Welcoming Heatherton of Edina to the Sharper Family
Eden Prairie, Minn – (September 12, 2022) – Effective September 1st, Sharper Management is pleased to welcome Heatherton of Edina to the growing stable of clients managed in the Edina area. Originally constructed in the late 70s and located in the heart of Edina just of France Avenue, the Heatherton is a beautiful community made up of 105 units, a pool, community room, library and exercise room. “We are excited to have the Heatherton community under our umbrella,” said Dan Cunningham, Owner of Sharper Management. “We have bid on this account a few times over the years. Some of our staff even have a long history with the building. It is great to finally have the opportunity to work with the Board to help maintain and enhance this special property.” Founded in 2010, Sharper Management is a locally-owned, mid-sized property management company offering a full suite of premiere services to homeowner and commercial associations of all sizes. Sharper Management currently provides services to the Minneapolis-St. Paul seven-county area.
Reflecting on the Champlain Towers Tragedy
It’s not unlikely that if you live in a condominium building, seeds of doubt on its structural integrity have been planted in the wake of the tragic collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, FL earlier this summer. While the investigation is ongoing, the collapse has brought many questions to the minds of those in condo buildings. As a management company, we have heard a number of them. What caused the collapse? Could it have been prevented? What can be done going forward? In the State of Minnesota, we do have a few safeguards that help in the continual monitoring of the structural integrity of buildings. Most cities have annual permits that must be obtained, including verifying structural integrity of condo buildings. The City of Minneapolis, for example, requires an annual permit for the operation of an underground parking garage. This annual permit requires a thorough inspection by the City and an every-other-year requirement for a structural engineer to submit a written report of inspection. Another safeguard Minnesota has is the state statue (515B or “MCIOA”) requirement for replacement reserves. While the statute doesn’t require a “reserve study,” the requirements for identifying components, evaluating their useful life, and adequately funding for their replacement certainly equates to having a reserve study done. Because of these statutory requirements, most condo buildings have a reserve study done, and those are generally conducted by engineers. And, by statute, they need to be updated and re-evaluated (which typically requires a re-inspection) every three years. While none of these measures create certainty that such an event as the Surfside tragedy will not happen here, we can take comfort in what the state of Minnesota and various City ordinances require. Finally, it is important to note that the Community Association Institute, a national organization that is the recognized body of education, advocacy, and governance for associations across the country, has recently introduced recommendations on safety requirements and measures in light of the Surfside tragedy. The goal of this comprehensive set of recommendations is for each Chapter of CAI (in which Minnesota does have a Chapter) to consider the recommendations and work with law makers to, perhaps, introduce legislation at the state level. For Minnesota, that would mean possible amendments to the current 515B that governs most associations and all condo associations. Again, at this point, these are just recommendations. This will be an evolving storyline and we will keep you up to date, especially if any requirements that affect condominium structural integrity come to fruition in the wake of the Champlain Towers South collapse.
Mill Pond Condominium No. 1 & 2 Added to Growing Sharper Client List
Mill Pond Condominium Numbers 1 & 2 are now part of Sharper Management’s continually growing list of properties under management. Located in Chaska, MN, each condominium complex has 32 units. A locally owned, mid-sized property management company located in Eden Prairie, MN, Sharper Management’s exceptional financial software and reporting capabilities coupled with their experienced managers made Sharper the clear choice for Copper Ridge. “As we continue to expand our presence in the southwest metro, we welcome Mill Pond Condominiums 1 & 2 and look forward to wonderful future together”, states Dan Cunningham, Sharper’s CEO and Partner. Known for their reliable and committed approach to services for condominium and townhome associations in Minnesota, Sharper Management specializes in providing exceptional property management solutions. Offering a full-suite of premier services to the Minneapolis-St. Paul seven-county area, Sharper Management continues to expand their service area and look forward to building more new relationships throughout the Twin Cities.