FINAL UPDATE!!

Final Unit Walk-Thrus Scheduled

We made it to the end! And once again, we appreciate everyone’s patience.

This has been one of our teams most challenging projects in a very long time, and we know it was frustrating for Owners and residents too.

To bring this to a final close, our engineers would like to do walk-thrus as follows:

Tuesday August 13th – Floors 3 thru 29 

and,

Wednesday August 14th – Floors 30 thru 55

These will occur between 9am and 3pm. There is no way to determine exactly what time they will be in which units due to the number of units. But each visit should not last more than 5 to 10 minutes at most, unless they identify an issue that needs to be addressed.

The team expects in most cases they will just sign off on their punchlists and schedule any remaining repairs or problems to be addressed with residents as they go.

UPDATED July 19th

We have reached the home stretch, with our team reporting they are far enough along and have the bulk of the remaining materials needed to finish this work up.

Following is the anticipated schedule for the remainder of the project, but residents should keep in mind that nuances from unit to unit may change expectations from day to day. We expect the staff to contact residents directly if expectations change:

Coil Installs

Friday 7/19- 5003, 5303, 5403, 5503, 4001

Insulation

Friday 7/19- 3303, 3603, 3803, 4103, 4203

Monday  7/22- 5003, 5303, 5403, 5503, 4001

Reconstruction/Punchlist

Friday7/19-3701, 3801, 4101 ,4201

Monday 7/22- 4101, 4301, 4401, 4501

Tuesday 7/23- 4501, 4601, 4701, 4801

Wednesday 7/24-4901, 5001, 5101, 5201

Thursday 7/25- 5201, 5301, 5401, 5501

Friday 7/26- 2603, 2703, 2803, 2903, 3003

Monday 7/29- 4001, 3103, 3203, 3303

Tuesday 7/30- 4001, 3403, 3503, 3603

Wednesday 7/31- 3703, 3803, 3903, 4203

Thursday 8/1- 3703, 3803, 4003, 4103

Friday 8/2 – 4003, 4103, 4303, 4403

Monday 8/5- 4503, 4603, 4703, 4803, 4903

Tuesday 8/6- 5003, 5103, 5203, 5303

Wednesday 8/7 – 5203, 5303, 5403, 5503

UPDATED June 12th

Our Team Reported The New ’03 Coils Have Been Delivered

They will start scheduling installs and repair work immediately. In fact, some have already started going in.

This process is starting from the bottom up since those units have been displaced the longest. We do not yet have a specific list of ’03 work dates yet, but our team did report they would try to put that together this week. In the meantime, they will be attempting to call Owners and Residents as they progress to schedule the needed work in person.

If you have any questions, please reach out anytime to parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com.

UPDATED June 28th

Work is continuing with installation of the new coils that were needed.

As we previously reported, because of the manufacturing problem with the ’03 coils, we are primarily working up through the’01 units. They have hit what they believe is a reasonable pace, so our maintenance team was able to provide a schedule for the remaining coil installs, punchlist items and reconstruction:

Friday 6/28- 1501,1601,1701,1801

Monday 7/1- 1901,2001,2101,2201

Tuesday 7/2- 1901,2001,2201,2301

Wednesday 7/3 – 2301,2401,2501,2601

Thursday 7/4- 4^th of July Holiday

Friday 7/5 – 2701, 2801,2901,3001

Monday 7/8- 3101,3201,3301,3401

Tuesday 7/9 – 3501,3701,3801,3901

Wednesday 7/10- 3701,3801,3901,4001

Thursday 7/11- 4001,4101,4201,4301

Friday 7/12-  4101,4401,4501,4601,4701

Monday 7/15- 4801,4901,5001,5101

Tuesday 7/16- 5201

The coil manufacturer for the ’03 units confirmed they are shipping the new coils and they are expected to arrive on Wednesday July 3rd.

We aren’t counting our eggs before they hatch though, so maintenance won’t issue the final scheduling for that work just yet. Once they are in hand, and can be inspected and we confirm everything is in order, we will add the ’03 units to the schedule.

