AGM main Action Points - originally sent by email 23.5.13

Copy of email sent to all owners on the 23rd of May.

Dear OH5 owners

With reference to the AGM held on the 6th of May, we would like to first apologize for not getting in touch earlier, however Grant had to travel to Dubai and then Italy on business and the follow up was also delayed.

Minutes have been drafted and are currently being checked. These will be posted in due course on the OH5 Blog http://oroklinihills5.blogspot.com/

First and foremost we would like to thank all owners that cared enough to attend the AGM personally, especially those who flew in specially. Meanwhile, we thought you would all appreciate a brief overview of the outcome:

Details

Date: 6th May

Time: 11:00hrs

Location: Lithos (very quiet and we were the only ones there – only water served)

Attendance: 12 OH5 people present and 14 apartments represented with 4 proxy votes.

Committee

A temporary Committee was elected

Chairman: Grant Holmes

Treasurer: Brian Walton

Member: Reg Swallow

Member: Malcolm Price

Note: The committee agreed to stand only until the end of September at the point the Demorilo Agreement ends.

Main Action Points

1. Communication: Many owners present expressed the stress of over communication by email by some owners and the volume of exaggerated complaints, which were realized upon visiting the complex. All agreed in principle that future communications should be kept to the Blog, positive, collaborative and productive.
2. Solutions: It was determined that in future all owners should focus on a solution based approach, as to criticize or complain was destructive, it provided no help, solutions or way forward. Only by focusing on solutions with owner collaboration could we progress as a complex.
3. Demorilo: All agreed to maintain the Demorilo agreement until it expires at the end of September 2013, thereafter the situation should be properly evaluated with new tenders sent by 1st September 2013 (all comprehensive and serious proposals are welcome. Meanwhile, Grant Holmes will seek to negotiate to reduce the Demorilo cost yet further.
4. Sewage: The sewage issue was discussed and all owners unanimously voted on the least expensive quote (previously indicated). A follow up will be sent out in due course.
5. Insurance: Issue discussed and a copy of the current policy was agreed to be posted throughout the complex (done).
6. Public Toilets: All agreed the outside toilets should be kept open in the summer months, then closed 1st December – 1st of March.
7. Reporting: All agreed a reporting procedure was required. This will be set up via the Blog and automated.
8. Swimming Pool: Flaps urgently required (already ordered), Net needed (already in place and donated by Demorilo), more loose tiles needed repairing (others previously fixed – pending new quote), One cover necessary (ordered).
9. Lighting: Times to be changed to 7pm – Midnight to save on electricity cost. Some bulbs to be removed (every other one) to save electricity cost in Car Park area.
10. Blocked drains: Letters to be distributed to all residents of OH5. Also a sign recommended. Drain-pipes are to thin, so all residents must adopt best practices.
11. Non-payers: Main cause of current price is to cover the effect of non-payers (fact) and not the actual cost of the operation. No owners have the right to tell others t=not to pay. All assertive means available will be taken to collect funds. Demorilo to report to all owners quarterly fees paid, fees owed and balance.
12. Trusted Traders: A couple of Owners suggested a trusted Traders list could be posted on the OH5 Blog. This was warmly welcome.
13. Accounts: Brian Walton will oversee accounts. Each quarter a balance of accounts will be posted on the Blog. Owners that require more detailed information should request to Brian Walton, who will arrange for owners to see the accounts personally with Demorilo. It was suggested by Brian that Andrew N could audit the accounts.
14. Blog: The Blog will become the main means of communication. The existing Blog already features the most comprehensive information of a complex that any committee is offering in Cyprus we know of. It has long since answered many of the frequent questions repeatedly raised in the multiple emails sent in the past. Grant Holmes will yet further develop the concept in due course.

New OH5 Committee

See Minutes, voting and updated Action Points on the left hand column. 

Sewage Update - Pending proposal

Dear OH5 Owners

We would like to inform all owners that on Wednesday, April 3rd 2013, as a Committee we delegated the task (by email) of analyzing all the various quotes to repair the sewage plant and improve the situation (including sewage distribution) to the two owners that were dedicated to this task. We asked them both to formally make a formal proposal, as they initially raised the issue and made the complaint. We vowed to forward their proposal to all owners in order to decide by vote, as the investment is likely to be significant.

