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Community News

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Created on Thursday, 20 October 2016 14:48

Please find below some information that will be included in the next edition of the Community Handbook, plus some other updates and reminders that relate to all residents.

Looking forward to seeing you at our upcoming Cheese & Wine night or at one of our Christmas events at the end of the year!

EXPIRED ACCESS CARDS

Residents whose cards have expired will find that they no longer allow you access into the facilities, so please organise to have your cards replaced up  to a month before they expire.

Anyone aged 18yrs or older must show proof of residency to get a new card.

This proof should have both your address and photo on the one document eg a driver’s licence.

Replacement cards are free as long as the old card is handed in at the same time, otherwise they are treated as lost cards and will incur a fee.

As we have many access cards about to expire in the upcoming months, please see below how to go about organising a replacement card.

How to organise for a replacement card

1. The preferred method for residents 18yrs+:

• email  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. in advance to order your new card and attach a copy of your proof of residency eg  your driver’s licence. All proof of residency documents emailed will be permanently deleted from our records once sighted
• Pauline will confirm your details in our database and ensure we have no arrears notifications from United Strata Solutions about your Community Fees, then she will let you know what day your card will be ready for you to pick up from reception
• in order to receive your free replacement card, you will be asked to hand in your old card and show your driver’s licence to the reception staff

2. Alternatively, residents aged 18yrs and older can:

• Show your proof of residency and access card to a staff member at reception, who will take your details, then forward them onto Pauline for the same checks as above
• Your card will be ready for you to pick up at reception within 5 business days and the same pick up procedures apply as listed above

3. Children aged 14 – 17yrs

• Parents are asked to follow one of the processes above
• Staff will also need to sight the child’s current access card and either a school Opal card or student ID card, or if neither of those are available, their parent’s Medicare card [with the child’s name on it] or something similar

Card photos

Only the person identified on the new card can pick up the new card. Staff will also check that the photo on the card doesn’t require one that’s more recent.

Also, any resident wishing to have a new photo taken, can request to do so at no extra charge, or you can email Pauline a good quality, recent headshot for her to upload instead.  We often request that children under 18yrs get a new photo taken due to obvious changes that can occur whilst growing.

BOOKINGS UPDATES

Now that the Harrington Grove community has grown to be near capacity, we have been working hard to ensure that as many residents as possible have access to the Community facilities.

We have been listening to the feedback of residents and have implemented the following changes:

• There are now some restrictions in place as to how many tables, rooms or BBQ’s a resident can book on any day in one Club, so as one resident is unable to book too many facilities at any one Club on any one day
• We are keeping track of all new bookings to help avoid situations where some residents were booking multiple ‘holding’ dates for the one event, thus preventing other residents from booking those facilities
• In fairness to all, residents can now only book either the Alfresco Room orTable 1 at the Magnolia Club for any one event – not both
• We have been trialling having a designated staff member in the position of Grovelife Bookings Officer, while working at front desk. This successful change has highlighted what’s been working well within the bookings system and what needs improvement. Many procedural changes have already been implemented as a result, and we have received excellent feedback from residents about how this move has increased the availability of the facilities and lessened the number of no-shows
• Residents are asked to make all their bookings online through the Grovelife website. If you are having any issues with logging in or need help with understanding how it works, staff are always happy to talk  you through the processes involved, however most staff now do not have access to that side of the bookings system, so they will not be able to make the bookings for you
• Security Forms  for the Amphitheatre, Community Room, Alfresco Room and Table 1 need to be returned within two weeks of the booking, or the booking will be made available online  again to other residents. The forms also need to be returned, before a booking in these areas can be confirmed by our Bookings Officer

As per our Contacts section on the website, please email our Grovelife Bookings Officer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any questions regarding your event in the future. Srishti only works three evenings a week, but will get back to you as soon as she can when she is in.

These changes have been implemented for the benefit of all residents and are mostly a direct result of community feedback. They will all be included in the next edition of the Community Handbook which will be re-printed and distributed in the upcoming months.

COMMUNITY FEES AND ACCESS TO COMMUNITY FACILITIES

Just a reminder that access to the Gym and other Community facilities is dependent on residents being current with the payment of their Community fees. A more stringent system is now in place to ensure this is monitored and upheld. Access cards are being deactivated if households are arrears of their fees and the reactivation process can take up to a month due to bank delays and United Strata Solutions [USS] administration processes. It is therefore really important that residents are aware of when fees are due and keep them updated accordingly to avoid any disruption to their use of the Community facilities.

It is important to note that Harrington Lifestyle Services is not involved in matters regarding the collection of, or disputes relating to, Community fees, therefore our staff will always refer residents to USS if we are contacted about such matters. We also strongly advise that residents set up a direct debit system with USS or request that USS email you the invoice for the Community fees instead of having them posted. USS has repeatedly stated that not receiving your invoice due to postal issues is not a valid reason for late payment of fees as they are due at regular intervals. For any questions about your Community fees, please call United Strata Solutions on 4625 9882.

EVENT RSVP’s

In the past, when our Community was much smaller, late RSVP’s for an event were often accepted. However, we have now found ourselves to be in the position where this has become increasingly difficult to manage due to the larger number of residents now living in Harrington Grove. Once the online bookings for an event have been closed, we will unfortunately be unable to take any further RSVP’s for that particular event. So please be mindful of any RSVP dates that are printed on the flyers or that are emailed and posted on the website prior to an event. Our events are also getting booked out much quicker than they used to now as well, which is fantastic, but we do advise booking in earlier rather than later, to avoid the disappointment of missing out on an event.

POOL BEHAVIOUR

Residents using the pools assume all responsibility for themselves, their family and their guests. However if you observe poor, offensive or unsafe behaviour by someone around the pool area, please call or approach reception immediately, so a staff member can go down to assess the situation as soon as possible. Please also be considerate of residents wishing to swim laps in the main pool, as the pool is not patrolled, so therefore it’s up to individual residents to ensure their children and guests keep the lap lanes clear.

CONTACTING PRECINCT REPRESENTATIVES

Should you wish to contact your precinct representative, please see the Contacts page of the Grovelife website for their email addresses, which are in the following format: [your precinct]@rep.harringtongrove.com.au

Loretta Downie

Community Manager

Events and KidZone Surveys

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Created on Thursday, 10 November 2016 08:34

We have received a great response so far to the Community Surveys we recently emailed to all residents. Your feedback is important to us, especially now as we are in the planning phase for 2017. Copies of the Surveys are available in the Gym and on the Community Noticeboard at the Country Club. Alternatively, you can access both Events and KidZone surverys here, print them out and drop them into the Country Club. We’d love to hear from you!

New Yoga Class 8.30am Saturdays

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Created on Wednesday, 21 September 2016 11:50

Residents have been asking for an extra yoga class on the weekend so we are now trialling one at 8.30am on Saturday mornings. If we get enough people attending this class over the next few weeks, we will keep it going, so we encourage residents to pop down to the Gym to see what all the fuss has been about with Yoga at the Grove!