Professional Register - Ashley Ross Fletcher

Beefit Brisbane - Ashley Ross Fletcher
0402071771 / ashley@beefitbrisbane.com.au
Mobile Personal Trainer specialising in pre/post natal fitness
Over 3 years experience
Cert 3 & 4 in Fitness, Level 1 & 2 Certificate in Pilates and Reformer Pilates

Professional Register - Connor Ballile

Name: Mrs Connor Baillie
Contact Phone: 0428 799 570
Contact Email: connor@ethos365.com
Professional Qualifications / Experience:
- Operations Director of Ethos Pty Ltd (www.ethos365.com), assisting organisations with implementation and management of employee wellbeing programs.
- Chartered Accountant, 10+ years professional experience in Australia and Europe with PricewaterhouseCoopers and multinational companies.
- Qualified bookkeeper / tax advisor
- Bachelor of Business, Chartered Accountant

Professional Register - Andrew Ballile

Contact Phone: 0421 837 292
Contact Email: andrew@ethos365.com
Professional Qualifications / Experience:
- Managing Director of Ethos Pty Ltd (www.ethos365.com), assisting organisations with implementation and management of employee wellbeing programs.
- 10+ years professional experience in Australia and Europe with PricewaterhouseCoopers and multinational companies.
- Business Optimisation, 7+ years assisting small and large organisations with process improvement, financial management and internal controls.
- Qualified bookkeeper / tax advisor
- Bachelor of Business, Chartered Accountant, MBA
- Dual citizen Australian / French

Professional Register - Suzie Majer

As recently promoted in the Community Newsletter, we are starting a register of professionals who live in our community. We will add to this as residents provide their details.

1. Our first business professional to register is Suzie Majer, Director of Majer Recruitment in Fortitude Valley: specializing in temporary and permanent administration, accounts, marketing and HR roles with a team of five in the company. See contact details below. Please get in touch with Suzie for all of your staffing needs.

P: 0732536565
M: 0411 810 811
w: www.majerrecruitment.com.au

Meg Cole-Ryan..

Hi Stephen & Kathy,

The answer is yes- as the external window painting is finished, Higgins are cleaning external windows in each section.

Regards,

Meg Cole-Ryan

Katherine and Brian McNair..

Hello and Thank you. I was also hoping that the window cleaning would be part of the project too. We have lived here for 3 years and the windows on Dath street are really dirty. Any information would be great. Kathy McNair. Unti 50

Stephen Fletcher..

Hello all, just wondering if the window works being carried out by higgans currently on Vernon tce also in cleaning the windows? Would be a good opportunity to get this done as thry have the access equipment rrady to go and I have lived in these apartments for about two years and have never seen it done. I would say it is about time they were cleaned.

Visitor Car Parks - Dath Street

Notice to Residents

To ensure fair and equitable use of the Dath Street visitor car park spaces, Winchcombe Carson Body Corporate is going to be making some changes to the way in which these car spaces are utilised.

We will be purchasing car park locks, which will prevent the unauthorised use of these spaces, and we will be introducing a system where residents will be able to book these spaces for their guests through the building manager. This will ensure that these spaces are utilised in a more equitable way for all concerned, and in accordance with the by-laws of our community.

These locks will be installed on Thursday March 30 and further information about how this process will work will be provided soon.

WCW Body Corporate

Daragh McGrath..

Hi All - please take note of the attached notices regarding painting works in our building and some road closures around the building which will take place on a rolling basis as a result of this.

Daragh McGrath..

Hi All - the final Conservation Management Plan for WCW has been uploaded to the documents section of this community for future reference.

Jorgen Rasmussen..

Hi,
We have rented a 5 meter 1 man lift from Kennards:
https://www.kennards.com.au/manlift-5m-16ft-one-man.html
We have finished what we needed to do. They will pick it up Monday. If anyone else need to do something high up tomorrow and would like to use it, feel free to knock on our door.
Regards
Jorgen, Unit 34.

Meg Cole-Ryan..

Dear Residents,

A large black plastic pot with fresh soil and fresh, new parsley has gone missing today from the Community herb garden, down near the Florence Street pool gate. If anyone has seen someone walking through the building with a pot of herbs, would you please notify the building manager? We will be checking the internal security cameras in the morning to see if anyone is visible in the stairwells and corridors. Can we please all be the eyes and ears for our building in terms of security? If anything looks suspicious at any time, please let Lui and Julie know. Just a reminder, that the community herb garden is a voluntary provision for the community that runs at a loss. If we can all be mindful of this, the garden will be able to continue. Thanks, Meg

Mr Scott Hay..

We think the designs look great, and think the modern aesthetic combines wonderfully with the character features of the building.

