Here Comes the Sun

As the Beatles’ song reminds us: “Here comes the sun!”  (Click on this link to hear George Harrison sing it.)

After a long, heavy winter, we are grateful for the arrival of Spring. The spring flowers are out in force and the Board has been working hard to prepare the property for the coming year.

New Executive Board

Nancy Fritch, President
Kevin Schill, Vice President
Su-Esta Scott, Treasurer
Andrea Meier, Secretary
Ray McCarus, member without portfolio (yet!)

Work Projects
Better weather has enabled the Association to address problems with the 2938 building with first floor condos frozen and broken drains that have caused flooding in their units and some storage areas during the winter.

The Association contracted with RECON Construction Company to do a systematic assessment of the situation. They uncovered a variety of related problems.

• Raccoon infestations had caused extensive damage on the north side of the 2938 garage ceiling above the store room hallway and storage units. These critters had moved or destroyed insulation around pipes and chewed on electrical wires causing a fire hazard.
• When they investigated the insulation in some areas where there have been frozen pipe problems,  they discovered that when work had been done in the garage ceilings in the past, the insulation had not been put back properly in some areas.

Remediation

Over the past two weeks, RECON workers have made the following repairs:

• Insulation: re-wrapped pipes with insulation below unit #5 in #16 and #22 storage units, and packed more insulation between the pipes and the garage wall, and in the ceiling over Unit #10’s parking space.
• Heat tape: New heat tape was installed to prevent frozen pipes in #16 and #22 storage units, and over Unit #10’s parking space.
• Electrical repairs: Repairs were made to the wiring in storage units #1, #2 and over #10’s parking space where wiring to that unit’s AC was repaired.
• Plumbing: Repairs were made  under Unit #1. The floor drain from Unit # 5 was replaced. The investigation found that pipes under Units #1 and #5  have always had inadequate slope so they did not flow well but these are structural problems which are impossible to correct. The solution will be to have these drains cleaned regularly to prevent them from becoming blocked.

Prevention
The Board has instituted several strategies to prevent these problems from recurring.

• We hope that the repair of heat tapes in the areas will prevent or lessen future freezing problems.
• The drain stacks in 2938 and 2946 will be cleaned annually to prevent accumulating blockages.
• All future contracts for work in the garage ceilings in both of these buildings will specify that insulation must be properly re-installed around pipes and wiring.
• The pest control company has identified access points into the garage and closed them.

Critter Vigilantes Unite!
Having invested in these extensive physical plant repairs, we need your help to keep the raccoon from damaging it again. As much as we love our natural environment and our animal neighbors, we need to take steps to avoid attracting them on to the property.

• No matter which floor you live on, do not leave food (human or bird) or garbage bags on your decks or walkways.
• Always close the covers on the garbage and compost dumpsters.
• If you see raccoon anywhere on the property, notify HAVEN right away.

Keep Your Drains Clear

Owners, especially in the condos, have always had issues with the drains from the kitchens clogging and causing flooding in the units below.  Even with proper use of a disposal, it is still a problem due a bad design in the plumbing drain pipes.  We are going to regularly snake these drains, however, not contributing to the problem would avoid backups in between.

Kalmia Court drains are finicky. Please remember to compost or trash everything you can. Click here for a great list of compostable items that you may not have thought of.

Anti-smoking Rules
It is widely accepted that cigarette smoking is very hazardous for the smoker’s health. There is also increasing evidence about the health risks caused by secondhand smoke. Many people have problems with asthma which is aggravated by smoke. This is why we have the rule that no smoking is allowed on the Kalmia Court property except within your own unit–with all windows shut. We have found that when people smoke on their decks, patios or walkways, residents in nearby units are often impacted. These areas are considered part of the Association’s common elements, so the Association has the authority to forbid smoking on them. Owners are responsible for their tenants and any guests who smoke and who violate this rule.

Hot Water Heaters
We recently had a first floor owner’s hot water heater fail in 2938.  This caused damage to the unit and extensive drywall damage to the garage ceiling.  All the repairs are the responsibility of the owner of the unit with the failed heater.

BE PROACTIVE! Once your water heater turns 10 years old, it’s a good idea to have it inspected on an annual basis.  These failures are often catastrophic and cause serious damage to the owners unit, other units below, and to the building.

KEYS

There has been some questions about our previous post on Emergency Keys (read again here).

Our management company has advised us against keeping owners’ keys for liability reasons. In part, the issue is one of expectations. Owners might assume that if the Association has the keys, that a Board member will be available to access the in case of emergencies and they won’t make their own arrangements for emergency access.  It is not the Board’s responsibility to manage emergency access to units.

All owners should make plans for emergency access to their units and notify HAVEN with their complete contact information including cell phone, email and who to contact in case of an emergency.

Maintenance Calendar  

APRIL

• Spring cleaning will be going on all over the property
• Irrigation and fertilization of lawns, trees and shrugs

MAY

• Pool opens: May 23rd.

Thank you for helping us keep Kalmia Court a pleasant place to live.
Your Kalmia Court Board of Directors