M's Response to the Atrocities of Mara Feldman-Fox and the Claremont Board

M, who is usually extremely-reticent to post publicly has written an open letter...
Dear Mara:

This letter is in response to your letter of Friday, April 13th.

On page 5 (Article II, point 2) of the Declaration of Condominium Ownership and Bylaws for Claremont Condominiums Association, it states: "No structural components of the Building, and no pipes, wires, conduits, public utility lines, ducts, flues and shafts situated within a Unit and forming part of any system serving one or more other Units, nor the Common Elements shall be deemed part of said Unit."

Therefore, it's obvious that the following code violations (discovered by Design Inventions, Inc. on April 11th and 12th) must be completed and paid for by the Association as soon as possible:
1. The proper clean-out for laundry units located above unit GE is missing. The laundry drain from 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floor is currently connected to a 4" sewage line in the unit GE kitchen/bathroom wall.
2. Current bathtub connection inside the ground is made out of copper. All in ground connections in need to be installed with cast iron pipes.
3. Bathtub drain is missing a vent.
4. Kitchen drain is missing a vent.
5. All connections for the radiator (union) can’t be hidden and access is needed. Electric fan (currently blowing in the wrong direction), in areas where water is present has to be supplied thru a GFCI outlet.

The above violations were the shoddy work of Home Remodeling, Inc., the contractor for the buildings in '95, when the buildings were converted to condos.
That company is liable, but probably defunct.

We were informed by our insurance company that the Condominium Act (Section 12, Insurance) makes it mandatory that the Association insure structural damage through the drywall, plaster and primer.
Unit owners aren't responsible for their own pipes, or pipes that serve other unit owners, and we may not interfere with the common elements.
Further, it would be unethical for Design Inventions to cover up illegal plumbing with their own good work.

It's clear that, when you and the Board confronted me during that terrifying surprise visit at the front door, that you, Edward Foss, Carol Krengelis, and Diego Arce were aware that violations might be revealed when the drywall came down, based on your combined thirty or more years experience in dealing with structural problems in the Association's buildings.

When I purchased my unit in '05, I never dreamt that we would uncover illegal construction.
Therefore, I hold you and the Board personally, legally and morally responsible for the fact that my unit is now uninhabitable, without toilet or bathing facilities.
I also blame you for the result that the remodeling is indefinitely postponed.

When you and the Board interrogated and bullied me in the entryway of '60 Claremont on April 3rd, I believed that we had the same goal-- the final elimination of rats in our buildings.
In point of fact, we had previously resolved to remodel our bathroom ahead of our initial schedule to accomplish that goal and avoid conflict.
I now realize that I was foolish and naive.
Your goal was not to deal with rats, but to correct the same systemic problems that you had encountered in the '58 building, but on my dime.

That fact is verified in that we are still waiting for your exterminator to come back and plug up the rat tunnels found in the dirt where we used to have a tub.
(There was no concrete under the tub, only dirt-- another violation.)
We've blocked the bathroom door with bricks, but we hear sounds of movement through the door.


M