News & Reminders of Interest to RVOP Unit Owners & Others

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RVOP 2020 News and Reminders 

December 2020

RVOP Insurance Carrier Allstate to be Replaced by The Hartford Insurance Company

Early in 2020, the RVOP Board of Directors began discussions on the possibility of replacing the Allstate RVOP insurance coverage with a different insurance carrier.  RVOP insurance includes commercial property damage and general liability, crime and fidelity coverage, directors and officers liability insurance, terrorism risk coverage and an umbrella policy.  Allstate has provided all insurance coverage to RVOP for several years; however, the Allstate premiums have increased by over 125% in the past ten or so years.  The premium proposed by Allstate RVOP 2021 insurance has increased to $25,577. 

Allstate has provided outstanding support over the years to RVOP and its response to RVOP claims has always been fair and prompt.  However, it is impossible to justify continuing with Allstate given such a significant increase in Allstate's premium.  Accordingly, the Board of Directors began requesting bids from other insurance carriers in July 2020.  Invitations to bid were made to at least eight carriers.  A few declined to bid.  However, in addition to Allstate, RVOP received proposals for its insurance from three other carriers, all of which provided bids at less than half the Allstate proposal.

Four proposals for the RVOP insurance package were reviewed by the Board of Directors. Significant assistance in review and evaluation of the proposals was provided to the Board by Travis White, now retired RVOP Allstate agent and retired member of the RVOP Board of Directors, having served as RVOP Treasurer of over 10 years.  All proposals, after review and some re-submissions, were quite similar in the scope of proposed coverage.  Allstate quoted $25,577; The Hartford quoted $10,018, with a discount to $9,159 if paid in one installment; Hanover quoted $9,702; and, Nationwide quoted $10,380.  A comparison chart of the proposals may be viewed here.

At the November 2020 monthly RVOP Board of Directors meeting, the Board accepted the proposal of The Hartford, submitted by the Jack Braddon Insurance Agency, 5201B Lyngate Court, Burke, VA 22015.  The Allstate policies expire December 31, 2020.  The Hartford coverage will begin January 1, 2021.

November 2020

RVOP Board of Directors Approves Re-Roofing 9308 Building

At its October 2020 monthly meeting, the RVOP Board of Directors approved a project to re-roof the RVOP 9308 Building.  This ensued from a regularly scheduled semi-annual roof inspection of all three RVOP buildings.  The inspection revealed the need for repairs to both the 9308 building and the 9310-9318 building.  The roof of 9300-9308 was completely replaced in 2018.
The inspection further disclosed the need to replace the 9308 building roof was "urgent," while the condition of the 9310-9318 building is such that a roof replacement may probably be deferred for a year or two, subject, of course, to weather conditions.

The Board of Directors, with the assistance of Engineering and Technical Consultants, Inc., and with significant input and guidance from board member Gregg White, reviewed bids from six separate roofing contractors.  Surprisingly, bid prices ranged from a low of $8,900 to a high of $20,000.  Each bid was examined in detail.  Three of the contractors submitted revised bids to accommodate a refinement in the RVOP desired scope of work.

Following the reviews of the proposals and discussions, the RVOP Board of Directors accepted the bid from Peak Roofing Contractors Inc.  The scope of the work to be performed by Peak is covered in two contracts.  The main contract is for roof replacement at a cost of $8,984, although this could increase if sheathing replacements are required.  A separate contract covers replacement of the substandard gutters and downspouts with larger 6" gutters and 3"x4" downspouts, at a cost of $1,990.

A copy of the Peak contracts may be viewed by clicking here.  Materials will be delivered on December 21, 2020; roof work is scheduled for December 22, 2020; and, gutters and downspouts are scheduled to be replaced on December 23, 2020.

More information about Peak Roofing Contractors Inc. is available at peakroofingcontractors.com.

October 2020

Minutes of the RVOP Annual General Membership Meeting, 10/26/20 

The annual membership meeting was called to order at 1832 hrs. via zoom conference call.  It was chaired by Lloyd Martin at 9316 Old Keene Mill Rd., Suite A.   Board members attending were Lloyd Martin, Anne Meccariello, Naveed Qureshi, Gregg White, Debbie Moreau, Linda Bobb and Martin Schuh.  Homa Puga joined at 1848.  Owners Howard Birmiel and Travis White also attended via zoom.  

                   
Roll Call/Proof of Quorum: 

L. Martin and M. Schuh confirmed that members present and proxies obtained represented ownership of more than 33 1/3 % of the complex (44.73%).
Proof of Notice of Meeting: Provided by Lloyd Martin.

