Spring is coming, but there is still so much left to do!

Hello again, Greater Hartford BOMA's President Wes Nicoll checking in for our monthly chat. As has become the norm, a quick note about weather. It's still cold, there is still snow on the ground, and it's been a while since our temperature has spent much time above freezing. But alas, it's been over a month since pitchers and catchers reported for Spring Training, and my calendar tells me that as I write this I am but 7 days away from spring. So why am I not excited about spring yet? Because there's so much left to do! Just because the temp comes up and the snow is gone, doesn't mean winter and all it's woes are gone. You will find signs of the harsh winter all around (especially where the NEREJ readers reside!). And until you take care of all of the little "surprises" winter has left behind, you'll never be able to enjoy the beautiful Spring and beyond! And it's not just Mother Nature that has been abusing your buildings for the last few months, some of the things we have to do to keep our properties operating in the winter cause additional and accelerated wear and tear. Salt in all of it's shapes and forms (and mixes) is a great tool against ice and the resulting dreaded slip and falls of winter. But unfortunately it also eats away at just about everything that it touches. So you may find that small sidewalk crack from last year is now big enough to swallow an entire size 5 shoe. And that nice door frame that was just installed last year, is rusted at the bottom, and the thresholds, and the pavers, and the stairway, and the list just goes on and on. So, now is the time to get out there and inspect your properties for the ravages of winter. You may find you have leaks in your roof that have been hidden under the snow that hasn't had a chance to melt yet, or perhaps some nice signs you had that got buried (and crushed) under a pile of snow. All sorts of surprises for property managers when the snow disappears. So let's all get that stuff taken care of so we can look ahead... And looking ahead for us here at Greater Hartford BOMA reveals a full slate of activities coming up for the year. March 30th - April 1st BOMA Boston will be hosting the 2014 BOMA Mid-Atlantic Conference. The MAC's (as they are called) are always a fun filled few days, packed with networking, education, and opportunities. With BOMA members representing locals from Buffalo to Baltimore, it's a great chance to catch up and/or meet your BOMA counterparts from other cities. Greater Hartford's local plans to make a strong showing of support at this event, we hope you will consider joining us. Full details can be found at www.gbreb.com/boma/mac On a more local note, our March program will be about the NEW CT FASTRACK Bus Line currently under construction. This program will be at the Society Room of Hartford located at 31 Pratt St. in Downtown Hartford, Thursday March 27th, beginning at 7:30 a.m. April's program is on the very successful Energize CT's C-Pace program which allows building owners to finance qualifying energy efficiency and clean energy improvements through placing a voluntary assessment on their property tax bill. This will be on April 24th, again at 7:30 a.m. and again at The Society Room, Hartford. May 15th will be our annual Golf Warm-up event, Nine/ Wine/ and Dine to be held once again at Wintonbury Hills Golf Course in Bloomfield. Other programs to watch for later this year will be a walking tour of Hartford, a tour of the new Jackson Labs facility being built in Farmington, and a return of the TOBY awards! There is still plenty of time to get involved in many ways. We have committees that could use a little help, we have sponsorship opportunities available, and of course we are always happy to welcome in new members. Feel free to stop by and check us out at www.bomahartford.org/ Wes Nicoll is the president of BOMA Greater Hartford, and is with Griffin Land, Bloomfield, Conn.