|
Home Page |
|
Photos |
|
News Update! |
|
Board |
|
Info A to Z |
|
Rules |
|
Location |
|
West Hartford |
Owner and Resident Information
A to Z
This section is not designed to replace the rules of the condominium. It is full of tips on things
most of us have learned the hard way. We hope it clears up confusion and explains why certain rules
are in place.• After Hours EmergenciesAt any time of day, if you have a health, fire or police emergency, immediately call 911 and request the fire service to gain access into the building and your condo.If you need to contact the Condominium Association in an emergency during a weekend or after business hours, please call the G & W Management answering service at 866-701-4939, rather than knocking on the Building Superintendent's door. The answering service knows who is on call. Please call in plumbing leaks immediately. Return to Index • Air Conditioner/Heater UnitsIn 2009 the Association arranged a group purchase of new AC/Heating units and many owners participated. The new units are quieter, more efficient and easier to maintain. If your unit was not upgraded and you are interested in participating in any future group purchase please call the maintenance office at 860-233-1247.Whether or not your AC/Heating units were upgraded, the units need regular annual maintenance to lubricate the motor and install new filters. In particular, the drain for water condensation during cooling must be checked to prevent water damage to your floors and units below. The Association has a mandatory spring maintenance service each year for a fee based on number and type of units. New units are less espensive to maintain than old units. Costs ranged from $50 to $95 for 2011. One bedroom condos have 2 AC/Heating units. Two bedroom with one bath condos have 3 AC/Heating units. Two bedroom with two bath condos have 4 AC/Heating units. If you do not allow the Association to service your units and the condensation pan and drain overflow, the Association will not be responsible for any water damage to your unit or the units below. Reminders will go out each spring when the maintenance needs to be scheduled. Return to Index • BBQ PatioOne of the most popular gathering places at Hampshire House is the area with picnic tables and grills between the two buildings. Please open the top cover of the grill before turning on the gas and igniting. If you are unsure how to light the grills, please ask a staff member for a quick demonstration. Please turn off your grill when you are done cooking and use the scraper stored underneath the grill to clean burnt food from the racks. The gas grills are available year round and many hardy residents grill well into the cold weather.Return to Index • Building History and StructureHampshire House was built in the 1962 as apartment buildings and turned condo in 1986. Prices ranged from $120,00 for a one bedroom to $155,000 for a two bedroom/two bath unit.The building is constructed of fire resistant masonry with concrete floors and brick exterior. Interior studding is aluminum. There are eleven units on each floor; 4 two bedroom/two bath, 1 two bedroom/one bath and 6 one bedroom/one bath. The total number of units is 132, plus the ground floor apartment for the building superintendent. Return to Index • Building SecurityPlease do not prop open the doors while loading or unloading items. In addition to the security risk, in winter this causes rapid cooling of the entire lower level of the building and it takes a long time to reheat it. If you open a window in a common area such as the exercise room or laundry, please remember to close and LOCK the window before you leave the area.Return to Index • Door DecorationsThe Condominium Association allows a small personal decoration to be hung on the unit door. This must be done without putting any holes in the door. An overdoor hanger is suggested. Residents are asked not to hang or place decorations in any other location in common areas. Common hallways have fire code restrictions on obstacles in hallways that would catch fire or impede someone in a smoke emergency. If you have a suggestion or complaint on the decoration of common areas, please address this to the Board of Directors. Polite protest recently lead to the replacement of a painting in one of the elevator lobbies.Return to Index • Exercise RoomIn the rear of the 893 building is an exercise room with treadmills, an eliptical machine and free weights. Please wipe down pieces of equipment when you are done with them and return all weights to their storage locations before leaving.Return to Index • Exhaust Fan SystemEach kitchen and bathroom in the condominium has an exhaust duct on or near the ceiling. Air is drawn up to the roof by exhaust fans to remove moisture and odors from the units. These fans are shut off during the night from 11:30 PM until 6:30 AM for quiet and to save on heat and air conditioning. Please do not cover over these vents.Return to Index • Fire Prevention and AlarmAt Hampshire House fire prevention and fire alarms are taken very seriously. Years ago, the condominium experienced a fire and the community learned we are all responsible for each other's safety. Luckily our buildings are very well built of brick and block. Please obey all rules pertaining to fire code.The maintenance staff will replace the batteries in smoke detectors annually in January. Residents should test their the smoke detectors at least every three to four months. Please do not remove the batteries from your detector. If your detector fails a test or begins beeping, please contact the maintenance staff for repair or battery replacement. This is for the safety of all residents. Return to Index • Front Door Call System and Old Phone SystemThe front door call box will ring your phone and you will be able to talk with your guest. By pressing and releasing the number 6 on your phone, the locks will be opened to admit your guest. Please