Sunday, June 28, 2009

Boat illegally tied up to our fishing pier.

A boater illegally tied up to our fishing pier. The Sheriff's Department was notified and in about 10 minutes two Deputies arrived at ITC. The Deputies were advised that a resident had told the boater that he could not tie up to the pier but he ignored the warning stating he was visiting someone who lived at ITC. The Deputies finally found the boater and told him to leave. The boater complied.

Roofing Update & Parking Obstruction

The final phase of the roofing project will begin Monday, Jun 29, 09. The contractor will be using a crane to lift materials up to the roof. The crane will be set up in various locations, in the drive way, along the front (south) side of both towers.

If you have a parking slot in the carports, in front of either tower, park somewhere else Sunday night. Otherwise you may wind up blocked in by the crane.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Trespassers & Theft

The problem of trespassers and theft are not just a problem for us. I was informed by a resident of Mediterranean Manor, that they have had trespassers searching for unlocked cars. When an unlocked car is found, anything of value is stolen. The Sheriff was called and they caught a thief. He confessed to his method of operation.

There are three morals to this story:
1. make sure you always lock your car;
2. make sure you never leave anything of value in your car;
3. call the Sheriff if you see anything suspicious. The non-emergency number is 727-582-6200. Put the number on your speed dial list, and test it to make sure that it works. Don't be afraid to call. The Sheriff will come and investigate. Even if they arrive too late, their presence will tell anyone watching that we are watching too. And we will call the Sheriff's Department, so move on and look for an easier target.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Board Meeting: Jun 23, 09, summary

The complete minutes should be posted at http://www.condominiumassociates.com/, sometime next week. The key points of the meeting are as follows:

1. Contracts and purchases approved by the Board:

a. Piper Fire: approved a $3,600 contract to repair a rusting pipe in the east tower fire pump room. The contract includes demolition/pouring new concrete and replacing rusted pipe.

b. Bay Side Sandblasting: approved a $4,100 contract for cleaning first floor sidewalks, patios, shuffle board area, and curbs.

c. Bay Area Window Cleaning: approved a $3,360 contract for one time cleaning of the exterior of windows/sliding glass door/window sills, and dry brushing screens. It was confirmed that the contractor can clean the windows & screens without entering the units. Steve suggested that we hold off until all renovation are done.

d. New grill: approve purchase of new grill that will function better in high wind conditions. The old grill is pretty well rusted out. The grill should be in before the Fourth of July Party.

2. Establishment of special assessment surplus accounts: the Finance Committee recommended the establishment of three surplus special assessment account (Master, East, & West), in order to reduce the overall number of accounts we have to manage. These three take the place of the seven special assessment accounts we previously had. Also, any other special assessment repairs will be funded directly from these accounts, instead of starting new account for each repair project. Two projects currnetly scheduled to be funded from these accounts are the installation of new 3" main water lines, and the installation of hard wired smoke detectors. Both projects were previously approved by the Board. (NOTE: Jodie Cannon reported water and sand seeping onto the asphalt where the current 3" water main pipe was repaired.)

3. Trespassers: the following incidents were mentioned at the meeting:

a. teenagers seen congregating in or near the carports;

b. one owner has reported his car being broken into;

c. two teenage girls spotted going into the outside pool maintenance room;

d. female trespasser using the pool at night;

e. one resident reported a large plant container stolen of her front entryway.

4. Pinellas Sheriff's non-emergency number 727-582-6200: anytime you see anything suspicious, call the Sheriff. They will come and investigate the complaint. There is no need to confront anyone, that is the sheriff's job. Even if they arrive late, it will set anyone watching on notice that someone will call the police. Put this number on your speed dial, and test it to make sure it works. Don't be afraid to call, that is what the Sheriff is there for, and they will investigate.

Repair of damaged carport roof, East Tower

Pyramid Alum. just started the repairs on the roof of the east tower's south carport. The repair is being hampered by rains, but should be completed early next week. Southern Roofing, or one of it's subs is paying for the repairs.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Save www.islandtowersdunedin.blogspot.com, to your Favorites

I asked to let everyone know that the quickest way to get to www.islandtowersdunedin.blogspot.com, is to save it in your "Favorites" file.

Monthly Tues. Board Meeting, Jun 23, 09, 6:00 PM

Monthly board meetings are conducted at 6:00 PM, on the 4th Tuesday, of each month. This month's meeting is Tuesday, Jun 23, 09. I going to see if the agenda and monthly board packages can be posted at http://www.condominiumassociates.com/.

Guide Dog visiting ITC West Tower

Just got word from Carmine that an owner in the West Tower will be having a visit from disable guest, who assisted by a guide dog. So if you see a dog just remember its working.

In case your wondering, an animal trained to assist the hadicapped is the only exception to the no dogs allowed rule.

