The Ward three neighborhood association’s I-91 subcommittee met on Friday April 24, 2009 at 8 am.
Present were Frank Werbinski Bob Reckman, Christine Cahillance , Marianne McKim , and Joanne Mackiewicz.
First item on the agenda was an update of the traffic study for the Exit 19 area, it was noted that no new information was available at this time. Bob Reckman agreed to ask Rich Massey of Mass Highway for a monthly progress statement regarding the progress of the project. Bob also agreed to find out if a contract has been signed between Mass Highway and Trans Systems for the traffic study. It was also mentioned that it will be important for neighborhood input, that a meeting of the Advisory committee and Mass Highway take place before the engineering firm conducts the traffic counts.
Marianne McKim reported on a recent meeting of the newly formed Traffic Calming committee for ward 3A. There is a question of whether the City or State is responsible for installing any traffic calming devices along Bridge Street. Marianne will call the Traffic Engineer at BPW to discuss this issue. Items such as speed limit monitors, trees, and sidewalks were discussed. The Traffic Calming committee will be meeting again to discuss these items.
Regarding the Damon Road Project, there were no updates. Frank Werbinski will review the plans at BPW.
The committee discussed the schedule for the next meeting of this committee, and decided that it would be Friday June 26th, unless new or urgent information is identified, then the committee will meet on Friday May 22nd. Frank will send out reminders of the schedule.
Frank J. Werbinski
ADDENDUM TO APRIL 24, 2009 I-91 COMMITTEE MINUTES
APRIL 29, 2009
An update was received by Bob Reckman on April 29, 2009 information from Mass Highway. His email stated: “I talked to Rich Massey of Mass Highway yesterday. He told me that they are still waiting on the state side of the funding to be approved. Trans Systems is their contractor of choice, but they have not yet been hired. I would be surprised if the next meeting of the advisory committee happens before the middle of the summer. It could even be after Labor Day.”
Public Hearing on Bike Trail at Bridge St School Monday 4/27
There will be a public hearing for the Manhan Rail Trail (an extension
to the Norwottuck Rail Trail from Easthampton to Northampton) on
Monday, April 27th, 2009 in Northampton at the Bridge Street
Elementary School (2 Parsons Street) at 7:00pm.
As you may have read, this project has the potential to be fast-
tracked as part of federal stimulus funding, if it is deemed worthy
(with the potential to start construction this summer). This hearing
will be used to help determine whether there is community support for
building this trail.
I would strongly encourage you to attend this meeting and speak
briefly about why this path is an important component of a
sustainable transportation network. Offering to bring a friend or
neighbor would be really helpful. More information about the hearing,
and the handout that will be provided can be found on the Friends of
Northampton Trails and Greenways, Incorporated website:
http://www.fntg.net/manhanhearing.pdf
Nick Horton
President
Friends of Northampton Trails and Greenways, Incorporated
to the Norwottuck Rail Trail from Easthampton to Northampton) on
Monday, April 27th, 2009 in Northampton at the Bridge Street
Elementary School (2 Parsons Street) at 7:00pm.
As you may have read, this project has the potential to be fast-
tracked as part of federal stimulus funding, if it is deemed worthy
(with the potential to start construction this summer). This hearing
will be used to help determine whether there is community support for
building this trail.
I would strongly encourage you to attend this meeting and speak
briefly about why this path is an important component of a
sustainable transportation network. Offering to bring a friend or
neighbor would be really helpful. More information about the hearing,
and the handout that will be provided can be found on the Friends of
Northampton Trails and Greenways, Incorporated website:
http://www.fntg.net/
Nick Horton
President
Friends of Northampton Trails and Greenways, Incorporated
Meeting Minutes April 14, 2009
Ward 3 Neighborhood Association
Minutes for Board Meeting of April 14, 2009
Bridge Street School Library
Attendees:
Board Members: Gerald Budgar, Owen Freeman-Daniels, Marianna McKim, Jim Nash, Fred Zimnoch, Gloria Parker, Tim Fisher, Bob Reckman, Joanne Mackiewicz, Madeline Weaver Blanchette and Lisa DiPiano.
