The Mass Central Rail Trail from State Street to Bridge Road will be closed for repaving for an estimated 30 days beginning Monday, Oct. 28.

Bicyclists and pedestrians are asked to stay off that approximately 2.5-mile section of the trail to ensure that the repaving project can be completed as quickly as possible with minimal disturbance. All traffic will be detoured onto Stoddard, Prospect, Locust, Main (Florence) and North Main (Florence) streets.

This is the first major resurfacing since the rail trail was constructed in 1982. The project also will include improvement at road intersections, including curbs, sidewalks, signs and pavement markings. All crossings will become accessible to people with disabilities.

The project is expected to cost about $1.4 million. Funds include a $500,000 MassTrails grant.

Further information is available here:

https://www.northamptonma.gov/2632/Northampton-Bikeway

Nov. 5 election

The deadline for registering to vote or changing your address before the Nov. 5 presidential election is 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 26.

Early voting began Saturday, Oct. 19, and continues through Friday, Nov. 1. All Northampton residents who choose to vote early in person will cast their ballot on the second floor of City Hall, 210 Main St. Early voting hours are Oct. 21 through 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Oct. 26 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Oct. 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and Oct. 28 through Nov. 1 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Designated parking is available on Crafts Avenue.

The application deadline for a mail-in ballot is 5 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 29. Mail-in ballots are available online at https://www.sec.state.ma.us/MailInRequestWeb/MailInBallot.aspx or by contacting the city clerk’s office. Mail-in ballots must be received at the city clerk’s office by 5 p.m., Friday, Nov. 8. They may be returned by mail to the city clerk’s office, Room 4, 210 Main St., or dropped off in person at the service window at the clerk’s office inside City Hall or the drop box near the front steps outside City Hall. Mail-in ballots CANNOT be dropped off at a polling place Nov. 5.

Information about early and mail-in voting is available here:

https://northamptonma.gov/2274/Early-Mail-In-Voting

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. Ward 1 residents will continue to vote at the Jackson Street School.

The ballot lists candidates for president and vice president; U.S. Senate; 2nd Congressional District; 8th District governor’s councilor; Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester Senate District; 1st Hampshire House District; Hampshire County clerk of courts; Hampshire District register of deeds; and Hampshire County register of probate (to fill a vacancy).

There are also five statewide ballot questions.

Information about the questions is available here:

https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/elections/download/research-and-statistics/IFV_2024.pdf

A sample ballot is available here:

https://www.northamptonma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/27983/November-5-2024-Specimen-Ballot

Question 2 resolution

The City Council on Thursday, Oct. 17, voted 8-0, with Quaverly Rothenberg of Ward 3 abstaining, to approve a resolution supporting Question 2 on the Nov. 5 ballot that would eliminate the requirement that students pass the Grade 10 MCAS exam to graduate from high school. The resolution was sponsored by Deborah Klemer of Ward 2 and Rachel Maiore of Ward 7.

I support Question 2 because standardized tests like the MCAS should be used as one measure of students’ progress but not as a one-size-fits-all determinant of their graduating from high school.

The resolution states that “using MCAS testing as a high school graduation requirement has prevented or delayed thousands of students from earning a diploma, thereby interrupting or derailing education or career plans, with especially harmful impacts on students of color, low-income students, students with disabilities, and students for whom English is their second language.”

The full resolutions is available here:

https://northamptonma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/24086?fileID=197067

Question 4 resolution

The City Council on Thursday, Oct. 17, voted 8-0, with Quaverly Rothenberg of Ward 3 abstaining, to approve a resolution supporting Question 4 on the Nov. 5 ballot that would decriminalize five natural psychedelics found in mushrooms or plants for therapeutic use. The resolution was sponsored by Jeremy Dubs of Ward 4 and Rachel Maiore of Ward 7.

I support Question 4 because it would establish therapeutic centers for treatment using the psychedelic substances supervised by trained and licensed practitioners.

The resolution states that “natural psychedelics have been found to treat severe forms of mental illness, including PTSD, OCD, anxiety, depression, end-of-life distress, and some forms of addiction.”

The full resolution is available here:

https://northamptonma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/24085?fileID=197066

Sidewalk repairs

The City Council on Thursday, Oct. 17, voted 7-2, with Quaverly Rothenberg of Ward 3 and Rachel Maiore of Ward 7 opposed, to appropriate for sidewalk repairs $823,631.22 previously earmarked for improvements to the Hotel Bridge in Leeds.

The Hotel Bridge over the Mill River was closed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation more than 20 years ago because of structural problems. The City Council in 2021 approved financing for repairs to make the bridge safe for pedestrians and bicyclists. While the city’s consultant estimated that the project should cost about $500,000, the lowest bid that the city received in three tries was for $1.659 million in July.

Rather than seeking additional funds to spend that amount on the bridge repairs, Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra and Department of Public Works Director Donna LaScaleia instead recommended that the money be spent on repairing sidewalks throughout the city during this fiscal year that ends June 30, 2025. Among the factors determining the sidewalks to be repaired are those recommended by the city’s Disability Commission as well as those where injuries have been reported due to falls.

Senior and Veteran Tax Work-Off program

The city is accepting applications through Friday, Nov. 15, for the Senior and Veteran Tax Work-Off program for the period from Jan. 1 to Oct. 31, 2025.

Residents aged 60 and older who own property and pay real estate taxes in Northampton and who meet income eligibility guidelines (based on Massachusetts median income levels) may apply. Veterans who own property and pay real estate taxes in Northampton are eligible regardless of income.

Participants in the program for seniors must complete 133.33 hours of volunteer service for municipal departments to receive the full $2,000 tax credit. Veterans may earn a maximum $1,500 tax credit if they complete 100 hours of volunteer service.

This year there are 49 participants.

Applications are available at the assessor’s office in City Hall, 210 Main St., veterans service office in Memorial Hall, 240 Main St., and the Senior Center, 67 Conz St. Completed senior applications should be delivered to the assessor’s office, and veterans’ applications should be delivered to the veterans’ services office.

Online applications for seniors are available here:

https://northamptonma.gov/2066/Senior-Tax-Work-Off-Program

Online applications for veterans are available here:

https://northamptonma.gov/1455/Veteran-Property-Tax-Work-Off-Program

Charging to charge

The city on Sept. 30 began charging for electricity at its public electric vehicle charging stations.

The price of $1.92 per hour is designed to allow the city to break even on its costs of providing this service for drivers of electric vehicles. The cost is about 11 cents per mile for most electric vehicles that use Level II chargers.

Northampton previously offered free electricity to encourage conversion to electric vehicles. Most municipalities now have converted to a charging fee, which in western Massachusetts averages $2.47 per hour.

Stan