Special Meeting Outcomes

At the Special Meeting held on the 15th of August, Ground Floor Project vendor PLACE, LLC,

presented several vendor proposals. These proposals were to perform the work associated

with the GFP. At that meeting, the Board made awards for:

Demo of the existing and installation of new ceiling and lighting,

Demo of the floor near the elevators and the installation of flooring there,

Overlay of new flooring throughout the rest of the lobby,

Demo and installation of new flooring inside the elevators,

Installation of new flooring in the new mailbox area,

Installation of new floor in the AKW office,

Replacement of the west side door from the vestibule to the outside, and

Repair of and preparation of the east side doors ahead of the floor overlay.

The Board did not entertain vendor proposals related to design and/or décor.

We Showed You So at the Showcase

On Saturday the 18th, Juanita Crabb and Alex Meza were at AKW and walked participants

through the project boards that are their near-final presentation to be put before the Board at

its August Board Meeting. This Showcase event was intended to as a final feedback

Ground Floor

Project Update 8/21/18

The Ground Floor Project will soon move from planning and design into the

construction phase. This project update is intended to bring you up to date on

the planning process and give you some insight into the construction schedule,

at least in its general timeframes. The next project update will come after the

August Board meeting; other spot updates will be offered as necessary.

opportunity ahead of PLACE, LLC, making their final tweaks

to the design proposals. The event was open to all and

ultimately attended by owners representing two or three

dozen AKW units.

At the Showcase event, owners were introduced to the

vendor’s design concepts for all areas included in the

project. Attendees were asked to provide their feedback at

the end of the event and many did put forward suggested

refinements and commentary. Of course, you’ll recall that

there were two power outages, one during each of the Showcase tours, so the event was not

without its challenges. But, thank you to all who carved time out of their weekend to attend and

actively participate in the event.

Please, Please, Please Me

AKW is a community of several hundred people residing in 190

apartments. And, like multi-family buildings everywhere, everyone has

their idea of how AKW’s common elements should look. So, planning

a redesign like the one underway at AKW is not an easy undertaking.

Juanita and Alex have tried hard to develop a design concept that will

please as many of AKW’s residents and OSOs—current and future—

as possible. The work they are doing isn’t simply a redesign, but

encompasses the core features—the flooring, ceiling, and lighting

particularly – meant to last decades. This project is not just for 2018

but for 2035 as well.

Given the many competing interests Juanita and Alex had to negotiate—budgetary and special

constraints, Bylaws restrictions, and an attempt to design a flexible space that would be

immune to changes in taste over the coming decades, it is just not possible to address every

owner’s individual taste. Indeed, usually one owner’s preference is opposite another’s!

A lot of feedback was given by owners at the various feedback venues offered: from the initial

survey, to the three Special Meetings called specific to the GFP, to the regular Board meetings

where the project was discussed, to the Showcase event, where

near-final design ideas were proffered.

Here are the most significant changes incorporated into the design

influenced by owners’ feedback:

In response to the comment that the mostly-neutral

palate was too sterile, PLACE, LLC, changed furniture

from beiges and browns to much more colorful fabrics,

meant to add splashes of color to the space while

keeping an underlying color scheme meant to be more

timeless and versatile.

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Chairs and a sofa replaced bench-style seating.

Owners said that they wanted a guard desk that would be more user friendly; the

proposal for the desk was changed to include an ADA transaction counter area for

car sign-in and guard interaction.

In response to concerns about the mailbox relocation and increased traffic through

the door into that space, a new, mostly-glass door is being installed, along with an

automatic door-opening button.

Owners said they did not like the proposed library relocation; PLACE, LLC, worked

with the Library Committee to keep the library in the Billiard Room.

And, owed to feedback received from owners, the Board asked the vendor for a

lighter-touch approach to the Party Room, which the vendor presented at the

Showcase.

In a multi-family building like ours it is impossible to please everyone. The best we can hope for

is a space that makes some people thrilled and most people happy, while disappointing as few

as possible.

Keeping in Touch: The Communication Plan

As the planning and approval phases are drawing to a conclusion, the construction schedule is

beginning to come into view, and, along with it, an idea of the disruptions we will inevitably face.

There will be a lot of moving pieces associated with this project and it is important for the

project team to engage with residents and employees; it is just as important for residents to

take note of communications the project team sends.

The team will do its best to make its must-know alerts to residents crisp, clear, and short;

additionally, the team will make sure to offer longer form project updates, like this one, which is

intended to give residents and OSOs a more in-depth look at the project. The project team also

intends to keep the project webpage up-to-date and relevant. Finally, the project team will

make use of the Association’s newsfeed; if you use Twitter, please follow @akwcondo, or have

a look at it on the AKW homepage, www.akwcondo.com.

What’s Next?

The next milestone for the GFP is for the vendor to receive final approval for its design. The

vendor will seek that approval at the August 28th Board Meeting. As soon as that approval is

received, PLACE, LLC, will places orders for the fixtures to execute the vision. Since most of

the vendors to perform the work have been identified and awards have been made for them to

do the work, the project timeline will be determined by the delivery time associated with the

items and materials.

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W HAT Y OU S HOULD D O

Interest in final design has been and continues to be strong. You are encouraged to attend the August 28

th Board meeting to be part of the

definitive dialogue.

Attend the August 28 Board Meeting to hear PLACE, LLC make the final design presentation to the Board

General Project Timeframes

It is too early for the project team to firmly identify exact dates when project phases will

commence, but Juanita and Alex are able to offer some general timeframes. They are:

Project Element Anticipated Duration

End of August Finalization and Approval of Design

Early September Construction of Mailbox Niche in Billiard Room Begins

1-2 weeks

Mid-September Installation of New Mailboxes 1 week

Mid-September Old Mailboxes Decommissioned and Wall Demo

1 week

Mid-September Demo of Existing Ceiling and Overhead Lighting

2-3 weeks

Late September Installation of New Ceiling and Lighting Begins

3-4 weeks

Early October New Ceiling and LED Lighting Installation Complete

Mid-October Beginning of Floor Overlay 6-8 weeks

Mid-October Installation of New Doors 6-8 weeks

Early November New Floor Complete

Late December Finalization and Punchlist Items

Mid-January Project Complete

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