[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: Good evening to everybody. So we'll get started. The chief will be in here shortly. It looks like we have two businesses, three things, and then maybe one table. So roll call.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: Commissioner McGibbon?
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: Here.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: Commissioner Hunt? Here. Commissioner Brzezinski?
[Bob Dickinson]: I'm here.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: Chief Buckley.
[Unidentified]: He'll be in shortly.
[4FrRjkCyMqA_SPEAKER_06]: He'll be in shortly.
[Unidentified]: I'll be filling in.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: All right. And approval of the minutes. We have two minutes. Everything's in order for the April minutes, right? I know Alicia, I saw the emails going back and forth for some of the things. that got changed up for the April minutes for Tim not being, Tim was absent and then said he was, so I think that's all. The change was made. Okay.
[Alicia Hunt]: So you didn't actually send the revised one to us though, right? I did. Oh, okay. I did not see that there was an edited version.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: I got the agenda and I got... If it says corrected, I can send it to you now.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: I sent the full four pages, but the correction was only on the motion of the minutes where I put Tim and Tim was absent.
[Alicia Hunt]: I just get a lot of emails, so I did not.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: I just sent it to you now, Alicia.
[Alicia Hunt]: Okay. And that was the only thing, because the other thing was that Faye was asking for more information, but that wasn't actually a correction.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: Okay, so Steve, Commissioner Brzezinski had motion for approval for the April, sorry, the May minutes. Second?
[Unidentified]: Second. Amended version, yes.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: Okay, roll call, Alba.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: Commissioner McGiven?
[Unidentified]: Abstain. Commissioner Hunt? Yes.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: Commissioner Brzezinski?
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: Yes.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: Chief Buckley, Sergeant Rodgers? Yes.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: Okay, looks like passes for the main minutes four to nothing.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: Did Tim abstain?
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: I'm sorry. Yes, Tim abstained. Thank you. for the new business, I believe the party that is here for 2023-27 for the new business, start with that one. That would be- Jennifer Corrales? Jennifer Corrales, I believe is here. So that's the first one I saw. Oh, yes, I see. She's what I'm waiting.
[SPEAKER_00]: Hello.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: Hey, how are you? So 343 to change a permit parking variance. So obviously we'd like to hear from you, being the one that would be applying for this.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so I just moved to 34th Street at the beginning of April, and currently I have permit parking for that street. There's only about 20 permit spots, and it's not even just permit parking, it's also one or two hour parking. It's right near the theater, so anytime there's events, I can't really get parking on that street unless it's after 11 p.m. There's street sweeping every single Wednesday, so I can't park there Wednesday nights, and Salem Street also has street sweeping that Lauren Silberman, AAC Secretary, Public Works & Rural Affairs): night as well, so I could park on one side of Salem street, but I can't park there before 8pm and I have to be out by 8am or I have to pay for the metered spots. Lauren Silberman, AAC Secretary, Public Works & Rural Affairs): So i'm looking to add another permanent street nearby that I can park on so that I can be able to park at night without moving it super late or get a ticket. And I'm a PhD student and I go to Tufts. So like I got this place because it was more affordable within my budget. And I was told it wouldn't be a problem parking. But I do need my car because I have other jobs that I have to travel to.
[Alicia Hunt]: do we know what are the other streets? I mean, have you scoped out what, I was about to ask the other members of the board, but have you sort of looked around, what are the streets that are near you that are permit parking?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so I looked around and found like three potential ones. There's Ashland Street, Porter Road and Garden Street, and those are all like permitted parking and like nearby where I live, that would be good to add.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: Is there one in particular that would make it easier? Ashland's probably the biggest one.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I thought Ashland Street would be like the first choice because it is the biggest one.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: There. It's only parking on one side of that street.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, most of these streets are only parking on one side.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: We have Oakland.
[Alicia Hunt]: I was looking at a map on myself online. Is it helpful if I share? I mean, yeah, I actually can't share a conundrum that like the real estate agents should know or the people who are renting out the apartment should know which apartments don't have parking and let people know that. But on the other hand, right, like, we get it, we want people to be able to live here. Yeah.
[Unidentified]: I think there's a lot of permits on that street.
[SPEAKER_00]: From what I believe, I thought Garden was just one and it was only permitted parking in the mornings. There was a street sign or on the website, it said like 8 to 12, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. unless I'm mistaken. Is it in there? It's tiny. Have you looked at it? Yeah, it is very small. Porter Road also like had some options.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: Ashland does have a lot of permits on it. So for being a one side street, if that was the street where, you know, consideration, it does have a lot of permit parking.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that's why I found like the three Ashland Street, Porter Road and Garden Street, that could be like an option. Unless you guys have any other suggestions, honestly, anything that like is within like a good walking distance, like I'd be fine with. so that I have somewhere to park.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: You're on a street, but water's one side. Water's one side. Alva's just grabbing the permanent books, so she can kind of get a good idea.
