Pool Area Looks Bad

What's up with our pool area? Who is breaking the furniture? Why is it left out without being repaired? Why are trim-bricks left tipped over? The pool area looks like crap.

What's going on?

East Pool Furniture, Vandalism Watch

The property manager provided this picture of new patio furniture for the east pool. Vandalism has been a problem for our pool equipment and furniture, in the past. That kind of behavior is both disgraceful and expensive.

Locked Out?

The reasons that certain common-area facilities are locked are public safety and also to prevent property damage. As you can see in the pictures below, the fences around the pool, tennis court, and playground are in such disrepair that they can no longer keep everyone out.

Unfortunately, property damage is repaired at the expense of unit owners -- unless someone wants to claim responsibility for tearing the tennis net, breaking the playground swings, or destroying the fences. What if the people that broke the property actually had to pay for the property -- do you think it would break less?

The gate on the tennis court (below, left) does not even latch. A sturdy lock and chain on both playground gates does manage to keep some people out -- the rule-abiding children who would like to play there.

TAJ Sentinel, September 2009

Vandalism at the Pool

When I read the bulletin from the office about vandalism in the pool area I was not sure what to think. When I went there today with my daughter and her friend to go swimming I looked around to see signs of vandalism. Just inside the gate is an electrical outlet that is in need of repair, but I'm not sure that was the work of vandals...

And I was happy to see that there was pool furniture to sit on. When a family member had previously visited the pool there was not any for them to sit on. There are a few sets of the upright chairs around tables, set out for us to use.

When we were walking back to our home I spied the evidence of the vandalism. In the maintenance area adjacent to the pool and the clubhouse, and visible from the parking lot, there is a stack of reclining lawn chairs. Apparently the bottom section of these chairs has been damaged. As I recall, the cloth in these chairs was quite sturdy and thought to be able to handle a lot of weight. To see them in such bad shaped can only suggest that somebody was actually standing or even jumping on the chairs, causing the material to rip from its fasteners. What a shame that anyone would treat our property to carelessly. And to do it to more than one chair suggests an attitude of deliberate destruction. There it is: vandalism.

Why should anyone care about vandalism? Because it costs money to repair. Every owner here has to pay for it. Whether it comes out of your building reserves, your monthly maintenance, or out of your purse/wallet, damage to our property is cash out of your personal economy. As if financial matters were not hard enough, some idiots (vandals) have to go and make things worse.

Vandalism Leads to New Keys for Pool Area