Onwards, Upwards and to the Future

Happy Easter to all from everyone at Crown 

For Bulgaria and all other Christian Orthodox countries this weekend was pass over and next weekend is Easter, Easter its their most important celebration on the religious calendar and one of my favourite time of year, a time when all families come together.

Hirscher wins Bansko slalom

This season has been a testing one at the St John Village to say the least, but the resort as a whole has experienced near perfect ski conditions- possibly the best yet, since Bansko went international.  Visitor numbers to the resort as a whole, based on the feedback from other hotels and businesses and what we have seen for our selves, has been beyond expectations and with the season officially open until the 17th April, Bansko is well and truly on the winter resort map.

The men’s and lady’s downhill events were hugely successful and congratulations to Ulen, even given the loss of the lady’s Saturday events due to the extreme windy conditions. Millions  watched on TV and I think we can safely say Bansko is on the international events calendar. 

In addition, the development of new bars and restaurants in town means Bansko is likely to be back on the investment map and the future as we at Crown see it is bright, yes bright -  we believe in St John Village and in turn Bansko and for us St John Village is an integral part of Bansko’s future.

This season has been a mighty learning curve, and with the experiences we have been through at St John Village this year we are already actively preparing for next year and assessing what we need to put in place in order to minimize any repeat of the problems of this year.

To this end we have outlined the following bullet point headings with brief description of proposed actions.

Primary issues:

Water supplies: moving forward -working with water board and monitoring their progress and activities, trying to get assurances on system redundancies. Looking at BPP existing dedicated reservoir status and investigating if it is plausible to be brought on line to service the complex as a whole.

Hill / Park Pipework and system leaks: As we all know there are major issues here, but after our endeavors we are pretty confident with where the majority of these issues lie, where they coming from and how to resolve them. Mainly the cause lies in poor plumbing both in the original works and in works carried out at the Hill since the development went operational; therefore we feel that across the Hill and Park a general PPM strategy should be considered and implemented.

Pressure management valves- Park: At the Park one of the major problems has been the pressure regulating devices in the basements of each block, we have already replaced block A and Block C devices, and believe B, D and F should be considered for replacement as good PPM practice, we have had recently a situation in block C the Park when pressures went up to 8 bar and blow of plumbing fittings. And exposed serious flaws in the integrity of the pipework installation, also leading to a major leek with in a cleaners cupboard block C. 

Insulation: The extreme weather not only exposed weaknesses in the plumbing installation it also showed the woeful lack of integrity in the insulation, particularly on those service ducts set on the internal perimeter of the buildings, too many pipes are over exposed and liable to freezing even during normal winter conditions. It would be too difficult to hard lag all lacking areas in the pipe systems,  we feel that a program of soft filling the riser area with loose insulation, whilst pocketing the meters would offer the best and most effective protection and should be considered.

Drainage: In Block B Park we had a significant drainage blockage and as with most issues at the complex the problems are as a result of poor and or incomplete works, in this instance it was builders rubbish left in the system that allowed sewage to gather and finally block. This issue also highlighted that a full CCTV survey of the system is required in order to best identify any future problems and to prevent further similar issues.

Hill LCR: With the weather now turned and spring firmly in the air we shall commence our LCR document for the Hill complex as a whole, and plan to issue during May 2012

Roof: There are roof integrity issues right across the complex but they are particularly prevalent at the Park, however with the roof trace heating system in operation at the Park this season the impact was managed and additional ingress and apartment deterioration limited, however unprotected areas like block lobby entrance roofs did suffer water ingress and will need to be reviewed and repaired.

Cladding Timber/stone: Timber and stone cladding remain an issue for the whole complex - timber being a priority at the rear of block A the Hill and stone cladding at the Park, blocks C and B.

IPM coordination: Put bluntly a lack of cooperation and general resistance to working with our selves, most notably at the Hill, has made a difficult job even more difficult and increased the potential jeopardy for the owners and their investment. We would very much advise a move to a single service single provider situation and believe irrespective of the obvious business prejudice that others could draw from this, we genuinely feel this will guarantee the future of complex and provide the best management solution for all owners. To this end we have extended our 50% discounted offer to all payed up FM clients for another year, where at 130 euro / 110 pound per year it represents great value as well as good management sense.  

