Pinnacle Tower News
December 6, 2005
Hi everyone,
 
One thing can be said regarding life in the Pinnacle in its early stages of development - there is never a dull moment. You may want to print this newsletter out, grab a cup of cappuccino and sit back and read on your deck with a view.  This is a particularly long newsletter.
Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink - There has been another incident of a plumbing leak in the building.  The flooding occurred on the evening of Friday, Dec 2.  This time the leak originated in unit 3401 and water found its way down to the 29th floor until the situation could be brought under control.  Word has it that a hot water pipe burst and there was considerable damage done to some of the units and minor damage to others.  Thanks to the efforts of Jim Roberts, Unit 3103, Apriano and a crew of people valves were shut off and emergency folks were notified and clean up and restoration began immediately.
 
As a result of this most recent plumbing incident it is worth repeating that we must all be vigilant when it comes to water issues in the building.  According to Rich Giondomenico, Facilities Director,  the front desk is the number to call in an emergency such as this and steps will then be taken to mobilize as needed. 
 
People are being asked to consider serving on water & fire committees to assist with shutting off valves etc should the need arise.  You will be hearing more on this in the very near future.  In the meantime please refer to your Homeowner Manual which is also available on-line at www.pinnacletower.org
www.PinnacleTower.org  - A new restricted homeowner section has been added to the website and requires a username & password to access the information there.  Make a note of this for future reference:
      • Username:  pinnacle
      • password:  tower2005
Once in that section you will find lots of useful information, and forms that you can print off in the convenience of your home.  The homeowner section is expanding and you are encouraged to visit the site often.
PMTOA Membership Meeting, Dec 12 - The first annual meeting of the membership of the Pinnacle Tower Owners Association will take place on December 12, 2005 at the Marriott Hotel in the Marina Ballroom G, South Tower, 333 West Harbor Dr at 6:00 pm.  By now you should have received the official notice in your mail.  If not you can find all of the information on the PinncaleTower.org website.  If you have received a Proxy Ballot you are encouraged to mail it in, especially if you cannot be there in person.
State of Downtown, Dec 13 - The Annual CCDC State of Downtown San Diego address will be given at the Downtown Information Center, 225 Broadway, Suite 160, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm.  Special Guest Speaker will be Nancy Graham, the new President of CCDC.
  • Schedule of Events:
    • 5:30 pm - 6:15 pm  Refreshments & Social Time
    • 6:15 pm SDRG business meeting
    • 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm Nancy Graham's "Vision for the Future"
All downtown residents & others interested in our community are welcome !  Meet Nancy and hear her vision for downtown.  There will be time for questions & answers.  For more information call 619-955-5984 or visit www.sddrg.org
Coffee & Pastries, Dec 17 - A reminder to set aside the morning of December 17 for another opportunity to visit with your neighbors & enjoy coffee & pastries thanks to the generosity of Richard Walker, Unit 2008.  He is once again inviting all of us to his home on the 20th floor and this time it will be a morning event.  Those who attended the Nov gathering at his home are sitll talking about how nice the evening event was.  To avoid overcrowding for the December mixer Richard is asking that you arrive as follows:
      • 9am - 10am  if your last name begins with A - L
      • 10am - 11am  if your name begins with M - Z
RSVP:  847-687-3333
Garage Air Vents -  Several of you have expressed concern about the loud sound of the air vents located directly above the Main Entrance Water Fountain.  The fans have been running around the clock.  This is an item for the Owners Association to take up.  If you are directly affected by this noise then be sure to make your own voice heard.
Security Cameras - another item that is getting attention is the apparent lack of sufficient cameras on the property at this time.  This is being looked into.
Appliances - In our Pinnacle homes we have state of the art appliances.  You are advised to read the manuals that came with these appliances to gain as much information about them as possible.  We will touch upon a few items:  Gas Stoves:  To obtain an even flame on the burners make sure that the metal disk on each burner is seated properly and is level.  Convection Ovens:  One of the ovens in our homes is a convection oven and if you are not familiar with this type of oven you would do well to read about it to get the best use out of it.   Garbage Disposers - use caution when placing food waste into the disposers.  Again refer to the manufacturer's manuals for the best advise.  Dishwashers & Clothes washers - because we have soft water in the building it is very important to know that you need to use less soap than with hard water.  Clothes Dryers - Keep the lint filter clean at all times and occasionally clean out the vent near the ceiling so as to prevent a buildup of lint.  Important Note:  Avoid condensation in your laundry area by keeping the lint filter clear.  There have been reports of water dripping in the laundry areas.  According to John in the construction office this is due to the buildup of lint in the filters.  So be advised to keep them clean.
Water Seepage in the Garage - if you see water leaking from any pipes in the garage report that information to the construction office immediately.  This also applies to any seepage that you might see coming up through the ground floor on level 3 of the garage.
Stairs in the Storage Hall - In the storage hall in the middle of level 3 in the garage you may have noticed that there are 2 sets of stairs leading down to the storage cages.  It has been suggested that a ramp built over the stairs would be a great help to people who need to move items to and from the cages via a rolling hand cart.  If you agree then let the construction office know.  It has also been noted that there is NO drain in that enclosed hall.  You are advised to take preventive action to protect your belongings from any possible water damage.
Lobby Mail Boxes - We have been assured that an attractive wall will be constructed by Pinnacle to hide the mail boxes from view.
Window Washing Gondola Cranes - If you are directly affected by those unsightly cranes on your balcony - there is good news.  We have been told that Pinnacle will be constructing metal benches that will hide these cranes when they are not in use.
Common area Carpeting - In case you have not noticed the carpeting in our common areas on each floor is only temporary during the construction phase and will eventually be replaced with an attractive pattern that resembles the pattern in the marble in the elevator lobby on the ground floor.  If you want to see what it will look like go to the 4th floor which is the only floor that has the new carpeting.  It appears there is a problem with the seems in that carpeting coming apart so use caution when stepping off the elevator on that floor.
Amenity Room - If you have had an occasion to use the Amenity Room on the second floor you may have noticed that the kitchen is not yet finished.  Neither the garbage disposer nor the dishwasher are functional.  PLEASE DO NOT place anything into the garbage disposer until further notice.
At the Top of the Pinnacle - You have probably heard comments about the Pinnacle Penthouses.  For the curious here is what we know so far.  Sheila Lipin, a resident of the Meridian, plans to occupy the entire floor (actually floors) 35 & 36 (yes there is a 36th floor).  Right now it is a huge construction project up there with walls & staircases being removed and new walls going up.  By the way it is true that 2 lap pools and 2 spa pools were constructed on the 36th floor by Pinnacle.  Remains to be seen what will happen to them.  The combined space on the top is in excess of 7000 sq ft !
 
