ALMOST FREE ELECTRIC!! HOW YOU ASK?

Go Green with solar photovoltaic systems

By Lorraine Cyr

What is a solar photovoltaic system you ask?  It is a grid of solar panels made of silicon that convert sunlight into electricity.  Depending on how big a system you install you can save up to 80% in your energy cost.  Condo and Cooperative Associations can receive a grant of up to $33,000 from DC Department of Energy along with tax credits and utility rebates the system can be almost free. 

How does a photovoltaic system work?

Photovoltaic energy is the most promising and popular form of solar energy. In solar photovoltaics, sunlight is actually converted into electricity. This is very different from a conventional understanding of solar power as only a way of heating water. Photovoltaic, now the biggest usage of solar energy around the world, is briefly explained below:

Sunlight is made of photons, small particles of energy. These photons are absorbed by and pass through the material of a solar cell or solar photovoltaic panel. The photons ‘agitate’ the electrons found in the material of the photovoltaic cell. As they begin to move (or are dislodged), these are ‘routed’ into a current. This, technically, is electricity – the movement of electrons along a path.

Wire conducts these electrons, either to batteries or to the regular electrical system of the house, to be used by appliances and other household electrical items. In many solar energy systems, the battery stores energy for later use. This is especially true when the sun is shining strongly.  A solar powered calculator is a small same of this type of power.

How much can I save?

If a building of 57 units has an electric bill that averages $600 per month for lighting of common areas and parking lots were to install a 10,000 watt system with an estimated cost of $80,000 the return on the investment would result is a 9% rate. Currently most savings accounts are paying only 2%. 

At BP Solar USA web site http://www.bp.com they estimate the following:

Estimated system cost                   $80,000

Federal/State Tax credit               $17,100

DC Utility Rebate                              $23,000

Net Cost                                              $39,000

Cumulative lifetime savings         $89,000 over 25 years or 9% return on your investment

Why would you not choose to install safe solar energy with savings like this?  These numbers are for the DC area and take into account the average number of hours of sun light we receive and that PEPCO will increase the cost of electricity 5% per year.

ARE LIONS A PROBLEM?

At Lorraine Cyr Management Group we realize that property management is full of problems. Seldom do we get calls that say “we love the flowers you planted” One way to keep our employees from getting “Burned Out” is with training. Problems are just problems that need solutions. Below is a story that we share with each other after a day full of problems.

A traveler, fleeing a lion that was chasing him, ran ‘till he came to the edge of a cliff. There he caught hold of a thick vine and swung himself over the edge. Above him the lion snarled. Below him, he heard another snarl and behold, there was another lion, peering up at him. The vine suspended him midway between two lions. Two mice, a white mouse and a black mouse, began to gnaw at the vine. He could see they were quickly eating it through. Then in front of him on the cliffside he saw a luscious bunch of grapes. Holding onto the vine with one hand, he reached out and picked the grapes with the other. How delicious!

The liberating message of this story teaches us that life is sweet and meant to be appreciated, not rejected, savored, not hurried through, celebrated, and not mourned. If problems seem to be too much as with the two tigers, take a break, share the problem and a solution will be found. Even with the earth quake there were numerous stories of celebration for the small victories. We know that many problems can be prevented with a little forethought, a little planning and a little hard work.

How Much Is That Bottle of Water?

THE TRUE COST OF BOTTLED WATER

By Lorraine Cyr

It is estimated that Americans paid over $10 billion dollars on over 8 billion gallons of bottled water. This translates to over 22 billion empty plastic bottles per year in the landfill. Of these 22 billion plastic bottles it is estimated that only 10% were recycled last year.  We throw away our milk bottles, soda bottles, water bottles, trash bags, grocery bags, product packaging, and more every day without giving it a second thought. Plastic makes up much of the street side litter found in cities and throughout the countryside, and it’s rapidly filling up our landfills as well.

A new movement to BAN THE BOTTLE has gained support. Last year San Francisco banned the city government from using city funds to buy bottled water and insisted on use of tap water for all government workers. NYC started an ad campaign asking residents to boycott bottled water and ask for tap water and even upscale restaurants have taken bottled water from the menu. Bottled water costs a thousand times more than tap water drop for drop. It is often no different than the water from your tap. The water that comes from the tap is just as safe as bottled water and is tested more frequently to ensure the quality. Bottled water has less government quality controls and the spring water that you are paying extra for could be water from a tap.