Other attendees: Dennis Helmus, Lisa Maloney, Bill Mackiewicz
Lt. Patenaude and Officers Caputo and Vanbusker of the Northampton Police Department.
The meeting came to order at 7:05 pm.
1. Approval of Minutes – Fred
Minutes were approved of the March 10th meeting by a unanimous vote.
2 Treasurer’s Report - Fred
- Expenses: $0.0
- Dues: None have been received since last meeting.
- Balance in FSB no interest checking: $689.86
- List serve: for Ward 3ab = 152 members.
- List serve messages: for March 2009 = 4;
- List serve messages: When submitting messages for list serve please include a subject line. Your subject line should have less then 70 characters. I can make a subject line but you might not find it entirely acceptable.
3. President’s Report – Jerry
Meadows Watch Issues
Discussion of Meadows Watch issues with Lt. Ken Patenaude and Officer Victor Caputo officer Vanbusker of the Northampton Police Department. We discussed the recent hearing at the Agricultural Commission meeting when complaints were heard from residents from Ward 3 & 4 regarding vandalism, crop running, dumping, and how these problems spill into the surrounding neighborhood
Actions taken:
- The Officers will be placing location markers in various parts of the meadows for communication purposes.
- Two versions of cards were passed around for review. These cards will be handed out to households of Ward 3 and also given out to meadow users. The cards ask the holder to contact the Northampton Police Department if they see or suspicious behavior. Joanne Mackiewicz and Officer Caputo will work on the content of the card and email to board for approval.
- There will be new signs at the Meadow entrances listing the rather steep new fines for dumping in the Meadows ($250 for dumping in a Special Conservancy Zone - thanks to Councillor Bob and Councillor Dave for getting this passed. Officer Caputo will
speak to the DPW about having these signs made up.
Things we learned:
- Environmental police, landowners in meadows can give trespassing notices on private lane at any time.
- 16 year olders can own an ATV, but it must be registered with a DOT, used with an approved helmet and not on public ways.
Tabled at this time was the purchasing of surveillance cameras.
Override Forum – The board voted unaminously to sponsor a forum on the override issue so that both sides of the issue can be aired. Bob and Jim will email recommendations to board members before May’s meeting for approval.
City Election Forum:
Jim contacted mayoral candidates and the focus may change to meet the candidate night rather than a debate. Owen suggested having the forum at the end of July. This event is still in the planning phase.
Fairgrounds advisory committee will be meeting on 4.28.09 at 7pm; folks are encouraged to attend.
Zoning Notification Letter regarding proposed zoning changes on resident’s property
At our last meeting, we discussed the issue of notification of property owners if a zone change on their property is being proposed. As things now stand, the Planning Department does not intend to send out any notices to such property owners, and it's an issue many of us feel strongly about. With the Sustainability Plan there will be many proposed rezoning changes, and they may have considerable impact on our neighborhoods. A subcommittee was formed at the last meeting to try to
draft a letter proposing to the various City boards. An email with a draft letter was sent to board members and can be read (Appendix 1).
Discussion ensued regarding the importance of notifying property owners if their property is being subject to a zone change. Presently owners are notified when it is published in the paper and a public hearing is also widely advertised. The Board was supportive of the letter, but wanted a supportive tone. Jim, Bob, Owen and Jim will revise and send to board by email for their input and a vote will be conducted by email.
4. Nominating/Membership Committee Report – Jim
-Need to elect any associate board members? Tabled for next meeting.
5. Update from Bridge Street School Committee – Tim
Superintendent was reported to say at subcommittee meeting that closing of Bridge School be off table; School Committee wants it on the table. All are encouraged to attend this Thursday’s School Committee meeting. Closing of schools not going away. Preschool will be moved to Bridge Street School. Discussion ensued about some of the changes being considered: 10 teachers here at Bridge Street may be pink slipped; school times mayb be changed which may eliminate busing of JFK students; with transportation being a huge problem for working families. Program City Sprouts is creating a vegetable garden with students at Bridge Street.
