Coming from Texas, it never fails to take my breath away. I’m feeling especially lucky to live here right now. Here’s to hoping the joy of the fall leaves carries us all through the short days and cold of winter!

Hi all,

My scooter was taken on Smith campus near the Julia Child Campus Center today around noon. It’s black and grey with red accents, and a phone holder attached to the handlebars. It says KEQ in big letters on the side. Let me know if you see it!

I have been trying to find an apartment in Northampton or Easthampton. I've mostly been working with RentNoho, but I'm so sick of dealing with them. I got approved for 2 places through RentNoho but then they just ghosted me when I asked for a lease. Been calling texting and emailing them for weeks with no response since that day.

I try those websites like apartments dot com or zillow but it's always inaccurate pricing/availability, wait-list, or big apartments way out of my budget (I only want 1br or studio)

I’m looking for recommendations for a woman’s winter shoe option that isn’t a snow boot but can handle some snow. Bonus points if it’s something I can wear to work (business casual at best non profit) and something that can last more than one season!

Thanks in advance!

I walked out of there feeling like we ordered from difficult entitled customers rather than actually being one. I have seen twenty years of sassy service in the valley but I walked out of so upset. Never been so uncomfortable in an establishment in the valley in my life. I get that it’s hard to keep staff on and feel for customer service when your kitchen is slammed (I’ve been there) but I was so dissapointed…….

Edit: We usually have a great time there, must have been an off day, thanks posters.

We're still recruiting teams for the NEF Spelling Bee, which is on Wednesday, October 21 at Bombyx! Or just come and cheer people on. It's a blast!

https://northamptoneducation.org/community-events/adult-spelling-bee/

If you missed City Council last night, and don’t want to wait for the Gazette’s reporting or watch the presentation (starting at 2:34:16), here’s a quick breakdown:

In 1989, Northampton’s downtown parking garage was built using concrete with substandard aggregate (according to engineering tests presented to the city). The methods of construction have evolved, but with bad concrete, the clock was ticking. Over the years, the city undertook repairs and maintenance, including joint sealing and drainage improvements, in 2002, 2012, 2014, 2015 and from 2018 through 2025.

Those measures weren’t enough to stop the deterioration, and a second problem compounded the first. Chloride from deicing products penetrated the concrete, accelerating corrosion of the rebar and causing concrete to crack and spall. The result is deterioration so extensive that the garage is no longer considered a viable candidate for repair. 

The lower levels of the garage remain open; upper levels are closed and an engineering firm has shored up damaged areas and is monitoring for movement and further deterioration. The city’s current plan is to keep the lower levels open unless inspections indicate that doing so presents a safety concern - in which case the entire garage would be closed immediately.

If we want a garage downtown, we’re going to have to build a new one. 

Preliminary estimates put the cost in the $18 million to $33 million range, but these are order-of-magnitude estimates, not an actual project budget. Significant planning and a study of parking needs and usage would come first.

In the meantime, the city plans to open additional surface lots (including rentals of private lots) and pilot a high-frequency parking shuttle on days when the garage has historically been heavily used, including Bag Day, the holiday shopping period, and, of course, No Kings Rallies. 

Stray thoughts:

1. This is a financial and operational gut punch. No question.
2. How do you finance an unplanned capital project costing tens of millions of dollars? Typically, through borrowing. The city would need to decide how to pay the annual debt service. Using the general fund means competing with other operating needs, including schools and city services. A debt exclusion, if approved by voters, allows the city to raise additional property taxes to pay for the debt outside the normal Proposition 2½ levy limit. The payments are moved outside of the general budget and born, instead, by taxpayers. The additional taxes would be tied to the debt payments, shrinking and then zeroing out over the life of the bond.
3. The city wants more data on parking use. Some of the information in the presentation surprised me, and I want to understand it better before drawing conclusions about how much parking Northampton needs, where it needs it, and how best to provide it.
4. None of this changes or effects the structural deficit Northampton is already facing. That’s not easy, that’s not good, but it’s where we are.
5. On other capital projects of note: This is why deferred maintenance on infrastructure should happen via a plan, not an emergency. That doesn’t mean every proposed capital project is automatically worth its cost; it means we have to consider the cost of delays, the cost of turning away funding assistance, and the cost of coordinating emergency repairs when things fail with everything else (utility work, etc.). Kicking a can down the road isn’t great for the people at the end of that road. 

The Smith College Student Event Committee and Smithies in Science club are excited to have Dr. Elisabeth Bik for a virtual talk on Monday 10/26 at 12:45-1:20pm. Dr. Bik is an image forensics detective who investigates scientific papers for incorrect or falsified data. Her work has led to 1,700+ retractions and 1,200+ corrections. Dr. Bik's virtual talk will address image duplication and 'paper mills', journals that produce low-quality or fake papers, often with AI. Interested community members can fill out this form for a Zoom link: https://forms.gle/DwmAVqkUeZEUYNMfA

Smith College

Northampton Ma

Hi all! I’m new to the area and looking for a local photographer to capture family photos. It would be me, my partner, and our two month old. Thanks in advance!

