Renaissance News - October, 2002 |
DID YOU KNOW? Halloween is a holiday observed on the evening of October 31 in most areas of North America and in some areas of Western Europe. The holiday is symbolically associated with death and the supernatural. Many of the ancient people of Europe marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter by celebrating a holiday in late autumn. The most important of these holidays to influence later Halloween customs was Samhain, a holiday observed by the ancient Celts, a tribal people who inhabited most of Western Europe in the first millennium b.c. Samhain began at sundown on October 31 and extended into the following day. According to the pagan religion known as Druidism, the spirits of those who have died roamed the earth on Samhain evening. To ward off these spirits, bonfires were built and sacred rituals were performed, often involving human and animal sacrifices, to honor Druid deities. Samhain was abandoned only when the local people converted to Christianity during the early Middle Ages. Today, children celebrate Halloween with the traditional jack-o-lantern and go from house to house trick or treating. Both kids and adults attend costume parties where a centuries old game of bobbing for apples is featured. PARKING With the return of many of our seasonal residents and guests, and the eventual sale of all 244 apartment units, parking compliance will become an important factor in the smooth operation of our condominium. In the past, a great deal of staff time has been expended tracking down the owners of vehicles that were not registered with the Association, locating owners or visitors who parked in another owner's space and contacting residents using visitor parking spaces rather than parking in their own spot. Please remember, parking spaces designated for guests are for guests only. We ask your cooperation in parking only in the parking space(s) assigned to that unit. If you find someone has parked in your space you may temporarily park in a ground floor visitor space while the security officer attempts to locate the owner of the car and has it removed from your space. Please do not block the no-parking area located at the building entrances from the parking garage (adjacent to the handicapped spaces). Do not put any equipment, storage, boxes, bicycles, cleaning materials, window washer jugs, or any other items in your parking space. Only registered, tagged and approved motor vehicles may be parked in the garage. Handicapped parking spaces on the first floor may be used only by short-term visitors who possess a valid, clearly displayed handicapped hang tag credential or a handicapped license tag. Residents who require the use of a handicapped space should park in one of the spaces adjacent to the second and third floor doors leading from the garage into the building. Many condominiums have found it necessary to institute a "No Warning Towing" policy, where improperly parked or unregistered vehicles are immediately towed at the owner's expense. With your cooperation, and the cooperation of your guests, we're hopeful that parking at the Renaissance will not become a problem. VANDALISM We have noticed an increase of vandalism in our elevators. It appears that someone is carving letters into the wood. If you know the person or persons creating this act or any act of vandalism, please report them to the Management Office. We have a beautiful building and want to keep it that way. RESIDENT WEB SITE The residents' web site is an independent information resource for owners, residents and anyone interested in the Renaissance of Sarasota. Visit the web site at http://RenCondo.homestead.com. MOVIE NIGHT The movie for this month is "Ocean's Eleven". George Clooney plays Danny, defying the odds in a split second heist of three Vegas casinos-all owned by a magnate (Andy Garcia) who is dating Danny's ex-wife (Julia Roberts). A fixer (Brad Pitt), a pickpocket (Matt Damon), a blackjack dealer (Bernie Mac), a flimflammer (Carl Reiner) and others in well-defined roles are with Danny. The movie will be showing in the media room on Thursday, October 3 at 7:30 pm. Popcorn and sodas will be provided. RENAISSANCE SALES As of October 1, 2002, 201 units have been sold. This figure represents 82% of the total sold. OCTOBER FESTIVITIES Our resident get together will be held on Halloween, October 31at 6:00 pm. Food and sodas will be provided. Please contact the concierge at 957-1956 to let us know how many will be attending. KEY CONTROL Your apartment door has a lock that can only be opened by your key, a copy of which is also kept in a locked safe cabinet in the Renaissance administrative office. Only the Building Manager can open the key box during normal business hours. There is no master key or "pass key" that can open every apartment door. If you are locked out of your apartment during normal work hours, the Building Manager can assist you. If you are locked out at night or on weekends, you will be charged $50 for the Building Manager to open your door, or you may hire a locksmith to open the apartment door. You should consider leaving a duplicate copy of your key with a trusted friend or neighbor. If you lose your key and do not have a backup copy available, you cannot always depend on having ready access to the duplicate key held by the Homeowners' Association, particularly after normal workday hours. Please remember, the Renaissance building staff, security officer and concierge do not have access to any apartment keys. If friends or relatives plan to visit your apartment while you are away, it is critical that they have a key, and that the Building Manager be advised of their planned arrival. Please consider this a friendly reminder to establish good key control procedures so that you are never locked out of your apartment, or at least that you have a backup strategy. MANAGER'S CORNER WORK IN PROGRESS Lobby Floor: The travertine floors on the 1st floor, penthouse floor and the elevators were cleaned, diamond ground, polished and sealed. There have been positive comments from residents on the new look. Landscaping: Within the next week, weather permitting, our landscaper will remove a dead palm tree in the courtyard and replace it with another tree located on the property and remove the five dead palm trees along Tamiami Trail. Security Gate: We received a proposal from a second gate supplier to provide a second gate controller for the main gate of the parking garage. We will obtain proposals for the fence reworking and relocation of guide rollers and beams. When all the desired information is received it will be presented to the Board of Directors for review. Window Washing: Window washing began on Monday, September 23 and completed on Friday, September 27. |
