LA SCALA NEWS

3rd Quarter 2006 from Andrew Fentiman (603)

 

We have two months of hurricane season left and so far we have squeaked by unharmed. Meanwhile, La Scala remains quiet, as it usually is in the off-season, populated by our year-rounders and the occasional visiting summer stalwart.

 

QUICK NEWS – Welcome to new owner Teresa Larson (1102) ☼ 16 La Scala units remain in decorator-ready condition (concrete floors) ☼ Several stores are already open at Coconut Point Town Center. Dillards is scheduled to open in November ☼ New Colony Property Manager Gary Pearson plans to install new security cameras at the main gate, south gate and construction gate entrances, also adding park benches along walkways ☼ How lucky are we, to have two knowledgeable CAM-licensees running La Scala? Isabella was recently awarded her CAM (Community Association Management) license. Congratulations, Isabella! ☼ Late one afternoon, Jackie and I spotted a large bobcat sitting on the putting green across the road from Bellagio…. waiting for an unsuspecting bunny, no doubt ☼   

 

HOUSE-KEEPING – Pool/spa hours are daylight only, please ☺ If you leave the BBQ grills on high for long enough, the igniter wires and the igniters start melting; they are expensive to replace. Grills can be pre-heated in just a few minutes. Please switch them off immediately after use ☺ After using the pool area, please be considerate and don’t leave the furniture in disarray ☺ If you are not in residence, inform Joseph of any work to be done on your unit, or any large deliveries that are expected. If the Manager is not informed in advance, access will not be granted to your unit if you are not there ☺ The a/c compressors (in your mechanical closet) for your unit have a 5-year warranty but lack of regular maintenance - at least annually - voids the warranty. Union Complete Service in Bonita Springs maintains my a/c units. Tel: (239) 992-7300 www.UnionComplete.com ☺ Fetty. What a great maintenance man; always positive, willing and happy, he never complains…. even on the morning we found him standing in the trash compactor, soaked in wet garbage, trying to remove a stuck cardboard box from inside the chute, tossed down by some thoughtless person (a sub-contractor, as it turned out). While we talked, more garbage rained down the chute onto his head; he didn’t flinch and the smile never left his face ☺

  

PET RULES COMMITTEE – The committee worked hard to come up with a suitable pet rule amendment and the revised proposal was presented to the Board at the September 13th Board Meeting. On the key question of whether a ‘one-dog’ or a ‘two-dog’ limit should be stipulated, a committee member volunteered to contact each unit owner and ask them. 28 favored a one-dog-limit, 28 favored a two-dog limit and 8 declined to opine. Consequently, the Board took the stance that, because it is important to change the pet rules and make them more sensible – especially with regard to dogs – it makes sense to opt for a ‘one-dog’ limit at this time in order to get the amendment approved by the majority of Members. The Association attorney is currently working on the language of the draft proposed amendment and the plan is for the Members to vote on it at the December 15th Board Meeting. I urge everyone to vote on this important matter. Voting is a crucial opportunity for you to have your say in La Scala’s future and, as President, I have pledged to personally follow up with everyone whose completed ballot we do not receive.   

 

SOCIAL ROOM – Just as the building’s warranty expired, we had a significant water-intrusion problem in the north-west corner of the Social Room. This was not the result of a major storm but from regular summer rains. As we expected, WCI immediately referred to our expired warranty. Long story short, we refused to take ‘no’ for an answer and WCI are currently doing the repairs. They have assured us that everything will be back in order before Thanksgiving.

 

ENGINEERING REPORT – Our negotiations with WCI continue. One thing they have done is to add more rock to the ‘moat area’, from the front parking lot area to the back corner below the spa. Other than that, it is an uphill struggle to get satisfaction; but we persevere.

 

SAFETY ISSUE - Several Unit Owners have noticed that if one or more of the glass sliders is open in a unit, the potential exists under certain atmospheric conditions for the front doors and the service area door to slam shut with force. Joseph French (1502) has conducted tests in the south 01/02 stack to see under what conditions this occurs. He discovered that it tends to happen when the wind is out of the southern quadrants (SSE to SSW). A reasonable assumption is that the 03/04 stack experiences a similar phenomenon when winds are out of the northern quadrant. WCI, Kraft Construction, Page Mechanical and Feller Engineering have all addressed this matter, concluding that the building specifications are as intended and advising us that this phenomenon is common to high-rise towers. However, this topic is still on the table, in our ongoing negotiations with WCI. Meanwhile, please be very careful in your unit. If you have one or more glass sliders open and you exit your unit via the service area door, you may find that negative air pressure pulls the door shut with unimagined force. This could be hazardous to fingers, toes, pets...... or anything that is in the path of a rapidly closing door. Closing the glass sliders before exiting your unit will ease the air pressure. Please do not become overly anxious regarding this phenomenon but DO remain aware and be safe. Thank you.

 

MORE RESTAURANTS – I am always adding to my restaurant list (let me know if you want me to e-mail you a copy). Here are a few ideas.

 

LA SCALA WEBSITE & WEB FORUM – Please look at our website from time to time, also keeping up with the web forum and posting your own comments there. These amenities are for the benefit and interest of Members and our appreciation goes to Jeff Manning, Front-Desk Security, who manages and maintains both sites.

 

La Scala website: www.LaScalaAtTheColony.com

La Scala web forum: www.LaScalaAtTheColony.com/smf

 

We look forward to the winter season and to seeing more residents in the building once again.

 

ANDREW

Cell: (239) 405-3455. E-mail: acfentiman@comcast.net