Water Leak Issue

A while ago there was a water leak that caused minor damage to an apartment. Following the new guidelines I called Plastridge and had the owner call one of the listed water remediation company. The rep came, outlined the service he would perform and the onwer agreed. She has now received a payment request but does not want to pay without an itemized bill. The company she engaged has requested that she pay or they will put a lien on the apartment and she has just gotten a letter from a collection agency but no itemized bill. Any suggestions or advice?

EMERGENCY POWERS

Hi all,

Joseph E. Adams writes in Community Update, for Becker & Poliakoff

Dave Israel

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REF: http://www.becker-poliakoff.com/pubs/newsletters/cu/cu_2010_v06.pdf

EMERGENCY POWERS FOR CONDOMINIUM BOARDS
DIRECTORS HAVE THE ABILITY
TO ADDRESS EMERGENCY SITUATIONS.

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By: Joseph E. Adams , Esquire

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As a result of Florida's hurricane experiences in 2004 and 2005, the Florida Advisory Council on Condominiums recommended that the Legislature consider granting extraordinary powers to boards of directors

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in the aftermath of hurricanes. Forecasters predict that 2010 will bring a record number of storms. Now the Condominium Act permits the board of directors, unless prohibited by the condominium documents, to take the following actions in response to damage caused by an event for which a state of emergency has been declared by the Governor:

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· Meeting Notices: The law permits the conduct of board and membership meetings without following the customary notice requirements of the Condominium Act. Notice may be given "as is practicable." Public service announcements and radio broadcasts are mentioned among the types of notices
that may be used.

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· Cancelling Meetings: The association can cancel and reschedule any association meeting that had previously been scheduled, and which may not be practicable to hold due to the emergency.

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· Special Assistant Officers: The association may name assistant officers who are not directors, who shall have the same authority as the Association's executive officers, as may be helpful during a state of emergency to accommodate the incapacity or unavailability of any association officer.
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· Office Location: The association may relocate its principal office or designate an altemative principal office.

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· Government Cleanup: The association is authorized to enter into agreements with local counties and municipalities to assist counties and municipalities with debris removement.

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· Disaster Plans: The association is empowered to implement a disaster plan before or immediately following the event for which a state emergency is declared. The Association's emergency plan may include shutting down or shutting off elevators, electricity, water, sewer, security systems, or air conditioners.

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· Declare Condominium Property Off-Limits: Based upon the advice of emergency management officials or a licensed professional (such as an engineer), the Board may determine any portion of the condominium property unavailable for entry or occupancy by unit owners and other persons.

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· Evacuation: The law permits the association to require the evacuation of the condominium property in the event of a mandatory evacuation order in the locale in which the condominium is located. The law goes on to provide that if any unit owner or other occupant fails or refuses to evacuate the condominium property where the board has so ordered, the association is immune from liability arising from injuries to such persons.

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· Re-Opening Condominium Property: The board of directors, based upon advice of emergency management officials or a licensed professional, may determine when the condominium can be safely inhabited or occupied after a disaster.

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· Mitigation of Damage: In one of the more significant clauses, the association is empowered to mitigate further damage, including contracting for the removal of debris, and the prevention or mitigation of the spread of mold. The association is empowered to remove and dispose of wet drywall, insulation, carpet, cabinetry, or other fixtures on or within the condominium property, even if the unit owner is obligated by the declaration or law to insure or replace those items. The association is also empowered to remove personal property from a unit.

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· Dry-Out: This law empowers the association to contract, on behalf of any unit owner or unit owners, for services necessary to prevent further damage. Such services include the drying of units, the boarding of broken windows or doors, and the replacement of damaged air conditioning systems so as to provide climate control. Unit owners are responsible to reimburse the association.

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· Special Assessments: The board is empowered to levy special assessments in response to catastrophes, without regard to any provision in the condominium documents which may require unit owner approval of special assessments.

