UPDATES – Saturday June 10th

Progress continued this week…

1.  Weather Permitting, the masonry repairs will continue to the wall along the North driveway.

The exterior Tuckpointing and Masonry Repairs continued moving forward and we are right on track with the anticipated timing. They worked along the North wall and around the garage entrance. Next week, weather permitting the team will continue moving along the wall and into the market dock area.

The focus of this work continues to be basic repairs to the masonry and installation of new flashing above vents and doors and under copings at the top of the walls.

In the above picture, braces were put in place to help steady an area of repair work while the mortar cures.

The masonry team will continue and finish up along these locations weather permitting, and move westward through the driveway each work day. This project should continue about 4 more weeks or so, with a continued cooperative weather pattern.

2. The Planter Liner Replacement Project is now underway.

The process began with emptying of the target planters, which are along the north side of the deck. All the plant material was removed, including the perennial flowers and trees.

Above, prep work can now begin to reline the large planter along the North wall of the roof deck.

Above, dirt is removed and the tree is prepped for removal. With landscapers telling us the trees are too big for our planters, and with no practical way to save them, sadly they were pruned of their limbs and removed piece by piece.

As this project gets underway, we expect there may be times the roof deck will not be accessible. We do plan to allow access to the sun deck adjacent to the pool area, for sun bathers and other residents who want to access the deck.

3. The Security System Project is continuing with new lines and conduit being installed.  Workers are closing in on locations within the mall, where new conduit will feed the security cameras at each doorway in and out of Park Tower, and the middle intersection. They continued installing the new network lines and drilling in locations where pipe needs to be embedded or anchored.

Overall, with the exception of drilling noise from time to time, their presence will continue to be minimally invasive. You may notice workers in random locations – for the most part where we already have cameras and fob swipe pads – installing conduit and wiring. In coming weeks, this is expected to include the mall, lobby and 2nd floor.

4. The Health Club Locker Room and Bathroom Remodeling Project build out continued and the framing work is about finished. Plumbing work got underway in earnest, and preparations continued to run new electric lines.

Above, the old plumbing stands ready to be cut out and replaced. Below, framing is completed in the location for the new men’s locker room shower.

You may notice some small changes in the hallway, as we adjusted the size and shape of the men’s locker room to accommodate the remodeling plans. We have been able to squeeze about 10 more square feet of space into the locker room.

In the coming week, the build out inside the locker rooms will continue and major plumbing work will be completed. Preparations will get underway for installation of new electrical lines. Following that in coming weeks, work will get underway on drywall, tiling walls and floors, and installing new fixtures and finishes.

5. We continue to expect the project for Replacement of the Pool Liner to begin by the end of June, or at the latest, the beginning of July.  We expect materials to start arriving throughout the month of June, followed closely by the contractor. We’ve been told to expect the pool to be closed for about 4 weeks as this project is completed.

We are hoping within the next week or two to have a definitive start date.

6. Replacement of the Garage Fire Doors was approved, to bring the fire doors up to current code. While their casings were replaced about 9 years ago, and appear to be in good condition (pictured below), the actual doors enclosed are very old and have not consistently or sufficiently performed optimally during recent testing and inspections, at least not to our satisfaction.

The contractor hired to do this work has advised us materials are arriving for this project, and we are looking at begin in early July. The bulk of this work will be done overnight to minimize inconvenience to parkers. We plan to post notices with the dates and times, so residents know what to expect when they are coming and going from the garage when work is underway.

Indirectly associated with this work will be the replacement of the back dock double doors and frame. This to has an emergency fire door, which is original to the building, and not presently operational.

7. Plaster Repairs to the Canopy in front of the building, right under the corner behind the doorman, were completed. This area was damaged in high winds during a storm this past Spring.

UPDATES – Friday May 26th

Work continues in several locations throughout Park Tower, while we are gearing up to begin work in others. This years budget calls for just over $2Million in work to be done, inside and out, from the main roof all the way at the top of Park Tower, down to the Parking Garage. Literally and figuratively from top to bottom.

