Wednesday, February 15, 2012, at 8:00 pm, is the last day to register to vote in the Presidential Primary. If you are not already registered, the Election Commission at Newton City Hall is open on the last evening to register until 8:00 pm. You can register to vote either in person at the Election Commission office, Room 106, Newton City Hall, or by mail. Mail-in voter registration forms are also available at the Newton Free Library. For further information, call the Election Commission office at 617-796-1350.

Due to the re-precincting process, some voters will be voting in different polling places in March. Your polling place will be identified on the upcoming census forms. In addition, voters can call the Election Commission Office at 617-796-1350, or visit the website at http://www.newtonma.gov/wpinternet/index.asp and enter your address. 

To receive an absentee ballot, voters will need to visit the Election Commission in person or online. Even if a voter received absentee ballots in 2011, he or she will need to sign up again, and can do so for all of the 2012 elections at the same time. Unenrolled absentee voters voting in the primary election will need to let the Election Department know which ballot they want (Democrat, Republican, Green-Rainbow).

Join the League for a conversation about a variety of election issues, including proposed voter ID laws and how the recent redistricting affects Newton’s Wards/Precincts and polling locations. Thursday, February 9, 2012, 11:30am-1:30pm, Room 202, Newton City Hall. Brown bag lunches welcome, light refreshments will be served. Open to the public.

For more information, please email LWVN at info@lwvnewton.org.

As Tip O’Neill was famous for saying: “All politics is local.” Join us on Thursday, January 12, 2012, to learn how you can become more involved in Newton through advocacy for issues you are concerned about and/or by joining Newton’s advisory boards and commissions. Brooke Lipsitt, League of Women Voters Newton member and former President of the Board of Aldermen, and Megan Costello, Director of Community Affairs for the City of Newton, will present at the January League Topic Meeting. The meeting will be held at City Hall in Room 202 from 11:30-1:30. Bring your lunch. Drinks and dessert will be provided. FYI: Veronica’s Cafe on the basement level at City Hall will be open.

A weekly summary of Board of Aldermen agendas and actions highlighting items of interest to the LWVN.

Board and Committee Meeting Schedule

Extracted from the full Aldermanic calendar.
Key to color coding: CPC, Planning, Environmental, Finance, Charter/Elections, Housing.

Docket–includes: special permit application from Newton Community Service Centers to build offices and nine units of housing at 429 Cherry St. (Ward 3); Albright–create a housing trust; free meter parking during Saturdays of the December holidays; changes to Elm Road that accommodate the new High School on it; new sewer on Oakdale Rd (Ward 5); sidewalk betterments; establishing a betterment revolving fund; 

Reports: 

• Public Safety 2/15: $74K additional to upgrade the bullet-proof glass in the police lobby to Level 4, which would withstand a sniper’s bullet, APPROVED 8-0; Report on traffic impacts likely from the 128 Add-A-Lane project, especially at the Rt. 9 interchange, where there will be an addition of traffic signals and removal of the full cloverleaf.
• Finance 2/13: Report on the 2011 Audit–some findings–the Other Post Employment Benefits (mostly health insurance–aka OPEBs) unfunded liability stands at roughly $640 million ”If the City were fully funding the plan over a 30-year period, the annual required contribution would be approximately $50 million a year. The City currently pays $15 million a year.” Another concern was the frequency of estimated water & sewer bills, despite the new meter system. 5-0 Approval of police lobby improvements, establishment of several educational revolving funds; 5-0 Approval, subject to second call, of the Angier feasibility study.
• Land Use 2/14: 4-0 Approval of Kouzina parking waiver; 7-0 Approval of accessory apartment on Woodward St.
• Recodification 2/15
• Public Facilities 2/15: Approval (jointly with Programs & Services) of Angier feasibility, includes a timeline; discussion of modulars and their long-term feasibility and cost-effectiveness
• Programs & Services 2/15: 
• Traffic Council Actions: Approved 5-0 Remove parking Walnut Street Homer to Beacon (and allow bike lanes both sides); Approved 4-1 a 60-day trial of parking removal on Walnut St. Beacon to Forest; Denied 5-0 removal of No Right Turn on Red Walnut at Centre; Held application for handicap space on Walnut within the trial no-parking zone.

