Shortly after 10PM on Thursday evening June 26, the residents of Adams Street were shocked by loud street sounds accompanied by heavy dust coming through their windows. When they opened windows and doors, they discovered men in protective clothing and masks operating trucks that were grinding up the pavement on the street. There were no police details in evidence, and the trucks were not from the Newton Department of Public Works. As the evening progressed, it was clear that the workers were painting double-yellow lines on the center of Adams Street where every year, since 1935, the Saint Mary of Carmen Society painted the green-white-red Italian flag colors to celebrate their annual Festival.
For the longtime Italian community that has been in Nonantum for over a century, the response was immediate and angry. All three Ward 1 City Councilors said they were uninformed about the plan to repaint the center line in Nonantum less than three weeks before the annual five-day celebration. Apparently none of the Adams Street residents, including Chuck Proia, the Festival Chair, knew about the plans for their street.
On Friday, Mayor Fuller sent an email to the City Council telling Councilors that “the Staff and the St. Mary of Carmen Festa volunteers debriefed this spring regarding any changes needed. We came to an understanding that State law requires that a yellow center line be on Adams Street for safety reasons due to its traffic volume and width. We worked with the Festa volunteers so that the City would paint the center line yellow and their volunteers are able to repaint the Italian flag colored lines next to this yellow line. I’m confident that we can have the yellow safety line and lift up our Italian roots.” Shawna Sullivan, Newton’s Commissioner of Public Works, apologized to the Ward 1 Councilors for not informing them beforehand of the plan to paint the yellow lines.
According to the three-person Committee — Carl Pasquarosa, Vice President of the Saint Mary of Carmen Society (SMC), Chuck Proia, SMC Festa Chair, Arrianna Proia, Chair or the Saint Mary of Carmen Women’s Society — they met with relevant Newton department heads in March and were told that the City planned to paint a double-yellow line thereby eliminating the possibility of the traditional Italian flag colors. The SMC Committee countered that the plan was unacceptable, particularly since the July 16-20 celebration will mark 90 years for the event in Nonantum. Their position did not change in the intervening months.
When the City issued the event permit, it included two new provisions: #10 and #11 stipulated that it would determine and take ownership of flags and ownership and regulate all city space painting including streets and fire hydrants (always painted green-white-red for the celebration). At the same time, neither provision had any specifics, including the plan to paint a double-yellow line on Adams Street. As recently as June 1, at the Nonantum Village Day, Mr. Pasquarosa and Mr. Proia reported that Mayor Fuller told them that “we will get to yes on everything” and praised them for the “good things” they do for the city.
On Friday, June 27, John Oliver, a Ward 1 City Councilor, told Fig City News, “This was a choice. The Mayor chose to allow this to happen and did not inform the Councilors.” He asked where the requirement was that the work be performed by a certain date. His two Ward 1 City Council colleagues, Alison Leary and Maria Greenberg, expressed disappointment and dismay over the timing.
Marc Laredo, City Council President and Mayoral candidate, assured Fig City News that there was nothing official from the state requiring the painted lines at this time. He said it was entirely of the Mayor’s making. “There was no need to do this. Things have worked well for 90 years.”
Facing the community’s backlash, Mayor Fuller agreed that there had been no official communication from the state or federal government. Since Newton’s Department of Public Works does not have the equipment necessary for painting double-yellow lines, the City hired one of the State’s two contractors with the required machinery. When the contractor, Markings, Inc., announced on Thursday morning that it would be available on Thursday night, the City agreed. Lines are generally painted at night, according to the Mayor, and do not require a police detail. She agreed that at least the Councilors should have been notified in advance. As to the expressions of anger and surprise from the Society, Mayor Fuller said there was no confusion about the plan. Mr. Proia told Fig City News that the Committee told the Mayor they would agree to the double-yellow line AFTER this year’s Festa.
“I know how much tradition matters and we are honoring it,” the Mayor told Fig City News, adding, “I am happy to take the heat.” In her view, the double-yellow line would provide safety, and the addition of the Italian flag stripe next to it would preserve the tradition. “It’s a win/win,” she said, which she repeated on Dan Rea’s Nightline radio program on June 30.
Fran Yerardi, a longtime Nonantum businessman, submitted a list of questions to Commissioner Sullivan about the requirements and timing of the Adams Street project. What triggered the need for a double-yellow line?, he asked. Commissioner Sullivan responded that:
- Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices says “Center line markings shall be placed on all paved undivided two-way urban arterials and collectors that have a traveled way of 20 feet or more in width and an Average Daily Traffic of 6,000 vehicles per day or greater.”
- Adams Street is 33 feet wide, and an October 2023 traffic study recorded an Average Daily Traffic of 6,002 vehicles per day.
- The requirement is federally mandated and not optional.
- Crash data indicated that Adams Street is a priority for safety requirements.
- The striped lines must be in accordance with federal guidelines, and Festa volunteers would need to adhere to those guidelines by painting the striped lines next to the double-yellow line.
On July 1, the City published specifications of the Festa Painting Program.
Arrianna Proia, Councilor John Oliver, and Mayor Fuller appeared on Dan Rea’s Monday Night Nightline program to answer his questions. Mayor Fuller again said she felt the yellow lines, with the addition of the striped lines, offered both safety and tradition. John Oliver underscored his view that “mistakes were made, [producing] more of a powder keg than an oversight.” Ms. Proia, who lives on Adams Street, asked why there had been no communication with the residents.
The first caller of the evening agreed with the Mayor. Thereafter there were many negative comments from callers. Teresa Sauro, a third-generation Nonantum resident and president of the Nonantum Neighborhood Association, noted that the City takes serious measures against the noise of leaf blowers, but made no effort to control the machinery that night. Another caller said that not only was the action a “slap in the face” to Nonantum, but also a mark of the way the neighborhood is treated because it has the lowest median income in the city. Both Mr. Oliver and Ms. Proia said that the incident would not have happened in Chestnut Hill or other more affluent parts of Newton.
Late in the afternoon on July 1, Commissioner Sullivan sent an email to the Committee leaders and the three Ward 1 City Councilors regarding the paints that Festa volunteers would be allowed to use for the lines and hydrants.
Ed. Note: We corrected our quoting of Federal Highway Administration standards in Commissioner Shawna Sullivan’s response to Fran Yerardi’s inquiry, and we removed a broken link from her response.
