August UCO Reporter has articles on alligators and the alligator issue needs to be addressed

Another wonderful August issue of the UCO Reporter, from beginning to end. Thank you UCO Reporter!

I read Rosemarie Fuentes’ contribution on page A3 of this issue, regarding alligators and Century Village.

Also, Ruth Bernhard- Dreiss submitted a piece regarding alligators on page A6 of the Reporter. Ruth’s submission stated that a large alligator appeared at the back door of a Plymouth Association condominium and trappers were called to have it removed.

Does anyone know if the trappers were successful in removing that alligator from the Plymouth area?

The article also states that two baby alligators were spotted at the North bridge on July 4^th weekend.

Are there plans to find the two baby alligators and remove them, as well as, all alligators living in Century Village waters?

On page 17 of the August issue, George Franklin writes about scam phone calls and alligators. George shares an incident where a Century Village resident tumbled into the lake were a gator was seen and George reminds people to be aware and not walk pets near the water.

Take his advice regarding these safety measures, but what are you to do when you are inside your condo and the alligator leaves the water and comes onto your porch, as described on page six for the UCO Reporter? This alligator threat needs to be eliminated.

When looking at an aerial view of Century Village, it shows that that the water system that contributes to our community’s lake and canals, are completely self-contained within the fences of Century Village. In other words, it appears that it would be very difficult to have an errant alligator crawl or sprint into (or out of) the Century Village waterways. They are here to stay and they are our problem.

Somehow they have shown up here and there are no adjacent waters that will attract them to leave. They need to be completely eradicated.

Alligators under 4 feet can be removed, even if we have to pay for it ourselves with a private trapper. I believe, the Palm Beach County SNAP program, which is a free County service, will not take away alligators under four feet.

Six inch male alligators, at birth, grow to an average length of eleven feet. They are not an asset to the Century Village waterways, but a danger.

At this point I feel there are two major issues facing Century Village, WPRF and UCO and those are the chiller used in the Clubhouse’s air conditioning system and the dangerous alligator presence in Century Village waterways.

Not sure which committee is responsible to initiate action on this pressing matter, whether it be the Executive Board, Advisory Committee, Officers Committee or the Operations Committee. Whoever is responsible please move quickly and aggressively, to permanently remove this dangerous situation.

Thank you all who contribute and volunteer. You continue to make Century Village on wonderful place to live.
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Your Blogmiester responds:

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Hi Mike.

Just a couple of points, The Alligator at Plymouth, circa 8 feet in length, has been removed. Experience shows that Alligators which come to an apartment door, have been fed by the apartment occupant. This is a very unwise thing to do.

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Alligators get into the Village via the Weir, which is the outflow point for the entire water system in CV.  The Weir is a fixed height flood control structure at 14.17Ft. NGVD 1929. When the lake level exceeds the Weir height, our excess water flows into the Lake Worth Drainage District canal, and hence through the SFWMD flood control system.

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Small alligators can and do navigate up the LWDD canal and into our lakes, canals and lagoons. It would be virtually impossible to prevent this entry.

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We regularly engage trappers to search for and remove alligators, but this is not a trivial problem.

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Dave Israel

 

 

 

MAYBE NOT PERFECT BUT BETTER

REMOVAL OF STOP SIGN ON BORDEN AT CENTURY BLVD OUTBOUND

Have you noticed that the second stop sign for Borden Street traffic at the intersection with Century Boulevard has been removed? Now Borden Street vehicles need make only the first stop, at Century Boulevard inbound, and NOT stop a moment later at the CB outbound lane going to the Haverhill gate. Most of the Borden Street vehicles were ignoring the second stop sign anyway, making this intersection ripe for an accident. Now only the outbound CB traffic must stop here. It may be a bit unusual for the "main" road to have the stop sign (I'm not sure if this meets with approval of the traffic authorities), but it seems to me to clarify the situation and be a little safer than what we had.

UCO REPORTER - AUGUST 2016 - LIVE IN CYBERSPACE

UCO Reporter August, 2016 by ucopresident on Scribd

YOU ARE INVITED TO A FREE LUNCH

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Dave Israel

Make America.......

An opinion piece from Canada.
Make America Fear Again! Make America Hate Again! Make America White Again! Make America Great Again!
America IS Great. Not Perfect but Great. A scandal free White House, the first in the last nine Presidents. An unemployment rate falling from 9,8% to 4% in the last eight years.
America is Great but Greater with fewer guns and more racial understanding.
The only thing that should be separated by color is laundry!

NO SMOKING ON RECREATION FACILITY - EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 1, 2016

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Dave Israel

"POLICE LIVES MATTER"

AN OPINION PIECE

I am crushed by, and our nation mourns, the recent terrible shootings of our police.

