Contract Questions:

  1. What is the current status of contract with Palmisano? The contract between Palmisano and The association is executed. To the extent that Palmisano is working under an interim contract, what does that contract allow or require Palmisano to do? Palmisano has been contracted by the Association for all storm related activities that are the responsibilities of the association.
  2. Who are we contracting with directly?  Only Palmisano?  Are they paying ATA, all the subs, Dupont-LeCorgne?  Who pays Carr? See the organizational chart that shows responsibilities. Currently the Association has Palmisano under contract for mitigation and repair services, Zachary Carr Public Adjusters to adjust the insurance claim for the Association, Todd Alford as the Owner’s Representative, and various consultants as required for water, environmental, architectural, and engineering services as needed to support the claim. The consultants are on an hourly basis.
  3. Are we doing all this work T&M? The work is being performed on time and material plus the contractor’s fee.   If so, do we have billing rates for straight time and premium time? Yes, these rates are included in the contract. The rates and markups will be under review by our construction committee to ensure they are in line with normal and customary rates for catastrophes like we are experiencing.
  4. What about markup on materials and subcontracts?  What about consumables?  Are these in the billing rates?  What costs are not in the billing rates? These will all be reviewed by our construction committee. The rates have been included in the contract which has been signed by Palmisano and the Association.
  5. Are we intending to hire a PM to represent the HOA?  (To sign Time Sheets, Material Deliveries, coordination with Owners, verify productivity and adherence to schedule?) Ray Landry who is brother of our homeowner Brian Landry is our owner’s representative and between him and our construction committee all of these elements will be reviewed prior to payment.
  6. I understand that Palmisano has hired an architect.  If I understand the Bylaws correctly, we have to have our own architect under contract to approve invoices. Our environmental consultant is also an Architect and providing that service as needed. His associate John Elamad is a structural engineer and evaluating the building.The Board has also engaged an envelope consultant BECI to evaluate roof damage.
  7. What are the board’s expectations regarding the switching over of management companies in the middle of our current reconstruction efforts? Homeowners will be hearing from the new management company soon regarding the monthly dues payments.

Funding

  1. My monthly HOA fees are automatically debited out of my checking account – the email acknowledging this payment appears to be coming from FS Residential… What should we plan for in the future as far as the handling of our dues?   The new management company will provide for this transfer.

Insurance & Legal

  1. What is the deductible for our building’s insurance policy and do we know if the board is looking to assess the owners for this expense? The association deductible is a 2% wind deductible, and yes there will be an assessment to be determined upon finalization of the damages and cost. The assessment plus a bank line of credit will need to cover all expenditures until insurance funds are received.
  2. Carr has had a copy of our insurance policies for 3 years.  Is he going to sign anything saying that any work that Palmisano recommends will be covered by insurance?  I understand that we have a deductible to meet. No. Carr does not have the authority to commit to payments from a 3rd party insurance company. The policy is the guiding document.
  3. Has the contractor researched the Bylaws to finalize an opinion on what is Unit responsibility versus HOA responsibility? The HOA attorney has defined the HOA property as per the HOA declarations.
  4. Who is responsible for the cost of repair/replacement of these air conditioning units? The HOA attorney has interpreted the Florida Statute that the HOA is responsible for the units in a catastrophic situation.

Documentation

  1. Since items in the units were photographed previously, do we need to re-photograph these if there has been no interval change in the unit? The Catastrophic Response Team (CRT) did a pre-event photographic documentation of every unit for documenting cabinets, flooring, countertops, and general construction materials. The CRT team was not responsible for documenting unit holders contents.
  2. Does this mean that owners will be included on distribution of Palmisano's daily progress reports to the board? Updates can be found on Mirabella’s website Mirabelllaowners.com.

