Heat in the Building

Happy Friday Expresso!

It is that time of year again our heaters are starting to kick on.  I am having an issue with a valve in my unit and one other owner is having the same issue.  The value is knocking so we can't turn or heat on (if it gets to cold we will need a place to stay, haha just kidding!)

Status

Kyle is working this out with Excelair and Ainsworth.  We had some work done on the 3rd floor by Excelair and we need to ensure this is not a result of that prior to having Ainsworth fix it (they are our new building maintenance contractor).  With this said it looks like we will have to do a building shutdown to replace the valves in our units.  This will happen early next week so please watch the blog and/or the notice boards in the building for the notice. 

Thanks in advance for your patience to get this work done, supposed to drop below 0 at night next week (burrrr)

If you are having any issues with your heating system please let Kyle know ASAP.

Thanks
Elaina Venechuk
on behalf of the Expresso Board

AGM Update

Hello,

I apologize for taking so long to post the updates from then AGM, have to admit I have been enjoying summer as much as possible!

Before I get into the details I would like to set the stage for you.  The board met an hour before the AGM to meet Kyle, our new property manager, and discuss some items to ensure we were all the on the same page prior to owners arriving.  I have to admit we were a bit nervous about the transition to a new property manager, this is not uncommon for a building to have numerous managers over the years, there is a high turnover rate at all the property management companies in the city.  We arrived to a very warm welcome from Chris Connelly and Kyle.  They were waiting for us to arrive and even brought in sandwiches, chips, pop, coffee, tea...we were blown away, this is NOT common practice for a management company!  The board has a great discussion about things important to each one of us and that we wanted to discuss at the AGM.  I must say Expresso has a very collaborative and hardworking board so you are in very good hands.

A number of owners arrived for 7:00p and  we met quorum no problem!  We got started and approved last years AGM minutes, the financials, the auditor etc.  We got to the new business section of the agenda, here are some highlights...

Safety and Security

Our building experienced a break-in in August on the 3rd floor.  There were carpet cleaners in the building during the time of the incident and we think the door may have been propped open.  We will be contacting all our contracting companies to explain the situation and help them understand they are NEVER to prop the door open while doing work in the building.  Connelly and the board are now focusing our efforts the security of our building going forward.  Connelly is going to work with a security company in town and bring them onsite to do a Safety analysis of the property and building.  They will be considering things such as adding additional security to all the unit doors, upgrading the locks on the front and side doors, reviewing our camera system to see if it is adding value or if they can suggest upgrading the system etc.  Once we complete the walk around we will determine the appropriate solution to make sure our building is safe while being conscience of our budget.  We are willing to spend a little extra in this department to keep us and our things safe.

Water

As you may have notice there was a couple water stains on the carpet on the main floor.  Couple different issues here.

#1 - There were a couple instances where owners we doing renovations in their units without board approval and had caused water damage in a unit below and to the main floor carpet area.  We are working with the effected unit to make sure it is restored.

PLEASE READ:   It is mandatory that you inform the board of renovations you are doing to the unit that involve the structure of the unit.  We need to review the request and make sure you are using experienced contractors to complete this work.  Cosmetic things you choose to do inside the unit are up to you but when you start working on opening walls, floors, ceilings (see bylaws for full detail) you must put in a request. 

#2 - We have a pipe that has a hair line fracture that is causing the leaking near 1st floor door from the main lobby.  Our previous contractor kept patching it rather than fixing it all together which is not working.  We have contracted the work to a new contractor who will be replacing the part of the pipe to eliminate this leak going forward.  Please keep in mind this is going to require a water shut down, keep your eye out for when..will be in the near future.

Post Tension Cables

You may or may not have seen the last Engineering Study completed on the post tension cables in the cement slab in the parkade (if you are interested you can purchase it off Condo Docs).  The report came back that the cables are all in good condition and there was no recommendation to replace any of them or open up and cement for further investigation.  What the Engineer did suggest was that we install heavy duty reinforcement plates at the ends of the cables "just in case" one of the cables did decided to snap.  If this sounds a little contradictory to you, it does to us too.  This study was done during the down turn in the market and we think they may have put this in the stir up business.  Is it a safety measure to add these plates? YES...Is it a good idea "just in case"? YES.  The other issue here is CMHC read the report and had a note on the Expresso Building file that they want to see the board approve this work prior to insuring mortgages for this building.  Needless to say we didn't have a choice but to go forward and do this work.  Jane worked hard wit CMHC and they have lifted all "notes" on our file and our building is back in pristine order, buy and sell away:)  It is not a terrible thing to add these plates, it's just another example of how we can all be proud of well maintained building!

