Outside Storage Area

For those of you with bicycles, (or a desire to get one) you may be interested to know that there is a small storage area on the driveway side near the front of the building. The door has a combination padlock on it (contact one of the trustees or Markwood Management to get the combination).Because of the shared combination lock, it is still recommended that you have an individual lock for your bike if you are using the area.
There are some hooks on the ceiling for hanging bikes, and a wooden floor so that the area stays fairly dry. The light fixture is currently not working, so night-time use is not recommended.
It may be more convenient than storing your bike in your condo, at the bottom of the back stairwell, or in the space behind the laundry room.

Mailbox Update

It appears that the majority of residents at 24 Norman prefer to have names and unit numbers on the boxes. However, we are also sensitive to concerns about safety. (The reason for the codes rather than unit numbers on the outside directory is security.) Mark suggests that we make the default for the labels: Name and Unit Number. Anyone wishing to omit the name may request this and we will make up a label with the space where the name is engraved kept blank, so that they will have a uniform look.

Regarding the label color, we are considering grey (sample image attached) to accommodate a preference for black lettering. What are your thoughts? Carol will be stopping by the engraving shop this week and will try to get a couple of samples.
The actual sample will be posted in a plastic bag on the bulletin board.

C'mon People

This morning we found this lovely little "gift" on the front stairway leading to the second floor.
Not sure if this pile of vomit was alcohol-induced, or the result of a sudden attack of the flu, but if you or one of your "friends" happens to vomit anywhere in the building, please clean it up, or call Markwood Management immediately and tell someone about it, don't just let it sit there and fester.

This may be a good time to remind everyone that vomiting, urinating, defecating, smoking, spilling your drink, or leaving your trash in the hallways, or on the grounds is not allowed. This is not a homeless shelter, Thank you.

Back Stairs Repairs

An update on the ongoing repairs to the back stairway that was water-damaged by rain blown under the rooftop doorway during the heavy rainstorms and high winds we experienced earlier this spring. Repairs have been made to the door, and the damaged wallboard and paint on the walls and ceilings have been cleared (in some areas down to the wall studs). New wallboard, skim coat and paint will be coming soon.

Air Conditioning Units

If your air conditioning unit looks like ours does, it's probably pushing 30 years old, and not working very efficiently. You may be interested in replacing it before the really hot summer weather hits. Several people in the building have had their units replaced within the last year or so, including trustee Jessie Zuberek. She used a company called Preferred Air (www.preferredair.com) They are giving a $250 off on unit replacement through May 31st. There are also federal tax credits available on certain qualifying energy-efficient models. If anyone (residents or owners) out there has had good experiences with or would like to recommend another company, we'd love to hear about it.

Blog Flyer!

You may have noticed a flyer sitting on your doorstep this week. Yours truly designed them and building trustee Nate Gravel had them printed and distributed them to all residents of 24 Norman Street. If you received the the flyer, welcome to the blog! Follow us weekly on the blog and please send your e-mail address to markwoodmgt@hotmail.com. Markwood management would love to be able to notify you of upcoming meetings, and other building issues via e-mail. Thanks!

The Back Door

In the past few weeks it has been noticed that the door at the bottom of the back stairwell has frequently been left unlatched. The locking mechanism can stick, and keeps the door from closing completely. Markwood Management had Secure Lock out last week to investigate. They could not duplicate the problem but lubricated the latch. It was noticed again yesterday that the door was again not latched.
We just want to remind residents who use the back door to be sure it has closed completely. The door seems like it has enough weight behind it to close on its own, but the lock sometimes sticks, and if you close it gently, it will sometimes not latch. It also can looked closed from the outside, but still not be latched. (see the picture)
Many residents, when dropping off trash, recycling, going out for a smoke or other errand, find it convenient to leave the door ajar, however, if you are leaving the grounds for any length of time, please make sure the door is closed. This is a potential security issue. Markwood will continue to keep an eye on it and call Secure Lock again if we continue to have problems.

New Look for the Mailboxes!

Carol from Markwood Management is going to be cleaning up and straightening out the name/unit information on the mail boxes and would like to enlist your esthetic sense. The plan is to replace the numbers on the lower right with unit numbers and replace the current name stickers. They plan to use an engraved sticky backed plaque like piece for both. Any input regarding shape, color and font?

Markwood Management also plans to pull out the small, dead, dwarf evergreen to the right of the driveway. They will replace it next week, or if possible sooner. Plans to plant along the outside of the fence hiding the dumpster will have to wait until the fence company completes repairs on the center post of the fence, which is leaning in.