It’s that time of year again. Birds are chirp- ing; trees are blooming; property managers is to fight the urge to defer reviewing details or and co-op and condo boards are address- ing their task lists for the change of seasons. repair needs,” he says. “If boards wait until the Whether it’s a Midwood walk-up or a Mid- town supertall, a dense city development or and hiring contractors, they’ll often find that a sprawling suburban complex, a building up the schedules for the work are tighter, and pric- north still shoveling snow or a southern com- munity whose pool is open year-round, spring decisions during the fall or winter months.” is the time to give every property a little spruc- ing up. Early Bird vs. Worm According to the pros, winter’s short, dark April. “\[Late February\] is the perfect time to days are the perfect time to get a jump on do your spring cleaning walk through, in large spring planning. Well in advance of the first part because you want to get on the vendor’s robin’s appearance, checklists should be in work schedule,” he advises. order, vendors and suppliers contacted and scheduled, and staff and board members pre- pared so that everything comes up roses—or start preparing for the upcoming season six tulips—when the weather starts to warm. “Doing the prep work now can possibly time to engage with landscaping vendors, or save you money in the end,” says Alan Bressler, to consider an improvement project on your Chairman of the Board & Chief Operating Of- ficer of Guardian Services in New York, which ball,” he says. “You may sacrifice both value provides a range of facility services to buildings and quality of work. For a big planting project, and communities throughout the Northeast, for example, you want to be starting a year in New England, and the Mid-Atlantic. “Getting advance, as you may want to get materials in all your key stakeholders involved early can re- ally improve your facility maintenance opera- tion.” Brian Butler, CMCA, CAM, PCAM, se- nior vice president—high rise at FirstService arrives.” Residential Illinois, agrees. “The best thing that a board can do to prepare for the spring making decisions related to upcoming capital spring thaw comes to begin making decisions ing may be higher than if they had made those Neil Betoff, president of STAR Building Services in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, says that his company is already largely booked up into And Scott Dalley, a real estate management consultant based in Maine, suggests boards months in advance. “If you wait until spring- grounds, then you will be way behind the eight the ground, depending on the nature of the work. A landscaping project undertaken in the fall can literally bear fruit, or at least the de- sired effect of your planning, when the spring Safety & Structure First and foremost, a building and its sur- rounding property should be visually in- spected for anything that could affect safety or structural integrity. Bressler suggests choosing a starting point—either the roof or the cel- lar—and working through to the other end thoroughly and methodically. “Check pipes, fittings, structure, seals, and so forth for any damage, leaks, cracks, et cetera, and notify any vendors you may need with your repair lists,” he says. “While you are conducting your ter has brought to a particular location, by inspections and soft starts”—the preliminary March or April, there is some clean-up to be tests of equipment that has been dormant done. Wind, precipitation, freeze-thaw cycles, over the winter, like air conditioners or pool and products used to mitigate these elements pumps—“make spot repairs as you go along. like salt, sand, and burlap have left a mess— If existing staff cannot handle it, contact your and that mess has been dragged through lob- vendors now, before they get very busy and bies, elevators, hallways, and other common you will have to wait. Prioritize your projects spaces of residential buildings for the last few and set them on a timeline. This will allow months. Downed branches, leaves, and other you to go back to one central location to check debris need to be removed from flower beds, them off as completed.” Betoff says that the often-harsh New Jersey asphalt have taken a beating, while pool decks winters are especially rough on sidewalks and and playgrounds have gathered dust. pavement, so managers and supers should pay particular attention to these surfaces as they as residents returning from winter abodes or conduct their walk-throughs. “Look for crack- ing and problems with sidewalks, parking- lot alligatoring \[a condition where a series of time to do some “detailing”; washing win- cracks appear in one area of pavement that dows, pruning bushes and trees, cleaning light often intersect and crisscross in a scaly pat- tern\], potholes, and damaged curbs from snow removal plows,” he says. “Now is the time to fix those. Also look for cracks on the building exterior—rain or melting snow can settle into the cracks and then, at night when it freezes, it expands.” He goes on to say that mortar, caulk- ing, and sealants should all be inspected for cracks. Speaking of harsh winters, Chicago’s resi- dential buildings get a substantial amount of damage from snow and ice during the gnarly cold months—but roofs are particularly vul- nerable, says Butler. He explains that snow on a roof will start to melt from the heat of the building, but then freeze again as it moves out- ward, causing ice ridges to form at the roof’s edge. Known as “ice damming,” this condition causes the melting snow to pool and prevents it from draining, leading to leaks and other problems when the weather starts to warm. The experts agree that roofs are an example of an area where specialists should be engaged for inspections and repairs. The distance from the ground is only one consideration. Using an under-qualified worker for such a task isn’t just dangerous for the worker; it can void war- ranties, leave problems overlooked (leading to more costly repairs), and even raise issues of liability. Since “winter ice damming can be es- pecially damaging to roofs,” warns Butler, “an association should engage a roofing expert to conduct regular inspections to better identify necessary repairs to avoid further water infil- tration when the spring arrives in force.” Beautification Whatever kind of weather Old Man Win- awnings, tree pits, and roofs. Sidewalks and To welcome the change of season—as well prospective purchasers using the fair weather to conduct their home search—it is a good fixtures and globes, repainting, and freshening MAINTENANCE continued on page 25