Insurance: Apartment and Buildings - as with the IPM there is a common agenda here.  A single negotiated provider would be in the best interests of the owners and complex. We have had a number of meeting in respect to claims with inter-sure these past weeks and have worked with them in the past, and believe they are the most mature and owner focused providers in Bansko right now, interestingly they have strong views on complex/building management and believe also that a single FM/IPM provider is the future and provides a more secure, structured and productive approach to property management in general.

Heating systems Hill: As most owners know there are more than a number of issues with the incumbent heating system to the Hill apartment, as set out in previously issued reports, however we have had significant success with those system where owners have entrusted us to repair and upgrade the system.  We believe a coordinated program of such works across the complex would be beneficial as the system is inherently sound and just need to be attended to properly. 

We are aware however that other IPM providers are offering Electrical Panel Heaters as a solution, whilst a potential solution we must say that it should not be considered with out a proper electrical integrity test to the relevant circuit being connected in to and the related circuit breaker serving the circuit is of the appropriate size and type, both the SC (starting currents) and FLC (full load current) of this system are completely different to that of the incumbent heating system, and not to perform such checks and by a qualified electrician is both irresponsible and derelict of the providers duty of due care. We all know all installation with in the complex are at best limited in scope and on the limit of what is fit for purpose ill conceived modifications not properly considered to any part of these systems could lead to dire consequences. Please if you have had such works completed request the providers electrical certificate of worthiness for the system/circuit taking the additional load and request they provide a written warranty for competence of the installation, and ask if they will also put in writing that they take full responsibility for the works. Exactly this type of irresponsible non professional approach to works and the clients property at the complex is why we have the mess we have now.  

Common area floor tiling: In both the Hill and Park the extreme weather and in particular the huge shifts in temperature combined with a lack of proper expansion provision and no use of flexible cement all further compounded by water ingress as a result of leaks, has resulted in a significant area of floor tiles across the complex having popped and a need for tiles to be reaffixed correctly with expansion provision correctly worked in. this is also true of the external areas and steps around the Hill, a program remedial corrective and repair is now being planned.

24/7 operation: Even though the complex was in a semi operational status the lack of 24/7 reception operation did present a lack of continuity to our service levels provision and we consider this essential if we are to move forward to a more fully operational status and serious lettings.

Security: Considering the situation, we work reasonably well alongside the UBB security however it is a compromise and as with 24/7 cover we believe we need to move towards our own security provision.

And now for the new stuff:

Yes there are a lot of issues and problems to deal with, prioritize and resolve - however we have a great mission and program of events and ideas which when implemented will add further value and potential to the complex.

Hill signage: shortly we will be installing our complimentary Hill signage to tie in with what we have already provided at the Park.  It will have a similar classic, stylish feeling, but have its own identity and look.

IT / TV / Cinema / telecommunication and internet solution: we have worked hard and gone to great lengths to prepare a design for a complete multimedia solution for the complex. We have aimed to future proof as far as possible and thus have derived a package that delivers a 150TB fibre supply that is totally IP based and gives the best  IT and TV complex solution and management system, that will offer live streaming movies, unparalleled internet access and a great security system and management tool. Once we have worked our way through all the technical aspects and fully understand its integration with the current infrastructure and driven costs to a palatable position we will be releasing a detailed proposal.

Crown Connect: in the mean time as of May via our Connect brand we will have a range of USB internet providers and wireless G4 packages available for hourly, daily or weekly hire from reception for owners and clients wishing to have internet in there apartment. Prices and availability on request, booking in advance via the reception email.  

Planting will included Japanese cherry my favourite
blossoming tree along side silver birch and indiginous
architectural pine like Mura 

Gardening / planting: As originally pledged we will be carrying out a planting and small land scrapping project out at the front of the Park and expect to plant during May assuming weather conditions allow. We will also be looking to tap into the underground water source as a way of limiting gardening costs, as we utilize the mountain relief stream. a program of seeding and ground leveling is also proposed where required. 

The scheme we are currently design will include indigenous plants and forest breeds along side carefully selected, world spring / summer / autumn blossoming plants and architectural trees.

