To the tune of jack hammers, sprayers, and resident moans, buildings in the Barbary Coast are in upgrade mode. From Telegraph Landing to The Commons to the Golden Gateway apartments, you can hear the hum of crews busily repairing bricks, waterproofing, painting, pulling and replacing wires—all in an effort to bring these buildings back to a handsome new normal.

Time takes its toll
Back in the 60s, 70s, or, in the case of The Commons, the 80s, these buildings were shiny structures rising to new heights in the redevelopment area that would become Barbary Coast.

But 25 and 40 years of time and weather takes its toll on the exterior and interior of any construction. Membranes fail, rain penetrates where it shouldn’t, electric power surges, pipes leak, and residents begin to complain that “things just aren’t right.”

Something has to be done
Going from the knowledge that “something has to be done” to an average $30,000-per-resident assessment, is a story worth telling. Let’s take Barbary Coast’s 200-unit condo building, Telegraph Landing, as an example.Barry Shiller, Mort Beebe, Nancy Spero, Barbary Charlton (since replaced by Karen Keese), and Marilyn Nichols—all Telegraph Landing board members—began to get reports of building failures. Serious repairs were needed to the group of buildings that form Telegraph Landing. So engineers and consultants were brought in to walk floors, scan skylights, search for waterproofing failures, and brave rooftops. That was 2004.

The accumulation of failures was considerable. What resulted was a two-and-a-half-year plan of renovation that demanded many hours of board time—particularly from Shiller and Beebe—board members who were placed in charge of the renovation project. In addition to overseeing architects and contractors, their job required them to analyze bids, keep meticulous records, hold resident meetings, and deal with day-to-day decisions.
Shiller, who holds a science degree in electronics and an MBA and who worked in the semiconductor business for 28 years, was familiar with some of the financial issues that would appear. But Beebe, a professional photographer and business owner, had to come up to speed fast in order to represent the nearly 200 condominium unit owners. “If I’d been fully aware of what I was getting into,” he says, “I most likely wouldn’t have run for election [to the board]…it’s been time consuming and made me lie awake at night more than once.”

The groans begin
When the full extent of damage repair was known and budgets formulated, Shiller and Beebe, who by now jointly headed the Special Projects Committee, had the unenviable job of convincing condo owners to make the extensive and necessary repairs—$6 million worth! For over two years, these two men met regularly every Thursday morning from 8:30 to 10:30— “a big time commitment,” according to Beebe. Additional time was devoted to pouring over contracts and negotiating with contractors.

To convince homeowners that the average $30,000-per-owner assessment was essential, Shiller and Beebe held regular show-and-tell meetings with residents each month and prepared a monthly newsletter. Beebe, the photographer, video-taped the offending pipes, windows, sashes, sidings, courtyard fences, exterior walls and roofs so people could see the problems for themselves in 3D. In the end, all residents agreed —all but a few who decided to sell their condos sooner rather than later. The average assessment—$30,000—is to be paid over six years (about $500 per month per unit). In addition to a much more attractive—and not to mention safer—environment in which to live, condo units have been climbing in value since the renovations have been made, more than making up for the repair cost per unit.

“You can tell them from me…”
Beebe and Shiller have advice for other condo boards, “It’s crucial to have an excellent board of directors…You can’t leave all decisions up to a building manager…the Board has to take responsibility themselves, which is why it’s important to build and educate your board.” They add, “Good records are important, and you have to keep all architectural records accessible and accurate.”