NO Parking on Odd Side of Residential Streets Until Further Notice

From: Robert K McCarthy

Councillor Ward One

Temporary Public Safety Parking Restriction: NO Parking on odd side of residential streets in Salem until further notice

Pursuant to City ordinance, the Salem Police Department has declared a temporary parking restriction on all residential streets in Salem. Parking is prohibited on the odd side of all such streets. Residents should park their vehicles on the even side of the road, unless there is an existing parking restriction on that side of the street. All regular posted parking restrictions and regulations still apply. This restriction will remain in effect until further notice and is in place in order to maintain public safety and allow ambulances and police and  fire vehicles safe access through all City streets.

If a vehicle is parked on the odd side of a residential street, police will make every effort to find the owner before towing.  The Police Department’s primary focus for enforcement will be in areas where the snow has severely narrowed the width of the street and two-sided parking is no longer feasible. 

In addition, the City may post some public lots as temporarily closed to all parking, in order to facilitate snow removal efforts, over the next 1-3 days.

Thank you for your patience as the City continues to clean up following the blizzard.

City of Salem Immigration Workshop for Immigrants, Service Providers POSTPONED to February 11th

From: Robert K McCarthy

Councillor Ward One

City of Salem Immigration Workshop for Immigrants, Service Providers POSTPONED to February 11th

Free and open to all, St. Peter’s Church, 24 St. Peter Street in Salem, February 11, 6 – 8 p.m. 

The City of Salem will hold an immigration workshop for Salem residents who are immigrants and for service providers who may work with immigrant populations. The free workshop will take place at St. Peter’s Church, 24 St. Peter Street in Salem, on February 11th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

During the workshop participants will have an opportunity to learn more about President Obama’s recent Executive Order concerning federal immigration policy, U.S. citizenship eligibility, deferred action for childhood arrivals, and how to access U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) forms online. Attorneys, including USCIS representatives, will be on hand to answer questions and to provide free legal consultations.

Free childcare will be provided during the event. In the event of a snow emergency, the workshop will be held on February 18 at the same time and location.

This workshop is being held in partnership with the City of Salem, USCIS, the North Shore Community Development Coalition, the Point Neighborhood Association, the Latino Leadership Coalition, the House of the Seven Gables, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, and Voces Inc.

SNOW EMERGENCY IN EFFECT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE CLICK HERE FOR UPDATED INFORMATION

From: Robert K McCarthy

Councillor Ward One

SNOW EMERGENCY IN EFFECT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE 

The City of Salem Snow Emergency parking ban is still in place and will likely remain in effect until Wednesday night. Please consult the city’s website www.salem.com or the Salem Police Snow Emergency Line at 978-744-0171, ext. 166 for a specific time the snow parking ban will be lifted.

During the Snow Emergency a parking ban is in effect, and vehicles must be totally removed from city streets and sidewalks throughout the entire duration of the snow emergency or your vehicle will be ticketed and towed. If your vehicles are on the roadway we cannot effectively plow your street. Do NOT return your vehicle to the street until the emergency is officially over, even if your street has been plowed. It will be ticketed and towed away.

Salem Public School will be cancelled on Wednesday, January 28th, and all City offices except for DPW and police and fire will be closed. This includes the Council on Aging and the library. The Mayor’s office will be open on Wednesday from noon to 4pm.

Trash and recycling will be picked up on a one-day delay for the week starting with tomorrow’s collection. Today’s collection will be picked up tomorrow, tomorrow’s on Thursday, and so forth. Compost pick-up will happen tomorrow and Thursday as normally scheduled.

  

Please remember that vehicles must be removed from snow emergency parking lots, particularly at schools, immediately following the cancellation of the snow emergency. Cars left in school lots at the end of the emergency may be towed.

We would also like to thank you in advance for shoveling your sidewalks and ask that you also clear the snow around the hydrants near your property so that they can be accessible to firefighters in case of an emergency.

City of Salem Issues Blizzard Update

From: Robert K McCarthy

Councillor Ward One

Subject: City of Salem Issues Blizzard Update

City of Salem Issues Blizzard Update

Details on parking ban effective 4pm, school and City closures, trash collection delay, and more

Salem, Massachusetts – The City of Salem has declared an official snow emergency effective at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, January 26, 2015. This snow emergency will remain in effect until further notice.