[Alicia Hunt]: I'm looking at, on Street View, Garden Street is weird. It says permit parking 8 a.m. to noon, Monday, Thursday, Friday. Oh no, Monday through Friday, okay. Saturday, Sunday, and holidays excluded. I was trying to literally read the sign from the- Yeah, that's the sign that I saw that it was just the morning. So she would- It's so that people can't park there and then commute to Boston, right? The idea is that they didn't want people parking on their street and then get to hop on the bus to Boston.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: Yep.
[Alicia Hunt]: So that could be an option for her.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: Go on, Ashlyn. Garden. Garden would probably be, the better of the three, because it's the least amount of permits. Ashland's pretty heavy for the amount of parking permits. If there was an agreement on a street, I think Garden would probably be the one.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: Oakland is the same, eight to 12, Monday to Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and holidays excluded. But it's just a little further away. Garden's closer.
[SPEAKER_00]: What about Porter Road? I think that was like permit the whole time. The only thing that worries me about Garden is in the afternoon, anyone can just park there.
[Alicia Hunt]: Have you been... Porter Road is not really a road. It's like a building long. It's an access drive.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, it's private spaces closest to governor's app. Yeah. And all along that building that apartment building. It's not packing.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: I think there's only like for a lot of spaces on. You could do water to water. but it's one side of the water.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: So it is on how many permits? Water Street's not permanent parking. Don't have it on this list.
[SPEAKER_00]: So if it's not permanent parking, can anyone just park there for any duration?
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: Yeah, the city ordinances 48 hours in which your vehicle can be parked in a specific spot not moved. So that would be the only thing that you would have that you would have to make sure that your vehicle was just moved. That doesn't mean you can't park on Water Street further up. You just have to move it to from a spot that in which it was in. So Water Street be an option in which because you don't have to apply for a permit and there's nothing that the traffic commission needs to do at this point.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it could be a good backup option, but I think it would be nice to get like one other street added that I could get permit parking, whether it was even if it was Garden Street.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: Alicia, if you can bring up a map, I just can't bring it up on our screen. So if you want to bring it up and I will.
[Alicia Hunt]: Sure, I was just looking to see if I could find a map of our parking streets. I was thinking it would be nice if I had that. So what we were looking at here is back to... All right, here we go. This is the square. We know there's nothing south of that. This is the apartment. It's right in the, it's the building. It's over Dunkin' Donuts. And this is Forest, which we know is a problem. And there's Ashland. And that's this neighborhood. Garden. Chestnut. Do you want me to zoom in on it? Did you want to see the signage on it or how much?
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: No, no, that overview is fine. Thank you.
[Tim McGivern]: I got a message from MCM about recording the meeting.
[Alicia Hunt]: Oh, we have to hit the record button.
[Tim McGivern]: You want me to do that? Yeah, I just did it.
[Unidentified]: Yes.
[Tim McGivern]: Record to the cloud.
[Unidentified]: Recording in progress. Sorry. Is it all set? I'm sorry. I think so.
[Tim McGivern]: It's recording now to the cloud.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: It's good.
[4FrRjkCyMqA_SPEAKER_06]: Can we zoom in on the signs underwater?
[Unidentified]: Sure. See, now we gotta go find a sign on Water Street. Oh, there is one on that.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: I'm thinking that there aren't. I'm thinking too. I'm not sure that there is, to be honest.
[Alicia Hunt]: I think there's no signage. The only signs I've seen have been on the right side. So on the right side is the no parking, but on the left, I'm not seeing any parking restriction signs. Oops, what was that? No, that's a one-way sign. No parking, tow zone, that's just right here around the driveway.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: Yeah, I think so that they have trucks that can get in and out.
[Alicia Hunt]: Yeah, I don't think that there's a parking restriction. And then down here it switches to the other side. No parking near the corner. Yeah.
[4FrRjkCyMqA_SPEAKER_06]: So that could be an option. Yeah.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: And that walk is equivalent to what she'd have on Forest Street if she could find.
[Alicia Hunt]: And the alternative is to just go further up Forest Street. But I do understand that it gets very parked up during shows. We're trying to get them to do some more signage for the parking lots down here. So people will park in the parking lots and not in the neighborhoods during shows. Yeah, even the lots get packed up. people always seem to miss. So there's a one back here by the river that people don't seem to be using when I've been in the square during the shows.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, like Water Street could be a backup. But I think like, especially during the shows, like having somewhere that's just restricted for permit parking would be better. because otherwise I run into the same issues of the people just coming for the show as being able to park where I need to park.
