Vandalism Hidden By Design

After the conditions of 2005 to 2010 - some relief at last.
Full of Surprises













First the 200 series in 2009. Then the 400 series in 2010.













A few trees. Less than half as much as before.
Grass and shrubs - for some - but not for others













Beautiful grass.
Added value for some - Added costs for others
.












How did our Ramble Way councillors work a 5-year plan of action that benefits themselves or harms others? One step at a time ...
Add stone veneer behind the bushes ... then remove the bushes; change doors to a swing out design ... destroying 30 inches of usable strata plan deck space ... then misappropriate funds and reconstruct illegally added extra decks; sabotage design specifications for water pipe extensions ... nullify defective labour and design protection for selected targets ... then leave new tree to die from lack of water; ... introduce parking policies which induce owners to start driving over formerly planted areas ... then permanently eliminate the plantings; vandalize common property by destroying trees, grass, and ground cover ... build a cover-up fence ... sparing the world the shock of seeing the front lawn of the complex buried under a field of bark mulch ... pay for it all with misappropriated funds; bury 2 patches of boulevard ground cover with conspicuous bark mulch ... confess to a "plan" to save 25% on maintenance; add lots of cover-up paint ... and make others perpetually responsible for the added cost burdens; pave over utility access areas? What's happening here?

White rocks

















Red rocks













Big Rocks













Cute rocks













These little bushes look far more attractive to us













than this wooden add-on to the front of strata lot 25













Splash guards are a new addition













Concrete painted - adding another extra cost burden

















Green grass and high maintenance - if you're lucky.













If you're not lucky: brown ground & high payments.
We could never guess what was coming next.













We eventually figured out this species of tree
It is not white birch - it is white dogwood

















In spite of having requested reinstatement of white birch
this black maple was put right up close to our window


















Then this green vine maple


















This is how it looked after 1 week away on vacation
We complained - and were told it would be watered


















This is how it looked when we got home
from the 2nd week of our rainy vacation


















and this is how the neighbour's tree looked


















and this is how the white birch trees looked
from room 125 of our convention hotel

The ground around strata lot 25 is still brown;
After we complained of bare dirt, for 5 years;
Our green ground cover was not reinstated;

And our new tree looks practically dead.

We think the unit to the east side of us looks nicer












and the unit to the west side of us looks nicer still













Without reinstating the green ground cover
the approach to SL 25 looks not nearly as nice
as the grass does in the higher profile areas














The bush to the west of our entrance has not
been reinstated after more than 5 years














The east side of our entrance is an unattractive brown



















Instead of reinstating the trees, more wood was added.
It makes strata lot 25 look much worse than with trees.

Mae Reid is our neighbour. In addition to her strata plan balcony, she has this huge extra deck and gate addition, for her own exclusive use, rent free.












I watched her blatantly ignore both our bylaws and the owners' direction to council to have these illegally added extra decks removed from the common property if the individuals who benefit from them did not take responsibility for the added expenses and stop burdening others. She acted in her own self-interest, bypassing my requests for a remedial extension to restore the function of our strata plan deck, leaving strata lot 25 as the only one in the complex with more than 46 inches of deck space eliminated from use by the strata corporation's violations of section 71 of the Strata Property Act.

Real neighbourly. Real fair. Real something.

Strata records show that the city said trees had to be planted in the ground and not in these planters.

I don't know why - because Phase 2 has cement retaining walls (and wooden stairs); not like Phase 1, which has wooden retaining walls (and cement stairs).

I do know that it is usually very hard to tell what matters here and what doesn't; rules apply to some but not to others - it just depends on who you are.

Strata records show that all of these added trees around Al MacLeod's unit were prohibited by council as being not in keeping with the overall design of the rest of the complex.

Instead of removing the trees around his own strata lot - which were added illegally the same as his extra deck was added illegally - in February 2006 Mr. MacLeod removed the beautiful birch trees around our strata lot - which were planted by the original landscape architect and doing no harm. Our enjoyment was lost along with our property value - but he sold a panoramic view to his fellow realtor, Mae Reid - and in April 2010 he prevented the landscapers from reinstating our birch trees - again without a vote - to guarantee Ms Reid's "panoramic" view.

After 5 years - a new LOOK for 2010 - more vandalism!!!














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