Aquarius and Comcast/Xfinity: New Agreement

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Cecilio Augusto Berndsen

Aquarius and Comcast/Xfinity: New Agreement is not very far away

 

Out of the 12 TV and Internet services providers in our area Aquarius Board of Directors invited 3 vendors to offer their proposals. AT&T, Atlantic Broadband and Comcast/Xfinity presented their offerings.

Comcast/Xfinity was considered the best offer. The final contract is in advanced phase of detail pending some plans review and Aquarius Legal counsel exam. What is new and it is likely to happen?

Highlights of the Contract

All information subject to change. This is 
provided as a general headsup and can 
not be considered final until the 
contract is signed.
Service New Contract Existing Contract
Cost (rounded) $ 70 plus tax $ 30
Term 5 years from 2018 Expired
TV Channels Line up 200 channels and music same
Premium Channel HBO Showtime
High Definition Serv. 1080 or 720 Included no
Internet 60 Mbps included no

Equipment part of the Contract with Comcast

Equipment – included no cost New Contract Existing Contract
DVR Set Top Box records programs 1 no
Set Top Box 1 (access DVR recording) 1
DTA 1 HD Capable 2 Standard Definition 480
Operating System X1 with voice recognition included X1 the same but requires DVR box, additional fee

Additional Services not in the contract but available:

Additional Services available:       All optional requiring additional fees that are responsibility of the individual owner/resident.
Premium Channels: Starz, Showtime, Cinemax etc. Cost varies, bundles, promotions change every month.
Foreign Channels: broad selection and larger TV line up Cost varies, per region, per country, per package
Higher Speed Internet higher speed higher cost
Land Line Telephone, per line  $25
Additional TV outlets Cost  TBA
Surveillance/Security Services Cost  TBA

Details

Additional Details
Sign up bonus $150 per household
Annual  Cost Escalation clause Up to 4% per year
Installation services $ 200.000 (two hundred thousand dollars) to bring cables inside the building according City Code. Cost to be covered entirely  by Comcast. No onus to Aquarius.⊗
Installation services To done as part of the contract improving the actual external cables and boxes.

⊗     Comcast offered this as part of the Contract Renewal with Aquarius to make a code complaint installation of all cabling to be brought inside the building. Comcast set aside, out of their own “Construction” budget $200.000.00 (two hundred thousand dollars) that is being left on the table. Some members of the Board did not approve this work  for the reason that inside the apartments this new installation could disrupt the decoration. Their assumption being that the new cables would run outside the walls and not inside the walls.

To run any cables inside the walls the solution is “fishing” the cables as any competent installer could do. A project like that would could run as high as $ 150.00 depending on the complexity of the job.

What is being done instead? The cables will continue to run along the external walls of the property and Comcast will install new cable canopies to hide the cables.

Some Questions people ask:

When the new contract is going to be signed?  There is not fixed date but it could occur before 60 days.

AT&T has wired fiberglass the entire building. What will happen with this installation?  This network is available for any individual to contract with AT&T. AT&T services are an additional option for any owner. At the moment the offer of both companies are very similar. The future may bring developments such as gigabit internet speeds that one of the vendors would not offer. Technology moves at very rapid pace. Options are good.

If I do not want any additional service besides the package being negotiated by Aquarius will I still get an individual bill from Comcast/Xfinity?   No. You will not pay anything else. All the cost will be included in your Regular Assessment (maintenance).

Presently the cables coming into my apartment unit run outside and far away from the existing canopies. Will my internal cables be changed?  In order to avoid the cables running wild around the building the entry point must be very close to the canopies. If this is not your case the answer is possibly yes. But the “fishing”(running the cables inside the wall or under the molding)  is always a possibility. This would hide any cable to inside the walls. It is expected that Comcast will do some “cable fish.” If this does not occur any competent electrician can complete the project is a few hours and for a reasonable cost.

I understand that the future of cable TV is fiber. Comcast still has very little fiberglass services. At Aquarius they are offering not fiber. Are we running the risk of hiring obsolete technology? It is true that  fiber seems to be the direction of the industry and wireless is going to 5G LTE – so TV programming could arrive via these vehicles in a few years. In any case Comcast has made great advances with DOCSIS 3.1 platform. Comcast is already able  to provide gigabit speeds in the internet and handle Ultra High Definition 4K programing. Aquarius is not likely to suffer from any technological obsolescence by hiring Comcast as it internet/TV service provider — at least in the next five years.

I have my own modem and my own router. What happens now? Comcast will provide, as part of the contract, new Set Top TV boxes, DVRs, DTAs and Modem/Router (WI-FI wireless enabled). All this equipment is part of the agreement and its cost is part of the contract. Probably there will be little use for the equipment you now own.