[Alicia Hunt]: And I think the difficulty is that we don't, it's very rare that we will give somebody permit parking for a street they don't live on unless they are a corner house. We've had a few where they've been really, because their development is technically on that street, but they are, literally legally on a private way. Like sometimes see this parking lot here, we've actually had some developments where this parking lot is considered a street and the address of the homes are on this parking lot. And so then we'll make an exception, but have we, as a general rule, we have not been giving parking permits for streets that people don't live on, right? I don't know if the other commissioners have an opinion here.
[Tim McGivern]: I think that's pretty consistent that we haven't, I'm trying to think of a recent one. Recently it's not a one because they were requesting a permit on a different street and all that.
[Bob Dickinson]: Didn't we have the person who lived on, is it Mystic Street, who kept getting side swiped and he asked to get a parking permit side street next to the pizza restaurant?
[Tim McGivern]: Yeah, that was High Street on the street, but they wanted a permit for across the street.
[Alicia Hunt]: And we actually gave them the permit for the corner, for the street that they were on the corner of.
[Bob Dickinson]: Yeah, I guess technically their house would have been at the corner where that street ties into High Street. Yeah. Can I ask you just a question to the applicant? Like, where is everybody else in this building parking?
[SPEAKER_00]: I, so my building, I'm not really sure. I think they park. I don't really talk to them. I haven't met them yet, so I'm not really sure. But I know then, like, the building where the old high school was right across from the permit spots, they have a lot. So they might be parking there, but then some of them also park on the street.
[4FrRjkCyMqA_SPEAKER_06]: This is a corn house. It's the corner of Forrest and Salem.
[Alicia Hunt]: Right, it's the corner of Forrest and Salem and we can't, we don't have permit parking for Salem.
[Unidentified]: How many people are in the units?
[SPEAKER_00]: In my building, there's nine units.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: Nine units, okay.
[SPEAKER_00]: So if there's one to two people, that could be almost all the permit spots. But then there's also the complex down the street. And it's not just permit parking. It's also one hour parking. So USPS employees will put a little sign on their car that says USPS employees so they don't get towed. So they also park in those spots all day.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: No, she just did to the right.
[Unidentified]: Yeah. Yeah. It's right above the Dunkin Donuts. Yeah. Water Street doesn't need a permit.
[Alicia Hunt]: Right. Is there anything else? Do we have a map of permit parking streets? I was just looking to see if we had that.
[4FrRjkCyMqA_SPEAKER_06]: I believe so.
[Alicia Hunt]: No. Hey Tim, can we ask our GIS guy to make us a map of permit parking streets?
[Tim McGivern]: I think they're working on it because they've been compiling the list. They recently completed that. So I'm sure it's one of the next things coming.
[Alicia Hunt]: Would be nice. would be nice for somebody like this applicant, whose name has disappeared off my screen, I apologize, that she could just look at a map and see.
[Tim McGivern]: Yeah, the best we have right now is the list, but I agree.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: I think the options were Water Street for no permit, and then potentially Garden Street if there was a permission to speak on something for Garden Street.
[Tim McGivern]: Water Street's pretty far away. I mean, how far? How far down do you need to go on a night to get a parking space on Forest Street? Is the whole street filled up? You can't find a parking space?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah. Every time there's an event, I can't find a parking spot. I have to drive around for 20 minutes and I usually end up finding one. I parked in a lot once and I got a ticket. Sometimes if I park on the Salem Street, I just have to leave by 8 a.m. which isn't very convenient, but then if there's a show on a Wednesday night, there's really no parking because of the street sweeping or on a Tuesday night, half of Salem is street sweeping. So usually during those events, even in the mornings, I'm driving around for like 20 minutes trying to find a spot.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: I know this may never have been done and it may not be able to be done, but what if a parking for, parking for Garden Street if there was something just for when the events were listed for Chevalier, but not any other night.
[Alicia Hunt]: The parking department would have no way of enforcing that.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: She had a parking permit and she would only be parking there on the event.
[Alicia Hunt]: Right, then it would be like on her honor, but I will say that it's not what's her motivation to park as far away as garden street if there is parking on forest street right. Like, wouldn't it make sense.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: If she can find something on forest or sound she will but in the event that there is a show then we give her, it is on the honor system but the. That's just a suggestion. I didn't know if that would be something just floating.
[Tim McGivern]: If we give her a variance for Garden Street, does she still have Forest Street as an option or does that go away?
[Alicia Hunt]: Wait, do you have a permit for Forest Street or Forest Street is just public parking?
