If the $1.3 million FEMA grant falls through, the Friends will be ready to jumpstart their stalled anti-demolition activity. NORTHAMPTON – The grassroots effort to save the Upper Roberts Meadow Dam from demolition cost city water ratepayers $19,000 in extra charges from one engineering firm, the Board of Public Works (BPW) learned this week. City [...]

Despite 11th-hour pleas by a group that wanted to save the 127-year-old dam, the BPW opted to tear down the leaky stone structure and restore the stream above it. *      *      * NORTHAMPTON – In a 5-0 vote last night, the Board of Public Works (BPW) dashed the hopes of dozens of vocal city residents who [...]

Before the 7-0 vote, Councilor Jesse Adams warned proponents of hydropower that they have an uphill fight to make their case. But supporter Joseph Misterka said he was encouraged by the roomful of “yesses.” *** NORTHAMPTON – It wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement for restoring the Chesterfield Road dam, but the City Council did vote [...]

When the BPW meets Oct. 28, it will likely vote to remove the failing Upper Roberts Meadow Dam. That’s five days before the City Council votes on a resolution to save the dam. Is the resolution too little too late? NORTHAMPTON – A resolution to use hydropower to save a Chesterfield Road dam comes up [...]

BPW chairman Terry Culhane wants his board to decide, once and for all, whether to take down the Upper Roberts Meadow Dam. And he’s scheduling a meeting before the City Council takes its final vote on a resolution to save the dam using micro-hydro. Has time run out for the Friends of the Dam? NORTHAMPTON [...]

City councilors agreed Thursday to postpone until Oct. 21 the first reading on a resolution to save the Upper Roberts Meadow Dam by Using Micro-Hydro Power ____________________________ NORTHAMPTON — The Friends of the Upper Roberts Meadow Dam turned out in force Thursday night, hoping for a City Council expression of support for their efforts to save [...]

Board of Public Works Chairman Terry Culhane sent the following email message to the Northampton City Council and his BPW colleagues on September 1, 2010. It is reprinted here in its entirety, formatted for readbility.   Dear Councilors, Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak at your last meeting, I hope my comments [...]

Report Backs BPW in Standoff with Citizens’ Group Over Dam Finances NORTHAMPTON — Installing a hydropower turbine at an historic, city-owned dam off Chesterfield Road here won’t make enough money to fund its preservation. That’s the conclusion reached by Tighe & Bond, a Westfield-based engineering firm, in a report released to select city officials on [...]

Manhan Rail Trail Bridge Over Rt. 10 To Be Installed Sunday, Again.  NORTHAMPTON – The erection of a pedestrian-bicycle bridge over Route 10, linking rail trails here and in Easthampton, will take place this Sunday, Sept. 26, according to city Planning and Development Director Wayne M. Feiden. The several-hour process will close Route 10 to [...]

War Dollars, Landfill Ban, Dam Preservation and Councilor Tacy’s Back Taxes Among Many Items on Sept. 2 Agenda NORTHAMPTON – A number of weighty issues face the City Council when it meets Thursday, including a proposed ordinance to ban landfills over aquifers, a “War Dollars” resolution to ban further military spending abroad, and a resolution [...]

NORTHAMPTON— A resolution seeking City Council support to save a 19th-Century dam on Chesterfield Road using potential hydropower revenues was tabled last night after the project’s economic feasibility was questioned. The measure, crafted by the Friends of the Upper Roberts Meadow Reservoir and Chesterfield Road Dam and sponsored by Councilors Paul Spector, Marianne Labarge, and [...]

NORTHAMPTON—A group proposing to preserve a 19th-Century dam and reservoir in Leeds by spending potential hydropower revenues has yet to persuade Mayor Mary Clare Higgins that their plan holds water, as outlined in a recent exchange of letters. (Scroll to the bottom of the page to view) In 2009, the Friends of the Upper Roberts [...]

NORTHAMPTON–Could electricity production from a micro-hydro installation provide enough money to preserve, and maintain for 50 years, the scenic Chesterfield Road Dam and Roberts Meadow Reservoir, located in a remote, verdant western corner of the city? A citizens’ group, intent on saving the city-owned dam from demolition, asserts that a 23 kW Kaplan-style turbine installed [...]

At its meeting on April 21, the Northampton Community Preservation Committee (CPC) recommended support for four projects, one in the Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding area of historic preservation, two in the area of open space conservation, and one in both historic preservation and open space conservation. Contingent upon acceptance of the committee’s recommendations and [...]

At its March 10 meeting, the Board of Public Works declined a request from the Friends of the Chesterfield Road Dam for a letter supporting the Friends’ application for $65,000 in Community Preservation Act funding to conduct two feasibility studies. The Friends plan to continue in their fight to preserve the Chesterfield Road Dam and [...]