Advancing the social, educational, civic and economic interest of the village and it’s inhabitants
LEEDS CIVIC ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 114, Leeds, MA 01053
LeedsCivicAssoc@gmail.com
OFFICERS
President, Penny Geis
Vice President, Jason Johnson Treasurer, Karyn Nelson
Secretary, Marc Freedman
BOARD MEMBERS
Sue Carbin
David Rondina
Earl Meunier
Tom Quinn
Steve McDonough
Seth Mias Catering Comes to Leeds
The talented chef and entrepreneur, Seth Mias, will be moving his successful catering business to the Look Restaurant building on Route 9. Seth purchased the building in April and will be making major renovations throughout the summer to get the space in order for some serious cooking! He is hoping to have the business moved in by September. Seth’s catering business has won the Advocate Best of the Valley Readers Choice Award for seven consecutive years, 2009-2015! Many of us were sorry to see Look Restaurant close, but to have a thriving business operating rather than a vacant building is a big plus for the community. A bonus is to have a business owned by someone who was raised in Leeds and cares about the village. Soon the chocolate dipped strawberry logo of Seth Mias Catering will be hanging in front of his place. We wish him the best of luck in his new location.
Big volunteer turn out for Leeds litter pick up
Time to take notice of what isn’t on Leeds road-sides. The soda and nip bottles, beer cans, plastic waste, styrofoam cups and to-go containers, pieces of house siding, old tires, debris and other trash that marred the beauty of the village are gone. Every Spring an effort is made by Leeds volunteers to clear the thoughtless disposal of other people’s trash. The volunteers listed below picked up nearly a dumpster’s worth of trash on Saturday, April 30th and Don Willard’s group picked up two truck loads on Sunday in the rain! Saturday’s volunteers filled large black bags which they left on the roadsides they cleaned. Sue Carbin and Marc Freedman rounded up the bags into Sue’s truck and hauled them to the DPW dumpster at Leeds School. Lynne Imre helped Sue sign people up in front of the PO. Please take notice as you drive or walk along the following roads and trails and if you see any of these helpful folks around the village give them a hearty “thank you.”
Driver & Trash Loader – Sue Carbin & Marc Freedman
Reservoir Rd – Bruce Walker, Rob Urbank, Tom Silliman & Arissa, Trish Reidy, Jason Johnson River Rd – Chart Pak employees
Arch St & trail – Singwen Mientka and Pine Forest Northampton Ueshiro Karate Studio members Spring & Dimock – Rondina family
Mulberry & Main – Margaret Aroj, Michael MacDonald
Lower Main Street – Jason Johnson
Florence, Bernache, Stowell, Heffernan Streets, Route 9, east side – Hodgson-Skantz family
Route 9, west side (E. Center to Scotti’s, Look Restaurant to VA) – Heidi Stevens, Justin O’Connor
Chesterfield/Kennedy/Reservoir intersection – Fran & Wayne Thibault
Yankee Hill neighborhood – Kim Wojcik and Steve, a new resident to Beaver Brook Extension
Mill River dirt trail (north) – Alisa Klein, Amy Stamm
Mill River banks – Penny, Leo, Otto and Juni Geis
Beaver Brook Conservation area on Rt 9 – Deb Jacobs
Sylvester Road and the intersection – Don Willard’s group had 21 volunteers
Group brings Leeds’ concerns to Mayor Narkewicz
by Heidi Stevens
LCA board members Earl Meuniur, myself, Leeds-Mill River Greenway Chair Jason Johnson and Ward 7 City Councilor Alisa Klein met with Mayor Narkewicz on October 13th. Northampton Fire Chief Duane Nichols, Wayne Feiden of the Planning Department, and Ned Huntley of the DPW were also at the meeting. Below are the issues we have been hearing the most about from Leeds folks and were presented at the meeting:
Water Street evacuation
The first concern presented was an alternate evacuation route for Water Street residents if a situation arose where Water Street was cut off due to a storm event or other emergency. The City’s current emergency route is through Roberts Hill Conservation area. Earl Munier and Red Greene have long thought that Old Newco Road (the first driveway on the west side of Water Street after the brook) to be a good alternative and this option was presented at the meeting. Since the meeting, Fire Chief Nichols has looked at and walked the proposed route and agrees it is a viable option if needed. Chief Nichols is having the DPW check and see if the city has any utility rights of way in this area. They are aware that a tree would need to be cleaned up for access. If the city has a right of way the DPW could cut up the tree to clear the path. If not they will need to work with the landowner to make it passable. Fire Chief Nichols also said in his email response to Councilor Klein “that the residents who we met with were great. I always appreciate when someone offers solutions and not just problems.”
Mill River Conservation area
The second concern brought up was the abusive use, excessive garbage dumping and day camping that occurs along the Mill River on and upstream from Chartpak Dam.The Northampton Police have made extra efforts regarding this activity since early in the summer of 2015. Now, the Planning Department is onboard to try and help address the problem. Next week Wayne Feiden from the Planning Department will walk the site with LCA board members and Mill River Greenway chair, Jason Johnson to determine what can be done in advance of summer 2016 to help the situation. Our goal is to encourage respectful use of the river front and maintenace along the new bike path extension.
Hotel Bridge
The third concern addressed at the Mayor’s meeeting was the status of the Hotel Bridge. In the short term the LCA requested help from the DPW to keep the entrances looking better, even if they are closed to pedestrians. The bridge is a stop on the Mill River Greenway’s historical walking tour. Guard rails and invasives need attention. In the long term, the LCA offered our continued support to find a way to open the bridge to pedestrain traffic. The Mayor will be discussing options with DPW, and the planning department will be helping to locate grant funding for restoration. Restoration will be expensive and the process will take time.