Temporary Parking Changes on Hoyoke

The parking situation on Holyoke Street took a twist two weeks ago when new signs were installed on both the east and west sides of the street. The new signs by the Holyoke Insurance building (Common Ground Enterprises) were changed to seemingly restrict after-hours parking. However, according to Ward Councilor Arthur Sargent;
"The parking spaces on Norman St and Holyoke Sq that are beside Common Ground Enterprises should only be reserved for them during the day (8:00 am to 5:30 pm) Monday thru Friday."
Arthur copied Markwood on emails he received from Lt. Preczewski of the police dept and Matt Smith from the parking dept which confirmed this.  They worked with Common Ground Enterprises to correct the signs to properly reflect The City Ordnance. So you can park on the Holyoke Building side (west side) of the street between 6:00 pm and 7:30 am on weekdays, and all day on Saturday and Sunday without any problems.

The signs on the Verizon building (east side) were changed to allow 2 hour parking on Holyoke.
The apparent compromise on the bus parking area initially looked  promising, but was actually calculated to divide the small-business signers from the residential participants in the petition.
There is currently a petition drive with almost 2,000 signatures to modify or eliminate the tour bus parking. By allowing temporary parking the city appears to be addressing the issue that was driving businesses on Gedney Street to oppose tour bus parking–loss of business due to the lack of convenient available parking in the area.
This change is only temporary, and ignores resident parking needs as it does not allow for weekend parking. Again, according to Ward Councilor Arthur Sargent;
 "The temporary parking where the Bus Spaces are is from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. 
Although this theoretically means that you can park there between 6:00 pm and 7:30 am on weekdays, and all day on Saturday and Sunday, (as that is in line with the city-wide parking ordinance), since this is not reflected on the signage, you do so at your own risk.

Markwood will keep you posted on any further developments.

MARCH- Free Book Swap!

 If you live at 24 Norman Street and love books, you will want to save this date! The next Free Book Swap is Saturday, March 18 at the Council on Aging, 5 Broad Street, Salem, MA. "Swapping" isn't necessary -- feel free to drop off, take away, or both!

They will take BOOKS, CDs & DVDs, VCR TAPES, and GREETING CARDS.
All leftover material will be donated or recycled.

REUSABLE BAG SWAP.
Have excess reusable / cloth bags at home? Bring them to the Swap for others to take as needed.

GOT LOTS OF ITEMS? You can drop off ahead of time.
Drop off times are:
* Friday, March 17, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
* Saturday, March 18, 9:45am - noon

For more info or to volunteer, visit salem.com/recycling or call (978) 619-5679.

Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting

Markwood recently received the following notification about a Zoning Board of Appeasl meeting about an issue that may or may not affect us here at 24 Norman Street.

Dear Neighbor,

Many of us in the greater Endicott Street neighborhood recently received a meeting notice from the Zoning Board of Appeals. The notice reads that Excel Recycling is seeking a Special Permit which will allow them "to operate a metal storage, recycling and transportation facility categorized as a junkyard at 99 MARGIN STREET". That location is in Ward 3 between the Salem Police station and 1 Jefferson Avenue. It is diagonally across the street from the bottom of Summer Street.

If you are interested in hearing more about this development, or have concerns as to its impact on our neighborhood, the issue will be on the Zoning Board of Appeal's Meeting Agenda. It will take place at:

6:30 PM, Wednesday Evening, February 15, 2017
City Hall Annex
120 Washington Street, 3rd Floor

Concerns or inquiries can also be directed to Ward 3 Councilor Stephen Lovely.
stephen.lovely@verizon.net

Thank You,

Barbara Mann & Bob Femino
Co-Chairpersons, Greater Endicott Street Neighborhood Association (GESNA)

A Note About the Disposal of Large Items

Last week a resident of 24 Norman Street had their water heater replaced. Unfortunately, the plumbers who did the replacement, did not take the old unit with them and left it sitting outside
by the recycling bins.

Another resident disposed of a large couch by pushing it out a window and leaving it leaning against the west side of the building.

If you are planning on disposing of large items, you must make arrangements either with Markwood or with a qualified vendor.
Do not place large items in or next to the dumpster or leave them sitting outside.
Our regular trash service will not take these items. We cannot stress this enough.
This includes mattresses, tables, chairs, couches, refrigerators, air/heating units, cabinets, toilets, bathtubs, sinks, and last but not least, water heaters. Professional plumbers and carpenters will take their trash with them if you ask them to. If they will not or cannot take it, then you should look for one that will.

If you dispose of items improperly, Markwood is forced to call our maintenance service to come and remove the items from the property. We get charged for this every time it happens, and we will then pass on that charge to you.

 In the case of the water heater, the cost of removal is being billed back to the unit owner. If you have questions about disposing of large items or want to arrange to have something picked up, please call Markwood Management at (781) 639-4080. Thank you for your cooperation.

Christmas Tree Disposal-2017

Christmas is a time where homes are filled with love and holiday cheer. Unfortunately, it's also a time when homes are filled with things that will need to be disposed of, particularly your Christmas tree.
You have two options this year:

OPTION 1:
Curbside pickup
City-wide Christmas tree curbside collection will continue to take place January 9 -13, 2017. 
Please leave your tree curbside on the same day as your regularly scheduled trash day and Waste Management will pick up your tree. Trees should be on the curb bare, with no bags or decorations.
Since Christmas falls on a Sunday, trash pickup will operate on a regular schedule.

