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April 26, 2010
Salem State College Neighborhood Advisory Committee

Minutes
Monday, April 26, 2010
6:00 p.m.
Salem State College
Attendees:      Maureen Fry, Julie Goutzos, Marcia Lambert, Kathy Neville, Joseph O’Keefe, Jason Silva, and Andrew Soll

Absent:         Beth Bower, Jack Hoar, Robert McCarthy, John Ronan, James Rose, and John Walsh

Other:  Karen Cady, Michael & Stephanie Eugenio, Jeff Hodgson, Leif Lamoray, Dana Lothrop,

MARSH HALL (NEW RESIDENCE HALL) UPDATES
  • Bike Path Landscaping Plan (provided by Jeff Hodgson, H. Keith Wagner Partnership: Landscape Architects)
  • Mr. Hodgson reviewed the plans for landscape between Marsh Hall and the Salem bike path.
  • Factors that were taken into consideration when devising the landscaping plan included:
  • Narrow planting area that requires upright/dense plantings
  • Poor soil with a high pH. Soil will be treated to lower pH levels, but plants will still need to be tolerant to survive these conditions.
  • Native plants – Dense evergreens are planned for year-round screening of high traffic areas; berries and thick branches of deciduous trees are good for the natural habitat.
  • Questions from committee members:
  • Do the berries get messy? – The berries are located closer to the driveway on the campus side. They will not affect the bike path.
  • Will the plantings grow? – The plantings have a one year warrantee after installation. They will be checked by the landscape architect in a year to see if anything needs to be replaced.
  • Who will maintain the plantings? – The college.
  • Will the plantings be green bagged at installation? – No. They will be watered by hand.
  • Questions from audience members:
  • Will the trees increase shadow over the bike path year round? – The evergreen trees are the only trees that have foliage year round. The others will lose their leaves in the winter.
  • Is there an escape route for bike path users within the tree screening? – The landscape architect will include a natural path in the evergreen section, where trees are most dense, to act as an escape route for users.
  • Which side of the bike path will the plants be planted on? – The college side.
  • Are the berries poisonous to animals? – The landscape architect will research, and the college will report back at the next SSCNAC meeting.
  • Construction Update (provided by Leif Lamoray, Leftfield Inc. Project Manager):
  • Construction remains on track for a July 15, 2010 completion date.
  • Interior is moving along with finishes underway on the third, fourth and fifth floors; tile and kitchen equipment installation in the cafeteria kitchen; and drywall in the conference room.
  • On the exterior, windows are near 90 percent complete; courtyard landscaping is underway; and bike path landscaping will begin within the coming weeks.
  • Students are scheduled to move into the building in August. Students have completed room selection and Marsh Hall is sold out for the 2010-2011 academic year.
  • Questions from committee members:
  • Are there any plans for a parking garage? – At this time, cost for a parking garage is prohibitive. The college is looking into other options, such as off campus parking sites, a Zipcar program for fall of 2010, and a change of behavior within the Salem State community with regard to cars and vehicular traffic. Mr. Soll will report any off-campus parking sites to the committee once an agreement is in place.
  • Where do sophomores live on campus now? – Most live in the apartments in Atlantic Hall or the Bates Complex. Marsh Hall will provide more age-appropriate housing for sophomore students and will allow more upperclassmen to remain on campus. The new residence hall is not intended to result in an enrollment increase.
  • Questions from audience members:
  • Will there be parking for Marsh Hall residents on campus? – Students living in Marsh Hall will have remote parking. They will not have designated parking on Central Campus. Student parking for Atlantic Hall was written into the concept for the building and constructed as part of that project. Parking permits will define where students may park on campus. Students who violate the parking restrictions are subject to ticketing or towing.
  • How many dedicated staff will be working in the cafeteria and store? What are their hours? – Hours for main food service will be dictated by the college meal plan. Chartwells, the college’s catering contractor, develops the staffing plan to accommodate the needs of the facility. Mr. Soll will report the number of employees at the next SSCNAC meeting.
HVAC SYSTEM AT BUILDING 1 UPDATE
  • Beth Bower and Andrew Soll have been working with Mr. and Mrs. Eugenio regarding solutions to their concerns with the cooling tower.
  • The college has ordered sound muffling equipment to be installed on the main cooling tower behind Building One. There was a delay in the shipment, but the college has a contractor on standby to install the equipment as soon as the college receives it. Mr. Soll expects that the equipment will arrive on campus within the next few weeks.
