Fourth Street Lofts Web Log

Thanks to all who participated in the first Fourth Street Lofts cleanup. The buliding looks and smells great!

Participatnts not shown: Jack, Tres, Jeanie, Diane, Kerry, Paula, Fabricio.

Posted by Jim Pire at 9:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I don't expect to see the garage empty again. Looks kinda cool, eh?

Posted by Jim Pire at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A huge thanks to helpful, handsome neighbor Jack and the rest of the board for their excellent work on the trash room door. The shiny 18 guage stainless steel cladding looks just fabulous! I did not expect it to cover the enire door! Jack hopes to give the door to the restaurant kitchen a similar treatment tomorrow. Hooray!

Posted by Jim Pire at 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It's sooo big!!

Posted by Jim Pire at 9:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

More than one neighbor has suggested that we put up plaques that give credit to the photographers of our hallway artwork. I think this is a lovely idea. Now comes the hard part. What should they look like and what should they say? Hmm...

Well, I took a look at the images and imagined them with all different sorts of signage. I like the idea of vinyl lettering applied directly to the wall, but this does not seem practical since the type I envision would probably be too small and vinyl lettering is probably too permanent. I searched numerous signage sites on the web and eventually decided that we should just make our own signage. Current inkjet printing technlogies allow us to do just about anything with the design, and the new archival inks will outlast the photographs. I printed a few samples in white on my laser printer and did not like the white sign against the gold wall. No, instead I think that the signage should borrow a color from the image it hangs next to - something dark so that it works with the gold paint.

So, who in the building has the best color inkjet printer? If you think you do, can you please print this on some matte or satin stock and get the results back to me? My mailbox is number 210. I'm expecting them to look much darker than they appear on screen. After I see what the colors look like, I'll ask for help with the wording. :)

Oh - and by the way, I have ordered a test print of the Paramount panorama theater shot below. (The red one.) If it looks good, I'm hoping to have the full size (nine foot by three foot) panorama ready to hang the weekend after next.

Thanks!

Posted by Jim Pire at 1:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

OK, I think I've outdone myself. I booked a private tour of Oakland's magnificent Paramount Theater today. The two panoramas I shot have my head spinning down here. I think I'm getting better at this. :)

I like them both so much! I wonder if they could/should be hung as a set somewhere. Even if one of them winds up on the fourth floor, I'd love to see the other displayed somewhere...

Clicking on these image thumbnails will open a large, 4,000 pixel-wide image. Bear in mind that even the 4,000 pixel wide images have been shrunk dramatically from their original 12,000+ pixels in width. Plus, to save time, these pano's were stitched together using JPEG's, not RAW files. If the consensus is that we should use these images somewhere, then I'll take the time to recreate them from the camera RAW files and make them look even better than what you see here.

Ooh - I can't resist posting one more just for fun.

Posted by Jim Pire at 3:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OK, we're off to a bad start with the water heater replacement. After speaking with the nice folks at Home Depot and at the Fast Water Heater Company, it seemed we were all set to go with a replacement this afternoon. I provided all of the necessary measurements as well as my credit card number so that they could charge me $807 for a new water heater and the required permit.

The service man arrived at 1:00 PM and immediately informed me that he could not install my new water heater because doing so would cause a code violation. It seems that the 10" of clearance above my water heater is not sufficient. Codes rewritten since the building was converted to lofts now require 12 inches of clearance above the water heater. Somehow, 10" of clearance was sufficient during my phone call with the plumbing company earlier in the day, but now I was 2 inches short. ARGH!

The installer told me that there is no shorter GAS water heater. There are smaller electric models, but they're less efficient, and the association's architectural committee would not approve conversion to electric water heater.

I called Wayne at Just Water Heaters because my installer told me that they carry the Bradford and White water heater I currently have installed. Wayne confirmed for me the 12" of clearance rule and also that there are no shorter gas water heaters. He recommends I contact Penny at the Oakland Permit Office during business hours at 510-238-3759 or 510-238-6309. Hopefully, I can get an inspector to come out and grant an exception. This seems likely, since there is a fire sprinkler head in the closet where my water heater lives, but I won't know until I spend the $150 to find out.

So, be warned - if you have a short storage space under your loft like we do, there will be complications when you consider replacing your water heater.

