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.

Recycling Bin

You may have noticed a new, blue recycling bin in the front stairwell. Jeannine Matthews in Unit 209 suggested that a bin be placed there for the recycling of the many papers and flyers that otherwise end up in the trash. It's a great idea, as the trash barrel is frequently filled with other, less-recyclable stuff. Remember the new bin is for paper items only.

A Word on Smoking

Ahhh, smoking. Some people love it, some people hate it, and its getting harder to find places where you can do it. If you happen to be a resident of or visitor to 24 Norman Street, you may have noticed the new sign on the bulletin board. There is no smoking in any of the common areas of the building, this includes the stairwells, hallways, laundry room, and around the front door, inside or out. (Nothing like running a gauntlet of smoke when you come into the building). This applies to both residents, and guests of residents.
There is nothing prohibiting you from smoking inside your unit, however, given the small size of the units in this building, and the fact that the doors and ceilings are less than air-tight, this may not be your best option. Most people go to the dumpster side of the building, where you can smoke relatively undisturbed. Just remember to clean up after yourselves, and police your cigarette butts when you are done, and to keep the noise down for the benefit of the people living in units on that side of the building.

More Street Sweeping July 12 –July 23, 2010

There is going to be a second round of street sweeping later this month. Residential sectors will be swept from 8AM to 5PM. Sweep days are the next day after your trash day. To find your street sweeping dates, just locate what zone your street is in, and match it with the calendar. Monday sweep schedules are for the preceding Friday's trash day. For example, if you live on Atlantic Street, which has a Friday trash pickup, and you are located in Zone One, both sides of your street will be swept on Monday, April 26th.
Norman Street is officially Zone 2. We are scheduled for sweeping on Wednesday, July 21
* NEW THIS YEAR: ALL RESIDENTIAL AREAS WILL BE POSTED AS NO PARKING/TOW ZONE AREAS -CARS MUST BE REMOVED FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE STREET ON YOUR SWEEP DAY. There will be a concerted enforcement effort to keep cars off the street during posted sweeping times so that our street sweeping is effective. Please remember to move your car.
(Please note: Certain weather conditions prohibit the use of the street sweepers: during moderate to heavy rainfall and extreme cold temperatures, sweepers will not be able to operate. Please check www.salem.com for weather-related canceled sweeps and more information.)
There will be a concerted enforcement effort to keep cars off the street during posted sweeping times so that our street sweeping is effective. Please remember to move your car.

Since our entrance corridors have already been swept, residents will be able to use these main streets as alternative parking areas on the day of their neighborhood sweep.
The following streets are considered entrance corridors and can be used as alternative parking:
Loring Avenue, Lafayette Street,Bridge Street, Boston Street, North Street, and Essex Street (the portion from Boston Street to Washington Street).

Window Air Conditioners

Markwood Management is about to send letters to those people who have installed window AC units to let them know that the units are not permitted at 24 Norman. They will also be posting the building. Check your condo documents, nothing is allowed to hang out of the windows or from the sills, including air conditioners. If you are subletting, let your landlord know that they will need to get this fixed. If you take a look at the left hand side of the building you can imagine what it would look like if there were more window units. Markwood presumes that the window units have been installed because the in-the-wall AC units are no longer working properly. They suggest using Preferred Air (978-750-8282) and recommend them, but any licensed HVAC vendor is acceptable.

Water Quality Brochure

If you are poking around the front stairway, you may spy a pile of these brochures sitting on the floor. They are the Salem and Beverly Water Supply Board 2009 Water Quality Report.
It outlines where our water comes from, how it is processed, and most interesting of all, lists all of the levels of microbiological, inorganic chemical, and heavy-metal contaminants, including copper and lead, that are found in our drinking water. Pick one up. It makes for some interesting reading. On second thought, maybe you don't want to know...

Gardening Anyone?

Several people in the building have expressed interest in the possibility of starting a small garden in the area on the west (White Hen) side of the building. As you can see in the picture it is partially paved and largely unused. Markwood management is open to the idea, but a lot of questions would need to be answered first. It would likely be modeled on one of those urban community gardens like you see in Boston.



















The condo association would provide the space only, the individuals involved would be responsible for purchasing pots, soil, raised beds, and whatever else is required for a garden and maintaining it. Herbs vegetable, or flowers, maybe some tomato plants. The pots or raised beds would need to be move-able so that maintenance can access that area if they need to. Don’t know what the pest situation would be like either. I’ve never seen squirrels or chipmunks around the building, but you never know. We also need to figure out how much sun that area really gets. It seems like it gets a lot of afternoon sun. Getting access water might also be an issue as there don't seem to ba any outside faucets. I’ll keep you posted if and when this develops.
If you are interested or have any suggestions, please leave a comment or contact me.