Where Did Our Cleaner Go**? -&- Why Did It Have To Be This Way?

-

A day or so before Christmas I was saying "I hope this place gets cleaned before Christmas..". The carpeting needed vacuuming, the elevator floor was all salty from the recent storm, and both entrances needed cleaning also. But Christmas has come and gone, and the only change has been for the worse.

Since then, on my floor, pine needles from someone's Christmas tree have added to the mess in the hallway. Every Sunday I listen for the drone of a vacuum cleaner and the sounds of the brush hitting the edges of the walls near my door but I've heard nothing for close to 3 weeks**. Prior to our Bed Bug infestation the cleaning guy Gene was around all the time (multiple times each week) and the place was looking pretty good. Lately as I said, Sunday seemed to be the day the hallways get vacuumed. That's fine but in the fall, and especially in the winter with all the sand and salt the dirt builds up quickly. Also from a maintenance standpoint the longer the dirt stays on the carpeting getting ground in, the shorter the life of the carpet and the longer it takes to clean (not to mention how bad it looks). Added expenses of time and equipment cost for more frequent carpet cleaning also have me wondering why this is being neglected.

Then there's the Bed Bug issue. It's absurd to say that you're doing what needs to be done to eliminate the bugs when the hallways and common areas are left untouched for this long.

- One of the main points that was made to me (when the property manager forced me to get a pest treatment [suddenly] on the originally scheduled day [I had rescheduled the appointment due to health issues]) was that if the pest company treated all the other apartments around me and didn't do mine at the same time, the bugs would be forced into my apartment..

I can only assume that [he] (and the guy from the pest company who told me the same thing) didn't expect me to use logic when assessing that claim. For when you follow that logic every space in the entire building would have to be done in one day (It wasn't, and every treatment [to date] has only covered parts of the building at a time). This building has spaces between the walls and ceilings and many apartments have apartments above, below, and on either side of them so there are plenty of pathways for bugs and other* pests to travel.

The Bed Bugs have been spotted in the hallways on numerous occasions, so regular (or even daily) vacuuming of the hallways would seem to be called for if you're serious about controlling or eliminating them.

Of course if you're truly serious about eliminating the infestation you should do what was done (in Manchester[?] at around the same time). Moving the tenants into temporary housing so that the entire building can be treated fully and more aggressively.

This 'piecemeal' process that the residents of the Endicott have been put through, having to move all our stuff (every month for 4 months until December for me), totally disrupting our lives in so many ways and for so long, is terrible.

What's worse is the fact that not a word has been communicated to us about our sacrifice or troubles. No 'We're sorry that your lives have been so disrupted, and that many of you have had to discard rugs, mattresses, bedding, furniture and other items..". No outreach informing us that some expenses can be reimbursed, or help in procuring items to replace things like beds or furniture.

What did happen was that instead of facing the problem and dealing with it honestly and with a sense of urgency (and compassion for residents), decisions were delayed, the problem escalated rapidly complicating the solution and it's cost.

And on the public front, adopting a policy of not speaking to the media (and then [some] complaining that "Nobody is hearing our side of it...") makes it appear that they have something to hide. Someone needed to be chosen to take charge [publicly], talk to reporters and simply say 'this is the issue, we're aware of it, and this is what we're doing about it'. Avoiding/shutting out the media looks very bad and is evidence of a situation out of control.

Finally, the incident where I was bullied into keeping my original appointment by the property manager when I'd (responsibly and promptly) called and postponed my appointment was disgraceful. I was scolded by the property manager saying "You can't just call at the last moment and cancel the appointment!" when the truth was that the document with my appointment time on it was left (on a Friday afternoon) in front of my door, in the hallway, without even a knock on the door (I was home all day).

The office was closed by then so I couldn't talk to anyone until Monday.

So at 8 AM Monday morning I called.... and called... at first not even getting an answering machine to leave a message (which I eventually did). In fact I ended up calling CATCH to investigate why no one was answering. Not long after that the phone rang and it was the woman from the MB Mgmt. office telling me that she'd had car trouble. I explained my problem and she agreed to postpone my appointment for the pest treatment (that Thursday).

I'd called as soon as humanly possible and had been told that the appointment would be rescheduled, and no one advised me otherwise.. until Thursday morning at 9 AM.

