Mike Bakewell began the meeting and explained the Board of Directors of Bennett Village felt with all the changes in the last few years it would be a good idea to have a meet and greet with the Residents.
He gave a summary of his career experience stating he had previously worked in the for profit side of the business but prefers the not for profit side of housing while also stressing that community help is needed for funding with non profits and hoped we would enjoy the wine tasting at the end of the meeting. At this point Peter Zavitz intervened to clarify all funds being raised through the selling of wine would be going to the Bennett Centre and not the future LTC facility.
Debbie Zock announced she has sold her business to Apex Property Management and was happy she was invited today to say goodbye to all. She will be assisting the new Managers with the transition to make sure it all goes smoothly.
Bill Coleman CEO of Apex spoke about the desire to help their properties move forward and make a difference to Residents. The Company core values are: compassion, accountability, respect and excellence of which the acronym is CARE. The Company currently manages 46 housing units, predominately community housing, some non-profit and also life lease.
Josh Browne CFO of Apex said he was excited to be here and noted we have a wonderful building.
Dieter Pagani of the Board of Directors is Chair of the Governance Committee working with the Residents Advisory Committee with our cares and concerns.
The meeting was then opened for questions from the Residents.
The majority of concern centred around the duties of the Maintenance employee. Residents are not sure what to expect regarding his work. Debbie Zock responded he is contracted with a list of duties and cannot go beyond that. Mike Bakewell stated he will provide the list of the Maintenance employee duties in the near future. If Residents are not satisfied with work being done, they should report their grievance to Jean in the Office. Mike Bakewell stated they will be following up on this issue to make sure things are improving.
Concern was raised by a Resident about others being locked out and no access to a master key to help. Debbie Zock reminded us we are Residents of an Independent Living Building and should make provisions with our neighbours to have a spare key.
Security on the patio side is an issue for some Residents. Some of the patio lights have been turned off because of the brightness coming into Suites on the lower floors. Further discussion is needed.
The Snowplow operator has done some damage to the dividers and will be returning to rectify the problem.
Two new BBQ's are soon to arrive.
The Bennett Village Fundraising employee has offered her assistance with any events we may want to organize.
An update on the LTC facility progress was requested. The target for groundbreaking is late 2023 with a 2025 finish date.
Everyone was then invited to enjoy the wine tasting.