It’s been almost two months since my last post. The start of the year has been busy — very busy. Balancing family life, a full-time career, and stepping into this new director role has felt like juggling three full plates at once.
Board work doesn’t run on a schedule. Emails come in daily. Issues surface unexpectedly. Decisions can’t wait. While it’s a volunteer position, it requires steady attention, responsiveness, and sound judgment.
With that said, I wanted to take a moment to share what these first months have really been like.
On December 16, right after the AGM wrapped up, the newly elected board didn’t waste time. We held our first board meeting that same evening. No easing into it. No “let’s start in the new year.” We were elected to do a job, so we got to work.
That set the tone for everything that followed.
The Inbox Reality
As a new board member, one of the first things I had to do was share my primary contact information with management and the other directors.
The very next day, the emails started.
And they didn’t stop.
Management reports. Ongoing issues across the buildings. Quotes to review. Contracts up for renewal. Decisions that couldn’t wait. Approvals required. Emergencies that needed immediate attention.
You don’t really understand the scope of what’s happening behind the scenes in a condo corporation until you’re sitting at the table. There is always something going on. Plumbing issues. Mechanical systems. Resident complaints. Financial reviews. Vendor coordination. Compliance matters. It’s constant.
It’s not a full-time job — but it’s not a casual volunteer role either. Emergencies don’t care about your work schedule. Emails need to be read carefully. Decisions need to be thought through. Board meetings take time. Owners call with concerns or requests for changes. And every issue deserves a fair, thoughtful response.
Setting the Stage for Financial Stability
From the start, one of our main goals was clear: get a firm handle on expenses and bring discipline back to the numbers.
We began by reviewing older contracts and shopping around. In several cases, we were able to replace contractors with more budget-friendly options that still meet the standards our buildings require. That’s just responsible governance — review what you inherited, compare options, negotiate properly, and improve where you can.
At the same time, with the new management team in place, we moved quickly to schedule several critical preventative maintenance projects that had to be prioritized, including:
- Kitchen stack drain power flushing
- Preventative pest control services
- Parking garage power washing
- Fan coil preventative maintenance
- Other essential building system servicing
These are not cosmetic upgrades. They are foundational. Preventative maintenance protects the physical integrity of the building and reduces the likelihood of far more expensive emergency repairs down the road.
It’s also important to say this clearly: Fairway Property Management is aligned with our goals and they are the right people for the job. They understand that cost control, preventative maintenance, and operational discipline are not optional — they are essential. Having a management team that works with the board, stays responsive, and executes properly makes a real difference.
None of this is flashy. There’s no ribbon-cutting ceremony for a clean garage or a flushed drain stack. But this is how you stabilize maintenance fees. This is how you strengthen the reserve fund. This is how you protect property values over the long term.
If we stay disciplined, consistent, and focused on the fundamentals, the results will follow.
What I Didn’t Expect
When I ran for the board, my intention was straightforward:
- Improve maintenance of our shared spaces
- Stabilize maintenance fees
- Lower unnecessary expenses
- Replenish the reserve fund
- Protect and increase property values
What I didn’t expect was dealing with vandalism, incidents in the parking garage involving aggressive driving, and confrontational behavior from some residents. That part has been disappointing, to say the least.
We’ve also had issues with residents jamming the garbage chutes by forcing Christmas trees, large cardboard boxes, and other oversized items into them. When that happens, it causes blockages, requires emergency service calls, and adds directly to our common expenses. These are avoidable costs. Every dollar spent clearing a chute or repairing damage is a dollar that could have gone toward improving the building or strengthening our reserve fund. It slows down progress and makes achieving our goals more difficult.
A condo community only works when there’s a baseline of respect — for the property and for each other. Policies matter. Enforcement matters. But ultimately, culture matters too. That’s something we’ll continue to work on.
Learning as We Go
I’m learning every week.
There’s a lot of history in this building. There are past decisions that shaped where we are today — some good, some not so good. You can’t change the past, but you can learn from it. That’s exactly what we’re doing.
We are here for the long term. This isn’t about quick wins or short-term optics. It’s about building a solid foundation, doing things properly, and making decisions that will still make sense five and ten years from now.
We will do our best to deliver on our promise to you — the owners — to turn things around, strengthen our financial position, improve maintenance standards, and make The Fountains the best place to live while increasing the value of our properties.
This is just the beginning.