Friday, June 19, 2009

4th of July Party/BBQ

Update. The 4th of July Party will be held at the pool/clubhouse and start at 5:00 PM. Bring you own food & berverage, and one dish to share with everyone else. If you have any question, call Jim Duffy, 736-5964.

Warranty Work- Walkways, stairs, and balconies

The staining problems on the walkways and stairwells has been caused by the solvent based clear top coat attacking the sub finishes & caulking.

Gulf Coast Water Proofing's solution is to seal the current surfaces a water based epoxy coating. This will serve as the new bottom coat. Next an acrylic based material will be applied, followed by a clear acrylic top coat. A test area has been designated on the 8th floor, East Tower. The test could start as early as this Monday, and will take two days (much shorter than the prior estimate of 4-7 days) to apply. After an appropriate monitoring period, and assuming there aren't any problems, all the walkways and stairwells will be redone.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Warranty Work- Walkways, stairs, and balconies

On Jun 17, at 9:00 AM, I met with Terry Howard, President, Gulf Coast Water Proofing, Ted Graham, our project engineer, and Principle at KWA Eng. and Steve Carpenter, our property manager. Terry had requested the meeting to review/plan for a permanent fix for the defects that have developed on the walkways/stairwells.

Terry thanked us for our patiance and assured us that under our warranty, the problem would be corrected. I asked him to provide us with an email that summarized the problem and outline his solution. He'll do that over the next few days.

Terry believes that the solution will work, but he would like to test it first. He'd like us to identify one half of an entire floor as the test area. This area would have to be blocked off for approximately 4-7 days, while the repair work is done. Then the test area would be monitored for a yet to be determined period of time (NOTE: The current defects took about 1 - 2 plus months to appear.) If the solution works, it would be applied to the rest of the walkways/stairwells. If the solution does not work, we are looking at a complete removal of the current surface. (NOTE: This would be the most inconvenient alternative for our residents.)

Steve thinks that he has a potential test area (East Tower, 8th floor, 801E to 803E). However, he needs to confirm that the owners won't need access during the 4-7 day repair period. He'll check and get back to us.

Terry re-emphasized that the problem would be resolved even if they had to remove the current surface and start over. And once again thanked us for being patient.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Weekly meeting with Steve, Wednesday, Jun 17, 09

1. Signed checks: Master, $9,861.85; West, $31.04; East, $31.04.

2. Agenda for next weeks Board Meeting: Steve needs it finalize today so he can post and mail this Friday.

3. Power cleaning sidewalks, curbs & patios: Bayside Sandblasting Inc. just gave us a revised quote: remove paint from curb, $1,700, clean sidewalks, patios & shuffle board area, $2,400. Put on Agenda for a vote.

4. East Tower, Fire Pump Room, rusting water pump pipe: Piper Fire quoted $3,600 to repair the rusting pipe. Put on Agenda for a vote.

5. Contract for hard wiring smoke detectors: McKee has been tied up on another project. They'll make another attempt to secure permits this week.

6. Contract to install new 3" water main pipes to the buildings: Allen Plumbing's contract is still being reviewed by our attorney. Steve will call the attorney for an update.

7. Underwater pool lights not working: Rick's Pool Service was contacted last week to do the repairs. Steve will call and find out when the repairs are scheduled.

8. Motion sensitive security lights for the pool area: McKee Electric will repair the lights. There may be a problem with the lights that were located on the north-west side of the clubhouse. They can't be located and may have been covered up during the renovation. Steve is trying to find anyone who remembers where the light was located.

9. Trespassers: have been spotted in the pool (at night) and going into the maintenance room for the pool/spa pump. Steve says that anyone who sees a trespasser should not try to confront them. Instead call the Pinellas Sheriff's non-emergency number, 727-582-6200. They'll respond and investigate.

10. Official pool hours: are from dawn to dusk. The pool can not be use after dark because our lighting is not up to code. Signs posted around the pool state that the pool closes at dusk.

11. Installation of fire sprinklers in trash chute: Contract was awarded to Piper Fire, for $420/building. When they went in to make the installation, they discovered that the sprinkler were in fact present (just difficult to find). Steve cancelled the contract.

12. Kayak being store illegally: Steve received a complaint about a resident storing a kayak in the carport. He is investigating and will send the resident a letter.

13. Steve is going on vacation: from Jun 25 - Jul 5, 09. He will be back to work on Monday Jul 6, 09.

14. Work order request: when a work order is received at CA, it is written up and given to Steve. He reviews the order with Bev and she developes a work list and supervises Jose #2. When he (Jose #2) finishes a work order item, he notes it on the Bev's work list. Steve checks the Bev's list weekly and deletes all finished work orders from CA's master list.

15. An owner's request for reimbursement for repair of water/mold damage: Steve has denied the request; however, he has sent the matter to our attorney for a final opinion.

