Neighborhood Improvement Advisory Council
City of Salem
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Meeting Minutes
Thursday, July 9, 2009
7:30 pm
Members in Attendance: Jim Moskovis (Chair), Michael Coleman (V. Chair), RoseMary O’Connor, Patricia Zaido, Ana Gordon, Lucy Corchado, Stan Franzeen, Jim Rose (arr. 8:00), Leslie Limon (arr. 8:15)
Members not in Attendance: Meg Twohey, Shirley Walker
City Staff: Jason Silva
Public: Pat Libertie
Introduction
The group introduced themselves and identified each neighborhood group they belong to. Meeting minutes for the June meeting were reviewed. RoseMary motion to approve, Lucy seconded, approved.
Public Comment
Pat asked that the city address several issues: 1) traffic problems at the Marlborough Road/Trader’s Way/Highland Ave. intersection; 2) Highland/Old Village Drive intersection; 3) Mass Highway’s removal of bus stop sign on Highland; and 4) late night problems with noise and abandoned cars at Highland Ave. strip mall (near Walmart). Jason said he would follow up with Salem Police Dept. and Mass Highway, respectively.
Bench on corner of Highland Ave and Marlborough Road
Previous problem has been corrected.
Boston Street
Jason explained that Boston Street needs improved lane merges and traffic flow through the intersection with Howley St. Improvements are in the queue, and the city also hopes to collaborate with Peabody on a unified plan for the flow of traffic through that corridor.
Franklin Square Court, Forrester St., Derby St. (trolley drop-off area near Derby Wharf) and the PLAV club
Jason has followed with ward councilors regarding these issues.
Neighborhood Crime Stats
Jason said that he has requested the stats from the Salem Police Department.
Peabody Street Park Update
The Planning Department distributed a letter to area residents about the status of the Park. The city is working with DEP and the EPA. The EPA petroleum clean-up grant could not be applied to the asbestos clean-up, but the city reached an agreement with the EPA to proceed. Another 30k (approx.) is needed to complete the job. Lucy requested the name of the site contact for the clean-up. Jason will follow but asked that until he tracks down the correct person, inquiries should be directed to Lynn Duncan.
Peabody St./Congress St. intersection
Lucy asked for an update on the construction project at this intersection, and asked that a fire hydrant be installed. Jason said he would follow.
City Wide Construction Project Update
Jason distributed and presented a comprehensive report on the “state of the city.” The report will be reviewed by the Administration and Finance committee on Monday night, July 13. If the report is approved at the Thursday night city council meeting, the city can proceed with the capital projects, including street repaving. Jason added that streets are paved according to a priority management system which uses several variables to rank streets throughout the city. If approved, capital improvements can proceed and include repairs to the Witch House and the City Hall elevator, the conversion of some downtown parking meters to a “pay and display” system, and a parks renovation program.
Other items of interest from the “state of the city” report that Jason discussed were:
- Bids for Salem’s South River Harborwalk are due next week.
- Salem Wharf plans are complete, and permitting will soon be approved. The Seaport Advisory Council is funding the final engineering phase and the preparation of construction and bid documents.
- Permitting for the Senior Center will begin soon.
- The old Salem News building is 50% occupied and Tavern in the Square is thriving. The restaurant has requested that several trees be removed in order to create an 80-seat outdoor dining area, and the Salem Redevelopment Authority is awaiting a recommendation from the city’s tree warden. Rosemary asked about liability and fees for the use of public spaces by restaurants. Jason said that the licensing board requires license holders to have liability insurance, and that restaurants are not required to pay for the use of public space for customer seating.
- The judicial center and Salem jail projects are well underway.
- The design for the new MBTA garage is nearing the 30% design stage, at which time a public hearing will be scheduled.
- Old Town Hall is hosting a large number of activities, including the arts and living green festivals and the farmers market. Downstairs restrooms are now open to the public when OTH is open, and the city has received $250k for long-awaited repairs to the building’s infrastructure.
- Jason said that Salem’s housing market is better than that of Essex County has a whole. The city is also tracking foreclosures, monitoring vacant properties, and offering assistance to first-time homebuyers and landlord rehab projects on bank-purchased properties.
- A wind turbine for Winter Island is under consideration.
- The city’s recycling rate has increased since the new policy was instituted. The city is also working with Beverly to share a hazardous waste disposal day, probably October 3. For a fee, residents of both communities would be able to bring their waste products to either of the Salem or Beverly drop-off locations on the designated day. Recycling coordinator Julie Rose is working on an inter-municipal agreement between the two cities.
The Mayor would like to have the opportunity to attend neighborhood meetings to present this report and discuss its contents with local residents.
Other neighborhood issues
RoseMary requested a list of Salem’s condemned properties and asked Jason to follow with the Salem News to print Salem’s municipal calendar, as the News routinely prints calendars for other nearby towns. She also noted that the island across from the fire station at the intersection of Essex and Boston St. needs landscaping.
Other Business
Jason noted that the police department is working on a regional approach to addressing motorcycle noise, and is planning to purchase a noise measuring device. A focus will be on education in five adjacent communities and sponsoring ‘noise testing’ days. Police will have to be trained to use the device using a generally accepted protocol.
Stan asked Jason to propose that accessible curb cuts be made in the sidewalk in front of the Custom House. There are no curb cuts at this time, and people in wheelchairs cannot access that side of the street. Jason agreed to follow up.
Leslie said that there are no ‘closed’ signs at the entrance to Forest River Park indicating when the pool is closed. Families wanting to use the pool cannot know if the pool is closed until after they have parked their vehicles, carried their belongings, and walked through the park to the pool area.
Ana said that she witnessed a road rage incident at the Congress/Hawthorne/Derby intersection and expressed concern about traffic violators in that location. Jason said that 250K from last year’s capital account had been earmarked for that intersection. A new study was conducted by Beta Engineering, which concluded that the level of service (LOS) and safety justified a full set of signals. He said that the next step is for a public meeting with neighborhood associations. Stan expressed a preference for a rotary (roundabout) as an option, but Jason said that this option was not presented by the Beta consultants. Jim had concerns about a rotary, and Lucy expressed support for a signalized intersection.
The next meeting will be held on August 6.
Meeting Minutes recorded by Stan Franzeen
Meeting adjourned at 9:00 pm
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