Owners and residents can see PTCA’s reserve dollars at work making these needed repairs and improvements.

1. The Tuckpointing and Masonry Repairs continued in the vicinity of the back dock and driveway. Solid progress has been made thanks to the relatively cooperative weather. The focus of this work includes repairs to the masonry and installing new flashing above vents and doors and under copings at the top of the walls.

The primary areas which were problematic along these walls were obvious, anytime it rained. And leaking would occur from time to time in some of the adjacent mall offices.

In the above picture, evidence of water infiltration is clear from the stained mortar lines, adjacent to the vent and across the entire length of this wall, located in the dock area.

Pictured above, workers make masonry repairs and install flashing above the Commercial Cooling Tower air intake vent; and below repairs have been completed above and around the large vent, on the wall along the south side of the dock.

The masonry team will continue and finish up along these locations weather permitting, and continue northward through the driveway over the next couple weeks. Eventually they will move around the corner and begin working along the north wall and garage entrance. This project should continue about 6 more weeks or so, weather permitting.

2. The Planter Liner Replacement Project is anticipated to begin on Thursday June 1st. We received the necessary repair permits this week.

The process will begin with landscapers emptying out the target planters, which are along the north side of the deck. This includes removal of all the plant material such as the perennial flowers and trees. We are relocating a few of the perennials, but very sadly most of our plantings including the trees will not be saved.

Not only is there no practical way for the tree (above) to survive the liner replacement process, it has reached a size that is not very good for our planters or the roof over this location. It will be cut down and removed.

As this project gets underway, there will be times the roof deck will not be accessible. We are working on a plan to allow access to the sun deck adjacent to the pool area, for sun bathers and other residents who want to access the deck. More information will be available as we get underway and know better what to expect, and what exactly will be possible to accommodate.

3. The Security System Project is continuing with new lines and conduit being installed.  Workers began in earnest with locations in the garage. They are installing the new network lines and drilling in locations where pipe needs to be embedded or anchored. Overall, with the exception of drilling noise from time to time, their presence is minimally invasive. You may notice workers in random locations – for the most part where we already have cameras and fob swipe pads – installing conduit and wiring.

4. The Health Club Locker Room and Bathroom Remodeling Project demolition is completed! Framing is underway for new walls, with preparations being made for all new plumbing and electrical lines to be installed.

Old walls and frames were taken down (above); new framework is being put in place to hang new drywall and anchoring for fixtures (below).

In the coming week, work will be done in the hallway leading out to the pool. We expect the hallway to be closed on Wednesday May 31st, as the construction team replaces the framing of the perimeter of the locker rooms. However, we will set up a detour through the Party Room so members can still access the pool. Also, we ordered a changing tent, to make it easier for members to get changed into and out of of their swim attire. We expect this to be delivered any day and it should be installed sometime over the Memorial Day weekend.

In the coming weeks, all new plumbing and electrical lines will be installed, and work will get underway installing walls, fixtures and finishes.

5. Replacement of the Pool Liner is expected to begin by the end of June, or at the latest, the beginning of July. Most recently, this project has been at the mercy of the weather, as the team working on our project has outdoor pools ahead of us on their schedule. We expect materials to start arriving throughout the month of June, followed closely by the contractor. We’ve been told to expect the pool to be closed for about 4 weeks as this project is completed.

6. Replacement of the Garage Fire Doors was approved, to bring the fire doors up to current code. While their casings were replaced about 9 years ago, and appear to be in good condition (pictured below), the actual doors enclosed are very old and have not consistently or sufficiently passed recent testing and inspections to our satisfaction.

The contractor hired to do this work has advised us materials have begun arriving, and we should be getting an anticipated schedule of work within in the next couple weeks. The bulk of this work will be done overnight to minimize inconvenience to parkers. We will post notices with the dates and times, so residents know what to expect when they are coming and going from the garage when work is underway.

ALSO IN THE GARAGE, workers have been repairing some areas of the membrane on 1p that has deteriorated. This location is also in the picture above. Protecting the concrete below is important to keep in from developing divots and potholes, or causing leaking into 2p below. We expect this work to be completed next week.