Posted by Jim Pire at 1:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The third floor is finally done. Sorry it took so long. I hope you'll agree that the results were worth the wait. I now like the third floor more than the second floor!

Thanks to Patti Beadles for the excellent image and to those who stopped by to offer encouragement while I painted.

In a year or two when these prints are beginning to fade, I do hope we'll give more artists in the building the chance to display their work. For example, I think an installation of three or four of neighbor Eric Cheng's world-class underwater images printed large would look absolutely fantastic!

Posted by Jim Pire at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that the third and fourth floors should have artwork a similar shape to the third floor panorama. This makes things a lot easier, actually - just one print to hang, and keeps costs down as well.

The consensus is that the images should also be of or about or at least shot from Oakland. Patti Beadles submitted a cool shot taken from the Port of Oakland. I think I'd like to combine it with a couple other shots - something like this:

This isn't the exact aspect ratio, and of course the images can be changed and/or shuffled around. This is the direction I'm heading - I think.

I did a photographic experiment today that did not turn out exactly as I hoped it would. I thought I'd build the word "Oakland" out of characters photographed on buildings in the Jack London District or on other historic Oakland landmarks. So, I went out this afternoon and did some shooting in the 'hood. Unfortunately, I could not ever get the results to look like I imagined it might, although there were some fun moments while assembling the characters in PhotoShop.

Can you guess where these images were shot?

Posted by Jim Pire at 4:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I have been thinking a LOT about designs for the third and fourth floor lately. I'd like whatever we do to look at least as good as the work I did on the second floor, and that may not be as easy as it sounds. Well, a friendly neighbor has come to the rescue. Patti Beadles has submitted this beautiful image as a candidate for the third floor landing.

I was not planning on another panoramic shot, but this one just might work! The image has an Oakland connection - the image was shot from the Port of Oakland. It contains almost as much image data as the second floor panorama, so it should print nicely at roughly the same size as the Oakland skyline panorama. I would paint the landing the same color as the second floor.

I have ideas for the fourth floor as well. Since the second and third floors will be painted gold, I propose we paint the fourth floor the same color. And since the images on the second and third floor are long, horizontal images, I propose that the fourth floor has an installation the same shape. However, instead of a single image, I am playing with a couple ideas - a collage of Oakland scenes or a series of images taken from historical buildings in the area that spell out "Oakland". Not sure what I mean by that? I'll mock something up as soon as possible.

Thanks, Patti for getting involved with the elevator landing renovations! It would be nice to hear from more of my neighbors on this subject. :)

Posted by Jim Pire at 9:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Our elevator access lock will be changed Friday 16 December 2005. On that day only the new keys will work to take you to the garage.

Two new keys have been mailed to loft owners by Collins Management.

If you are a renter, you need to contact your landlord.

If you are an owner and haven't received your keys, contact Dan Stone at Collins Management. If you want more than two keys, contact Dan. Each replacement keys cost $5 including postage.

Dan Stone's contact number is 510 262-1795.

Posted by Jim Pire at 10:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have been looking at the same faded images as I step off the the second floor elevator for more than ten years. It's w-a-y past time for a change. Thanks to our fabulous board, I was finally able to do something about it. So, one gallon of paint and one large photograph later and, well - you be the judge.

I encourage you to stop the elevator on the second floor and have a look! Please notice that the panoramic image is hung in such a way that it need not be permanent. This installation is meant to be temporary! Also note that all aspects of the current lighting scheme are open for discussion. I have better-looking fixtures on order. The lights can be moved and removed. What do you think?

By the way, if you have ideas for the third or fourth floors, I'd like to hear about it! I have some ideas and some colors in mind, but I'd love to get other opinions.

Posted by Jim Pire at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I sure do like the way the photographs look on these walls. :)

Posted by Jim Pire at 3:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I found a site that offers "environmentally friendly" paints in lovely colors. What I think is most cool is that instead of tiny paint chips, they sell poster sized color swatches. Check out Yolo Color House.

Posted by Jim Pire at 1:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I still think my first idea is my best. (No, it's not pink - it's more of a wheat color.) I am not at all opposed to the existing colors, either. I've heard from a couple people that the salmon color is just fine. I agree.

Posted by Jim Pire at 1:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

These colors are essentially the same colors as those on New Market. I don't like the darker colors, but it might be nice to tie our two buildings together somehow since they share a similar facade.