We took this decision as both above-mentioned owners reported the challenging situation we face concerning sewage issues in our complex (common to many complexes in the area, as we are not on the main sewage mains) to the Environment Agency on a European level, which naturally affects all owners. Moreover, the detail in the quotes and input became extremely complex and was out of our professional capacity to analyze in addition to the fact the 2 people in question did not want to follow the advice of our professional management company. This in essence took the matter out of our hands and out of the direct influence of the local Oroklini council who initially supported us, until the sewage issue was reported. In short our complex has been singled out above all other complexes in the region for a common problem and our options have been severely compromised, meaning the only options available would be expensive at a time when funds are low partly due to recent events, instability and the economic crisis in Cyprus. 

Until the date of this post we have not received any proposals whatsoever and the deadline for all motions for the AGM on the 6th of May has also passed.

This communication was simply made to inform all owners of the prevailing situation. A copy of the original owners in question is available on request. 

The OH5 acting Committee

Crisis in Cyprus and Bank Account update

Dear OH5 Owners

No doubt you have all seen the international news and read about the economic crisis in Cyprus, which is still unfolding.

Our current funds are around 1000 euro and as such not affected by any haircut. We do feel however that it’s better to close the current account and ask Demorilo to collect funds on our behalf as before. The reasons for this are as follows:

1. As a Company Demorilo will be able to collect funds in a variety of ways Bank Transfer, Cash and PayPal. Due to the crisis, we need to collect funds using different ways facilitated through a professional administration Company, which can be held accountable. 
2. As Committee members we have never collected any cash personally (except for Fund raising) or PayPal payments, as we thought it unwise to do so. In light of all the heated conversation about accounts, this proved to be the right choice. 
3. Individual Accounts have a spending limit of 300 euro per day, which is limiting. Moreover, as a Committee, we only ever-used Cheques for payments (except when one of us or Demorilo paid personally if there was no funds available), so it could be recorded, now cheques are more difficult to use for suppliers. 
4. Clearly company Accounts have more flexibility; hence it’s in the best interests of the complex to take advantage of a Demorilo bank account. 
5. As Demorilo complete the accounts, it also makes the process faster, to ensure accounts are updated more speedily, as a couple of owners have requested this of late (before we received no requests). 
6. As there is an AGM in May, we should close the Committee account before then. This will facilitate an orderly transition. 

For any owners with a direct debit, we kindly ask you to cancel it. We will close the account over the period of one month to allow for any direct debits that may come in.

Meanwhile, Alison from Demorilo will be in touch soon to request payments. We ask all owners to cooperate with Alison and bring their accounts fully up to date.

Grant, Brian and Costas

Drainpipes checked and cleaned up

Our sewage disposal provider checked all of t drain pipes around OH5 and cleared them.

A number of items were found to blick the pipes, which leads us to call on all owners to take care when flushing certain items down the toilets.

We therefore all owners and the people they rent to, to refrain from flushing down toilets or sinks the following items:

• Sanitary towels
• Cloths
• Clothing
• Tampons
• Any item that could block the drains. 

The sewage system generally in Cyprus is not as efficient as most parts of northern Europe and strictly speaking not even toilet paper can be flushed. Most brands usually however disintegrate, but not so the items stated above. 

We will follow up on this matter in due course. 

