Norman Street in 1890

For you history buffs, this is a picture of Norman Street taken in 1890. As far as we can tell it is looking east from the corner at Summer Street towards Washington Street. The man in the picture is standing about where the Holyoke Insurance Building is today. 24 Norman Street would be on the left side of the picture beyond the tree. The old train station can just barely be seen in the distance.

Check Your Pockets!

Last week we found a Uni-ball Vision Elite pen scraping around in one of the dryers. Unfortunately it was found in a load of clothing had been drying. The clothes and the inside of the dryer were covered with ink from this pen. This is not the first time this has happened.
When you are doing your laundry, please make sure that you check the pockets of your clothing, jeans and shirts for pens, pencils, lipstick, candies, change and any foreign objects that could melt, explode in, jam or abrade the inside of the washing machine, or dryer drum.
Besides ruining your clothes, and the clothes of anyone who uses the machines after you, these foreign objects could damage the machines and lead to costly repairs.
A little extra care goes a long way. Thank you.

Warning About New "Handicapped" Parking Space

Residents at 24 Norman Street may have noticed a new handicapped parking space sign in front of the building. Markwood management is not sure why the city, in all of it's infinite wisdom, has decided to place this sign here. In the two months, not one single vehicle with either a handicapped license plate, or tag, has been observed parking there, however please be advised, the city has been issuing tickets to non-handicapped vehicles parked in and near this space. The enforcement seems random, and arbitrary, and also, the space is not clearly designated on the pavement, so there is some question weather the space is supposed to be the one in front of the sign (closest to the market), or directly adjacent to it. We're not sure that the parking enforcement officer knows either, but several people have received tickets while parked in both spaces, including at least one resident of 24 Norman Street. It seems to be at the whim of the officer, but since the tickets are in the $90 range, we advise caution parking there until Markwood gets a definitive answer from the city.

Free Book Swap

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Free Book Swap
10am-1pm
at Salem Senior Center
5 Broad Street!

Just in time for Spring Cleaning - SalemRecycles is holding another free book and media swap on Saturday, March 19, 2015 from 10 AM - 1 PM at the Senior Center, 5 Broad Street, Salem. All~books will be accepted. No "Swap" necessary, drop-off, take-away, or both. Everything that doesn’t find a new home will be donated or recycled.

Materials can be dropped off in advance on Friday, March 18 from 5:00-7:00 PM or bring them with you on Saturday, March 19  from 9:45 to noon. Volunteers will be available to help unload.

Everyone is invited to take books, etc.—no “swap” needed.

DO NOT PARK IN THE SIDE LOT DURING SNOW EMERGENCIES

With the winter weather finally upon us please keep in mind that the enforcement of the parking restrictions for the side lot are more stringent during snow emergencies. If you park in the side lot during a snow emergency, you will be towed. Since we cannot know exactly when the plows are coming to plow the side lot, we must keep the lot clear. If they come and there is a vehicle in the lot, they often are unable to plow, and we end up with a bigger problem.
If you are not sure when there is a snow emergency please check http://www.salem.com/snow-central a comprehensive online directory for all the information you'll need during Snow Emergencies and winter storms in Salem. You can also go to Snow Emergency CodeRED Alert System Sign-Up  to have snow emergency alerts messaged or texted to your phone, that way you are never caught by surprise.

Interested in Window Replacement?

 


The windows at 24 Norman Street are about 30 years old. There have been repairs here and there, but they are nearing the end of their efficiency. Many windows have cracked or missing seals, cracked glass, missing screens, and are no longer as tight or insulating as they should be. There has also been widespread loss of the counterweights that assist with the opening of the large and heavy windows.
For that reason, Trustee Courage and owner Claudia Haydon are interested in doing so in Year 2016. and are currently canvasing to see if other owners are interested in having their windows replaced.

We have received two ballpark estimates of between $1,500 and $1,800 per opening. So for the average 2-window unit, we are talking between $3,000 and $3,600 per unit. As these windows are custom, therefore expensive to replace, the more windows that can be done at one time, the more it will save all owners money. We may be able to negotiate a better price, if we do 10 units as opposed to 2.

We are also looking for vendors and have had some difficulty in finding an area vendor who is willing and able to replace our large, custom windows. Many companies repair or replace windows, but  mostly for private homes and very few at the scale of our building's. If you have any companies that you can personally recommend, please let us know.

If you are interested in window replacement, please contact Markwood management and/or Trustee Courage via this blog. Thanks!

Pay Attention to Recycling Issues or Pay Fines

As the new single-point recycling program continues to roll out, we are experiencing some ongoing issues. We need to address these as a community or there will be consequences: i.e. fines from the city of Salem, which will be progressively increasing as violations continue. It is important to note that these fines will eventually be passed on to you in the form of increased condo fees. Here are some examples of the RECYCLING ISSUES YOU NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO:

1. CONTAINERS WITH FOOD IN THEM.
The plastic bottle in the picture below is still full of juice. This is not OK.
RECYCLED MATERIALS CANNOT CONTAIN FOOD.
Empty and wash the containers before you put them in the bin.

2. PIZZA BOXES (CONTAINERS WITH FOOD ON THEM).
The one in the photo had cheese and pizza sauce all over the inside of it . You cannot recycle pizza boxes if they have cheese or sauce on them. Throw them in the dumpster.

3. NOT BREAKING DOWN CARDBOARD BOXES
This has been a major problem. You need to break down boxes until they are COMPLETELY FLAT. If you don't, we run out of space in the containers very quickly, (they only get picked up every 2 weeks) the containers overflow or don't close, and this allows rain and snow to get in, and the wind to blow stuff around the property and into the street.

It is not difficult to break down a box. It takes an extra 30 seconds. Go to the hardware store. Buy a utility knife. Remove any and all packing materials (foam, bubble-wrap, etc.) from the box you are breaking down. Use the knife to cut the seams on your box and flatten it completely. Put it in the recycling bin. Make sure that it actually fits into the bin.
Now, isn't that simple?

4. PLASTIC BAGS 
Do not use them for recycling. Do not put recyclable items into plastic bags and them put them in the bins. Do not put plastic bags of any kind into the recycling bins. This includes shopping bags, green plastic trash bags and white plastic trash bags. Paper bags are OK.
DO NOT PUT PLASTIC BAGS IN RECYCLING.

Please put some effort into this. No one is going to do this for you. It won't take a lot of extra time, and will save us all money. If you have questions please contact the Markwood office. Thank you.