Quatraine III

Plantation Florida

Homeowners Newsletter

By the People, For the People

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Disclaimer:  This web site is run by a homeowner living in the Quatraine III community.   The views and statements made on this page do not reflect those of the current board of directors.   In other words, it's my site, and me talking, not anyone else.    

This is the archive page for the 2011 calendar year.

02/21/12 - Bid was received from All State Resource regarding needed fountain repairs and on going light replacement.  

02/14/12 - I met with Bill Davis Electric and All State Resource to discuss the 3 fountains.   Turns out the fountain at Quatraine3 had a tripped breaker and was not broken.    We went to each fountain looking at the controller box.    Information was taken by All State Resource so they could make a bid for on going repairs.    The controller box for the Quatraine3 fountain is old and rusted, needs to be replaced.   

02/01/12 - A Master Association meeting was held at Parc Court Clubhouse.   Repair of the fountain between QIII and QIV was discussed.    It was decided to have an electrician take a look at the fountain and give a 2nd opinion on the needed repairs.    A motion for tree trimming at a cost of $6,200 was approved.  

12/21/11 - A meeting was held at Volunteer Park.   No one showed up.   It was 4 board members and the property manager.    Collections and violations were discussed.  The property manager read a paragraph from our docs that lets banks not pay the association on foreclosed homes.   If the paragraph is removed, the banks have to pay.    A proxy will be mailed to all homeowners with the election packet, explaining in simple terms, that if the paragraph is removed, we can collect more money on foreclosed homes.    In the open forum, the towing company was discussed.    Our property has used All County Towing for many years, but after the mess at the Sawgrass Mall, and the fact that the tow yard is located in downtown Ft. Lauderdale, it was decided to find another company.    Superior has a tow yard in Davie FL near Costco.    The tow company will have new signs made up at their expense which go at the two entrances of the property.    We don't tow many cars, but it seems time to change.  

12/10/11 - The fountain between QIII and QIV was repaired (master).    The water pressure was low (clogged).   

11/20/11 - The pool pump was repaired, it burned out and was making a loud noise.   

11/02/11 - Sidewalks were grinded down, took 2 days.     22 spots at a cost of $2,200.    This was much less than replacing entire sections,    That job was done in March of 2010 and costed $4,512.     Raised sidewalk spots come back, it's a matter of grinding when possible, then replacing sections when absolutely necessary.     

10/26/11 - A meeting was held at Volunteer Park.   The budget was officially approved with a motion.    The fee stays at $125 a month.   The dates for next year were discussed and agreed upon, they are shown up above.   The December meeting date was changed, 1 week sooner, before the holiday week.     Violations and AMFs were discussed.   2 homeowners came to the meeting, questions were answered.       

10/21/11 - Orange lines were painted on the raised sidewalk parts to remind people to step over them.    Eventually, these spots will be grinded down.    A flood light was replaced at the main entrance.    An LED light is being tested on the directional sign across from Central Park.    This is part of the master.     The light has a white color, as opposed to a natural orange.    The LED light will last for 20k hours, a regular flood light will last for 2000 hours.  

09/23/11 - The entrance fixture lights were replaced with LED bulbs.    In the past, they burned out every 3-4 months.   Now they will last for 20k hours.   Not as bright as the old bulbs, but they'll last a long time.  

09/03/11 - On this day I distributed newsletters to each home. posted a copy at the pool, and gave copies to the property manager to mail to the off sight homeowners (renting).    The newsletter also has the rules and regulations on the back.    This becomes proof the board has communicated our rules and regulations with all homeowners.    The board spends a good amount of each meeting discussing foreclosures, dead beats, and violators.   It is not fair to those who are doing the right thing and paying their dues on time.   

