News

Association Liabilities — Ignorance is not Bliss

So what keeps you up at night? If you are a condo board member or a property manager, it might be that dreaded phone call reporting calamity at the condominium. Whether it is the report of a fire; or a frozen sprinkler leak; or an injury due to a common element failure, the association’s actions….

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Helen Watts Hired by Criterium Engineers as Senior Structural Engineer

Helen Watts was recently hired by Criterium Engineers as senior structural engineer. She previously worked at Criterium Engineers from 2000-07. For the past 12 years, Watts ran her own structural engineering business, Helen Watts Engineering, based in Bowdoin, Maine. Watts has over 30 years of industrial, bridge, commercial, marine and residential hands-on professional engineering experience…..

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Congratulations to Our Client: The New School, a New York City University

The New School is a world renowned, progressive university, founded in 1919, with its main campus in New York City. They house a design school, liberal arts college, performing arts college, and graduate programs. Students collaborate across disciplines and learn new ways of creative problem solving to effect positive change in the world. Officials at….

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How to Hire a Condo Engineer: 4 Steps

Make sure you actually need one, too They don’t teach you how to hire an engineer in school. Indeed most folks have never had the occasion to hire an engineer or an architect in their whole life. This is also true for most condominium or HOA board members. So how does a condo board go….

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Is Your Condo Breathing? Why Building Ventilation is Critical

If your condo board is planning for a re-roofing project, remind the board the project will not be a success without an in-depth consideration being given to the condition of the building ventilation under the roof. Inadequate attic venting will cause ice dams; energy loss; and moisture damage to the roof structure. Too often roof….

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Winter Is Coming—Are You Ready? 10 Tips to Help You Prepare

Can you believe winter officially begins in just over three weeks?! This season plagues even the sturdiest among us—as with winter comes the inevitable storms of the season. Here are preventive tips to help you prepare for and deal with winter storms: Insulate the attic to keep roof surface cold and help avoid ice dams…..

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Cam Grant Achieves Reserve Specialist Credential

V. Campbell “Cam” Grant, P.E, at Criterium Engineers is a familiar face for many of our clients, especially those who represent Homeowner Associations. We’re pleased to announce that Cam recently achieved the Community Association Institute’s (CAI) Reserve Specialist (RS®) designation. The CAI website notes that this designation is awarded to qualified reserve specialists who, through….

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Featured Project: Children’s Museum of Maine

Congratulations to our client, Cyrus Hagge of Project Management, Inc., on the recent sale of the Children’s Museum of Maine, a landmark building at 142 Free Street in Portland, Maine. The museum building was sold to the Portland Museum of Art, located next door. This MaineBiz article features details about the sale. Criterium Engineers performed….

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Weighing New Roofing Decisions

Some board members may think roofing decisions are over their heads (forgive the pun). Condominium board members and property managers of urban mid and high-rise buildings often face flat roof maintenance issues and now a new wrinkle in the process of roofing decisions has arisen: black or white. In the recent past most flat roofs….

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