President's message: Condo maintenance inside and out

As I write this message, New England has just been hit with another ice storm and condominium association boards, homeowners and professional community association managers wait with bated breath in anticipation of yet another storm expected to drop 4"-8" inches of snow. With that backdrop I find it difficult to turn my attention to spring maintenance, but the thought of budding trees and warm spring days prove to be a wonderful distraction from the current view outside my window. Inside and out condominium associations must maintain their buildings, grounds and amenities keeping a constant vigil as to the condition of potentially hundreds of components. New England weather which changes annually from cold and windy to hot and arid can wreck havoc on building materials and systems as well as paving and landscaping which necessitates the need to implement early planning and timely maintenance or repair. The Community Associations Institute, New England Chapter (CAINE) has been helping association communities and their boards to proactively manage and oversee the unique maintenance needs of New England condominiums. From roof repairs to HVAC maintenance, CAINE provides helpful information and guidelines to give community associations an early start on spring maintenance. The annual maintenance issue of Condo Media, the official publication of CAINE provides important information on maintaining amenities including pools and playgrounds in addition to maintaining important relationships with vendors and boards. In addition, the issue includes the popular vendor directory providing a number of professional contacts who understand the unique aspects of community associations and who can offer a number of professional services for many association spring maintenance needs. For a copy of this spring maintenance issue contact the chapter office at 781-237-9020 or visit us on the web at www.caine.org. Reaching thousands of community association decision makers throughout New England, CAINE and Condo Media magazine are the place to be. Jared McNabb CMCA, AMS, PCAM, is the 2009 president of CAI N.E. and director of acquisitions at Crowninshield Management, Peabody, Mass.