[SPEAKER_00]: I do have permit for Forest. The permit and the one hour parking spots are the same for Forest. So I can just park longer than one hour on Forest.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: What's our, it's up to all the way to show value up to. Okay.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: So I would say that there's probably 30 spaces from all after.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: Oh, it's actually to the exit driveway of the schoolhouse condo. Yeah, there's 20 spots for the she's claiming. in an hour. It's two hours, right? In an hour, yeah.
[4FrRjkCyMqA_SPEAKER_06]: Yeah, but a lot on the right side is no pot.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: On forest?
[Unidentified]: Oh yeah, absolutely.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: garden, she needs the permit to 12.
[Tim McGivern]: We know if Garden Street has a high user rate of its permit parking, are there spots available on Garden Street?
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: I would say that Garden Street is much less than Ashland. Ashland has a lot of permits that they have applied for.
[SPEAKER_00]: The only one downside about Garden over Ashland is people can still park there during the events.
[Alicia Hunt]: Oh, so like on a Friday night, it could be full with people from the event.
[Unidentified]: Yeah.
[Alicia Hunt]: Because do we think people are parking? I mean, because in theory, you've been able to park there, right? You don't need a permit to park there. You just would have to move your car by 8am. So it's annoying.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a little more convenient than having to try to find something on the street because they don't have to move by 8am. Right. People could still park there for the show if they found it. That's like Ashlyn, like I'm not going to park there unless I have no other options. So if it's street sweeping and there's nothing on the side of Salem I can park on, or if it's a show. So even if there are a lot of permits already, like it's only going to be like when I really have to park there.
[Unidentified]: My fellow commissioners.
[Tim McGivern]: I'm not sure what would be stopping the other residents in this building if they're not, or any building, I guess, really, if you're not happy with the parking on your street, to then issue a permit for another street where the people who live on that street have a right to permit park on that street. So it's my watch and see on this one. as opposed to specific reason. The reason here is that 4th Street doesn't seem to be accommodating to the needs of Jennifer.
[Unidentified]: I think you raise a good point.
[Bob Dickinson]: I mean, I think we have more of these buildings in town than just this building. I mean, I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but we kind of opened up a Pandora's box to other people who might want to park around town. Just, I don't know where else to put her other than Water Street, which she could park on, just in these certain events where she can't find parking. But I don't, you know, Ashland, as Alicia pointed out, is packed. So I don't know that that benefits her. I don't know if there's any benefits of being granted a right on that street.
[Tim McGivern]: So I don't know. And water is not parking? Yeah. Water street is no permit parking. So it would be. If an individual who has a permit for Forest Street can't find a parking space on Forest Street, they might look to Water Street or Salem Street for parking. Salem Street obviously has the meters on it, Forest Street does not.
[Alicia Hunt]: I'm just gonna look at some of these. I'm sure there's no permit parking next to the park. on Ash Street, yeah. There's no permit parking there. So it's not that far. I mean, once you're on water, Ash is right there. There's no permit parking on Ash Street. I think, is this a private way? It looks like a private way without its sidewalks.
[Unidentified]: I don't know. What is that one?
[Alicia Hunt]: That was Ash next to the park. I was just looking to see like what are the other ones that are in this area? And I think the answer is to get more knowledgeable about which are the ones without permit parking. I am kind of concerned about the whole, like we're permitting additional apartments in that area that don't have parking with the understanding that people would live in Medford Square without cars.
[Tim McGivern]: Ash is public.
[Alicia Hunt]: How about Ashland?
[Tim McGivern]: Ashland Street public.
[Unidentified]: Ashland is parking by permit only.
[Alicia Hunt]: Right. I guess that's the other answer is that we only allow one permit per vehicle. And so if you've got a permit for another street, you would be giving up the forest street permit.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay. When I like spoke to a parking department, they said that you guys could just add a street. I wonder if they have that, that ability in their system. Forest one that like, once you approved it, I could just bring it to them and they would add it on.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: Our system, we have the same one as the parking department. When we, whatever it is that we get back for the street, it will say your vehicle, your name, and then it'll say just the one street that you have for permit parking. There's no option for you to have two multiple streets on the system that we use. It's the same system that the parking department uses. So there'll be no way for us to know. It would just say, if we approve something for say Ashland Street tonight, it would just say Ashland. And if you parked on Forest, we would never know that you have or had or currently have a pass for Forest as well.
[Alicia Hunt]: I wonder, I just recently found out that the parking clerk that's been there left two weeks ago. And so I'm wondering if whoever was at the, didn't know that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, yeah, because I don't want to lose the forest since it's like the closest one.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: Yeah, it's, I mean, she wouldn't. Yeah, she would.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: She can only have some packing.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: How many events are there? The Chevalier is enough.
