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.

Motor Lofts Owners Meeting
April 29, 2009

Attendees: Bethany B., Brian M., Debbie F., Gary V., Katie L., Krista K., Tony M., Leslie R., Matt R., Chris M.
Topics:
· Packages
o The consensus seemed split over having Jenni receive all of our packages. Some concerns were: Will she always be there to receive packages? Will we have to change the address for shipment?
o Could the owners help? Matt offered to take packages to his unit because he gets home early.
o Could bicycle storage be converted into package storage?

· Cameras
o Less than half of the owners present were in favor of cameras
o Nobody was in favor of cameras if it increased condo fees
o Nobody wanted to subscribe to a monthly service
o If cameras are needed, Brian suggested a system that recorded to a hard drive. It would be around $3000 + installation. This could also include keycard access to stairway doors and the elevator.
§ Most people wanted access to the other floors in case they wanted to see friends, and were against keycard access to each floor
§ Some did suggest keycards for the basement
§ If we were to try and get cameras, Brian suggested a trivia night or other fundraiser to obtain the money
o If cameras were installed, suggested locations would be: Front entrance, lobby, parking lot entrance, garage door, and in the basement

· Call Box
o Perhaps an email could be sent out asking people not to give out the code for the call box?
o Camera on the call box isn’t working for most people.

· Tenants
o Some owners had concerns with tenants smoking
o Everyone was receptive to a meet & greet with the owners and tenants. The idea of a BBQ was brought up.

· Floors and elevators
o Perhaps someone from Blue Urban could give out rules or supervise new move-ins. This would prevent the floors from getting scratched, and damage occurring to other parts of the building
o Could the curtains in the elevator be taken off until someone needs to move in?
o Could a deodorizer be installed on the elevator because it can be stinky at times?

· Condo fees
o Nobody wanted an increase in condo fees
o There was a request for actual numbers. Condo fees paid vs. expenditures
o Are there “grass roots” ways of improving the building without raising condo fees?
§ Could we have access to the building in the parking lot or the old sales center?
§ Could we set up a recreational area with some chairs, BBQ grill, maybe even a pool in an area? Suggestions included the area by the garage door (between the fence and the building) and the roof of the vacant building
§ Could we put a garden in somewhere?
§ Bethany volunteered to head a committee for these types of activities
o Hardly anybody was in favor for an eventual discretionary fund for future parties, etc. because of the cost and the problem of who gets to decide what to do with the money

· Basement
o Most people agreed that pulling up all the way is the best solution for any future problems that will occur when the basement eventually fills up
o The best way to do this would be to move the parking bumps if necessary
o Nobody wanted a length restriction on cars
o People were, however, in favor of a system that would let people know if their car was sticking out too much, causing a problem. This would include:
§ Having someone put an official note on the car as a warning the first few times
§ After repeated warnings, fining individuals whose car sticks out too much
o There were also a few concerns about people who damage cars when they pull out.

o Storage didn’t seem to be an issue. Most said that they were not in favor of any rules regarding storage in the basement.

o Almost everyone was in favor of a rug in front of the elevators in the basement, and trash cans by the elevator in the basement and lobby

· Dogs
o Most people at the meeting don’t have dogs, but thought the dog station could be a good idea. Bethany volunteered to investigate if the city could install one for free

· Blue Urban keeping us informed
o Most thought that misunderstandings could be avoided if Blue Urban made an effort to keep people up-to-date on building issues. This would involve regular meetings between the Association Director and Blue Urban, and emails or Blog posts sent out by either party.
o Facebook could be used for more informal, private discussions of building issues

· Smoking
o Most thought an ashtray outside would be a good idea
§ This could also keep butts from blowing into DCC’s playground
o Perhaps there should be a designated smoking area or distance away from the building that people would be allowed to smoke

· Committees
o Since there were a lot of creative ideas brought up at the meeting, the idea was brought forth to start up committees for areas of people’s interests
§ Urban Renewal / Garden – Bethany
§ Fundraising – Brian
§ Garage Sale – Bethany
§ Recycling – Chris
§ Parties- I’m sure this will be a popular one, so I won’t put anybody’s name just yet
§ Art in the hallways – This could be a floor-by-floor committee
§ Pets

· Gardens
o Bethany volunteered to get in touch with Gateway Greening and see how we could get involved with the garden across the street
o Bethany also volunteered to plant some flowers in the unused flower box at the front entrance

· Swap meet, garage sale, etc
o This was offered as an idea as a good way to get rid of some junk, or get something from another person who is not using something
o Perhaps we could team up with Packard and GEW on some of these projects
o Someone suggested a bulletin board for these types of news items

· Recycling
o Could some bins be placed in the basement?
o Volunteers to take the recycling back so far are: Wendy, Chris, Krista
o If we get cash for our aluminum, perhaps we could put that into a fund for a party committee

· Social Ideas
o BBQ
o Could the owners have a storage space to put stuff like a large grill and other party supplies?

· Art for the hallways
o Can we hang it on the walls?
o Can we get free art from local artists?
o How can it best be protected?