Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Awww Rats!!!

The state of the recycling area in the garage is pretty bad. Trash can regularly be seen overflowing from the single dumpster allocated for our recycling. Often the materials fill the dumpster, and also the small gray cart that is used for overflow. Often, trash is stacked on the floor surrounding the dumpster.
This will eventually lead to rats in the building. The rat population in DC is well known and it's probably not a good idea to tempt fate this way. When the garage door is often left open for large stretches of time it allows easy entrance for all types of critters.
Perhaps it's time for a second dumpster?

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

This is what the Mayor's office and DDOT have communicated to me...

Thank you for contacting the Executive Office of the Mayor regarding your concerns about the lack of Residential Permit Parking (RPP) near your home at 70 I Street SE. Although there is no RPP parking on this street, we are pleased to report that the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is reviewing the parking policies in this area.

For further questions regarding this issue, please contact Damon Harvey, Transportation Research & Technical Development Manager, at 202-671-0493 or at Damon.Harvey@dc.gov.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Dust Dilema

Proposed post question from Nimrod,
 
The question is one about dust.  I have an unusual amount of dust in my small one-bedroom apartment.  At times I can write my name in the dust on my end tables.  I have been doing some things to combat this and I still have a great deal of dust. 
 
I try to dust and vacuum every week. When I first moved in and for at least 8 months my vacuum canister  would completely fill up with dust and carpet fibers every time I vacuumed.  I now get about a half full canister per vacuum.
  
I change my furnace filter regularly and use a good hypoallergenic one instead of the cheap fiberglass ones the building folks use. 
 
In addition I only run the heating and cooling briefly in the morning and evening and shut it off during the day and night.  I live alone and leave for days and sometimes weeks at a time with the heating and cooling off.  I never open a window and I never drag dirt or dust into the apartment. I do not have any pets. 
 
I have checked out the dryer and it is vented properly and that little room is the most dust free room in the apartment.  
 
The only explanation for the incredible amounts of dust is that the building air intake is bringing it in (perhaps laced with the fine power plant emmitients next door) and/or the very cheap carpet is creating the dust situation.
 
Anyone else having an issue with large amounts of dust? 
 
Nimrod    

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

From a reader...

There was a ton of dog piss in on one of the back elevators last night. It was there when I went down to the garage at 9pm and it was still there when I got home around 11:30.

Thank you irresponsible pet owner! I appreciate an unsanitary and smelly elevator!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Does any one know...

...what the fire alarm was about?

A post request from a tenant - Holiday Breakfast



















A big "thank you" to Melanie, Michelle, Floyd, and the rest of the JCY staff for a beautiful holiday breakfast this morning.  For those of you that missed it, you should make sure to stop by events in the future.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Tenant Meeting Recap

Several things came out of the tenants' meeting last week.  In general, we really focused on areas in which we can work with management to accomplish things that would be to everyone's benefit.
 
We looked at how to improve communication.  Management is working on getting approval to implement an electronic communication system that will help with communication from management to the tenants.  In addition, the tenant community is looking at creating a tenant association site - more news on that later.
 
We are interested in working together with management to pursue zoned parking for the neighborhood.  Some of our folks went to talk to some or our Axiom neighbors about parking this week, and we're waiting for additional information from them.  We'll let you know when we have it.
 
We're looking at having Melanie and our new ANC representative at a tenants' meeting in January.  To support that discussion, we're going to come up with some rules of engagement for these meetings.
 
That's all for now!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Is it 1984 already?

Since the quiet installation of cameras in the elevator has put a crimp in some of my best semi-private digging and scratching, I began wondering how many other cameras have been placed around the building?

I'm not complaining mind you, I'm Just...Curious.

Would it hurt you?

A reader recently pointed out something that has perplexed me for some time now. We all live in this building together and, while I don't think it should be policy (yet), it might be nice if we all got in the habit of smiling at one another when we meet.

I realize that some of us might have had a rough day, perhaps you're shy or new to this city and you're just finding your way, hell, maybe you're just a creep, but would it hurt you to take a moment to greet your neighbor with a smile once in a while?

It's just rude to act as if the person standing 18 inches from you doesn't exist. Burying yourself in your phone or i-pod is equally rude. Dude, do you really need to strap your pod on for the ride from the lobby to your floor? Excuse me Miss, I realize that you're the Queen of Tweets, but must you let the world know about your new ladybug boots at this very moment?

Maybe some of you folks are just plain ignorant or anti-social, and in a building of this size, heck we may even have one or two serial killers in the bunch...for those of you that fall into those categories...carry on...but for the rest of you, when you see a fellow resident walking down the hall, at the elevator, or in the garage, why not give them a pleasant, non-mental patient smile. You may be pleasantly surprised. You may even make someones day!