Reading of previous Annual Meeting Minutes: 

Copies of the minutes were available and read by all.  Motion to accept by L. Bobb, 2nd by A. Meccariello; all approved.

Report of Officers:

Lloyd Martin’s President’s Report included a note of optimism as the financial constraints encountered over the past few years have improved with the increased fees instituted previously and the very mild winter this past year.  The snow removal contract with Suburban Concrete was reviewed and will continue for another year.  Expenses for repairs have been relatively modest as the stairwell lights have been repaired and other relatively minor items were addressed such as having the storm drain cleaned out, per citation from Fairfax County.  Other relevant items include L. Martin having solicited bids for property insurance from several other companies since our current Allstate policy is around 25K.  The other bids are about half that amount.  PMC has completed an annual roofing inspection and is recommending immediate roof replacement for 9308 and near future replacement for the 9310-9318 building.  Verizon Fios has finally been fully installed and available to all the units in the complex.  It is unclear how many businesses have signed up for service.  Lastly, the association website has periodic postings listed to inform interested owners and tenants about association activities.  

The Treasurer’s Report was prepared and presented by L. Bobb.  As of 10/22 the current balance of funds available was $79,679.70 with receivables of $17,512.82 from current and past dues.  N. Shull is continuing to follow up with these accounts.  The Treasurer presented to the group a report of RVOP budget vs expenses 10/01/2019 to 09/30/2020 and a report of expenses by vendor for the same period. The Grounds/Architectural report was provided by M. Schuh.  He stated that the new contract with Lancaster was in place and that their work appears satisfactory.  

There was some initial concern last fall concerning leaf removal but that was resolved and their work since then has been fine.  There was some minor plant replacement in an area that was excavated for water repair.  No new plant replacement is currently considered.  The ground cover junipers near the rear wall are thinning out and that area will continue to transition into a mulch only area.  

L. Martin also gave a brief Architectural noting that issues with signage continue to surface and that these are typically addressed on a case by case basis per association by-laws.  

New Business:

Board of Directors: At this time Debbie Moreau and Linda Bobb have finished their three-year terms on the Board.  Both of these ladies have agreed to continue on the Board in their respective positions.  Motion to accept by acclamation of all present.  List of current Board members may be viewed here. 

Adjournment: 

Motion to adjourn at 1857 hrs. by L. Bobb, 2nd by N. Qureshi; all approved
Martin G. Schuh, Secretary 

September 2020

2020 Annual Meeting of RVOP Unit Owners Announced

The 2020 Rolling Valley Office Park annual membership meeting will be held on Monday, October 26, 2020, at 6:30 PM, with the monthly meeting of the RVOP Board of Directors following immediately thereafter. 

Due to the constraints of the Covid-19 pandemic, both the annual meeting and the directors meeting will be conducted via a Zoom platform.  Full details of the meetings, include Meeting Identification and Passcode are included in the announcement mailed to all owners on September 29, 2020, along with the invoices for the 4th quarter 2020 assessments.  All unit owners are encouraged to attend.  If you cannot attend, please complete the proxy and return it to a Board member or send it with your assessment payment.

July 2020

Verizon FiOS is Finally Ready for Service in RVOP

Now that the conduit system has been completed, Verizon FiOS has begun distributing internet fliers to RVOP addresses and again for FiOS service orders.  Within RVOP Verizon has a assigned contractor representative to take orders for service.  You may be able to save time and money on the service if you go through the RVOP representative:

Gregg White, Leading Communications Design, Inc. 9308 Old Keene Mill Rd. Burke, VA. 22015, (703) 644-5400 Main – Extension 501, (703) 913-8501 One Number Direct Access (703) 913-3313 Fax, www.LCD-Inc.com

June 2020

Another Verizon FiOS Update

After many months of delay, it appears that Verizon is finally in the finishing stages of provided Verizon FiOS service to RVOP offices.  The most recent delay was caused by the inability of the Verizon contractor to secure accurate information about the locations of the current underground cables and wiring within RVOP.  Normally, a company known as “Miss Utility” provides all requesters with the service of marking the locations of those underground lines.  Unfortunately, Miss Utility was unable to provide and accurate and complete marking service to the Verizon contract for RVOP property.  Miss Utility has limited records for RVOP’s privately owned underground lines.

