Neighborhood Improvement Advisory Council

Neighborhood Improvement Advisory Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, September 12, 2018 7:00 P.M. City Hall Annex, 98 Washington Street Called to Order: 7:00 p.m. Members Present: Flora Tonthat (Bridge Street Neck), Rosemary O’Connor (Mack Park), Barbara Mann (Greater Endicott Street), Lucy Corchado (Point), Wendy Meigs and Margaret Crosby (Historic Derby Street), Barbara Mank (Downtown), Anne Sterling (North Street Northfields), Jerry Smith (Salem Common) Guests: Kate Fox (Destination Salem) and Nick Downing (Acting Director of Traffic and Parking) Staff Present: Dominick Pangallo (Office of Mayor Driscoll) Approval of July 11, 2018 Meeting minutes: Approved Public Comment: None Guest: Kate Fox distributed the 2018 Haunted Happenings guides and talked about the major events and programs that will be taking place in October this year. She also shared information about Halloween activities, the Haunted Happenings parade, and Wicked Wednesdays, and closed with a request for people to consider applying to work as Event Staff for October. Nick Downing distributed maps showing the October free weekend shuttle routes and stops. He talked about the free parking on October weekends for Salem residents in the Church Street and MBTA lots, and the changes in garage rates. He also discussed the implementation of the annual October resident parking restrictions and the increase in the fine for resident parking violations on October weekends up to $40. Neighborhood Association Updates: • Historic Derby Street: Mayor Driscoll addressed the association on Monday; will be touring Root soon; elections are in November. • Downtown: Mayor Driscoll will be speaking to the association on September 25th; Lifebridge and CIU attended the last meeting; hoping the trees removed from Lafayette Street near Derby Lofts will be replaced as part of the on-going downtown tree work. • Salem Common: Arch carvings are underway and goal is to have it done for the April muster date; association is still planning to try to hold the children’s carnival on the Common in late October. • Northfields: Two sites found for Little Free Libraries in the neighborhood; would like an update on the plans for the former HMA site if any exists. • Bridge Street Neck: Now meeting at the Hawthorne Hotel; weekend auto work taking place on Lemon Street is disruptive to neighborhood; drug activity suspected at Burnside and Bridge. • Mack Park: Would like the City Council to consider installing amplification in their Chambers; will be on the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall on Saturdays in October to sell shirts to benefit the Salem Police K-9.  • Greater Endicott Street: Resident reported negative experience when calling Salem PD to report an illegally parked car; reports of fire pits in the neighborhood; NAPA auto parts store has had some early morning deliveries. • Point: Block Party on Peabody Street on September 22nd; Hispanic Heritage Month flag raising on Riley Plaza 11am-noon on Friday September 14th; October 12th the LLC hosts Estamos event at Community Life Center. • Chestnut Street: Continuing to have movies in the park; very disappointed in outcome of the Chestnut/Pickering crosswalk, not what had been planned for that location. City Updates: • September Salem Days o Free admission to the Boston Museum of Science through end of September thanks to the Norman Read Trust. If you did not receive the postcard in the mail, you can pick it up from the Mayor’s office or the Salem Public Library. • Bike Master Plan meeting o Annex, Sept. 24, 6:30pm • Canal Street repaving begins on Sunday Sept. 16 overnight and will take about 4 nights of work, weather permitting. The contractor will return in a couple of weeks after paving to stripe and install crosswalks. • CLC Opening Celebrations o Ribbon cutting 4pm on Sept. 21, Open House with free performances and events 1-5pm on Sept. 22. • SFAA website o Check out www.salemforallages.org – the new website for the Salem for All Ages initiative. • Household Hazardous Waste Day/Curbside Yard Waste Collection o HHWD: Sept. 15, 8am-noon at Salem High School, $20 per car, cash only. o Curbside yard waste pick-up: week of September 24. Transfer station is also open weekends still (Sat. 7am-3pm; Sun. 9am-5pm). • Street sweeping o Neighborhood streets are being done Sept. 10-Oct. 5; entrance corridors Oct. 9-18. This is reverse to the normal timing. The complete schedule is at salem.com/news. • Salem Meet & Eat o Free community meals – organized by Mayor’s office and Salem Mass in Motion, prepared by Root, funded by Eastern Bank, and hosted by Salem Public Schools – second Wednesday of the month at 5:30pm at Saltonstall School. With activities, programs, and more. • No parking at corners o Traffic & Parking Department is starting a program to paint the 20’ length of curbs at intersections to indicate they are “no parking” areas per City ordinance and state law. To prioritize locations, they are seeking neighborhood input. Submit your requests to Nick Downing at ndowning@salem.com Next Meeting: Wednesday, September 12, 2018, 7pm, 98 Washington Street Adjourned: 8:07 p.m.