WATERWAYS MANAGEMENT COMPANY
MINUTES OF COMMITTEE MEETING No 106
Tuesday 10 January 2024; 5.30pm; Community Meeting Room
Present: Anne Hall, Nicholas Orme, Catherine Lack, Paula Reynolds, Brian Shine, Louise
Robertson (acting Chair), Hilary Sorensen, and Liz Wheater. In attendance: David Hone.
Observing: Sarah Harris, Roni Hameiri, Pat Strudwick
- Apologies for absence: Rachel Dolacinski, Aroul Ramadass, Raquel Stremme, Mary
Tovey. - Draft minutes of the last meeting on 14 November 2023 were agreed.
- Matters arising:
3.1 (3.2) Railings. As reported, those in EJ Way have been refurbished. The railings in
Frenchay Road will be repaired by a specialist company in the Spring.
3.2 (3.4) The abandoned van in GreenSquare Accord car park: removed. Closed.
3.3 (3.5) The ‘Slow’ signs in Stone Meadow to be replaced in the next four weeks.
3.4 (6.3) The fee charged by FirstPort to new tenants: approved. Closed.
3.5 (4) A director reported on discussions with Waterside about its plans to instal electric
charging for cars. Waterside is in the process of tackling difficult issues, and it was agreed to
keep in contact with Waterside directors as they face them.
3.6 (4) FirstPort was instructed to write to the resident in Complin’s Close who is charging
a car with an external lead from a flat, to emphasise that flat owners have no rights over land,
and that any charging must have the consent of the freeholder and of the WMC.
3.7 (3.10) The car wrongly parked in Complin’s Close: removed. Closed. - Sub-committees:
Apartments:
4.1.1 The lift modernisation in 99-113 Frenchay Road has been completed subject to final
checks, after which it will be signed off. The company completed the work on time and
within the budget. The next lift renewal will be done in 115-141 Frenchay Road.
4.1.2 The brickwork of the damaged flat in Clearwater Place: replaced with compatible
bricks (it was noted that one brick appeared to be missing). The window unit will be replaced
shortly.
4.1.3 The identity theft issue at 115-141 Frenchay Road has been closed, but another
incident happened there over Christmas in which a letter box was forced open and a bank
card taken. At present the letter boxes are outside the security door, and the view was
expressed that they might be moved inside.
4.1.5 David Hone explained the roof problems at 108-126 Frenchay Road. The roof was
previously re-felted in 2016 but coping stones were not replaced. Damp has entered via the
coping stones which will now be removed and damp-proof membrane inserted beneath them.
The work will be done when more scaffolding has been erected.
4.1.6 The broken canopy and leaking balconies will be remedied. Contracts are being
sought.
4.1.7 Tenders for external redecoration in Stone Meadow and EJWay are being sought. It
was agreed that steam cleaning should be used rather than paint. The hopper of one building
will be remedied before cleaning.
Gardening:
4.2.1 Bicycle clearance. The whole estate has been checked and twenty cycles labelled for
removal by March.
4.2.2 It was agreed to ask the council tree officer for advice before the removal or
reduction of the lime trees on the Green, and inform residents about the need to do so, subject
to the officer’s advice. The tulip trees will be retained in the hope that they will flourish better
when the limes are reduced. Tree surgeons have not yet been booked.
4.2.3 A general tree survey will be done. We now have a policy of doing so every two
years for health and safety reasons. Evergreen responded very quickly to remove two large
trees that had fallen over people’s gardens during recent storms. Fortunately, only fences
were damaged.
4.2.4 It was agreed to purchase and install a brown recycled seat on the hill of EJ Way at a
cost of £396. This is likely to arrive in late January and will be installed by Evergreen.
4.2.5 It was agreed to purchase a wooden bench for three people to be sited near the
fritillaries and cowslips in the Wildlife Corridor, total cost £1,450. This will be an amenity
for the whole estate, and a memorial to our long-serving chair, Adrian Olsen. A director will
give details of the order and installation to David Hone for action. This was proposed,
seconded and carried unanimously.
Finance:
4.3.1 The budget for 2023-4 has been agreed. David Hone confirmed that FirstPort was
resuming the practice of sending out the annual accounts to residents in hard copy. Some
members of the Committee reported that they had not received them in this format. Action:
David Hone.
4.3.2 David Hone has produced a ‘light touch’ Asset Plan for 3-8 Complin’s Close to
discuss with the WMC treasurer. This estimates the life-span and replacement costs of roofs,
lifts, carpeting, and decoration, and is helpful in determining the sums needed to be collected
from owners as financial reserves. It was agreed that similar plans should be produced for all
apartment blocks and for our gardeners, Evergreen, to be approved by the treasurer, and that
in due course owners should be informed of the rationale for collecting reserves. Healthy
reserves make properties more attractive to buyers. - Feedback. No feedback has been received.
- Managing Agent.
6.1 David Hone reported that the name Innovus which has been introduced reflects the
purchase of other companies by the management agents; FirstPort remains the name of the
company whom we employ as agents.
6.2 The meeting discussed a letter sent by Innovus to a director asking him to sign a
variation on a lease. It was resolved that no director may sign a document on behalf of the
whole Management Committee without its previous consent, and that no variation may be
permitted until its nature has been approved by the Committee.
6.3 David Hone apologised for the failure of the secretarial branch of FirstPort to send out
the notice of the AGM in time for the scheduled date of 16 January 2024. It was agreed to
postpone the AGM on this occasion only until 13 February at 7.30pm at the Baptist Church,
Woodstock Road. - WRACIC
7.1 The Waterways Residents Association was congratulated on the success of its
Christmas party.
7.2 The Committee expressed its concern at the continuing non-functioning of the
Association’s website, considering that WMC contributes to the cost of this. The director
liaising with WRA is asked to convey our concern. - Any other business
8.1-4, 8 The chair asked the new candidates for election at the AGM to consider what
roles they might play as directors if they were elected. She also drew attention to the long
term needs of the Committee, including a Chair and a minute taker. It was agreed to raise this
issue to residents at the AGM and in the next Newsletter.
8.6 It was agreed not to continue the previous chair’s practice of sending out police reports
to owners.
8.7 It was agreed, however, to keep all his archives (relating to such matters as the railway
line) in a locked cupboard on the top floor of 115-141 Frenchay Road. A new cabinet will be
purchased. The Welcome to the Waterways booklets are with one of the directors.
8.8 The meeting thanked the lead director for silt clearance, who is retiring as a director,
for her long service to the Committee and the estate, especially for her work and success in
the management of the water and drainage system. - Dates and times of future meetings
9.1 Since the Community Room is no longer available on Tuesday evenings, it was agreed
to move future meetings to Wednesday evenings at 6.00pm, to allow for easier attendance by
those at work. Dates for future meetings were agreed as 13 March, 15 May, 10 July, 11
September, and 13 November.
9.2 The date of the AGM for 2024 will take place at the more usual time of late October or
early November.
The meeting concluded at 7.00pm.