Meeting Minutes, Oct 12, 2010

Ward 3 Neighborhood Association Agenda for Board Meeting
Tuesday, October 12, 2010 7 PM
Bridge Street School Library

Present: Jerry, Owen, Maddy, Lisa, Arnie, Gloria, Fred, Jim (late)
Absent: Marianna, Tim P., Joanne, Lola, Phil, Jennifer.

7:12 called to order

1. Approval of Minutes – Maddy

Approved unanimously
-asking to add Maddy: mostlymaddy[at]gmail.com to requests for reports before or after

2. Treasurer's Report – Fred
Approved unanimously
Owen: For purposes of upcoming annual meeting, how many voting members?
Fred: 65 +
Previous Balance $1780.39
DUES: $158.07
Expenses: Brochures =$37.78; Veggie Garden= $10.00
NEW BALANCE: $1910.68 with 5 new Voting members
-Note: $218.19 Allocated to Neighborhood Watch

LIST SERVE: for Ward 3ab = Previous 258; New = 263
Total Members = 264; New = 6
LIST SERVE MESSAGES: for this period = 6

-Veggie Garden Tour Summer 2010: Lisa submitted her ticket sales.

3. President's Report –
Neighborhood Associations Update
-Joint Forum on Police Station Override looking at some October dates for BSS, looking for an opponent.
-Good attendance at meeting talking about Beautification Program… Smith, BID, Mayor’s Office, Smith Voke, etc. – lots of support
-Significant Bean Allard Farm meeting Oct. 21 courtesy of Grow Food Northampton

Annual Meeting
Sunday, Oct. 24th at Walter Salvo House 2:30-5, gratis in the ward, (Senior Center will charge us).
-Dynamite space, has chairs, has some art: positive- good visibility, outside of the ward
Arnie: Senior Center seems antithetical to community participation…
Fred: give it some more thought… let’s address it
Comment: thinking Salvo is better because 600 residents will have access, good visibility, etc.

Bridge Street School
-Elementary school reconfiguration may come up again. The committee will stay in place with Tim F. at the head.

Monthly Meeting with the Mayor – Topics/People

1. Are you planning on closing an elementary school? Maybe, kindergarten enrollment is up, but lots of other numbers are down. She will support teachers over buildings. No changes until new Superintendent. (Owen says we should keep an eye on the process of choosing Superintendent.)
2. What about signs for letting people know that the bike trail ends at certain areas?
3. What about pruning and replacing trees taken by National Grid? We only have an easement so we can’t do what we want there. We still don’t have keys to the trail. Mayor doesn’t believe the trees were mature enough to need replacing but also doesn’t know the specifications for how mature the trees need to be to mandate replacing…
4. Is there any thought given to requiring maintenance of empty commercial properties? City is allowed to bill homeowners for basic maintenance on blighted property, looking to discuss with Terry Anderson regarding same for commercial properties.
5. Capital plan, tax rate, police station are the things that are coming up. There are overrides that are coming off over time.


Next time: THURSDAY @ 4:30

1. Pensions are they funded or can they be shifted to defined contribution?
2. Prospect for Fairgrounds being local food supply central; i.e., certified kitchen, food processing, agricultural hub.
3. Ballot Q. 2- permitting processes- how would that affect Northampton?
4. What are the zoning restrictions on the Meadows properties? What recreational uses are permissible on flood zone area?

Keep Farming Northampton
-Jerry went to presentation, was excellent. The Glynwood Center- Keep Farming Northampton. Contact person is Ben Grosscup 413 685 5374 ben.grosscup[at]novfa.org

Open Space Plan/Future of Meadows Farming
-Wayne went through the plan again for W3’s benefit. The state requires plan for a lot of grants, and it outlines what lands are to be protected and why. Relevant to W3:

1. part of our ward is an area for potential acquisition- Connecticut Greenway
2. expand Sheldon Field
3. off-ramp on Edwards Square
4. “pavement to parks” - looking at Pleasant Street triangle at Hokanum Road.
5. Issues with aging farmers in the Meadows. What may happen if farmers’ children don’t want to continue agricultural use of the lands?


Question: What is the zoning? Let’s asked the Mayor next time?
Angela: Hasn’t heard about this issue, having difficulty staying in the loop with Wayne Feiden.

8:00 pm
Meadows Cleanup Discussion
Farmers would like us to do it, we sent a letter, haven’t heard anything back.

Fairgrounds Redevelopment Update
7 pm at Fairgrounds Office on Fair St. discussing Redevelopment Plan, i.e. the 3 barns and 2 covered riding rings.
-planning board has postponed
Angela: meetings are being booked too quickly, inappropriately expedited. (Second issue is at St. Elizabeth- more like a highway development plan.)

Ward 3 Historic District
Meeting with Wayne, discussed the Federal Historic District in the Pomeroy Terrace area.
-Historical society did a lot of research. Maybe CPA can fund the 4K for the “narrative.”
Plan: W3NA will organize a meeting for neighbors.