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· Borrow Money: The association is empowered, without unit owner approval, to borrow money and pledge association assets as collateral.

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Special powers authorized under the law are limited to that time reasonably necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the association and condominium occupants. Further, these powers are limited to those cases where the board's action is reasonably necessary to mitigate further damage and make emergency repairs. Remember - please don't sign any contracts based upon a vague reference to insurance proceeds and make sure both the price and work is specified in detail. Unfortunately many associations are still fighting with contractors that performed post -casualty repairs- some of which would have been avoided if appropriate contracts were in place.

FOR MORE VALUABLE TIPS AND RESOURCES, PLEASE VISIT http://www.hurricane-recovery.com/

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See also: FS-718.1265

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REF: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=Ch0718/ch0718.htm

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IT business card

IT business card

Well Water

Is it permissable for an Assoc. to dig a well and use that water for drinking , bathing, etc. and also to water grass and bushes ? Someone mentioned that a Hastings Assoc. has done this. Any truth to this rumor?
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Hi Mike,
Yes, but like everything else in the County, Permits and lots of rules. The following references should get you started.
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Dave Israel

http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/xrepository/sfwmd_repository_pdf/frm0123_0.pdf

http://www.doh.state.fl.us/environment/about/BusPlan/2007/WellPermittingProgram.pdf

http://www.miamidade.gov/conservation/library/sfwmd_water_restrictions.pdf

http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/xweb%20-%20release%202/well%20construction%20permits
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A CAPABLE, COMMON-SENSE, CARING CANDIDATE

Hi Jean,


I'm glad to see your blog is already up and running:

http://now-is-the-time-to-save-our-schools.blogspot.com/

I’m thrilled that you are running for School Board. With your background and experience, you will bring a much-needed breath of fresh air to the board. But beyond that, I believe your suggestions, some innovative and some old-fashioned “back to basics,” could turn this school system around, producing better, smarter, and happier students with better prospects for the future.

I have two questions for now, and hopefully you can answer more for us in the coming weeks on this blog:

1. Could you elaborate on what you feel kids should learn in grades one through three, and why these are such important years?

2. Why are you opposed to grading schools? Obviously you feel this is harmful. Why? What are its ill effects?

Thanks, Jean.

1st Priority/ Public Adjuster Liens and Lawsuits- Let Your Insurance Company Fight for You!

Just want to let all Association Boards know that according to what I have discovered recently, if you have a lawsuit or lien filed against your Association (does not apply to homeowners) by 1st Priority, MC enterprises, Ken Hecht, or anyone else, you can use the lawyers from your association's insurance carrier to fight for you. It's included in your policy. Just contact Plasteridge Agency and provide them with a copy of the lawsuit / lien paperwork. They will contact the insurance company of record at the time of the occurrence. Their lawyers will take the case and work on your behalf at no cost to the association.
Lee

Call before you dig

The NW corner of CV had 10 hours no electricity this week, no A/C, no modem, no fans, 400 units … good test run for hurricane conditions.
FP&L told us power would be back on in 2 hours !! 5 times!! augh. Finally they claimed a contractor somewhere cut a line. I guess the contractor did not know about Call 811.
Do your spring or summer plans include planting a tree, adding a fence. etc?
If so, Call 811 before you dig!
"Sunshine State One Call of Florida" can help you avoid an accident. There may be underground utility lines near where you are planning to dig. Just call "Sunshine" at 811 and someone will be sent to locate and mark buried cables or lines. Please give 48 hours notice, excluding weekends and holidays. There is no charge for this service since it is more efficient to locate lines than to repair them. So call Sunshine and save time, trouble and money.

1ST. Priority

Can anyone update us on the status of the First Priority fiasco?
Still seeing their trucks in the Village. Any news ?
Thanks for any info.

A WATER SHUTOFF QUESTION

Assuming an owner has left his apartment for a period of several months and has not had his water to the apartment turned off, and assuming the person has not shut off the breaker for the water heater in his electrical panel…....