If you set aside the actual cost of the water and deal with just the plastic bottle. The plastic container can pose a threat because of the #1 polyethylene terephthalate (PETE) used in most bottles. This only becomes an issue if you reuse the plastic bottle. A lot of people thought that they would help reduce the amount of waste in the landfills by reusing bottles. Friends would buy the gallon bottles of water and then pour this water into the smaller bottles and freeze them for work. Not only does this allow for the possible transfer of chemicals such as DEHA and BBP (benzyl buly phthalate) which can be a potential hormone disruptor but reusing plastic bottles can also spread bacteria. If you want to freeze or repackage your water purchase a good quality stainless steel bottle which will last longer and not promote the spread of bacteria.

Studies suggest that between 7% and 8% of the world’s fossil fuels are used in producing new plastics. This doesn’t sound like a great amount, but it accounts for millions of tons of fuels per year. Recycling could preserve these fuels and reuse them in other markets. One ton of fuel oil equals 6.5 barrels of oil. Today’s price of oil was $77 dollars per barrel.

If you estimate that 2 million tons of oil were used to produce plastic in 2009 this is equals 13 million barrels at the cost of $77 each or over $1 billion dollars used to make plastic. 

Because only 10% of plastic is recycled the remaining 90% take up space in landfills. Reports show that landfills are closing at a rate of around two per day. The landfill-space crisis is especially problematic in cities, where inner-city trash dumps are often filled to capacity, and surrounding communities are unwilling to allow new landfills to come to their neighborhoods. Many coastal cities use the ocean as a dumping ground, resulting in depleted fish stock, polluted beaches, and other health issues for the inhabitants. Plastic bottles make up approximately 11% of the contents of landfills. Incinerating plastic contributes to greenhouse gases. To save space at landfills, plastics are often burned in incinerators. When this is done, chemicals, petroleum, and fossil fuels used in the manufacturing process are released into the atmosphere, adding to greenhouse gas emissions.

A lot of plastic is found in the oceans. Plastic in the oceans is responsible for the deaths of millions of sea animals. Plastic bottles floating on the surface of the oceans can look like food to larger sea life often with fatal consequences. In addition, fish, sea birds, and other ocean creatures often get caught in plastic rings that strangle them or constrict their throats so that they cannot swallow.

If you or your building are not recycling your plastic bottles please call Lorraine Cyr Management group to see how to start recycling in your building and then promote its use. Even now after years of public ad campaigns and DC laws requiring recycling to have the recycling rate are only 10 to 15% is a dismal failure on our parts.

DOES A GREEN ROOF HELP?

DOES A GREEN ROOF HELP?

By Lorraine Cyr

YES!      YES! A MILLION TIMES YES!

Especially in cities.  By lowering air-conditioning demand, green roofs can reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions that lead to global warming.

Wikipedia defines a green roof as:

A green roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with plants and soil, or a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage and irrigation systems. (This term does not refer to roofs which are merely colored green, as with green roof tiles or roof shingles.) Container gardens on roofs, where plants are maintained in pots, are not generally considered to be true green roofs, although this is an area of debate. Rooftop ponds are another form of green roofs which are used to treat greywater. Also known as “living roofs,” green roofs serve several purposes for a building, such as absorbing rainwater, providing insulation, creating a habitat for wildlife, and helping to lower urban air temperatures and combat the heat island effect. There are two types of green roofs: intensive roofs, which are thicker and can support a wider variety of plants but are heavier and require more maintenance, and extensive roofs, which are covered in a light layer of vegetation and are lighter than an intensive green roof. The term green roof may also be used to indicate roofs that use some form of “green” technology, such as a cool roof, a roof with solar thermal collectors or photovoltaic modules. Green roofs are also referred to as eco-roofs, oikosteges, vegetated roofs, living roofs, and green roofs.

ABOUT GREEN ROOFING SYSTEMS

A green roof involves a high quality water proofing system that is root repellant. It must include a drainage system that includes a filter to keep the dirt from clogging it and lightweight to medium plants. There are a host of grant that will cover some of the cost of installing a green roof. Green roof systems are not popular in the US, however are popular in Europe with much support for there development by both government and private support. This is a multi-million dollar business in countries like Germany and France.  If your Association would like help planning for a green roof or finding funding for your project give us a call.

