Holyoke Public Safety Committee closes out dozens of orders in final 2025 session

HOLYOKE -- December 15, 2025, Holyoke's Public Safety Committee cleared more than two dozen pending orders at its final December 15 meeting, closing most as complied with and preserving six others from automatic disposal under the council's new two-year term rule. Chair Jenny Rivera, joined by Councilors Patti Devine, Carmen Okasio, and David Bartley attending remotely, worked through a written evaluation by interim City Engineer Victoria Hull, who estimated a $50,000 installation for rectangular rapid flash beacons and ADA-compliant ramps at Northampton and Winthrop Streets. Bartley flagged a MassTrails-funded project that, he said, would narrow Main Street in Springdale to one lane and eliminate on-street parking past Springdale Park, warning the change "should not be crammed down the throats of the residents." The Lyman Street Iron Rail Bridge truck safety order, which Rivera noted had prompted an ambulance response after a school bus collision, was tabled again, with the committee directing staff to press the engineer for a timeline.