If we as an association shut off the water to that apartment (at the meter or at another outside shutoff to the whole apartment), do we run a real risk of the water heater burning out? Is it likely, in other words, that over a period of several months enough water in the water heater would be lost through evaporation so one or more of the heating elements would burn out?

If so, it would seem incumbent upon us that we not only shut off the water, but also shut off the breaker. And since the breakers in many of our panels are incorrectly labeled (if labeled at all), it would seem we would have to carefully check the 220-240 volt breakers (try to run the stove, try to run the a/c) to be sure we were shutting off the right one.

Any advice on this?

Prescription Planning

Walgreens has a sign saying they accept CVS scripts. Should I care?

CV Resident - Jean Dowling is running for Public Office

Hi All,
CV's own, Jean Dowling, is running for School Board of Palm Beach County District 2.

Vote for Jean on August 24th. 2010; and see her new BLOG Site at:

http://now-is-the-time-to-save-our-schools.blogspot.com/

Dave Israel

If you go down to the woods today

“You better not go alone”
Fisheating Creek Wildlife Management Area stretches for 40 miles along the course of the only free-flowing tributary to Lake Okeechobee. It is critical to the long-term welfare of Florida panthers, Florida black bears, swallow-tailed kites, whooping and sandhill cranes, crested caracara, and a number of other species native to the area. Nice day trip from CV.

CHANGES TO FS718

Who can tell us the changes to FS718 and who they will affect us in CV.

They Still Make Those

Are you enough of a jackass who still smokes despite all the warnings against it? See the video below and click here to order!

Laundry machine repair

If you own your own laundry machines, please tell me who does your repairs. I need a fixit in one visit, not trial and error or sequential problems. (I hope)

Hong Kong to China and

I realize this is a Marc topic but - Hong Kong drives on the left side of the road (thanks to the British Empire) and mainland China drives on the right side. So how do you prevent crashes when driving on a bridge between them? Answer: The Flipper Bridge, find out more here. They have found that when there is perceived danger there are far fewer accidents, that also explains success of European roundabouts. Do the widened drives at the Clubhouse now have more or less accidents?

Switching from landlines to cell phones.

The majority of our owners have cell phones and would like to get rid of their landlines to save money. Our board members have voted to allow cell phone use for our owners who wish to do so. How do we inform U.C.O. of this change in our by-laws? How do we inform U.C.O. of our new phone numbers? Thank you in advance for your response.

View from I-95

Who remembers American aka Amoco gas? British Petrol bought that years ago. The same BP that is ruining American shorelines today.

PBCWUD TO INCREASE CHLORINE LEVELS - OFFICIAL NOTICE

REF:

 http://www.pbcgov.com/newsroom/0610/06-03-10_lines.htm

County Water Utilities Department to Flush Lines with Chlorine

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For immediate release: June 3, 2010

Contact: Robert Nelton Senior Public Relations Specialist Water Utilities Department

561-493-6062 rnelton@pbcwater.com

To maintain high water quality in the county’s water distribution system, Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department will temporarily modify the disinfection process used to treat our drinking water. The county will be using a somewhat stronger disinfection process to produce chlorine residual instead of a chloramine residual from June 15, 2010 to July 15, 2010. The county will also increase hydrant flushing during this time. This is a preventative maintenance process.

Customers served by the Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department may notice a slight chlorine taste or odor in their tap water during this period. These temporary conditions will not cause adverse health effects. If you are especially sensitive to the taste or odor of chlorine, keep an open container of drinking water in your refrigerator for a few hours to allow the chlorine to dissipate.

Users of home dialysis machines, owners of tropical fish and managers of stores and restaurants with fish and shellfish holding tanks are advised to seek professional advice as the method for removing chlorine residuals differs from removing chloramine residuals from tap water.

This process will not affect Glades Utility Authority customers in Belle Glade, Pahokee and South Bay.

