National Public Works Week

May 19 through May 25, 2013 will be the 53rd celebration of National Public Works Week (NPWW). This week is a celebration of the tens of thousands of men and women in North America who provide and maintain the infrastructure and services collectively known as public works.

Instituted as a public education campaign by the American Public Works Association in 1960, NPWW calls attention to the importance of public works in community life. This week seeks to enhance the prestige of the public works and the professionals who serve the public good every day with quiet dedication.

Take a moment to reflect on what Northampton Public Works provides 24/7/365 to its citizens and businesses; high quality drinking water, treatment of wastewater, parks and recreational fields, cemeteries, roadways, sidewalks, railtrails, snow and ice control, traffic signals, solid waste disposal and recycling, stormwater and flood control systems to name a few. This year’s theme, because of Public Works is particularly true for Northampton Public Works. Look around your community and see how Public Works serves you.  The staff care deeply about serving the City and take great pride in their work.

Tours of the following City Facilities will be given to the public on Tuesday, May 21st and Thursday, May 23rd at 9:00 a.m.

Water Treatment Plant (137 Mountain Street, Haydenville)
Waste Water Treatment Plant and Flood Control (33 Hockanum Road, Northampton)
Public Works Barn (125 Locust Street, Northampton)

Closing of the Northampton Sanitary Landfill

The Northampton Sanitary Landfill will close at 3:00 pm on Friday, May 17th, 2013 and will not reopen. The landfill opened for business in 1969 and became a regional facility in 1990. Bids for the final capping of the landfill will be opened on May 31, 2013 with the capping construction occurring this summer and early fall.

The Glendale Road Transfer Station will continue to be open on Saturdays from 7 am to 4pm for residential permit holders to dispose of bulky waste, mattresses and tires and to drop off large metal items, appliances, bulky rigid plastics, electronics, universal waste and propane tanks for recycling. Leaf and yard waste drop off will continue to occur the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month from April 1st through November 30th and two weekends in January from 7 am to 4 pm through Gate 2.

Please call the DPW at 587-1570 x 4306 if you have any questions.  

Electronics Recycling Collection

The Northampton Public Schools, supported by the DPW and the Northampton Chamber of Commerce, will hold an Electronics Recycling Collection event concurrently with the Household Hazardous Waste Collection on Saturday, May 18th from 9-12 at Smith Vocational High School. Please see the link to the flyer below for more information.
Electronics Recycling

Last Call for HHW Collection

The deadline for pre-registering for Northampton’s annual Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection is Thursday, May 16th. This free collection will be held from 9:00-12:00 on Saturday, May 18th.

The City has sponsored HHW collections every year for more than two decades with support from the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund and the Department of Public Works. The future of this program is uncertain because Northampton’s landfill is closing this month.

This drop-off event will accept a wide range of unwanted household products with labels that indicate that special handling is required.  Examples of common warnings include caustic, toxic, corrosive, poison, flammable, warning, danger, and “keep out of reach of children”. Residents must pre-register for the May 18th event by calling 413-587-1570 x4306, M-F 8:30-4:30, but no later than noon on Thursday, May 16th.

Detailed information will be sent by mail to all participants who register by May 15th.  Non-residents, businesses and institutions may be able to participate in this collection for a fee by contacting the Department of Public Works at 413-587-1570 x4306. There is a link to the pre-registration form here:  

HHW Pre-registration Form

Plant Pot & Tray Collection

Take it or leave it! The DPW sponsors a Plant Pot & Tray Collection event at Smith Vocational High School, 80 Locust Street, on Saturday, May 11th. Rigid plastic pots and trays will be accepted for recycling or can b e taken away for reuse. (Flimsy plastic such as such as 4- and 6-packs for plant starts cannot be accepted).
Plant Pot & Tray Collection

It's Your Infrastructure

Click the title of this post to see this month's photos of City Public Works employees taking care of City infrastructure.

