Posts

Posted on

F.O.G. Advisory – Please Read

We have a recurring problem here at Place IV… FOG Clog.  FOG in this case means Fats, Oil and Grease.  A pain in the drain.  A costly pain.

Fats, oil and grease should never go down ANY drain.  Examples are:

Bacon grease, cooking oils, shortening, lard, sauces, meats, grease and fat from cooking.  They cool and solidify on the way down, clinging to the sides of the drain pipe and cause extreme narrowing of the pipe (see the picture below — this is real!)

Other items clog our pipes, such as:
Cat litter,  cotton swabs, dental floss, sanitary products, paper towels, condoms and “flushable wipes” … These all contribute to clogging our drain pipes.

NEVER pour any of these down the drain (or even flush them down the toilet) –  they cool in the pipe, harden and eventually cause blockage.    

These clogs have flooded some units when the water from above has nowhere to go but back up.  Please, let your grease cool, scrape it or pour it into paper towels (or something absorbent) and dispose in your regular garbage.  Please, avoid the convenience of pouring ANY OILS in the sink or the toilet or disposing  any of the listed items down the toilet.

Last year we paid over $30,000 unclogging pipes from obstructions.  That is a cost that we ALL SHARE.  We would like to keep our (your) condo fees down as much as possible – your assistance will help.

Posted on

Fan Coil Units Tentative Schedule

As you are probably aware by now,  the Fan Coil Unit (FCU) replacement project has started.   The first phase is for replacing the 35-year-old old pumps — that is why there is neither cooling or warming coming from your FCU’s since mid-October.  The pump replacement will likely take till the end of October, then the heating will be turned on.

Once that is complete, we will be preparing for the upcoming replacement of every FCU in the building (there are over 600!).  Here is the tentative schedule as posted in the elevators and in the main lobby  area.

Work will be carried out between 9am and 5 pm.  Before the date that the workers will be in your unit ,  please clear a 4 ft by 4 ft space in front of the units for the workers.  Note that failure to provide access could result in extra payments by the resident.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the management office at 905-276-1221 ext 2.

Suites ending in Date span
05 November 20 to December 22, 2017 — Christmas break — January 3 until January 9, 2018
04 January 10 to February 6, 2018
03 February 7 to March 21, 2018
02 March 22 to April 19, 2018
01 April 20 to May 31, 2018
08 June 1 to June 29, 2018
Summer Shutdown No work in July and August
07 September 4 to October 16, 2018
06 October 17 to November 14, 2018

 

Posted on

Diwali 2017

Another successful Diwali celebration took place on Sunday Oct. 15th and we had another capacity crowd attending.

The appetizers, the main course, the desserts, the entertainment, the prize draws, the beautiful outfits, the wonderful people and the overall party atmosphere all added up to a warm and memorable evening of fun and friendship — reflecting the richness of our community at Place IV.

Thank you to all the organizers who worked diligently at making this evening a resounding success!

Click HERE for the pictures of the event.

Posted on

Air Conditioning is now off for the season

As we prepare for the upcoming Fan Coil Unit (FCU) replacements, some upgrades must be made to the major pumps that circulate the cold water in the warm months and hot water in the cold months – this is how our FCU’s provide heat or Air Conditioning.

We ask for your patience from October 16th until October 31st as the pumps will be off while our 35 year old pumps are getting replaced with modern and more efficient pumps – providing much needed energy savings and better control and reliability of our heating/cooling system.

Once complete, we will switch the system to circulate hot water to keep you warm until spring.

Posted on

Reminder – No SMOKING

There has been reported incidents of people smoking in prohibited areas, such as within 9 metres (30 feet) of our entrances and even smoking inside the building stairwells.

This is technically illegal and unhealthy for our residents.  Some violators even choose to leave their marks (butts on the floor or black spots where the cigarette was crushed).

Examples of areas where smoking is prohibited are:

  • elevators
  • stairwells
  • hallways
  • parking garages
  • lobbies
  • exercise areas
  • party or entertainment rooms

For the consideration of all the residents of Place IV,  please refrain from smoking any substances within common areas or face large fines in accordance to the the current municipal and provincial laws.

