Neighborhood Improvement Advisory Council

Neighborhood Improvement Advisory Council - Meeting Minutes Wednesday, January 11, 2023, 7:00 P.M. Called to Order: 7:03 p.m. Members Present: Wendy Meigs, Dennis Colbert, Nina Cohen, Amy McKeehan, Richard Lindeman, Flora Tonthat, Dennis Maroney Staff Present: Dominick Pangallo and Chris Sicuranza (Office of the Mayor) Approval of December 21, 2022, minutes: Approved Special Guests: Dominick introduced the new Chief of Staff, Chris Sicuranza, and – later in the meeting – Acting Mayor Robert McCarthy joined to introduce himself and greet the members. Dominick thanked the members for their partnership over the years and wished them well as he steps down from his position with the City. Neighborhood Association Updates:  Chestnut Street: no updates.  Barnes/Clark/Wyman: sand barrels missing from two streets; illegal dumping of a cabinet on Barnes Road; cement trucks leaving Tropical Products site still leaving debris on Highland Avenue.  Bridge Street Neck: hoping to met with CIU about Brake & Clutch noise issues; Gonyea Park tree planting this spring; next meeting March 6th at the CLC; curious about new owner of Clipper Ship Inn; new cinderblock wall at 11 Northey Street obstructing access to neighbor at 15 Northey Street.  Historic Derby Street: reorganized with new leadership.  Federal Street: eager for return of the speed cushions; flooding on Bridge Street during the last king tide; concerns about the proposed ADU ordinance changes; grateful for the free COVID tests; the Hot Chocolate in the Square event is being held on a date TBD depending on weather.  Salem Common: Little Free Library going in; signature parks project manager will be presenting at the SCNA brunch on February 12th; working to have arch complete by the 1st Muster date; traffic calming and speed humps needed on Washington Square East near playground; if there will be another flyover at the muster, please notify the public in advance. City Updates:  The City is still distributing free rapid COVID tests from the Health Department offices and now from the CLC. The Curative PCR testing site in Riley Plaza is now closed.  “Field Notes from Salem” is a new immersive public art installation at Old Town Hall that explores the lands, waters, and ecology of Salem, free and open through January 16th.  The City is accepting public comment for the CDBG annual plan now through January 23rd by email to achiancola@salem.com or at a virtual public hearing on January 19th at 6pm. Meeting link can be found at https://www.salem.com/legal-notices.  Public forum for the ongoing Open Space and Recreation Plan update on January 24th at 6:30pm. Join online at https://publicinput.com/salemosrp. There’s also a survey there that will be open through March 22nd.   Repair Café at the CLC, February 11th from 9am-12 noon. Appointments are required, no walk-ins accepted. Schedule an appointment by contacting Janelle Rolke at jrolke@salem.com or 978-619-5672.  The Housing Stability Service is continuing in January and February – you can find drop-in hours and locations, as well as more at www.salemhousinginfo.com or call the service’s hotline at 978-500-0973. We also have an “in-house” housing stability coordinator to work directly with residents in need of counseling or assistance with housing issues – Loree Stewart can be reached at lstewart@salem.com or 978-619-5600.  The third and fourth/roof levels of the Museum Place Garage will be closed through at least late next week for ongoing repairs to the building.  There are no changes to the usual snow emergency parking rules, except residents in the Willows area should be aware that the new parking lot near the tennis courts (“the hill”) is not open for snow emergency parking; you will be able to park in the metered lot near Restaurant Row and by Dead Horse Beach. You can direct residents to www.salemma.gov/snow for the parking map, rules, and additional information.  The Council briefly discussed the future of NIAC and there was agreement to continue forward in the current format. Next Meeting: Wednesday, February 8, 2023, 7:00 p.m. Adjourned: 7:55 p.m.