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Date: 12/27/2021
NORTHAMPTON – With the New Year upon us, Reminder Publishing looked back and compiled a list of some of the top stories and trends that helped shape the city of Northampton in 2021. Feel free to share your thoughts or memories of the past year by either emailing us at cmaza@thereminder.com or connecting with us via social media on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ReminderPublishing/) or Twitter (@TheReminderMA).
Reminder Publishing launches Northampton edition
Reminder Publishing continued its expansion into Hampshire County with its Northampton edition in April. The entry into Northampton offered another locally-focused news source to the city and the surrounding communities of Williamsburg, Hatfield, Chesterfield, Goshen, Cummington, and Worthington, delivering nearly 20,000 copies weekly to readers.
COVID-19 pandemic continues
The coronavirus pandemic continued to influence policymaking for the city and its schools as variants including delta and omicron compelled decision-makers to remain vigilant.
The Northampton Board of Health decided on Dec. 16 to maintain the mask mandate that requires all residents, regardless of vaccination status, to wear masks while in indoor spaces. The mandate was implemented in August. The Board of Health also decided to send out a mass message to food service establishments and the public that strongly recommends people to wear masks when they are not sitting down and eating or drinking. Meanwhile, The Dirty Truth recently announced it would be among the first area restaurants to require proof of vaccination.
Northampton Public Schools returned to the classroom on a permanent basis for the 2021-2022 school year in September after the district completed the previous school year with in-person learning. The district began shifting from hybrid learning to full in-person learning, starting with the elementary-level grades in April until completely integrating the high school on May 17. Students are participating in voluntary pooled testing and in December, schools introduced test-and-stay protocol to its COVID-19 response plans. Through this program, asymptomatic individuals identified as close contacts who have not been fully vaccinated would not be subject to quarantine, provided they take part in daily testing. Fully vaccinated, asymptomatic students do not have the test.
Sciarra elected next mayor
With Mayor David Narkewicz opting to step away after a decade in office, City Council President Gina-Louise Sciarra was elected to her first term as mayor in a landslide on Nov. 2. Sciarra, who will become the 45th mayor in the city’s history, defeated contender and transportation analyst Marc Warner handily with 5,842 votes compared to his 2,510. Sciarra has served on the Northampton City Council over the past eight years, including her most recent term as president.
Police and public safety debated
The role of police and non-police peacekeepers and the financial resources devoted to each was a significant topic of debate in 2021.
Presenting its 53-page report in March, the Northampton Policing Review Commission recommended, among other things, the establishment of the Department of Community Care, a new city agency designed to respond to calls related to mental health, substance use, social service-related requests, and other crisis situations of Northampton residents and visitors as an alternative to traditional police response. In June, the City Council approved a budget that included $423,955 for the creation of the department, The department received an additional $150,000 from the state thanks to a budget amendment by state Sen. Jo Comerford. The city’s appropriation for the department did not go without scrutiny and criticism by some, including Ward 7 Councilor Rachel Maiore, who argued even with the additional state money, the investment was $308,647 short of the Policing Review Commission’s recommendation. Sciarra also acknowledged before the budget was approved that the council recognized the funding for the Department of Community Care is not enough but there is work to be done to find out how much money more is needed. “It sounds like all of us recognize this funding is not enough for operations and I am committed to finding the additional funds once they are determined. There are actual things that need to be worked out, that is just the reality of this work,” she said.
Resident Sean Donovan was selected as the implementation director for the Department of Community Care, and began work on Dec. 15.
Meanwhile, debate over the funding levels for the Police Department were prominent in the city’s budget discussions as well. The department’s proposed budget of $6.2 million, representing a $178,633 increase over the previous fiscal year, was approved after calls to significantly defund the department, including those by Northampton Abolition Now and members of the Northampton Arts Council seeking a 50 percent reduction. Police Chief Jody Kasper argued that a 50 percent budget could would mean the elimination of 40 of the department’s 67 positions, including 36 full-time officers, leaving the police unable to offer 24-hour policing. The police budget had been cut by 10 percent during the previous fiscal year’s budget process.
Coca Cola announces plant closure
News broke on Aug. 5 that Coca-Cola would be shuttering its operations at Northampton’s industrial park off of Damon Road by 2023. Company spokesperson Abby Peck confirmed the information and provided Reminder Publishing with a statement on Aug. 6 that read, “After careful consideration, the Coca-Cola Company has decided to close our production facility in Northampton, MA. We did not make this decision lightly and are grateful to have had the opportunity to have been a part of the Northampton community. Impacted employees will be encouraged to apply and be considered for jobs that they are qualified to perform within the Coca-Cola system and at other third-party manufacturer locations. The facility is targeting closure in the second quarter of 2023, and we will support our associates throughout the challenging transition.”
Narkewicz said the company provided no advance notice to the city. Employing nearly 320 area residents, the facility, which takes up 22 acres of the industrial park, is the city’s largest manufacturer. It is one of only 14 plants owned by the Coca-Cola Company in the United States and the only one in New England; the closest remaining facility owned by the company would be in Allentown, PA.
Narkewicz said the company’s planned departure from the city “presents a major loss for Northampton in terms of jobs” and also noted significant impacts to property tax as well as water and sewer revenues. Coca-Cola accounts for more than $300,000 annually in property tax receipts. Meanwhile, the $7 million water enterprise fund received $1.7 million from Coca-Cola from June 2020 to June 2021 and the $6 million sewer utility received $1.2 million from the company over the same time period.
Feedback prompts halt of roundabout project
After years of research, planning, petitions, and public testimony, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) announced on May 18 the current construction contract for a proposed roundabout at North King Street and Hatfield Street had been terminated while MassDOT reevaluates the project. MassDOT said community feedback and opposition at a virtual public information meeting due to the project’s potential impacts to an archaeological site was the motivation for putting the brakes on the project.
During a meeting on May 24, the Northampton Historical Commission passed a new resolution under Chapter 106, stating that a project on the site would result in negative impacts to historic properties.
The Skibiski family, which owned the property taken by eminent domain, had been fully involved in a civil suit opposing the project since June 2020 and alleged that after a yearlong archaeological survey, one day a construction company showed up to demolish the site that contains 8,000- to 10,000-year-old Native American artifacts. Narragansett Tribe Monitor Joe Graveline said MassDOT’s process for this project seemed to be full of shortcuts. Dr. Michael Gramly, a Harvard paleontologist, said he was happy the site was found for educational purposes but wishes it was found under better circumstances. While 2,000 objects have been found on the site, Gramly said he expected there were even more to be uncovered.
City redefines ward boundaries
The Northampton City Council conducted a special meeting on Nov. 8 to unanimously vote in favor of the newly defined wards and precincts in the city of Northampton, including the specific language that comes with it.
Under Massachusetts General Law, cities and towns across the state must accept an updated map of the established precinct and ward boundaries based on what the federal census illustrates every 10 years. Based off the 2020 Census, both City Clerk Pamela Powers and city GIS Coordinator James Thompson established the most updated verbiage for the precinct and ward lines by working with the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office.
In a city that saw a 3.6 percent increase in population between 2010 and 2020, the biggest changes in Northampton involved Wards 2, 6 and 7. Ward 2 shrunk geographically, while Wards 6 and 7 slightly grew due to specific population shifts and natural growth.
According to David Stevens, the chair of the city’s reprecincting committee, around 1,000 people were added to Northampton since the last census in 2010, which is something that needed to be accounted for in the new maps.