Re: HVAC Replacement, The Vaux Raleigh 4th floor

[Joe Mack]

Hi Tom, thanks for update. Hope you receive this directly. Julie is also on distribution if not.

I copy the Board on this reply although my message should NOT be construed as the position of the board on how to move forward. I also copy Cindy Horvath, current chair of the Building and Maintenance Comittee (BMC). I aslo copy the other residents that you have included in your updates to me. Want to keep this open and transparent.

My feelings on this matter are, as a Vaux HoA Director AND a fourth floor resident who will be personally impacted on any direction we pursue,  as you might suspect, conflicted. Please take nothing in my reply asr an endorsement or a rejection or criticism of what you and the others are doing. I am simply sharing my current thinking with you. I originally thought that a face to face conversation was the best way to respond but I want to get this in writing so that it can be shared with all concerned parties. If there are flaws in my thinking or unclear statements made, they can be used as future discussion points.

Others on the board may disagree with my thinking. Just trying to respond in a timely matter. As Mahatma Gandhi is reputed to have said, 'I will continue to change my mind as the truth reveals itself to me.'

A somewhat a stacked order of my thoughts at the moment.:

1. I want to help but my first responsibility as a Board director,is to ALL Vaux residents and to the by-laws that gudide us in our policies, processes and decision making (such as they are). This may become frustrating for you and the others.
2. I wish that this was simply a matter of a heads up, At the moment it is not clear if it is more than that.
3. Because the units are not part of the RDH reserve study which gets our formal attention on an ongoing basis, this comes as a surprise. Frankly I am surprised that American Heating did not contact the Board directly. I guess that doesnt matter now.
4. It is clear that you and the other residents on the fourth floor are moving at a pace faster than is the Board.
5. The urgency of this matter is not clear to me, other than the twenty year life expectancy of the HVAC units is at hand per American Heating.
6.  I am still considering whether the Board needs to call an 'all hands on deck'. Our priority at the moment is the Elevator Modernization project.
7. On Jan 7th, there is a scheduled Planning meeting set for 1pm to 3pm. The primary agenda is to review the planning coming out of the E-Prep Committee. Should the two hours be more than needed for that review, we will for the first time (other than the small update/discussion in 3/18 BoD meeting) have the beginning of a robust discussion on this. You and others might try to attend although I can't guarantee that this discussion will be had. If there is one, and if there is time for you or others to join in, I will try to make that happen.
8. We do NOT have an active ARC committee ready to gude you through the process. Diana Drew-Fleming is actively trying to put one together but this may not move as fast you and the others would like.
• That said, I encourage you to complete the ARC application ASAP for a major change to get the ball rolling (no matter how fast that roll is).
9.  Diana did have a good discussion with RDH (the engineering company which the Vaux uses for reserve analyses and other relevant building engineering issues) regarding this matter. Diana discussed the curb,electtrical and other iissues that you have brought to our attention. RDH suggested that a structural engineering and a roofing company be brought in. I don's suspect that this will happen quickly although we can see how to move it along.
10. Matters of who pays for any of this  will be guided by our by-laws and I suspect that we will need to bring our Attorney in on this
11. Which is all to say, that the pace of this will be ultimately guided by the Board. This is a complicated matter logistically. I is also a complicated matter given the interwoven nature of individual vs HoA priorities. 
12. I hope, and I beleive that the Board does as well, that this is a win-win. 
13. I will be in Europe from April 11 through the first week of May. I will, as I have done for my entire careee, dedicate 100% of my time to my wife. I will not be in contact and I would appreciate that my inbox not be filled with actionable items that, if missed, cause harm to any of us. I will ask Diana, the liaison to the hopeully resurgent ARC committee, if she can act as point for your updates.

Just want to make sure that EVERYONE is getting my full thinking on this, There is no intent to stall you but you may be stalled. The Vaux HoA is unclear how much to get involved. Suffice it to say, we are more involved than when you first brought this matter up to me on the sidewalk. That is progress. In Condo HoA/Board context, that is significant progrees. Let's see how this plays out. Just dont want you to be blindsided or disappointed. I am not the type to over promise and under deliver. 

thanks

Joe

On Tue, Mar 31, 2026 at 8:07 PM Thomas Hellie <the...@linfield.edu> wrote:

Hi Joe,

My Hotmail address is malfunctioning, so please use this email address in the future: the...@linfield.edu.

I spoke this morning with Jacob Johnson, my contact at American Heating. Afterward he sent an email to my Hotmail address, which I didn’t receive. Fortunately he copied my wife, Julie Olds, and she shared the message with me only after a somewhat confusing dinner conversation about how she knew things that I didn’t know! You will see the correspondence below.