Accordingly, Verizon contractors have been unable to proceed with machine digging and, therefore, because of the high risk of damaging existing lines, the contractor, on June 23rd, began hand digging to complete the job.  It is expected that the digging contractor will complete its work within a week, or before July 1, 2020.

Once complete, there will be three more steps to completing the FiOS service connections.  First, the fiber cables must be pulled though the new underground paths to the existing building terminals.  Next the fiber cables must be joined with those already installed in the cable trays on the courtyard sides of RVOP buildings.  Finally, Verizon must complete then the final step of “database reconciliation.” 

Verizon cannot currently provide an accurate estimate of the completion date for these final steps.  However, once the digging crew work is completed, the contractor will inquire about the completion of the remaining steps and then provide estimated completion date for finally bring Verizon FiOS service to RVOP offices.  

March 2020

Verizon FiOS Update

Verizon, though its authorized vendor, NX Utilities, is finally taking the next step in providing Verizon fiber-optic service to RVOP. 

NX Utilities will begin working on Monday, March 30 and should finish by Wednesday, April 1, with the current phase of installation.  For this phase NX Utilities will install metal molding on the exterior of RVOP buildings which will eventually be used as the pathways for the fiber-optic cable that will replace the old Verison copper service phone lines.  

This work is an important step in the protracted Verizon effort to provide fiber-optic service to RVOP.  The service cannot yet be offered, but this phase at least moves Verizon closer to providing the service to those owners and/or tenants with wish to utilize Verizon FiOS.
For questions about the FiOS service, you may call 1-888-438-3467.

February 2020

RVOP Financial Status Update

After the very difficult and stressful financial demands of 2018 and 2019, coupled with the unexpectedly large increases in RVOP assessments, along with the two special assessments in 2019, your Board of Directors is cautiously reporting that RVOP has begun to recover from the 2018-2019 financial crisis.

As reported in October, much of the RVOP infrastructure requires attention.  The roofs on two of our buildings, 9310-9318 and 9308, will require significant repair and possible replacement within the next 2-5 years.  Our parking areas are due for resurfacing and restriping in next 2-3 years.  The 2018 and 2019 dues increases and special assessments were instituted with the goal of sufficiently replenishing the RVOP capital reserve accounts to meet the anticipated financial demands ensuing from those essential capital projects.

During most of 2018 and 2019, because of the unexpected and significant repair and replacement demands, RVOP funds on hand were overly taxed.  The RVOP long-term reserve accounts were simply inadequate to meet those demands.  Prior to 2016, RVOP assessments generally remained unreasonably low, and thus insufficient to allow accumulation of adequate long-term capital reserves.

Often during 2019 it was necessary to defer payment of the invoices for those unexpected and significant projects.  Unfortunately, had we not kept our assessment so low, RVOP finances would have been better able to cope with those financial demands.  However, the cautious good news is, that as of the February 2020 Board of Directors meeting, RVOP cash-on-hand has finally begun to grow, and all invoices, small and large, have been paid and all accounts payable are current.

The excess on hand is relatively small when compared to demands over the next 2-5 years.  In our five-year budget approved last year, after the 2019 dues increases and special assessment, we had expected to end 2019 with a $20,880.00 deficit.  Instead, we ended the year almost even, and as of February 18, 2020, we have $30,159.02 net income.  Obviously, much of the available cash must be used to meet expenses over the next month or two, until we begin to receive income from the second quarter assessments.  Nevertheless, unless we have some extraordinary and unexpected expenses during that time, such as a Nor'easter, requiring significant snow-removal expenses, our reserve funds could be on the way to "good health."

Our optimism must remain tempered by the notion that if RVOP encounters any expenses significantly outside our budget, it would be necessary to revisit the uncomfortable idea of another dues increase or special assessment. 

2015-2019 New and Reminders

October 2019

2019 RVOP General Membership Meeting Report

The RVOP annual membership meeting was held on October 21, 2019, at 9316 Old Keene Mill Rd., Suite A. Board members present were Lloyd Martin, Homa Puga, Debbie Moreau, Linda Bobb and Martin Schuh.  Howard Birmiel, Chris Rogers and Gregg White were present as RVOP unit owners.  The Secretary's quorum call showed that members present, in person and by proxy, represented 50.55% of RVOP unit ownership (33 1/3 is required for a quorum).

