House Corporation Update – April 2019
Prepared by Tom McSwiggan, 4/25/19
Brothers,
The 2018–2019 year was another very busy and productive year for the Eta Iota House Corporation. We continued to make steady progress on our phased renovation, completing many projects while focusing our efforts on the mechanics of the house and temporarily putting aesthetics aside.
To date we have completed approximately 55% of the renovation (60% after windows — summer 2019), paid off the new property, and acquired no debt. What's more, our emergency repairs — once budgeted in the thousands of dollars per semester — are almost zero.
This year we addressed a few long-running issues such as updating fuse boxes and replacing the exterior sewer lines. I'm sure some of you remember circuit breakers popping continuously and sewer backups — those days have ended. We also continued removing and replacing the old plaster ceilings with sheetrock. The house now has new high-speed internet with Wi-Fi, which was long overdue. Brother Dan Rees came to visit and was extremely generous, donating new gates for the backyard among other items, and it was a pleasure for the chapter and myself getting to know him.
External to the Eta Iota property itself, we also have news — some good, some bad — that will affect the house. Our efforts to clean up "Old Daytona" and Ridgewood Ave are working with the help of the city, as they continue to raze blighted buildings and increase patrols of the area. The city of Daytona also passed a panhandling and vagrancy ordinance that went into effect two months ago, which made a noticeable difference on Ridgewood and ISB.
The not-so-good news is that Embry-Riddle has changed its housing policy. Beginning with next year's incoming class, ERAU's new policy will require both freshmen and sophomores to live on campus, which will affect Eta Iota and Delta Chi. I've been in contact with Embry-Riddle and Delta Chi about the matter — we need to stay on top of this, as time is of the essence.
Moving toward the 50th Birthday, we have much on the agenda. This summer we'll be installing new impact "hurricane" windows, replacing the less-than-adequate units we have now, and continuing to replace the last few plaster ceilings still remaining in the wings.
Two items many of you have asked about are the soffits and the status of the pool. The soffits were installed by Jerry Roush and look outstanding. The Health Department is requiring us to bring the pool up to code, and the pool engineer will be finished with his drawings imminently; in the meantime, C.F. Pools has been maintaining the pool and keeping it clear. We don't anticipate beginning the pool renovation until January or May of 2020.
As I'm sure you're all aware, the work on the house is being completed on a cash-flow basis. We'll be starting a full-scale capital campaign in June 2019 to help complete the renovation before Eta Iota's 50th Birthday in spring 2021. I thank all alumni brothers who have donated to the cause, and especially the House Corporation members for their dedication.
Current Projects Underway
1. Wing ceilings
The ceilings in the wings are ½" plaster board with about ½" of plaster coating — like having an inch of concrete overhead. Over time, a combination of termite-damaged joists and small nails has made the ceilings unsafe. As part of the remodel we've been replacing them with ⅝" fireproof sheetrock: each ceiling gutted, joists sistered and treated with termiticides, insulated with R30, and reassembled. Four more wing rooms to go.
2. Impact "hurricane" windows
Not many upgrades will be as beneficial as installing new impact windows. The current windows are ⅛" clear glass with a heat-gain coefficient (SHGC) of about 1.0; the new windows will bring that down to roughly 0.2, meaning less HVAC run time, longer compressor life, reduced exterior noise, and glass that's nearly impossible for a burglar to break through (it may spider, but can't be penetrated). Installed cost for the 46 impact windows will run approximately $35–39K (not including trim or sheetrock/taping). We're also widening the wood window bucks a few inches past the interior frame edge, solving the long-standing problem of not having anything to screw blinds into.
3. Pool engineering and renovation
We hired a new pool company on 8/31/18 — $500/month including labor and chemicals. The pool is officially red-flagged by the Volusia County Health Department, requiring renovation to bring it up to code; this has been a long-running problem where we'd previously been able to buy time, but that's no longer an option. Engineering is almost complete, but we need a significant fundraiser before work can begin.