08/24/11 - A meeting was held at Volunteer Park.   Violations and collections were discussed.   Motions for made directing Becky to instruct the attorney to start foreclosure proceedings on one home, and to compel the bank to take title on another.    Approximately 10 addresses were discussed relating to collections.    The budget was discussed, a motion was made to mail the preliminary  budget to homeowners.  The monthly assessment stays at $125.   The budget will be voted in at the October 26th meeting.       On this day, the shrubs were trimmed by Native Sun.  Mulch was added to the planters at the front wall.    New landscaping will eventually be installed.       A wet test was performed by Top Shelf Irrigation.  

08/17/11 - The front wall was pressure cleaned and painted Shabby Chic by Tom Burke at a cost of $750.  

08/03/11 - A master association meeting was held at the Parc Court Club House.    A budget for 2012 was approved that REDUCES the amount each community pays.   The budget was reduced by approximately 18k.   How was this done?   Savings were found by reducing insurance that wasn't necessary, and cutting other line items that were over stated in the budget.   The extra money had been going into reserves, and the operating bank account.   The new budget reflects actual spending.   At the time of this writing, the master has approximately 45k in operating, and 38k in reserves.    Discussion ensued about who will be responsible for the area along the back lake between QIII and QIV if tree branches fall down from storms.   In the past, each property was on their own, but it's really master association land.   A motion passed that makes cleaning up that area the responsibility of the master.   

7/06/11 - The shrubs at the front entrance were removed by Native Sun.    Bids are being reviewed to paint the Wall.  Native Sun will then install Mulch.

06/24/11 - The electrician came out and found the problems with the pool lights.   The breakers were arching and the bus bars needed to be sanded off.   This was done, the lights worked, but the entire electrical panel needed to be replaced at a cost of $920, which the board agreed needed to be done.   The pool leak was found in the light seal of the deep end, it was repaired.   The pool was officially opened.   22 days for the job.   Not bad, I estimated one month.  

06/22/11 - A meeting was held at Volunteer Park.  Violations and collections were discussed in detail.  The pool remained closed due to a leak.   The filter was set to auto fill the pool, but it would not go above the gutter.   A pool leak company was scheduled to come out.    The goal was to get the pool open by the July 4th holiday and let people use it even if the leak persists.  Sprinkler repairs were discussed.   A breaker was causing the east sprinkler pump to fail.   Repairs were scheduled.   The lights at the pool building were discussed, they were not working due to timer and photo cell issues.  An electrician was scheduled to make the needed repairs.   More discussion about the front entrance wall.   It was decided to remove the dead shrubs, pressure clean the wall, and paint it Shabby Chic.   

06/14/11 - A gator was spotted in the canal behind Beverly Hills Cafe.   I called Pesky Critters and Plantation Police.   Since the gator was in the canal, they said they couldn't send anyone.   The gator was in it's natural habit. 

06/12/11 - The pool resurfacing job was finished and it was filled with water over night.

06/02/11 - The pool was drained and the resurfacing job started.

04/27/11 - A meeting was held at Volunteer Park.    Violations were discussed.    A master report was given, new sprinklers will be installed along Cleary Blvd in front of QIV to water the brown grass in that zone.  Turns out there were no sprinklers on the inside of the sidewalk, that's why the grass in that area was always brown.   Financials were discussed, 12k was moved to a 3rd CD.   Pool Repair, the board was made aware of problems with the diamond bright of the pool, and that certain things were not up to code.    Two bids were presented.     One from Seminole Pool for 12k, and one from Discount Pool and Patio for $13,800.   The board like the bid from Discount Pool and Patio and a motion passed to accept their bid.
Trash can lids were discussed, new lids needed to be ordered.    Discussion about the front entrance area ensued.    The dead plants will be removed, the walls pressure cleaned, painted, and new mulch and plants installed.

04/15/11 - Dog waste canisters were moved away from the mail boxes, because the mailmen complained.   Junk mail is to go home for recycling.   Raised spots along the sidewalk were grinded down.    A pest control person went up into my attic and found no termites.  They treated the beams.   So it looks like the only problem spot was my fascia board in the back of the house, which was treated and patched.

