NewsMay04

Please keep these housekeeping and security items in mind and be sure that any guests or renters know the importance of these guidelines:

§ Do not deposit any litter in your toilets or damage may result to the plumbing in your apartment and/or the building.

§ Be sure that all gates are closed after you exit. If an automatic gate does not close, contact the office to repair the gate.

§ Do not place plants on the railings of your balcony or baskets on the light fixtures on the exterior walls.

§ All material to be recycled should be left in the appropriate container in the first floor recycle area. Recycling containers are located in the freight elevator landing located on the ground floor. Please do not deposit either Styrofoam or clothing in the Recycle room. Materials must be separated and placed into the containers in the following way:

Window washing has been completed for the exterior windows. If you noted problems with any of your windows, contact the Association office by Tuesday, May 4 so that we may resolve this.

The new pet policy is now in effect. A synopsis of the new policy was in the last newsletter. A copy of the complete policy is included with this newsletter, as a separate attachment, so that you may keep the pet policy with your other significant condominium records.

The Renaissance I Board of Directors approved a new Leasing and Renting policy. A copy of the lease addendum must be attached to all future leases or the Board of Directors will not approve the lease. We ask your cooperation so that any last-minute delays do not occur for leases that are submitted to us without the amendment.

§ Leases or rentals can be immediately terminated if the renter, lessee, or their guests or visitors do not comply with the rules and regulations.

§ The renter or lessee pays a $100 application fee to Renaissance I and completes an application form before the lease will be approved.

§ Apartments may be leased or rented for a minimum period of 60 days, and no more than 3 times in one year. Sub-leases are not allowed.

You will note that there is a three-inch high metal strip across the bottom of each balcony sliding door opening. It acts as a barrier to prevent wind-blown rain from flowing under the door panel and onto the floor of your apartment.

During serious storms, when the wind is blowing rain against a sliding door, water can be forced under the door and may build up behind the door and the fixed window panels. Without the protection provided by the water dam panels, the rainwater could breach the doorway and flow onto carpeting and flooring.

The recent windy conditions caused some rainwater to be blown under sliders and pool in the door tracks. This is a normal situation. No one has made us aware of any situation where water got past the water dams.

If you do find that rainwater is entering your unit from under your slider doors (when they are fully closed), there could be a leak where the water dam panel meets the window frame on either side of the door opening. If that happens the dam will need to be checked by maintenance.

Residents are urged never to tamper with the water dam strips along the bottom of their sliding doors. Never drill or damage the metal dam (for example, during installation of inside "invisible" screen units), and remember to keep the window track clean so that any built-up dirt or debris does not cause any rainwater to overflow.

In particularly heavy storms, water may even rise an inch or two in the slider track as wind-blow rainwater is driven behind the sliding door under intense pressure. That's when the water dam panels do their job.

Some part-time owners place a length of wood or PVC pipe in the track behind the sliding door panel to prevent storm-force winds from lifting, stressing, and unlatching the door, which could possibly allow it to slide open during high winds.

Several residents asked for the water dam to be removed from their sliding doors because they consider them to be a trip hazard. However, the benefits of the water dams far outweigh the inconvenience of having to step over them.

The May movie will be "Under the Tuscan Sun" an extraordinary romantic comedy starring Academy Award nominee Diane Lane.

Based on the #1 New York Times best-selling book, "Under the Tuscan Sun", follows San Francisco writer Frances Mayes (Lane) to Italy as a good friend offers her a special gift of ten days in Tuscany. Once there, she is captivated by Tuscany's beauty and warmth, and impulsively buys an aging, but very charming villa. She embraces new friends and becomes immersed in a life-changing adventure filled with surprises, laughter, friendship and romance while restoring her new home and her belief in second chances.

The movie will be shown in the media room on Thursday, May 6, at 7:30 pm. Popcorn and sodas will be provided.

Bicycles stored in the Bicycle Storage Room are stored at your own risk. The Bicycle Storage Room is for the convenience of the residents. Please close the door to the storage room when you exit. Do not prop the door open.

The Renaissance I Association and/or its Board of Directors cannot be held responsible for any damage or loss of items that are stored in the Bicycle Storage Room.

While the smoke detectors in each apartment are externally powered, they also have backup batteries that are automatically used in the event that the power in the building fails. After a year or so, the 9V alkaline batteries will fail. When the batteries fail the detector will emit a sharp "chirp" every minute or so, signaling that a replacement battery is needed.

If you plan to replace the battery in one or more of your smoke detectors, you should be aware that the detectors in your unit are linked together in a network. Each time one of your batteries is replaced it is necessary to initialize the detector so that the other detectors in your apartment recognize it.

