Board Buzz
BOARD BUZZ - July 2025 by Jack Espinal, President
Posted on Jul 1st, 2025
NTRA Meeting Space Upgrade Under Consideration
During the past year the NTRA Board of Directors has received several complaints about having to drive to McLaws Circle to do business with our management company, Chesapeake Bay Management (CBM). Not having our management personnel located in New Town is inconvenient for everyone. We attempted to mitigate this problem a little by establishing office hours for our manager, Jim McEvoy on Tuesday mornings between 10 and 12. This has helped some, but it is really not sufficient for our Members’ needs. This spring, during the pool pass pick up period, we increased the number of office hours in New Town, even stretching some dates into the evenings. This presence was still not enough as we continued having residents express difficulty in picking up their pool passes. We simply need a better solution. CBM officials have also advised the Board that a New Town office location would improve the manager’s ability to monitor and manage NTRA’s properties.
The NTRA has been fortunate in having current meeting room space available for our use through the New Town Commercial Association (NTCA), but the situation has always been temporary. The NTRA pays one dollar per year for the use of the space “as is”, but our agreement includes a 15 day vacate the premises notice which would be executed as soon as our landlord finds a tenant to lease the space. As a result, our meeting room has remained rustic at best with its damaged flooring, electrical issues, and a poorly functioning thermostat that is difficult to use in the winter and nonfunctional during the summer.
Two years ago, the central air conditioning system for the building failed. It needs a new compressor and condenser which is a very large capital outlay. Our landlord refused to replace the system because our use is not providing him sufficient rental income. Last summer the NTRA installed a “window type” air conditioner that moves heat from our meeting space in the front of the building to a large unused space in the back. This has helped keep the edge off of the heat, but definitely does not keep the space comfortable for meetings on hot days. The temperature makes it difficult for our volunteer committees to meet and have productive meetings in the afternoons and evenings. We are also experiencing an increase in resident use of our meeting room, including the PORCH food collection project and occasional community presentations, but those uses are often restricted because of the heat.
The NTRA community manager expends a significant amount of his time traveling from the CBM McLaws office to New Town to supervise landscaping contracts, meet with residents, investigate tickets, and confer with contractors for work proposals. Each one of these round-trips takes almost an hour out of his busy workday. This is simply unproductive work time that we are paying for and it is an inefficient use of our manager’s time.
The NTRA Board is exploring a long-term lease and upgrade of the current space. This would require reconfiguring the space to include a lockable office for both our manager and administrative assistant, providing office equipment, and services (phone, internet, etc.), and repairing/replacing the air conditioning/heating system. Reconfiguring the space would also allow for a the better use of the approximately 50% of the space NTRA is currently not using.
Turning our meeting room into a professional office and meeting space would create a one-time expense for the Association as well as continuing annual operating expenses. The one-time expense would cover creating a lockable office space for our CBM employees, expanding and furnishing the current meeting room, and providing NTRA secure storage space. The actual conversion expense will be very dependent on how much wall, electrical, and ductwork changes are necessary, as well as the level of cosmetic upgrade of the space.
We are still in the investigation stage, but have made some rough cost estimates for a renovation project. It appears that the operating costs of the office would add approximately $100 per home to the General Assessment ($25/quarter). Conversion costs for the space could range from $70 per home for a basic office to $300 or more for a re-arranged and professional space. NTRA does have $100,000-$200,000 operating and operating reserve funds beyond minimum requirements that could be applied to the space conversion. Lease costs in this estimate are based upon the going rate per square foot for retail space in the NTCA and surrounding areas. (The rental rate for meeting rooms in the Williamsburg area ranges from $50-$100 per hour based upon location and size.)
Perhaps there will be project cost savings depending on things like whether we are able to negotiate a lower lease cost, whether CBM would adjust their fee since since they will no longer be required to provide office space for their two employees, and if we require less offsite storage and could reduce the $7,000 yearly charge for shared use of the maintenance building located on Discovery Boulevard. It might also be possible to permit organizations outside of the NTRA to lease a more functional meeting space.
While this project would cause a small increase in all of our assessments, it would produce much more efficient and convenient access to our management company employees. We would also have a larger and more professional meeting room for our Association. Further, it would resolve our problems with heat and uncomfortable meetings in summer afternoons/evenings and provide us with a more permanent space.
The NTRA Board is interested in receiving your comments and suggestions regarding meeting space renovation. If there is an architect(s) living in New Town interested in a small volunteer project for NTRA, we can use your ideas and documentation abilities in planning a new space.
Please feel free to email me directly at jack.espinal@gmail.com with your comments and suggestions.
Comment By: William Butler
Posted on Jul 2, 2025
Even though the idea provides an additional option for those that feel inconvenienced we're really not interested in paying additional money for the project.
REPLY: In addition to making it more convenient for residents to interact with the Chesapeake Bay Management Company, having our management team located in New Town makes them much more efficient. Each round-trip that they make from their office in the McLaws Circle takes almost an hour out of their workday. This is a very poor use of their time. The Board has also been considering adding an Assistant Manager to our management team to assist with inspections and landscaping contract supervision. Another employee would cost the Association approximately $75,000. It is likely that an Assistant Manager would not be needed if our management office was in New Town.
REPLY: In addition to making it more convenient for residents to interact with the Chesapeake Bay Management Company, having our management team located in New Town makes them much more efficient. Each round-trip that they make from their office in the McLaws Circle takes almost an hour out of their workday. This is a very poor use of their time. The Board has also been considering adding an Assistant Manager to our management team to assist with inspections and landscaping contract supervision. Another employee would cost the Association approximately $75,000. It is likely that an Assistant Manager would not be needed if our management office was in New Town.
Last Edited: 07/03/2025 at 12:00 PM
Comment By: NEAL WITHERSPOON
Posted on Jul 4, 2025
I understand the need for an improved space for conducting meetings. I disagree with paying for an office for CBM due to not having access to them without an appointment. NT management had an open door policy and one person managed our community, there was no need for an assistant to help a manager that is not readily accessible to residents. I am not in favor of paying more due for a CBM office and $75,000 for an assistant manager, maybe we need a new management company that can manage the HOA requirements. New Town management may not have been the best but they were better at doing it than what we have now and for less than what we are paying CBM. This should be voted on at the annual meeting, since it will affect homeowners and increase to dues.
Last Edited: 07/05/2025 at 07:52 PM
Comment By: Dawn Alleman
Posted on Jul 7, 2025
Communication with a mgmt firm will always be an issue with a place as large & as varied as NT. Access to an on-site manager or an open door office should have been addressed in the “new” mgmt firm contract. Hindsight has taught us that depending on the generosity of the NT Commercial Assoc is wistful at best. Many vacant commercial spaces exist & investing in a space that needs major refurbishment to house 2 staff is not a good use of NTRA funds. Aren’t there furnished short-lease office rental space right here in NT? Homeowner access to the mgmt staff should be stipulated in contracts. Investing in a climate controlled space for volunteer projects is not a good use of HOA fees either. Sorting non-perishable food donations can be done in a garage or in a nearby space, Legacy Hall is used for other needs. 2 issues: mgmt staff space that’s accessible to residents + space for resident activities - can be solved separately without raising our HOA fees or depleting reserves.
Last Edited: 07/09/2025 at 05:22 PM