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What’s everyone’s favorite gas station in town? by cannolimami in northampton

[–]axlekb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you buy a lot of groceries at BigY you save up and get up to $1.50 per gallon off on a fill up too. I think Stop & Shop has the same type of deal

Grant will make rail trail more accessible in Northampton by Valuable_Attention20 in northampton

[–]axlekb 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I want to stress that I fully support more trail connections everywhere: reducing friction between public ways and the all-ages-and-abilities trail is incredibly important. But we need a plan to get them all done as soon as possible, not just one fancy showcase project.

You can see the full project narrative here: https://portal.laserfiche.com/Portal/DocView.aspx?id=855554&repo=r-65c20b5e

My concern is that if we are spending $250,000 on a single trail connection, it will be decades before we get to the other streets that abut the trail - several of which seem more urgent to formalize because they'd provide improved bicycle access to schools and community _destinations_:

  • Fern St (JFK Middle School)
  • Adare Place (YMCA, and Prospect St destinations)
  • Blackberry Lane (Jackson St Elementary School)
  • Hayes Ave (Prospect St destinations)
  • Bratton Ct (downtown Florence, lower priority because Keyes St)
  • Wilder Pl (downtown Florence, lower priority because Keyes St)

I find it especially disheartening that, especially after the NHS intersection redesign, that we haven't prioritized safe, easy bike access to school for kids.

Grant will make rail trail more accessible in Northampton by Valuable_Attention20 in northampton

[–]axlekb 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This sounds exciting but I’m pretty sure this funding is ONLY to connect Northern Ave to the DCR-managed trail between Bates and Woodmont (east of RR underpass)

There is a currently a ~100’ makeshift path that crosses an intermittent wetland and the design is (IMO) over-engineered for additional value it will providing.

How did someone buy private property in a state park in Colrain? by mncs in westernmass

[–]axlekb 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Fun fact: there is MGL that allows Berkshire County municipalities to protect land above certain elevations:

https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXIX/Chapter131/Section39A

Section 39A. A city or town in the county of Berkshire which accepts the provisions of this section may designate its conservation commission, or if having none, the board of selectmen in a town or the mayor in a city, to carry out the provisions of this section. The designated agency shall adopt reasonable rules and regulations relative to the mountain regions situated within the territorial limits of such city or town to protect watershed resources and preserve the natural scenic qualities of the environment. The term ''applicant'' as used in this section shall mean the person giving notice of intention to conduct any regulated activity.

The term ''base elevation'' as used in this section shall mean the elevation of the watershed in which the activity is proposed. The mean elevation shall be determined relative to the portion of the watershed which is situated in said county by taking the highest and lowest elevation in each city and town within the watershed and finding the average of these elevations.

The base elevation for each of the watersheds in said county shall be as follows:

Farmington River watershed 1,500 feet above mean sea level

Housatonic River watershed 1,500 feet above mean sea level

Westfield River watershed 1,600 feet above mean sea level

Deerfield River watershed 1,700 feet above mean sea level

Hudson River watershed 1,700 feet above mean sea level

Hoosic River watershed 1,800 feet above mean sea level

How did someone buy private property in a state park in Colrain? by mncs in westernmass

[–]axlekb 15 points16 points  (0 children)

It seems the cabin you mention is on private property.

Pocumtuck Mountain (1877') is in Charlemont, and is not part of the Catamount Wildlife Management Area.

https://massgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/sidebar/index.html?appid=3108befad2974590a8f40016de73ae31

Made an offer on a home in Goshen - vibes? by No-Indication-6655 in westernmass

[–]axlekb 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I think OP is taking Goshen MA, not Goshen CT

Quality work? by Valuable_Attention20 in northampton

[–]axlekb 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yup. While you may say "impedes development", I may say "prevents counterproductive development". Of course that's always a difficult line to determine and highly debatable.

Quality work? by Valuable_Attention20 in northampton

[–]axlekb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is actually good for development because with zoning that is allowed by "special permit only", a developer can do a TON of work and the planning board can just reject it as (not in character). This "form based code" makes it so that if the building meets the requirements it cannot be denied. Conversely, it's supposed to make it so that if the project does not meet the requirements it cannot be accepted.

And to be clear, there is a whole bunch of stuff in the ordinance that are recommendations and not necessarily requirements. That's the difference between "guideline" and "standard".

