In light of the tragedy in Miami--an explainer
Given the recent condo tragedy in Miami, the Board has received a number of questions from shareholders about the level of oversight and the condition of our building.
We felt it would be helpful to provide a description of how Kensington is monitored and maintained, and also address certain projects past, present and future.
Should we be worried, could it happen here?
We should be vigilant. Even the best laid plans can go wrong. But there are significant differences between Kensington and the condo in Miami. First of all, condominium regulations are much stricter here than in Florida. In Florida, very few condominiums have a reserve fund. Even if they do, legally, if a third of the owners do not want a Reserve Fund Study, they are not required to do one.
In contrast, the Ontario Condominium Act requires every building to have a healthy Reserve Fund. It is mandatory to contribute to it. Every three years there must be a Reserve Fund Study (RFS) to update the Reserve Fund. It must be completed by a qualified engineering company. The engineering company that works for Kensington is WSP. Although Kensington is not a condominium we still follow the rules when it comes to reserve fund study updates.
Who is WSP?
WSP is one of the world’s best international engineering consulting companies.
Through a series of acquisitions beginning in 2014 they bought out Halsall, the much smaller engineering company we were using before. This was good for Kensington.
WSP is a much bigger firm and has international experience. They know our building intimately yet are big enough to draw on their knowledge of buildings worldwide. The change in ownership didn’t make a material difference to our interaction with the company as we still deal with the same group of engineers originally with Halsall.
What is the Reserve Fund Study exactly?
The RFS is an exhaustive review of every aspect of the building (e.g. exterior, mechanical, plumbing, electrical), around 30 categories in all. Each aspect of the building is itemized in detail. The study is conducted by WSP in consultation with James, Arben, the Capital Committee and the Board. It is a planning tool intended to help us adequately predict what needs refurbishing and how much money we will need to do it. Kensington’s first reserve fund study was conducted by the engineers in 1999. It has been revised every three years since then. There is a long term plan and a short term plan.
How does WSP decide on when something needs to be repaired, refurbished or replaced?
When to renew an aspect of the building or property is based on assumptions and information available at the time the study is prepared. It is comparable to actuarial tables in insurance. Based on the age of the building, the engineers predict what aspect of the infrastructure needs surveying, and, depending on the condition of the area ,e.g. the garage, what might need refurbishing or repair.
What kind of oversight do we have at Kensington?
Apparently, excellent. James, our manager, says several of the organisations who look after our building, as well as many other co-ops and condominiums in the city, have commended the fact we are better than other buildings in the way we anticipate issues that may require attention. Reassuring words for sure. The number of significant refurbishment projects we have undertaken over the last few years attests to the seriousness with which we take our fiduciary responsibility. These include a new roof, new balconies, new elevators and new boilers. All have come in under budget and improved the building aesthetically and structurally.
CURRENT PROJECTS
THE SINKHOLE - A Mystery In Many Parts
Sinkhole? What sinkhole?
For those of you who are not aware, there is a large hole in the ground on the east side of the property, south of the outdoor pool and Terrace E. This was first noticed by the Grounds Committee as an area of softness and slight subsidence.
What have we learned so far?
Ben, the superintendent, and two drainage companies investigated whether an irrigation leak was causing the problem - no - and whether a drainpipe in that area was clogged or broken. The pipe which has been there since Kensington was built, was cleared of debris, but was still conducting water. By this time, winter 2020 was approaching, and on the advice of WSP, who detected no danger to the building, the hole was filled to await further investigation in the spring. The fill acted as a measuring device. Seeing how quickly the fill washed away provided a gauge of how much water was flowing through the subsurface of that area – as it turned out, a considerable amount.
What lies beneath?
30’ North of the ‘sinkhole’ and 14’ deep lies a manhole. Three pipes carrying all of Kensington’s waste run into that manhole. From there, a main pipe runs south, almost as far the Rosedale Valley Road into another manhole.
Spring 2021 further investigations
Further video investigations revealed a blockage south of the sinkhole, however attempts to flush the drain further down the hill did not work. So, as a temporary remedy, surface pipes were brought in to divert the waste.
What now?
Now it’s time to excavate.
The goal is to discover the cause of this ongoing mystery and finally repair it. It won’t be easy or cheap. It is not an easily accessible area as it lies on a steep slope down to Rosedale Valley Road. But it is essential. Site preparation work is scheduled to start on Monday, July 19, 2021 with excavation to follow.