Winchcombe Carson Foyer Refurbishment

To assist the community in visualising the foyer upgrades for Vernon Terrace, Dath Street and Florence Street these design drawings have been provided to supplement the descriptions as outlined in the AGM papers.

Lisa King, the chosen designer, has liaised with our Heritage Architect, Ruth Wood to ensure that the project fits appropriately with the heritage features of our building. Contemporary design ideas have been incorporated to blend with the industrial history of the building. Corten panelling (weathered steel) was selected to provide a rustic appearance as strong focal points for entrance walls. Specially designed carpets and art work have also been considered, as well as repairing the cracks and coating of the concrete flooring.

Mr Roland Collaro..

Hi Alicia,
We will be making copies and putting them on the notice boards and uploading a soft copy to the portal.

Regards
Roland

Alicia Jonkers..

Is it possible to see the plans for the reception areas upgrade approved at the AGM
Thank you
Alicia

Ms. Christine Quagliata..

Yes completely agree with your proposal.

Mr Scott Hay..

Couldn't agree with you more. It's nearly impossible for a real visitor to get a park due to the same owners constantly parking in the spots

Shayna Jones..

My fiancé and I agree you should be allowed to erect a bike holder in your carpark. So long as it doesn't impede on anyone's access, what's the harm?

Stephen Fletcher..

Dath Street Visitor Car Parking

I would like to propose that changes be made to the Visitor Car parking sign/Rules, where by anyone using a space must contact the building manager to state which apartment they are visiting and registration number (this is have seen be carried out at many aother apartments in Brisbane). It would appear that the Visitor spaces are being used by persons living in the building or working in the Commercial Residences around the area/building and also just people perhaps going for lunch. As it is the same cars that i can see park there all the time, (an unfortunate benefit of working on a roster) This i believe is against the Body Corporate by Laws as it is meant for visitor parking only.

What are peoples thoughts on this?

Mr Peter Fraser..

Winchcombe Carson CMP
I have some issues with the document.
Where Ruth highlights that some issues have not been DEHP approved, there is no indication of next step.
2. Key to the success of a CMP is the way it relates to the Sinking Fund and maintenance issues. I understand that a maintenance plan is broken up into matters for which no exemption is necessary, matters for which an exemption is required because of pre-conditions which need to be met and issues for which no exemption can be granted and where specific permission and planning is required for any restoration or conservation work to be done. This is , I understood a key part of the CMP , but is only mentioned in passing to be attached as an annex. If this is part of the CMP , then where is it? If not, who prepares such a document and what are the cost implications for unit owners?
3 The above is very specific to expected costs of operating this building, but as yet we have no comment from Ruth Woods nor the Committee.

Mr Scott Hay..

Connected with Telstra, was all done and online within 30 minutes.

Shayna Jones..

We connected via Optus. Trying installation process here too, but good speeds now.

Mr Peter Fraser..

We've connected through Telstra. The NBN mode is right next to Florence Street rubbish room entrance. TPG is wrong. Process through Telstra horrid but outcome good Good luck.....

Aaron Nash..

The Committee invites all submissions of lot owners in relation to the second draft of the Conservation Management Plan. We note that as a second draft, this document has already incorporated previous recommendations made in relation to the first draft.

The Relevant Submission Period will be;

3 March 2016 to 23 March 2016 (3 weeks).

As timing is of the essence in relation to this document, any submissions received after 4:00 pm on 23 March 2016 shall not be accepted.

Lui Wu..

Important notice from Queensland Police:

Crime alert: Multi-residential buildings

Police within the Brisbane Central District have been alerted to a rise in property theft from multi-residential living buildings (units/apartments).

The purpose of this alert is to inform you that property, such as bicycles, are being targeted during these offences.

Occupants of these buildings need to be vigilant in their surrounding area. When it comes to security, high-rise buildings and apartments are just as vulnerable as other residential homes. Poor security habits can put the whole building at risk.

I have read a few incidents within Brisbane Central District where unlawful entry has been gained to secure areas of the buildings by following a resident into the underground carpark.

If you are followed behind by a person that is not familiar to the complex, write down the vehicle registration plate and a description of the vehicle occupants. Immediately notify your onsite manager or the body corporate, and if you are certain they don’t belong and are acting suspicious, trust your instinct and dial police immediately. In an emergency call Triple Zero (000), if non-urgent, call Policelink on 131 444.

You may ask ‘What can you do?'

1. Avoid storing excess belongings in garage areas and lockup garages.
2. Be familiar with your body corporate manager and talk about further advice on excess storage.
3. If you have a bike, note down the model and serial number and take photographs of the bike.
4. Secure your bike at all times to something solid.
5. Engrave your bike with your individual security code (microdot).
6. Never leave valuables in your vehicle or at least keep them out of sight.
7. Always lock your vehicle and remove your garage door remote or fob key.
8. Ensure the garage door closes completely so potential offenders can’t sneak in.
9. Beware of any suspicious people lurking near the entrance and report them to the police.