remember to tell your guest your unit number as that information in not displayed with your name in the call box. You can view the front entrance on your television if you have Comcast on channel 918.The phone on the wall in your unit's entryway was used years ago by the doormen, but its speaker is still used as part of the fire alarm warning system. For your safety, please do not dismantle or remove the old phone system. If the Hampshire House Association ever decides it needs to reinstate a doorman, this system is still functional. Return to Index • G & W Management, IncThe Association Board has hired G & W Management, Inc, headquartered in Waterbury, to manage Hampshire House. Pat Ruggiero is our property manager and Cherrie Gillis is her assistant. You can reach Pat at 860-548-9773.Printable G & W Management Contact Sheet Past G & W Management Newsletters March 2012 March 2011 Spring 2010 Return to Index • InsuranceAll unit owners at Hampshire House are strongly urged to have insurance to cover their personal belongings and liability in case of a fire or other damage. While an owner cannot be forced to purchase insurance, it is in their best interest to do so.The Association's master insurance policy will cover restoring a unit to its original status plus cover any improvements made by the owner. You should have loss assessment coverage equal to or greater than the association's master policy deductible that is currently $5000. The new state regulations allow the association to bill the unit owner for the $5000 deductible. The unit owner should purchase insurance to cover: 1. Personal Contents i.e. clothes, jewelry, furniture, electronics, etc. The Association's policy does not cover replacing personal belongings. 2. Displacement - Should the owner (not tenant) be displaced during the rehab of the unit , they will need compensation for lodging and the moving and storage of their possessions while the unit is worked on. There is always a time limit placed on this type of policy. An example of this would be if your wood floors were ruined by flooding water and needed to be torn up, replaced and sealed. 3. HO-6 Coverage This covers the structure. It should be at least the amount of the Associations deductible. If the Association passes the deductable onto the home owner, HO-6 coverage takes care of it. It you cause damage to another unit, you may be responsible for the Association's deductible on that unit even though your own unit did not sustain $5000 worth of damages. Please talk to your insurance agent to make sure you understand your HO-6 coverage. Return to Index • 3 Keys - exterior, unit, storageExterior keys provide access to the exterior doors of both buildings, the garage, the exercise room, library, storage rooms and the pool enclosure. The board changes the exterior locks and distributes new keys if unauthorized persons are found to using exterior keys.Unit keys are provided to each unit owner. It is a policy of Hampshire House for the Maintenance Staff to have a master key for all units. This is done to allow quick entry in the event of a 911 emergency or signs of smoke or water damage. Residents must request a unit lock change from the association. Several years ago, lock and key sets for storage bins were distributed to allow staff to have master key access in case of fire or pipe leaks. Many of these locks have been lost over the years. In an emergency, the staff may need to cut an owner's bin lock if they cannot reach the owner. Association bin lock sets should be returned to the staff if you move. No additional locks can be installed on the unit door. Doors that are drilled for an additional lock will have to be replaced to restore the door to fire code. This includes chain locks, slide bolts, etc. The condo door and frame are steel and the steel dead bolt inserts into this frame making it secure. These dead bolts cannot be kicked open. Owner added locks have caused delays in health emergencies in the past. The door closer on your unit door is also part of the fire code and should not be removed, though they may be painted. In a fire, door closers prevent smoke and fire from spreading to additional units as occupants flee. Return to Index • LaundriesEach building has its own laundry room with five washers and five dryers. All the washers and dryers were installed new in fall of 2011. The laundry rooms also have tables for folding and a seating area. Although washers only average a few loads a day, they are used more often during the weekend. The Association asks that only two machines per unit be used at one time. Washers are for the use of Hampshire House residents only.A machine in the laundry vends cards you can load with money to operate the washers and dryers. Malfunctioning cards can have their credit refunded by contacting the laundry maintenance company. Heavy, greasy stains should be washed out in the sink before adding the item to a washer. If a load is heavily soiled, please check the washer drum with a piece of paper towel to make sure you have not left a residue that can damage the next load. If so, rerun the washer on hot water. Remember to empty pockets of items (sharps, lipsticks, cranyons, chewing gum, etc.) that might damage your load and subsequent wash loads. Washers are designed for regular or HE (high efficiency) detergents. Washers have settings for heavily soiled clothing, regular washes and small loads. To add bleach or stain remover to a load, start the washer empty and let it fill to 2 to 3 inches of water. Add the bleach or stain remover to the water and then add the clothing. While additive dispensers were convienent in our old washers, they tended to become caked and mold. Dryers are timed for one hour and the timer does not stop when the door is opened. If you accidentally open someone else's dryer while it is running please restart the machine. Additional ten minute intervals can be added to the drying time by reinserting