Timing

  1. What is the timeline of return to property for -02 and -03 owners? Present timeline for all Owners to return to Mirabella is still under review and a timeline will be provided once known. Our experts recommend that the 02/03 unit owners not be allowed to reoccupy their unit until the 01 unit on their floor is environmentally cleared so as to reduce the potential for contamination of the cleared 02/03 units. This means that an 02/03 unit may occupy while reconstruction efforts are underway in the 01 unit.
  2. Will we see a staffing plan that shows number of workers each day, by craft, so that we can monitor progress against the plan? No. A staffing count is provided daily to the Board.Ray Landry is on site and monitoring personnel. When will Owners see preliminary maps showing which walls are affected in each unit? The water mitigation report has been transmitted to all owners earlier this month. Please note that this report was a point in time, and we have since located additional water damage in some units as the water was continuing to migrate down the building.
  3. Is Palmisano going to work 7 days a week, 24 hours a day? Palmisano will apply resources as needed to progress the work in an expeditious and economical manner. Daily internal huddles are had each day to set the daily and weekly plans. This is in an effort to assess the volume of work to be performed to determine the work week. If weekends are necessary, Palmisano will work the weekend. Adjustments are made based on Association, legal, and insurance inputs to sustain progress. To date they have been working 6 days a week, 12 hours a day.
  4. Will owners have to wait until the whole project is complete before bringing in third party vendors for interior work? Yes.
  5. Why wasn’t the roof fully repaired now? - Temporary repairs are done when necessary to prevent further deterioration as in the case of the roof. The final roof repairs will not be done until all other work on the roof is complete so that all flashings may be properly applied and the new roof is not damaged by the reconstruction efforts.
  6. What is the status of the elevators and other building mechanical and electrical systems? The elevators are operational and have had some issues requiring additional service calls. They were damaged and the elevator sub will be ordering all the materials to fully restore the elevator to proper working order. The other mechanical and electrical systems appear to be functioning properly without a need for major repairs except for the equipment outside of the building (HVAC and Pool Equipment).

Owner Visits/Owner adjusting/Access–

  1. Once repair work is commenced, how can an owner schedule a visit to his/her condo by a third-party vendor (flooring, kitchen cabinets, etc)? Palmisano will have an employee dedicated to scheduling site visits. Please note, site visits are require advance notice and need to be coordinated with Palmisano’s restoration efforts.
  2. How will a unit be made accessible to the owner’s insurance adjuster, particularly if Zachary Carr is handling the association claim?. Zachary is handling the association claim and unit owners that have contracted with him. Unit owners that have not engaged Zachary Carr will need to coordinate access with Palmisano per #1 above. Unit owners can contact Zachary Carr thru the website portal.
  3. Can we keep condos that aren’t being actively worked on locked through the day? Yes
  4. Will workers and visitors be required to wear masks to minimize COVID-19 exposure? Palmisano will implement if determined necessary. Unit owners are certainly welcome to wear whatever PPE they deem appropriate.it is necessary. Sanitation protocols are being considered for implementation in efforts address COVID-19 concerns prior to turnover.

Trades Procurement

  1. What efforts is the Palmisano team doing to ensure Mirabella is getting competitive pricing? Palmisano’s team and Dupont-LeCorgne are very knowledgeable on what construction costs should be and are not allowing subs to overprice the work. They are also conferring with Carr to discuss scope and pricing with regards to insurance recovery.
  2. Are all required subcontractors under contract now? No, but there are no delays in subcontractor procurement.

Moisture

  1. Can we get a daily humidity log from each condo? Many units seem over dehumidified -do we need to pull back on the number of dehumidifiers in each unit now? Palmisano is taking readings daily on the unit humidity levels. Bill Feaheny has recommended the humidity to be between 30% and 50%. Palmisano has set the units to 40%.
  2. Can we get Palmisano to start removing baseboards in the eleven -01 units to further mitigate moisture related matters? Palmisano has completed nearly all the baseboard removal and the moisture levels have been stabilized.
  3. The undecorated floor is a responsibility of the HOA.  Is the HOA making efforts to determine that the undecorated floor is dry and if not get it dried? Exposed concrete will be tested for moisture before being turned over.
  4. I have already removed my wet carpet. Has the water quit migrating so that I can replace my carpet now, especially if there is no need to replace Sheetrock in my unit? Carpet should not be brought replaced in until an all clear from the environmental consultant has been issued.