.o0o.

There is some mention to fish the cables, could we have an exemple?  Check the video clip:

.o0o.

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Aquarius Condominium Insurance

Posted on May 20, 2018 by Cecilio Augusto Berndsen

Aquarius Condominium Insurance

 

By now everyone should have received the coupons for payment Special Assessment of the deductible for the losses caused by the Irma storm of last September of 2017. The first payment is due June 1st., 2018. The deductible is about 2% of the insured coverage. The amount covered is about $54 million. The deductible is a bit over $ 1 million that needs to be paid by all homeowners members of the association.  Many new insurance policies have a mandatory deductible of 3% or even 4%. Aquarius keeping the same insurance company QBE is able to have the 2% deductible.

The personal homeowners insurance may have a clause of “Loss Assessment” for wind. In this case a minimum of $2 thousand dollars may be reimbursed by this policy. There are cases that the homeowners policy will not pay the “Loss Assessment.” The policy must include the “wind”endorsement. If this is your case call you agent to add this endorsement. It will not help for 2017 loss or the Special Assessment imposed by Aquarius, but will protect you from future events.

Aquarius will pay about $ 432 thousand  for several policies from June 201 to June 2019. This represents an increase of near $ 30 thousand from last year insurance premiums.

What are the insurance policies that Aquarius hold?

  1. Property (Risk of direct physical damage)
  2. Equipment Breakdown (Boiler and Machinery)
  3. Crime (Loss of money caused by employees)
  4. General Liability (due to negligence)
  5. Workmen’s Compensation (injury of employees)
  6. Directors & Officers (lawsuits against officers of the Association)
  7. Excess Liability (also called umbrella) and
  8. Hurricane PM (supplement insurance for wind caused loss)

 

For insurance values and respective premiums as well as additional details please ask at the Property Management Office. The Aquarius Insurance Portfolio includes a number of insurance companies. The procurement of these policies included two other options. The present portfolio was accepted by the Board of Director after careful analysis.

This is part of a presentation made by Dave Roque our Account Executive.

.o0o.

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Aquarius got new Elevators

Posted on May 13, 2018 by Cecilio Augusto Berndsen

Aquarius got new Elevators

May 2018

The North Tower has a new Service elevator and the South Tower has a Passenger elevator already working.

I took a while. The pit of one of the elevators had to be refurbished. There were electrical changes to be made. Now that these problems have been solved the pace of installation of the 5 elevators yet to be redone is going to pick up. The Gym Elevator is scheduled to be the last one to be remodeled.

fIn normal conditions the refurbish of each elevator requires 12 weeks. Additional time is needed for the interior decoration. Presently we have two independent service team working. One for each tower.

The finish of the cabin of the Personal Elevator in operation in the South Tower remains to be done. This is a rendition that is very close of what we will have for the  4 cabins when the Personal Elevators have been completed:  (to enlarge view press Ctrl and + simultaneously)

South Tower Personal Elevator interior, still without cabin finish.

North Tower Service Elevator interior:

North Tower Service Elevator with padding protection:
.o0o.

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World’s Toughest Job

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Cecilio Augusto Berndsen

World’s Toughest Job

It is a tough job. I bet you know somebody able to take it.

 

 

 

 

 

.o0o.

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Get Out – Movie Night April 24

Posted on April 20, 2018 by Cecilio Augusto Berndsen

Get Out – Movie Night April 24, 2018.
It’s  Tuesday, 7:15 pm

Aquarius Library. Come early, drink wine, have popcorn.

Comedy, Horror, Funny,  Scary, Thought-Provoking.
♦ A young African-American visits his white girlfriend’s parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point. (IMDb)

Acclaim:
Won 1 Oscar. Another 131 wins & 185 nominations
IMDb Metascore: 84/100,     Popular Rate: 7.7/10
Tomatometer: 99%,     Audience Score: 87 % by Rotten Tomatoes

 

.o0o.

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White Aquarius II

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Cecilio Augusto Berndsen

White Aquarius II

In the last Board of Directors meeting of Aquarius they decided to overrule the Membership Meeting of January 2018 and several recommendations from the Beautification Committee to keep the building without accent colors.

The motion  got four ayes and one nay on April 19 Board of Directors Meeting.  This is a decision that goes against a Membership Meeting  that has a higher hierarchy position in the conduction of Condominium affairs.

The decision is to have a wide blue strip on the East and West faces of the two towers. This is to contrast with installation of the grey glass balconies that are in progress.

