Today's poll: Have the construction projects in downtown Westfield kept you from visiting the city?
04.13.2011 | SPRINGFIELD - Passengers wait for a bus by a blossoming tree on Main Street.The Forecast
The Connecticut River in Northampton crept above its flood stage of 112 feet this morning, reaching 112.22 feet at 7 a.m., according to data from the National Weather Service's Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service. The forecast shows the river rising to 113.4 feet by Friday morning.
A flood warning is in effect for the Northampton stretch of the river through at least Friday morning; minor flooding may affect Aqua Vitae Road in Hadley and some farming areas in Hatfield.
The high water comes courtesy of recent snow melt at the headwaters of the river's basin coupled with the current rain.
Speaking of which: it's raining, and it's going to rain. Thunderstorms possible after 4 p.m., and the high will only be around 50.
Today's Poll
With Westfield in the midst of a $14.4 million reconstruction of Main, Elm and Broad streets, an additional component of the city's downtown overhaul -- enhancements to Park Square Green -- has hit a snag.
Six construction bids for reconstruction and enhancement of the green, received by the city Monday, ranged from $1.7 million to just over $2 million.
Westfield Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said the price is too high.
“My promise to the city was to be fiscally responsible on this project. As a result, new bids will be requested and the structure will be listed for an alternate bid that will allow removal of that phase of the project if the price is not right,” Knapik said.
Meanwhile, the road work, which began last April, is scheduled for completion by fall.
What do you think -- have the construction projects in downtown Westfield kept you from visiting the city? Vote in our poll, and check back tomorrow for the results.
Tuesday's results: Yesterday, we asked, "Is a casino revenue-sharing plan a good deal for Holyoke and its neighbors?" 15 people voted. 53.33% said "yes"; 46.67% said "no."
Tuesday's Top 5
The top 5 headlines on MassLive.com on April 12 were:
- Johnny Damon: 'Manny's in a better place now'
- Editorial: Glenn Beck, Fox News face up to free-market reality
- Granby motorcycle crash takes life of 28-year-old Abimael Mestre of Ludlow
- Applebee's makes changes after child is served alcohol
- Holyoke casino developers float revenue-sharing idea to give local communities a piece of the gaming action
Quote of the Day
“The tools of compromise are before us....The city cannot survive if we don’t (help) the business community. The business community is nothing without the residential community.”
— Holyoke City Council President Joseph M. McGiverin, on an effort to craft an ordinance that would allow for the application of special permits to have parking lots in some residential areas. The idea arose after Eric Suher proposed to add a lot of 200 to 300 spaces at Mountain Park. Read Mike Plaisance's article here.
Daily Data
The state legislature recently approved $200 million for cities and towns in the so-called Chapter 90 funds used for road repairs. Gov. Deval Patrick signed the bill Monday.
The graphic below examines that funding through the relationship of three variables: city / town population (y-axis), FY2012 Chap. 90 apportionment per road mile (x-axis), and total road miles within each city / town (dot size). [Click "click to interact," and then mouse over a dot to see the data. You can use the drop-down menus to toggle among variables used for the axes and dot size.]
Cambridge checks in with the state's highest apportionment-per-mile, at $21,454. Springfield's apportionment, meanwhile, amounts to $8,752 per mile.
A more robust analysis would also look at traffic volume in addition to apportionment per mile; I'll see if I can build the right spreadsheet to make that happen.