FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER Summer 2020
Notes
GAS GRILLS Gas grills are strictly prohibited on all balconies; only electric grills may be used. Gas grills for residents’ use are located on the roof level. Instructions are posted near the grills. If you need assistance with lighting a gas grill, contact the concierge desk. Please do not leave BBQ cooking tools in the grill area as they create a sanitation problem and attract ants and wasps. Bring your own cooking tools to prepare your food and take them back to your unit when you have finished. Please remember to clean up after each use so that others may also enjoy the amenity.
NEW BOARD OFFICERS ELECTED The annual meeting of the GrandView Council of Unit Owners took place on May 27th via Zoom. Ron Morton and Bob Pollock were elected to the board, replacing outgoing board members Richard Wright, who served on the board for over nine years, and Sheila McDonald, who served on the board for six years. We thank both Rich and Sheila for their many years of service! Bob Bane was re-elected to a new three-year term. Other residents serving on the board include Eric Fredland, Kate Janac, Barbara Pion, and Barry Scher.
As we have become more reliant on video conferencing and online document sharing, let us get to know our Residents’ Communication Portal, called BuildingLink. The contact information you have provided us in BuildingLink is the source we use to communicate with residents. It is essential to keep your contact information current. For any changes, please email concierge@mygrandviewatc.com. The Resident Portal Home Page is relatively simple. Depending on your Web Browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari, etc.), the home page will show either buttons or a menu list. When you receive email notices, many times they include attachments or references to documents in the Building Library. The Building Library is a button or a listed item on the Resident Portal Home Page. You can access the Current Financials, Committee Reports, Board Meeting Minutes, Council of Unit Owners Meeting information, and Survey Results all from the Building Library. You can also send a message to the board, check your Front Desk Instructions, enter a Repair Request, or find your neighbors from the Resident Portal Home Page. If you would like to allow your friends and neighbors to see your information, please set up your Public Profile (Public means only other GrandView residents, not Public as in outside the building). Click on MY PUBLIC PROFILE; this will allow you to Activate or Edit your Public Profile. Your friends and neighbors cannot see you unless you activate and enter your information. Be sure to save changes. Join In, Stay Informed, and Communicate with your friends and family. And have a wonderful Summer! Brenda Stewart Summer 2020
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ANNAPOLIS TOWNE CENTRE UPDATE ~ Barry Scher ● As part of its exciting new plans for ATC, the management company, Trademark Property, has rolled out a new logo and new a spelling of the name—Annapolis Town Center. You will start to see new signage throughout the property and an upgraded website (www.visitatc.com) soon to be launched, along with other new marketing initiatives to promote the shopping center. While the pandemic has affected ATC as well as every other shopping center in the US, many innovative changes are being implemented at ATC, especially as retailers begin to reopen. For example, until retailing returns to some normalcy, ATC has launched a curbside pickup program for its tenants to maximize sales. To make the program work, GrandView residents are reminded not to park during the day or night along Towne Centre Boulevard. All present retailers and restaurants plan to re-open and the new restaurant, “True Food Kitchen,” still plans to open in the space previously occupied by Brooks Bros. Other changes include the following: ~ A lovely new “Town Square” park has been created in front of PF Chang’s with the installation of comfortable Adirondack chairs, benches, and umbrellas. The park has already proven to be a welcome respite. Many GrandView residents visit the park daily and even for impromptu social gatherings. ~ A companion park on Towne Centre Boulevard in front of Target provides comfortable seating, lighting, and a
Target provides comfortable seating, lighting, and a fire pit. ATC reminds residents that consumption of alcohol is strictly prohibited in any of the common areas, including the new parks!
