About a year ago, I discovered there had been a large amount of water
leaking into my storage unit in the garage at Building 7. The water was somehow coming from the cement walls on the garage level of our building. Many of my belongings in the storage unit (mostly outdoor use related items) were damaged due to being wet and molded. I had to dispose of them. We informed the office of this issue and I left my particular unit unlocked so the Colonies could do an inspection. Almost 2 weeks went by and upon returning from out of town, still no one had inspected my unit. I had to leave a few items, including a brand new folding table, just outside of my unit and again waited to hear back from Colonies Management. Come to find out, the Colonies did go to my storage unit and per the request of "Jill" in the Management office, a new folding table and other items were taken from my storage to the dump. Still no one contacted me regarding the water and mold issue. I never received a call or notice from "Jill" regarding the disposal of my belongings. I spoke to the Waste removal company for The Colonies that day and asked if they had taken away a brand new folding table and described other items of mine that had been removed by The Colonies, they said no. I also called the Fairfax County locations where the Colonies Management (Jill) told me they took my belongings and there was no report for The Colonies. Naturally I was very upset and asked her
why she did not call me and why no one was responding to our concern about the
water leaking and mold issue.
After speaking to Jim McCracken (Colonies Building Manager) and explaining to him the ongoing problem and issue, he immediately sent some guys out to clean the mold and they put a wooden platform in my unit. Mr. McCracken was very nice and helpful. He gave me money to help replace the new table which I needed to purchase and return to a friend.
I have spoken to Carol in the office many times in the past and she has always been very nice and helpful. My aunt and I have known her for years while my grandmother lived at The Colonies. I have had a much different experience with “Jill”.
Recently, I found my sons bike covered with mold and also found my child's car seat covered with mold. I have noticed signs of mold around the edges of our condo on the inside. I have seen signs of water damage on the floors of our buildings hallways. Recently, I have also seen a humidifier running for weeks in the hallway of our building. I have noticed that Building 7 hallways are very hot and there seems to be an insufficient amount of ventilation compared to other building hallways.
In August, 2015, I filed a complaint to Fairfax County and I am waiting for a Fairfax County building inspector to meet me at our building. When "Mike" the Fairfax County building inspector called the office to speak with Mr. McCracken, "Jill" informed him that The Colonies is in the middle of litigation with me. I was quite shocked and upset to hear this because our building issue has nothing to do with any dog barking related legal matter and I am a resident of the Colonies.
There also seems to be an excessive amount of cleaning the rugs, floors and hallways using very toxic products that can be very harmful to a persons health. Sometimes my son and I find ourselves almost choking because of the strong toxic smells. Many children (6 months and older) live in this building and this type of exposure in unsafe and can lead to ongoing serious health problems.
As most people know, mold is very toxic and dangerous. I’m concerned that the water issue has contributed to a very unsafe amount of mold growing throughout the building. While the inspector and county does not address mold issues, they do try to inspect a building and why there might be ongoing water issues in a building due to building code violations.
If you have concerns about your building, water and mold issues, please share them by commenting on this post and please call the office for Mr. Jim McCracken. You can also call the Fairfax County Code Enforcement Inspector at 703.324.1300 and file a complaint.
After speaking to Jim McCracken (Colonies Building Manager) and explaining to him the ongoing problem and issue, he immediately sent some guys out to clean the mold and they put a wooden platform in my unit. Mr. McCracken was very nice and helpful. He gave me money to help replace the new table which I needed to purchase and return to a friend.
I have spoken to Carol in the office many times in the past and she has always been very nice and helpful. My aunt and I have known her for years while my grandmother lived at The Colonies. I have had a much different experience with “Jill”.
Recently, I found my sons bike covered with mold and also found my child's car seat covered with mold. I have noticed signs of mold around the edges of our condo on the inside. I have seen signs of water damage on the floors of our buildings hallways. Recently, I have also seen a humidifier running for weeks in the hallway of our building. I have noticed that Building 7 hallways are very hot and there seems to be an insufficient amount of ventilation compared to other building hallways.
In August, 2015, I filed a complaint to Fairfax County and I am waiting for a Fairfax County building inspector to meet me at our building. When "Mike" the Fairfax County building inspector called the office to speak with Mr. McCracken, "Jill" informed him that The Colonies is in the middle of litigation with me. I was quite shocked and upset to hear this because our building issue has nothing to do with any dog barking related legal matter and I am a resident of the Colonies.
There also seems to be an excessive amount of cleaning the rugs, floors and hallways using very toxic products that can be very harmful to a persons health. Sometimes my son and I find ourselves almost choking because of the strong toxic smells. Many children (6 months and older) live in this building and this type of exposure in unsafe and can lead to ongoing serious health problems.
As most people know, mold is very toxic and dangerous. I’m concerned that the water issue has contributed to a very unsafe amount of mold growing throughout the building. While the inspector and county does not address mold issues, they do try to inspect a building and why there might be ongoing water issues in a building due to building code violations.
If you have concerns about your building, water and mold issues, please share them by commenting on this post and please call the office for Mr. Jim McCracken. You can also call the Fairfax County Code Enforcement Inspector at 703.324.1300 and file a complaint.
