Washington Park

2010 FLOOD - EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS (CHRONOLOGICAL)

Posted  Monday  3 May 2010  12:00  PM Monday, May 3, 2010 at 6:00 – meeting at the Main Office for the 12  flood damaged unit owners in Dover and Exeter houses.  Updates on the rebuilding process and insurance settlement will be given by Rob Kovalko (Greater Boston Properties) and the Trustees. Flood remediation has been completed by ServiceMaster.  OccuHealth has given a clear report on the environmental status of units. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted Sunday  25 April 2010  4:00  PM Voiceshot from Greater Boston, Friday 23 April 2010 Residents of Washington Park: Please be advised of the following updates regarding the ongoing efforts of the Community: The areas of the complex that were affected by both floods have been tested by a third party environmental company and have been certified as clean and sanitized. Landscaping, Roadways and walkways, and other common areas are now in the process of restoration. There is also a trench that must be dug near Andover and Concord house early next week to inspect and repair an electrical component of Andover House, additional information will be provided to residents as it becomes available. The Board of Trustees have also engaged with an Engineering firm to detail property elevations, and explore flood prevention methods. The Board is also pursing both state, federal, and local agencies for potential financial assistance in flood prevention solution. A news letter is in the process of being completed and will be sent out to all owners in the near future. The Washington Park webpage is also scheduled to be updated in the upcoming weeks as efforts continue. Should anyone have any questions please feel free to contact Greater Boston Properties at 617 536 4900   -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted Thursday  15 April 2010  5:00  PM Remediation: Has been completed for all (12) units. However, ServiceMaster has sealed all units to prevent any exterior contamination(s) from interfering with the third party environmental testing. Units must remain sealed ideally until Saturday 4/17 at 7:00 A.M. Environmental Testing:  All samples for all (12) units should be completely collected by tomorrow 4/16 at 5:00 PM.  Once samples are collected, they will be sent to a lab for analysis. This is anticipated to take 4-7 days (this is under ideal conditions; I will keep everyone updated should this date change). Insurance Report: All homeowners should have received their independent adjustment reports.  If you have any questions, please contact Jim from Swerling as soon as possible (781-416-1000). At this point, we are very close to submitting the insurance claim to HUB International.  The faster we can do this, the quicker the insurance claim will go through and the funds dispersed to homeowners. Rebuilding: Once environmental testing is completed and the samples come back clean, the rebuild process can begin (hopefully this will coincide with the insurance claim being processed and disbursements of funds). I will be providing more information about a few contractors I have been in touch with within the next couple of days. Town of Andover:  A letter of thank you has been sent to Andover’s Town Manager, Buzz Stapczynski on behalf of the Washington Park community acknowledging the superb efforts by all Town agencies in assisting us during the month of March.  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted Wednesday  14 April 2010  5:15  PM Update:  April 13, 2010 .  ServiceMaster is completing work in all damaged units this week .  Preliminary damage reports by our Public Adjuster (SMW) have been sent out to owners of damaged units for review .  Air Quality testing in all damaged units and common areas will be done during the week of April 12 .  Spring clean-up by Trinity Landscaping is beginning during the week of April 12 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted Thursday  8 April 2010  5:30  PM Flood Update: 1.   A comprehensive and preliminary copy of the damage estimates has been received from Swerling, Milton and Winnick, our Public Adjuster, Matt Post.  This report covers damage per unit and common areas. 2.   Remediation process by ServiceMaster is nearly complete in damaged units (Dover and Exeter) and in damaged common areas. 3.   Each unit owner will receive a copy of damage estimates provided by Swerling, Milton and Winnick.  Unit owners will be asked to review their estimate document for any changes or oversights within a specified time frame and return to Greater Boston Properties for final processing of claim.  The date of delivery of the review documents is to be determined soon. 4.   A Release of Claims will need to be signed by the unit owner prior to release of settlement funds to the unit owner. 5.   Environmental testing by a third party will be done to guarantee that units are safe to rebuild.  Greater Boston Properties and the Board of Trustees will secure an Engineering firm to conduct this Air Quality testing and is expected to be complete in a week to 10 days. 6.   Greater Boston Properties will establish an e-mail communication with the owners of the damaged units with FAQ information related to the claim and settlement 7.   Rebuilding process – Greater Boston Properties and the Board of Trustees will provide names of possible General Contractors 8.   General Contractors will secure Building Permits from the Town of Andover. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted Wednesday  7 April 2010  6:15 PM Please click on the following link for Town of Andover - Recovery News  Recovery News ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted Tuesday  6 April 2010  12:00 AM Important Flood Remediation and Rebuilding information will be posted Tuesday, April 6th related to preliminary estimates of property  damage. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted Friday 2 April 2010  8:30PM Please click on the following link to access the flood certificates for Washington Park.  