Posted by Jim Pire at 9:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I suppose I'll have to mask out additional areas on the image - perhaps break the horizontal trim into smaller sections so that we can add more sophisticated color schemes. I might mask off the inset ares on the wall beneath the windows and apply still more colors... We'll see...

You know, some have mentioned that they prefer a darker color to the one we have now. I think lighter is better for a number of reasons.

• Darker colors are too trendy. We'll have to live with the colors we choose for 10 years. Who know what colors will be fashionable in 2015? Which brings up the next point.
• Dark colors will fade faster. Look at the front of our building. The darker shade looks much worse than the lighter color. You'll see streaks, blotches, chalkiness, etc.

But, as I work on these mock-ups, I noticed something else quite unexpected. It seems that a darker color on our walls accentuates our windows and window coverings. I am not in favor of restricting the type or color of window coverings we are allowed to hang so this, in my humble opinion, is another argument in favor of a lighter shade. (I know that we currently DO have restrictions concerning window-coverings, but this is one rule that will be ignored often.)

Posted by Jim Pire at 9:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Thanks for the many constructive comments. Most people who commented on my proposal did so via e-mail, so I'll respond here so that you can all get a feel for what we're talking about.

First, thanks for the positive comments about the mock-up itself. It's easy to do this sort of thing. A digital camera and PhotoShop are about all that's needed. If you'd like a copy of the 14.4 megabyte PhotoShop file, just click here. Open it in PhotoShop, select the wall layer and adjust its color and hue. Fun!

Responses so far have been unanimously positive. That's good. Maybe we'll finally make at least some of this happen.

Most of you seem to agree that we do not necessarily need to adhere to a specific theme - that is to say one floor may have historic photos of the area - another contemporary work by building residents, etc. The idea of giving artists in the building a chance to display their work on a 6 month rotating sechedule seems popular. I support the idea, but there would need to be some rather strict guidelines, and if artwork was not anchored to walls in some "permanent" way, I have a feeling that it would walk off. I hope I'm wrong about this, but...

Someone mentioned frames. Framing these images would be nice, but would add significantly to the cost of the project. In my mock-ups, I depict images mounted on masonite with a "floater" frame behind, and a protective coating sprayed on. I have dozens of images mounted this way at home and in my office here at work. Some are more than 10 years old, and they still look great. No warping or discoloration. It's worth noting that the images, as shown, are quite large - approximately four feet wide. Framing and matting a large-ish image always costs much more than the image itself.

One of you suggested that we may need to take the color of the stained loft doors into consideration. I'm not sure I agree, but I did have the bright orange elevator door in mind when I put the bright orange tulip shot on the wall of the 2nd floor mock-up. :-)

Most agree that a dramatic color scheme is best. I agree! If I'm going to go to all the trouble of applying three coats of paint, I want people to notice. Also, I seem to recall hearing or reading Ansel Adams suggestion that images should be displayed against walls with 18% reflectivity. (I can't seem to find verification of this anywhere.) That's pretty dark.

Some of you prefer bright, lively color artwork, others prefer strictly black and white images. I go either way, although I give color a slight edge. One of you noticed that the yellow tulips juxtaposed with the picture of our multi-colored staircase makes an interesting composition. This does not work without color. On the other hand, black and white is easier in many respects, and possibly easier to pull off without offending anyone.

Nearly everyone (including me) would like to see the lighting upgraded. This could be done fairly inexpensively. Of course, the current lighting is high-efficiency fluorescent. I'd definitely like to see incandescent lights, but they will draw more power, and will need to be replaced more frequently. Things to consider.

Pretty much all of you have offered to help paint. That's great. I painted professionally many years ago, and can assure you that my work would be as good as it gets. If I were overseeing this project, I'd make sure that high standards were used throughout. I would ensure that the walls were cleaned and primed using the highest quality materials. I have in mind something like the Ralph Lauren textured paints. They're not cheap, but we do want this to look good, right?

I'm very happy to hear that other in our wonderful building feel the way I do. We have some momentum now - let's just do it!

Posted by Jim Pire at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

At last night's productive HOA meeting, the discussion led to ways to improve the building's esthetic appeal. We all agreed that the exterior needs paint - and a new color scheme. This idea is nothing new. We've been talking about painting the builiding for years. I even did some work on a 3D version of our building specifically to experiment with color schemes in the context of the rest of the neighborhood. Unfortunately, I ran out of motivation to complete this complex project partly due to the realization that we will never agree on a color scheme. Another reason we still live in a dirty pink building is because the cost of painting the exterior is so high. Never mind that new paint could drastically improve the resale value of our homes, this major undertaking probably will not happen soon enough.

