The Public Facilities Committee met on Wednesday, March 18. See the report and meeting video.
No Action Necessary
- Repurposing $150,000 for Fire Station 2 bathroom renovation (8-0). Commissioner of Public Buildings Alex Valcarce stated the item was incomplete and would be re-docketed. The funds were originally allocated to update the living quarters at Fire Stations 1 and 2. Both the living quarters and bathroom need updating; the bathroom is more critical. Councilors plan to go on a site visit of the stations.
- Overview of Sustainable Materials Management Division — informational presentation by Director Waneta Trabert covering curbside collection services, the WM contract, Resource Recovery Center, street sweeping, recycling market conditions, and waste reduction efforts. Newton’s 20-year disposal contract ends June 30, 2028. Neighboring communities have seen new contract costs increase by up to 40%. Newton’s “solid waste, or trash, goes to a waste-to-energy facility, Wheelabrator Millbury. Single-stream recycling is processed at WM Avon Materials Recovery Facilities. Yard waste is staged at the RRC and then hauled to commercial composting sites, and all other material streams have independent vendors.
- Organics: A third of Newton’s solid waste is organics, which could be composted. More than 20% of organics would need to be removed from Newton’s solid waste to break even with compost hauling costs. Currently, about 10% of Newton residents participate in organics curbside collection. Newton schools do not collect organics only a few have expressed interest in doing so. A February study found 90% of school cafeteria trash could be composted, “but there is no holistic system”. Less than half of residents in well-established programs compost voluntarily.
- Solid Waste: Reductions in Newton’s solid waste tonnage have stalled since the carts were installed. Director Talbert noted changing cart sizes could “result in a more significant” drop in tonnage.
- Street Sweeping: The city recently purchased an air vacuum street sweeper, which is more environmentally friendly and reduces dust.
- Recycling: The city has a 22% recycling contamination rate, which increases costs. The city contract only allows 10% contamination. In 2026 the city is doing curbside recycling cart inspections, followed by warning tag/letters and recycling cart rejection. The amount of recycling collected has been decreasing since 2021.
- Actibump traffic calming technology (5-0-1, Councilor Albright abstaining). Actibump is a radar-activated mechanical speed bump used in Sweden and Australia. It is not known to have been used in the USA. The Department of Public Works (DPW) presented concerns regarding the lack of federal regulatory approval, safety risks for two-wheeled users, and higher lifecycle costs compared to traditional speed tables. DPW recommended a controlled pilot before broadly deploying.
Approved
- Overview of Utilities Division (5-0, Councilor Albright not voting) Informational presentation by Director Tom Fitzgerald covering Newton’s water, sewer, and stormwater systems and current capital projects.
- The Water Division Budget: FY Operating expenses $5.7 million, MWRA Water Assessment $15.6 million; Debt Service $3.7 million. The Water Division investigates, repairs, and cleans the water line system; replaces meters (28,628 have been replaced, and 1,133 need to be replaced; of those, 889 have replacement issues). Last year, they replaced 1.5 miles of water main lines. The water main replacement project is replacing older infrastructure, not all pipes in the system.
- The Sewer Division Budget: Operating $4.8 million, MWRA Sewer Assessment $25.6 million, Debt Service $1.75 million. FY 26 projects: ongoing plan to repair, seal, and reline the sewer system in Oak Hill, Newton Upper Falls, and Waban areas, phase 3 of critical pump station updates, and continue with the illicit discharge detection and elimination program.
- Stormwater Diversion Division: Operating Budget $3 million, Debt Service $0.56 million. Responsible for catch basin and culvert cleaning and maintenance. Upcoming Stormwater projects include Phosphorus control, Bullough’s Pond Dam design and engineering, and a hydrological study of Cheesecake Brook.
Present: Councilors Kalis (Chair), Albright, Getz, Gordon, Dahmubed, and Kelley.
Absent: Councilors Grossman and Leary.
Also present: Councilors Malakie and Silber.
City staff: Commissioner of Public Buildings Alex Valcarce; Commissioner of Public Works Shawna Sullivan; Director of Sustainable Materials Management Waneta Trabert; Director of Utilities Tom Fitzgerald.
