Wet Wednesday

 

Courtesy Gazelle Moinfar

Well, here are Lance and Gazelle, looking remarkably relaxed, considering they are 11 floors up!  Not only do they not suffer from vertigo, but they are enjoying that lovely weather, which is just a memory today.

Decanting. Level 11 is all boxed up, and was supposed to be decanted by Conroy tomorrow and Friday.  Considering the awful weather forecast, that is not going to happen. While the gantry (pedestrian bridge) is now fairly weatherproofed, the hoist is open, and there is no way anyone wants the furniture to be wet or even damp when it is stored for three months.

So yesterday Conroy carried the boxes from 11A and 11C to a couple of dry garages, where they will be stored until Saturday, when it is supposed to be dry.  Then it will be easy to transfer them to a truck, along with furniture.  Damien has been busy organising this, and he will be onsite on Saturday morning to supervise, gallant man.

Skip.  You may have noticed that we have another skip, by popular demand.  The last one filled up more quickly than expected. The weather is against us with this, as well, but sun should reappear in the weekend, giving levels 10 downward a chance to declutter.  It's amazing what one finds in the backs of cupboards and wardrobes, not to mention those drawers that are not opened very often.  Paint tins. Please remember not to put them in the skip.  Take them to the office, and in due course Damien will deliver them to a special place at the tip.

Charity truck.  The Sallies will arrive with a truck again on Thursday 8 May. That is, Thursday next week.  Another chance for those on the middle and lower levels to declutter.

Weathertightness. Damien and Gazelle tell me that many mysteries are being solved and there is great hope expressed that those eternal, damnable, leaks will be fixed at last. Drainage holes are the problem, it seems. Having the entire building scaffolded will help a great deal, as it means when a problem is found, it can be traced and fixed on all faces. Friendly waves are requested.

Aoraki update.  Gazelle is really upbeat, delighted with progress. Access into Level 11 has been accomplished already, ahead of schedule. Hurrah!

The Garden. And more.

 

Winter is coming -- but a visit to the garden is well worthwhile, particularly in this lovely late autumn-early winter weather. There are little enhancements donated by the decanters, plants from their vacated apartments, that are well worth searching for.  And in corners there are flowers bravely peeping out from the general growth.  Many congratulations to our gardeners, Judy Myers in particular, and to Brigid for keeping the lawns so trim.

Decanting.  Bernadette, who was present in her apartment at 11A when Conroy movers came in to start packing up, was delighted with their professional attitude.  She wrote, "I was very impressed by the speed and efficiency of the packers and young man who took down the blinds and curtains."  The young man would have been Opie, Damien's assistant.  And, as she went on to say, we all have fingers tightly crossed for the re-cant.  Unpacking is always so much harder and more tedious than the packing up.

D Apartments.  Many of these (like mine, 7D) don't need to be totally decanted, as the remedial work will be only in the bathroom, kitchen, and storage cupboard by the entrance door. This means that the furniture in the living area can be moved into the bedrooms.  Conroy are willing to do this, so many D apartment owners have received quotes. If you do it yourself, are not insured, and do a complete job, HGL will pay you $600.  If you cannot do it yourself, and are not insured, HGL will pay for that partial removal.  But, of course, you will not be eligible for that $600. 

Decanting costs. If you were living in Herbert Gardens during the 2016 earthquake, and had contents insurance, you should be covered for any furniture movement and alternative accommodation. Apply to your insurance company for this. If you were not living in Herbert Gardens during the 2016 earthquake, HGL will assist by paying all decant costs -- with the proviso for partial decant, described above.

Paper bins.  These are being overloaded.  With the bins currently being so close to the street, this means paper blown up the Terrace, which is not a good look.  If you come down with paper, and there is no room in the paper bins, put the paper in a general rubbish bin, as long as there is room.  It will finish up in the landfill instead of being recycled, but it is better than having it blowing around central Wellington. And do not put anything except paper in the paper bins. Plastic belongs in the tin and plastic bins, and glass belongs in the glass bins. And what can be clearer than that?

Aoraki has a new man supervising our weather remediation.  His name is Rowan Worthy, and he is well qualified in carpentry.  Say hi to him if you see him, and undoubtedly you will be rewarded with that great smile.

PAST AND PRESENT

 

Eagle-eyed Michele Kirby found this on Facebook, with a most interesting colour photo of the lift shaft, which was built first.  Then Herbert Gardens was built up around it.  Fascinating!

Here is a close-up of the lift shaft, which Aoraki guru Chris Goldsbury liked a lot -- and also liked the baby luffing crane in the corner!

Manos of Spectrum sent me a big file of black and whites of various stages of construction, which are equally fascinating.  They are held by the Alexander Turnbull Library, and once I have permission I will post a few for your delectation.

