Blog

As the colors of autumn have lit up the Catskills, we have formally bid farewell to the summer of 2024. For RRVA that means some unseen albeit intense maintenance tasks. This post is intended to provide some insight as to the work being done.

The Pool

While our pool formally closed shortly after Labor Day, the maintenance crew has been working to prepare it for the winter, and ensure that it will be in working order for us come the summer of 2025. From the machine room and solar heaters, to the pool itself, the task is complex! One noteworthy item for this year was the replacement of the pool cover. Our previous pool cover lasted over 10 years, and fell apart during its removal this past Spring. Maria, our Office Manager took advantage of the summer months to shop around and source a replacement pool cover, which arrived on time and in time for the fall. This bespoke pool cover is a requirement for both the safety and the protection of the pool. Weighing in at approximately 5,000 pounds, our maintenance crew transported and installed this massive cover as they finalized the pool’s seasonal shut-down. This new cover’s substantial price tag was an unexpected expense that our Treasurer and Board President worked hard to fit into our budget.

Roads

You may have noticed a backhoe moving around the grounds, moving earth along the sides of our roads. This is critical to ensure proper drainage: water must flow off the roads and into the ditches along the sides of all roads. Over time, the shape of the land will change. Torrential rain like we had back in August can accelerate the way Mother Nature reshapes the land. Therefore, this sort of work must be done to ensure the safety of our roads: as Winter approaches, it is essential that water drains off of the roads. If water is allowed to pool and freeze, our roads will become unusable.

Dog Run

The fence and gate of the dog run require repair, including reinstalling posts and replacing the latch on the gate. Management has chosen to properly repair the fencing rather than a quick fix, and the RRVA Maintenance Crew will tackle this task as soon as the road maintenance is complete.

If you have enjoyed using the pool this Summer, please take a moment to thank Anthony, in our RRVA maintenance crew. He was on-site, testing, and adding chemicals three times a day, every day since the pool opened in the Spring. Anthony was also here managing the pool on Labor Day, ironically. This was an enormous undertaking, and as always he did a stellar job maintaining the water quality and even receiving the compliments of the NY State Department Of Health inspector (last year.)

Thank you Greg Gomez for this poolside photo, on the last day before the pool is shut down for the summer 2024.

Expected power outage related to upgrades on Tuesday September 10, 2024.

As things go according to plan, we will have a short power interruption for 260 & 270 Pines Dr. and then 340 Pines Dr. They both should be less than an hour each. If we are given a time table it will be communicated to you as well.

Sincerely,
RRVA Management

Northeastern (NYSEG contractor) was pulled off the job at RRVA to handle an emergency in Liberty NY. They are back today, and are almost finished trenching and pulling conductors through the pipe. 

Outages will begin next week for the clusters and water treatment plant. 

Mike for Northeast will be in touch with Denver Water regarding outages, and he will let us know which cluster will lose power next week.

Greg
RRVA Board Of Directors

Fellow Residents:

The summer months bring a surge of activity to our community for adults and children alike.  It is also a time to catch up on a long list of maintenance items that accumulate during our harsh winters.

As you know, we recently revamped our website and our form submission process; this has ensured clarity and, most importantly, transparency as maintenance requests are submitted.  Once received, Maria the property manager, and Anthony the maintenance manager sort requests into urgent and non-urgent matters. The definition of something urgent is anything that poses a health and safety risk, or an active leak.  

Expectedly, urgent matters are immediately prioritized, and other maintenance items remain in the queue.

We are actively working on two unexpected issues.  First, many units are reaching a generational need for deck, house, and chimney siding replacement.  The old pine siding has rotted in many places and rather than replace it with the same material, we are updating the pine with T1-11 Siding.  This material is more durable, will last longer, and will require less frequent painting.  You may have noticed it appearing on some of our homes, as it is a slightly different color from our Roxbury Run Yellow.  We are planning to have all the new T1-11 siding in our community painted during our fall painting cycle.  Once we are finished with roof replacements, we will aggressively start replacing the old pine siding, and you will see a lot more T1-11 everywhere.

Secondly, if you have an old maintenance request that dates back to more than a year ago and has not been addressed, please re-submit your request: the office and our maintenance crew have implemented a tracking system that will no longer allow requests to get lost, and your assistance here will be enormously helpful.  Moments after you submit the form, you should immediately receive a confirmation email with a copy of your maintenance request.  Also, if you have photographs that can help us see and identify the issue, please open the confirmation email and “Reply-To All”, attach a photo or two, and send.  By providing us with photos, it will help us enormously.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our maintenance and office staff for their non-stop work this summer, and to thank you for your support.  Lastly, as a quick reminder, if you see our maintenance crew or any outside contractors at work operating machinery, or on a ladder, on a roof, or on scaffolding, please be sure to keep back, and avoid distracting them. While they appreciate being greeted, their safety and yours is the priority.

Sincerely,
RRVA Board Of Directors