4. Small projects
Along with the large projects above, there's the usual list of smaller projects and routine maintenance completed throughout the year.
Change in Embry-Riddle's housing policy
A new concern for House Corp: beginning fall semester 2020, all incoming freshmen and sophomores must live in university-run housing, and ERAU does not consider Sigma Chi or Delta Chi as university-run housing, with no exceptions for any organization. I've been trying to get a hard copy of the new policy from ERAU for about a year without success. I've reached out to Delta Chi's House Corp, and we agree this needs to be challenged together — I can see ERAU adding even more stringent rules on fraternities and sororities if we don't push back now.
Delta Chi's situation
Delta Chi has put itself in a precarious position with their new house — high carrying cost, limited revenue, little reserve. It's worth relaying as a cautionary tale: years before Delta Chi made their deal with the university, I ran the numbers on moving 520 South to campus or elsewhere, and it made no sense without millions of dollars we didn't have. Delta Chi took the path we declined — a long-term ground lease with limited ownership rights — and their undergrads soon found rent too expensive and disliked double-bunking; they also had disciplinary issues and were placed on suspension by ERAU. This isn't meant to belittle the Delts — they're good guys — but a house is a big responsibility, and this is why we're doing 520 South as a phased, pay-as-we-go renovation. Fortunes can change in an instant. If there's anything we can do to help the Delts, we should.
Protecting the undergraduate experience
I've heard people say they're all for "protecting the undergraduate experience" — I agree, so much so that for years I've donated my time, money, and expertise to help Sigma Chi chapters correct operational issues and repair facilities. When a house is falling apart or poorly managed, it affects chapter operations too. When our insurance company inspected the house a few years ago, the inspector told Roger Moody and me it was "the worst one he had ever inspected." I'm glad today's undergraduates will never know that struggle.
Alumni behavior — HQ rules apply to alumni too
Young brothers making mistakes is part of growing up, and we all understand that. But graduated brothers in their mid-to-late twenties need to be accountable for their actions. Intentional damage to the house and misbehavior by alumni is expensive and sets a bad example for undergrads — this year's undergrads took a stand against people trashing the house. Sigma Chi has a rule that alumni must adhere to the same rules as undergrads or face consequences, and RMF now forbids hard alcohol at any Sigma Chi property or event. We've banned a couple of alumni from the property, for cause — please be aware these rules pertain to everyone.
Aesthetics, functionality, budgets, and order of operations
A common mistake I see in Sigma Chi House Corporations is concentrating on aesthetics rather than structural and mechanical integrity, or overprojecting revenue while underestimating costs — spending on what doesn't matter instead of resolving critical problems (painting instead of replacing sewer lines). Many of you remember the disastrous late-1980s renovation: over budget, unfinished, shoddy work, major debt and legal issues. The current renovation is designed to avoid all of that — everything we touch is built to last 30+ years.
At the 45th we announced a 5-year plan; we're 3 years in, approximately 55% finished (60% after windows this summer), with no debt on the property. In 2020 we'll remodel all 18 bathrooms in the wings, cutting and jackhammering the concrete floor to replace rotting, scaled cast-iron waste and feed lines under the slab — an expensive phase that, once begun, is fully committed (the old galvanized feed lines are brittle).
Fundraising / Capital Campaign
Note: IRS code specifically prohibits a university 501(c)(3) from being used as a conduit to fund a 501(c)(7). We estimate another $250K to finish the house renovation and $50K to renovate the pool — we won't sacrifice quality for speed or lack of funds, and will continue doing each project correctly as funds permit. The Capital Campaign begins June 2019, running in parallel with the still-active 1855 Club.
Mike Wyble has already begun selling granite bricks as part of the fundraising effort. In preparation for the pool renovation, Mike, Becky, and I disassembled Dave Fraser's donation wall by the pool (originally built to raise funds after the problematic late-'80s renovation) to preserve it; it will be rebuilt elsewhere with room for many more donor names. If you'd like your name linked with Eta Iota in perpetuity, buy a brick!