7. Weather permitting, Plaster Repairs will continue to the Canopy in front of the building, right under the corner behind the doorman, which was tied off by caution tape for several weeks. This area was damaged in high winds during a Spring storm. The necessary work is very wind and temperature sensitive, which has prevented us from making progress this week.

Fortunately, our team got a window of opportunity to prep the location and remove the conditions we believed were in a precarious state warranting the caution tape. So that has been removed for now. We continue to await more temperate and less windy weather to complete this repair.

UPDATES – Friday May 19th

1. The Tuckpointing and Masonry Repairs continued – a great deal of progress has been made as they have continued into the dock area, repairing the masonry and installing flashing. They will continue in this location weather permitting over the next couple weeks.
2. We received word, the Planter Liner Placement Project is still expected to begin after Memorial Day, on May 30th. We are still awaiting word we have been issued the permit. We are working on a plan to allow access to the sun deck adjacent to the pool area, for sun bathers and other residents who want to access the deck. More information will be available as we get closer to beginning.
3. The Security System Project is underway with new lines and conduit being installed. Beginning Monday May 22nd, workers will be installing the new network lines and bringing in equipment and tools to complete this work. Overall, this is minimally invasive, but you may notice workers in random locations – for the most part where we already have cameras and fob swipe pads – installing conduit and wiring.
4. The Health Club Locker Room and Bathroom Remodeling Project demolition is underway. In the coming week, we will be inspecting the space and meeting with the Health Club Committee to finalize plans for the build out. Workers will continue cleaning up the areas that have been demo’d, and begin framing out the new space for each locker room and wash room.
5. Weather permitting, Plaster Repairs will continue to the Canopy in front of the building, right under the corner behind the doorman, which has been tied off by caution tape for several weeks. This was damaged in high winds during a Spring storm. The necessary work is very wind and temperature sensitive, which has prevented us from making progress this week.

UPDATES – Friday May 12th

1. The Tuckpointing and Masonry Repairs project got underway as anticipated, and relatively cooperative weather has allowed them to make progress. Over the next week, they anticipate working their way into the more immediate dock area, closer to the rear exit of the building. As they due, scaffolding will be put in place such that the double doors are still accessible for loading and unloading and other traffic. Due to the nature of the work, it will be dusty back at times.
2. We received word, the Planter Liner Placement Project is still expected to begin after Memorial Day, on May 30th. The application for our City Permit was made and we anticipate having that in time to begin. Access to the deck will be seriously limited or even prohibited at times as they conduct these repairs. We are working on a plan to allow access to the sun deck adjacent to the pool area, for sun bathers and other residents who want to access the deck. More information will be available as we get closer to beginning.
3. The Security System Project is expected to begin on Monday May 15th. A handful of workers will begin by installing the new wiring and conduit throughout the various locations for our camera and fob network. In general, a small team of no more than 3 or 4 workers will be conducting the necessary work, and we expect their presence to be minimally intrusive at this time.
4. The Health Club Locker Room and Bathroom Remodeling Project will begin on Monday May 15th. Demolition will getting underway throughout the week. More is available here: https://www.ptcondo.com/locker-room-remodeling-begins-may-15th/.
5. Weather permitting, Plaster Repairs will begin to the Canopy in front of the building, right under the corner behind the doorman, which has been tied off by caution tape for several weeks. This was damaged in high winds during a Spring storm. The necessary work is very wind and temperature sensitive, which has prevented us from making repairs up until now.

UPDATE – Friday May 8th

1. The Tuckpointing and Masonry Repairs project described below, are expected to begin Monday May 8th on the South East side of the building, adjacent to the dock area. From there, they will work their way northward along the east side of the building. They expect the the process to take about 8 weeks all together, weather permitting.
2. The Planter Liner Placement Project is expected to begin after Memorial Day, on May 30th. However, this is dependent upon receiving the City Permit. Once this begins, access to the deck will be limited or even prohibited at times as they conduct these repairs. More information will be available as we get closer to beginning.
3. The Security System Project is expected to begin on Monday May 15th. A handful of workers will begin by installing the new wiring and conduit througout the various locations for our camera and fob network.