I suggested that there is something we could do to improve the building without spending all of our reserves. I believe we could make a huge improvement to our building's interior for just a few dollars - by replacing the faded photographs on the top three floors, and by addding a little color.

The board asked me to put together a proposal. So, I have begun to explore possibilities. I visited Oakland's main library today, and found that we might be able to locate original negatives or prints of some of the images already on display. We could have prints made at a fairly reasonable fee.

Another, possibly simpler option, would be to photograph the existing photos and reprint them using today's best technologies. We could reprint the old black and white shots with vuirtually no loss of detail. In fact - we could probably improve them somewhat.

A third option would be to replace some or all of the images with entirely new ones. We happen to have some very talented neighbors who have expressed interest in contributing to such a project.

So, I need your opinions and your help.

I'd like to hear what you think of the sample designs for the second floor. (Please click on the thumbnails above and view the full-size versions.) Are the colors too dark? Is this too much of a change? Should we stick with with black and white images? Historical or contemporary? Do you have images to contibute? Should we upgrade the lighting too? (YES!) Would you like to help paint? Are you interested in proposing something foor your floor? Also, I wonder if you know how letters are applied directly to walls - a technique you may have seen in many in art museums. (Yes, I'd like to get rid of the horrible multi-colored plastic signage.)

Please leave a comment of e-mail me directly. I'll put together a more "formal" proposal for our next meeting.

Posted by Jim Pire at 7:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Dear FSL Residents,

The parking garage water was supposed to be vacuumed up by IGMS, our janitorial service today. I am not sure why this did not happen, but we are checking into it.

Thanks for your patience.

Chase Milbrandt
President

Posted by at 8:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Overhead Door was able to fix the mechanical part of our garage door, but they need to send an electrical guy out to fix some other problems that were identified. He is supposed to arrive at 1:00 In the future, if the door stops working, we are supposed to be able to switch the door to manual mode so that it can be raised and lowered manually. The chain jumped off the pulley yesterday, which I am told almost never happens. I also learned that they believe that there is something wrong with the door itself and Overhead Door is working with the manufacturer under warranty to remedy the situation. Thanks.

Chase

Posted by at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

After much confusion (its a long story), Overhead Door is going to be on site to fix the parking garage door at 7:00 am tomorrow. We hope that this will be early enough to get the door repaired in time for people to be able to get out of the garage early enough for work.

I apologize in advance if this approach will cause a problem for you. We hope that this will be the last repair job needed for our new door.

Chase

Posted by at 9:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dear FSL Residents,

The parking garage door is not functioning as of this evening. Collins Management has been notified and they are attempting to contact Overhead Door to make an emergency repair. It is possible that the repairs may not be completed by tomorrow morning, but I am not sure at this point. If not, your car may be stuck in the garage for a while, so you may need to make alternate travel arrangements.

Sorry for the inconvenience, but we're on it.

Thanks.

Chase Milbrandt
President

Posted by at 8:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have notified the board and Collins via e-mail about the broken garage door. In order to save the motor, I pulled the breaker on the wall near the garage door opener.

UPDATE: It's fixed!

Posted by Jim Pire at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Have a look at the leaks residents of the upscale "Terraces at EmeryStation" are dealing with! Some of these folks have real damage, and have been displaced from their homes for seven months.

Posted by Jim Pire at 9:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The crew did not finish until after 9:00 PM last night, but the results seem to be worth the few extra hours. Our shiny new (and quiet) garage door is in! Thanks to the previous and current boards for making this happen.

Posted by Jim Pire at 9:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Trees can't be put in the Trash Compactor. Nor should they be dragged through the building and dumped on the street!

It's up to each homeowner to personally dispose of their Christmas tree. Please - take it to the dump! The closest dump is in San Leandro is at 2615 Davis Street. Visit their web site or call them at 510-563-4212. Evidently, they will take/recycle your tree for FREE.

We live in a commercial/retail neighborhood, not residential, so there is no city pickup in the Jack London Waterfront Warehouse District. Trees dumped like this one will NOT be picked up.

