Page 9 - New England Condominium November 2021
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NEWENGLANDCONDO.COM  NEW ENGLAND CONDOMINIUM   -NOVEMBER 2021      9  Online Homeowner Payment Portal  Lending Solutions  3  Extensive Deposit Solutions  4  No-Fee Lockbox Services  1  ConnectLive  Software Integration   TM  Full Online Banking Services  2  Specializing in:   Innovating community   association banking  solutions is our business,  so you can focus on growing yours.  1  Funds deposited through the Lockbox will follow Western Alliance Bank’s funds availability policy as outlined in the   Deposit Account Agreement Disclosure.  Fees may be imposed for additional services related to online banking. Refer to   2  Business Online Banking Setup and Authorization for more information.  All offers of credit are subject to credit approval,   3  satisfactory legal documentation and regulatory compliance.  Refer to the disclosures provided at account opening and   4  the Schedule of Fees and Charges for additional information. Alliance Association Bank, a division of Western Alliance   Bank, Member FDIC. Western Alliance ranks top ten on Forbes’ Best Banks in America list, five years in a row, 2016-2020.  |  allianceassociationbank.com  Tom Loughran  Vice President  (781) 254-8220  tloughran@allianceassociationbank.com  Stacy Dyer, CMCA, AMS  Senior Managing Director, East Region  (843) 637-7181  sdyer@allianceassociationbank.com  Meet Your Community Association Banking Experts:  Top 10 - Forbes Best Banks  linked to unexpected events, like the CO-  VID-19 pandemic.  To  illustrate,  Wollman  points  toward   such products as air filters. “Companies   are offering more products relative to   COVID,” he says. “Air purification sys-  tems are now ramping up, new and inno-  vative. An example is the MERV 13 filter,   which can be used in older A/C systems.   The newest version is MERV 16 for cen-  tral A/C and individual units in private   apartments.”    Another recent innovation mentioned   by Wollman is a series of leak detection   systems that use sensors to detect mois-  ture, and then send an immediate alert   to the manager or super. These systems   can be very helpful in catching leaks ear-  ly, thereby preventing more severe—and   costly—damage from hidden or excessive   water infiltration.  Where to Get Some Help  New York State has extensive subsi-  dies that can benefit a building. If your   building has a semi-private garage with   some parking spaces available to the pub-  lic, you can get electric charging stations   installed for very little out-of-pocket   cost. Through the Charge Ready NY pro-  gram run by the New York State Energy   Research and Development Authority   (NYSERDA), private garages attached to   buildings can get about 50% of the instal-  lation costs covered via rebate. ConEdi-  son also has a subsidy program that de-  velopers, equipment owners, site hosts,   customers, and approved contractors can   all apply for.   Low Carbon Capital Planning Support   offers cost-share incentives through NY-  SERDA’s Flexible Technical Assistance   (FlexTech) program to help pay for an   energy study of your multifamily port-  folio or buildings within your portfolio,   which must focus on electrification.   The state of Florida also offers a va-  riety of incentive programs to promote   energy efficiency via Florida Power &   Light, which are updated frequently.   There are also opportunities like the   property assessed clean energy (PACE)   program, where you can take advantage   of financing to fund energy efficiency   projects for your property. The PACE   model is an innovative mechanism for fi-  nancing energy efficiency and renewable   energy improvements, and variations of   this program exist  in several  states, in-  cluding New York and Florida. PACE   programs are typically enabled through   state legislation and authorized by the   local government with financing options   available for commercial and residential   properties.   While not everyone can live in a   smart systems-integrated, carbon neu-  tral, LEED platinum-rated high-rise with   an EV charging station for every unit,   the current trends and innovations in   multifamily housing nevertheless have   implications  for  all  types  of  communi-  ties. Keeping abreast of what’s new—and   what’s becoming obsolete—can help your   board-management team determine what   advancements can help your own com-  munity run better, for longer.                    n  A J Sidransky is a staff writer/reporter for   New England Condominium, and a published   novelist. He can be reached at alan@yrinc.com.  ic changed all that. Initially, everyone was   told to stay home. No contact with others.   If you found yourself in a situation where   you had to have contact, say going to the   grocery store, it was necessary to wear a   mask  (maybe  two)  and  keep  a  safe  dis-  tance between yourself and anyone you   might encounter, friend or foe, neighbor   or stranger.  That was hard enough when the pan-  demic began, but no one expected all   those cautions and protocols to continue   for nearly two years and counting. After a   while, the effects that distance and isola-  tion imposed on us—perhaps particularly   for people in typically congenial, socially   interactive  communities—started  to  sink   in. Those effects included depression, anx-  iety, shortened tempers, and a sense of be-  ing detached or cut off from others.    Dana Greco is a Licensed Clinical So-  cial Worker specializing in interpersonal   relationship work. She is also a share-  holder in a large co-op community in the   Bronx. “There was a sense of loss in the   community,” she says of her own experi-  ence. “In a way, it was a sense of loss for   the loss of community. We have people of   all ages and walks of life in my building,   and prior to the pandemic, my neighbors   were an active community. We had clubs,   and a pool, and other common outdoor   areas. All these activities were shut down   immediately. We now have rules as to how   many people can ride in the elevator at   once. It’s a 17-story building. Getting up   and down became more difficult due to   these necessary rules and restrictions.  “After the shutdown,” continues Greco,   “we tried to maintain certain activities,   like the book club, online with Zoom. Not   everyone is comfortable or feels compelled   in an online framework like Zoom. Con-  versation and ideas are exchanged more   easily in person, so a certain amount of   spontaneity was lost. It lost its enjoyment,   and after a while it just broke down com-  pletely and we put it on hold.   “Perhaps even more broadly damaging   to the community was that we had to can-  cel our two annual events, our Christmas   party and our summer pool party, both of   which draw a large segment of the resi-  dents and serve as the bookends for our   social interaction as a community. The end   result was a general feeling of withdrawal   REBUILDING...  continued from page 1  continued on page 16 


































































































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