Ugly Mansards being torn down Wholesale
The Ugly, Costly Mansards are in
the years-long process of being gleefully destroyed. Since the
mid-70's, the Board of Directors has dreaded this project, whereas the
current one relishes the challenge.
Mansards are the structures at the top of every
building. They have shakes (sometimes called shingles) and were done to
give top-floor buildings shade and a rain drain from the shakes. The
mansards are built to give the complex some volume at the top of the
building, which changes perspective blah blah blah blah...
The problems with maintaining the mansards are
myriad.
- The shakes are not affixed to a permanent
structure. If they blow off or rot or whatever, it leaves a gaping
hole. Then the mansards are merely homes for mammals. This causes more
problems than can be described in the lifetime of bristlecone
pine tree.
- The bottom of the mansard is merely flimsy
waterboard, it appears. That can be warped easily. Over 30 years, it is
nothing but inevitable. Replacing the board is stopgap, literally.
- Water damage is the bane of our existence, even
though we live in a semi-arid area. Hmmm. If water starts leaking in
the mansard or behind the structure... at all, really... this causes
the huge headache. Water begins to leak into a unit, and over time
drywall rots, insulation is ruined, the place is almost unliveable.
However, our maintenance staff endeavors to fix it up nice, and usually
they do. Not fancy, but nice. This is money wasted and a headache for
tenant, homeowner, maintenance guy, the office, and Remington Post
Board. Sheesh. Why not fix the problem?
- They are always going to be ugly, at the dump.
- The issue of appearance is that they are ugly.
- We spend $10,000 a year in tangible costs and
more like $18,000 when you factor in worker salaries. Bad accounting.
- They make the roof a swimming pool. I don't
believe that is the function of a working roof.
- They are being prepared to house used solar
panels so we can generate our own electricity and wean ourselves from
the huge energy conglomerates and produce a source of future revenue.
We are solar farm waiting to happen.
And so on. Our own crew is doing it, and we are bringing in contractors
to give us reasonable advice. But our crew is doing it.
The board endorsed the beginning of this project on October 20th, 2005.
Hallelujah. Let the demolition and beautification begin.
Go
Back
Decks must be maintained by owner
Remington Post Condominiums are
in the years-long process of replacing decks. Many units throughout the
property have new decks. The RP office decides which decks to replace
based on condition – worst goes first.
It is important for homeowners to know that they
are responsible for maintaining new decks. New means replaced within
the last 6 years.
The following are tips that extend the life span
of decks:
- Don't leave anything in contact with the wooden
parts of the deck frame. Items touching the wood usually trap some
water. This leads to the wood rotting.
- Every few years, sand the top railing of the
deck and repaint. When you are ready to paint, come down to the office
with an empty bucket or coffee can, and they will give you some paint.
This way the color stays uniform throughout the complex. Cheaper too!
- Some deck interiors have wood exposed on the
inside of the structure. Water tends to seep into the seams of these
interiors. It is a good idea to close off such areas with paneling,
leaving only the areas leading to the drain spouts open.
- Remember, charcoal grills are not allowed on
decks. Charcoal grilling is available in the park area next to the
clubhouse, and also in the area between the parking garages of 3365 and
3375. This policy significantly lowers our insurance premium. Electric
grills and gas grills are allowed on decks. However, the city of
Boulder still has a ban in place on grills in multi-family housing, for
what it's worth.
Go
Back
Heating
cost at Remington Post skyrocket
Be prepared for a HUGE
increase in your heating costs. Excel Energy has announced a 70%
increase in natural gas costs.
This is the time to check your unit to see what you can do to keep your
unit warm:
New insulated windows make a big difference.
Check caulking around doors and windows.
Cover your a/c with plastic.
If you have old windows cover them with plastic.
Keep the flue closed on your fireplace when not in use. If your
fireplace has not been inspected in the last 2 years we need a current
inspection in the office before you can use it. You can call
Boulder County Chimney Sweeps at 303-443-4543 to have this done.
If you have your own furnace this is a good time to have it tuned up
and inspected.
If you have any questions, please call the office at 303-449-4220.
|
It's true, our trees are the envy of the town.
Towering cottonwoods, burgeoning box elders, sylvan cedars, and many,
many more. One of the reasons we can have big trees is the farmer's
ditch that runs through the property. Trees need a lot of water, and
the ditch provides it.
However, the several-year-old drought has
afflicted our trees, too. Not as bad as it has the “wild” trees, but
bad enough.
A broken water pipe in November rendered buildings
3365 and 3375 waterless for a couple days until the section of pipe was
replaced. The break happened right underneath the cottonwood on the
East side of 3365. This same tree had half its roots removed just 18
months earlier when the main sewer pipe was dug up and replaced.