Posted by Jim Pire at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Dear FSL Residents,

I was horrified to find out after being gone on vacation for 2 weeks that the injection ports installed by Rainbow Waterproofing are still in front of the stairwell door to the parking garage. We have asked for their immediate removal, so it shouldn't be long.

Thanks for your patience.

Chase Milbrandt
President

Posted by at 2:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

OK, I'll conceed a half a point to the leak repair guys because the repaired area (highlighted in pink) is not leaking at all. However, as you can see, the water just looked for the next weakest spot in the wall, and came in anyway. Not a lot of water though, so overall I'm fine with the repair work, but I vote that we not waste spend any more association money on this problem.

Posted by Jim Pire at 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This week's rains have been the type that always caused our walls to leak - a heavy downpour coupled with a strong wind out of the southwest. So, how did the leak repairs hold up? In previous years, after a storm like this, there would have been more water - perhaps two or three times as much. Some of the leaks have moved to new locations on our walls, so there is still some water, but overall the leak repair seems to have been worthwhile.

I'll get some nice photos next time it storms.

Posted by Jim Pire at 4:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I still do not know exactly why the west stairwell remains in darkness, but I did get a reply to an e-mail I sent to Dan Stone this morning. In it, he states that "The contractor to repair the lights should be there now or in the immediate term. Since many of the fixtures are unique and require special order, he may install temporary lighting to address the safety issue and return to install the replacement lights upon arrival."

I hope this means the stairwell will be lighted when I get home this evening.

UPDATE: The lights are back on! Yay!

Posted by Jim Pire at 9:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I know that the rain we've seen over the last couple days has been rather light - it's not the sort of storm that usually causes water to accumulate on our floor - but I'm very happy to report that there is no water seeping through the repaired cracks in unit 210!

Posted by Jim Pire at 5:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dear Residents,

IGMS, our janitorial service should be vacuuming up the standing water we have in the parking garage today. For your information, the way the arrangement currently works with IGMS is when any homeowner sees that there is a lot of water in the parking garage, they should contact Dan Stone at Collins Management and Dan will notify IGMS that the work needs to be done. A lot of the water issues should be resolved when we complete additional waterproofing work with Rainbow Waterproofing, but during heavy rain storms, we will still have water running down the parking garage ramp, which will need to be vacuumed up until we solve the problem in another way (e.g. new drainage system). Thank you for your patience.

Chase Milbrandt, Director

Posted by at 9:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The finished product looks very much as it did before the repair. I suppose the crack is slightly more visible than it was before the repair job, but hey - I can live with it.

Now, let's see what happens when it rains!

Posted by Jim Pire at 4:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The repair dudes are back. Today they're injecting a purple-ish epoxy substance into the wall cracks. They inject it with a small electric pump with a pressure gauge on it. They watch the pressure closely as they inject small pulses of the material into the cracks.

The process is not too noisy or messy. The epoxy has a rather strong odor, but as long as my windows are open, it's not a problem.

Posted by Jim Pire at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

These shots are meant to give you some idea how the leak repair process goes. This work was to have begun on Tuesday. Unfortunately, heavy rains that morning soaked my walls, and the contractors arrived only to inform me that no work could be done. That's why the title says "Day 2".

1.) The original wall with crack. Note that this crack is directly under the corner of a window on the south wall of the building. It will be very interesting to see if this work will actually stop or slow the leak.

2.) The first step is to apply a thick substance over the crack. I guess the idea is that this will hold back the epoxy when they pump it into the crack through the short "soda straws" you see protruding from the gray goo. This material dries hard in a hour or two, and will evidently be removed after the epoxy is injected.

OK, the contractors just informed me that their "pump is broken", and they will not be able to compete the job until next week. ARGH! I have already taken two days off of work to get this far.

For future reference, the contractor is Bay Cities Concrete and Masonry Restoration, Inc., 11971 San Mateo Road, #38, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019, (650) 726-1116.

Stay tuned!

Posted by Jim Pire at 2:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dear FSL Residents,

The trash compactor and dumpster will be steam cleaned next Friday the 22nd
at 9:00 a.m. by a company called Full Steam Ahead.

Just one more week....

Thanks.

