Subject: Re: Vanguard Lofts - Vehicle Break-Ins
From: christian_a_lattimer@bankone.com
Date: Thu Aug 05 2004 - 13:54:31 CDT
Michael,
Thank you for the quick reply. Yes, this is a very frustrating time as
this is the 5th time my vehicle has been vandalized in the city. I was
hopping to avoid (or at least greatly reduce) the problem by purchasing a
secure garage space. What really upsets me is the fact this is going to
cost me over $280 for repairs, and all that was stolen was a $1.50 in
change and a set of jumper cables.
Has anyone considered attaching an alarm or strobe signal device to the
garage door to let residence know when the door is stuck open for
prolonged periods of time? Is this something we could check into?
Thanks,
Christian A. Lattimer
Bank One - Network Engineer
One North Dearborn
Chicago, IL 60602
Phone: 312-407-1333
Pager: 877-412-7720
Email: Christian_A_Lattimer@BankOne.com
Christian A Lattimer
"Michael E. Rutkowski \(First Properties\)"
<michaelrut@firstpropertiesllc.com>
08/05/2004 01:33 PM
Please respond to "Michael E. Rutkowski \(First Properties\)"
To: <dwlezien@firstpropertiesllc.com>,
<vanguard-talk@venus.soci.niu.edu>, <christian_a_lattimer@bankone.com>
cc:
Subject: Re: Vanguard Lofts - Vehicle Break-Ins
Chirstian,
I wanted to respond as Donna is in the field for most of the day today.
See below.
Michael E. Rutkowski
First Properties, LLC
Phone: 312.829.8900
Fax: 312.829.8950
----- Original Message -----
From: <christian_a_lattimer@bankone.com>
To: <dwlezien@firstpropertiesllc.com>; <vanguard-talk@venus.soci.niu.edu>
Cc: <michaelrut@firstpropertiesllc.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 10:18 AM
Subject: Vanguard Lofts - Vehicle Break-Ins
> Donna,
>
> In regards to the recent problems with the garage door being left open
and
> multiple cars being vandalized, I would like to address the following
> questions. On behalf of First Properties, could you please provide
answer
> to the following questions so the residents will have a clear
> understanding of what has transpired this past weekend, and what is
being
> done to remedy the problem.
>
> When was the garage door reported broken?
> Monday morning.
> When was the garage door repaired?
> That same day.
> Why was the garage door broken?
> A part failed? I'm not sure I understand this question.
> How long was the garage door broken before it was restored to normal
> operation?
> Julio discovered the door stuck open Monday morning. We have no idea
how much earlier it actually became stuck.
> Who contacted First Properties to report the problem with the door?
> The building engineer first, and an owner finally did also on Monday,
but Donna doesn't remember who.
> How often does this type of malfunction occur with the overhead garage
> door?
> It's a random event. There was a time when it seemed the door was
breaking down daily, but over the past few years, I would say "maybe" once
a month we have a problem.
> Can the door be manually operated when the automatic door closer is not
> functioning properly? Not easily, and the manual function should only be
used to exit in an emergency. There is a chain to manually pull and crank
the door open. It takes about 15 minutes to open or close it this way, so
that's not somehting that could be done each time someone enters/leaves.
>
> If there is a manual procedure for opening and closing the door, will
the
> residence of Vanguard Lofts be provided with instructions on how to
> operate it incase of another malfunction? Again, there is a chain on the
inside of the door, operation of which should be self explanitory, but I
don't suggest anyone use it.
>
> What was done to repair the door and how much did it cost?
>I don't have this information at the time, but Donna will inform the
Board.
> Will the repairs prevent the same problem from happening again in the
> future?
> Again, I don't know exactly what was done, but that door is open and
closed probably 50 times a day. I can tell you that at some point, the
door will likely malfunction again.
> Why wasn't I contacted when my vehicle was broken into? You asked this
question again below, so see my answer to the next question.
>
> First Properties has my emergency contact information on file.
Apparently
> the break-in happened either Saturday night, or early Sunday morning. I
> found my vehicle with a broken window on Tuesday afternoon around 5pm.
> This means my vehicle was in the garage for three days and I was never
> contacted. Are we not paying the property management to contact us in
> times of emergency? I would have expected someone from First Properties
> to do a walk through of the garage and parking lots once the break-ins
> were reported. It is to my understanding that First Properties has all
> the parking assignments and owner information. We were were informed of
the origianl influx of break-ins, we notified ALL owners, of such, as well
as suggesting ways to prevent your car from being a target. As much as we
would like to be able to serve each individual homeowner on a one-on-one
basis in a situation such as this, the reason we have emergency contact
information is in case of an association-emergency. The management company
cannot keep tabs on individual homeowners personal property, so no, you do
not "pay us for this."
>
> Does First Properties have liability insurance to cover the damage
> occurred to the vehicles? As the vehicle owner, you are responsible for
insuring your vehicle. You do live in a community association, and you do
have a management company, but that doesn't mean that association and/or
the management company assume responsibility for anything that could ever
go wrong, nor does it mean that owners are immune from any misfortune. I
understand how frustrating it is to have your car broken into...I've had 2
cars stolen and no fewer than 6 break-ins or vandalizings (one at
Vanguard, actually) but I don't think there is "blame" to pointed other
than on the individual(s) that did the damage.
>
> The residents of Vanguard Lofts are paying for the property management
> maintenance of the facility and notification in times of an emergency.
Again, this is a misstatement, or perhaps just a misunderstanding of what
emergencies we handle.
It appears there was a breakdown in the system this weekend and it is
costing
> many of us time and money. Thank you in advance for answering all the
> questions.
The break-ins occured last Saturday, or early Sunday. As there is no
maintenance person on site saturday afternoon or on Sundays, we could not
be aware of the break-in or garage door malfunction unless/until someone
called to notify us. No one called us until Monday, AFTER Julio (building
engineer) saw the door was open and called the service company. If there
was a "breakdown" as you say, it could be that no one took it upon
themselves (until Monday) to call the management company and reprt that
the door was broken.
We can just all do our best to keep our eyes open and if we see anthing
wrong (strangers in garage) call Police or if a door or gate malfunctions,
call First Properties so we can repair promptly.
> Best regards,
>
> Christian A. Lattimer
> Bank One - Network Engineer
> One North Dearborn
> Chicago, IL 60602
>
> Phone: 312-407-1333
> Pager: 877-412-7720
> Email: Christian_A_Lattimer@BankOne.com
>
>
>
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