The City Council on June 20 failed to approve the amended municipal budget submitted by Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, which included $40,778,585 for Northampton Public Schools in fiscal year 2025.

I joined at-large councilors Marissa Elkins and Garrick Perry, and Deborah Klemer of Ward 2 and Marianne LaBarge of Ward 6 in supporting that $138.2 million budget, an increase of 4.4 percent from this year.

Councilors Quaverly Rothenberg of Ward 3, Jeremy Dubs of Ward 4 and Rachel Maiore of Ward 7 voted against the budget, saying they want more money for the schools. President Alex Jarrett was recused because he is a worker-owner with the Pedal People Cooperative, which has a contract with the city. Six votes are needed to approve the overall municipal budget.

This means that the mayor’s original $136,903,512 budget filed May 16 will take effect when the new fiscal year begins Monday, July 1. That budget includes $39,673,835 for the Northampton Public Schools.

The City Council will hold a special virtual meeting at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 2, to consider Mayor Sciarra’s supplemental appropriation that would restore the $1,104,750 in additional money for the Northampton Public Schools that she first recommended June 6.

The agenda for that meeting, including a link for remote participation, is available here:

https://www.northamptonma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_07022024-7960

I will continue to support that additional money for the Northampton Public Schools, so its budget matches the amount proposed by Superintendent Portia Bonner in December. If approved by the City Council, that would be an increase of more than $3 million, or about 8 percent, from the current year’s school budget.

However, it would fall about $2.1 million short of the $42,805,908 budget approved by eight members of the School Committee in April in an effort to maintain level services and avoid eliminating jobs.

Also on June 20, the City Council voted 8-0 to use $800,000 in free cash for the special education stabilization fund, and to allocate $166,666 from a $500,000 Smith College gift to the city for the school budget. Councilor Rothenberg abstained from both votes.

Finally, the City Council voted 8-1, with Councilor Rothenberg opposed, to place a $3 million Proposition 2 1/2 general budget override on the Nov. 5 presidential election ballot. If approved, that would result in increased property taxes ro help fund the operating budgets for Northampton Public Schools and other municipal departments in the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025.

The fiscal year 2025 budget is available here:

https://northamptonma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/26218/FINAL-Mayors-FY2025-Budget-PDF

The budget also is available in print at the city clerk’s office, 210 Main St.; Forbes Library, 20 West St.; and Lilly Library, 19 Meadow St., Florence.

Community Preservation Act

The City Council on June 20 voted unanimously to approve nine requests for Community Preservation Act funds totaling $1,473,235 recommended by the Community Preservation Committee. The Finance Committee, of which I am vice chair, recommended approval.

The projects include $720,000 for a playground at the Ryan Road School that is accessible and inclusive to all, including children and caregivers of varying cognitive, sensory and social-emotional abilities; $300,000 for repairs to Memorial Hall; and $200,000 to Valley Community Development Corp. toward an affordable housing project at 27 Crafts Ave.

Smaller amounts are requested for the local Agricultural Preservation Restriction program; a park on Main Street between Gothic Street and Center Street; engineering and architectural work for the Parsons and Shepherd houses at Historic Northampton; and the removal of invasive species on property at the Lathrop Community where the city holds permanent conservation restrictions.

The Community Preservation Act was adopted by Northampton voters in 2005 and funds are generated by a 3 percent surcharge on property taxes, with matches from the state. Since its adoption, the CPA has funded more than 175 projects, including preservation of hundreds of acres of open space and agricultural land, building more than 200 units of affordable housing, creation of multi-use trails and new recreational fields and facilities, and restoration of more than 30 historic resources and structures.

Cooke Avenue and Hatfield Street

The Transportation and Parking Commission on June 18 unanimously recommended a temporary all-way stop at the intersection of Hatfield Street and Cooke Avenue. The proposal is expected to be considered by the City Council this summer.

There are now stop signs on the north and south sides of Cooke Avenue at the intersection. Stop signs would be installed in both directions on Hatfield Street after a safety study was conducted last fall by the city’s consultant, Fuss & O’Neill of Springfield. It recommended that the intersection be converted to an all-way stop based on the heavy traffic volume on Hatfield Street and sight distances below the minimum state standard for southbound motorists on Cooke Avenue making left or right turns onto Hatfield Street.

In addition, the Police Department reported 14 accidents during a recent five-year period at the intersection.

Department of Public Works Director Donna LaScaleia, who chairs the commission, recommended that the four-way stop be installed for a trial period of 120 days beginning in September to observe the resulting traffic queues and other impacts, including on emergency vehicles that use Hatfield Street.

In my remarks supporting the proposal, I cited the long-standing concerns about the dangers of the intersection expressed by residents who live nearby. I also cited the heavy traffic volume, collision analysis and motorists who enter Hatfield Street from North King Street and exceed the posted speed limit of 30 mph.

Broad Brook Greenway access reopened

Access to the Broad Brook Greenway trails from Cooke Avenue reopened June 18 after the parking lot at the former Moose Lodge property was paved beginning in May. This is part of the city’s redevelopment of 196 Cooke Ave., which includes the parking area on the eastern side of the property near an access trail to the greenway.

The parking lot includes a designated accessible parking space, bicycle racks and the underground electric infrastructure for a future EV charger.

Motorists and pedestrians are asked not to park or walk on the newly seeded grass area.

The building that once housed the Moose Lodge was demolished in 2022. The city plans to sell a portion of the western side of the property to Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity for four single-family homes owned by first-time home buyers. The houses will have their own parking spaces and be screened from the conservation area parking by trees and fencing.

Northampton Rehabilitation and Nursing Center redevelopment

Valley Community Development Corp. offers this update about its project to redevelop the former nursing home at 737 Bridge Road into 60 units of affordable housing:

Valley Community Development was awarded the remaining funding needed from the state’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities earlier this year and intends to start rehabilitating the former nursing home at 737 Bridge Road into 60 affordable and workforce apartments in August. Construction is expected to last approximately 14 months, concluding in November 2025. Any questions may be sent to project manager Bill Womeldorf at [email protected] or (413) 586-5855 x160.

Stan