Northampton Redoubt
Many thanks to Valley Advocate readers
Third PlaceJust a note to express my thanks to all of those who cast a vote for Northampton Redoubt in the recent Valley Advocate "Best Of" Reader’s poll. We showed third overall, first in Hampshire County, as the independent Springfield Intruder was...Conservation Event tonight in Florence-issues affecting animals and wildlife
From John Body: Sorry for the short notice: Dear Wildlife Advocates, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is hosting an informational meeting on Monday, May 12, 7-8:30PM at Cafe Evolution, 22 Chestnut Street, Florence. You are invited to meet with Ms....Best Practices public forum May 13
Tuesday, May 13th 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.Community RoomJFK Middle School100 Bridge Road, FlorenceThe Best Practices Committee will be holding a live open public forumfor discussing the decision making process of the northampton citygovernment as well as for people to...Council rejects sponsoring public forums on the proposed landfill expansion on a 5-3 vote
At Thursday’s City Council meeting in Northampton there will be a request from Councilor Michael Bardsley to remove tabling of the Resolution regarding City Council responsibility for holding public meetings on the proposed landfill expansion. Whether you...Dump doubles as community center in Wellesley, Mass.
Local resident Ed Hagelstein has been lobbying the city for some time to create a “swap shed” in Northampton. If this can work elsewhere, why not here?Cultivating the arts and culture, a worthy undertaking yes, but not all it's cracked up to be…gentrification and economic inequality possible consequences
A staff writer for one of the area’s local paper’s covered a recent appearance at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst by State Senator Stan Rosenberg, D-Amherst. In the article Sen. Rosenberg touts the impact of the arts and culture on the area...Northampton BPW's monthly landfill update meetings drawing ever more people
According to a meeting attendee, the number of people attending the BPW’s monthly landfill update meetings at Finn-Ryan Road School is growing. Two months ago with little promotion there were two members of the public, a month ago there were eight, and last...Adam Cohen and the North Street Neighborhood Association provide video footage of Northampton Best Practices Committee forum and meeting
May 20, 2008 Best Practices (website) meeting to discuss public forum May 13, 2008 Best Practices (Google group) public forum Visit the North Street Neighborhood Association to view photographs of the public comments as they were written by attendees at the forum....Building commissioner's landfill actions appealed-Zoning Board of Appeals to address complaint June 12
On behalf of landfill abutters, Boston attorney Peter L. Koff has filed an appeal of Northampton Building Commissioner Tony Patillo’s action regarding the current operations of Northampton’s regional landfill. Patillo ruled that operations of the landfill...Memorial Day tributes
On behalf of all who have served. From Tiffany Jo Allen From Whitney Houston From Edburns123 From Robin23hofMoving towards zero waste-a presentation by Toxics Action
From Citizens United for a Healthy Future:“Moving Towards Zero Waste” – Presentation by Toxics ActionToxics Action will be giving a presentation on Zero Waste @ the Wednesday, June 11th Citizens United for a Healthy Future meeting.The meeting starts...Reasons for cultivating the arts and culture
As promised, here is more on the arts and culture as excerpted from a recent public policy analysis I and two other University of Massachusetts graduate students undertook. They would be Ryan Kidder and Sorin Dan, the latter from Romania. (My apologies again for the...Mary Serreze speaks with Northampton Mayor Mary Clare Higgins and DPW Chief Ned Huntley recently on Valley Free Radio WXOJ FM regarding the city's proposed landfill expansion
From Mary:On Thursday, May 22, Northampton Mayor Mary Clare Higgins and Department of Public Works Director Ned Huntley stopped by my studio to record an interview about the proposed landfill expansion. I wanted to give them a chance to present their reasons for...Notre Dame School of Architecture might consider Northampton planning & sustainability: June 2 @ 7:30 PM in council chambers behind city hall
From the Sustain Northampton listserv:Hi Everyone,It’s been a while since I’ve written on this listserve, but I’ve been following the discussions with interest, and want to take a moment now to let you know about an exciting opportunity we may have...DAR House needs our help