The first order of business after the quorum call was the President's report.  The President first reported on the 2019 project to address water leaking into various units in the 9300-9306 building.  The project involved several water intrusion contracts, in various stages, the aggregate cost of which was approximately $135,000 for direct contract work, county permitting and materials paid primarily to two contractors, PMC Construction LLC and Superior Grouting Services, Inc.  Another contractor, Arctic Sun Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc., was paid approximately $5,000 for removal, storage and re-installation of HVAC equipment which needed to be moved to allow for excavation the work.  RVOP also paid approximately $16,000 to Engineering and Technical Consultants, Inc., for engineer design and preparation of contract specifications, and planning, inspection and oversight of the contract performances.  

The first two stages of the water intrusion project required excavation of a sizable area in front of the 9300-9306 building and removal and replacement of large areas of concrete in the same area.  A significant part of this project involved destruction of the concrete entrance to the 9304 units and building a temporary entrance "bridge" for daily use over the excavated area.  These stages of the project required excavating to a 12-foot depth and installing new below-grade waterproofing and new composite drainage board, along with necessary repair and replacement of damaged mortar joints and cracked CMU (i.e., concrete masonry units, or blocks).

For the third stage, the contractor utilized a grout injection system, which involved first drilling holes into the interior side of the CMU and injecting bento grout to fill all hollow spaces within the CMU.  Bento grout is a blend of bentonite and polymers specifically formulated for sealing water leaks in existing below-grade structures.  Next the contractor drilled several port holes through the CMU and pumped the bento grout through each port hole, to the exterior of the below-grade wall, where the grout expanded and solidified to form a waterproof barrier.  This was repeated a sufficient number of times for the spreading grout to cover as nearly as possible the entire below-grade wall area.  

This third contract stage also required filling an estimated 6' x 10' x 4' washout area under the concrete entrance to the 9302 units.  A non-shrink (NS) grout, a formula designed for use where high strength and positive expansion characteristics are required, was used to fill the washout.  The contractor drilled several port holes through the slab and injected NS grout through each port hole, filling the washout area until full communication was realized between each port hole.

The final stage of the overall water intrusion project involved replacement of all substandard gutters, downspouts and water control boxes on the 9300-9306 building.  The original material, which was designed for residential use, was replaced with larger capacity commercial-grade gutters, downspouts and water control boxes.  Substantial portions of existing substandard underground drainpipe were also replaced with 4-inch perforated PVC drainpipe.  This was required along the top of building footing.  The contractor also cleared and/or the replaced drainage pipes which run under the sidewalk adjacent to the 9300-9306 building.

Next the President reported on the progress of Verizon’s three-year effort to bring fiber-optic (FiOS) communications services to RVOP.  This has been an intermittent effort on the part of Verizon as their engineers worked on plans and Verizon crews installed fiber optic cables to terminus points next to the three RVOP buildings.  Then, no more work occurred for nearly two years.  Finally in August, Verizon presented the design-detail agreement to RVOP, which was promptly signed.  This agreement permits Verizon to complete cable runs from the various ground terminus points to building-mounted transition boxes, from where cable can then be installed to penetrate the outside walls on RVOP buildings at various points to then, finally, bring FiOS service to individual units. 

The President and Treasurer then presented the recently completed and approved RVOP budget for 2020-2024 and discussed details of the various extraordinary expenses that RVOP has incurred over the last year which necessitated two increases in quarterly condominium dues and levy of two special assessments. 

The Treasurer reported that given the unanticipated 2019 expenses, and after review of outstanding invoices, RVOP has a current cash shortage of $8,000.  However, $44,200 is expected from quarterly dues by the end of October, 2019.  An additional $14,600, due from the earlier special assessments, is expected by the end of January, 2020.  With the recent increase in dues and new special assessment, the Treasurer stated that one may be cautiously optimistic that funds will be sufficient to meet all obligations into next year. 

The President opined that a fair analysis of the RVOP income and expense picture for all years up to and including 2016 is that the RVOP budget (i.e., assessment levels) failed to provide for sufficient reserve funds to meet major expenses, such as roof and parking lot replacements.  Under the revised 2020-2024 budget, the Board's goal is to re-build the depleted reserves to the level of $120,000 to $140,000 within five years.  However, that goal can only be achieved if RVOP expenses remain within budgeted levels, with few expenses exceeding those budget levels during the 2020-2024 period.  Much of RVOP aging infrastructure requires attention, so expenses outside budget levels are practically inevitable.  Therefore, it is likely that current assessment levels will be insufficient and it may be necessary to again increase dues for 2020 and beyond in order to meet the desired level of reserves.

