Email Privacy

I have been given a right telling off from a couple of people today regarding email privacy. As you know, a few weeks ago I was having problems with my email client that resulted in the same email being sent several times, and that also revealed all of your email addresses to everyone else, for which I apologize sincerely.

A fellow resident, spotted this mistake and has started sending out their own email updates using the email distribution list, much to the displeasure of some of you, who have, quite rightly, told me off about the mistake.

To avoid this in future, I have asked them if they would be so kind as to stop using the list, and build up their own. Therefore, if you would like to receive email updates from them, please email them at vee.gee@virgin.net and ask to be included in their email updates. If you continue to receive email from them against your wishes, I apologize and ask that you take it up with them directly.

Finally, your email addresses were only revealed to the other people on the City Island Residents list, and I have not sold them on, or otherwise revealed them to anyone else, so extra spam should not result in the error. Sorry once again for the inconvenience I have caused.

Cheers
CIRG.

City Island Parking Fines and How to Avoid Them

One of our residents recently drove in to the car park to find another car in his parking space. Thinking nothing of it, he parked in the adjacent bay. Even though he had a valid parking permit displayed, albeit for the adjacent bay, when he returned to his car he had received a fine from City Permits (the company that polices the car park on behalf of the property management company), presumably because when they arrived at the scene, his own space was free again, and he was in the wrong space.

Through some pain, and with some help from City Island Residents Group, the fine was eventually revoked, but some guidance on parking has since been gained and it is as follows:

Parking on Gotts Road
If you park outside of City Island, on the double yellow lines, or on the pavements or grassy areas, you are subject to standard parking tickets as issued by council Traffic Wardens. Whilst up until now this has happened sporadically, the management company informs us that Leeds City Council are increasing their patrols of Gotts Road.

Parking on City Island
Parking on City Island pavements, grassy areas, or the entrance to the piazza or the piazza itself will result in fines being issued by City Permits. Photographic evidence is taken at the time of issuing the ticket, and it is unlikely you will be able to have the ticket revoked – so don’t park in these areas if you want to avoid fines.

Parking in City Island
In order to avoid fines when parking in the underground car park at City Island, you must park in your designated bay, and that bay only, with a valid parking permit for that bay. If you park in a bay other than the one you have a permit for you will be fined – so don’t do it unless you can afford to pay the fines. Again, photographic evidence is taken by City Permits so it is unlikely you will be able to argue against the fine.

Exceptions
If someone or something is preventing you from parking in your designated bay, it is suggested that you park in another available bay, immediately contact City Permits by email (enquiries@citypermits.co.uk) with the details, or contact City Island security (01132 431380) and get them to call City Permits to explain the situation in order to avoid a fine. I would also suggest leaving a note in the windscreen.

Hope this helps avoid unnecessary fines!

Monks Bridge Development - Site of old Doncasters Building

I have today been in contact with the Site Manager, Chris Gallagher of HBG Constructions, of the Monks Bridge development on the site of the old Doncaster’s building across the canal from City Island.

I have received a lot of complaints from you about the level of noise (loud) and the start time of the noise (some of you claimed as early 07:00), and I addressed these concerns with Chris. Chris has only been involved with the site for about a week or so, but has agreed to enforce:

· A start time for noisy activities of 08:00 and no earlier.
· An approximate finish time of 17:00
· No work on a Sunday or bank holidays

Chris also told me that the current phase of the project, ‘remediation’, which is the preparation of the ground for the construction work to start in earnest was potentially the nosiest part of the project as it involved the use of the hydraulic ‘peckers’ to break up large rocks and concrete. This phase of the project is scheduled for a further 9 weeks, although Chris is doing everything he can to make this sooner.

After this remediation phase, construction is due to start around December/January on the first office block of five, which would be the one located closest to City Island on the corner of the site next to the canal, which will take about a year to complete. Completion of the other buildings will take a further 3-4 years.

Cheers,
CIRG

Window Cleaning

Just to let you know I have just spoken to Cinderella’s – The company who has the window cleaning contract for City Island – and they are on site on Monday the 21st August. The details are:

· They are only contracted to clean windows in common areas, and windows that are inaccessible or unsafe for residents to access. So if you can reach it yourself, don’t expect them to be doing it for you.

· If you face the piazza, your windows will be cleaned as they will use some sort of cherry picker raised platform to access them.

· However, if you face the river or the canal, you may not have your windows cleaned, as they cannot get the machine along the sides of the development, and they are still waiting for the safety certificates for the abseil points. I have spoken Accent Property management about this again, and they are still progressing the matter.

