Minutes - 6/25/08

From Reservoir Lofts Condominium Community

Contents 1 J.M. Whitney Services 2 Comcast Install 3 Punchlist concerns 3.1 Water Heater Flooding 3.2 Parking Garage Flooding 3.3 Parking Garage Security 3.4 Parking 3.5 External Siding 3.6 Windows 3.7 Heat in hallways 3.8 Poor airflow in upstairs bedrooms 3.9 Paint 3.10 Speakers 3.11 Washers & Dryers Vibrating 3.12 Floors Chipping 4 Mailbox Reminder 5 Condo Fees 6 Management Letter 7 Sounds from office HVAC unit 8 Resolution of issues 9 Followup Meeting 10 See Also

J.M. Whitney Services

• Cleaners on site two times a week.
• Trash collected two times a week - Monday and Friday
  • Separate bin for cardboard - to be put at bottom of ramp.
  • Assessments being done to determine trash bin sizing
  • Trash needs to go in trash room, any overflow at bottom of ramp near handicapped spot
  • Reminder that there are recycle bins - sometimes outside trash room by the handicapped spot

Comcast Install

• Comcast Sales Reps Leona Swanston - 617-279-1851 and Paul MacLean were available at the end of the meeting to signup residents for service and the mass install 2PM-7PM on 6/26/08.

Punchlist concerns

• Developer is working through residents' punch lists

Water Heater Flooding

• Check your overflow pan for moisture
• See the Emergency page for specifics on how to deal with this if it happens to you
• Consider requesting that the plumbers label all pipes in the laundry room.
• Solution is pending - residents with air handler water connections on the side of their hot water heaters are those who are experiencing problems. Solution will be to move piping to the top of the hot water heater.

Parking Garage Flooding

• Developer still working /w contractor to resolve
• Parking Garage Flooding now has pictures & videos documenting where the issues are.
• Suggestion to help flooding by tweaking landscaping -- adding borders around mulch areas to prevent mulch run-off during storms.
  • - Curtis Whitney is following up on this.

Parking Garage Security

• Current setup allows for all to access by pushing on strip, residents seek resident-only access solution
• Also if developer does not close all doors in Buildings C&D at end of work day, people can gain access to other units through garage
• Possible solution: wireless system for garage entrance - Can we get developer to pay for it?
• Reported that homeless people were living on the construction site at one point in time, and numerous calls to Police were made -- Developer was instructed by Police to lock all doors at end of day, or they would stop responding to such calls.

Parking

• Guest parking is available on the street, and in the strip-mall parking lot (particularly Ground Round)
• Suggestion to approach Traffic department and request that signs not be put up to limit parking (requiring resident stickers) -- as we do not need such, with our spots in the garage.
• Suggestion to approach property owners @ the strip-mall and Bank of America (potentially also the office building on Fawcett Street) to see about gaining permission for use of spots during particular days/times.
  • - Sean is following up with Bank of America manager
• No shopping carts from surrounding retailers can be in garage - blocks parking.
  • - Jim volunteered to return shopping cart in garage to Wegmans

External Siding

• External HardiePlank may have had nails sunken too deep, causing problems down the line - Whole buildings likely need to have sunken nails chaulked.
• As specified on James Hardie website, HardiePlank nails which are countersunk should be caulked and have another nail added.
  • - Sharon is sharing her Building Inspector's report discussing the issue with this -- for other residents to review.

Windows

• External windows are not properly sealed/caulked
• Talk of a pending lawsuit between developer and window installers regarding windows not being installed correctly
  • Speak to developer about whether this is happening -- have all units named on lawsuit
• Leaking at windows due to combination of improper installation and no weep holes for water to drain
• Future discussion of how to orchestrate hallway windows being open/closed to prevent water damage from storms

Heat in hallways

• Developer is replacing bulbs to decrease heat output
• See if top windows can be opened to let heat escape
• Possibly install vents at the top of buildings, under the easement to allow hot air out
• Possibly install fans in hallways

Poor airflow in upstairs bedrooms

• Some residents have noticed poor airflow to the vent in the upstairs bedroom of 2 bedroom units.
• We should request the specs for details on the HVAC setup
  • - Josh will look into this with the developer

Paint

• Not enough layers of paint from initial hand-off of units. Some residents are seeing paint chipping, or are having it come off easily.
• Review unit specs to see what was specified as far as how many coats of paint

Speakers

• Mono source to bedrooms - Only one wire was run to bedrooms to support stereo output
• Need issue formally documented in writing
• Need formal request to speak to installer/subcontractor

Washers & Dryers Vibrating

• Some residents are having problems with their washers and dryers vibrating excessively -- Some have purchased washers and dryers through the developer
• Have developer address install issues

Floors Chipping

• A resident noted that her wood floor is chipping.
• More info needed on this issue, as single resident, Maureen in 201, expressed this concern

Mailbox Reminder

• Label your mailbox with Name & Unit number -- put a label inside the box (See Also Move-in Checklist)

Condo Fees

• Will there be direct deposit available for Condo fee payment?

Management Letter

• Curtis Whitney will be sending out a letter to residents with Emergency contact information for HVAC, Plumber, Electrician, etc.

Sounds from office HVAC unit

• Concern was raised regarding the sound from the office building on Fawcett Street.
• City of Cambridge was contacted, and someone can come out with a decibel reader to check how much sound it produces.
  • - Mike is following up on this with this office, as 302 is very close to the HVAC --MikeSchroll 21:15, 28 June 2008 (UTC)

Resolution of issues

• Residents decided to draft a letter to the developer, listing all common resident issues and asking for resolution of the issues.
• This letter will be drafted on the wiki prior to the next community meeting, and then will be signed by all residents, and sent out from J.M. Whitney's office.
  • - Jamie has volunteered to start Draft to the Developer.

Followup Meeting

• Agreement on a meeting the week after Fourth of July, potentially Wednesday July 9th, same time 7:30PM.
• Seeking feedback of confirmation from residents on this date or other good nights/times that week, prior to official announcement of meeting

See Also

6/25/08 - Agenda