New Years Wishes

I hope everyone had a good year. We'll try to get on some plans for the new year in order to make the building better. I know there are some parties in the works, and when it gets warm, we're toying with having a building wide party (maybe a BBQ outside or something).

I've also been working on updating the "Where Do I Go for...?" post to include the new developments like the New BP and Culinaria. Tell me if there's anything else I should include. I'll probably eventually include another post about fun things to do in the area.

Recycling Volunteers?

We could always use some new volunteers for the recycling. I'll leave a sign up sheet by the recycling.

Just a few requests about recycling. We appreciate that most of you now are a bit more respectful with your recycling deposits.

Some things should not be put in the recycling bin: blue glass, drinking glasses, coffee mugs....and of course lids on the glass.

Someone is leaving shopping bags, but we are not collecting those either. If that person wants to volunteer to help bring those back to a store that collects them, then that would be great.

Thanks again for your participation.

Annual Condo Association Meeting

For those of you who missed the meeting Thursday night, here's a recap:

According to Kevin, it's only necessary at this stage, to meet once a year to have an official meeting. The two main things we need to do every year are elect officers and approve a budget.

Chris Mattler (the author of this article) was re-elected as your Director. I enjoy improving this building, and look forward to helping make this development a nice place in which to live. Contact me with any of your concerns.

The budget is basically the same as last year - estimated round numbers for services like cleaning, trash, snow removal, etc. It was approved.

One set of owners wished to see specific numbers for the budget, so they could see how their condo fees were being spent. Blue Urban tried to get us that list by the meeting, but couldn't because of time restraints. They promised to present us with a detailed budget in the near future.

Right now, renters account for about 75 % of the budget and owners make up the other 25%.

Now that the building is almost full, Blue Urban has decided to charge the owners the full condo fees ($0.14 / sq. ft.) This means that your condo fees will now double. The extra money will go toward improved services.

Billing was discussed. Some owners had two concerns with billing: They weren't getting bills, and their checks were not being cashed in a timely manner. It was decided that a date would be given for payment, and envelopes would be given at the beginning of every year for all twelve months. Christine said ACH would be set up eventually. (Personally, I've been paying with ACH since my second condo fee. I just set up the payments through my bank.)

Services were also discussed at the meeting. We now have a full-time employee for cleaning, whose services are divided among our building, GW, and Packard. Before this, we just had cleaning services once a week. The advantage to a full-time employee is that we can have an immediate response to something like a spill on the floor.

Some specific cleaning questions were asked about the elevator. The rugs will be removed from the elevator, and the curtains will be cleaned. The curtains will remain in the elevator until the last four units are rented.

There was also a question about window washing, and we will have another one before the end of the year. Blue Urban promises to give us all notice, so we are not in the middle of something naughty when the window washers come around. If, by chance, your windows do not get cleaned, contact Blue Urban immediately so they can get the window washers to remedy the situation.

Trash collection was another issue. Currently we have trash picked up twice a week, and cardboard is picked up once a week. Some felt that it was not enough, and Blue Urban is aware of the concern.

The trash chute was also discussed. Part of the reason we got the cardboard recycling is to prevent people from clogging up the trash chute with cardboard. Kevin candidly said that in most of his other projects the trash chute has been eliminated from buildings because people don't use it correctly, and clog it with items that are not meant for it. I'm guessing if people are not responsible with this trash chute, it too will be closed.

A question was raised about whether the renters knew rules of the building (like cardboard in the trash chute) and Jenni assured us that not only were rules provided, but she personally walked them through the building, showing them where everything was.

The pool / rec. center was also discussed. Kevin showed us plans for a rec. center that would include a pool, sand volleyball court, BBQ / picnic area, and a gym. A likely location would be the building in our parking lot. There are still many hurdles to get past in this process (especially obtaining money from banks in a recession) but Kevin is optimistic that it will eventually happen. There is also a possibility that the building across Washington could still be a club too. In the mean time, Kevin said he would not object to a temporary recreation area being placed in an area like the wedge-shaped area next to the basement parking garage door. The budget will eventually allow us to purchase some things like picnic tables, etc., but Blue Urban will probably wait until spring to make these purchases. Someone also asked if we could perhaps have access to another McGowan property's amenities. Kevin said he'd try, but the owners probably wouldn't be too keen on sharing. If a club is built, it would add another $0.05 to your condo fees.

