Siena Condo

Bulk Trash: There is some confusion about bulk trash pickup in Siena. Some of our residents have been told by folks who live in other Pelican communities that the city picks up bulk trash for free every Friday. This is true for communities that have curbside pickup; communities with dumpster service (like Siena) do not have bulk trash pickup as part of their contracts.

If you have bulk trash – basically anything that won’t fit into a trash bag, you will need to schedule a special bulk pickup. You can do this by contacting any Board member, or by contacting Brandee at Schoo Management.  Contact information is posted on the information board to the left of the elevator in each building. Bulk pickups are always done on Fridays, and must be scheduled no later than the preceding Wednesday. There is a charge for this service. Please don’t stuff the dumpsters with loose or bulky items; each dumpster serves 22 households and is to be used only for household trash.

Electric Vehicles: If you are contemplating purchasing an EV, please remember that the electrical outlets in the carports are to be used only for charging golf carts. Florida law gives unit owners the right to install private EV chargers in their designated carport space, but the owner must bear all the costs of installing and operating the charger, including ancillary costs such as insurance.

As this is new territory for Siena; the Board has begun to develop policies and procedures for installation and approval of private EV charging stations, but they are in the early stages. We are learning that doing it right will be a complex (and expensive) process. We expect to discuss the issue more fully at upcoming Board meetings this fall.

And one last thing:
Landlords: please be sure your renters understand these bulk trash issues and it is important that they know where the water shutoff valve is located in your unit.  You might also request that the icemaker be emptied and turned off at the end of their stay and to set the AC to 78 degrees.  Please leave a Resident Handbook with each new renter. You can get extra copies of the Handbook from any Board Member.

Thanks,
Lou Lemaire
President

This Notice is a reminder to all unit owners of their responsibilities and potential financial liabilities regarding HVAC maintenance. These are fully described in the Resolution passed by the Board several years ago. The Resolution is posted on the Siena website with all other governance documents.

The Resolution requires that unit owners have their HVAC professionally serviced at least once a year. The board however, recommends (but does not require) servicing twice a year. The service MUST include the application of a long lasting algaecide, and the HVAC invoice MUST indicate that the algaecide was applied.

Do-it-yourself fixes by unit owners of CLR, vinegar, ammonia and the like do not meet the conditions set forth in the Resolution and may do more harm than good.

Algae build up in unit owners’ HVAC lines can cause clogs and water backups, not only in the unit owner’s residence but also in other units in the same “stack.” In the event of such a water back up, all unit owners will be required to produce an invoice showing a professional HVAC service—with an algaecide treatment—within the past year. Failure to have such documentation subjects an owner to bear the financial cost of resolving the issue.

The Siena Condominium Association takes frequent and aggressive proactive steps to keep the common line clean but unit owners have a responsibility to their neighbors to maintain their HVAC systems.

Siena Board of Directors

TRASH POLICY REMINDER:  we have recently seen more and more bulk trash being left for trash pickup.  TVs, furniture, building materials, etc. are being left in the parking areas under the assumption it will all be picked up on the Friday automatic bulk trash pickup.

PLEASE NOTE:  our Siena Condos area is NOT serviced by this Friday bulk pickup service. That service is exclusive to other PP neighborhoods.  You must schedule a special pickup in advance no later than 1:00 pm the preceding Wednesday by contacting a board member.  There is a fee for this service.  Landlords, it is your responsibility to inform your tenants of this policy.

ALSO please remember to break down your cardboard boxes before putting in the recycling bins.

FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 2023
starting at 9:00 AM

PLANNED SCHEDULE:

Building 10510 – 9:00-10:00 AM
Building 10520 – 10:00-11:00 AM
Building 10530 – 11:00-12:00 AM/PM
Building 10540 – 12:30-1:30 PM
Building 10550 – 1:30-2:30 PM

Call me at 239-362-3091 with any questions

Brandee Peterson
Community Association Manager

Message from the Siena Board President

Recently we have experienced incidents where water heater tanks have failed, causing flooding of the affected unit, and potentially other adjacent units. This is a good time for two reminders:

• Be sure you (or your renters) know where the water shut-off valve for your unit is located. Be sure it still works. The original plastic valves installed by the builder may be frozen from mineral buildup and inoperable. If you can’t shut off your unit’s water, the entire building’s water has to be shut off in order to make repairs. Many unit owners have upgraded to metal valves, which are generally more reliable and easier to use.
• Be sure your water heater is still within its normal life expectancy. Typically water heaters are expected to last 10 years; many last longer, but they all wear out eventually and that usually involves catastrophic leaks. Please be pro-active in considering whether it’s time to have your water heater replaced. If you still have your original water heater, it’s approaching 20 years old now.