Marty Schuh, presented the Grounds/Architectural report. Marty stated that the new contract with Lancaster was in place and that follow-up contact is being made regarding trimming tree branches, which hopefully will occur in conjunction with fall leaf collection.  Marty also said that selective plants were replaced where several had died and where recent excavation was completed. (N.B. Marty voluntarily did much of the planting himself.)  More shrub/plant replacement will need to be done along the front of the 9300-9306 building, assuming that no more excavation is necessary. 

The meeting concluded with the election of directors for the next year.  Click here to review a list of 2019-2020 RVOP Officers and Directors.  Click here to read the entire minutes from the 2019 annual meeting.

October 2019

2019 Annual Meeting October 21, 2019

The 2019 Rolling Valley Office Park annual membership meeting will be held on Monday, October 21, 2019, at 6:30 PM at the office of LLOYD MARTIN PLC, 9316A Old Keene Mill Road.  All unit owners are encouraged to attend.  If you cannot attend, please complete the proxy and return it to a Board member or send it with your assessment payment.

Click here for notice of the meeting and here for a copy of the proxy.

September, 2019

Memorandum to Rolling Valley Office Park Unit Owners

As you read this memorandum concerning the RVOP serious financial condition, your Board of Directors would like to set the stage by having you imagine the following situation: you have been enjoying life for a number of years, eating a relatively healthy diet and getting reasonable exercise. You have seen doctors as needed and carefully addressed all your typical health issues. Then one day you get this unusual pain and find yourself in the emergency room. You quickly learn that you have major blockage in your arteries, need emergency procedures and that your insurance, though adequate in the past, now leaves you with a large, unexpected bill. Because you value your health, you agree to make the difficult but necessary adjustments to take good care of yourself and to be there for your family. This scenario is very much reflective of our current condition, except that considering the RVOP 2018 financial crisis, this is perhaps more like the second visit to the emergency room.

The RVOP Board of Directors at its February 2019 board meeting approved a 20% increase in annual assessments and a one-time special assessment equal to one-half, or 50% of each member’s annual assessment, to be paid in one lump sum, or prorated over four equal payments paid along with each quarterly assessment.

Those assessment increases were driven by extraordinary and unexpected 2018 expenses and were further predicated on an anticipated expense of about $50,000 for repair-contracts to address the then-known water intrusion problems affecting below-grade units in the RVOP 9300-9306 building. Unfortunately additional, severe, water leaking was discovered in other areas of the 9300-9306 building. All of the contract work has been completed which involved excavation, concrete removal and replacement and repair of foundation wall and mortar joints, installation of new below-grade waterproofing materials, PVC drain lines and a new integrated sump pump system. Some work remains to repair and replenish the interiors of units directly affected by the water leaks.

Our water-intrusion contract repair expenses to date have been $108,765.01, with an additional $56,170.75 required to pay for the balance the ongoing and recently completed contracts for the 9300-9306 building. This year we have had other, less significant and less costly, water intrusion problems in the 9308-9318 building, those expenses being approximately $5,000.

The unexpected scope of the water intrusion problem within RVOP once again has pushed RVOP into a financial crunch. Attached is an analysis of RVOP cash-flow though December 2019. We had expected RVOP reserve funds to have grown to about $40,000 by the end of 2019, following the February assessment increases. Instead, our reserves have once again become exhausted, leaving barely enough total cash on hand to meet the usual monthly expenses and insufficient resources to meet the overall demands on RVOP through December 2019. In short, given our current level of on-hand funds and our projected ordinary expenses and the demand of completing the water intrusion contracts, by the end of 2019 RVOP will have a deficit of from $24,510.52 to $37,497.18, with no reserves for future capital demands.

The current financial crunch is a "cash-flow" problem. However, if we only address the 2019 cash-flow problem RVOP will be unable to meet 2020 demands for ordinary maintenance and, unable to meet our mandated requirements to have sufficient reserves to meet future capital needs, i.e., parking-lot resurfacing, roof replacements. The measures discussed below will not fix the long-term RVOP need for adequate cash reserves to meet future capital needs, so it will no doubt be necessary to re-visit assessment levels during the first and second quarters of 2020.

To meet the immediate, short-term cash flow problem through December 2019, at the September Board meeting, your RVOP Board of Directors considered several options, and, after careful (and painful) review the Board approved the following measures, effective October 1, 2019: 

    1.    Increase RVOP quarterly assessments by 20%, which would generate an additional $25,534 per year.

    2.    An immediate special assessment, due with the 4th quarter assessments, equal to 25% of each owner’s total annual assessment, which would generate an additional one-time cash influx of approximately $28,168.

