Condo Media - April 2021 - 25

challenging in companies that do business in multiple
states, as Great North does. " We remained in compliance
in all the states that we did business within, including
reducing the number of people present in our offices and
in some cases closing the office for short periods of time, "
Gargiulo says, " but always while continuing to provide
service to our clients. "
Contact tracing was another tricky issue, as the rippling
effects of possible exposure of staff or clients to the virus
required communicating risk while still protecting the
rights and privacy of the individuals involved. " We've
been able to handle it, I think, in a masterful way - getting
the information out without compromising the health of
our employees, " Gargiulo says.
Great North also kept a sharp eye on local
laws as the legal profession struggled to keep
up with the evolving landscape. And managers
quickly ramped up on Zoom as boards
transitioned to meeting on that platform.
A CLIENT'S-EYE VIEW
One association that grappled with the issue
of honoring its legal requirements regarding
meetings was Sky Meadow of Nashua, New
Hampshire. Great North helped Sky Meadow
push their annual meeting from May to August
and to come up with a hybrid plan that would
accommodate both the required in-person voting
and those who were uncomfortable attending
a public forum. Proxies were sent out to all the unit
owners, so those who preferred to attend the meeting
via Zoom could assign their proxy to a board member or a
neighbor. " It worked! " says board president Larry Holt.
The Sky Meadow complex is made up of single-family
homes, townhouses, and garden-style condominiums,
each broken out into a separate village. Because it was
the only one with common areas, the village of gardenstyle units was most impacted by the pandemic. Great
North came up with the idea of having a cleaning crew
sanitize the front doors and elevators daily - and they
figured out how to shift costs to pay for it. Because the
cleaning crews had access to a better supply chain, they
were also able to provide the association with items that
were scarce last spring, such as toilet paper and cleaning
supplies. " That was one of the things that certainly
helped out, " Holt recalls.
Fox Hollow Condominium Association of Hudson,
New Hampshire, faced a different but equally pressing
issue: namely, how not to disrupt a dynamic maintenance
schedule, including electrical work, paving, painting, and
woodwork. When the world changed in March 2020, " We
thought it would slow us down a bit, but it really hasn't.
We've been right on time with all our projects, " according
to board president David Lafond. " Everything's gotten

done, and collection of fees and everything is all up to
date. So we, as a board, are very happy with the way the
management has handled the pandemic. "
PERMANENT CHANGES IN
A POST-PANDEMIC WORLD
For Gargiulo, the key to Great North's successful
weathering of the pandemic has been transparency.
" If clients had an issue, they were communicating with
the same people. Whether the person was working
remotely or from the office, that person had the
information for the most part available to them. So,
there wasn't a loss of continuity or service, " he explains.

Masks and social distancing are among the pandemic safety
protocols at GREAT NORTH - both in the office and onsite.

Gargiulo also believes that this experience has led to
some changes that will remain in place when normalcy
returns. " What I think this pandemic accomplished is
that it has pushed people to embrace technology at a
much greater rate of speed than they would have. And
I think that, in that respect, it's a good thing, " he says.
That includes the use of electronic payment portals,
for example.
He also predicts that the use of electronic meeting
platforms such as Zoom will increase. Larry Holt of Sky
Meadow agrees. " I think the virtual meeting worked
so well that it's probably something that's going to stay
for the future. And we'll go back to hybrids, so if people
would rather stay at home and watch it online, they
can. Hopefully, for our annual meeting, that will make
it a little easier to get a quorum, " he says. As for Great
North's performance during the crisis, he has nothing
but praise, saying, " They just made our lives a whole lot
easier in a time of many unknowns. "
For more information about how Great North Property
Management can assist your association - no matter
what the future holds - call (800) 639-7309 or visit
www.greatnorth.net.

http://www.greatnorth.net

Condo Media - April 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - April 2021