Here's a suggestion. When you see a couple of police officers in a restaurant, or say a Dunkin' Donuts, walk over to their table and tell them what some of us tell our military service personnel: "Thank you for your service." If you can, pay for their meal, or even pay a part of it. You may be able to do this by speaking to the wait staff or the cashier. I wouldn't be surprised if even a "token" $20 bill given to a table of three officers would be appreciated.

I heard the other day about policemen who paid for the meal of a restaurant party who had asked to be seated away from the police. This is the time for us to render appreciation and kindnesses to the police.

The terror and violence of today seems to be contagious. Maybe if hundreds—even thousands of us across the country—show our appreciation for the police, that will become contagious. Is it too much to hope that even some of those "black lives who matter" (and they do) might thank the police in this way?—for the police, as we know, are daily protecting many, many of those of all nationalities, religions and races.

Demonstrated appreciation—not the big events, but thousands of such little touches—might be a key to changing today's atmosphere of resentment and hate on all sides. Contagion can operate in more than one direction.

PBSO 2016 SCHOOL SUPPLIES DRIVE - UCO COLLECTION POINT

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Bring supplies to UCO Office

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AUGUST 8, DEADLINE FOR CONTRIBUTIONS.

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Dave Israel

FIRE SPRINKLER RETROFIT - PALM BEACH POST ARTICLE

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Dave Israel

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FIRE SPRINKLER RETROFIT - WHAT WOULD IT COST?

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UCO has received a number of requests for approximate cost to retrofit the various Associations with Fire Sprinklers. Please read over the following article.

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Sprinkler System Advances Ease Retrofit

By Naomi Millán, Associate Editor July 2010 - Fire Safety   Article Use Policy

It's a reliable, long-lived, and proven technology. It's a fire and life safety system that makes common sense yet is not common in older buildings. "It," of course, is the fire sprinkler system. Even facilities built as recently as the 1960s probably were not required to install sprinkler systems during construction.

Which leaves large swaths of commercial real estate to weigh the potential benefits to life and property of retrofitting a fire sprinkler system against the immediate challenges such a project poses: physical barriers, disruptions to occupants and the upfront cash needed.

These challenges aren't the only reasons that facility managers push such deliberations to the bottom of the to-do list. "I don't think people understand the power of fire, how quickly it moves and its power of destruction," says Chris Jelenewicz, engineering program manager for the Society of Fire Protection Engineers. "When you're thinking about fire, think about how it's something that could ruin your whole business. Fire can change things in a moment's notice."

And if the unlikely happens and a facility is not properly protected, the facilities department will be the one to have to answer.

Advances in Sprinklers

Until the 1980s, fire sprinkler systems were viewed primarily as a means of property protection, says Tom Gardner, principal with The Protection Engineering Group. They were used in "high-cost" spaces such as supermarkets and furniture stores, he says, but with the advent of more sensitive sprinklers that could activate more quickly, they became an aspect of life safety.

Advances in fire sprinkler systems have eased some of the challenges of retrofit, says Ken Isman, vice president of engineering, National Fire Sprinkler Association. The availability of more flexible piping systems helps bring the pipes into the building more easily, whereas 30 years ago the only option was rigid steel pipes. And extended coverage sprinklers provide an efficient way to cover a larger space.

Still, says Garner, "there aren't very many volunteers for retrofit." The up front cost of installing a system means it has to vie for attention against all other capital improvement projects.

As a ballpark estimate, Isman says costs for a sprinkler system retrofit can run about $3 per square foot, or 50 percent above installation in new construction. But the actual cost depends on a lot of variables, says Gardner. He's seen it as low as $1 per square foot in a large warehouse that's out of operation to as high as $12 per square foot in an older building with a hard ceiling requiring asbestos abatement. Costs will tend to be higher in a smaller building or buildings that are very partitioned where there is a constant need to go through walls to install the system, Gardner says.

Sprinklers 101 When considering a fire sprinkler retrofit, it's good to start off versed in some of the basics. By far the most common sprinkler system is the wet-pipe system. This system is constantly charged and provides water immediately upon activation. Three types of sprinkler systems are more specialized and therefore less commonly used: Dry-pipe systems are used in unconditioned areas. Before water gets to a sprinkler head, the air in the pipe must first be bled off, leading to a brief delay in containment. Deluge systems are for spaces with potential for especially aggressive or explosive fires. Pre-action systems are dry-pipe systems that use detection (of smoke, for example) to tell a valve to open to send water to the sprinklers. Because smoke detection happens more quickly than heat detection, there is no delay in water being sprayed out of a sprinkler as compared to a wet-pipe system. These systems are used where water might be problematic, such as server rooms. — Naomi Millán ........................................................................................................................ UCO Is attempting to obtain more specific data, relevant to our buildings. Dave Israel REF: http://www.facilitiesnet.com/firesafety/article/Sprinkler-System-Advances-Ease-Retrofit-Facilities-Management-Fire-Safety-Feature--11843

Grieving

From Canada, we grieve for our American Friends. Most of all we grieve for America.