In the interim, we know some folks are sitting and waiting (patiently 🙂 ), in some cases with open walls and ledges. If this surprise with the coils had not happened, we would be close to done and just working on punchlist follow ups. We know it’s frustrating, but we are on the final leg of this project. If you have the floor protection down, you are welcome to take it up. We will install new protection when we return.

If you have any questions at all about your particular situation, contact us at parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com.

UPDATED June 21st

Our Team successfully completed the riser refill and returned most of the impacted convector units back to operation.

A Few Things To Keep In Mind As Work Continues In Some Locations:

1.  There was a manufacturing problem with the new ’03 coils we received. They are unfortunately having to be reordered. HOWEVER, for most units the team was able to put a VERY temporary fix in place, so that despite the problem, they were able to make them operational for now. Given the weather we are experiencing, this was made a priority. When the reorders begin to arrive, our team will reach out to Owners and residents to schedule installation.

2. The ’01 Unit coil installation has started and will continue over the next week or so. Our team will be reaching out to Owners and residents individually to coordinate this as they go. This is being done from the bottom up.

3.  For most other units, the punchlist phase for the Riser work is also underway. Our team has kept notes for units we need to return to for touch up work and other repairs that could not be coordinated until now. This includes work to the window ledges. There are some locations that conditions required we replace the ledges. Those have to be cut by our staff and that work is presently underway. Our team will be reaching out to Owners and residents individually to coordinate this work as they go as well. If you feel our team missed anything, or something is not quite right, let us know and we will get you on their list. E-mail us – and if possible feel free to include a picture – at parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com.

4. The Fiber install effort continues and as they finish up, a team is following to close up the wall. This continues next week and thereafter, and the remaining recon schedule is as follows:

Floors 33 – 30    Monday and Tuesday June 24th and 25th

Floors 29 – 26    Wednesday and Thursday June 26th and 27th

Floors 25 – 22    Friday and Monday June 28th and July 1st

Floors 21 – 18    Tuesday and Wednesday July 2nd and 3rd

Floors 17 – 14    Friday and Monday July 5th and 8th

Floors 12 – 9      Tuesday and Wednesday July 9th and 10th

Floors 8 – 5        Thursday and Friday July 11 and 12

Floors 4 ­– 3        Monday and Tuesday July 15 and 16

Share an questions or concerns at at parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com.

UPDATED June 20th

GOOD NEWS!

We can confirm our team intends to fill the Riser Thursday June 20^th and begin circulating cold water. They need to enter every 01/03 unit at some point to do this, but AC service should then be available by the end of the day. Work will proceed from the bottom up (3 to 55), and it should take about 5 to 10 minutes per unit. At some point you will have a knock on the door so staff can access the necessary valves. You do not need to be home for them to do this.

This is with the exception of units that require coil replacement. However…

MORE GOOD NEWS! We can also confirm the new coils have started to arrive. Installation will also begin tomorrow. This will begin with the ’03 units since they are entirely without AC service. Our staff will be contacting Owners and residents directly to schedule this work. They expect to start with only a few units a day, but that may increase to as many as 6 to 8 units per day once they get a few under their belts. This too will begin from the bottom working upwards since the lower units have been without service the longest. Expect personal phone from our engineers to get this scheduled. 

The fiber line installation work continues – be sure your calendars are marked for the ASTOUND Meet & Greet on Wednesday June 26^th from 5:30 to 7:30pm in the Party Room.

We know this has been a challenging process and we thank all our Owners and residents who’ve had to deal with our teams visiting and the lack of AC service.

As always, share any questions or concerns by contacting the office anytime at 773-769-3250, or via e-mail at parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com.

UPDATED June 14th

The Final Pieces Are Coming Together…

Our team is expecting to be able to fill the new Riser line on Thursday June 20th, so that cooling service will be available again.

Keep in mind, this does not include units where leaking coils were discovered. There were 25 coils on the ’03 side and 31 on the ’01 side found to be leaking upon testing. (The staff contacted residents and Owners impacted by this, but if you are unsure if you are on this list or have any questions, please contact us at parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com.)  Shipping on the first order of coils is expected today and they should begin arriving next week. When that happens our team will begin coordinating with the contractor and residents to schedule their installation. It takes 1 crew about 1 day to install a coil, so this will take time and will depend on how much manpower the contractor has available. The ’03 units will be prioritized since they are without cooling service, as well as any residents with special needs.