OPTION 2:
14th Annual Christmas Tree Bonfire
 The City’s 14th annual Christmas tree bonfire will be held at Dead Horse Beach on Memorial Drive on Friday, January 6, 2017 at 6:00 p.m., weather permitting. 
Waste Management trucks will be picking up trees curbside on the same day as your regularly scheduled trash day beginning January 2nd.  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 2nd 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/wind) the bonfire will be held on Saturday evening, January 7th at 6:00 p.m. Check www.salem.com for rescheduling information. 

Finally, DO NOT place your tree inside or next to the dumpster. 

24 NORMAN STREET CONDOMINIUM TRUST NOTICE OF 2017 ANNUAL MEETING

The 2017 Annual Meeting ofthe 24 Norman Street Condominium Trust will be held Wednesday, January 11,2017 @ 6:30 PM in the Heritage Room ofthe Heritage Plaza Condominium, 10 Norman Street (next door, lower level), Salem, Massachusetts.
You should have received the meeting package and proxy for your information and review by mail. If you have not, please contact Markwood Management.
At this meeting, you will be electing three trustees for one-year terms. George Courage, Anna Zabierek, and Jessie Zuberek have volunteered to serve as trustees. If you are interested in adding your name to the ballot, please contact Markwood Management no later than Friday, January 6, 2017 and be prepared to present yourself at the meeting.
There will also be news about progress on the National Grid "pit" situation.
Please direct any questions to Markwood Management. Thank you!

A Word About Dealing with "Issues"

As we all know, living in a small space with neighbors above, below, and on either side of you, can lead to occasional friction. This is bound to happen at some point, so it is important to know, and follow some simple protocols for dealing with those frictions.
Recently Markwood Management was surprised to learn that there was an incident on the third floor where the police were called to intervene.  "Surprised" is the operative word here. Markwood had no idea that this incident had been the capper of an ongoing situation. This is unfortunate, because it is an issue that should have been resolved internally, without involving the police, but is all too common. This shows a breakdown in communication between Markwood and the residents, so...
Here are some information and guidelines for problem resolution to keep in mind.


Emergencies:
LEVEL 1:  If there is a situation which is immediately threatening: Fire, Accident, Medical Emergency, Criminal Activity (burglary, theft, physical violence) Call the Police or the Fire Department first. After the emergency has been addressed, (and only then) call Markwood and let them know what happened.
LEVEL 2:
If there is an incident in the maintenance realm (broken pipe, leaking toilet or water tank, electrical issues, roof leaks, blocked driveway or dumpster, broken washing machine or dryer, non-working lights, locks etc.) Call Markwood Management immediately. There is an emergency number to call if there is an actual emergency.
Markwood will try to get back to you as soon as possible (usually within 20 minutes).

Issues with neighbors:
If you are having a recurring, persistent issue with a neighbor over noise, pets, smoking (or other noxious smells), you need to let Markwood know what is going on. Don't wait until you are in crisis mode before you call them. Calling the Markwood the emergency line in the middle of the night when you are upset about a loud neighbor is probably not the most productive way of addressing the issue.  Even a "heads-up" call can go a long way to helping sort out a situation.
There are several channels for addressing this this. You can call or e-mail the Markwood office. You can e-mail or call one of the (3) trustees. You can speak in person to the two Trustees who live in the building. You can even comment on the blog.

The Process for problem resolution:
 Whenever there is a reported "incident, it takes time for Markwood to investigate and sort out the situation. There are two sides to every story, and just because one party is convinced  that something is a problem doesn't mean that it actually is one, or that the incident they related is what actually happened. 
Also there are limited tools for dealing with repeated violations of the condo rules and bylaws. Markwood is not a police force. The main mechanism of enforcement (besides written warnings), is the fine. Fines are levied on owners for violations of the condo rules (not tenants). The fines at 24 Norman Street are substantial starting at $100 for the first incident, and escalating if the infractions continue.  They can amount to hundreds and even thousands of dollars. If they are not paid, a lien is attached to the property. That means the property cannot be sold without paying the fines. That gives owners a pretty compelling reason to make sure that they and their tenants behave.
Markwood also relies on the owners who sublet to renters, to educate their tenants about the rules and bylaws. Too often new tenants are not even informed of the rules or given a copy of the bylaws by the owner. Ultimately it is owners who are responsible for maintaining and enforcing the rules.

Responsiveness:
Markwood  Management manages many different properties. They are a small office with many duties and responsibilities, so they may not get back to you immediately about every issue. That does not mean that they are not addressing it. Addressing tenant/owner issues is a slow process and it sometimes takes months to resolve an issue; either the tenant complies with the rules, or the owner is forced to evict the tenant. The more cooperative the owner is, the quicker it usually goes.

If Markwood does not get back to you in a timely way, please speak to one of the Trustees.
It is their job to make sure that Markwood is doing it's job. If you never tell us there is an issue, then we assume there isn't one. So let's avoid any future "surprises".