Category: letter-to-editor

Letter to the Editor – Benjamin Spencer

August 19, 2023 | Daily Hampshire Gazette

Downtown belongs to everyone

I am writing to express my support for the Main Street redesign project. This project is a once in a lifetime opportunity to improve the quality of life for everyone who visits, works or resides in Northampton. It will enhance safety for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians while supporting businesses, keeping traffic moving and contributing to a healthier community. This will be a downtown we can be proud of.

Main Street has been around for over 350 years. During that time it has gone through many changes. The railroad tracks ran across Main Street at grade before they were raised to eliminate the dangerous crossing. The Mill River flowed through downtown until it was rerouted to prevent devastating floods. These projects were no doubt disruptive at the time. Downtown has benefited from the foresight of our predecessors who recognized these problems and mobilized to fix them.

One of the biggest changes to Main Street happened gradually, over time, but with a lasting impact that we see today. The impressively wide public way, with its sweeping turn in front of City Hall, was on many picture postcards in the late 1800s. On those postcards you can see horses and buggies, bustling sidewalks and thriving businesses. This changed with the arrival of the automobile.

Over time, the entirety of our public street has been given over to cars from curb to curb. Just because this was allowed to happen doesn’t mean it’s how it needs to be.

I am disheartened by the pushback this project is getting. I keep hoping to see MassDOT, Toole Design and city officials respond to these criticisms. It is clear that despite the many meetings and all the available information, there are still questions and concerns about this project. These need to be addressed — the sooner, the better.

If you are one of the hundreds of people who attended the meetings, provided feedback and contributed to the process that got us here, please speak up now. Downtown belongs to everyone. It’s time to fix it.

Benjamin Spencer

Northampton

Letter to the Editor – Benjamin Spencer

June 17, 2009 | Daily Hampshire Gazette

To the editor:

From the South Campus of Northampton’s Village Hill the views of the Pioneer Valley and the Holyoke and Mount Tom Ranges are stunning. The Manhan Rail Trail Extension to Village Hill (the site of the former state hospital) could travel up the hill in a series of switchbacks to the crest and then travel west towards Laurel Street. From here it could connect to the network of bike path lanes planned for the North Campus.

The path could also extend east and follow the ridge of the hill bringing users out by the main intersection at Village Hill Road. Here Route 66 (West Street) can be crossed safely at the traffic signals that are currently being installed. This is a centrally located entrance that is equally convenient to everyone living in Village Hill.

The Overlook Bike Path would provide a common place for residents, workers, families and cyclists to share and enjoy. It would offer a calm path for beginning cyclists and provide everyone the scenic views. Here the community would be able to meet each other and connect with the beautiful valley we all call home.

The Overlook Bike Path could also serve as a memorial to Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride and the former Northampton State Hospital. Dr. Kirkbride played a significant role in improving the quality and effectiveness of mental health care in America.

The asylum buildings and their rural surroundings were central to Dr. Kirkbride’s ideas of treatment for patients suffering from mental illness. He understood that fresh air, natural light, and beautiful views of a natural environment would make a patients experience more comfortable and enhance their treatment. It is thanks to his vision that this beautiful location is available.

I ask Kollmorgen, Mass Development, the CAC and the City of Northampton to work together to see this path become a reality for everyone to enjoy.

Benjamin Spencer

Northampton