Neighborhood Improvement Advisory Council

Neighborhood Improvement Advisory Council - Meeting Minutes Tuesday, April 12, 2022, 7:00 P.M. Called to Order: 7:04 p.m. Members Present: Barbara Mann, Ellie Rounds Bloom, Christy Evans-Marcum, Flora Tonthat Staff Present: Dominick Pangallo (Office of Mayor Driscoll) Approval of March 10, 2022, minutes: Approved Special Guest: Bonnie Bain (Voter Choice Massachusetts) offered a presentation on rank choice voting and then took Council members’ questions about the policy, how it would work in Salem, and where they could find additional information about it. Neighborhood Association Updates:  Northfields North Street: Historic gardens walk will take place in June. Community clean ups taking place later this month for Earth Day along North Street and in May at Furlong Park.  Mack Park: May meeting will be a brainstorming session to plan for the future, date is TBD but will take place at Halstead Station.  Bridge Street Neck: Northey Street sewer repair ongoing, might also impact Smith Street. Funds approved for Gonyea Park DEP closeout. May 14-15 second annual neighborhood yard sale, details will be on Facebook and in the monthly newsletter.  Salem Common: Traffic Calming - working with Traffic Dept & Councilor Watson-Felt: Plan in place for: WSN crosswalks with thermoplastic paint, bump outs & stanchions; rubber speed cushions approved for Mall & Howard Streets; Hope to extend improvements to more streets & playground; rerouting 1A@Winter St to Wash St/Bridge St Ext. needs legislation, Bridge St. Neighborhood Association also supports. Common & Neighborhood Items - Muster Cleanup: Great job by City team on overall Common cleanup. Bandstand: Graffiti cleaned off Bandstand. Common & Neighborhood Enhancements - Successful meeting held with City’s new landscape architect. Lawn Revitalization: Ray Jodoin/DPS shared the plan for Common’s 9 acres: In early May, Shursberry Landscaping will fill all low areas with 32 tons of improved root zone mix. This will be followed by aerifying, seeding (500 lbs. per acre), dragging with harrow, & fertilizing (6 bags per acre). Monthly fertilizing will then continue thru November at the rate of 4.5 bags per acre. Trees: Per Arborist Bob LeBlanc, pruning to begin 4/19 with plantings later. Pruning to be done by Cicoria Tree and Crane Services. Benches: 4 ADA benches installed. Need for transition points raised. 3 regular benches installed with 5 more planned for 2023. Bandstand: Phase 2 scheduled for summer – may include flower beds. Events - Common Cleanup on 4/24 as part Great Salem Cleanup. Movie Night (Clue) on 4/29 at Diehl Marcus & Co. SCNA is a leading sponsor of Garden Club’s July event. Arch Restoration - Painting/Landscaping: Painting completed – landscaping to complete April. Carvings: Moving to contract with PEM endorsed designer: Skylight Studios. Salem TV/Digest: Arch Restoration program well received & can be viewed: https://reflect-satv.cablecast.tv/vod/24527-Salem-Digest-at-the-Round-Table-April-2022-v1/vod.mp4 City Updates:  Upcoming events of note:  o Salem for All Ages Speaker Series starts April 26th and runs Tuesdays (except for May 17th) through June 7th (7-8pm, CLC) o May 4th rabies clinic (4-6pm, behind Salem PD) o May 7th SalemRecycles Book Swap (10am-1pm, CLC).  The City’s new Housing Stability Service is now available, in partnership with the Essex County Bar Association. Tenants and landlords seeking information and access to housing resources can visit the drop-in hours, call the hotline, or visit the program website. All details are online at www.salemhousinginfo.com.  Free COVID-19 rapid test kits are available for Salem residents and those who work in Salem. Pick up three boxes of kits from the Health Department office at City Hall Annex during regular City business hours Mondays-Thursdays in April. Relatedly, the Curative walk-up PCR testing trailer in Riley Plaza no longer requires appointments.  Annual Salem Residents Survey is online through Friday of this week. Find the link to it in the menu on the right side of the page at salemma.gov/mayor.  The City’s website and all City email addresses are changing over to a new domain, salemma.gov. The old domain, salem.com, will continue to be usable, but we’re transitioning to a .gov URL because it is more clearly identifiable as an official government site. Next Meeting: Wednesday, May 11, 2022, 7:00 p.m. Adjourned: 7:51 p.m.