The Public Safety and Transportation Committee voted to approve the following (see Report and watch video on NewTV):
- Requesting to accept and expend a $272,000 MassDOT Community Connections Program Grant for the Blue bikes bike share in Newton, Arlington, and Watertown project. There will be two additional stations for Newton, Arlington, and Watertown. There was a brief update on the bike share program:
- Boston College has higher ridership than the rest of the City.
- California and Chapel is doing well possibly because of access to the bike path.
- Beacon and Washington Street is doing well because tied into Watertown/Cambridge Network.
- Newton Highlands is doing well because few transportation options.
- Nonantum is doing well because it is close to the Watertown/Cambridge network and denser.
- Washington and Walnut are the center of the network.
- Library, Centre Street, and Commonwealth Avenue have slightly lower ridership.
With regard to e-bikes, e-bikes must be a system-wide decision even with new state law legalizing e-bikes for bikeshares.
- Request to appropriate and expend $950,000 and authorize a general obligation borrowing of an equal amount for the purchase of a simulcast public safety radio infrastructure and authorization to apply any premium received upon the sale of the bonds or notes, less the cost of preparing, issuing, and marketing them, and any accrued interest received upon the delivery of the bonds or notes to the costs of the project and to reduce the amount authorized to be borrowed for the project by a like amount. Chief Gentile responded to Councilors regarding this request: This is a one-time expenditure and is a final step in a joint project with the Police Department that began in 2016 and enables the Police and Fire Departments to share technology and update the radio systems in the City.
- Request to accept, appropriate, and expend $635.454.54 from a reimbursable Assistance to Firefighter Grant through the Department of Homeland Security. The Chief stated this is a 6-year grant (with a 10% match from the City) for four different items:
- Officer Training
- Confined Space Training
- Equipment Replacement
- Cancer and Heart screenings
- Request for discussion with the Newton Fire Department on one year-over-year data, which may include fires, injuries, inspections, hiring, and overtime. According to the Chief’s presentation (attached to the agenda), there has been a 10% increase in the number of calls (15 building fires this year compared to 13; 5 working fires this year compared to 3; and 1 four-alarm fire this year.) Training hours are 10,000 compared to 15,000 and 21 permits were issued. Overtime hours are down slightly due in part to the five new members that recently graduated from the Fire Academy, but special leave, sick leave, and vacation time are slightly up. There are currently fourteen members on some type of long leave, which is up from January 2022.
- Request to discuss: The Committee voted No Action Necessary on a request to discuss the Fire Station 3 traffic pattern including approved building design that established circular access for fire apparatus to understand why this access is not being utilized.
The following items were substantively discussed (attached to Committee Report) but held:
- Request for discussion with the Newton Fire Department on one year-over-year data, which may include fires, injuries, inspections, hiring, and overtime.
- Request for regular discussion with the Police Department of police data, including crashes, types of calls, numbers, and dispositions.