What's been accomplished
New decks, new front columns, new roof, community Wi-Fi, doors on the laundry and pump rooms, a clean asbestos certificate, upgraded electrical system, modern above-slab plumbing, six new bathrooms on the second floor (thank you, Mike Wyble!), new A/C in the main house with the wing A/C repaired, new exterior waste lines so the wings don't flood with sewage, and purchase of the Shackman property to secure the house's future — and not a rat in sight. Our emergency repair budget is near zero, down from thousands a few years ago.
To keep costs down and quality up, we do much of the work ourselves, hiring contractors only as needed (and even the good ones need oversight). Mike Wyble has been an incredible asset — before the 45th, he and Becky painted 80–90% of the house exterior themselves, and Mike gutted, reframed, and replumbed the second-floor bathrooms. Thank you, Mike and Becky, for your dedication.
Thanks also to outgoing Trustees Jeff Penn and James "Gassi" Ahrens for their service — they won't be running again but will continue to serve in other capacities. And thank you to all House Corporation members for making time for the meetings and the decisions that keep Eta Iota moving forward.
Steve Whitlock — RMF man. Steve had a 40-year career in insurance and has volunteered his time to review our RMF status and make recommendations. We just received a lot of paperwork back from him and are still digesting it. His note to us: "This information is a good start but we have more work to do."
Safety and security
New chain-link fence gates in the backyard; new white vinyl privacy fences on the sides of the house to block trespassers; maintenance on security lights and locks. Daytona passed new laws to stop panhandlers and vagrants, and 331 Palmetto, the Crooks Den (Bayview motel), and local crack houses were razed. A continuing concern: undergrads need to make sure doors are closed and locked at night.
Wi-Fi
The new Wi-Fi is working flawlessly — special thanks to Brother John Banta for designing the system and Jeremiah Poff for help with installation. This is the first time the house has had community Wi-Fi in the chapter room and study room, strong enough to reach the backyard; each room also has its own ethernet and individual Wi-Fi capability.
Digitized composites and charter
I took the time this year to digitize all the composites and the charter, to preserve Eta Iota's history in case of fire or natural disaster. There are also a few trunks of old photos in the Brothers' office I plan to scan — looking to purchase a new copier/scanner before starting.
New pressure washer
We purchased a new gas pressure washer, to be locked to the pump-room wall when not in use (lock code limited to the House Manager). Ethanol-free gasoline only, 10w-30 for oil changes.
Redevelopment of Old Daytona
A major development over the past few months: condemnation and razing of the two largest crack apartments 2.5 blocks from the house (331 Palmetto, and a week later the hotel/apartments that housed Crooks Den, which burned and was also razed), plus the old lime-green two-story deli at Loomis and Segrave. These buildings were a large part of the drug, prostitution, and burglary problems affecting Ridgewood and the surrounding area — combined with the new panhandling/vagrancy ordinances, there's a lot of good happening here in the 32114.
Other opportunities for alumni to help
- Ask Gassi if he needs help planning the 50th.
- Thousands of old chapter photos need to be identified, labeled, and scanned for preservation.
- We'll be removing and replacing the remaining plaster ceilings in the wings.
- Depending on finances and manpower, we anticipate renovating the wings next year and can definitely use the help.
- Help update the alumni list / help fundraise.
Chapter needs
20 folding chairs (all-plastic seats preferred — padded chairs get ruined outside, all-metal is uncomfortable), and a new scanner/copier for old chapter photos (fast copy speed, low ink cost, good resolution).
Update your contact information
Please take a moment to update your contact info on etaiota.org and at sigmachi.com, and reach out to your pledge class to make sure they do the same. While you're on sigmachi.com, consider becoming a Life Loyal Sigma Chi if you aren't already.