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!

The City of Lowell has rescinded the citywide indoor mask mandate, although it still applies to schools and City buildings. In keeping with this change, the Canal Place Board has voted to rescind the requirement that folks be masked in all common areas. The Board does, however, in line with CDC guidelines, encourage residents to continue masking in areas where social distancing is difficult such as the mailroom and elevators. Signage around the building will be replaced to reflect this change by end of day today.

Also: the city of Lowell announced it will again distribute free, at-home COVID-19 test kits to city residents from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday. The tests will be available at the following locations:

• Robinson Middle School, 110 June St.
• Lowell Senior Center, 276 Broadway St.
• Daley Middle School, 150 Fleming St.
• Pyne Arts School, 145 Boylston St.
• Pawtucketville Memorial Elementary School, 425 W. Meadow Road

Supplies will be limited at each site, according to a city press release. All Lowell residents will be eligible to receive two tests each. Proof of Lowell residency in the form of a government-issued identification or a current utility bill displaying a name and address will be required to obtain tests.

And finally, the Lowell Senior Center will be hosting a walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinic for ages five and up on Sunday, 2/6, from 9am to noon. If you are receiving a second or third dose of vaccine, please bring your vaccination card with you.

While we’re on the subject of parking today, if you’ve turned 62 since setting up a parking pass for the Leo Roy Garage, please notify the garage office. Whether the Association is paying for your space or you’re paying out of pocket, there’s a significant senior discount.

Also, a question from a resident for the dog owners in building:

Has anyone else’s dog had a bad reaction to the purple salt used on the sidewalks near the HCID garage? My dog has never reacted to road salt before, but that one seems to really burn.
I’m trying to figure out whether she’s uniquely sensitive to that one, or if it’s just not a dog-friendly salt. If others have noticed the same, perhaps we could ask them to consider changing brands?
In the meantime, I’m off to buy some dog booties!

Finally, I want to remind people that much as I try to share parking ban info and such in a timely fashion, people shouldn’t depend solely on this bulletin board for updates. This is run on a volunteer basis and sometimes an e-mail goes astray or I miss things—these parking bans don’t even affect me—so please be alert to announcements from other sources as well. And if you notice an alert that hasn’t yet appeared on the Bulletin Board, do feel free to pass it along to me. If I seem really slow to respond, try again; my spam filter can be wonky.