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Have a good 4th of July Holiday Weekend! (And enjoy the return of regular daytime T service on the Green Line after today!)
This week’s newsletter covers emergency housing assistance, Chestnut St paving progress, zoning redesign reminders, and American Rescue Plan federal dollars discussions.
And don’t forget to check out this handy Village 14 blog post explaining the new on-demand shuttle service NewMo 2.0 (launching on July 6 next week), which will be open to all residents, visitors, and workers in Newton who want to get to (or from) one of eight designated service stops or areas, for $2.
In my door-knocking rounds started just before Memorial Day Weekend, I have now knocked more than half the doors I plan to knock before the end of July, despite the recent weather challenges, and I have already finished knocking in Precincts 2 and 4 to check in on residents. I will next be starting on Precinct 3 and then (last but not least) Upper Falls in Precinct 1. As always, let me know at any time if I can help you with something.
If you want me to schedule office hours near you some time in July, let me know. Last weekend I did joint office hours in Newton Highlands with Councilor Brenda Noel.
And here are some photos of the Martin Conservation Area “Poetry Path” opening ceremony last weekend in Newton Upper Falls.
A reminder about housing assistance
Don’t forget to spread the word: There are programs that can help community members in the Greater Boston region who are at risk of losing their home due to COVID-19 employment loss. These programs – the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition, Emergency Rental and Mortgage Assistance, and the Emergency Rental Assistance Program – “provide eligible households up to $10,000 or up to 15 months of rental arrears to help people with low incomes stay housed or move into their next home,” according to Metro Housing Boston.
To be eligible, the household income must be no more than 80% of the area median income. Citizenship or immigration status has no impact on most of this funding eligibility. Funds can be used either for remaining in current housing, moving to new housing, or a variety of other housing options.
Visit bit.ly/Rentrelief for more information on eligibility and applying.
Chestnut St Paving Progress Report
The base layer of the recycled paving has been laid from Route 9 to Beacon St and is now curing for a few weeks. But it’s a pretty smooth ride now even in the interim. Next comes the restoration of manhole covers and such, and then the top layer of paving. Crosswalks and other striping will be restored after that has cured, too. As always, thank you for your patience so we can do this right the first time.
Zoning Redesign Vision Kit Reminder
The Planning Department sends another reminder: Tell us what values should guide village center zoning updates through pictures and stories - either through the mobile Vision Kit or one you can print or use on your computer. This is a self-guided tour of a village center of your choice, with a set of prompts that asks you to reflect on what is currently there as well as what you would want to see in the future. See what Newtonians have already sent us, including observations and ideas from Newton North High School’s Sustainability Class!
Spanish, Russian, and Chinese versions are also available.
If you want me to come do a village center vision kit with you in Waban, Upper Falls, or Newton Highlands, let me know and I will try to find a time that works.
ARPA Funding Use Discussions
On Monday of this week, Mayor Fuller kicked off her small-group listening sessions with City Councilors on ideas for one-time expenditures with ARPA emergency federal dollars. Her office is empowered under the federal legislation to make the final decisions on that spending, subject to the federal restrictions and rules.
I submitted 4 ideas for one-time ARPA uses:
- a non-police first responder pilot program
- a pilot expansion of Newton’s municipal internet to serve certain equity populations such as isolated seniors and people with disabilities (especially in affordable housing) and NPS students
- a feasibility study for a municipal bank
- a one-time test grant (following the lead of other municipalities) provided to low-income housing tax credit developers who have to stack several up-front financing sources to be able to build 100% affordable projects
I am also curious to explore our Fire Chief's longstanding suggestion that we bring the outsourced ambulance services in-house to the Fire Department. Previously the transition cost was a huge hurdle to a program he believes would be financially self-sustaining once operational; so ARPA might be an opportunity. This was an item in my 2019 campaign platform, along with the municipal internet and municipal banking items mentioned above.
Now that the Councilors have had their opportunity to weigh in, it’s time for members of the public to submit their ideas. On Thursday July 8, from 6-8 pm, Mayor Fuller will hold a Community Listening Session on Zoom to hear your ideas for one-time ARPA expenditures. If you need info on how to sign up, just email me back, and I will connect you. (I don’t include Zoom info in my newsletters directly because of the “zoom-bombing” risks.)