The DAR House recently canvassed the neighborhood with the following:WE NEED YOUR HELP!DAR House (see more in gallery to the right)THE DAR HOUSE built in 1753 is a standing monument in the South Street Neighborhood. It is seen every day by hundreds of people who drive...Is a community like a turtle? Former mayor of Curitiba, Brazil, Jaime Lerner, speaks on building sustainable cities-lessons for Northampton
From TEDTalks: "For many city governments seeking visible improvements in their congested streets, the pace of change is measured in months and years. For Jaime Lerner, it’s measured in hours. As mayor of Curitiba, he transformed a gridlocked commercial...Potential lawsuit in Northampton over landfill leachate
The following letter was sent to Mayor Mary Clare Higgins on May 30, 2008. Click here to view a PDF file of exhibits 1-6 which accompanied said letter. ENGEL & SCHULTZ, LLP. Attorneys at Law 265 Franklin Street, Suite 1801 Boston, MA 02110-2704 Peter L. Koff Of...Term limit for the council president voted down
This Thursday night the city council will take up a proposed addition to its rules as proposed by current council president James Dostal. During his last campaign he pledged to propose a limit on how long a councilor may serve as president of that body. In my view...Landfill forum resolution un-tabled, voted down
On the agenda for Thursday night’s (tonight’s) city council meeting at 7:15 under new business is a request from at large city councilor Michael Bardsley to remove tabling of the resolution regarding city council responsibility for holding public meetings...Smith Community Garden to hold work party Saturday, June 7 @ noon off of Lyman Road
From Smith College Professor James Lowenthal. Check out their blog at the link below for more information and pictures. Hello Supportive Faculty, Staff, and Friends- This Saturday, June 7th from 12-3pm at the Fort Hill site, the Smith Community Garden will hold the...Transgender Pride March and Rally held in Northampton June 7, 2008
See photo gallery to the right for pictures of the inaugural Transgender March and Rally. From the program:"The event is organized by members of the trans and gender-varient community, and their allies, with the intent of taking a visible and positive stand for...Landfill meetings this week
From Citizens United for a Healthy Future:CITIZENS UNITED FOR A HEALTHY FUTURE GENERAL MEETING:Wednesday, June 11th, 2008 from 7 – 8 PM“Moving Towards Zero Waste” – Presentation by The Toxics ActionCenterToxics Action will be giving a...PRESS RELEASE: Massachusetts Recharge Plan Puts Drinking Water at Risk
From: "Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER)"Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:28:25 -0400 (EDT)info@peer.orghttp://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1061For Immediate Release: Tuesday, June 10, 2008Contact: Kyla Bennett (508) 230-9933; Carol...Adam Cohen and the North Street Neighborhood Association provide video footage of Northampton urban design studio workshop proposal from the Architecture program at the University of Notre Dame
Prof. Phil Bess addresses Northampton planning issues. Total run time 1 hour fifty-five minutes. Click on Google video button for full screen and related videos Visit NorthAssoc.org for moreOLS Trading Keeps Fixtures, Furniture, and Electronics out of Landfills, Optimizes Returns
OLS Trading Keeps Fixtures, Furniture, and Electronics out of Landfills, Optimizes Returns Businesses are paying increasing attention to best practices that counter global warming. OLS Trading recognizes the growing interest in a green approach to services that...Northampton Zoning Board of Appeals continues hearing on landfill zoning enforcement to June 26
Here is a video of that portion of the ZBA meeting. It runs about an hour and twenty-five minutes. Click on the Google video button for a full albeit fuzzy screen. The first half hour or so is devoted to establishing a time line for future hearing dates and brief...Adopting The Go Green Initiative could help Northampton's school system to help reduce Northampton's waste stream while educating our children in the process
(PRWEB) June 12, 2008 — The Go Green Initiative: Now the Largest Environmental Education Program in the World Over 1.5 million students and teachers in the U.S. and around the world are a part of registered Go Green Initiative (GGI) schools. This program began...Adam Cohen and the North Street Neighborhood Association provide video footage of Northampton Conservation Committee meeting-no vernal pools in North Street area woods
In a previous interview conducted with Douglas Kohl, the residential real estate developer and owner of Thornes Marketplace, he told me that it can take up to five years to properly certify a vernal pool because each spring is different. Apparently there can be...Bringing Northampton's sustainabilty plan to life…