I was asleep when a knock at the door woke me. I shuffled groggily to the door and opened it to see the pest technicians standing there.... I explained that I had called and arranged to reschedule the appointment, and then I heard our maintenance man say (from somewhere out in the hall) something like 'you have to have it done today.. Gerry (the property manager) will be here shortly to talk to you'.

I just stood there, not quite believing what was happening.. The pest techs decided to go on to another apartment and told me to do my best to prepare my apartment for treatment and they'd be back around noon.

I don't recall what I did next.

At some point Gerry showed up with Ray the maintenance guy and proceeded to explain how important it was to keep to the schedule, and the part about how the bugs will all come into my apartment if I don't get it done that day..

I told him that I had called and was supposed to be rescheduled, at which point he made it sound like I'd called them at the last minute (like I explained above). He also said that the woman I spoke with to reschedule my appointment "...had been fired." and I was left with the impression that it was related to my conversation with her! (Later he said that there were other issues that contributed to her dismissal)

By this time I was starting to lose my patience, not only because of the situation in general but because of Gerry's tone, unfounded accusations, and dishonest arguments. Speaking of his 'tone', it varied between accusatory and bullying, to disingenuously warm, grabbing my hand and holding it while he tried to blow sunshine up my butt (as the saying goes..).

I finally gave up, not having the energy or presence of mind to stand my ground. I said I'd do the best I could to move everything so the treatment could be done and they left.

Something else to bear in mind is that during the [previous] treatment a prized piece of family furniture had been badly scratched despite the fact that I'd put a soft ottoman upside down on top of it for protection and specifically telling the pest technicians to be careful, and being assured that they would. After discovering the damage when I returned I called MB Mgmt. and alerted them.

No one ever contacted me about the incident.... Not MB Mgmt., not Southern NH Pest Company, no one.

I brought it up during the call to reschedule my appointment and the woman said Gerry wanted to know if I could provide pictures of the furniture before the damage occurred. Huh? - Even if there were 'pre-damage' photos, unless they happened to be close-ups it was highly unlikely that it could be determined if there was any prior damage, and even then we've always had some form of place mats or other items on the top for protection.

When I brought this up to Gerry that morning (adding that I'd been a professional photographer for many years) he maintained that I was wrong and that he had been a photographer too.. Even if that was true.. Even if he was a [freakin'] NASA imaging enhancement/analysis specialist it would still be highly unlikely.

- Bottom line, more obvious BS/sunshine..

By the way, when I brought the subject up with the pest technicians later that morning one of them basically shifted the blame to the MB maintenance worker(s).

And if you're wondering about an insurance claim? For one, I'd let my apartment insurance lapse just weeks before because I couldn't afford it, and even if I hadn't there's the standard $500 deductible. As far as me making a claim on Southern NH Pest (who makes a point on their web site of saying that they have excellent insurance coverage)? I brought up the situation when I reinstated my coverage with AAA Ins. the following week and the rep wasn't encouraging at all. If I had been a current customer he told me that AAA would have been in a position to arbitrate for me, but by that time the question was moot.

I have to tell you that treating residents/renters in this manner is uncalled for. I know for a fact that this would not be the case if Hodges Corp. was still our property management company. It's been downhill ever since they were replaced with MB Management.

Among other things, I've have to deal with chronic depression and other psychiatric issues for around ten years. Lately you can add heart problems and more to the list.

This is not something I'd ordinarily admit, but I feel it necessary to emphasize how wrong this situation was.... That day brought me closer to suicide than I've been for years (which the woman I spoke with at CATCH later that day probably noticed). And it's pretty sad that I don't see things changing for the better any time soon.

UPDATE 1/30/2011: Now that all the residents (I was the last) have vacated the building I can say that it never did get much better. The bright spot was probably when they added "Bob" to the maintenance dept.. Always with a smile and laughing frequently, he was certainly a refreshing addition.

I really look forward to being able to put all my things back in their place and know that I won't have to move them again*** (unless *I* want to). I look forward to being able to do laundry and not have to put everything into sealed bags. I look forward to putting things back into cupboards instead of having plastic tubs piled up all over the place. And the day I can climb into bed without first checking myself for bugs will be a good day indeed.