[Jack Buckley]: Yeah, I was gonna say that. I've kind of remained silent. I'm going to interject now, but only because I hear Yeah, I'm here. I got a police issue I had to deal with. So I'm late. So I missed the majority of the beginning of this argument, and I don't want to sort of complicate it and make it be repeated. But from what I'm hearing thus far, is we have a resident of Forest Street who's permitted to park on Forest Street, who during certain times and street sweeping is probably something we cannot deal with, because it's just an inevitability in this when you live in the square area. But during the shows in the parking that is reserved for residences, resident permit parking, or two hours. Now, I understand when that was put in play, it was for the businesses, right? And the majority of those businesses open in the evenings. You can get, it's for residents to park there for as long as they want. And if you're gonna attend or participate with our local businesses, you get a two hour window. But the shows, if you're parking there, you're most likely parking longer than two hours. So that one is a enforcement issue. We could cite them, but we can't tell it. And I believe there's what, 20 spaces that are about resident permanent parking and, or two-hour parking. What about the thought of creating some just permanent parking and protecting our residents over, you know, those two-hour parking wasn't put there for the show. It was put there for the square, the businesses in the square, and we could still provide some of that. but maybe we should think about dividing some of those 20 spots up to say, yeah, there's resident parking two hours and then there's resident permit parking.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean- That would be so much more helpful. Cause there are spots at the beginning half of the street that are not permit, but they're like the two hour parking. So you can leave those two hour and make the 20 just permit. So it's like half and half. And I think that would solve like a lot of this problem. Cause it is like people in the show.
[Alicia Hunt]: And honestly, people who've come for a show, I know that they say that the lots are full, but the number of times that I have checked during a sold out show and the lot that's furthest, closest to the senior center and the river is not full. And it makes me a little bit crazy. I've been trying to get more of the signage. It's been better since they went back to putting out the sandwich boards, but We need to discourage people from parking in the neighborhood during the show. If you're here for a show, walk two and a half blocks to the parking lot. It's very reasonable.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: Coming to an event.
[4FrRjkCyMqA_SPEAKER_06]: So Alicia, when I do the details, I haven't done it lately, but we do directs, you know, they don't wanna pay $40 to park. I don't blame them. So we do direct them down there, especially behind citizens and then all the way down there. And I don't want to walk.
[Alicia Hunt]: It fills up by citizens, and so they weren't the first, there was a night, a couple of months ago, when I was down here, and the neighborhood was packed and none of these lots were full and there were no sandwich boards out. and I emailed the Blue Balloon Moonlight Company. And the next week I was down here for a different show and the sandwich boards were out pointing to the City Hall lot, the one by City Hall and the one where the post office trucks park and the commuter lot and those lots filled up. But in fact, the one in the back was not full. And so I think people just are being reluctant to park and they just, like walk a couple blocks and they just need to. I think that's actually changing the permit parking on that street to be resident permit parking is the right solution here.
[Jack Buckley]: And there's another option also, instead of like saying dividing the spots, you could just simply make it, you could limit the two-hour parking from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., right? Something along those lines. So that now you know at nighttime, when the residents are coming home, that it's just permit parking. And during the daytime, you can still have your two-hour parking. There's a variety of ways we can kind of modify that parking. Because the reality is this, we're giving up permits for the residents in the street we have to reluctant to say we have to provide them parking but we shouldn't. We should protect what limited parking they have, because if we start granting variances we're going to be giving 20 of them out next month and. It's just, it's not that I don't want to do it, it's just not practical, it's not feasible to do that. And I think the more focused area should be how do we protect what resident permit parking we have on that street. And so I offer a timeframe, two hour parking, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. You can use resident permit parking or two hour parking, 8 a.m. to 6, or just divide the street, put parking spots up and that would probably do it. I would probably suggest that maybe Todd looks at all that and comes up with a plan for us to what would be more practical, and that the easiest solution might be two-hour parking, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. That way, when you get home in the evening, it's a good place to park.
[Tim McGivern]: I agree that's a better way to approach this particular problem.
[Jack Buckley]: What does the petitioner think? I'm sorry, Jennifer, that I arrived late.
[SPEAKER_00]: If I might be wrong, we could look at the signs on that street. I think that is already the case though. Like for those spots, it doesn't say anything about permit parking. So I think if it says a timeframe, it doesn't say permit after. Right. So I think that the better solution is if it just said permit only for the whole day.
[Alicia Hunt]: So the, right.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even in the mornings, I have the problem too.
[Alicia Hunt]: When you have two-hour parking, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. or permit parking, that means that you're only allowed to be there 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., that the permit parking, we would need to do something to make sure that it's clear. This is one-hour parking, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and then you can park, anybody can park afterwards. So right, so it's this section is the, and the post office needs this area, you know, the businesses, the theater has a youth center that needs some parking during the day. But so this is the part that's allowed, that you're allowed to use at any time, right? Because it's, well, it's one hour parking. Is it just that you know that you're allowed to park there with a resident permit other more than that?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it was just that I was told where I can park. It doesn't say resident.
