Pacific Tower June Newsletter 2021

WIN A FREE MONTH HOA DUES ($450)!

It’s time for our annual meeting (now on Zoom) to elect people for the open seats on the HOA Board. This year we have three seats open and three candidates. Two are incumbents, director Troy Krich who is a practicing local attorney and member of our Legal Committee, and Anthony Mariucci, who is a local accountant and serves as the Board’s Treasurer. The third candidate is George Kyrala, who is a scientist and has managed multimillion dollar budgets. Ballots come from an outside concern, so watch your mail. Check Abstain if you don’t want to vote. Postage is  paid!

 

Q.Why vote if the there are three slots and three candidates?

A. Because there are also two questions about board actions that need your Vote. They are: 1. Approve the 2020 annual meeting minutes and 2. Approve IRS ruling 70-604 which states that excess membership income at the end of the fiscal year, if any, is carried over into next year’s budget.

 

FOR A CHANCE TO WIN THE FREE MONTH – ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS VOTE! That’s called INCENTIVE!

 

LOBBY REMODEL

Maybe the demolition will have begun by the time you read this because the inner and outer lobbies are about to become one! Big, wonderful changes are coming. Our lobby is about to join the 21^st Century in terms of design and convenience.

 

Will it be a mess? Yes. It will be noisy and dusty? Yup. Will it be a huge inconvenience for all of us? For sure!  But we will be so happy to at long last have a new lobby. Will the roof also be worked on at the same time? Possibly.

 

LAUNDRY TIMES

People who live close to the Laundry Rooms are complaining about people doing laundry late at night and the noise created by the spinning dryer. Laundry hours are 9AM to 9PM, so please be done by 9PM.

 

 

KIDDE SMOKE ALARM RECALL

Kidde is voluntarily recalling about 226,000 smoke alarms and combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms over concerns that they can fail to alert users to a fire.

The company and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission identified seven affected models on Thursday, advising that customers with those units contact Kidde for a free replacement alarm.

The recalled models are: Kidde Model Series 2040, 2050, 2060 and 2070 smoke and combination smoke/carbon monoxide alarms. The alarms were primarily sold at Walmart, The Home Depot, Amazon.com and Menards from May 2019 through September 2020.

Many recalled units will have the TruSense logo or "AMBER=FAULT" printed on the front, according to Kidde's website.

 

Newsletter Written by Karyl Miller and Edited by Trish Mylet

 

Covid Updates and Rules

As of this writing no one in the building has caught Covid. Yay!

Everyone must still wear a mask in the common areas – lobbies, elevators, stairwells, gym/rec room and pool area. Please. Practice Social Distancing. Only 10 people can be in the pool area at a time and NO GUESTS allowed (for now).

Gym visitors must wear masks (as in all common areas of the building).

 

 

CONTACT INFO

On-Site Maintenance Cell Phone (Joseph Arellano) 619.339.3490 – Call or Text

On-Site Maintenance Office Land Line - 858.272.0860

Professional HOA Consultants (PHOAC) - 619.229.0044

*NEW: After Hours Emergencies 800.395.6036

Community Association Manager – Keisha Kendall 619.229.0044 ext.16 email: keisha@phoac.com

PHOAC Accounts Receivable - payments@phoac.com

                                                                                            

Pacific Tower May Newsletter 2021

 

NEW SECURITY MEASURES

In light of the recent car break-ins in the neighborhood and right here, Pacific Tower has taken steps to secure your safety. Based on suggestions from Community Relations Officer Broaddus of our Northern Division SDPD:

1.    We have changed everyone’s entry keys to the front door, lobby, and exterior doors.

2.    We have issued new remote control key fobs for the lower garage gate

3.    We have added more lighting in the lower and upper garages

4.    We have added four more security cameras

5.    We have hired a security firm to patrol the premises over- night every night 7 nights a week. The guard will be wearing a blue uniform with the word SECURITY on the back.

