Good morning, Salem! I’ll start by rejoicing in the spate of public events that were approved last night. It’s nice to see that we are starting to emerge from COVID. If you aren’t yet vaccinated, please go do so…we are all keen to get back to block parties (PEM street art and Federal Street); fundraising walks (HAWC); and road races (Miles over the Moon and Salem 10k) – all approved. Hope to see your smiling faces out there at one or more. On to business…
Money matters
The council approved $67,655 in salary adjustments. There were small, union-contracted, cost-of-living increases, but about $49k was for a new enforcement officer position in the traffic and parking department. The council also accepted three donations for the Salem Youth Commission ($10k), tree planting ($5k), and the Mack Park Food Farm ($1500). I’ll go ahead and hit the Administration and Finance committee report here, since it was financial. The council was not united on the approval of $90k to conduct a future parking study. Councilor McClain noted that while the goal was laudable, he felt there are competent people working within the city who could conduct such an assessment. Ultimately, Councilors Dominguez and Varela agreed with McClain, and voted against spending the money to have an outside firm conduct the study. Councilor Cohen voted present. All other councilors voted in favor and the matter passed. The council then unanimously approved $185,822 for a flooring project at Witchcraft Heights Elementary.
Zoning
There will be two joint public hearings on two different zoning matters in the near future. The first zoning proposal is to amend the Entrance Corridor Overlay to encourage tree planting by modifying the requirements to allow for a range of tree types. The second is for the Bridge Street Neck Overlay. Bridge Street currently has a weird patchwork of zoning, and the intent of this overlay is to encourage small business development while maintaining the family-friendly community. The ordinance is a result of many public conversations, and if you are interested in learning more, click on the link above.
Wetlands
The council unanimously voted to approve the Wetlands Protection ordinance and the ordinance amending non-criminal disposition for wetlands, which was amended to reflect the maximum penalty allowable ($300 for the third offense). The wetlands protection ordinance clearly defines the buffer zone standards (100 ft) and includes no-disturbance (25 ft) and mitigation (50 ft) zones. It also incorporates climate change adaptations. President Morsillo, who was instrumental in the construction and passage of this ordinance, lauded the process. She noted it would have been easy to mimic an ordinance from a surrounding town, and there was pressure to act quickly from some segments of the public, but the group working on this thoughtfully crafted something that reflected Salem’s needs and values. There were four public meetings on this topic, and the process and design were transparent throughout. Both Councilor Riccardi and Morsillo thanked the Conservation Commission, Salem Sound Coastwatch, Salem Alliance for the Environment and the Sustainability, Energy and Resiliency committee for their work.
Once upon a time (1996), the powers that be in Salem decided to claim all private/public streets so they could get the maximum money from the state for street repair. This sleight-of-hand was not done legally, and the current council is now fixing it. The third street to be removed as a public street was Ft. Lee Terrace St., which is not a city street, but owned by the Salem Housing Authority.
The Irish flag will fly on 16–18 March in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.
The council unanimously passed a resolution supporting Ukraine and condemning the Russian Invasion.
Respectfully submitted,
Jen Lynch