BostonZest

Lost and Found in Boston

 

"Praising what is lost makes the remembrance dear."
William Shakespeare, "All's Well that Ends Well", Act 5 scene 3
(English dramatist & poet (1564 - 1616)

Update 01.14.12: You've reached an old post. We've updated this information with fresh links and new ideas!   This link will take you to it. Boston's Lost & Found Department 

Fences, along sidewalks and in parks, serve as Boston's lost and found department for items like hats, gloves, dog boots and even hubcaps.

Good neighbors pick up found objects and put them in highly visible places on the wrought iron pickets and posts hoping that they will be reunited with their owners.

Of course, if the item is more valuable than these or if you have lost an item, you can use the resources listed below to help coordinate a reunion.

 

Details:

Craigslist Lost and Found for Boston

On the day of this post Craigslist had one of the strangest ads I've seen. It said:

"I LOST MY GUN in central sq. please help"

http://boston.craigslist.org/laf/

Lost in a Taxi report

http://www.cityofboston.gov/Police/taxi.asp

Lost Animals

http://www.arlboston.org/site/PageServer?pagename=shelter_lost_pet
http://www.cityofboston.gov/animalcontrol/lostpet.asp

Lost on MBTA

http://www.mbta.com/customer_support/contact/

Boston Police

You can turn a found item in at any Police station. Here's a link to the area stations and the rule regarding when you might claim an item you found.

http://www.cityofboston.gov/Police/district.asp

"Sec. 21 Disposition of Property by the Department Property Clerk: The Department Property Clerk shall be guided by the provisions of the General Laws, Chapters No. 134 and 135, when disposing of property in his possession.
All officers should be aware that pursuant to Chapter 134 of the G.L., certain found property may be claimed by the finder after one year if the owner has not claimed it."

A Snowman for Sarmiento

Thaw and Freeze Warnings

During the day, the sun melts some of the snow and ice and sends it off the roofs of Boston's buildings. Wind and chill set in and refreeze that water into beautiful icicles like those caught in a tree in this photo.

Pedestrians Beware

Where you see icicles and ice dams you should be looking down to avoid icy sidewalks. Yes, homeowners and businesses are supposed to keep the sidewalks free from ice. You can see the extent that the Newbury Street business shown in the photo below has gone. They've built a Rube Goldberg system of chutes and pails to direct the water coming from its roof. 

Sand Lasts Longer

Other property owners try ice melting products or chipping away the ice as it forms. As someone who walks miles a day in the city, I can tell you that sand is the best thing to use in this situation. It doesn't melt, takes longer to wash away and gives pedestians traction even as ice begins to reform around it.

Ice Damages Buildings

Ice dams and the resulting icicles can be an alert for anyone shopping for real estate. It can be a sign of deferred maintenance and hidden damage. Another reason for the smart real estate shopper to wander around any target neighborhood and make notes about buildings where you see ice dams, icicles, ice running down the outside of downspouts and icy sidewalks.

If you're a condominium owner in the city and see ice on your building you should push your condominium association and property management company to correct the problem.

Expert Advice on Ice Damage from UMASS

Umass has advice on ice dams on it's site.

"Ice dams cause millions of dollars of damage every year. Much of the damage is apparent. Water-stained ceilings, dislodged roof shingles, sagging ice-filled gutters, peeling paint, and damaged plaster are all easily recognized and usually repaired when weather or budgets permit. But other damage is not as obvious and often goes unchecked," says the author, Paul Fisette.

Fisette then outlines possible hidden damage and the steps needed to prevent and correct the problem. A link to the article is in details below.

Details:

Preventing Ice Dams by Paul Fisette

http://www.umass.edu/bmatwt/publications/articles/ice_dams.html

Here are some tools to help with these problems.

Putting the Holiday Ornaments Away

Aren't you happy you don't have the task of putting the Prudential Center holiday ornaments away after the season.

Think of the storage space that these giants must take. 

Volunteering in Boston

"Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America"
President Barack Obama, January 20, 2009

Volunteer. Serve. Do our part. Where to start?

In Boston, we have so many opportunities to volunteer. Hospitals, schools, community groups, environmental organizations, and elder support organizations all rely on the hours put in by area volunteers.

Whether you serve on a committee, a board, pick up litter in a park, care for shelter animals, tutor a child, help the homeless, you can be part of the solution by giving a little of your time to your community.

Here are links to a few of the ways to find the right volunteer opportunity for you.

Volunteer Boston

"Volunteer Boston's focus on the internet as a web resource provides:
- complete indexing of all service opportunities,
- a message board to initiate and enable idea exchange, and
- a national network to expand contact beyond city borders."

http://www.volunteerboston.org/

Boston Volunteer Bridge

I like this link because it allow you to first pick your area of interest and then take a look at the jobs available.

http://volunteerboston.org/IND/BVB.shtml

Volunteer Solutions

Plug in your zipcode and this site will find tasks to take on in your immediate area.

http://www.volunteersolutions.org/

Volunteer Match

You can use this one by entering any place in the country and find an organization in need of your service.

http://www.volunteermatch.org/

Boston Cares

"Boston Cares offers a wide array of programs and opportunities that make it easy for you to volunteer no matter how busy your schedule is. Each month we manage more than 150 direct service volunteer projects through our Calendar program."

http://www.bostoncares.org/

"For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate."

President Barack Obama, January 20, 2009

( Photos by Penny Cherubino of a clean up of the Esplanade by volunteers)

Clear Those Resident Stickers

The city of Boston says, "Resident parking stickers must be visible within 24 hours after the end of a snowstorm."

The owner of this Red Saab convertible is ready for the parking officers to return to their job.

However, it was the only car with a visible resident sticker that we spotted on our morning dog walk.

Details:

Here's a page with everything you want to know about parking in Boston when it snows.

http://www.cityofboston.gov/snow/parking/

Here are a few winter supplies for Boston Drivers

Ainsley Cleans a Snowy Nose

Ainsley loves to run up to a snowbank and take a big bite of snow!

But that can leave your nose rather snowy. One quick lick and it's clean and warm again.

Notice the nice warm coat. In cold weather, short-haired dogs, like Ainsley, need an extra layer of protection and shorter walks to keep ears, paws and noses from hurting.