Arbor Day 2013 Trees at the DPW

The Northampton Tree Committee and the Department of Public Works Will be giving away saplings on a first-come first-served basis to City of Northampton residents at the Recycling Center at 125 Locust Street.

FRIDAY APRIL 26 & SATURDAY, APRIL 27
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
1 per customer, while supplies last

Plant a tree in Northampton!
White Oak, Rose of Sharon, Redbud

Durable Medical Goods, Sharps & Unwanted Medications Collection next Saturday

The next reuse & recycling rally will take place on Saturday April 27th at the Smith Vocational High School (80 Locust Street Northampton) from 10am-2pm, in cooperation with the Northampton Police Department & Board of Health.

This is the 4th in a series of 7 events in 2013 to promote waste reduction, reuse & recycling in the City.  This event will offer responsible disposal of unwanted medications & sharps, and the opportunity to donate durable medical equipment for reuse.

The Stavros Center for Independent Living will be accepting donations of durable medical equipment for their "Home Sweet Home" loan program.  Donors can receive a tax-deductible receipt for wheelchairs, walkers, bath/shower chairs, commodes, metal forearm crutches, canes, hoyer lifts, grab bars, knee braces, hospital beds & prostheses.

A disposal fee for sharps (hypodermic syringes, lancets) will be charged by volume equivalent.  Approved containers [with disposal costs included] will be available for purchase: $5.00 for a 1.4-quart container and $8.00 for a 2.5 quart container. When full, these sharps containers can be delivered to future collection events (at health fairs, household hazardous waste collections, etc) or to the Northampton Board of Health office Monday through Friday from 10am-2pm.

For more information, contact Karen at 413-587-1059 or at kbouquillon@northamptonma.gov.

Rain Barrels and Compost Bins

Our supply of rain barrels & compost bins has arrived!  The first distrbution of pre-paid bins & barrels will beheld at the DPW's Community Tag Sale this Saturday from 9-12 at Smith Vocational High School on .  Order forms for the next distrbution can be obtained at the DPW office, at the City's transfer stations and 
online.

Water Main Flushing Schedule

The DPW's Water Division will begin its annual systematic water main flushing program on April 22, 2013. Crews will be going out Monday through Friday 8:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. for approximately 4 weeks.  The flushing will begin in the Ward 7 Leeds area and proceed through Florence and Bay State, continuing to downtown Northampton and Ward 3. Water customers may temporarily experience low water pressure or discolored water during this service.

The flushing program is performed as a recommendation by the Department of Environmental Protection to maintain high quality water standards.  For further information, contact the Northampton Department of Public Works at 587-1570.

Yard & Leaf Waste Collection Schedule

The City’s composting area will be open on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month 8:00am-4:00pm from April 1st to December 1st, with easy access through the back gate at 170 Glendale Road.  A residential vehicle permit will be required for access to this free service. 

Brush must be less than four feet in length, less than six inches in diameter, and must be kept separate from other yard wastes.   Leaves will be accepted loose or in brown paper leaf bags.  Plastic bags &stumps will not be accepted.

For more information, call the Department of Public Works at 413-587-1570 x4306.

Spring Cleaning? Save that stuff!

The DPW is sponsoring another reuse & recycling rally on Saturday April 20th at the Smith Vocational High School from 9am-12pm, in cooperation with the City’s ReUse Committee, the Salvation Army & ProShred of Wilbraham.  This is the third in a series of events in 2013 to promote waste reduction, reuse & recycling.  Once again, it’ll be a three ring circus:  a huge community tag sale (56 vendors!), a shredding event for confidential papers & an opportunity to donate clothing, textiles & usable goods to a charitable cause.

For more information contact Karen at (413-587-1059 or kbouquillon@northamptonma.gov), go to the DPW’s website (www.northamptonma.gov/dpw/Recycling/reuse) or find us on Facebook (“Northampton ReUse”).