And now to the present.  Gazelle sent me two photos of the happy workers on our site.  First, are the painters, who obviously do not suffer from vertigo.  They are not present today, as it is too windy for safety, but once the whole building is scaffolded (soon) they will be here all the time, as they will then be able to move around to the more sheltered side.

Toolbox talk.  And here is the total workforce on just one day, after a toolbox conference, where the day's work is nutted out.  We are well populated by all these happy people.

Newsflash online.  As so many shareholders have now decanted, they cannot pick up the printed newsflash, or see it on the white board.  Accordingly, a list of emails of those who would like to get the link to the latest newsflash will be made, so I can compose a group email, which will make it easy.  Just send your request to me at druettjo@gmail.com or let Munro Benge know.  Easy as that!

Risers. The ventilation shaft behind your bathroom louvre is like a chimney, which is why we are upgrading our ventilation and fire safety as part of the project.  Unavoidably it carries the smell of paint or cleaner from the apartments that are being remediated, and you may notice this.  It is perfectly safe, just a nuisance. Sealing off your bathroom louvre would prevent it, or you could simply try to ignore it.

Dust.  You may also notice that your mirrors and TV and computer screens are picking up a fine dust. This is from the same cause.  The best remedy is Pledge on a clean dusting cloth. 

The four colours of white

 Paint on replaced walls and parts of walls.

As you know, quite some time ago it was decided that when Aoraki paint the replaced parts of apartment walls, the colour had to be white.  Otherwise it was going to be very expensive to try to match residents' wishes, and would also hold up the project.

As Aoraki are keen to be as flexible as possible, at a site meeting on April 10, it was decided to offer four shades of white, and give the shareholders the opportunity to choose which one.  The wording of that part of the minutes reads:

GM (Gazelle Moinfar) has provided RP (Rachel Pattison) with paint swatches. RP to share with HGL. Options are Resene Half House White (N02-003-109), Sea Fog (N92-005-199), Rice Cake (G94-010-092), Quarter Thorndon Cream (G93-011-091)

Accordingly, the four swatches are now on the whiteboard.  Please do not write on them.  I have also printed a sort-of explanation on the board above.  At the top of this post you can see a screen grab from the Resene website, showing how you can look at one of the options, Sea Fog.  You can do this with all four whites.  While the differences are small, they are there. One is whiter, two are creamier, and one has a hint of grayish green or blue, depending on your eyesight.  Just follow the instructions on the screen.

If you are interested in Sea Fog, my apartment, 7D, is painted that colour, which I love.  You are welcome to look, if I am there when you knock on the door.

So, when you get your apartment back, you will find restored walls painted the colour of white that you chose.  It will be an excellent finish. If you like it, you can relax.  But, if you want a colour other than white, your option is to go to Resene or some other supplier, and buy the paint you like at your own expense. On application, HGL will arrange for a painter, and pay him to paint that bit of wall.

Lady Joan Gillies.  Our longterm resident, and the good friend of many, passed away serenely at Rita Angus last week.  A Requiem Mass to celebrate Joan's busy life will be held at St. Mary of the Angels, Boulcott Street, at 10am on Monday May 5, and will be followed by a private burial at Makara, where she will join her parents, Frank and Mary Angela Kennedy. The mass will be livestreamed at lychgate.co.nz

The Board of Herbert Gardens offers our deepest sympathies to Joan's family on this sad occasion.

Riding the hoist

Courtesy Gazelle Moinfar

 Everyone is going to want one.  Lucy (hoist operator) gave our chairman a ride to the 12th floor, and as you can see, he was delighted.  Maybe we will hear about it at the next foyer meeting (TBA)

Foyer and lobby.  The two structures that hold up the roof so the scaffolding does not crash down on us are being boxed in.  I informed the carpenters that there are taggers in this building so expect to see graffiti, and I think they believed me!  But it looks a lot better than metal piping.

Scaffolding.  It looks as if the rest of the scaffolding will go up earlier than scheduled, perhaps starting as early as the first of May. This is to provide shelter during winter storms -- meaning that workers on the scaffolds can move around to a more sheltered side -- but also to improve work flow for the weathertightness remediation and the painters. Should a glitch happen in one part, the painters and so forth can move on while the glitch is being fixed.  Also, scaffolding all of the southern face of the building makes sense, as more drilling can take place from the outside, and it avoids the use of abseilers, who are very weather dependent.

Decanting.  Don't forget the skip that arrives tomorrow (Thursday), to carry on with this great decluttering.  A charity truck is on the way, too. As your decant date nears, remember the three C's -- Combustibles, Cleaners, Consumables.  The movers will not take any of these.  You have to handle their removal yourselves.  

That means no matches, no meths, no turps, nothing that is a fire hazard. And no detergents, dishwash liquid, liquid soap, laundry powder, dishwasher tablets, shampoo, soap, cosmetics, toners, conditioners, bleach, disinfectant.  In short, clean out your laundry, your bathroom and that cupboard under the sink before your decant date.  