6. Update on website content - Owen
Owen, Jim and Lisa met to discuss underlying principles of our website including content, who and when posting should be made (see Appendix 2). A suggestion was made to video record meetings and post the video along with summary statements and/or approved decisions from the secretary’s notes within days of the meeting. A draft of the minutes would be posted until the next board meeting because minutes have to be official approved Notes on annotation. Only board members can log on and post an official comment. Board members were asked to review this document and be ready to vote on these proposals at the next meeting.
7. Sustainability Committee Update – Jim
Nothing to report at this time.
8. Traffic Calming Committee Update – Lola, Lisa
The Hockonum Road/Hawley Road traffic calming project is in the final states. Two hundred signatures were gathered by going door to door as part of the City’s application. Application was submitted to the Transportation Department of the DPW.
9. Exit 19 of I-91 Committee Update – Jim
A sub committee of the Exit19 group met to discuss traffic calming measures along Route 9 leading into the City. Lola and Lisa spoke about their project and gave this group an idea of the process that the City requires for the application of City support with traffic calming on this section. Afterwards, it was discovered that the section of road from Day Avenue to the Bridge is State highway and another process may be probably after the City’s requirement. This committee will meet again in May.
10. Report of Business Representative - Owen.
Nothing to report at this time.
11. Legislative Update from Councilor Reckman – Bob
Zero Lot Line Update,
Zero lot lines vote was taken by the ordinance committee of City Council.
The end results can be viewed on the City’s website. In summary:
1. A fence is not required,
2. Windows are not required,
3. Non-encroaching side has same set back as other zoning requirements.
4. Must own encroached lot or permanent conserved open space.
5. Eliminates permission by neighbor; Cannot make a deal with neighbor to encroach.
Mayor’s Budget Forum
The Mayor’s report on the budget can be viewed on the City’s website. She is calling for an override to increase the property taxes beyond 2.5% to 6%. This override ballot question must be approved by the public at a special election. The Council is expected to vote on approval of a ballot question and there may be an early June election. City employees are being asked to change health care providers and forgo their salary step increases. Even with this action, there will still be a shortfall of approximately 1.5 million.
Northampton Education Action Team is in favor of an overide.neatonline.@gmail.com. They need help to campaign for this override and Ward Captains have been chosen. There is a lot of information available about how people can get involved on the Voteyes website:
http://www.voteyesnorthampton.org/.
Landfill: Result of last forum is a revised scope of work for consultant; report due to by DPW; apply to City to expand the landfill. Afterwards it goes to the Planning Board then to the City Council.
12. Update on “Best Practices” Committee- Bob and Lisa
The Best Practices Report is now in the hands of the City Council. Each council committee has been asked to look at the recommendations at their next meeting and to report back to the Council what steps they recommend for the recommendations in their area of expertise.
13. Update on proposed website offering summaries of city committee discussions
Nothing to report
14. Status of brochure updating and membership drive – Owen/Joanne
Final copy will be sent to the board by email. A motion was made to purchase 2000 brochures. Prices were 1000 - $102.90; 1500 - $115; 2000 - $197.40.
New Business
Strawberry and Lemonade Social - Lisa said she would co chair the this year and would like a volunteer to help her organize this event.
Update on Waste (NOT Storm) Water Treatment Pumps – Fred Zimmoch
On April 2 I spoke to Deputy Director John Carver at Waste Water Treatment Facility (WWTF) about new waste water pumps. He added some detail not mentioned in the article “Northampton council OKs waste treatment projects” by Chad Cain on March 22 in the Gazette.
