As reported earlier, the City of Newton authorized the painting of double-yellow lines in the median strip on Adams Street, which was done after 10PM on June 26. The action occurred three weeks before the local St. Mary of Carmen Society’s 90th annual five-day celebration, which culminates in a procession bearing the statue of the Madonna through the Nonantum neighborhood, along Adams Street, and back to Our Lady Help Of Christians Church, where the statue is housed for the rest of the year.
In honor of the event, for decades Society volunteers have painted the Adams Street median strip green, white, and red — the colors of the Italian flag. None of the three local Ward Councilors were advised of the plan to paint the double-yellow lines. Adams Street residents were subjected to the noise and dust from the grinding of the street surface, followed by the painting of the lines, and there was no police detail at the site.
Although Mayor Fuller said that the City does not require nighttime police details, the outside contractor responsible for the job asked for police officers, but there were several other requests that night, and none of officers responded for detail duty on Adams Street. Moreover, residents are not usually notified about street work, according to the Mayor. John Oliver, an at-large City Councilor from Ward 1, plans to ask Commissioner Department of Public Works Shawna Sullivan to appear before the Council to explain the reason residents are not notified about planned street work and why police details are not required for night work.
Mayor Fuller had declared the action a “win/win” for the community, saying it addressed safety concerns while at the same time acknowledging the community’s Italian heritage by allowing volunteers to paint the green-white-red lines next to the double-yellow lines. Most of the local response on social media has been hostile. Many continue to ask,“Why now?,” with the celebration slated to begin on July 16 and no state or federal directive dictating that the double-yellow lines be painted by a specific date before the beginning of the July 16 festival opening.
Emphasizing solidarity with the Society and the Italian Community, the Adams Street Shul — Newton’s oldest synagogue — decorated its fence in green-white-and red flags and posted a statement of its support on its gate.
Chuck Proia, longtime Adams Street resident and the Society’s Festival Chair, told Fig City News that the painting of the stripe along adjacent Nonantum streets would begin July 11, “weather permitting,” and Society volunteers plan to paint the local fire hydrants. There are no plans to decorate Adams Street, even with the stripe next to the double-yellow line, which the City will allow.
Fran Yerardi, a longtime Nonantum business leader, asked DPW Commissioner Shawna Sullivan about the data used to determine that Adams Street sustains more than 6,000 cars daily, thereby mandating a double-yellow center line. Of the four traffic data numbers submitted, one was for 3,740; one was for 6,206; the next day was for 6,196; and the last of the four consecutive days was for 2,608. Both of the 6,000+ counts occurred on religious holidays attracting parishioners to Our Lady Help of Christians Church parking lot on Adams Street. Mr. Yerardi wants an explanation of the collection process.
In addition, Councilor Oliver asked Commissioner Sullivan for a clarification of the street-width requirement since the Manual for Uniform Travel Control Devices states that a “traveled way” more than 20 feet wide triggers consideration of a median line. He said, “… if Adams is 32-33 ft wide does this measurement include or exclude the ‘parking lanes’ on both sides of the roadway / street? If it doesn’t, then the ‘traveled way’ is well under 20 ft. right? (this assumes that the parking lane is 8-9 ft. in width, which I recall is somewhat standard).”
Commissioner Sullivan and Ellen Ishkanian, Newton’s Director of Communications, have promised to answer these questions.