We do want to give a shout out to our residents and Owners with “pipe guides”. Many agreed to allow our insulators to work over the weekend, which is helping us get over this last hump so we can fill the line. This work involves very little noise, but you may see workers over the weekend coming and going as this is being done.

Reconstruction work will continue as described in the prior post and door drop distributed on Wednesday June 12th.

UPDATED June 12th

First, as of right now it looks like we will be able to fill the Riser and start cooling sometime next week.

We do not yet have a certain date, but we will update this post when we do. Some hurdles remain, particularly with insulating the sections where the “pipe guides” were installed, and that scheduling is being coordinated as we speak. We can’t put cold water in the line until the insulation is done, because the pipe will sweat, cause leaking and damage the new insulation already in place.

We know hot weather is expected. For anyone experiencing discomfort particularly in the ’03 tier, cooling will be available in the mall area. There is seating and Wi-fi available under and around the skylight, and we will install more tables and chairs if needed.

ASTOUND successfully launched their fiber line installation this week, and so far things are progressing as hoped. To that end, we are starting to turn our attention to what this means for you. Below are their formal announcements, first for the Meet and Greet, Wednesday June 26th 5:30PM to 7:30PM, as well as their onsite installation support event scheduled for July 10^th, the date new equipment installations are scheduled to get underway. More is to come, but mark your calendars for these events. They’ve also released an FAQ to help address questions they hear during similar installation programs. (More is expected from ASTOUND, specifically about scheduling your equipment installation, to be released at the Meet and Greet.)

(Click Here For ASTOUND Announcements)

As far as the installation work and getting your walls closed up, as ASTOUND makes their way down with the fiber lines, reconstruction efforts will continue to follow from the 38th floor up to 55, as originally expected. We had to make some adjustments though for recon on floors 37 down to 3:

Floors 37 – 34    Thursday & Friday June 20th and 21st

Floors 33 – 30    Monday and Tuesday June 24th and 25th

Floors 29 – 26    Wednesday and Thursday June 26th and 27th

Floors 25 – 22    Friday and Monday June 28th and July 1st

Floors 21 – 18    Tuesday and Wednesday July 2nd and 3rd

Floors 17 – 14    Friday and Monday July 5th and 8th

Floors 12 – 9      Tuesday and Wednesday July 9th and 10th

Floors 8 – 5        Thursday and Friday July 11 and 12

Floors 4 ­– 3        Monday and Tuesday July 15 and 16

For Units Where The “Pipe Guides” Were Installed – Our team will be reaching out separately to those Owners and residents to give you dates when the insulation will be finished and the soffits will be installed and painted. (If you don’t hear from us about this, then no need to worry.) We are trying to coordinate this now, and expect the timing to be within the next 7 to 10 days. BUT SOME GOOD NEWS – Our team successfully devised the alternative to the pipe guides. So, for Owners who do not want the soffit long term, it can eventually be removed. We would just need to schedule the work out in the future, when cooling is no longer needed. This will require opening the walls again, removing this pipe guide, installing the new device, reinsulating the line and then closing it back up and painting.

Please keep in mind…as we’ve experienced, this is one of those projects where we’ve seen things can change unexpectedly. Our team will do their very best to reach out to individual units if something unforeseen arises or if there is a change in scheduling. This has been challenging, but we greatly appreciate our Unit Owner and resident flexibility and patience. We are almost there!

Please share any questions or concerns by contacting the office anytime at 773-769-3250, or via e-mail at parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com.

UPDATED June 6th

Some Challenges Remain

First, thank you again for your patience while work on this project continues. We know not having AC right now is discomforting. Undoubtedly everyone in the 01/03 tier is ready for the project to finish up. You should have received the notice about the changes to the Fiber Line installation schedule. More is around the corner with that phase of the effort – we expect ASTOUND to be releasing their notice for the equipment installation schedule soon. As for as the Riser itself, the good news is that the new copper riser is in. However, there are two things holding us up from being able to fill the line and provide HVAC service to these locations.

