Crossfield Products (Dex-O-Tex/Miracote) Will Be Closed Friday Feb 26th For Inventory

Crossfield announced this morning that they will be closed for inventory purposes on Friday February 26th.

Here's the press release...

Crossfield Products Corp. warehouse will be closed on Friday February, 26^th. We will return to our regular hours on Monday March 1^st. We ask that you please make a note of this date on your calendar and place your orders in advance to insure that they are shipped on time. There will be no shipping or will call on this day.

RIP Howard Schmidt- Sawyers Building Supply of Santa Maria

I was shocked today to learn of Howard Schmidt's sudden death last month of a heart attack. Sawyers is a small business I like to support and purchase some of my materials from and I'd always gotten along well with Howard.

Can't say I knew him well, but he was a nice guy and the construction community in Santa Maria/San Luis Obispo will certainly miss him.

Howard wasn't much older than I, and I guess his sudden passing should be a warning to us all to get a check up, stay healthy and most of all, appreciate every day that you get on this earth.

RIP Howard.

Deck Expert Mentioned In/Contributes to Discussion on Satellite Dish Issues at Davis-Stirling.com

A couple weeks ago, Davis-Stirling.com's weekly newsletter (subscribe by clicking here) had a question from a reader about satellite dishes being installed on common area elements of an HOA;

SATELLITE DISHES ON
COMMON AREA ROOFS

QUESTION: Civil Code 1376(b)(2) says in part: "...that has a diameter or diagonal measurements of 36 inches or less on a separate interest owned by another." Questions and confusion keep arising on the interpretation of the phrase in bold lettering. We have some condominiums whose balconies cannot receive a satellite signal. The owners of these units want to place dishes on the common area roof. They claim the wording of 1376 allows them to do this as the roof is "a separate interest owned by another." Are they correct?
ANSWER: No, they are not correct. The term “separate interest owned by another” refers to the portion of the project owned exclusively by another member of the association which, in the case of condominium projects, is air space.Civil Code 1351(l)(2)&(f). The portions of the project owned by the association are referred to as “common area.”Civil Code 1351(b). Therefore, Civil Code §1376(b)(2) would not give residents the right to install a satellite dish on a common area roof.

Federal Preemption. Moreover, parts of Civil Code §1376 have been preempted by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (47 USC § §151-615b) and Over-the-Air Reception Devices Rule (OTARD rule) (47 CFR §1.4000), which provides that while owners have a right install satellite dishes on their separate interest or exclusive use common areas (i.e. balconies, patios), they do not have a right to install them on common area roofs.
Roof Damage. Finally, due to possible damage to roofs and potential liability from injuries, most associations do not allow the installation of antennas on common area roofs. A small percentage of our clients allow installation in designated roof areas that have been prepped for antennas so as to avoid damage. Even so, some impose strict restrictions on when and how installations occur, and some require signed releases from owners. NOTE: Such restrictions do not apply to single family homes and do not necessarily apply to townhomes.
Reprinted from
Davis-Stirling.com by Adams Kessler PLC

I sent them a few photo's of botched sat dish installation jobs and made a few comments on the subject, which have been printed in the last newsletter from 2/7/2010. You can read my comments by clicking the link below. Davis-Stirling.com
.
 Condo managers, self managed HOA's, and anyone interested in California condo law would do well to buy the 2010 Bluebook for California condo law. Buy it today from Amazon.com by clicking on the link below.
 2010 Condominium Bluebook for California

From Courthouse News Service-Water Repellant Loses EPA Exemption

WASHINGTON (CN) - The Environmental Protection Agency is requiring premanufacture notice to the agency exemption for certain waterproofing chemicals because the agency believes the polymers may pose a significant health threat. The rule allows other polymers an exemption from the premanufacture notification requirements of the Toxic Substances Control Act.
     For polymers containing as an integral part of their composition, certain perfluoroalkyl moieties consisting of a CF3 or longer chain length, importers and exporters must notify the EPA of their intent to import or export such polymers and must provide their name and address, the intended destination of the chemicals and chemical configuration of the chemicals.
     Perfluoroalkyls provide oil and water repelling qualities and are used in the manufacture of waterproofing materials, stain resistant fabrics and reflective coating in electronic components.Based on current research, the agency has determined that when chemicals containing the perfluoroalkyls degrade, the polymer does not. It remains in the environment and may accumulate, either in fish or other animals which are eaten by humans, at levels that are carcinogenic.

For HOA's-The Regenesis Report February 2010 is now Available

Passing it on from my friends at Regenesis...

The Regenesis Report (National Edition) February 2010 is now available for viewing at www.Regenesis.net

IN THIS EDITION

Carrot or Stick Rules.  Feed them or beat them?
Ask the HOA Expert™.  Another set of intriguing Q&As.
Queue or Merge Management.  Get the urge to merge.
FHA Condominium Loan Guidelines.  Take heed or lose sales.
Dealing with Difficult People.  A classic that still rings true.
Surprise Principle.  Will the surprises be nasty or nice?
High Medical Costs.  A tribute to Monty Python.

ADVERTISERS  The Regenesis Report reaches over 10,000 homeowner association boards and managers nationwide each month.
For advertiser information, see www.regenesis.net/advertise.htm

SELF MANAGED Regenesis.net is specifically designed to assist self managed HOAs with management issues. 
Besides the personalized Ask the HOA Expert™ service, there is a vast number of self-help resources. 
All for only $99/year.  For details, see www.Regenesis.net/SubscriberInformation.htm

 

Why not share The Regenesis Report with someone you love?

Richard L. Thompson
The HOA Expert™
www.Regenesis.net

Sign of the Times, International Builders Show Showcase Home Can't Be Completed Due to Financing

Ouch, the building industry in Vegas is in trouble...

read this article from the Las Vegas Sun

Centerpiece house for builders’ conference a no-show

 

By Buck Wargo (contact), In Business reporter

Fri, Jan 15, 2010 (3 a.m.)

A Las Vegas house has come to epitomize the struggles of the homebuilding industry.
For the first time in the International Builders’ Show’s history, the so-called New American Home, which depicts cutting-edge innovation and technology in the housing industry, won’t be open for tours when the show begins in Las Vegas next week.
In a scenario that’s playing out across the housing industry, the 12,000-square-foot home, a project of Domanico Custom Homes, couldn’t be completed in time because private lenders who were financing the project withdrew funding, said Mark Pursell, a senior vice president with the National Association of Home Builders, the show’s sponsor. The home, which is about 75 percent complete, was sold at auction in December.
It shows the banking industry’s reluctance to lend money for the acquisition, development and construction of homes and why the association has invited 20 financial institutions to the conference to meet with builders looking for funding, Pursell said.
“What happened here is symbolic of what is going on in the industry,” he said. “It is a very difficult environment to finance home construction, especially in Las Vegas, which is, if not the hardest hit market, certainly near the top.”

READ THE REST BY CLICKING HERE TO GO TO THE LAS VEGAS SUN Website