President's Message - September 2005

Norman Salisbury
President

Dear Fellow Owners:

Legionella Bacteria

One important issue that I’m sure we are all concerned about is the Legionella bacteria in our hot water system. Recently, we performed an important step in identifying measures we could take to control the bacteria. We distributed a letter to all residents informing them that we were soon going to significantly increase the temperature of our domestic hot water for two days and requested all residents to flush all water lines for 5 to 10 minutes. Following this procedure, the County Health Department returned and took samples of our water to test for the presence of the bacteria. We took samples from our supply lines, our re-circulation lines and from a number of individual condos that had previously tested positive for the bacteria. We are happy to report that our procedure, what we now call our “cook and flush” procedure, proved to be effective in controlling the bacteria. All of the water samples we took following the procedure tested negative for the bacteria.

The County Health Department and our expert consultants are very encouraged, but still remind us that this is not cause for celebration as the bacteria most certainly remains in some isolated or otherwise unused water lines. What remains to be seen is how quickly these remnants multiply and return to our main system. In an effort to determine this, we will likely be sampling and testing our water every thirty days for some time. In addition, we likely will also be performing additional “cook and flush” procedures periodically. We will keep you informed in order to request your assistance on the flushing side of the procedure. In addition, we will also be investigating ways to address those vacant condos and other unused water lines.

Fire Alarm System

The installation of our new fire alarm system is now fully complete and has been tested in every condo. Prior incorrect addresses have been corrected and we will soon be verifying the corrections. There are still a few bugs to be worked out and corrected, but overall, the system is fully operational and is working well. Please be informed that there will still be several days of alarms as our staff continues it’s training and drills. We will also provide advance notice of these drills in the usual manner.

In addition we now have a new feature in the system that allows us to make intercom announcements over the speakers in your condo even when there is no alarm. We can now inform you in real time that this is a drill and to disregard the following alarm. Otherwise, all residents should respond to all alarms by evacuating the building down the stairs until informed over the speakers that there has been a false alarm.

We know that many of us have been conditioned to NOT respond to alarms as most of our alarms turn out to be false. I encourage all residents to re-direct your thinking now with this new system, to assume that all alarms are very real until an announcement is made over the speaker system that informs you otherwise. I believe this to be very prudent and very important to our health and safety.

Plaza Waterproofing

The plaza waterproofing is progressing well. The main plaza around the flag circle is complete and the waterproofing on the north plaza is done. Miraculously, the constant and persistent water dripping in front of the North Tower P1 elevators has stopped for the fist time in decades. We are extremely pleased with the quality of the work being done.

An important part of the plaza waterproofing is the resurfacing of our alley. This is to be done from September 12th to the 24th. There will be no access for move-ins, move-outs or deliveries through the alley during this time period.

Hamilton Partners

There has been some movement on the part of Hamilton Partners that indicates interest in a different direction than previous intentions. As an adjacent landowner at the time of construction, their parcels were granted certain rights with respect to the block. Among them is the right to construct a parking garage and join the Reciprocal Easement Agreement (REA) that governs our own garage. Inasmuch as the city’s planned improvements on Broadway will greatly restrict our alley as a major thoroughfare or as a major avenue of ingress and egress, Hamilton Partners now seems to be interested in joining our garage underground and leaving the alley to what we think was it’s original intended purpose, service and maintenance. There are still many issues to be resolved, but we are encouraged by the directions being taken by Hamilton Partners at present.

Angle Valve Changeout

The Board of Trustees has finally approved an incentive for owners to replace all of the original water shut-off angle valves in your Units. The incentive is that for the next several months the Association will waive the $150 water shut off fee but owners will still be responsible for parts and labor. This is a one time offer. If you are interested, please see the sign up sheet included in this newsletter, fill it out and return it to the Management Office or to Security.

Evacuation Emergency Assistance Requests

In the event of an evacuation, if you require emergency assistance, please fill out the emergency assistance request form in this newsletter. If you have previously filled one out this year, there is no need to do so again although you may want to check with Security to update information on your form. There are many new residents who may not have taken the opportunity to fill out this form and return it to us.

Fall Flu Shot Clinic

As always, we will be holding our annual fall flu shot clinic in the Community Room on Wednesday, October 19 from 4 to 6 pm. While we do not yet know the availability of supplies this year, the clinic is intended for all residents, employees, guests and relatives. In light of the risks associated with our recent Legionella bacteria, it may be prudent for those who may be at risk of Legionnaires to obtain this additional protection from influenza. The shots are usually covered by your own health insurance, otherwise there is a nominal charge for the shots.

Owners and Renters Insurance

We strongly encourage all residents to obtain your own insurance to cover your own personal property, possessions, furnishings and liability. Losses and damage to these items from fire, smoke or even water, from any source, may not be covered by other insurance including the insurance coverage of the Association. Damage to others from these sources inside of your condo may also result in liability to you and may not be covered by any other policies. These owner and renter policies are readily available and the premiums are not expensive. Our Finance Committee is presently obtaining information for residents that will be useful to assist you in obtaining the proper policies and coverage. We will be sending this information to you by separate letter shortly.

Email Announcements

If you wish to receive announcements and information by email from the management office, please send your email address to americantowers@comcast.net and we will include you in the periodic announcements we broadcast by email. Your email address will be kept strictly confidential.

As health and safety has recently been on our minds, I would also like to offer a reminder to please shower before entering the swimming pool or the spas. This helps maintain the water and helps stabilize the disinfecting chemicals in the water. Thank you again for your cooperation in helping us maintain our wonderful American Towers Community and in keeping our facilities as the premier condo community in Utah.

Sincerely,