1. Pipe Guide Installation – There are 20 units along the riser that will have “pipe guides” installed. These devices anchor the riser and help it remain steady and in place as the building and riser itself expands and contracts. Our team just received these after being on order for some time. Unexpectedly, due to an awkward shape, they stick out in to the unit and that will result in a small soffit having to be installed. This delayed work this week as we sought possible alternative solutions. We are moving forward for now so we can fill the line and get AC running, but we are waiting for a scheduling update from the contractor.

Our staff has been in contact with most of the Owners and residents impacted by the “pipe guides”, and we will be sending an individualized letter to those impacted once we have more information on alternatives, likely early next week. Once these pipe guides are in though, we will be able to fill the riser.

2. New Coil Installation – Another challenge is that 56 coils (out of 104) will need to be replaced due to leaks our team identified. These have been ordered and the Association paid extra to have these expedited. We placed a preliminary order after the last Board Meeting (May 13th), and placed a second order now that we have a final count. The first order will ship on Friday June 14th. The second should ship around the week of June 24th. This will only impact those units where the coil needs to be replaced, because we can isolate them. It will just take time to get them all in once the orders arrive. A separate notice will also go to the impacted units, early next week.

We are expecting more information on scheduling from the contractor, after which we will get additional information distributed, and hopefully a target date for HVAC service. We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding while this work gets closer to conclusion. Please share any questions or concerns by contacting the office anytime at 773-769-3250, or via e-mail at parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com.

UPDATED June 4th

From The Team At ASTOUND, Regarding The Status Of The 01/03 Fiber Line Installation:

PLEASE READ – REVISED TIER 01 and TIER 03 – FIBER REWIRE SCHEDULE

June 3, 2024

Dear Resident of Park Tower Condominium Association,

Please be advised that the Astound Broadband Fiber-to-the-Home re-wire project start date has been rescheduled
from a Monday, June 3rd start to Monday, June 10th. The details of the new schedule are as follows:

Monday June 10th – Wednesday June 12th : Installation of Fiber Backbone
– Astound will run main (backbone) fibers for the entire 01 and 03 tier from the top down (floors 55-3).
– Access to all units in the tier is required

Monday June 10th – Monday June 17th: Fiber-to-the-Home Rewiring
– Astound will start with two units on 55th floor and continue going down from there.
– We will need access to both units (01 and 03 tier) to splice and to install fiber wall plates.
– Rewire schedule per floor is as follows:

June 10th units from 55th to 50th floor
June 11th units from 49th to 42nd floor
June 12th units from 41st to 32nd floor
June 13th units from 31st to 22nd floor
June 14th units from 21st to 11th floor
June 17th units from 10th to 3rd floor

We are excited to have this opportunity to provide you with our premier communication services and look forward
to offering you the most innovative technology!

Thank you,

Astound Broadband Chicago

UPDATED May 30th

The Fiber Installation phase of the project kicks off on Monday June 3rd

This will unfold starting at the 55th floor and working down.

We encourage 01/03 Owners and Residents to refer back to the project calendar:

HVAC Riser Calendar 01.03 03.2024

As always, anyone with questions or concerns anytime can e-mail us at parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com.

UPDATED May 15th

The Riser Team Has Reported That There Are Schedule Changes Outside Of Their Control, Specifically For The Insulation Work

More on that below.

First, we wanted to confirm that working hours will be 8am to 4pm for this work. The first hour should mostly be preparatory, with most of the noise generating work getting underway around 9am.

Next, in some units where work is almost done, the team will need to return to replace the convector coil. You may see that part of the ledge covering the convector plumbing is missing, like this:

While testing the lines, many coils have been found to have pin hole leaks. So before we close this section back up, it will remain open for accessibility. (It may be for that unit or the neighboring unit – on this line we need access to valves on both sides to isolate either coil.) New coils have been ordered for each unit that needed one, and we expect that to take about 10 working days. The team will contact the residents and coordinate a time to come complete the install.

INSULATION WORK PUSHED BY A FEW DAYS

From the 27th floor and up, insulation will be pushed back. Because of the timing for testing the new plumbing, which must be done to ensure there’s no leaking, the timing of insulation work is being adjusted. This will help avoid having to potentially cut into freshly installed insulation on the pipes in case we come across a leak during the install process. To accomplish this, beginning 5/15/24 the insulation phase of the work is being pushed back three days.