Parking Ban in Effect

During a snow emergency an on-street parking ban is in effect and all vehicles must be removed from all City streets and sidewalks or they will be ticketed and towed. A complete list of snow emergency parking locations is available here: http://bit.ly/1C3RK6Z. For vehicles parked in the South Harbor Garage or the Museum Place Garage, the $5/24 hour snow emergency rate commences at 4:00 p.m. Regular rates apply until then. Visit www.salem.com or call 978-744-0171 x166 for an update on the end of snow emergency, as all vehicles must be removed from snow emergency lots – especially school lots – when the emergency is lifted or they will be ticketed and towed. The City does not issue a CodeRED notification regarding the conclusion of a snow emergency, however a city-wide News & Announcements email notification will be sent; sign up for News & Announcements at http://www.salem.com/subscriber.

Trash/Recycling Delay

Curbside trash and recycling collection will be postponed one day this week, starting with Tuesday’s collection. Tuesday collection will take place Wednesday, Wednesday on Thursday, etc. There will be no curbside collection on Tuesday morning. Curbside compost collection will take place as scheduled on Wednesday. Recycling can be dropped off at North Shore Recycled Fibers, 53 Jefferson Avenue, between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays or between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Saturdays. Any changes to curbside collection scheduling will be posted at www.salem.com.

School Cancellation

The Salem Public Schools will be cancelled for a snow day on Tuesday. Details about further cancellations or delays will be announced as they are determined.

City Offices and Programs

City Hall, City Hall Annex, Council on Aging, and the Salem Public Library will be closed on Tuesday. Salem Police and Fire Departments and the Department of Public Services will remain open for storm response. City Council committee meetings scheduled for tonight and Tuesday evening this week have been cancelled and will be rescheduled at a later time. The Licensing Board meeting scheduled for tonight and the Beautification Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday evening have both been cancelled. Public programs at the Council on Aging scheduled for Tuesday have been cancelled. The School Committee subcommittee meeting and joint meeting with the Salem Community Charter School, scheduled for this evening, have been cancelled and will be rescheduled.

Sidewalks

City ordinances require property owners to remove snow and ice from their sidewalks within six hours after the snow ends or when the snow emergency lights are turned off, whichever is later. If that time is at night, the snow must be cleared by noon the following day. Failure to do so can result in fines. The City clears sidewalks and walkways that front public property, but only after roadways are sufficiently clear to allow for emergency vehicles to pass; with the current forecast conditions, it is likely that clearing of sidewalks fronting public property will not be possible until Friday.

Driveways

The Department of Public Services and contracted plow operators makes every reasonable effort to minimize the amount of snow that may be plowed across a private driveway entrance, however it is often unavoidable. Clearing driveway openings is the responsibility of the property owner. In order to plow public streets curb to curb, snow will be plowed across driveway openings. Be aware that plowing, shoveling, or throwing snow into a public street is prohibited by ordinance.

Catch Basins and Fire Hydrants

If there is a catch basin, drain, or fire hydrant located near you, please help the City stop street flooding and keep Salem safe by shoveling these out and keep them clear.

Blizzard Resources

Salem Snow Emergency Central: http://www.salem.com/Pages/snow/index 

Salem CodeRED Alert Sign-Up: http://bit.ly/1JKwORM 

Subscribe to Salem News & Announcements: http://www.salem.com/subscriber 

Salem Snow Emergency Parking Map: http://bit.ly/1C3RK6Z 

Salem Snow Emergency Brochure: http://salem.com/Pages/SalemMA_DPW/2015snow.pdf 

National Grid Storm Page: http://www1.nationalgridus.com/StormNotifications 

National Grid Outage Page: https://www1.nationalgridus.com/PowerOutageMap 

MEMA Storm Preparedness: http://www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/mema/ 

Salem Police Non-Emergency Line: 978-744-1212

Salem Department of Public Services: 978-744-3302 for emergency issues only.

Salem Announcements & Information Line: 978-745-INFO (4636)

Reminder: Emergency services will see an increase in calls during bad weather. Do not call 9-1-1 unless there is an emergency. Please direct any non-emergency calls to the Salem police non-emergency line at 978-744-1212. 

City office closures

From: Robert K McCarthy

Councillor Ward One

Subject: City office closures

City Hall, City Hall Annex, Council on Aging, and the Salem Public Library will be closed on Tuesday. Salem Police and Fire Departments and the Department of Public Services will remain open for storm response. City Council committee meetings scheduled for tonight and Tuesday evening this week have been cancelled and will be rescheduled at a later time. The Licensing Board meeting scheduled for tonight and the Beautification Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday evening have both been cancelled. Public programs at the Council on Aging scheduled for Tuesday have been cancelled. The School Committee subcommittee meeting and joint meeting with the Salem Community Charter School, scheduled for this evening, have been cancelled and will be rescheduled.