● For better security and to continue to make ATC a safe shopping environment, Admiral Security has been newly hired to oversee public safety. Security is now under the direction of Shonda Wallace, whom you will frequently see walking around ATC. Admiral Security has been rated as “Top Security Company” by Inc. Magazine. ● If you have noticed a cleaner ATC, you are correct, as a new maintenance firm, CYAN Cleaning Services, is now on site. In addition, new beautification enhancements include the planting of hundreds of new flowering plants, flowers, and shrubs. The 4th level garage parking deck sealant repairs have also been completed. In addition, ATC recently power-washed and thoroughly cleaned GrandView’s front entrance. ● The new paseo project has been temporarily halted. The paseo, in the former Origins’s space, will feature an enclosed walkway from the garage to Towne Centre Boulevard and will include public rest rooms, a security and concierge station, and valet parking services. ● Unfortunately, the popular Summer Concerts have also been cancelled. However, ATC will be creating virtual promotions and we will keep you aware of them via BuildingLink and bulletin board postings.
Committee Updates
● ATC’s new management is excited to help write the Building Facilities and Security ~ Frank Blanco, Chair Our committee tasks are to resolve building facilities and security issues. We are currently tracking 12 items on our “to do” list. Major issues include execution of a Request for Proposal, which our building engineering firm of Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE) is developing, to address external building maintenance issues; actions resulting from the recent elevator consultant’s report; and pool and rooftop issues. If you wish to join our committee, let me know. Interested owners are welcome to attend.
Communications ~ Jean Russo, Chair The Communications Committee shares information and community news via this newsletter and continual updates through BuildingLink, the newsroom bulletin board, elevator announcements, and the lobby monitor. If you have news to share, please send it to editor@mygrandviewatc.com. The next newsletter will appear in October.
Finance ~ Ron Morton, Chair The Finance Committee’s primary responsibility is to support the Board, Treasurer, General Manager and other Committees through research, analysis, and recommendations regarding issues with financial impact for GrandView. Our current projects include: Selecting a company to complete an updated Reserve Study; developing an Investment Policy for our Operating funds; and preparing for our Annual Audit process. Meeting minutes may be found on Building Link. We are currently meeting via Zoom. Our meetings will be announced on Building Link and are open to all unit owners.
Social ~ Olga Scher, Chair Because of COVID-19, the committee cancelled all social activities. Several events are being discussed for the remainder of 2020 but no social functions will be scheduled until restrictions are lifted by the Governor. Watch BuildingLink and the monthly calendar for upcoming social event announcements. Summer 2020
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NEW ADDITIONS TO THE CLUB G LIBRARY Thanks to the generosity of several residents, over seventy-five DVDs have been donated to our Club G Library and may be borrowed for viewing in your condo. If you wish to donate used DVDs, please sanitize the cover cases and then drop the DVDs off with the concierge. And if you are looking for books to read, our library now contains over a thousand fiction and non-fiction books. Help yourself but please return the books to the concierge after reading them.
NEWS WITHIN OUR GRANDVIEW FAMILY~Barry Scher How has the pandemic affected GrandView residents? Here are a few interesting stories. Arnie and Maryann Zaks (10th floor) planned a 42-day adventure beginning on February 5th to visit Zambia before departing from Cape Town, South Africa on a cruise to end in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Three weeks into their cruise, COVID-19 started to make front page news. Their cruise was cancelled while at sea. The ship tried to dock at eleven different ports of call, but none would allow docking for fear of COVID19. For seventeen consecutive days, the ship traversed 3,583 miles until reaching Perth, Australia, where government officials said they would allow docking. However, even though all the passengers were healthy, the Australian government gave passengers four hours to disembark directly to the airport. If no flights were available, they had to self-quarantine in a hotel for two weeks. The Zaks fortunately found two seats on Emirates Airlines and flew from Perth to Dubai to New York’s JFK airport, and then home, where “U.S. soil never felt so good,” as Arnie commented after spending over thirty hours at airports and in the air.