[Alicia Hunt]: There are no signs that tell you that you can, that it's resident permit parking longer than that. You just know that. Oh, here it says two hour or permit parking only. And in the other direction, it's one hour parking, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. So that whole area where people are parking is one hour parking. but they're parking for the shows from here.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: They're okay with the ticket. It's cheaper than $40. It's cheaper than the $40 parking, so they're okay.
[Alicia Hunt]: There's only like 25 $40 parking spots.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: It's just a tiny little lot. It's a $20 ticket, so they can't be towed. So they park right in front of their Chevalier and they walk the 25 to 100 yards if they need to, and they're okay with taking the risk to get a ticket or not.
[Unidentified]: Wow.
[Tim McGivern]: I'm thinking we need to deny this and come up with a better solution for the Chevalier event parking situation.
[4FrRjkCyMqA_SPEAKER_06]: Chief, I just also, the old high school, condominiums, I get a lot of complaints about they don't have spaces for their people to come in. And I've been doing the overtime tagging in that section. So you may get some objections from the condominium.
[Alicia Hunt]: So like they've been parking on the street with people without permits.
[4FrRjkCyMqA_SPEAKER_06]: So they're complaining about visiting nurses, relatives. Majority of the cars parked there are the post office. They do have a parking post office variance, but I have been down there tagging for the overtime parking due to the complaints coming out of the condominiums.
[Unidentified]: Now if there's a time I think
[4FrRjkCyMqA_SPEAKER_06]: 7 to 7 would alleviate the visiting nurses and everything else that goes on during the daytime hours.
[Unidentified]: All right.
[Alicia Hunt]: We've been on this issue for 40 minutes. We need to figure out what we're going to do here.
[Tim McGivern]: Yeah, and I need to leave at six because I have a budget hearing at six.
[Alicia Hunt]: So let's, um, I think that the right thing to do, um, is to deny the petition, but that to tell you we, and how soon are we going to figure out, can we make a motion to make this resident permit parking or one hour parking one hour or resident permit parking? So this whole strip, Right. And I think the answer is that it may actually already be two hour or resident permit parking, but because it says 7am to 7pm, actually if this is one hour, 7am to 7pm, and I showed up for a 7pm show, I would think I'm good for the evening. So what we need to do is actually change the signage so that it's one hour, 7am to 7pm or resident permit parking. the language, the wording that makes people understand that actually, no, no, no, no, it's not unlimited after hours. It's only resident permit parking after hours. Two hour or permit parking only. So you put one hour, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or permit parking.
[Tim McGivern]: Yeah, I would prefer a solution like that. I'm with you.
[Alicia Hunt]: And it is my understanding based on what's there, I guess the difference is we are currently allowing unlimited parking after 7 p.m. at this location.
[Tim McGivern]: Right.
[Alicia Hunt]: And what we need, what, so, but, but all, We're allowing it, but if I understand correctly, the residents are being told that it is resident permit parking. I'm confused by what motion we make. And I think that the motion is to change the signage to reflect the rule that seems to already exist, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. one hour or resident permit parking.
[Tim McGivern]: I think we need to find out that information, what it really is. We need to find out if that stretch, it's one hour, if it's also permanent parking. It doesn't actually look like it, Alicia. It's not signed that way. No, it's not. It's not signed that way, so that could be bad.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: There are.
[Tim McGivern]: Probably. So it would be in addition, it would be one hour parking, or permit parking, it would be a new rule that we create from this utility pole down to I-Street.
[Alicia Hunt]: I think that we have this rule in place over in West Medford, by Bistro 5 on Playstead, that there's a very similar, because I'm in favor of having the same rule applied to multiple places in the city.
[Tim McGivern]: We could ask for a recommendation from engineering or parking folks or probably engineering.
[Alicia Hunt]: Shall we ask for a recommendation from engineering to be on our next agenda? And please tell me that's not September, this needs to get approved.
[Jack Buckley]: The next meeting is September 12th.
[Alicia Hunt]: Yeah, that's, we can't not hear any traffic issues all summer.
[Unidentified]: That's crazy.
[Alicia Hunt]: And that would be the, I mean, that's alternatively, that's the reason why we should craft something and pass it now because we shouldn't make the residents suffer with this all summer.
[4FrRjkCyMqA_SPEAKER_06]: But Chief, what if you split it, half resident, half parking? And that way, she has a place to park.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: I like the Chief's idea where he said from seven to six. We have a night confusing the times. But you would want more resident parking after the businesses are closed.
