WTF? Situations

I hate sounding like the resident curmudgeon, but there have been some things happening around the building lately that indicate some tenants here at 24 Norman Street have a different standard of behavior when it comes to living in a condo . Things that make me say "WTF?".Here are a few "WTF?" examples from the last few weeks:


WTF? #1 The Front Door
























The front door key code entry system broke the week after Christmas. A notice was posted soon afterwards informing people that they would need to use their manual front door key.
Key? What's that?
Apparently many residents did not have keys, or had never bothered to get one. In spite of the fact that Markwood's phone number is clearly posted in several places in the building, and the fact that they offered to distribute keys to tenants for free, the front and back doors were found propped open, the locks tampered with and jammed, and on one occasion even taped open, (which created an unnecessary security and safety issue) because...people couldn't be bothered to take 5 minutes and call Markwood for a key? Seriously?



WTF? #2 The Dumpster























Unless we miss a pickup for some reason, there is generally a lot of unused space in the dumpster on any given week, however you would never know it to look at it. It is mostly at the back of the dumpster. If people would take a little more care in where they place their trash inside the dumpster and make sure that it is distributed to the back first, rather than piling up in the front, then we won't have it looking like it did this week. Because this looks so attractive...to rats. Also, kudos to whoever left the giant cardboard boxes sitting on the ground.

WTF? #3 The Recycling
























I have already posted about breaking down cardboard boxes to fit in the recycling bin, some people are actually doing it. I saw someone tearing up a cardboard box to fit it into the recycling bin just last week and almost wept for joy. Many of you however, are still not getting the message. You need to pick up and take care of your own trash... so that it doesn't blow all over the sidewalk and the street and make the building look like a college dorm after an all-night kegger.

WTF? #4 The Laundry Room

















If you are planning on doing several loads of laundry, please plan on sticking around the building until the laundry is done. There are only 6 machines for 39 units. (Do the math)
There is nothing more frustrating than finding all the machines full of clothes in the morning, and then finding those same clothes in the same machines in the evening.
It seems like some of you are putting in a load before you go to work and not checking them until you come home at night, or return from an extended vacation abroad. That leads to scenes like this one. However if you don't mind your clothes being handled by strangers, or tossed into a damp, mildew-ey pile, please continue this practice.

It doesn't take much extra effort to make a big difference in how the building looks and feels. Maybe an extra five minutes of effort or thought.
You may be thinking "What's the big deal? We have maintenance people and trustees to take care of these things", or "If it's outside of my unit, it's not my problem", but those attitudes are short-sighted. Do you care how where you live looks? Do you care if it feels clean, neat and well maintained? Sure, we pay people to clear snow, do landscaping, pick up trash, put out the recycling, vacuum, mop, and do general repairs, but they can't make the building feel like a decent place to live if we, the tenants who live here, demonstrate that we don't care about it through our careless behavior.

Front Door Update

A new key-code system was installed on Monday. The new buzzer panel is up and running. Take note that there are a couple of changes, due to the new system:

Press "9" on your (residents') phone to buzz someone in
Press "0" before entering each resident's personal entry code
It appears that all phone numbers, cell and land-line, regardless of area code, can be used.

You will also note that one can now scroll through resident names on the panel. Markwood will continue to publish the directory as the electrician told us that scrolling was a bit awkward.

Carol from Markwood Management will be at Norman Street on Thursday and will be testing the operation of the system to see if a letter containing more information about its operation should be sent to the owners and residents .

Please let us know if the front door is finicky.

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.

Break it Down!

We recently had an overflow of the recycling bins. On Monday, paper and cardboard boxes were blowing around the side parking lot, sidewalk and street. Although much of this was due to the abundant volume of Christmas wrapping and boxes, some of it was due to the fact that someone had placed a large cardboard box in the bin without either removing the foam packing inside it or breaking it down so it was flat. This kept the lid from closing, and so we had the "storm of paper". Although we have two recycling bins for paper, there is a limited amount of space, and it is important to remember to break down boxes so that they take up as little room as possible. And don't just throw them in the dumpster either. In general it is a good idea to compact your trash and recycling into as small an area as possible. Thanks!

Do Not Park In Front of the Dumpster

There are two rules about the parking area on the side of the building. One is never park in front of the dumpster on Tuesday morning. The second is never park in front of the dumpster on Tuesday morning.
Tuesday, is our trash collection and our recyclables pick-up day. Sear that into your memory banks. If your vehicle is parked in front of the dumpster, or is in anyway blocking access to it, the trash collection people, who have a tight schedule to keep, will go away without emptying it, and we will be stuck with an ugly, smelly and overflowing dumpster, as we were a few weeks ago.
You are also begging to have your car towed away by Bill's Towing Service.
If your car is in the side lot between the hours of 6:30 and 8:30 on Tuesday, you are definitely at risk for being towed, and making yourself very unpopular with your neighbors.
Make sure you inform your visitors about this as well. Thanks!

Chestnut and Norman Streets circa 1860 and 2010

In case you were wondering what this part of Salem looked like during the Civil War, I thought I'd post a picture taken at the corner of Chestnut and Norman Streets around 1860. Next to it is a picture I took at virtually the same spot 150 years later (give or take a month or two).
I was surprised at how much of the area is still recognizable from the original photo.
Note that the railing and staircase of the building on Chestnut street has barely changed at all, while Norman Street has been transformed from a pretty residential neighborhood, into a commercial zone. Notice also the widening of Norman Street to accommodate what is now Route 114. I believe the post at the corner is the remains of the former gas lantern in the first picture.
History is all around us, especially in Salem.

SHUT the DOOR!

If you are going outside to load or unload your car, dump your trash, talk on your cellphone, break up with your girlfriend/boyfriend, or have a smoke, PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT THE DOOR IS SECURELY CLOSED BEHIND YOU.
This has been a recurring problem and is a security concern for the building. The door does not always close on its own, especially in cold or damp weather, and sometimes appears to be closed, when in fact it is not. (see picture above).

Not to be an alarmist or anything, but we live less than a block from a homeless shelter, and near several court buildings. Homeless men regularly go through our recycling bins, and last week a convict escaped from custody at the Salem District Court and was at large for more than an hour before he was recaptured. If you want to run the possibility of strange people wandering the halls of our building, then by all means keep leaving the door open, otherwise take an extra two seconds to check and make sure that the door is indeed securely closed behind you the next time you go out or come in.Thanks!