Welcome

Welcome to the new Malibu East Condominium website. Please click the About button above to find out more about us and our website. The left sidebar on every page has a Site Navigation menu and a Search box near the bottom. This website is still under construction, so please check back often to see what’s new. Your feedback comments are always welcome.

Steve Diamond’s adventure in volunteering

By Tracy Poyser

Some kids are lucky enough from early childhood to set their inner compass for a life where borders don’t exist, and no place is too far to explore. Our neighbor Steve Diamond not only followed that compass but decided early on that he wanted to immerse himself in other cultures and live in far-flung places long enough to become a true citizen of the world. So, when he saw the item in the December 2022 Dialogue asking for volunteer experiences, he responded right away – and we couldn’t have found a more compelling story. Our hour-long interview last month prompted me to pull out my National Geographic Atlas, and I hope you’ll do the same. [more...]

Management Report: March 2023

By Violette Deschamps, Malibu East Manager

Office Hours SLIDING DOORS: We have gathered and continue to gather information with respect to water damage to the common elements owned by the Association, in the vicinity of sliding doors as observed in several units located on the upper floors of the building. Observations indicate that the damage is the result of long-term water leaks from the sliding doors originally installed in the units. Management is in the process of assessing the units in which the original sliding doors are causing water damage to units. Further, the original sliding doors are causing water damage in the units where they are installed and the units below, impacting on the concrete slab, cinder blocks, drywall and floor finishes, and electrical conduit/wiring. Mold growth is also to be expected in those cases. [more...]

2023 capital projects will enhance Malibu East

By Sam Bullock

The 2023 budget for Malibu East includes several capital projects. The purpose of this article is to provide some information regarding the top projects and their expected value to our Association. There is no special assessment planned nor discussed to pay for these projects; the costs will be paid out of the reserve fund.

Residential Hallways – It is no secret that our residential hallways need major TLC. They were last redecorated in 2005/2006 and it is amazing that they have served us for 17 years. Our common spaces, including the hallways, are the first impression visitors and prospective buyers have of Malibu East. If we want to become the most desirable address in Edgewater, we must improve our curb appeal, inside and out. [more...]

Staff appreciation luncheon - A timeless tradition

By Tracy Poyser

LaTerry Dorsey As we begin another challenging year, with many uncertainties facing all of us in these crazy times, it’s heartwarming to know that one thing hasn’t changed: the loyalty of our Malibu East staff and management. Their untiring work and day-to-day dedication are what makes life in our building so enjoyable, and having (almost) all of them gathered in the Windjammer Room for the annual employee holiday luncheon on Dec. 16 was heartwarming. [more...]

A day in the life of our property manager

By Tracy Poyser

This is the third article in our series titled “A day in the life of …,” intended to provide our readers with a detailed look at the everyday tasks of those who work at Malibu East. Later articles in this series will appear on an irregular basis.

There is no doubt that the nerve center of our 500-unit vertical village is the three-room Management Office near our lobby entrance. It’s where our property manager, Violette Deschamps, helped by her assistant, Scott, packs an incredible number of actions into each workday to help keep Malibu East such a wonderful home for all of us. It requires someone with a multifaceted background, communication skills, organizational talent, project management experience, diplomacy, patience, resilience, ability to not accept “no” as an answer, and a commitment to excellence. [more...]

Voices from Ukraine

Personal accounts shared by Malibu East families

The devastation, death and unspeakable hardships being endured by the people of Ukraine are casting their pall here, close to home. Members of two families born there, and with relatives involved in the battle for the survival of their homeland, feel the chill of their loved ones’ fear every day. Two of our writers, Tracy Poyser and Ron Cohn, have gotten their stories, and share them here with readers of the Dialogue. [more...]

State of the Association

By Arthur Arfa, President

This is a short report on what the Board has accomplished since our last annual meeting. Several of the chairs of some of the committees will also provide more detail on the accomplishments of those committees. In addition, our treasurer will provide an overview of the Association’s current financial condition.

First, I would like to thank my fellow Board members and all residents that have participated in the various committees that have made our successes in this year possible. [more...]