A green roof system if properly installed will not only provide a return on the investment, but will also provide social and environmental benefits especially in cities. Listed below are some of the benefits of a green roof:

Economic Benefits

Cost savings opportunities for the building owner include

1. Protection of roof membrane resulting in a longer material lifespan (it is estimated that green roofs will last up to twice as long as conventional roofs), resulting in decreased maintenance and savings in replacement costs
2. Savings on energy heating and cooling costs, depending on the size of the building, climate and type of green roof. Using a Micro Axess Simulation model, Environment Canada found that a typical one storey building with a grass roof and 10 cm (3.9 inches) of growing medium would result in a 25% reduction in summer cooling needs.  Field experiments by Karen Liu in Ottawa Canada, found that a 6 inch extensive green roof reduced heat gains by 95% and heat losses by 26% compared to a reference roof.

Some of the unseen energy savings from installing a green roof are listed below

1. Potential to reduce the size of HVAC equipment on new or retrofitted buildings.
2. Potential to reduce the amount of standard insulation used.
3. Potential to incorporate cooling and/or water treatment functions.
4. Provide a safe play area for residents and there children.
5. Food Production – acceptable growing mediums are herbs, flowers and vegetables.  A community garden for the members could reduce food cost for the members.

DC’s BAG TAX

By Lorraine Cyr  

There sure does seem to be a lot of confusion around this 5 cent bag tax and where there is confusion I am sure there will be confusion around collecting the money and making sure it gets to the Anacostia River Protection Fund.  The stores seem to be about the only one who will be making money from the new tax.  (they no longer have to provide free bags and they can keep 1 or 2 cents from what they collect from the customer)   The following is from the DC web site:  

Beginning January 1, 2010, District businesses that sell food or alcohol must charge you 5 cents for each disposable paper or plastic carryout bag.

 

The business keeps 1 cent, or 2 cents if it offers a rebate when you bring your own bag.

 

And the remaining 3 or 4 cents go to the new Anacostia River Protection Fund. DDOE will administer this fund. We will use it to provide reusable bags, educate the public about litter, and clean up the river.

• Giant and Anacostia Watershed Society Partner to Hand Out 250,000 Bags*

Why is the District’s law on paper and plastic bags changing? And when?
The District Department of the Environment (DDOE) conducted a study of trash in the Anacostia River, and found that disposable plastic bags were one of the largest sources of litter. Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward Six) and 11 other members of the Council of the District of Columbia co-introduced the Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Act of 2009*, which then passed the unanimously. Mayor Fenty signed the bill July 6, 2009. Most of the new law’s provisions go into effect January 1, 2010.

 

What harm do disposable plastic bags cause?

Plastic bags can trap fish, birds and other wildlife, or become lodged in their stomachs. They can also damage the engines of motor boats by covering the cooling intake.

 

What types of businesses are affected by the bag fee?
District businesses that sell food or alcohol (including grocery, liquor and drug stores, restaurants, and street vendors) will be affected.

 

How does the bag fee work?
Beginning January 1, businesses that sell food or alcohol must charge you 5 cents for each carryout paper or plastic disposable bag.

 

How do I avoid paying 5 cents a bag?
You can bring your own disposable or reusable bag to the store or restaurant. Some stores and restaurants will offer you a 5-cent credit per bag for bringing your own, so you’ll actually save 10 cents. You can also choose not to bag your purchase.

 

What if I can’t afford to buy reusable bags?
DDOE is partnering with a number of grocery and drug stores, District Government agencies, Council offices and various community service organizations to give away tens of thousands of bags to low-income and senior District residents, and we will have even more bags available early next year.

 

You can also bring disposable bags back to the store or restaurant and reuse them, avoiding the fee and receiving a credit on your bill at participating businesses. Finally, if you shop with a rolling cart that you bring from home, consider asking the cashier to put your groceries directly in the cart without bagging them.

 

Does the new law also change the type of bags I can receive when I buy something?
Yes. Under the Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Act, businesses that sell food or alcohol may only sell or distribute recyclable plastic bags made from #2 or #4 polyethylene, and the bags must be printed with a phrase that encourages recycling (such as “Please recycle this bag.”). If the business sells or distributes paper bags, these must also be recyclable, contain a minimum of 40 percent post-consumer recycled content, and be printed with a phrase that encourages recycling.