(PS: when replacing water heater tanks, please be sure the plumber agrees up front to haul the old tank away. We’ve found tanks in our dumpsters in the past, which is absolutely prohibited.)

One of the perils of sending out news reports is that the news often changes rapidly. That was the case in Siena this week, so here are a couple of updates to our earlier update:

• The carport repairs are finished. This involved replacing the damaged roof panels, replacing three damaged light fixtures, and adding extra bracing that, hopefully, will make the carports more survivable in the next hurricane. Many thanks to all the owners who patiently waited for their reserved parking spaces to become usable again.
• Rain gutter and downspout repairs have been postponed yet again. Because equipment rentals are so problematic in the aftermath of Ian, we finally rented a 120-foot crane (we only need 60 feet) to try to get the project moving. Once it was delivered, we realized that the 20-ton+ machine would not only sink into the lawn, it would likely damage the irrigation lines as it rolled over them. So we are back on the waiting list, this time for an appropriate-sized lift. Estimated availability for this equipment is 5 weeks. Apologies to those owners whose lanai’s are getting splashed; we’re well aware of the problem, and will have it fixed as soon as possible.

Summer is fast approaching, and many of our seasonal residents have already begun their annual northward migration. For all Siena owners and residents, wherever you are, here’s a quick review of what’s happening in your favorite neighborhood:

• After what seemed like an endless wait for a lift capable of reaching the 4th floor, repairs to our rain gutters and downspouts are finally about to get under way. We expect to have this work completed by the end of next week.
• Roof repairs are also scheduled to start soon. Our roof held up very well during Ian; most of the repairs are to flashing and trim, with extra caulking to prevent leaks. We haven’t had any leaks reported in the recent rain storms, which is excellent news.
• Carport repairs are nearly complete. All that remains is to install a few more of the additional braces we ordered; the carport roofs suffered almost identical damage in the past two hurricanes, so we are reinforcing those areas, hopefully better to survive the next storm.
• Speaking of storms, although this year’s hurricane season is forecast to be less active than last year, the official season starts in June, and unit owners should always be prepared. If you’re away for the summer, make sure your lanai furniture is stored inside your unit; in a strong enough wind, anything that’s not nailed down can become a missile.
• Year-round folks should get a head start making sure you have plenty of flashlight batteries, bottled water, etc. etc. Always better to have it and not need it . . .
• The irrigation issues we encountered during the dry season are being addressed; Ameriscape, which takes care of our irrigation, has been cleaning out clogged bubbler drains, which hopefully will help us get through the rainy season without our lawns turning into swamps. It’s a never-ending battle, but we are optimistic that the current projects will help. We’ve also contracted for regular chemical treatments on those sidewalk areas where runoff promotes slippery algae growth.
• The landscape committee also oversaw the application of mulch, and the addition of various ornamental plants along the front of our buildings. The rear of the buildings will be next on the landscaping agenda.
• Trash pickup will revert to once a week, on Tuesdays, starting the first week in May. Please remember to bag all trash securely, and please please don’t throw liquids down the trash chutes. It makes an awful mess in the trash rooms. Do NOT use the trash chutes when the dumpsters are out for pickup! Walk your trash bags out to the street.
• We now have three year-round residents on the board of directors. If you need to contact any of us about Siena issues, please remember to use email, not phone calls; the best address is board@sienacondo-pelicanpreserve.com, which sends a copy to all 5 board members.
• We have additional Siena handbooks available; contact any board member if you need a printed copy. The handbook is also available in electronic form on the Siena website. Landlords, please remember to leave a copy for your renters.
• Finally, a reminder to all unit owners that you must have your a/c unit serviced at least once a year (preferably twice) and the service must include the application of an algaecide. Email a copy of your service invoice to Schoo Management: brandeep@samcam.biz.

We hope you found this update to be informative and useful; until our regular board meetings resume in November, we’ll be using email to keep all our owners up to date on Siena happenings. Have a great summer!

Lou Lemaire, for the Siena Board

AIR CONDITIONING
ANNUAL SERVICING

PROCEDURE AND DOCUMENTATION

BACKGROUND

2022 Board Resolution requires annual servicing of air conditioning units

Servicing must be performed by professional HVAC contractor who must include an algaecide as part of the service

Failure to have an annual servicing may put unit owner at financial liability for cost of repair of blocked lines above and/or below their unit.

WHAT YOU MUST DO

After your air conditioning servicing, send a copy of the invoice, which must include documentation that an algaecide was used, to

Brandee Peterson, (brandeep@samcam.biz, 239-362-3091)
Schoo Association Management, LLC
9403 Cypress Lakes Drive, Suite C,
Ft. Myers, FL 33919