EGM to sort out impasse at Chevron

UNHAPPY Chevron Renaissance unit owners will finally get the chance to vote on removing the chairman and secretary following a long-running and bitter body corporate dispute.

The date for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) at the 713-unit Surfers Paradise complex has been set for May 21. Key motions include the removal of chairman Karen Blackhurst, secretary Rob Casbolt and the signing of a new one-year contract with COH (Code of Honor) Security worth $831,000.

Mr Casbolt and Ms Blackhurst are strong critics of COH, with the former accusing the company at a recent body corporate meeting of interfering in the running of the complex and campaigning to remove the pair from the committee. They want COH to be dumped and replaced by a new provider.

The notice of the meeting distributed to owners by treasurer Deborah Trussell says the EGM has been organised to deal with “very critical and important areas that needed to be addressed”. They included:

To stop the termination of COH, our security company of 17 years without justification or reason given by four (4) committee members;

To investigate the lift tendering procedure with only one company out of four wanting to quote work at Chevron.

Neither Mr Casbolt nor Ms Blackhurst returned phone calls yesterday.

Last month, the feud boiled over when police were called by the building manager who asked for COH Security guards to be removed from the building. Police took no action.

Ms Trussell, who has led the campaign to remove Ms Blackhurst and Mr Casbolt with the support of dumped security guard Michael Marcanelli, said she was confident owners would support the motions for a new chairman and secretary.

Mr Marcanelli was removed as a security guard in March after the body corporate committee sent out a list of approved subcontractors which omitted Mr Marcanelli.

Mr Marcanelli claimed he was axed after he raised concerns about lift maintenance and replacement contracts signed off by the committee.