A Messy Neighborhood Story involving the DPW, Code Enforcement and the Mayor's Office

According to a neighbor, Susan Poole, a DPW employee was spotted early one morning (5:30am) recently shoveling building debris from the yard at 9 Washington Street into seven DPW trash containers and then hauling them away with a DPW trash truck. The employee and his actions were reported to the DPW. Word has it that he was just suspended for three days; that's it. Was he made to pay the City back? Apparently, not. The owner of the property, Vo Kieu who lives at 279 Forest Hills Road in Springfield, said he didn't rent a dumpster because "the renovation was going to take a month and a half and it would be too expensive". When asked about the DPW employee's method of disposal, he said, "I didn't know".

9 Washington Street Backyard as of June 13th. Photo was taken as a new family was seen moving into the house

Dave Cotter, the Deputy Director of Code Enforcement's Housing Division was informed. He wrote in an email, "on May 11th the property was written up and no referral was needed at that time. There was a small amount of demo materials and siding in the yard which was cleaned up and the case was closed this morning upon re inspection. In addition there was a small amount of over growth and a notice was sent and I instructed the inspector to give them 30 days because we just can’t prioritize this to get it re inspected any sooner. I also tried to explain the priority order in the office at this time and apologized for any delay. The notices have worked well with this owner and he has responded to our orders."

Tom Walsh from the Mayor's office who has been extremely helpful with this matter, responded, "The complainant forwarded to me photos of the property that were taken this past Sunday. To categorize it as a small amount of demo materials is an understatement. The pictures show a large pile of building debris in the yard and what appears to be a large quantity of dry wood which to surrounding homeowners would give concerns about a fire starting. ...Can you confirm whether the stuff is still there today? "

On Tuesday, June 15th, two pickup trucks appeared and hauled the rest of the debris away. Thank you, Tom Walsh.

....Jeremy Cole

COMMUNITY GARDEN PLOTS AVAILABLE

Applications are now being taken for family-sized garden plots in Concerned Citizens for Springfield’s Beaumont Street community garden. The fee is $15.00 per season. Plots measure 15 x 20feet and will be rototilled. The community garden program is a one of CCS’s blight remediation efforts in the Forest Park neighborhood. In selecting gardeners, first preference will be given to Forest Park households who lack access to a yard.

To ensure that the garden remains an asset to the neighborhood, gardeners must commit to keeping plots clear of weeds and to picking up trash and debris from the tree belt and gutter in front of the garden.

For further information, call CCS garden coordinator Sheila McElwaine, at 788-8898.

Forest Park Library Update:

HOURS:
Tuesday: 10 am - 5 pm
Thursday: 1 - 8 pm
Saturday: 11 am - 3 pm

Whats New:

- A ramp to the Community Room

- Inside of the building has been repainted

- A unisex universal access bathroom with a baby changing station.

- A water fountain on the lower level.

- The public restrooms have been renovated.

- The building now has a lift

More info and pictures

Bing Arts Center News

Progress:
The Bing is wrapping up final details prior to opening for regular use. Glass has been installed in the windows and doors, and the fire and security alarms are also in place. After post-construction cleaning and painting the premiere exhibition will be installed. Please plan on joining them on Saturday, June 5th, from 6 until 9PM for their opening party.

The Bing Arts Center will present exhibitions, performances, events, and educational opportunities to enrich the neighborhood while providing a special emphasis on arts and cultural education for young people and adults. This will serve as a much-needed catalyst for economic and cultural community development.

First Fridays:
Children's Chorus
of Springfield
Friday, May 7 at 8 pM

Now in their third year, the Children's Chorus of Springfield, under the direction of E. Wayne Abercrombie, includes children from 24 area schools. Vera S. Baker is the administrative director. They rehearse weekly at Trinity Church.

Doors open at 7:30, show starts at 8. $5 donation at the door is requested. For more information about this event and our First Friday performance series please visit: www.BingArtsCenter.org.

Coming in June - T.I.M.E.

Premiere Exhibition
Upcycled: Transforming the Unused into the Inspirational, featuring work by artists Mo Ringey and Abby Rieser will be presented in our newly renovated gallery space.

Education:
There are still a few spaces available fortheir children's spring art classes if you register this week.

Please call 731-9730 for more information. Registration forms are available on their website, www.BingArtsCenter.org.

Exploring Art In Many Cultures, a studio art course for children and teens, will be offered on Saturdays from May 8 through June 12. The course will be taught by artist and graphic designer Merrilee Aurora Hale. She created the course to develop knowledge and appreciation for the art and traditions of diverse societies while teaching creative skills with painting, mask-making, and sculpture.