6.    We are active members of Neighborhood Watch – Karyl Miller is Block Captain

SUMMER IS COMING!

Now that summer is almost here, it’s important to review the pool rules:

Covid Pool Rules limited the pool to 10 residents and NO GUESTS. However, since there is a month lag time between when this newsletter is written and when you receive it, that rule may have changed. Be sure to notice the most current dated signage posted on the pool gates for updated rules.

 POOL RULES THAT DON’T CHANGE (short version) :

No food

No glass bottles

No diving

No loud music or horseplay

No propping open the pool gates

No nudity

                                             LAUNDRY ROOM BOOBOOS

On the back of every laundry room door is a sign stating Please do not prop these doors pen, by order of the Fire Department. And YET: Many doors are propped open using hangers and other make-shift devices. We realize that it can get hot in the laundry room, especially when the dryer is going, but we ask you to CLOSE the door to the Laundry Room when you are through with folding your laundry. Otherwise it’s a fire hazard. Thank you.

 

Newsletter Written by Karyl Miller and Edited by Trish Mylet

 

Covid Updates and Rules

As of this writing no one in the building has caught Covid. Yay!

Everyone must still wear a mask in the common areas – lobbies, elevators, stairwells, gym/rec room and pool area. Please. Practice Social Distancing. Only 10 people can be in the pool area at a time and NO GUESTS allowed (for now).

Gym visitors must wear masks (as in all common areas of the building).

 

 

CONTACT INFO

On-Site Maintenance Cell Phone (Joseph Arellano) 619.339.3490 – Call or Text

On-Site Maintenance Office Land Line - 858.272.0860

Professional HOA Consultants (PHOAC) - 619.229.0044

*NEW: After Hours Emergencies 800.395.6036

Community Association Manager – Keisha Kendall 619.229.0044 ext.16 email: keisha@phoac.com

PHOAC Accounts Receivable - payments@phoac.com

Pacific Tower April Newsletter 2021

SPRING FEVER!

Yes, it finally happened. Spring has sprung. The sun is shining. The flowers are blooming. Daylight saving is here, so we sprang forward an hour. So 5 PM became 6 PM and it’s still sunny after returning from work! Yay!

 

For seniors, our endless year of Covid quarantine is finito. Most of us Oldies-But-Goodies in the building have gotten our super-duper vaccinations and are now free to get back out there and resume living our active lives, hugging grandchildren, dining out, roller skating and of course Twerk dancing. There are several new restaurants in the area to discover - all offering outdoor seating. However, the CDC reminds us to still wear our masks, practice social distancing and wash our hands, but we can probably stop worrying about the damn thing (or the future mystery virus) killing us (at least for now).

 

ALL NEW WORKOUT

 

Did you gain the Terrible 10 Pandemic pounds while you were vegging on your couch watching endless hours of Netflix? Who didn’t? But it’s not a problem: Join the club and by that I mean pop on down and test out our new and improved gym equipment in the gym/rec room. We finally sprung for a new treadmill! That old dog wasn’t going anywhere so we bid it adios!

 

And we didn’t stop there - we also bought a new Elliptical Trainer. If you have never tried one of these contraptions – you are in for a treat, albeit a sweaty one because you will be moving everything all at once.  

A reminder: For those who cannot be separated from your phones, we offer free WiFi in the gym. 

Until further notice, the common areas of the building like the gym still require masks.

 

LOWER GARAGE BLUES

 

People who park in the lower garage are now eligible to swap out their old remote entry clicker for a new and improved remote entry clicker. See our Building Manager Joseph.

 

Friendly reminder: Please do not store stuff in your parking place. Motorcycles are ok if there is space. But surfboards, packing boxes, baby paraphernalia, windows, plastic storage bins, oil drain cans etc. are NOT okay. Other people see your stuff and they assume it’s OK to store their stuff and the next thing you know; it’s a mess down there. Park your bike in the bike rack or if you have wall space behind your car, Building Manager Joseph will put up wall-mount bike rack for your bike. Thank you.