Move Out/Pack Out

  1. If furniture removal is recommended, how is this being arranged? Palmisano has hired a subcontractor to handle the furniture inventory, removal, transportation and climate controlled storage and this process is well under way.
  2. If furniture consolidation is recommended, how is this being arranged? If consolidation is the recommendation, Palmisano’s labor onsite has consolidated the furniture in the room not to impede in the demolition. Demolition areas have been contained with visqueen to reducecontamination of contents.
  3. Can items in the -01 units needing “removal” be stored in unaffected portions of the -01 unit? (This applies to soft goods in kitchen cabinets/closets, and art work, etc). That was not recommended for the units recommended to be moved out. This is because the amount of damage is too great for Palmisano to work around the furnishings. Given current damage (and possibility of future water settlement) in the 01 units needing content removal, it is not advisable by ATA for contents to be stored anywhere in these unitsThe removal of furniture of the 01 stack was approved and may be completed this week.

Demo

  1. Are they bringing all demo and new material in and out through the elevator or do they plan a tugger on roof like we did with railings project?  This would minimize impact to other units and common areas. The elevator is the primary material movement vehicle, Care has been taken to remove materials in appropriate containers. A tugger was not used.
  2. For those owners ready to proceed with demolition work, what do we need to do to commence work? This has been approved by the board and Palmisano is executing the work.
  3. Can unaffected kitchen cabinets be sealed and left stocked (rather than moving those goods out)? Palmisano is making every effort to work with the Association and unit owners as directed for each individual request. Kitchen cabinets unaffected by moisture will not require protection given the containment design for affected areas. Cabinets scheduled to be removed were first emptied appropriately.
  4. How many of the -01 units will need to have cabinets removed? Kitchen, bathrooms, or both? This will be provided in the report being generated. This has not been finalized as of Sept. 30, 2020 Those unit owners will be advised when known, We expect to have the answer the week ending 10/25/20.

White Box

  1. To what level will Palmisano restore a given unit? To the level determined by the HOA By-Laws and Florida Statute. What does “white box” mean in this context? Currently it is our understanding the HOA will replace gypsum wall board, tape and float the joints, have the wall ready for paint. White box also includes that all Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing systems have been inspected and restored to working condition. Can they patch, float, and paint a white coat (and do any final sanding if needed)? To be determined by the HOA By-Laws.

Build Back

  1. Who is responsible for replacing the AC unit on the roof? If it is the individual owner, can I select my own HVAC contractor and have that done now? The HOA has determined that Association is obligated to replace the equipment in the case of a catastrophe per the Florida Statute. See Resources tab for the Florida statute for Association Emergency Powers.
  2. Which air conditioning units on the roof will be replaced? The CRT team’s experts have recommended full replacement of all equipment.

HVAC

  1. Will owners be given a chance to upgrade their SEER rating before reinstallation? Every owner interested in upgrading their unit should send an email to Walker Stinson of Palmisano who will provide the contact at Donaghey Mechanical to obtain the upgrade cost. Please note, we have been advised that to upgrade to a SEER 17. 19,20 or 26will require a replacement of the inside AHU as it is a smart AC unit and the two units need to talk to one another. Preliminary findings are that the line-sets should not have to be replaced for the upgrade. There may be exceptions to this and the unit owner will be advised if this is the case.
  2. Can owners use their own AC contractor to do work. No, this is for two reasons. First, the Association is filing a claim for all exterior mechanical equipment. Second is that Palmisano is the General Contractor who has control of the site and can not allow owners to send subs in to do work. It is a liability issue as well as a logistics and control issue. The General Contractor has to have control over his trades otherwise it can also create a safety issue.