Shiplake Meeting (August 20)

TTA-Shiplake Meeting Minutes
Thursday, August 13, 2020 3 p.m. Zoom meeting

Present: Kurt Low, Katherine Harwood, Anne Hayes, Jim McCarthy, Kathleen Armstrong

1. Garbage shed – The bins are now stored inside the shed.
However, staff will continue to move the bins overland as the operators still must be trained in operation of the elevator. Tenants will be able to access the garbage chutes along the side of the shed, including one for organic/compost garbage, once the back landscaping is complete.
Control arm might be installed once the landscaping and the roofing projects are completed.

2. Roof-membrane work – Work on the waterproof layer is finished. However, 2 weeks ago workers discovered the schematics of structure beneath show one of 2 drains at north end is missing. So, this has been added. Usual pebble surface to be a smooth one, tapered to allow for proper drainage. Expected completion by end of September.

3. Back stairwell on first floor – Deltera is cleaning up, dry-walling done, repainting former apartment used as Lillian Park construction-site office. Extra project involved in repairing terrazzo floor. Fire exit already cleared.

4. Window washing – Was to be done in July; now scheduled for October, after landscaping is finished.

5. Landscaping – in back, contractors removing top layer to work on waterproofing layer over garage underneath. The waterproofing should be finished about the end of August.
When this is done, the infill will be replaced with topsoil for landscaping.

*** Waterproofing delayed due to the need to install an auxiliary drain to ensure adequate drainage. Current estimate to complete waterproofing = late September & then landscaping = end of October.

In front, to start this week or next, expected to take about 3 weeks and finish by end of September. Work to proceed Mon. to Fri., 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Contractors will be able to park in back now, since the garbage bins are now in the shed.

6. Visitors’ parking and tenants’ credits – tenants to have 3 24-hour parking passes per month, eventually. Each unit will have an assigned registration code, to enter when registering visitors’ vehicles on a portal. When the 3 passes are used, the tenant will have option to pay for the parking or let the visitor pay at the machine by the walk-in entrance from garage into building. Visitors will have 2 intercoms: one at top of entry ramp and another at each parking level by walk-in entrance from garage.

***Estimated time to complete software installation for intercoms, coordination with Target re access codes = 1st week of October.

7. Pest control – Shiplake working hard to resolve problem on 7th floor. Usually, with Orkin treatments, a roach or bedbug problem is cleared up in 2 to 3 weeks. The source unit of the pests is now vacant and being stripped and cleaned and sealed.
Outbreak on 3rd floor. Orkin visited promptly to fumigate completely. Shiplake does “block inspection” with pest treatment, checking surrounding units for the same problem.
Shiplake not aware of problems on other floors; must rely on tenants to report sightings and keep units clean.

8. Front desk/concierge – Use of white boards to show name of concierge on duty have not worked well so Shiplake moving to name tags. Will also remind concierges to use clock to show time of return after breaks.

9. Opening of pool, gyms, Media Room, Yoga Room – Shiplake following a phased approach, being very careful, following Public Health guidelines. Gym will open next week; Yoga Room is open now, both requiring sign-up and specific time slots for use. No outside people permitted yet. Fobs to be issued to all residents in the next couple of weeks. Shiplake will re-assess this system at the end of August.

*** Small gym should be available for use in the first week of September.

10. Masks – no way for Shiplake to enforce compliance or punish non-compliance. Can only post lots of notices to remind people to wear masks.

11. Elevator distancing – Shiplake can apply stickers to elevators floors – but the space is narrower than the recommended 6 feet anyway. Most people adhering to the 2 to 3 people per elevator.

12. Garage cleaning – Kurt will look into this, to clear layer of silt on SB level following recent heavy rains. Also, will look into door at S end of SB level, walk-in door by corridor with lockers, still unlocked as it can now be secured.

13. Homeless shelters in Midtown — Shiplake preparing a notice to all tenants reminding them of commonsense security measures – not allowing strangers to enter building behind them, etc. Increased security and vigilance of staff around complex.

*** Updated August 26 per new information.

 

Photo by Brittany Neale on Unsplash

SPECIAL NOTICE: Construction Staging Area

Dear fellow TTA members and tenants,

As you know, there is a major construction project across the street from us on the west side of Dunfield Avenue. The developer, Plazacorp, is constructing 2 new apartment buildings there, one on the Holly Street side (27 stories) and one on the Dunfield Avenue side (34 stories).

Plazacorp applied to the City for approval to set up a Construction Staging Area across from our front driveway for 40 months. The Toronto and East York Community Council (TEYCC) considered the request on June 18.

Owing to protests from the Torontonian Tenants’ Association (TTA) and individual tenants of 45 Dunfield and with the support of our local Councillor, Josh Matlow, the proposal was NOT approved as submitted.

