David appointed to Pulaski Park committee
September 15 ,2007
Park committee has ideas, needs funds Pulaski panel
sets its first meeting
by Dan Crowley, Daily Hampshire Gazette
by Dan Crowley, Daily Hampshire Gazette
NORTHAMPTON - There's no money in the pipeline, but
plenty of ideas for Pulaski Park's first major
face-lift in more than 30 years. And to that end,
the Board of Public Works has assembled a schematic
design committee that will set the tone for future
improvements to the city's beloved public square.
"We have a clean slate, if you will," said Robert C. Reckman, chairman of the BPW and one of 14 voting committee members. "The more ideas, public discussion and public input we have, the better our park is going to be."
Assembled in large part by Reckman, the committee will meet monthly for the remainder of the year, with its first session slated for Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the second-floor meeting room of City Hall. The committee's ultimate charge is recommending park improvements and budget projections to the Board of Public Works, which owns and maintains Pulaski Park.
In July, Nancy W. Denig, of Denig Design Associates in Northampton, offered to provide free professional landscape and urban design services for the park. Denig designed the Sojourner Truth Memorial Park in Florence, among many other landscape architecture projects in New England.
City officials say now is a good time to consider improvements to Pulaski Park, in light of the planned Hilton Garden Inn in the Round House parking lot. The development, which is now under appeal in the court system, is expected to add another 30 feet to the rear of the park.
Shardool Parmar, president of the Ludlow-based Pioneer Valley Hotel Group, a member of the schematic design committee, and said he is looking forward to participating in the process. "I think it's great to be on something like this," Parmar said this week. "I guess it makes sense. In the end, the park is a place I think everybody would like to spend more time in."
Reckman said he chose to include the Pioneer Valley Hotel Group because he thought "they would be useful and productive members."
The committee also includes representatives from several city boards and commission, a few downtown business owners, and two city residents who live near the park, as well as six nonvoting members.
When it meets for the first time next week, Reckman said the committee will start reviewing preliminary site-assessment work, already under way by Denig Design, and brainstorming improvements to the park. He said there will be an opportunity for anyone to comment during the committee meetings and minutes of meetings will be posted on the city's Web site. Reckman said he also encourages people to contact members of the committee with ideas.
In addition to the Sept. 18 meeting, the committee is scheduled to meet Oct. 16, Nov. 20 and Dec. 18., at which time the committee plans to have schematic design drawings and budget projections ready to forward to the Board of Public Works for review.
"I hope that four meetings is enough," Reckman said. "Maybe they won't be. I don't know."
The newly formed Pulaski Park Schematic Design Committee is scheduled to meet on the third Tuesday of each month through December, with the first meeting slated for Sept. 18 at 5 p.m. in the second floor hearing room at City Hall on Main Street. The committee is comprised of 14 voting members and six non-voting members.
The voting members are Robert C. Reckman, chairman of the Board of Public Works; James M. Dostal, At-large City Councilor and Board of Public Works member; David J. Narkewicz, Ward 3 City Councilor and chairman of the Transportation and Parking Commission; Andrew J. Crystal, chairman of the Academy of Music board of trustees; Kenneth Jodrie, Planning Board member; Deb Jacobs, chairwoman of the Northampton Tree Committee; Christopher A. Kennedy, chairman of the Northampton Historical Commission; Shardool Parmar, president of the Pioneer Valley Hotel Group; Grace Fleming, Youth Commission member; Mandy Gerry of the Northampton Parents Center; Joe Blumenthal, owner of Downtown Sounds; Harriet Rogers, owner of Skera Gallery; Rosa Ibarra, resident of New South Street Apartments; Gina Ayvazian, resident of Old School Commons.
The six nonvoting committee members are Bruce W. Young, land use and conservation planner, Office of Planning and Development; Ned Huntley, director of the Department of Public Works; Richard C. Parasiliti Jr., foreman of the DPW's Parks and Cemetery Division; David Kutcher, Northampton Arts Council member; Ann-Marie Moggio, director of the Recreation Department; Nancy W. Denig, Denig Design.
"We have a clean slate, if you will," said Robert C. Reckman, chairman of the BPW and one of 14 voting committee members. "The more ideas, public discussion and public input we have, the better our park is going to be."
Assembled in large part by Reckman, the committee will meet monthly for the remainder of the year, with its first session slated for Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the second-floor meeting room of City Hall. The committee's ultimate charge is recommending park improvements and budget projections to the Board of Public Works, which owns and maintains Pulaski Park.
In July, Nancy W. Denig, of Denig Design Associates in Northampton, offered to provide free professional landscape and urban design services for the park. Denig designed the Sojourner Truth Memorial Park in Florence, among many other landscape architecture projects in New England.
City officials say now is a good time to consider improvements to Pulaski Park, in light of the planned Hilton Garden Inn in the Round House parking lot. The development, which is now under appeal in the court system, is expected to add another 30 feet to the rear of the park.
Shardool Parmar, president of the Ludlow-based Pioneer Valley Hotel Group, a member of the schematic design committee, and said he is looking forward to participating in the process. "I think it's great to be on something like this," Parmar said this week. "I guess it makes sense. In the end, the park is a place I think everybody would like to spend more time in."
Reckman said he chose to include the Pioneer Valley Hotel Group because he thought "they would be useful and productive members."
The committee also includes representatives from several city boards and commission, a few downtown business owners, and two city residents who live near the park, as well as six nonvoting members.
When it meets for the first time next week, Reckman said the committee will start reviewing preliminary site-assessment work, already under way by Denig Design, and brainstorming improvements to the park. He said there will be an opportunity for anyone to comment during the committee meetings and minutes of meetings will be posted on the city's Web site. Reckman said he also encourages people to contact members of the committee with ideas.
In addition to the Sept. 18 meeting, the committee is scheduled to meet Oct. 16, Nov. 20 and Dec. 18., at which time the committee plans to have schematic design drawings and budget projections ready to forward to the Board of Public Works for review.
"I hope that four meetings is enough," Reckman said. "Maybe they won't be. I don't know."
The newly formed Pulaski Park Schematic Design Committee is scheduled to meet on the third Tuesday of each month through December, with the first meeting slated for Sept. 18 at 5 p.m. in the second floor hearing room at City Hall on Main Street. The committee is comprised of 14 voting members and six non-voting members.
The voting members are Robert C. Reckman, chairman of the Board of Public Works; James M. Dostal, At-large City Councilor and Board of Public Works member; David J. Narkewicz, Ward 3 City Councilor and chairman of the Transportation and Parking Commission; Andrew J. Crystal, chairman of the Academy of Music board of trustees; Kenneth Jodrie, Planning Board member; Deb Jacobs, chairwoman of the Northampton Tree Committee; Christopher A. Kennedy, chairman of the Northampton Historical Commission; Shardool Parmar, president of the Pioneer Valley Hotel Group; Grace Fleming, Youth Commission member; Mandy Gerry of the Northampton Parents Center; Joe Blumenthal, owner of Downtown Sounds; Harriet Rogers, owner of Skera Gallery; Rosa Ibarra, resident of New South Street Apartments; Gina Ayvazian, resident of Old School Commons.
The six nonvoting committee members are Bruce W. Young, land use and conservation planner, Office of Planning and Development; Ned Huntley, director of the Department of Public Works; Richard C. Parasiliti Jr., foreman of the DPW's Parks and Cemetery Division; David Kutcher, Northampton Arts Council member; Ann-Marie Moggio, director of the Recreation Department; Nancy W. Denig, Denig Design.