Few people are able to show passion for navigating New York City building compliance. And it’s really no wonder, just saying “FISP” (Facade Inspection Safety Program, formerly Local Law 11) leaves you scratching your head rather than getting excited. But that’s not true for Board President, Diane Drey, who took the time to lead her building’s FISP project and along the way wrote a guide for other Board Members and Property Managers.   

We sat down and asked her what inspired this “labor of love”.

What was your first involvement with the Facade Inspection Safety Program?

Drey -I had just been elected President of our New York City condominium, when we were hit with a fine for not filing a FISP report on time. At that point, I did not even know what FISP was, so I called the Department of Buildings (DoB) and began my education.

What did you learn?

I found out that any building over six stories tall in New York City must have their facade inspected every five years by a licensed Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector (QEWI) and after the inspection a report must be filed with the DoB. Facades can be rated: SAFE, SWARMP (Safe with a required Maintenance Program), or UNSAFE. You can look up your buildings rating on their website.

What was your building’s rating?

We had been rated as SWARMP – which meant we had to do some repairs before the end of the five-year cycle. Turns out that 37% of buildings are rated SWARMP and 12% are deemed UNSAFE. In both cases work needs to be done. So, our next step was to hire the engineering company to prepare detailed construction drawings and sent them out to bid.

So basically, every other building needs repairs! No wonder the sidewalks of NYC are covered in scaffolding and sidewalk sheds. How big was your project?

When we started the construction bidding process, we didn’t know what to expect. Bids came in ranging from $400,000 to $750,000. The discrepancy was alarming, so we did additional bidding. On the second round the gap closed and we had more confidence in the process.

How did you raise the required funds?

Raising funds is always a challenge. If coop or condo Boards don’t have adequate reserves to cover capital projects, loans or assessments are the only options. We chose an assessment, and offered a pre-payment discount to those who paid up-front. It turned out to be an effective strategy.

When did you get the idea to write a book on the process?

As a retired executive with lots of experience in real estate, I enjoy sharing information. There were so many steps to this project. First learning how to research our building’s facade history on the DOB website was a challenge. Discussing clauses to put in the construction contract, was another hurdle. Negotiating an access agreement with our neighbor took a lot of energy. So as I went along, I made notes which I thought could be helpful to other building owners. Several months into the project, Covid hit, and I was homebound – so I thought maybe I should turn those notes into a real guide which could be used by Boards for years to come,

Who else was involved with the book?

I was very concerned with making the book accurate, so at each step I did extensive interviews with professionals in the field. The DoB was very helpful in supplying information and pointing out the regulations. The Construction attorney supplied me with many items that should be included in a contract (and they are all in the book). Engineers, Architects and Contractors all shared typical repair challenges, and even provided case studies. I particularly liked speaking with the New York Special Riggers Association. I learned that often getting to the area that needs repair is the key challenge (and expense).  

Did you have encouragement along the way?

Actually, some people questioned my sanity on spending two years writing about facade repairs, scaffolding, access methods and government regulations. They thought no one would want to read anything so boring. That’s when I got the idea of inserting comics to make it fun to read. I hired a comic artist to illustrate the key points. The book includes over 60 comics and 200 photographs. Even though the material is pretty dry, people walk away smiling.

How is your book distributed?

The book is available on Amazon A Step by Step Guide to Navigating the Facade Inspection Safety Program. However, Board Members and Property Managers can get a FREE copy by emailing facades101@gmail.com

Did you say FREE?!

Yes, that is correct. The 150-page color guide is expensive to print, but several enthusiastic industry vendors have purchased the book in bulk, and they are happy to give them to Property Managers and Board Members for free in exchange for a short introductory meeting. 

What are your follow-up plans?

This has been a fun project. I love the idea of Boards having a comprehensive guide; there is even a fun test at the end for them to test themselves on what they have learned. But now that the book is published, I am happy to go back to retirement!

At The Folson Group, our goal is to inspire you to run your building like a business. We enable and inspire co-op or condo board engagements to be filled with a feeling of accomplishment, excitement, meaning, happiness, and increased probability of success.

Read more about our FISP construction contract administration services, and email us at info@thefolsongroup.com or call (917) 648-8154.