The Great American Smoke-Out

The other night I was witness to a group of young people standing outside 24 Norman St., in the cold, smoking. I had to laugh. It reminded me of an editorial by Robert Moran that ran in the Salem Gazette last week, titled "The state of Smoking in America". Every year, on the Thursday before Thanksgiving, the American Cancer Society encourages American smokers to quit smoking, if not forever, at least for the day. Since there are several smokers living at 24 Norman Street, I thought I would take this opportunity to post a kind of "public service message"and quote some of the statistics about smoking and especially secondhand smoke. Smoking is the most common cause of preventable death. Approximately 450,000 people die from tobacco-related causes each year.
"According to the National Toxicology Program, there are more than 250 poisonous gases, chemicals and metals in tobacco smoke. Eleven of them are class A carcinogens. By definition, Class A carcinogens are pollutants known to cause cancer in humans.
Research has shown second hand smoke causes cancers and cardiac disease in nonsmokers and is associated with a host of diseases and disabilities. In June, in a lengthy editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine, health policy professionals called for a federal ban on smoking in public housing."
Although many of the smokers in the building smoke outside, some do not, and you can smell it clearly in the hallways of the floors that they live on. if you can smell it, then you are being exposed to secondhand smoke. They are not only killing themselves, but they are also killing their neighbors and friends. So how about it? Why not quit? Your lungs will thank you, and if you live in this building, mine will too.

Cafe Polonia Opening in Salem

A Polish restaurant located in South Boston has opened a second location here on the North Shore. Cafe Polonia located at 118 Washington Street next to the Upper Crust Pizzeria, is in the heart of the downtown area. The restaurant opened October 6th.

The original Cafe Polonia, which is located on Dorchester Avenue just outside of Andrew Square in South Boston, features a variety of Polish and East European fare, including beet soup, pierogi, Hungarian goulash, crepes, potato pancakes, and kielbasa.

The new location features an expanded menu featuring Polish, German, Hungarian and Czech specialties.
Their website is here: http://cafepolonia.com/index.html
"Zapraszamy"

Cornerstone Books is closed!

If you have been around Salem the last 5 years or so, you may have had occasion to visit Cornerstone books at 45 Lafayette Street. In case you are not literately inclined, or have been living in a polar ice cave, it was a small, wonderful, local bookstore, with a great selection of the latest titles, friendly and helpful staff, compfy places to sit, coffee, snacks, and the site of many events promoting books of local interest and local authors. It is closed as of November 1st. There is a Salem Gazette article about it online here: http://www.wickedlocal.com/salem/topstories/x1272815625/No-sequel-for-Cornerstone-Books-Bookstore-to-close-Monday
This is indeed a sad day for bibliophiles and Salem residents. Let's hope that someone will buy it and re-opens it.

New Washing Machine!

A new washing machine was delivered and installed this last week. This replaces the troublesome middle washer that would sometimes stop working mid-cycle.
It is a high-capacity Whirlpool commercial washer. Happy laundering!

Maintenance Updates

Some recent maintenance updates.
























The hole in the driveway where the bricks were missing was recently repaired. The side parking area was blocked off while the work was being done. Markwood would like to apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused for residents.
















The new labels for the mailboxes with names and numbers have been installed and seem to have improved the appearance of the mailbox area.

Parking Meeting!

Trustee Nate Gravel will be meeting with the Salem Parking Board on Monday, September 13 at 4PM at 120 Washington St. (That is in between the Thyme Cafe and the New Taste of Asia).
Nate is attempting to negotiate a reduction in the parking fees we now pay to the town which constitute almost 1/4 of our entire operating budget. No one seems to be happy
about the current parking situation which basically only allows us to park in Riley Plaza without being ticketed. We would like more consideration of the area around Norman Street and Holyoke Street as resident parking, or some reduction in fees. We do not have high expectations for the meeting as it is unlikely that the city will reduce a handy source of revenue, especially since they are holding all the cards, but we feel it is worth a try. If you can attend the meeting, it would be greatly appreciated. Nate feels that the more residents we have present at the meeting, the more compelling our argument will be. Please spread the word.

A Recommendation From the Fire Department

Sunday night there was a bit of excitement on the second floor of 24 Norman Street. About 10:30 a smoke/carbon monoxide alarm in unit 202 started going off. The alarm was loud enough to hear clearly in the hallway and in other units. No one was occupying the unit at the time and efforts by Markwood Management to contact the owner were unsuccessful. As a result, the fire department was called, and arrived shortly thereafter to investigate. As there was no key available to unlock the door, the firemen (after trying to gain access through an outside window) were required to break the door to gain access. They quickly determined that there was no smoke, and CO levels were normal. The alarm was apparently faulty. No fire, or leaks..that is the good part. The bad part is that the unit owner now has to replace the door and the lock.

I mention all of this for several reasons, one being that if you hear an alarm going off inside the building, or smell smoke, you need to pay attention, and call someone. Don't just go in your unit and pretend that everything is fine. If this had been an actual emergency or fire, critical minutes could have been lost in getting people out of the building.
Another, is that bad things happen. Even if your unit is fine, what happens in units above and and below you can affect you. Leaking water heaters, overflowing toilets, smoke, various alarms going off, these things can all lead to unpleasant surprises for tenants and owners.

If you are going to be away from your unit for any length of time, or are generally unreachable, and don't want the fire department breaking down your door, you may want to consider providing the fire department with a spare key to your unit. They keep them in a locked box here in the building so that in the case of an emergency, they can actually access the units without having to smash up the place. You can contact Markwood Management to find out how. At the very least you may want to consider giving a key to a trusted neighbor. This is completely voluntary, but which would you rather pay, $3 for a duplicate key, or $200 for a new door?