Dominick Pangallo

Chief of Staff

Office of Mayor Kimberley Driscoll

City of Salem

93 Washington Street

Salem, Massachusetts 01970

(978) 619-5600

dpangallo@salem.com

www.salem.com/mayor

Public Meeting to Discuss Former Universal Steel Property

From:Robert K McCarthy

Councillor Ward One

Public Meeting to Discuss Former Universal Steel Property

Thursday, February 5 at 5:00 p.m. at 120 Washington Street

The City of Salem will hold a public meeting to provide an update on the former Universal Steel site at 297 Bridge Street and to discuss criteria for evaluating redevelopment proposals for the property. In 2013, the City, in partnership with MassDevelopment, MassDEP, and the U.S. EPA, completed the remediation of contaminated soils associated with the site’s past industrial use. The site then served as a temporary commuter parking lot during the construction of the new Salem MBTA Commuter Rail station and garage. With the garage recently completed, the City intends to seek proposals for the purchase and redevelopment of the site.

The meeting will be in the 3^rd floor conference room at the City Hall Annex at 120 Washington Street on Thursday, February 5 at 5:00 p.m. All are welcome to attend and participate in the discussion. Please contact Tom Devine in the Department of Planning & Community Development at 978-619-5685 or tdevine@salem.com with any questions.

Know your rights under the Open Meeting Law M.G.L. c. 30A §18-25 and City Ordinance Sections 2-2028 through 2-2033.

March meeting of HDSNA

March Meeting of the Historic Derby Street Neighborhood Association

March 9th at the House of the Seven Gables, 115 Derby Street, 7:00 pm

Darin Swimm, Community Outreach Director, Salem Cable Project will talk about the National Grid Salem Cable Project.  Salem’s very own “Big Dig” is about to begin - learn how our neighborhood and all of Salem will be affected.  

February meeting of HDSNA

February Meeting of the Historic Derby Street Neighborhood Association

February 9th at the House of the Seven Gables, 115 Derby Street, 7:00 pm

The featured speakers will be State Senator Joan Lovely and State Representative Paul Tucker who will talk about what to expect on Beacon Hill this session.  There will be time for both of our elected representatives to answer questions. Their decisions will directly affect our neighborhood; it is important for them to hear your thoughts.  Everyone in the Derby Street neighborhood is encouraged to attend.

MLK Holiday Trash & Recycling Pickup Delay

From: Robert K McCarthy

Councillor Ward One

MLK Holiday Trash & Recycling Pickup Delay

This message is from the City of Salem’s Trash & Recycling Department:

Due to the Martin Luther King holiday on Monday, January 19, trash and recycling pickup in the City of Salem will be a day late all week. If your trash is in barrels, City regulations prohibit curbside placements any earlier than 6:00 P.M. on the night before your pickup day. If your trash is in bags, it cannot be placed curbside until 6:00 A.M. on the morning of your pickup day.

This delay in trash and recycling pickup will not affect regularly scheduled compost pickups. For a complete listing of the 2015 holiday pickup schedule, please visit Salem.com/recycling.

If you have any questions, please contact the City of Salem's Trash & Recycling Department at 978-619-5673.

Thank you.

CPA Determination of Eligibility Application Available - Deadline 2/6/15

From: Robert K McCarthy

Councillor Ward One

CPA Determination of Eligibility Application Available

Community Preservation Committee releases FY15 Community Preservation Plan and FY14 Annual Report;

FY15 Eligibility Applications Requested for Submission by February 6, 2015

SALEM, MA - The Community Preservation Committee (CPC) has released its FY15 Community Preservation Plan and FY14 Annual Report.  The Community Preservation Plan is used to guide the CPC’s decision-making when reviewing and recommending projects for Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding.  The Plan includes an overview of the CPA in Salem, evaluation criteria and a timeline.  The plan also serves as an annual report – summarizing the status of funded projects and including copies of the required State reports.

