Dear Residents, May 19, 2020
The purpose of this blog is to provide an update to construction and repair projects that are currently underway or about to commence. As everyone is aware, the COVID-19 pandemic has altered everyone’s plans for just about everything in 2020. Work that we had hoped to start in April will now probably not start until July, etc.
I hope everyone finds the following information useful as it provides our most current estimates of project scheduling. Please do not take any rumors or speculation as factual. Any facts concerning scheduling will come directly from myself and the B3 board of directors once we have a clearer picture from our suppliers and contractors.
If anyone has been wondering “What’s going on??” or “Why hasn’t any of the urgent work outside started yet?” The answer is pretty clear: Nothing could have taken place during the cold winter months and the months of March, April and May have been lost to the Covid 19 lockdown orders. We don’t expect a return to normalcy any time soon. The best we can hope for is the companies and suppliers that will be chosen for this project will be able to get their workforce staffing and production/manufacturing capabilities back to normal as soon as possible.
LOBBY/HALLWAY PAINTING:
The updating/painting of our hallways and lobby area began last year and continued throughout the massive window replacement project. We are grateful for the outpouring of compliments/positive feedback about the new windows, window surrounds and hallway improvements and updates.
In the past few weeks, painters have returned to continue this work, updating the stairwell and hallway doors with white paint and new handles.
In addition, the hallways (both north and south) going out to the courtyard have been painted and a non-slip epoxy chip floor coating applied. The lights have also been upgraded to LED. The exterior doors were replaced with insulated 3-lite exterior doors. This allows residents to see outside before they enter the courtyard which is a huge safety upgrade as well as a boost in energy efficiency.
The front entry vestibule area will be completed within the next few months as the weather gets better and workers resume a more reliable work schedule.
All of this work was included in our 2020 operating budget and is considered essential to providing an updated, modernized look to our building that sets us apart from all the others in the Barcelona complex.
SOUTH GARAGE BATHROOMS:
You may have noticed a lot of activity taking place in the south parking garage bathroom area. These bathrooms are for the swimming pool and are being remodeled as part of the Barcelona MASTER ASSOCIATION 2020 budget. These bathrooms were dilapidated and very unsafe with broken and spalled floor and wall tiles creating unacceptable hazards for users. The walls were filled with mold and mildew and the bathrooms reeked of urine which had, over 40+ years, saturated the mortar bed beneath the cracked floor tile and broken grout joints. No one took responsibility for fixing any of it. The bathrooms reached such a point of disrepair that pool management contractors who were called to bid the annual pool contract declined to submit bids because they did not want to be responsible for any maintenance in the existing pool bathrooms.
The bathrooms were a health hazard and detrimental to the value of Building 3. Everyone should be aware that the pool bathrooms and equipment rooms in Building 3 have been managed and maintained by the Barcelona Master Board. Needless to say, after 45 years of heavy use and no repairs, they reached a point where they required a complete rehabilitation and update.
I am very excited to work with the members currently serving on the Master Board. While serving as its Treasurer for the past year, I have been successful in demonstrating the need to perform long overdue repairs and updates related to B3. This includes the pool bathrooms and the adjacent hallway, the broken concrete at the entrance to the pool bathrooms, the extra concrete at the front circle drive to eliminate the damage from cars and buses rolling over the curbs, as well as our new courtyard landscaping and multiple other landscape improvements that occurred in 2019. These projects increase the quality of life and the value of our property and common elements.
EXTERIOR MASONRY RESTORATION PROJECT:
Many of you who attended the numerous public board meetings and presentations I made in 2019 concerning the urgent need for exterior building repairs are probably wondering when this work is going to re-start. Let me provide as clear and detailed of a response to that question as I possibly can.
-In 2019 the Barcelona Building 3 was cited by the Village of Skokie for numerous violations involving defective brick/masonry conditions.
-The Barcelona B3 board of directors hired a licensed architect/engineering firm to conduct an extensive survey and evaluation of the exterior condition of this structure. These findings were evaluated by the B3 board of directors, our property manager, and our attorney prior to them being presented to B3 unit owners in multiple public meetings. I regret that many of the people who ‘don’t know what’s going on’ are the ones who didn’t attend any meetings or read any of the correspondence that was sent out to homeowners subsequent to the meetings. I regret that some residents ask people that are not involved in the projects in any way for answers and/or opinions.
-Please understand that the exterior work we are about to embark on will be a major construction project. There will be scheduling changes occurring weekly based on site conditions, weather, deliveries of materials, etc. I will be the point of contact with the contractors, construction managers and superintendents, architects, engineers and Skokie building inspectors. All information I obtain will be relayed to my fellow board members in as timely manner as possible and reasonable. Residents will receive courtesy updates whenever possible. I urge everyone to not ‘ask around’ for information because no one will have any accurate information if it doesn’t come from me or our building manager with Heil, Heil, Smart & Golee.
-The masonry restoration project will last until next year. The project will be very noisy. It will be very dusty. There will be a lot of construction equipment, scaffolding and building materials surrounding our building. It will not be convenient to live around the dust and noise of construction work but it is necessary and must be completed. Your safety, workers’ safety, and keeping the outside areas as clean as possible during construction will be the main priorities.
-BTL Architects was hired to produce a comprehensive set of construction drawings that will be used to acquire building permits from the Village of Skokie as well as to solicit bids from suppliers and contractors. BTL is a highly respected architecture and engineering firm focused solely on exterior building restorations.
-BTL worked on the blueprints for several months and I am happy to provide this exciting update to our residents:
THE BLUEPRINTS WERE FINALIZED AND SUBMITTED
TO THE B3 BOARD OF DIRECTORS THIS PAST WEEK.
LAST WEEK. YES, JUST LAST WEEK.
As such, we are in the process of sending out blueprints to multiple contractors for bids and we will be evaluating those bids once we receive them. These blueprints must also be submitted to the Village of Skokie for permits. We do not know, at this time, how long the
Village of Skokie Building Department will take to approve our plans for permit.
Once we are ready to finalize contracts, we will have a board meeting and approve them in a public forum. Obviously, that is the wildcard here…. public gatherings. As such, we will explore avenues of conducting an ‘open meeting’ to comply with applicable laws while not endangering anyone’s safety. Stay tuned.
Based on these facts, it is quite possible that no work on the exterior of the building will be able to commence in the next 45 days or possibly even more. We will keep everyone apprised of any new information or scheduling as it becomes clearer.
On behalf of the Barcelona Building Three Board of Directors,
Goran Yordanoff, President
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