Expresso Parkade Cleaning

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

8:00a - 4:00p

In order to facilitate a thorough cleaning we ask that all cars and items on the ground be removed.

The corporation and the contractor Komodo Services Inc. will not accept responsibility for any damage to vehicles or possessions that are not removed during the cleaning.

Note: please consider putting a tarp over the things in your storage unit as there will be excessive dust during this time.

Thank you for your patience and 

cooperation at this time!

Spring Update

Hello Spring! 

Although it keeps snowing the board is talking about Spring clean-up.  Here are some updates for you.

Carpet and Painting

As you can see the painting and carpet have been replaced.  We hope you like it.  The board is happy with the result.  There are a few touch ups to do but overall the main work is complete.  Like you, we want to keep the carpet and paint in the best condition possible so we ask you to keep the following in mind:

1. Wipe your feet when you come in.  We placed a carpet inside the East side door, like the one at the front door, to wipe your feet off.  We also increase the cleaning to ensure we keep the new carpet in the best condition possible.
2. When opening doors please try to avoid scraping keys and sharp objects along the door when pushing them open.  This will ensure we can avoid doing too many touch ups.
3. Be careful when moving large items in and out of the building.  There is a $100 charge to move in or out of the building, this is payable to Connelly and Company and we use it cover any damage that may occur during the move.

Front Steps

We put up signage during the cold months to make sure people were careful when using the steps.  We are currently reviewing quotes to fix the stairs.  This will include a quote to repair the cement pad at the bottom of the steps.  We want to do the proper work now so we don't have to do additional repairs in the near term.  Cement work was slated for 2018 in the most recent reserve fund study, we will use some of those funds now to repair the front steps.  This work will be started once we review and choose the contractor to do it.  Hang tight...they will be repaired soon.

Recycling

We are talking about recycling and the request the city made of all condo units having a recycling program in place by 2016. More to come.

Insurance Premiums

Are going up for us too.  Like most properties in Calgary our insurance premiums are going up too.  We will budget according.  

Shaw Cable

A few units are experiencing issues with the Shaw cable connection in their unit, including a couple board members.  Shaw suggests a couple fixes, one being running a line up the side of the building into the unit from the tower.  We aren't prepared to grant approval to run the lines on the exterior of the building just yet.  I know I have issues sometimes, not always.  The internal cable is old, this is an issue, we need to discuss further.  More to come on this.  In the meantime sorry for any inconvenience this is causing.  I know people with TELUS TV and it is working ok.  

Spring Clean-up

It is that time of year when we will have the parkade swept out.  We typically wait till the street sweeping is complete and the snow stops.  This will be the case again this year.  We are all looking forward to the clean up around the building.  Soon enough it will be nice outside, the tree will get their leaves back and we can all enjoy the outdoors.

What else can you expect this Spring?

The next big project will be to inspect the patios.  We are required to inspect the integrity of the patios.  This means, removing the surface of the decks to ensure the structural elements are safe and sound.  No reason to worry, this is a preventative practice and we are right on schedule.  Any repairs or replacements needed will be done.  This work will not all be completed in 2014, it will be ongoing over the next couple years.  We are in planning mode, more to come on this.  Just know the board is on top of it, right on time and will ensure we do it a cost efficient as possible, not sacrificing quality.  

We live in an amazing building that is very well maintained.  We continue to make timely decision to protect your (our our) investment.  Happy Spring! more to come.

Expresson Condo Board

INSTRUCTIONS FOR KEY DROP - Door painting

INSTRUCTIONS FOR KEY DROP

1.  Use clear plastic zip bag

2.  Mark your unit number on the label/bag

3.  Mark “R” to return the key under the door  at the end of the day or “K” to keep the key for 2 days

*If you mark “R”, please remember to put your key under the door for the following day

4. Place key in a ziplock bag and zip closed

5.  Slide the bag under the door of the main floor Mechanical room

2014 RENOVATIONS UPDATE

WEEKS OF JAN 13^TH & JAN 20^TH

Individual Unit doors will be painted and access to Owner/Tenant units will be required.  

UNIT ACCESS REQUIRED 3^rd Floor

THRUSDAY JAN 16^TH & Friday JAN 17^TH 

We will require unit access to all 3rd floor units for both days. Please either arrange to be home, or alternatively we have a secure system on the main level Mechanical Room door for you to leave your key.

The doors will have to be left slightly opened so the paint will properly dry. For those who leave us their key, we will have someone on the premises all day that will pick up your key from the main floor and monitor your unlocked door. 

If you reside on another floor and would prefer your door to be done on the above days, or if you have any questions or concerns, please call Jim 403-921-7719 or Darynn 403-228-1557 at Connelly &Company.

PLEASE REFER TO THE CALENDAR IN THE FRONT ENTRANCE FOR 

RENOVATION UPDATES 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION

Minutes from October Board Meeting

The winter has arrived.  Please remember to be careful when walking up the stairs at both doors, they can be slippery before the snow removal company arrives.  Also please remember to keep your windows and doors closed on cold days.  The cold air could freeze the water in the pipes and they could burst, this would be a hefty special assessment for owners if we had to fix pipes.

