NORTHAMPTON — Residents have until the end of January to submit ideas for a catchy name for the city’s upcoming campaign to support downtown businesses during the reconstruction of Main Street that is expected to begin in the fall of 2025 and last three years.

The Picture Main Street campaign, which will involve narrowing Main Street’s traffic lanes to single vehicles on both sides while adding a separate bike lane and expanding sidewalks, has drawn some concern from businesses in the area on potential impact to their bottom line. The city, in announcing the campaign and naming contest earlier this month, said it would be working with the Downtown Northampton Association and the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce to support those businesses during construction.

“The city, alongside GNCC and DNA, is convinced that community engagement is crucial for the success of this project,” the city said in a statement. “We believe that by participating in the naming process, residents will not only help shape our community’s future narrative but also increase awareness of the importance of supporting downtown businesses during this period.”

Community members have until Jan. 31 to complete a submission form to submit their suggestions for the name of the upcoming campaign. The selected campaign name will be announced in February, and the winner whose name is chosen will receive a $50 gift card as a token of appreciation.

Human rights perfect score

Northampton has obtained a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index, indicating a high level of inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community in the city.

The city is one of 129 cities to obtain a perfect score on this year’s index, joining other cities such as Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and Portland, Oregon. Other cities in Massachusetts to receive a perfect score include Boston, Worcester and Salem.

The index assesses each city on 49 criteria covering citywide nondiscrimination protections, policies for municipal employees, city services, law enforcement, and city leadership’s relationship with the LGBTQ+ community. Since the MEI’s debut in 2012, the number of cities earning perfect scores has increased more than sevenfold.

A breakdown of the city’s score on the Human Rights Campaign’s website shows that Northampton scored 92 out of 100, only losing points from lacking non-discrimination ordinance for city contractors and inclusive workplace policies, however, the city also received eight “flex” points on things like having LGBTQ+-appointed municipal leaders and providing services to older LGBTQ+ adults.

This year marks the sixth year in a row that the city has managed to obtain a perfect score on the index. Nearby Amherst scored a 74, while Springfield scored an 84.

Forbes spells out three-year strategic plan

Forbes Library Director Lisa Downing and Assistant Director Molly Moss led a presentation of the library’s upcoming three-year strategic plan, the first order of business for the newly inaugurated City Council last week.

The strategic plan, developed based on feedback from focus groups and community surveys, will focus on improving the well-being of the community and improving the library’s physical spaces to support creative inspiration.

Moss told the council that the library would support state legislation to protect intellectual freedom amid nationwide controversies of several book bannings, and work with the city’s new school Superintendent Portia Bonner to increase the number of kindergarten students who have library cards.

Moss also mentioned future physical improvements to the library, such as using ARPA funds awarded by the city to build an accessible performance space on the library’s west lawn, and continue to expand the library’s local history collections on subjects such as music, journalism and LGBTQ+ community over the last 50 years.

The library was founded in 1894 and is home to the Calvin Coolidge presidential museum, the only presidential museum contained within a library. It is also known as one of the few libraries that use the Cutter Expansive Classification system, rather than the more popular Dewey Decimal System.

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.