Jan and I met with CYP and RPV to discuss this. What they told us gives me a deal of comfort.

Here are my detailed notes – happy to clarify if anyone has questions.

A number of residents have asked why we don’t have a QR code for The Botanica

This was discussed at a recent Committee meeting.  The following is worth noting:

• It IS NOT required for buildings like ours with simple common areas
• It IS required for residential buildings that have Gyms, pools and cinema common areas
• If you have a QR code system you must have a manual / kiosk fallback
• The Botanica maintains a detailed record of all fob entries
• The Botanica maintains a detailed video record of all entries and exits

The Committee decided that our biggest risk is with delivery people and tradies.  With that in mind we have placed notices in both lifts and on all entry doors.

Please do the right thing and encourage all of your “visitors” to do the right thing

In case you missed the action this morning

The camera is designed to catch the Metro Tunnel action at Edmund Herring Oval. I black out the school yard

This is the date for The Botanica AGM but lets make it bigger than just an AGM. In the recent survey, a number of you wanted more social ‘events’ for residents, so lets make this our next ‘social event’.

Don’t worry it is not a trick to get you onto the Committee, you are very welcome to nominate but have sufficient. The meeting will be fairly short – the fun will be much longer.

Details will come later but lock this much in NOW

• Tuesday August 31
• 6pm
• Giro d’Italia

A few weeks back we were having some terrible vibrations throughout the building. I tried to explain that they were removing concrete segments and the blinding layer ceiling underneath St Kilda Rd.

Here is a video that shows what was happening.

A few things to note

• The camera does not move – the back wall keeps moving away from the camera
• The camera is about at Bowen Lane / St Kilda Rd looking south
• If you look closely, you can see a ‘thin’ layer of ceiling concrete that falls away (with some help) at various points. This was a temporary layer laid to give a solid base to lay the concrete lab onto. Called a ‘blinding layer’. It was these chunks falling that caused us the grief
• In the final shot, the top right of the scene is immediately in front of The Botanica, near our front steps

Enjoy

See attached full details

Some observations…

The survey numbers down about 20% this year – partly impacted by empty apartments

Front page has a summary of the last few years, but looking at the areas that were given the lowest scores this year

• Civium / OC mgmt
• Car park
• Lobby flowers
• Gardens

None of them are a surprise but worth keeping at top of mind in our planning

Looking at the trends on the front page

• Almost all have improved
• Renters are less happy with the decision to live here, I guess Metro Tunnel has a big impact.  The empty rental apartments back that up
• Less satisfaction with Metro’s 1800 number

Some observations from subsequent pages

• More than 25% of respondents have been here less than 5 years
• All owners and all renters (except 1) have seen the residents guide. 
• Feedback on the sprinkler project is very good.  Both in terms of people understanding the need and it actually being low impact.
• Favoured sustainability ideas are
  • Solar for common areas and apartments if possible
  • Electric car charging
  • Water harvesting

Some ideas put forward

• Lobby chairs – we have had this several times
• Improve access to the building / car park.  Again an old chestnut. We improved with automatic doors but still not fabulous
• Car park cleaning
• Smells in corridors
• Better notification of renovation noise
• Put ‘time’ back on lift screens
• Better soundproofing
• More social gatherings
• External painting

Timelapse from The Botanica today

We don’t want to get into this situation – please limit numbers in the lifts and get your tradies / visitors to wear masks in common areas.