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Northampton disability commission refines snow‑ordinance PSA and outreach materials
Summary
The commission reviewed draft flyers, social posts and a 1:22 PSA adapted from East Hampton to promote compliance with Northampton’s snow‑removal ordinance, discussed wording and accessibility (curb cuts, alt text, high‑contrast visuals) and agreed to circulate edits for final sign‑off next month.
The Northampton Disability Commission spent its meeting focused on a public‑education push to increase compliance with the city’s snow‑removal ordinance, reviewing draft flyers, social posts and the script for a short PSA and agreeing next steps for final edits.
Commissioners asked the flyer and PSA to do three things: tell property owners what the ordinance requires, explain where to find more information, and make outreach accessible. Jenna Perna Elias, reading the draft PSA, noted the copy was adapted from an East Hampton commission and opened a line‑by‑line discussion. The draft includes the specific ordinance requirement that property owners clear sidewalks and warns that the city "can impose financial penalties" for noncompliance.
Emma Marlin Curiel, who presented draft flyers and social posts, emphasized brevity for social media and direct language for posted flyers; one proposed post uses the tagline, "Do the time to avoid the fine," which she said is intended to be "short, quick, and catchy." Commissioners suggested pairing brief posts with a QR code or a short water‑bill slip that links to full ordinance text and answers to common questions.
Members pressed for accessible design: avoid full‑background images that lower contrast, include alt text for online images, and use a city ADA contact address rather than an individual email. Commissioners also agreed the outreach should explicitly mention clearing adjacent curb cuts and fire hydrants in addition to sidewalks.
On ordinance details, commissioners discussed placing practical specifics on the flyer and in the PSA: properties should be cleared within 24 hours after the last snowfall, with a downtown/business‑district standard of 9 a.m.; the commission suggested including the commonly cited enforcement amount—"you can be fined $50 per day"—but kept the phrasing as a description of the ordinance rather than a legal interpretation.
The group agreed to balance brevity and specificity for a roughly 1 minute, 22 second PSA: move the sentence about safety risk (being forced into the street) earlier to help listeners visualize consequences, then list a couple of examples of who benefits (for instance, people who use mobility devices, people with low vision, parents with strollers) so the message emphasizes community gain. Asher Henricks agreed to assemble a short list of beneficiary examples and circulate it for limited review under open‑meeting limits.
The commission also completed routine business: members approved minutes from the Oct. 14 meeting (one commissioner abstained because she had not attended) and later moved to adjourn. The chair closed the meeting with thanks and noted the commission will return to the PSA and flyer for final edits at a future meeting.
Next steps: Emma Marlin Curiel will revise flyers to include a QR code and ADA contact; Asher Henricks will circulate a draft list of beneficiary examples to a subset of commissioners for refinement; the commission will reconvene to finalize the PSA and distribution plan.