Select the one that corresponds to your address. These certificates replace the ones originally posted on 22 March 2010,  which were the renewal pages that showed the "old" limits. The new set indicates the increased insurance limits. Please refer to the posting on 22 March 2010 for information regarding reading PDF files. Washington Park Flood Certificates ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted Friday 2 April 2010  4:45PM Residents of Washington Park: The sandbags are in the process of being gathered and placed into a storage area.  Once we have completed this process, we will begin the clean up of the driveway and walkway areas.  This will most likely begin next Monday.  Unfortunately, this most recent flood has delayed the remediation and rebuild process for not only the Homeowner’s, whom have been displaced, but the common areas as well. The Board of Trustees have scheduled a special Board meeting to discuss not only the day to day operations of the Community, but also to engage with Greater Boston Properties Management to insure this most recent event will not unreasonably delay the ongoing efforts to restore Washington Park back to the prosperous Community it was before the historical weather of last month. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Posted Thursday 1 April 2010  5:15PM Voice-shot was put  today  today, Thursday, April 1 Approximately 4:00 PM Under the current circumstances and anticipated continuing decrease in the river level the Board of Trustees have lifted the voluntary evacuation. Please note that some driveway areas are still inaccessible due to minor flooding and have been blocked off with caution tape. For safety reasons please do not attempt to drive or park in these areas. Also, as a precautionary measure sandbags will be left in place until further notice.  Please do not dispose of any of the sandbags as they will be gathered and placed into storage when appropriate. Additional information and updates can be found at the Washington Park website. Thank you to all residents for your anticipated patience and cooperation during this challenging and difficult coordination effort. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted Thursday 1 April 2010  10:30AM Voice-shot was put out today, Thursday, April 01 – approx. 9:45AM This is an important update please listen to this message in its entirety. The voluntary evacuation is still currently in place; the driveway areas in the complex have minor flooding and in some areas have become inaccessible. The Board of Trustees strongly recommend that all residents move all vehicles to higher ground as soon as possible. Greater Boston Properties and the Board of Trustees are working closely with the Town of Andover to monitor the river as well as all the mechanical systems of complex (water, gas, electricity); it is possible that a mandatory evacuation may be called in which all residents will be required to leave the premises. Residents should prepare accordingly. We will continue to provide information to residents through this alert system along with the Washington Park website. Should you have any questions please call Greater Boston Properties at 617-536-4900 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted Wednesday 31 March 2010  08:15PM Today is March 31, 2010 approximately 4:30. Please be advised that the voluntary evacuation is still in effect. The river level is expected to rise into the evening. The board of trustees is strongly recommending residents stay clear of the property until further notice. Additionally, vehicles should not be parked in the complex. If you find yourself in a life threatening situation please dial 9-1-1. If you have any other issues Greater Boston Properties is available 24 hours a day. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted Wednesday 31 March 2010  10:30AM Today is Wed March 31, approximately 9:30 AM Please note that the voluntary evacuation is still in affect. Although the weather has cleared the river is still expected to rise and peak within the next 4-12 hours. At this point we do not expect flooding to occur in units; however the driveway and walkway areas may experience minor flooding. As a result The Board of  Trustees are advising that residents keep vehicles offsite and stay clear of the property until further notice. Should you have any questions please contract Greater Boston Properties at 617-536-4900. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted Wednesday 31 March 2010  12:00AM Attention:  Voice-shot was put out at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 30th   The Board and Greater Boston Properties continue to watch the river level and are in communication with Town of Andover officials.  At this time, there is no mandatory evacuation.  However,  as the river continues to rise, all indications are that the water levels will be at their highest during the overnight hours tonight.  With that in mind, the Board strongly suggests that all residents leave the property to avoid the possibility of an evacuation without daylight. All vehicles should be moved to higher ground.  Arrangements have been made with Frye Circle for vehicles during the flood event.  Please do not park your vehicle in any residential space at Frye Circle but close to the curb allowing room for emergency and personal vehicles to pass. We will continue to update all residents and owners throughout the night via voice-shots and here on the website. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted Tuesday 30 March 2010  12:00PM Attention all Washington Park Residents and Owners: The Board of Trustees and Greater Boston Properties are continuing to closely watch the river levels.  A voice-shot went out earlier this morning stating that we are working with Town of Andover officials and as of this announcement, there is no need for action.   Sand bags are being put into place to protect buildings.  