UPDATE – Monday May 1st

Owners will likely recall the fairly lengthy slate of projects identified by the 2017/2018 Budget. And just like that, it is about to get very busy for the next few months.

The ’02/’04 High Zone Riser Project is wrapping up, but on its heels, at the end of May, we’ll be beginning the ’14/’15 Low Zone Riser Project. Work will continue through early July. Residents between the 3rd and 29th floors will see workers coming and going from the ’14 and ’15 units as their kitchen riser is being replaced.

Also, we’ll begin our project to remodel the health club washrooms and locker rooms around mid-May. Demo is actually expected to begin Monday May 15th. The project may take about 7 to 9 weeks once it gets underway. During the course of that project, we also hope to replace our pool liner. There will be times when access to the health club will be limited, and we expect the pool to be closed for about 4 weeks once work gets underway.

While work is underway, there will be noise during business hours. Typical construction noise, drilling, pounding, grinding may be heard in the lobby, mall, commercial suites and lower floors in the tower. It will probably be the heaviest and worst during the first week beginning May 15th. Demo is always the loudest part.

ALSO, we will be completing masonry repairs and tuckpointing on the North and East exposures of the building. That is expected to begin within a couple weeks weather permitting. Between now and then, our team will be sitting down with the contractor to review a timeline. Traffic in our driveway and around to the back dock will be impeded, and parking for unloading and loading in the back may be inconvenient at times when workers are present. Once we have a timeline, we will share it with residents.

Also outdoors, we will begin phased replacements of planter liners on our roof deck. First up, the two North and Easternmost planter liners will be replaced. This is the ‘serpentine’ shaped planter immediately on the left as you walk out on to our 2nd floor roof deck, the round planter with the tree in the middle all the way at the East end of the deck. Both these planters have had problems with leaking and irrigation over the past year. Sadly, we will be saying goodbye to some of our trees. We have been advised some are so big, they could be causing some of our planter issues. But, there is no other way to do the work we need to do than to remove them.

Back inside, through the lobby, mall, 2nd floor, 1p, 2p and garage, workers will be upgrading our Security System. Every camera in the building and its wiring is being replaced, as we overhaul the analog/digital mishmash we have now, to a more state of the art digital HD system. Cameras are also being added in a few locations, mostly in the health club, garage and a couple locations in the mall, for better protection and to improve coverage of critical areas. This process is also expected to begin in May, and May take about 60 days to complete.

The key fob system is also being upgraded, but we expect minimal interference with how you enter the security doors. We are changing the software we use, and when that is done we expect a window of time during business hours when the readers will be down. Once we know the dates, notice will be posted and we will coordinate with the staff to help make sure everyone is able to get in and out as needed. Fortunately, the fob data is compatible with the new software, so there should be no need to replace fobs or reprogram them.

In the garage, the emergency fire doors will be replaced. You would recognize these by the big silver protective enclosures which are located at key thresholds throughout the garage, to help prevent the spread of smoke and flames in the event of a fire or explosion. These have been ordered, but are custom made so it may be several weeks before this project can begin in earnest. We are planning to do the bulk of the installation work overnight, to minimize the interference with traffic coming through these thresholds.

Coming down the pipe? Replacement of our main roof is schedule for this budget year. The Association is reviewing bid specifications, and is gearing up to put the project out to bid. Originally scheduled for mid-summer, this project is now expected to take place toward the beginning of fall to accommodate additional work we now expect to do to improve our safety tie-back system. To learn more about this, read our Post Meeting Roundup For April 24th.

Our team will work as hard as possible to minimize inconvenience to our residents and keep you informed throughout the process. It is ultimately our goal to maintain a positive living experience and protect owners investments in Park Tower. These projects are aimed at improving security, residents well being, and making needed repairs to our infrastructure.  We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding while work is underway, and apologize in advance for any headaches you might experience as a result.

Feel free to write me with any questions or concerns, just shoot us an e-mail.