THE INDOOR POOL
What’s happening with the indoor swimming pool?
As the swimmers in the building know the pool has been under repair for a number of months. This is partly due to delays from Covid, and partly due to the fact that once we started to remove tiling etc., we discovered further problems that couldn’t be seen from the surface.
What was the original plan for the pool?
The pool is almost 50 years old. In 2019 a crack appeared. The original plan was to find the source of the crack, bring the pool up to code, review the mechanical system, add an additional drain and reposition the existing drain. May 2020 the project was greenlit, however due to Covid work did not start until January 2021.
SURPRISE, SURPRISE…delay, delay
When the tiles around the hot tub were removed, we could see the concrete was seriously deteriorated, most of the rebar had to be replaced. Once work started
we had to bring in an engineer to shore up the hot tub, resulting in a further delay to completion.
What is the status of the pool renovation today?
It is going well. The hot tub is sound, new lights installed, new tiles, new mechanicals and new drains. The estimated opening date is August 15, 2021.
PAST PROJECTS
THE GARAGE: A story of crumbling concrete and corroded rebar…the garage pillars
Most residents will remember the garage project and how it seemed to go on for ever and ever. This project is a good example of the rigour with which management, WSP, the Capital Committee and the board maintain this building.
What was the original plan?
Unlike the condo building in Florida our garage lies under the exterior courtyard, not under the building. Its pillars hold up the garage roof, not the actual building. There are 119 pillars. Originally it appeared only 13 needed restoring. The east wall beam would also be shored up. That was the plan going in.
However, on closer inspection…
On closer inspection, it was then discovered the concrete had disintegrated in a number of the pillars, not just the original 13. In the end WSP developed a plan for three types of repairs and 28 of the pillars had to be rebuilt. This increased the work time originally scheduled. Additionally, if two adjacent columns were both deteriorated, they couldn’t be worked on at the same time.
Was the garage roof ever unsupported?
No. Even though many of the pillars were deteriorating, enough of them were in good condition and kept the roof well supported. That was our salvation. How would we know if the roof was really unsupported? There would be cracking in the ceiling of the garage and subsidence would be visible from the exterior and interior. Neither cracks nor subsidence appeared.
What about the peeling paint?
Painting the whole garage was also on the docket but in the end only the columns were painted which was required by code. It was discovered that when the walls and ceiling were originally painted, the wrong paint was used. As you can see it doesn’t adhere, that is why large sections are peeling off the ceiling. The only way to ensure the next coat of paint adheres effectively is to scrape off all the old paint and that can only be done by hand. A bespoke job that would cost a small fortune and in the end is purely cosmetic.
FUTURE PROJECTS
The Front Courtyard – Replacing the Overburden Membrane
Much of the paved area north of the building including the outdoor and visitor parking, the fire lane and the area under the canopy, as well as the Perennial Garden, is what is called an “overburden” above the underground garage. Beneath this area is a rubberised waterproof membrane which protects the concrete ceiling of the garage. This membrane has served us well since the last major repair in 1989. It is now approaching the end of its life. The most current engineering assessment suggests that the waterproof membrane will likely need to be replaced sometime in the near future. Obviously, this will be a really big project.
SUMMARY
So Where Does All This Leave Us Compared to Florida?
Florida did not have any money to do repairs on any continuing basis and we do.
It’s a different climate here to Florida. There has never been standing saltwater in the building. The garage pillars only hold up the garage roof, not the building. We have never observed cracks in the building or the garage. Our legislation is designed to ensure proper funding of Reserve Funds.
As noted earlier, unlike in Florida, owners in Ontario do not have the right to vote not to fund a Reserve Fund. Instead, commissioning Reserve Fund studies, ensuring adequate contributions and spending on common element maintenance repairs are some of the board’s primary obligations.
At Kensington, we ALSO constantly monitor our aging systems and we do more than the minimum required. At the moment, WSP is monitoring the retaining walls seasonally with lasers to see if they are moving. To date they are not. They have also installed motion sensors on the west wall of the garage to monitor the effect of construction at 7, Dale on our building.
We hope you find this information useful. 21 Dale is a building we all share and love. It’s in all our interests to continue to take care of it.
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