The recent water pipe replacement cost the tree
the other half of its roots, dooming it. It was felled on December
17th. The dilemma of having large, old trees near buildings… the trees
are beautiful, but they insist on snaking out roots to find any water
they can – and will burrow right through pipes.
Alas, we lost the companion tree to this one on
the East side of 3365 (where I reside) a few years back. It was 2/3rds
dead and threatening to fall down. I miss the tree because of the shade
it provided, the miraculous picture out the window each spring, and the
fact that it was a meeting place of a murder of over 100 crows. But
that tree was invading pipes, also.
 Many of our
largest trees could stand being
felled – pardon the pun. Cottonwood trees tend to shed their large
branches without provocation, and definitely are prone to limb loss
provoked by our occasional gale-force winds. Big limbs overhanging
carports are a disaster waiting to happen.
Managing the trees is a difficult and emotional
job for the folks who maintain the complex. People love the big, old
trees, but they really don't love the vast amount of box elder bugs
that infest their condos every fall. The tree planning has been foisted
upon us, because many of the complex's trees were there before
Remington Post was built. They've served us well for oh these many
years, but moving forward we will likely see some of our friendly
giants replaced by species more friendly to buildings, pipes and
grounds.
Go
Back
Survey for expanded clubhouse hours fails
to pass
In the later months of
2004, some homeowners expressed their desire to have the clubhouse open
more hours. For several years, the clubhouse was open on Saturdays and
Sundays from 10 AM to 6 PM, with an attendent on staff.
Clubhouse hours were reduced in early 2004 as a cost-cutting measure.
The Board of Managers is always looking for ways to reduce costs while
still maintaining a high level of service. The decision to cut back
clubhouse hours was also based on observations from attendants that the
clubhouse was almost never being visited or used during weekend hours.
Based on the request for a return to more clubhouse hours, a survey was
conducted to determine if the homeowner community was willing to absorb
the extra cost involved in keeping the clubhouse open.
The survey generated an excellent level of response compared to
previous surveys. Fully 139 owners responded, out of 278 units in
Remington Post.
The measure was soundly defeated. 108 owners voted "No", and 24
responded "Yes". Inexplicably, 7 owners voted "Undecided".
Weekend hours for the clubhouse will remain at Saturday 10 AM to 2 PM,
and closed on Sunday.
Go Back
Bills calculated from submeter reading
Charge
depends on consumption
A final change to our
billing system culminates a year-long effort at making the system more
fair. Homeowners in roughly 50% of units have new, energy-efficient
windows. Some people are fastidious about weatherproofing their unit.
Others simply do not use much heat. Unfortunately, the old system did
not reward frugal consumers of energy.
For several years,
Remington Post calculated monthly heating costs based on estimates.
Energy consumption and energy price were estimated, with the total
annual cost budgeted each November. At the end of the year, the amount
Remington Post owed for heat never matched the amount it brought in
from homeowners – due to fluctuations in usage and unpredictable rises
in energy prices. This was not particularly good budgetary practice.
It also did not
reward people who were conserving energy. The amount used by one
building would be divided up according to a formula (based on 1, 2 or 3
bedroom units), with no regard for the actual unit-by-unit consumption.
A long-term plan was created for
the installation of sub metering. We contracted a company named Viterra
to handle the billing, in anticipation of them integrating with sub
meters once they were installed. After a few months of problems with
the billing, we opted to have the billing done in-house by Elaine. This
has cleared up the billing problems.
Also, a change was made to the
method used for monthly billing. Homeowners used to be charged a fixed
amount each month, based on the estimate of the total annual energy
cost. That changed. Each month when Excel delivered the energy bill to
Remington Post (per building), the formula would be applied and a
charge calculated from the actual usage. This has a few effects.
First, there is no longer the
concern of our budget not matching the actual cost of energy. Remington
Post management and the Homeowner’s Association board still put the
estimated cost of energy in the budget, but the practice of billing
each month for actual usage (per building) means the estimate is not so
critical – with no resultant over funding or under funding. One year we
had a rather painful under funding, causing perturbations throughout
the budget.
Second, it makes the bills a
different amount each month. This has been a nuisance to some
homeowners, especially the ones using automatic bill-paying services.
Nonetheless, this was a key precursor to the final goal.
The goal? Bills based on actual
usage per unit. In Fall of 2004, the sub meters were installed, and as
of January 2005, the sub meter readings are being used in the billing.
And as expected, usage varies considerably among units. Now people who
conserve and those that have improved their energy efficiency will be
rewarded.
On the downside, heavy consumers
will likely be distraught by their bill. For these folks, they are no
longer “lost in the average” for each building. They have to pay for
what they used.
Note: Units in
buildings 3345, 3365, and 3375 have their own furnaces and hot water
heaters, and have always been billed for actual usage by Excel.
Go
Back
|
