Posts
Sorry I'm out on business again, I'm actually in Canada right now. Earlier this week I got an email from Joe stating:
Cyrus,
Please post this on the front page, " The security cameras are being installed, you will see , and hear installers throughout the week. Please be attentive when walking throughout the complex as the installer have had to dig some holes and cut cable piping for wires. The installers will be taping off these holes with CAUTION tape but everyone should still be aware of their surroundings especially at night. Don't forget to watch your dogs when you take them for walks. We tried to stay 100% wireless, but due to some of the tress we had to have some of the cameras wired. The installers have assured me that the holes and piping will be completely covered and sealed upon completion of the project. If anyone has concerns regarding the project, or a safety issue please do not hesitate to call me."
Joe Giese
Safety Committee Chariman
I added his phone number to the left side of the page. Sorry it took so long to post up but I haven't been able to get to a computer. Sorry I'm missing all the fun, I should be back this weekend, can't wait to see these things in action.
P.S.
Joe do you have anymore info about the gates?
ATTENTION: WE NOW HAVE AN HOA MEMBERS ONLY SITE
IF YOU'RE AN HOA MEMBER PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR NEW SITE MONTEREYVILLAS.ORG
Recent Comments
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Holy Cameras!!!
Posted by Cyrus at 6:23 PM
Labels: Complaints, Landscape Committee, Safety Committee, Vandalism, Wishes
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
12 COMMENTS:
I met with 2 gate companies this weekend.Both companies seemed very knowledgeable and experienced in their fields and said it IS possible to have the community gated to meet city ordinance but it would come at a cost. I asked for a ballpark figure and the two I got were 75K and 100K. I think those are good prices but let’s see how it turns out on paper.
If it's in the 75K to 100K range, there is no way this community can justify not getting gates. Holy moley that would be cheap to do. Even assuming it was the higher 100K amount, that would break down to only $368 per unit. That's absolutely nothing to have gates installed. If the end bid comes in at the ballpark figures, I will be pushing hard to get this done. I will lobby door to door to get everyone to say yes to gates.
$368 per unit sounds great, but you know not every unit will pay. And you can't force every unit to pay (can you?). There are many units that don't even pay their monthly dues!
Gates would definetly be nice though.
If we get the gates, can we ditch the parking permits?!!!
i dont think many will pay. have you seen the gas praices almost 5 dollaras a gallon. May be you are rich and 368 is noting,but if you have kids and drive far for work.
I think with the cameras you will see a change on security.
i hope you do what s best for all of us.
my opinion
To thedoors,
I am not rich and do not mean to be insensitive to everyone's financial positions, however, I've had $12,000 of damage done to my car in the last 15 months due to 4 separate instances of vandalism against my car. Most people have deductibles/repair estimates of at least $500 to repair their cars if someone breaks in.
I hate to say it but if you haven't had your car broken into yet, it is only a matter of time. Would you rather spend $500 (or more) fixing your car after a break-in or $368 (or less) to prevent it from happening in the first place?
I am personally aware of at least 20 separate instances of car vandalism at MV since I've moved here. Those are just the ones in the area where my car is located so I'm sure there are many, many more out there. I've got to think that the residents have already spent what it would cost to install gates, but to car repair shops, not a gate installer.
Also, adding gates would actually be an equity-plus activity as your property value would increase more than the amount you were spending to install the gates.
Also, gates are not something that would happen quickly. If you had six months or more to save up the money, and if you paid $120 each month for three months, thedoors could you do it?
Its the most logical decision. I should be receiving the bids in the next couple days.
A LITTLE FYI SIDE NOTE: decreasing your comprehensive(most of the time (check w insurance company)this is the coverage that covers theft,vandalism, glass breakage) deductible to $0 or $100 is a very minimal increase in premium, maybe a few more dollars a month. Its sad but these are the things we can do to protect ourselves from more out of pocket than is needed, cuz i agree its only a matter of time. We changed ours after our first break in, unfortuantly we have had two, but the 2nd time we had no deductible!I work in the insurance industry this is how i know :) Im not a insurance junkie or anything!hahahah
there is a sprinkle broken close to bulding K is been like that for two weeks, it start around 10pm to 10:20pm. fix it please, is get in wet two cars park inside the caopte. If any one has seen it, you know wich sprinkle i am talkin about. the water rich like six feet high. and the TV on the gym is broken. :) please fix it too.
