City Council Committee Chairs will meet in person (Room 204) and virtually (Zoom link) on Monday, April 1 at 6:30PM. The agenda includes the following:
- Committee report structure
- Review of school and municipal building visits to date and suggestions for future visits/information gathering
- Discussion and evaluation of new format for hosting virtual meetings
- Review and discussion of best practices for running meetings, including how and when to have a public comment when it is and is not required
- Other topics that may be raised by Councilors
City Council will meet in person (Council Chamber) and virtually (Zoom link) on Monday, April 1 at 7:45PM. See Reports Docket and New Docket. The meeting will be broadcast on NewTV’s government channel (Comcast 9, RCN 13 & 614 HD, Verizon 33) and NewTV’s Youtube channel.
Land Use will meet in person (Council Chamber) and virtually (Zoom link) on Tuesday, April 2 at 7PM. The agenda includes the following requests:
- Special Permit/Site Plan Approval to allow for a vacation day camp (for-profit educational use) at 2 Wells Avenue. See Special Permit documents and Planning Memo.
- Special Permit/Site Plan Approval to allow retaining walls along the sides and rear of the dwelling exceeding four feet in height in a setback and to exceed FAR at 54-56 Indiana Terrace. See Special Permit documents and Planning Memo.
- Special Permit/Site Plan Approval to raise the roof and add dormers, further extending the nonconforming two-family dwelling use and alter/extend the nonconforming front setback at 265-267 River Street. See Special Permit documents and Planning Memo.
Programs and Services regularly scheduled meeting has been cancelled (see Meeting Cancellation Notice)
Public Safety and Transportation Committee will meet virtually (Zoom link) on Wednesday, April 3 at 7PM. The agenda includes the following requests:
- Two new public auto licenses: Vali Bros Transportation LLC and AB Inc.
- Accept Massachusetts General Laws (MGL) Chapter 41, Section 100G to provide for the payment of funeral and burial expenses, not exceeding $2,000 of any firefighter or police officer killed while in the performance of their duty.
- Discussion with Chief Carmichael and appropriate Newton Public Schools personnel regarding current school safety protocols and best practices Newton should consider, such as ALICE training.
- Discussion with Chief Carmichael regarding the City’s approach to traffic enforcement, including staffing levels, policies, procedures, and best practices to enhance public safety and reduce the number and severity of crashes.
- Discussion with Chief Carmichael on the current status of the use of body cameras in the Newton Police Department.
Public Facilities Committee will meet in person (Room 204) and virtually (Zoom link) on Wednesday, April 3 at 7PM. The agenda includes the following:
- Public Hearing on a request for a grant of location to relocate two poles (227/11 and 227/10) on the southwesterly side approximately 339 and 239 feet southwest of Pearl Street in Jackson Road.
- Request for a discussion with Audrey Shulman from HEET regarding Networked Geothermal Energy to include references to this program in the final GSEP report and GE’s role in converting to renewable energy.
Chair’s Note: Audrey Schulman will tell us about Networked Geothermal as an alternative to fossil fuels. She is the co-Executive Director of HEET. Audrey co-founded and has helped lead HEET since its start in 2008, creating its innovative science-based orientation in the fields of energy efficiency, solar and gas leaks. She used utility-reported data to create HEET’s public zoomable natural gas leak maps (the first in the country). She started the Large Volume Leak Study, which determined a way to identify super-emitting gas leaks so the utilities could repair them. Schulman is also the author of five novels, which have been translated into 12 languages, and reviewed by the New Yorker, The Economist and CNN. (from Audrey’s linked in page). See additional information about HEET.
- Request for a discussion about the Framingham Networked Geothermal Project with Eversource. This discussion should include neighborhood selection, pros and cons of the project learned to date, and costs and feasibility of scaling this project city-wide.
Chair’s Note: Shawn Luz will tell us about the Framingham/Eversource networked geothermal project. He is the Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Framingham. He reports to James Paolini, the Facilities Director for the City of Framingham who may also join us for this discussion. See WBUR Article. - Request for a discussion and presentation from the Newton Gas Pipes team to show the Public Facilities Committee the database built based on data from National Grid data. This graphic representation maps various data regarding leaks, reduction of leaks over time, proximity of leaks to trees and other important factors.
- Request for a discussion with the Administration’s Sustainability Team and the Department of Public Works on
(a) a plan to more effectively reduce methane gas leaks in the city and
(b) how to best coordinate with National Grid regarding the transition away from methane gas to electric heating and cooling solutions.
