The New Washing Machine is Finally Here!

After months of waiting, the replacement for the third washing machine, which has been out of commission since June, arrived this last Monday. The company that usually sells and services the washers, Mac-Gray, was slow in responding to our calls. When we finally did get through, the make and model we usually purchase was on back-order due to problems at the Maytag manufacturing facility. We ended up purchasing a Speed Queen Commercial Washer instead. 
Customer service sure isn't what it used to be.

Facade Damage/ Roof Repairs

On October 29-30th, a large section of the copper facade on the front of the building broke away from the roof during the heavy wind/rain storms we had over the Halloween weekend. Maintenance noticed it was loose, and pulled the loose section up onto the roof, securing it so that it would not blow away or fall to the into the street. One of the copper downspouts at the back of the building was also damaged. Markwood is in the process of making arrangements to have these repaired as quickly as possible.

Traffic and Parking Commission Meeting November 2nd

There is a City of Salem Traffic and Parking Commission meeting next Thursday, November 2nd at 120 Washington Street 3rd floor at 6:30 PM. (Item vii on the above agenda). The Bus Parking in Holyoke Square will be discussed at this meeting.  Please consider attending to support turning the Bus Spaces back into Automobile Parking spaces.  Please pass the word about this meeting by email and social media.

Nothing in the Hallways

You may have received this recent notice from Markwood Management about Halloween decorations in the hallways.

Good afternoon homeowners:

We appreciate that it is impossible to avoid enthusiasm for Halloween when you live in Salem.  Unfortunately, we must ask you to remove the decorations many of you have placed in the hallways.

Insurance companies are quite adamant that nothing be placed in in common areas that might in any way be considered a "trip" hazard.

Thank you,
Markwood Management

Basically, do not place or store anything in the common areas (hallways, steps, roof) of the building. This not only includes seasonal decorations of any kind, but also trash bags, furniture, sculptures and especially...shoes. There are several good reasons for this policy: These objects constitute a potential hazard and expose us to liability (the insurance for the common areas does not cover your personal items).  That could mean problems if visitors or tenants trip on these things (and sue us), if they impede evacuation during a fire, or constitute a fire hazard in and of themselves.  There are also problems if someone damages or steals the personal items left in the common areas. This kind of clutter can also make vacuuming more difficult for the cleaners. And lastly, not everyone shares the same taste in "decoration". So please keep all of your personal items inside your unit.

Ward 2 Candidate Forum!

Dear Ward 2 Neighbor,

A forum for the two candidates vying to be our next Ward 2 Councilor (Christine Madore / Mary Usovicz) will take place on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3
(See the flier below)

Thank You,

Bob Femino
Co-Chair, Greater Endicott Street Neighborhood Assn. (GESNA)

 

Please Don't Do This

Two items/ reminders.

Do not park motorcycles, scooters, bicycles or anything else on the dumpster side of the building. The dumpster-side driveway is for short term parking only. Parking things like scooters here impedes temporary automobile parking by taking up space in an already small area.  There is some parking available for scooters, and motorcycles on the E-market side of the building. Contact Markwood if you have questions about this.
 

You need to break down your cardboard so that it fits inside the containers. Cut it with a knife, tear it, fold it in half but do not place cardboard on the ground outside of the recycling containers.

It is extremely lame. If it rains it makes a soggy mess, and the recycling company will not take items that are not actually in the recycling containers. Perhaps you were expecting someone else to do it for you? That is not a service we provide. 

Some Updates and Clarifications

There have been a lot of e-mails lately asking questions about three items: The roof, the windows and the laundry. There has also been a fair amount of rumor, speculation and disinformation. Here is some clarification on what is going on.

The Window Replacement Project:
The proposed window replacements are still in the works. there have been some delays.  New Angle Glass, which had originally been the preferred vendor, dropped out of the project because some essential members of their installation team left the company, but they have hired replacements, and are now back in the mix. They have already given estimates to several owners and were trying to work out scheduling for giving several more. Another hold up is getting an energy audit for the building to see if we can qualify for low-interest loans.
We must point out that New Angle Glass was contacted as a courtesy by one of the trustees. (The thinking behind the window project was that the more people we have on board for this the less expensive it will for everyone as lift equipment rental fees and police detail expenses would be divided among many participants. However, window replacement is completely optional and up to the individual unit owners. If you can find a vendor/installer you like better, or can get a better price, or even want to contact new Angle Glass directly, feel free to move ahead on your own.

The Roof:
Many owners have expressed anxiety over the roof repairs not being completed. This is understandable as we head into fall/winter. We were hoping to use the settlement money from National Grid to pay for the roof, but they are being dicks about actually paying us and it looks like we may have to hire a litigator to force them to pay us. However, this won’t prevent us from completing the roof repairs as there is enough money in savings to pay for the roof repair outright. Markwood is trying to get that scheduled for later this month or early October.

Special Assessments:
There are no special assessments planned for the roof or anything else at this time.

The Laundry:
One of the washing machines in the laundry room stopped working about 2 months ago. Markwood looked into repairing it, which was not feasible, so they tried ordering a new machine. There is only one company in our area that handles the sales and service of commercial, coin-operated machines http://www.macgray.com/. They are a large, busy company and we are a smaller client so their service has lacked a certain urgency. After a month of phone calls, we were finally able to place an order for a new machine only to be told that issues with the manufacturer would further delay it's delivery. So basically, Markwood is on the case, but we are at the mercy of the vendor. We appreciate your patience.