The basement rules were proposed at the meeting. Blue Urban presented us with a finalized version of the rules. I'll send the owners a copy. Review them and tell me any changes you would like to see in them. Probably at the beginning of November we will ratify these rules. After passage, owners will have a few weeks to make storage arrangements before the rules take effect. These rules might potentially apply to the renters as well, but Kevin is thinking of taking it a step further and not allowing any storage by the renters.

According to the new rules, bikes will be allowed in the basement, but they are encouraged to be kept in the bike room in the lobby. Only owners will have access to this room with the exception of three renters who were given keys. Jenni is aware of who has these keys. A bike rack could eventually be added to the bike room.

Packages / security cameras was another issue discussed. Kevin's opinion seems to be that in any building, whether is has owners or renters, there is the possibility of theft. He thinks cameras could be a deterrent, but would be would an added expense that still might not work. He suggests not getting packages delivered at all to your residence, and either picking them up at the delivery service's building, or having them delivered to your job.

Some owners objected to people parking in the loading zone by the stairs on 22nd Street. Blue Urban plans to have this area striped as a no-parking zone, and will try to tow people who constantly park there.

This brought up the issue of parking and towing. Jenni says the towing company Blue Urban uses, usually can arrive in about five minutes if someone parks in your spot. Since she knows most of the cars in the lot, she can usually resolve issues before it comes to removing the cars. A release form from Blue Urban needs to be signed before the towing company can remove a car from our property. If Jenni is not available, it was suggested that the Director has the power to enforce towing. The Downtown Children's Center will no longer be allowed to park in the residence's parking lot.

Both Abby and Debbie brought up ideas about removing unwanted junk from the building. Abby is going to call the Salvation Army for a scheduled pick-up soon. If you have something you would like to get rid of, contact me, and I'll ask her the details of the collection.

Someone wanted to know if Kevin could be available for more meetings. Due to time constraints, he will probably only be available at the annual meetings. This does not prevent us, as owners, from meeting to discuss issues and come up with solutions. I plan on having meetings outside of the annual meetings when enough issues come up, but feel free to contact me if you feel you would like to meet as owners, and I'll set up a meeting. You can also contact Kevin at kevin@blueurban.com, and he'll respond to your concerns.

Any other minor issues - like cleaning, trash cans for the basement, etc. contact me, and Jenni and I will resolve them.

One final thing, Jenni will begin sending out a monthly newsletter in the form of an email that will update all of us on issues dealing with the building.

I'm looking forward to another year with a nice group of people in our great building!

loft plant life

Hi all,

I have three mini jade plants I am starting to name Audrey 2,3,& 4.
I am willing to sell clippings for $5 while the soil I have on hand lasts. (about 12)
send me an e-mail or leave me a note (unit 313) and i'll get you started with a new baby.

Wendy

Trash Chute Etiquette

Some things you should know about the trash chute, in case you were not aware.

1. Do not put cardboard or large items in the trash chute. This includes pizza boxes. Cardboard is very rigid and clogs up the trash chute causing problems for all of us. Even if you fold up cardboard, it will unfold in the chute and cause problems.




2. If you have cardboard or other large items, you will need to bring them down the stairs on the west side of the building to either the trash room or the recycling bin on the first floor. If you decide to use the recycling bin, please remove your plastic and Styrofoam and break down your box.




3. If the trash chute is backed up, do not leave your trash in front of the trash chute, or jammed in the trash chute door. This looks extremely bad, and is unfair and unsanitary for the residents in that part of the building. Please take your trash down to the trash room on the first floor.

Recycling Bin

If you've been on the first level (west) you've probably noticed there's a new industrial recycling bin down there. It's for cardboard only.

This will help both the environment and clean up the hall where recently there have been a lot of cardboard boxes deposited.

Please break down your boxes (flatten), and take out the Styrofoam and plastic inside.

Also, please do not put any trash or non-recyclable material in the bin.

Fire Truck Parade on Washington

I heard the sound of a lot of sirens, and it sounded like something big, so I went to check it out. Turns out, it was a parade of fire trucks.

Recycling Update

The recycling is coming along a lot better. People are rinsing the food and beverages out of their recycling, and this is keeping us a lot cleaner, and there are less flying insects around the bins. Thank you!