MOLD ISSUES ARE A VERY REAL AND SERIOUS MATTER AT THE COLONIES ~ If you live on the top level of your building, I highly encourage you to check the ceilings for water marks and cracks. Mold can compromise your health and contribute to serious long term health issues. If you are experiencing mold issues in your unit that won't go away or if you have just learned of a mold issue in your building and unit, you can contact bethany@shechtel.com
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThe comments made by "lucylucy" will be reposted in a future Blog post with factual information, the broken judicial systen and the Judges names will be named and revealed to the public. As of current knowledge, all Trader Joes employees involved have been terminated. "lucylucy" I believe is Amy Devine, the mother of the man who stole my vehicle and stole much more from my son. This is under investigation.
DeletePROTECTING YOURSELF and TAKING ACTION: Have you looked at the value of your condominium lately? Call one of the Real Estate Agents who like to sell these condominiums and advertise in your monthly newsletter and get a FREE Market Value assessment of your unit. These condominiums are undervalued. They sit on the market for months and months then the Realtor lowers the list price, what else can you do? A large 2 bedroom and 2 full bath corner unit on the top floor likely won't sell for more than a mere $270,000 without a complete renovation. After owning her condominium for nearly 10+ years, my aunt is going to lose 10s of thousands of dollars at the sale of her condominium that she bought for my grandmother. Now is the time to make the changes. How is this happening when these condos are in McLean and less than a mile to the metro and next to Tysons Corner? Have you see the price of homes escalating in Pimmit Hills despite the high crime in the area, gangs and problems at Marshall High School? Here are a few things to consider: 1. The condo fees are OUTRAGEOUS and just this year they raised them AGAIN! 2. The Realtors are underselling the condos for people who have owned for years and have close to or NO MORTGAGE 3. The way the Colonies of McLean is managed by a full staff of employees is NOT COST EFFECTIVE and doesn't work for the owners. Owners who have been paying attention are very aware of this. Lastly, the fact that it is a gated community with TWO 24 hour security guards doesn't do any good. Cars get stolen people are still vandalizing and stealing out of cars and ANYONE IS ALLOWED TO WALK ON AND OFF THE PROPERTY AT ANY TIME OF DAY without checking in with the Security guard at the front entrance. What is the point of closing the back entrance after 10pm? Also, the wire around the property is a JOKE, any physically healthy person could get through or over it. With the video camera installations why is it necessary to have excess security manning the property? Have you noticed a NEW Security car? Most of the time they are sleeping or watching TV in the clubhouse at night anyway. Just call the POLICE! The Colonies is like its own planet, they are living in the dark ages and harming every owner by UNCHANGING. It is an unhealthy and powerful association and they are making decisions about your money. The end result is you lose and your family is constantly in danger despite their efforts to maintain a "gated community with 24 hour security". The Colonies needs some young, hip new owners to turn things around! Isn't it time to protect your investment that you have worked so hard for? In my opinion, it's a terrible investment for anyone to make now and if you are an owner and suffering because you can't leave due to the fact that you would have a "Short Sale" upon trying to get out of the Colonies then I suggest you really do something that matters and get involved in making changes NOW. First and foremost, get the women working in the office that are also on the Board off the Board! Many Colonies Owners/Residents are aware of the Board elections being rigged. More intelligent young owners must take the time to get elected on The Board! And hey! shouldn't there be a 2 term limit to serving on The Board? Where is the CHECKS AND BALANCES? The RENOVATION (OR DEMOLITION) of the ENTIRE BOARD AND OFFICE MANAGEMENT IS A NECESSITY. The Management and Board needs a COMPLETE MAKEOVER! Why would anyone give Kathleen, Jill and Carol money at Christmas time, have you seen how much they get paid and have you done your research on past tampering with the funds?
ReplyDeleteWhy isn't there an ON LINE VOTING SYSTEM IN PLACE? Why aren't the monthly board meetings available to watch on line, make a YouTube channel then let people vote online and respond. There should be a way to get owners involved from wherever they are. Start using Technology to your advantage. My best advice is to start paying attention now and get involved before you lose 10s of thousands of dollars. Your money matters, your kids matter - do you really want them growing up in a community with Bryan Devine and his friends and people like Amy Devine, a completely unstable and mentally corrupt and whacked out woman as your neighbors? Please take the time now to stand up to The COLONIES BOARD AND MANAGEMENT before you lose. I wish you all the best.
ReplyDeleteSELLING YOUR CONDO NOW: If you must sell your unit now and would like help with some of your loss, you can sell it for a 3.5%, 4% or 4.5% percent total Agent/Broker commission. If you need help now or in the future, send an email to communitysharingandcaring@gmail with "LIST MY CONDO REFERRAL" in the Subject Line and include your name phone number and property address and unit number in the email message. (Please be sure to email communitySHARINGandCaring@gmail Be cautious not to email communityCARINGandSharing@gmail.com that user is UNKNOWN and unrelated to this Blog Post.)
ReplyDelete