A resident has 3 large cookie tins she doesn’t need and is offering them free to anyone who can use them. Just contact Sally.

When bringing a tree into the building, please wrap it in a tarp or sheet to carry it through the common areas so as not to leave a trail of needles. This becomes even more important after the holidays when carrying a dried, shedding tree out of the building. Please be considerate of your neighbors and clean up any needles you do happen to leave behind.

Following the holiday, the city generally offers a number of drop off locations where Christmas trees can be left for disposal at no charge. Watch for information on the Waste & Recycling page of lowellma.gov. There is no tree disposal permitted anywhere on Canal Place property; you must take the tree to a proper disposal site.

For those who haven’t heard, Mill no. 5 will be shutting down at the end of January when the building changes hands. Folks interested in trying to preserve this unique indoor mall may want to check out Change.org’s petition.

The annual City of Lights parade is this Saturday at 4:30pm. Click this link for a map with info about parking bans and street closures.

Also, a reminder for people to please, please be considerate of their neighbors when it comes to smoking. Numerous systems in this building connect, and smoke from one unit can seep into neighboring ones via the heating/cooling units, the kitchen/bathroom vents, and the fire corridors. Consider opening your window just a bit if you’re smoking inside, or invest in a good air filter, or take it outside for some invigorating, fresh, New England air!

 And there is absolutely no smoking in any of the building’s common areas, including the fire corridors and stairwells, as well as there being a 30 foot no-smoking zone around the building’s entrances.

To see what suggestions have been shared in the past for preventing smoke from traveling unit-to-unit, use the search function on this page and search for “smoking.” Look for the posts with the most comments for input from your neighbors.

We have a fair number of gaming and anime magazines, plus some comic books, we’re planning to get rid of. We could just recycle them, but would anyone like them? If you’re into selling things on eBay, some of them are worth some $.

Also up for grabs are a lot of empty DVD cases for games, videos, and anime. Again, if you sell on eBay, some of the game cases have value. If you’re into anime and crafting (decoupage, decorating, etc.), the inserts and cover art from the cases are a great source of printed images for your project.

If you’re interested and would like more information, or know a person or group we could contact who might be, please let me know.

Trick-or-treating in the building is 6:00 to 7:30pm. Don’t forget to put your pumpkin flyer on your door if you’re welcoming Trick-or treaters. It’s always a fun event with lots of costumes & decorations & candy.

The lobby office will close at 10:30 instead of 11:00 this Saturday morning, so if you need something, don’t be late!

The City Council Parking Subcommittee will meet on Tuesday, November 12, at 5:30pm at City Hall to discuss—you guessed it!—parking! I’ll post more info once it’s available.

Question from resident (please respond in the comments):

“When I moved here 9 years ago, my upstairs window was glued shut.  I let it be.  Somehow it is now open and I know why it was glued.  The problem is now I can not close it.  Does anyone have experience with this and if so who do I call?  It’s a little chilly and I need to get it closed.”

(Speaking from my own experience, the upstairs windows can be brutally hard to latch shut, assuming the latch is even intact. We have trouble with our own so I haven’t any useful suggestions myself. —admin.)

There’s Trick-or-Treat downtown this Saturday afternoon from noon to 3:00pm at the annual Lowell MonsterBash. Expect to see hordes of costumed little ones out and about.

Flyers were left at everyone’s door last Friday about Trick-or-Treat in the building on the 31st, but just a reminder that it will be happening from 6:00 to 7:30pm. It’s a fun event, and a lot of residents really get in the spirit!

Early voting has begun for the upcoming election. More info here.

The Bay State Marathon is tomorrow and will affect city traffic patterns. Scroll to the bottom of the linked page for a list of road closures.

While it’s wonderful to see seasonal decorations on people’s doors, please don’t place real pumpkins or other veggies outside your unit. They can damage the carpet and attract vermin.

And lastly, cool weather means more mice looking for warmth in our building. Be sure to seal up any entrance holes behind appliances or under sinks, and store food carefully in case one of the little critters does find its way in.

A resident has ended up with more fresh scrapple than he can eat and is happy to give it away to any takers. Call Bill: 978-289-7487

Also, a garage passcard turned up in the atrium. If it’s yours, please stop by the lobby office during regular hours or email me. If you know the card number (it should be on your invoices) to prove ownership, that would be great.