 

CARDBOARD, CARDBOARD EVERYWHERE

 

Dear Boardie:

Q. What do I do with the box my new 70” TV came in?

A. Please do NOT leave it in the laundry room – that’s for pizza boxes and things the janitorial staff can handle. Massive boxes with massive packing materials require contacting Building Manager Joseph. Call or text 619.339.3490

MAKING GOOD CENSUS

 

To: Owners and Renters.

The Lobby Office needs to be able to contact everyone in case of an emergency. If you haven’t given Joseph your cell number and your email, please do. During the pandemic, a number of people had their girlfriend/boyfriend move in or got engaged or even married. Congratulations. Could we have their info please?

 

Newsletter Written by Karyl Miller and Edited by Trish Mylet

 

Covid Updates and Rules

As of this writing (3.10.20), no one in the building has caught Covid. Yay!

Everyone must wear still a mask in the common areas – lobbies, elevators, stairwells, guy/rec room and pool area of the building. Please. Practice Social Distancing. Try to ride the elevator alone, if you are worried about catching Covid.

Only 10 people allowed in the pool area at a time and NO GUESTS allowed.

Only 2 people allowed in the gym at a time and they must wear masks (as in all common areas of the building).

 CONTACT INFO

On-Site Maintenance Cell Phone (Joseph Arellano) 619.339.3490 – Call or Text

On-Site Maintenance Office Land Line - 858.272.0860

Professional HOA Consultants (PHOAC) - 619.229.0044 After Hours Emergencies 619.430.0695

Community Association Manager – Keisha Kendall 619.229.0044 ext.16 email: keisha@phoac.com

PHOAC Accounts Receivable - payments@phoac.com                                                                                       

 

 

                                                                             

 

                         

 

 

Pacific Tower March Newsletter 2021

                 PACIFIC TOWER FUN FACTS - MARCH 2021

 Because there are so many newbies in the building, we’ve updated our handy list of facts with new vendors, phone numbers and websites. Rules listed aren’t the ONLY rules, but these are the most often broken. Vendors and tradesmen listed are some we use but you are always free to choose your own.

Please visit our BLOG http://www.PacificTowerHOA.org for lots of helpful articles and downloads, including our Rules and Regulations and other forms. Please see, call or text on-site Building Manager Joseph Arellano, with any and all questions, no matter how trivial at 619.339.3490.

AFTER-HOURS BUILDING EMERGENCIES: Professional HOA Consultants - 619.430.069

BALCONIES: No plants without plastic plates underneath them. No smoking, rugs,          laundry/wetsuits, towels, storage, clothes drying racks, BBQs or decorative string lights.

CATWALK: No smoking, party-ing, loud yakking, running, noise, music, wet towels or            doormats.

CONSTRUCTION HOURS: 8 AM to 5 PM Monday – Friday. Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM.

CONTACT INFO: On-Site Maintenance Office, Joseph Arellano Cell 619.339.3490.         Land. 858.272.0860  Joseph.PTCA@gmail.com

ELEVATOR RESERVATION FORM: Required for use of the elevator for delivery of        furniture or removal of remodeling debris etc. $50 per day. Available on our blog,               website or in the Lobby Office.

GARBAGE DISPOSALS: No Drano, Liquid Plumber, celery, artichokes, etc. Please use            your common sense or check the internet. And don’t forget to run lots of cold water              while grinding.

KEYS: Your large square key opens the Front Lobby doors, Dumpster Room, Exterior stairway doors, Lower Garage Lobby Doors, Pool and Rec Room. You can get a second key for  a deposit of $75. 

LOWER GARAGE GATE REMOTES are $35, available in the Lobby Office by check or money order.

LAUNDRY: You can use the machines on any floor. Leave washer door open after using to prevent mold. Empty lint filter after using dryer. Do NOT prop open Laundry Room             Doors by order of the Fire Department.

LOBBY OFFICE HOURS: 8 AM to 5 PM weekdays. Call or text 619.339.3490.