The new axial type pumps are hydraulically driven and manufactured by MWI (Moving Water Industries) an old (1926) water pump company in Deerfield Beach, Florida. The hydraulic portion of the pump is powered by electric motors that are backed up by the station diesel generator. The new pumps are now being manufactured and will be installed in October 2009 to be in service before the end of the year. The original pumps were installed in 1980 and have lasted almost 30 years. The replacement pumps are identical to the old pumps although the hydraulic loop that drives the pumps requires much less oil.
On Sunday (March 29) the facility started pumping water into the CT River and has been pumping continually since then. John expects that pumping to continue as the snow pack in NH and VT recedes.
You can see the level of the water at our Connecticut River gauging station by going to our city web page and clicking on the following links: Departments in the top menu, Department of Public works in the list of departments, Flood Control in the left hand menu and finally on CT River at Northampton in the list of gauging stations.
Adjourned at 9:03pm.
Appendix 1 Proposed Letter to the City regarding notification process to property owners regarding any proposed zoning changes. DRAFT
To: Members of the Northampton City Council, Northampton Planning Board, and
Zoning Revision Committee
Re: Notice to property owners about current proposed zoning changes
From: Board of Directors of the Ward 3 Neighborhood Association
As the city embarks on the process of rezoning to comply with the Sustainability Plan, there are a number of issues and concerns that we believe need to be addressed so the process is open, fair, and understandable to all residents of Northampton.
The city has a lengthy procedural process for discussing potential zoning changes. A lengthy and public process does not guarantee an informed and open one, which we believe should be the goal. We would like to suggest some meaningful steps city government should take to facilitate information flow to and participation by citizens.
Our first concern is a knowledge barrier resulting from the complexities in the zoning code itself. There doesn’t seem to be an easy, comprehensive way to describe the zoning districts or what it means to be in a particular district. We would ask that a simple, easy-to-understand guide to the zoning code be developed and distributed throughout the city.
Secondly, we are very concerned that the city fails to properly notify property owners and immediate abutters when zoning changes are proposed. We want to be certain that such property owners are notified when zone changes are proposed, and this notification should include a copy of the zone change legislation, a description of the change and the impact it will have on the property, and the time and location of meetings where property owners can learn about and comment on the proposals.
For most families in Northampton, their home is their most valuable and important asset. The city should have a clear policy that it will notify property owners when there’s a proposal to make any change to the zoning on that parcel. This is critical since the Sustainability Plan will likely generate many rezoning proposals. City residents should be confident they will be notified of any changes proposed for their properties and not find out one day the zoning was changed on their property without their knowledge.
A major constituency within the Ward 3 neighborhoods, as in every other ward of the city, are our property owners, people whose biggest investment in the world is right here. These property owners have invested in our neighborhoods, contributed to the attractiveness of living and working in Northampton, and compose a strong part of the city’s revenue stream. They should have access to information about the current status of the zoning on their properties and notification when any changes to that zoning are proposed for their properties.
We present a checklist of items we believe the city should implement to accomplish these objectives:
Suggestions For Improving Information Flow To City Residents
Prepare Easy To Understand Zoning Code
• Zoning Districts with common sense, discernable boundaries and names people can readily recall
• Citizen friendly zoning regulations that minimize the need for professional assistance
• Hire a consultant with experience around facilitating citizen friendly zoning code
Notification Packet Surrounding Changes In Zoning Regulations (sent to each property owner when a zone change is proposed for his/her property)
• A copy of the proposed regulation
• A description of possible impacts
• A list of public venues (time and place) where information will be provided surrounding the new regulation
• A brief review of the ordinance process and how a citizen can make their voice heard
Appendix 2 Ward 3 Neighborhood Association (W3NA) - Principles, Policies, Rules and Procedures for Website Management. DRAFT
Preamble
The W3NA's website (http://wardthree.com) is a run on Google's Blogger blog platform and is hosted by GoDaddy.com. The blog service that Google offers is extremely easy to update and we hope that many members of the board will take the initiative and do so. With this in mind, there should be a set of principles that guide and rules that govern website posting.
