2013 ANNUAL MEETING

The 2013 annual meeting of the 24 Norman Street Condominium Trust will be held onTuesday, January 22, 2013 at 6:00 P.M. in the Heritage Room of the Heritgae Plaza Condominium at 10 Norman Street (next door lower level) Salem, Massachusetts.
You should have received a packet in the mail recently containing the agenda , proxy form, budget and the 2012 annual meeting minutes. If you have not received this please contact Markwood Management. The agenda will include a review of the 2012 Annual Meeting Minutes, presentation of the finances, old business, new business and the election of trustees.
If you are an owner or tenant please make every effort to attend this meeting.

Basics for Living at 24 Norman Street

We have a fair number of tenants renting or subletting units at 24 Norman Street, and therefore a pretty high turn-over rate, so it is sometimes beneficial to post some Norman Street basics.
As a trustee, I hear the complaints about building issues. Here are three common issues that come up again and again. If you pay attention to these issues and the solutions, you will avoid 99% of the difficulties associated with living in a compact, 39-unit building.

1. Excessive noise
This is the biggest complaint among owners and tenants in the building. The condo rules state no excessive noise between 9 pm and 9 am. That could mean anything from loud TVs and music to loud talking. Please note: Because of the age of the building and the way it was converted into condos, there is not much sound buffering between floors. In most cases, the ceiling of one unit directly abuts the floor of the unit above it. Sound carries very easily between units, more than you may be aware of, especially if you live on the 2nd or 3rd floor. Also, because of the layout of the lofts, most unit's sleeping areas are directly below the entry and bathroom of the unit above it. This also amplifies the effect.  
Solution: Be quiet between 9 pm and 9 am.
Curtail any loud activities. If you cannot avoid activity during that time, do your best to keep it as quiet as possible. People can hear you. If you are not quiet, and your neighbor lodges a complaint with Markwood Management, the owner of the unit may be fined until the situation is corrected.

2. Parking
This is the second biggest complaint from owners and tenants in the building. Besides griping about the restrictions and general lack of on-street parking, the next biggest issue is the misuse of the side drop-off area on the north-east side of the building. It is intended as a drop-off area for residents loading and unloading from their cars. It is not intended as an auxiliary parking lot, or as a personal work area. It is for short-term use. If you are parking your vehicle there for more than 30 minutes, you are abusing the privilege.
Solution: Don't park your vehicle in the side lot for more than 30 minutes
If you park there any longer than that, your vehicle may be towed at your expense.

3. Building Maintenance
Last, but not least, is building maintenance. This is a broad category which covers everything in the common areas of the building, the hallways, entryways, laundry room, roof, dumpsters, drop-off area and grounds and includes activities such as painting, landscaping, carpeting, cleaning.
Many complaints about maintenace have to do with the quality, appearance and even the smell of the property.
Some people have a tendency to treat anything outside of their individual unit as a kind of dumping ground for anything from shoes and unwanted household items to cigarette butts and trash. Random acts of vandalism have also been known to occur.
The common areas are just that, common areas, held in common trust by every owner in the building. We pay for its maintenance, which means when you abuse the common areas, you are taking money out of your neighbor's pocket. 
Solution: Don't use the common areas as your personal trash bin/smoking lounge/anger management tool.
Abuse of or vandalism of the common areas may mean fines and/or prosecution.

Courtesy, respect and consideration go a long way.

A Word About Noise

If you have lived at 24 Norman Street for any length of time, you have probably come to the realization that noise can definitely be an issue.
There is exterior noise; being located less than two blocks from the fire station, and close to a major intersection. Motorcycle exhausts, trucks, beeping horns, loud bar patrons staggering home at 1:00 am, homeless men going through the recycling bins at 6 in the morning. There is little that can be done about managing this exterior noise, and we accept this as part of living in downtown Salem.
Then there is interior noise. If you live anywhere but on the top floor, there is the creak and thud of people walking on the floor directly over your head, and occasionally other sounds, everything from toilets flushing and loud TV's and stereos, to loud laughing and talking. Because of the age and the size of the building, there is virtually no insulation or sound-proofing between the ceiling of one unit and the floor of another. Most building codes stipulate a foot of space between floors, as well as sound-absorbing material. We do not have that. This means that even activities that would normally be considered OK, (watching TV, loud talking and laughing) can quickly become annoying, especially if they are taking place after midnight. This is noise that can be managed , but it means that respect for, and enforcement of the condo bylaws is critical.
Just for the record, here is an excerpt from the condo documents;

4. No residential Unit Owner shall make or permit any noxious or offensive activity or disturbing noises in the Units or do or permit anything to be done therein which will interfere with the rights, comfort or convenience of other Unit owners. No residential Unit Owner shall play upon or suffer to be played upon any musical instrument or permit to be operated a phonograph or a radio or television or loud speaker or other such device in such unit between the hours of midnight and the following nine o’clock a.m., if the same shall disturb or annoy other occupants of the units, and in no event, shall any Residential Unit Owner practice or suffer to be practiced either vocal or instrumental music for more than two hours in any day or between the hours of six o’clock p.m. And the following nine o’clock a.m.. No residential Unit Owner shall give vocal or instrumental instruction at any time.

This basically means that tenants refrain from any noise-producing activity between the hours of 12 am, and 9am the following morning. It is pretty clear-cut. It is not a perfect world, and things do happen, but generally it is not the responsibility of tenants to accommodate noisy after-hours behavior. It is the responsibility of tenants to modify their behavior to accommodate the bylaw.

If you have an issue with a noisy neighbor, the dispute is best handled through the condo association. Keep track of dates and times and keep the condo association informed. They will speak to the owner or tenant, and if appropriate, will level fines until the person or persons are in compliance.