The Renaissance maintenance staff can provide an instruction sheet outlining the initialization procedure (which can take about 15 minutes for an average apartment) if you plan to replace the batteries yourself.

As an alternative, you can initiate a Work Order Request, and the maintenance staff will replace your smoke detector batteries and reinitialize the detectors in your unit for a minimal charge. Occasionally, one or more detectors will fail and cannot be initialized, so they must be replaced.

The usual cost of a smoke detector battery replacement service call is $14.80. If a defective detector needs to be replaced there is a charge

of $30.50, which includes the new detector, a battery, and the time involved to install and initialize it.

§ You should promptly replace the battery when the "battery low" alarm sounds. You can temporarily remove a failing battery to silence the annoying "low battery" chirp, but for safety reasons you should install a new battery without delay.

Each unit at the Renaissance is equipped with multiple sprinkler heads in the ceiling and certain wall areas. These sprinklers are there for everyone's safety. They are meant to activate only when the temperature reaches a certain point so that water will spray from the sprinklers to douse any fire.

If the sprinkler heads are hit hard enough, or if any attempt is made to hang anything on them, they will activate, triggering all sprinkler heads in the unit and activating the building's life safety system. The unit owner will be held responsible for costs associated with any accidental activation of the fire sprinkler system.

Sometimes sprinkler heads go bad and need to be replaced. If you ever notice any unusual situation with any of your sprinkler heads, such as a leak, call the Concierge immediately to generate a Work Order to have it serviced.

If you are planning any remodeling to your unit that will require work in the area of the sprinklers, any shut downs to the fire protection system must be prescheduled with the Management Office. The sprinkler system cannot be moved or reconfigured.

A recent windstorm caused damage to several of the canvas garage canopies, which then had to be removed and repaired by the canopy vendor. Management is investigating the eventual use of an alternate canopy material that would be more wind-resistant and would require less maintenance.

Glass covers were installed on the conference room table and three tables in the Club Room. This should reduce the visible wear and tear on the wood table surfaces. Residents are asked to use care at those tables to avoid scratching or breaking the glass.

This column will provide additional information about the new fax machine for resident faxes in the Business Center. The number for that machine is 941.954.9964 and the fax is next to the copier in the Business Center.

Residents may pick faxes up on the counter, or if the fax has recently arrived, the sheets may still be in the fax output tray. After normal business hours, contact the Security Guard for access to the Business Center.

In a response to numerous requests from residents, the fax machine was re-programmed to print a report for every fax. If the fax was transmitted, the report will show the date, time, fax number it was sent to, and a reduced copy of the front page of the fax. If the fax transmittal was not successful, the printed report will show a code to designate why the fax failed.

After you attempt to send a fax, please wait for your report to print out and take that printed report with you. That report is your proof that the fax was transmitted. The association staff is not responsible for following up on faxes that are sent by residents. If, after five days, faxes are left unclaimed by the recipient, the faxes will be discarded.

The April newsletter announced the Board policy that keys to apartments will be held at the Concierge desk only for designated service contractors and housekeepers. That key release policy is now in effect. Owners may not leave spare keys with the Concierge or Security Officer for use by renters, realtors, friends, other residents, or relatives. If you want someone other than a designated service contractor or housekeeper to have one of your keys, please make arrangements personally to get one of your keys to them.

The required Key Release Authorization forms have been distributed to owners who previously had keys held at the front desk. If you require that form, and have not been contacted, please request a copy from the Association staff.

Authorized keys will be stored in a locked container that will be accessible only to the Concierge or Security Officer. Those designated apartment keys will be signed out only to the service and housekeeping personnel that have been specifically authorized by the apartment owner. No one else may sign out a key under any circumstances. Because safety and security are important to everyone, we know that you will understand the necessity for consistent and strict adherence to these Board guidelines.



