May 2017 Newsletter

May 2017 Newsletter

Bed Bugs

Tim from 1st Response Pest Control was invited to attend the Council Meeting. Their company is offering us a better price if we allow them to take charge of the Complex. Bed Bug infestations are rampant in PG and need to be dealt with in a timely manner, the sooner the better and cheaper. If there is an infected unit, the unit on each side thereof will be inspected free of charge unless bedbugs are found (Cost depends on how severe the infestation). The treatment then starts on each of the outer units, then the infested unit in the middle.

Refusal to have your unit inspected and/or treated can result in being reported to BC Health. You can contact the office for a list of recommended exterminators and for more details.

Siding, Windows & Doors

We are still receiving quotes on various sidings, windows, doors, overhangs etc., as you have all requested for the various options. We are also looking into two different ways of Starting the work and checking its cost effectiveness. As soon as we have the answers confirmed we shall be setting a date for a Special General Meeting, hopefully within a month or two. It is grueling work which takes a lot of patience, so bear with us. We want to get it RIGHT this time and have all the various tasks come together correctly. We are quite sure you will agree.

We shall continue our efforts in being diligent in pursuing a healthy and happy environment for all. The 'New Envelope' project is progressing slowly but surely. If done right, this will happen and possibly start this year.

Problem Units/Drug Dealing

There are some problem units which are dealing in drugs. We will be asking your written permission to gain access to these units and have these persons dealt with.

Maintenance/Damages

We would like to remind you that broken windows and plumbing blockages in your units are the owners' responsibility, not Strata's; also any problems arising from hydro/heat/water shutoffs.

Quite a few trees shall be removed later this month to stop further damage to downspouts and foundations.

Pets

There is an excess of cats running loose. We are trapping them and sending them to the shelters.

All pets are to be spayed and neutered, without exception. Please inform your tenants; if they value their pets, to please have them put collars with name and phone number tags on their pets.

Pot holes will be fixed soon (I drive and others).

Owner/Landlord Responsibilities

Please ask your tenants to keep all drains (sinks and toilets) free of anything and everything but toilet paper (no ear buds, feminine hygiene products or baby diapers and wet wipes). Our sewer system cannot handle much stress and we are sure owners will not be thrilled to have to settle RotoRooter bills. You may and should provide tenants with stoppers for all the sinks and ask your tenants to make sure they use them.

There are some issues with mischievous kids. Their parents shall be receiving letters to let them know that they (the parents) shall be held accountable for their children's and their visitors' actions.

Please check on your units once in a while and make sure you know what is going on with your tenants, your property managers and/or caretakers. Not everyone is doing a good enough job and it is costing YOU money.

Your responses and ideas are always appreciated. Please stay in touch with us and inform us of anything you think may be relevant.

Contact our Strata Office for assistance any time. We are willing to help wherever we can.

Sincerely,

Your Council

ALPINE VILLAGE STRATA

PGS173

COUNCIL MEETING

 MEETING MINUTES

May 1, 2017

ORDER: 5:40pm

 ATTENDANCE

Roberta	Glen	Bill
Gabby	Anneliese	Desiree
GUESTS
Tim @ 1ST Defence Pest	Cris Cosariu, Owner

 GUEST SPEAKERS

Tim @ 1^st Defence Pest Control on bedbugs and why they are so difficult to get rid of:

·         They can live for months without food. Humans are their main food source.

·         Bedbugs are most common among people who frequent hotels or travel a lot.

·         They can “see” our body heat and are attracted to the carbon dioxide we exhale, which is how they track us.

·         Because bedbugs are so tiny (about the size and shape of an apple seed), they can get through the smallest of crevices.

·         For this reason, the best course of action is to inspect and barrier treat adjacent (next door) units every time there is evidence of bedbugs found.

·         Suggests that units be inspected while empty between tenants. Tim (and most other pest control companies) offers inspections for FREE. On an empty unit, this takes less than half an hour, and can save hundreds of dollars for the owner by either catching the infestation early, or knowing the unit was clear prior to new tenants.

If owners or tenants suspect their unit is infected, it needs to be looked at IMMEDIATELY. Refusal to have your unit inspected or treated can become a health violation, which must be reported to BC Health. Check with the office for a list of recommended pest control companies.