In addition to the above, the Board urges unit owners who have not paid in full the February 2019 special assessment to do so NOW. Final installments are not due until first quarter 2020, but as indicated in the enclosed analysis, voluntary early payment is important to meet our cash-flow needs. Unit owners might also consider prepayment of quarterly assessment. For example if a quarterly assessment amount is $555.86, a prepayment of 10 quarters (2½) years would be $5,556.60; 20 quarters (5 years), $11,113.20. Three such 10 quarter prepayments would solve the current RVOP cash-flow problem.

Your additional suggestions are encouraged and you should consider attending the October annual meeting to express any ideas you may have to improved the RVOP financial condition.

Your RVOP Board of Directors appreciates that the substance of this memorandum is indeed unpleasant and may come as a surprise to some. However, the Board wants you to know that it will continue to address and navigate through these and future issues carefully and responsibly.

September, 2019

Verizon FIOS Will Finally Be Here "Soon"

Verizon FIOS is finally coming to Rolling Valley Office Park. After over a year of discussions and planning, Verizon has finally submitted to the RVOP Board of Directors its proposal for completing the fiber optic service installation from the current terminus points next to our three buildings within RVOP, to entry points on our three buildings and then for further "penetration" access into the various units.

Verizon began its efforts to bring FIOS to RVOP in February 2017 and finished the first major phase of its installation about a ago when the fiber optic microduct routing was completed to the outside of the RVOP three buildings. Now, finally, once your Board of Directors has signed the current contract proposal from Verizon, then work can begin to route fiber optic cables into the RVOP individual units.

The Verizon network infrastructure upgrade to fiber facilities has been performed at no cost to RVOP or to the RVOP individual owners, occupants or tenants. Any costs associated with bringing the service into any individual unit from the transition boxes to be installed on the three buildings must be negotiated between each individual owner, occupant or tenant and Verizon. However, as a general proposition, Verizon says that existing Verizon RVOP customers may purchase the same service on fiber that they currently receive on copper and at the same price and terms. Others within RVOP who wish to change from existing service providers to Verizon should be able to do so with no or very limited installation expense.

According to Verizon, its existing users within RVOP should see a seamless change to Verizon fiber optic service. For any RVOP unit where a change to Verizon service will be made, Verizon will coordinate the work directly with the existing occupant/customer.

Verizon is offering price guarantees and gift card incentives to its new customers within RVOP. The Verizon business account sales department phone number is 1-877-854-8072.

August, 2019

When It Rains, It Pours -- Water and Money!!

Over the past few months, contractors have been at work repairing the leaking retaining wall in the area of 9304 Old Keene Mill Road. This work has directly affected five different RVOP units, causing significant negative impact on the business activities of all five of those units and further creating various levels of inconvenience to other owners, tenants, customers and visitors.

The extant work involved excavation of a significant portion of the ground along the front of the 9300-9306 building, fully exposing the foundation wall and building footings, removing existing damp-proofing coating and damaged masonry and mortar joints and removal of portions of the sidewalk and one complete concrete entrance-way. After all that, the contractor had to repair the foundation wall and mortar joints, install new below-grade waterproofing materials. install new PVC drain lines and a new integrated sump pump system and, finally, replace the concrete sidewalks and entrance way.

Largely in anticipation of the extra expense involved in these water intrusion contracts, and in response to the extraordinary expenses RVOP encountered in 2018, the RVOP Board of Directors at its February 2019 board meeting approved a 20% increase in annual assessments and a one-time special assessment equal to one-half, or 50% of each members annual assessment, to be paid in one lump sum, or prorated over four equal payments paid along with each quarterly assessment.

Those assessment increases were predicated on an anticipated expense of about $50,000.00 for the water intrusion contract to solve the 9304 problem. However, the contract had to be expanded to a second phase, thereby increasing its cost to approximately $80,000.00. Unfortunately, even with this expanded contract and added expense, not all the water intrusion problems affecting the 9300-9306 below-grade units will be solved. In fact, the owner of 9302C recently reported significant water intrusion into that unit, intrusion covering most of the unit’s below-grade wall.

The RVOP Board of Directors so far has had two evaluations made of the 9302C problem. Both suggest that extensive excavation of the ground outside the back wall, along the same lines needed to address the water intrusion problem in 9304C, is necessary.  The overall cost of the 9304C excavation contract will nearly deplete the RVOP available funds. Excavation outside 9302C would likely cost about the same, funds which RVOP simply does not currently have!