One concern I will bring up is that people are putting their cardboard by the bins. I was taking it out to the dumpster outside, but now it is locked and there is no access to it. Neither Wendy nor I have the ability to carry all that cardboard to the recycling center. Also, it is cluttering up the hallway a bit, so I'm going to ask that you either throw away the cardboard or take it yourself.

Some people are leaving small boxes of things like magazines, and I don't have any problem with this. I can take that stuff as long as it's not too big. thanks again for your participation and cooperation!

Meeting with Gateway Greening

As you can see by the title, I met with Gateway Greening today, and we discussed Motor Lofts getting involved with the garden across the street. Here's the details of that discussion.

1. If you would like to have your own section, we need a few volunteers. Bethany has already expressed her willingness to participate, and Leslie and I would also help out. In order to get a grant and be given our own section, we will need a few more people dedicated to this project. If enough people do not volunteer, then our participation would probably be limited to helping out with the existing gardens already in place. Basically, they're not going to put a bunch of resources into a project that might fall apart if those few people stop participating.
2. If you'd like to participate, you will need to sign a waiver to work on the land. Gateway Greening is leasing the land from a private owner, and he wants to be free from liability on his land.
3. If we do get enough volunteers for a project, those people would need to fill out some paperwork in order to get a grant. Apparently, the paperwork takes a little time to fill out. They want you to make a plan for what you are doing, who will be helping, what days they will be working, etc. They want to see that your commitment is thought out, and put on a calendar.
4. If you would like to see all of this happen, the deadline for applying for the grant is November. Once the grant is approved, resources (dirt, lumber, seeds) would be given to us in the spring.
5. If you'd like to help now, contact me, and I'll put you in touch with Alicia, who is in charge of this garden. She needs people to help water and weed. Alicia also said that she will be clearing out some beds soon, and she could probably get us started on something for fall if we wanted.
6. One final thing - Gateway Greening asked me to ask you to please respect their gardens. Apparently people are letting their dogs poop in that area, and it creates difficulties for them since it's a place where children are present, food is growing, and they have to work and walk.

If you'd like to have more space to grow more than what's on your balcony, contact me, and I'll get you in touch with Alicia.

Motor Lofts Garage Sale

We're starting to get together ideas for a Motor Lofts garage sale. Dianne will be in charge of it. There is a discussion board on the Motor Lofts Facebook page if you're interested.

Four Bins for the Recycling

Once again, I'd like to thank Wendy and Krista for their time with this project. It looks like we're getting a decent level of participation, and that's great. There have been a few changes, and we have a few requests.

As you can see in the picture, there are now four bins. This will save us a lot of time separating the four items we are collecting.

In the picture, you can also see some signs requesting that the items be rinsed out, and that no trash is included. The last batch was a little better, but there were still some trash included (napkins, plastic wrappers, hot pockets boxes, plastic packaging) which we had to separate from the recyclable items, and throw away. Also, a lot of the beer bottles and cans are not getting rinsed out which attracts a lot of bugs and causes everything to stick together. Please remember us when you deposit your recycling. It's not pleasant to spend a lot of time pulling trash out, getting sticky from old beer, and having fruit flies flying all in your face.

Thanks again for your participation.

Rules for the Basement

It seems that the majority of people want rules for the basement now. Jenni and I have worked on a set that - hopefully - will make everyone happy. We'll present our proposal at the next association meeting.

Some Do's and Don'ts for Recycling

I've just returned from the recycling center, and I have a few requests for those of you participating in the recycling program.

• Clean the food out of the containers - Leaving old food in cans and plastic containers; jars with food inside and the lid on; beer cans with beer in the bottom; etc. smells really bad and attracts bugs to the building. Not to mention it's nasty for us to handle.

• Only include plastic that can be recycled - Plastic must have a triangle with a number on it in order to be recycled. (link to previous post) Do not include things like plastic wrappers, cheese wrappers, flavor pouches, milk cartons, old pens, etc. All this is trash, and we have to take it out and throw it away.

• Do not put steel cans in with the aluminum - Cans for beans, tomato sauce, corn, chili, etc. are made of steel and go in the other bin. Only beer and soda cans, and foil should go in the aluminum bin.

• Get rid of the lids - Do not put lids back on glass jars and do not include bottle caps from beer bottles

I took back our aluminum today, and got $3 for our 9 lbs. of recycling. Not much, but it's a start. Krista is treasurer for the recycling fund, and will hold the money until the residents decide how to spend it.

