The City Council Committee on Community Resources will meet with Picture Main Street Pardon Our Progress Committee members at 5:30 p.m., Monday, March 17, in the City Council chambers, 212 Main St.

Here is the Zoom link for remote participation:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87998064717

The Pardon Our Progress is a collaboration among municipal officials, businesses, the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce, and the Downtown Northampton Association to support merchants during the Picture Main Street construction, which is scheduled to start in the spring of 2026. The committee is chaired by Jim Nash, a former City Council president.

Picture Main Street will channel motor vehicle traffic to one travel lane in each direction with a center turning lane; add physically separated bicycle lanes on both sides of the road; widen sidewalks; shorten crosswalks; reduce the overall number of parking spaces by 57; increase accessible parking spots by two; and add 36 trees.

The state is expected to pay about 88 percent of the estimated $29 million cost of the project.

More information about Picture Main Street is available here:

https://northamptonma.gov/2547/Picture-Main-Street

Transportation and Parking Commission

Traffic calming requests for Prospect Avenue and Jackson Street will be discussed by the Transportation and Parking Commission during its virtual meeting at 4 p.m., Tuesday, March 18.

Here is the Zoom link for remote participation:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86095777071

Neighbors have cited concerns about safety, especially for pedestrians, at the intersection of Jackson Street, Prospect Street and Woodlawn Avenue, which is a four-way stop with three crosswalks. The intersection is heavily traveled by children walking to the Jackson Street School and Northampton High School.

Committee on City Services

The City Council Committee on City Services, which I chair, will hold a special meeting at 4:30 p.m., Monday, March 24, in the City Council chambers, 212 Main St., with Department of Public Works Director Donna LaScaleia and Police Chief John Cartledge.

They will answer questions about snow and ice removal and the enforcement of the ordinance requiring clearing of sidewalks by property owners.

A Zoom link for remote participation will be included with the meeting agenda when it is posted no later than Thursday, March 20.

Temporary shared-use path closure

National Grid has temporarily closed a section of the Northampton-New Haven Canal shared-use path from Earle Street in Northampton to Easthampton through April to repair and replace utility poles.

The shared-use path was created after National Grid granted the city an easement on its property. The utility is responsible for detours and signs during its project to upgrade poles.

Stan