We have all cleaned and re-cleaned in We are all trying to find ways to our units during the pandemic. Olga deal with the impact of the last Scher (12th floor) found a very heavy few months. Keeping busy can box in the back of a closet containing sometimes be hard when you over 150 Playbill programs from plays don’t feel motivated to do much. and musical performances that she had Several of us (Judy Brunner attended over the past 50 years. Some (5th floor), Sandy Satterfield even contained old ticket stubs (imagine (4th floor), and Penny paying only $30 for orchestra seats to Walstrum (10th floor) found see a Broadway show?). Husband that having something to look Barry said “they’ve got to go,” so all but forward to can be very helpful, 50 very special performance Playbills so we decided to walk when we (think Neil Diamond, Barbara Streisand, could. While it is easy to say Mick Jagger, Cher, etc.) were relegated “not today” when you’re to the bulk trash room. walking alone, having friends nd Ramsey Alexander (2 floor) has along helped to motivate all several health issues that made it three of us. We do it safely, with imperative that she stay in her home. masks, and properly distanced Her friends worried about how she from each other. We normally would be able to get food and other end the walk with coffee or tea supplies delivered. They then rigged from one of our local vendors, in a small effort to give them a up a temporary wooden pulley nd little business during this trying system on her 2 floor balcony so time. Then we sit for a bit, with that she could hoist their deliveries other friends sometimes joining of “care packages” from the ground us. It turns out to be a time to up to her, thus eliminating the need share family news, talk about the to make social contact with her nonlatest world news, and resident friends. Ingenious! occasionally we find something to laugh about. It ends up being a bright spot in our day.
Summer 2020
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RESIDENT SURVEY ~ Kate Janac The annual “Guest Services” resident survey, used to gauge GrandView’s services and maintenance, was conducted by our management company in February. Slightly over forty responses were received, which equates to just over 30 percent of our units—an excellent rate of return. Overall results were very favorable with over 90 percent of the responses in the “Excellent” and “Good” categories combined. Highlights included positive comments regarding the services provided by our staff and the frequent communications sent from the general manager to residents. Feedback for improvements included: resolution of elevator problems; enhancing the bridgeway 3rd-floor garage entrance; improving concierge staffing coverage; and follow-up regarding maintenance issues. The board is now discussing many of these items. A complete copy of the survey results is posted on BuildingLink. Thanks to everyone who participated in the annual survey as we continue to strive to improve the quality of services you receive as residents. ELEVATOR OUTAGES
HOUSE RULES FOR PETS
We have experienced delays caused by elevator outages. BUT we can individually do our part to minimize their frequency. Our elevator service technicians have asked us to remind all residents not to hold the elevator doors open manually but at all times to use the “Door Open” button. When you manually hold or obstruct the doors from closing, malfunctions frequently occur. Please use the “Door Open” button.
GrandView’s Rules/Regulations require that “a pet must be accompanied by a person over 13 and must be carried or leashed at all times while in common areas” within our building. Also, violators of the county’s leash and control laws are subject to a fine not less than $50 and up to $500 per occurrence. Remember that all pet owners must submit a current Rabies Vaccination Certificate to the General Manager. Please register your pet in the Pet Park area of BuildingLink.
IN APPRECIATION
We wish to express a sincere thank you to Anthony Henry, General Manager of ATC, and Heather Ernst, Marketing Director, for their tremendous support during the early days of the pandemic. They approached us to ask if they could help. When we said we urgently needed sanitizing equipment for our residents, they came through with donations of several hand-washing sanitizing dispensers, sanitizing lotion, and special sign stanchions that we are using to post messages in our lobbies. We thank ATC for being great corporate neighbors! MANAGEMENT CONTACTS Concierge Front Desk: 410.224.2775 concierge@mygrandviewatc.com
GrandView Condominiums 1915 Towne Centre Blvd Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Concierge Staffing Hours: Sunday: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday–Thursday: 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Friday–Saturday: 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
GENERAL MANAGER: Brenda Stewart 410.224.4243 grandviewgm@guestservices.com Friday–Saturday: 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mon–Fri After Hours Emergency Hot Line: 410.224.4243 ANNAPOLIS TOWNE CENTRE Management and Security 410.575.1640
Summer 2020
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