Principles for Posts
These principles are to be interpreted by individual W3NA board members who want to post to the website. Here are a list of principles to serve as a guide about what is acceptable to post:
-Any public statement from the City of Northampton, Public boards and committees established by the City, or other city-sponsored events, postings, and public statements. The same principle applies to Massachusetts State and potential US Federal government postings as well.
-Any statement the W3NA sends to its email list.
-Any event, gathering or fundraiser that is being hosted or sponsored by a non-profit, charitable, or community-oriented institution relating to ward 3 that is also open to anyone in ward 3.
Rules for Posts
These rules are meant to guide how postings are done to the website.
-Posts must include a title and, if applicable, a date.
-Posts should be labeled according to the kind of post it is-- categories are listed on the site and new ones can be created if necessary.
Procedures for Minutes
The W3NA board meets only once per month, during which minutes are taken. Committee meetings for the W3NA occur as needed and often contain minutes. It is important to keep proper procedural rules for approving minutes, but also to make sure the posting of minutes is timely and effective.
Option 1: Meetings are video recorded and posted in their entirety to the W3NA website. Written minutes reference the items discussed and the time they were discussed (for reference to the video), and any other notable vote or discussion is also time-noted. Written minutes are posted shortly after the meeting, contemporaneously with the video of the meeting.
Option 2: Written meeting minutes are recorded by the secretary (or the secretary's designee) during the meeting and will be posted as 'Draft' minutes once the secretary completes them. However, during the meeting or prior to the secretary's posting of the minutes, a W3NA board member can ask the secretary to review a particular part of the minutes prior to their being posted. The secretary (or the secretary's designee) will send the 'checked' section to the requesting board member and that board member has 2 days to return his/her edits. Official written minutes will be approved at the next board meeting and edited on the site with the word 'draft' removed and other final changes made.
Minutes for Board Meeting of April 14, 2009
Bridge Street School Library
Attendees:
Board Members: Gerald Budgar, Owen Freeman-Daniels, Marianna McKim, Jim Nash, Fred Zimnoch, Gloria Parker, Tim Fisher, Bob Reckman, Joanne Mackiewicz, Madeline Weaver Blanchette and Lisa DiPiano.
Other attendees: Dennis Helmus, Lisa Maloney, Bill Mackiewicz
Lt. Patenaude and Officers Caputo and Vanbusker of the Northampton Police Department.
The meeting came to order at 7:05 pm.
1. Approval of Minutes – Fred
Minutes were approved of the March 10th meeting by a unanimous vote.
2 Treasurer’s Report - Fred
- Expenses: $0.0
- Dues: None have been received since last meeting.
- Balance in FSB no interest checking: $689.86
- List serve: for Ward 3ab = 152 members.
- List serve messages: for March 2009 = 4;
- List serve messages: When submitting messages for list serve please include a subject line. Your subject line should have less then 70 characters. I can make a subject line but you might not find it entirely acceptable.
3. President’s Report – Jerry
Meadows Watch Issues
Discussion of Meadows Watch issues with Lt. Ken Patenaude and Officer Victor Caputo officer Vanbusker of the Northampton Police Department. We discussed the recent hearing at the Agricultural Commission meeting when complaints were heard from residents from Ward 3 & 4 regarding vandalism, crop running, dumping, and how these problems spill into the surrounding neighborhood
Actions taken:
- The Officers will be placing location markers in various parts of the meadows for communication purposes.
- Two versions of cards were passed around for review. These cards will be handed out to households of Ward 3 and also given out to meadow users. The cards ask the holder to contact the Northampton Police Department if they see or suspicious behavior. Joanne Mackiewicz and Officer Caputo will work on the content of the card and email to board for approval.
- There will be new signs at the Meadow entrances listing the rather steep new fines for dumping in the Meadows ($250 for dumping in a Special Conservancy Zone - thanks to Councillor Bob and Councillor Dave for getting this passed. Officer Caputo will
speak to the DPW about having these signs made up.