If You'd Like to Help in the Garden Next Door...

I contacted Gateway Greening and they put me in touch with the Garden Leader for the shared garden with DCC and Imagine Prep. Her name is Alicia and she and her father generally are there once a week to work on the garden on Wednesdays between 9:00-11:00 AM. She says you are more than welcome to come down and talk with her, and they could always use volunteers.

I know a few people were interested in perhaps planting in that area on their own, so I replied and asked her if that might be possible in the future. She said that she would like to meet and discuss this possibility, so let me know if you are interested in this.

If you'd like to contact her, either go see her on Wednesday or I can forward you her contact information if you'd like to email her any questions.

Big Response to the Recycling Program

Wow! Good job Motor residents. It has only been about a week, and the recycling bins are overflowing. We'll empty them this weekend, so keep on recycling.

I'd like to clarify a bit on what can be recycled. Most plastics with a number surrounded by a triangle can be recycled, however, things like plastic wrappers (for example the plastic that comes around your case of bottled water or cookie wrappers) cannot be recycled. Some parts attached to the plastic bottle cannot be recycled either. One example of this would be the pump-spray mechanism on something like a detergent bottle. If it doesn't have a recycle number on it, discard it. Also, #6 plastic cannot be recycled. I think this is styrofoam, but I just thought I'd mention it.

Grocery bags can be recycled, however, we are not taking those at this time. If you want to recycle those on your own, a lot of stores have collection bins for them, so you can save them up by putting them inside one bag, and taking them to the store when you go.

We did get some grocery bags in the last batch, and we're going to leave them next to the blue bin in case you want to use them to separate some of your recyling when you get down there.

Please, no milk cartons, they are made of paper.

We can still use volunteers to help take back the recycling if anyone is interested.

Idea for a Community Space

So here's my idea. Feel free to tell me what you think.

What if we converted the little area in between the fence and the old Jarod Mfg. Co. Plastics building into a social area? Here's a mock up of one possibility with some chairs, a table, a little wading pool to stick our feet in, and a BBQ grill. Maybe we could even get some sand to give it a beach type of feel.

I figure we could get some stuff cheap off of the Internet on a site like Craigslist - I know Brian had a few ideas -and temporarily put it in that area so people have a place to hang out. We could put a trashcan for recycling, and a cigarette holder for the smokers.

Fire Alarms and Sprinkler System

After the incident last week, I was curious about our fire alarms and sprinkler systems. What sets them off? How can we turn them off? I guess it's better to ask these questions now instead of when something happens.

Between research on the Internet, personal experience, and asking Jenni, I think I have a good idea of how this system works.

It seems the smoke alarms and sprinkler systems are on two different systems. The smoke alarms sense smoke and alert you, but do not set off the sprinklers. The sprinklers are activated by heat. The little red glass tubes, that you see in the picture, will break when heated by flame. This releases water onto the fire. Only the areas affected by heat and flames will release water. (I can't say I'm 100% sure of this, but I'm guessing I'm right)

This sets off the building's alarms and alerts the fire department. They are the only ones who can turn off the sprinklers.

Let's face it, almost everything in this building is made of stone, metal, glass or drywall. There's not too much to worry about with fire in this building, but after last week, I guess we do have to think about water damage. It would probably take a good 10-15 minutes before the water is turned off, and in the mean time, all your stuff is soaked.

As Jenni suggested, you might want to carry renter's insurance or condo insurance just to be on the safe side.

Dusting Off the Scooter

It seems there are only a handful of scooters sitting in the garage, but I thought I'd write on the subject of getting the scooter running after a long winter.

Remember, it's not good to leave gasoline sitting for a long time. The air changes the chemical composition, and it starts to become turpentine, which is not good for your engine at all.

Knowing this, I still got busy last year, and left about a quarter tank in my scooter before winter hit.

I took a ride down to our local auto parts store on Delmar (about four blocks away)

Carquest Auto Parts
1701 Delmar Blvd, Saint Louis, MO 63103
(314) 421-3493

They're very helpful, and I explained that I left some gas in the tank over the winter. The guy there suggested this product called Sea Foam, which is a 100% pure petroleum product that cleans out everything in the fuel. It's a little pricey ($8 a bottle) but he says it will do the trick. It only takes a few ounces to clean up your engine, so if anyone needs any, I still have a bottle just sitting there.