your card. Return to Index • LibraryThere is a library/card room located in the lobby of 887 Farmington Ave. Please feel free to borrow and donate books in our library.Return to Index • Lost and FoundOur building superintendent maintains a lost and found box for items left behind in common areas. Residents also sometime leave found objects on the console table in the mailrooms.Return to Index • Mail and Other Delivery ServicesEach building has its own mail room. Keys for the mail boxes are provided by the mail carrier. US Postal Service package mail is left by the carrier in the mail room and is delivered by the staff to your door.The staff will sign for packages from UPS and FedX if you are not home and deliver them to your door. Staff prefer to slip your signed packages just inside your door if you are not home because they have taken responsibility to see them delivered, but will leave them in the hall if you insist. Return to Index • Moving Truck NotificationThe association will reserve parking space for your moving truck and give you use of the rear elevator for your move. Please contact the building superintendent before you sign a contract with a moving company to prevent multiple moves on the same day. Any damage caused to common property during a move is the responsibility of the unit owner.Return to Index • Newspaper DeliveriesThe Hartford Courant is delivered to the unit door of subscribers. Other papers, such as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, are left on the outer lobby desk. Our staff will deliver your paper from the lobby to your door if you alert them of your subscription.Return to Index • Parking Tips and Winter Snow RemovalHampshire House parking spaces are deeded separately from the unit deeds. Usually the condominium units are sold with one or two numbered spaces. Garage and deck spaces can be sold separate of a unit sale and occasionally change hands among owners. Spaces may also be rented from an owner who does not need it or is away for the winter. These are private transaction that do not involve the association. Spaces may not be sold to someone who is not a unit owner. Only Hampshire House residents may use the Association parking areas.Please report your vehicle's color, make, model and license plate number to the staff when you move in or change cars. The building superintendent has decals to identify residents' vehicles. Please put your sticker on the driver side of the rear window. The association reluctantly tows unidentified cars left in numbered spaces or short term parking if the driver cannot be easily located to move the vehicle. When parking areas need to be plowed, the staff will alert residents when they need to move their cars. Timing of the private plow is often beyond the staff's control. The West Hartford town plows frequently push snow into the entrances of our driveways. Many staff hours of hard work go into moving snow each winter. Please cooperate in snow emergencies so the process can be done as quickly as possible. The short term parking between the buildings is for everyone's convenience. No one wants to come home with groceries and find no space to unload. Please unload your car and repark it as soon as possible. Cars should not be left in the short term parking overnight. There are not enough spaces to permit visitor parking in the short term spaces. If you have a contractor who will need to use the short term space, please let the staff know. During the day and evening visitor parking is usually available on Farmington Avenue and Outlook Drive. The police will ticket cars left on West Hartford streets overnight. Call the West Hartford police station at 860-523-5203 and your guest may be granted permission to park on the street overnight. Return to Index • Phone NumbersJim Karam, Bulding Superintendent 860-233-1247G & W Management 860-548-9773 Viking Electric 860-666-5433 Return to Index • PoolIn summer the pool is the favorite place for most of our residents, but people have different ideas of how they want to enjoy their pool. Some people want quiet and some want music. Some people want to enjoy a cigar stretched out on a lounge chair and some want it to be a smoke free area. Some people want to eat a sandwich while dangling their legs in the water and some think that is unsanitary. Some people want to have all their friends over for a dip and others do not want non-residents to use the pool.The pool rules try to strike a balance between the enviornment you would find in a library and the environment you would find at your local pub. It is impossible to please everyone, but we do have to please the public health department. You can find the pool rules in the sections of the website devoted to Rules. A few years ago our pool became popular with many people who did not live at Hampshire House and were not guests of a resident. The Board of Directors hired someone to check people at the door and ask their unit number. Within two weeks the problem was under control and the door check was discontinued. If you see someone at the pool that you suspect does not live at Hampshire House, please report the incident to a staff member. Return to Index • Plumbing LeaksLeaking water can be an annoying, uninvited guest. All leaks such as toilet, shower and all faucets in a unit are the responsibility of the unit owner. All leaks must be addressed immediately to avoid unnecessary water usage and damage. Bath and shower areas must be maintained by proper grouting and caulking on a periodic basis. Even little leaks can cause mold problems behind walls and beneath a tub. Damage to common areas or other units caused by leaks will be repaired and the cost billed back to the unit owner's common charge account.The best defense against leaks is preventive measures. Repair or replace aging faucets and check cutoff valves to make sure they will stop water flow in an emergency. Promptly repair any signs of dripping below