Dear Residents of Island Place,
Thank you for visiting our website. I would like to inform you about the persistent elevator problems in our building. Since I started working for the Association at the end of May, I have been inundated with information, invoices, contracts, and pending projects in our community. The Board of Directors instructed me to address and prioritize this specific project, which is highly relevant to our daily lives. Our elevators are crucial not only for residents but also for delivery services such as Amazon, UPS, USPS, among others.
I would like to clarify some points in this informational note regarding the company that had been hired to repair our elevators in the year prior: Clark Elevator:
· Our community signed a modernization contract with them ($164,000). Upon retaining legal counsel, we were informed that the contract they provided us with is an agreement that benefits them and puts our association in a disadvantageous position. This contract was signed at the end of 2023 (with an advance of $41,000) for the modernization of the two elevators serving our community. The passenger elevator was halted with the promise to install a new tank and hydraulic pump, which was only completed in mid-June. Clark Elevator delivered and partially installed one tank and hydraulic pump, leaving the passenger elevator out of service for over three months, severely impacting our community.
· Additionally, the problems with the Service Elevator multiplied alarmingly, leaving both elevators out of service. During these three months, Clark Elevator continued to request more money from us, claiming it was necessary to proceed with the modernization. The Board of Directors responded quickly and repeatedly, “If you don’t deliver the parts, we can’t release more funds.” It’s important to note the work was delayed for over six months without Clark providing any explanation for the delay while continually asking for more money.
· The Board of Directors held a video conference with an elevator consultant: “Global Elevator Consulting” who suggested that Clark Elevator may not be equipped to handle this project, as evidenced by their over six-month delay and constant money requests. At this point, the Association does not have sufficient information to conclude why Clark has performed as it has.
· After this conference, in an effort to address the needs of our community, the Board decided to hire Comfort Elevator for the modernization (over $160,000) and ongoing maintenance tasks. We performed significant repairs on the freight elevator, extending its lifespan and preventing future disruptions crucial to our community’s daily life. Emergency replacements were made to the door operator and bearings that operate the doors, ensuring the service elevator’s functionality and avoiding interruptions. With the guidance and advice of legal counsel, we are seeking to negotiate a full transition from Clark Elevator to Comfort Elevator.
· On June 14th, Mr. Ortiz, Chief Inspector of Miami-Dade County, called regarding our elevator issues. We explained the situation with Clark and the corrective actions that we took for the safety of our community and to expedite modernization to help bring the elevators up to code. He emphasized that we cannot leave our community without elevators at any time.
We are working with Comfort Elevator to repair the deficiencies in the elevators as well as with our legal counsel daily to proceed with a speedy resolution. The Board of Directors and I thank you for your patience and understanding as we cooperate with the association’s lawyers who are advocating on our entire community’s behalf.
We are pleased at the progress we have made and will keep you posted on any news developments.
