September 2021 Newsletter
New Pool Furniture
The new pool furniture was delivered in August. We are waiting for a few more pieces.
HOA Board Meeting – Tuesday, September 14, 2021, 6:00 p.m. via Zoom
The Zoom information and an agenda will be sent out closer to the date
New Property Manager
We are happy to welcome Carmen Harper as our new Property Manager with Partners. Carmen comes with extensive experience as a property manager as well as a board member in her community.
Carmen Harper, CMCA, AMS
Partners Community Management
626-529-3918, ext.108 Office 310-378-4100, ext.108 Office
Termite Contract Vote
Partners Community Management will open the member votes at the next HOA Board meeting on Tuesday, September 14 to see if the Association gives the Board the okay to sign a three-year contract with Higgins Termite, Inc. The three-year contract is priced at $3,200 per year which is the same price we have been paying for several years. The only difference with this contract is that Higgins wants most of the money for the three years up front. We will make an additional payment in September 2023..
There seems to be some confusion among some of our members about this vote. The vote for a three-year contract with Higgins is not a vote if you like or dislike Higgins. The vote is to give the Board authority to sign a three-year contract. We have received several other termite inspection and treatment bids and they were all two or three times the cost of Higgins and they provided less service. Higgins has been servicing our property for a long time and overall, we have been pleased with their service. At times Higgins can be slow at returning phone calls from our members. We will be more than happy to help make arrangements for you. Please contact the Board if you have questions or concerns about this vote as it’s important that you vote yes.
Fall Maintenance Schedule
Pool tile cleaning - Completed in August
Roof maintenance (Small Buildings) & gutter cleaning - Monday & Tuesday October 4 & 5
Garage lateral line cleaning - Saturday, October 23 & October 30
Main sewage line cleaning - Tuesday, November 2
Tree Maintenance Update
The owner of Unit 4400 has agreed to remove the bamboo on the patio which our Arborist believes is causing the root incursion in the main line under the patio. If removing the bamboo does not stop the root incursion, we will have to dig up the patio to figure out which tree is causing the problem.
We are working with our new Arborist, Polo from Gomez Landscaping and Tree Care to put together a plan to improve the maintenance of all the trees on the property including the trees on the patios with roots in the ground. The tree inspection will recommend treatment for disease or fertilization and if necessary, tree removal for trees that can’t be saved. We have asked Polo to suggest where additional trees with noninvasive roots can be planted around the property either in the ground or in large pots. We will keep you posted once we receive more information from the Arborist.
Structural Engineer Report Update
For the people who have attended our recent Zoom Board Meetings, you may recall we discussed the need to have a structural engineer inspect the large cracks that opened up in bedroom ceiling and walls in unit 4410. The homeowner's contractor thought the cracks were caused from the structure settling into the ground. Our engineer inspected the unit, and he thought the cracks were caused by moisture in the attic space. The engineer felt certain the cracks were not caused by the building subsiding. He said the building is perfectly save and that he would not have any hesitation in having his family live in the building.
The installation of a new roof on this building in June included adding two new air vents above each unit. These air vents remove the heat from the attics, and they will help make the unit cooler. Please note our buildings were built without attic ventilation. A number of residents have added additional new vents and also have installed solar fans to help move the hot air and moisture out of the attics. It’s important that you do not vent bathroom ventilation fans directly into your attic space. These vents should be vented through the top of the roof to prevent moisture buildup, termites, and mold. You can contact our Roofing Contractor and he can fix this problem for you. Let us know if you have any questions or need some help.
We are planning on replacing the roof on building 6 (Units 4440 -4456) next year. Within the next four years all the roofs should be replaced as well as the addition of new roof vents.
Rental Cap
We wanted to give the members who rent out their units some further clarification about how the rental cap will work in the event your property is passed on to one of your relatives upon your death. Per our HOA Attorney, any change in ownership would make the new owner subject to the leasing quota. There is no grandfathering in that context. For example, the new owner could only be granted the authority from the Board to continue to rent out the unit if the total number of rentals is below 25%. As the current percentage of rental units in the complex is 28% already, it will be highly unlikely the property would be able to continue to be rented by the individual who inherits your property. The purpose of this clarification is to help you with your estate planning. Please let the Board or Property Management Company know if you have any questions.
Amendment to the CCRs
We are working with our HOA Attorney to put together a vote package for the members which will transfer the maintenance responsibilities for lateral sewage lines, patio trees, patio decks and balconies from the homeowners back to the Association where it belongs. You should be seeing a vote package in the mail within the next month or so. We think you will be happy with this change.
Attention All Cooks
We fertilized the lime tree by the pool this year and it looks like we are going to have a bumper crop that should be ripe in a few weeks. Did you know we also have a large rosemary bush at the corner of our driveway on Clybourn? Please bring a cutting tool to remove the limes and rosemary. We will need to purchase a pole with a cutting device to get at the limes at the top of the tree. Please be careful while picking the limes. Let us know if you need any help.
Community Spirit
For anyone wanting to extend some community spirit, Muriel, who owns Unit 4400 had surgery a month ago and is in the process of rehabilitation. She can’t get up the stairs for now but is comfortably camped out in the living room. She would appreciate your prayers and positive thoughts.
Electronic Consent with Partners
We encourage all Homeowners to sign up to receive electronic communications from the management company. This will help to
Reduce our carbon footprint.
Reduce the cost of mailing (printing, envelopes, postage).
Communications (with the exception of ballots) will be sent via email.
Help your HOA & the environment. Complete and return the attached electronic consent form.
Form Attached below - when you click on the arrow it will be downloaded to your computer.
The form is also available on the Partners Community Management website, https://partnerscm.com/