May 2014 Update
By Allen Rothman
To All Bay Scene Owners and Residents,
As President of the Board, I feel it is important to give you an update on some happenings at Bay Scene, so, here goes!
The Board
The results of the annual election were announced at the annual meeting, held on Feb 20th.
Bill Marsh was elected to the Board, and in our organizational meeting, he was appointed as President. In March, he resigned from the Presidency, and from the Board.
At the April Board meeting, Rodney Niebuhr was appointed to fill the vacant seat.
Your Board members are:
Allen Rothman, President
Al Hamilton, Vice President
Bob Kevane, Treasurer
Richard Felix, Secretary
Rodney Niebuhr, Member at Large
HOA Dues
The Good News: there will be no change in our dues for the next fiscal year.
Current dues are $695 per unit.
New dues will be $695 per unit.
We debated an increase in dues, due to many necessary infrastructure projects, but feel that we can upgrade Bay Scene, and still keep the budget in line with our dues structure.
Windows
There are still many differing opinions on what to do with windows in our property.
Should they be replaced?
If so, with what design, color, and reflectivity?
Who should pay for them?
Who will be responsible for their upkeep and maintenance?
We have authorized a second engineering study, and are awaiting the results.
...more to come on this topic.
Garage Lights
We have many fluorescent light fixtures and bulbs. These run 24/7, and use lots of electricity.
We are in the midst of replacing all the lights with energy saving LED T8 bulbs. This upgrade project is about $16,000 in expense, but should have a payback in about 2 1/2 years from the electricity savings.
Carbon Monoxide
The project to install a carbon monoxide monitoring system is well under way. We are in the midst of a 16-day monitoring of the carbon monoxide levels in our garage, which needs to be completed before the carbon monoxide monitoring devices are installed. We have contracted with a company to install a system which will monitor the carbon monoxide level in the garage, and turn on the fan when the levels are too high. Currently, we turn on a large fan, which is expensive to run and quite noisy. The new system will have a variable motor, which will save us money on electrical usage, and bring our garage system up to code.
Spa heater
Last month, we had to replace the heater for our spa. The new heater has a 3-year warranty.
Fire sprinkler system upgrade
We have discovered several frozen valves that must be replaced, at a cost of approximately $10,000. These valves will allow the system to be shut off if there is a break in the fire suppression and sprinkler system.
Fire hoses
On each floor in our towers there is a fire hose. Fire code requires that these hoses be tested every 5 years and replaced every 15 years. We are at the 15-year point.
We have been in touch with the fire department, asking them if these hoses can be removed because if there is a fire, the fire department will probably use their own hoses. Unfortunately, the Fire Department rejected our request, and requires that we replace the hoses to be in compliance with fire code.
Fire Control system
This system consists of a master fire control panel, fire pull stations in some common areas, and alarms in each of our units. We have contracted with Protection One to upgrade and bring to fire code the master control panel. We have also discovered that 3 pull stations are not functioning. These too, will be brought up to code. We have already received bids and are in the process of getting additional bids to test all of the fire horn sound systems in our units.
Trees and Landscaping
We are continuing to monitor and upgrade our Landscaping. Recently we had to remove a tree near the exit ramp of our garage because it started leaning significantly. We have replaced the tree with a Bamboo Palm.
The large Torrey Pines are still creating problems with excessive sap on walkways and in the pool area. New pads will be installed on the Torrey by Tower One to try to catch more of the sap that has continued to leak on the walkway for many years. We are not doing any trimming of live branches at this time, however some dead branches will probably be removed.
Plumbing issues
For many years, the catacombs, an area under the first floor but above the garage ceiling, have been plagued with water build up. When there's water in the catacombs it tends to leak into the garage. We have installed many French drains and have been replacing many clogged drain and sewer pipes.
At our last board meeting we contracted with JC Plumbing to camera scope some sewer lines.
Email addresses
If you have not received this document via email, please contact Menas Realty and give them your email address.
Communications
We intend to send out a an updated email newsletter every other month to keep you informed on the happenings at Bay Scene.
Pool area
The summer is approaching in our pool area will become very busy. Remember:
No glass.
No smoking.
Personal Music devices only.
Parties at the pool are limited to 10 people.
Be courteous as we all share our beautiful pool area.
Conclusion
We love Bay Scene.
Your board is working very hard to keep Bay Scene a premier property in San Diego.
Allen Rothman
602-228-3788
sailbay6@gmail.com
Joann Pucello
Bay Scene Property Manager
Menas Realty
858-270-7870
jpucello@menas.com