Update from Notre Dame; Critique of Northampton Sector Diagram

[11/13/08 update – Notre Dame Professor Philip Bess sent us this comment and authorized us to share it with you: We share your commitment to green space in Northampton, both usable and preserved; and are cognizant of the low-lying downtown areas prone to flooding. I just want to reassure you here that even if our […]

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David Goldberg, “Of Sprawl Schools and Small Schools”

David Goldberg’s “Of Sprawl Schools and Small Schools” (PDF) appeared in the Winter 2005 issue of On Common Ground, published by the National Association of Realtors. As the fate of Bridge Street School is weighed, these excerpts merit consideration: As recently as 1969 roughly half of all students walked or biked to school. In 2001 […]

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Photo Essay: Our Woods in Fall

“Regardless of neighborhood economic status, our side streets are graced with impromptu patches of wildflowers, sunflowers, tomatoes, blackberries and ferns, overshadowed by iconic oaks, maples, sycamore, white pine, and spruce trees. Our expanding system of rail trails encourages off-street exploration by bike or foot, while promoting fitness and casual neighborly chit-chat.”From Rutherford Platt, “The Humane […]

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School Committee Meeting Underscores Imminent Peril Facing Bridge Street School

The full board of the Northampton School Committee met on October 16. A Bridge Street School parent of two attended and emailed us with their concerns: I would like to bring to your attention that although the school committee meeting was not televised last night, some important information that the public might want to know […]

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Videos: Northampton Public Schools Strategic Planning, Open Meeting of 10/1/08; Did You Know?

The Northampton Public Schools held an open meeting on the evening of October 1 as part of its strategic planning process. The meeting took place at the JFK Middle School Cafeteria. Consultant William Allen, Ed.D, of Future Management Systems Inc. is helping with the process. The Strategic Plan will consider such topics as Learning Results […]

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10/5: Ward 3 Neighborhood Association to Hold Annual Meeting, Harvest Festival

It is our pleasure to relay this information from the Ward 3 Neighborhood Association: WARD 3 NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION TO HOLD ANNUAL MEETING, HARVEST FESTIVALCONTACT: Jerry Budgar 584-2964 The Ward 3 Neighborhood Association will hold its Annual Meeting and a Harvest Festival celebrating the growth of agriculture in Ward 3 on Sunday, October 5 from 1 […]

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The Notre Dame Northampton Charrette – Website Launches

The Notre Dame School of Architecture has launched a website to present their ideas about Northampton and engage with citizens. Professor Philip Bess and six graduate architecture and urban design students–Kalinda Brown, Dan Degreve, Josh Eckert, Scott Ford, Aaron Helfand, and Crystal Olin–initiated a semester’s worth of study of Northampton with Design Northampton Week. Visit […]

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9/25: Two Hearings on New Police Station – Design Revised Again

City Councilor David Narkewicz has kindly called our attention to the latest proposed design for the new police station (also downloadable as a PDF, 9.3MB): The new police station will be discussed at two public hearings on Thursday: Central Business Architecture Committee (CBAC) Thursday, September 25, 2008 5:00 PM Memorial Hall, 1st Floor (former Council […]

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Ward 3 Neighborhood Association: Statement of Support for Bridge Street Elementary School

We are pleased to relay the following statement recently approved by the board of the Ward 3 Neighborhood Association: Statement of Support for Bridge Street Elementary School In light of the recent discussion by City Officials concerning the possible closing of a Northampton elementary school, the Board of the Ward 3 Neighborhood Association would like […]

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Revised Design for Northampton Police Station

Plans for the new Northampton Police Station have been revised in light of public input. Here is the revision of September 3, also available as a PDF: Here is the previous design from August: Another view of the August design: Here is a new plan for the parking garage on Gothic Street (also available as […]

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