Things we learned:
- Environmental police, landowners in meadows can give trespassing notices on private lane at any time.
- 16 year olders can own an ATV, but it must be registered with a DOT, used with an approved helmet and not on public ways.
Tabled at this time was the purchasing of surveillance cameras.
Override Forum – The board voted unaminously to sponsor a forum on the override issue so that both sides of the issue can be aired. Bob and Jim will email recommendations to board members before May’s meeting for approval.
City Election Forum:
Jim contacted mayoral candidates and the focus may change to meet the candidate night rather than a debate. Owen suggested having the forum at the end of July. This event is still in the planning phase.
Fairgrounds advisory committee will be meeting on 4.28.09 at 7pm; folks are encouraged to attend.
Zoning Notification Letter regarding proposed zoning changes on resident’s property
At our last meeting, we discussed the issue of notification of property owners if a zone change on their property is being proposed. As things now stand, the Planning Department does not intend to send out any notices to such property owners, and it's an issue many of us feel strongly about. With the Sustainability Plan there will be many proposed rezoning changes, and they may have considerable impact on our neighborhoods. A subcommittee was formed at the last meeting to try to
draft a letter proposing to the various City boards. An email with a draft letter was sent to board members and can be read (Appendix 1).
Discussion ensued regarding the importance of notifying property owners if their property is being subject to a zone change. Presently owners are notified when it is published in the paper and a public hearing is also widely advertised. The Board was supportive of the letter, but wanted a supportive tone. Jim, Bob, Owen and Jim will revise and send to board by email for their input and a vote will be conducted by email.
4. Nominating/Membership Committee Report – Jim
-Need to elect any associate board members? Tabled for next meeting.
5. Update from Bridge Street School Committee – Tim
Superintendent was reported to say at subcommittee meeting that closing of Bridge School be off table; School Committee wants it on the table. All are encouraged to attend this Thursday’s School Committee meeting. Closing of schools not going away. Preschool will be moved to Bridge Street School. Discussion ensued about some of the changes being considered: 10 teachers here at Bridge Street may be pink slipped; school times mayb be changed which may eliminate busing of JFK students; with transportation being a huge problem for working families. Program City Sprouts is creating a vegetable garden with students at Bridge Street.
6. Update on website content - Owen
Owen, Jim and Lisa met to discuss underlying principles of our website including content, who and when posting should be made (see Appendix 2). A suggestion was made to video record meetings and post the video along with summary statements and/or approved decisions from the secretary’s notes within days of the meeting. A draft of the minutes would be posted until the next board meeting because minutes have to be official approved Notes on annotation. Only board members can log on and post an official comment. Board members were asked to review this document and be ready to vote on these proposals at the next meeting.
7. Sustainability Committee Update – Jim
Nothing to report at this time.
8. Traffic Calming Committee Update – Lola, Lisa
The Hockonum Road/Hawley Road traffic calming project is in the final states. Two hundred signatures were gathered by going door to door as part of the City’s application. Application was submitted to the Transportation Department of the DPW.
9. Exit 19 of I-91 Committee Update – Jim
A sub committee of the Exit19 group met to discuss traffic calming measures along Route 9 leading into the City. Lola and Lisa spoke about their project and gave this group an idea of the process that the City requires for the application of City support with traffic calming on this section. Afterwards, it was discovered that the section of road from Day Avenue to the Bridge is State highway and another process may be probably after the City’s requirement. This committee will meet again in May.
10. Report of Business Representative - Owen.
Nothing to report at this time.
11. Legislative Update from Councilor Reckman – Bob
Zero Lot Line Update,
Zero lot lines vote was taken by the ordinance committee of City Council.
