Neighborhood Improvement Advisory Council

Neighborhood Improvement Advisory Council Meeting Minutes Thursday, March 16, 2017 7:00 P.M. City Hall Annex, 120 Washington Street, 3rd Floor Members Present: Flora Tonthat (Bridge Street Neck), Pat Liberti (Ward 4/Gallows Hill), Barbara Mann (Greater Endicott Street), Bob Femino (Greater Endicott Street), Anne Sterling (Northfields), Lucy Corchado (Point Neighborhood), Jim Kearney (Historic Essex Street), Christian Haselgrove (Historic Derby Street) Staff Present: Dominick Pangallo (Mayor’s Chief of Staff) Guests Present: Kerry Murphy & Russell Findley (Salem Mass in Motion), Patricia Zaido (Salem for All Ages), Mayor Kim Driscoll, Police Chief Mary Butlery Approval of January 11, 2017 Meeting Minutes: Approved Public Comment: None. Council Updates: MPNA: K9 event will take place April 21 at the Moose. NNA: Hosted an “Imagine Salem” facilitated discussion, strongly recommend it. Shoveling issues on North Street sidewalks. GHNA: Sidewalk shoveling on First Street was not done well, either. Guest Speakers: Kerry Murphy and Russel Findley from Salem Mass in Motion summarized the newly launched Salem Food Policy Council and Food Assessment. They asked NIAC members to share the assessment survey with their members and reviewed the four focus areas for the year-long program: food security, food waste, food access, and urban gardening. Patricia Zaido offered an update on the status of the Salem for All Ages initiative, including the on-going work of the task force focused around the five priority areas identified in the certified Salem for all Ages Action Plan. She offered to visit neighborhood associations to answer questions and share more information about the initiative. Mayor Driscoll and Chief Butler reviewed the proposed Sanctuary for Peace ordinance and the related Police Department policy, Chapter 138. They spoke about the background of why and how the ordinance came to be drafted and who participated in that process. They summarized the contents of the Ordinance and the policy and Chief Butler reviewed the process by which police respond to a call for service and an arrest. Mayor Driscoll spoke about the Ordinance’s alignment with federal immigration laws and addressed questions about why the Ordinance does not put the City at risk of losing federal funds. City Updates: • Salem Recycles Book Swap is this Saturday, 10am-1pm at the COA. • Salem residents survey is online at www.salem.com/mayors-office - will be up through April 14. • Public Art Commission call for artists is open through March 30th: seeking proposals for public art installations at Washington/Bridge, Washington/Front, and Mill Hill sites. Details are at www.salem.com/public- art-commission • Salem Public Schools community meeting as part of their strategic planning process takes place March 22, 6pm, Salem High School – child care, food, and interpretation will be provided. Please call 978-740-1212 or email superintendent@salemk12.org to RSVP. • There will be a public meeting for a presentation and discussion on the second phase of the Bertram Field upgrades. It will take place at 6:30pm on March 27th in the high school auditorium. • The Imagine Salem survey is also still online; you can fill it out by visiting www.imaginesalem.org. • The Salem City Hall to Go booth is available for neighborhood association meetings, block parties, and other community events. To schedule it, call Sarah Stanton at 978-619-5625 or email her at sstanton@salem.com. Next Meeting: Wednesday, May 10, 2017, 7:00 p.m. Adjournment: 8:34 p.m.