 

For example, the opaque black plastic bags typically given away at liquor stores cannot be recycled, so they will no longer be permitted to be sold or distributed in the District after January 1, 2010.

 

Are any paper or plastic bags exempt from the 5-cent fee?
Yes. The fee is only designed to cover bags you receive at the register to hold all of your purchases, in businesses that sell food. So, bags used to hold the following types of items are not subject to the fee:

  

• Bulk items, such as produce, nuts, grains and candy
• Frozen foods, meat and fish
• Flowers, potted plants or other items where dampness may be a concern
• Prepared foods and bakery goods
• Prescription drugs
• Newspapers and small hardware items
• A partially-consumed bottle of wine at a restaurant
• Paper bags to take food home from a restaurant that has indoor seating
• Trash, pet and yard waste (when sold in a box of multiple bags)
• Dry cleaning

Do restaurants have an exemption for paper bags?

If a restaurant has seating, the restaurant will need to charge five cents for plastic bags only–paper bags are exempt. Food courts are also included in this group and are exempt from the paper bag fee. This applies to fast-food restaurants with seating.

 

If a restaurant does not have seating (for example, the restaurant has only a front door and a counter), the restaurant will need to charge for both paper and plastic bags.

 

What will the fee pay for?
The majority of the proceeds from the carryout bag fee will go into the new Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Fund. DDOE will administer this fund, and use it to clean and protect the Anacostia and other local waterways, and to provide reusable bags to residents. Proceeds from a new commemorative license plate and income-tax checkoff will also go into the fund.

 

DDOE will also conduct public education campaigns about the impact of trash on the District’s environmental health, and continue to provide reusable carryout bags to District residents.

 

The retail establishment keeps one cent from the 5-cent fee for each bag. If the business also offers a bag credit program (giving you a 5-cent credit for bringing your own bag), it keeps an additional one cent of the fees it collects.

 

TALK THE TALK

The following is one of the training classes we offer to Associations.  It is from a Landmark Education classes that Lorraine Cyr and her staff attended.  It helps us to be better listeners and more effective Property Managers.  For more information on Landmark please give us a call at 202-669-8080 and we would be happy to share this life changing way of thinking.

BEING A PLAYER IN LIFE:  TALK THE TALK

You’ve heard, “ Walk the Talk”  but first you need to speak the Talk.

Consider there are two types of “talk”.   There is “spectator talk” and there is “action talk” or “on-the-court player talk.”  Consider a membership meeting.  There is talking occurring.  There is talking among the members as they describe, judge and express their thoughts about what the Board is doing and has done.  There is also talk amongst the Board Members and the Property Management Company.  What the members are saying does not have any impact on outcome of how the Board manages the Property.  The talk amongst the Board Members and Management, hopefully, does have an impact on the Property is run.

Spectator Talk:   This talk is done by those in the stands observing the game of life.  Members who do not volunteer for committees or to be on the Board.  This type of talk consists of:

                I feel                I think                I believe                          I justify

 This talk is often times:

                Describing,                Assessing,                Judging,                Evaluating and               Complaining

What is common to all of “spectator talk” is that it doesn’t create or forward any action.  It might be enjoyable but nothing changes as a result of the talk. 

Action Talk or On-the-Court-Player Talk:

“On-the-court –player” talk is designed to generate or forward action to achieve some intended result.  Here are different types of “Action Talk”  Board Members are Board Members because they believe they can make a difference.  The are willing to take action.

                          Action  Talk                                                                                                        Result

                Declaring                                                             A possibility is created

                Committing                                                        Yourself is given to a possibility

                Promising                                                            Your word is give to a specific action

                Requesting                                                         A promise is requested

                Sharing                                                                 yourself and your word is given to another

                Enrolling                                                               A possibility is presented for another such that they are

                                                                                                                touched, moved and inspired.

                Inviting                                                                 An opening for action is created for another.