Should you need more information on this change in the water treatment process, please call the Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department at (561) 740-4600, option #3.

# # #
Thanks to Phyllis Richland for a tip to this notice.
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Dave Israel
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LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN ACTION - BE IN THE LOOP

Hi All,

A question arose at the recent meeting of the Pro-Active Committee as to how to monitor the activities of the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) vis-a-vis the golf course, on the INTERNET.

The principal Gateway URL for The BCC is as follows; there are many links to be found at this site:


http://pbcgov.com/

The Minutes, both Video and Written are administered by the Clerk of Court, Palm Beach County, and Minutes back to 2003 may be found Online. The following URL will get you started.


NB: It is also important to keep track of the activities and Minutes of the Zoning Commission in regard to the golf course and other issues of interest.


http://candcminutes.mypalmbeachclerk.com/PPPortal/agenda/webcast.aspx

These are the main access points for those who would be au-fait with local government: any questions may be entered in the comment stream.


Dave Israel

Stark Raving Black

Lewis Black: Stark Raving Black
Sat, Jun 12, 9:00p - 10:00p
039 COMEDY Lewis Black takes on topics such as politics, Iphones and music couples.
Also at 10pm I think.

FIFA World Cup

It has finally arrived. After four long years, FIFA World Cup has returned! And .. Tribal dancing makes changes.

A TELL-TALE SIGN

I submit the following to wiser heads than mine on the Maintenance Committee or anyone else who would care to comment, correct, etc.

There has been a lot of talk lately about ways to avoid water leaks, or at least catch them before there is major flooding of apartments. One thing that can help—though it is not a cure-all or infallible—is to keep an eye on those small pipes near the ground that extend out of the sides of some buildings.

The pipes coming out of our 2-story, 35-year-old buildings at Sheffield N carry off water from central air-conditioner air handlers (first floor and second floor) and from overflow pans under water heaters (second floor only). At least that’s what seems to be the case here, our having learned through some trial and error.

If you see such a pipe and it is dripping cold water, that is probably the normal drain water coming from directly from a first-floor or second-floor air handler.

If water is flowing in a fairly steady stream from the pipe, this suggests a problem. If the water is hot, it is probably from a water heater leak in one of the second-floor apartments, more likely one of the apartments near the side of the building where the pipe is located. The water is leaking into a pan under the water heater, and a pipe is carrying the water off to the outside. If you are fortunate, the leak from the tank will not be in excess of what is being carried off—otherwise, the pan will overflow and your damage begins. Take immediate action to remedy the problem.

If, on the other hand, the stream of water from the pipe is cold, it is probably coming from the overflow pan under an air handler in an apartment with central air-conditioning. Check the appropriate upstairs and downstairs apartments. The air handler is usually accessed by a removable panel in the ceiling, although it may be a ceiling in a closet. In normal usage the pan should be dry. If there is water in the pan, there, most likely, is your culprit. If the drain pipe is partially clogged, the pan may overflow causing damage. Shut off the a/c so no more water is produced, then take immediate action as needed to remedy the problem.

Checking these pipes on the outsides of buildings that have them should by no means take the place of any other kind of inspection or checking. Many of our buildings were constructed in a hodge-podge manner. Most of us don’t know with certainty what the pipes connect to. Through some trial and error, we’ve been able to determine this to some extent for our buildings. This is just an ADDED way to keep an eye on things.

Festive Tenting

Waltham across from Real Estate tenting, termites are busy. The tent sign says 'Seacrest', I did not know they provided this service.

Hukilau

Hukilau at Ocean Reef Beach, Riviera Beach. Beautiful evening.
The lifeguard chalkboard warning for the day read “Very Hot Sand”, who needs to be told – ‘your feet are burning’!

PRO ACTIVE COMMITTEE WORK SHOP

Dave Israel

DELEGATE ASSEMBLY - JUNE 04, 2010 IN CYBERSPACE

Hi All,
Please see the Delegate Assembly video, recorded June 04, 2010. This is primarily for our many seasonal residents who are now remote from CV Campus.
The link may be found in the Sidebar under the heading "DELEGATE ASSEMBLY"; or click on the Title above.