Special Sewage Meeting

Dear OH5 owners

With reference to a constructive and productive meeting held on Friday 8th March 2013 - 4PM at the Demorilo offices in Larnaca, we are pleased to inform you of the following:

Attendees

• Brian Walton (Committee member)
• Lawrence and Twyla Shannahan
• Luke and Angie Medley
• John Honly
• Grant Holmes (who chaired the meeting)
• 3 representatives for Demorilo

Presentation of quote to repair and recondition our biological plant

An Engineer called Paris with appropriate Government certification presented his quote and answered questions to all in attendance. A summary of answers are shown below:

• The cost is just under 4,500 euro.
• It features a mixture of new and reconditioned items. 
• We learned that all reconditioned items had a 6 month guarantee.
• In the event one recondition item breaks it will not affect the others and therefore could be replaced individually.
• When the works are being conducted all owners will still have free use of toilets and showers without interruption.
• It was estimated that the Chroline will cost around 200 euro per year.
• if we go ahead, a cost of 150 euro will be charged per month to maintain including adding of Chroline and testing.  
• Assuming the water is properly treated and tested all agreed it could be then dispersed onto the hill.
• Savvas offered to improve the piping onto the hill at no cost. 
• With respect to the connection of the Biological Plant to the irrigation system (only possible to beds - not grass), this has to be carefully checked first.
• It was discussed and agreed that the plant will be totally concealed (front window access by means of 4”discharge pipe will need to be completely protected/covered). The purpose of this is is to protect the complex from unnecessary spread of pathogens (by possible means of birds, bugs, rodents, flies etc) and eliminate anything from entering or falling into the plant.
• It was also agreed that the lock that was attached to the top doors was a great idea. This will protect our liability for any possibility of exposure and/or entrance of unauthorized personnel into our WWTP.
• Electricity costs are expected to rise, however the volume of water is notably less than first thought, so the impact while difficult to calculate should not be too high.
• If this contractor is used, he agreed to a payment plan over 3 months starting with a 1,000 euro deposit. 

NOTE: All quotes will be placed onto the OH5 Blog.

Conclusions and Agreements

All in attendance unanimously agreed to the following:

• In the first instance all agreed that we must proceed and quickly, as the cost of disposing the water frequently in the proper manner was going to be high and fixing our plant once and for all was the best course of action all things considered. 
• Luke Medley proposed to request 2 quotes from each contractor. One with with new part and the other with reconditioned parts. This is to enable us to properly compare all details. 
• Paris was asked to prepare this and Luke Medley will arrange the same with the other Contractor for comparison. 
• It was a agreed by all that a full inspection was required of the piping and drain pipes, which can overflow during heavy rain, hence quotes will be requested with immediate effect. Depending upon the outcome this could make a notable impact on the overall cost. 

Other matters arising

Here below are additional points and issues that came up during the course of our productive meeting:

• Each owner present agreed without question it was in the best interests of everybody at the complex that we all worked together in the collective synergy of true community spirit.
• Moreover, that there were many skills and experiences to utilize for the benefit of the complex. 
• A line was drawn under the past and the cooperation / collaboration projected was encouraging.
• Grant Holmes proposed that Lawrence Shannahan should be head of Health and Safety at OH5 with immediate effect, as he possesses a wealth of technical experience within this field and all owners present agreed. This role would oversee the repair of the biological plant. 
• Grant Holmes also proposed that Luke Medley should be head of Building / Construction matters at OH5, as he previously owned a company within this field. A number of important structural and building concerns need to be addressed, however a study was required first to understand the best way forward and someone with appropriate experience needed to be dedicated to this area of concern. All owners present agreed. 
• The communal toilets and lifts were also discussed, however conclusions will be sent in another communication, which will require general owner feedback. 

Next steps

The next step is to evaluate the 2 sets of quotes requested in order to decide on which contractor and type of quote is best to move forward with. Once we come to this conclusion all owners will be contacted for approval. 

Best regards

Grant Holmes on behalf of of all attending the special sewage meeting

Positive Swimming Pool Tests as usual

Our Swimming Pool water is tested regularly, by a professional CPO certified Pool Operator called Ian Fraser. You can view his Certificate on the side bar of this Blog. We would  like to share the latest results with you, which are quite standard. 

Please find below the most recent test results, that were taken on site at 5pm 6.3.2013 using a Lamotte 2056 Color-Q Pro 7 test kit, which is one of the best on the market. 