Valley Time Trade (Owen)
NTA

4. Nominating/Membership Committee Report – Owen
-The slate has lots of space in 3B and not in 3A. Both A & B still lacking women members and tenant members.
-Discussing possible bylaw changes regarding role of city councilor and school committee
Representative
-At Oct. 20th meeting will discuss bylaws and email communication meeting. The proposal will be submitted on the 24th.
-Proposed changes are membership (dues or not dues) and role of city councilor and board of directors.
-Discussion of draft regarding board email policy

5. Update from Bridge Street School Committee/School Committee News – Deborah Christakos
NTA

6. Update on creation of related organization to do conservancy in Ward 3 – Fred
-Working on revising articles of incorporation and bylaws, will schedule meeting in the next several weeks.

7. Sustainability Committee Update – Jim
-Had the first of our on-going, First-Tuesday, monthly W3NA Sustainability Committee meetings. In attendance were Jim Nash, Owen Freeman-Daniels, and Adam Cohen. (Monthly meeting first Tuesday at 5:30 at glass house of First Church.)
-Discussion focused on how to design a resident survey (both internet and paper) that would prove helpful for making recommendations to the Zoning Revisions Committee. The consensus: we wanted data and information that could lead to zoning recommendations.
-We began our discussion by examining the Bay State Village Survey and subsequent Report. There was much to be said for BSVA's work and we plan to meet with the President of the BSVA in the near future discuss what worked and what did not. The survey can be found at the following link. http://www.mckateoh.com/survey.html
-This lead to a discussion of our survey goals: Neighborhood satisfaction/dissatisfaction measures, possible design standards, employing images and pictures to gather accurate information, information that leads to zoning recommendations.
-We agreed to work to develop a survey (electronic & paper) for approval at the W3NA Annual Meeting and have it ready for distribution at the polls on November 2.
Jerry: don’t make it too long or too confusing
-Planning November 6 Forum for ?
Request
-We also agreed to encourage W3NA members to visit Councilor Plassmann's website to complete a survey designed by Adam Cohen & DPW concerning traffic calming for the North Street reconstruction project planned for next year. It can be found at..http://angelaplassmann.com/2010/10/01/north-street-traffic-calming-survey.aspx
8:37
Plan
W3NA will put a link on our website to the survey and Angela’s website.
-King Street discussion is moving forward fast. Attendance okay, but the word is getting out regarding the Chamber’s proposals. Another meeting will be scheduled in November. Points of departure: greenway, set-backs, second-story requirement.

8. Traffic Calming Committee Update – Lola, Lisa
-Back and forth over Pleasant Street crosswalk. Now, city is proposing to take away parking spot in front of the Ye Olde Watering Hole.
-Committee meeting on Monday, Oct. 18 at 4 pm at Lola’s house.
Owen: Ward 4 seems to be moving fast.

9. Exit 19 of I-91 Committee Update – Frank Werbinski
PAC meeting recently. Three concepts still on the table… design details coming into focus.
The next step is Dec. 7th PAC meeting with 3 options, after that, February public meeting and then will narrow down to 1.
Concept #13: intersections as it is now with minor changes to intersection. Coming off of Bridge will be two-lane onto Damon Rd., 2 lanes also entering onto 91 South.
Concept #13A: intersection into roundabout… same two lane entrance onto 91 South. There will be a slip land onto Damon Road. Working on ambulance, bike and pedestrian access.
Concept #13B: double roundabout… the bottom one is traffic calming going onto Bridge St. Also only a little land-taking
Frank: concerned about no-build…concerning that they will come back with more.
-other issues are the other transportation issues- busses, highspeed internet, passes facilitated by employers, etc.
Comment: Let’s talk about an underground tunnel for the bike path.

10. Report of Transportation Committee - Owen
NTA

11. Update on Neighborhood Watch – Arnie, Phil, Owen
-Article featuring Northampton NWA in national Sheriff’s magazine.

12. Legislative Update from City Councillor – Angela
-She will be attending Ordinance committee meeting next month. Missing an important one tonight.
-Thursday night, planning and zoning board meetings. Conz St. has final meeting 6:30 at Senior Center.
-First truck traffic meeting at Coca-Cola produced a good exchange of ideas. There is a follow-up meeting there with DPW and MassHighway- ideas for better signage, higher penalties for violations, etc.
-North Street survey will be looked at and sent to DPW, mid-November for another meeting. Her hope is to work out the calendars with DPW, tree committee, etc.
-Concerned regarding the left turn at Day Ave.- lots of abuses.
9:10
-On a personal note, having surgery next week, and will be unavailable.

13. Vegetable Garden Tour – Joanne
NTA

14. Social Committee Report - Owen
NTA

15. Report from Business Representative - Jim
NTA

16. Orchard Street Block Party – Owen
NTA

17. New Business
-Lisa: We should switch the agenda items each month because the ones at the bottom of the agenda are consistently getting short shrift. (many on board agreeing.)
-Waste Water Treatment Plant and Storm Water Pump Station (Fred)
Last month I spoke to assistant Deputy Director John Carver at the WWTF about the
new flood monitor. Previous to this installation the staff at the WWTF needed to climb
stair at the Storm Water Pumping station and observe the Mill River water level on
a calibrated measuring stick on the outside of the pumping station. Now there is an
electronic monitoring system that does this in a continuous maner. Besides reliving the
staff of this regular duty it is also connected to the Advanced Hydrological Prediction
System of the National Weather Service. You can also read Fred Contrada’s report Flood
monitor installed at Mill River in Northampton in The Republican of Monday, September
27, 2010.