[Alicia Hunt]: And I think you would after, if you split it, you're only- You could put a sign, like the signage would be overnight resident permit parking only. for after 7 p.m. permit parking only.
[Jack Buckley]: I mean, the motion could be as simple as that. Modify the signage to reflect the current practice that will ensure or protect the rights of resident permit parkers.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: Right. Is that a motion, Chief?
[Alicia Hunt]: Should we make, right, can we actually make that the motion and then the exact language of the sign will engineering traffic department or engineering department can work out?
[Jack Buckley]: Yeah. That's the motion you like, yes.
[Unidentified]: Yeah.
[Alicia Hunt]: So moved. What did he say? Did somebody write it down?
[Jack Buckley]: The motion would be, um, for the Traffic Commission to direct engineering and Director Blake to review the signage, to reflect the current practice, and protect the rights of the resident permit parkers on Forest Street, and to make such changes as may be needed.
[Tim McGivern]: with the intent of having permit parking after the one hour time period allowable is done, right? Did I get that correct?
[Jack Buckley]: Yeah, and I believe that is what the practice is, right? To have resident permit parking overnight. So with the intent to protect overnight.
[Alicia Hunt]: Right. You would have dramatically fewer theater people parking there if it said resident permit parking only.
[Tim McGivern]: Yeah, that this would help solve the problem they would be directed to the bigger lots in the legit parking areas for late night parking, which would do exactly what the chief saying protect the rights of the residents that do hold permits for the street, so I would be in favor of that.
[Jack Buckley]: But one of you has decided because I shouldn't be the one because I came in late on this. So moved. Second. On the motion of Commissioner McGiven, seconded by Commissioner Hunt. I'll have a roll call vote.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: Commissioner McGiven?
[Jack Buckley]: Yes.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: Commissioner Hunt? Yes. Commissioner Brzezinski? Yes.
[Jack Buckley]: Chief Buckley abstain because I came in here late, but 3 to nothing to 1. That's the right way to say the 1 motion passes.
[Alicia Hunt]: So, Jennifer, it'll take a few weeks, I think, to get the signage changed. but we're hoping that you'll see an improvement. And if there isn't, I think you should reach out. Chief, should she let you know if the behavior doesn't change? Because that would have your ticket if needed.
[Jack Buckley]: Or send a, you know, to one of the traffic sergeants, you know, traffic at MetroPolice.com and they can get immediate sort of response to traffic.
[Alicia Hunt]: Actually, if it doesn't fix the problem, I should give you my email address. I want to know, like I am trying to encourage the theater promotion company to get better parking information on their website. When I went to a show and I went to their site, I couldn't figure out from their site or my ticket information where to park. I know where to park, but I couldn't tell it. And so I would be happy to hear specifically from you if it's better or not, because I will reach out to the theater company about better. And when I go to the Huntington, it tells me with my ticket where parking is available. So why shouldn't it when I go to the Chevalier? So. Okay, thank you.
[Jack Buckley]: Thank you for your participation this evening. I think you'll see some satisfaction. 2023-28 Handicap Parking sign. Yajira Gonzalez, 51 Metcalf Street for my son, Jalen Morales. Is the petitioner present? We unmute the petitioner.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: She is present. She's unmuted.
[Jack Buckley]: Oh, you're welcome. If you want to present your petition and your request.
[SPEAKER_06]: Um, yeah, so I'm trying to Gonzales, um, I was requesting a handicap. pole in front of my home because due to, you know, not having parking sometimes in the front of the house due to other people parking. You know, my son's artistic. He runs up on the street on me sometimes. Had tantrums with me getting out of the vehicle. And I got doctor's letters due to the handicap situation because of his behaviors.
[Jack Buckley]: Okay, before I move on to traffic, Alva, is the paperwork in? Yes, it is. All present in proper form? It sure is. Okay, so the application appears to be in order.
[Alicia Hunt]: So our usual question is, we just wanted to confirm, and I was just calling up a map, that you don't have off-street parking, that if we're putting a handicapped spot there, it's because you don't have an off-street spot that you can use?
[SPEAKER_06]: No, the whole street's permanent parking only. But you don't have a driveway? No. Okay.
[4FrRjkCyMqA_SPEAKER_06]: Alicia, the landlord boxed it.
[Alicia Hunt]: Okay. So I was just checking. And if they have a parking, and I think, is it helpful for us? Usually we look at the location. Do you want me to put it up here?
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: Please. All right. We can't.
[Alicia Hunt]: Share that, that, where are we? Okay, ah, we're near South Street and Walnut Street.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: Thank you. That street's a disaster.
[Jack Buckley]: While you pull that up, Alicia, the traffic department did go down there and review the situation as no open questions or problems with the situation.