In an effort to examine all possible alternatives, an additional contractor has been scheduled to examine the problem in 9302C. This particular contractor will assess whether the repairs can be done from the inside, using a CMU (i.e., concrete masonry unit–or block) injection system to seal the areas of water penetration from inside the CMU and through the CMU to outside the CMU wall. If this approach is feasible, the cost will be considerably less than the expense of exterior excavation.  However, a thorough evaluation of the feasibility of the approach must be completed. Whatever the solution/approach, the RVOP Board of Directors must examine all available and possible sources of additional funding if RVOP is to meet these continuing demands for resources.

April, 2019

RVOP Changes Landscape Contractors

Effective April, 2019, the RVOP Board of Directors has switched landscape service providers to Lancaster Landscapes, Inc., under a new 2019-2021 lawn maintenance package contract.  The Board of Directors reviewed bids from several contractors before selecting Lancaster. 

In deciding to change landscape contractors, the Board critically reviewed the level of service and responsiveness of the previous contractor for the past several years and concluded that both the quality of service and the responsiveness to Board requests were not satisfactory.  Bids were received and reviewed from a number of potential contractors.  Some of the principals of the interested bidders were interviewed.  After consideration, the Board concluded that Lancaster offers the most promising prospect for a future satisfactory service relationship.

Over the next few months the Board of Directors will also be reviewing bid proposals from various snow-removal contractors.  Lancaster also provides snow-removal services and will be one of those considered.

The RVOP snow-removal contract for the past two years has been a flat-fee contract, $2,400 per month for five months (November-March), which provided a dedicated crew and guaranteed service from a dedicated crew for all snow events up to an annual snow fall accumulation level of 35".  The service from the current contractor has been "spotty" and arguably not up to the Board's expectations of a dedicated crew.   The review of contractors for the next season will involve a review of the expected quality of service, and a decision whether a dedicated crew is necessary, or affordable, given RVOPs current budgetary constraints.

Comments from individual unit owners, tenants and occupants are always welcome.  You may attend the monthly Board meetings, held on the third Thursday of each month at 8:15 AM at 9316A Old Keene Mill Road.  You may also call any board member at any time to provide suggestions or comments about the pending contracts, or any other matter of concern.  Board members with phone numbers are listed here.

March, 2019

RVOP Assessment Increase and Special Assessment

The financial outlook for Rolling Valley Office Park, unfortunately, suffered what could be described as a fiscal tsunami for the calendar year 2018. Because of unexpected expenses, owing partially to our aging infrastructure and partially to the unusually wet weather, our 2018 expenses exceeded our income by $74,177.13. The net result of these extraordinary expenses is that the entire RVOP replacement reserve and capital expense account of approximately $75,000 has been depleted, leaving RVOP in peril of being unable to meet future expenses for repairs and capital improvements.

Please click on and see the spread sheet which shows RVOP line item budget to expense comparison for 2018, and includes a projection of income to meet expenses and reserves over the next five years. Also, for comparison purposes, a 2011-2018 table of income to expenses for RVOP may also be viewed.

Insurance Expense: Our annual insurance expense jumped 62.3% over budget. See Line Item 5730, 2018 total $16,052.00 (i.e., $6,052.00 over budget).

Landscape Services: Landscape services expense also increased by 62.6%, due in part to increased demands on the landscaping service company to undertake several landscaping improvement projects. See Line Item 5501, 2018 total $17,577.08 (i.e., $6,577.08 over budget).

Roof Repairs & Maintenance: Because of excessive storm damage, a complete replacement of the roof on the 9300-9306 building was needed, at a total expense of approximately $43,000. We filed an insurance claim for this damage and Allstate paid approximately $26,000, leaving $17,000 uncovered by insurance. Another $10,000 was expended making patches and repairs to buildings 9308 and 9310-9316. See Line Item 5595, total 2018 expense $27,839.29 (i.e., all over budget, $27,839.29).

Common Area Repairs & Services: An electrical service line failed which serviced one of the RVOP units. The original line had been run in conduit underground, beneath concrete stairs and sidewalk. The conduit somehow fractured, filled with water, and the electrical line was compromised causing complete service failure and electrical shortages which destroyed virtually all the electrical equipment in the serviced unit. The overall expense, which included securing Fairfax County permits, architectural drawings, construction for the new conduit, running the new electrical line, replacing the damaged equipment and repairing interior areas damaged by the construction, was approximately $17,000. Also, as part of common area repairs, and in an effort to control and prevent water intrusion into various RVOP units, the substandard gutters, gutter boxes and down spouts on the 9300-9306 building were replaced with larger, commercial-grade gutters and down spouts at a cost of about $13,000. See Line Item 5585, total 2018 expense $29,937.00 ($22,937.00 over budget).