Dried food still in its packaging, and unopened cans and jars can be given away.  I have noticed quite a lot left on the foyer table, which is welcome for those who still have some time before they have to leave.

Easter.  Enjoy the quiet.  And, if you are travelling, travel safely.

MONDAY UPDATE

 

Building inspection  Very sensibly, this has been postponed until after the project is finished.  It was going to be very hard to explain that our fire readiness will be upgraded during the remediation, so what is here right now is going to be redundant.  So hurrah for that.

Skip and charity truck  As you can guess from the heading picture, it is time to declutter again.  A skip will arrive on Thursday morning ready for your Easter rummage and cleanout, and a charity truck will be ordered for some day in the week starting 28 April.  More about that later.  And, a plea.  Women's Refugee are setting up a new home, so donations of good furniture and appliances would be most welcome.  Kitchen stuff would be great, along with blankets, toys and good clothing for women and children. Cribs and cots needed, of course.  Think about this very worthy cause when summing up your apartment for decanting.

Kitchen joinery is being taken out of the top levels today.  The asbestos removal team have been busy, with two units (C and D) in level 12 ready now for removal.  That done, they will move to the A and B apartments.  Setting up takes four days, and removal about five, so two working weeks in all.  Then Aoraki will move in.  

Easter.  This is a holiday for all, so expect the site to be quiet.  It also means a delay in ACM removal, but the program takes that into consideration, so it does not mean a delay of the project itself.

Tuesday morning get-together.  A team from Aoraki will be joining us tomorrow, to say hi and for us all to get to know each other.  It will be fun, and such a nice thing for the Aoraki team to want to do. The level 10 shareholder meeting will be at 11am in Ken's apartment, but Sally Schoon and I will be taking turns to join you.  We can't wait to get to know our noisy flatmates, too!

FUN WITH AORAKI

 They are on LinkedIn!

Which is definitely fun   But notices first. 

SKIP.  Our pre-Easter skip is arriving on Thursday 17th, in time for that Easter clean out. I predict that it will be one of those that fills the fastest.  Like the last one, it will be by the front door.

Level 9 common area lighting.  For some strange unknown reason the lighting in the hallways and lift lobby on level 9 is on the same circuit as the common area lighting on levels 13 and 12.  This means that when the power is cut to the ceilings in the common areas on the top two levels, level 9 loses their lighting, too.  It has to be done to remove asbestos in the level 12 common areas, so can't be helped.  Residents have already been warned, but visitors to level 9 need to be aware, too.  Some substitute LED lighting in the hallways and a standard lamp (Damien's lamp) in the lift lobby means you won't be completely in the dark.

Construction updates. Concrete demolition has started on level 13, and being very noisy is between 10am and 4pm.  On the left is a picture of the start of the work on a long block wall, which will reveal the panels and give access for adding brackets to strengthen them.  Then an insulated form will replace the lost block wall, which will be much warmer in winter. Asbestos. On level 12, asbestos removal is beginning with the installation of air-sealed units to make sure than no dust or fibres escape. (Courtesy Gazelle Moinfar)

Remember -- levels 12 and 13 are now construction sites, and totally out of bounds to residents and visitors.

Scaffolding is complete around the B apartments area, so we say goodbye to the great workers of Workzone in the meantime -- but they will be back, when the scaffolds are moved to the A apartments. And, in the meantime, expect to see other workers moving around the scaffolding, inspecting windows and walls for weathertightness and other jobs.

Tuesday coffee morning.  This is definitely fun, as some of the Aoraki team have asked if they can join us, to thank us for "being great housemates" and so tolerant of the noise and movement.  So expect their smiling faces sometime between 10.30 and 11.30, and definitely be prepared to say a big hi.

High rise and decanting

Courtesy Steve Russell

As I said when this arrived in my news feed, WOW!  We are really getting somewhere with the outer appearance of our building.  

And ...  From the inside, first the unfurling, and then the logo materializes ... 

Courtesy Steve Cantwell

Decanting.  We had a most informative meeting with level 11 shareholders on Friday, with Rachel of TBIG in attendance.  The date for level 11 residents to leave their apartments is 1st May.  However, Conroy Removals will be in the apartment for some days previous to that, packing up ready for the hoist and the removal truck.  The ideal will be to get all cartons into the B apartment, to expedite the decant, and have the furniture ready to go by that magic day.

So, should residents leave earlier?  Up to them.  It's their choice if they want to hang around while the removal people work around them, or go away and leave them up to it. We have all been through that phase of shifting house (well, most of us).  I found it easier to stay until the last moment, as there were many bits and pieces I had forgotten about that I had to take away to store myself -- consumables and cleaning products in particular. It was also good to have wifi access, if it was still functioning.  And there were suitcases to pack, cosmetics and papers and iPad to bag at the very last moment.

