Two months and a day after Nonantum residents were surprised and angered by the late-night grinding of the roadway on Adams Street – and the appearance of double-yellow lines in place of the colors of the Italian flag – the City sent a team of contracted power-washers to again remove the green, white, and red stripes that had been repainted over the yellow lines.
During five days of the 90th annual St. Mary of Carmen festival (Festa), late-night neighborhood painters had applied the traditional tri-colored stripe, representing the Italian flag, over the double-yellow lines on approximately half of Adams Street, covering part of the route used by the St. Mary of Carmen Society to carry the statue of the Madonna to and from Our Lady Help of Christians Church on the final day of the festival.
The City’s action and the community’s vehement opposition, directed at Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, have been the subject of news coverage in Massachusetts and the nation. Many have questioned the Mayor’s timing in removing the tri-colored Italian stripe on Adams Street just before its traditional repainting for the festival’s 90th celebration.
Unlike the painting of the double-yellow lines, where neither the community nor its three City Councilors received notice of the late-night activity on June 26 (three weeks before the beginning of the 90th Festa celebration), Mayor Fuller repeatedly said that the repainted tri-colored stripe would be removed. On Monday, August 25, Newton Department of Public Works Commissioner Shawna Sullivan sent an email to leaders of the St. Mary of Carmen Society Festival, announcing that the power washing would occur on Wednesday, August 27. “No Parking” signs appeared along Adams Street the next day. Protesters arrived at the Italian American Club just before 7AM, the stated time that the power washing activity was to begin.
In fact, North Shore Eco-Blasting did not begin work until after 9AM, and the protests were peaceful. Approximately a dozen people, many wearing Lake t-shirts, stood in the middle of Adams Street, holding an Italian flag. Protesters complained that the green, white, and red markings on the curbs and a “The Lake” symbol on the sidewalk had also been scrubbed. Newton Police Chief George McMains and several officers appeared on Adams Street and engaged in friendly conversation with the protesters, who stepped away from the middle of the street to allow the scrubbers to proceed.
Mayor Fuller has argued that the yellow lines were a necessary safety measure and that the community could paint green, white, and red lines on specified cross walks and fire hydrants. According to Commissioner Sullivan, Adams Street qualified for federally mandated double-yellow lines because of the volume of daily cars — more than 6,000 a day, based on a brief 2023 study — and the width of the street, which measures more than 20 feet. However, Ward 1 Councilor John Oliver challenged the Adams Street width requirement since there is parking on both sides of the street, thereby narrowing the roadway. In addition, neighborhood leaders pointed out flaws and inconsistencies in the car volume data: for instance, the “crash” data included incidents of cars swiping rear-view mirrors and fenders, not involving collisions.
In a July 16 email response to Councilor Oliver, Commissioner Sullivan said: “The City will conduct another traffic volume/vehicle count study on the section of Adams Street between Watertown and Washington Street later this year.” That study has not yet occurred. Ellen Ishkanian, Mayor Fuller’s Communications Director, responded to a Fig City News question by saying that the yellow lines were federally mandated, as demonstrated by the traffic study. She also included a link to the “Festa Paint Program,” specifying what might be painted green, white, and red. Ms. Ishkanian said:
In addition to the yellow center lines, a number of other improvements to traffic safety are in the works in the area bordered by Watertown, Adams, Walnut and Washington Streets. We are using mitigation funds from the new apartment building that has been approved at 78 Crafts Street for traffic calming, traffic signal and pedestrian improvements. Specifically on Adams Street, the measures include one Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) for pedestrian crossings, two radar speed feedback signs and three raised pedestrian crossings. The measures will be reviewed (with the raised pedestrian crossings needing approval) by the City Council prior to being installed.
Elaine Gentile, a lifelong Nonantum resident, who spent her early childhood on Adams Street, was among the protesters on August 27. A former member of the Board of Alderman, chairing the Publlc Safety and Transportation Committee, Ms. Gentile told Fig City News, “The City hasn’t shown any communication from the federal or state authorities. …I’m still not convinced the double-yellow lines are needed since there hasn’t been an objective study.” Moreover, she noted that Gina Fiandaca, the former Secretary of the Department of Transportation, claimed there was no need for the yellow lines in that location. After retiring from the Board of Aldermen, Ms. Gentile served the City as Director of Special Projects and Director of Environmental Affairs. Her family has been part of the Festa celebration for 90 years. In her view, other mayors would have handled the issue by sitting down with community leaders and working out a mutually agreeable solution.
