Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Small Scale Projects topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Housing partnership considers small, visible projects — bulk pickup, winterization kits and a resource hub
Summary
A partnership member proposed four low‑cost, high‑visibility projects (bulk item pickup, winterization kits, household preparedness kits and a consolidated resource pamphlet). Members agreed to individual research and staff follow‑up rather than forming a formal subcommittee immediately.
A member of the Northampton City Housing Partnership on Monday proposed a set of four small, low‑cost projects intended to produce quick, visible benefits for residents while building momentum on housing issues.
Hannah presented ideas that include a twice‑yearly bulk item pickup to reduce illegal dumping, winterization kits (weatherstripping, window plastic), household emergency kits (flashlights, batteries) and a consolidated, multilingual resource packet for tenants that lists local services, tenants’ rights resources and utility assistance options.
Hannah said the first three ideas could be accomplished for roughly $1,500 to $10,000 depending on scale and noted that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection runs microgrant programs that could cover events like bulk pickups. She recommended microgrants, CPA funds or city partnerships to cover costs. “They provide immediate value,” she told the partnership, and “they create energy for the housing partnership.”
Members discussed implementation details and existing programs. Gordon Shaw and others pointed to MassSave for weatherization support and to MassLegalHelp and the Massachusetts legal resource finder (mslrf.org) and 2‑1‑1 as authoritative sources to include in any resource packet. Keith, the city housing staffer, said the city would need to be the applicant on grant requests and would likely administer any awarded funds.
Rather than formally forming a subcommittee, members agreed that individuals would take preliminary research tasks and report back. Volunteers included Hannah (to draft and share slides and a written summary), Ben (to research illegal‑dumping and grant options) and another member who offered to outline a pamphlet and identify key agencies. Several participants noted open‑meeting‑law constraints and suggested individual, non quorum research before returning recommendations to the full partnership.
The partnership asked staff to review funding cycles (DEP microgrants, CPA application schedule) and to post materials on the city website. Hannah said she would email her slides and a short summary to Keith and Gwen for distribution.