Chase Milbrandt

Posted by at 2:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Dear FSL Residents,

I just got done personally placing about a dozen bags of garbage left on the trash room floor into the trash compactor and cycling it four times. I imagine that that happened because it appeared that the trash compactor was "full" or "jammed" so people just started throwing their garbage on the floor. This was not the case this time, and usually isn't. Please do not just throw your garbage bags on the floor - there is a better solution. We all need to make a more concerted effort to push the button on the compactor to cycle it much more frequently so that the garbage that is in the chute gets pushed into the dumpster.

Some helpful tips:

1. If you throw garbage bags in the compactor and notice that there are already a few in there, PLEASE press the "key" button to operate the compactor. We don't cycle the compactor often enough.


2. If the garbage bags appear to be clogged in the chute, all you have to do is get a broom or some type of stick to push the garbage bags down a bit, then when you push the button, the compactor can push the garbage into the dumpster. It is a very easy fix.


3. I also noticed some kitty litter and cat poopies on the floor. If you are going to put kitty litter in the trash compactor - PLEASE double or triple bag the waste before putting it in there so that we don't have any disgusting incidents.

Thanks your cooperation.

Best regards,

Chase Milbrandt
Vice President

Posted by at 3:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dear FSL Residents,

I just wanted to let you know that we are aware that a copper water pipe in
the parking garage directly above the parking space for Unit 403 appears to
be leaking and water is dripping on the car parked there.

We are working on resolving the issue ASAP.

Thanks.

Chase Milbrandt
Vice President

Posted by at 8:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dear FSL Residents,

The elevator was repaired today, but it is possible that some of you may
find that if you have an older, worn key - it may not work anymore. I have
a few extra new keys, so if yours no longer works, just send me an e-mail
and we can make arrangements to get you a new one.

Thanks.

Chase Milbrandt
VP

Posted by Jim Pire at 9:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dear FSL Residents,

Our janitorial service, IGMS, is responsible for watering the plants in the building. They have been doing so regularly, but fear that other people are also watering the plants and that they are receiving too much water. I am not sure if this is the case, but in any event, please DO NOT water any plants as IGMS is responsible for this.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Chase Milbrandt
Vice President

Posted by Jim Pire at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Are you tired of the faded photos outside the elevator doors on the second, third and fourth floors? After nine years, I can tell you that I am. I propose that we should do something about it! We have so many capable artists and technicians in our building that we must be able to improve on those (sometimes) interesting, but fading old prints. I have an idea or two. How 'bout we:

1. Reproduce the existng photos using modern technolgies, or...
2. Replace the historical photos with other historical photos of the Jack London District, or...
3. Allow residents to showcase their talents and display some of their art for an agreed upon period of time, or...
4. [Insert your own brilliant idea here.]

I'd be more than happy to get involved in a big way. I can reproduce the photos we already have on the walls - without the light damage - at low cost. I have also tried to locate interesting, high resolution photographs of the Jack London District without much luck. Maybe YOU can help?

How 'bout it, neighbors? Can I get some feedback?

Posted by Jim Pire at 8:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Kelly and I just had our tub refinished, and I thought you might like to know that the results are quite nice! We chose Miracle Method to do the work, (thanks Google) and I would recommend them.

Before you feel compelled to tell me, I already know that it won't last that long - it's just a stop-gap measure until we can afford to totally re-model the bathroom. Looks pretty decent, though!

Posted by Jim Pire at 6:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ok, most of the new lights are installed. I guess it's an improvement, although it's much darker than it was where my car sits. That whimpy 2 foot fluorescent fixture is no where near as bright as the sodium vapor fixture it replaced. However, the lighting is more uniform overall, and there is much more light at the entrance to the elevator than there was before.

I have to say though, that in my humble opinion, the new garage lighting does very little to improve our property values. I do hope that the next time we spend this much money, we do something to improve the value of our homes.

Nevertheless, I'd like to extend a sincere thanks to the board for getting this done! It's a change - and change is good.

Posted by Jim Pire at 9:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

...or do you agree that our building's interior signage leaves much to be desired? Could we please consider upgrading it sometime? These multicolored rub-on letters are showing their age. Do any of my talented neighbors have any ideas as to how to improve our sorry-looking interior signage? Does anyone know how text is applied directly to a wall? You know - like you would find in an art museum?

Posted by Jim Pire at 1:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Dear Fourth Street Lofts Residents,

This e-mail is a call for help from each of you. We have been having a very difficult time maintaining the trash room downstairs.