Remember that any HGL payment for alternative accommodation will not start until the day you don't have access to your apartment any more.  If you are going away on holiday anyway, it won't signify, and likewise for those who had had an insurance payout, but for those who have to keep an eye on their finances, staying until the last moment will be more attractive.  As I said, the choice of staying until the last night before you have to decant or leaving early is entirely yours.  The same applies to your tenant, if you have one.  But make sure that tenant leaves, along with any furniture, by that date. Holding up the project is not to be contemplated.   

Window cleaning.  Because so much of the building is scaffolded, and there will be constant dust from the masonry drilling, it has been decided not to go ahead with the usual four-monthly window clean.  It will be a nuisance -- my own windows are definitely dirty -- but it seems the most sensible decision. 

Skip. There will be the usual Easter skip, however, arriving towards the end of next week.  So get ready for it.  This could be your last chance for a while to discard unwanted stuff.  

We have done so well with that decluttering that Fiona Conroy tells me she will order another scope, as the quotes for some apartments might change.   

 

NEVER HAS A WEEK FLOWN SO FAST

 

Photos kindly submitted by Gazelle Moinfar

So much has happened! As you can see from the pictures above, entry into both levels 13 and 12 has been made.  The attention to safety and protection of the apartments is really impressive.  

This is to allow movement of workers and equipment and so forth via the hoist, saving our delicate elevators. There is plenty of protection for the interiors, though on very, very wet days our lifts might have to be used.  Crossed fingers for decent weather!  Conroy will also be using the hoist for movement of furniture. Level 13 has been decanted and level 12 will be decanted on Monday.

Webbing has been put up around much of the scaffolding, for safety and privacy.  It also helps keep down transmission of dust. I was told that the material is recycled PET plastic (polyethylene terephthalate) such as old soft drink bottles.  How true that is I do not know, but I hope so.

I am told that residents are handing out water and cheery greetings to the scaffolders as they pass their windows.  This is wonderful to hear, and another affirmation of the special quality of our community. On the very wet and miserable day, Aoraki bought hot pies for the scaffolders.  Totally great!  And a lunch room is being installed on site.

Power outage. This went well.  The new metered power supply for Aoraki will be installed today, but it only means a power outage for them, not us.  Damien tells us that once the project is over, that meter will serve for the powering of up to 12 electric vehicles, which is also great. A few people may have found that they had to reset all their electronic equipment once the power came back.  My bedroom clocks went crazy, and are now on 24-hour time set the wrong way.  Where are ten-year-olds when you need them?  

Whiteboard.  Notices are going up, particularly about apartments to rent.  Do please let us know if you want to rent out your apartment before or after it is remediated, as it is very helpful for planning where to put people when they are dislodged from their homes.

Parking.  As parking is very scarce, limited to four spaces for resident visitor use, please be considerate. People who want to park overnight, must apply to Brigid or Damien, and the rule that a note should be left in the windscreen must be followed. It should have the mobile number of the driver, and the apartment number visited, so that contact can be made.  Large vehicles are particularly undesirable, as backing into the scaffolding could be disastrous.  The slightest bump, and Worksafe will have to be called, and you can imagine what would happen after that. A reminder that Damien has a clamp, and vehicles parked against the rules will be clamped. 

WEDNESDAY UPDATE

 

Levels 12 and 13 decant

It's all excitement today.  The hoist is operational, the access has been broken through on level 13, and the huge Conroy truck is here, loading four apartments' worth of furniture.  At least two of those apartments are bare or almost bare, but one at least has a whole house-worth of chattels.  It is a very big job, going well.

Whiteboard.

This has gone up in the foyer.  A large print of the first page of the newsflash will always go up, so people can see it in colour, and I won't have to print off so many pages for non-computer-using residents.  As always, I will send the link to the Board, to the building managers, Conroy, and Aoraki, so everyone is up to date.

I am also putting up advertisements for apartments that are available to rent, with details.  One is the Garden Apartment, which will be available from 1 May, and the other is a beautiful one-bedroom, furnished apartment on the Terrace, at 255, which is just across the Salamanca pedestrian lights, and has a great view of the harbour.  Watch the whiteboard for news like this.

There is also a note about a photographer who will record your apartment before decant, so it is possible to know how exactly things should be returned.  Check the board, or get in touch with Ian McKinnon.

Power outage. 

This, as advertised, will be tomorrow from 3pm to 5pm. No computer or TV.  Read a book!  It is for Aoraki's dedicated power supply, taking a load off our lifts.

Scaffolding.

You will see lots of orange cones around the scaffolding, as it is crucial that no one -- and no cars! -- back into it. It will be a change from seeing them populate Wellington roads and streets.  Honestly, I think they breed!