LOCKSMITHS: IF you have not given the Lobby Office a copy of your spare house key you will need to call a locksmith. Never leave your spare key in your laundry room locker as        they are easily broken into.

Dup-a-Key 858.750.2224 (local in PB), Mike Grizzly Keys 858.444.0437.

MAID/CLEANING SERVICES: Please tell maids and cleaners *not to throw boxes down the             trash chute because boxes clog the chute.)

          Spanish: Por favor no tire cajas o bolletas por el ventedero dobasura.

            French: Ne pas jeter de boîtes dans la goulotte.

            *Please don’t shake mops or beat rugs on the catwalk or balconies.

            Spanish: No sacuda los trapeadores ni golpee las alfombras en la pasarela or balcones.

            French: Veuillez ne pas secouer les vadrouilles ni battre les tapis sur les podiums ou les balcons

            *Don’t dump water on or over the balcony.

            Spanish: No tirar el agua en el balcon.

            French: Ne jetez pas d’eau sur le balcon.

MOVING IN, OUT OR LARGE DELIVERIES: Moving and large deliveries absolutely forbidden on weekends and evenings. The reason is because there is no staff here to unlock the lobby double doors or to lock down and pad the elevator. Violators may be fined $250, so please take a weekday off work for this purpose and always fill out an elevator reservation form. For last-minute deliveries, text the office at 619.339.3490.

PARKING: You can rent out or swap your parking place only temporarily. It is deeded to your  unit, so you can't sell it.

PEST CONTROL: Dewey Pest 858.272.3611.

PETS: Dogs must be on a leash at all times. Anyone can download Pet Rules from             http://www.PacificTowerHOA.org

PLUMBERS: Report any plumbing question (sink, toilet or water where it shouldn’t be or even  the sound of dripping) to the Building Manger 619.339.3490 so he can see the problem          before it gets worse. JC Plumbing 619.477.5001, Emory 858.483.6880 

POOL: Hours 8 AM to 10 PM. Don’t dive, smoke, shout, play loud music or have glass bottles  or food.

RECYCLING BINS: For paper, plastic and washed and dried cans. No garbage or containers  with food particles on them or smelly cat food cans. Flatten all cardboard boxes. Really            large boxes should be flattened and left in the upper garage next to the Dumpster Room       double doors.

REMODELING: Architectural Rules and forms are available in the Lobby Office and for download at http://www.PacificTowerHOA.org. Know the limits and get written             permission from the Board before making any revisions to your unit.

STREET PARKING: No parking 1St Wednesday of the month, Wilbur St. (North side) 10 AM  to 2 PM and Cass Street (West side) 7 AM to 10 AM. No Parking, 1St Thursday of the             month, Wilbur St, (South side) 10 AM to 2 PM Cass St. (East side) 7 AM to 10 AM.

TRASH CHUTE: No cardboard boxes of any kind, EVER! No glass. Put garbage in a sealed    plastic bag.

TV/CABLE: Free basic cable plus SHOWTIME and INTERNET from Spectrum comes with  your unit. If you want AT&T, premium channels or hi-speed, you will have to contact               them and pay for it.

WIFI: In the gym/RecRoom. 

Newsletter Written by Karyl Miller and Edited by Trish Mylet

 

Covid Updates and Rules

As of this writing, no one in the building has caught Covid. Yay!

Everyone must wear a mask in the common areas - elevators and stairwells of the building. Please.

Practice Social Distancing. Try to ride the elevator alone, if you are worried about catching Covid.

Only 10 people allowed in the pool area at a time and NO GUESTS allowed.

Only 2 people allowed in the gym at a time and they must wear masks (as in all common areas of the building).