Callahan Heating is on the property making sure that all sump pumps are operating.  As the storm moves through the rest of the day and tomorrow, we will keep you informed via voice-shot and here on the website of any action that needs to be taken.  We do suggest to everyone that you do the following: 1. Prepare a bag and MEDICATIONS needed for 3 days of evacuation. 2. Prepare to move your vehicle immediately to higher ground if and when requested. 3. Confirm your arrangements for being evacuated for a possible 3 day period. 4. Everyone located on a lower level should take steps to move belongings up off the floor to avoid loss. We will keep you informed as the storm moves through the area.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted Sunday 28 March 2010  11:00PM Be assured, the Board of Trustees and Greater Boston Properties are closely watching the weather forecast and related rainfall predictions over the next several days.  Watch for frequent updates here on the community website and over voice-shot at your home and cell phone numbers.  The National Weather Service tonight is predicting up to and in excess of 4 inches of rain through Wednesday complicated by the snowmelt from up north and high water levels already in the river system.  If you have internet access, please watch the Hydrograph located in the Shawsheen at Wilmington at: http://newweb.erh.noaa.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=box&gage=wlmm3&view=1,1 Be sure to put plans in place now related to medications, moving vehicles to higher ground and to leave the property immediately if required by the Town of Andover.  Our main concern is resident safety.  We encourage everyone to begin to plan should the need arise.  We will remain hopeful that rain amounts will be less than the earlier event in March.  We will keep you informed here on the Washington Park website, by voice-shot and in writing with posting in hallways of any action needed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted 22 March 2010  11:30PM  At the very bottom of this page you will find a collection of the flood certificates for the Washington Park buildings. NOTE:  These certificates have been removed. Please refer to the posting on 2 April 2010 for an update. Select the one that corresponds to your address. NOTE: The file format is PDF. This necessitates having an application or browser plugin (e.g. Adobe Acrobat Reader) installed on your system that reads PDF files . You can obtain the Acrobat Reader by going to the Adobe website: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat Scroll down on this page and click on the Download for Adobe Reader 9. You then need to install the Reader by executing the downloaded file. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted 22 March 2010  11:00PM The Board of Trustees and Greater Boston Properties are watching this latest rainfall.  The link to watch the Shawsheen River levels is located at: http://newweb.erh.noaa.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=box&gage=wlmm3&view=1,1 Current observations show a peak of 6.0 feet which is within action stage but below flood stage.  Monitoring will continue through this current rainfall event. 1. Mac Gray inspected all laundry room machines on Monday, March 22  to guarantee operation after flood event 2. Power has been restored at the Main House, 259 North Main Street 3. Adjuster on-site assessing damaged units today 4. Flood Certificate documents per building are posted if needed by your insurance carrier --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted 22 March 2010 12:00 PM Please click on the following link to access the minutes from the flood information meeting held on 21 March 2010: Minutes From Flood Information Meeting --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted 21 March 2010 2:00 PM Please click on the links below to access important flood related documents:           After Flood Fact Sheet           After The Flood --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted 19 March 2010 10:45AM 1. As of 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 18, Andover Fire/Rescue and the Board of Health gave residents of Washington Park the all clear to reoccupy their unit if undamaged by water. All roadways and walkways have been cleaned and power washed. 2. Pods will start to be delivered today for use by those displaced. Dumpsters have already been delivered. 3. ServiceMaster will be on site to begin mitigation in common areas and after damaged units have been cleared of personal contents 4. Reminder: An informational meeting will be held Sunday,  March 21 at 7:00 p.m.at the St Augustine's Parish Hall next to the Church, Essex Street, Andover. 5. If not done so already, please call Greater Boston Properties at (978) 475-2002 with an alternative phone number where you can receive updated voice shots. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted 17 March 2010  9:00PM Updates on Flooding: 1. The Andover Fire Department has confirmed that residents may return to their units after 5:00 p.m., Thursday,  March 18. 2. An informational meeting for owners will be held Sunday, March 21, 7:00 p.m.  at  St Augustine’s Church Parish Center (adjacent to St. Augustine’s Church), 43 Essex St. Andover. 3. An initial estimate of damage is expected within 24 hours. 4. Remediation is expected to begin within 24 hours. 5. Restoration of facilities is also expected to begin within 24 hours. Further updates will be posted regularly throughout the remediation process. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted 17 March 2010  2:00PM Washington Park Residents and Owners: This web site is just one media form of keeping the owners of Washington Park informed as to the recent natural flooding disaster.   Attempts will be made to daily post all pertinent information in regards to occupancy, insurance, reconstruction etc. as well as other available resources. Also, GBP is asking for alternate phone numbers which can be used in voice shots for updates.  Please call GBP at 978-475-2002.