	Renaissance News - May 2004 GENERAL REMINDERS Please keep these housekeeping and security items in mind and be sure that any guests or renters know the importance of these guidelines: § Do not deposit any litter in your toilets or damage may result to the plumbing in your apartment and/or the building. § Be sure that all gates are closed after you exit. If an automatic gate does not close, contact the office to repair the gate. § Do not place plants on the railings of your balcony or baskets on the light fixtures on the exterior walls. § Do not use yellow bug lights. § The trash rooms are for trash that goes in the trash chutes only. § All material to be recycled should be left in the appropriate container in the first floor recycle area. Recycling containers are located in the freight elevator landing located on the ground floor. Please do not deposit either Styrofoam or clothing in the Recycle room. Materials must be separated and placed into the containers in the following way: Container Label Type of Material to be Recycled in each Container Recyclable Paper Newspapers, magazines, junk mail, brown paper bags (no cardboard) Recyclable Plastics PETE plastic #1 and HDPE plastic #2 (marked on bottom of container) Recyclable Metals Aluminum and steel cans, steel jar lids (no pots, pans, hangers or appliances) Recyclable Glass Rinsed-out glass only WINDOW WASHING Window washing has been completed for the exterior windows. If you noted problems with any of your windows, contact the Association office by Tuesday, May 4 so that we may resolve this. PET POLICY IN EFFECT The new pet policy is now in effect. A synopsis of the new policy was in the last newsletter. A copy of the complete policy is included with this newsletter, as a separate attachment, so that you may keep the pet policy with your other significant condominium records. LEASING AND RENTING The Renaissance I Board of Directors approved a new Leasing and Renting policy. A copy of the lease addendum must be attached to all future leases or the Board of Directors will not approve the lease. We ask your cooperation so that any last-minute delays do not occur for leases that are submitted to us without the amendment. A complete copy of the policy is enclosed so that you may keep it in your files. Highlights are: § Leases or rentals can be immediately terminated if the renter, lessee, or their guests or visitors do not comply with the rules and regulations. § The lessee or renter must read and agree to all provisions. § The renter or lessee pays a $100 application fee to Renaissance I and completes an application form before the lease will be approved. § Lessees, renters, or guests may not bring in pets of any kind. § Overnight occupancy may not exceed two persons per bedroom. § Move-Ins and Move-Outs must be approved and scheduled in advance. § Apartments may be leased or rented for a minimum period of 60 days, and no more than 3 times in one year. Sub-leases are not allowed. SLIDING DOOR WATER DAMS You will note that there is a three-inch high metal strip across the bottom of each balcony sliding door opening. It acts as a barrier to prevent wind-blown rain from flowing under the door panel and onto the floor of your apartment. During serious storms, when the wind is blowing rain against a sliding door, water can be forced under the door and may build up behind the door and the fixed window panels. Without the protection provided by the water dam panels, the rainwater could breach the doorway and flow onto carpeting and flooring. The recent windy conditions caused some rainwater to be blown under sliders and pool in the door tracks. This is a normal situation. No one has made us aware of any situation where water got past the water dams. If you do find that rainwater is entering your unit from under your slider doors (when they are fully closed), there could be a leak where the water dam panel meets the window frame on either side of the door opening. If that happens the dam will need to be checked by maintenance. For the most part, there are only two things you should do for maintenance of your water dam: 1. Make sure that your slider doors are firmly closed and locked during windstorms, and 2. Sponge away any standing water in the door tracks after the storm ends. Residents are urged never to tamper with the water dam strips along the bottom of their sliding doors. Never drill or damage the metal dam (for example, during installation of inside "invisible" screen units), and remember to keep the window track clean so that any built-up dirt or debris does not cause any rainwater to overflow. In particularly heavy storms, water may even rise an inch or two in the slider track as wind-blow rainwater is driven behind the sliding door under intense pressure. That's when the water dam panels do their job. Some part-time owners place a length of wood or PVC pipe in the track behind the sliding door panel to prevent storm-force winds from lifting, stressing, and unlatching the door, which could possibly allow it to slide open during high winds. Several residents asked for the water dam to be removed from their sliding doors because they consider them to be a trip hazard. However, the benefits of the water dams far outweigh the inconvenience of having to step over them. MAY MOVIE NIGHT The May movie will be "Under the Tuscan Sun" an extraordinary romantic comedy starring Academy Award nominee Diane Lane. Based on the #1 New York Times best-selling book, "Under the Tuscan Sun", follows San Francisco writer Frances Mayes (Lane) to Italy as a good friend offers her a special gift of ten days in Tuscany. Once there, she is captivated by Tuscany's beauty and warmth, and impulsively buys an aging, but very charming villa. She embraces new friends and becomes immersed in a life-changing adventure filled with surprises, laughter, friendship and romance while restoring her new home and her belief in second chances. The movie will be shown in the media room on Thursday, May 6, at 7:30 pm. Popcorn and sodas will be provided. BICYCLE STORAGE ROOM Bicycles stored in the Bicycle Storage Room are stored at your own risk. The Bicycle Storage Room is for the convenience of the residents. Please close the door to the storage room when you exit. Do not prop the door open. The Renaissance I Association and/or its Board of Directors cannot be held responsible for any damage or loss of