Among the robust commentary offered on issues before the City Council ranging from a Living Wage Resolution to the city's impending purchase of a portion of the Bean Farm property in Florence, numerous city residents spoke during the public comment portion of yesterday's City Council meeting regarding the lingering dispute between Smith College and the Green Street Cafe (full disclosure-including this blogger). Cafe co-owner John Sielski addressed the public body asking for help and for the most part speakers implored the Council to attempt to mediate the situation between the two parties. The speakers included neighborhood and city residents and a Smith College Science and Engineering student who takes classes in Ford Hall.
Later in the meeting, literally at about the eleventh hour, Northampton's City Council voted 5-2 to approve an unexpected motion concerning the impasse between Smith College and the Green Street Cafe. The Council took two readings on the request put forth by outgoing Councilor At-Large Michael Bardsely which asks the city's Community and Economic Development Director Teri Anderson to meet with Smith College officials and report back to the City Council on her findings. Bardsley acknowledged it may be too late for a productive dialog. Ward 6 Councilor Marianne LaBarge offered a friendly amendment to the motion that the Mayor should be included in the request. The amendment was accepted. The amended motion:
Motion: The Northampton City Council strongly urges the Mayor and the Director of the Northampton Community and Economic Development Office to take any and all reasonable actions to assist in resolving the current dispute between Green Street Café and Smith College in a good faith effort to retain a long standing local business. The Director is requested to provide the City Council with an update at it next meeting, December 3rd, 2009.
Ward 5 Councilor David Murphy and outgoing Ward 3 Councilor Robert Reckman voted against the resolution, each citing the matter as a private one. City Council President Jim Dostal was absent and the Ward 7 seat remains vacant since the passing of Ish Labarge. The balance of Council members voted in favor of the resolution.
I would like to extend my thanks, for what it's worth, to the Council members voting in favor of the resolution. Thus hereafter it cannot be said that they failed to try.
My comments:
I’m here tonight to comment on recent activity concerning the Green Street area of Northampton.
I ask the Council to examine a petition recently submitted to the Mayor’s office regarding the impasse between the Green Street Café and Smith College. The College has moved to evict the Café and the Café has refused to leave. The owners of the Café allege Smith officials are persuading their faculty, staff and students to not frequent the establishment. Smith College has refused an offer from a city resident to pay the Café’s back rent. Clearly the city sanctioned construction of Ford Hall has had a negative impact on the Café’s business. Now apparently more than 3,000 people have signed a petition and these people would like the Mayor to intervene. I implore all of you to examine the signatures and to act on the matter in any way that you can. I understand as elected officials often you involve yourselves in activities outside the scope of your formal responsibilities and I’m asking you to do that now. Please at least attempt to mediate this dispute.
Recently the Planning Board waived parking requirements for a new restaurant on Green Street. This is its right. To my knowledge this new restaurant provides no parking spaces for its patrons as other businesses in the city are required to do. Is it true that some businesses are required to expend financial resources towards parking while others are not? If so is this not somewhat arbitrary? It is the charge of government to provide a level playing field for competitive businesses via the even application of reasonable rules and regulations. In my view the playing field on Green Street appears tilted which indicates in this case that local government has contributed to the problem.
Moreover in attempting to research the timeline of the new restaurant’s permitting processes I could not find the minutes of the Planning Board online. They were not posted on the city website for September and October as of this afternoon. I requested the minutes Monday from their custodian and they have not been forthcoming. As a point of information Mass. Public Records law requires immediate availability to the public of open meeting minutes, even if in draft form.
Finally I ask the Council to consider creating a Council sponsored town/gown subcommittee so that city residents have a place to go to address public and private relationships with nonprofit educational institutions like Smith College and the Clark School for the Deaf. Smith College has established a Community Council which includes city officials and I offer that the city should act likewise.
