Building Operations
Visitors
 | Where should my guests park? |
| How do I let people into the building from my unit? |
| Do I have to do anything to have my name included in the security kiosk? |
Neighborhood
| What is the purple van that is always stopping across the street in front of the Discovery Technical Center? |
| Who are my legislative representatives? |
Unit Maintenance and Improvements
Whom should I contact about a problem, issue, or
question?
For issues with common areas or building access or issues that affect multiple
units, contact the property manager
If you are renting your unit, contact your landlord.
If the problem is a warranty issue with an appliance, contact General Electric at 800-432-2737. For other warranty issues with your unit, contact Amtek at 888-874-0531.
How do I reserve the social
room?
Residents may reserve the social room by contacting the property manager
What day is the trash
picked up?
Currently trash is picked up on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. Recyclables are
picked up on Tuesday and the cardboard dumpster is emptied on Friday.
What can I throw into the
trash chute?
Only bagged household trash. Cardboard, hazardous materials, and items
that are too large to fit into the opening should not be put into the
trash chute. Take large items to a
County transfer station. Do not leave items on the floor next to the trash
dumpster or outside the trash room. Recycle cardboard in the appropriate bin in the trash room
adjacent to the garage. Flatten boxes before you recycle them. For
hazardous waste, Montgomery County provides several sites for disposal. See the
County's hazardous waste web page for information about what is considered
hazardous waste and disposal locations. Note that when the original thermostats
provided with the units are discarded, they are hazardous waste (see information
about
mercury in thermostats).
Someone has parked
in the parking space I purchased, what should I do?
Each owner of a parking space was issued a red Parking Space Owner Card with his
or her parking space number. People with two spaces were issued two cards. If
you have your card, you can have the car towed from your space. To do that call
G&G Towing at 301-762-6023 and provide them the following information:
G&G will dispatch a tow truck. When it arrives the driver will call you. Go to the garage and open the garage door for the driver (use the "open" button to the right of the door). Show the driver your Parking Space Owner Card and an ID. You will also have to sign for the tow ticket. The owner of the car will be responsible for the towing charge.
How do I change whether
my unit's door is locked?
Insert your key into the keyhole on the inside (not outside) of the door.
Turn the key clockwise to make the door stay unlocked. Turn the key
counterclockwise to make the door stay locked.
How do I
contact the condo's management company?
Call the property manager,
Ric Hinton
Vista Management
1131 University Blvd W., Suite 101
Silver Spring, MD 20902
(Phone) 301-649-1115 x20
(Fax) 301-649-3560
If my smoke detector
is triggered, is the entire building alerted?
No, the smoke detectors in your ceiling only sound an alarm in your unit.
There is a building-wide alarm which you hear through the box labeled "Fire" on
some of your unit's walls. The building-wide alarm sounds when a fire sprinkler
is triggered (due to very high temperatures), when a fire pull station in a
hallway is activated, or when smoke detectors in the hallways and hallway vents
are triggered.
Do I need to use the
garage door remote control to exit the garage?
No. When a car is close to the inside of the garage door, the door will
automatically open. Pedestrians can use the personnel door to the left of the
garage door. Bicyclists can open the garage door with a button to the right of
the door. Of course, a remote control is required to drive into the garage.
Owners have been issued keys to open the personnel door.
How do I enter the
exercise room?
Use the combination that you were provided for the door to the common
electrical closet on your floor (where phone and cable hook-ups are located).
How do I pay my utility bills?
Residents pay the utility company directly for electricity and, if
applicable, cable and phone. The management company will send bills for natural
gas. Water usage is not metered by unit. Water and sewer usage fees are covered by the
monthly association fees. Owners must also pay an annual fee of approximately
$220 to cover the costs of connecting the building to the water system. This fee
is collected by the property manager.
How do I receive packages?
The Postal Service, UPS, and Fedex all have access to the building and will
bring packages to your unit door. Sometimes Fedex next-day and two-day service
will not enter the building but will leave a tag for the package at the
building's front door.
What are the fans in the garage, including the ones by the receiving door?
Where should my guests
park?
The condominium does not have guest parking. All garage spaces
are assigned parking. Guests should park on the street or next door at the
Kennett Street Garage. This map may help guests
understand where to park.
How do I let people
into the building from my unit?
Your visitor must call you from the security kiosk outside the lobby entrance.
He or she can do this in two ways.
Your phone will ring just as it does for a regular phone call. If you have
caller ID, you will see "NEWELL ST LOFTS." When you answer the phone, you can
speak with the visitor. To let him or her in the building, press 9 on your
phone. You will hear a long tone, then you can hang up. The lobby door will
unlock and your visitor can enter.
Do I have to do anything
to have my name included in the security kiosk?
Yes. Call the property manager and request that you be added to the kiosk. You will need to
provide your phone number so the kiosk can call you.
