Repair Cafe This Saturday

Repair Café

When: Saturday, February 2, 2019, 9:00 a.m. to noon

Where: The Bridge at 211(community center), 211 Bridge Street, Salem

Organized jointly by SalemRecycles and The Bridge at 211, the North Shore's fifth Repair Café will take place on Saturday, February 2 from 9:00 a.m. until noon (last appointment at 11:30) at The Bridge at 211. This is a free event, run completely by volunteers, to help Salem residents repair and restore their broken items, keeping them out of the waste stream.

Repair volunteers will be available to mend clothing, darn, sew buttons, hem, sharpen scissors and knives, repair jewelry, tinker with or rewire electronics and lamps (no TVs), and glue ceramics.

There are a limited number of pre-registration slots available. Walk ins welcome before 11:30. Contact Julie at jrose@salem.com or 978-619-5679. Visit SalemRecycles Facebook Event at https://www.facebook.com/events/343461409806467/ for more details.

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Building Maintenance Updates

 

 
 

The missing lower parts of the building downspouts on the driveway side were recently replaced. This should alleviate some of the puddling and leaking that were happening on the basement level.

Scaffolding is scheduled to be delivered by the end of the week for the front façade refurbishment, per the Master Insurance Claim. This may cause some inconvenience for sidewalk traffic in front of the building, and tenants living in the front units should be aware that scaffolding and workmen may be directly outside their windows while the repairs are being done.

The Driveway is Fixed!

Good news for those of you who like to use the side parking lot for picking up and dropping off, (as well as those of you who like to park there like it's your own personal spot)!
Markwood Management recently completed repairs on the cobblestone entry ramp from the street as well as the large pothole that lay at the head of the driveway. Hopefully these will survive the winter!

POTHOLES

A note from the mayor regarding potholes:

Potholes: 1.A deep natural underground cavity formed by the erosion of rock. 2. A hole in the road caused by extreme weather or excessive use. 3. Another reason that Winter is way overrated (okay this one's my own thought)

Whichever way you define them, potholes are just another sign that Spring has arrived. As much as we like Spring, we don't like potholes and we're hoping you can help us fix/fill them by reporting trouble spots to Potholes@Salem.com. Make sure to include the exact address/location description, and contact name/number if possible. Photos are welcome too.

Our hardworking Department of Public Works personnel will be monitoring this account and assigning crews to fill in/repair pothole locations as we head into the start of Spring.

For any additional questions, you may contact the Salem DPW directly at (978) 744-3302.

Sincerely,

Mayor Kim Driscoll

Hallway Repairs and Painting

After spending several months searching for and successfully plugging leaks around the roof access doorway, the maintenance crew has begun patching the walls in the back stairway. Anyone who is familiar with the large sections of peeling paint and damaged plaster that filled the walls of the back stairwell after the flooding rains of two years ago should appreciate this. This is just in time for the scheduled painting of the entire building interior.
This should greatly improve the overall look of the entire interior.

Window Screens

 

With the freakishly warm weather we have been treated to this March and warmer weather to come, you may be thinking about opening your windows and getting some fresh air...that is, if you have screens, and if your screens are in good repair.
If you don't have screens, there is a pile of them in storage in the small utility area behind the laundry room. If  yours are missing, perhaps yours up there.
If your screens have holes in them, (like mine did) or are otherwise in disrepair, consider going to
Winer Brother Ace Hardware store at 86 Lafayette Street here in Salem. They repair screens.
I recently took one of my large window screens down there to be fixed, and they had it done within the week. A 45 x 45 screen repair will cost you about $40. Let's hear it for fresh air!

Fresh Varnish

The front and back doors, as well as the wood trim around the entry panel have been stripped, sanded and revarnished. Both doors were refinished both inside and out. You may have noticed the smell of varnish in the building the last day or so. This has eliminated many of the scratches and cuts in the door as well as some minor graffiti carved into the door.  The new varnish has improved the overall appearance of the entry and really brings out the wood grain in the doors. Just in time for the first day of spring!

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.

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.