The end results can be viewed on the City’s website. In summary:
1. A fence is not required,
2. Windows are not required,
3. Non-encroaching side has same set back as other zoning requirements.
4. Must own encroached lot or permanent conserved open space.
5. Eliminates permission by neighbor; Cannot make a deal with neighbor to encroach.
Mayor’s Budget Forum
The Mayor’s report on the budget can be viewed on the City’s website. She is calling for an override to increase the property taxes beyond 2.5% to 6%. This override ballot question must be approved by the public at a special election. The Council is expected to vote on approval of a ballot question and there may be an early June election. City employees are being asked to change health care providers and forgo their salary step increases. Even with this action, there will still be a shortfall of approximately 1.5 million.
Northampton Education Action Team is in favor of an overide.neatonline.@gmail.com. They need help to campaign for this override and Ward Captains have been chosen. There is a lot of information available about how people can get involved on the Voteyes website:
http://www.voteyesnorthampton.org/.
Landfill: Result of last forum is a revised scope of work for consultant; report due to by DPW; apply to City to expand the landfill. Afterwards it goes to the Planning Board then to the City Council.
12. Update on “Best Practices” Committee- Bob and Lisa
The Best Practices Report is now in the hands of the City Council. Each council committee has been asked to look at the recommendations at their next meeting and to report back to the Council what steps they recommend for the recommendations in their area of expertise.
13. Update on proposed website offering summaries of city committee discussions
Nothing to report
14. Status of brochure updating and membership drive – Owen/Joanne
Final copy will be sent to the board by email. A motion was made to purchase 2000 brochures. Prices were 1000 - $102.90; 1500 - $115; 2000 - $197.40.
New Business
Strawberry and Lemonade Social - Lisa said she would co chair the this year and would like a volunteer to help her organize this event.
Update on Waste (NOT Storm) Water Treatment Pumps – Fred Zimmoch
On April 2 I spoke to Deputy Director John Carver at Waste Water Treatment Facility (WWTF) about new waste water pumps. He added some detail not mentioned in the article “Northampton council OKs waste treatment projects” by Chad Cain on March 22 in the Gazette.
The new axial type pumps are hydraulically driven and manufactured by MWI (Moving Water Industries) an old (1926) water pump company in Deerfield Beach, Florida. The hydraulic portion of the pump is powered by electric motors that are backed up by the station diesel generator. The new pumps are now being manufactured and will be installed in October 2009 to be in service before the end of the year. The original pumps were installed in 1980 and have lasted almost 30 years. The replacement pumps are identical to the old pumps although the hydraulic loop that drives the pumps requires much less oil.
On Sunday (March 29) the facility started pumping water into the CT River and has been pumping continually since then. John expects that pumping to continue as the snow pack in NH and VT recedes.
You can see the level of the water at our Connecticut River gauging station by going to our city web page and clicking on the following links: Departments in the top menu, Department of Public works in the list of departments, Flood Control in the left hand menu and finally on CT River at Northampton in the list of gauging stations.
Adjourned at 9:03pm.
Appendix 1 Proposed Letter to the City regarding notification process to property owners regarding any proposed zoning changes. DRAFT
To: Members of the Northampton City Council, Northampton Planning Board, and
Zoning Revision Committee
Re: Notice to property owners about current proposed zoning changes
From: Board of Directors of the Ward 3 Neighborhood Association
As the city embarks on the process of rezoning to comply with the Sustainability Plan, there are a number of issues and concerns that we believe need to be addressed so the process is open, fair, and understandable to all residents of Northampton.
The city has a lengthy procedural process for discussing potential zoning changes. A lengthy and public process does not guarantee an informed and open one, which we believe should be the goal. We would like to suggest some meaningful steps city government should take to facilitate information flow to and participation by citizens.
Our first concern is a knowledge barrier resulting from the complexities in the zoning code itself. There doesn’t seem to be an easy, comprehensive way to describe the zoning districts or what it means to be in a particular district. We would ask that a simple, easy-to-understand guide to the zoning code be developed and distributed throughout the city.