I'd also like to have [from MB Management] the same friendly feeling I got every time I walked into the office at Hodges Realty Corp. .

I really don't think I'm being unreasonable.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

* One day I listened while what sounded like a family of rats (or something with claws) climbed up the space inside the wall/partition next to my refrigerator, then across my ceiling to parts unknown. At first I thought workers were threading wiring up through the walls, but after calling the office I was told that there was no work being done in the building.

**[Update] while writing this Gene showed up to vacuum so I went out and wished him a Happy New Year!

- [Update II] I'd like to suggest that Gene might need either a new vacuum or more bags.

It wasn't for lack of effort because I heard him vacuuming our hall for quite a while, but when I went out that night I noticed that a good deal of the pine needles (and other dirt) was still there! -- Also, I heard the hall being vacuumed again yesterday (Wednesday).

That's a welcome sound! THANK YOU!

***[Edit/Update 1/30/2012] Well today we know that didn't last long. The pest treatments continued every few months right up until our forced relocation to enable CATCH to refurbish the building and welcome new tenants paying higher rents. No more 'undesirables' out in front of the building making certain people uncomfortable.. Apparently the sickly color choice and the filthy peeling paint and cracked glass down on the Green Martini side wasn't a serious problem as [literally] nothing was done to it for years.. Not even a simple cleaning to get rid of the cobwebs and dirt built up from years of neglect.


I hope the place gets a nice makeover and I hope the new tenants enjoy it.. And I hope they like the management. 

Penny Wise and Pound Foolish

Above is the three page document I was given (on Friday) with the time of my pest treatment (the following Tuesday) and the preparation instructions required. The attached bugs are some that I captured with tape as I saw them and wanted to save to show management/pest personnel. If you click on the individual images they will open up into a full-sized (and clear) image.



It was bound to happen.. When The Hodges Co. was replaced as the property management company for CATCH's properties one of the things that changed was our monthly pest inspections. I was promised by the new property manager that they would be resuming the apartment inspections at some point. That was at the end of 2007 and now the Endicott is experiencing a Bed Bug Infestation.

I've lived at the Endicott for just under seven years and have never had a problem with pests of any kind. After spending 1994-1997 in Ft. Lauderdale it's been a welcome change! Frankly I was surprised that such an old building didn't have any noticeable pest problem.What I'm not surprised by however, is the fact that we developed a problem after the apartment inspections were stopped.

When Hodges was our property manager we also had quarterly safety inspections. Now those inspections are few and far between, and the items checked are much fewer. I tend to notice things like that because I worked for Concord Royal Gardens inspecting apartments.

Now I'm no 'Mr. Clean' but I keep my apartment generally free of leftover food or anything that might attract bugs. I vacuum and dust when I get ambitious and generally keep things clean, which isn't easy when you've inherited your father's belongings and live in a one bedroom apartment. Through my experience inspecting other people's apartments I know how bad conditions can get, and I can only imagine what can happen if the inspections are stopped or reduced.

When I heard about our bed bug problem I did some research on the Internet, and one of the first things I noticed was news articles about 'the recent increase of bed bug infestations'. I wonder if the issue was covered by the property management trade publications. I haven't asked around but if the subject hasn't been covered it should be.

What I learned on the first web site I checked for information about the little buggers was not comforting. Once an infestation gets going it's very hard to stop. Bed bugs can live for up to 18 months without food. It only takes one male and one female to survive somewhere in the building to quickly repopulate, so they're really hard to totally eradicate. They're small and fairly flat (especially the young ones!) and can crawl through some stitching holes in furniture and things like mattresses. The one [fairly] good thing I learned was that they don't transmit diseases when they bite. That's a small consolation to ponder while you try not to scratch the bites..

Climbing into bed and going to sleep isn't something to look forward to when you know that during the night these little blood suckers will go to work, and the next morning you'll likely have groups of bites somewhere on your body. The itching usually takes a while to start and once it does it lasts for days, although regular applications of something like hydrocortisone ointment or Bactine™, or one of the many other 'bug bite' products can help quite a bit (depending the location of the bites).

