Around the Hamptons: Mayor proposes 8 new liquor licenses, wastewater treatment plant upgrades

EASTHAMPTON — Mayor Salem Derby is requesting support from the City Council to bring eight new liquor licenses to Easthampton, with hopes to attract new restaurants, businesses and economic growth.

The request, first presented to the City Council at its Feb. 18 meeting, seeks eight new all-alcohol licenses commonly used for restaurants. The request would have to go through the state legislative process after city approval.

In an interview with the Gazette, Derby said having the option to apply for a liquor license gives prospective restaurants a substantial advantage. He believes this could encourage new restaurants to open, support job creation and generate additional tax revenue for the city, while bringing new economic growth.

“It would be substantial,” Derby said, if the city secured the licenses. “That could be eight new restaurants and we pretty much have the capacity between Union, Main, maybe even Cottage, [streets] and the Mills and Route 10.”

Derby explained that in early 2020, Easthampton gained approval from the state for 14 liquor licenses, with the condition that they all be used in a certain amount of time. That approval came just before the COVID-19 pandemic, shutting down nonessential businesses, and Derby said nearly all of the licenses were lost.

“They were already approved and issued. We just need to see if we can get them back,” Derby said. “It’s kind of unclear at the moment.”

Derby said since licenses were approved in the past, he hopes the Legislature will allow them to be revived. He said he has been in communication with state Rep. Homar Gómez, D-Easthampton, to discuss the possibility of the request moving forward.

To move the request forward, Derby said, there would need to be support from the City Council, giving more reason for the state to consider the request. City officials said Easthampton currently has 31 on-premise consumption and nine off-premise consumption liquor licenses.

The request for eight new liquor licenses is set to be discussed at the City Council’s Rules & Government Relations Committee March 11 meeting, at 6:45 p.m.

Sewage treatment plant work delayed

EASTHAMPTON — Planned upgrades to the return and waste pumps of the city’s wastewater treatment plant on Gosselin Drive have been delayed due to inclement weather.

The upgrades were originally planned for the week of Sunday, Feb. 22, but Department of Public Works Director Greg Nuttelman said due to the winter storm at that time the upgrades have been delayed.

The treatment plant underwent several other upgrades late last summer into the fall, including replacement of the four mechanical aerators and concrete repairs of the aeration basins. The previous upgrades drew concern from neighboring residents, who noticed a strong odor coming from the New City area during the repair work.

Nuttelman said the current replacements will be funded with $128,000 from city water and sewer enterprise funds.

Nuttelman said the previous upgrades were funded through a variety of sources — approximately $883,000 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Long Island Sound Futures Fund; $179,000 from a Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Gap III Energy Grant; and $300,000 from city stabilization funds.

“Our wastewater treatment plant needs several upgrades and modernizations, many of which are outlined in the city’s Integrated Water Resource Management Plan,” Nuttelman wrote in an email to the Gazette. “The next projects to take place depend entirely (on) funding availability.”

Nuttelman added that the upgrades are standard for any treatment plant, many of which in New England were constructed or upgraded after the 1972 federal Clean Water Act. “Being 50 or more years old, many plants in the region are in similar condition to Easthampton’s.”

Nuttelman said the city is constantly looking for grant funding opportunities and creative ways to secure funding for water and wastewater upgrades. “It was excellent to see that the majority of this recent work was funded through state and federal grant sources,” he said in the email.

Northampton firefighters complete training program

NORTHAMPTON — Three Northampton firefighters were among 45 students in Massachusetts to graduate from the state 50-day Career Recruit Firefighting Training Program.

Sean Kirkendall, McKenzie Nichols and Eliya Petrie of the Northampton Fire Department graduated from the program on Feb. 26, being taught national standards and modern techniques to handle a range of firefighting skills.

“Massachusetts firefighters are on the frontlines protecting their communities every day, and today’s graduates are needed now more than ever,” said state Fire Marshal (and former Northampton fire chief) Jon Davine in a statement. “The hundreds of hours of foundational training they’ve received will provide them with the physical, mental and technical skills to perform their jobs effectively and safely.”

The 10-week program involves classroom instruction, physical fitness training, firefighter skills training and live firefighting practice.

Students receive classroom training in all basic firefighter skills, practicing first under non-fire conditions and then during controlled fire conditions. To graduate, students must demonstrate proficiency in life safety, search and rescue, ladder operations, water supply, pump operation and fire attack.

Upon completion of the Career Recruit Program, all students have met the national standards of National Fire Protection Association 1010, Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications, and are certified to the levels of Firefighter I/II and Hazardous Materials First Responder Operations by the Massachusetts Fire Training Council, which is accredited by the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications.

Norris School budget session scheduled

SOUTHAMPTON — The public will have the opportunity to weigh in on the Norris School’s budget for the upcoming year, at a Southampton School Committee public hearing.

The hearing will be held on Wednesday, March 11, at Town Hall starting at 6 p.m.

The Norris School lost the equivalent of nine full-time employees — at least five full-time employees and multiple hour reductions — after a failed override vote last year, according to School Committee Chair Kim Schott.

The Select Board has already discussed the potential for a Proposition 2½ override this year, to restore the cuts to Norris from last year.

Smoke, CO detector installation offered

EASTHAMPTON — The city is offering free smoke and carbon monoxide detector installation to eligible residents, with a deadline of March 8 to register.

Individuals are eligible if their home was built before 1975 and the current smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are at least 10 years old. Apartments and apartment complexes are not eligible. The installations will be done on Thursday, March 12 between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

“Having working smoke alarms in your home can double your chances of survival if a fire occurs,” a city statement reads. “Home fire deaths have been cut in half since the early 1970s when smoke alarms were first marketed.”

Still, the statement notes, approximately 3,000 people die in fires each year in the United States and 40% of those deaths take place in the 4% of homes without working smoke alarms.

The installations are being offered under a partnership between the Fire Department and the Council on Aging & Enrichment. To register, residents are directed to email Kayt Thompson at kthompson@easthamptonma.gov, or call 413-527-6151.

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