What is the best way to bring Northampton’s sustainability plan alive? There’s been some chatter this week on the Paradise City Forum regarding the potential for Professor Philip Bess and the Notre Dame Architecture fall graduate charrette and urban design...The tragedy of suburbia by James Howard Kunstler from Ted.com
Agree with his theories or not, this is an interesting talk.The Meadowbrook Chronicles Part One by Mike Kirby
Local observer Mike Kirby has posted on his blog his latest work, this time concerning Meadowbrook Apartments which is located at 491 Bridge Road in Florence. Mike starts off: "For some time, a number of tenants and former tenants of Meadowbrook have been after...The late George Carlin on voting-parental guidance advised
Northampton Community Preservation Committee funding recommendations, second round 2008
First Churches photo courtesy Apoorva N. Bajaj-the church received funding in round one City of Northampton Community Preservation Committee 210 Main Street, City Hall, Northampton, MA 01060 Jack Hornor, Chair Fran Volkmann, Vice Chair Bruce Young, Community...Spray Can Alley in Northampton
Behind fine dining establishments in an alley behind Northampton’s Main Street is some intriguing art work. Would establishing a Business Improvement District help or hurt this, "spray can alley?" I’m not sure what it means but it’s an...Northampton Design Forum formed-to invite Notre Dame Urban Design Studio to the city this September
On Tuesday, June 24, 2008, the ‘Northampton Design Forum’ was formed under the umbrella of Available Potential Enterprises, Ltd (APE), a non-profit arts organization based in Northampton. The Design Forum, whose members include Northampton citizens...Village Hill Notice of Project Change public comments due July 1, 2008
Just adding some information to Mike Kirby’s recent Paradise City Forum entry on Village Hill which is included below. Click the following link to download the Village Hill notice of project...Paradise City Forum to host public forum on proposed landfill expansion; Citizens United for a Healthy Future and the Northampton Board of Public Works to co-sponsor
The members of the Paradise City Forum Advisory Committee are pleased to announce that a public forum on Northampton’s proposed landfill expansion will take place on Tuesday July 15, 2008 at 7 PM at the JFK Middle School Community room on Bridge Road in...Adam Cohen and the North Street Neighborhood Association provide video footage of June 26 Northampton Planning Board Meeting
Once again Adam Cohen, roving citizen reporter, provides coverage of a meeting that otherwise the public would know little about. For more visit northassoc.org. Here is a video of the last 59 minutes from the June 26 meeting of Northampton’s Planning Board. A...In defense of suburbs: Futurist Joel Kotkin is not so sure people should be down on suburbs, listen in:
Original Kohl proposal, area shown in white: wetlands Northampton has been debating the merits of infill and whether or not this is the best way to "plan" the city’s growth. Part of what spurred this discussion is Douglas Kohl’s proposed...Mayors of Braintree, Weymouth and Quincy collaborate for savings: Solid Waste and Recycling Initiative
From Division of Local Services June 2008 Cities and Towns PDF, State Of Massachusetts: Northampton recycling rates: 2006-47%, 2005-45%, 2004-54%.I offer the following as an example of an innovative idea on how waste management can be approached. While this model...It takes more than a village by Kenneth Mitchell
Mark Roessler and the Valley Advocate deserve great thanks for this series on Hospital Hill. But I also agree with Professor Platt that the plans for Village Hill would not mean it would become a village. It was a "Village" for marketing. What is more...Composing the Northampton rezoning committee, coverage by Adam Cohen
Members: Ken Jodrie, George Kohout, Mike Bardsley, Dave Murphy 59-minutes Continued: 21-minutes Adam Cohen of the North Street Neighborhood Association provides coverage of the June 30, 2008 rezoning committee organizational meeting. Visit their link for a full...From Alisa Kowal of Food & Water Watch: take back the tap
FOR THOSE WHO WANTED TO FIGHT BOTTLED WATER AS PART OF THE NESTLE’S STRUGGLE LAST SUMMER, HERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY: Take Back the Tap Northampton Restaurant Campaign launch meeting Tuesday July 8, 2 to 4 p.m. at the Unitarian Society on Main Street next to city...Northampton to borrow and spend $648,000 on new telephone system
On Thursday’s agenda: Upon recommendation of the Mayor and Finance CommitteeThe sum of $648,000 is appropriated for the replacement of City-wide telephone systems; that to meet such appropriation the Treasurer with the approval of the Mayor is authorized to...CITIZENS UNITED FOR A HEALTHY FUTURE GENERAL MEETING tonight July 9 @ 7 PM @ Unitarian Society, 220 Main Street, Northampton
