It's a date! 17th March 2014

 

Dear all,

 

You should by now each have received a letter from DM Hall (dated 3 Feb 2014) outlining some of the preparations we are required to attend to before our project finally gets started.  One of the most important of these will be for us to each contact our respective insurers to inform them of the work to be carried out and giving the dates.  (A separate letter from DM Hall will have been included to make it easy for you to simply send it on.) 

 

The letter also includes an outline timescale that confirms: 

• Proposed start date for erection of scaffolding  - 17th March 2014
• Proposed start date for works to commence - 24th March 2014
• Envisaged completion date - 16th May 2014

Please note that access to properties will be required by the contractors (James Breck) to make sure that the chimneys are appropriately blocked up etc.  This is to avoid any excessive soot coming in to our homes, although we must all be prepared for there to be at least some dust.  The letter also gives some guidance on what we can each be doing to seal window frames, and check that they all have locks fitted.

Access is likely to be required in the first week, i.e. week commencing 17th March 2014, so please be prepared to make suitable arrangements for this.

 

The work will generally take place between 0800 and 1630hrs, Monday to Friday, although there may be a requirement for a bit of Saturday work.


We've also been advised that as TV aerials and satellite dishes may have to be moved, this might mean a slight disruption to reception, so you have been warned!  This should be minimal and they will all be put back afterwards.


Key contacts are all included in the letter. 


If you are the owner, please make sure that your tenants are informed of all this.  We'll aim to keep you posted here, and if anyone has any other questions, please contact us on bsora@hotmail.com.  


Kind regards,


BSORA Committee

 

 

 

AGM to be held 5pm Sunday 2nd February 2014

I'm sure you will all be as pleased as I am to know that James Breck Ltd. have finally been instructed by DM Hall (on our behalf) to carry out the repair works as scoped in the original survey carried out on the building in November 2011.


This is a significant milestone, and a great way to start the new year.  Further information will be coming shortly, and it is hoped that within the next week or so we may even have a schedule of dates to work to. 


As we move into this new phase, there is plenty to discuss and we want you to feel involved so please join us at our next meeting, which shall also be our second Annual General Meeting. 


This will be held at 5pm on Sunday 2 February 2014, in the lounge at Number 11 Brunswick Street (venue still to be confirmed).


Please rsvp to bsora@hotmail.co.uk so that we can anticipate the numbers accordingly.


In the meantime, as a committee we would be grateful if you would please take a moment to provide some feedback and comment using the short survey you will find at this link.  (Please note that this survey will close on Friday 31 Jan 2014 to enable the feedback to be collated and presented on Sunday 2 Feb 2014).




Thanks for your input and we look forward to seeing you,


Catriona
for
BSORA

ITV's "Tonight Programme": Do You Know Your Neighbours?

Worth a watch:


Jonathan Maitland looks back at a golden age of neighbourliness - and tries to bring an entire street together to celebrate their community for the very first time.

Originally screened at 7:30pm, Thursday 2 January 2014 Duration: 29 minutes

But still available for a while on itvplayer here:

https://www.itv.com/itvplayer/tonight/series-19/episode-4-do-you-know-your-neighbours-tonight




Catriona

Project Progress and Looking Ahead

Dear all,

Please find here the meeting notes from our last meeting which was held at 46 Brunswick Street on 24 November 2013.  Many thanks to all who attended.

It is with enormous relief and pleasure that I am finally able to report that we are now in a position to be able to appoint the contractors, James Breck and Sons. 

Realistically, of course, this will now happen in the New Year.  Nevertheless, allowing for time to obtain the relevant permits etc, we might anticipate having the scaffolding erected by February/March 2014 (weather dependent, of course).

This means that we can start 2014 knowing that we have made a significant step forward, and that all our efforts over the past few years are coming to fruition.

Due credit must be paid to Greig Adams of DM Hall, whose support has been -  and continues to be  - enormously appreciated.

Our next meeting will be our AGM, and this will be held at 5pm on either Sunday 26 January 2014 or 2 February 2014, subject to a suitable venue - please watch this space!

In the meantime, on behalf of all the committee, I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a very Happy (and watertight) 2014.

Kind regards,

Catriona
for
BSORA





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Reminder - Meeting Sunday 24th November 2013

Dear all,

 

Just to remind you that our next meeting will take place this Sunday 24th at 5pm.

 

As the hotel is unable to accommodate us this time round, I shall confirm the venue once I know the anticipated numbers - so please rsvp to bsora@hotmail.co.uk -  ideally with a mobile phone number!  (Joseph and Gavin, I know you already confirmed thanks).

 

The agenda, very roughly, shall be:

• Approve minutes from last time (September - on blog)
• Update on current status of the maintenance project
• Update on communication from Bank of Scotland
• Discuss plans for January AGM and possible amendment to our constitution
• Consider longer term planning for subsequent smaller projects
• AOB

As usual, we shall aim to keep to 1 hour, but if anyone has anything else they'd like to add to that please let me know asap.

 

Kind regards and look forward to seeing you,

 

Catriona

for

BSORA

The Reality of More Leaks...

.. and as if a timely reminder were ever required, as the update was just being posted, the rain is pouring into this property - with more rain forecast - reinforcing yet again how vital this work is if further damage to our building is to be avoided.

Meeting Notes and Update

Dear all,

Since our last meeting on 22 September 2013 (notes here), great progress has been made and we would like to thank you for your co-operation in getting your signed mandates back to DM Hall and payments lodged into the account.

At this stage, although we are now very close, we are still awaiting the confirmed return of just one or two more mandates and payments.  The impact of this is that we are regrettably unable to instruct the contractors just yet to start work, due to the risk that the work would not be completed before the Christmas holidays.

Every effort is continuing, however, to be made to secure these final elements so that we can proceed with this long overdue maintenance as soon as possible in the new year.  (Fingers crossed for a dry winter!)

Our next meeting is therefore proposed for 5pm on 24 November 2013, by which time we hope to be able to confirm a start date and schedule for the work.  Please rsvp your attendance here.

In the meantime, if there are any questions that have not yet been answered elsewhere on this site, please contact bsora@hotmail.co.uk.

Kind regards,

BSORA Committee