FRUSTRATIONS of a FAILED SYSTEM

(beep!  beep!)  That's not a roadrunner in your hallway.  (beep!  beep!) 
     Once again, lightning strikes or electrical storms are being blamed for damage to the fire alarm panel at the new and improved Rockland Place dba SpringGate Apartment complex in Rockland, Mass.   Could this possibly be another insurance claim or perhaps another kickback scheme? (beep!  beep!)
    When corporations and newly-formed partnerships received billions of dollars in government grants for renovations, another expensive alarm system was installed in 2007.  (beep!)    Still, SpringGate residents have little peace of mind-- It's unsafe when a fire alarm system is repetitively compromised. It failed again on the evening of June 1, 2011.  (beep!  beep! beep!)
     The following day, the 204-unit complex began another FIRE WATCH and notices were posted on main doors of apartment buildings:
As you all know, we had an electrical storm last night and the fire alarm panel has been compromised. We are working with the Rockland Fire Dept. and the fire alarm company to assess the damage. There will be a fire watch on for the night. Please call 911 in case of emergency.
Thank you,
SpringGate Management
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james White said...

I have been told that many of these fire alarm panels are not properly surge protected. The electric mains and the fire alarm leads all need to be surge protected to stop electronic damage in power cuts, lightning etc...

Friday, June 10, 2011 6:14:00 AM EST

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*Which companies have contracts with the Boston Housing Authority?  Click here to find out.

Freebies Forum Announced

A forum for Town residents to learn more about free and low-cost services will be held at 6:30 p.m., on Tuesday, June 28, at Rockland Public Library, 20 Belmont St. The forum is free and open to the public. 
  Featured discussions will be on:   Job search help, career training, unemployment assistance; Foreclosure prevention and relief;  Property tax relief programs;  Housing and rental assistance;  Fuel and food assistance; Senior nutrition, supervision, and transportation programs.
  Panel will include reps from: South Shore Housing, CareerWorks, South Shore Community Action Council, Rockland Multi-Service Senior Center, Rockland Board of Assessors, Rockland Board of Selectmen, Rockland Housing Authority, Rockland Food Pantry as well as other local agencies and nonprofits. Guest speakers include Rep. Tom Calter, Rep. Rhonda Nyman, State Sen. John Keenan.

Realities of HUD's Safe and Decent Housing

ABC's Nightline found in a joint investigation with the Center for Public Integrity, the federal government's low-income housing programs, which cost taxpayers $26 billion a year, are plagued by theft, mismanagement and corruption at local levels, including millions spent on housing for sex offenders and dead people, and all too often fail the 3 million families who rely on them for a clean, safe place to live.

While Rockland Place dba SpringGate Apts. fails to comply with lease agreements and successfully provides refuge to criminal activity, property management recently distributed a notice offering residents $100 gift cards for successful referrals.  A successful move-in to this corporate landlord would not be a referral of anyone insisting to live in a pleasant, non-threatening, or safe environment.

ARMED ROBBERY IN ROCKLAND

     Today an armed robbery involving at least one gun occurred in Rockland, Mass. Several suspects were seen fleeing from John Dunn Dr. into Rockland Place dba Spring Gate Apartments. Police cruisers lined Martha Drive around 2:15pm, while other officers searched the area on foot. One of the suspects was apprehended by Rockland Police from the household of the infamous 74A Martha Dr.
    Is this what the new partners of Rockland Place meant when they promised Board of Selectmen they'd turn the housing complex into an asset instead of a liability?

Codes, Regulations, Laws

People have requested I post the Massachusetts State Sanitary Codes to this blog, so here is the link to the codes.     http://www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dph/regs/105cmr410.pdf
Please keep in mind that codes, regulations, and laws may exist, but enforcement is a different story.
     When corporate owners of multifamily housing have certain powerful connections and pay campaign contributions, regulations and laws don't always apply.   Rockland Place dba Spring Gate Apts. may recognize the 6-month retaliation law, but could systematically retaliate after that timeframe.  It wouldn't be the first time.

Illegal campaign fund-raising scheme

.... Prosecutors began investigating WinnCos. and its employees as an offshoot of the federal corruption probe that has so far resulted in the convictions of former city councilor Chuck Turner and former state senator Dianne Wilkerson.......
    William M. Connolly, one of the newer partners in the ownership of Rockland Place dba Spring Gate Apartments in Rockland, Mass., once stated he was an executive for the WinnCos.

BB Jeebies

     Vandalism of vehicles and assaults continue at Rockland Place dba Spring Gate Apartments in Rockland, Mass.  It's been reported that BBs were fired at a resident and broke a car windshield inside this tax-credited, subsidized housing complex.  Police were called over the incidents. 
     Property owners and management await another rent increase approval by the state housing finance agency named MassHousing from Massachusetts Housing and Finance Agency.  Would property management please explain their lack of compliance with occupancy agreements and HUD regulations for tenant selection, live-ins, and safety issues?  Drop an email.

Signed into Silence

You may see it; you may experience it; but you are forbidden to publicly speak of the inefficiencies, crime, waste, mismanagement, fraud, and abuse.  Though no such speech restriction is printed in the signed lease agreements at Rockland Place dba Spring Gate Apartments., its not long before some residents realize their reality.  Spring Gate is a corporate-owned, HUD subsidized housing complex in Rockland, Mass. involving numerous investors affiliated with several partnerships, corporations, organizations, and politicians.
http://oversightwatchmassachusetts.blogspot.com/

http://pview.findlaw.com/view/4064642_1#achorOO

DiMasi says kin could be homeless - The Boston Globe

DiMasi says kin could be homeless - The Boston Globe
    If Salvatore DiMasi, former speaker of the Massachusetts House, is found guilty of corruption charges, he may have to forfeit his condo at 220 Commercial Street, North End of Boston, to the federal government. If he and his family do happen to become homeless, they could probably apply for housing at one of the HUD subsidized housing complexes. I see Rockland Place dba Spring Gate Apartments in Rockland, Mass. is advertising their MassHousing / HUD-financed apartments as 'luxurious living'. Perhaps Mr. DiMasi and his family could enjoy living near the invisible 'university' at Spring Gate Apts.