Community Communication Corner
by Bob Gourley, MyEZCondo Founder, Member of CAI CT Board of Directors

Telling the Story of Maintenance and Construction Projects

Many of the articles in this issue of Common Interest deal with the nuts and bolts of maintenance and construction projects as they apply to community associations. Before the first hammer strikes a nail, before the first sheet of new vinyl siding is raised, before the first row of new roofing material is installed, the story of how this maintenance or construction project is going to make the community a better place needs to be told.

It is a topic that is near and dear to my heart as my own community association is undergoing a major exterior building repair and painting project as I write this. We have used our newsletters over the past year to get homeowners ready for the project and to discuss the impact the project will have on residents from both a financial and lifestyle perspective. Ultimately, this project will require additional funds to be raised in the form of an assessment which requires a story all of its own.

Like many associations across the state and across the nation, our community consists of aging buildings that require a great deal of maintenance. While we are fortunate enough to be near the shoreline, Mother Nature forces us to respect our proximity to Long Island Sound with extra wear and tear on our building exteriors. Our beautiful wooden buildings don’t hold their stain as long as we would like and the combination of rain and salt take a regular toll on the wood.

Our community had succumbed to the sweetness of low monthly common fees years ago which resulted in the bitterness of an insufficient capital reserve from which to draw upon for this major project. Through our quarterly newsletter, we have been discussing the impending assessment for almost one year in advance of this project so that homeowners would not be caught by surprise when asked to part with several thousand dollars as their share of the assessment. We have also used our newsletter to keep owners informed of the BOD’s activity in soliciting competitive bids and exploring all possible methods of completing the project. The end result is a community that has fully participated in this important maintenance project.

Here’s a checklist of ideas for you to communicate with your audience when your community is facing major maintenance and construction projects:

• Use your newsletter, community website, blog, etc. to discuss maintenance and construction issues well in advance of the actual dates that these projects will be happening. Major projects usually take months and even years to come to fruition. Take advantage of that time to tell the story behind the project and gain acceptance from your audience.
• Tell the story in terms that your audience will understand and appreciate. If new siding will benefit the community in terms of longer life and lower maintenance, be sure and let them know that before you begin taking bids. Get them excited about your project and the benefits they can expect when the project is over.
• Don’t forget to talk about the cost /savings aspect of the project. How a project will be paid for is just an important consideration to your community members as the actual project. With enough notice, you can even take some of the sting out of an upcoming assessment or an increase to the common fees to cover the cost of a loan.
• Once a vendor is chosen for a project, don’t hesitate to use that vendor as a resource to help communicate with your members. Vendors have access to loads of useful information and may even have stories of similar work they have performed for other communities.
• Shed as much light as possible on the entire process from work concept to Request for Proposal (RFP) to bid selection to completed project. Be sure and keep your members informed about who is doing what within your BOD, management company, and/or outside engineering help the association has hired.

Remember that other than for those community members directly working on the project, your communication efforts are the only official information that your community will receive. If you choose to keep quiet about your maintenance and construction projects, you can count on rumors and innuendo to spread the news.

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