Residents should be aware that a raccoon was reported roaming the basement garage and hiding in the garage ceiling this evening. Please take extra care when in the basement until this is resolved.

I know at least one person has reached out to management but I’m not sure if they’ve made contact yet.

Georgi asked me to post this:

Hi Everyone

I want to thank all of you (who are much more computer-literate than I am) for your suggestions and fixes for my iPhone. Kate especially – she invited me to her place and we spent about an hour getting my phone ‘tuned up’

Again, thanks so much for all the suggestions! This is a GREAT site for Canal Place – thank you Ruth, for ‘manning’ it!

Georgi

Just want to remind folks again that the new admin email for this site is canalplaceone@gmail.com. I had one email make it to me through the old address and at least three that didn’t this week so please make sure to use the gmail address.

Also, any iPhone experts out there? Georgi is looking for advice:

Hi Everyone

I need to talk to someone who has a good working knowledge of how an iPhone works.

My iPhone 8 is, randomly, not allowing incoming calls to ring through; they just go to vmail. 

I visited an AT&T store today; the guy played with my phone for about a minute, handed it back to me saying he didn’t know what was wrong and proceeded to try to sell me a new phone.

I’m not averse to getting a new phone; I would just like someone who understands iPhones and doesn’t have a financial gain in my buying a new one if I can get my old one to work for a bit longer, to have a look at it.

Please call me at 978-764-5570 (I’ll be checking vmail a lot since it won’t probably ring for you!). Anything you could do to advise me (even if it’s “yep, you need a new phone” would be appreciated!

A resident contacted me looking for advice (see below). My own heating units were both replaced shortly before we moved here so I haven’t any experience with replacing one. If anyone has any info or advice to share, please reply in the comments. Thanks!

My first floor heating/cooling unit died this week and it cannot be fixed. I am wondering if anyone in the building has replaced their system before and if so, what model they used for the new system. My system was from the ’80s. I am also wondering if I need to get the building management company involved since I don’t know if they will need access to the roof/basement. 

I’ve been asked by a fifth floor resident to put up a post soliciting advice on window operation. His message is as follows:

“I assumed for a while that the downstairs windows weren’t supposed to open, but I recently saw a picture on the site of them open, so now I know they’re supposed to open but can’t for some reason. The best I can do is move them up a couple millimeters. They won’t budge past that. 

I was hoping perhaps someone else in the building has been in this position before and could help me come up with strategies to make them work again. I imagine the best route to go would be to open them then lubricate the tracks, but it’s that first opening that I can’t manage.“

Admin here again: I’m hoping someone else can offer some helpful suggestions (in the comments, please), but my impression after watching more than one contractor open long-unused windows in my unit is that it’s pretty much a matter of brute force. Because of the depth of the sills, I usually have to climb up and kneel on the sill to get enough leverage to open even a not-stuck window (Warning: lifting from that position can be risky for one’s back). I know someone else who’s used a metal bar as a lever but that visibly bends the lift ridge of the window and could damage it permanently. I’ve thought for years that someone needs to design a mechanism that can lift these windows without damage to them or us.

That said, I can suggest the best lubricant to use on the tracks once the window is open: white lithium spray. It’s readily available at Home Depot and makes a huge difference.

One other factor that affects ease of window use is whether the glass has been replaced. Although it’s not obvious just by looking, the newer glass is twice as thick which provides better insulation but means it weighs twice as much. One can find a bit more info about our windows by clicking on the “Windows” page of this site’s Neighbor-to-Neighbor section.

A cute little second-hand store called “This and That” has opened at 10 Kirk Street, just this side of the High School. It’s an easy walk and may be worth a visit, whether to browse their very reasonably priced selection or to ask about donating some of those gently-used goods of your own that you no longer want. Their hours are Thursday and Friday from 10:30am to 3:00pm, and Saturday from 9:30am to 1:00pm.

Does anyone have advice for placing items outside for “curbside” pickup by a charity? I’ve always avoided doing it myself because most charities want you to put it out the night before and that strikes me as inviting theft or vandalism. I’ve been asked where is the best place to put items, which I would guess to be under the front overhang but away from the doors, but I’d like to know what has worked for others. Please put responses in the comments. Thank you.

Also, I’ve been asked to post the following:

Hi Everyone
We had a blockage in the garbage chute this weekend that plugged the chute as far up as the second floor. Liquid items came into contact with items (such as grout in its powder form) and clogged the chute.

It is very important that ANYTHING that is tossed down the garbage chute needs to be securely tied in a plastic bag before it thrown down the chute.  NO single items—be it regular garbage, paint cans or half-empty grout bags—should go down the chute without first being placed in a tied plastic bag.

The BEST thing to do with liquid items or items that can clump if they come in contact with a liquid, is to walk it down to the basement and dispose of it directly into the appropriate dumpster—still securely tied in a plastic bag. Cans of still-liquid paint should NOT go in the trash—even latex paint can contain toxic chemicals. For the right way to dispose of paint, see here.

Please DO NOT toss a large commercial-size plastic bag down the chute. If you have to ‘stuff’ the bag down the chute, it is too big for the chute and needs to be taken down to the basement and placed directly into the dumpster assigned for garbage.

And, just as an extra note, there are always lots of move-ins and move-outs at the end of a month, as well as deliveries arriving in boxes throughout the month. PLEASE EMPTY AND FLATTEN ALL CARDBOARD BOXES AND PLACE THEM IN THE BASEMENT DUMPSTER DIRECTLY UNDER THE SIGN FOR CARDBOARD.  Alternately, you can take them over to the DPW and recycle them there.

ONLY CARDBOARD is to go in the basement dumpster labeled for cardboard—insulation, styrofoam or packing items should NOT go into the CARDBOARD ONLY dumpster.

Your cooperation is always greatly appreciated by the maintenance staff!

A message for dog owners:

Two large boxes of various dog food have been in the mail room for well over three weeks. The person they were sent to has indicated they are not his. Instead of throwing out the boxes they were opened and the items are now being made available to anyone who wants to go down to the mail room and take some of it – if you think your dog will like it!

The crews were able to get the repairs done. The AC is up and running.

I know folks are getting increasingly anxious about whether or not we’ll have AC this weekend. Here’s the situation as I understand it: There was a serious clog found in a drain line when they tried to activate the cooling tower this morning. When I was outside earlier there were two drain company trucks and two AC company trucks out front and workmen visible on the roof, so management is clearly doing all they can to get the system running.

I believe the delay in putting out news is twofold: management doesn’t have a clear answer yet about whether the AC will be running, and they are devoting all their time to speeding up the process as much as possible and getting accurate information to share before sending anything out.

Temperatures are supposed to be reasonable through this evening and into mid-morning tomorrow but beyond that it’s going to be a very uncomfortable weekend if the crews are unsuccessful getting the cooling tower running today. I would recommend making contingency plans for yourself and your pets to keep cool should we be without AC this weekend while keeping your fingers crossed for good news later today.