For more information, download our booklet which outlines inexpensive, general, internal and external security measures apartment residents can take to help prevent crime.

Lui Wu..

Important notice from Brisbane City Council:

RE: Kerbside Collection 2016

Dear residents,

Please see attached notice with regards to the Brisbane City Council's kerbside collection. Due to the sheer numbers of apartments in the building, the Council has assigned us a date and spot to put your unwanted items for collection.

The date for collection this year at first thing in the morning, Monday 18 January 2016, and location is on the public footpath between Dath Refuse bin area and the entrance to the Dath Street carpark. For Florence building side, the collection location is on the footpath outside the Florence Street refuse bin.

Please note the following:

* Acceptable items only to be left on the footpath from Saturday 16/01/16 and Sunday 17/01/16
* Please refrain from leaving stuff earlier than 16/01/16 for the safety of residents and pedestrians.
* Do not block the sidewalks, car park entrances/exits and bin room entry.
* Items placed on the kerbside after the collection will not be collected and it is the responsibility of the resident to seek alternative arrangements for removal of unwanted items.

Brisbane City Council will also be conducting a flyer drop in mailboxes in the coming days.

Please follow instructions and guidelines carefully of what items are considered as acceptable.


Thanks,

Lui & Julie

Stephen Harper..

Agree with Peter's comments.
Perhaps a heavy duty stone mulch with some large pots placed along this section could be ok.
It requires profesional designer input.
Steve Harper

Mr Peter Fraser..

We would like to thank Lui and his family for the great effort they have made in 2015 in making this building a nice place to live. Their politeness and responsiveness to us and our concerns has been helpful and without fault. We wish them all the best for the Festive season and for 2016. Peter and Elizabeth Fraser

Aaron Nash..

Calling all green-thumbs…

The committee is finalising ideas, concepts to obtain quotes to revamp our gardens early in 2016 – Vernon St frontage and around the pool. We would like as much input (design ideas and plant selections) from lot owners and residents as possible, though we know we won’t be able to please everybody.

Current ideas include planter boxes (timber or similar construction) for Vernon St frontage to give the plants more access to soil. Addition of irrigation to all plants along Vernon St frontage.
Permanent raised herd garden in the pool area. Plant ideas include, layer hedges (like Macquarie One), Jasmin, Agave, evergreen frangipani, Native Violet, common or mat rush, Lillypilly.

So please post your ideas and comments on the wall or email our building managers Lui or Julie with your ideas – manager@wcwapartments.com

Mr Scott Hay..

Thanks for the feedback!

Mr Roland Collaro..

NBN interface technical specification

I have uploaded a technical document from NBN relating to the interface specification for NBN apartment connectivity in the building. The document refers to "customer". Customer in this context is the service provider whom you have contracted to provide your NBN service. You need to make sure you read your obligations as part of the contract with regards to equipment that is connected to your apartments outlet. All service providers should provide you with equipment that meets these standards. This is the advice provided to me by NBN support representative.

Mr Scott Hay..

So can anyway confirm that they have successful connected to the NBN in the building yet - might save a lot of time and effort for those of us with pending installations....

Mr Scott Hay..

I was told by the building manager that Julie is the point of contact for NBN related installation enquiries. Her number is 0416 264 581 - let us know if this helps....

Mr Scott Hay..

I was told nothing needed to be done inside the apartment, just at the main connection

Mr Scott Hay..

We have recently contacted Telstra about the NBN that is now available in our building. Apparently a technician still has to come out to the building to connect the NBN in premises prior to it being able to be used by residents. The next available appointment for this was 16th December. Apparently this only has to be done once, so if anyone else has made contact with anyone who is doing this earlier than this date, please post on here. Thanks.

Bec Dellit..

Hi All - We are on the move and are selling a heap of furniture and homewares. Its a mixed bag of items here … the ones with ** are listed on ebay (others will be soon) … happy to have a chat with you if you are after anything …or if you want to come and have a look. Just give me a buzz on 0409 242 224. Cheers Bec

**Eco Outdoor 6 seater Dining setting. 6 x white Barwon chairs with armrests + 1 x Waratah teak table measuring 1000Wx2000Lx750H (mm). All in Natural Teak. Stunning setting and very high quality.Paid $4800. As new (purchased Jan 2015) (eBay starting price $3000…I am hoping for $3500)

**Solid timber (I think its Mahogany) glass fronted display cabinet/bookcase. Regency/Deco style. STUNNING piece. Measures 2200Hx1700Wx380D (mm). In excellent as new condition. $2500 (please note you will need a professional removalist for this as it is in one piece and weighs a ton!).