They’ve also advised they can not insulate the 21st floor and 39th floor until the end of the project. On these two floors there are special joints that help compensate for the expansion and contraction of the plumbing, and there are metal tabs holding the compensator in place that can not be removed until the system is filled again with water. The staff will contact these Owners individually to discuss further.

The changes to the insulation schedule are as follows;

5/15-5/17  – no insulation

5/20 – insulate 27-28

5/21- insulate 29-30

5/22- insulate 31-32

5/23 – insulate 33-34

5/24- insulate 35-36

5/28- insulate 37-38

5/29- insulate 40-41 ( no 39th floor due to expansion compensator)

5/30- insulate 42-43

5/31- insulate 44-45

6/3-6/4   no insulation

6/5- insulate 21 &39

6/6- insulate 46-47

6/7 – insulate 48-49

6/10- insulate 50-51

6/11- insulate 52-53

6/12- insulate 54-55

6/13- insulate 55 (to 56 crawl space transition.)

UPDATED May 10th

Our Team Reported They Are A Bit Delayed

If you are watching your calendar, the Plumbing phase is behind by about 1 day and insulation about a day as well.

Workers have run into several unexpected problems along the way, and very well could have been further behind. However, they’ve worked through most of the problems and report that Owners and residents have been extremely patient and flexible. The staff is trying to contact Owners and residents in real time, otherwise ASAP, to explain any surprises and to explain any changes in expectations.

There are some locations where the plumbers and carpenters will have to backtrack due to some of the unknown conditions and problems that have come up. Again, our team is communicating with everyone about this as we go and will continue to do so as work progresses.

Of course, anyone with questions or concerns anytime can e-mail us at parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com.

UPDATED May 2nd

In Response To Some Questions We’ve Received…

Please keep in mind, once your wall is opened you can expect workers may need to come and go until it is closed back up. This includes our staff and the plumbers as they are inspecting the lines and fittings, watching for any leaking or other problems, and workers following up on tasks that need to be completed or to confirm that work has been done correctly.

All these visits cannot be predicted and there is just no way to plan them down to the day and minute such that we can give everyone a definitive moment by moment schedule. Please just be prepared that if your wall is still open, there may be times someone needs to visit off schedule.

To the extent they are able, our team will try to call residents in advance of such visits, but with as much as is going on this cannot be guaranteed 100% of the time.

UPDATED April 10th

Project Approved By The Board And Expected To Begin Monday April 22nd

As our team makes final preparations, everyone on this tier needs to prepare as well.

For Owners and residents of all ’01 and ’03 units, before the day our team is scheduled to arrive, a pathway will need to be made up to the work location. (Similar to the location in the cover picture.)

A preliminary work schedule is available here, and “Demo” is the starting phase for all units: HVAC Riser Calendar 01.03 03.2024

As pictured, work location is the nook right up against the window, and the convector shelf itself.  Furniture, fixtures and belongings will need to be moved to allow staff to come and go from the entry door of the unit up to the work location along the very end of the wall between the ’01 and ’03 units. At the work location, a 6 foot perimeter should be maintained free of any belongings so the work can be done. This would include any pictures or shelving on this wall within about 6 feet of the windows.

When our staff begins, they will put floor protection down from the entry up to the work location and surrounding the work location. Then work will progress as detailed on the calendar.

Contact our staff right away if you have any questions about this, or the timing to expect work to begin.

As a rule, our staff cannot handle or assist with moving personal belongings for liability reasons. However, we will not delay the project if there are materials in the way that we are able to move. The Unit Owner will be charged a work ticket at the present standard labor rate for any such work. The Park Tower staff, Condo Association, Board of Directors, management and hired contractors cannot take responsibility for damages to any furniture, fixtures or belongings our team has to move to access the work location.

For more background information about this project, see below.

ORIGINAL POST March 29th

Replacement of the HVAC Convector Riser (the plumbing serving heating and cooling units) in the ’01 Guest Bedrooms and the ’03 Studios FOR ALL FLOORS, is expected to begin Monday April 22nd and go through Friday, June 28th, starting from the 3rd Floor working up.

