DO NOT PARK IN THE SIDE LOT DURING SNOW EMERGENCIES

With the winter weather finally upon us please keep in mind that the enforcement of the parking restrictions for the side lot are more stringent during snow emergencies. If you park in the side lot during a snow emergency, you will be towed. Since we cannot know exactly when the plows are coming to plow the side lot, we must keep the lot clear. If they come and there is a vehicle in the lot, they often are unable to plow, and we end up with a bigger problem.
If you are not sure when there is a snow emergency please check http://www.salem.com/snow-central a comprehensive online directory for all the information you'll need during Snow Emergencies and winter storms in Salem. You can also go to Snow Emergency CodeRED Alert System Sign-Up  to have snow emergency alerts messaged or texted to your phone, that way you are never caught by surprise.

Interested in Window Replacement?

 


The windows at 24 Norman Street are about 30 years old. There have been repairs here and there, but they are nearing the end of their efficiency. Many windows have cracked or missing seals, cracked glass, missing screens, and are no longer as tight or insulating as they should be. There has also been widespread loss of the counterweights that assist with the opening of the large and heavy windows.
For that reason, Trustee Courage and owner Claudia Haydon are interested in doing so in Year 2016. and are currently canvasing to see if other owners are interested in having their windows replaced.

We have received two ballpark estimates of between $1,500 and $1,800 per opening. So for the average 2-window unit, we are talking between $3,000 and $3,600 per unit. As these windows are custom, therefore expensive to replace, the more windows that can be done at one time, the more it will save all owners money. We may be able to negotiate a better price, if we do 10 units as opposed to 2.

We are also looking for vendors and have had some difficulty in finding an area vendor who is willing and able to replace our large, custom windows. Many companies repair or replace windows, but  mostly for private homes and very few at the scale of our building's. If you have any companies that you can personally recommend, please let us know.

If you are interested in window replacement, please contact Markwood management and/or Trustee Courage via this blog. Thanks!

Pay Attention to Recycling Issues or Pay Fines

As the new single-point recycling program continues to roll out, we are experiencing some ongoing issues. We need to address these as a community or there will be consequences: i.e. fines from the city of Salem, which will be progressively increasing as violations continue. It is important to note that these fines will eventually be passed on to you in the form of increased condo fees. Here are some examples of the RECYCLING ISSUES YOU NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO:

1. CONTAINERS WITH FOOD IN THEM.
The plastic bottle in the picture below is still full of juice. This is not OK.
RECYCLED MATERIALS CANNOT CONTAIN FOOD.
Empty and wash the containers before you put them in the bin.

2. PIZZA BOXES (CONTAINERS WITH FOOD ON THEM).
The one in the photo had cheese and pizza sauce all over the inside of it . You cannot recycle pizza boxes if they have cheese or sauce on them. Throw them in the dumpster.

3. NOT BREAKING DOWN CARDBOARD BOXES
This has been a major problem. You need to break down boxes until they are COMPLETELY FLAT. If you don't, we run out of space in the containers very quickly, (they only get picked up every 2 weeks) the containers overflow or don't close, and this allows rain and snow to get in, and the wind to blow stuff around the property and into the street.

It is not difficult to break down a box. It takes an extra 30 seconds. Go to the hardware store. Buy a utility knife. Remove any and all packing materials (foam, bubble-wrap, etc.) from the box you are breaking down. Use the knife to cut the seams on your box and flatten it completely. Put it in the recycling bin. Make sure that it actually fits into the bin.
Now, isn't that simple?

4. PLASTIC BAGS 
Do not use them for recycling. Do not put recyclable items into plastic bags and them put them in the bins. Do not put plastic bags of any kind into the recycling bins. This includes shopping bags, green plastic trash bags and white plastic trash bags. Paper bags are OK.
DO NOT PUT PLASTIC BAGS IN RECYCLING.

Please put some effort into this. No one is going to do this for you. It won't take a lot of extra time, and will save us all money. If you have questions please contact the Markwood office. Thank you. 

Christmas Tree Disposal and Bonfire

For residents of 24 Norman Street who have Christmas trees to dispose of:

Please leave your tree curbside for trash pickup starting
Monday, January 4th.
OR
Leave it at Dead Horse Beach before the Christmas Tree Bonfire on  
Wednesday, January 6th, 6 pm.
OR
Put it curbside for pickup after January 11th
Mayor Kim Driscoll, the Salem Fire Department, and the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Services will hold the City’s 13th  annual Christmas tree bonfire at Dead Horse Beach on Memorial Drive on Wednesday, January 6, 2016 at 6:00 p.m., weather permitting.