Let's Make A Movie! Motion Picture Production For Kids, will be offered on Wednesday afternoons from May 5 through June 9. Film-maker/screenwriter Marty Langford designed and will teach the course with the students acting as film crew. The course will be divided into pre-production, production, and post-production. The student film-makers will work as a team to produce a six to eight minute movie.

After the courses are complete, the students' work will be presented to the public, their families, and friends with a gallery reception and special premiere event hosted by the Bing Arts Center.

For more details please visit their website: www.BingArtsCenter.org.

Bing Arts Center • 716 Sumner Avenue • Springfield, MA
P.O. Box 80553 • Springfield, MA 01138 •
413 783- 9730

License Commission will Hear Petition for Liquor License for Racing Mart Gas Station Located at 685 Sumner Avenue
on Thursday, August 12th at 5:30 in room 220 in City Hall.

The License Commission will discuss and vote on this petition on Thursday, August 12th at 5:30 in room 220 in City Hall. Everyone should try attend this meeting. We need as many people as we can pack into the room.

History:
The FPCA Board met at The Bing for a special FPCA Board meeting on Sunday evening, July 11th to hear a petitioner, Rizk Abiassaf, who wants to use a 20 by 30 foot space inside the store to sell beer and wine. In addition, he would have a redemption center for returnables.

Many residents who live near or across from the Racing Mart attended the meeting and spoke of the noise and litter that the current gas station / convenience store generates and were extremely concerned about the additional problems that a liquor store would bring to the neighborhood. The liquor store would be open for normal liquor store hours from 8 AM to 11 PM six days a week along with Sunday hours.

The petitioner was asked if he would consider NOT selling singles, but did not respond to this neighborhood request. It was noted by many of the attendees that we already have a large number of stores that sell liquor in the neighborhood and do not need another one.

The FPCA board voted unanimously to oppose the petition.

At its meeting on Wednesday, July 21st, the City Planning Board voted to not support the request by Racing Mart located at 685 Sumner Avenue for a liquor license to sell beer and wine. All Planning Board members voted against it with one abstention.

The License Committeee hearing was set for August 29th, but at that meeting, the petitioner asked for a delay to the 12th of August.

....FPCA Web Editor

Listen to the FPCA Special Board Meeting

(The meeting is in progress for about 30 seconds prior to the start of the recording. The primary petitioner's voice heard
is that of lawyer, Tom Rooke)
(mp3 file)

Farmer's Market is Open
Tuesdays,
from 12:30-6 PM

New location:
Cyr Arena parking lot in Forest Park.

And will be open every Tuesday through the third Tuesday of November, rain or shine.

There will be free entry to the park and the Trafton Road gate will be open during market hours.

For more information call Belle-Rita
at 737-1724.

Beat Management Team meets the first Wednesday of the month at 7pm
Sinai Temple, 1100 Dickinson Street

Our new Sector H (Forest Park/East Forest Park) deputy is : Robert McFarlin Rmcfarlin@springfieldpolice.net

How to Go to Housing Court Against
Offensive Neighbors (And Win)
by John Kontekakis.
View file
(pdf file)

Short Version for people who are fed up with an unruly neighbor, and have decided to do something about it.

Form to Request an Emergency Order from Housing Court.

Increase Your Chances for Police
Involvement in Your Neighborhood
by Susan Poole
View file
(pdf file)

The how-to book that even seasoned landlords use as their best reference is now available. This practical guide covers all aspects of property law and practice, including:

For those who have used the HAP manual before, this new edition has extensive updates, ranging from lead compliance laws, lease clauses and new regulations to ready-to-use forms in print and on CD. It also includes the complete text of important rental housing regulations and a chapter-by-chapter study guide.

Copies cost $34.95 each.
Email landlordbook@haphousing.org
or call 413-233-1612.

FOREST PARK APARTMENTS
RIBBON CUTTING!

LOCATION:
Forest Park Apartments Community Room, 89 Longhill Street, Springfield

DATE/TIME:
12pm on Wednesday, July 28th.

We are pleased to inform you that construction at Forest Park Apartments (fka “Longhill Gardens”) is complete and the property has achieved full occupancy ahead of schedule. The Project looks terrific and is a perfect example of how a troubled property can be turned around into a community asset. We truly appreciate the City’s and the Community’s support to help convert this site from boarded up, blighted, inhabitable units to quality, attractive, safe mixed-income housing.

Letter to the Mayor about the Dickinson Deli from Peter L. Sygnator, Chair Springfield Board of License Commissioners

"Mayor,

A few months ago, the owner of Dickinson Deli called me to say that they would like to “move their beer coolers to the other side of the store to make the flow of the customers work more smoothly.”