 
OLD BUSINESS
1.      Siding

a.      Stucco repair & paint – it is difficult to repair stucco to match original, therefore, all stucco would have to be removed and reapplied, which will not save much money and will not resist damage like vinyl or Hardie board. Hardie will cost approximately $2000 more per unit than vinyl.

b.      Council discussed the difficulties of attaining quotes from most contractors due to the size of the project. Most local contractors are too small to have the man-power and equipment to accommodate this project’s needs within a timely manner.

c.       Phone call with Dave @ Conroy Exteriors from Kelowna (one of two companies to submit quotes):
Dave confirmed that the reason for our difficulties in attaining quotes is due to project size. He suggested partnering with another local company to relieve some of the burden from both companies, while delivering the expected services.

2.      Drug Unit Concerns & Updates

a.      Gaining access to suspected drug units or unwanted tenants

3.      Insurance claims

a.      G65 – Awaiting final report from claims adjuster; verbal suggestion is for the insurance to cover repairs although cause of damage has not been proven. Council will make decision after formal report is received.

b.      D80/D81 Emergency repairs to be paid by strata upon receipt of invoices.

NEW BUSINESS

1.      Maintenance

a.      2^nd Lawnmower & 2 new weed-whacker purchase APPROVED

b.      Summer team hiring – 1 full time, 1 part time to be hired by Bill APPROVED

c.       Cat catching – traps will be set as often as local pet groups can accept feral and stray cats. All cats, even those with homes, will be turned in to SPCA or similar, and owners of pets will be required to get their pets back.

d.      Parental liability for mischievous kids – Many children have been spotted throwing rocks, knocking on doors and running away, bullying other children, and in one case lighting fires in playgrounds. This absolutely has to stop!! Adults living in Alpine Village are responsible for their children, and their children’s guests while on the property. Owners are urged to communicate with their tenants what the expectations are for children and adults in the Strata.

e.      Solutions to deal with the high volumes of garbage and furniture dumping

                                                              i.      Possibly add another bin at I Drive

                                                            ii.      Possibly increase size of some bins in high need areas

                                                          iii.      FURNITURE, APPLIANCES, ETC. CAN NOT BE DUMPED ANYWHERE ON THE STRATA. It is the responsibility of each person to remove their unwanted or broken furniture from the strata grounds. Costs to remove furniture and appliances have increased significantly, and those costs will be passed on to the owners of units responsible. The owner will be given the option to remove within 48 hours or will be charged fines.

2.      Staff request – water cooler & coffee maker for lunch room. Staff to supply coffee supplies themselves. APPROVED

3.      EFT Program – upgrade to newer technology. Current EFT program is obsolete. Cost to upgrade will be $180, but bank fees will decrease by $25/month. APPROVED

4.      Bank documents to be signed for increased hold due to increased fees and increased occurrence of stopped or NSF payments

5.      Set Date for SGM – Need to finalize siding project details before setting SGM

6.      Lack of communication with owners – Desiree and Anneliese to work together to get the newsletter out more consistently.

7.      Tree removal estimates and quotes – Tree removal awarded to Tony @ Professional Tree Removal for at least 6 – 8 trees currently causing hazardous conditions

a.      Removal of two trees in front of A80 APPROVED

ADJOURNED: 8:45pm

ALPINE VILLAGE STRATA

PGS173

COUNCIL MEETING

MEETING MINUTES

April 3, 2017

CALL TO ORDER: 5:40PM

ATTENDANCE:

Roberta	Glen	Bill
Gabby	Anneliese	Desiree

OLD BUSINESS

1.      Siding

a.      Stucco replacement has been looked into, with costs of nearly $800,000 to do halfway up the walls before adding costs of removal of old stucco and repair of walls.

b.      Discussed distributing a newsletter specifically geared towards the siding project with detailed explanation of the problems encountered in attaining quotes.

2.      Visa – approved, waiting on the bank to have documents ready for signing

3.      Arrears – letters sent Mar 31/17

4.      Drug Unit Concerns & General Complex Security Updates

a.      One problem unit has vacated finally. Office and council to contact owners of other problem units again.

b.      Discussed replacing several old cameras and how frequently they should be updated.

NEW BUSINESS

1.      Desiree’s schedule

a.      Final exams April 12 @ 9am & April 24 @ 9am – will be in the office afternoons

b.      Away from April 14 – April 20

c.       As of April 25, office hours will be 9am – 5pm weekdays

2.      Council approved forms

a.      One to facilitate getting forms F & B sent in a more timely manner

b.      Arrears agreement for payments on arrears, and discussed changing fine structure on infractions.

