|
Salem state college neighborhood
advisory committee
November 17, 2008 – Minutes
Attendees: Beth Bower, Lee Brossoit, Marcia Lambert, Adria Leach, Bob McCarthy, Joseph O’Keefe, James Rose, Jason Silva, and Andrew Soll
Absent: Fran Carson, John Walsh, and Matt Veno
Other: Yvonne Butterfield, Karen Cady, David & Anne Coleman, Doris Doward, Mary Lou Gauthier, Dana Lothrop, and Tom Moran
PARKING
1. LINDEN STREET CROSSWALK
· Two of the parking spaces immediately west of the crosswalk at Linden Street on the right heading toward the corner have been eliminated. The remaining space under question is up for review by Lieutenant Robert Preczewski.
· The barrel which supports the “Pedestrian Crossing” has been blowing around Loring Avenue. The barrel needs to be checked and secured.
· Mary Lou Gauthier noted that between 4:30-5:30 p.m. there is heavy activity around the crosswalk and the oncoming traffic as you drive up Loring Avenue can be blinding, making it difficult to see pedestrians. She recommends increased street lighting.
2. RESTRICTED PARKING
· The two-hour parking restriction along Loring Avenue and Lafayette Street has been successful. The city increased enforcement in this area after the signs were posted and issued several parking citations. Parking enforcers are equipped with an electronic chalking system that generates tickets onsite. Patrols of the area will slow, but the area will continue to be monitored. The college reports positive feedback to the change. There is more parking for students and less traffic back-ups while students search for spaces.
BASEBALL FIELD
1. ACCESS ROAD BEHIND RESIDENCE HALL
· Bill Colehower reported a concern through the South Salem Neighborhood Association regarding college Public Safety vehicles driving along the dirt road behind the Central Campus residence hall. The road is an access road to the baseball field during construction. Public Safety has been making trips to this area to address vandalism concerns. Security cameras are being installed and will be live as soon as construction closes. Once this takes place, Public Safety will be able to decrease patrols to this area. The road, however, will remain an emergency
access road to the baseball field. Jason Silva will relay this message to Mr. Colehower.
2. BIKE PATH ACCESS
· The bollards are on campus. The college is waiting for an approval from the Conservation Commission regarding the location of some of the bollards as they lie within the buffer zone. Once the college receives approval, the bollards will be installed, preventing vehicle access to the bike path.
· Dana Lothrop reported that his is pleased with the response and cooperation he has received from Beth Bower and the college regarding the removal of vehicles on the bike path.
FORMER WEIR PROPERTY
1. WEIR SIGNAGE
· The “Weir” signs along the Loring Avenue side of the property have been removed. The Canal Street signs are on schedule to be removed by the college’s facilities department. Andrew Soll will follow up to make sure that this is done.
2. FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF PROPERTY
· Yvonne Butterfield reported concern regarding construction along the Broadway side of the property and the location of the parking garage. The college responded that the purpose of the Sasaki study of this property was to define guidelines and principals for future development. The college does not own the property at this time, and development will depend on the partners involved in addition to a market study of the
area. The majority of the public hearing attendees and Weir Property Task Force Members preferred the proposed concept with the garage on Canal Street, but City Planner Lynn Duncan advised at the public meetings that no parking garage location/access can be finalized without a traffic study.
· Ms. Butterfiled is also concerned with the potential uses of Clover Street. Clover Street is a city street and will not be under the control of the college when the former Weir property is purchased.
NEW RESIDENCE HALL
1. PUBLIC MEETING
· David Coleman noted that there were too many voices in the public meeting regarding the project. The college will take this into advisement when preparing future public meetings.
2. BUILDING LOCATION
· Several attendees suggested that the location of the building be pushed further away from abutting property lines. Beth Bower reported that the site of the building will be 105 feet away from the property line, which is a greater distance than the existing residence hall. She will look into the reasons why it is not possible to locate the building farther away from the Raymond Road neighborhood.
3. BUILDING HEIGHT
· Tom Moran stated that the height of the residence hall is the primary issue on this development. He noted that if the height was limited to the guidelines and principals of the Loring Avenue/Canal Street (former Weir Property) development, the project would not be an issue.* Mary Lou Gauthier added that the shadow studies shown in the public meetings did not truly represent the actual pattern of sunlight. She lost sunlight in her yard when the existing residence hall went up on Central Campus and fears that the remaining sunlight
will be eliminated once the new building is in place. David Coleman suggested that the building have a shorter height along the bike path and transition to a higher height on the interior of the campus. He also asked that if the project is set for the college to pass the message to the neighbors. Beth Bower reported that the architects devised multiple alternatives to the 5-story building plan that included a wider footprint and transitioning floor heights. The height of the building is set. There are environmental concerns with moving or expanding the building as it may impact the buffer zone
* Principles and guidelines for the former Weir property post date the design studies for the residence hall.
around the wetlands. Andrew Soll added that the alternative plans were not economically feasible. Ms. Bower will follow up with explanations as to why a terraced or transitioned design was not selected.