• Programs & Services–includes: Jointly with Public Facilities–$5m+ for modular classrooms, sprinklers and Day; changes to the noise ordinance with possible leaf blower additions;   
• Public Facilities–hearings: new gas main for Old Farm Rd, configuration of Elm Rd., new sewer on Oakdale Rd.; joint meeting with Programs & Services; purchasing a back hoe; changing costs charged to owners for new sewers; 

Documents:

A weekly summary of Board of Aldermen agendas and actions highlighting items of interest to the LWVN.

Board and Committee Meeting Schedule

Extracted from the full Aldermanic calendar.
Key to color coding: CPC, Planning, Environmental, Finance, Charter/Elections, Housing.

Reports: includes:

• Zoning: Riverside–HELD
• Land Use: 2 porch enclosures approved
• Finance: School repairs, APPROVED
• In Programs & Services: NO ACTION on removing smaller projects from the Board’s purview, NO ACTION on extending swimming at Crystal Lake, NO ACTION on honoring Tenley Albright, APPROVAL–request home rule permission to hold special elections on advisory questions.
• In Public Safety: HELD–sound barriers along Rt. 90, HELD–request for a report from the Mayor on the impact of the 128 add-a-lane, HELD–Quinobequin foot path relocation, HELD–questions about the condition of the MBTA bridge over Rt. 9.
• In Public Facilities: APPROVED–(all school) masonry repairs, mechanical upgrades, electrical upgrades and emergency generators; HELD–discussion of NNHS construction, NO ACTION–formation of a building committee, NO ACTION–creating a road classification system. 

Docket:

Unfinished Business: Austin St. parking lot re-use; 

• Land Use: an Accessory Apartment application, two new apartments on Elm St.
• Zoning: enforcement of run-off provision of the code
• Programs & Services: Establishing a Disabilities Commission
• Public Facilities: Walnut St. construction delays in 2011
• Finance: Sewer abatements, sidewalk/curb betterment spending increase from $200,000-$500,000, nearly $45,000 on further weatherization of Lower Falls Community Center, $150,000 for Webster St. Drain, $13.6m in debt for water main improvements 
• Real Property: Possible uses for Cypress St. parking lot. in N. Centre 

Agendas: 

• Public Safety–includes: unfunded items approved by Traffic Council; method to discourage short-term use of long-term parking meters
• Programs & Servivces–includes: establishing a Disabilities Commission, regulating noise & pollution from lawn equipment; noise regulation; snow data collection; 
• Public Facilities–includes: road improvements at Crafts & Washington funded by Sovereign Bank; water billing practices; illegal inflows into sewers; Webster St. Storm drain; $13.6 m bond for water main improvements; 
• Real Property–includes: declaring former West Newton library (then police station aux. office) surplus, possibilities for re-use of Cypress St. parking lot; declaring Crescent St. (parks & rec offices) surplus, regulation of who can use former branch libraries.
• Traffic Council–includes: request for safety study of Nahantan & Winchester St., adding parking meters to Washington St. in Auburndale; adding parking restrictions to Central Terrace, extending parking time allowed on Commonwealth Ave. Carriageway,  restricting parking to one side of Pine Grove Ave during games, truck exclusion of Hammondswood Ln, change parking restrictions on Trowbridge Ave, near NNHS, Pedestrian signal at Crafts & Linwood Ave. 

Documents:

A weekly summary of Board of Aldermen agendas and actions highlighting items of interest to the LWVN.

Board and Committee Meeting Schedule

Extracted from the full Aldermanic calendar.
Key to color coding: CPC, Planning, Environmental, Finance, Charter/Elections, Housing.