Refreshments will be servedThe meeting starts @ 7:00 PM and is located in the Social Room of the Unitarian Society, 220 Main Street, Northampton (please walk down the driveway and use right side door, the meeting is downstairs).This week’s topics are:Recent...Notre Dame and the Northampton Design Forum
From Joel Russell:Dear Friends and Fellow Citizens: Here is an update on the status of Notre Dame Urban Design Studio Project in Northampton.It is being distributed to those who have expressed interest by writing to this email address, as well as to the public at...Take back the tap: Northampton coordinator Alisa Kowal speaks. Coverage provided by Mary Serreze, Northamptonmedia.com
New audio on the Community Radio Hour blogspotOK, so *what* exactly is wrong with that bottle of Dasani or Poland Spring?Alisa Kowal, regional coordinator of the "Take Back the Tap" campaign, will tell you: plastic bottles are resource intensive in their...Sanitary landfills-riveting…Public forum tonight @ JFK Middle School, Florence @ 7PM
Just a reminder: A public forum on Northampton’s proposed landfill expansion will take place on Tuesday July 15, 2008 at 7 PM at the JFK Middle School Community room on Bridge Road in Florence. The forum will be hosted by the Paradise City Forum and co-sponsored...Two new blogs in the valley
Check out these two new blogs in the valley: Pioneer Valley Central and Northampton BlightThree County Fair master plan to be presented July 23
From Jerry Budgar:I’m writing to inform everyone of a very important public meeting to be held on Wednesday, July 23 at 6:30 p.m. to present the new Three County Fair Master Plan to the residents of Ward 3 and the city.The meeting will be held at the Fair...Excerpts from: Residents reap rewards from recycling
Volume discounting at Northampton’s landfill has the effect of reducing the cost per ton of waste deposited there by major commercial haulers. In fact, one hauler alone constitutes about 25% of DPW solid waste revenues. As well, while the city recycles paper,...Adam Grosser and low cost refrigeration for the homeless-an idea that could change the world from Ted.com-4 minutes
POSTPONED Valley Free Radio fund-raiser Saturday, August 9 @ Look Park in Florence, MA
THIS EVENT IS POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE DUE TO SCHEDULING PROBLEMS AT LOOK PARK Valley Free Radio WXOJ-LP 103.3fm 140 Pine Street, Florence, MA 01062 413-585-1033 www.valleyfreeradio.org THIS EVENT IS POSTPONED DUE TO SCHEDULING PROBLEMS AT THE PINES THEATER IN...Route 66 force-main break April 14 releases estimated 100-125 gallons of landfill leachate into the ground
As part of the rebuilding of Route 66 a few months ago Ludlow Construction broke the leachate force main (pipe) where it crosses Westhampton Road going from Glendale Road to West Farms Road.According to an April 23 letter from city engineer Mr. James R. Laurila to Mr....Pulaski Park design teams weigh in with their proposals-Public forum to be held Sept. 17 @ JFK
Baystate Environmental Consultants design proposal-estimated cost: $430,000 Pulaski Park Citizen Redesign Team proposal-estimated cost: $494,975 Nancy Denig Design Associates design proposal-estimated cost unknown Stephen Stimson & Associates design...House bill No. 5054 promises at least $2.35 million for landfill monitoring for Easthampton and Northampton, funding for North Street area land preservation subject to matching funds and more
Excerpts from House bill No. 5054 (PDF): AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE PRESERVATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF LAND,PARKS, AND CLEAN ENERGY IN THE COMMONWEALTH.Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to provide for preservation and...Paradise City Forum July 15 landfill forum (best viewed in Firefox)
Paradise City Forum landfill forum July 15, 2008, part 1If the video fails to start, click here to go straight to Google VideoAlso, try installing Flash Player from the adobe website– www.adobe.com Paradise City Forum landfill forum July 15, 2008, part 2If the...CBAC postpones Police Station and garage presentation for tonight
CENTRAL BUSINESS ARCHITECTURE COMMITTEEDATE: July 30, 2008TIME: 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.PLACE: City Council Chambers 212 Main Street NorthamptonAGENDA1.) Public Hearing: 6:00 p.m. Application of Thornes Marketplace, L.L.C. for alterations to upper story windows located...Mass. Audobon at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary-help is needed
Mass Audubon at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary “Skull Detectives” Family Workshop on Animal Skulls Saturday, August 2, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Fee: $5.00 for Mass Audubon members, $8.00 for nonmembers.Pre-registration is required. “Perseid Meteor...E-Edition
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