bathroom and kitchen sinks rather than just putting a bowl to catch a drip until you can get to it. Report any signs of a leak on your tub or shower ceiling to the maintenance staff immediately so they may check plumbing above your unit. When it comes to plumbing, an ounce of prevention can be worth gallons of leaking water. Hampshire House maintenance staff will give you a quote on simple plumbing jobs that may be significantly lower than an outside plumber. Return to Index • Renovations and Repair of UnitWhen hiring someone to work on your unit, please contact the building superintendent BEFORE starting work. The Association requires contractors to submit proof of license and insurance to protect Hampshire House from law suits. Owners may not alter supporting structural elements of the building.Often our staff can perform minor repairs such as plumbing, hanging a mirror, installing curtain rods, etc. for at a lower cost than hiring an outside contractor. Please see the building superintendent if you would like an estimate on a job. Return to Index •Resident InformationNew residents are asked to complete the Resident Information Form and give it to the building superintendent. This will allow us to contact you and to indentify your vehicles.Return to Index • Shopping CarriagesThe Association provides shopping carriages at the rear entrance of each building for the convenience of residents taking groceries and other items up to their unit. You are asked not to use the carts for laundry because the metal mesh of the carts will not contain detergent and bleach spills on the hallway carpets, not to mention the use of the same cart for food and dirty laundry. Please do not leave the carriages in the hallways as this is a violation of the local fire code. Carriages should be returned to the underneath the stairwell at the rear entrance.Return to Index • Storage BinsEach building has a ground floor storage room divided into individual bins assigned to units. See above section on Keys. There is no additional charge for a unit's storage bin.State Fire Code dictates that items cannot be placed within 18 inches of the sprinkler heads. Not every bin has a sprinkler head and sprinklers must be able to spray into adjacent bins. Return to Index • Steam ShowersWhen the building was designed, each unit had a steam outlet in one of the bathtubs that was activated by a switch on the wall. Steam showers quickly went out of fashion but some of our unit owners have not removed these appliances which are located in the closet adjacent to the bathroom.Even if not used, the water sitting in the steam unit causes rot and may leak into items in your closet. After many incidents of water damage, the condominium association recommends removal of these units. To remove the unit, the water pipe is cut and soldered closed and the electrical wires properly disconnected. Our maintenance staff will do the job for a $60.00 fee. If you have a steam unit you would like to have removed, please contact the building superintendent. Return to Index • Suggestions and CommentsAll residents are invited to speak during the open comment session held at the beginning of each board meeting. Mail can be directed to the Hampshire House Board of Directors, 893 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06119.The Hampshire House Website is published by the Association's Board of Directors. For suggestions on this website please contact the head of the Website Committee, Ron Pape or committee members Heidi Samokar or Jan Tanner. For technical difficulties with the website being unavailable or malfunctioning, please contact Jan Tanner in 887 3H. Return to Index • Trash Chutes, Dumpsters and RecyclingThere are three large dumpsters behind the building at 893 Farmington Ave. Two are for general household trash and the third is a recycling dumpster for glass bottles, jars and cans as well as plastic with recycling triangles with a 1, 2 or 3. Paper grocery bags, newspapers, magazines, junk mail and cardboard may also be recycled in this dumpster. Please close the sliding panels on the dumpsters to discourage animals from getting into the trash.Many residents have a habit of dumping their trash in the dumpsters daily on the way to the parking deck or garage. Others prefer to put their trash down the chutes. Trash put down the chutes should be placed in a securely tied plastic bag. There is a trash compactor at the base of each chute. Each of these $8000 machines can be damaged if the wrong items are thrown down the chutes. The following SHOULD NOT be thrown down the trach chutes: plastic milk cartons plastic botttles glass items metal cans magazines and newspapers wire clothes hangers The above items should be placed on the floor of the trash chute closet for recycling. Refundable cans and bottles can also be left in the chute closets and they will be returned to the store. Food cans, bottles and jars should be rinsed before being placed in the trash chute closets to prevent insect infestations. Please leave stacks of newspapers and magazines in paper grocery bags for disposal. Human and animal waste incuding diapers, syringes, Depends and litter must not be sent down the trash chutes. This rule provides a healthier work environment for our staff who maintain the trash compactors. In particular, cat litter in plastic bags tends to explode on impact and create a terrible mess in the trash rooms. If you have an item too large to fit through the side door of a dumpster, contact one of the staff and they will unlock the lid of the dumpster for you. If you have a very large piece of furniture or appliance for trash, please call the West Hartford trash removal service (Paine's Recycling & Rubbish Removal, 860-844-3000) and arrange for a permit and pickup. Return to Index • Wheelchair AccessibilityBuilding 887 has a ramp at the front entrance. Building 893 has a ground level entrance in the rear with a short step.Return to Index |