While each Newton village has its own personality and quirks, city residents attending Mayor Marc Laredo’s listening sessions across the city voiced many of the same concerns no matter where they lived.
During recent meetings at Day Middle School and the new Cooper Center, attendees echoed worries expressed earlier during February sessions at Bigelow Middle School and Burr Elementary School.
Residents shared their frustration about the need for better communication from the City, traffic, and parking, among numerous other areas of contention.
With a no-nonsense tone, Laredo gave frank answers or asked residents to give their email addresses to staff members so he could follow up afterward.
He also revealed plans to revamp the City’s website and improve the police station.
Parking and driving woes
Perhaps exacerbated by the piles of dirty snow narrowing sidewalks and roadways, the Mayor fielded numerous roadway questions during the four meetings.
At the Day session, one attendee said, “You take your life into your own hands half the time” when crossing Washington Street.
The $2.5 million Washington Street Pilot came under frequent criticism during the meetings. One attendee at the Cooper Center even asked Laredo if he had ever driven on the roadway.
The pilot was initiated by his predecessor Mayor Ruthanne Fuller with ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds as a one-time payment.
Mayor Laredo said although he liked the protected bike lanes, too many other aspects of the project were deeply flawed – including a lack of funding to make any permanent changes.
“I will never do a project like that again,” Laredo said at the Cooper Center.
“Cost is determined by the scope of work. In this case, the cost estimate, pre-pilot, was in the neighborhood of $25 million – with no funding source,” said Ellen Ishkanian, the Mayor’s director of communications.
For future pilots, Laredo said he wanted more resident involvement and feedback as well as concrete funding sources.
“That’s just common sense” to let people weigh in, he said.
In the meantime, Laredo said he has asked the Planning and DPW teams to craft a plan about what elements of the Washington Street Pilot can be maintained on a permanent basis.
The audience member at Day Middle School went on to say he also worried that big, new developments would likely increase parking woes in the city.
“I think it’s a very fair, valid concern,” Laredo acknowledged. He said housing developments must account for traffic and parking needs when they are in the planning process.
Prioritizing tech updates
Laredo said one of his top three priorities is “customer service,” with the other two being building community and the schools.
He said it’s “absolutely critical” that when residents call City Hall with a question, problem, or concern, they receive a timely, helpful response.
One way he pledged to improve communication and customer service is by overhauling the City’s website – generally considered rather cumbersome and confusing – by the end of the calendar year.
“That is a commitment,” said Laredo.
Describing it as the “most important technology initiative” the City is undertaking, the revamp will start after the City selects a more user-friendly underlying platform.
The new site will have fewer pages and be a “searchable, usable tool.”
However, even with the improvements, Laredo said, “We’re not going to be perfect.”
The Mayor also acknowledged the need to improve the system behind the City’s 311 customer service number.
“It has not been working in the ways it should be working,” he stated at Day. He said it’s vital for him to know when the 311 system has been a problem, so his office can address concerns.
Big issues, local response
At all four meetings attended by Fig City News, residents also asked the Mayor about topics of national concern, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions and climate change.
Laredo emphasized his commitment to supporting immigrants and Newton’s “Welcoming City” ordinance but was pragmatic about what the City realistically can do when faced with federal officials taking actions. He said he did not want to put City police in impossible situations.
“We don’t have the power to arrest ICE officers in Newton,” said Laredo.
New Police Chief Timothy Cohoon echoed the Mayor’s concerns last month during a meeting with the Public Safety and Transportation Committee.
Cohoon said police chiefs across Massachusetts are in the process of coming up with “best practices” on what they are and are not allowed to do when interacting with federal authorities like ICE.
“We don’t have a lot of guidance right now,” he said, as Fig City News previously reported.
Other residents asked about air pollution, school bus storage, and finding an electric fleet to replace the diesel-powered buses.
Laredo concentrated on what the City can accomplish on its own, noting that issues like solving the problem of air pollution might be more effectively addressed at the state level.
At the earlier meeting at Bigelow Middle School, he said in his role as mayor, “I’m trying to use my platform judiciously, and it’s really focused on what is directly affecting residents,” Fig City News previously reported.
At the Cooper Center, the Mayor turned to Chief of Operations Josh Morse to explain why many Greater Boston-area towns and cities are struggling with contracts and storage for school buses.
“This is not just a Newton issue,” Morse said.
Because few bus companies are willing to submit bids, it “is a tremendous problem from a competitive point of view,” said Morse.
With very limited public land available and the high cost of private land, “finding one, central location” for a depot in a non-residential area has been a challenge, Morse said.
Police station a priority
In addition to reworking the City website, improving traffic and parking, and addressing school challenges, Laredo said he would be asking residents to approve a debt exclusion override to provide funding for a new police station.
“I think it’s absolutely vital,” he said. “The police station’s in horrible shape.”
Although the City continues to patch up the current police headquarters on Washington Street in West Newton, a new facility has been needed for many years.
Laredo did not specify when he may ask for the override for a new or renovated police station.
