As of this week, Shattuck Street is closed to vehicular traffic from Market to Merrimack to allow for cobblestone restoration and some work on the gas main. This should take about 8 weeks.

Middle Street will be open to two-way traffic from Palmer to Shattuck for the duration of the closure. Shattuck Street sidewalks will remain OPEN during this process, and businesses will be accessible.

Further detail is available on Facebook, but basically the plan is to remove all of the cobblestones on Shattuck, excavate the road base, put in a new road base. and then bring back the cobblestones and reset them.

For those who missed getting one of the flyers that went out, the Canal Place One Potluck will be returning on September 14th. Follow the link for more info and to sign up!

After a family gathering I’ve ended up with 2 unopened bottles of syrup we can’t use, as well as most of a package of hazelnut Green Mountain ground coffee. Please shoot me an email if you’d like to take any of these off my hands.

And a reminder that the lobby office will be closed Labor Day weekend. Please plan accordingly.

From a neighbor:

Hi Everyone

I have a NEVER-SLEPT-ON (and probably never SAT on either) futon mattress to give away. The frame (good old white metal) had to be disposed of, but the mattress (used for home-staging only) is great!

If you don’t need one, would you have ANY idea of a charitable organization that could use it? I’ve been to Savers, St. Vincent de Paul, ReStore, and Habitat for Humanity with no luck.

I really hate to just discard it. If you know of any church or worthy organization that would be willing to take it, I would LOVE to drive it to where it has to go.

Fingers crossed that someone knows of a good home for it. And thanks.

Georgi: (978) 764-5570

Please be aware that the surface lot’s back entrance has been partially blocked making it very difficult to access our lot that way. This protects us from random cars cutting through, but it means residents will need to go in and out the front entrance past barriers and traffic guards. Please leave extra time and be patient.

By now, most of the street closures are already in effect, but I’ll paste in a list below. More info about the Lowell Folk Festival can be found online, and there are a number of brochures on the lobby table. It’s a great weekend of food, fun, crafts, music, and dance, with some of it right in our own front yard.

I’ve posted this before and there’s a sign on the lobby office door but here it is again: The lobby office will have reduced hours during August. There will be no office hours on Saturday the 3rd, Wednesday the 7th, and Saturday the 31st. Please plan accordingly for move-ins, deliveries (get the keys in advance!), etc.

(See previous post.)

Update: Food has already been claimed.

Neighbors,

We have been getting Hello Fresh meal kits delivered for a few years now. The food has been good, and it saves trips to the grocery store.

They tried out a new shipping vendor this week, and it caused some chaos for them. As a result, we have a duplicate box being delivered to us today, and won’t be able to use it. Rather than waste the food, I’d like to see it go to someone who can use it.

If you’d like it, comment your unit number below and I will drop it off at your door this evening.

There are three meals (each for two people) in the box, plus an extra bagged salad. They are:

• Salsa Roja Chicken Enchiladas with Green Pepper, Pico de Gallo & Sour Cream
• Cavatappi Beef Ragu with Parmesan & Parsley
• New Zealand’s Chicken & Couscous Salad
• The bagged salad is a Sweet Kale Salad with Poppyseed Dressing & Dried Cranberries

Recipe cards are in the box and are all pretty easy to cook. If you’d like to see more details, the recipes can be viewed on the hello fresh website: https://www.hellofresh.com/pages/sitemap

I do not want to open and split up the box—I’d rather just drop the whole box off—so the first person to comment with their unit number that they can use it will get the box.

Thank you!

Management reports the AC problem has been solved and the system will be double-checked tomorrow morning. So far, the system in our unit seems to be working fine. Wishing everyone a comfortable night!

I’m getting a lot of reports of heat pumps blowing cool air for about 90 seconds and then the compressor shuts down. I am doing what I can to look into the situation, but the obvious conclusion is that the system is still not running right—in spite of a very long day for our HVAC contractor—and people may need to prepare themselves for another hot night. It’s supposed to get down to around 70º tonight so that should help. If I get any updates, I’ll post them.

Just a reminder, this is not official information from management. The last post was relaying information emailed to owners from JA Wood. This time I’m merely reporting what I’m hearing from neighbors and what my own unit is experiencing.

The AC loop is back up and running. It will take time for the building to cool down but the system should be operating normally and it’s okay to turn your air conditioning on. Management will be checking the system again in the morning to make sure everything is in order.

If your AC is still blowing warm air after 10 or 15 minutes of running, you may need to reset your heat pump. Here is the procedure that seems to work for most people:

1. Turn on the thermostat so that the heat pump is running.
2. Turn off the circuit breaker for that heat pump (it should be marked in the electrical box).
3. Leave it off for 30 – 60 seconds.
4. Turn the circuit breaker back on.
5. In about 10-15 minutes the heat pump should be functioning normally.
6. If the heat pump is still not working properly or the problem reoccurs, consult a professional.

For anyone who hasn’t heard, the “loop” of treated water that our heat pumps discharge heat into (or draw heat from in the winter) has burst a pipe. It can damage your heat pumps to run them without a functioning loop!! If you are an owner with tenants, make sure they know to turn off the thermostats and/or the breakers for their heat pumps. Management will know more about repairs tomorrow.

Also, a resident is looking to rehome a knee scooter she no longer needs: I have a knee scooter I’d like to give to someone who needs one. I don’t know of any place that would take it as a donation and “medical items” are prohibited on Facebook marketplace. I only used it for two months. It comes with a front basket. It’s adjustable and it folds down, or you can stick it in the back of an SUV as is. It’s free to anyone who could use it or knows what to do with it.

Please contact me if you’re interested, or post in the comments, and I’ll connect you with the owner.