Fall and Spring Walkaround

Starting this fall Connelly will be dedicating some time early fall and when Spring arrives to do a walkaround of the building.  These are both great times to walk the building inside and out to talk note of all the little maintenance things that need to be done.  It is a great way to be proactive rather than reactive.  Thanks to Connelly to stepping up their level of service!

New Board of Directors

A special thank you to Jane, Lindy, Tiffany and Rod for volunteering to stay on as your board of directors.  I (Elaina) will still be attending meetings to make sure we keep you informed through the blog.  Thank you Jane for stepping up as President, Jane brings tons of history to this role as well as a solid business sense and great personality! All of the board members are extremely dedicated and all bring a wealth of knowledge to manage the Expresso afairs. The next year will be just as organized as past years!  Help me thank them if you see them around the halls!

Other than that the board just discussed little things going on that aren't really worth mentioning (if you are curious I guess you will have to join the board lol)!

Enjoy the rest of your summer everyone and if you have any questions, concerns, comments ANYTHING...please let Connelly know!

Bye for now...
Elaina on behalf of the entire Expresso Board of Directors

New Property Manager

Hello,

The Expresso building has a new property manager, Kyle Hughes.  Please help me welcome Kyle.  The board will be working closely with Kyle to ensure a smooth transition and continue with business as usual.

Kyle will be with us for the AGM and since he is new to the role we will be as prepared as possible to answer all of your questions.  Of course if we don't have an answer on the spot we will follow up with the information you are looking for after the meeting.  Please come prepared with any questions or concerns you have about the building.

Thank you,
Elaina Venechuk

What's going on in Calgary??

Globalfest 2011

If you haven't been to Globalfest before I highly recommend it.  The fireworks are amazing and it makes for a perfect summer night out!

AGM

The AGM is coming up fast and we will have a complete update for to as to what we have been up to the past year as well as what is on the table for the year to come.  If you have specific topics you would like us to touch on please comment to this post and I can do some prep work to ensure I am providing the information you are looking for. 

Look forward to seeing you all there.  If you are unable to make it please make sure you send in your Proxy so we still reach quorum and can run the meeting.  Also if you are interested in joining the condo board to get involved with important decisions that impact your home and investment at Expresso we would welcome you to join.

Elaina Venechuk

Updates from July Board Meeting

Hello Expresso Owners:)  Hope you are all enjoying your summers and the weather now that is is beautiful!

First off I want to let you know Chad Edwards stepped down as President of the board and Elaina Venechuk has taken over the duties.  On behalf of the board and Connolly I would like to thank Chad for all his hard work and dedication to ensuring the Expresso building was financially stable and maintained properly so we can all enjoy living here knowing our investment/home is being looked after.  Chad was on the board for a total of 4 years, the last 2 as President, and has added great value over the years, he will be missed but he has more then done his duty for the Expresso building.  Thanks again Chad!

What else is going on around the building???

• We have been managing a couple leeks in units which have caused the water leak onto the carpet on the main level.  Of course we want to make sure the leak won't occur again and then the carpets will be cleaned in that area.
• Fire Alarm testing - We are required by law to test our fire alarm system, there were a significant number of units we were not able to access.  We are waiting for the report to come back and arrangements will be made with the units that we could not get into and the testing will be charged directly to the unit (as stated on the notice all units received initially).
• Vents installed in 3rd floor units - Vents need to be installed in all the units on the 3rd floor of the building to circulate air properly.  Unit owners will be notified when we need to get into the unit to install the vents.  It takes about 45mins and we will provide the option to leave your key with a board member if you can't be home.
• 2011 AGM - The AGM date has been set for the end of August, please watch your mailbox for the official letter from Connolly.  We encourage you to come to the meeting and touch base with the board.  We welcome anyone who is interested in joining the board!

Reminders

• If you are doing renovations in your unit please refer to the bylaws so you know the type of work that needs to be approved by the board before commencing.
• If your car or any other items in your storage locker leak you are responsible for the clean up, thank you.