A day in the life of our garage manager

By Tracy Poyser

This is the second article in our series titled “A day in the life of …,” intended to provide our readers with a detailed look at the everyday tasks of those who work at Malibu East. Subsequent articles in this series will appear on an irregular basis.

The more I delve into what it takes for a 500-unit residential building to run smoothly, the more I admire the dedication and skill needed to manage day-to-day operations like our garage. Who better to give us a behind-the-scenes look at this crucial part of Malibu East than Shariq Abbas, who took over from Ali Saeed 10 months ago and was named the new garage manager at the start of 2022. Ali had left Malibu East after nine years here for a new assignment, knowing he left our garage operations in good hands with Shariq, who had already been the garage supervisor from 2008 to 2021. [more...]

Vicki Blair makes us smile

By Linda Eng

When someone’s joy in life is bringing a smile to others, then they are someone you will want to know. Vicki Blair, married to her high school sweetheart Sean and the mother of Rachel and Michael, has been doing just that in many ways.

During the COVID-19 outbreak she was on the front lines, working at Integrated Holistic Healthcare in Wilmette, and she never took time off during the pandemic. Vicki spoke of the constant attention given to her staff and clients that kept everyone healthy. She was very satisfied with their incredibly low number of COVID cases, but this work took a personal toll, and she sought help and advice from a life coach. She dug deep into her life and decided to change careers to put her creative self out there. [more...]

A tough act to follow

By Neil Warner

Marcel Molins Malibu East is one very fortunate condo association. We are blessed to have had a visionary leader who committed his time and energy, as well as his formidable skills, toward the goal of making this Association the best it could be. Remarkably, he did it for more than 30 years.

When Marcel Molins was elected Board president in 1986, nobody thought he would continue to hold the position into the 2020s. Probably not even Marcel. When he passed away at home on March 1 at age 84, Malibu East lost its most ardent proponent. [more...]

Mary & Peg - newlyweds on front lines of COVID-19

By Tracy Poyser as told by Mary Rodriguez & Peg Paugh

Peg and MaryDuring these uncertain times, Malibu East still seems like a haven of safety. We all have neighbors and friends in high-risk occupations, from health care to essential services. I’m lucky to live next door to Mary Rodriguez and Peg Paugh, two amazing women who work in high-risk professions while still finding the time to do grocery shopping for me and other neighbors after the stay-at-home order took effect. And, when Mary told me they had gotten married April 23 in the middle of the lockdown, I thought their story would make our June Dialogue sing! Because of social distancing, we did our interview via email. [more...]

Very different life paths led to historic marriage

By Beth Robinson

Ron Dorfman and Ken Ilio
Ron Dorfman and Ken Ilio (from the Chicago Gay History Project)
With cake and about 100 guests, Ken Ilio and Ron Dorfman, longtime residents of Malibu East, celebrated their marriage in a reception at Phil Stefani’s 437 Rush, formerly Riccardo’s, in January. The location had special significance for Ron, who had spent many hours there with fellow journalists after hours.

Ken and Ron had made history as the first gay men to legally marry in Illinois when a Catholic woman priest conducted their wedding ceremony in the Northwestern Memorial Hospital chapel in December. Coincidentally, the first gay women to marry in Illinois (Nov. 27), Vernita Gray and Patricia Ewert, also were Malibu East residents. (Vernita died at home March 18 at age 65 after a long battle with breast cancer.) A judge had granted both couples the right to marry before the Illinois gay marriage law takes effect, due to health considerations. Ron Dorfman had a serious heart condition and passed away at home Feb. 10 at age 73. [more...]

A special Thanksgiving for special neighbors

By Tracy Poyser

Vernita Gray and Pat EwertUnless you turned off your radio and TV and didn’t read any local or national papers in the days surrounding this year’s Thanksgiving, you won’t have missed the exciting news about two very special Malibu East neighbors. By court order, longtime Chicago activist Vernita Gray married Pat Ewert, her partner of five years, on Nov. 27, making them the first same-sex couple in the state’s history to be legally married within Illinois. Their touching and joyous ceremony was performed in their Malibu East apartment by Judge Patricia Logue, former head of Lambda Legal Midwest and a longtime lesbian activist, in front of about 25 family members and friends. [more...]