Late Summer Update

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer.  The board has a few updates for you.

1. The Annual General Meeting is coming up on September 15, 7:00pm at Connelly Management Company.  You will receive your package in the mail soon.

2. The board completed a Spring walk-around and found a list of small maintenance items like painting the back fence and putting the final touches on the front stair repair.  We approved the quote this week.  You will see the contractors taking care of these items before fall.  It will be nice to spruce up the outside of the building, it's been awhile.

3. All is not lost in the front flower bed.  We are hopeful the plants rooted well before the storm.  We will prune them back this fall and look forward to seeing them thrive again next year.  We are slowly sorting out the arrangement with the landscaper to weed the front bed.

4. Fire Inspection coming up on September 24. You would have received a notice on Saturday.  Please make arrangements with Monica so we can access your unit.  We always find at least one unit that needs a repair of some sorts to ensure the alarm is working to protect the unit, occupants and building in case of fire.  Also, we are going to look at the emergency lighting, a few of the lights did not come on when he lights went out during the last storm, they will be fixed also.

5. We have heard there is increased theft in the area. Please take extra care when you are coming in and out of the building and don't let anyone in that you don't know.  We are very kind creatures but be careful when holding the door for someone you don't know...just in case.  Also it is best practice to wait till the garage door closes before driving away, to deter someone from entering.  I am guilty of not doing this but plan to do this more often.

6. Next big job at Expresso will be to assess and maintain the balconies as per the reserve fund.  This is going to be a big job.  We are going to start reviewing quotes and scope out the work.  Work will be planned as cost effective as possible and could span a couple years.  We will keep you informed as we know more.

Thanks! Enjoy the last part of summer (I hear we are going to have a long warm fall...awesome!)

Expresso Condo Board

Recycling is coming to Expresso!

Dear Owners/Tenants of Expresso:

As you may know the City of Calgary has mandated all apartments and condominium complexes to provide recycling services to their Owners/Tenants as of Feb. 1, 2016. Your Board has opted to start this service for Expresso sooner rather than later by adding a no sort recycling program besides our current garbage bin starting April 1st, 2015.

Calgary Herald article

We hope that those of you who are already committed to recycling will find this more convenient and that those of you who do not regularly recycle will take advantage of having the service available on site.

We respectfully request that only approved recycle materials be put in the recycle bin, garbage deposited in the garbage bins only and that all renovation and hazardous materials be disposed of at an appropriate City facility off-site.

Where do you take items that CAN'T go in the bin?

Items like paint, electronics, tires etc. Check out the Alberta Recycling wesbite. There have an interactive map that will help you find a location for what you need to recycle!

There will be signage on the recycle bin indicating what is acceptable for recycle and what is not. You will also receive a notice under your door with this information and a chart of what can added to the bin.

Any questions or concerns on the foregoing can be addressed to Darynn Morey at Connelly Management.

Thank you,

Expresso Board of Directorsrrs

Winter is here!

Hello Expresso

Few things to touch on...

Front Step Repair

• We hoped to get the stairs complete prior to Winter.  As you can see, they are not done.  Sounds like temperatures are going to warm up next week (fingers crossed), if they do, we are going to really push to finish pouring the new cement to remove the tripping hazard due to the lip between the new/old concrete.  
• The project includes applying a traffic deck coating finish to waterproof and non-slip the surface.  We are trying our best to get as much done as possible.  We are also going to talk to he contractor about the fact they committed to having it complete before winter, hoping to work something out with the final invoice.

Snow Removal

• The first winter snowfall brought freezing rain, which created very slippery conditions near and around our building.  I want to thank everyone who pitched in to help out with the car accident bordering Edmonton Trail on Sunday.  I do believe our efforts contributed to minimizing the severity of the situation.  
• We do expect the snow removal contractor to remove the ice.  We are never satisfied with simply clearing the snow on top of the ice.  Our concerns have been submitted.  It is important we are clear on our expectations and manage to them as the winter progresses. Please be careful when you are walking outside the building, we are doing what we can and will continue to work with the contractor.

Hot Water Heating System

• Although rare (some even say it's a myth) we don't want to risk freezing the pipes, it will lead to a costly fix for all owners. Winter can get a little stuffy but please remember to keep your doors and windows closed when it is cold outside.

Updates to the Blog will be made as we learn more, please check back often or set up a notification.  We won't always post a notice in the building when we quick posts.

Thank you,

Remembering our fallen heroes today....

Expresso Condo Board

Power and Garage Door

The power was off today because the city was cleaning up trees in the area.

We placed to call to have the garage door fixed since it is stuck in the open position.

Thanks
Condo Board

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