Comments and suggestions welcome.

Dave Israel

Nobody

Nobody here but us leaves!
(Northampton I)

New street sign down on ground

The new street sign is down on the ground for Easthampton, Salisbury and Waltham. I think the stormy winds blew it off the post. Hope it can be fixed to go back on pole.

CV SHUT DOWN OF BUSES AT IDLE BRINGS MAYOR FRANKELS ACCOLADES

Letter from Mayor Lois Frankel praising CV move to reduce exhaust emissions and save fuel

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Dave Israel

CV REAL ESTATE BUILDING TO BE TENTED

82 Stratford F - outlined in red

Hi All,

The Century Village Real Estate building, at 82 Stratford F, will be tented for termites Friday and Saturday; June 4th. and 5th., 2010.

Dave Israel

Flagler Mansion/Museum

If you have never visited the Flagler Mansion/Museum, Saturday is your once a year chance to save $18 and see it for free. Its a gorgeous part of Palm Beach, see http://www.flaglermuseum.us/html/founders_day.html

it may be busy but worth a trip.
Pity the CV bus trip did not work out, was it widely advertised?

DOES ANYONE KNOW ABOUT THIS PLANNED DEMONSTRATION?

The following 8-1/2 x 11 notice was posted on the Canterbury K bulletin board. It was not dated or signed. It had not been posted on our (Sheffield N’s) bulletin board the last I checked. I have copied it below as accurately as possible, including some misspellings.

I get the general idea, but..... Not all the references to article numbers seem to be correct. Our docs, like those of many associations, have been amended to allow certain pets, and so far as I can see our docs exclude boats and trailers from the condo property, but not motorcycles and trucks. As for planting fruit trees, etc., I didn’t see anything in our docs about this, but I could have missed something. Finally, I am no horticulturist, but wouldn’t a law prohibiting plants that attract bees be outlawing a lot of plants?

Can anyone shed any light on what this is all about and whether it’s being undertaken by serious people with some legal backing? What was on the sign follows:

CENTURY-VILLAGE RESIDENTS

THERE WILL BE A DEMONSTRATION JUNE 7TH BEGINNING AT 9:00 AM AT THE WEST-GATE OKEECHOBEE BLVD.

TO PROTEST

AGAINST ASSOCIATIONS THAT ARE VIOLATING THE GOVERN LAW OF THE FLORIDA STATUTE.

1. PERMITTING (PETS) THAT VIOLATES THE DECLARATION/BY-LAWS ARTICLE XIII CONDOMINIUM DOCUMENTS

2. WHERE AS NO OWNER SHALL STORE OR LEAVE MOTOCYCLES [SIC]. TRUCKS, TRAILERS, BOATS, COMMERCIAL VEHICLES ON THE CONDO PROPERTY (VIOLATES) THE DECLARATION OF CONDOMINIUM BY-LAWS (ARTICLE VIII)

3. PLANTING FRUIT TREES. NON-PERMISSIBLE, PLANTS, THAT ATTRACT (BEES). A VIOLATION OF THE DECLARATION OF BY-LAWS ARTICLE XVII DOCUMENT.

THERE-OF IN ANY MANNER CONTRARY TO OR NOT ON ACCORANDACE [SIC] WITH THE RULES AND REGULATIONS ARE SUBJECT TO A FINE.

Big Yellow School Bus Challenge...

There is a big “unmarked” yellow school bus parked “across” 4 or 5 of our guest parking spots, on the southeast corner of Clinton & Borden Aves. We called Security & were told that it belongs to a CV resident. The Palm Beach Sheriff’s Department told us that our only recourse is to have the bus towed. Any suggestions on how we can keep this bus from blocking our guest spots? Thank you. Mariel, Salisbury E.