The trash room continues to be littered with inappropriate items which are not discarded correctly or do not belong in there at all. Today's case in point is all the Styrofoam material left on top of the recycling bins, the wooden cabinet left in front of the compactor, and the tools left on the floor. Two days ago it was four cans of paint, which is hazardous material and should be taken to a special dump. We often have abandoned furniture, packing materials of all kind left every which place, plastic bags and plastic peanuts put in the recycling bins, trash in the bins, paper in the can bin and visa versa, garbage left on the floor, boxes not broken down and strewn around, and it goes on.

We are asking our janitorial service to do a thorough cleaning in the trash room every couple of months, which will include steam-cleaning the trash compactor, recycle bins, floor, etc. However, the way things go down there, the trash room gets messed up pretty fast after they clean it.

In addition to being downright smelly and disgusting, a “trashed” trash room has a negative impact on realtors with prospective buyers see the area. It give the impression of a poorly maintained building, which may lead to a lost sale, or a sale at a lower price, which affects the property values for all of us. In other words, there is a financial reason to take better care of the trash room!

Please adhere to the following guidelines when putting things in the trash room:

1. Use quality plastic trash bags and tie them tightly before you throw them in the trash compactor.
   
2. Use common sense when deciding what should or should not go into the trash compactor. Hazardous materials do not belong in the trash compactor and need to be disposed of properly.
   
3. Do not throw furniture or other things left over from your move in the trash room.
   
4. Do not drop anything on the floor. If you see something on the floor, please pick it up and place it where it belongs.
   
5. Break down your boxes so that they are flat before placing them on top of the trash compactor.
   
6. Be diligent about only placing materials in the recycle bins that belong, according to the label on top of the bin.
   
7. VERY IMPORTANT – For security purposes, please ensure that the loading dock door is closed at all times. We have had problems in the past where people off the street have gained access to the building through this door. A few weeks ago, we also had the trash compactor vandalized.
   

Chase Milbrandt
Vice President

Posted by at 3:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'd like to extend my appreciation to our hard-working board for the progress we've seen lately in the building. These little improvements really add up, and to me, they make a huge difference.

Great work and many thanks!

Posted by Jim Pire at 6:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Neighbors:

Just a quick update on the lighting so you know we are not asleep at the wheel.

There was some delay in getting the fixtures that we need, and that was compounded by scheduling conflicts with the contractor.

Though I cannot be certain, we hope that project is completed no later than the middle to end of July.

Best,
David M. Terry
247 Fourth Street
Loft 402
Oakland, CA 94607
510-813-9854

Posted by at 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

You may have noticed that the hand rail by the steps in front of the building have been sanded and repainted. Now they are no longer rusty and shabby looking!

Posted by at 9:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is an announcement to let everyone know that Rainbow Waterproofing has been contracted to finish waterproofing the areas of the parking garage where we constantly have water seeping into the building. We don't have an exact schedule yet, but we anticipate that the work will be able to get done in the next couple of weeks. After this waterproofing work is done, we are going to keep an eye out to see if any more leaks form, particularly after the rainy season begins. If more leaks occur, we may decide to have Rainbow come back and do additional work. I don't know about you, but it is very exciting for me to think that we may get rid of the standing water down there!

Posted by at 9:42 AM | Permalink

In case you were wondering why our "Fourth Street Lofts" sign is no longer lit-up at night... The lights on some of the letters were not working, so the Board decided to disconnect all of them until we can get the repairs done.

Posted by at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Board of Directors has done a lot of research lately into the problem with have with flies in front of the building near the obelisk. I spoke with Terminix and their entimoligist to see if there is a solution for getting rid of them. Unfortunately, we were told that the flies are "Lesser House Flies" and they are congregating there for mating because it is a little more protected from wind and sun in that area. The flies ARE NOT attracted to any smells or substances out there, which means that a "fly trap" type of device will not stop them. The only suggestion we have received so far would be to mount a ceiling fan above the area to create enough downdraft that the flies would go somewhere else. If anyone has any other ideas, please post them on the blog.

Posted by at 1:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm sure you all have noticed by now, but we now have a new door mat in front of the door. Its made from "coconut hair."

Posted by at 1:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The garage door leading into the elevator and the trash room door were finally painted.

Posted by Jim Pire at 3:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)