If you've left gasoline in your scooter for more than a year or two, you might want to think about syphoning the gas out, taking it to a local garage to recycle, and starting anew. Ask an expert before you do.

The next step I needed to do was charge my battery. Under your seat you should have received a battery charger. This is a black box that has a cord on one end and a round plug-in jack on the other end. As you can see in the picture, what you need to do to charge your battery is to plug one end of your charger into the wall and the other into the little receptacle under your seat. Let it charge for a few hours.

Another option is your kick start. I don't know if this is a traditional kick start or if it just charges your battery. This is located on the left side of your scooter by your kickstand. Neil and I tried on his bike, and were a little confused by it. If you want to try it, stand on your bike with the kickstand off, and press down really hard with your foot. It's difficult to do, and the kickstand seems to get in the way. Tell me if this works for you.

After all of this, the scooter still didn't turn over on the first few tries. It took a lot of encouraging (at least 6-10 tries with the starter) but each time got better and finally it started. Once your battery is charged, taking it for a ride every now and then will keep the battery happy.

I filled it up with some fresh gas - I prefer 92 octane because it give it a little more pep - and I was on my way. Don't forget to keep up with the maintenance of your scooter. If you need some tips, you can look at the old blog post from last year *link*

One last thing you might check is the float in your gas tank. This controls the needle on your gas gauge. Sometimes it sticks, and you think you have more gas in your tank than you actually do. I forgot to look, and ran out of gas a few miles from home. Walking a scooter home (there were no gas stations along the way) was not a fun experience. There is a way to fix it, but it requires taking the tank off, so the easy way is to unscrew the cap and see how much gas you have left.

Wear your helmet, watch out for cars, potholes, gravel, etc. Take it easy on your ride and have fun on your bike this summer!

One Year Anniversary of the Blog

I almost forgot...it's been one year since the first blog post.

Community Garden 2009

Well it looks like Gateway Greening did another good job with the garden this year. From what I've observed, it looks like they've partnered up with Ethel Hedgeman Lyle Academy and the Downtown Children's Center, to put in beds, cut the grass, and plant flowers and vegetables.

I believe Gateway Greening's philosophy is to create beautiful green spaces in unused city spaces and to educate people about the possibilities of growing food that doesn't have to be trucked into the city.

Their one request - as we can see from the sign the DCC made - is that you clean up after your dogs.

Early this spring, I tried to do my part planting some Black-eyed Susans in the cement box by our front door. The flowers are now just starting to show signs of blooms, so I guess in the future we should mix some early blooming plants with some later blooming ones. Soon, however, we should have some nice yellow flowers out front.

As I stated before, we are starting a Green Space Committee in the building to hopefully create green spaces around the property, talk about improving unused areas, and to maybe get involved with Gateway Greening's garden too. If you'd like to get involved, email me and let me know.

Below are some pictures from the garden next door.

Recycling Update

The Recycling Committee (Wendy, Krista, and Chris) have decided that we will now accept

• Aluminum
• Steel
• Glass
• Plastic

If you can, please separate the steel, plastic, and glass into separate bags (like plastic shopping bags) that way it will be easier to sort at the recycling facility.

Please, however, no bags of plastic bags.

As always, everything should be rinsed, and the cans preferably crushed. Jenni is going to try and work on getting a can crusher installed next to the blue recycling cans.

We have now divided the blue cans into two distinct entities. One will be used for aluminum only, and the other will now be used for the steel, plastic, and glass.

If you have any other recycling ideas, leave a comment below, on the Motor Lofts Facebook page, or contact someone on the recycling committee.

Our Recycling Program is Underway!

Thanks to Krista, we now have two big bins in the basement for recycling cans. All she asks is that you rinse and smash your cans.

The blue cans are located on the first floor by the trash room near the door where you walk out to the surface parking.

Eventually, I think we should try to recycle more, like: glass, steel, and plastic but for now we're going to see how this works.

The money we collect for the aluminum will go towards some future Motor event - perhaps a BBQ or party - so start recycling today for the environment and a future party.

The Recycling Comittee consists of Krista, Wendy, and Chris. Basically this means we are volunteering to take the recycling back every now and then. If you would like to help out, contact one of us.