The TEYCC re-considered the request on July 16 and this time it was approved for one year with a number of amendments, the most important ones being:

c. Amend Recommendation 19 as follows:
“19. Toronto and East York Community Council direct the applicant to clearly consult and communicate all construction, parking and road occupancy impacts with the local ward Councillor, local business improvement areas and resident associations in advance of any physical road modifications.”

d. And the following new recommendation:
“Toronto and East York Community Council direct the applicant to review options with the Construction Hub Coordinator to decrease the construction staging area as it is being approved through this decision, and present a new proposal to Community Council upon the 12 month approval expiry.”

For more details and the actual City documents please click on the link below.
http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2020.TE16.69

After the TEYCC turned down Plazacorp’s initial request, an informal meeting was arranged by Slavisa Mijatovic, one of Josh Matlow’s staff, with various parties involved. Attached is a list of the participants and the series of questions the TTA provided and the answers (with some minor grammatical edits) provided by the Plazacorp VP of Construction, Mike Saliba.

Webex Meeting, Wednesday, July 8, 2020
Subject: Construction Staging Area – Dunfield Avenue

Attendees
Slavisa Mijatovic – Councillor Matlow’s Office – Meeting Coordinator
Stuart McGhie – Construction Hub Coordinator (City of Toronto)
Anne Hayes – Torontonian Tenants’ Association
Jim McCarthy – Torontonian Tenants’ Association
Robyn Rabinowitz – PlazaCorp’s VP of Development
Mike Saliba – PlazaCorp’s VP of Construction

Our Concerns/Questions – Answers supplied by Mike Saliba

a. How many & what type of trucks and machinery will use this site & when during the project?

The staging area will be used differently through 3 phases:
• 1st phase is below-grade forming. Activities include delivery of concrete and rebar materials.
• 2nd phase is hoisting deliveries and delivery of precast/windows.
• 3rd phase is landscape and streetscape work.

b. Will vehicles be allowed to idle and if so, for how long?

• Generally, we ask drivers to turn off their vehicles. However, for certain activities idling is required. Also, during very hot or cold days drivers in their vehicles might need to keep their trucks running for heating or cooling.

c. What kind of materials will be stored there?

• Generally, there will not be many materials stored in the staging area. There may be times where a rebar or precast truck delivers materials in the afternoon to be unloaded the following day.

d. Where will all their workers park?

• We have secured many parking stalls in nearby underground garages for our workers. The rest are responsible for finding their own parking off site.

e. What will they do to minimize dust, keep the entrance clear of mud & other debris?

• Most of the activities that create dust and mud are complete. We have approximately 1 month left of excavation and then the dust and mud should be reduced significantly. During the excavation period we have street sweepers contracted to clean as required. After excavation the street sweepers will be engaged as required.

f. What days will they operate?

• Generally, our work hours are 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, and two Saturdays a month, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There are times where we will work past 5:00 p.m. but we always work within the confines of the noise by-law implemented by the City of Toronto.

g. What will be the work hours?

• Addressed in previous question.

h. Will there be a traffic-control person there at all times?

• A traffic-control person will be at the gates at all times when deliveries/ coordination is required.

i. Why can’t they use the space at the south-west corner of Dunfield and Soudan?

• For the activities required, the space at the south-west corner of Dunfield and Soudan is too far away from the building site.

j. How will Plazacorp communicate with tenant/resident associations per Council direction?

• See link below to the Plazacorp website/portal for its current residents:
http://www.pureplaza.com/toronto-condos/plaza-midtown/community-portal

k. Will there be a number and/or email available to alert someone in authority if something is happening that shouldn’t be?

• Lauro Franz – Senior Site Superintendent and in control of all day-to-day site activity. Can call to discuss any issues which arise.
• Plaza Midtown
33 Holly Street & 44 Dunfield Avenue
m: 416-702-5111
e: LFranz@tmgbuilders.ca

A few extra points to note:

• Plazacorp have already secured at least 50 underground parking spots in the neighbourhood for workers, estimated at times to be around 200! [Q. d.].

• They do not intend to take advantage of the provincial regulation that would allow them to work from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. 7 days a week but will stick to the present schedule [Q.’s f & g].

• Their website/portal has very little detail on what is actually going on so we may ask that they “beef it up” a bit [Q. j]. There is also info on the size & costs of the new condo units. If you are interested be prepared for sticker shock!

• They provided numbers to call if we see any problems or if we get complaints, plus the City Construction Hub Coordinator seems keen to address any issues we have, especially with idling trucks.

If you have a complaint or an issue that you want to communicate to Plazacorp, please let the TTA know — torontoniancommunications@gmail.com — so we can compile information on issues that might affect more than one TTA member. Any questions can also be directed to the TTA’s email account.

 

Photo by Greyson Joralemon on Unsplash