Just a reminder to please avoid letting strangers follow you into the building. If you don’t know someone, ask them to use their own fob or wait for their host to buzz them in. If you aren’t comfortable doing even that, and you see someone hanging around the front entrance, consider using a different entrance. Our building is only as secure as we all make it.

I again find myself with insane amounts of bubble wrap that I would love to see reused rather than trashed. If anyone has a use for it, or knows anyone who might have a use for it, please let me know and I’ll pass it along.

Someone in the building is looking to remodel/refresh their bathroom and is wondering if anyone has names of contractors they have successfully worked with that they could share. Please respond in the comments.

This website has been updated to reflect the new management company information but I can’t swear I got everything right. It’s a lot of info, a lot of changes, and a lot of links. If something doesn’t look right, feel free to let me know.

Several years ago I came across a colorful and totally forgotten bit of very local history which I’ve researched on and off ever since. The complete (well, as complete as I could make it) tale of the couple whose sensational 1914 trial for “exaggerated tangoing” had folks crowding Market Street for a seat in the old police court two buildings down can now be found here for anyone who’s interested. If you’re into historical oddities, it’s a fun story.

Currently, the “0” button is not working on the front door call box keypad. If your unit contains a “0”, please use the arrows on the keypad to choose your unit and then press the green phone key to call your unit. Our property manager is working on a repair.

I’d like to thank the various volunteers in the building who water and otherwise care for our lovely trailing plants in the atrium. But I’d also like to remind them that pulling dead leaves and jostling a plant on one floor can leave quite a mess on the floors below. If at all possible, please try to clean up any leaves that land on the carpet, both on the floor you’re on and with a quick check on the floors below.

And if anyone happens to spot fallen leaves that got overlooked, please take a moment to pick them up if you’re able. The more folks pitch in to keep our home presentable, the better.

Lowell has extended their parking ban until 3:00 tomorrow afternoon. This will leave the plows time to properly clean the streets (and our parking lot). Free parking will continue at city garages until then but any car left in a city garage past 5:00pm tomorrow will incur charges. (Unless, of course, they have a monthly pass for that garage.)

The City of Lowell has declared a snow emergency as of 5:00 today with a parking ban starting at 11:00PM. Our rules follow the city’s declaration which means that all cars must be out of our surface lot by 11:00 or they risk being towed. Apparently parking is free to downtown residents starting at 5:00 at ALL city garages this time around (but given past experience I sure wouldn’t assume that’s always going to be the case.)

The city announcement follows.

Snow Emergency Parking Ban

A Snow Emergency Parking Ban has been declared for Thursday, February 24, 2022 at 5:00 p.m.  The ban shall be effective six hours later at 11:00 p.m.

There shall be no parking on all City Streets from 11:00 p.m. until such time that the ban is lifted.  Motor vehicles parking in violation of such ban (City Ordinance, § 266-103: Parking prohibited) are subject to towing under the authority of the Lowell Police Department and such towing will be at the owner’s expense (§ 266-104: Removal authorized; charges).  Motor vehicles shall also receive a parking violation ticket. 

FREE Parking for City residents who do not have access to “off-street” parking during “Snow Emergency – Parking Ban” is available beginning at 5:00 p.m. at ALL CITY PARKING GARAGES:  

George Ayotte Parking Garage 
1 Post Office Square  

Leo A. Roy Garage 
100 Market St.  

Lower Locks Garage 
90 Warren Street

J. M. Downes, Sr. Garage 
75 John St.

Hamilton Canal Garage 
Dutton St. @ Broadway St.

Edward J. Early Jr Garage 
135 Middlesex St.

Once the “Snow Emergency” is lifted, any City of Lowell residents that have parked in the free parking spaces will have 2 hours to remove their vehicles from the facility without incurring any additional expenses.  Vehicles not removed within two hours will be assessed a fee from that time until the vehicle is removed. 

Many folks will be sad to hear that William “Bill” Starrat passed away unexpectedly this past Wednesday. Bill’s wife, Chris, managed the Canal Place lobby office for a time a few years back and it was through her that my husband and I came to know Bill. We always found him cheerful and eager to help regardless of what might be going on in his own life. His loss is our community’s loss. His obituary can be found at: http://www.nicholsfuneralhome.com/obituaries

Family and friends will gather for Visiting Hours at the Nichols Funeral Home, 187 Middlesex Ave. (Rte. 62), Wilmington, MA, on Tuesday, February 22nd from 4:00-7:00 p.m.  A Mass of Christian Burial for Bill will take place in St. Thomas of Villanova Church, 126 Middlesex Ave., Wilmington, MA, on Wednesday, February 23rd at 11:00 a.m. followed by his interment in Wildwood Cemetery, Wilmington, MA.

Oops. I said yesterday that a link to disposal services had been added on the “contact” page when I really meant the “useful links” page.

Also, this note from a resident:

I have been changing out my sound system. I would like to offer for free a Yamaha receiver, 6 smallish speakers (JBL brand) and a subwoofer to anyone in the building who would like them. These items are all about 10 years old.

UPDATE: This system has been successfully re-homed. On the other hand, I have a turntable I’m trying to get rid of myself. It’s a good bit older than 10 years but it works fine if anyone would like to add it to their system. (I’m getting rid of it because I wanted to upgrade to a USB turntable and because I wanted one that would play 78s.) Otherwise it’s bound for the trash. Just let me know.

Management recently sent out information about two disposal companies that have been vetted for proper insurance and references. For your convenience, a link to their contact info and prices has also been added on the useful links page of this site.

Any large items being removed need to use the freight elevator and go out through the rear door of the building. Please check in advance whether your item will fit through the single rear door and plan accordingly if you need to borrow the key from the office to open the second door. Also be aware that leaving a truck in front of the vacant section at the back of our building or in front of Canal Place 3 for more than a minute or two may result in towing; ideally a disposal truck should find a space along the side of our building or in the sunken spot directly in front of our back door. Please let the driver know.

On a lighter note, this Friday and Saturday Lowell will be having its annual Winterfest. It’s been moved to the Auditorium rather than over near JFK but it still includes music, food, a carousel, fire dancers and more!