As I indicated some time back, we have been talking to the City of Port Phillip and Metro Tunnel about placing some trees in pots on our footpath.

We had confirmation yesterday that that they will arrive around mid-May.

We will eventually get real trees again but that is some years away.

I understand that a number of local residents have already volunteered to assist with watering duties…thanks

Here is a message from Bernadene Voss about the virus impact on City of Port Phillip. Sorry it is on Facebook, only place I’ve seen it so far.

Message

…UPDATE – Now on Youtube too here

A couple of people have asked me how do we come up with the amounts that each owner has been charged for the ‘fire sprinkler’ work.

Under the Owners Corp Act costs are charged on what they call ‘lot liability’. Essentially that is based on your floorspace which includes car bays.

The OC charges for normal charges that you are invoiced every quarter is also based on the same formula.

Essentially the assumption under the Act is that people with bigger apartments should pay proportionately more.

There is a little discretion under the Act for levies to have a different formula in rare circumstances if the funds are not for the ‘common good’. Clearly the sprinklers are for the benefit of all owners and this is not applicable in this case.

Bottom line is that the sprinkler levy cost is based on floorspace.

Below is the Government advice – if it causes you problem talk to Paul nicely and he may be able to help

Is home delivery still permitted?

Yes. But you should consider whether you really need delivery people regularly coming to your door. There are some basic principles you should follow.

Don’t purchase large items online – such as beds, couches or large appliances – that require several people to deliver or install in your home.

Where possible, don’t allow delivery people to enter your home, and always maintain a distance of 1.5 metres between you and other people, especially when paying and taking delivery of a package. Try to use contactless payment or pre-pay online if possible. 

If you live in an apartment with a security entrance, don’t allow delivery people to enter the building or use lifts or internal stairways. Pick up your delivery from the front of the building instead. This minimises the risk to any older or vulnerable people who share the common areas of the property.

Full details are here

See below the note that should have gone with sprinkler levy note.

The due date for the levy is now May 31

Fire sprinkler replacement program

Note for Owners

Back in December I alerted you to the fact that we have an issue with Omega fire sprinklers in The Botanica.  Since then we have been diligently working through the various options and costs. 

The Committee has agreed that the best course of action to be:

* Replace all Omega sprinklers as soon as practicable.  With the virus issues, this may cause a delay and we are working with the supplier on exact timing.

The work will require a two step process. 

a. The first step will be the replacement of the sprinkler heads and this may involve some minor damage to plaster work in apartments.  This is the most urgent task and we have a fixed price quote for this work of $142K including GST.

b. The plaster/paint repair work will be a separate task and we are not able to get quotes for this work until Step 1 is complete.  It will be done as a separate task at a separate time.

The sprinkler work will be funded by a levy to all owners and the plaster / paint work will be funded from our existing maintenance fund.  The total of the levy will be $150K to cover some additional car park sprinkler work not included in the existing quote.

I understand that it is a bad time to be requesting additional funds from owners, but this is essential work to maintain the safety of all occupants of the building.  To make it a little easier the payments will be split across two quarters.  This also means that the two payments are across two financial years which may assist some owners.  If you have issues making these payments please contact Civium and we will try to come to a mutually agreeable payment plan.

The organisation we have engaged is very experienced in these matters and have done a number of apartment sprinkler replacement projects.  Their timing is still not fixed, we are hopeful that we may be able commence in May / June with the work expected to take around 3 months.

By the nature of the work, it will be disruptive but we will try and minimise the disruptions.  We will also ensure that all Corona Virus recommendations are followed by all working on the project.

In the meantime, please ensure that you continue to be extra diligent on fire matters.  Be careful with BBQ’s, know the locations of extinguishers, know the evacuation plans.

Gary Buck

Chairman

25 March 2020

Update – you received this in your letterbox today…please note it is very unlikely that we will commence the work in May. The work will be rescheduled as soon practical

Back in December I alerted you to the fact that we have an issue with Omega fire sprinklers in The Botanica.  Since then we have been diligently working through the various options and costs. 

The following course of action is to be undertaken.

* Replace all Omega sprinklers as soon as practicable.  With the virus issues, this may cause a delay and we are working with the supplier on exact timing.

The work will require a two step process. 

1. The first step will be the replacement of the sprinkler heads and this may involve some minor damage to plaster work in apartments. 
2. The plaster/paint repair work will be a separate task and we are not able to get quotes for this work until Step 1 is complete.  It will be done as a separate task at a separate time.

The organisation we have engaged is very experienced in these matters and have done a number of apartment sprinkler replacement projects.  Their timing is still not fixed, we are hopeful that we may be able commence in May with the work expected to take around 3 months.

By the nature of the work, it will be disruptive but we will try and minimise the disruptions.  We will also ensure that all Corona Virus recommendations are followed by all working on the project.

In the meantime, please ensure that you continue to be extra diligent on fire matters.  Be careful with BBQ’s, know the locations of extinguishers, know the evacuation plans.

Gary Buck

Chairman

25 March 2020

We have a serious issue with the rollerdoor for the Bowen St carpark.

It can only be operated manually – by pulling the chain.

It will be left down overnight to discourage unwelcome visitors.

If you MUST go out in your car, you will need to manually raise the door and then please manually close it again.

It will be repaired as soon as possible.