Artificial Raphis Palm (approx. 2m high) in Stunning White and Natural Basket. Purchased from St Barts in James St $735. As new - Sell $500

**Armadillo and Co Marigold Hemp Rug 2.15m in diameter. Excellent condition as new. Paid $805. eBay starting price 399.95

**Extra long (custom) Hallway console antique Chinese elm top, iron bottom. Measures 237Lx29Wx79H cm. $1200

**Freedom small dark brown wood console table. Measures 100Lx78Hx30W cm. $100

Freedom 2.5 seater Signature leather sofa (dark brown). walnut colour/timber feet - 18 mths old excellent condition. RRP $1700. $800

Dark Brown Wooden Cube style Coffee table. Measures 109Lx 60Wx42H cm $100

FISHER & PAYKEL Stainless Steel 519L Bottom Mount Fridge.
Opening handle on the LHS. Flat front. In excellent as new condition. $800

IKEA Billy Bookshelves x 4 Brown Black. Measures 80Wx28Dx202H cm $50 each

IKEA MALM 6 drawer chest of drawers in white with glass top. As new condition $150

**IKEA MALM 6 drawer chest of drawers in white. Damage on the bottom side from removalist but still totally functional and won’t notice if against a wall. Measures 160x78 cm $50 ($79.95 on ebay)

**IKEA Hemnes off white bedside tables x 2. 39x39x68H cm. $100 for both

**FREEDOM Lamp – large green/brown stripe base with beige/brown shade $150

**Handpainted Chinese Lamp – Stunning piece. Purchased in Shanghai. $200

**Asian deco lamp. Base is black lacquer and the shade is a dark beige with black outline. Perfect working order. Slight rubbing damage on the back of the shade but otherwise in excellent condition. Measures approx 36cm wide and 60cm high at the highest point. $50

**Metal Wall Art – School of Fish. Gorgeous art piece. Red and orange tones, Metal in construction and the fish are "layered" in appearance. Approx 100cm wide and 70cm high x 15cm depth (at the biggest fish). Purchased from the Design Centre in Milton. (ebay starting price 99.95)

Most items can be collected from early Dec, just the sofa, coffee table, chest of drawers and fridge will need to wait until we move (mid Dec).

Lui Wu..

Another Important message from Queensland Urban Utility:

The water will be turned off in the Teneriffe area between the hours of 10.30pm to 4.00am on Monday 26/10/15 for maintenance work. If you have any questions, please give Nick of Queensland Urban Utility a call on 0419 734 679. See attached flyer. There is flyers being dropped off in individual mail boxes and also a notice will be put up on the Notice Boards & lifts.

Lui Wu..

Important message from Queensland Urban Utility:

The water will be turned off in the Teneriffe area between the hours of 10.30pm to 3.30am on Thursday 15/10/15 for maintenance work. If you have any questions, please give Nick of Queensland Urban Utility a call on 0419 734 679. See attached flyer.

Lui Wu..

Notice from Body Corporate Committee:

Following investigations it has been confirmed that the pet approval condition banning pets from use of the lift was removed by the Body Corporate committee on 26th November 2013. Unfortunately this was not advised broadly and the conditions provided to owners subsequently were not amended for which the Body Corporate apologises.

As a consequence we advise that pets may use the lifts, however we ask that all pet owners do so with full consideration for other residents. Some people find pets intimidating or suffer from allergies. We are particularly concerned for the safety and comfort of small children travelling in a confined space with pets. If you wish to use the lift with your pet please ensure you confirm that existing occupants of the lift are happy to travel with your pet. If not please wait for the lift to return.

Christian Callisen..

I just wanted to start a thread to encourage lot owners to get their votes in for the Annual General Meeting (if they haven’t already) and to encourage some balanced discussion about one of the motions being proposed.

Lot owners will have seen in their AGM papers a motion to change the regulation module that governs our building from the ‘Accommodation’ Module to the ‘Standard’ Module. There are a few implications of this that I would encourage lot owners to consider.

The two implications highlighted as part of the explanatory memorandum are changes to proxy voting provisions (limiting the number of proxies that can be held by one person to 5% of the number of lots, compared to 10% under the Accommodation Module) and a reduction in the maximum term for a building manager from 25 years to 10 years.

Other implications include that, under the Standard Module, the body corporate cannot borrow more than $250 per lot ($32,250 for our building) unless approved by a ‘motion without dissent’. This means that every single person who votes on the motion to borrow money must vote in favour of it. At the moment we would be able to borrow the money so long as a majority of voters approved it via a special resolution. In addition, under the Standard Module, the body corporate can only authorise a lease over common property for three years or less, compared to ten years or less under the Accommodation Module.