She characterized this as such an extremely minor alteration of the floor plan that I thought a petition to the Commission to alter the premises might be unnecessary. To allay any concerns from the neighbors as to what is being done inside the store, I suggested that they file an alteration petition anyway.

We received the alteration petition. It is NOT what the owner conveyed to me as “moving the coolers to the other side of the store” at all. They have added a 1,080 square foot addition to the 2,485 square foot store, an increase in storage and service area by 30%!

To make matters worse they have already moved approximately 24 coolers into the new wing of the store and stocked it with beer before being heard by the Forest Park Civic Association, Planning Board, Board of License Commissioners or approved by the ABCC!

The Commission voted last night to address this egregious violation of M.G.L. Chapter 138 with a cease and desist order. The order, which Atty. Mulcahy will have delivered today, will instruct them to remove ALL alcohol from the 1,080 square foot unlicensed addition until and if the Commission approves their request for expansion of premises. The Commission generously chose to not go as far as issuing them a violation for storage in an unlicensed area at this time. As long as they return all alcohol to the 2,485 square foot licensed area, they can continue to sell beer and wine until the issue has been properly heard. Captain Dillon and Officer Germain were in attendance at our hearing as usual. They will monitor the store to assure compliance with the order.

They will appear at the Forest Park Civic Association at Trinity Church at 7pm on June 6th.

I will hope that the Planning Board will continue the matter until their meeting of June 16th to accommodate the Forest Park Civic Association.

The Board of License Commissioners will hear the issue on June 24th in order to receive the recommendation from the Planning Board.

Peter L. Sygnator, Chair
Springfield Board of License Commissioners – “Tough but Fair”
(413) 787-6123
fax (413) 750-2239"

Forest Park Heights was selected as
One of the Best
This Old House Neighborhoods
for 2010
by This Old House Magazine

Read their
Award Letter

Going Green in Forest Park

Paul & Margaret Martin's Solar Addition
...Photo by Bill Devlin

Oxford Street neighbor, and former FPCA President, Paul Martin and his wife Margaret have taken going green to a new level. They have done over their garage and installed solar panels on the garage roof to provide them with electricity and hot water. They are producing enough power to sell some back to the power company. Of course, they must sell it back at the wholesale rate, not at the rate user's pay, but every little bit helps and some of the time they are off-the-grid. The Martins are working hard to lower their carbon footprint.

For the technically inclined, their electricity generating system consists of 16 Evergreen (a Marlborough, Massachusetts company) photovoltaic panels rated at 180 watts each for a total max output of 2,880 watts (newer ones are now available at over 200 watts each). This is direct current, so there is an inverter which converts that to alternating current at the correct voltage and frequency to match the current from WMECO. Paul says that he has "a net-meter which means that when the system is producing more than the house is using, the excess goes out to the street and is delivered to other houses in the neighborhood and I get credit on my bill; at night or on a cloudy day, I draw from WMECO. "

...Photo by Bill Devlin

The hot water system has three flat panel collectors and a 105 gallon tank. The tank and controls are German, Stiebel-Eltron, and their subsidiary in Hadley, MA manufacturers the panels and distributes the complete systems. Ethelyne-glycol (anti-freeze same as in a car) circulates through tubing in the panels back to a coil in the bottom of the tank to heat the water. Water from the tank passes through an electric on-demand water heater that will heat the water from whatever temperature it is up to the setting for use in kitchen and bath.

"Electric production for the year has been 3,480 KWH", Paul said, "over half my annual average. The hot water system provides most requirements about 80% of the time. A sunny day even this time of year gets the water in the tank over 100 degrees F, requiring only another 10 or 15 degrees of heating for use. May through October was almost 100% of hot water use. It still needs a backup system since a couple of cloudy days in a row will drop the temperature significantly. "

The Martins installed 16 electric panels and three hotwater panels. Take a look at the specs and photos for his new green addition done with the help of architect, Bill Devlin. You could do one too! Read Bill's write-up on the project.

Join the Friends of the Connecticut River Walk
and Bikeway

The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission is actively looking for community leaders who are passionate about increasing use on the Connecticut River Walk and Bikeway.

Currently, PVPC Land Use staff are selecting volunteers for the soon-to-be-formed Friends of the Connecticut River Walk And Bikeway. This all-volunteer committee will be responsible for organizing clean-up activities, programming festivals and events, working with City officials, and fundraising—all for the purpose of making the Connecticut River Walk and Bikeway a more vibrant component of Springfield’s community character.

If you are interested in joining this group, or know someone who is, contact Chris Curtis or Andrew Smith at (413) 781-6045.

(To join the Forestparkca news group,
enter your email address and then
click on the "Join Yahoo Groups icon")