Last week I asked Jacob some questions and today he responded to them for the most part. We are going to invite him and his colleague Mike Hansen to meet with us in person or on a call. We will invite owners from Units 403, 407, and 409 to join us because we have all agreed we want to move forward together if possible.

Today I also received an email response from Kin Living which said that several board members hope to get information to help The Vaux respond to my application after it’s formally presented. There was no offer to help or advise. Obviously it would be helpful to know in advance if there are restrictions or limits before we get estimates, fill out the application forms, get rejected, and then have to start over. But I know we are all learning on the fly and it’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation.

I think it’s premature for me to send a formal update to the Board or Kin Living, but I really appreciate your efforts to keep me in the loop when possible, and I want to do likewise.

Let me know if you wish to personally attend our meeting with American Heating, which will focus on 4th floor Raleigh and especially the four units here that have committed to move forward together. You would also have a chance to ask questions, however. But it’s entirely up to you. And I’m happy to share whatever we learn after we’ve had our meeting.

 I’m not quite sure what to say to Dave DeVore on 4th Savier, but I will tell American Heating that he is eager to replace his equipment as well. In fact, he is so eager that he showed up at our condo last Saturday morning and then followed up with another 30 minute Q&A on the phone. He is aware of the crane/street closure issues and wants to split the cost with others. I think he’s already had to spend some money on temporary HVAC repairs. It was his surprising visit that led me to express my reluctance to be identified as the point person on all of this.

Best,

Tom

Sent from my iPad

Begin forwarded message:

From: Julie Olds <julie...@gmail.com>
Date: March 31, 2026 at 6:52:04 PM PDT
To: Thomas Hellie <the...@linfield.edu>
Subject: Fwd: HVAC Replacement, The Vaux Raleigh 4th floor



CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Jacob Johnson <j.jo...@americanheating.net>
Date: Tue, Mar 31, 2026 at 12:36 PM
Subject: RE: HVAC Replacement, The Vaux Raleigh 4th floor
To: Thomas Hellie <thomas...@hotmail.com>
CC: julie...@gmail.com <julie...@gmail.com>, Juli Stratton <jstra...@gmail.com>, Ed Long <ewl...@gmail.com>, Mike Hansen <M.Ha...@americanheating.net>

Hi Thomas,

 

As I mentioned on the phone, I’ve been out sick for the past week. As a fellow asthma sufferer, I’m sure you know how brutal respiratory infections can be!

 

I spoke with my associate Mike, and we’d like to either set up a meeting or schedule a conference call. He has extensive experience with large-scale HVAC projects and can provide valuable insight.

 

1. Your proposals call for heat pump packages. If I’m not mistaken, our current Lennox equipment isn’t a heat pump. Is it possible to get price proposals for equipment that mirrors what we now have? If so, would we be less likely to incur electrical expenses? Would there be weight differences?

 

That’s correct - all of the existing units are A/Cs with auxiliary heat.

 

The one caveat is the permitting. There are some different ways we can approach the permit process; we can talk through that if you like. The latest energy codes require we change to heat pumps in most jurisdictions even though you are also supposed to be able to replace systems like for like. So, it becomes an interpretation of the code, and the city has a say in that.

 

The potential for electrical circuit changes and cost that go along with it comes from the fact that on a heat pump system there is an additional electrical circuit so the heat pump and the electric strip heat can run at the same time for a quicker warm up. When you have A/C and electric heat they do not run together. So, the best way to avoid the new circuit would be to lessen the strip heat KW for a smaller circuit. The drawback is a slower warm up time. It is really okay because you should maintain your temperature in the space and it will save on the energy bill.

There are weight differences in all new equipment due to efficiency & refrigerant changes over the years, this has caused new equipment to weigh more on most occasions.   

 

2. Would American Heating be responsible for arranging for the crane, obtaining permits, etc.?

 

Yes, we would coordinate directly with the crane company. They would be responsible for obtaining the street closure permit, while we would handle the mechanical permit for this project.

 

 

3. Does your company normally arrange for structural engineering, seismic engineering, and roofing, or is that normally handled by the Homeowner’s Association and/or the owners themselves?

 

We would coordinate with CIDA, who will handle all structural and seismic engineering requirements for this project.

 

For the roofing scope, we’ll need to find if the Vaux Condominiums has a roofing contractor and obtain pricing through them.

 

4. Would it be possible to install 4 units in one day even if all four units weren’t all adjacent to each other? (E.g, Units 401, 403, 409, 413)?