With action talk at a Board meeting the experience is more up beat with more results achieved.  There is no judging, and no complaining.  If a member has a complaint we ask that they also have a solution.  If they can not offer a solution then there is no room for compromise.  If your girl friend loves roses and every time you give her a gift you give her chocolate, you are not meeting her expectations.  But you would only know this if she shares this with you.    problems are just problems waiting for a solution.  This is why we ask our members to not only share the problem to share who they would solve the problem.

Please share your thoughts by adding a comment.  We would love to hear your ideas.

INACTION

INACTION???

By Lorraine Cyr 

There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction. – John F. Kennedy

How

Does your Management Company provide your Association with a yearly budget? And the bigger question do you review it and understand it?  At Lorraine Cyr Management Group we develop a 5 year budget using the history of the last 4 years and our experience of what might be expected in the year to come. Every budget is just an estimated guess with some items like repairs, plumbing, and utilities more unpredictable than others.  Your Property Management Company can take some of the guess work out of these line items with just a little planning.

The utility companies offer budget plans which have a fixed monthly payment plan for a year.  This allows you to pay more during the summer when your energy consumption is less, the utility company saves the over payment, then during the winter you pay less than actual cost.  If at the end of the year you owe the utility company you can have 3 months to pay, but you need to request this time.  It is important to watch your bills and if you find that your utility bill is $4,000 and your payment is only $1000 to adjust it mid plan to reduce your year end payment.  If your Management Company is not paying attention to this your Association could be caught with a payment of thousands of dollars.

 To some extent you can work a plan with your contractors with a fixed monthly payment which gives you a fixed number of visits.  With a well planned preventative maintenance program the number of unplanned service calls can be reduced allowing you to estimate the cost pretty accurately.

Most of your other expenses are fixed with regular monthly bills and increases that can be planned. At Lorraine Cyr Management Group we will use 3 years of history to look for trends and then predict what the cost will be for the next 5 years.  Why five years?  If in year one there is a need for a 3% increase, but in year 2 you need a 6% increase we would recommend a 5% increase in year one and a 5% increase in year 2.  It is easier for members if increases are kept low and done a regular basis.  It is harder for families to adjust to a 6% increase when the year before they only had a 3%.  In years where we have an excess of income over expenses we recommend this be moved into an investment account and a small increase be implemented even if not needed.  In this case the increase might only be a 2% increase.  Seldom does an Association have enough money in savings.

When your Association has enough money in savings to do major repairs without a loan the timing of the repair can be planned to achieve the maximum benefit in cost.  Also with money in the bank the Association can pay all bills in time to take advantage of discounts.  Management of cash flow can save money and every little bit helps.

The quote by John F. Kennedy – There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.  Is a good quote for any Association that will not take action and vote for yearly increase.  If an Association continues to delay increases by delaying maintenance the long term effects can cause a building to be lost.  If the Association can’t afford the smaller 2 and 3% increases it will not be able to cover the cost of a new roof when it is needed and has not been saved for.  Savings have to be a planned part of any budget.  LCM recommends that our Associations maintain 3 months of expenses in cash to cover normal operations.  LCM schedules reserve studies every 2 or 3 years to ensure that our Associations savings goals will meet the property needs four to five years out.

DC’S BAG TAX….GOOD OR BAD?

DC’S BAG TAX….GOOD OR BAD?

By Lorraine Cyr

As a property management company we believe in recycling, reducing the carbon print and leaving the planet better than when we were born in it.  Our friends who work at NOAA are convinced that the weather patterns that we are seeing now are not because of global warming but just a part of reoccurring weather patterns.   Why did I mention this?  There is always someone with an opinion different than ours.

I am a firm believer in cleaning up the waterways and reducing the number of plastic bags in the river is what we need to do. The number of bags that are responsible for killing the wildlife is worth banning plastic bags all together.  A study found that plastic bags composed 20% of the Anacostia’s litter and less than 5% of litter on land.  Plastic bags composed the highest percentage of litter in surrounding streams (47%).   Recycling is also something that without a tax is not something that we can get 100% participation in.  So for this argument the DC bag tax is good. The City has estimated the total capital costs for improving the site are estimated at $13.7 million dollars with annual operation and maintenance costs of about $2.6 million a year.

Here are the parts that I have a problem with.

1)      The information about the Anacostia River project has not been well publicized.  It was while doing the research for this blog that I found the following two charts that give us an idea of how the money will flow.