And price is no object!

Hey folks. Turn the TV's in the gym off after you finish using them. It's routine for people to turn them on and just walk away when they're finished exercising. This is neither eco-friendly, nor economical...or don't you care?

Monday, December 6, 2010

Posting of the Temporary Visitor Policy


Thanks to Melanie for forwarding this.
 
December 3, 2010 - We wanted to post this notice as a reminder for the holiday season. We are sure many of you will be expecting guest and wanted to make sure you have made appropriate plans, for spare keys, sign in, etc. If you would like a copy, you can pick one up at the front desk.

May 25, 2010

Dear Residents:
We appreciate your cooperation with the recent modifications made in regards to the Visitor Policy for Jefferson at Capitol Yards.

Your feedback is also appreciated.  We are modifying the Visitor Policy based on the responses and suggestions presented to us.  One of the main concerns we received from you are the guidelines regarding temporary/visiting guests.  With much thought and consideration to how these changes could be made to benefit our residents, guests and the best interests of the property, the following modifications will be made effective immediately:

  • When guests are visiting for a time period that is planned to exceed 24 hours, modifications to the existing visitor policy will be made as indicated below.  This would apply to your out of town guests, house sitters, etc.
  • Temporary guests may stay up to 7 consecutive days & may not exceed 8 consecutive days or 16 days
  • per calendar month (per lease contract).  If it is necessary to exceed stay, resident must add guest as an occupant to the lease contract (if allowable per occupancy limits).
  • Temporary guests may check in with the Front Desk if the resident is not home only if the resident has left a “Temporary Resident Disclosure Form” completed and signed by the resident prior to arrival.  (Form will be available in Management Office). 
  •  Temporary guests will need to sign in and show ID on initial visit.  After the initial sign in during the stay period, the visitor will continue to sign in but will not need to show ID or have resident present upon re-entry to the building.
  • Resident must notify management office of temporary visitor at least 24 hours prior to guest arrival. 
  •  Temporary guests will be given a Visitor Pass Tag that will be attached to a spare key.  The spare key will expire on the day identified by the resident and approved by management.  Resident is required to provide a $50 deposit for each key.  A maximum of 3 spare keys will be allowed to be held by guests of any one unit at any given time.  A deposit will be required on each key.  The deposit will be forfeited if the key is not returned to the front desk by the resident.


Keep in mind that residents are still required to be with guests in all amenity and common areas, regardless of any policy modification.  Policies are subject to change.  Please also keep in mind that the actions of your guests are your responsibility.  If you have any questions regarding this Visitor Policy, please contact the management office at 202.479.4570 or email jcy@greystar.com.  We appreciate your cooperation.
Thank you,
Jefferson at Capitol Yards Management

A request of management

Melanie, or other leasing personnel.
May I request that you send the text for the revised holiday visitor policy so that I can post it here.
Thanks.
TJ

A tenant post request

We have noticed that since the cold weather has arrived for good, a hot shower is nearly impossible.  You can take a cool/luke warm shower with adequate pressure, but the second you turn the knob to increase the heat, the pressure drops noticeably and substantially. It's better than a trickle, but not by much, and it's certainly not strong enough to rinse out shampoo/conditioner in a hurry.  Aside from a less pleasant shower, the showers in our apartment are now longer if we want them warm/hot.  This is upsetting because it directly impacts our water bill from a financial perspective and our usage from an environmental perspective.  Has anyone inquired about this sacrifice (pressure for warmth)?  Has management been responsive?  Any recommendations on do-it-yourself fixes?  Can anything be done?

A tenant has a question

....can you help him out?
My question is: "My lease is about up.  My first year I got free parking and 3 months free rent.  What can I expect for my renewal?  Do the leasing agents have any ability to negotiate a lease or do they simply pass along corporate dictates?"

Saturday, December 4, 2010

ALSO a very important notice regarding parking.

On Friday evening we all received notice that our cars needed to be out of the garage on Monday through Friday for "scheduled" maintenance.

If maintenance to the garage had been "scheduled" then why so little notice? This couldn't have been a spur of the moment decision. Could it? Didn't management consider this maintenance ahead of Friday? This seems so poorly "scheduled."

I think this will inconvenience a good number of residents. Please management, couldn't you try a little harder?

Friday, December 3, 2010

A Post Request from a Resident

I wanted to write to share my thoughts with you on the current visitor ID policy.  I was moved to do so by a recent comment on this blog that the ID policy is a “pain in the ass,” but that "policy is policy."  I cannot argue with this statement.  But an equally true statement is that “policy is not law,” and it stands to reason that there must be some bounds on management’s ability to unilaterally impose new policies.

