NORTHAMPTON — With $2.5 million in CPA appropriations, city councilors showed overwhelming support on Thursday for three large projects: new conservation land in the Mineral Hills, restoration of the Academy of Music building, and the Florence Fields sports and recreation facility. The CPA, or Community Preservation Act, lets Massachusetts towns and cities raise funds via [...]

NORTHAMPTON — A question that would remove Northampton from the Massachusetts Community Preservation Act (CPA) program will be on the Nov. 8 ballot, thanks to a petition drive where more than 1,000 signatures were collected by a Sept 27 deadline. Ward 7 City Councilor Eugene Tacy said he orchestrated the drive at the request of [...]

With Two Candidates Dropping Out of the Races, the Contests Firm Up and the City Saves up to $20,000. NORTHAMPTON – Two would-be candidates who took out nomination papers to run for at-large City Council, one of whom also took out papers to run for mayor, said Friday they will not follow through with their candidacies. [...]

NORTHAMPTON – The field of at-large City Council candidates has expanded to six, now that Florence resident Christopher Allard has taken out nomination papers for the two-year, $5,000-a-year post. Every two years, voters elect two at-large councilors to represent the entire city, while also voting for one councilor to represent each of the seven wards [...]

NORTHAMPTON — The sun came out just in time for Sunday’s groundbreaking celebration at the Bean and Allard Farms, a 180-acre land preservation project in the Mill River floodplain here. The large crowd represented both sides of Northampton’s political aisle: there were more bicycles than cars; a bluegrass band was playing; kids wearing team gear [...]

Option One: Keep Glendale Road and Locust Street transfer stations open; households may opt for private collection Supporters: Council President David Narkewicz, Ward 6 Councilor Marianne LaBarge, Ward 6 resident Mimi Odgers, task force co-chairs Wendy Foxmyn and Mark Carmien Option Four: City-wide curbside pickup; keep Glendale Road transfer station open only for bulky and [...]

As money pours in to buy 120 acres of prime farmland by a Jan. 31 deadline, Grow Food Northampton founder Lilly Lombard is still waiting to exhale. NORTHAMPTON — When Munroe Street resident Lilly Jeffs Lombard adopts a cause, watch out. A longtime advocate for the environment and urban agriculture here, Lombard has a reputation [...]

NORTHAMPTON — At last Thursday’s City Council meeting, over $560,000 of Community Preservation Act funding was given provisional approval, 127 acres of watershed land was granted protection, local control over the setting of certain fees was adopted, and the city’s chief financial officer announced his retirement. Pile Announces Retirement City Finance Director Christopher Pile, a [...]

CITY GETS $500,000 GRANT TO BUY AND START BUILDING ATHLETIC FIELDS NORTHAMPTON – The city has received a $500,000 grant to buy, design and start construction on the Florence Fields Recreation Area on Meadow Street, Mayor Mary Clare Higgins stated in a press release today. The grant, from the state Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for [...]

Among the old municipal files recently found in City Hall safe was a June 1776 call for town citizens to vote in support of independence from Great Britain NORTHAMPTON – City Clerk Wendy Mazza was in her City Hall office this summer, rummaging through the large safe where vital city records are kept, when a [...]

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 [...]