New Washer and Dryer

A new Maytag washer and dryer were installed last week. This should help alleviate some of the laundry congestion.

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.

New Tenant Welcome Sheet

Markwood has developed a New Tenant Welcome Sheet that contains useful information for people just moving into the building including contact information for Markwood Management and it's trustees, as well as some basic condo rules and policies. A version PDF can be downloaded by clicking  here.

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.

Condo Rules and Regulations

We had a request from tenant Curt Shulz to post the 24 Norman Street Condo Rules and Regulations. Since we often discuss the condo rules (and the breaking thereof) we thought it might be a good idea. Curt has created a link here to a site where you can download a PDF version of the official condo rules.
Now if you have any questions about what is allowed and what is not, you can read them for yourself.
If there is any other document that you would like to see posted, such as the master deed, please let us know and we will do our best to get it posted. (Thank you Curt for the link)

Vandalism

It was noticed recently that someone had carved the word "FAG" into the inside of the front door. A recent hand-written note pinned to the bulletin board had "F*ck Y*u" spelled out on it. Both were near new signs from Markwood Management, one the new parking sign, the other, a request to pull the doors shut when entering and leaving the building. Both reasonable and polite requests.
It's not clear weather this is a tenant or just someone visiting inside the building. We're not sure if it's just a random act of vandalism or some kind of passive-aggressive commentary on Markwood Management. We hope its not the latter.

It would be infuriating to think that someone who can't be bothered to participate in the management of the condo or even attend an annual meeting, feels it is somehow OK to anonymously vent their feelings on the property of others.

If you have an issue, address it to the trustees or to Markwood Management. Come to the meetings, comment on the blog, speak up, but don't engage in this kind of cheap, punk behavior. If you don't like the rules, work to change them, or move someplace where this kind of behavior is tolerated. It won't be tolerated here.

Just a reminder, defacement of the building common areas, inside or out, is vandalism and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

New Fence!

The fence on the Seven-eleven side of the building was replaced this week by Reliable Fence of Boston. As you may recall, a portion of the old fence had been knocked down by snowplows this winter. This was one of the outdoor repair projects scheduled for this year.

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.