There are of course pros and cons to all of this, and I would encourage lot owners to think about both perspectives when deciding which way they might prefer to vote.

On the question of proxy votes, for example, some lot owners may be concerned about the potential impact of having many proxies exercised by one or a few individuals. If a lot owner holds 10 proxies, for example, their vote in favour or against a particular motion can have a significant impact on the outcome. Conversely, lot owners who see the appointment of a proxy as a valid way to exercise their vote, trusting in their proxy to vote in their best interests, may have concerns about limiting the number of proxies an individual may hold. Without trying to put words in people’s mouths, I would suggest that this may be an issue for investor owners, owners who live overseas, or others who have difficulty finding the time to stay across all the issues in the building and complete the voting documentation themselves.

Regarding the length of building manager agreements, there are again arguments for both sides. Those who prefer a shorter agreement point to impacts such as indexation (currently 5% per annum) on the long-term cost of agreements, and the potential flexibility offered to the body corporate by a contract that does not run for such a long term. Conversely, some may argue that longer agreements offer additional benefits for the community by helping to establish stable relationships with better qualified building managers who are keen to get the best return on their (larger) investment in the interests of both themselves and the building.

While a change to the regulation module may not impact the current building manager’s contract, I think there are still unanswered questions about if and when the community would actually be able to take advantage of a shorter contract term. The current building manager, for example, can continue to propose ‘top-ups’ to their contract, maintaining a 25-year term. Something that I have not seen clarified is what happens if and when they choose to sell their contract. My understanding is that the sale of a contract does not actually change the terms of the contract, so a 25-year contract (or 15-year contract with 5+5 options) could not be sold as a 10-year contract. For the body corporate to be able to recontract (thus invoking the 10-year limit if we switched to the Standard Module), the existing contract would have to be exhausted or otherwise extinguished. For me, it is not clear in which circumstances this is likely to actually happen, so any perceived benefit from the ability to have a 10-year contract may be difficult to realise. Having said that, it is up to lot owners to decide which underlying principle they favour when choosing to vote on this motion – longer term contracts, with associated arguments for security, quality of service, etc, or shorter term contracts, with associated arguments for flexibility (noting that, subject to a vote from the body corporate, building manager contracts can be continually topped up anyway).

Two other implications of a change from Accommodation Module to Standard Module, as I’ve already noted, are around borrowing money and leasing common property. Those who would prefer to change, and to ensure that any borrowings over $250 per lot be authorised by a motion without dissent, may argue that we are better off raising a special levy for large projects, and lot owners can then source their own finance elsewhere if necessary. Some may suggest that, in a wealthy area such as ours, most lot owners can source cheap money themselves, so borrowing by the body corporate should not be necessary. Conversely, other may argue that the community should be given the option about how to best fund large projects, and that borrowing money should be one of these options. Forcing 100% of voters to agree on an issue may be seen as a difficult way to get anything achieved, particularly in a large complex such as Winchcombe Carson, with 129 lots.

Finally, limiting the length of time for which the body corporate can lease common property may be seen as advantageous by some lot owners, as it avoids the body corporate being ‘locked in’ to longer term arrangements with third parties in the building, while others may prefer the ability to offer longer leases if possible to secure attractive, well-behaved tenants. As far as I am aware, we don’t currently lease any common property in Winchcombe Carson (the commercial lots are under separate arrangements), so this may not be of concern to lot owners, but I would encourage people to think about their preferences in terms of how much flexibility they would like the body corporate to have in the event that we did want to lease some part of the common property in the future.

As always, there are two sides to everything, and I am not trying to encourage lot owners to vote any particular way on this motion, but would encourage you to think about all the potential implications of a change in regulation module before deciding one way or another. Noting that there is a lot to it, I’d recommend having a good look at the ‘Form 19’ that is included in the explanatory schedule for the AGM motion, which sets out all the differences side-by-side.

And, if you haven’t already, get your votes in! The more lot owners who cast their votes at the AGM, the more confident all of us can be that the votes are representative of the majority of lot owners’ wishes.

Lui Wu..

A message from the Body Corporate Committee:

Dear Residents,

Over recent months we have observed our domestic refuse room being used more and more for non suitable domestic waste which presents the community with the risk of not having our rubbish collected by our provider.

We understand that we all have the need to often remove larger house hold items or waste more regularly than the annual kerbside collection as offered by BCC.

As a courtesy, we'd like to share a service to you provided by junkmoversqld.

Junkmoversqld are able to work with you to come and collect your large bulky items or simply provide you with the ability to remove general junk items offsite at a reasonable price. The minimum charge is just $35 or a full ute load (14 ft x 7ft tray) from $120*.

