A message from the management:

Christmas Tree Disposal

NO trees may be disposed of in the building garage or out by the dumpster area. The trash company does not pick up trees and the association has to pay someone to take the trees to a disposal site. 

If you bring a tree into the building you must remove it as well by taking it to a city approved disposal location. 

Please remember to use a large tree bag and if need be clean up the pine needles from the common areas. 

Please use only the freight elevator and rear door to bring the tree from your unit for disposal.

Thank you

We generally bring our tree in and out of the building wrapped in an old sheet to prevent leaving a trail of needles.  When the time comes to get rid of the tree, the city has drop off sites, and a couple of local boy scout troops go around picking up trees for a fee on a few weekends after Christmas.  More information on both those options can be found at the Lowell Recycling Department web page.

Just because we live in a large building doesn’t mean we don’t need to pay attention to the weather.  Here’s a reminder from Georgi:

“I’m told we are going down into single digits tonight. Be sure you heat is set AT LEAST to 60. And if you want to be REALLY cautious, open the cupboards under your sinks to let the heat circulate in there!”

Shop, laugh, and learn, all in one place next Saturday, the 10th.  The OtherWhere Holiday Affaire is at Mill no. 5 on Jackson Street from noon to six, with a huge variety of vendors in a fascinating setting.  Charles and I are also doing a short talk with dance demos (3 times) about a humorous little piece of Lowell history.

Just a reminder: Comments about the smoking survey should be sent to the management—royal.cathy@comcast.net (Cathy gets paid for handling these things; the site admin manages the website out of the goodness of her heart)—or posted in the comment section with the post.

From the Board:

The City of Lights parade is this Saturday, the 26th, beginning around 4:30pm.  Other events will be going on throughout the day.  There will be no parking on Jackson Street beginning at 10:00am and no parking on Central and Merrimack Streets beginning at 2:00pm.  Parking will be free in all city-owned garages all weekend.  I haven’t come across official confirmation, but I think it’s a safe bet that parts of Arcand Drive, Merrimack Street, Central Street, and Jackson Street will be closed for the duration of the parade—so please plan accordingly if you’re going to be driving anywhere.

Also, I just got a request for heating/cooling advice:  “Resident is looking for recommendations for an experienced technician who has done HVAC in CP1. Resident would also like to know if others have the experience of the heating unit blowing cold air more often than hot.” 

 A-1 Maintenance Master is always the one I hear recommended (there’s a link for them on the Useful Links page).  They are extremely familiar with the heat pumps in this building and are very nice.  I personally haven’t had any problem with our units blowing cold air but I’ve used A-1 in the past to inspect our systems, and to correct a wiring mistake on a thermostat installed by another contractor.  If anyone else has any thoughts on the subject, please feel free to post them in the comments.

Another request for recommendations:

“A resident is looking for a licensed plumber (preferably with experience in CP 1) to install a water heater.
They are also looking for a licensed electrician, also preferably with experience in CP 1.”

As always, feel free to reply in the comments or e-mail me with info to pass along.

There have been requests for plumber suggestions before and the response has been strongly in favor of Frank Potvin.  I don’t recall much in the way of electrician requests, although someone noted Village Electric in the same group of comments linked above.

You can also find a brief discussion about tankless water heaters here.

A resident is looking for suggestions for a really good house cleaner.  If anyone has someone to recommend, feel free to post in the comments or e-mail me and I’ll pass it along.  Or you can contact Chris directly: cbs33@comcast.net.  Thanks!

The lobby office will be closing early tomorrow (Thursday) this week to allow for this month’s board meeting.  The office will be open from 6:00 to 7:00.  The board meeting begins at 7:00.  Residents are always welcome at board meetings (although there are occasionally times when part of the meeting will be held in private for legal reasons).

The Annual Monster Bash and Halloween Stroll is happening downtown this Saturday from 12-3.  More info here.

Trick or Treating will be held in the building on Monday from 6-8.  Everyone should have received a little orange pumpkin picture to put on their door if they’re welcoming trick-or-treaters this year.

And does the current maze at the garage remind anyone else of a haunted house?  I keep thinking it just needs some pumpkins and scarecrows to be perfect for the season! 😉