From the President

February has brought some mild temperatures and mostly cloudy and/or rainy days; but compared to those on the east coast we are very fortunate. Can you imagine three feet of snow in one night – yuck! We have had a mild winter so far and let’s hope it continues as we stroll into Spring a month from now.

At the Annual Meeting in January we had a descent turnout and it was supported by many proxy statements from those that were unable to attend in person. We had a guest from Multimedia Circuits & Services; they have installed updated satellite dishes on our roofs giving us an option for television viewing. There are information flyers in both mailrooms and in the A/B lobby if you might be interested. We also held election of officers to the Board of Directors; there were two, two-term positions open, a vote was taken and Nancy Buergel and Marnye Moore were re-elected. Sharon Boyer who has served on the board for the past year resigned from the board due to her busy schedule and travel commitments. We thank Sharon for her service to ParTerra and the accomplishments she provided to us. The board met and assigned to a familiar person to fill the remaining one year vacancy with Mason Emanuel. We are honored to have Mason join us with his vast knowledge of ParTerra he will be a valuable asset. Each board member remained in their previous positions.

You should have recently received your notice of the Reserve Fund Assessment; if there is any confusion with this I will make an attempt to explain what needs to be done. In the notice there was a cover page and then a list of every unit and the assessment amount per unit. Each of us are given three options on how to pay the assessment; the first being pay the full amount by sending a check to EMB at the address provided in the letter. The second option is a three

payment method with one-third due March 1st of 2013, 2014 and 2015; this option carries a 3%

interest charge. The third option is a five-year monthly payment with the 3% included; this option will require an automatic withdrawal from your bank account. If you do not contact EMB the third option will be the method applied to you. This is a burden to all of us but it is necessary to put us at a funding level in our Reserve Account to meet the future repairs and maintenance here at ParTerra.

David Metz, our Facility Coordinator remains active in his third full month of employment here at ParTerra; hopefully you’ve met him or possibly emailed him with questions, concerns or comments. He continues to learn his assignment by meeting with the various vendors we use and his daily walk-around the property both inside and out. I try to meet with him daily to go over items that are brought to my attention and it has been rewarding to watch him interact with other owners, children and pets. He has a friendly demeanor and looks forward to meeting all the owners and residents that live here. It was great to receive positive feedback from owners that attended the Annual Meeting praising his work and attitude.

I’m sure you know I have enjoyed the mild winter that has allowed me to find my way to the golf course now and then. I only had to take out the umbrella on a few occasions, the exception was one day Pauly and I went to Bellingham for her son’s birthday and we played that day in a steady downpour that left all of us very soggy. I watch the weather report regularly to plan my outings, but as we all know that live in the Pacific Northwest that those who forecast the weather aren’t always correct? I will keep you posted on my outdoor adventures and my love for the game of golf.

Thanks for listening,

Ken Schoolcraft

From the President…

A very wet December has arrived and the days are reaching the least amount of daylight we see during the year. The holiday shoppers are out in force making traveling on the highways a slow process. I went to Factoria the other day and found it difficult to find a parking space and when I did find one I got very wet trying to get back to my car because of the rain and the distance I had to park from the buildings. Maybe I should start ordering more online?
You’ve received the 2013 budget information from EMB (our Property Management Company) and we hope to see you at the December meeting on the 19th to ask questions and then ratify the budget. You will see we raised the dues by 2%; this is the first increase since May of 2007; we’ve done our best not to do this, but we’ve squeezed the items in the budget as tight as we should. We do have a few things to do next year that we will have to dip into the Reserve Account, but the Operating Budget is for our monthly bills, service contracts and unexpected repairs.
And please put on your calendars January 23, 2013 for our Annual Meeting for the election of Board Members and very important information will be shared!! One of those things that we will be sharing is we should be up and running with “new” satellite dishes for those of you that may what that as an option to cable.
Hopefully you’ve gotten the chance to say hello to David Metz our new Facility Coordinator if not stop by and introduce yourself. I personally believe he’s off to very good start providing us with a constant watch over the property, meeting with the vendors when they are here, cleaning garages, hallways, elevators, sidewalks, fitness center and so on. He is still very much in learning mode, but he certainly is eager and willing to take on any and all tasks.
We still have not received all the information on the Special Assessment; we have the information on the amount for each unit, but what we are missing is the breakdown of payments for each unit. EMB Finance has put a lot of work into this to be able to provide us with the three payment options.
I recently received a complaint from one of our owners regarding a dog they encountered in the hallway without a leash; this was quite disturbing to this owner. So please be reminded of the rule that dogs must be on a leash at all times while on ParTerra property (yes this is coming from the person who violated this rule back when Chloe was part of my family). One other rule that needs attention from many of us is the patio and decks of our units. The rule states patio furniture, flower pots and up to two bicycles may be stored, but many of us have many other items that do not fall within the rules. So when you’re cleaning up after the holidays please add this to your list to avoid a “nasty note” and especially potential fines for non-compliance.
The golf report is a short one this month only three muddy rounds played since the last report, but believe me on a day it isn’t reported to rain I will be out there enjoying every minute.
In closing I will wish each and everyone of you a happy holiday season and that you will be safe and enjoy your families and have some fun along the way too. So our best from Pauly and I to you and yours!!
Thanks for listening!
Ken Schoolcraft

At last!

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Despite a forecast of rain and gray skies, the weekend was amazing.  Sunshine and blue sky most of the day.  Hopefully each of you were able to go out and enjoy the sun… a walk through the park, coffee outside with a friend, or even a stroll through downtown Seattle at the Pike Place Market.  So many opportunities to enjoy the wonderful place we call home. 

OWNERS:  please make it a point to join in our monthly meetings.  Your input is invaluable to maintaining and improving Parterra. Questions and comments are appreciated.  http://www.parterra.net

As the days continue to be bright, plan a weekend dinner party.  Enroll in a community class.  Or simply start a new book.  It is time to start fulfilling all of those plans made while it was raining.  How are your New Year’s resolutions coming along?