PotholesBeGone- What's the Plan?
Most of us are pretty fed up with potholes. We all bike, walk, wheel, roll, drive over and through a warren of tire, head, ankle and tooth destructive holes in our last century tarmac . We are confused about repairs and want to know what the Plan is.
A quick visit to our City DPW website for we non experts yields little on state of the pothole. There are a lot of consultant reports about stuff that we might need to know in order to make a Plan. There are maps and lists of streets and sidewalks that cover much of the city. There are codes about streets and sidewalks that are Not Okay and those that are. There are lists of what is on the top of the Do Now, presumably from the Not Okay lists. There are glossy expensive looking consultant reports.
But where's the Plan?
Time for a priorities community discussion, a lot more learning and a Plan we can all understand and get behind.
DPW: Potholes and Paving- a quick look
The 2024 City Map shows which streets need what. If your street is green it is presumably fabulous. If it's black or or even worse, has black dots, you likely already know your street is Trouble.
Percentage of Public Roadways in Each Treatment Band - April 2024
Here's the 2024 breakdown on what's broken and what's okay. Good= a few potholes and cracks. Fair, deficient and poor- yikes. That's 89% of city streets that need work. Over half are in serious need of repair. a whopping 38% are 'deficient' and need a major overhaul. Granted this is 2024. The consultants have not yet weighed in on 2025.
21 years ago...
This is the 1999 explanation of what the determinant scales are that we are using in 2024 but we do not see listings now for 'alligator cracking' , 'distortion' or 'rutting' etc which are dead giveaways apparently for what's going on underground. We do see potholes!
2025
Is your street on this list? Are you newly paved? Northampton has 133 miles of paved roadway. Paving is painstaking and expensive. The 2025 Plan covers 4.47 miles.
I think we can assume that according to the 1999 PCI scale, the Great Federal Street Sinkhole (a consultant team is studying it) gets a zero. The house and trees and garden that used to absorb that brook overflow were replaced by the retaining pond for NHS playing fields.
What is a road moratorium?
A road moratorium includes all roads that have received full-width pavement treatment (reclaim, mill, overlay, etc). The road moratorium term is five full years after the year of construction. Excavation within streets under moratorium for any reason is prohibited.
This is the rest of the moratorium list.
Many of us have seen streets on this no dig list be dug up again as there seems to be a disconnect between Eversource gas lines and DPW paving resulting in a redid and re pave, presumably bumping another project.
Wait a miinute! Warfield Place on a 'moratorium' list? Bringing in a SWAT team and arresting our neighbors in order to clearcut a row of treasured cherry trees to make way for a Complete Streets Planning Department showcase, Warfield Place may have been the tipping point for many around city government vs. neighborhoods. We need to seriously step that back and create a new culture of collaboration- or simply abide by our shared agreement under the community Sustainability Plan 2008. You remember, the one where resident voices count.
Funding, Efficiency and Prioritizing
The five year Capital Improvement Plan was approved in its entirety irregardless of levels of prioritization with the odd exception of furniture for the Senior Center. The mayoral appointed Capital Review group that decides what to send to Council is very small, very cozy and has no notes, no video and no minutes. One member told me that, "We hear and look at stuff and then vote on stuff" but couldn't tell me what they voted on.
The Fy26 Capital Improvement Plan includes borrowing $3 million for pavement and sidewalk repair as well as using annual general funds and Chapter 90 grant monies. $2,7500.00 is earmarked for FY/26 with approx $1,500,000 in each successive year. Mayor Sciarra announced a January surprise CIP gift to Village Hill for sidewalk repair, although that was not in the DPW request.
What's missing? A Plan.
For years the DPW was budgeted annually for a very hopeful number of positions. When they weren't filled by the next fiscal year, those monies (from recurring revenue) were put into the general fund and often used for stabilization fund (touted as untouchable non recurring revenue) plumping up. The peculiar thing was that this practice happened year after year with the streets not being attended to because the workers weren't hired, but stabilization funds grew fat. Director LaScaliea asserts that she has kind of given up direct hiring although things are starting to look up. Contracted workers don't require benefits or city relationships. Director Nardi says we are 'pushing revenue'. Director LaScaliea tell us that she has moved Fy '25 staffing position funding that went unfilled to hiring contracted workers. Budgets don't work that way but those monies can be reallocated by a separate financial order. Sounds like we have the money and we have some lists and we have a very small plan and an assessment that shows a very big need.
So what's the problem?
Director LaScaliea says the problem is getting workers to do the work. We've heard a lot of reasons why workers don't come or stay at DPW but none of us are privy to any exit interview data if that exists. Is it pay? Working conditions? Getting licensed in heavy equipment use? Not passing marijuana tests? Massachusetts is considering dropping those but some of us may feel a little concerned about heavy equipment operators driving stoned.
it's hard to get a big picture on any of this-- another great concern for our city to step back and create a Community Strategic Plan on resource allocation.
Vote Robbins at Large City Council to jumpstart this!
Want numbers and projects? Here you go!