As winter and the holidays approach, this building tends to find itself with an excess of both mice and packages.

Regarding packages: Please pick up your packages from the mailroom promptly; that room was never designed to handle the number of deliveries that have become part of modern life. And, while our fob system has been very successful reducing package thefts, packages still get taken occasionally, either by folks tailing someone in or by another resident within the complex. The less time an item sits in the mailroom, the better.

Regarding mice: Be aware that those furry critters are currently looking for someplace warm, and your unit may be just the spot! Some of their favorite access points are the openings around incoming plumbing, unseen holes behind kitchen appliances, and those little gaps along the lower edge of baseboards, particularly in the corners. One way to seal up openings is with a spray foam designed for that purpose. Various types of traps can also be helpful. And make sure all food is properly sealed and put away so that it doesn’t serve as an invitation.

Someone in the building is looking for a part time nanny or babysitter to help out with their two-year-old for about 15 hours a week during the late afternoons. Does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations? To speak with them directly, please email me and I’ll put you in touch.

As most of you know, the building alarms sounded multiple times this morning. While there’s some question about the first time, the later times were a problem with the system. The alarm company has been notified. The fire department has turned off the horns but is still connected to our fire warning system. All the same, residents should be aware that for the moment there is no audio alarm if there’s an issue in the building and a little extra attention is recommended. The flashing lights (lower levels only) and exhaust fans triggered by the system are currently still running. We hope to have this resolved ASAP.

This afternoon until 5:00 and tomorrow morning from 8:00 to noon are the last times for early voting at the Senior Center on Broadway Street. Voting on Tuesday for residents of our building is at the Rogers School Gymnasium at 43 Highland Street. Voting hours are 7am to 8pm. For those planning to vote by mail, don’t forget to return your ballot ASAP! More info about voting can be found here.

The lobby office will be open regular hours this month excepting a couple of Saturdays and the week of Thanksgiving. The calendar appears below.

From the management:

Hello Canal Place Residents,

We’re pleased to report that those of you with basement parking spots may now resume using them!

PLEASE RETURN YOUR ROY GARAGE CARD KEY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THIS WILL AVOID ANY UNINTENTIONAL OVERCHARGING FROM THE GARAGE.

Options for returning your card key are as follows:

• Return it directly to the garage office.

• Return it to Brittanye in the Canal Place office on Tuesday evening.

• Slip it in the mail slot in the office door. (If so, please put your card in an envelope with your name and unit number to avoid confusion.)

Thanks,

Canal Place Condominium

There will be Trick-or-Treating at downtown businesses and a haunted house at City Hall from noon to 3:00 tomorrow, Don’t forget a bag for goodies! More info can be found here.

Condo fee payments for November need to go through the new management company, J A Wood. Electronic payments can be set up through their online portal. Emails with a link to set up individual portal accounts went out on October 12th; if you didn’t receive that email, please check your spam folder, or reach out to Eileen, the new manager.

Checks can be submitted following the instructions in the J A Wood welcome letter. Mail a check made out to Canal Place Condominiums in the appropriate amount to: J A Wood Management, 594 Marrett Road, Suite 16, Lexington, MA 02421.

People who have autopay in place with BRIGS need to cancel their payments ASAP. The instructions for doing that can be found here, but at least one owner resorted to a phone call instead as described below:

“I cancelled my HOA fees with Brigs by calling the 617-536-4900 number. I had to leave a vmail with my name, my complex name, my address and unit number, and a request to terminate my recurring Auto Pay.
I’m hoping it’s that easy – but I won’t really know until next month to see if something comes up on my bank account.“

There will be Trick-or-Treating in the building this year on Monday, the 31st from 6:00pm to 7:30pm. The traditional little pumpkin flyers went under everyone’s doors on Saturday morning with instructions to put them on your door if you’ll be giving out goodies. Trick-or-Treat is one of the few community events we have and is always a lot of fun.

Also: The Association has very specific rules in the Condo docs about what can and cannot go in the common area outside a unit’s door. These rules often get bent a bit for brief, seasonal displays, and many of us take delight in seeing these creative decorations, but there are a few rules that must be followed at all times because of health & safety concerns. Real pumpkins can attract vermin and should not be placed outside your unit, and no decorations should ever be hung from the sprinkler system. Thank you for your cooperation.

Just a reminder that the Annual Owners Meeting is tomorrow evening at 6:00 on the Leo Roy Garage roof deck. Please bring your own chair. The weather should be clear and in the mid 60s.

FYI, there is another event planned for the roof deck on Thursday evening that involves significant setup—any tents, chairs, etc. you may see are not for us. We’ll be gathering in whatever spot makes the most sense when we get there, usually near the elevator.

It’s been awhile since there was a post looking for plumber recommendations so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to throw this question out there and see if there were any new suggestions. I know that in the past one particular name has come up over and over.

Hi, just thought we’d reach out to see if anyone had recommendations for a plumber.

A couple years ago we had a handyman come through and note that there is some kind of over-pressure device on our toilets to deal with the fact that the pipes run horizontally out of the unit for a few feet before dropping. It’s like a plastic housing inside the tank. He said both devices appeared to be slowly failing.

I think we’re there now. Our downstairs toilet takes forever to refill and the flush is very slow. Upstairs is fine, but it looks like both units might just need some maintenance.

Anyone had a plumber they like working with here? There are so many in the area it’s kind of creating its own analysis paralysis.