Thanks for reading. peace to all.
batman,
Have you called or emailed the property management company about this? The landscapers don't really know when a sprinkler is broken because they don't see them on since they only turn on at night. I had one broken outside my unit, called it in and it was fixed the next time the landscapers came out. I'll forward this information to Charity. I haven't been in the gym recently, can someone explain in more detail what's wrong with the TV? Is the TV not turning on or is it just not receiving signal?
not saying i'm for or against the gates, but i would like to say that installing the gates will NOT, i repeat, NOT PREVENT VANDALISM. It will deter it, but not prevent it. so let's not kid ourselves that the installation of gates will change MV into a utopia. people make it sound like the gates are the all-inclusive answer, and they are not.
if the gates are meant to keep vandals out, let me explain why it won't work most of the time:
i've gone to the fitness center. i've put my key in the door and let myself in. others have done the same. then comes the person who "forgot their key". (i'm not one to let that sort of person in. call me cold and heartless. that's fine.) it didn't matter, because someone else more neighborly than i walked over and let that person in.
the gates will work exactly the same way, except they will force everyone to become that helpful resident who let the "forgetful resident" in. The gates will open and a car or two (or more) will go through thanks to the delay of the gate closing mechanism. i don't know all the residents. i don't know what kind of vehicle everyone drives. one of those cars following the gate opener will just happen to be an offender and voila, not any safer than before. knowing my luck and karma my car will get to be the next victim.
damn. at least we have the cameras to identify the offender.
am i saying the gates are worthless? no. as sarah said before, gates will cause the property value to rise due to the false sense of complete security they provide. (google "crime rate gated non-gated" w/o quotes and read the first two and then the sixth hit which is Suk Kyung Kim's dissertation on Residents' Crime Experience and Perception of Safety Behind Gates and Fences in the Urban Area...primarily the last sentence on p. 191 [211/270])
$368 per unit isn't so bad. will you get every unit to pay up? no. is it worth it to, over the next few months, follow up on this, crunch some numbers and get a more accurate cost? definitely. $368? I'm in. $500? okay. $1000? sorry. is the gate important? yes, although i'd much rather put in money for a smartcard-enabled laundry room, but everyone has their own priorities.
also, it's not wise to suggest that everyone will have their cars broken into. they won't. to make the statement, "it's only a matter of time," is not logical or reasonable. because such and such events happened to one person, does not mean it will happen to another. otherwise, given enough time, everyone will experience everything everyone else has. not so.
i do believe that the installation of the cameras is the correct first step and I'm glad that we did that. in my opinion and from my experience, regarding malicious acts, identifying and catching the offending person(s) is the goal, and if that's not what the cameras are for, then I've missed something.
regarding batman's comment about the TV in the fitness center, it's just static. no picture. also, the bikes don't work, albeit I didn't check to see if they just need to be plugged in. ceiling fan in there would be nice.
also, just curious, if gates go in and cabrillo park drive is made an exit only as suggested elsewhere on the blog, what's going to happen to that turning island used to turn left into the parking there? currently it's a "no U-turn" island, meaning it can ONLY be used to enter the parking area along cabrillo park drive.
making the williams entrance/exit along that long stretch of parking the exit only instead, may not be such a good idea either, as there are always cars lining williams and the 18 wheelers that like to park to the left (as you're exiting). makes it hard to see oncoming traffic.
sorry for commenting on so many different things and sorry for
are the cameras up yet? Thanks!
Shaun,
You made many valid points, and I remember Ben Dayhoe leaving a comment that said "...gates add a false sense of security." These comments are 100% true, and that's why homeowners still need to be on their toes to what goes on around them. The safety committee and myself will do our best to ensure that residents do not drop their guard.
Since day one I mentioned that my goal is not to eliminate crime at the Monterey Villas, that would be nice but rather impossible, but rather to decrease and detour it. I feel that together the cameras and gates can achieve this but with a lot of help. It would require help from ALL residents; its true there will be people who let others in, but its not that hard to distinguish when someone looks a little out of place. Part of the problem with people not knowing their neighbors is because they choose not to. I highly encourage everyone to know who they neighbors are because you just might need their help one day.
The social committee did an awesome job recently by putting together a community party, we need more events like this because they establish a sense of unity in the community. If we worked together this place could be great and criminals would think twice before deciding to commit a crime here.
Oh, I think I forgot to mention something when I emailed Cyrus about the gates. The quotes included converting all common area access(pool,gym, clubhouse,sauna, laundry rooms) to SMARTCARD ACCESS. If you're not aware of what a smartcard is, its basically an electronic card which provides access to a given area while uploading access information to a mainframe computer. How this can be useful:If a homeowner puts their clothes to dry at 10:30am returns at 11:15am and finds that their clothes have been stolen, we could refer to the access log for the laundry room to see who entered the room within that time frame. Granted this won't identify the culprit immediately but we'll know where to start asking questions. Smartcards can also be reprogrammed if needed, for example: If a resident felt their card was stolen, we could terminate the stolen card's access, and issue a new one. It really is a good system and its included in the bid to gate the community. Sorry I didn't mention if before.
mel,
The cameras are being installed, if you enter off of cabrillo and look to your right you can see the intial 4 which have been installed. They are not operational yet due to some power issues we are having but they will be very soon. I apologize for the delay but I'd rather have the job done right the first time then having the cameras go out when we need them most.
Shaun, we still have openings on the safety committee, if your interested e-mail me jegiese@ocsd.org.
Post a Comment