The history of my experience started with a visit from our maintenance man and a guy from a pest control company. They asked to look under my mattress and the subsequent inspection turned up no bugs. That was a number of weeks ago. Recently I started to see what looked like ticks crawling across the carpet. One, then another until I it was almost daily. Each time I'd grab a piece of tape and catch it then tape it to a sheet of paper (originally to show to a pest specialist but quickly became a 'collection'!). I started hearing about people's apartments being sprayed for bed bugs here and there and soon I started feeling the itching and seeing groups of red bumps on my feet and legs.

In the last 2-3 weeks it hit my floor. The first apartment I heard about was my former neighbor Hazel. They treated her apartment, and I'm not sure about the exact time frame but [days] later she couldn't be contacted by friends or relatives (the Concord Police knocked on my door asking if I'd seen her) and later unfortunately was found deceased in her apartment (I'm going to miss Hazel).

Then Tony in the apartment across the hall from me told me (after asking him if he had any problems with bed bugs) that no, he hadn't seen any but that pest control had come in and 'bombed' his bedroom. He said that's the only room they treated and that he had to leave for several hours.

That brings me to last Friday when our maintenance guy knocked on my door and handed me three sheets of instructions regarding preparations required before the treatment of my apartment the following Tuesday at 9:30 AM. He emphasized that all the instructions had to be followed precisely prior to the appointment, I had to arrange to be gone for 3/6 hours (I'm not sure which, and the instructions said 3 hrs on one page and 6 on another) and that they were 'doing the entire building' instead of the previous approach.

I wasn't able to even start the massive preparation until Monday evening. I literally worked through the night and thought I was almost done by the 9:30 AM appointment time. The instructions included stripping the bed, discarding and/or washing everything then securely bagging the items, emptying all drawers inspecting and bagging everything, vacuuming, and removing every outlet cover (among other things like moving all the furniture away from the walls, oh and also make sure there's room for the pest control folks to work!).

Did I mention that this is a one bedroom apartment?

The way I read the instructions and the fact that the guy across the hall only had his bedroom 'bombed' led me to believe that just the bedroom & closet was to be treated and that the room had to be empty except for the mattress and box spring (and the cloth removed from the bottom of the box spring). Thus everything from my bedroom (and packed BR closet) was in the living room area.... 9:30 arrives and the maintenance man shows up, looks around, and tells me that the entire apartment is being treated and that the bedroom didn't have to be emptied just things piled in the center of the room!

By that time I was so tired and soaked in sweat I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I looked around in disbelief trying to figure out how that was even possible. After working frantically all night and being so tired my disbelief started turning into mild rage. He said "keep on working", he now had to call the property manager and talk to the pest control guys who were on the floor below to figure out how to proceed, then he left.

Did I mention that I have heart problems including high blood pressure, Type-2 Diabetes, and Chronic Depression? - Yep, and right about then I wasn't sure if I was going to have a stroke or a nervous breakdown or both..

I decided to sit down and ponder the situation while I drank what must have been going on 3-4 gallons of water by that point. The temperature was fine, the A/C was set at 68 degrees but I'm so out of shape that I was sweating buckets and my back was hurting just standing up straight. After a while I started to think about how all of this might have been prevented if the monthly inspections hadn't been stopped, and started yelling out loud "How do they expect people (with all sorts of various conditions including age, physical/mental, etc.) to get all this done in such a short time?". "Damn it! This isn't my fault, if anyone's it yours/CATCH's, and if you hadn't tried to manage this property on such a low budget this might not have happened!". @#$%^&%*!

After a few minutes (and more water) I cooled off, got up and started moving things back into the bedroom, cursing only occasionally when the sweat blurred my vision or my back twinged. I slowly worked away and around noon I was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I was also wondering why neither maintenance nor the pest guys were there yet.

The maintenance guy never returned but around 1:30 PM the pest control guys showed up dressed in their space suits. I explained that I'd done the best I could but couldn't empty one closet because there was simply no space. They were cool with that and said that they were going to be returning (every week?) for a while anyway. They told me to leave and come back at 5:30 PM.

When I returned at around 5:20 they were gone. There was no note/paper work regarding safety instructions regarding treatment residue or their return date(s) and my door was left unlocked. After a while the apartment seemed to be unusually warm so I checked the A/C unit and discovered that the filter was totally clogged with a white powder. Elsewhere there was a very light amount of residue on surfaces and the floor was slightly tacky.