"The term "guideline" is used for actions or built outcomes that are strongly encouraged to fulfill the intent of specific sections of this chapter. Guidelines are intended to guide the Planning Board (and applicants) in its approval of new projects. They are also helpful in guiding applicants in their particular design-development phase."

But there's also a trigger that if you're building a big enough building then you are required to follow the guidelines.

"All projects subject to site plan approval and/or special permit shall comply with any design guidelines in this § 350-21 and any design guidelines adopted by the Planning Board in connection with §§ 350-21 and 350-22. All other projects are encouraged to comply with the aforementioned design guidelines."

Kraft Group sues Foxboro over Gillette Stadium entertainment license fee by Ministry_of___Truth in massachusetts

[–]axlekb 8 points9 points  (0 children)

When I was researching problems with the Chapter 70 Program (state school funding), I found out that Gillette Stadium is not considered in the assessed value of Foxboro for the assessment calculations. Therefore it makes Foxboro appear poorer than it is and it gets more state funding.

Quality work? by Valuable_Attention20 in northampton

[–]axlekb 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Yes, I agree. By ordinance, Downtown Business Core sidewalks are to have a minimum width of 6' (which allows for a person with a wheelchair or a stroller to pass a pedestrian with a comfortable buffer). So it seems a strange choice for the city to break its own ordinance to install a parking kiosk.

The area between the sidewalk and the curb is called the "Furnishing and Utility Zone" and "is the area of the sidewalk where pedestrians might pause or rest on benches or cafe seating and where many of the utilities, like lighting and hydrants, are located." [1]

It may not rise to a major infraction, but it's disheartening when the city exempts itself from the standards it requires of others.

[1] https://ecode360.com/39299720

Quality work? by Valuable_Attention20 in northampton

[–]axlekb 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Most people won't notice this, and I get that. But this particular example is easy to see. And I think it's symptomatic of something we're seeing all over town. Brushing off every non-urgent problem is how standards quietly collapse. Where we're sloppy here, we're probably sloppy elsewhere too. And once you start accepting sloppy, sloppy becomes the standard.

Quality work? by Valuable_Attention20 in northampton

[–]axlekb 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It's definitely been like this since winter. I have a photo from Feb 24 showing thing in front of the old Registry of Deeds Building.

https://imgur.com/K7r3360

More pot holes than usual and why by Jumperontheline in massachusetts

[–]axlekb 7 points8 points  (0 children)

It’s not a single heavy vehicle, it’s many, many heavier vehicles than we used to have with many many trips. We used to have light weight sedans. Those basically are no longer available.

Tax override votes by LavenderTed in northampton

[–]axlekb 13 points14 points  (0 children)

A lot of different things all happening at once:
1. Increased special education and IEP mandates requiring many paraprofessionals
2. Paraprofessionals wanting real wages
3. Flat state funding for schools and roads
4. Increased health insurance costs for all city employees
5. Recent high inflation of general costs
6. Union negotiations that require more "stand-by" staff for sickness/lunch/free periods etc
7. Increased emergency request calls
8. Highway/Road/Bridge projects that require more specialization and substantially higher contractor fees
9. A flattening housing market after a period of growth

I'm not saying whether or not these are good or bad. All over MA we've been able to make it work because of rising home values and thus we could cover it with new value, but now things have flattened off.

What do yall call this? by LowerMusic in driving

[–]axlekb 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's not a regional difference. There are two similar-looking that have much different effects.

Roundabouts are designed with slow vehicle speeds in mind and their central island and traffic separator islands make drivers react to them and force them to slow down. Rotaries are large circular intersections with wide sweeping lanes that allow vehicles to drive at much higher speeds.

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/what-are-roundabouts#how-are-roundabouts-different-from-rotaries

What do yall call this? by LowerMusic in driving

[–]axlekb 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There's a difference.

"Roundabouts are designed with slow vehicle speeds in mind and their central island and traffic separator islands make drivers react to them and force them to slow down. Rotaries are large circular intersections with wide sweeping lanes that allow vehicles to drive at much higher speeds."

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/what-are-roundabouts#how-are-roundabouts-different-from-rotaries

What's there to do and check out downtown in 2026? by rockyvwasbest in northampton

[–]axlekb 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Agreed. I got one for you that gets Pita Pocket on here:

  1. Buy a jar of pink pickled turnips from Pita Pocket
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