End of Year News at St Killian

Hello everyone

As we approach the end of the year, the Strata Committee thought it might be useful to bring you up to speed on what's been happening over the last 12 months and on the priorities for 2023.

Firstly, at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Owners Corporation (OC) in August there was a change in the composition of the Strata Committee. Current members are Ian Comyns, Penelope Goodsall, Prue Perrott and Sean Riley. Three of the members live on site.

Consolidating and updating our by-laws has been a big job and the Owners Corporation approved a new set of by-laws at the August AGM. The new by-laws are contemporary and reflect changes to NSW strata laws over the last 30 years since the original by-laws were registered. We will share the new by-laws with owners and post them to this website once they are ready - our lawyers are currently arranging registration with the authorities.

Over the year, the Strata Committee addressed some major works issues around the building:

• we had to reseal and replace tiles due to some fracturing on one of the rear terraces

• we removed one of the Cocos palms in the rear garden as its root ball had damaged a drain and was assessed as being the cause of some leakage into the basement toilet below

• we had specifications drawn up to replace the lift and we have recently received tenders from three firms for consideration

• we initiated a review of water ingress around the building as a result of reports from residents and tenants after the sustained heavy rains of La Niña.

On the waterproofing project, a scope of work has been finalised and the committee is about to call for tenders from suppliers. The work will mainly involve replacing the waterproof membranes on a number of balconies.

In the New Year when tenders have been received for the water rectification work, the committee will prepare recommendations for consideration by the OC on how best to progress both the lift replacement and water rectification works.

On another matter, you may be aware that a Development Application has been submitted to the City of Sydney for major renovations to be carried out by our neighbours at 8 Challis Avenue. The Strata Committee appointed an urban planner to assess the application, study its impact on our environment, including on sunlight and privacy, and as a result made a submission to the City of Sydney objecting to some elements of the work. In a separate but related piece of work, we are currently managing negotiations with 8 Challis Avenue on a number of their encroachments identified on our boundary line and how they will be be addressed during the renovations.

Also during the year we:

• commissioned a workplace health and safety inspection of the building and residents and tenants will soon see some work carried out as a result of the findings

• carried out some upgrades to the building's security, and

• repaired and upgraded the lighting in the rear garden.

While managing those larger projects we've tried to keep up with the regular maintenance around the building including:

• maintaining oversight of our cleaner and gardener

• commissioning high pressure cleaning of the public areas to remove moss and grime on the tiles after all the rain, improving both the appearance and safety of the building

• appointing aborists to manage the fruit and dead fronds on the Cocos palms

• coordinating a range of tradies throughout the year to deal with electrical and plumbing emergencies and general maintenance such as fire safety and pest control

• improving the ambience of the building's interior with new plants and pots

• maintaining a website as a resource for owners, residents and tenants

• maintaining a community garden for residents and tenants, and

• regular liaison with our Strata Management firm, StrataChoice, on the general administration of the building such as sourcing and paying our suppliers, managing approvals for apartment renovations and ensuring we meet our statutory obligations as Strata Plan 32735.

We will soon upgrade the signage around the building to make it more consistent, attractive and compliant with some of the health and safety recommendations. We will improve the amenities in the rear garden by adding some furniture for use by the St Killian community. And we have an eye on improving the interiors of the building if possible.

However, the major focus next year is likely to be the roll out of the major works on the lift and waterproofing.

Through it all we remain keen to build a sense of community at St Killian and would welcome your ideas. If ever you have something you'd like posted on the website noticeboard for the attention of the community, please let us know.

Finally, If there's anything in this message you'd like more information on, please contact a member of the strata committee at StKillianstrata@icloud.com .