December 2024

MINUTES - DRAFT

Action Items

• Bill: Provide information on the AI meeting minutes tool used by his company to Chris. Currently Zoom AI and SuperNormal are available at no extra cost.
• Steven: Draft a letter to the police chief requesting a meeting to discuss the city's plans regarding immigration enforcement and public safety
• CC Rena Getz: Contact Isaac Prizant (City Transportation Engineer/DPW) to request data on traffic at the intersection of Chestnut Street and Tamworth Road, including traffic volume data
• All Council members to review the September meeting minutes before the January 9^th  meeting for approval.

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Meeting officially began at 7:37 pm Confirmation of Quorum

 WAC Members: Chris Pitts, Sallee Lipshutz, Drake McCabe, Bill Bracken, Steve Gusenoff

Not present: Megan Meirav, Sumukh Tandulkar

Community: Carol Todreas, Mark Friedman, Phyllis Scherr, Alice Ingerson, Jeremy Freudberg, Barbara Darnell, Isabelle Albeck, Terry Sauro, apx 20 others

City Councilor: Rena Getz

Christopher announced that Mark Freidman has resigned from the council. The Area Council will begin the New Year with 7 members and will investigate filling vacant seats.

Issues from the Community:

• Councilor Gusenoff brought up concerns about the upcoming change in administration in Washington and the potential impact on immigration policies. The group proposed a meeting with the police chief to discuss the city's plans and response to any social upheaval. The idea of drafting a letter to the police chief to request a meeting or address the issue at City Hall was proposed.

Discussion Items:

Street Safety and Traffic in Waban and our City

• The group discussed traffic safety. In particular, the intersection of Chestnut Street and Tamworth Road, site of a recent near accident brought to the attention of the council and city by a Waban resident. They discussed the possibility of installing a four-way stop sign at the intersection to improve safety. They also discussed the effectiveness of a rectangular rapid flashing beacon (RRFB) installed at the intersection in 2023 but noted that it may not be visible to drivers exiting from Tamworth Road. The group also considered the issue of increased traffic in the neighborhood due to drivers trying to avoid congested roads like Chestnut Street. Review of a city response to the incident (attached below) which included intersection work. The conversation ended with a discussion on the poor reliability of solar-powered RRFBs, as the one installed to cross Centre St near Hyde St had been malfunctioning.
• NHAC President Jeremy Freudberg provided an overview of the Newton Highlands Village enhancement project, highlighting issues with utility pole undergrounding and community engagement. Needham Street Project: The signal at Route 9 at Centre/Winchester has been difficult and has led to great mistrust of MassDOT.
• Village Enhancement Project has been in the works for almost three years trying to come up with results similar to Newtonville and West Newton - a major rehabilitation of the village in Newton Highlands. This includes pedestrian and bike infrastructure and new signals, beautification, etc. Unfortunately, after several public meetings, the City and the Village diverged on goals. Many Highlanders want to see our utility poles removed from the village in some fashion. This idea has not been received well by the city's consultant or by city staff. Either it is not feasible or something to be done later.  There's been some feeling that there has not been proper engagement on the part of the city with the small businesses in the village and addressing their needs and concerns as far as parking and other amenities which would enhance their livelihood as opposed to other things which may have the opposite effect. Take aways:
  • 1) Definitely advocate for yourself early in the process, really get the businesses involved.
  • 2) NHAC found people who run small businesses are busy and also don't own the buildings they are in so they might not get notices or be able to stay on top of the various iterations of the project. And what we found is that for many business owners, the meeting last month was the first meeting they had really attended in the past three years.

• Undergrounding Utilities and Utility Poles in Newton Highlands and Waban. Poor coordination between utility companies and city roadwork has led to repeated disruptions and inconvenience for businesses and residents. The group considered the idea of a utilities coordinator to manage the installation, construction, and aesthetics of utilities within the city and improving street lighting across village centers to enhance community charm. They also discussed the potential for a new administration to implement a master plan for undergrounding utilities and a coordinated lighting plan for village centers. The group concluded with the proposal of a meeting of the area councils to address these issues and package an action plan for the incoming administration.
• Jeremy explained that two right turn lanes might be removed as part of the project, affecting traffic flow Lincoln onto Walnut, and Walnut onto Lincoln. Isabelle expressed concerns about the lack of communication about the meeting and the need for better outreach. Sallee suggested creating a Google group for better communication. Christopher pointed out that a Waban Google group already exists. Jeremy offered to provide the link to the existing Highlands group.
• The meeting discussed the use of Google groups for community engagement and the challenges of adhering to open meeting laws, highlighting the importance of maintaining a balance between official announcements and more casual chatter. They also discussed the potential for AI to improve notetaking and the need for a more streamlined process for maintaining meeting minutes. The council agreed to publicize the WabanNewton Google Group for better communication and outreach, like the Highlands Area Council Google Group.
• City Councilor Rena Getz shared updates on the Northland project, including the conversion of Saco-Pettee Mill building from office use to 100 units of residential use and the elimination of five residential buildings to create surface parking lots. Sallee raised concerns about the potential loss of tax revenue due to the shift from commercial to residential units and suggested the possibility of reassessing the financial implications in the future. Rena agreed that it would be a good question to ask and suggested that the changes might not have a significant overall financial impact.

Surveys

• Community Surveys and City Planning. Christopher discussed the importance of conducting surveys to understand the community's concerns and priorities. He shared the results of a previous survey conducted in 2016, which had a response rate of about 310 people. He highlighted the impact of the survey on city planning, with the city attending our sessions and taking note of the community's opinions and incorporating them into their city-wide decisions. Christopher also mentioned the need for a new survey, possibly on an annual basis, and the potential for collaboration with other community groups to increase the response rate. He emphasized the role of the Waban Area Council in representing the community's views and influencing city decisions. 

Administrative Items 

• Treasurer Drake reported that WAC finances remain the same at $525.38
• The council decided to hold the next meeting online only to improve accessibility for participants and overcome the poor quality of hybrid meetings.
• Year-end report and minutes for the entire year will be prepared by Chris Pitts as our secretary has been unable to deliver.