Secondly, we are very concerned that the city fails to properly notify property owners and immediate abutters when zoning changes are proposed. We want to be certain that such property owners are notified when zone changes are proposed, and this notification should include a copy of the zone change legislation, a description of the change and the impact it will have on the property, and the time and location of meetings where property owners can learn about and comment on the proposals.
For most families in Northampton, their home is their most valuable and important asset. The city should have a clear policy that it will notify property owners when there’s a proposal to make any change to the zoning on that parcel. This is critical since the Sustainability Plan will likely generate many rezoning proposals. City residents should be confident they will be notified of any changes proposed for their properties and not find out one day the zoning was changed on their property without their knowledge.
A major constituency within the Ward 3 neighborhoods, as in every other ward of the city, are our property owners, people whose biggest investment in the world is right here. These property owners have invested in our neighborhoods, contributed to the attractiveness of living and working in Northampton, and compose a strong part of the city’s revenue stream. They should have access to information about the current status of the zoning on their properties and notification when any changes to that zoning are proposed for their properties.
We present a checklist of items we believe the city should implement to accomplish these objectives:
Suggestions For Improving Information Flow To City Residents
Prepare Easy To Understand Zoning Code
• Zoning Districts with common sense, discernable boundaries and names people can readily recall
• Citizen friendly zoning regulations that minimize the need for professional assistance
• Hire a consultant with experience around facilitating citizen friendly zoning code
Notification Packet Surrounding Changes In Zoning Regulations (sent to each property owner when a zone change is proposed for his/her property)
• A copy of the proposed regulation
• A description of possible impacts
• A list of public venues (time and place) where information will be provided surrounding the new regulation
• A brief review of the ordinance process and how a citizen can make their voice heard
Appendix 2 Ward 3 Neighborhood Association (W3NA) - Principles, Policies, Rules and Procedures for Website Management. DRAFT
Preamble
The W3NA's website (http://wardthree.com) is a run on Google's Blogger blog platform and is hosted by GoDaddy.com. The blog service that Google offers is extremely easy to update and we hope that many members of the board will take the initiative and do so. With this in mind, there should be a set of principles that guide and rules that govern website posting.
Principles for Posts
These principles are to be interpreted by individual W3NA board members who want to post to the website. Here are a list of principles to serve as a guide about what is acceptable to post:
-Any public statement from the City of Northampton, Public boards and committees established by the City, or other city-sponsored events, postings, and public statements. The same principle applies to Massachusetts State and potential US Federal government postings as well.
-Any statement the W3NA sends to its email list.
-Any event, gathering or fundraiser that is being hosted or sponsored by a non-profit, charitable, or community-oriented institution relating to ward 3 that is also open to anyone in ward 3.
Rules for Posts
These rules are meant to guide how postings are done to the website.
-Posts must include a title and, if applicable, a date.
-Posts should be labeled according to the kind of post it is-- categories are listed on the site and new ones can be created if necessary.
Procedures for Minutes
The W3NA board meets only once per month, during which minutes are taken. Committee meetings for the W3NA occur as needed and often contain minutes. It is important to keep proper procedural rules for approving minutes, but also to make sure the posting of minutes is timely and effective.
Option 1: Meetings are video recorded and posted in their entirety to the W3NA website. Written minutes reference the items discussed and the time they were discussed (for reference to the video), and any other notable vote or discussion is also time-noted. Written minutes are posted shortly after the meeting, contemporaneously with the video of the meeting.
Option 2: Written meeting minutes are recorded by the secretary (or the secretary's designee) during the meeting and will be posted as 'Draft' minutes once the secretary completes them. However, during the meeting or prior to the secretary's posting of the minutes, a W3NA board member can ask the secretary to review a particular part of the minutes prior to their being posted. The secretary (or the secretary's designee) will send the 'checked' section to the requesting board member and that board member has 2 days to return his/her edits. Official written minutes will be approved at the next board meeting and edited on the site with the word 'draft' removed and other final changes made.
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