4. LIGHTING
· Tom Moran is concerned with the amount of light that will radiate from the new residence hall. Mary Lou Gauthier seconded this concern. Marcia Lambert indicated that she lives behind the soccer field located near the O’Keefe Center, and the neighbors and the college have worked hard to address lighting concerns. They are no longer an issue in this location. Beth Bower encouraged neighbors who have issues
regarding lighting or student behavior to contact Public Safety’s 24-hour line at (978) 542-6111.
5. LANDSCAPING
· David Coleman suggested that a landscaping plan be put in place during construction to take advantage of the two-year construction period, allowing the plantings to grow and provide better screening of the construction noise and the building upon completion. He added that landscaping was an issue during the construction of the existing residence hall. A row of trees was removed and offered to the neighbors, but they have not provided sufficient screening. Beth Bower responded that the Fire Department requires 18 feet surrounding the
access path to the buildings. With this in mind, the college will look at the possibility of devising a planting plan at the start of the project.
6. VENTING
· David Coleman is concerned with the food odors from the dining hall. He suggested that the vents have a carbon filter. Andrew Soll stated that the college would look into this. Beth Bower added that the scope of the HVAC mechanics have not been determined so the drawings depicted the worst case scenario.
7. UTILITIES
· Tom Moran asked if the existing City sewerage and utilities lines would be affected by the new Residence Hall. Dana Lothrop stated that during the public meeting on November 12, it was presented that the utility and sewer lines would be built into the existing college system. Jason Silva
reported that the City Engineer is involved with all developments.
8. DESIGN CONCEPT
· Jim Rose asked if the designs presented previously could be emailed to the group. Beth Bower responded that the designs presented at the public meeting will be posted to the Salem State College website.
NEW BUSINESS
1. RAYMOND ROAD
· David Coleman reported that Raymond Road has become a cut through for trucks, landscapers and traffic heading toward Marblehead from Loring Avenue. The road is not intended for heavy traffic and trucks ignore the sign at the entrance of Raymond Road off of Loring Avenue. College vendors also use Raymond Road as a cut through, but from the Lafayette Street entrance, where there is no sign. Jason Silva will look into
enforcing the no heavy vehicle ordinance on Raymond Road and the possibility of a posted sign at the Lafayette Street entrance. Beth Bower and Andrew Soll will speak with college vendors and instruct them not to use Raymond Road as an exit route from the college.
· Councilor O’Keefe noted the Catherine Leventis letter that made suggestions to the city regarding the curve on Lafayette Street and Raymond Road traffic. Part of her suggestion was to make Raymond Road a one-way street from the Lafayette Street entrance. Mary Lou Gauthier added that the underlay of the road is clay and that gas and utility lines have been crushed by heavy vehicle traffic in the past. She further stated that she does not object to the one-way street suggestion. Attendees showed some concern with a one-way street preventing
residents from accessing homes on the island. Jason Silva stated that this is more of a city issue that should be discussed in a different forum with City officials and residents. Jim Rose added that Lieutenant Robert Preczewski will attend the next South Salem Neighborhood Association meeting on December 12 at the Enterprise Center to discuss traffic and parking concerns of the neighborhood.
2. CENTRAL CAMPUS
· Tom Moran reported that a “No Left Turn” policy be enforced at the exit of Central Campus onto Loring Avenue heading toward Swampscott. He stated that it is illegal to cross a double yellow line in Massachusetts and when taking a left turn from that exit, vehicles are doing so. The City and the college will look into this issue.
3. LIBRARY
· Dana Lothrop asked about the status of the existing library building. Andrew Soll reported that the college has not received an official written report on the status of the existing library building. The unofficial consensus is that the building is not structurally sound and that re-structuring and renovating the existing building to current code standards is too costly. The college is exploring locations for a preferred library site and will conduct soil investigations to see if potential locations are feasible. The college will
alert neighbors before testing of potential sites commences.
· Tom Moran reported concern regarding demolition of the existing library while construction takes place on Central Campus. Andrew Soll responded that if the existing building needs to be removed, demolition will not take place during construction of the foundation and frame. Demolition of
the building would take approximately six to eight months from start to finish and would include a design plan and a schedule. The college hopes to have an official report on the status of this building within the next two weeks.
· David Coleman requests that the college have its contractors stick to construction schedules so as to not disrupt the neighbors during off-peak times and avoid July and August for construction work.
4. CLOSING
· Beth Bower thanked the committee and the audience for their participation in the meeting. She stated that the college is interested in hearing from its neighbors and in fostering better relationships so that concerns may be addressed in an appropriate and timely manner.
MEETING SCHEDULE
The next meeting of the SSCNAC will take place on Monday, December 15 at 5:30 in the Enterprise Center Training Room B located on Central Campus at 121 Loring Avenue.
| 
