General Meeting Tuesday, July 24, 2007
ANTS Peck Room
Attendance:
The meeting started with about 30 people and a total of 50 signed in at the door. There were 4 Aldermen in attendance and roughly half of the audience indicated that it was their first meeting. E-mail, notice in the Newton Tab, sandwich board notices and the personal distribution of flyers to the 1100 houses alerted the neighborhood. The names of the approximately 20 flyer distributers were read.
Election:
Nominations for the next officers were presented by Maria Termini who expressed appreciation for the work of retiring President, Dani Krasa and asked (unsuccessfully) for nominations from the floor. A voice vote unanimously elected Sean Roche as President, Simon Lasky as Treasurer, Adam Peller as communications chair, Kathy Knight as outreach chair, Fran Seasholes as recording secretary. Dani Krasa and others will be on the Board.
Bowen Space Taskforce:
Jody Detjen served on this Superintendent-appointed group which addressed overcrowding at Bowen School which is designed for 420 students but will have 470 this fall. The temporary measures include the installation of a modular classroom, co-location of two classes in one oversized classroom and innovative use of limited space. City-wide solutions probably include creation of new elementary and middle schools. At Bowen all except the 5th grade have been kept at 25 or fewer students per class.
Newton's Comprehensive Plans:
Phil Herr spoke of the 6 year process by the Comprehensive Planning Advisory Committee (he has been Chair) and its report which was given in March 2007 and will have a Public Hearing on September 10. The Planning Department worked with this volunteer committee on an analysis of potential "build out" in different areas of the city and the Aldermen have already given their unanimous approval of the concepts put forth. The process will continue to be interactive in implementation. There are 32,000 housing units now in Newton and the build-out could be 33,500, particularly addressing the goal of more affordable housing diversity. Possible figures for the Newton Centre village area are between 50 and 150 additional units. The report, divided into a dozen categories is available on line and Sean urged people to become familiar with aspects of special interest to them.
Bowen Playground Renewal:
Dee Mallon presented visuals of the $300,000 project which has gone smoothly and is almost complete. The Parent-Teacher-Organization raised $50,000, the Community Preservation Fund contributed $205,000 and the city's Parks and Recreation Department is responsible for the rest. It has included raised garden beds, ridding the woods of invasive plants and creating a path, making the playground wheelchair accessible with new and revived equipment, sidewalk, tables, benches and new trees. The addition of a modular classroom has altered one area. Some drainage problems remain.
Webster Conservation Area Potential Expansion:
Sean reported briefly on this privately owned 2.1 acre house and land at the end of Elgin and Warren Streets. Negotiations are underway to preserve part of it as an extension of the current wooded area which includes a stream.
Newton Centre Task Force:
Alderman Vicki Danberg reported that the two years of work by this group will be presented soon in a written report to the Mayor and thus the Aldermen for impllementation. It recommends a vision of a revitalizated Newton Centre business area. It addresses zoning regulations, housing, transportation, pedestrian access, traffic, parking and mixture of retail uses and is backed by considerable research. She particularly noted that car parking for the 2000 people who work in the area can be addressed by creating alternate long-term parking spaces and that good design standards are advocated in contrast to some current structures there. The report will suggest adherence to the Comprehensive Plan concepts for Newton.
Comments from Aldermen present:
Vicki Danberg promoted the idea of creating neighborhood cohesiveness through progressive dinners in homes, as is done successfully by the Auburndale.Neighborhood Association. She reported from the MBTA that shuttle buses will continue until the track repair work is finished and that the Langley Road bridge over the tracks is scheduled for rebuilding. Alderman Ken Parker (and infant son) elaborated on the Warren Street/Webster Conservation Area project that he is assisting and the probable loss of the opportunity for the city to acquire a second home next to the beach on Crystal Lake. He said that the public hearing on the rezoning of the Route 9 site where New England Development has proposed a large mixed use project will be on the last Monday in September. The School Building Study indicated that renovation of most schools and the administration building would require far more money than is foreseen and probably two new school buildings are needed. There is a Green Space Initiative looking with concern at the currently inadequate recycling rate. Alderman George Mansfield encouraged people to call him with concerns, to fight for taking back streets for pedestrian use, to be watchful on changes. Alderman Merrill of Ward 1 urged BTNA to help maintain the residential character of Newton.
Mixed Use Business District:
Sean Roche and others have been attending the two public hearings and four meetings of the Aldermanic Zoning and Planning Committee related to creating zoning regulations appropriate for redevelopment of the Route 9 site of the Omni grocery store (and other such sites in the city). There will be a September 24 public hearing related to height, traffic, pedestrian access, services and use of open space. New England Development's proposal could be large enough to qualify as a "village" in itself and it is important to have an appropriate framework for any application for Special Permits. BTNA is in a position to represent neighborhhod views.
Traffic Issues in the Neighborhood:
Sean Roche spoke informatively of the campaign for liveable streets by managing traffic and containing its volume and speed. He has been regularly attending Traffic Committee meetings and monitoring suggestions for Herrick Road, Daniel/Jackson street intersection, Langley Road (bump-out and repaving) and the proposed Chestnut Hill Square. We need to consider how increased traffic impacts residential streets and how redesign of roads to be less convenient for drivers can slow them better than stop signs and lights.
Reactivating The Bowen - Thompsonville Neighborhood Association:
Sean Roche distributed "Pledge cards" soliciting people's greater commitment to the organization by doing at least 2 of the following 3 things: agreeing to attend several open meetings and city hearings on projects that relate to our neighborhood, to solicit 5 new neighbors to be added to the email, communication network, and to donate $10 or $25 to cover expenses and added initiatives. On the BTNA internet site he will provide links to related documents and ways to keep abreast of developments. He will call a meeting soon of the BTNA Board to plan for fall events, which could include a Candidate Night before the November election. Don Quinn noted that some people in the city are moving toward having a review of the city charter and that neighborhood groups are projected to be involved in that process.
Minutes by Fran Seasholes, Recording Secretary