Manager’s Messages

Toilet Flapper & Supply Line Information

Your toilet can cause major problems, as there are several items that can contribute to issues with your toilet leaking out of the base or inside the bowl causing a tremendous amount of water waste.

Maintenance Issue: From a bad seal ring, worn down flapper, fill valve issues, and supply line connections, all of these issues can cause leaks or a constant flow of water, so pay attention to the signs of failure.

Recommendation: Replace the toilet parts inside the toilet bowl every few years or as needed (you can hear your toilet filling up every few minutes instead of only when you flush the toilet). Flapper failure can lead to a huge amount of water waste that comes out of each unit’s monthly assessments. This will ensure there is a tight seal and water will not run excessively. Replace the old angle stop valve with a newer metal valve to ensure you can shut off the toilet if there are any issues. You will also want to make sure the supply line from the angle stops to your toilet is in good condition as old lines can burst or leak excessively causing damage to your bathroom or neighbor’s ceiling below. 

Homeowner’s & Renter’s Insurance Policy

Please submit a copy of your most current and valid Homeowners or Renters insurance policy with the declaration of coverage and expiration date to Carlos Mayes at cmayes@actionlife.com and Kyndra Harnage at kharnage@actionlife.com. As a reminder, Homeowners insurance is required per Article 11 of the CC&Rs. You can also contact Carlos Mayes and Kyndra Harnage to verify if the policy on file is current. You are welcome to contact the Association’s Insurance Broker HUB’s Personal Vice President of Personal Lines, Suzanne Canfield, at 760-707-5633 or Suzanne.Canfield@hubinternational.com if you have homeowners or renters policy-related questions.

Oscar Event

Over the last several weeks, we have sent out information about the upcoming Social Committee Oscar event in the 1st-floor lounge. Some residents have commented that they assumed this is just a “watch party”. Well, let us tell you, it is so much more… This is more of a theme party! There will be a red carpet, photo booth, champagne welcome, red & white wine, savory yummies plus scrumptious desserts. Sure, we’ll have the Oscars on in the background for fun, but come to socialize and enjoy, make some new friends, and watch the Oscars if you want.  Come join us to eat, sip & mingle on Sunday, March 12^th from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. for the Oscars viewing party in the lounge! It’s an informal event, but please feel free to dress up. Pick up a ballot when you RSVP, and who knows, maybe you’ll go home with something gold too! RSVP by March 9^th, $20 per person, two per unit.

EV Charger Second Phase

Late last year the Board of Directors approved the next phase of EV infrastructure upgrades in the garage to facilitate Owners’ ability to install EV charging stations in their individual parking spaces. If you would like to be a part of the first wave to install an EV charging station in your individual parking space after the Association garage infrastructure is installed later this year, please reach out to Management to be placed on the list which will be provided to Evercharge. The cutoff date to sign up for the first wave of installation and bulk sign-up pricing will be March 1^st. After that date, the company will be handling installations on an individual basis after the infrastructure is installed in around 6-7 months and the timeframe of installation will be susceptible to San Diego City permit timeframes along with the cost going up for separate installation.

Seaport Project & Port Master Plan Updates

Please join us on February 8, 2023, in the Grande North Lounge @ 7 pm for a presentation regarding the proposed redevelopment of the Central Embarcadero, known as the Seaport Project, and an update of the Port Master Plan Update (PMPU). We will be joined by Sapphire residents. Susan Simon (Meridian) and Janet Rogers (Grande North) chair the Embarcadero Coalition, a group of concerned citizens actively engaged in ensuring the North, Central, and South Embarcadero areas of the Port of San Diego are developed responsibly. Their involvement began in 2018 after learning about the proposed redevelopment of the entire Central Embarcadero (currently called Seaport Village) and the Port’s Master Plan Update (PMPU). Since then, the Embarcadero Coalition has held numerous meetings with Port of San Diego Commissioners and staff, the Mayor’s office, County Supervisors, City Council members, and other organizations concerned with the development of our local coastline. The presentation will take approximately 50 minutes followed by a Q&A session. EmbarcaderoCoalition@gmail.com

Parking Spaces Needed

Do you have a parking space that you do not regularly use? The Association is in need of parking for the Grande North staff. If you have a parking space that you’re willing to loan, that would be greatly appreciated! Please contact Management if you wish to donate a spot at kharnage@actionlife.com or 619-238-8117.