1. FC: Free Chlorine - Ideal level is between 2 and 4 ppm (parts per million): Hills 5 reading as of 6.3.2013 was 2.3 ppm
2. TC: Total Chlorine - Ideal level is for the total to be the same as the free chlorine: Hills 5 reading as of 6.3.2013 was 2.3ppm
3. pH: Acidity/Alkalinity - Ideal level is between 7.2 and 7.8ppm: Hills 5 reading as of 6.3.2013 was 7.2ppm
4. TA – Total Alkalinity – Ideal levels vary depending on pool type & finish: Hills 5 reading as of 6.3.2013 was 61ppm
5. CH – Calcium Hardness – Ideal level is between 100 and 350ppm depending on pool type: Hills 5 reading as of 6.3.2013 was 260ppm
6. CYA – Cyanuric Acid –Ideal level is between 60 and 80ppm: Hills 5 reading as of 6.3.2013 was 84ppm which was just over the ideal but still okay.

For more specific details as to what each of the readings mean, please consult the Swimming Pool Guide on the side bar.

Sewage Update

Dear OH5 Owners

As promised we spoke with Makis from the Oroklini Council today, who was a pleasant and supportive person.

Initial response

His first response was to sympathize with our position in that our complex is not on the sewage mains (also will not be for the foreseeable future, especially so as Municipality funds are very tight at present and it would take a considerable investment) and we like all other complexes are receiving serious challenges with incoming contributions, further affected by the economic climate. This financial matter cannot be understated and has always been the root cause of our problems.

Options
Basically he said we have 2 options open to us, either of which he would be perfectly satisfied with.

Option 1
We would need to regularly remove the waste. We are already doing this in the full knowledge of the Oroklini Council and guided by Kokos and Demorilo, however it appears we should to do this more frequently now, as the matter was reported to a European Health body and we are advised to be absolutely safe and sure that no untreated water flows from the pipe into the hill.

To step up the waste removal will no doubt be more costly, so we need to speak various waste disposal providers to see what the lowest actual cost will be according to the need.

Option 1 will involve greater cost in sewage removal, however there is no up front cost. We now need to establish what the best price we could obtain will be. Meantime, we have instructed our Property Management Company to arrange for the sewage to be disposed off more frequently in line with the guidelines given and with immediate effect.

Option 2
To repair the water treatment plant once an for all, which has not been fully functional ever since we took over as a Committee, hence we inherited the problem. In fact as previously reported the first task of Palm View Property Management Company when they took over from Quality was to dispose of the sewage, which had built up and was left untreated. It took around 10 truck loads on the first day.

We received a quote from Mr. Shannahan who recently brought the matter to light, which was in the region of 6,000 euro. Our property management Company Demorilo obtained a quote for a similar job from someone certified by the Government as part of a feasibility study, whereby the cost is around 2,000 euro less.

Option 2 will feature a high up front cost, which according to past contributions will not be feasible. Therefore, something dramatic will have to happen such as an extra one-off payment, which will need to be voted on by all owners and we have to be certain that is does not impact on ongoing contributions. Moreover, electricity costs will rise with this option and there are other issues to consider.

Meeting
From our perspective, at this juncture, it is crucial for the sake of the complex that we all collaborate in a conciliatory way to come to a quick solution with the positive spirit of the community. We will therefore kindly call for the following people to meet at the Demorilo Larnaca office on Friday 8th of March.

• Owner and representative of Demorilo, our Property Management Company. 
• Representative of the Committee. 
• Mr. Lawrence Shannahan and Luke Medley.
• Other potentially interested owners. 
• The contractor that provided the second cheaper quote. 

Objectives

• To compare both quotes and agree on a preferred quote. 
• To consider the extra electricity costs and how this could be potentially minimized. 
• To determine precisely where the chlorinated water will be dispersed (estimated to be up to 30 tons per day), because even if it is treated it has to be dispersed, and adding the costs of option 1 additionally will make the project even less financially feasible. 
• To consider all other potential consequences. 
• How to fund the cost.

Final step
Once we receive the outcome of this special meeting, we can then make a unified proposal to all owners to vote upon.

In closing, we are following the directions of the local Council with immediate effect to be on the safe side.

Grant, Brian and Costas