The Public Facilities Committee voted to Approve (see Report):
- Increasing the Community Preservation Committee debt authorization by $1,200,000 to cover the increased cost of the Gath Pool Complex project. (7-0) Project needs to begin this fall. The City received only 1 qualified bid, which was higher than expected. The total 30-year bond debt authorization is now $7,034,362. Estimated annual bond payments from the CPA will increase from $380,000 to a little over $400,000. The total project cost is now $8,472,562. May 2024 anticipated project completion date.
- Transfer $300,000 from Reserve Funds-Budget Reserve to Phase III Gath Memorial Pool Renovation Project (7-0) Partial match from the City to bring above debt authorization to $1,500,000.
The Public Facilities Committee voted No Action Necessary:
- Request from Verizon to lay underground conduits with wires and cables at Grove Street. Request was withdrawn because the developer is not proceeding with the project. (6-0, Councilor Norton not voting)
The Public Facilities Committee voted to Hold:
- Request from National Grid to replace cast iron gas main on Chestnut Hill Road. (7-0) National Grid said lining the pipe was not possible because of the cost and the time required to shut the system down. The existing cast iron main on Essex Road will be kept safe and reliable. Chestnut Hill Road main deemed a priority risk; NG will not maintain it indefinitely. At the public hearing, neighbors were concerned about how the pipe replacement would be timed with upcoming road repaving. Councilors wondered why this project with grade 2 and 3 gas leaks was an NG priority among the 700 gas leaks in the City and wanted more information on the repair versus replacement decision.
- Discussion on Countryside Elementary School Projects (7-0) Impervious areas were reduced, and water storage capacity was increased to prevent flooding. New school will be all-electric with ground source heat pumps (76 geothermal wells). Schematic design and emergency access reviewed. Much skepticism among Councilors about flood plans and modeling.
- Discussion on the Sustainable Materials Management Division (SMMD) (7-0) SMMD explained goal of SMMD is to reduce trash (30% by 2030) and costs and to maximize environmental protection. Newton’s 20-year disposal contract ends in 2028, hauling contract ends in June 2025. New contracts are now 5 years long. Disposal costs in other municipalities have increased by 40%+. In FY23, Newton paid $1,263,600 for trash and $601,000 for recycling disposal. Prices for recyclables can shift dramatically.
SMMD’s recommendations:
- Investigate contracting with neighboring communities
- Consider decoupling services: trash collection, trash disposal, recycling collection, recycling processing
- Add incentives to contracts plus education and/or innovation clauses
- Factor in GHG emissions of collection services
- “Enhance recycling processing contract to increase fairness”
- Update City ordinances to clearly define who received collection services
- Reduce holiday delay schedule to ‘major 6’ holidays
- Change cart ownership to the hauler33
DPW food waste collection or contracted collection service would be expensive and logistically challenging. Suggestion to pilot in-home food waste processing, similar to backyard compost bins.
SMMD’s suggested incentives to reduce trash:
- Reduce trash cart size to 35 gallons
- Utility-based funding (pay by trash weight)
- Variable cart sizes and fees
