We were fortunate to have Nicole Banks, Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, at the meeting to provide an update on all the work her department is doing to benefit our community. 

—The allocation of $75,000 in ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) enabled the city to restore and repaint the exterior of the Chaffin House (the yellow Victorian home located at 124 Vernon Street.) After work on that building is complete, repairs will also be made to the gazebo located on the property.

— $100,000 in state-provided funding will pay for the repair of Farlow Park pond. BH+A Consultants (who also did the building of the Gath Pool) are assessing what needs to be done. Commissioner Banks believes the funding is adequate to complete all necessary repairs.

— Keith Jones, president of the Friends of Farlow Park, noted that the pond has an on-demand system that, if repaired, would relieve the park officials of having to make on-site visits to control water levels manually. Since Newton has over 50 places that require attention from park officials, this would be a win-win situation for all concerned. Keith suggested that money not spent on testing the pond could be used to repair this system and that the Friends could add $5,000 to that effort.

—The lovely Artful Piano, “Springtime,” that graced Farlow Park this summer was part of Newton Parks Cultural Appreciation project. Comments and feedback on that program would be appreciated. Please send comments to me, and I will forward them to the Newton Public Art Program.

— The Spears Community Garden design is moving forward, and the city is working with Friends of Spears Garden to request funding from Newton’s Community Preservation Committee. This funding will enable the completion of the design and the preparation of the site for installing the raised beds. The submission will go before the committee in October.

—Several improvements are being made to Burr Park, including installing new baseball hoops, repairing the water meter and fixing the splash pond. The preschool will be able to continue using the building.

Please Note: If there are problems with the splash pond in the future, use the web-based 311 app on the city’s website to request that the Project Manager repair it. You can also call the city’s Customer Service number at (617) 796-1000 and ask the agent to enter the repair request into 311 for you or email the parks department directly at: parks@newtonma.gov

—Dan Shaw suggested that the trees in Farlow Park be labeled with their botanical and common names and the date planted (much as is done with the trees in the Arnold Arboretum). It was agreed that this was an excellent idea. Comm. Banks is speaking with Marc Welch, Director of Urban Forestry, about when and how this can be accomplished.

Maria Scibelli-Greenberg, Ward Councilor for Ward 1, updated us on several situations of importance to Newton Corner. 

—Proposed construction of 16 condominiums at 41 Washington Street on Hunnewell Hill. The City’s Planning Department has recommended hiring consultant peer reviewers to analyze. 1) the stormwater management report, 2) the traffic impact assessment, and 3) the proposed landscaping and fencing.

—Mass DOT: Since the NCNA meeting, when there was nothing to add to the news from last June, we have learned that the DOT will be holding a public outreach workshop on traffic signal and safety improvements at the Newton Corner interchange on October 24. Here is the Zoom link to that meeting: 

https://www.mass.gov/doc/massdot-meeting-flyer-newton-102423/download

Also, please check out the following link on the NCNA website to read the notes from past meetings with the DOT and prepare to respond to their presentation.

https://www.newtoncornerneighborhood.com/traffic

Alison Lobron of the Parent/Educator Collaborative ( https://www.pecnewton.com) spoke to us about the ongoing contract negotiations between the Newton Teachers Union and the Newton School Board. Unfortunately, these have become very contentious and may be headed towards state mediations. Currently, teachers are “Working to Rule,” which means only doing what is required by contract. Among union demands are a COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) comparable to those in neighboring towns, a full-time social worker in each school, and an increase in the salaries of teaching assistant positions. Unfortunately, packing these proposals together took away the ability to negotiate each point by point. A summary of these issues is provided on our website at:

https://www.newtoncornerneighborhood.com/teacher

Richard Rasala reported on his extensive work regarding transportation and rezoning in Newton and the use of Village Center Overlay Districts (VCOD) to meet the demands of the MBTA Communities Law. This law requires Newton to submit a plan to provide over 8,000 additional housing units located close to transit facilities by the end of the year. His analysis demonstrates that there is an alternative to using village centers as high-density urban islands to meet these housing requirements. He questions some of the particulars of the proposed zoning and shows how mandating a 1500 sq ft. footprint for new development works (as currently stated) would work against bringing families with children into Newton (a purported goal). To read Richard’s complete analysis and his arguments in favor of making “missing middle housing” part of compact, walkable neighborhoods throughout the city, please visit:

https://www.newtoncornerneighborhood.com/zoning

Richard’s Op-Ed, entitled “MBTA Zoning and Village Center Zoning,” was published in the Fig City News on Sept. 20. Again, he presents his data-driven arguments on this complicated issue in a concise and coherent manner. The link to this article is:

https://figcitynews.com/2023/09/op-ed-mbta-zoning-and-village-center-zoning/

The meeting ended at 8:35 PM, a nod to those who hesitated to join because of time concerns.  

Enjoy the beautiful weather, and see you on Thursday, October 5, at 7:30 PM.

Warm regards,

Robin Boger, President