Hello, welcome to the licenses and permits committee meeting of the Somerville City Council.

Today is June 24th, and I'm Emily Hart, Ward 7 City Councillor.

I use she, her pronouns.

And we're the meeting is being clerked tonight by Clerk Delaney Fisher Cassio.

Clerk, could you please call a roll?

That again, Counselor Davis.

Here.

Councillor.

Here.

Chair Hart.

Here.

All right.

With that, all three of them's places.

We do have clear.

Thank you.

And also I need to read this statement pursuant to chapter two of the acts of 2025.

This meeting of a city council committee will be conducted via remote participation.

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

So moving on to the first agenda item, approval of the minutes of the licenses and permits committee meeting of May 13th, 2026.

Counselors, are there any questions or comments about those minutes?

Okay.

We will uh lay those on the table for approval at the end of the meeting.

Um items two um ID 26-0910 and number three, ID 26-0864 are both public comments related to agenda item number four, uh, which is 26-0750.

Eversource applying for a grant of location to install 10 feet of conduit in Hudson Street from utility poll 2020 over 9 to a proposed new handhole next to 135 Hudson Street.

Um and this um item is for um a hookup for new electric car, you know, electric car charging stations that the city is installing.

Um so that part, the the EB charging stations have already been approved by city staff in the traffic and parking.

Um and now this is for the grant of location for Eversource.

Um so let me just see who is um in attendance to speak on this item.

If you could raise your electronic hand.

Okay, great.

Um Jackie Duffy from Eversource.

Hi, um I this was continued because the abutters were having questions about where the conduit was going.

Yes.

Yes, thank you.

And um, so there is a memo attached to this item which outlines the uh the response from the city about the concerns raised by the abutters.

Um and my understanding is that all of the questions have been addressed uh to the extent possible.

Um one of the main concerns was the um there was confusion over where the actual charging station was going to be installed and if there would still be enough room on the sidewalk for ADA compliance and city staff have confirmed that there will still be at the very least ADA compliant and I believe more um space still available on the sidewalk.

Is there anyone else here to speak on this item?

I was just wanted to be sure any abutters um do have a chance to speak if they're here or any neighbors.

Um but I do believe that their concerns have been addressed and um and that they this has been communicated with them.

Excellent.

Miss Duffy, if I could just hop in, would you mind just stating your title for the record as well, please?

Oh, sorry, Jacqueline Duffy, right of right of way agent.

Episode energy.

Got it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And I see um counselor wheeler has a question or comment.

Uh thank you, Chair, through you.

Uh I uh really appreciate the work that the city did to take a close look at the sighting of this uh electrical vehicle uh cabinetry um in response to uh the feedback from the second letter uh raising concerns about the the passability of the sidewalk.

I uh I did just want to uh acknowledge a concern that the first of these two uh public comment letters raises, uh, which is about the the use of a parking space um or set of parking spaces for electrical vehicle uh specific purposes.

And um you know, I don't have uh an answer or a resolution to that concern.

Uh I think that we are trying to make a decision, you know, balancing a variety of different kinds of needs, uh acknowledging that electrical vehicle infrastructure is going to be sort of specific space dependent in a way that other parking spaces aren't.

And I just wanted to own that the city and our committee um that we are indeed removing parking spaces that uh people may rely on.

Um and and you know, adding parking spaces at the same time for people who are going to use them specifically for electrical vehicles, but uh you know, in the trade-offs that we're always balancing.

I just want to make sure that we are acknowledging that we are we are asking people um to you know to make do with you know different kinds of changes that that are removing uh spaces that their their gas powered cars can park.

Um we're hoping that uh that this direction is uh a sensible one on balance for all of us uh for our climate as well.

Uh but we we are all collectively uh making a bit of a sacrifice.

Uh and I just wanted to acknowledge that and appreciate the concerns of that first letter writer.

Thank you.