Construction Progress

Building 26 (above) has progressed from being covered with tarps in the left had pictures to being clad in plywood as pictured on the right. When the T-111 was removed from this building and Building 44 (below) there was no plywood beneath it, leaving the studs and insulation exposed. The tarps served as very temporary protection but were quickly replaced with the plywood. Hardi-panel boards will be the final outer-layer, with a layer of plastic or tar-paper between it and the plywood.

Jim Miles reported that Building 26 had "hurricane straps" already installed, but that Building 44 had none. Hurricane straps are fairly small metal strips that are nailed into the tops and bottoms of wall studs all along the second story of the building, with the outcome that the roof is thereby connected to the foundation. That makes a building much more resistant to wind forces, much less likely to blow apart when a hurricane force wind blows through our area. Those straps are not only a good way to protect our homes, but they are also required by the local building codes, I am told. Before the reconstruction work in TAJ is done, every building ought to be outfitted with hurricane straps.




Building 14 (above) is making steady progress. Hardi-panel has been installed and the building is beginning to look very nice.

Special Assessment Meeting

Last night the BOD passed the following Special Assessments (amounts are approximate):

• Building 22: $989 ($166/unit) [hurricane expenses]
• Building 25: $192,642 ($32,108/unit) [building refurbishments]
• Building 26: $354,754 ($29,563/unit) [building refurbishments]
• Building 44: $206,135 ($34,356/unit) [building refurbishments]

Apparently owners can arrange to make payments over a 10 year period, or they can pay in whole before Jan 15th to avoid fees associated with the Association's construction loan. Specific information will be mailed to each unit owner affected by the Special Assessment.

Buildings 28, 29, and 42 are invited to a pre-Assessment meeting on January 10th, which will be followed by the Special Assessment meeting on January 17th.


The meeting was attended by the Property Manager and the following Board members: Manny, Prentis, Ben, and Bryan. Unit owners from several buildings were also present.

Next buildings in line for Renovations and Special Assessments

According to the BOD meeting minutes of 03 October 2007 (see post at that date) buildings 25, 26, 28, 42, and 44 are the next phase of construction to begin at TAJ. The paperwork is being prepared that will be sent out for competitive bids by general contractors (GCs), one of whom will be selected for each of the above named buildings. Soon thereafter each building will be given a Special Assessment to cover the cost of paying the GC for the work they perform.

Because TAJ has been fortunate enough to have a line of credit with a local bank for construction, the BOD has been able to offer somewhat flexible payment terms to unit owners in some of the past Special Assessments.