Two items chartered from last year’s December Council meeting — Rezoning and Special Permit Request for 1314 Washington Street and Special Permit Request for a 9-unit development at 106 River Street — are on the Full City Council‘s agenda for its meeting on Tuesday, January 3 at 7:45PM (previously reported here). The Council is also expected to vote on a recommendation to offer for sale or lease, a 57 sq. ft. City-owned parcel of land known as 181-183 Jackson Road. (see Reports Docket).
Items to watch on the New Docket:
- Request to extend the period of time to exercise a previously approved special permit for Pharmacannis Massachusetts Inc. d/b/a Verilife – retail marijuana establishment at 131 Rumford Avenue
- Request for a discussion with the Planning Department, the Inspectional Services Department, and the Tree Warden regarding the process for creating and enforcing landscape plans in the special permit process and enforcing the zoning code and the tree ordinance with by-right projects
- Several grants for acceptance:
- $68,000 MassDEP Recycling Dividends grant for recycling services, equipment, etc.
- $35,000 Executive Office of Public Safety and the Department of Fire Services grant for reimbursement of purchase of mobile radios
- $140,000 Massachusetts Community Compact Cabinet’s (CCC) Information Technology grant to contract with a document management system provider
- $2,027,000 MassWorks Program grant for the Pettee Square Improvement Project
- Three big-ticket appropriation requests:
- $225,000 in transportation mitigation funds from the Trio transportation demand management plan for NewMo operations consistent with the special permit and consistency ruling
- $3,240,000 from FY2022 Free Cash for synthetic turf carpet and infill materials, installation, and construction oversight to replace the two synthetic turf fields at Newton South High School and to resurface the perimeter track at the school’s Winkler Stadium.
- $258,524.10 from June 30, 2022, Certified Free Cash to the Police Department for the purchase of four Hybrid Ford Police Interceptor Cruisers.
The Open Meetings Law and ordinance revisions will be discussed with the City’s Law Department at this week’s Human Rights Commission meeting (see agenda).
The Fair Housing Committee will receive a presentation on Lottery Results and Lease Up Subcommittee Presentation, an overview of Zoning Redesign, and discuss the upcoming Fair Housing Training scheduled for January 19 at its meeting on Wednesday morning (see agenda).
The regularly scheduled Public Safety and Transportation Committee meeting this week has been cancelled.
The Finance Committee and Public Facilities Committee will meet briefly on Tuesday, prior to the Full Council meeting to discuss a request to appropriate and expend $150,000 from Free Cash to purchase a replacement trackless sidewalk clearing tractor (see agenda).
A proposal to increase mattress recycling fees and a request to accept a $2,027,000 MassWorks Program Grant for the Pettee Square Improvement Project (Oak Street at Chestnut Street) to reimburse the City for final design, engineering, resident repudiation services (what’s that?), and construction services for the intersection improvements at Pettee Square will be discussed at the Public Facilities Committee meeting on Wednesday (see agenda).
The Programs and Services Committee will have an opportunity to meet Mignonne Murray, the newly appointed Director of Senior Services, at its meeting on Wednesday. The Committee will also receive an update on the Countryside School Building project, vote on a request to appropriate and expend $3,240,000 for the Newton South High School Fields and Track project, discuss the two proposals to amend the Tree Preservation Ordinance (see agenda).
Four full demolition and four partial demolition requests will be reviewed at the Newton Historical Commission meeting this week (see agenda).
This week’s road construction schedule has not been published.