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Agenda

Item 1: Minutes of April 13, 2026 meeting.

Item 2: 3-17-26 Thalheimer, Purcell — Invite Alianza to an upcoming Public Safety meeting for a conversation highlighting the work that they are doing in Holyoke to end domestic and intimate partner violence and to speak about their new prevention initiative, Basta Ya!

Item 3: 3-3-26 Panitch, Thalheimer: Ordered that representatives of the DPW and Holyoke’s Emergency Response team join the Public Safety Committee for an in-depth presentation on the city’s snow response protocols, and a lessons-learned analysis based on Holyoke’s response to the past two major snow events. This analysis is intended to (1) better inform the public and the Council about the details of how snow removal is managed in the city; (2) correct misunderstandings, if any; (3) provide an opportunity for a public exchange of information among the relevant city departments, the public, and councilors; and (4) provide the Council and the public the information and tools we need to be better partners for our emergency responders and DPW professionals.

Item 4: 3-3-26 J. Rivera – ORDERED: That the Holyoke City Council request the Holyoke Police Department to appear before the appropriate committee to explain the policies, procedures, and enforcement practices related to complaints against property owners who fail to clear snow and ice from sidewalks in accordance with City ordinance.
FURTHER ORDERED: That this matter be referred to the Public Safety Committee for review and discussion, including how repeated complaints are handled when properties have been reported multiple times without compliance.
FURTHER ORDERED: That this information be provided to increase transparency, inform residents, and better prepare the City Council, the City, and the public for future snow events.

Item 5: 4-7-26 From Disabilities Commission-communication regarding winter parking bans.

Item 6: 4-21-26 Thalheimer — Invite any and all interested members of the Commission on Disability to come to a meeting of the Public Safety committee for a conversation highlighting the work that they are doing in Holyoke and recently raised concerns around parking and accessibility.

Item 7: 3-17-26 (copy) Vacon- ORDER:  That the temporary speed humps be installed on Upland Rd as indicated by the engineer evaluation.

Item 8: 12-16-25 Magrath-Smith – Ordered that HPD and DPW develop a list of 10-15 points across the city which would benefit from permanent speed limit reminders to the public and present a plan for installing permanent speed radar signs at those points.
*Tabled 2-9-26, 4-13-26

LAID ON THE TABLE
(Items taken up at previous meeting(s) and laid on the table.

Item 9: 8-1-23 BARTLEY, DEVINE, J. RIVERA – Ordered, The City Engineer and/or VEOLIA suggest improvements to the sidewalk and catch basin near 5 Martin St. (at the corner of Westfield Rd and Martin). Owner’s contractor noted the sidewalk is too high and the design causes water to pool on parking lot; the catch basin is above-grade is not catching storm water. Owner very willing to confer with City Engineer on this matter. Refer to Public Safety Committee for a review hearing.
*Tabled 12-30-24, 3-31-25, 12-15-25, 3-9-26

Item 10: 5-21-24 BARTLEY, I. RIVERA, J. RIVERA, SULLIVAN – DPW, Emergency Management, HPD and Mayor’s office determine a safety plan to better warn truckers traveling on Main St. of the iron R/R bridge at Lyman St. Yet another collision occurred last week. Consider checking out the flashing beacons and warning signs on East Mountain Rd, Westfield.
*Tabled 12-30-24, 3-13-25, 12-15-25

Item 11: 9-4-24 BARTLEY, J. RIVERA – (copy) The DPW install a protective wraparound barrier (lattice, wire) the Holyoke Railroad platform. Unfortunately people are using this for protection from the elements but it is a very dangerous location and I don’t want anyone to stumble onto the rail tracks as recently happened in Northampton.
*Tabled 12-30-24, 3-13-25, 12-15-25, 3-9-26

Item 12: 11-6-25 From Holyoke Residents-letter to Mayor Garcia regarding noise at Wyckoff Country Club
*Tabled 4-13-26

Item 13: 11-18-25 From Residents in Ward 7-Neighborhood Petition to Address Noise Complaints
*Tabled 4-13-26

Item 14: 1-6-26 Anderson-Burgos – Ordered that the City Engineer review Old Jarvis Ave to address traffic safety concerns of several residents, including vehicles traveling at high speeds and large trucks traveling on the street on a regular basis. Residents are asking for consideration of a truck exclusion, making it a one way, and/or barriers at one end making it a dead end. Residents have expressed that speed humps were installed 15 years ago, but they did not prevent speeding.
*Tabled 3-9-26

Item 14: 1-6-26 Thalheimer- The condition of the sidewalk on Northampton St between West Glen and Clark Streets is virtually impassable especially for persons with disabilities.
*Tabled 3-9-26

ADMINISTRATIVELY LAID ON THE TABLE
(Per City Council Rule 9P, “Any order not acted on within 45 business days shall be deemed tabled.” Items within this section are laid on the table by virtue of being in the committee more than 45 days.)

Item 15: 9-5-23 JOURDAIN, VACON – Parks dept please install a motion sensor system and/or improved camera system and/or improved security plan at the Pouliot pool for use when the pool is in season.  After hours security needs to be dramatically improved.  Please let City Council and Mayor know if funding is required.

Item 16: 12-16-25 Magrath-Smith – Ordered, that a monthly standing order be added to Public Safety meetings where the committee reviews the See-Click-Fix Report and the status of logged issues.

Item 17: 12-16-25 Magrath-Smith – Ordered, that a plan be presented to Public Safety concerning how See-Click-Fix can be effectively implemented through DPW, Engineering, and Council, including how it can be made prominent on the city website, how councilors can log issues from constituents, what communication structure can be used to respond to people who log issues, and how a public-facing report can be shared online showing the status of issues that were logged. Consider also if a “Driving Speed/Traffic Complaint” category can be added.

Item 18: 2-3-26 Vacon- ORDER:  that the HPD, HFD & DPW provide a quarterly summary (no individual information) report to the city council on employee injuries including; number of employees out injured, length of time out, & nature of injuries & any actions taken to reduce injuries, along with any other information the department wishes to include.  Refer to Public Safety & copy to each department.

Item 19: 2-17-26 Sullivan, Devine – Ordered that the Ordinance Committee meet asap to change the City of Holyoke Zoning Ordinance, Section 4.0 Use Regulations; 4.1 General., Appendix A, Zoning; 6.5 Performance Standards so that the Air Riad Siren located at 109 Lyman Street in Holyoke, Massachusetts be allowed to continue to operate every Friday at 12 pm.

Item 20: 3-3-26 I. Rivera – Order that the honorable city council in collaboration with the Mayor create a Item 4: Lived Experience Committee (LEC) that would assist in advising the city regarding community efforts around topics of Homelessness, Substance Use Disorder, Education and Quality of Life issues.
This committee is to be comprised of Holyoke residents hailing from all 7 wards capturing representation from all over the city.

Item 21: 3-3-26 Thalheimer — Invite Tapestry Health to an upcoming Public Safety meeting for a conversation highlighting the work that they are doing in Holyoke, specifically around harm reduction.