Neighborhood Improvement Advisory Council

Neighborhood Improvement Advisory Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, July 13, 2016 7:00 P.M. City Hall Annex, 120 Washington Street, 3rd Floor Members Present: Nina Cohen, Rosemary O’Connor, Pat Liberti, Justin Whittier, Christian Haselgrove, Flora Tonthat, Lucy Corchado, Polly Wilbert (for Norman LaPointe), Jerry Smith, Anne Sterling, Paula Pearce (for Barbara Mann) Staff Present: Dominick Pangallo (Mayor’s Chief of Staff) Guests Present: Deborah Greel (Public Art Planner) Council Updates: Nina Cohen announced the Phillips House car show will be August 14, 9am- 2pm; Chestnut Street Associates are looking into traffic calming, possibly at the Pickering Street intersection. Rosemary O’Connor invited other neighborhood associations to join the Mack Park Neighborhood Association in co-hosting a candidates’ forum for the Essex County Sheriff’s election after the primary in September; National Night Out will be on Salem Common on August 2nd; the annual City of Salem vs. City of Peabody softball game will be held at Mack Park on August 18th. Pat Liberti shared that the friends of the Council on Aging will be holding a fundraiser through Barnes & Noble on August 13th from 10am-3pm; a group of volunteers will be cleaning up the Proctor’s Ledge site on August 12th in the morning. Christian Haselgrove invited members to the Historic Derby Street Neighborhood Association annual picnic on August 12th. Flora Tonthat announced the Bridge Street Neck Neighborhood Association will hold a neighborhood party at Remond Park on August 8th. Lucy Corchado share that the Point Neighborhood Association, in conjunction with the North Shore CDC, is holding voter registration hours at 135 Lafayette Street’s community room every Wednesday from 6-8pm; she also announced Salsa on the South River at Peabody Street park every Sunday evening this summer and a neighborhood clean-up on July 17th. The Salem Chamber will also be holding a walk and lunch in the Point on July 22nd. Jerry Smith reminded everyone about the Salem Common Neighborhood Association’s free Thursday night concerts on the Common in the summer. Polly Wilbert shared that work is beginning on sidewalk improvements on Loring Avenue near Raymond Road and spoke about the South Salem Neighborhood Association and City’s partnership to plan new street trees on Lafayette Street and to address an on-going problem property on Cherry Street. Approval of May 11, 2016 Meeting Minutes: Unanimously approved. Public Comments: None Guest Speakers: Deborah Greel, the City’s Public Art Planner, introduced herself and spoke a bit about her background and experience. She shared the background on the development of the City’s Public Art Master Plan process and the formation of the Public Art Commission. She updated the Council on activity related to Artists Row, Derby Square, and Old Town Hall, and shared a description of the Art Box program, the recent Mural Slam, and the annual public art installation project – the earth tattoos concept last year and this year’s installation, Tradewinds. Deborah also spoke about public furniture, including tables in Derby Square and on the Pedestrian Mall and Adirondack chairs and the Little Library in Lappin Park. The Commission also provides stewardship of works of art owned by the City and recently had a hand in helping with the CPA-funded restoration of three historic portraits in City Hall. The Council discussed with Deborah the role that public art could play in sharing local history, as well. City Updates: The US Coast Guard tall ship and training vessel the USS Eagle will be docked at the Footprint pier from July 29th through August 1st. Public tour details will be posted at www.salem.com once they are made available from the Coast Guard. The City’s street paving program is going out to bid and should get underway in August. In addition to the $12 million Canal Street project and National Grid’s repaving of the entire cable replacement project route, the City is investing about $2.8 million in paving additional roads across the City. The Salem Harbor Shuttle program begins on July 16th and runs through October 31st. There are stops at South River on Congress Street, Salem Wharf on Blaney Street, Winter Island, and the Salem Willows pier. The full schedule and ticket details at available at www.bostonharborcruises.com Salem Heritage Days will take place August 5-14. Full event details and schedules will be available at www.salem.com later in July. The Mayor has appointed Tom Daniel to serve as the new Director of Planning and Community Development. His appointment goes before the City Council on July 21st for confirmation and his start date is in early August. Tom was previously the economic development planner for the City, before leaving in 2013 to take the position of Community Development Director for the City of Gloucester. The Canal Street roadway improvement project is mobilizing to start. This major road project will stretch the entirety of the corridor, including the intersections at each end, and is expected to last about two years. Regular biweekly project updates and other detailed information is online at www.buildingsalem.com. The Salem Redevelopment Authority has given their final approvals for the 17-space public parking lot at the Old Salem Jail on Bridge Street. Work is expected to begin shortly on the lot and construction is anticipated to be complete by early fall. Next Meeting: Wednesday, September 14, 2016 Adjournment: 8:15 p.m.