Board President left holding the bag...of bird shit

If, after nearly 10 years of what I believe to be the Sutherland’s stunts, dirty tricks, shenanigans and otherwise enrolling others in their favorite game – the one they excel at like no other – pitting one homeowner against another, there are any homeowners still naïve enough to think that the Sutherlands aren’t still fully in control of the Glen Iris Board - titles be damned - then one discussion in particular at the Annual Meeting would have surely convinced the last of the non-believers.  It was, of all things, the discussion about bird poop.  Yes, you read correctly, bird poop.

So, there everyone was at the meeting and the subject of the nasty bird nests in the ceilings of the Phase I and Phase II garages came up.  That’s when you saw Stuart slowly slink to the background and stand quietly by, allowing poor Yoel Bakas, the current Board President, to lead the discussion - and make a fool of himself by being only half-informed – just the way the Sutherlands like ‘em.

Here’s the 411 on the bird poop. (Continued...)

Judging by how Yoel presented the issue to everyone in attendance, it would be easy to assume that the multitude of nasty bird nests in the insulation of the Phase I and Ph II garages was a bit of problem-come-lately.  Certainly no one currently on the Board led anyone at the meeting to believe that the problem is anything more than a nuisance and an eyesore.  And nothing could be further from the truth.

The fact is, the Board (read ‘Kit and Stuart’) has known for nearly nine years that not only is the presence of bird nests and droppings in the garages an eyesore, they have known for a fact that it represents a very serious potential legal liability for our Association due to the hazards to health posed by accumulated bird droppings.  Here's a direct quote from Board minutes, October 22, 2002:

"Nesting birds in parking deck of Ph. I causing insulation to be torn out and bird droppings on property.  We have a copy of a publication indicating potential liability related to bird droppings and mold, so the Board needs to make a decision to constantly remove nests regularly"  (for the full text, see Board minutes from October 22, 2002, below)

Further, they knew about it before it ever became a problem in the Phase II garage, because it had already become a problem in the Phase I garage before the Phase II building was even completed.  But to hear Yoel tell it, you get the idea that it’s really not much more than an eyesore with an outsized price tag to remedy, so ‘why bother?’   Yoel, consider yourself ‘managed’.

Here’s what Stuart Sutherland is likely to have known all along about the problem:

"…pigeon droppings harbor parasites, bacteria, molds and viruses that can be harmful to humans. Sometimes these accumulations can run into tons of material. According to the NYC Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene and the Illinois Dept. of Public Health, birds, particularly pigeons, and bats as well, are known to harbor Histoplasma capsulatum and Cryptococcus neoformans; two fungi which can infect humans. They also may harbor a bacterium (Chlamydophila psittaci) which can cause an infection called ornithosis. Birds are also known to carry the West Nile and St. Louis Encephalitis viruses. Ticks and mites, which carry diseases in their own right are also carried by birds and may transmit diseases to humans." (For further reading on this health hazzard, see the full article or simply Google 'bird droppings mold' for many other sources of information)

And you don’t simply scrape out the infested insulation to get rid of the problem - it requires professional remediation – like asbestos (read, ‘extremely expensive’). But all this just begs the question: why was insulation put there in the first place if it was just going to be a magnet for birds and their nests and why didn’t anyone ever pursue the developer about the problem?


Unfortunately, it’s a familiar refrain here at Glen Iris Lofts.  The developer – Stuart and Kit’s BFF Jerry Miller – cut corners (What? another corner cut?! Where did I put that bag of shocked looks…I know I must have one here somewhere!).  He didn’t insulate the floor above the garages before laying the wood floors in those units as he should have. Instead, he decided to blow insulation onto the concrete from below (a building technique, by the way, ordinarily reserved for attics and other enclosed areas where rodents, birds, etc. couldn’t gain access specifically because they would build nests), probably to save money.  As for the second part of the question, ‘why didn’t the Board ever pursue the developer?’  You will have to ask the Sutherlands about that.  In fact, while you’re at it, ask them why we never pursued the developer for any construction deficiencies that cost more than any one of us could take out of our wallet at any given time.  But don’t expect a straight answer – because all you’re going to get is a bunch of bird poop.

Board Minutes from October 22, 2002 (scroll down to the last page to see the highlighted discussion on the bird droppings):

 

 

People who read this post also read :