I would like to thank the trustees who made themselves available for this year’s committee. They did so knowing that it is a working committee and what was expected of them. The year was quite a full year. Our first task was to ensure that the installation of the new lift went as smoothly as possible and without too much inconvenience to our occupiers. The installation of both lifts went smoothly with lift “one” being handed over early, as, with lift “two” being handed over a few weeks ahead of schedule. We celebrated the official handover with a ribbon cutting on the 8th of June

So that you are all aware, the passenger lift is, the same size as the lifts that were removed but the service was made taller, to accommodate larger furniture. A great deal of work was involved in creating a 10-year revolving maintenance plan to conform to the new regulations. This is now in place. The water situation in the Western Cape became critical with the planed turn off of water and standpipes being made available at water collection points. We made plans and installed a water tank in the garden being feed by a well point. This water was for flushing of toilets. We made plans to save the water in the tanks on our roof and to distribute this water to the residents who would not be able to carry water from the collection points back to their flats.

Finally, the rains started and we didn’t need to implement these plans…many thanks to those who had volunteered to assist.

We are moving into the age of Fibre optics…. We have contracted with Cybersmart as our provider and the installation is planned to start at the end of September….Should you require the reticulation to be installed in your flat please see our web page for details Our web page is up and running and up to date with all the Arnhem news.

We have converted one of our storerooms into a bike store (lets encourage cycling). Provided you chain up your bike and have it insured against theft it will be the perfect place to keep it. Please do not use the lifts to take your bike up and down to your flat. Keys are available.

Apart from maintaining the building we are concerned about security and preventing unwanted people entering the building…the lights have been improved and the cameras set. Please do not let anyone into the building as it’s the responsibility of the occupier they are visiting, to let them in and out.

Due to the lack of water we have struggled to keep the garden going but have replaced many plants that can survive with little water.

This coming year we have a few areas that require attention, such as the lift lobby and main entrance plus the passages to each flat.

In finishing… the lifts are a really important part of Arnhem. In the past 3 years we have all, at some time or another, had to walk the fire escape stairs or been trapped in the lifts. The new lifts are a pleasure to use…. I am sure, you would all like to thank the Trustees for ensuring that they were replaced. They all put in a lot of time and effort on your behalf.

Regards

Tony Blackwell

Chairman of Trustees