Strata NES 2286

January 2010 Newsletter

  1. A final approved draft of the AGM minutes is attached to this e-mail. The October newsletter provided you with information resulting from the AGM.
  2. Just prior to the 09 AGM the board obtained official written confirmation from the City of Fernie and the Fernie fire department that the fire escapes off the back decks of all upper units were not required under the BC building code. At the AGM a motion was made to remove these fire escapes, thereby saving approximately $64,000 for the final stage of the railing replacement project due to be completed early next summer. The motion was voted on and passed at the AGM. Subsequent to the meeting, the board requested a legal opinion on removal of the fire escapes. That opinion is as follows: removing the fire escapes would require 1. a notice of motion to amend the bylaw allowing the strata plan to be changed (ie. Remove the fire escapes). 2. a notice of motion to remove the fire escapes from the buildings, and the strata plan. Both notices would have to precede either an AGM or an SGM, and the vote on both motions would have to be ¾ of a quorum of the voting owners at such a meeting. Therefore, the decision to remove the fire escapes at the AGM is likely invalid.
  3. As a result, the fire escapes cannot be removed until either an SGM or AGM is held, and the appropriate notices forwarded prior to either meeting.
  4. The board will discuss 2 options at it's January board meeting: 1. Convene a Special General Meeting (SGM) at the end of April to vote on notices of motion to remove the fire escapes, and vote to accept an additional $64,000 assessment if ¾ consensus to remove the fire escapes is not met. 2. Complete the railing project, but leave the fire escapes with the old railings attached in place until the fall AGM and deal with the issue then. Once the board has made the decision as to which course of action to follow, you will be notified.
  5. You will be sent receipts for your portion of the strata funds spent on the railing project in 2009 by the end of January should you choose to apply for the home renovation tax credit.
  6. A schedule for the next assessment for railing replacement is attached with this newsletter. It is for $100,000 and will allow for completion of the railing replacement project MINUS the fire escapes. Your portion of this assessment is due by April 30, 2010. Please forward your cheques to: Strata NES 2286, Box 504, Fernie, BC, V0B 1M0 prior to that date. A late penalty of 2% per month will be applied to all overdue assessments, beginning 30 days after this date. Please mark “assessment, 2010” and your unit number in the memo area on your cheque.
  7. In the last newsletter, TMS maintenance provided a check list of items needing attention in every unit. One was to have your fireplace and furnace cleaned and checked. Since that time we have had a couple of fireplaces that would not light, and a furnace motor that overheated and burned out because of the caked on accumulation of 8 year's dirt and dust. This cost the owner more than a cleaning, and may have presented a safety hazard.TMS is once again encouraging owners to have their fireplaces and furnaces cleaned and checked. E-mail Russ at TMS Maintenance () if you would like them to provide this service at a cost of $100.
  1. We are presently designing a website for strata 2286. When completed, it will provide a number of services: provide pictures and descriptions of the location, provide a forum for owners to interact; allow posting of newsletters and AGM minutes in a secured area of the site; provide contact information for the strata president, TMS Maintenance, and LJV Bookkeeping; allow owners to advertise units for rent, or provide links to property managers renting on the owners' behalf. The site is essentially ready to go, except for owner provided links for rental purposes. The web designer recommends that we have at least a few of these links before we go online. Therefore we will wait until a few of you have decided to take advantage of the advertising afforded you by the site. You can provide pictures of your unit, links to property managers, available dates, contact information for yourself if you choose to rent independently. You will be charged for the time it takes to present your link on the website, but it shouldn't be more than $50 (an average estimate – could be more or less, depending on how much you want on your link). The cost of getting the site up and running is $250, then $75 to get it online for year one - $75 for each year after that to remain online (the cost of $325 initially, and $75/year after that is covered by the strata). We have decided to call the website Fernie 2286. We would like to have the website up and running by June 1/2010. For more information, contact the strata president.
  2. Security observations began on December 27 – January 3/10. TMS Maintenance will have an employee on site from 11:30 PM – 2:30 AM every weekend from now until the end of March to report bylaw contraventions. If you or your renters are staying in the strata, and you or they wish to lodge a complaint about bylaw contraventions, phone (250)423-8722 regardless of the hour.