Fire Sprinkler Service

As you know, each individual residential unit at The Grande North has fire sprinklers and fire alarms. It is a state and city requirement (per National Fire Protection Association Code 72 adopted by the City of San Diego) that all alarms and sprinkler systems be inspected and tested on an annual basis.

The Homeowners Association will need access to your unit for approximately 10-15 minutes or less on Tuesday, December 6th, Wednesday, December 7^th, and Thursday, December 8^th. The work will start at about 8:00 am each day and will begin on the higher floors (39th floor down to the 2nd floor, then all townhomes) and work down from there. To facilitate this process, we appreciate your cooperation and consent.  

Fire testing of the common areas is scheduled for Monday, December 5th, and Friday, December 9th. During this week of testing, you will hear intermittent alarms sounding throughout the building which are a part of the annual testing. Thank you for understanding as we work to maintain your beautiful community.

Kitchen Sink Drain Etiquette and Maintenance

Did you know that Fats, Oils, Grease, Coffee Grinds, Rice, Pasta & other starches should not go down the drain? Moreover, you should use the trash for the disposal of these items. One of the biggest problems a building like The Grande North faces is water damage and one of the most common causes of water damage is kitchen sink backups. The Association is taking proactive steps to ensure the mitigation of as many water losses as possible. These steps include but are not limited to proactive cleaning of the building’s vertical and horizontal plumbing lines and maintenance updates to residents. In addition, please feel free to pass by the front desk to pick up a complimentary kitchen sink strainer to help prevent the sludge build-up in the plumbing drain lines throughout the building. Attached to this information is the building’s water intrusion protocol and information about drain maintenance. We hope you find this information to be beneficial, which will ultimately mitigate building floods.

Bike Rack Project

On November 7^th, 8^th and 9^th, the engineering team will be installing the new system in each of the two bike rooms. During the transition to the new bike system, the Board of Directors has approved some allowances for residents to store their bikes in certain areas of the common area, which isn’t normally permitted. For example, the old rack will be placed in the common areas of P1-P3, and residents can temporarily attach bikes to their storage room cages, just until the rooms are ready to have bikes moved back in. This means we will need all bikes out of the bike room before 8 am on Monday, November 7^th. If there are any bikes remaining in the room, the bike locks will be cut and the bikes will be held for 90 days before being donated to charity. Once the new system is installed, we will ask residents to re-register their bicycles as there is now an annual bike storage fee of $50.00 per bike, per year. In addition to this, we are facilitating a bicycle donation event for unwanted bikes shortly after the project is completed and will be sending out correspondence once this has been set up with the charitable organization. Please feel free to email Kyndra at kharnage@actionlife.com if you have any questions regarding this project. 

Garage Lighting Energy Savings Project

Recently SDGE came out to the building to complete an audit of the common area power usage in order to provide some recommendations on how the Association can reduce the electric bill and power used on a daily basis. Through this audit, we found out that the garage lights are roughly 40% of the power used in the building every minute, 24 hours each day. Currently, some of the garage lights are on motion sensors, but the other 90% of the garage lights in all three garage levels are on 24/7.

This is a huge portion of the building’s electric usage and an area where the Association can find huge savings if we can reduce the power used to light the garage when no one is down there. As a test and effort to reduce the building power demand, the engineering team will be disconnecting some of the lights and will be putting a majority of the garage lighting on motion sensors. Because of this, you will notice the garage is a lot darker as you enter it, but as you walk through the garage, the pathways will be lit up by the motion sensor lights on the way to your vehicle.

If after this project is completed and the residents feel the garage is too dark, some of the lights can be re-connected and taken off motion sensors. This reduction in power could lower the building’s electric demand by 30-40%, thus lowering the monthly utility bills which have gone up 38%+ over the last year. After the project is completed in each of the garage levels, please reach out to the Management team if you have any feedback regarding the garage lighting being too dark in any particular area.