As I understand it, and as it has been explained to me by more than one attorney, while management does have some authority to enact and enforce community rules, that authority is not unlimited.  We each have a contract (lease) with management, and that contract lays out the threshold community rules must meet to be binding on tenants.  Assuming your lease reads the same as mine, unilateral changes to community rules 1) must be reasonable, 2) must be non-discriminatory, and 3) must not substantially alter the arrangement between the leaseholder and management.  A few brief notes on each point:

1) While there is no universal definition of reasonableness, I would suggest that, at minimum, a “reasonable” policy must a) have a substantial likelihood of achieving its stated objectives and b) have benefits that outweigh the costs.  Since a person with any imagination whatsoever could easily get into the building without showing ID, I don't think it can be argued that the policy even achieves the objective of requiring visitors to show ID, much less any objective related to building security.  Furthermore, many seem to agree that the costs are too onerous for residents to justify any marginal benefit.  For these reasons I do not believe the policy qualifies as reasonable under this definition. 

2) Discrimination may be defined as "the granting of particular privileges to a class arbitrarily designated from a sizable number of persons, where no reasonable distinction exists between the favored and disfavored classes.”  Even when the policy is enforced by the concierge, it has been well documented that guests coming in through the parking garage are effectively exempted from the ID policy.  In this context, then, the “favored class” are those who are able to get a parking space in the building, and the “disfavored class” are those who are not.  I do not think possession of a parking pass is a “reasonable distinction” that should dictate whether or not your guests should have to show ID, do you?

3) Finally, I would argue that the ID policy does substantially alter the arrangement I have with management because it asserts that they have the unqualified right to monitor, register, and even restrict the guests I bring into my home without any reasonable basis to do so.  While I respect those of you who do not find it to be invasive, offensive, or embarrassing, this policy is a substantial departure from what is required at every other apartment building I have ever lived in, visited, or even heard of. Management’s request that I comply with this policy is a request for a substantial change in the arrangement I have with them as defined by my lease, and I honestly would not have signed any lease which included this policy as one of its terms.

One final note: for those of you who still question whether we are bound to comply with this policy under the terms of our leases, consider the fact that management too seems to believe that we are not.  Why else would they ask residents to sign a separate form acknowledging and agreeing to abide by the visitor ID policy?

Holiday Thank You

This was brought up by another tenant a short while ago, but I'll bring it up again.

Is there any interest in getting together to purchase a gift card for some of the building cleaning &  maintenance staff? We would need  a safe secure way to collect the money. Perhaps a Target or Safeway gift card would be appreciated at this time of year. Perhaps there is an online method we could set up with some vendor.

What do you think?

BTW, does anyone know the names of the maintenance and cleaning staff. Melena is the cleaning woman, I know that much. I would love to have a picture of each one to post on the blog and to say thank you, but for obvious reasons I can't take the photo.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

What Zone Are We?

I think it's high time that we/I make a concerted effort to get to the bottom of the parking permit zoning issue. I think I'll put this on my New Years resolution "to-do" list.  I wrote the Mayor about it nearly a month ago and got no lame-duck answer. Perhaps I'll try again.

I think that it is only fair that we be able to park on the streets in our own neighborhood.

Love that Dirty Water

Lead test results for DC's ward 6
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/specials/water/leadmap/Ward6/

Frankly, as a long time resident, I drink as little of this stuff as I can.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Tenant Meeting Tonight, 7:00pm

The second meeting of Jefferson tenants takes place tonight and your participation is requested. Certainly, bring your concerns, but also bring your solutions and your determination to not let your voice be ignored by the management of this building. We would like to keep the conversation directed and on point. I'm told the last meeting went very well and was a cordial affair between a friendly group of about a dozen residents, but we'd like a lot more tonight.

We continue to try to include Melanie into this dynamic, but have been, thus far, rejected. Perhaps she'll join us soon and find out that we're reasonable people trying to make our living experience more enjoyable and not some angry mob. It's really quite the opposite.

There are also links to the management of Greystar on this blog and some tenants have already contacted them. If our concerns continue to go unanswered by the rental office, I'm sure that Greystar will not want to continue to hear a pattern of complaints from its paying customers. I'm also sure that they are aware of this blog as well.

It's December 1st and it's becoming winter. The job market has hardly been worse in a long time. Certainly no one wants to find themselves looking for a new job in this climate!
-TJ


Please attend!!
December 1, 2010
7:00pm
Pub room at the Jefferson