Hello everyone, my name is Naima Saeed.

She, her pronouns, Ward 5 City Councillor, and your traffic and parking chair.

I would like to call to order today's traffic and parking committee meeting of the Summerville City Council.

First, they will read the legal notice that allows us to have this meeting on Zoom.

Persoon to chapter two of the Act of 2023, this meeting of the city council committee will be conducted via remote participation.

We will post an audio video recording transcript or other comprehensive record of these proceedings as soon as possible after the meeting on the City of Somerville website and local cable access government channels.

Clerk, could you please call the role to establish a quorum?

This is roll call, Councilor Wheeler.

Here Councilor Mbau.

Here.

Two counselors present.

We have quorum.

Okay, great.

So can we scroll down?

Thank you.

And I just want to clarify these items were discussed at the last meeting.

And the committee decided to keep them in committee.

So we can hear from other departments from ISD and SPD.

So Clerk, could you please read all the uh the three items?

Agenda item one in order by Councillor Ewan Campen and Councillor Scott at the Director of Mobility update this council on the intersection improvements at Webster Avenue and Prospect Street.

Agenda item two, a public communication from 64 residents, submiting comments about parking on Oak, Houghton, Bolton, and Prospect Streets.

And agenda item three, an order by Councilor Wheeler that this council review construction related parking in the area of Oak Street and Bolton Street.

Thank you, Clerk.

So just uh very briefly, at the last meeting, we heard from both engineering and uh the parking department.

And um from that conversation, uh we realized that enforcement um is yeah, like uh the director Pulsaway from Engineering shared that uh when it comes to enforcement, we need ISD.

So we think today we want to ask uh all the questions that are related to enforcement to ISD.

And then the other component was uh regarding towing and just like making sure uh this area is a priority for uh the police department.

Um so let's start with that.

I want to make sure we don't use today's meeting to uh repeat what was said.

Um so if we have questions that were not asked last time that are related to engineering and uh traffic, we also don't have the directors here um today.

So please um yeah, let's make sure we keep the questions related to ISD and uh SPD.

And um with that, um can we uh hear from Rosso?

Can we also just note Councilor Mbau has joined the meeting for the record?

Okay, Councilor Mbau.

Welcome.

Yes, good evening.

Um Elliot Russo from ISD.

I am here along with uh Floyd Richardson also um from ISD.

Um we've had um we we've had several you know communications with um the um the contractors working in in about um uh street, oak street, boulder street, in prospect streets.

And uh we are aware of the situation, but obviously it's you know it's it's hard for us to um to really um uh enforce what's going on down there.

I mean, we we've told contractors, you know, please be respectful, respectful of the neighborhood.

Um, it's a congested area.

And um, I think the one this past winter was kind of hard because of you know, this all the snow that we had and the snow removal, and it was difficult for uh contractors to really um you know park their vehicles without you know impeding um uh you know the neighborhood.

Um they're aware of its situation, and they said that they're gonna work with the neighborhood to make sure that um, you know, they're not upsetting um residents in the neighborhood.

And it was difficult for our contractors to really um you know park their vehicles without you know impeding um uh you know the neighborhood um they're aware of its situation and they said that they're gonna work with the neighborhood to make sure that um you know that they're not upsetting um residents in the neighborhood um basically they have you know they they get parking uh permission from uh traffic and parking they you know and they they they park their vehicles um in and about the um the area so hopefully um with the better weather um they'll be you know you know that they'll they know that there's a situation and um they're gonna work on resolving it with the neighborhood for the record can you just say your name and title thank you so much so inspectional services uh big building inspector thank you so much um are there any questions from the committee i see uh constant wheeler then counselor thank you uh through the chair and uh thank you for being here um mr uh laRous i'll call you by your title inspector larusso uh just to sort of um i'll try to recap without going down the the full list of everything we talked about last time about um about the issues residents of these streets have been running into i i appreciate your reaching out and talking to these um these contractors and and and developers and you know part of the context here is i think uh i feel certainly and i've heard from these residents i'm i'm not i'm not hearing you know a sense that these developers uh or contractors are the enemy by any means uh what what i feel like i've you know heard from them and read and what they've submitted including this this communication um is uh trying to struggle with how when there are repeating patterns of problems uh you know feeling frustrated that those patterns aren't sort of being uh picked up on and proactively addressed that's a word that the residents have used a lot is is looking for proactive solutions it's always easy I think for a counselor to sort of say like ah we should be doing we should be doing more and hard to say exactly what that is so I really appreciate uh your expertise the expertise we've had from people from traffic and parking as well um I I'm curious about what you think are some of the sort of opportunities here either to get some of these contractors and developers um you know in better communication with people on these blocks uh and to to try to look at some of our procedures to make sure that uh a contractor or a developer who's really trying to sort of minimize their footprint and impact on the neighborhood is being appreciated and rewarded and you know getting you know getting the permits they need uh promptly but someone who who might be again and again and again abusing the you know the permissions uh sort of taking advantage that that that's something that we're we're noticing and you're using what we can to give them a bit of a harder time about it over time.

Right.

And uh if I may through the chair so obviously we have we have um we have multiple projects on three separate streets um three to four ongoing um construction sites and uh you have multiple trades coming in the area this this is not just this is not just this area it's the whole city and it's difficult at times to find parking spots but you have to also understand that when you have multiple trades there's multiple vehicles and you have street cleaning and then you had throw street cleaning um in into the mix and makes it harder for you know for for everybody and you know and people people people's patients sometimes not where they should be and um but I think that the contractors are aware that there is a problem and uh before it escalates um they're they're hoping that they can come to some type of you know resolution with the neighborhood to to lessen the impact um and the burden of you know to the neighborhood obviously they're quite you know their thing is well you know when we work in the neighborhood we go to traffic and parking they issue us a decal so we could park now residents come home they don't find a place to park and they're they they get upset I understand I feel I'm some of a resident myself I mean I have I have parking in my yard so I don't have a problem with parking on the street.

But you know unfortunately um Oak Street Bolton Street I mean then you have deliveries.

Right then you have the deliveries that come as well.

So I think the biggest problem was that there was a couple of projects on Prospect Street, and the contractors just, you know, spilled over onto Oak and Holton Street.

And um that that's where um that's where it escalated out of control.

I'm hoping um that the contractors are aware that there is a situation and they're gonna have to um they're gonna have to cater to the neighborhood.

But also keep in mind that if you know traffic and parking keeps issuing permits to these contractors, you're gonna have you're gonna have more vehicles for the next six months, eight months, ten months, whatever it takes, how long it takes for this, you know, for for for three family to go up.

But there's multiple projects on one street.

That is the burden that these contractors are having, and the burden that the residents are having as well.

You know, it's uh it's unfortunate that we, you know, we live, we live in a city where there's construction everywhere.

Uh there's roads being dug up, there's sidewalks being dug up, and it's just um it's just it doesn't make for a pleasant um, you know, a pleasant uh discussion for everybody involved.

So hopefully um there's some type of resolution to this.

I don't know if Floyd wants to add Floyd Richardson, local building inspector.

The problem with Oak Street is they just they're finishing up the building at 54 Prospect Street.