Announcements

ANTIGUA NEWSLETTER

JUNE 2014

I want to update you on your village.  Landlords please pass this information to your renters.  They need the information since we have over 50 percent rentals.

PARKING:  We could lose a few parking spaces on the north end. I have been concerned about response to any emergency that requires ambulance or fire trucks for two years.  Recently I contacted the Fire Chief to view my concerns and he shared the same concerns
and has for some time.  This is clearly a safety issue.  Delays for the fire truck could cause a fire to spread quickly in our 40 plus year old buildings.

 Two demonstration tests and actual responses have shown that many times the truck can not negotiate the turn at the north end.  One day we found that a vehicle parked on the northwest side next to the garage extended into the street beyond the painted parking spaces on the street blocking the truck. After knocking on several doors the owner of the vehicle could not be identified.  The Cays General Manager and I have requested the City of Coronado review the situation and present the City Council with parking options.  In addition to the fire truck I have witnessed more than once when the garbage truck can not make the turn due to vehicles parking to far from the curb.

CORAL TREES:  Trinidad Village recently had Coral trees fall down. That prompted my calling in a tree expert to evaluate the Coral trees in Antigua.  Antigua has two Coral trees and both are very large.  One is located on the corner as you enter the village by 1 Antigua.  The other tree is on the west end of  43/44 Antigua.  The results of the evaluation were they both could fail within one year.  Therefore; we will be removing them soon.

WATER:  Water bills continue to rise due to the warm conditions and we have had a couple of significant leaks. The most recent was a leak on one of the docks on the west side. It had been leaking long enough that the bill was $7000.00 versus the normal $120.00 per month for that meter.  Please report any leaks or broken pipes or hoses immediately. During duty hours call the HOA, 423-4353 and at night and weekends call the Security Kiosk at 575-8100.  We are having safety (known to many as security) increase their walking patrols on the docks each day in hopes of discovering leaks sooner.

SEWER PIPES: Our sewer pipes continue to age and cause problems. We have replaced a little over one half of the main drains and continue to replace them as owners renovate their lower units. In fact as I write this we are doing what we refer to as a Grand Canyon in one of the units.  The main sewer pipes are badly corroded and falling apart in many units.  A backup, caused by sludge buildup over the years, caused almost $17,000 in damage that is paid from the Antigua budget and insurance. We have a $5000.00 deductible.  It is a good idea for owners to have a neighbor or friend check on their unit during extended times away.

Please think about what you place in the sewer system.  A backed up kitchen sink in one unit is costing the owner a large sum.  Some type of wax had been placed in the system and balled up causing a backup.  Many owners do not use their garbage disposal recognizing that we have old plumbing that clogs easily.

BUDGET:  At the end of May 2014 Antigua Village was in the black for the first eleven months of this FY. Even with the added water expense and sewer backup we should be in the black at the end of the fiscal year, 30 June 2014.

 ROOFING AND PAINTING: 
We have a schedule for both. In the next newsletter I will outline our schedule for each.

TRASH; Placing trash containers on the street for Monday pickup is difficult at best due to the number of vehicles on the street. Some complain that trash containers are to close to their vehicle. I see no other solution that ensures containers are emptied.  If you move a trash container please align it so it can be picked up by the arm on the truck.  Some residents have agreements with a neighbor that they fill trash and recycle containers in their bin no matter whom it belongs first and fill a second one if required. That keeps the number of containers to be placed on the street to a minimum. If you have ideas let me know. 

STREET SWEEPING: The picture below gives you an idea of why we have excessive debris on our streets. Street sweeping during this picture was supposed to be on the garage side. Note the sweeper going down the middle of the street.  There is not debris in the middle. Some vehicles were parked so poorly the street sweeper barely had clearance between vehicles.  SOLUTION: Park in your garage or on Grand Caribe Causeway.

The signs are placed on the designated sweeping side at least 24 hours in advance.

Some residents tell me to have our landscapers with backpack blowers clean the street. Antigua Court is a public street with the city responsible for sweeping. We do not want to use our funds for a public street.

Gary