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May 8, 2013
Neighborhood Improvement Advisory Committee
Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
7:00 p.m.
120 Washington Street, 3rd Floor

Members Present: Dorothy Hayes, Linda Haley, Leslie Limon, Barbara Mann, Jim Rose, Jerry Smith

Guests Present: Councillor Bill Legault, Vice-Chair of GESNA, Bob Femino

Staff Present: Kristian Hoysradt (Mayor’s Office), Dominick Pangallo (Mayor’s Office), John Tomasz (Salem Department of Public Services)

Approval/Amending of March/April Meeting Minutes: Ms. Hayes motioned for approval. The motion was seconded by Mr. Rose. Minutes were approved unanimously.  

Special Guest, John Tomasz, DPS Director: Previously worked in Hamilton for five years and Rockport for 10 years. Has wide-ranging experience from dealing with water sewer issues, to Native American burials, and washed up whale carcasses. Mr. Tomasz also worked for 15 years in private construction consulting. Currently lives in Newburyport and serves on the City’s Water & Sewer Commission.

In Salem, Mr. Tomasz is working on both high and low priority fixes – bringing in contractors to deal with more complicated issues, and using the DPS staff to make smaller fixes like sidewalks. DPS also accommodates resident inquiries, and the requests of the City Council and Mayor’s Office. Currently, there are roughly 35 DPW workers in the field dealing with road, sidewalk and park fixes on a daily basis. Ms. Tomasz’s goal is to be as proactive as possible in allocating the DPS’ resources.

Salem’s spring street sweeping program has just started, beginning with entrance corridors, then moving on to neighborhood streets throughout the month of May and into June. NIAC expressed its desire for more trash barrels in the City, but Mr. Tomasz warned that often, the presence of trash barrels actually attracts more trash. If anyone notices that trash barrels need to be emptied, they should contact the DPW, though most are emptied on a day to day basis. Mr. Tomasz also mentioned that a contractor is taking care of clearing the catch basins throughout the City and will work on spray painting all basins to make them more visible.

City Updates

BuildingSalem
  • New initiative from the Mayor’s Office that will serve as the single point of contact for residents for any private or public construction projects in Salem
  • Salem will see $1.5 billion in development/construction projects over the next 3-6 years, and the Mayor wants to make sure residents have a way by which to stay informed and log any complaints or inquiries directly with the City
  • Initiative includes:
  • Beth Debski is the new BuildingSalem Coordinator  
  • The Gazette and Patch have covered the announcement of this initiative
Bertram Field
  • $1.9 million bond order request submitted to the Council yesterday, $400K of which will be provided by a state PARC grant
  • Goal is to start the work by July so construction of the new track and laying of the new field does not interfere with the fall sports schedule
  • The track will be expanded by 30 meters so that it meets official track standards
  • The new synthetic turf has incredible durability and will allow for revenue to be generated from rental
  • Turf will also provide for significant water savings (500-1,000 gallons per year)
Power Plant
  • Next Planning Board Meeting is May 16th (location TBD) – meetings are generally every other Thursday at the Bentley School
  • Spectra Gas is in the process of determining where to lay the gas line
Winter/Northey/Bridge Street Crossing Light
  • Short-term fix: pedestrian signs have been installed to draw attention of vehicles
  • Long-term fix: converting the hanging traffic light into a pedestrian signal
  • Working with the City Electrician and Engineer to see if the hanging light can be converted
  • Skerry Street light needs to also be addressed
Willows Pier
  • Pier was damaged during the winter and fencing has been put up for safety
  • The insurance company denied coverage for the damage – the City is working on some short-term fixes now to provide for some use during the summer
  • Looking into FEMA funding for a long-term fix

Salem Fire Department
  • The Salem FD is planning to do some flow testing and ladder moving throughout the weeks ahead
  • Larger-scale MBTA drill planned for the morning of Sunday, June 2nd and was planned in advanced of the Marathon Bombings – no further details as of yet
  • Fire Department/DPS will also conduct hydrant flushing very soon
MBTA Garage
  • Next meeting is June 19th – looking at the Salem 5 Community Room
  • No ground breaking as of yet
  • Pedestrian access is being addressed by the consultants and City
Universal Steele Lot
  • EPA clean-up is going well – opening planned for the end of June
  • MBTA main lot is to close during mid-July, and we do not expect the main lot to close until the Universal Steele lot is opened
  • Dominick will check on whether the MBTA will provide police for traffic issues
Capital Improvement Plan
  • FY14 CIP has been filed and will go online shortly
Lower Lafayette Street Sidewalk Improvements
  • Sidewalk will be expanded to accommodate and attract outdoor dining (near Derby and the Fire Station)
North Shore Pride Parade & Festival
  • 2nd Annual festival is planned for Saturday, June 29th starting from Riley Plaza, and ending at Salem Common where the festival with vendors will take place
Essex Street Pedestrian Mall Improvements  
  • Phase II work is beginning on May 13th and completed by June 30th at the latest
  • Work will include removing the last of the landscape beds, eight of the diseased trees are being replaced, cobblestones will be reset to deal with some of the draining issues and tripping hazards – some will be replaced by brick to make more of a uniform pattern
  • Work on the fountain on Washington Street will be done separately
  • Info kiosk will be removed to allow for more pedestrian access without obstruction
City-wide Fountain Plan
  • Parks & Rec and DPS are going through inventory of the City’s fountains and will be working throughout the Spring to get the fountains fixed with what recourses that are available
  • Dominick will check in with John Tomasz about “dog fountain”

Parks Update
  • Common fence repairs are moving forward – sections of the fence are being removed and will be brought back once repaired in June
  • Castle Hill Playground basketball court is being fixed and softball field drainage should be repaired by July
  • Collins Cove Park repairs are up next
  • Tree service going down to the Willows next week to get the park cleaned up for the season
  • Parks and Rec is working to get all of the sand and mulch in all the playground replenished by the end of June
  • Driver Park improvements are set to be done by the end of June – Dominick will confirm with Ms. Hayes
Free Trolley Rides for Salem Residents
  • As of June 1st, free trolley rides will be offered for all Salem residents through September 31st
  • Will not continue into October due to Haunted Happenings
  • Press release will announce the free offer, and the Mayor will help promote the program by riding the trolley on June 1st
Public Schools Summer Program
  • Two dozen programs are available and information will be posted on SalemK12.org over the next two weeks
Parking Board Vacancies
  • Two current vacancies on the 5-person board
  • Two residents are currently serving, along with the Chamber of Commerce designee (Executive Director)
  • Board meets on the 1st Monday of the month at 4:30pm at 120 Washington St
  • Appointees would serve for one-year terms
  • Mission is to oversee the activities of the Parking Department as related to the parking garages – not meters or resident sticker/on-street parking – responsibilities are limited to off-street parking per City Ordinance
New Business

  • Linda Haley resigned as NIAC Chair due to her moving to Swampscott
  • A new NIAC Chair must be selected during the June NIAC Meeting
Adjournment: 8:09 p.m.