Newsletter 6, October 11,2010

POINT BRITTANY SIX NEWSLETTER

NEWSLETTER 6 OCTOBER 11, 2010


My first inclination in writing this newsletter is to apologize! I must assume personal responsibility for preparing such an aggressive Board Meeting for October 6, 2010. We had so many things on the agenda that were important and I should have taken the audience into consideration. Having said that I want to extend a heart felt thank you to those many owners who showed up and contributed to the meeting. You were a wonderful audience and we appreciated your interest and your courtesy to all of us. Its great to be back.

We received two committee reports which were very interesting, informative, and provided the Board and of course the audience with information and suggestions which will help us to proceed with the many things needed to improve our building.

a. Mr. Gorski, presenting for the Landscaping Committee, presented a number of projects for the Board to consider:

As its first priority, the committee made a proposal to improve the appearance of the upper level garage. Their proposal was ambitious and aggressively addressed this challenge. The plan is still in it’s early stages and will require a review by a qualified engineering firm to be sure that we do not encounter the problems we had in the past.

The second issue is the challenge of what to do with the Dolphins. The Committee presented a detailed plan for the Board to consider. We will address this subject at the next Board meeting.

The Board will address the other issues which are generally in the common area and the responsibility of the PBAC. They include such issues as the service road, the pool area, the walk way along the sea wall and the plants in the island located on the south west side of the building.

Mrs. Nichols reported for the Hallway committee. They have worked extremely hard to develop a detailed plan for our consideration. To provide the options and the details for the Board and the owners to consider, she requested that the Board approve the expenditure of $3,000.00 to have two design firms prepare detailed plans and alternatives for us to consider. We are extremely confident that they will be able to develop a plan which will provide the most cost effective and efficient hallway redecorating plan for us.

The Board has been faced with a number of issues concerning pets. We advised the pet owners that they must abide by the rules regarding the care of pets in our building so as to avoid accidents. The members present at the meeting were advised that if it would come to a vote, the unit owners would probably vote not to allow pets. This comment precipitated a comment from an owner about whether the Board disliked pets. Let me state this publicly, that we believe pets are a special part of many families. They help to calm us, focus us and often offer silent companionship. Our only concern is that the owners who have pets follow the rules and clean up after them should there be an accident. If an owner can no longer care for their pet, they need to make arrangements to have someone attend to the needs of the animal.

The Board approved the installation of a key pad locking system to be installed on the first and second floor lobbies. The doors will be locked but can be opened using the key pad, a key or a remote opening device . Detailed plans will be presented at the appropriate time. It was felt that this will provide a security system consistent with the security programs in the area and is being accomplished consistent with advice from the St Petersburg police department.

The Board has accumulated a list of unit owners who have some issues with the surface of their balconies. We will attempt to have each of these balconies inspected and a determination what must be done to repair them. Some of the work may very well be under warranty. Of additional concern is the preventive maintenance which is proposed by the inspection team. We will have an engineering firm address this issue to determine the scope of work and the necessity for such maintenance. We believe that any such work can be accomplished within our budget. The Cathodic Protection system has been upgraded and is working as anticipated.

We had a Fire Safety Inspection in July and are pleased to report that there were only a few minor violations which are being addressed.

The Board is tackling a challenge regarding the assignment of parking spaces in our building. A complete and comprehensive review of all assigned parking spaces in our building was conducted. We found 16 units with assigned parking spaces which were not consistent with our documents. If you are one of the 16, you will receive a letter advising you of the discrepancy. The Board will address this issue at our Board meeting scheduled for October 19, 2010 at 7 PM. If you have not received a letter, you are not involved. For the record, we are doing this so that we can meet the terms of the condo documents which requires the Board to maintain an accurate and up to date list of assigned parking spaces.

Why do you need Home Owners Insurance? Under Florida Law, “it’s not what caused the damage that determines which policy responds, it’s what got damaged.” As an example, there is a water leak in the unit above you and causes damage within your unit, you are responsible for the repair. It doesn’t seem fair but that is the way it is. We cannot force you to buy this insurance but we wanted you to know why you should consider buying it.