Fall 2017 Newsletter

A special welcome to all our new tenants and owners. We trust that you will join us in making Somerset Gardens a secure, clean, comfortable and welcoming environment for all.

Hot Water Tanks- In the past 2 months, there have been 5 incidents of leaking hot water tanks from owner’s units. The corporation has provided repeated reminders to residents of the importance to frequently inspect hot water tanks, specifically the mixing valves on the top of the tanks for leakages. Tanks that are 10 + years old should be replaced, regardless if no leaking has occurred. Costs associated with emergency calls for plumbing services or repairs related to plumbing leaks are charged back to the units. Please keep this in mind and take the necessary steps to maintain your interior unit plumbing to prevent costly repairs and/or insurance claims.

Security (new residents)- You should have been issued a fob that unlocks the main front door and the two back doors, one leading to the lobby and the other to the eastside stairwell. Aside from your key to your unit, you should also have a similar looking key that provides access to the garbage room off the ground-level parking garage and a smaller key for your mailbox. Access to the garbage room allows you to place bags and items that don’t fit in the garbage chute located on each floor. Please respect this practice in order to avoid creating a blockage in the chute which then becomes a burden for our building cleaner Clifford. For our common security, please avoid letting people that you don’t recognize walk in when you are entering or leaving the building.

Cleanliness- One cannot overstate the role that cleanliness plays in demonstrating pride of ownership and as a welcoming sign to our visitors. We are doing well on this front but there is room for improvement. Although the amount of junk mail left in the lobby has decreased, some still appears. If you don’t want to deal with junk mail, why not leave a note in your mailbox, for the mail carrier, stating “no more junk mail please”? If you leave your junk mail on the shelves near the mailboxes, it only disappears when other kindly residents take it to the recycling. There has been an increase in cigarette butts at the front of the building. Some of these may have been thrown off someone’s balcony. If that is the case, please stop. This is a disregard to both safety and common sense.

Smoking- Note that our building is a smoke-free building. We have a non-smoking rule that applies to all the common areas and the majority of units, with the exception of a few individuals who were grandfathered at the time the rule took effect. Thank you for respecting this.

Contribute to the well-being of our condo- If you have a passion, an expertise or an idea that you would like to share with other residents, use the distribution list that has been created for that purpose. It is also a good forum to obtain answers to your questions about the condo. If you are not on the list, you may join it by contacting Germain at g_dubois@outlook.com .

To contact Liz Marples, the property manager, email lmarples@condogroup.ca or phone 613-237-9519 x 231.

For emergency repairs, call the emergency line 24/7 at 613-762-5704.

Your Board Members: Germain Dubois, President, David Leszczynski, Treasurer, Cassandra Olsthoorn, Secretary, Sandy Kusugak and Kristina McLean, Directors. somersetgardens@live.ca