Specific Issue Regarding Electronic Access

Started by AbigailC • 8 replies • 1386 views

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AbigailC (North Carolina)
Posts: 9

Posted:

Two questions keep coming up:
1. Assume we key fob entrance to the pool. Your fob has opened the gate and you're settled in your chair. What's to keep your college buddies from coming to the gate and hollering over it: Hey Jim, come open the gate. Is the gate always unlocked from the inside?

2. Assume you have fob access entrance to the pool but no pool attendant. The rules say you can bring up to 4 guests with you. Whose going to stop you from bringing 6 guests? Or, with two fobs per condo, you can bring 4 guests and your wife can bring 4 guests and take up half the pool with a 10 person pool party -- how do we get around this? Right now, without electronic access, everyone is so suspicious that YOU don't belong, that we have residents confronting other residents, which has made for a war-zone feeling. Our demographics are 1/2 retirement age and 1/2 college or young professional-age and many of the younger are renters.

We have many outsiders using our tennis courts, our clubhouse, and pool (and creating disturbances and theft) but we cannot afford an attendant year after year. Fobs will solve a great deal of the problem, but folks are still asking how we can control the guest populations WITHOUT having to confront.

Thanks All.

BrianB (California)
Posts: 2,820

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By AbigailC on 03/18/2008 10:48 AM
Two questions keep coming up:
1. Assume we key fob entrance to the pool. Your fob has opened the gate and you're settled in your chair. What's to keep your college buddies from coming to the gate and hollering over it: Hey Jim, come open the gate. Is the gate always unlocked from the inside?

2. Assume you have fob access entrance to the pool but no pool attendant. The rules say you can bring up to 4 guests with you. Whose going to stop you from bringing 6 guests? Or, with two fobs per condo, you can bring 4 guests and your wife can bring 4 guests and take up half the pool with a 10 person pool party -- how do we get around this? Right now, without electronic access, everyone is so suspicious that YOU don't belong, that we have residents confronting other residents, which has made for a war-zone feeling. Our demographics are 1/2 retirement age and 1/2 college or young professional-age and many of the younger are renters.

We have many outsiders using our tennis courts, our clubhouse, and pool (and creating disturbances and theft) but we cannot afford an attendant year after year. Fobs will solve a great deal of the problem, but folks are still asking how we can control the guest populations WITHOUT having to confront.

Thanks All.

1) you cannot prevent this without surveillance. You also cannot prevent them from blocking the gate open, allowing two or six people through at one time, etc., unless you install a single use turnstile. Even then, you can toss the pass back across the fence, and allow a second user to come through. Unless you program the turnstile to not allow double transfers within X minutes. or use a camera.

2) You cannot.

GeraldT4
Posts: 1,022

Posted:

AbigailC - The function of an association BOD is to enforce, uphold, and from time to time, and within their boundaries, establish rules that will protect and further the general welfare, health, and safety of the membership. Policing every violation, or trying to prevent every single thing that human nature presents to a situation is counterproductive at best.

1. Assume there is a meteor crashing towards the pool area, or some compelling reason you must quickly exit and you have to scale and jump over the fence because the exit gate requires a key fob to unlock from the inside. Even if the exit gate does require a key fob, who's to say that it's use wasn't for something valid? Who's to prove there were college buddies seeking entrance, or anything nefarious going on.

2. The best, and most cost effective method of enforcing rules is for the association BOD to communicate and post the rules continually to the membership.

3. There should be a sign-in sheet and badges that are issued to each member and their guests.

AbigailC (North Carolina)
Posts: 9

Posted:

Thanks Brian. Surveillance is an obvious answer and sometimes we get so thick into things, we miss the common sense solution. Most communities say that a fob system PLUS cameras take care of 99% of issues. No one method can do it all, but several used in tandem -- fobs, cameras, well-advertised rules, etc. What has not worked and divided our community is self-policing - neighbors policing other neighbors.

We like the fobs but kept getting stuck on the guest issue. If anyone has recommedations for fob or camera systems, I'd sure appreciate it.

Thanks again!

SusanW1 (Michigan)
Posts: 5,202

Posted:

You have a tennis courts, clubhouse, and pool? and NO staff?
Bite the bullet and hire a college student or retired cop for security.

BrianB (California)
Posts: 2,820

Posted:

well, for members, there's always implanted RFD chips. However, that still won't solve the guest problem. only staff will do that, either at the location or at the other end of a camera.

GeraldT4
Posts: 1,022

Posted:

SusanW1 - Not sure if you feel as I do, but it sounds to me like the association BOD may be partly responsible in not doing as you said and bite the bullet to hire staff. When it comes to the pool I'm surprised they don't have a lifeguard, but who knows why. Maybe the cost has to be approved by the association members by a vote and they are too cheap or stupid to realize they are to blame for their own decision. Who wants to live in an association where neighbor is policing neighbor like AbigailC's post indicates?

AbigailC (North Carolina)
Posts: 9

Posted:

Our problem is funding for an attendant. It's a new development and the dues that began at $244 upon purchase, are $312 just three years later. And, our budget is bare to the bone. The developer drastically understimated trash and water (by about 300%)and insurance has gone up quite a bit. An attendant is a yearly cost, but fobs and cameras are a one-time cost until we get our feet under us. Thanks.

GloriaM (North Carolina)
Posts: 829

Posted:

Abigail:

If you contact me at my email address below I can help direct you in your research. We have many communities with pools that use Key FOB's and they work very well. The board can access and lock down the gate, review the key entries via online.

I would also suggest a pool committee and setting up good pool rules, proper signage around the pool.

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