68 QUORUM LIST
HISTORY – FACTUAL TIMELINE
The Owners Meeting on 30th October 2018 approved the renovation project with HPA and FULAM. It included a budget of HK$ 60,000 for the repair and replacement of the railings.
Later, with agreement from all parties, several items were to be handled outside the main contract – the railings were one. The VOC decided that the proposed repair and repainting of the railings would be a waste of money; a ‘maintenance free’ railing should be considered.
At a VOC Meeting on 4th June 2020, CM announced a list of contractors to be invited to tender (see T1808). The minute records that the list of contractors would be annexed for easy reference, but no annex was attached to the minutes at the time of signing and there was no specific reference to the replacement of the railings
T1808-21 refers to the RWG meeting in February 2020 and was presented at the 4th June 2020 VOC Meeting.
At the Meeting 22 July 2021, the VOC insisted that the handrail project be paused until the cost of using Highway Standard design could be presented,
At the VOC Meeting on 25th August 2021, CM presented VOC Paper T1902/21 containing prices for an alternative to hot dipped galvanised steel railings. CM claimed for the first time that the different style of the railings would incur extra costs associated with obtaining obtain approval under Building Departments Minor Works Control System. The lowest cost for supplying and installing H4116B appeared to be HK$484,500, although this was not clear. CM favoured a replacement railing similar to the existing railings supplied by Fred and Wille which would cost HK$230,000 to supply and install. Allegedly Fred and Wille offered the H4116B at the highest at HK$538 (surprising since the tender document only specified replacement with like railings).
The VOC insisted that the quotes for Government Standard, needed to be confirmed due to significant difference between the bids. To reinforce this point, the VOC insisted that the drawing of the Government Railing, provided at an earlier meeting by CM, should be an annex to the meeting minutes.
At the Meeting on 13TH April 2023 CM proposed to install a portion of the delivered railings as a mock up. The VOC agreed that the delivered railing could be reviewed without installation.
At the VOC meeting on 11th May 2023, CM confirmed no further progress was made on the railings. The Vice Chairperson asked how the railings had been ordered without VOC approval
It was agreed that CM should retrieve all documentation and letters involving the discussions, decisions, and purchasing of the railings. (Nothing was forthcoming)
At the VOC meeting on 6h July 2023 the VOC members were not willing to take responsibility for mismanagement of the replacement railing project. CM suggested the owners should vote on the choice of railings
At the VOC meeting on 4th July 2024, CM proposed a questionnaire to be signed by the chairman asking owners to vote on a way forward for the railings. The Chairman proposed that he draft a document with a clear presentation of the facts. It was also agreed that two members should meet CM’s Senior Executive Manager, who had been closer to the problem for longer than the current estate managers.
On the 1st August 2024, the meeting (above) took place, between G.H.Koo, Steve Kwok and VOC members Ed Rainbow and John Antweiler. An undated, unsigned copy of the tender document was provided.
The images below are the railings currently on site at Hillgrove Village. It seems that the railings have been painted, perhaps to hide the rust already appearing on the new railings.
In Section 2: Scope of Work General Specification at 2.1 b) of the unsigned version of the Tender Document,
This requirement is not fulfilled.
a
INVITATION TO OWNERS
The VOC seeks guidance from Hillgrove owners through a vote on two options for the replacement of our railings. Before voting, Owners need to be aware that the railings delivered to the Village, and paid for by the Village, do not conform to the specification expected by the VOC. Moreover, the railings delivered were never approved at a VOC meeting. CM imaintains that the railings now on site are adequate and should be installed. The voting options are:
| 1 | Install the painted railings which have been delivered to Hillgrove and paid for without VOC approval. |
| 2 | Repeat the tendering process for maintenance free railings and start the tendering process – taking care to specify the HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT H4116B standard i.e.hot dip galvanized to BS EN ISO 1461: 1999 |
I strongly recommend that Owners review the attached document, “History – Factual Timeline” to make an informed decision.
CM has agreed to provide a ballot , for each unit. To ensure the integrity of the voting results, each ballot will contain an identifier for the unit. Return instructions will be provided.
Ed Rainbow
Ed Rainbow
Hillgrove Village owners Committee Chairman