Diane Vacances / Vacation

Pool Update

Although it may seem that there is not a lot currently happening with the pool renovation, it is actually proceeding according to expectations. After having lost 2 weeks due to a faulty part in the new skylights, we are on track to complete the project before the end of October.

·        Two Fridays ago, we did a leak test on the new roof. This test involved blocking the drains on the roof and inundating it with 4 inches of water. The roof passed with flying colours.

·         Repairs of the tiles were done earlier this week.

This is what is left to do:

·     Cleaning of the pool building floor is currently underway. This has been a lot of work with more to be done but the results so far are very positive.

·        After having allowed the necessary time for the acid treatment of the walls of the pool to dry, we are about to paint the pool itself. The paint job will begin on Saturday and require up to 3 days and then there will be approximately another week to 10 days to dry.

·        Once the paint on the pool is dry, we will be installing “smart fans” which we expect will eliminate the need for the PVC barrier we used to have below the skylights. This will require a day or two to complete.

·        Once the smart fans are working, we will refill the pool with water. This should take 2 to 3 days.

·     The pool will reopen as soon as possible however it will be a few days before the pool water is back to the desired temperature. It can take up to 4 days to reheat the water, however people will be invited to swim even if the water is somewhat colder than we wish.

·        Ventilation in the women’s and men’s bathrooms will be repaired at the same time.

Dryotron

The Dryotron is the equipment we use to heat the water and to dehumidify the pool building. It has been due for a major repair or even replacement for about the last 6 months. Our annual budget included an appropriate amount to pay for this.

At our board meeting in September, we decided to repair the unit. However there is a 6 week lead time for parts and we do not know if the repair can be accomplished while the pool is still shut down. If not, we will schedule the repair later so as not to further delay the reopening of the pool. If it is done after the reopening of the pool, we may have to shut the pool again for about 2 to 3 days. However, we will postpone it for a month or two.

Budget

Now that the majority of the expensive pool building work is behind us, we can say with confidence that the project will come in at budget or slightly below.

Mise-à-jour - Piscine

Il semblerait qu’il y ait peu de progrès dans les rénovations pour la piscine mais, au contraire, les travaux vont de bon train et tel que prévu. Malgré avoir perdu deux semaines en raison d’une pièce défectueuse  pour les puits de lumière,  le projet sera terminé avant la fin du mois d’octobre.

    

·         Nous avons effectué un test sur le nouveau toit de de la piscine, il y a deux semaines, afin de s’assurer qu’il n’y a pas de fuite d’eau.  Ce test consistait à bloquer les drains sur le toit et de l’inonder avec quatre pouces d’eau.   Le test a réussi avec brio. 

·         Les réparations des tuiles ont été effectuées cette semaine. 

Voici ce qui reste à faire: 

·        Le nettoyage du plancher de l’édifice de la piscine est présentement en cours.  Ce travail est substantiel et demande encore des efforts additionnels.   À date, les résultats sont positifs et encourageants.

·        Après que les parois de la piscine aient séchées suite au traitement à l’acide, la piscine est prête à être peinte.  Ce travail débutera le samedi pour une période de trois jours suivie d’une période d’une semaine à dix jours pour sécher complètement.   

·        Une fois que la peinture ait séché, nous installerons les ‘’ventilateurs intelligents’’ qui permettent de nous débarrasser de la barrière PVC qui était installée sous les puits de lumière.   L’installation de ces ventilateurs requière environ un à deux jours.   

·        Dès que les ventilateurs seront installés, nous procèderons au remplissage de la piscine.  Cette tâche prendra deux à trois jours à compléter.

·        La piscine sera ouverte à tout le monde dès que possible, cependant, il faudrait patienter quelques jours avant que la température de l’eau atteint le niveau désiré.  Le réchauffement de l’eau pourrait nécessiter quatre jours, cependant, les personnes désirant se baigner sont invitées à le faire, même si l’eau est encore fraiche

·        La ventilation dans les salles de bain pour femmes et pour hommes sera réparée en même temps.

Dryotron

Le Dryotron est  l’équipement utilisé pour réchauffer l’eau de la piscine et pour déshumidifier l’édifice de la piscine.  Il était temps de pour une réparation majeure ou le remplacement de cet équipement depuis six mois.  Notre budget annuel avait déjà prévu un montant pour cette situation.

Au cours de la réunion du conseil au mois de septembre, nous avions pris la décision de réparer le Dryotron.  Cependant, la réception des pièces de rechange pourrait prendre six semaines, sans garantie que les réparations se termineront durant la fermeture de la piscine.  Si c’est le cas, nous serons dans l’obligation de remettre à plus tard la réparation afin de permettre l’ouverture de la piscine.  Si la réparation est remise, nous pourrions fermer de nouveau l’accès à la piscine pour une période de deux à trois jours.  Cependant, ce sera dans un mois ou deux. 

Budget

Maintenant que la majorité des réparations coûteuses sont dans le passé, nous pouvons dire en toute confiance que nous avons réussi à maintenir le coût du projet dans les limites budgétaires et peut-être même légèrement en dessous du budget. 

AGM Update

Our annual meeting was held on Sunday September 27^th. It would be fair to say that no-one who attended the meeting was satisfied that it was time well spent.

The main issue was that, although we had quorum, only about 50 people actually attended the meeting instead of the usual 140 to 150 people. We realize that last year was a relatively controversy-free year. We also realize that there were no bad financial surprises last year or for next year so people were less motivated to come – particularly when it was such nice weather.

However, we would like to remind you that the meeting is not only for complaints but also for the administration to gain feedback about what is important to everyone. It helps give the board direction about where to focus its attention.

A second issue that the low attendance created is that we were supposed to vote on whether to have 5 or 7 members of the board this year. With the lack of people, there was not enough to consider 7 and we did not have enough interested parties to actually have an election even for 5. In the end, the meeting started 20 minutes late as we were hoping people would arrive and we ended at the meeting at 3:00 PM. This gives an indication of how little was accomplished particularly when it is considered that half the time was devoted to whether the meeting should be held with so few people there.

We need to know why people did not attend so that we can fix this. In speaking to our co-owners, there were all sorts of reasons. All were valid but, in the end, it did have a significant negative effect.

Changes Going Forward

We really need people to attend this critically important meeting that only happens once per year. Ideas we are considering for the future to make it easier for people to attend:

1.       Having the meeting on a week night from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM rather than on a Sunday afternoon.

2.       Having the meeting in our garden with adequate settings rather than at a remote location. (The party room is too small).

3.       Invoking standard rules of conduct for the meeting so that everyone gets a chance to speak.

4.       Encouraging attendance rather than the proxy system.

If you have other ideas about what it would take to get you come, we would love to hear them. You can even post those ideas on the blog if you wish for others to see. Once we have a comprehensive list of what can be done, we may send out a survey asking your opinion about the various options.

Next Year’s Meeting

Next year’s meeting is a year away. However be forewarned that the cable contract with Videotron which will be up for renewal will be an important item in next year’s agenda. Additionally, we will have the inspection reports from the engineers relative to Quebec’s Bill 122. The implications could potentially drain our finances but we will not know that until next summer when we do our next budget. Please plan to be there.