Page 8 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, April 2, 2021 COLLAPSE | FROM PAGE 1 Building Commissioner Nelson Miller. “If there was a loss of life, this would be a diff erent conversation.” Councillor-at-Large Debbie DeMaria agreed. “This is a wakeup call for our community. There are a lot of older buildings in our city, and we have to address this issue immediately, in all of our neighborhoods,” Councillor DeMaria said. “It's a blessing no one was hurt or worse because of this.” About 35 residents of the 32unit, four-story building were evacuated from the Mount Vernon Apartments and remain out of the building, displaced until or unless the building is declared safe for occupancy. Malden fi re department and police were on scene within minutes after the roof collapse, as well as EMTs and ambulance personnel, though, amazingly, no one was hurt in the incident. The apartment building is located at the corner of Salem and Mt. Vernon Streets, and the entire width of both streets was blocked off and traffi c detoured as the public safety personnel cleared the area. On Tuesday night, Building Commissioner Nelson Miller appeared before the City Council at their request, just days after the incident, to provide a report at the virtual meeting. At the meeting, he said he had been in TRASH | FROM PAGE 3 someone register you. *** What will I receive for new carts and when will I receive them? Beginning Monday, April 12, 2021 carts will begin to appear on the curbs of residences around Malden.It will take about 4 weeks to deliver all carts throughout the City but when it is complete, homes up to 6 units will receive one set of carts per unit. That's one black trash cart and one blue recycling cart per unit. An example would be a 3 family house which will receive three sets of carts. *** What can I put inside my black trash cart? Just remember this rhyme before you put anything inside of the black trash cart “Blue Bag or Trash Tag."When you fi rst receive your black trash cart that will be delivered to your curb in April, you can immediately begin using it by placing your blue bag inside. In July you will have the ability to use your black trash cart an additional way. We will make available for purchase what is right on it,” City Council President Neal Anderson (Ward 2) said, “There are buildings that fall into the category that should be looked at in probably every ward in our city.” “We should get it started sooner than later,” Councillor Spadafora said. “We have to get this process started for the safety of our residents.” Ward 3 Councillor Amanda Nelson Miller Malden Building Commissioner continuous contact with Mayor Gary Christenson, Police Chief Kevin Molis and Fire Chief William Sullivan as well as his own department personnel, to both assess the situation and plan next steps. In reference to Councillors Spadafora and DeMaria’s remarks, as well as those from Ward 5 Councillor Barbara Murphy, in whose ward the building is located, Miller said Mayor Christenson had already indicated he intends to request City Council approval for an allocation of $75,000 to fund a citywide survey/inspection of at risk buildings. The Councillors at Tuesday night’s virtual meeting were unanimous in their approval for such a measure and pledged swift passage when the Mayor’s request comes before them. “I would say let’s get Some 35 residents were displaced from the 32-unit apartment building at 166 Salem St. (Courtesy Photos) Chunks of concrete that fell from the roof parapet are shown stacked against the building. Linehan said it was a constant issue with her constituents as to building maintenance and agreed it is a citywide issue. “It is not a big stretch to say a lot of the safety issues with some of our apartment buildings are because there is not an eff ective maintenance plan.” Councillor Murphy said she does not believe this was the issue with the Mount Vernon Apartments. “The representatives from United Properties, which owns the building, have been fantastic ever since the incident,” said Councillor Murphy. Malden fi refi ghters were on scene to inspect the roof collapse and its aftermath. MALDEN: TODAY | FROM PAGE 4 lins – August 15, 1967 – April 24, 2009 – Love – Mom, Dad, & Family.” Speaking of John O’Brien; Yet known as a "Trash Tag."When you purchase a trash tag and affi x it to your black trash cart, you are then permitted to put standard household trash bags inside and JRM will take them away the same as your blue bags. *** What can I put inside of my blue recycling bin? The biggest change to note is that we are now allowing mixed recycling which some may know as single stream recycling.Basically this means what you used to have to separate into two bins; can now go in the one blue cart! Nothing has changed about the materials allowed, you just now have a new cart to put them in. *** How/when can I put regular household trash bags inside of my black trash cart? Beginning in July of 2021, residents will have the option of putting standard household trash bags inside their black trash carts by purchasing what is known as a "Trash Tag."These can be purchased on the City's TRASH | SEE PAGE 17 more “Musings” from the inimitable pen of the late John “Father of David” O’Brien whose wit and wisdom endeared him to generations of MHS students, Maldonians and faculty at Malden High School. Here are a few more witticisms from his iconic “Musings” columns taken from the bi-weekly newspaper called the “Malden Sun-Times” (their motto: “In Malden For Good” – dated September 1977: • “Keep off the grass, Maryjane.” • “I met her at the Silver Slipper; I should have known she was a heel.” • “If Vincent Van Gogh had met Gypsy Rose Lee, he could have done strip painting while she did Gogh Gogh dancing.” • “Put down the book, Mark, but don’t lose my place.” • “I quit being lax, my friends now call me ex-lax.” • “When I took out my fl ask, she took me to task.” • “Evil Knievel is a man to be wreck end with.” • “Thank Satan it’s Monday.” “They’ve picked up the phone and answered every time they called and have been checking in frequently to make sure those displaced residents are being cared for adequately.” Miller said he was not certain when the building would be declared safe for occupancy again and added that as soon as the funds are approved he would create a strategy to inspect and assess similar, older buildings around the city. • “When she brought Oliver Twist on our second honeymoon, I knew she had lost her great expectations.” • “If you plan to diet, don’t wait.” • “I can tame my rabbit, but I cannot do a thing with my hare.” • “I really feel stylish when we are dancing Chic to Chic.” • “Said Mr. Young to Mrs. Young ‘they try to tell us we’re two Young.’” • “I’m getting married in the mourning.” Postscript 1: Here is my attempt at a John O’Brien type pun/musing. John had a lot of fun over the years with this famous Bob Dylan line. Those who know anything about the history of Malden will get this. I hope it measures up: “From Nanapashemet, Montowampate, Wonohaquaham and Wenepoykin to Guangyu, Chee-Seng, Korakit, Aline, and Mukai, in Malden, the times they are a-changin.’” Okay, if I need to explain, it was a bust. Insert smiley face. Postscript 2: I leave you this week with another of Gene Autry’s “Ten Commandments of a Cowboy”: Rule #9: He must respect women, parents, and his nation’s laws. Words to live by!
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