The CPC uses a two-step application process for reviewing funding proposals, beginning with an Eligibility Application.   This application enables applicants to know if their project is eligible under CPA regulations prior to submitting the more comprehensive Funding Application.  Eligibility Applications may be submitted to the CPC at any time.  However, in order to be considered for the FY15 funding round, applicants are encouraged to submit their Eligibility Applications no later than February 6, 2015.  For projects that are determined eligible, applicants will then be invited to submit a Funding Application.  The CPC’s tentative deadline for the receipt of Funding Applications is March 20, 2015.  Submitted applications will be reviewed in accordance with the evaluation criteria and the goal of the CPC is to submit funding recommendations to the City Council in May, 2015. 

CPC Chair Helen Sides stated, "The CPC invites City departments, non-profit organizations, private groups and individuals to propose their ideas for potential projects.  For eligible submissions from applicants who don’t have site control, those project concepts will be forwarded to the property owner for their consideration of submitting a funding application now or in the future.”

 “The CPC made very thoughtful recommendations for FY14 CPA funding and we are beginning to see those projects underway.  During FY15, I anticipate that the CPC will be seeing another group of great applications.” Mayor Kimberley Driscoll stated.

 The CPA was adopted by Salem voters in November, 2012.  It established a local dedicated fund for the purpose of undertaking open space, historic preservation, outdoor recreation and community housing projects.  It is financed by a voter-approved property tax surcharge along with annual matching funds from the statewide CPA Trust Fund. Massachusetts regulations require that a minimum of 10% of annual CPA revenues be set aside or spent for each of three categories: housing, historic, and open space/recreation projects.  The CPC is composed of representatives from the City’s Conservation Commission, Historical Commission, Planning Board, Park & Recreation Commission and Salem Housing Authority, along with appointees from the Mayor and the City Council.

 The FY15 Community Preservation Plan and FY14 Annual Report, FY15 Determination of Eligibility Application and other information on the CPA can be found at http://www.salem.com/Pages/SalemMA_CPC/index.

Notice on Delayed Christmas Tree Pick-Up

From: Robert K McCarthy

Councillor Ward One

Notice on Delayed Christmas Tree Pick-Up

The City is aware that there are many streets where Christmas trees left curbside last week were not collected. According to Northside Carting – the City’s curbside collection contractor – the company experienced several vehicle malfunctions last week due to the cold weather. 

Under the terms of the City’s contract with Northside Carting, Christmas tree collection is taking place this week, as well as last week. 

If your tree was not collected last week, please leave it curbside and Northside Carting should collect it this week. 

If your tree has not been collected by the end of this week please report it via SeeClickFix or by calling 978-744-3302 so that a City DPW crew can be dispatched to collect it. We apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced and appreciate your patience.

Mayor Kim Driscoll's FYI Salem Newsletter - Volume 1, Issue 3

FromRobert K McCarthy

Councillor Ward One

Mayor Kim Driscoll's FYI Salem Newsletter - Volume 1, Issue 3

FYI Salem is Mayor Kim Driscoll's bimonthly newsletter which is published online and in downloadable formats during the first and third weeks of every month. This newsletter is intended to provide Salem residents with current information on city news, events, ongoing projects, programs and services.

To view the third issue of FYI Salem, please follow the links below:

Online Newsletter

Downloadable Newsletter

To sign up for the FYI Salem newsletter, visit Salem.com/Subscriber and select the "FYI Salem Newsletter" option under "News and Notices." You may also follow Mayor Driscoll on Facebook or Twitter (@MayorDriscoll) for release notices.

For more information on FYI Salem, please click here or contact Kristian Hoysradt in the Mayor’s Office at (978) 619-5601 or by email at khoysradt@salem.com.

Bonfire Postponed until Saturday, January 10th at 6pm

From:Robert K McCarthy

Councillor Ward One

 Bonfire Postponed until Saturday, January 10th at 6pm

Due to high wind gusts, the City of Salem's Christmas Tree Bonfire has been postponed to

Saturday, January 10^th

Dead Horse Beach at Salem Willows

6:00 p.m.

Salem Superintendent Search Community Input Session

From:Robert K McCarthy

Councillor Ward One

Salem Superintendent Search Community Input Session

The public is invited and are encouraged to attend one of the following meetings to provide input to the search for the next Superintendent.  At each session, search consultant Jim Huge will discuss the search process and timeframes, answer questions, and collect feedback from participants.  All participant input will be compiled and submitted to the Superintendent Search Screening Committee and to the School Committee.

Tuesday, January 6th, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, January 7th, 6:30 p.m.

Both meetings will be held at the Salem High School Library.