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

                                                                                           

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                             WHAT’S  WITH THE  &*%$@! LOBBY?

Dear Boardie,

QUESTION: What the #%&*! happened to our lobby?

ANSWER: The problem with the lobby is the roof.

EXPLAIN PLEASE: Both the lobby and the roof needed remodeling. After the Board interviewed lobby designers and architects and zeroed in on a design, we started with the most basic change in the lobby (raising the ceiling). By that time, the Board realized getting a new roof before the rainy season begins had to take precedent. Timing is everything.

BOTTOM LINE: It was a simple case of age before beauty.

QUESTION: When will the roof be finished?

BETTER QUESTION: When will the roof get started?

ANSWER: Hopefully by the time you read this the roof job will have commenced.

IS THAT A PROMISE? No.

WHY NOT? Not only do we have to completely remove the 1974 roof, we have to create a 2020 roof that meets new OSHA standards and Building Regulations.

FAIR WARNING: The roof job will take eight weeks and will be dirty and noisy. Free earplugs are available in the Lobby Office.

WHAT’S THE HOLD UP? Your Board, since committing to the task and educating themselves as to the best type of replacement roof and then finding the best contractors to do the job, have encountered more restrictions and regulations than a dog has fleas. Also, there are different inspectors for various parts of the roof, and surprise surprise, some agencies are understaffed. So before we even start, we have been forced to play the waiting game.

IS THE BOARD DUMB?

SHORT ANSWER: No.

LONG ANSWER: The six board members and your president are Pacific Tower owners, just like you. Dispite their busy lives, they are and have been amazingly generous with their time. These volunteers shoulder the great burden of making decisions that will affect all of us for years to come. They don’t take their duties lightly.

Both the roof and the lobby are huge headaches involving interviewing experts, surfing the web (to get an education about boring stuff such as types of roofs) and learning about (Ugh!) compliance codes for what was a modern building in 1974. They’re doing their best to improve the building. They should be thanked.

TRICK QUESTION: What if roof delays push us too close to the rainy season?

ANSWER: We’ll pull the ole’ switcheroo and finally get our beautiful lobby! And that’s a promise.

                                                             ***

Game of Thrones Man Cave?

Dear Boardie,

I’m planning on remodeling my condo into a Game of Thrones Man Cave. I own it so I can do whatever I want, right?

Signed, Homie

Boardie: Thankyouforasking and nooooo, you cannot do whatever you want.  You have to follow our HOA Architectural Guidelines.

Homie: “Architectural Guidelines?!  I have to conform?!  Bleech!  I’ll have you know Game of Thrones is considered visual candy of the highest order!

Boardie: Will there be a moat?

Homie:  Don’t worry, the alligators will be battery operated!  Why do you have to have so many rules?

Boardie: We have rules to protect everybody in the building from everybody else in the building.  What if your upstairs neighbor installed a wood or worse, a tile floor without the required regulation thickness of cork or cork-like lining under it and you started hearing them clopping around 24/7?  What if, even barefoot, their calluses sounded like the Russian Army was doing the Mambo on your noggin?

Homie: Filling out forms is bor-ing!  What if I just go ahead and do what I want and your rules be damned?

Boardie: The Board will and its lawyers could demand and possibly make you remove any unauthorized improvements at your expense.

All because the owner didn’t get architectural 1.  Guidance and 2.  Permission.

Homie: How can I protect myself and still make home improvements?

Boardie: John’s office is just itching to give away free copies of the newest Architectural Guidelines (only 2 pages!) plus a king’s ransom of blank Architectural Forms for owners to fill out and submit for board approval.

OR

Download the Architectural Guidelines now at  PacificTowerHOA.org

Remember that old saying …

‘Tis better to seek permission than to seek a jackhammer.

Re-Creating Beauty in our Recreation Room

      If you’re not a regular gym visitor, you may not have noticed our Rec Room has been fantastically upgraded. Thanks to the perseverance of board member Carol Foreman, all the chairs and bar stools have been beautifully reupholstered and the tables whitewashed. John, Marvin and Forrest cleaned the wood part of the chairs and tables. Carol collected bids from vendors, and with fellow board member Pat Nemeth, selected the gorgeous new color combinations. With the recent painting and carpets, the room looks brand new! 

They're Painting Again?!

      Don’t you just love the sound of electric grinding in the morning? This is actually music to the Board’s ears. Why? Because we felt the recent paint job that was part of our remodeling project turned out less than perfect. The paint on the elevator doors and some of the residence doors were already nicked and or peeling. Through the efforts of the Board, Tom Ward and other interested residents, we demanded and got our painting contractors to return and revise the job and make good on their guarantee. We’re very happy with the result and hope you are too.