Comments from one of our current residents:

The Pinnacle 3 “P’s” : 

Problems are overcome with : Patience, Persistence, and Perseverance.

Having never purchased a just constructed high rise condo I had no idea what to expect. After waiting three and a half years from date of first deposit, finally moving in was anti-climatic. Although the 21 day letter said “….your residence is complete….”, it wasn’t.  It was livable complete but it did not meet the dictionary definition of complete.

Construction errors and omissions were not resolved within 30 days as was indicated on the official forms that I submitted. However, by applying the Pinnacle 3 P’s, construction errors and omissions are finally being resolved and there is light at the end of the tunnel. 

Each of us has our own story to tell.  Some units have more construction errors and omissions than others. Each of us has our own expectations.  Those two factors combine to become our experience.

Now, just 5 weeks after moving in, I can (at last) look back upon it as an adventure that I survived (although there were doubts about that now and then).  I am a first time owner, occupant.   No one else who moves into this unit can ever say that. 

As I sit at my desk I can see to the north and I can see to the west.  I enjoy seeing the cruise ships at dock. The thought came to me that a high rise building like the Pinnacle is a little like a cruise ship. While a building goes nowhere, and so far it certainly has not been a vacation, it has many pipes, wires and systems providing services to each Stateroom, er.. condo.  

I liken the past five weeks to being a paying passenger on an under construction cruise ship that is on it’s first shakedown cruise. It’s officially “launched”, things are working, things aren’t working. There is no crew or captain or staff and everywhere I turn there are construction people.  It looks like total chaos.  Slowly as each problem is addressed things start to improve and look less ominous.

In the beginning The Pinnacle was ready for boarding, but it was not quite ready for paying passengers. There are still several months of shakedown yet ahead of us.  Remember the Pinnacle 3  P’s.

When the plywood is removed from the elevators we can have a toast to celebrate the official Maiden Voyage of The Pinnacle.  

In the beginning the construction supervisors had to switch gears from being bosses to serving paying customers. It was a phase shift that was difficult for some of them. The people skills needed to supervise workers are quite different from those needed to interact with paying customers.  As a new inexperienced high rise condo owner who just “boarded ship” and was expecting that Maiden Voyage, the reality of a ship still incomplete and on it’s shakedown was a bit of a shock.  

However, a turnabout seems to have taken place recently. Communication between passengers (homeowners)  and developer seem to increase and improve daily.

Continued improvement in communications will help resolve many misunderstandings, misgivings and get issues resolved.

The homeowners web site and blog is a good source to share information with other homeowners. 

It has been very nice to have a great crew clean up the construction mess each day.  Although they always seem to run out of time each day and never make it to my cabin to clean and tidy up.

I think I hear the Activities Director calling.  Time to hit the Sun Deck for a little R&R. 

Sitting by the pool, on a chaise with the cool, sometimes quite cool, ocean breeze swirling about, it almost seems like I am on the deck of a ship.  I can even hear the ships horn on occasion. A dip in the whirlpool, some time in the sauna and I am ready for a nap. I don’t think they are serving afternoon tea and scones midship today.  How about a Martini during the Cocktail Hour in the forward lounge before dinner? Dinner is informal tonight.  After that we can have a private showing in the theatre on the Aloha deck.  

Welcome Aboard. 

Glenn Stokes  804    

PS:  Fire, on a cruise ship, or in a high rise building, is a serious issue.  At sea or on land, another set of 3 P’s will help keep you safe. Planning, Preparation, Practice.   I am surprised that I did not receive fire-safety, earthquake safety training materials at time of move in. Fire Department personnel spent days here at the Pinnacle testing the fire alarms and practicing what they would do in a high rise fire, yet the occupants get zip, zero information and training on how to prevent a fire or what to do should a fire/fire alarm occur.    

Samples of such information. 

http://www.seattle.gov/fire/pubEd/highrise/highrise.htmhttp://www.seattle.gov/fire/pubEd/highrise/highrise.htm

http://www.cornellaging.org/gem/injury_fire_high-rise.html 

http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/fdny/html/safety/firesafety_highrise.shtml

http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/firesafety/index.html

I did not find any information about high rise fire safety on the San Diego Fire Department web site.  Hopefully it is there somewhere.

Well folks, that's it for this time around.  Construction and re-construction continues in our beautiful tower.  As pioneers not only in the downtown area but in the Pinnacle Tower we must expect a few surprises now and then and be patient and persistent.  Be sure to stay in touch with each other and communicate any of your concerns and compliments to the construction office.  With so many units to attend to it is bound to take time for all of our issues to be addressed so hang in there folks.  Communication continues to be a challenge for the Pinnacle Team but hopefully with our help they will come to view us as deserving customers who need some attention now and then.
Sincerely,
Pat McArron