What's going on these days?

1.  Reno's are coming soon. Some of you may have run across the board looking at carpet and paint swatches over the last couple months.  It is great to have a couple new board members, it allowed us to do a vote to make the final selection.  It was a very close vote of 4 to 3 but we all happy with the outcome.  We are waiting for the final quote to ensure we can manage both the carpet and the painting costs and then we will put together a schedule to do this work.

What can you expect during this process? 

• This will require access to units as certain times.  We are going to post a large calendar of events in the front lobby, post to the blog and potentially mail out notices. 
• The painters have to open your door to paint around the door and trim. 
• We have all decided to place rubber on the stairs from the main level to parkade.  This is a high traffic area and the carpet takes a beating,  the rubber will last longer, look great and match with the carpet and tile.
• We are all very excited about the face lift our building is going to get.  Now the halls will look as great as our units! 
• None of us love to make arrangements to allow the contractors into our units, it is a pain in the butt.  This will be short term pain for long term gain!

2.  Thank you for your cooperation during the Fire Alarm testing.  It was very successful and was successfully completed.  It is a very important process, we did replace fire detectors is a few units as they were not operating as efficiently as they could be.  Safety is very important and we are glad to see you are all committed to keeping our building safe from fire.  We are done for another year.



3.  An updated Reserve Fund Study is available.  Owners can request a digital copy from Connelly.


4.  We are now into the winter months and will of course be faced with the same things as most winters.  A few reminders...

• When it gets really cold the garage door acts up, the sensor is set off by the collision of hot and cold air.  This causes the door to go up a down a few times in a row.  Not ideal, we know, but something we have to deal with.  We have had many people out to look at our garage door and everything is functioning perfectly.  This is not a isolated problem, many buildings with similar designs run into the same issue in the winter.
• We will be reinforcing the importance of keeping the driveway clear of snow.  I don't have winter tired and it can be a frustrating event to try and get up the incline after having to stop to open the door with the key. 

Not too much else to report.  As always if you have any questions please contact Connelly directly. 

Thank you,
Expresso Condo Board

Fire Inspection Reminder

IMPORTANT

The Annual Fire alarm Inspection by PDS Fire Protection will be taking place at The Expresso on:

September 12^th2013 between 8:30 AM & 12:00 Noon

Please be available to let the inspectors in your unit during this time. If you cannot be home at this time please make other arrangements by leaving a key with your neighbour.

OR

If you will not be home and need to provide Elaina a key please drop it off during the following times:

Monday, September 9, 7:00 - 9:30p

Wednesday, September 11, 5:00 - 7:00p

You will not be able to slip an envelope under the door as there is a door seal in place (as originally instructed). Please write your first and last name, unit number and phone number on the envelope so it can be returned to you later on September 12.

Thank you,

Expresso Condo Board

 

Contact Elaina (403 650-7498) if you need more information or visit the blog.

Elaina, board member, has volunteered to accompany the inspectors that day.

Thank you for your co-operation

Connelly & Company Management

August 28^th 2013.

2012-2013 Expresso Condo Board Update Letter

The Expresso Condo board would like to provide you with highlights of the past year and communicate the plans for the upcoming year.  Overall, there were no major issues this past year and the condo remains in a good financial position.

The main expenditures in the past year include the replacement of the domestic hot water recirculation line in the first floor ceiling which was a source of repeated leaks, the installation of a backflow preventer on the sprinkler system to ensure the condo is compliant with the city’s by-laws and recently the replacement of the hot water boiler.  The majority of these expenditures will be charged to the 2013 fiscal year.

Financial update

The 2012 fiscal year covers March 1, 2012 - February 28, 2013.  The year-end audit was completed for 2012 with no qualifications.  As of February 28, 2013, our net asset position strengthened to $174 thousand from $154 thousand in 2012.  This was due to higher revenue over expenses for the year-ended February 28, 2013 compared to the prior year ($12 thousand increase).  The main reason for this was lower repair costs and a prior year insurance deductible that did not reoccur in the current year.  Although cash slightly decreased by approximately $4 thousand compared to the prior year, this was partly due to a transfer of $10 thousand from our operating fund to reserve fund.

A new five year reserve fund study was completed in 2013.  Although this did not result in a condo fee increase for the 2013-2014 budget, we will assess how the revised budget will impact future years, including any potential condo fee increases.

Forward-looking items

The budget strategy being implemented by the board is to keep the condo fee increases to a minimum and use special assessments to cover a couple specific reserve fund purchases.  The first of which will be for new carpets.  As the current carpets are badly worn, the board is planning to replace all the common area carpets this fall.  The hallways will be re-painted this year (or early next year) giving our home a fresh new look.  Once the board finalizes the quote for the carpet, more details on the special assessment will follow.

The condo board is always looking for more members, so if you are interested in having a say in the running of the condo please contact Connelly and Company.

We look forward to seeing you at the AGM. 

Best Regards,

signed “the Espresso Condo Board”