“The Bonfire is one more great Salem tradition,” said Mayor Driscoll. “I look forward to it every year and I know that many other residents do, as well.”

Waste Management trucks will be picking up trees curbside on the same day as your regularly scheduled trash day beginning January 4th.  If you really want to make sure your tree is part of the bonfire, you can drop it off at the entrance to Dead Horse Beach after January 4th or bring it to the bonfire on the 6th.
Please don't forget that all decorations and lights must be removed from your tree.

In case of inclement weather (rain, snow, or wind) the bonfire will be held on Thursday evening January 7th at 6:00 p.m. Check www.salem.com for rescheduling information.

City-wide Christmas tree curbside collection will continue to take place January 11 -15, 2016.  Please leave your tree curbside on the same day as your regularly scheduled trash day and Waste Management will pick up your tree.

DO NOT put your tree in or next to the dumpster.

IMPORTANT NOTICE about TRASH & RECYCLING

You may have noticed a packet of information under your door recently concerning the new trash and recycling program recently instituted by the City of Salem. Read it carefully.
The skinny is that the new program is mandatory, so we have no choice but to comply.
The city has established an 8-week "grace" period during the implementation of this program to allow people to adjust to the new requirements. After that 8 week period, fines will be levied for violations of the recycling rules . These fines can add up quickly. That is a bad thing because eventually those fines will come out of your pocket, so.... please help avoid additional and unnecessary costs by only recycling those materials allowed and by not putting items that are eligible for recycling in the dumpster. Take a look at the sheet. Familiarize yourself with the allowed and disallowed items. PAY ATTENTION to what you are throwing away.
We encourage you to visit www.salem.com for further information.

IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT PETS

There are still some tenants who are unclear on the rules about pets in the building. I recently encountered a woman from the building walking her dog by the dumpsters. When I told her that dogs are not allowed in the building, she replied "Yes they are, lot's of people in the building have dogs."
Besides being disingenuous, she was also completely wrong. As a trustee I would know who has approval for a dog, and she most definitely did not. In fact only one person in the entire building has permission to have a dog, and that is a small (service) dog in the building by special permission of the management company and the board.  This is the only exception and was the result of a long process of medical documentation, review and approval by the board.

Let me clearly restate the official policy here so there is no longer any confusion.

From the original Condo by-laws:
 (b) No animals shall be permitted in any unit without approval of the Managing Board.

 From the 2013 amended rules and regs:
No animals shall be permitted in any unit or on the common areas without written approval of the managing board

If you are contemplating getting a pet of any kind, you need to contact Markwood Management and submit an application for permission to have that pet. If you somehow overlooked or ignored the condo bylaws and already have a dog, contact Markwood Management immediately, because if you do not, and there is any complaint about that animal, (barking, poop, etc.) the unit owner will be fined until either the animal or you, are removed from the building.

In a building this small, where smells and sounds are a real quality-of-life issue, we cannot afford to have people assuming that rules about pets do not apply to them.

SMOKING: A Reminder

As we start closing up our windows for the cold weather, interior smells become more noticeable, especially that of cigarette smoke. This is a reminder that this is officially a Smoke Free building. There is NO SMOKING allowed anywhere in the building, that includes all individual units, and all common areas.

We know that people who live in the building, smoke, because we them smoking around the front door or in the side lot and we see their cigarette butts on the ground outside.
Many of those who smoke are at least considerate enough to go outside to do so, but as happens every year when the cold weather starts, people start fudging it: smoking in the back stairway, just outside the front and back doors, or in their units.
This is unfair to the majority who do not smoke. Besides smelling bad, causing eye, throat and nose irritations, and increasing the risk of fire, it also exposes everyone to carcinogens.

According to this article, smoking in the home can reduce the value of the property on resale by up to 29 per cent. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/04/16/smoking-house-prices_n_3093543.html
I'm sure your landlord and neighbors are going to love that.

So what to do? One might consider quitting smoking, however if the overwhelming certainty that smoking causes cancer has not been enough to deter you, that's probably not going to happen.
You could  try switching to an e-cigarette, or move to a building that allows smoking.
But be dead sure that smoking in the building will not be tolerated.
You might be able to get away with it for a while, but you can't hide the fact that you are smoking in a building this small. Interior doors are not that tight, and neither are the floors between units. It doesn't take a bloodhound to sniff out where the smoke is coming from. Sooner or later someone is going to complain to Markwood about the smell of smoke coming from your end of the hallway, or your unit, or if you will be seen smoking in the building. If that happens, you will be fined, $100 for each offense until you stop. Is that worth it? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

So once again... DO NOT SMOKE IN THE BUILDING.