3.      Waste Management invoice was discussed in regards to overages.

a.      Overages are due to non-residents of Alpine Village dumping in our bins causing them to be overfull, which incurs overage penalties from Waste Management.

b.      Current solution is for Maintenance to ensure all bins are cleared of overfill until dump truck comes through, at which point the overage can be put in the empty bins.

4.      Lot Sweeping – Strata to purchase a power sweeper to clear gravel from lawn and walkways

5.      Bedbugs – a unit is being treated for bugs, the adjacent units have been notified.

a.      Reminder to owners that it is the landlords’ responsibility to have your unit inspected and treated every time you are notified of possible infestation.

6.      Ratio of rentals to owner occupied

a.      K Form issues Office will re-request K forms and owner contact info with reminder of bylaw requirement to supply such when requested at risk of fine as per bylaw 1.04

7.      Infractions

a.      Detailed procedure for infracting/fining occupants and owners.

b.      Top 10 infraction list to be included in newsletter.

ADJOURNED: 8:00pm

Let's Talk Newsletter

On March 24 and March 27, council met with owners and property managers to discuss recurring issues within the complex and to brainstorm ideas to solve said issues. Approximately 20 owners and property managers attended and contributed to the discussions. As both meetings covered much of the same information, consider this newsletter as the equivalent of minutes for the combined meetings.

Several units have been identified as selling, and/or making, drugs. The owners of these units have been contacted individually and if the problem is not alleviated within a reasonable timeframe, then the Strata will take steps to have the tenants evicted. Any occupant who suspects a unit of illicit activity (drugs, prostitution, etc.) is urged to put their concerns in writing and given to the office, as well as contact the RCMP.

Some of the biggest issues and possible solutions voiced at the meetings were:

1. Litter – The grounds are constantly covered in garbage. No one is taking pride in their homes.
1. Council will look into having more garbage cans placed throughout the complex, including in playgrounds and all common areas.
2. Noise after 9pm
1. Reminder to all occupants of the noise bylaws
2. Signage in playgrounds closing them from 9pm – 8am
3. Sewer backups – reminder to all that the strata will not pay for individual unit’s pipes to be cleared if the blockage is only in one unit, and if the blockage can be proved to have come from a specific unit, that unit will be charged the maintenance fees associated with the clearing.
   Insurance costs associated with clogged pipes are astronomical. If we do not get this issue under control, there will be a special assessment done to cover it.
1. Reminders that plumbing is old and extremely costly to upgrade
2. Maintenance already checks the manhole covers daily and more often in times of high water flow (high rainfall or fast snowmelt)
3. Repeated notices to remind tenants to keep ALL pipes clear of anything except moderate amounts of toilet paper – NO feminine hygiene, diapers, wipes, foods, or plastics at all!
4. Tenants moving from one unit to another after eviction, sometimes using false names
1. Strata to supply owners with a legal procedure list for evictions and references
2. Benefits of having tenants sign a lease vs month-to-month rentals have previously been discussed  – call Anneliese Paasch for more info 250-961-7414 or email annelepa@telus.net.
3. Requesting renters sign a release form for their name to be recorded as a good or bad tenant at Strata office to form a referral list
4. Owners who are managing their own units are encouraged to contact the RCMP and request “file numbers for cause or evidence” which may be accessed before renting to new tenants or to check existing ones. There are also websites you can check for infractions

                                          i.    Courts.ca (government)

                                        ii.    Justice.gov.bc.ca (government)

                                       iii.    Facebook is also an excellent resource to check your prospective tenants.

5. Unlicensed Property Managers – unfortunately, too many unlicensed managers are not well trained in the responsibilities and requirements of property management.
1. In the province of BC, all property managers required to be fully licensed by law. Strata will be changing bylaws to better enforce this mandate.
6. Abandoned, Off Leash and/or Neglected Pets
1. Fines for owners who do no leash their pets
2. Reminder to property managers to register all pets with the strata
3. Call animal control to have animals removed
7. Parking
1. Repaint/Replace signage and lines regarding parking spaces. ALL units get ONE parking space only, and visitor spots are first come, first served. Vehicles parked in visitor stalls must be moved every 48 hours. All fire lanes are absolutely no parking anytime, not even for “a minute.”
8. Public use of laneways
1. We acknowledge the problem, but putting gates on all of the lanes creates a fire escape hazard. Further ideas are welcomed for discussion.

Siding was informally discussed at both meetings, but will be reported on in detail in another publication, as there was only a small representation of owners present.

Council feels that these brainstorming meetings were successful and hope to organize similar informal meetings in the future.