16. Test area for walkway repair: Terry Howard requested that we identify an area the size of half an entire floor for Gulf Coast to test their repair solution. The area will be blocked off for 4-7 days. Steve believes that the 8th floor of the East Tower, from 801E to 803E is empty for the summer. He'll check with the owners and confirm that the area can be blocked off for the required period.

17. Black stain on 8th floor of West Tower: Steve received the work request for the paint stains on the 8th floor, from the front of the elevator to the trash chute. He recommends that we wait and let it be fixed in the walkway repair. My concern is that the Gulf Coast may not be willing to assume liability for the repair of the paint stains.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Sunset at Island Towers


The founding members of the Sunset Club, watching another beautiful sunset. (Left click on the pics for full screen view.)

4th of July Party/BBQ

Just got word from Jim Duffy & Pat Beck that a party/BBQ is being organized for the 4th of July. We'll keep you posted as more information becomes available.

Warranty Work- Walkways, stairs, and balconies















Hopefully, later this week, or early next, there will be a meeting to finalize the repair plan for the walkways, stairwells and balconies. The results of the meeting will be posted here.

The problems are as follows (Left click on the pics for full screen view):

1. Dark stains in various sizes: The stains vary from a light gray to black, and seem to be below the surface finish. They can't be remove without damaging the surface finish. The stains are present on every floor & stairwell.

2. Deterioration of the caulking where the walkway meets the wall: The caulking never really harden. It remained sticky & soft, and as a result dirt stuck to it. Now, in many places, the caulking is covered over with dirt, and has turned black. At some point, an attempt was made to paint over the caulking. Now, in places, the painted caulking has cracked and blistered.

Links to other useful web sites

I am developing a list of web site that will provide you with a wealth of valuable information about the Dunedin area. A complete list of web site links are located on the bottom of the blog. The information that is available is extensive. If you want know about Dunedin City Government/facilities, Downtown businesses, demographic statistics, movies at local theatres, the weather forecast, Pinellas County parks, restaurants, etc, its there.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Protect your cell phone from telemarketers!

Sometime in July 2009, telemarketers will be allowed to call cell phone numbers. If you want to prevent these annoying calls, do the following. Call 1-888-382-1222, or go to www.donotcall.gov, and register your cell phone number (or any other phone number) on the "do not call directory". If you call by phone, the call must be made from the phone you want to register.

www.condominiumassociates.com: for help & info

Condominium Associates' website, http://www.condominiumassociates.com/, is a great source for help and information. We have just started using it this year, so it is also a work in progress. What is available should improve as we learn more about the site's capabilities, and how to use them for our membership.

What are we trying to accomplish by using CA's web site?

1. Information transparency: our goal is to have every important document pertaining to Island Towers posted on this site. This will include everything from financials (monthlies, and audits), to by laws, rules/regulations, to minutes of meetings, to contracts (insurance, work projects, etc). Everything an owner could want to know will be available to read and/or download.

2. Provide help to Members:
a. Information & application forms: The site will have all forms, that are used by the Island Towers Condo Asscociation, available for downloading, i.e. application forms for sale/lease of units.
b. Work Requests: Members can now enter work request directly into CA's planning system. This important becuase it enhases accountability/tracking. Once a work request in entered in the system it will be investigated, and if valid, corrective action will be scheduled as quickly as manpower availability will permit. The important thing is that once its in the system there is much better accountability.

As with this blog site, this is all new and we are still learning. Hopefully things will improve as we learn more and get input. Just remember that all this is being done to improve things for members of the Island Towers Condominium Association, so feel free to comment, and add your opinions.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Upcoming Projects

The following projects have already been approved by the Board:

1. Installation of new 3" watermain to the buildings: The contract was awarded to Allen Plumbing, and is being reviewed/finalized by our attorney. Hopefully, we should be commencing in the next few weeks.

2. Hard wiring of smoke detectors in individual units: McKee Electric is in the process of securing permits. Once this is accomplished, installation will start, and will take around 30 minutes/condo. According to McKee, there will be little to no clean up.

3. Restoration of the outside recreational areas: these are in que to be restored; however, no time has been assigned for there completion. This includes the horse shoe and schuffle board areas.

Warranty Work- Walkways, stairs, and balconies

By mutual consent, it was agreeded that the warranty repairs of the walkways, stairs, and balconies, would be delayed until the roof project was completed. Since we are almost done with the roof, it was decided to start on the walkways et all. I'll post with further details as they become available.

Roof Project Update

The roof is almost complete. The only things left to do is metal work, i.e. new stair to the elevator maintenance rooms, new access stairs to the roof (from the 8th floor), and railings on the roof (required by code). The metal work should be done and the installation started around June 29, 09. It should take less than a week to install, and then we are done! Except for paying the bills.
This blog is being established to provide owners/residents information about what is going on at Island Towers