I'd forgotten to call in three of my prescriptions and ran out the day before so I picked them up while I was out. I took my meds, had a bite to eat, then I started the whole process in reverse....

Today I'm happy to say so far so good. I've only seen two bugs and both of them were dead! It was nice to wake up and not see or feel any bites! I do however feel like I ran a marathon yesterday. My body is sore as is my mind. This morning I finished up returning things to their places and by noon I was relaxing watching TV. I started to nod off and was just getting up to take a nap when there was a knock at the door.

Now I rarely get visitors, or even people knocking at my door aside from maintenance and occasionally Concord Police looking for someone, so the last one I expected was a reporter and photographer from the Concord Monitor.. and guess what she was asking about?
[UPDATE 8/28/09]: The article "Bedbugs infest Endicott" [by Amy Augustine] was on the front page of the Concord Monitor Online today. Thankfully there were no photos of me..

Evidently another resident in the building contacted the Concord Monitor and they were knocking on doors and asking about the issue. When they asked me if I had anything to say I was more than willing to tell them my experience and thoughts to date (even though I'd answered the door unshaven and in my boxers and a T-shirt).

Afterward I did wonder what the reaction from the property management company might be, but I have to hope that they will handle the situation maturely and professionally. Frankly I was impressed when I spoke with the new property manager on the phone. He was congenial and professional, and as opposed to the manager who preceded him seems in control and not hurried. Situations like this can generate a defensive response especially when it's an organization. Then multiple egos are at play and a lot depends on the management style of the company and how far that extends down the ranks.

This is a serious situation for everyone involved, from CATCH to MB Management, and also the residents of the Endicott. With an infestation the State of NH officials could get involved. Here's a quote from the New Hampshire Department of Justice web site 'DOJ > Consumer Protection & Anti-Trust Bureau > Consumer Sourcebook' >

Landlord Responsibilities: "[...]

RSA 48-A:14 sets minimum health and safety standards for rental property in towns that do not have ordinances that establish housing standards. An apartment does not meet these minimum standards if:

• It is infested by pests and the landlord does not conduct regular inspections and pest exterminations [...]"
  

Now it's my understanding that from this point forward regular inspections have been resumed which is great news. Lets hope that the pest control company can gain control of the infestation and ultimately eradicate all the bed bugs. That goal is going to be incredibly difficult to achieve from what my research into the subject tells me, and frankly won't be achieved without the residents active participation. Attentiveness and strictly adhering to the instructions provided are essential, as is frequent and open communication between management and residents. Assistance needs to be provided to residents who need help understanding what needs to be done as well as those who need help moving items. It's also a good idea to double check to make sure the required items have been done, well before the actual appointment. I realize that's not easy when you only have two maintenance personnel who I'm sure have a pile of job tickets to attend to.

Keep in mind that the efforts required of the residents for the treatment(s) are difficult for those in good health, and this is not our fault! Communication is so important in all facets of life and the lack of communication and outreach in this case is a perfect example. With it this could have been caught in time and stopped before it turned into an 'infestation' and a major disruption in the lives of the residents affected not to mention a giant and potentially legal headache on the management/landlord side.

The Endicott has a number of residents who have special needs and require additional assistance and monitoring. The man in the apartment below mine is in a wheelchair, and I learned yesterday his mattress was covered with literally hundreds of bed bugs. I don't know what kind of living assistance he has (if any) but I have to believe that his bug problem would have been caught much sooner if someone was at least checking in on him weekly. Others have psychiatric issues that affect their ability to recognize and communicate problems such as this. All this has to be taken into consideration, not just in this situation but to prevent other issues that can crop up in buildings that house people with special needs.

I realize that the current financial situation has an effect on everyone and that budget cuts have made an already under-resourced care system even worse. I expect that CATCH hasn't escaped the effects of the economic downturn and various budget cuts either. I think it's important to keep that in mind. But in some areas (like outpatient/independent psychiatric care & supervision as well as home health care for disabled low income people) some basic needs of our most vulnerable citizens aren't being met, and this incident is one example of that failure. Whether it's state agencies or whoever, nobody should be left to wallow in a bed full of bed bugs.