If you are interested in finding out how junkmoversqld can help you or would like a quote then please contact James on 0402 580 253 or alternatively email him on junkmoversqld@gmail.com

Your support in using our refuse rooms for their intended purpose and discarding your unwanted items correctly is greatly appreciated.

If you have any questions regarding what can and can not be discarded in our refuse rooms, please do not hesitate to contact our onsite manager, Lui & Julie Wu, 0429 419 911, manager@wcwapartments.com.

Chris Whitehead..

Enforcement of By-laws. There have been a number of complaints recently about by-laws being ignored by some residents. I felt it would be useful to set out our understanding of how by-laws can be enforced and the restrictions that also apply in this regard:

As residents of a community, when buying into the building or renting an apartment we all agree by default to abide by the by-laws. By laws are not legislated, we can issue breaches and expect that the offender will realise his or her responsibilities and modify their ways. Unless the behaviour breaks external laws – such as noise beyond a certain hour etc, we cannot prosecute (see note below). One of our by-laws is that no dogs are to travel in the lifts. The community voted on it and therefore it should be adhered to. Somehow, some dog owners feel that it is okay to remove the signs and use the lifts with their dogs – disregarding the reasons for the initial ban and the wishes of the majority of the community. We’d love any suggestions you may have to enforce that by-law.

In the end, we all have a duty of care when sharing the same common area. Some take it more seriously than others.

Note on by-laws:

Current by-law process on Queensland issued by the Dept of Justice:

“An owner or occupier in a scheme (the complainant) who reasonably believes that another owner or occupier (the accused person) in the scheme has contravened a by‐law for the scheme may ask the body corporate to issue a contravention notice to the accused person if the circumstances of the breach make it likely the contravention will continue or be repeated.

Failure to comply with contravention notice:
If an accused person has been issued a contravention notice and does not comply with that notice, the body corporate may bring an action in the Magistrates Court20 seeking that the accused person be forced to pay a civil penalty of up to $2,200. However, this rarely occurs in practice as non‐ compliance with a contravention notice is dealt with as a dispute under the BCCM Act.

The body corporate or the complainant (in specific circumstances discussed below) may seek to resolve the dispute using the dispute resolution process administered by the office of the Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management (BCCM Commissioner).

Commencing dispute resolution
Unless special circumstances apply, the body corporate may not commence the dispute resolution process without first giving the accused person a contravention notice.

A complainant may not commence dispute resolution without following the preliminary procedure. The preliminary procedure requires the complainant to make a written complaint to the body corporate requesting that a contravention notice be issued to the accused person.

The body corporate may decide to:
- issue a contravention notice to the accused person, in which case the body corporate will be responsible for taking action if there is non‐compliance;·
- not to issue a contravention notice to the accused person.

In either case, the body corporate must notify the complainant of the action it has taken.

If the body corporate does not notify the complainant within 14 days after receiving the written complaint, or if the body corporate notifies the complainant that is has decided not to issue a contravention notice, then the complainant may commence the dispute resolution process.

This means that a complainant cannot seek to enforce the by‐laws against an accused person unless the body corporate declines to seek enforcement.”

Chris Whitehead..

Scott,

Many thanks for the feedback, as you can imagine this has prompted some discussion across the Committee with the Body Corporate Manages (Ernst) and the Building Manager.

Since Lui is contracted by the Body Corporate (i.e. all of us ultimately) I feel it is better that I respond (and this response is from me personally, rather than agreed by the whole committee in the interests of time).

I am conscious that we all have a responsibility to provide Lui with our support in performing his duties.

To your comments:

BUILDING APPEARANCE- I think we would all totally agree with your comments on the lobby , the gardens were intended as an example. The Committee's hands were bound by a resolution at the AGM last year prohibiting any spend at all on "cosmetic items". There is no such resolution this year and therefore we can use our judgement in spending funds wisely to improve the appearance of the building . Quotes have been obtained already for lobby improvement and moderate provision made for such items in the proposed budget for the coming year.

In order to make inroads into the garden issue without breaching the motion passed, two appeals for community assistance in the redesign and rejuvenation of the gardens were made and no response was received.

CARPARK STORAGE There has been much discussion on enforcement options and you are welcome to inspect the records of the Committee in this regard. With regards to the notices previously provided we appreciate your immediate action. Most residents did the same thing as you did: moved their items from the carpark when they received the notice, some new residents (especially those ones from outside agencies) put new items in the garage and we are providing further notices. I am advised by EBCM that comparatively Winchcombe Carson is very active in pursuing breaches. There is very clear legal process we must follow and I will put up a separate post regarding this rather than make this conversation too long,

More generally I would ask you to consider nominating for the Committee, we would be very appreciate of further support. The Committee are volunteers and some current members have done a lot more than their fair share to support the community.