HOME CAREGIVERS NEED TO BE LICENSED

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Dave Israel

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SNAP SPECIALIST TO COME TO CV CLUBHOUSE

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SNAP = Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (AKA Food Stamps)

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Thanks to Commissioner Burdick, a SNAP Specialist will be at our Clubhouse on July 29, 2016.

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See the following flyer, collect up your documents and if you qualify, mark your calendar, and call for appointment: (561) 355-2202

 

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Dave Israel

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REMEMBER ON INDEPENDENCE DAY THAT FREEDOM IS NOT FREE

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Dave Israel



DELEGATE ASSEMBLY - JULY 1, 2016 - LIVE IN CYBERSPACE

Delegate Assembly 7-1-2016 from David B. Israel on Vimeo.

COMMENTS ARE STILL HERE, JUST "CLICK ON THE LINK"

Its seems some cave dwellers think comments have disappeared from this blog.  Not true.  If you "click on the link" hotlink you will see them.  I guess some self-important (and self-appointed)  people  were too busy "negotiating with the BBC" for a TV series at CV (what a crock) and "publishing" a crappy flyer filled with misinformation.

RESPONSE TO GARY OLMAN BLOG POST RE ATLANTIC BROADBAND

I see now that the fairly lengthy "Anonymous" comment addressed to me and in the first person—and therefore ostensibly by you, Gary—has been removed from your blog. Assuming logically it was by you, it seems that you have really changed your tune.

In your June 9 post you said (a direct quote): "I like it, Dave! I watched the Atlantic Cable presentation and I am happy to say that this is the best offer I have seen so far. Not that I know a lot about the Broadband business. I love the pricing, I like the products they offered and I like their attitude."

I thought to myself: What a breath of fresh air from Gary Olman. There is hope!

Then it seems Carole and Esther took you to task on your blog for your position in favor, and you respond, making this last stab at it with Esther on June 10: "NO, you are not correct. The presentation included an explanation that Wi-Fi(Internet) could be excluded. So without that I am looking at the total cost of TV and Telephone and this looks good. Yes the Company is a new one, but but it is backed by a Canadian Company. So we have to wait and see." Good for Gary, I thought.

Then on your blog what is next? There is a complete turnaround in your position without any admission of this! It makes one wonder who got to you.

You are mistaken in thinking the Broadband Committee had practically decided on Atlantic Broadband. Atlantic's proposal, to begin with, was only a "preliminary proposal." The negotiations are just what the word implies, a back-and-forth thing—not only with Atlantic Broadband but also in seeing what AT & T and Comcast might counter with. Perhaps they will sweeten the pot. You write (wrote, I should say, because yours is now deleted) as though the Committee had almost settled on one company. The negotiations have only begun!

As for our paying for the whole cost of Atlantic's bringing cable to the Village, Dave Israel's comment to my blog post on his blog clarifies this. Many others, benefitting from the branch lines, will be paying most of the freight. The point is still, however: The expenses to the telecommunications company, no matter who the company and who the customer, are front-end loaded, and thus there is sense to a lengthy contract to spread the expense over time. I'm surprised you and your "experts" don't seem to get this.

When you (and others) disparage those with technical expertise on the Broadband Committee, I find it impossible to take you seriously, and I think many others in the Village feel the same. You blithely suggest that we don't need CSI, with their expertise in negotiating with these communications giants, and that the Bid Committee might do. Thank you, I'll take the word of those I respect for their technical knowledge that an experienced intermediary IS needed. When my primary physician, skilled in general medical things, says I need the cardiologist, I trust his opinion as opposed to that of my neighbor who comments on about everything.

Finally, for your interest—for your deleted comment broached this subject—I don't make the call about who gets to post on Dave's blog, nor do I decide whose stuff goes in the Reporter. I'm sorry if you're "out," Gary. Sometimes there is a good reason behind such moves, though. You might give this some thought.

By the way and just for the record, Gary, I don't intend to "go back and forth" with you on this subject. You've said (and almost as if begging for it!) that you'd like that. Sorry, it's not in the cards. I am not interested in giving you and those others who are dissatisfied with everything a soapbox.

SECURITY COMMITTEE AND UCO REPORTER MEETINGS CANCELED

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DUE TO RENOVATION WORK AT THE UCO OFFICE, THE MEETINGS OF THE SECURITY COMMITTEE AND THE UCO REPORTER COMMITTEE ARE CANCELLED.

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DELEGATE ASSEMBLY TO MEET AS USUAL

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Dave Israel

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