 

Our plan is to lift all four (4) units in a single day pending all goes smooth. Installation would likely be completed over two days, with two (2) units set and connected on the first day, and the remaining two (2) completed on the following day.

 

 

Thanks,

 

Jacob R. Johnson

Assistant Project Manager

American Heating Inc. |5035 SE 24th Ave, Portland, OR 97202

Tel: (503) 239–4600, ext. 248 | Mobile: (503) 388-2258

E-mail: J.Jo...@americanheating.net

Web: www.americanheating.net

 

P AMERICAN HEATING OPERATES GREEN.
Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

 

From: Thomas Hellie <thomas...@hotmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2026 2:41 PM
To: Jacob Johnson <j.jo...@americanheating.net>
Cc: julie...@gmail.com; Juli Stratton <jstra...@gmail.com>; Ed Long <ewl...@gmail.com>; Mike Hansen <M.Ha...@americanheating.net>
Subject: HVAC Replacement, The Vaux Raleigh 4th floor

 

 

Hi Jacob,

 

Last Saturday, 5 of the 12 unit owners met to discuss your HVAC proposals. Thank you very much for the detailed information. It was very helpful.

 

We’ve now distributed your proposal documents to the owners who couldn’t attend. Several were out of town or had conflicts on Saturday, but they are showing real interest and asking more questions, so I think we’re off to a good start.

 

We have a few questions:

 

1. Your proposals call for heat pump packages. If I’m not mistaken, our current Lennox equipment isn’t a heat pump. Is it possible to get price proposals for equipment that mirrors what we now have? If so, would we be less likely to incur electrical expenses? Would there be weight differences?

2. Would American Heating be responsible for arranging for the crane, obtaining permits, etc.?

3. Does your company normally arrange for structural engineering, seismic engineering, and roofing, or is that normally handled by the Homeowner’s Association and/or the owners themselves?

4. Would it be possible to install 4 units in one day even if all four units weren’t all adjacent to each other? (E.g, Units 401, 403, 409, 413)?

 

Finally, as you can probably guess, this process will take us a while, as we will have to share all specific details with our building management and the condo association board to obtain their approval. But many of us hope to do this in 2026.

 

Again, thank you for your excellent help. The proposals were timely and informative. We look forward to getting more information as we move forward.

 

Best,

Thomas Hellie

503-863-9372

 

Sent from my iPad

[DIANA DREW-FLEMING]

Thanks, Joe for establishing communication as well as speaking to the considerations that need to be discussed at the board level.   These projects need to be considered from every angle.  RDH has given us some preliminary guidelines that the board will have to consider along with an ARC Committee.

diana

<image001.png>

P AMERICAN HEATING OPERATES GREEN.
Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

 

From: Thomas Hellie <thomas...@hotmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2026 2:41 PM
To: Jacob Johnson <j.jo...@americanheating.net>
Cc: julie...@gmail.com; Juli Stratton <jstra...@gmail.com>; Ed Long <ewl...@gmail.com>; Mike Hansen <M.Ha...@americanheating.net>
Subject: HVAC Replacement, The Vaux Raleigh 4th floor

 

 

Hi Jacob,

 

Last Saturday, 5 of the 12 unit owners met to discuss your HVAC proposals. Thank you very much for the detailed information. It was very helpful.

 

We’ve now distributed your proposal documents to the owners who couldn’t attend. Several were out of town or had conflicts on Saturday, but they are showing real interest and asking more questions, so I think we’re off to a good start.

 

We have a few questions:

 

1. Your proposals call for heat pump packages. If I’m not mistaken, our current Lennox equipment isn’t a heat pump. Is it possible to get price proposals for equipment that mirrors what we now have? If so, would we be less likely to incur electrical expenses? Would there be weight differences?

2. Would American Heating be responsible for arranging for the crane, obtaining permits, etc.?

3. Does your company normally arrange for structural engineering, seismic engineering, and roofing, or is that normally handled by the Homeowner’s Association and/or the owners themselves?

4. Would it be possible to install 4 units in one day even if all four units weren’t all adjacent to each other? (E.g, Units 401, 403, 409, 413)?

 

Finally, as you can probably guess, this process will take us a while, as we will have to share all specific details with our building management and the condo association board to obtain their approval. But many of us hope to do this in 2026.

 

Again, thank you for your excellent help. The proposals were timely and informative. We look forward to getting more information as we move forward.

 

Best,

Thomas Hellie

503-863-9372

 

Sent from my iPad

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[Joe Mack]

correction, the meeting is April 7th not Jan 7th. 

excuse and all typos, i am juggling and dont have time for copy editing...

again, thanks

Joe