Summer: With summer fast approaching and it being our favorite time of the year for being in Bansko, we are wish to encourage owners to get out here and enjoy everything that is on offer from mineral water swimming pools, mountain biking, horse riding etc and are presently working on a program which will include activities such as the Jazz Festival, wine tasting, wine tourism, Spa, history tours, horse riding and golf -where would arrange discounted rounds and access to Pirin golf facilities with a view of even possibly arranging a St John Village Golf tournament.

Crown Diamond Network: Mid summer and in time for the summer holiday season we will be launching the Diamond NW, this is a crown endeavor to collect some of the better Cafe’s restaurants, spa’s and other quality providers together, those business looking to raise the standards in and around Bansko, and make our FM, IPM and Interior clients a wear of them also offering discounts, priority booking and any other special offers.   

Condominium Act: A key step in the future of SJV and we must be clear on what we hope to achieve and the best solution for the complex now and into the future.  From the meeting I attended with Sara it appears there are more opportunities than we might have first realised and proper and full examination of these is essential.

Lettings: As with the Condominium Act a cohesive and targeted approach is needed that sets out our position in the market, Yana has collected all the necessary paper work for legalization and structure of the project, but if we really want to collectively and effectively market and sell the complexes to the full potential all aspects must be coordinated and presented as a whole.  This must included IPM, security, attendance, web site, lettings values, facilities etc, etc this is a big task and must not be underestimated, however where we position the complex now sets the value and potential for the future. To properly service and all other aspects of the lettings potential at the Village we have set up Crown Resorts as the brand front for the endeavor.

Making the OA stronger / Missing owners: The Block Captains initiative is working well and helping to create a real sense of community amongst the owners, Yana is at the municipality next week to see what further information can be found and we will issue an update on current owners schedule with an update on payments made and by whom.

Crown Interiors & Furnishing: We currently have some great projects under way and have completed some stylish designs and installations which we believe are setting the standards in respect to quality and appointment worthy of the St John Village, blog updates to follow shortly.

New Interiors Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/Crown.Interiors.and.Furnishing

Dont forget we have our own sofa and sofa bed manufacturing facility so if you need to or are considering replacing that tied and uncomfortable unit take a look at what we can offer.

Crown Transfers: As always we are here to offer that more discerning and personal collection from the airport be it Sofia, Plovdiv or any of the Greek airports you might be considering, and can cater for 1 to 8 persons, prices and vehicles available on request. also during your time in Bansko vehicles are a valuable for hire with or with out a personal driver. 

Hot of the press we have just invested in a great little runner round for the complex our new Crown Smart, with the complex being over a kilometer long she will make apartment cleaning, linen changes and attendance to clients needs more efficient, she will also be available to owners and clients for short shopping trips and any other local needs at an all inclusive hourly rate, prices and bookings available via the reception email.

Crown St John Properties (coming soon): With more and more people visiting the complex of the street and inquiring out properties and generally showing interest in the complex we have decided it would be in the interests of those clients that wish to try and move there apartment on for what ever reason to offer a coordinated property sales endeavor wholly focused on St John Village properties in this we will have focus, knowledge and position something other agents will not be able to offer, full details to follow soon.  

As can be seen from above we are as a business wholly focused on St John Village and all its needs and are and will work tirelessly to bring the best and deliver on the best for the complex. Always looking for new ideas and way to best services all our clients needs.

Site Update 3/2012

With the Hill block entrances now secured, sustainable FM management is now able to be put in place and we can really start to move forward with the OA's and our plans for St John Village as a whole, bring both the Park and Hill in line with our PPM and RM regimes.

Wow what a few weeks these last have been, a major drainage issue block B Park, not pleasant to deal with, basically as a result of more bulkanstroy short cuts and cowboy antics, builders rubbish left in the system lead to build-up and thus blockage, with no non return valves in the system wast waters backed up in to the basement. needless to say we fixed the problem and facilitated the necessary clear-up.

The dramatic warm up and subsiquent shift in temporatures has caused significant issues during this past week and truly exposed the failings in the plumbing systems and in block C we have an un-believable amoute of uterly deplorable workmanship with us uncovering dry joints in more than a number of locations , and we have had to be a little bit of a Sherlock Holmes in order to locate and fix the problems. Luckily our daily inspection regime is catching the majority of the problems early enough to limit the collateral damage potentualy resultant for the problems. We have also had the assistance of the bank in these endeavours as in response to our requests, security has stepped up their inspections and walk rounds in conjunction with our selves, following a number of significant incidents in their areas.