2)      Why are the stores not giving out free recycling bags?  If you stop to think of it, they were already providing free bags when we shopped.  Yes a recycled bag costs more at first but over the long term it would save them money.

3)      It will drive some shoppers to shop outside the city.  The lines in the grocery stores are longer and check out is slower because the tellers are not used to packing groceries in various size bags.

4)      What are the accounting records the city will use to show how much they collect and how it was spent.  If you do the math and assume that the population of DC in 2006 was 586,000 with an average family size of 5 would equal 100,000 families.  Each family shops once a week with an average of 20 bags used (assume double bagged) at 5 cents per bag would generate $100,000 per week or $500,000 per year from the tax.  Now to be fair let’s assume that more and more people will either shop outside DC or start using recycled bags so let’s assume $300,000. Then if you assume that the store had a cost of 1 cent per bag and now have no cost then they will be saving $20,000 per week.  Where is all this money going?  THIS MATH DOES NOT INCLUDE  ANY SHOPPING DONE BY PEOPLE WHO LIVE OUTSIDE DC AND ARE SHOPPING WHILE AT WORK OR VISITING, OR ANY SHOPPING AT THE REST OF RETAIL STORES.  The money could be as high as 5 million if you assume just 5 stores with 5000 customer per day each with 3 bags you could collect over 5 million.

Whatever the money amount is, and however, you compute the numbers it is a lot of money!  I wonder if we the citizens of DC will ever know the actual numbers.  It would be so cool (daydreaming here) to see a report each month that said $X dollars were raised this month.

My solution? mandate paper bags,made from recycled materials.  Or have the local grocery stores give no bags like BJ’s or Sam’s Club and then ask the grocery stores to donate the savings from not providing bags to the project of cleaning up the river.

What are your thoughts?

ACTION

By Lorraine Cyr Property Management   

Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action. – Benjamin Disraeli  

Action

 

In property management lack of action causes all sorts of things (usually bad) to happen.  An action even if it ends up being the wrong action is movement toward a solution.  

For example the light is out in the 2nd floor stairwell and you walk by thinking that someone else has called it in.  Everyone that notices the light thinks the same way and the light does not get fixed.  (no action)   Three days later the light is still out and you call management and complain that the cleaning people are not doing their job because the light in your hallway has been out for three days now.  (wrong action – complaint with blame) The Property Manager receives the complaint and checks into the problem to find out that the cleaning company has changed the light bulb on the second day, which was their normal cleaning day but has not been back in building to see that it was out again.  Now the action is up to your Property Manager:  

1)      No action  – thinking the cleaning crew did not change light bulb they will fix it tomorrow when they clean or;  

2)      Action – call electrician to look at fixture and see if there is a problem with the light.  

At Lorraine Cyr Management Group our Property Managers get an email from our cleaning crews with a report of action items for work completed in the building.  With a log book on site at all properties we can check to see that they were in the building and with the email report of findings (ie the light is out) our Property Manger now knows to call in the electrician to check the fixture.  Without the log in book and email report it would be easy for the cleaning crew to say they cleaned when they had not been in the building.  We also encourage everyone to call in any problems or changes that they notice in their building  no matter how small.

WHY? WHY? WHY?

WHY?  WHY?  WHY? 

By Lorraine Cyr 

Why?

 

We all have things that we do that are done that way just because it was the way mom did it.  But if we stop and think about it we might find a better way to do it.  Here is my story: 

Every year the family would get together for Thanksgiving dinner and as a small child I would watch my mom cut the last 3 or 4 inches off the back side of the ham before she would cook it.  Once I was married and it was my turn to cook the ham, my husband happened to be in the kitchen as I struggled to cut through the ham bone and asked what I was doing.  I said that this was how my mom taught me to cook a ham.  He laughed so hard and said that my mom was crazy.  

 After I cooled off I called mom to find out why she cut the back end off the ham.  Her reply was “because my mom did it”  My next call was to my grandmother and her answer was “I cut the end off the ham so it would fit in the pan” 

The point of the story is that if we stop and ask ourselves why we do things from habit or “just because” we might save ourselves time and money.  At Lorraine Cyr Management we teach our Property Managers to ask “why?” when an Association tells us how to do something.  Then once we understand the “why” we look to see if it makes sense and if it can be done better.