On 3/4 City Council Agenda: “A Resolution of the City Council on the Direction of Solid Waste Management Policy in Northampton”

City Council President David Narkewicz and Ward 4 Councilor Pamela Schwartz are sponsoring the following resolution for a first reading at the March 4 City Council meeting. Concerned citizens are urged to attend the meeting, which will begin at 7:15pm in City Council Chambers, 212 Main Street.See also:Bessette: Ban Landfills from Water Supply Protection Districts; […]

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Bessette: Ban Landfills from Water Supply Protection Districts; Video and Transcript

A citizen petition to ban landfills from Northampton’s Water Supply Protection districts (see below) came before the Economic Development, Housing and Land Use Committee (EDHLU) on February 23. The committee ultimately declined to take a position on the petition after being advised by Mayor Clare Higgins that city councilors should respect the ‘gag order’ advised […]

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Rebuttal to Dr. Geoffrey Kuter’s Brief for Landfill Expansion

Dr. Geoffrey Kuter recently submitted this letter (PDF) in support of expanding the Northampton landfill. We present it and then offer our rebuttal. Concerned citizens are urged to attend the January 27 Board of Public Works meeting.Our rebuttal:The city has operated a landfill for a generation yet our recycling rates lag behind most of our neighboring […]

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January 27: Landfill Expansion on Board of Public Works Agenda

We urge concerned citizens to attend this meeting: The Board of Public Works [blog] is holding its regular public meeting on Wednesday, January 27, 2010, 5:30 p.m. at the Community Room located in the JFK Middle School on Bridge Road. On the Board’s agenda for this meeting is the discussion of a motion whether or not […]

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Water Not Waste Press Release: “Northampton BPW Plans to Move Forward with Landfill Expansion Vote”

We received this press release yesterday from Water Not Waste: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASENorthampton BPW Plans to Move Forward with Landfill Expansion VoteNorthampton, MA-January 12, 2010The Northampton Board of Public Works is about to take an historic vote on whether or not to expand the Northampton Regional landfill in a Water Supply Protection District even though […]

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Northampton Media: “BPW Takes Emergency Measures to Retire Landfill Debt”

Northampton Media has this report today on the financial state of Northampton’s landfill: Anne Marie Schauer, Financial Administrator of the…city’s Department of Public Works (DPW), presented recently updated landfill closure numbers to the Board. According to Schauer, compared to last year, the landfill closure fund is showing a gap of approximately $1.2 million. The city […]

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Documents: Northampton City Budget, FY2010; City Council Rules

Here for your reference are two PDF documents ready for downloading:City of Northampton, Council Rules, 2008-2009 Session, Amended October 2, 2008 (279KB) City of Northampton, Mayor’s Budget Proposal, Fiscal Year 2010 (July 1, 2009-June 30, 2010, 13MB) See pages 342-346 for accounts relating to the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund.See also:City Website: The FY2010 City Budget Outlook

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Video: Mimi Odgers Comments on Water Not Waste Ballot Question Victory

Today’s Gazette reports: Shall the city expand the regional landfill over the Barnes Aquifer? No, said 63.8 percent of Northampton voters who chose to answer the nonbinding question at the polls Tuesday.In the final analysis, 5,482 voters said the city should not expand the landfill over the aquifer, while 3,107 voters supported an expansion over […]

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Video: Mayoral Debate at the Florence Civic Center, 10/30/09

Here is a complete blip.tv video of the 10/30/09 debate between Northampton mayoral candidates Michael Bardsley and Clare Higgins (incumbent). It took place at the Florence Civic Center. This video is 38 minutes long and was recorded by Adam Cohen and Lachlan Ziegler. The image for the first four minutes is a bit shaky due to lack […]

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