  • Mr. Soll noted that the college has been making improvements to the facilities on the former Weir property to allow for the relocation of portions of IT. This means that the adjacent DX cooling units that provide service to the IT department will be relocated as well.
  • Councillor O’Keefe questioned what happens after installation. Mr. Soll responded that the college will continue to monitor the noise level and will investigate further measures if needed.
LIBRARY & LEARNING COMMONS UPDATE
  • Electrical Relocation
  • The relocation of the electrical service that runs through the existing library building and connects to five buildings on campus went out for bid in the beginning of the month. The Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) has chosen a contractor and will be moving forward with the process after Commencement. In the meantime, they will be ordering equipment, mobilizing and getting subcontractors lined up for the start of work.
  • All work will take place on the college side of Lafayette Street. National Grid expects no interruption in service for neighboring properties.
  • Prep work for this process will begin the week of May 10, but trenching for new pole connections will begin no earlier than May 24,2010. Salem State buildings will be shut down for the switchover in the following order: June 19-27:Old Section of Meier Hall; July 3-11:New Section of Meier Hall; July 24-Aug. 1: Ellison Campus Center; July 29-Aug.1:Bowditch Hall; Aug. 7-9:Peabody Hall
  • Electrical relocation will be complete by August 25, 2010.
  • There is no word on the plan for demolition at this time. However, demolition will not start until after Labor Day.
  • Mr. Silva asked what the venue for communication would be regarding this project. Mr. Soll confirmed that SSCNAC meetings will be used for all major communications, along with letters and e-mail updates to neighbors.
  • Will College Drive be shut down to accommodate the demolition of the library building? – Mr. Soll responded that College Drive will be closed for the structural demolition but will only be closed minimally for the electrical relocation. The plan for the College Drive shut down is to run a temporary road through the parking lot next to the library for campus traffic. Parking spaces lost to this road will be replaced in the tennis courts behind Meier Hall which will be removed at the end of the library project.
  • Will traffic be reversed from Loring Avenue to Lafayette Street? – Traffic will not be reversed for this project. However, some truck traffic may go in and out of the Lafayette Street entrance. A police detail will be in place as needed to alleviate traffic concerns.
NEW BUSINESS
  • The Neighborhood Disturbance Protocol process was distributed to the committee from the college in response to a previous request from Marcia Lambert and Jim Rose, representing the South Salem Neighborhood Association (SSNA). It was noted that calling the Salem Police helps the Community Impact Unit track problem houses, which will give them cause to involve the landlords in the resolution of the issues. Protocol will be shared with SSNA. Ms. Lambert offered public thanks to Beth Bower for her coordination in disseminating this plan to the community.
  • Baseball Field PA System
  • A neighbor reported that the PA system at the Central Campus ball field caused a disturbance on Sunday, April 25. Following the SSCNAC meeting, Mr. Silva reviewed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Salem State and the City of Salem regarding the ball field. He reported back to the committee via email that the MOU allows for the use of a sound system at the field as long as it complies with the city’s noise ordinance. The college has since spoken with the Athletic Department to make sure that the audio at games stays within the noise ordinance levels as dictated by the MOU.
  • University Status for Salem State
  • The legislation that would change Salem State College’s designation to university has moved out of the Joint Committee on Higher Education and now sits in the House Committee on Ways and Means. This legislation would change the designation of six Massachusetts state colleges, allowing the three specialized institutions to keep their current designations. This is a name change only and the furthest the state colleges have ever gotten in this pursuit.
  • Marcia Lambert has been recognized as one of 100 Unsung Heroines of 2010 by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women.  Heroines come from cities and towns across the state, and each will be recognized for their outstanding contributions to their organizations and communities in a ceremony on Wednesday, May 19, 2010, from 1-4 p.m. at the State House in Boston.
  • Ms. Lambert reported that there was an editorial on flooding in the Salem State Log. She asked if there was a flood plan. Mr. Soll responded that there is a procedure the college goes through when there is a risk of flooding that includes notification and coning off potential flood zones. Councillor O’Keefe recommended signage denoting flood zones similar to what the city has on Bridge Street.
MEETING SCHEDULE
  • The next meeting of the SSCNAC will take place on Monday, May 17 at 6:00 p.m. in the Enterprise Center Training Room B located on Central Campus at 121 Loring Avenue.