items that are stored in the Bicycle Storage Room. SMOKE DETECTORS While the smoke detectors in each apartment are externally powered, they also have backup batteries that are automatically used in the event that the power in the building fails. After a year or so, the 9V alkaline batteries will fail. When the batteries fail the detector will emit a sharp "chirp" every minute or so, signaling that a replacement battery is needed. If you plan to replace the battery in one or more of your smoke detectors, you should be aware that the detectors in your unit are linked together in a network. Each time one of your batteries is replaced it is necessary to initialize the detector so that the other detectors in your apartment recognize it. The Renaissance maintenance staff can provide an instruction sheet outlining the initialization procedure (which can take about 15 minutes for an average apartment) if you plan to replace the batteries yourself. As an alternative, you can initiate a Work Order Request, and the maintenance staff will replace your smoke detector batteries and reinitialize the detectors in your unit for a minimal charge. Occasionally, one or more detectors will fail and cannot be initialized, so they must be replaced. The usual cost of a smoke detector battery replacement service call is $14.80. If a defective detector needs to be replaced there is a charge of $30.50, which includes the new detector, a battery, and the time involved to install and initialize it. Please keep three important safety issues in mind regarding your smoke detectors: § Do not disconnect a smoke detector from the wall of your unit for any reason. § You should promptly replace the battery when the "battery low" alarm sounds. You can temporarily remove a failing battery to silence the annoying "low battery" chirp, but for safety reasons you should install a new battery without delay. § Smoke detectors do NOT sound an alarm outside your unit. FIRE SPRINKLERS Each unit at the Renaissance is equipped with multiple sprinkler heads in the ceiling and certain wall areas. These sprinklers are there for everyone's safety. They are meant to activate only when the temperature reaches a certain point so that water will spray from the sprinklers to douse any fire. If the sprinkler heads are hit hard enough, or if any attempt is made to hang anything on them, they will activate, triggering all sprinkler heads in the unit and activating the building's life safety system. The unit owner will be held responsible for costs associated with any accidental activation of the fire sprinkler system. Sometimes sprinkler heads go bad and need to be replaced. If you ever notice any unusual situation with any of your sprinkler heads, such as a leak, call the Concierge immediately to generate a Work Order to have it serviced. If you are planning any remodeling to your unit that will require work in the area of the sprinklers, any shut downs to the fire protection system must be prescheduled with the Management Office. The sprinkler system cannot be moved or reconfigured. BUILDING UPDATES A recent windstorm caused damage to several of the canvas garage canopies, which then had to be removed and repaired by the canopy vendor. Management is investigating the eventual use of an alternate canopy material that would be more wind-resistant and would require less maintenance. Glass covers were installed on the conference room table and three tables in the Club Room. This should reduce the visible wear and tear on the wood table surfaces. Residents are asked to use care at those tables to avoid scratching or breaking the glass. BUSINESS CENTER FAX This column will provide additional information about the new fax machine for resident faxes in the Business Center. The number for that machine is 941.954.9964 and the fax is next to the copier in the Business Center. Residents may pick faxes up on the counter, or if the fax has recently arrived, the sheets may still be in the fax output tray. After normal business hours, contact the Security Guard for access to the Business Center. In a response to numerous requests from residents, the fax machine was re-programmed to print a report for every fax. If the fax was transmitted, the report will show the date, time, fax number it was sent to, and a reduced copy of the front page of the fax. If the fax transmittal was not successful, the printed report will show a code to designate why the fax failed. After you attempt to send a fax, please wait for your report to print out and take that printed report with you. That report is your proof that the fax was transmitted. The association staff is not responsible for following up on faxes that are sent by residents. If, after five days, faxes are left unclaimed by the recipient, the faxes will be discarded. KEYS AT CONCIERGE DESK The April newsletter announced the Board policy that keys to apartments will be held at the Concierge desk only for designated service contractors and housekeepers. That key release policy is now in effect. Owners may not leave spare keys with the Concierge or Security Officer for use by renters, realtors, friends, other residents, or relatives. If you want someone other than a designated service contractor or housekeeper to have one of your keys, please make arrangements personally to get one of your keys to them. The required Key Release Authorization forms have been distributed to owners who previously had keys held at the front desk. If you require that form, and have not been contacted, please request a copy from the Association staff. Authorized keys will be stored in a locked container that will be accessible only to the Concierge or Security Officer. Those designated apartment keys will be signed out only to the service and housekeeping personnel that have been specifically authorized by the apartment owner. No one else may sign out a key under any circumstances. Because safety and security are important to everyone, we know that you will understand the necessity for consistent and strict adherence to these Board guidelines. Contact Numbers Manager's office 941.957.3957 (phone) Manager's fax 941.957.1256 (fax) Manager's email Renaiissance@comcast.net Manager's Assistant 941.957.1125 Web site http://RenCondo.com Resident's fax 941.954.9964 (fax) Concierge 941.957.1956 Concierge email RenConcierge@comcast.net Building Security 941.957.1956 Emergency 911