I'm looking for recommendations for local builders who have built saunas. Have you had a sauna built on your property? I'd love to know who, and if you would recommend or not! I am NOT looking for recommendations for sauna kits or barrel saunas.

Not necessarily looking to build something fancy, but my property has access limitations and there isn't a way to deliver anything prefab. Therefore, am looking to build on site. TYIA!

i’d like to mail someone a care package of local goodies. they are vegan, and i’m sure our area has lots of vegan goodies — i just can’t think of any!!

can you share any recs? this would be mailed so nothing highly perishable

Hii, I have a spare ticket to the Mount Eerie show on Saturday night and would hate for it to be wasted!! Dm me if you or a loved one are interested :-)

We've added some new friends and more tables! Come join us for some fun at the corner of Chapman and Main St in Greenfield! 7pm wednesdays

What is going on here?? We received an email saying AFP in noho is closed and dr Kate no longer works there, and all of the employees found out about her departure via her Facebook? And now there is new ownership? Wtf happened who has the scoop

Join us at Forbes Library in Northampton on Monday, October 19th, for an Employer Spotlight with Valley Medical Group. This event will run from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. They have open positions such as Medical Billing Specialist, Medical Assistant, Medical Receptionist, and more!

For more than 25 years, Valley Medical Group's physicians, health care professionals and staff have dedicated themselves to serving area residents. Originally formed from the merger of Amherst Medical Associates and Pioneer Family Physicians, they were formerly part of Kaiser Permanente until becoming an independent, multi-specialty medical group in January of 2000.

This event is free to attend pre-registration is not required. Please email [bizteam@masshirefhcareers.org](mailto:bizteam@masshirefhcareers.org) with any questions.

Hi, hopefully future neighbors! I (38F) am planning to move away from Philly with my husband and 2 small kids (5 yo and 8 months) next summer. We are so tired of living in a big city with heavy traffic and are craving fresh air, space for a big garden instead of my tiny city plot, decent public schools, and a slower quieter pace. I'm from Colorado but have lived on the East coast for 20 years now and feel like I belong in the Northeast.

However, we have built/found/lucked into an incredible community in our 7 years living here in Philly- on a street with lots of kids who play together, friendly and like-minded parents at our oldest's Montessori school, progressive and loving religious communities (Jewish and Episcopalian), neighbors who pop by to the front stoop to pick tomatoes and have a beer or who invite us over to watch the Eagles with a multi-generational crew including 95 year olds and babies.

I know we will never find exactly this but we are prioritizing the capacity to build something similar in our new place. The Northhampton area is top of the list - I lived in Somerville MA and Providence RI prior to Philly and loved my long weekends in the pioneer valley and could really see us there. (Moving back to Providence is our plan b, though it is incredibly expensive there in the neighbors we are most excited about.)

Does anyone have suggestions for neighborhoods or towns where we would be most likely to find other people with kids (and without kids) interested in building and maintaining strong connections? Kids out playing, neighbors helping neighbors, a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, enough people around that you're likely to run into someone you know while taking a walk? I would love to be able to walk kids to school/childcare and walk to some sort of community hub - a library or coffee shop or something like that. Biking is a big priority for my husband. Easthampton seems very promising, from what I've seen.

We are visiting in a couple weeks and I would love guidance on what areas to be sure to check out - towns, or even specific neighborhoods/streets.

Thanks for any input!

Anyone know of an experienced private/independent driving instructor in or around Northampton for a quick 1-hour adult brush-up lesson prior to my road test?

Because of an ignition interlock license restriction, I legally cannot drive a standard driving school fleet car, so the lesson must take place in my own personal vehicle. I know standard commercial driving schools won't do lessons in a student’s car due to dual-brake/insurance policies, so I am specifically looking for a freelance or independent instructor who is comfortable with this.

I need someone who is extremely familiar with the Massachusetts RMV road test. I want a strict rundown of exactly what the examiners look for, common automatic fails, and the technical maneuvers required to pass. I'm comfortable on the road, but it's been 10+ years since I took the road test.

Thanks!!

hi i’m a smithie from florence graduating this spring, and i’m looking to get some nice photos taken. i don’t need the full thing of like ultra fancy senior photos, but i’d like some nice portraits around smith campus (i have inspiration photos). i’m also interested to in the use of film cameras or other less traditional photo styles!!

i don’t have a ton of money, so i’m looking for photographers starting out with cheaper rates or something like that.

would appreciate any insights!

I co-host a monthly meetup for people who run small businesses or have side projects.

This is a casual meetup where you can discuss your software business, side project, or aspirations with other indie founders. This is a great opportunity to share your ideas with others and get advice from peers who have faced similar challenges.

We're meeting Wednesday, Oct. 14th at 2pm at Esselon in Hadley, MA

https://www.meetup.com/nerdsummit/events/315274116/

I am looking for someone to help get rid of water damage on one of my favorite art pieces. Any recommendations for Noho/ western mass?