Neighborhood Improvement Advisory Council

City of Salem, Massachusetts Mayor Dominick Pangallo Neighborhood Improvement Advisory Council - Meeting Minutes Wednesday, February 14, 2024, 7:00 P.M. Called to Order: 7:00 p.m. Members Present: Laurie Albury, Maria Buckley, Gabe Ciociola, Bill Colbert, Tom Kusterer, Richard Lindeman, Wendy Meigs Staff Present: Lisa Peterson (Office of the Mayor) Special Guests: Lori Stewart – Neighborhood Stability Coordinator Approval of 12/13/23 Minutes (Richard Lindeman moves, Wendy Meigs Seconds): 5 – 0 – 2, minutes approved. Lori Stewart, Neighborhood Stability Coordinator, City of Salem Presentation: • Lori works toward housing stability in the City of Salem, in order to prevent involuntary displacement of Salem residents. She also works to enact policies to combat displacement. She shared a presentation including info on typical residents she sees and data on housing trends in the city. She shared action steps we can take as residents of the city to help, such as support construction of new housing, attend public meetings and read about the bills that the City Council supported through a resolution such as Access to Council and Eviction Sealing. Neighborhood Association Updates: • Barnes Clark Wyman Neighborhood Association (Bill Colbert): No updates this month. • Federal Street Neighborhood Association (Dick Lindeman): Thanks to the City regarding the e- mails, robocalls and flyers to cars during the most recent storm. FSNA will have their annual meeting in March. They are hitting a wall with Neighborways regarding traffic calming efforts. There is a petition circulating from the Brick Coalition and Historic Salem regarding brick sidewalks downtown. • Downtown Neighborhood Association (Tom Kusterer): Neighbors are starting to lose patience with the encampment of unhoused people downtown. The City fixed New Derby to the Maritime area – looks great! Hoping that will continue through that area. The walkway between 20 Central Street has leaking into the basement and the sidewalk is settled there. • Salem Willows Neighborhood Association (Laurie Albury / Maria Buckley): The recent “Willows Tavern” meeting in the neighborhood was lively with many against the proposal. Alcohol from 11:00am to 1:00am and live entertainment daily are being proposed. Flooding concerns related to the seawall – the neighborhood is hoping for help as quickly as possible. DPS was amazing during this past storm. • Historic Derby Street Neighborhood Association (Wendy Meigs): They had their neighborhood meeting on Monday. Crowley presented – the project is coming but not imminent.  • Salem Common Neighborhood Association (Gabe Ciociola); They have a Sunday brunch coming up this Sunday, and it is open to everyone – they Mayor will be the guest speaker. Their annual meeting will be in March. They are looking at collaborating with the Witch Museum on movie nights in the Spring. At the annual meeting, Dennis Maroney is stepping down and Micah Hapworth is stepping up as the Chair. During the most recent storm, there was sand placed on the Common (they were very grateful). There is a bit of metal separating grass from the dirt – it is in terrible shape and looks dangerous. SCNA is looking for storage space for Christmas decorations, a banner, card tables and chairs, etc (they are currently being stored under the bandstand and potentially moldy). City Updates: • There has been lots of winter weather, with astronomical high tides and flooding being very impactful (please follow and encourage your neighbors to follow CodeRed, website and social media for announcements). • City of Salem is developing its annual CDBG plan. The FY25 Action Plan will outline Salem’s housing, economic and community development needs and priorities for the coming fiscal year. The Action Plan will be available for public comment at the end of March. Copies of the draft plan will be available on salemma.gov at that time. • There is a Family Circle Time happening for children with autism spectrum sensory processing disorders and children of all needs and abilities. Every other Saturday, and you can pre-register on the Salem Public Library website. • City of Salem’s Human Rights Colation is hosting Black History Month events for the City. We had wonderful kickoff event and flag raising and on February 24th there will be a community event at Old Town Hall at 11:00am. All are welcome! • The City of Salem Energy Coach Stacy Kilb will be hosting office hours, in person and online at various locations to answer any and all energy questions you may have. See salemma.gov/news for details. Next Meeting: Wednesday, March 13, 2024, 7:00 p.m. Adjourned.