Urszula Karlsson´s Interview

The interview begins as we take a stroll through Miraflores and head to the community where she has been president for 16 years.
Urszula is polite and jovial but as soon as we bring up the subject of Gran Comunidad she becomes more formal. She takes this responsibility very seriously.

During the walk she has stopped to chat with some members of the community, others have greeted her and another has approached her to discuss a parking issue.

I want to create community, a sense of community, because together we can do more things and do them faster.

Miraflores is a Community that includes 18 micro-communities. Coordinating everything must be complicated?
It is not complicated, you just need to dedicate time and be clear about the direction. It is also essential to have a professional and solvent administrator. I am sincerely happy with the work done by the Meridional office. In any case, I have been working and running my own business all my life and I can understand priorities and urgencies. There was also a time when I worked in my husband’s construction company, where I took care of administrative tasks and we grew to 125 employees. It was a very stressful time, but also a very lovely time because I learned the value of working in a team and the loneliness of making decisions, which not everyone likes, but which have to be made.

What made you stand for president of Gran Comunidad?
I am also a homeowner, I am also affected by everything that happens in Miraflores. I understand perfectly well that some owners arrive with a problem that is important to them. I too have suffered from burst pipes, electrical faults, the poor state of the streets and the lack of parking. I didn’t want to run, but a group of people met with me and insisted that I do it and I don’t regret it. Honestly, I think we have done well during this time, despite the difficult times we have all had. We have been faced with new problems to solve and for which there was no handbook and, honestly, I think we have done well. The essential thing is always to keep the owners safe within the community and that the environment is always clean and cared for. And all the changes we are making are aimed at increasing beauty and wellbeing, without forgetting security.

What do you like most about this job as president?
The contact with people, being able to help them. I don’t mind receiving calls and e-mails telling me about anything that happens in Gran Comunidad. Nor do I mind being asked questions of any other kind, from legal issues to questions about tax matters. If I don’t know the answer, I give them Meridional’s telephone number or I go to the office myself and speak to them about the problem.

What do you like the least about this job?
There is really nothing I don’t like, and being president of Pueblo 1, I am already aware of what comes with the job. The most complicated thing sometimes is explaining administrative and legal issues that don’t seem like common sense, but it’s the law. Apart from that, there is nothing I don’t like. Of course there are bad moments, but they soon pass.

What challenges do you have ahead of you?
There are still problems that we could call historical, that go back 5 years or more and that we are now trying to solve, after years in which nothing has moved. An example of this is the pedestrian bridge. At least we now have it made safe and with a good company, because we have spent many years without it, and thank goodness we have not had any misfortune. It is incomprehensible how no one had worried about the insurance of this basic infrastructure for Miraflores.

What vision of Miraflores would you like to implement?
I want to create community, a sense of community, because together we can do more things and do them faster. That’s why I think that initiatives such as having this website that can be updated and not be left forgotten and creating a new logo that the 18 communities can use freely and without having to ask for permission, seem to me to be another way of reinforcing the identity of Miraflores.

Why has the street and garden cleaning service been changed?
Without wishing to take any credit away, and even less so after so many years of service, it is true that complaints had increased and, in order to resolve them, they asked for their budget to be increased (you can find more details in the news). As is normal, we wanted to compare and see what the market was like. For us it was a surprise to see that we´ll get more service for the same money, and they also include other services that were previously paid for separately. So it would be accurate to say that they are comparatively cheaper.

Are you going to improve the service or are they just cheaper?
The decision was not taken lightly. Before giving the final approval, we also found out about the new contractor and they have a very good track record. Meridional even called other administrators and communities to get their opinion and they have always spoken very well of them and recommended them to us. If they don’t cost us a single € more, I think the decision makes sense.