With the season farming down and weather improving, demands on the water system has backed of, however this has brought new problems, and ones at the other end of the spectrum we now have to much water pressure particular at the Park and we had a spike thursday this week, that took the Block C park pressure regulating valve out an issues we had had previously in block A prior to the season, pressures had reached concerning levels prior to us shutting it down, as with block A the internal mechanism had failed, and as with A this is mostly due to the long period of non use, to this end and to not risk a un-managed even we will be asking the commity to initiate a PPM initiative and change the valves to block's B & D.

This week the fire safety measures will start to be put in place across the complex and emergence exit and fire drill procedures adopted, we are aim for the installation to be complete by the end of the week and the relevant certifications in place by the end of the following week. Thus marking another significant step towards the future.

During the season one of the key issues we had was communication and the identification of owners property management provider, please we would respectfully request that if Crown are not providing your IPM services please ask your provider to place their contact details on the door frame of your apartment, as we do for our client please see image below.

Don't forget that as an FM client all owners are entailed to a 50% discount from our standard rate for the complete IPM service and at 130 Euro per year (110 pound per year), yet another great reason to choose Crown, so if you don't have a provider in the moment or are thinking of changing in the near future please consider our selves. We wont let you down and there be many more advantages down the line as the complex matures and develops.

Hot 2011 / 2012 Season Extention News

Great news for everyone that has not managed to get some skiing in as yet, Hot News straight from the horses mouth, Yana and I where at a reception evening last night and a senior Ulen representative advised us that due to the great snow falls this year and amazing ski weather condition plus great visitor numbers the 2011/2012 Season will be extended to the 17th April 2012 making it the longest season in many, many years fantastic news for ski maniacs and the resort as a whole.

We are already planning for the 2012 / 2013 season and will be issuing our lessons learnt and moving forward report soon.

Thanks for all the support from the Owners at the Hill and the Park Yana, I and all our staff really apresiate and it has for sure helped get us through the season and everything thats gone down during it.

Open for Business

Despite all the issues and all that Mother Nature and the complex could throw at us, we are flying the flag and open for business and Owners and there Guests are having FUN.

Proving that by working together anything can be achieved.

Owners Association Members Reception

Reception

Yes the Owners Association Members Reception is here and operational and we are loving it. The design intent was to create a feeling off modern day luxury, refinement and style yet connected to the past, future and culture of Bansko/Bulgaria being organic, ergonomic and tactile, the furnishing style has come from our Urban range where we re-invent, re-use and bring to life beautifully forgot timber that have been waiting for the Crown magic to be worked. We hope we have derived a comfitable and functional environment to be enjoyed and used by all OA members. 

G4, Wi Fi is now available and all your enquires and needs can be tended to by the Crown FM attentive staff. English Tea, Bulgarian herbal and fresh ground coffee can all be enjoyed on request.

All enquires at the reception should be directed via the new dedicated email address reception@stjohn-villagebansko.com and or the dedicated telephone number +359 (0) 74 959 119

In what is a contemporary space we mixed reclaimed wood with real wood walnut veneer's to achieve a welcoming but stylish feeling everyone can enjoy. 

I love to bring old wood, everyone else has passed bye and giving it a new lease of life.

New glass door/partition making it easier to heat the space and providing delineation to the area. 

Loving the old army skies from 1903 how cools that.

See the beautiful colours pop out of the cherga on the walls

The urban style cherga bench give a great introduction to the space.

All the art work around the room is from our own collection and from  well known Bulgarian artists 

I feel we got the mood right for the space mixing old with the new, and traditional butter churns make great finishing/dressing pieces.

I just love this bench but the fabric is very difficult to work with.

Our new St John Village clothing range available at the reception

Blog update 2012 finally :)

Apologies for being away but we have been a little busy!!

Snow Snow Snow and the big Chill 

As most people know Bansko, Bulgaria and the rest of europe has been hit with some of the hardest weather for decade's and in Bansko JUST A LITTLE BIT OF SNOW the most in 100 years and it just keeps coming. 