What is the purple van
that is always stopping across the street in front of the Discovery Technical
Center?
That is the free
VanGo-Silver Spring Downtown/MARC Shuttle. It loops around downtown Silver
Spring and runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays.
Who are my legislative representatives?
Residents are represented by the following seats (names are current as of
March, 2006):
| Montgomery County Council: District 5 (Ervin) and four at large members (Elrich, Floreen, Leventhal, and Trachtenberg) |
| Maryland House of Delegates: District 20 (Hixson, Hucker, and Mizeur) |
| Maryland Senate: District 20 (Raskin) |
| U.S. House of Representatives: Maryland District 8 (Van Hollen) |
| U.S. Senate: (Cardin and Mikulski) |
How Do I Prevent Water from Freezing in My Outdoor Pipes?
It is important to prevent water from freezing in pipes exposed to outdoor
temperatures. When water freezes in a pipe, the pipe can crack, allowing water
to leak. This can lead to significant expenses for unit owners to repair pipes
and cover water damage.
If you have an outdoor utility closet (i.e., you have to go outside to reach your water heater), the developer recommends that you ensure that the electric heater in the closet will keep the closet from being too cold. This will keep pipes from freezing if the water heater stops functioning in cold weather (e.g., pilot light goes out). The circuit breaker for the heater should be turned on and the thermostat on the electric heater adjusted so it will come on if the closet becomes cold.
If you have a patio (only units 111-124), the developer recommends that you turn off the water to your outdoor faucet and drain water from that pipe. If there is a hose connected to the faucet, disconnect the hose and drain water from it. A valve in the utility closet (where your water heater is located) turns off the water to the faucet. To find the valve, locate the pipe in the utility closet that connects to the outdoor faucet. Follow the pipe away from the faucet until you encounter a handle, probably labeled "Sioux Chief" (see picture below). The handle may be located behind the water heater and may be difficult to see. Turn the handle in the "Off" direction. When the valve is off the handle should be perpendicular to the pipe, as shown here. Once the valve is off, turn on the water at the outside faucet to double-check that the water is off and to drain water left in the pipe. You can then turn off the outside faucet.
| Valve Open ("On") | Valve Closed ("Off") |
|---|---|
 The valve handle is parallel to the copper pipe. |
 The valve handle is perpendicular to the copper pipe. |
Is there anything I should know before I install a
ceiling fan on a preinstalled box?
The ceiling fan boxes installed by the builder are recessed. The bottom of
the box is level with the top of the sheetrock. Many fans assume that the bottom
of the box is level with the bottom of the sheetrock and the supplied screws do
not work. Some people have used longer screws to compensate. Also, the screws
the builder used to install a cover over the box may have made the screw holes
they were inserted into too large to securely hold screws for the fan.
How do I replace a bulb in a hallway light in my
unit?
Hold the glass globe in place and unscrew the metal piece at the bottom of
the globe. If the metal piece will not turn, you might be able turn the globe to
loosen the metal piece. The maximum wattage for bulbs in the hallway fixtures is
60.
Will I run into any surprises when hanging things
on the wall?
Surprises are always possible. The units have wood frame construction, but
there is metal crossbracing in some of the walls. Also, for two-bedroom units,
in the kitchen wall that juts out into the hallway the circuit breaker box might
lie less than an inch beneath the surface. That wall also probably contains many
wires connected to the breaker box.
My heater and air conditioner
will not turn on, what should I do?
Check that the AHU (air handling unit) switch high on the wall near your
unit's blower and air filter are located is turned on. If that is not the
problem, follow the procedure listed in the homeowner handbook for a warranty
repair.
The blower for the heater
runs, but the air never heats up. What should I do?
Check that the pilot light in your water heater is on. You can do this
through the observation window near the bottom of the water heater. The water
heater is the heat source for the forced air heating. If that is not the
problem, follow the procedure listed in the homeowner handbook for a warranty
repair.
Why does the blower for my heater/air conditioner run
when the thermostat is off?
A pipe carries water to/from the water heater to the heat exchanger for the
heater. To prevent the pipe from becoming clogged, the blower periodically moves
that water for a brief time.
Where can I obtain replacement tiles or cabinet parts?
Tile:
Bill Murphy
Floor Systems, Inc
15 Oxford Way
Huntington, MD 20639
301-855-0233 and 410-257-7389
Fax: 301-855-0114
Cabinet Parts:
Bob Cutler
Montgomery Kitchen and Bath
15906 Luanne Dr.
Gaithersburg, MD 20877
301-417-6661
Fax 301-417-6684
I'm Thinking about Replacing My Thermostat.
What Should I Know?
The units' original thermostats contain mercury, which is a hazardous
substance. The original thermostats should not be thrown away in the building.
See the
County's hazardous waste web page for information about disposal locations.
Webmaster: webmaster@8045newell.com
Last updated: February 13, 2008