Reports: 

• Public Facilities: APPROVED intersection improvements at Crafts & Washington; APPROVED: funds for the Webster St. drain; APPROVED: Borrowing $13 m to fund water line improvements;  HELD: Water billing practices; HELD: Discussion on identifying stormwater inflows to the sewers; NNHS: “It appears that the Newton North High School Project will be approximately $5 million under budget once complete. The project is essentially complete but there are few open items, such as the baseball and softball fields, some drainage work, and additional work on Hull Street.”
• Public Safety: discussion of Unfunded projects that Traffic Council has approved (chart included), discussion of the condition of the MBTA bridge over Rt. 9 at Eliot St (apparently OK, if rusty); and discussion of how to keep long-term parking meters for long-term parkers (HELD).
• Programs & Svces: discussion of a noise ordinance for construction and leaf blowers–consensus to start a Task Force to look into the matter, 
• Real Property: 
• Centre St., former Health building: Ingerson indicated that the CPC will weigh the building’s significance and priority in the CIP before funding, and that deferred maintenence will not be funded (the hope was the CPA would fund bringing the building up to code?). It will take $1/4 million just to fix the building envelope. The building is assessed at $700K and utilities last year ran $17K. Rooney suggested a JPAG. “Committee members suggested that if the city were to retain the building it might generate enough income to sustain itself. Although it has been suggested relocating several of the nonprofits soon to be displaced from the Carr School to 1294 Centre Street, members acknowledged that nonprofits may not be able to provide income necessary for the building to be self-sustaining.” HELD
• Cypress St. parking lot: consideration of whether this could become a multi-story garage using air rights over the MBTA tracks, and free parking in the Centre Triangle lot for more intensive uses, and provide employee/long term parking. Committee enthusiastic, asked Havens to continue to pursue options.
• 70 Crescent, former Parks & Rec buildng: DECLARED SURPLUS, JPAG to be formed.
•  Finance: APPROVED: Grant application permission for NSHS Science Labs; allowing Schools to start bidding process for bus transportation, Webster St. drains, borrowing $13m to fix water pipes, spending more to fix sidewalks, ; APPROVED SUBJECT TO 2nd CALL: $44K for building envelope at former Hamilton School–essentially the difference needed to purchase new windows & complete the project (over 80% grant-funded)–this triggers the need to complete accesibility improvements, which are budgeted for 2017 and cost $300,000.
• Zoning: Riverside 
• Land Use: Kouzina (Waban) petition to expand seating without additional parking HELD; 
• Traffic Council (actions only): APPROVE: making Beethoven Rd (Zervas School) temporal one-way trial permanent; 

Docket–includes: #36-12 ALD. CROSSLEY & FULLER requesting Home Rule legislation or an ordinance to require inspections of private sewer lines and storm water drainage connections prior to settling a change in property ownership, to assure that private sewer lines are functioning properly and that there are no illegal storm water connections to the city sewer mains. A) Sewer lines found to be compromised or of inferior construction would have to be repaired or replaced as a condition of sale; B) Illegal connections would have to be removed, corrected, and re-inspected in accordance with current city ordinances and codes, as a condition of sale.

• #40-12 HIS HONOR THE MAYOR requesting the vote of the Board of Aldermen to complement by RESOLUTION the vote of the School Committee to transfer the sum of seven hundred fifty thousand dollars ($750,000) from health insurance savings to the Angier School Building Fund to fund the costs of a feasibility study of the Angier Elementary School.

Agendas: 

• Public Safety–ALD. YATES, requesting a report from His Honor the Mayor on the likely impacts on traffic in Newton from the changes to the Route 9/128 intersection as part of the Add-A-Lane Project.
• Programs & Svces: starts in room 209 for discussion of the NSHS Science Labs; revolving accounts for tuition (various kinds) and school building naming rights funds; 
• Zoning: Riverside. 

Documents:

A weekly summary of Board of Aldermen agendas and actions highlighting items of interest to the LWVN.

Board and Committee Meeting Schedule

Extracted from the full Aldermanic calendar.
Key to color coding: CPC, Planning, Environmental, Finance, Charter/Elections, Housing.

