Association Management Group’s Paul K. Mengert Joins Carolina Theatre Board of Directors

Paul Mengert, Founder and CEO of Association Management Group, was recently invited to join the Board of Directors of the Carolina Theatre. He will serve this signature Greensboro performing arts facility for three years.

Paul K. Mengert, founder and CEO of Association Management Group, Inc., one of the Carolinas’ largest professional homeowner association managers, has accepted an invitation to join the Carolina Theatre Board of Directors.

Deemed the finest theatre between Washington, DC, and Atlanta, the Greensboro “Showplace of the Carolinas” opened in 1927 and delighted audiences with vaudeville acts in a sumptuous setting of sparkling chandeliers, gilded decor, marble columns and classical statuary.  Now a state-of-the-art performing arts center, the historic theatre continues to enthrall a new generation of audiences with ballet, theatre, opera and musical performances. 

During his three-year term, Mengert will support the theatre’s mission and vision with leadership and guidance, financial expertise and community engagement support. “Association Management Group is in the business of creating and preserving community,” Mengert said. “As a member of the Carolina Theatre Board of Directors, I bring decades of experience connecting people to each other and their neighborhoods, and educating volunteer homeowner boards about good financial and legal stewardship, budget management, strong governance and engaging marketing. I believe this experience will prove beneficial as we grow the stellar legacy of this downtown Greensboro institution for years to come.”

To learn more about Carolina Theatre, visit https://carolinatheatre.com/history/.   

About Association Management Group, Inc.:  AMG is a professional community association management company dedicated to building effective community associations. AMG guides and assists executive boards to help protect the association's interests, enhance the lives of community members and improve the property values in the community. With offices throughout the Carolinas in Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Charlotte and Raleigh, NC, and Greenville and Aiken, SC, AMG is a knowledgeable partner in enforcing community governing documents with a proven set of processes and techniques, and supporting communities with a broad range of services that can be tailored to individual community needs. Association Management Group, Inc. is a locally Accredited Business by the BBB and is a nationally Accredited Association Management Company (AAMC) by the Community Associations Institute. For more about AMG, visit https://www.amgworld.com.

Pool Safety/Drowning Prevention For HOA's

A private swimming pool run by a condo or homeowners’ association can be a very attractive amenity to potential homebuyers. However, while they can be popular with owners, pools create a number of liabilities for the association that need to be addressed to avoid safety concerns.

Learn the action steps you can take for safeguarding children in and around the water.

SUPERVISION

Curiosity, rapidly changing skills, and an inability to understand danger place young children at high risk. Adults must establish and communicate responsibility for child supervision:

• Assign an adult "water watcher" to supervise the pool/spa area, especially during social gatherings.

• Assign a second adult to maintain constant visual contact with children in the pool/spa area. Don't assume someone else is watching a child.

• Never leave a child alone near a pool or spa, bathtub, toilet, water-filled bucket, pond, or any standing water in which a child's nose and mouth may be submersed.

• Don't rely on swimming lessons, life preservers, or any other equipment to make a child "water safe".

• Don't allow children to play in the pool/spa area.

• Look in the pool area first if a child is missing.

• Communicate pool safety measures with the baby-sitter and train the sitter in CPR.

PREPARATION

• Learn how to swim, proper rescue techniques and CPR.

• Mount rescue equipment by the pool. This should include a lifesaving ring, shepherd's hook, and CPR sign. Many float-type toys like arm floats and inflatable rings are thought to be lifesavers. They aren't. They are only toys and should be used only as toys.

• Post the 9-1-1 emergency phone number on your phones. Have a phone near the pool area. Don't leave children unattended while talking on the phone. Important Facts About Childhood Drowning

• Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death to children under five years of age in 18 states, and California leads the nation.

• A pool or spa is 14 times more likely than a vehicle to cause the death of a child under five. • Drowning is a silent event. Children under five do not understand the dangers of falling into water and do not splash or cry out for help.

• Children can drown during surprisingly short breaks in visual contact.

Helpful Insights for New Board Members

Helpful Insights for New Board Members

Congratulations on your new role of serving on your community's board of directors! While you were not likely given much information to help ready yourself for your new “job”, there are right ways and wrong ways to begin your term on your community board. Below are some useful tips to help you gain insight and better prepare you for your new position as a community association director.

Do your Homework

Once you join your board of directors, your work is just getting started.  You must be prepared to attend your board meetings as well as any membership meetings; however, it doesn't end there. You will need to review reports, minutes and many other materials pertaining to your role as a director before you weigh in with a decision on them. You should not expect others such as another director or the manager to do your job, but you should consult with them and try to incorporate various points of view.
 
Familiarize Yourself

You should become familiar with your role and your association's documents as soon as possible. There are materials the manager can provide that will help you better understand your role as a community association board member as well as online material. It is best to start with your Community’s Governing Documents. You may also want to consider reading the statute which governs your particular type of association. Do not expect to interpret everything on your own; that is your association attorney's role.
 
Ask Questions

Asking questions is always a good way to learn anything that is new to you. Rather than making assumptions, ask questions about why the board is doing certain things and enforcing or ignoring certain policies. However, questions should remain genuine with the purpose of obtaining information, not veiled accusations or criticism. There will be a time to address issues after all the facts are gathered first. 