04/09/11 - My home was painted by Ken Mindala (954) 817-4546.   Ken estimated he used 6 gallons of primer, and 8 gallons of paint.   I went with the best.    Ken mentioned that my home didn't need 10 gallons, because he painted it the last time using the best, and it held up well.    For other people, they may need 10 gallons like estimated in the paint section of this web site.    My house color stayed the same, it's AF-195 (Terra Bella).   Turned out great, I pressure cleaned the roof, and applied Jo-Max.   We did find termites in the fascia board along the back of the home along the roof.  Had a termite specialist come out and treat that section.    Homes are not tented any more.   Instead, injections are done into the attic and along the fascia boards.  If you are not having regular termite inspections, it may be a good idea to call someone to take a look.   

04/06/11 - A master association was held at the Parc Court.  Irrigation issues were discussed with the dead grass along Cleary Blvd.       Asplundh is trimming trees along Cleary.   A letter was presented to the board with information from FPL about the work being done.   The letter states they will clear vegetation from the main power line, and that palm fronds cause most problems with lines being tripped.    Replace two electrical switch cabinets.  Replace lightning protection equipment.

On this day my house was primed for painting.   The painter noticed termites in the fascia boards.   A pest control company was called out to look at the problem.   It was said that when a house is tented, the termites run to the houses near by.  The house behind mine was tented a few years ago.   Houses are no longer tented, the repellent is injected into the boards.  

03/26/11 - This weekend I pressure cleaned my roof in preparation for house painting.    A neighbor had pipes break behind their washer/dryer, and it flooded the garage.    I took pictures of the Polybutylene.    The break happened at the fitting where the pipe meets the concrete slab.   Workers had to dig out the concrete in order to repair the pipe.    I have heard of others with the same problem, and there have been lawsuits.    If you plan to go on vacation, it would best to turn off your hot water heater, and shut off the master water valve to your home.   I usually turn off the washer and dryer valves, but never knew this problem existed until now.


Click each picture to make it big, then back to return here.    This is what lurks in your walls.  It travels through the foundation, walls, everywhere.   You can see in picture 2, where the pipe broke.   It was at the exact level of the foundation where the fitting broke off.   Workers had to dig around the pipe in order to repair it.    Pictures 3 and 4 show the drain tube directly behind the washer, and more of the polybutylene.  

02/22/11 - The annual meeting was held at Volunteer Park.   9 homeowners were represented by proxy, 5 board members, for a total of 14.   A quorum was not met and the current board rolled over.   A yearly report was entered into the minutes and the meeting was adjourned.   An organizational meeting followed with new paint colors voted in.   The Benjamin Moore paint is 100% acrylic and mildew resistant.   Two different types of paint,  8-10 year, and a life time.   They recommend a satin finish for cleaning purposes.   Quatraine III residents receive 10% off.  The estimated paint required to paint a 1500 square foot home (2 story) is 10 gallons (two 5 gallon containers).   If primer is done, the same amount is needed.  At the time of this writing, a 5 gallon container (8-10 year) with the 10% off is $159.95.   A 5 gallon container (lifetime) with the 10% off is $227.45.       The super white, and rustic brick colors for trim do not change.  The brick trim can be painted Rustic Brick #2091-20 or Super White or the same color as the home. The yellow (Montgomery White HC-33) stays the same and does not have a darker color.   There are 4 new paint colors voted in, a slightly darker color for each (skipping yellow).  
Color        Paint Name                Paint Code      Darker Paint Name        Paint Code
Yellow     Montgomery White    HC 33                N/A                                N/A
Gray        Intense White            OC-51                Winter Solstice              1605
Beige      Brandy Cream            OC-4                 Shabby Chic                  1018
Green     Hint of Mint                 505                    Aganthus Green            472
Peach     Pirates Cove Beach    OC-80                Terrabella (Cortez)       AF-195

Click this text  Paint Colors to see the new selections.  

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