Warnings that this may make the Aquarius C. Association vulnerable to legal challenges went on ignored. Also ignored was the affirmative, made by an experienced realtor present, that the buildings with the white paint, as most high-class/high value buildings in the area are, get better resale values and are more attractive to buyers. White buildings have higher and faster sale was the message.

.o0o.

Comments:

11:42 AM (3 minutes ago)

Mary and Edward Matera   1203S     Sent from my iPad

.o0o.

 

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White Aquarius – NO Accent Color has been said and repeated

Posted on April 16, 2018 by Cecilio Augusto Berndsen

White Aquarius

NO Accent Color has been said and repeated

 

The change of the Aquarius exterior color is, unfortunately, still a matter for debate. There has been NO regard for the vote of a large majority in a formal Membership Meeting. Nor any regard for the recommendation of the Beautification Committee, where the white was recommended again and again. Also, NO regard for the formal approval by the President of the Board, on January 22, 2018 affirmed in official correspondence that “no accent color was authorized by unit owners.”

With so many important issues in progress, some chose to ignore repeated manifestations from the majority, to insist on their point of view.

This controversy will take Aquarius to litigation, incurring costs and division for the community. Accent color is a material alteration. It is illegal to change or add color without the consent of the membership. This consent has been denied.

It is time to stop and listen to the majority. It is time to move on.

Below are portions of documents that make it clear, again and again: No accent color, please.

♦  Membership Meeting of October 2017 and January 4th, 2018:

The Accent Color was not approved in the Special Membership Meeting of January 4th. 2018, as recorded in the minutes of the meeting properly signed and filed in the Management Office of Aquarius.

The vote that got 94 votes out of 145 voters was:

[   X  ] NO   I DO NOT   approve the proposed material alteration and improvement of the building’s trim color and related expenditure, and hereby DO NOT authorize the Board to select a trim color by majority vote of the Board.   (Emphasis in original)

♦  The Beautification Committee

has discussed and voted, more than once, for  NO ACCENT COLOR for Aquarius. Here is a transcript of the last note from Carole Pumpiam to the Board.

March 30, 2018 Carole Pumpiam, Chair of the Beautification Committee  wrote

On Mar 30, 2018, at 2:51 PM, carole0902@aol.com wrote:

“” Good afternoon Board of Aquarius Members and Adrian

I understand that a color (one of the selected on the south building south wall) is to be selected quite shortly by you the board members.  I also understand that this is a selection in the event that the board votes to in fact put an accent color on the building versus keeping an all-white paint job for the buildings.

I would like to address the board before any decision is made as to whether to have an accent color or to have an all-white building.  As you know, the beautification committee recommended several times that an all-white building would be preferable.  If after the address to the board, the decision to go with an accent color is affirmative, I and the committee would abide by your decision.

I also understand that there is a petition circulating from several residents that they want a color and almost demand they choose the color.

It is my belief that a selection should be considered “in the entire picture of the building”, or to put into the vernacular “the big picture”.

There is a beautification committee meeting on Monday, April 9 at 4:30.  If it is convenient for the board to be present to discuss this please let me know.  The alternative is to meet with the board at your convenience at any other time before the next board meeting.””

(note: in this meeting, again, the Aquarius without accent 
color got the majority of the members vote).

 

♦   Another document, yet, on the same subject matter,

is a message sent on January 22, 2018, by the President of the Board responds the General Contractor Structural Preservation Systems:

Bhagwan Gupta <bgupta1@yahoo.com     wrote     Jan 22, 2018
to Cale, me, Adrian, Kevin, Jim, Andres, Jean-Simon

No accent color was authorized by unit owners.

Sent from my iPhone

in response to:

On Jan 22, 2018, at 2:21 PM, Cale Delaney <cdelaney@structural.net> wrote:

Hi Buck,

Please confirm there is no accent color, as indicated during last week’s meeting. The only color is the previously approved pure white.

Thanks,

Cale M Delaney
Project Manager, LEED AP, E.I.T.
STRUCTURAL
2001 Blount Rd
Pompano Beach, FL  33069

(954) 984-9555 office
(954) 984-9559 fax
(954) 770-3453 cell

cdelaney@structural.net
www.structural.net

Related post with pictures on the subject: HERE

.o0o.

Wherever law ends, tyranny begins.

John Locke

.o0o.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Movie Night: “The Shape of Water” Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Posted on April 5, 2018 by Cecilio Augusto Berndsen

Movie Night: The Shape of Water         Tuesday, April 10, 2018  7:00 PM

At a top-secret research facility in the 1960s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity.

