Recommendations
Based on studies of the issues and numerous consultations with experienced engineering and construction experts, the Building Committee and Ad Hoc Hardscape Landscape Committee have arrived at an opinion as to how the two projects should be accomplished. However, we feel it is imperative for each owner to arrive at his or her own conclusions based on the facts known to date. The Committees’ recommendations are presented after the discussion of the status, plans and numbers. All the information that precedes the Committees’ recommendations is fact and based solely on consultation with experts.

The Ad Hoc Hardscape Landscape Committee has been intimately involved in numerous aspects of this project. It had established a selection filtering criteria combining the majority of owners expressed desires and vision for 3000 while focusing on improving failing or outdated mechanical structures and systems, lowering operating costs through lower and less costly energy usage and incorporating replacing outdated equipment with increased efficiency and higher quality and better performing equipment.
The mantra of the committee was seeking the highest return on investment while working with all professionals and combing through every item on the decks even factoring the energy source options they may run on, to the current status of every item, the expected remaining longevity (most items have long exceeded this stage), and what options will accommodate owners expressed desires now and into the future based on design and demand trends in similar properties. All changes have also met the established criteria for lowering maintenance for our staff which further reduces costs week after week, year after year, while offering a far improved product quality. The Landscape Architects plans offer far more shade, seating, and greenery to our entire property which a greatly improved use of space through an improved design for greater enjoyment of the entire deck space.
The AHHLC was initially tasked with developing a master plan which we viewed as possibly breaking into 2 phases, a Mandatory North Deck and a follow up South Deck project implemented the following year.
As we continued to listen to the experts, including Architects, Engineers, Pool Specialists, Contractors, Real Estate Professional, as well as building managers from neighboring projects it became clearer and clearer the overwhelming advantages of a single phase comprehensive project being made obvious from every perspective. Of course the challenge is for us to share all our findings with all the owners which is very difficult in a building as ours where so rarely are all owners in attendance AND inclined to attend a lengthy meeting on this subject.

It is the AHHLC recommendation that the entire deck project is performed and funded as a single phase comprehensive project which is immediately implemented on May 1, 2014 and completed ASAP in one low occupancy season to reduce the logistic and financial burden to its minimum for all owners. Anything less than the entire project as a single phase not only increases expenses significantly, it places a loss of use hardship on the entire community for 2 consecutive seasons and penalizes the owners especially those that rent their properties during these months, and those that reside in 3000 during these summer months.



Though some may argue the pool can wait another year (despite all the facts and increased costs indicating to the contrary) as it’s not an imminent emergency, we do not feel it is prudent to wait until the point is reached which can occur if the 44 year old pool drain lines and couplings or water supply lines spontaneously fail completely. The diamond brite surafce is wearing and the equipment room concrete is failing. As all other similar aged and size pipes from the original construction of the building 44 years ago have ALL been categorically replaced in the building, and those domestic pipes and lines are exposed in our garage and we visually observed the rusting and failing joints and connections, it has been implied by experts (there is no way to know what lies beneath) that our pool lines conveying highly oxidizing chlorinated water for 44 years may be far worse and already leaking substantially. In either case, the Ad Hoc Hardscape Landscape Committee stresses it is not prudent to wait for complete failure and the association should be proactive with the south deck and invest at this time to not only realize an efficient and beautiful improved and enlarged pool and deck area, but to also significantly increase the valuation of the property, each unit, as well as realize a potential 5+ fold return on their investment just from the 7K cost of the south deck repair.

It should also be mentioned, that any and all other projects that are in the building committees reserve studies and planned for the near future (next 3 years) that may require future shut down of the building or present inconveniences and delays due to high owner occupancy and provide significant encumbrances to owners during the project such as Busbar replacement,