I'll try to update this post as I get more information from both residents and management. To date the only communication from management is the 3 pages of instructions delivered to me last Friday. I seriously hope there is much more to come. Back when Hodges Corp. managed us there was a steady stream of letters and other communication as well as a extremely friendly and welcoming staff. I wish that could be the case again.
I should note that yesterday afternoon I called Hodges Corp. to ask our former property manager some questions connected with this issue. She was evidently busy so I had to leave a voice message, but at the time of this post/3rd edit [3:33 PM] she's not returned my call.

[Update 8-29-09]: It's been nice not waking up with bites since they treated my apartment. I now have both the mattress and box spring enclosed in dust mite/allergy covers (@ $28 apiece..) and new [white] sheets. The white sheets will make it much easier to spot the little buggers if/when they return. I'm on constant lookout when I move around the place and wonder how long this respite will last. I'm also hoping that we're provided with instructions regarding future visits from the pest company, claims for expenses incurred, and maybe even some kind of letter from management or perhaps a visit from the property mgr.?

We'll see.. and I'll keep updating this post as events unfold.

___________________________________________
Here are a few links to information about Bedbugs:

"Bed Bugs - Description, Life Cycle, and Habits of Bed Bugs" [About.com]
"Getting Rid of Bed Bugs - Why Is Getting Rid of Bed Bugs So Hard?" [About.com]
"How to Kill Bed Bugs" [About.com]
"Bedbug Bites" [About.com]

Has it been THAT long?

I know, I know.... I haven't posted for a while, but I didn't realize that it's been over two weeks!

That's one of the things pain does to me..

A while ago I broke a molar, and being one to bitch about something and at the same time put off doing anything about it as long as possible, I've been dealing with the on again - off again pain.

You see, while the pain isn't constant, and over the counter meds can take care of it 95% of the time, the procrastinator in me (and my avoidance of doctors in general) dominates. The other 5% of the time when the pain feels like I've been shot in the face, I put my hand on that side of my face and moan like a wuss.... until I take more Ibuprofen than I probably should and contemplate taking one of the prescription pain meds I was prescribed. I've only done that once. (I don't want to get used to using them, and too many people get hooked on them)

I can hear those yelling "just get off yer butt and get it fixed!" (like my brother). I know they're right, and I have made an appointment with Dr. Binder (the dentist my father went to), but the memories I have of painful visits to the dentist in my youth, and the fact that I have no insurance and live on a small disability check each month, doesn't help!

So forgive me for the lack of posts lately. The times that I've been able to concentrate and get some writing done have been taken up by my BlogsNH blog "TechAlert". And even there I went a week between posts.

As for things here at the Endicott, I got a nice visit from our property manager Kathy who updated me on some issues I'd been wondering about, and we now have a new maintenance man Ray who promptly located and installed the window screen that I've been asking for!
He's going to be a great asset and hopefully MB Management will find more maintenance people just like him to take care of CATCH's properties!

My upstairs neighbor has been a bit quieter (except for playing the music a bit too loud a few nights ago around MIDNIGHT, and the next night starting around 11 PM!). The occasional thuds and 'heavy walking' that ~~shakes~~ my apartment is still going on, though less than before.
I think that he's making an attempt to be more respectful (most of the time), but I don't think he realizes how much it really shakes things down here!

Sometimes, when I'm writing or engrossed in a TV show, the [sometimes] sudden THUD makes my (already bad) heart skip a beat!

It's really a shame that due to the fact that this is such an old building without the sound barriers that new* construction incorporates, like poured cement floors, padded carpeting, and wall insulation and/or concrete firewall barriers between apartments, his just walking across the floor can create the effect of a train going by. Thank goodness it usually a short train!

On another note, I'm really starting to make use of the new parking garage next door, especially during snow storms. I've noticed others are too, and it's really nice to not have to scrape ice and snow off the car after a storm! They really should position a Pay Station down on the ground floor though. Having to drive up to the Pay Station before being able to leave doesn't seem to make much sense. Granted it's not a huge deal, but others have noted the lack of Pay Stations and commented on that issue in the paper. That issue aside, the Concord Parking Department is doing an excellent job attending to the garage and it's patrons!

