Chicagoland Cooperator Winter 2020
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Winter 2020                 CHICAGOCOOPERATOR.COM  and in some cases ignited conflict between neighbors and between resi-  dents of co-ops and condos, their boards, and their management agents   and staff.  The stress has extended to the smallest of things. One manager re-  ported that when the board of a building she manages decided to ban   domestic helpers from entering the property, she received a call from an   irate shareholder. The shareholder told her in no uncertain terms that   While many condominium associations   and co-op corporations hire professional   property managers or management firms   to handle the routine (and not-so-routine)   tasks involved in running a multifam-  ily building or HOA, a significant number   take the opposite route, eschewing formal   management and running their properties   themselves. While most of these self-man-  aged communities tend to be on the smaller   side, self-management can be successful at   any  size,  from  a  handful  of  units  to  hun-  dreds.   Self-management involves numerous   skills, however; everything from accounting   to minor home repairs may need to be han-  dled directly by the board, rather than being   delegated by a manager or firm. Obviously,   anyone with a plumbing problem can call a   plumber; you don’t have to be a professional   manager to intervene when a leak rears its   head. But that said, the most successful self-  managed properties are those that do have a   range of practical skills distributed between   owners, and a positive, community-orient-  ed view from members. It’s a ‘pitch-in’ sort   of atmosphere, and it’s not for everyone.  The arrival of COVID-19 has had ma-  jor implications for all properties and their   management, of course, but the pandemic-  related restrictions on close personal con-  tact has  had  a particularly  personal effect   The day-to-day life of a property manager—while not quite as predictable as that of, say, an   accountant—does revolve around certain cyclical tasks, like building inspections, staff meet-  ings, and keeping boards informed of what is going on with various projects in their buildings.   That’s not to say that there isn’t an occasional emergency, of course; a boiler fails, a visitor   slips and falls, a vendor doesn’t deliver. And while any good manager takes these challenges in   stride, there’s little that could have prepared managers for what they would face with the arrival   of COVID-19.  The novel coronavirus is called ‘novel’ for a reason. It’s a newly emerged public health threat   that you can’t see, smell, taste, or feel—at least until you’ve contracted it. It’s there, everywhere,   and at the beginning of the pandemic, no one knew exactly where. It created paralyzing fear for   both our leaders and individuals, particularly in New York City, its first epicenter. In a hyper-  urban environment where people were packed in like sardines to begin with, physical distance   between loved ones, neighbors, and strangers went from being a luxury to being a requirement.   The many nonverbal cues we receive and interpret from facial expressions disappeared behind   featureless masks; no more smiles from the porter when he came to deliver a package to your   apartment.  The mental and emotional stress foisted upon literally millions of people in what many   would agree was often already a stressful environment has frayed nerves, shortened tempers,   For many buyers, a key factor in decid-  ing to purchase a home in a residential   community rather than opt for private,   single-family ownership is often the appeal   of amenities that come with condo, co-op,   and HOA living—pools, gyms, clubhouses   for social activities, and even on-premises   restaurants and retail shops being only a   small sample. Suburban and 55+ or ‘active   adult’ communities often go even further,   with full-time social activity directors on   staff to organize planned outings, creative   workshops, lecture series, and more. In   many communities, there’s never a dull   moment.  Thanks to the unwelcome arrival of    COVID-19, however, this sought-after   lifestyle is now in a time of transition. The   virus is insidious and spreads with relative   ease from person to person, often without   the least bit of warning from many who ap-  pear asymptomatic. This reality has made   casual contact with one’s neighbors more of   a threat than a pleasure, and has brought   us to an intersection in a Venn diagram   where we have to balance social program-  ming with social distancing to keep both   ourselves and our neighbors safe.   Now, as communities both vertical and   horizontal  are  trying  to  reopen  facilities   like pools, clubhouses, gyms, theaters, and   the like after months of mandatory shut-  down, many are facing a new surge in the   pandemic, and must develop a plan to keep   residents both active and safe.  At a Crossroads  Amy Gallogly is the corporate opera-  tions  director  for  WTS  International,  a   Rockville,  Maryland-based  lifestyle  and   amenities management firm that manages   such  activity-minded  properties  through-  out the east coast of the United States. “It’s   Management in Crisis  How the Pandemic Changed an Industry   BY A.J. SIDRANSKY  Self-Management in   Stressful Times   Some Communities Go it    Alone—Others Outsource  BY A J SIDRANSKY  Social Programming   vs. Social   Distancing  Communities Are Getting Creative  BY AJ SIDRANSKY  continued on page 10   continued on page 6   205 Lexington Avenue, NY, NY 10016 • CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED  continued on page 6 


































































































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