Salem State University Neighborhood Advisory Committee

Salem State University Neighborhood Advisory Committee March 16, 2016 – Minutes Attendees: Dominick Pangallo, Marcia Lambert, Ben Szalewicz, Polly Wilbert, Dana Lothrop, Jack Hoar Absent: Adria Leach, Richard Riggs, Councilor Josh Turiel, Councilor Steve Dibble, Maureen Call 1. Welcome and Introductions 2. Approval of February 17, 2016 Minutes o Changes suggested & approved o Will check on member status of people who have not been attending meetings 3. Construction Updates A. Sophia Gordon Center for the Creative & Performing Arts (Mark Swingle, Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance.) o Construction continues o The major activity is building the exterior wall o Roof being worked on o Generators being relocated o Work inside o Concrete slabs o Balcony o Fire proofing to begin o Plumbing underway o Building interior walls in the basement o A crane may be coming in 6-8 weeks for air handlers Questions/Comments o Dana asked how tall the air handler is going to be, and if it would be similar in size to the one at Viking Hall. Ben advised he will look into it. o Jack & Dana both requested to know if there would be screening. o Jack requested to see the plans for the theater. o Ben advised that he has the drawings in his office and he is welcome to come see them. o The two new poles have been placed o Working on time frame of when they will remove old pole. o Still unsure if there will be an outage to the neighbors. National Grid is required to make people aware of any outages that would happen. o Polly asked for an update on the street light. Chairman Pangallo advised that the city is still working on which pole they will put the light on. o Jack stated that parking tickets are being given out, but contractors have been showing up at 6:30am and parking in resident parking. o Ben advised that it is reiterated to the workers at their weekly meetings not to park in resident parking, and he will continue to make sure it stays on their agenda.  o Polly asked if the concrete floors were done. Mark advised the major portions are done. o Ben added that there will still be trucks coming in. o Mark advised that later in the summer there will be a lot of exterior concrete being done. B. 287 Lafayette Street: update on noise mitigation (David Pabich, Salem Renewal) o HVAC sound mitigation equipment is being installed. o Half was installed last week and installation will be complete this week. o Talking to neighbors about the aesthetics issues with the system Questions/Comments o Polly asked about the sign. Ben advised they are still in discussion. They met with the commission and were asked to come back. Discussions include the emergency light. 4. Old Business A. Garage update (Ben S, SSU) o SSU continues to work on the issues o The occupancy lights are sensitive o Lights turn on when police are patrolling o Lights will turn off if/when the sensors do not detect movement for 5-10 minutes B. O’Keefe Center rink replacement (Ben S, SSU) o Hoping to have a logistics plan for next meeting o Work will take place throughout the summer to have it back up for ice time in October o There will be radiant high cooling under the slabs o There are currently areas of the ice that are watched due to soft spots Questions/Comments o Ben advised camps will need to be adjusted due to rink replacement schedule o Discussion took place in regards to solar panels. Committee was in agreement that they should be part of all future projects. o Mark advised the theater roof is not strong enough for the panels o Ben added that the library is ready to have solar panels if funding becomes available C. North Campus RFP (Ben S, SSU) o Over 20 architect firms showed up o Plan to have one signed up by mid – April Questions/Comments o Polly suggested the new firm come in before the students leave so they are able to get a feel for what the campus is like when students are in session. D. Change meeting date to 1st Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. o Will take a vote on April 6th for new schedule E. Neighborhood disturbances 5. New Business o President Meservey wants to meet with neighborhood association executive members to discuss the communication of RFP process going forward, and how communication from both sides would work well for both. o There would be a combined meeting between SSUNA & South Salem neighborhood executive members. Questions/Comments o Ben & Chairman Pangallo suggested it would be more beneficial to wait to have the meeting with President Meservey until a designer is chosen. o Jack asked where the discussions on the bike bath stand. Chairman Pangallo stated that Councilor Dibble presented his recommendations to the committee, SSU, and the Mayor. His suggestions and updates are being reviewed by city engineers. o Polly shared that Chief Butler agreed to have a one FAQ sheet made for students renting off campus apartments. One of the items the sheet would state is that students should have their apartments inspected prior to moving in. Students should understand that it is for their protection. o Dana suggested also sending the sheet to local realtors. o Audience member asked for an update on the discussion regarding too many cross walks and also asked if students are still cleaning up the trash in the neighborhoods. o Ben advised he is not sure where the fraternity is focusing their efforts on. o It was asked if Adria could communicate to the students that it would appreciated if they could pick up the trash before they left. o Chairman Pangallo advised that two crosswalks are being removed – crossing over the bike path and is going to be enhanced by a beacon light. The hope is people will use that one crosswalk. o Jack asked if they parking tickets that are being written in Ward 5&7 are being tracked. o Chairman Pangallo advised they were and he can get the information from the collector’s office. o Clean sweep is May 7th. o Jack asked if the committee will be able to see any plan updates before any construction (Loring Avenue sidewalk project) begins. He also added that they need to redo the testing of the barrels. o Chairman Pangallo will check with the city engineer. 6. Adjourn Next meeting: Wednesday, April 6, 7:00pm Enterprise Center