 CONTACT INFO

On-Site Maintenance Cell Phone (Joseph Arellano) 619.339.3490 – Call or Text

On-Site Maintenance Office Land Line - 858.272.0860

Professional HOA Consultants (PHOAC) - 619.229.0044 After Hours Emergencies 619.430.0695

Community Association Manager – Keisha Kendall 619.229.0044 ext.16  email : keisha@phoac.com

PHOAC Accounts Receivable - payments@phoac.com

                                                                                           

                                                                                           ***

 

 

 

Newsletter February 2021

 THE SECURITY OF SECURITY CAMERAS

Car break-ins are happening all over the North Pacific Beach according to NextDoor.com and Pacific Tower is no exception. Speed freaks AKA tweakers are all over the beach neighborhoods, stealing anything they can find to sell to fuel their nasty habits. 

 Q. Dear Boardie, my car got broken into. What can be done about it?

              A. I need more details. Q. Did they break a window?    

A. No. I might have forgotten to lock the doors just this one time! Was that dumb?

              A. Yes. What was stolen?

A.  Just a gym bag with dirty socks in it! Q. Why would they take that?

              A. They’ll take anything in sight with the hopes there’s diamonds inside. Did you just                           learn not to leave ANYTHING on your car seats?

Q. Yup. What about our Security Cameras? I’d like to get my gym socks back. I’m sentimentally              attached to them.

A. Our building manager Joseph can check the playback on the Security camera to see if we                           can see the criminal perpetrating the crime. BUT…

A WORD ABOUT SECUTITY CAMERAS

Security cameras have to be pointing in just the exactly right direction to catch even a glimpse of a bad guy. If it’s at night, there’s almost never enough light to get a clear view. We’re all spoiled watching TV dramas that show a thousand angles of every scene. But movies have thousand moveable cameras and almost as many lights pointing in the direction of the person they’re taping. We don’t. Why don’t we have more cameras? We already have lots of cameras.

Q.  Why not have a camera in the alley that would read a license plate?

A. The camera would have to be positioned directly behind the car – which would put that camera in the middle of the alley, plus spotlights. Let’s say we have a clear, perfect picture of the crime being committed in our upper garage. We would forward that video to the Northern Division PD. 

Q. Will there be manhunt for the perp?

 A. Not likely. Pacific Beach police are understaffed and do not pursue crimes of theft –  even grand theft ($950) is a stretch. Just remember lock your car, never to leave anything on your car seats. If you park in the lower garage, always take your automatic gate opener with you.

Pacific Tower January 2021

 

Historical Treasure Found in Pacific Tower Storage Room!

 Presenting the 1972 brochure for the soon-to-be built Pacific Tower condos (completed by 1974). “Spectacular Condominium Homes in San Diego’s Pacific Beach. The Pacific Tower is a 12-story steel reinforced poured concrete building constructed in conformance with the most modern engineering standards of strength and safety. The architect is Donald B. Schwenn, Architects Inc. of Phoenix Arizona.”

If you peek into our Building Manager Joseph’s office you will see two giant posters on the wall behind his desk that are actually details from inside this sales presentation.

 Are you wondering what it cost to be an original PT buyer? The following sheet was also found along with the brochure:

Just for fun, Google or Zillow or Realtor.com your address and find out how much your unit has appreciated over the past 47 years! Wow! Yes, everyone wants to live here. Some people have even paid above the asking price, just to live in our amazing community. And what is the first thing people do when they buy? Remodel. This leads me to a recent letter:

Dear Boardie,

Q. The construction noise coming from somewhere in the building is driving me crazy.

A. I feel your pain, literally since Boardie can hear it too. We all hear it due to our wonderful concrete construction mentioned on the previous page.

Q. What can I do?

A. Not much. Owners have the right to do repairs and remodel from 8 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday and 9 AM to 5 PM on Saturday.

Q. But what if I’m stuck inside, working from home because of Covid? Help!

A. Building Manager, Joseph Arellano can give you earplugs.

Q. That’s the BEST you can do?

A. You can try working in the Rec Room 210 which is further away from the construction.

    There are nice tables and chairs, plenty of sunlight and , of course, WiFi. 

                                                             ***

Covid Updates

As of this writing, no one in the building has caught Covid. Yay!

