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), Christy Evans (Mack Park), Wendy Meigs and Margaret Crosby (Historic Derby Street), Jodie Salasny (Downtown), Anne Sterling (North Street Northfields), Gabriel Ciociola (Salem Common), Pat Liberti (Ward 4/Gallows Hill) Staff Present: Dominick Pangallo (Office of Mayor Driscoll) Approval of September 12, 2018 Meeting minutes: Approved Public Comment: None Neighborhood Association Updates: • Bridge Street: 4-8 Northey Street sidewalk work looks to be getting underway; waiting on Councillor Madore who is setting up a neighborhood meeting on the proposed addiction recovery facility at the former Ward 2 Social Club. • Downtown: Mayor spoke at the last meeting and provided a lot of useful updates and information; for October, downtown condo owners have the option of getting a reserved parking space on the garage roof; 289 Derby Street park expected to open in November; issues with large/loud tour groups. • Mack Park: Association will again be selling shirts on Saturdays in October on the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall in support of the Salem Police Department’s K-9 program. • Historic Derby Street: glad Swiniuch Park water fountain is in, hoping it will be turned on this month; request for completion of gaps in the new sidewalk on Carlton Street and Turner Street; concerns about recurring sinkhole on Herbert Street. • Ward 4/Gallows Hill: site work at CinemaWorld property for clean-up; Traffic & Parking Department working with the neighborhood on some traffic calming plans for Valley Street. City Updates: • Deputy Chief Gerry Giunta has been named the next Chief of the Fire Department. Details about the swearing in ceremony will be forthcoming. • Voices Against Injustice (formerly the Salem Award Foundation) is looking for volunteers. If you are interested in joining, please email info@voicesagainstinjustice.org.  • Full list of October road closures is now at www.salem.com/news. Only major cruise visit is 10/31 from Seabourn Quest; neighborhood residents will be able to park for the day in the Footprint site as before. This coming weekend will have the Witch City 5K on Saturday (no road closures planned) and MDA Motorcycle Ride on Sunday (road closures planned). • Small cruise vessel expected at Footprint/Salem Wharf this Saturday. • Early voting info at https://www.salem.com/sites/salemma/files/uploads/early_voting_2018_- _information_locations_dates_and_times.pdf (also handed out at meeting). Voter registration deadline is October 17. Elections Office at City Hall is open until 8pm on the 17th. • Recycling: Waste Management is stepping up on issues of contamination. Please be sure your recycling only has approved recyclable materials in it. • Salem for All Ages launched their website at www.salemforallages.org. Please share! • Bridge Street Neck visioning meeting on Oct 23 at Carlton; drop in any time between 6:30-8pm. • The Salem Redevelopment Authority is hosting a Northern Downtown Vision meeting at the Community Life Center on Tuesday, October 16th at 6:00pm. The purpose of the meeting is to receive input that will be used to develop goals to guide future redevelopment of the former Superior Court and County Commissioners Building as well as additional potential development within the Northern Downtown area. Next Meeting: Wednesday, November 14, 2018, 7pm, 98 Washington Street Adjourned: 7:45 p.m.