New Front Door Handle

Residents of 24 Norman Street may notice a new door handle on the front door this week.
On Wednesday, Trustee Anna Zabierek had the inside front door knob come off in her hand. No one could exit the building from the front door because of this, and the only way out of the building was the back entrance. Anna contacted Markwood Management and Secure Lock and Safe was at the property by 8:30 Thursday morning. We were very fortunate that this happened with a trustee present. This might be a good time to remind people that if you experience a maintenance emergency like this, to please call the Markwood Management emergency line (781-669-4080) immediately. You do not need to check with one of the trustees first or have them call for you, you can call directly. Markwood is very good about getting back to you within minutes of calling and leaving a message. Residents who use their key for entry may also notice that although your keys still work, since it is a new lock, the action may be a bit stiff. The code entry system is not affected by this change.

Get a Key

The front entry access panel was replaced and re-programmed this week. It turns out that it was a nearby lightning strike that caused an electrical surge that overloaded and burned out part of the entry system. We were extremely lucky that the main part of the code entry system continued to work, but it underlines a potential issue. One of the things that was so surprising about the panel failure was how few tenants in the building actually have a key to the front door of the building. If the electronic entry panel fails for any reason (lightning strike, power failure, vandalism) you may not be able to gain access the building. For this reason, Markwood Management strongly advises that you have an entry key in your possession; obtain one from your landlord, or Markwood Management as soon as possible.
The front entry panel is meant as a convenience, but not as a total replacement for keyed entry, and in the case of a total power failure, it will not work. For security purposes we prefer that you have a key available to use in such emergencies. This may also reduce the incidence of people propping the door open because they do not have a key.  So again, if you do not have a key to the front and back door, get one as soon as possible.

Entry Panel Malfunction

There was an electrical surge in the entry panel this week, which shorted out some features. As a result the buzz-in function that allows guests to call you from the panel and for you to buzz them in from your phone is not currently working. Markwood Management is aware of the situation and has called a repair person, but it is unclear weather the current unit can be fixed, or if the entire assembly needs to be replaced. It might take several weeks to order and install a new unit.  In the meantime you can still use the panel with your access code to gain access to the building. Thank you for your patience while Markwood sorts this out.

Door Code

You may have recently noticed that the old access code for the front door no longer works.
Markwood Management decided to change the general-access code for security reasons, especially since the old code had been the same for many years. The code will continue to be changed on a regular basis so that only authorized people will have general access rights to the building. You can obtain the new code by contacting Markwood Management.
You can still access the building with your own personal code, which is the last four digits of your phone number, or with a key. If you don't have a key, Markwood recommends that you contact them and arrange to get one, as a panel malfunction,  such as the one we had last year, or a power-outage, can make it difficult to get into the building any other way.

The Front Door

The front door key coding system broke earlier this week. Pinanski Electric was here on Wednesday to check it out and discovered that the electronics are completely fried and the entire system is broken beyond repair. Markwwood management will be replacing the entire system with a new one, but this may take several weeks to implement.
This means that you will not be able to get into the building unless you have a key.
This also means that you will not be able to buzz people in, and will have to let them in by going down and opening the front door for them in person. If you do not have a key, contact your landlord, or if you are an owner, Carol at Markwood Management. Also, frantically punching the entry code over and over again will not have any effect. Do not prop either the front or the back door open. This is very much frowned upon by the building management and will only cause more problems. thank you for your patience while we get this fixed.