Over all the building is in great shape and it is just maintenance the board is focused on.  If you have any questions, concerns or comments please call Lynda at Connolly!

Thank you and see you at the AGM!

Elaina Venechuk on behalf of the Expresso Condo Board

Updates from the March Board Meeting

Knock on Wood!

Hello Expresso!

I appologize for taking so long to post the updates from our last meeting, better late then never they say!  The overall tone of the meeting was very positive, our building is in good shape:)  Remeber I am providing a high level on this blog rather then the board producing a hard copy newsletter.  For detailed minutes please visit http://www.condopapers.com/.

Updates

• Our Accounts Receivable account is the lowest it has been in a couple years!  Thank you everyone for paying your condo fees on time. 
• To make a long story short there is a unit called a "Makeup Air Unit" in the parkade and it has been heating the parkade which is not the intention of this unit.  The board agreed heated underground parking is what we have all been enjoying and does have a positive impact on our property value.  We have approved a heating unit for the parking garage and it will be installed in the next month or so. This unit will not increase our operating budget as when it is installed the Makeup Air Unit will be running more efficiently and therefore using less energy.
• We ALL know about the garage door situation, man could it have broke down when it was any colder!  We've had contractors looking at the problem and we are not the only building who experiences issues when the temp drops that low.  Hopefully the cold weather is over and we are are in the clear for awhile.  We totally get that when that door is open we are using a ton of energy and our belongings are exposed so we will continue to talk about how we could prevent this from happening next year, no promises, when the weather gets that cold sometimes it is out of our control.
• All the chip repairs and painting has been completed in the stairwells and hallways.  We are very happy with the job and hope you are to! 
• Don't know if the plastic sticky stuff on the front door bugs you as much as it bugs us but we are talking about solutions so delivery drivers don't stick them to the door and if they do the cleaning staff clean them off.
• Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! to Jane who worked hard to get all the lock boxes removed from the gate by the front door, looks much better.  Thanks Jane!
• Folks on the first floor are probably aware of the value leaking in the ceiling (this may be news to others).  We are talking to a contractor about how we can permently fix this problem.  Will probably require us to access the leaking value directly and fix it so it doesn't leak anymore (or at least during our life time LOL).  More to come on this, we will most likely just go ahead with the work sooner then later so we thank you in advance for your patience while this work is being done, a special thanks to all first floor folks for your patience!
• The September 2010 Post Tension Cable Engineering Report suggested slab end restraint plates be installed at where the cables end in the concrete slab ceiling  in the parking garage.  The board discussed this suggestion in great detail and agreed this work should be done in a timely fashion.  The post tension cable construction in this building was completed extremely well when the building was being built and therefore hasn't experienced any issues to date.  We have to keep in mind post tension cables, like any other building constructing, needs maintenance.  Since we have a surplus in our Operating Budget we are in a position where we can put some money in the cable system. We are in the processes of contacting contractors to see who can complete this work.  More to come.  FYI - If you would like a copy of the Engineering Report check condopapers and if it isn't there please contact Lynda at Connolly.
• The second floor floodlights are burned out. Arrangements have been made to replace all light bulbs, both interior high stairwell lights and exterior floodlights.
• We are looking at options to drain the Planter Box Outside #105 better.  Currently if to much water soaks the soil in that box it is causing water issues in a unit in the building.  We are on it and determining the best, most attractive solution.
• Do you enter the building through the west side door?  I do.  I totally understand that people like to have dogs as pets, there a lot of you who have pets in our building.  It is a bit upsetting when the large dog next door jumps up on the short fence and barks like crazy when you are walking by, freaks me out!  Also I find the tenants are slacking a bit on the poo pick up and with the warm weather it gets really smelly.  They cleaned up some of the poo so I haven't called 311 yet but I almost got my arm ripped off the other day again when I was walking up.  Is anyone else having issues with the large dog next door or the poo smell?  Please comment to this post on the blog if you are.  If the issue continues I will need to call 311, just want to make sure we are all enjoying a comfortable lifestyle living at Expresso!

Thank you and if you have any comments please keep them professional and comment on this post! Fingers crossed the snow is gone and the nice weather is here!!! 15 above on Sunday! 

Happy Spring Everyone!

The Expresso Condo Board