Agendas: 

• Finance–includes: Day Middle School & elementary modular financing; $300,000 for accessibility upgrades to schools; $300,000 for a radio tower on Manet Rd.; a fee for condo conversion & regulation of same (building codes, etc.) 
• Zoning–includes: ALDERMEN JOHNSON, CROSSLEY, HESS-MAHAN, LAPPIN & DANBERG requesting the Director of Planning & Development and the Chair of the Zoning Reform Scoping Group provide updates on the Scoping Group’s Progress….
• ALD. DANBERG, MANSFIELD, VANCE AND HESS-MAHAN requesting an amendment to §30-19 to allow payments-in-lieu of providing required off-street parking spaces when parking spaces are waived as part of a special permit application.
• ALD. BAKER, FULLER, SCHNIPPER, SHAPIRO, FISCHMAN, YATES AND DANBERG recommending discussion of possible amendments to Section 30-19 of the City of Newton Ordinances to clarify parking requirements applicable to colleges and universities. 
• ALD. PARKER, DANBERG & MANSFIELD, proposing that chapter 30 be amended to allow additional seating in restaurants.
• ALD. DANBERG, MANSFIELD, PARKER requesting that §30-19(d)(13) be amended by adopting the Board of License Commissioners’ current informal policies, which waive parking stall requirements for a set maximum number of seasonal outdoor seats in restaurants and require that indoor seats be temporarily reduced to compensate for any additional outdoor seats while they are in use, by establishing a by-right limit based on a proportion of existing indoor seats that will allow seasonal outdoor seats to be used without need for additional parking
• Long-Range Planning–Meeting along with the Economic Development Commission. The Planning Department will present its final draft of the City’s EDSTAT responses that the Board of Aldermen had been briefed on in June 2011.
• Public Facilities–The Pay as You Throw Committee will be presenting their findings and possible programs associated with pay as you throw.
• Traffic Council–includes: an additional crossing signal (and x-walk) on Parker street south of Hagen Rd. (a school route for two middle schools & NSHS); removing parking on Centre St. between Church and Ward for bike lanes.
• Post Audit–On ward residency requirements for those running for city office.
• School Committee–includes: principal searches, special education trends and initiatives, fiscal report, facilities update, discussion & vote on budget guidelines

Documents:

A weekly summary of Board of Aldermen agendas and actions highlighting items of interest to the LWVN.

Board and Committee Meeting Schedule

Extracted from the full Aldermanic calendar.
Key to color coding: CPC, Planning, Environmental, Finance, Charter/Elections, Housing.

Reports: 

• Traffic Council: approval of up to four raised devices on Concord St; parking removed on Walnut St. near the intersection of Dunklee; 
• Land Use: lighting requirement for outdoor parking waived for 115-119 Elm St.; 
• Finance: Approved the following CIP items: 
• purchase of 2 trucks for DPW
• improvements to Bobby Braceland Park
• repairs to Gath Pool
• improvements to City Hall
• replace staircase at Eliot DPW yard
• exhaust system to Police garage
• snow guards for Library and Crafts St.
• replace a boiler at Sr. Center and generator at Library
• Zoning
• Committee on Community Preservation  –discussion of project management with Gilman & Rooney
• Real Property–no action taken, but a close reading of the full report is illuminating

Docket

Agendas: 

• Public Safety–includes: public hearing on parking around NNHS 
• Programs & Services–includes: Day and modular financing (JOINTLY with Public Facilities), resolution on Extended Producer Responsibility, using debt exclusions
• Public Facilities–includes Public Hearing on #367-10(3) DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE in accordance with §5-58 of the City of Newton Ordinances petitioning for site plan approval for the F.A. Day Middle School project which consists of a conversion of the existing administration offices and student services areas, a third floor addition to create six new classrooms and associated learning spaces, and a two-story addition at the Minot Street entry to the school, as well as proposed site improvements that include modifications to parking, pedestrian access, and landscaping.
• financing of elementary modulars & Day expansion;
• #352-11 ALD. JOHNSON & SCHNIPPER requesting a discussion with the Utilities Department regarding the City of Newton’s current water billing practices.
• CIP items, including a raft of school repairs
• sewer clean-out 
• paying for new sidewalks & curbs;
• new back hoe for DPW
• Rules–down-grading some zoning and finance approvals to administrative rather than Aldermanic approval, and City Clerk salary.

Documents: