When pieces of Harmon Cover Towers (HCT) began falling off the complex in 2004, residents of the luxury high-rise development knew major renovations were needed, according to a current condo association board member.
Residents who were already paying for a hallway renovation project were hit with a $6 million assessment by the condo association to restore the façade of the three buildings that make up HCT, which has 562 units.
Despite the additional expense – about which some residents complained – they at least figured the renovations would increase the value of their units. The renovations were specifically supposed to repair balconies and re-point the building’s bricks.
The work, which took several years, was substantially completed at the beginning of this year.
“Each of these units has had water damage associated with water coming from the exterior of the building, not plumbing leaks.” – Remington & Vernick
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They now hope the engineering firm involved will fix the issues without charging more money.
Leaks
Residents say that ceiling and wall leaks started to occur because of the work.
“In January, we had the first reported, formal grievance about the façade,” said HCT condo association board member Jim Econopouly last week. “By March there were 16 grievances. And the main issue was water intrusion.”
Residents said after the façade renovations got underway, their ceilings started leaking, causing wet floors and carpets and damp furniture. In some extreme cases, walls began separating from each other.
By April, the number of affected units had increased significantly.
An April 29 letter from HCT attorney Steven Berkowitz to the Bridgewater-based engineering firm that oversaw renovations to the façade notes: “HCT has a water infiltration problem, as evidenced by the 133-plus units that have experienced water damages.”
Anthony Volpe, a principal at that firm, Falcon Engineering, did not return two phone calls from the Reporter last week.
‘Water intrusion’
“You’ll have to excuse the way the place looks; I don’t usually live like this,” said resident Barbara Maher last week as she led a visitor into her 13th floor condo. An HCT resident for 22 years, Maher said she has taken to living in her mother’s HCT condo, in part because of frequent water leaks in her own unit, she says.
She said she first noticed problems in her unit when her rug was constantly damp and the condo was cold.
“I was sick for two consecutive winters because it was always cold and damp, and I had never experienced that before they started on the façade,” said Maher.
Damage to her unit eventually got worse.
A large section of sheetrock in her closet got so damp it had to be cut out, she said. Her bedroom ceiling began to leak in two places. Worse, the walls in her living room are separating from each other and literally tear apart when gently pressed, she says.
“I have all this damage, and the thing is, we paid for this work,” said Maher, who said she pays $1,300 a month in maintenance fees and assessments.
Although Maher is one of HCT’s most vocal residents, others say they have had similar problems.
Lilly DellGalla, who sits on the HCT condo association board, said last week she, too, has experienced water damage. The owner of a duplex unit, DellGalla said she recently spent thousands of dollars renovating her home, paying $30,000 for new hardwood floors alone. A tour of the unit, however, revealed those hardwood floors have buckled – DellGalla said due to water that seeps into her home when the area gets heavy rains.
DellGalla, who was the only board member to vote against hiring the engineering firm that oversaw the renovation work, pays about $1,400 a month in maintenance and assessments, she noted.
Town engineers weigh in
Last month angry residents asked local elected officials for help and even pressed Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli to attend an open meeting between the HCT board and residents.
“The only reason I got involved was because I got dozens of e-mails and phone calls,” said Gonnelli, who caught heat from at least one HCT board member for meddling into the affairs of a private housing development. “They’re all taxpayers, and usually when something involves multiple families, multiple homes, we try to assist.”
As a result of that meeting, the mayor had the town’s new engineering firm, Remington & Vernick, do a “cursory inspection” of the renovations that were done. The firm examined work done outside seven HCT units.
In an inspection report that the Reporter has obtained, Remington engineers Kenneth Ressler and Anthony Donofrio stated: “The water infiltration is a result of a number of issues, some of which appear to be related to the recent work.”
Elsewhere, Remington wrote that “each of these units has had water damage associated with water coming from the exterior of the building, not plumbing leaks.”
Among the problems highlighted:
• The balconies had little or no drainage, which allows water to enter units through sliding glass doors; and
• The building’s porous brick façade either didn’t include weep holes, had weep holes that were clogged with water proofing material, or had holes that were inconsistent with what HCT had contracted.
Moving out
Rumors about HCT’s problems have, some owners say, hurt the value of their condos.
“Due to what’s going on, I can’t sell my unit,” said HCT resident Freida Kloda, who also owns a duplex. “I’ve had to lower my price on numerous occasions. About two years ago, my unit could have gone for $525,000. I put it on the market for $389,000. But other units are selling for much lower.”
Her current asking price, she said, is $369,000.
“Everybody knows about what’s going on in the building,” she continued. “My real estate agent has told me [that potential buyers] are well aware of all the leaks that are going on in the building.”
Ironically, Kloda has not had any leaks or other problems in her unit due to the renovation project, but she said that assessments for the work have made it too expensive for her to continue living in the complex. Between her mortgage, the monthly maintenance fee, and assessments, Kloda pays about $4,800 a month to live in HCT. (The maintenance and assessments alone total $1,600 a month, she said.)
“That is disgusting. It’s not affordable at all,” said Kloda, who now wants a single family home in the center of town.
Damage control
The HCT condo association board is now trying to get Falcon Engineering to fix the problems.
In an e-mail sent to residents on April 29, board member Econopouly wrote, “The board has turned over all reports to legal. It is the board’s intention to remedy the problems with the façade project, especially the water intrusion issues, under the current façade contract without the use of any additional funds.”
A letter to the engineering firm from HCT’s attorney, also dated April 29, references the Remington & Vernick report and “demands” that Falcon fulfill the terms of the renovation contract.
E-mail E. Assata Wright at awright@hudsonreporter.com.