Take Your Role Seriously

You cannot fulfill your fiduciary (acting legally, ethically, and in the best interest of the community) obligations if you do not attend meetings, are not adequately prepared, and do not take your role as a director seriously. Keep in mind, that even if you think the role easy, you might learn a hard lesson to the contrary in court. It is your responsibility to be focused on what is in the best interests of the community while putting aside any personal issues. You cannot truly represent your community in good faith if you do not put the interest of the association's homeowners collectively first.

Your voice and your vote count, so use both wisely. Volunteers like you can make a difference. I am also mindful that state legislators, the North Carolina governor, and even the President of the United States, first got their start as community leaders/organizers. The work you do is important and should always be treated accordingly. 

Questions To Ask When Hiring Contractors

Every year millions of people hire contractors to remodel or somehow improve the biggest investment they’ve ever made – their homes. And every year we hear stories about shoddy workmanship, overcharges, even damage to other parts of the home. Homeowners spend thousands of dollars on remodeling projects and fail to get what they pay for, often because they spend to little time asking questions and planning, before work begins.

According to contractor members of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), homeowners do not ask enough questions. Of the questions they do ask, too much emphasis is on when a contractor can start, when the project will be finished and how much will it all cost.

While cost and timing are important, ensuring that a contractor is both trustworthy and reputable are the most important. Once the decision is made to hire a particular contractor, then you can discuss the start and end times of the project. If it is a remodel requiring construction, these are details that should be addressed in pre-construction meetings.

The NARI website at www.nari.org lists these questions every homeowner should ask before signing with a contractor:

1. How long have you been in business?
2. Who will be assigned as project supervisor for the job?
3. Who will be working on the project? Are they employees or subcontractors?
4. Does your company carry workers compensation and liability insurance? (Always verify this information by calling the agency. A copy of an insurance certificate does not let you know if the policy is still current. Even if the certificate has an expiration date, you cannot tell if the insurance has been canceled by either party. If licensing is required in your state also ask if the contractor is licensed and call to verify compliance with the law. Not all states offer or require licensing. Check with your local or state government agencies.)
5. What is your approach to a project such as this?
6. How many projects like mine have you completed in the past year?
7. May I have a list of references from those projects?
8. May I have a list of business referrals or suppliers?
9. What percentage of your business is repeat or referral business?
10. Are you a member of a national trade association?
11. Have you or your employees been certified in remodeling or had any special training or education, such as earning a Certified Remodeler (CR), Certified Remodeler Specialist (CRS), Certified Kitchen & Bath Remodeler (CKBR), Certified Lead Carpenter (CLC), Green Certified Professional (GCP), Certified Remodeler Project Manager (CRPM) or Universal Design Certified Professional (UDCP) designation?

Whatever you do, never hire an unlicensed home improvement contractor. In most states it is against the law to act as a home improvement contractor or subcontractor without a license. Sure, it is tempting, especially when the rates these people quote are so much lower than licensed workers. Just remember: You get what you pay for.

What Your Homeowners Association Board Can Do for You

As a recognized homeowners association, most communities have a board to help the HOA run smoothly. The board consists of volunteers who execute a wide variety of tasks residents may not be aware of; however, their work affects every single resident.

One of the most important things the board does is create and enforce the association rules. While some residents may not like being told what they can and can’t do, ultimately the board is looking out for the greater good. By enforcing the rules, the board is doing its best to keep property value up to maintain community standards. Of course, the board wants to make sure the rules are beneficial for the majority—and hopefully all—residents.

Another major responsibility of the board is to collect assessments from homeowners. Collecting this money is important for the stability of the association, because the assessments pay for the common elements enjoyed by all residents. Assessments also help to replenish the reserve funds, which pay for any major repairs the association may need. The board is responsible for the association’s finances, and collecting assessments is how it ensures that the association remains solvent.

Finally, the board acts on behalf of the association by hiring managers, attorneys, contractors and other professionals who help better the association and also help keep the community safe. Board members also help conceive and lead many of the projects that will improve the HOA.

Every board benefits greatly when people volunteer to serve on committees and boards. People are busy and it may be difficult recruiting volunteers. There are a few ways to get the message to residents that the board is in need of volunteers.

1. Send a community letter of education explaining how volunteers impact the board and the community and ask for people to get involved.

2. Personally talk to people. When you see residents in and around the community speak to them and mention the opening the board has. If they are not interested in serving ask them to pass along the information.

3. Offer it to past complainers. People who complain often have some sense of wanting to have a say so around the community and complaining may be their only platform. They can make a good board member or volunteer.

4. Keep publicizing. Keep putting the need for volunteers in the community newsletter, keep talking, put up signs in the common buildings and keep announcing it at all public meetings.

While it’s a big job, board members are happy to serve the residents and make the community a great place to call home. So why not learn more about what these volunteers do by talking to your board members, attending an open board meeting or even running for a seat on the board during our next election? The more people we have looking out for our association, the stronger it will be.

If you serve on a board or your board is in need of management or training, Association Management Group provide tools, training, services, management to HOA's and Condo Associations across North and South Carolina.