From a resident:

Hi – I’m sure somebody is going to be missing this little piece of electronic connection equipment. Just found it in the lobby near the stairs leading to the atrium at about 12:40 this afternoon May 18.

Please call me at 978-764-5570 so you can put this back with the rest of your electronic equipment!

I want to apologize first for a mistake in the information I gave out last week. It seems I misunderstood something I was told early on. The line to the cooling tower had not failed and dumped debris in the system; rather, it had visibly deteriorated and clearly needed replacing. Had the cooling tower been put into use, that line could have failed and not only damaged the system, but released large quantities of water into the floors below potentially causing a whole cascade of serious issues. The result was the same—repairs had to be made before it was safe to run the tower—but my description was in error.

As for the current status of the system, here’s is the latest info:

Grinnell will be on site tomorrow at 7:00 AM to start working on the cooling tower.  This is what is supposed to happen:

Tomorrow (Wednesday) a crew will be working on the 8” pipe on the roof, returning Thursday to work on the 8” pipe on the first floor.  While a crew is working on the piping, another crew will be here prepping for the start up.  All of this should take approximately two days to complete (fingers crossed) if they all adhere to the schedule.

Residents are reminded that they should not run their air conditioning while the cooling tower is out of order.  This will only wear on the unit pumps and raise the electric bill without cooling the unit. If you are a landlord with tenants in the building, please make sure they are also aware of this; it’s possible there are gaps in the email list used for the notice that went out.

Speaking for me personally, and in no official capacity at all, I’d like to say that I’m aware that this situation has been difficult for a lot of residents, and breakdowns in communication haven’t helped, but please understand that there are multiple contractors involved, a dedicated but new-to-the-building manager, and a board working hard to get it right but new to much of this process themselves. Some problems were unavoidable; others have been learning experiences—and believe me, I’ve done a lot of learning this past week!

The Board, in conjunction with the new management and keeping an eye on the weather forecast, scheduled the switch from heat to air conditioning for mid-week this past week, a week earlier than the switchover last year. With lows in the 30s as recently as Sunday night and highs in the 80s a few days later, the timing was trickier than usual this year.

Unfortunately, as the switch was being made, it was discovered that the cooling tower had suffered damage over the winter; a line was damaged and there was debris in the system. The repair company was here yesterday and will be returning Monday or Tuesday to finish the work and turn on the AC. Labor shortages and supply chain issues being what they are, an immediate, emergency repair does not appear to be an option.

Your Board has been discussing the situation and regrets the delay; they realize it’s frustrating for everyone and particularly uncomfortable for folks on the upper floors. It’s the Board’s intention to make a regular May 1st inspection of the cooling tower part of the building’s maintenance schedule going forward. As for now, today should be the worst of the current heat wave; lower temperatures are predicted for tomorrow and the following days.

The canalplaceone unofficial website, including the bulletin board, has had the web administrator’s address updated to canalplaceone@gmail.com across the site (unless I’ve missed some spots). If you’re a subscriber, please add the new address to your address book to prevent problems with your spam filter snagging bulletin board notifications.

The old address should, in theory, also keep working indefinitely, but I have my doubts due to recent changes made by the hosting service.

The hosting service for this website will be starting a separate fee for mailbox services in two weeks so I’ll be replacing the current email, “admin@canalplaceone.com,” with “canalplaceone@gmail.com.” I wanted to give everyone a few days notice so that they could add canalplaceone@gmail.com to their address book and reduce the chance of spam filters snagging bulletin board notifications once I reset the contact address.

Both addresses are currently functional, and it’s likely the old one will continue to get forwarded to me even without an official, paid mailbox with the host, but given past experience with GoDaddy and their mailbox quirks, I thought it was safer to switch to gmail.

I’ll post again when I officially change the website/bulletin board contact info. The only difference other than where to send info for posts or questions about the site should be the return address on the bulletin board auto notifications.

From Georgi:

FOR SALE: 48”- diameter glass and chrome dining table. Available immediately. $125. Please call me at 978-764-5570 to see it in person. 

I have a request for recommendations from a resident. Please answer in the comments or send me an e-mail and I’ll pass the info along.

“I wanted to ask others who have replaced their washer/dryer which model they have purchased. I’ve recently been on the hunt for a new washer/dryer but am struggling to find one that will fit in through the laundry room doorway and onto the drain pan. I’m trying to avoid purchasing a set with a very small drum so any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance and have a great day!” 

I’d like to express my thanks to the folks who contribute to keeping our mailroom neat by seeing that packages are placed in the right spot. But I’d also like to caution people about moving USPS packages from a cubby to the “no unit number” shelf in the closet, especially if you’re not aware of the item having been there long. Our longtime mailman often recognizes names and places packages in the correct cubby even if the shipper omits the unit number. Once on the top closet shelf, a package is out of sight of the cameras and, I have reason to suspect, is a more tempting target for someone looking for an excuse to view it as abandoned and up for grabs.

There’s really no right answer here, since a package truly in the wrong cubby is hard for its owner to locate, but I wouldn’t rush to assume a USPS package needs moving just because the unit number is missing.

And for those of you wondering about this weekend’s mailroom incident, the police have identified the suspected culprit and the door has been repaired and secured. Management and the Board have been consulting with contractors and are discussing the possibility of further improvements to that door.

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.