I note your other comments and we cannot tolerate Body Corporate contractors being abused, in case of serious incidents we will contact the police immediately. Escalation of building specific by-law breaches come at a cost to the Body Corporate, but given the apparent frequent breaches and legal risks to us all from breaches of safety requirements this will be discussed at the next Committee meeting.
You are welcome to attend this meeting as an observer and it is our usual habit to invite observers to comment on matters of interest to them.

Residents who endanger others and ignore warnings of the risks, for instance in allowing items to fall from balconies, clearly risk exposing themselves to personal liability and potentially criminal prosecution if an incident occurs.

With regards to cleaning a member of the Committee meets regularly with the Building Manager to review this and helps to identify any items that may have been missed in cleaning. No other complaints have been bought to the attention of the Committee in recent times. I am advised that the broom and dustpan are merely used in-between regular full vacuuming, unfortunately sometimes a mess occurs within hours of this fuller cleaning

With regards to other buildings we have sought feedback from Ernst who are also managers of Ansonia, Saratoga and London Woolstores. Any disparity in levies seems to be attributable to the rectification works .Desired standards are believed to be similar but as noted above we have been prevented from spending on "cosmetic items".

Again I thank you for your comments I hope my response progresses the conversation as intended and others may add their comments also.

Mr Scott Hay..

A few thoughts from an owner/resident:
BUILDING APPEARANCE. We think its great that the poor state of the building is being noticed, however it is more than just an issue with garden beds. The foyer in no way reflects the prestige of the building or the prices paid by its residents, either owners or tenants. We recently took a walk down Vernon Terrace and inspected the other buildings (Ansonia, Dakota etc). These buildings have beautiful, clean. well kept foyers. Considering that their body corporate fees are lower, and that the average price of units in these buildings are considerably lower, there is just no reason for our foyer to be so dirty, unpainted etc. Recently we, and another owner, witnessed someone moving into the building scraping the concrete floors of the foyer as they dragged their furniture in. The other resident commented on what they were doing and asked them to stop. They simply responded with a snigger and kept on going. In terms of general cleanliness of the building we are confused as to how the building managers can be keeping up with their cleaning responsibilities when they are usually just using a little broom and dustpan to clean the floors (and also I have seen them using these to clean the footpath and road!).

CARPARK STORAGE. After receiving notice we moved a box of concrete tiles from our car space. We agree that the car park also looks terrible and poses a health hazard with so many bikes, prams, car tires, shoes, empty coffee cups, etc but considering that everyone has received multiple notices already, how many more notices are you going to give before actually implementing a system to remedy it? Perhaps another storage system should be considered considering that the current recommendation of a small storage container costs $3000.

CHALLENGING OFFENDERS. We think its interesting that you advice residents to challenge people who are breaching by laws. We recently asked the building manager to intervene on our behalf and contact a neighbour who was blasting music from 7am onwards every day (also a clear breach of by-laws). The building manager was told to %@$* off when he approached the resident and came back nearly in tears informing us that he had been 'abused' and there was nothing more he could do. How are we going to avoid falling objects potentially hurting people or damaging vehicles, if the building manager is abused when he brings these issues to peoples attention?

Until more people show respect for others, and until the building manager becomes more proactive, and until the body corporate actually does something to enforce the recommendations, it seems likely that all of these issues will unfortunately continue.

Christian Callisen..

A message from the Committee Chair:

Hi,

On behalf of the WCW Body Corporate Committee I would like to provide you with a brief update on community matters and as always we invite your feedback and commentary - via Ernst Body Corporate Management or, preferably, on our community website, which is the easiest way to share discussions.

1. Roofing Project and Leaks

I am hoping that we will soon be beyond having to start every update with this vital project. We still do still have some issues with leaks in a couple of units which we are working on, however the latest rains last weekend indicate we may have turned a corner - since reports of leaks have diminished dramatically from previous events.

Working with our project managers (Ridgemill), Hutchisons have been very responsive in fixing the identified issues with the new roof works over recent months and have been more proactive in investigations and identifying potential solutions. We are pleased that they have smoothly replaced the rainheads and downpipes, once we awarded the works to them. It has been conjectured that these were a significant factor with water “backing up” and overflowing through wall cavities in heavy rains due to poor sealing. Hutchison now have “end to end” accountability for performance given they have renewed all of the railhead seals to the new roofing gutters.

It has also been conjectured that these issues have been a primary cause or contributed to the damp western-facing wall and we will see over coming months whether this improves before reviewing further options such as specialised brick sealants.

Another outstanding aspect is to improve the metal vents to common areas which allow rain to be blown into the building - our project managers are reviewing design solutions and will make a recommendation to the Committee shortly.