A preliminary work schedule is available here: HVAC Riser Calendar 01.03 03.2024

A Town Hall Meeting is scheduled for Monday April 8th at 7:30PM in the Party Room, where we will explain the project, the reasons why it is needed, and step by step what to expect.

Following the Town Hall we will initiate this process through preparatory inspections of the 01/03 units by the Association’s plumber and engineer. These will be Wednesday April 10th (Floors 55-40), Thursday April 11th (Floors 39-22) and Friday April 12th (Floors 21-3) between 9AM to 3PM. Our team expects to take about 5 to 10 minutes or less per unit. They will take pictures of the work location including the convector unit and the “nook” wall along the window between the ’01 and ’03 unit. They will identify any challenges or obstacles we may need to inform the resident or Unit Owner about, such as belongings or fixtures that will need to be moved. Our staff will contact residents and Owners to advise them of any preparations that need to be made.

Work is expected to begin Monday April 22nd, with demo going from the 3rd floor up and will end with reconstruction of the walls, as scheduled on the above Calendar. (Heating and cooling in the ’01 guest bedroom and ’03 studio will not be available at this point we expect until June 5th.) Demo includes opening the wall and exposing the riser and plumbing up to the convector unit. Also, laying down floor protection and other basic preparations. Demo work will be followed almost immediately by Plumbing work. This includes removing the old plumbing and riser and within a few days installing the replacements. After the plumbing, we will Insulate the necessary pipes and fire-stop any openings between floors.

Finally Recon, which is the rebuilding and painting of the walls. This will unfold a little differently than other riser work we’ve done in the past. This process will include the installation of ASTOUND Broadband’s fiber line (for the ‘01/’03 tier), which we are coordinating now to eliminate the need of returning to open the same walls in the near future. BUT – it’s a bit complicated. While the plumbing team has to work from the bottom up because of the weight of the copper pipe and how it has to be anchored to the floors, the Fiber install has to work from the top down. This is because of the size of the fiber spool and the amount of space they have to work in upstairs versus the crawlspace below the 3rd Floor.

Fiber work will begin when we are more than mid-way through the reconstruction process. It will start from the 55th floor working down and will meet the Recon team at the 37th Floor. Up to that point, the recon team will leave a 6” by 20” opening (sealed temporarily with plastic) in the “nook” wall facing the window in the ’01 unit. (The pipe the fiber line is following favors the ’01 side.) ASTOUND will enter both sides to bring the wire through and install their port for the coming switchover. Once the fiber is pulled, our Park Tower team will return and work downward to close up these 6” by 20” openings. Above the 37th Floor walls will be closed up by the original recon team as they continue upward.

A couple other things noted on the calendar: 1. ASTOUND will be visiting the first few floors we demo to do a test Scan of the concrete. This is in preparation for the fiber installation for the rest of the building where cores will need to be made. These are only test scans. 2. Following every 5 days or so of plumbing work, there will be a Leak Test performed. The line installed up to that point will be pressurized and observed for performance. This is an important step before we start insulating the lines and sealing up the walls, so we know the new plumbing is performing as it should.

As with the domestic water risers we’ve been completing over the last decade, our team completes the wall repairs up to the primer coat of paint. If owners have a particular color or wall covering, it can be provided for use by the team.

Also, since there will be no heating or cooling to these locations from April 22nd to June 5th, all residents in the ’03 Studios should prepare accordingly. (’01 units have other convectors to rely on fortunately, being 2 bedroom units.) The Association cannot provide space heaters or cooling units.

Projects like this can be challenging and there is never a good time for this type of inconvenience. We are doing this now, mostly because of the problems and observations that were made earlier this year on the 01/03 HVAC Riser, but also because we are entering what is typically a more neutral period for weather. Late April, May and early June are usually free from huge and long term extremes in temperatures. Since the heating and cooling service will be unavailable to these locations, now is the time to get this done.

We welcome and encourage residents and Owners to attend the Town Hall on Monday April 8th, at 7:30PM in the Party Room, but also invite you to let us know if you have any questions or concerns by e-mailing us at parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com, or calling us anytime at 773-769-3250.

We thank all the residents on these tiers in advance as we coordinate this important effort and carry out these improvements.