This extreme weather has had a huge impact on what we are trying to achieve and get a management handle on the complexes. Just last weekend knowing more large snow falls where coming and the municipality roads where all but impassable with the snow plow only pushing everything to the side blocking any measure of access, to this end we got in the big machines and cleared the way, and still it keeps coming and coming and coming.

The extreme conditions has seriously exposed the flaws in the complex infrastructure and lack of any previous due care and attention to the buildings and the systems held with in them, these now are really starting to expose them selves and we are here to help all the owners.

Knowing we where about to be hit with even more heavy snow falls we took a brief break in the snow fall to clear the main access road and parking zones in order they remain safe and we maximis access to all the blocks, just look at the tonnes and tonnes of snow never seen so much and still it keeps coming.

Using everything at our disposal and all our connections and friends to keep things going

Municipality doing there bit when they can, but with so much snow  they have there work cut out.

In some parts we are pilled 2meter plus

When this lot melts there are going to be serious problems in lower bulgaria already we have had a Dam burst and many villages wiped out by flooding, and unfortunately fatalities

The snow plow pushes all the snow to the side of the road so we have to keep the access ways clear

Keeping the path ways clear when we can but its been just an endless task as quick as we clear its back again

Whilst its the municipalities job we have had to do our bit to keep the turning areas and parking areas as clear as it is possible to in these conditions.

St John Village new Members Reception Area and Park new sign

With the build-up to the 2011/12 Ski season the Town has been manic and lots of new things going on. theres a new Mayor and party in place and they are committed to bring in the changes, we will do a report on all thats new in a later post. We to as you can imagine have been manic, working to bring the Park and Hill up to scratch, undoing some of the historical issues left us and working to get everything the best it can be for everyone, apologies to all, for posts having been a little thin on the ground, but today we are bring you an update on the St John Village exciting new Members Reception Area and Park signage progress.

 

Existing Block D lobby area in the Park and where we started from, a nice space and the first aspect of the Village you come into contact with and thus perfect for a OA Members reception area.

New electrical distribution panel

42 inch plasma to be located here

The first area of works was to get the new electrical services in, and to monitor this the new distribution board is fitted with a slave meter.

the new distribution board and lighting control is located behind the intended new reception desk are and will be with in cupboard unit.

Lighting is a key issue and we have allowed for an element of drama mixed with practicality and necessary task lighting.



With the new lighting arrangement in the walls where made good and the whole area re-painted.

With great high cielings for the main fittings we have gone for some very special hang lamps with a fabric finish for that warm tactile feel, over the reception desk a line of architectural fittings then LV down lighters for the task lighting behind reception.

For the reception desk we wanted to bring in some organic elements and introduce some traditional aspect creating a contemporary warm mix for the space. Here we see the pieces which i selected (actually rescued) from our timber suppliers yard being brought back to life, they had been there for years and no body had seen the beauty of them, but when Crown waved their creative and skilled hands over them , just look what they can become.

Putting her in the place you start to see the area take shape and the two styles start to blend.

The reclaimed wood looks very special and when we add the next elements will visually pop. The over hang is designed to act as a bar plot for members to enjoy a cup of freshly ground coffee at.

The Park Signage.

As with the reception area the concept for the signage  was a blend of the traditional and the modern, in this the agreed wording and revised logo will be formed from 316 stainless steel, and these will be raise mounted on 3 hand selected forest totems, staggered in arrangement and mean to connect the complex with the Pirin Park area in front which the complex sits. We have designed in to the original logo a woodpecker image this is the red crested woodpecker indigenous to this region and found in the forest behind, in fact in early spring the unique sound of their activities, wood pecking can be clearly heard. Again we wanted to ground/connect the resort to the nature which surrounds it. 

The raw material.

Putting in place the huge tree trunk elements

At Crown its team work that counts, and we have a great team. With the logs in there predetermined position levelled and secured, we are ready for the pre-mixed cement to arrive.

On time and as requested the pre-mixed cement arrives.

The mix is well set into the retaining hole and a small part is also formed to take the up lighter for the sign.

With the cement properly cured over the weekend, the levelling retainers are removed so above ground treatment can be applied, the ground around made good the up-lamp fixed and tested, ready for the signage to be installed.