November Meeting
WABAN AREA COUNCIL MEETING: 7:30PM (FIRM TIME)
following 7PM angier community and construction team meeting
I. Approval of Minutes of Oct. 9, 2014 Waban Area Council MTNG Kathy (1 min)
II. APPROVAL OF NOVEMBER 13, TREASURER’S REPORT Rena (2 min)
III. BURNING ISSUES: From Community for future Agenda or immediate resolution (5 min)
IV. UPDATES and ANNOUNCEMENTS/REMINDERS:
A. Friends of the Quinobequin: Maureen: Report of FOTQ meeting Nov 6 (5 min)
B. Waban Future Vision Session – Chris: Reminder of November 20 scheduled session and need for participation by Councilors at WLC (2 min)
C. Zervas – Rena Getz and /or John Rice - (5 min)
D. Angier Construction– Barbara Bower (5 min)
E. Zoning Issues – Rena - Moratorium, zoning reform progress and other zoning movements in the City (5 min)
F. St. Philip Neri – Kathy Winters and Sallee Lipshutz (2 min)
G. Water/Sewer/Storm Water – Sallee and Maureen (10 min)
1. Proposed new rate structures for water/sewer (including double metering)
2. Proposed Public Works Budget Increase from $750,000 to $2.3 million for all residential and commercial and tax exempt properties for storm water. (“Equivalent Residential Units”) funded by:
a. Base Residential storm water rate increase from $25/yr. to $60/yr. per residential property.
b. Commercial and tax exempt properties rate restructure according to base annual rate of $60 per property plus number of Equivalent Residential Units of impervious square footage (charged at $25 per ERU) per year. ($60+ $25 times Number of ERU’s) per year.
H. Report of Meeting of Mayor with four Area Councils on Oct 30 - Sallee (2min)
V. STREET AND SIDEWALK COMMITTEE: (Andreae) (40 min)
A. Report of Oct 22 meeting of Tamworth/Radcliff residents, re: City Pilot Program
B. Sudbury Aqueduct Project Proposal.
VI. LANGUAGE FOR WLC BRICK DONATION:
Proposed language to be engraved on donated brick: “Waban Area Council, Founded 2014”
VII. NEW BUSINESS: Items for Next WAC Meeting Agenda on November 13, 2014. Discuss Waban issues in (or absent from) Newton’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) (2 min)
VIII. ADJOURN: Next Waban Area Council Meeting: December 11, 2014, 7:30PM, Waban Library Center
We encourage you to contribute to the Newton Food Pantry, housed in the basement of the Waban Library Center, by bringing non-perishable food items when you attend our monthly meetings!
The location of this meeting is handicap accessible, and reasonable accommodations will be provided to persons requiring assistance.
If you need a special accommodation, please contact John Lojek, at least two days in advance of the meeting:
jlojek@newtonma.gov or 617-796-1064. For Telecommunications Relay Service dial 711.
Location
Meeting Minutes
November 13, 2014, 7:30pm
Members in Attendance: Rena Getz, Sallee Lipshutz, Christopher Pitts, Kathy Winters, Andreae Downs, Joe Corkery, Matt Gardella, Maureen Reilly Meagher and Barbara Bower.
Aldermen in Attendance: John Rice
Other attendees: Carole Grossman, Judy Kohn, Beverly Bernson, Marvin and Joanne Grossman, Joel Grinberg, Barbara Brustowicz, Patrick Maher, Ray Noveck, Fran Godine, Kathleen Hobson.
- October Minutes. Minutes of October 9, 2014 meeting approved by unanimous vote.
- Treasurer’s Report. Nothing new to report.
- Burning Issues from the Community.
- AD update on resident’s request for information on zip car parking spots at T parking lot. MBTA put them in; there was no City process. AD will respond to the original email.
- Street and Sidewalk – Tamworth/Radcliff. AD gave an update on the 10/22/14 Tamworth residents meeting. Recommends that WAC request a study of possible traffic calming measures on Tamworth. Ald. Rice suggested he would submit it as a traffic council request. Unanimous vote to submit WAC letter requesting a study of possible traffic calming measures on Tamworth Rd. A copy of the letter is attached.
- Aqueduct Trail. AD reported that Newton has an opportunity to create a legal walking trail along the top of the Sudbury Aqueduct. Currently there is a path along much of the trail, but this would allow for it to be legal and signs would be placed along the trail. MWRA would maintain ultimate control but would cede the top for walking, City would agree to maintain and control the top. City Hall wants to know if there is wide support among the abutters for a City permit for improvements along the trail. NHAC has already endorsed the plan. Action Needed– help AD get abutters to sign a letter of support. Unanimous vote in support of WAC letter in support of a permit. AD will draft.
- Waban Library Center Patio Brick. Unanimous vote to approve wording for brick “Waban Area Council – Founded 2014.”
- The Mayor’s Annual Food Drive. Planning session on 11/17/14 at 7:45am. MRM volunteered to work with Ald. Rice on the planning of the event.
- FOTQ. MRM provided update on 11/6/14 meeting of FOTQ. At the meeting, they discussed the two project sites for the DCR grant and the meeting that SL attended regarding the environmental bond bill (see summary in October minutes). DCR is investigating possible engineering fix in lieu of footbridge at one of the sites. MRM reported that there is a sizable tree that has come down and is blocking the path.
- Waban Future Vision Project. 36 people are signed up to attend. Session 1 will be a focused brainstorm. The agenda is up on the website.
- Zervas. RG provided update on last night’s joint meeting on the approval of the site. Traffic study just came out yesterday (it is up on our website), not in time to be digested in advance of the meeting. Two committees held – site plan will be brought up again in Public Facilities, then will go to Finance. Resident asked if WAC is going to take a position on Zervas. Discussion of reasons WAC has not taken a position on Zervas. RG wants WAC to have a position on Zervas and will work on presenting something to the group for consideration at our next meeting.
- Angier. Angier update occurred at 7pm. For next two months beginning in December will be erecting steel structure.
- Zoning Issues. ZAP had its regular monthly meeting. They’ve started process of learning about large house review process in Wellesley and have asked Planning Dept. to consider it and come back to ZAP aldermen with a proposal. 36% house to lot will trigger a large house review. Question re how many large house reviews in Wellesley get approved. RG will look into it.
- SPN update. KW provided update. No new news. Developer’s attorney has indicated he is still leaning toward a 40B rental development and they are working on plans. Developer is still interested in meeting with the community once plans are ready. Discussion of possibility that the City has met one of the 40B statutory minima and has subsidized housing on land comprising 1.5% of total land area. KW reported that her latest information from James Freas is that they are working on the calculations and do not have final numbers yet.
- Water and Sewer Rate Change Proposal and Storm Water Discussion. Public Facilities Committee is considering rate change. Will hold public meeting on it soon. Under the proposal irrigation water could be excluded from sewer rates. Change from three tiers rate structure to five tier rate structure. Information on the proposal can be found on our website.
Discussion of storm water issues on Quinobequin. Action Item: At our next meeting WAC will vote on asking the Mayor’s office to examine why Quinobequin storm water not being addressed by the CIP.
- Mayor’s Meeting. SL gave update on last month’s meeting that the Mayor had with area council members. Issues discussed: input from villages in long range planning, zoning reform and zoning issues, communication with electorate.
- New Business. Ald. Rice asked that we put evaluation of snow ordinance on December agenda.
Next meeting will take place on December 11, 2014.
Adjourn. 9:30pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathy Winters
Attachment:
Tamworth/Radcliff Traffic Letter
