Condo Media - August 2021 - 25

ONE
COMMUNITY
PAID THE PRICE
Brian Mandeville, vice president of
Riverside Services in Southborough,
Mass., says if you're happy with your snow
and ice management company but the cost
is stretching your budget, see if you can
modify details of the service to save money.
Riverside Services encourages customers
to do " close out walkthroughs " with
the company after each winter season
to check " where we met expectations,
what can be improved on, and where we
exceeded expectations, " Mandeville says.
If you're not happy, meet with the vendor
so they can address any concerns.
Thiboutot, who manages seven communities
from Cape Cod to Boston, says plow
contracts should spell out in detail what
the contractor is responsible for. While
many will clear walkways, that's not always
the case, so it never hurts to keep some salt
barrels around if an owner sees something
freeze after hours and is willing to spread
some salt by the entrance doors. Make
sure the company has heavy equipment
designed for New England weather such
as a front loader and dump truck that can
haul snow off site if needed.
In New England, plow contracts typically
run from December 1 to April 1,
but it never hurts to include an add-on
provision in case it snows later in the
season, as it did earlier this year.
Since many landscaping contractors
also provide snow removal services,
Thiboutot notes that inking a deal with
a company that does both can head off
fi nger-pointing when spring comes and
the landscaping crew sees big ruts in the
lawn or a bush that's damaged and says,
" I'm not going to fi x it - that wasn't
my fault, it was the snowplow guy! "
MIND THE GREENERY
Trees and overgrown landscaping can
wreak havoc in a harsh winter, particularly
if there are high winds or steady
and heavy snowfalls. Mandeville says
condominium associations should work
with a landscape management company
that has a staff arborist and well-trained
professionals to address overgrown
landscaping and trimming.
An arborist can assess the
property and prioritize tree
work " based on safety,
tree health, clearance,
aesthetics, and client
budget, " Mandeville
says. A three to fi veyear
plan for tree management
is ideal since it
allows your community
to budget for the work,
excluding emergencies, and
helps preserve one of its biggest
assets. Address dead or dying trees
quickly. In some areas, the local jurisdiction
or state may have programs for
removal of diseased trees, so it pays
for management companies and landscape
service providers to research
what programs might exist.
■ PAMELA BABCOCK IS A
FREELANCE WRITER WHO WRITES
FREQUENTLY ABOUT REAL ESTATE,
PERSONAL FINANCE, LEGAL ISSUES
AND MORE.
IN THE LATE 1980S AND
EARLY 1990S, Riverside Services
had a contract with what
Mandeville describes as a " beautiful "
condominium property
nestled in the woods of Suffolk
County, Mass. The association
then switched ve ndors but rehired
Riverside Services in 2015.
Mandeville says the property
" still looked really great...except
for the trees. " Turns out,
the association had deferred
tree maintenance for more than
two decades. When Riverside
Services came on board again,
an arborist found it would cost
more than six fi gures to address
just the safety issues. But the
community still balked at doing
the tree work.
Early one Saturday that
winter, a tree crashed down
on a resident's car and
blocked the road. Between
the damage,
inconvenience to
residents, and
cleanup, " it was
quite costly, "
Mandeville says.
A short while
later, a windstorm
hit, and the community
spent three days
cleaning up.
By the end of the fi rst winter,
damage and cleanup costs from
the neglected trees was about
$30,000 out-of-pocket, not
including the insurance claim.
The community continued putting
off tree work for several
years, and eventually, Riverside
Services dissolved its relationship
with the customer because
" the trees were now becoming
a hazard to work around, "
according to Mandeville.
August 2021 CONDOMEDIA 25
Condo Media - August 2021

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