Repairs to Individual Units: RVOP continued to experience pervasive and repeated water intrusion problems affecting many of the courtyard units with below-grade rear walls. Several efforts were made to control/prevent outside water intrusion into these units, including replacement of gutters and down spouts mentioned above. A number of sump pumps and window-well covers were repaired or replaced. Grading was improved to cause water to drain away from the buildings. The combined expenditures for these various improvements and for painting and replacing damaged drywalls, ceilings, carpets and equipment required in the units damaged from exterior water intrusion, was about $13,500. See Line Item 5590, total 2018 expenses $13,839.00 (i.e, $10,987.50 over budget).

Our efforts to control/prevent exterior water intrusion have succeeded for some RVOP units. However, these efforts have not been entirely successful, leading to continued water damage and even mold infestation into other affected units. In an effort to determine the causes of the more severe water intrusion situations within RVOP, the Board of Directors retained services of Engineering and Technical Consultants, Inc. (ETC) an independent engineering and consulting company, to determine the source of the water intrusion, and to provide recommendations for solutions.

The ETC report, which was completed on January 16, 2019, found that water is penetrating through deficiencies in the below-grade damp proofing coating and/or unsealed penetrations in the foundation walls. Accordingly, ETC recommends that a new waterproofing membrane and foundation drain be installed. Implementing ETC recommendations will involve excavation, removal and replacement of concrete sidewalks and pads, and restoration of ground vegetation, all at a cost between $25,000 and $35,000, further exasperating RVOP 2019 budget and expense projections--further analysis shows actual cost to be closer to $50,000.

In order to recover from the 2018-2019 shortfall, the RVOP Board of Directors at its February 2019 board meeting approved a 20% increase in annual assessments and a one-time special assessment equal to one-half, or 50% of each members annual assessment, to be paid in one lump sum, or prorated over four equal payments paid along with each quarterly assessment.  Click here to view spreadsheet showing shortfall and projections for the next five years.

The condominium assessments for RVOP for many years have remained relatively low and we have generally avoided the sorts of unexpected expenses incurred in 2018. Compared to other commercial condominium projects in Fairfax County, even after our assessment increase, our condominium dues will remain comparatively modest. Also, the special assessment is the first special assessment in the history of RVOP, and hopefully will be our last, at least for many years to come.

January, 2019

RVOP Water Intrusion Problems

Over the past several years, RVOP has continued to experience pervasive and repeated water intrusion problems affecting several units with below-grade rear walls. The unusually wet weather during 2018 has further exasperated these problems. Over the past two or three years your Board of Directors has undertaken a number of measures designed to limit and prevent water intrusion into affected units.

Several sump pumps have been replaced, numerous window well covers have been repaired or replaced, a variety of grading improvements have been undertaken and gutters and down spouts have been replaced and repaired. In many cases these efforts have eliminated exterior water intrusion into some units. However, these efforts have not been entirely successful, leading to continued water damage and even mold infestation into other affected units.

In an effort to determine the causes of the more severe water intrusion situations within RVOP, your Board of Directors recently retained services of Engineering and Technical Consultants, Inc. (ETC) an independent engineering and consulting company with considerable experience in addressing water intrusion problems, to determine the source of the water intrusion, and to provide recommendations for solutions.

The ETC report was completed on January 16, 2019. Based on ETC’s investigation and the visual observations of ETC engineers, spray testing, sampling and past history with similar projects, it is ETC’s opinion that water is penetrating through deficiencies in the below-grade damp proofing coating and/or unsealed penetrations in the foundation wall. Accordingly, ETC recommends that a new waterproofing membrane and foundation drain be installed along the area where a window well is located.

The ETC recommendations will involve excavation, removal and replacement of concrete sidewalks and pads and restoration of ground vegetation. The estimated overall cost of the ETC recommendations will be between $25,000 and $35,000. The complete ETC report may be viewed by clicking here.

Your Board of Directors will examine the ETC report at its February meeting, on February 21, 2019, at 8:15 AM at 9316A Old Keene Mill Road. The agenda for this meeting will also include discussion of the need to levy a special assessment on all owners to meet the unexpected expenses outlined in the ETC report and to address the extensive unanticipated 2018 expenses. All interested owners and tenants are invited to attend.