Posted on

Air Conditioning cutoff from Oct. 15 till Oct. 31st

As you may be aware, this fall we begin the replacement of all the fan-coil units (FCU) throughout the building.

These units provide you air-conditioning in the warm months and heating in the cool months. The FCU’s are being replaced with more modern and more efficient technology which will provide us all with energy cost savings and more comfort for you.

In order to prepare for this new system replacement, we need to replace the main pumps that have been working for decades with newer, more efficient pumps. These are the pumps that circulate the water through the FCU’s.
This process is estimated to take approximately 2 weeks, starting October 15th and ending October 31st. Once replaced, we will perform our annual switch-over from cooling to heating.

As the weather is unpredictable most of the time, we ask for your patience while the transition happens. Hopefully, the weather will be cooperative and not cause extreme variances in temperature that would cause us discomfort.

Posted on

Friendly reminder – No pets in Place IV!

This is just a reminder that Place IV building does not allow pets  in the building.

There have been incidents in many condominiums where pets have been a cause of concern for other residents.

Keep in mind:  Some resident have allergies to some types of pets;   Other residents have complaints about noises or smells associated with pets;  Some negligent residents have  been found to have flushed cat litter and other large matter in toilets causing flooding to their units and other units — cat litter clumps when wet – pipes are not a good place for clumps to form!

We want all residents to enjoy living here at Place IV … that is why there is a no-pets clause in our declaration —

Residents breaking the rules and causing noise, smells, soiling, damage, flooding or other pet related incidents could be faced with a large repair/cleanup fee or be subject to litigation.

Let’s respect our fellow resident and keep PLACE IV pet-free.

Posted on

Lighting retrofit

In order to manage our expenses, we have undertaken a small project to help us all lower our monthly electricity costs.

You may be noticing over the course of the next few weeks that lighting upgrades will be performed throughout our parking garages and stairwells.

This new efficient LED lighting will save us thousands of dollars per year in electricity costs, especially for areas that have lights on 24 hours a day.  Additionally, these new tubes have a much longer life span than the old style tubes currently in use and don’t need replacement as often.

The LED lighting not only provides more efficient lighting but you may also notice they may be brighter than the old fluorescent tubes — better lighting at a lower cost — win-win!

Posted on

New Security Provider for Place IV

Starting in late September Pillar Concierge and Security will be replacing Security Management Services.   Patricia and Gerry will still be providing their great services behind the front desk, but you will also see new faces behind the concierge desk and patrolling our building.

Pillar will be using newer technology and software to help manage our services better – from guest registration to parking enforcement among many other services.

We look forward to many years of quality service from Pillar Concierge and Security.

Posted on

Parking Enforcement

Our new security guards will be authorized to issue parking tickets to cars that park in the fire route or if they are parked illegally on our property.

These tickets range from $40 to $60 for parking illegally — for example, unregistered cars in the visitors parking garage, non-service vehicles parking in the designated service parking (Yellow area) in front of the building —  and $175 for cars left without a driver in the fire route.

Friendly Reminder:  Visitors who stay overnight and do not have a permit on their dashboard could be subject to receiving a ticket. Also, staying beyond 2 a.m. warrants a permit — so make sure to advise your visitors!

Owners – have your tags visible!

Owners should have a parking tag hanging from their rear-view mirror or visible on the dashboard.  If you don’t have one, please stop by the management office to get one.

Residents

Residents leasing or renting parking spaces from owners will need a tag and confirmation of a current rental agreement in order to get one.

Visitors

All Visitors must register their vehicles with the concierge.  If they are staying overnight or staying past 2:00am, they must get a parking permit from the concierge and display it on their dashboard.  Visitors must park in the visitors parking.

Service area

The small parking area in front of the building (painted yellow), outside of the visitors parking is parking for service vehicles (deliveries, short term workers and such).  It is there for the convenience of short-term services.  Contractors and long term services can park in the visitors parking or for large vehicles in the service area to the left of the building entrance. Please don’t park there and tell your visitors not to either – we prefer not to post tickets!