And finally, I heard recently that our resident caretaker (and keeper of the keys) Bob recently suffered a broken hip. Let's all hope he has a quick and successful (oh, and relatively pain-free) recovery!

'till next time, be safe folks.


* Within the last 50 years or so.

Things Are Getting Worse

In and around the Endicott things have been going downhill in the past few months. Part of it is the season, since winter for pedestrians in Concord is notoriously bad. Another part of the problem is some of the residents here at the Endicott.

Today was a perfect example of the former. I had to go to the grocery store across the street. The trip there was pretty good. The sidewalk was relatively clear in front of and beside the Endicott, and the only area that wasn't cleared was the area with the benches down by the corner.
The other side of the street was where it turned bad. The snow banks completely cover the sidewalk so people parking there have to walk in the road after they park their cars, and what's worse, pedestrians crossing the street from the side of the shopping plaza have no way of getting to the signaling button for the lights because there's 4-5 feet of snow surrounding it. Because of that pedestrians are left to cross the street while traffic is going by!

That's the 'pedestrian' part of the trip. The 'resident' part started with the elevator, which still hasn't been serviced (the doors sometimes open violently, then close about 1/3 of the way), and the elevator certification certificate (and it's Plexiglas cover) was hanging from one screw. The screw I installed the last time it was like this was gone. That means someone took the time to unscrew the extra long screw I put in over a month ago. Who would do something like that? Maybe the same type that has covered the area with graffiti 'tags'? I don't know, but it's just another sign that this beautiful (or what could be) old hotel and it surroundings are uncared for and deteriorating.

There is a huge crack in the ceiling near the elevator on the third floor that I just noticed the other day reminding me that no one has ever returned to inspect the building after construction was complete (as they said they would). I have a big crack in the wall of my bedroom next to my window also that I've mentioned previously.
The residents are still being exposed to second-hand smoke ever since "Energy Improvements" installed new lights and bathroom fans....
[Interesting note]: According to a "Breathe New Hampshire" representative I spoke with, there are absolutely no state or federal laws protecting residents of apartment buildings from this health threat!
How can that be, with all the legislation that's been passed lately? So much for our representatives working to protect us.
So as of now, it's perfectly legal for tenants to be forced to breathe second hand smoke (and in my case it's so strong that I've been awakened twice because of it when I didn't keep my bathroom fan running) unless they keep their bathroom fans running 24/7 (something they're not designed to do, not to mention a huge waste of ENERGY), and isn't that a potential fire hazard?
"Energy Improvements" company? Indeed!
- Please note that before the bathroom fans were replaced there was no problem whatsoever.

The two bags of trash I wrote about previously were still sitting in the snow down by the corner (I put them in the dumpster), the box spring and mattress were still sitting down in the alley (as of Saturday), and now there's a piece of old furniture sitting down by the ground floor elevator door.

The long list [of mainly plumbing repairs] I submitted weeks ago hasn't been responded to in any way.
My upstairs neighbor continues to clomp around shaking me and my apartment to the point of things actually falling off the wall, and ignoring the numerous letters sent to him from management telling him to contact them to discuss the matter.
The phone number he gave them is out of service, and after MB management and I had agreed that I was going to update [her] as to his compliance (or 'non') I call and hear from the secretary that she's off on vacation for "a few weeks"? Huh?

I've been trying to give them time, but three months in and things are getting worse, not better.

There are two men hired to do the maintenance for all of CATCH's properties, does that sound like enough? I worked for Concord Royal Gardens in the maintenance department as an apartment inspector and we had three times that number of maintenance personnel for just the two complexes and they were barely able to keep up with it!
I feel sorry for the one who has to answer the night-time 'emergency' calls! It's totally unrealistic to expect two people to handle all that in any kind of timely and responsible manner.

How long does this go on before the obvious conclusions are drawn by CATCH?


My conclusions are:

Bob the guy responsible for cleaning the building continues to slack, but is still getting a free apartment and stipend.

MB Management is not committing enough resources to responsibly care for the buildings and tenants they contracted for.

Promises/commitments made by construction-related people aren't being kept.

Residents continue to defy rules and management with impunity.

The condition of the building continues to deteriorate

CATCH needs to rectify this situation quickly.