2. Other Maintenance Issues
• We continue to seek an engineering solution to the heat and ventilation issues in car parks, particularly in Dath Street.
• We have also asked our project managers to consider the best approach to systematic maintenance of external windows on walls and balconies, as individual issues grow and a piecemeal approach to these is likely to be ultimately more expensive.
• We have undertaken minor electrical works to improve lighting around the pool area and pathways. We are keen to continually review opportunities to improve the energy efficiency of the building to lower our energy costs and reduce our environmental impact


3. Health and Safety Issues

A key responsibility of the Body Corporate, the Committee and of all of us individually as residents and owners is to ensure that our building is safe. Apart from this being a moral responsibility we also have significant legal liability, again collectively and individually.

• We are working on fire safety compliance, with a number of improvement needs identified in a recent formal inspection. One troublesome item is providing evidence that fire doors are fully compliant and maintenance and renovations have seen some doors improperly painted, covering certification stickers. Other have been cut or had penetrations made meaning that they are no longer compliant. Where these issues are caused by an individual lot owner we will, in fairness to all, recover remediation costs from that lot. Please be conscious of this and supervise any tradesmen to protect yourself and the community.
• We are enormously concerned that recently a pot plant fell from a balcony, on this occasion narrowly avoiding a parked car. It would have been far more serious if someone had been walking beneath the balcony, with serious injury or a fatality inevitable should they be hit. Please do be very diligent in keeping any items off balcony walls and if you see safety risks around the building please speak to Lui Ernst BCM or a Committee member immediately.
• We are receiving complaints of pets being transported in lifts - this is against building by-laws which were created to protect residents with allergies and also the safety of residents and small children in a confined space with an animal. We are organising reminder signage in the lift - any resident is entitled to challenge offenders and report breaches of the by-law to the Building Manager or Body Corporate Managers or the Committee.
• We continue to also follow up individually on breaches of the by-law on storage in car parks. Apart from these being an eyesore, there is the risk of people tripping, of items falling and also in some cases items are inflammable and hence a fire hazard. Please do not store items in the car park except in storage built for this purpose in accordance with the by-laws. The Committee has asked the Building Manager to review an option of moving items in breach to offsite storage (after due notice and at the owners expense) and eventually to disposal, if requests to remove the items are ignored.

4. Building Appearance

We are getting regular feedback on the appearance of the building not always reflecting its value and we are keen to be seen as a source of pride and maintain our prestigious reputation. The Committee is seeking support to undertake minor improvements to cosmetic aspects such as the Vernon Terrace garden. We would like to ask for the assistance of all residents in maintaining a clean and tidy environment

In this regard we have a continual problem with dumping of building materials and furniture in the Dath St refuse area - sometimes by non-residents. We are finding bins regularly over-flowing, containing non-domestic waste or large items left blocking access or as a hazard on the public footpath. We are concerned that this area is insecure and have requested the building manager to obtain quotes for securing the area and also the installation of monitoring equipment. Please do report any breaches and also challenge others if you see dumping taking place.

Summary

It is inevitable that we must report and act on issues such as above, but overall we are lucky to live in such a beautiful building in such pleasant surrounds. The individual members of the committee have given up many hours to support this lifestyle and I would ask everyone to consider how you can add to making this an even better place to live. The more people contribute the more we all benefit and I know many residents have some great ideas for the community. Join the conversation on our website!

Many thanks,

Chris Whitehead

(On behalf of WCW Body Corporate Committee)

Taylor Clifford..

Hi All,

Has anyone else lost any freeview digital TV channels today? We've lost a number of channels, including all of the Ch7 options. Wondering whether it has something to do with the work currently occurring on Ethel St? (as it's not something we've experienced before). Appreciate your input.

Cheers,
Taylor

Lui Wu..

NBN Installation

Dear residents,

Please see attached for the latest documents received from Vocus Fibre Pty Ltd on 13/07/15. The intended date for the installation will be sometime between 24/07/15 to 24/10/15.

Christian Callisen..

Hi everyone, please find attached a notice that provides a bit more information on the impact of impending maintenance works on lots 124, 125, 125a, and 126.

Partial road closures from 20 July 2015

Dear residents,

From 17 July to late August, maintenance works will be undertaken on the Dath St, Florence St, and Ethel St sides of the building. This will involve replacing a number of external rain heads and downpipes, and partial road closures to facilitate access to the building and to ensure the safety of pedestrians and vehicles in the vicinity. We are expecting partial road closures as follows, during which times street parking will be limited (access to the building carparks should not be affected):

Ethel St, 20 to 28 July;
Dath St, 28 July to 6 August;
Florence St, 7 to 14 August.

Please note that these dates may be subject to change. We apologise for any inconvenience to residents during this time, but appreciate your patience as the committee ensures these important works are undertaken. The attached documents include proposed project milestones, and schematics for the road closures.