Everyone must wear a mask in the common areas - elevators and stairwells of the building.

Wash your hands upon entering your unit.

Practice Social Distancing.

Only 10 people allowed in the pool area at a time and NO GUESTS allowed.

Only 2 people allowed in the gym at a time and they must wear masks.

 

Newsletter Written by Karyl Miller and Edited by Trish Mylet

 

December 2020 Newsletter

 

                                                 

The Board wishes everyone in the building a very happy Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas. We thank our dedicated Building Manager Joseph Arellano and our janitorial staff: Victor Gonzalas and Francisco and Maria Cardenas. We also salute our longtime janitor Marvin Mendez who left due to the pandemic. It takes a village to keep up this vertical village of 118 units. The Board appreciates the cooperation you have given us by wearing your masks and with all the new and changing pandemic restrictions. It hasn’t been easy. We also thank our pandemic Buddy System – which is still in place in case someone is sequestered and needs help. Hopefully the pandemic will end in the near future. In the meantime we really are in this together. Happy Holidays.

 

Dear Boardie,

Q. My neighbor is chain smoking on his balcony. My wife and I are miserable! It’s not fair that we have to keep our sliding glass door closed on a beautiful San Diego day, just to avoid choking to death! What should I do?

Q.  Have you thought of gently mentioning it to the neighbor? You could simply ask them to smoke inside and remind them that we’re not allowed to smoke on our balconies (or the catwalk, hallways, lobbies or any of the common areas).

A. We tried something like that.

Q. By “something” what you mean…?

A. Every time he lit up we blasted Heavy Metal music just to show them how it felt.

Q. And they didn’t take the hint?

A. Nope. Still smoking like a chimney.

Q. So you’ve given up?

A. Nope. Then we trashed them on Twitter and NextDoor.com.

Q. And that didn‘t nip the problem in the bud?

A. Nope. Nada. Goose eggs.

Q. Your HOA has excellent ways of dealing with the problem. Have you considered filing a Violation Report against that neighbor? That report would go to the Board. After a warning letter is issued, if the smoker is still smokin’, they would be called before the Board and possibly issued a $250 fine.

Q. We don’t know exactly which neighbor it is.     

A. That happens all the time. Once the smoke starts, quickly go outside and look up at your balcony. Use binoculars if necessary. Once you ID the culprit, you can fill out a Violation Report. Remember: People tend to be cooperative. Sometimes they just don’t know the rules.   

     

Boardie recently received a telepathic message from the trash chute:

 

Dear Kind Sir,

With all due respect, permit me to school you in the fine art of garbage elimination.

First of all, don’t ask why trash chutes is not spelled trash shoots. Everyone asks and no one knows. Fun fact: Trash Chutes come in sizes. I’m an Extra Small which means I’m only 24 by 18 inches wide. I have a very strict diet due to my petite size. For instance, I’m smaller than a pizza box. Most pizza boxes will choke me. One open pizza box will cause a blockage. Then everyone throws their garbage on top of that, but they don’t know it’s not getting to the dumpster. Soon I’m clogged all the way up to 12. Will it be easy to unclog me? No it will not! It’s a dirty messy job. Another thing that kills me? Stretchable Force Flex Glad bags. Why? Because I’m not stretchable! I’m considered skinny by my peers. Sure those bags start innocently enough, flat enough, but one big party and miracle of miracles you could throw in the kitchen sink and still have room. Once your garbage collection resembles Santa’s Bag, I guarantee it will choke me. I am not glad over those Glad Bags. ‘Nuff said.  

                                                      

Covid Updates

As of this writing, no one in the building has caught Covid. Yay!

Everyone must wear a mask in the common areas - elevators and stairwells of the building.

Wash your hands upon entering your unit.

Practice Social Distancing.

Only 10 people allowed in the pool area at a time and NO GUESTS allowed.

Only 2 people allowed in the gym at a time and they must wear masks.

 

Newsletter Written by Karyl Miller and Edited by Trish Mylet