· If you are in a penthouse apartment, and are going to be in on Monday, YOU CAN GET YOUR WINDOWS CLEANED, you just ring Glennis at Cinderella, 0114 261 1333, and book an appointment for them to gain access to your windows from the balcony and they will clean them from there.

Cheers,
CIRG

Success - Recycling..!

As you will have seen by now, we have been given recycling bins, which so many of us wanted. This came about by an email we sent asking the council, and listing the resident’s names who had asked for recycling, and then from Guy Willman, Accent Property Managements City Island Manager, engaging with the council representative and making it happen, so thanks to Guy!

To keep these facilities, we now need to ensure that they are used properly, and that the correct refuse is placed in the correct bins, if it is not, and people just throw rubbish anywhere, the chances are we will lose them again, as the recycling people won’t put up with having to sort our rubbish…

Bird Decoys on the Way, but No Can Do with the Cranes

Sean Brind's response to the previous email:

[H]I,
have over the weekend bought some decoys which will be installed on the tower cranes this week. As for the direction of the cranes they cannot be locked off at all regardless of light or strong winds. I am sorry i cannot help any further on this matter.
Cheers
Sean

2nd Email To Sean Brind regarding Bird Droppings...

In response to your comments regarding 'free slew' and also regarding the measures Sean Brind has agreed to set up with the council, I emailed Sean again:

Hi Sean,

I understand one of our members has contacted the council regarding the crane positioning/bird droppings and they have forwarded on the response from the council to us. The councils reponse is published on the blog: www.cityislandleeds.blogspot.com.

In it, it is mentioned that the council have discussed with yourself, putting in decoy devices to dissuade the birds from roosting on the cranes in the first place – so thanks for proactively helping. If you could keep us up to date with what you have done, we can relay this to the others via email and the blog.

Also in response to the bird droppings and the cranes needing to be in ‘free slew’, we received several (some might say, cynical) queries on this, namely, if the cranes are left to face in to the prevailing wind,

1. Why do they never face the same way as one another?

2. Can they not be fixed in place if only light winds are forecast?

3. Why do none of the cranes across the whole skyline of Leeds seem to face in a uniform direction of the wind?

4. Why are both cranes always facing the same way the next morning as they were the previous night?

For full comments, see the blog.

Cheers Sean, and thanks again,
CIRG

Bird Droppings... Your View

In response to Sean Brind's (City Island Phase II Project Manager) assertion that nothing can be done regarding the positioning of the cranes and therefore the target area for bird droppings, here are a few of your comments:

If they are in 'free slew' to face into the prevailing winds, why do niether of them ever point in the same direction?

If there are only light winds forecast, why can the cranes not be fixed in place? Surely they are not that flimsy that they will keel over in a light breeze?

Driving in to Leeds of an evening, I noticed that not one crane on the skyline seems to point into, or away from, the prevailing wind, it seems completely random -- is 'free slew' some kind of aeronautical randomness?

If they are left to face in to prevailing winds, why are they always facing the same way the next morning, as they were the previous night, no matter how windy it has been?

Bird Droppings... The Councils View

Hi, this is an email received from the council regarding the bird droppings resulting from the roosting starlings on the cranes. Basically, not much they can do, but Sean Brind the Project Manager for the development has once again been helpful in suggesting a compromise, in so much as he has agreed to install decoy measures to try and prevent the birds from landing there in the first place.

Thanks Sean!

The council email:

I am writing in response to your recent enquiry regarding the health concerns posed by bird droppings from starlings roosting on nearby cranes.

Bird droppings can sometimes contain disease and bacteria and where build up of droppings is excessive the ammonia content can affect vegetation and cause damage. However the crane is not a permanent structure in the long term and is not secured in a particular position so the droppings will not always land in the same spot. Starlings are protected as wild birds and a problem would have to be quite severe before taking action.

So whilst there can be associated health concerns I would say that currently the health risks are neglible provided that the residents make sure to wash their hands after cleaning away any of the droppings.

I have also examined the possibility of anti roosting measures being used on the cranes but there is a strong possibility that taking such measures could cause further problems, for e.g. the use of audible bird scarers often create noise problems and the use of netting will adversely affect the operation of the cranes and is inadvisable in these circumstances.

A possibility is the use of a decoy in the form of a predatory bird which may deter the birds from landing.

I have discussed the problem with Sean Brind - Project Manager and he has agreed to install some of these decoys on the crane and see whether they have the desired effect.

I hope this information is of use. Should you wish to discuss the matter further please contact me by telephone. My contact number is 0113 2146 246.

Yours sincerely,
Elaine Saul Technical Officer.