Director:   Guillermo del Toro

Won 4 Oscars. Another 99 wins & 279 nominations (IMDB)
Tomatometer: 92%  Audience Score: 74% liked it  – Rotten Tomatoes
Metascore: 87 (based on 53 critics)   – IMDB

If you arrive before 7:00 pm you may find some wine and popcorn!

Movie Trailer: click the arrow

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What to Expect at Aquarius – Some disparate info.

Posted on April 3, 2018 by Cecilio Augusto Berndsen

What to Expect at Aquarius – Some disparate info.

 

Residents of Aquarius have great expectations. So much is going on that it is difficult to follow.

Let’s see what is going on:

  1. Air conditioning: Maybe before Friday April 6. No promises but high chances that it will happen.
  2. North Tower Service Elevator: It was to be done by February 15. Some electrical work is still pending. After that it should be soon. Very soon we hope. South Tower passenger elevator 1: Progress is appreciable. Not a firm date yet. It will not suffer delays from the electrical infrastructure.
  3. 40 Year Recertification exercise. South tower has two lines with railings – no glass yet, but the railings are there. East Pool Deck with most slab with the new concrete and North Tower with balconies demolition work ready to start. Will everything be done by Christmas? It would be a nice gift to Aquarius residents. It is possible. Keep tuned in.
  4. Irma Hurricane insurance claim: work is in process. Katzman and Merlin the legal counsel preparing the insurance claim do not give a firm date but it is expected to be soon. By the way: have you submitted your Assessment Loss claim to your own apartment unit homeowners  insurance company?
  5. Internet provided by the Aquarius Condominium Association? The Board is contemplating this additional service very seriously. If the cost is affordable it may become reality. Nothing certain yet. Very nice to have.
  6. Will the West Deck Pool be closed? Most certainly. We don’t want debris, dust and sand to damage the pool. It will reopen as soon as possible. The construction company – Structural – will monitor very closely how the debris from the North Tower balconies demolition behaves and how the pool will be affected. There is a slim chance that the pool could remain open. But, of course, the Atlantic Ocean will remain available.
  7. The pace on installation of Impact Windows has increased. There are more than 70 units with impact windows in the North Tower. South Tower has less than 30 but there are several contracts signed and the work progresses very well. Have you considered the convenience, safety, comfort, increased resale value for your unit? Impact Windows are likely to  give you all that

There are so many other things going on but it is getting late and I am getting tired. The preparation of the video clips of the Helicopter at Aquarius took longer than expected. You can watch them in the post bellow. If you have nice pictures that you took send them, please. We will try to post.

What else? Additional cameras, serious work of the Beautification Committee on a proposal for the hallways, movie night next week Tuesday (The Shape of Water, Oscars awarded flic), Yoga classes, Bridge Club, Ping-Pong League and other activities. And last but not least:

If you want to know about the progress of construction and several related items: Thursday at 11:00 there is a meeting of the Construction Committee. Owners have the opportunity to ask direct questions to Structural P.S. – our GC, Hillman Engineering our technical adviser and project manager, Adrian Paredes our Property Manager and several contractors that are invited from time to time to explain their work to the owners. It is an hour of your time very well spent. I guarantee it.

 

.o0o.

Pope Francis and Gossip:

.o0o.

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Helicopter at Aquarius 5 Video Clips

Posted on April 3, 2018 by Cecilio Augusto Berndsen

Helicopter at Aquarius

5 Video Clips

March 2018

 

On March 26 an helicopter was working at Aquarius. This operation was necessary to position very heavy stainless steel water cooling towers in the roof of both Aquarius towers.

The hurricane Irma of September 2017 damaged the water cooling towers beyond repair. New cooling towers were needed to support the air conditioning system of the Aquarius complex. The new water towers weight more than 10,000 pounds. They had to be disassembled in several parts so they could be transported to the roof of the two buildings of Aquarius. The operation required the removal of the old damaged towers as well. The entire reconstruction project and execution is the work of VMech Mechanical Contractors of Miami Gardens, Florida.

This helicopter operation mobilized several organizations: Aquarius Security, Aquarius Management, Aquarius Maintenance, Hollywood Police Department and the Federal Aviation Administration. Ocean Drive and the beach in front of Aquarius were closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. It is important to emphasize the skill and professionalism of the pilot and the crew of Midwest Helicopters that were the stars of the event.

Here some videos of the operation. Several amateur cineasts recorded the not so common event. They were: Adrian Paredes, Joseph Paez, Bill Coleman, Gary Torossian and others including the blogger.

There are five video clips that offer a view of the work from several vantage points. Click the arrows for the view.

 

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