[Alicia Hunt]: So is it, ooh, for some reason it's a little blurry, but so is this it? Yes. That's the one that's showing on the screen. So would the idea be to put, I don't know why that's blurred like that, that's very odd, but the idea would be to put one of- Where that black car is or where the bird would be, I was planning on.
[SPEAKER_06]: I'm parking my car in the front because my son comes out where the passenger side door just run up the stairs instead of, you know, trying to run off on me.
[Unidentified]: And if the paperwork is in order, somebody has a handicap placard.
[Jack Buckley]: Yep, that is all in order.
[Alicia Hunt]: That's fine. Move approval.
[Jack Buckley]: Second. We have a motion for Commissioner Hunt to move 2023-28 for approval, seconded by Commissioner McGiven. I'll have a roll call vote.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: Commissioner McGiven?
[Jack Buckley]: Yes.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: Commissioner Hunt? Yes. Commissioner Brzezinski?
[Jack Buckley]: Yes. Pete Buckley? Yes. On a four to nothing vote, the motion is approved. It will take a little bit of time, but we will get that as soon as we can, and I appreciate your participation and your request before the commission this evening.
[Tim McGivern]: Sorry, I didn't mean to speak over you. My apologies. Chief, I have a continuation of my budget hearing at 6.
[Jack Buckley]: Oh, lucky you. We still have a quorum and good luck.
[Tim McGivern]: In this last one, I would just remind folks that there's usually a warrant, the type of calculation that's done for stop signs. Right.
[Alicia Hunt]: Has Todd looked at this? Do we have any?
[Tim McGivern]: I don't personally know. Thanks everyone.
[Jack Buckley]: Thank you, Tim. Have a nice night. 2023-29 request from Alex Genovese for TMI Drive for All Way Stop Fulton and Winslow. Is the petitioner present? And can we unmute?
[Unidentified]: Hello.
[Jack Buckley]: Hi.
[SPEAKER_07]: How are you guys?
[Jack Buckley]: Good, how are you? Are you the petitioner, Mr. Genovese or Genovese?
[SPEAKER_07]: I am, yep.
[Jack Buckley]: Okay, can you, go ahead.
[SPEAKER_07]: I can't turn on my video. I don't know if that's on your end or mine, but.
[Jack Buckley]: It would not be.
[SPEAKER_07]: I don't know that you need to see me anyway.
[Jack Buckley]: Generally it's a practice, but we're okay, go ahead.
[SPEAKER_07]: Okay, yeah, so, You guys are probably all familiar with this intersection here on Fulton and Winslow. At the top of the Fulton Speedway. Yep.
[Alicia Hunt]: Wasn't a speedway this morning.
[SPEAKER_07]: No, not this morning, but it usually is. And so the cars coming up Fulton, up the hill, they come rather fast. There's currently a blinking yellow light. And my request is simply to make it a blinking red light. See what happens when we're coming off of Winslow and we take a left, there are cars flying up and you're at risk of getting hit by the side, on the side, you know, every time pretty much. I mean, this is one of many issues with this intersection, but. The crosswalks have been redone and relined in a way that they're just a big mess right now. And also the lining on the street, when you're coming up Fulton, if you're not familiar with the area, it's not really clear if you're supposed to be a right or left there at the fork. And so a lot of times people come flying up and go into the parking lot, but that's neither here nor there. My issue is when I'm trying to pull out off of Winslow to take a left onto Fulton, which I do every day, the cars are coming at me pretty quick. And it's not me, it's for everybody in this neighborhood. And it's also, I should mention, for the cars that are coming up Fulton, even if they're coming at a reasonable rate of speed, it's very difficult to see the cars that are coming off of Winslow until you're practically in the intersection. Alicia, might you be able to do the street view from Fulton going up towards Winslow?
[Alicia Hunt]: I mean, if you're coming from the city, from Boston, as opposed to up here. Yeah.
[SPEAKER_07]: Yeah. So it's blind right here, you see, and where you're supposed to stop coming off Winslow, you can't even see if there's a car there until you're just about here, I guess, or maybe even a little further up. And, you know, like I said, everybody speeds on that street. So it's just a very dangerous turn.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: We've had multiple collisions here.
[Alicia Hunt]: chief. I have a strong opinion on this. This needs to be reviewed by our traffic division, and they need to come up with a recommend our end traffic engineering division and come up with a recommendation. I know they've been working with things with paint and bollards, but I don't think as a traffic commissioner, I would never vote to just change this without our traffic engineers actually looking at this, telling us what a best practice is and making a recommendation. I agree with the applicant that we need further work here, but I don't think that we, as a number of lay people, should be deciding what that is. I need a recommendation from the traffic department.
[Jack Buckley]: And I agree, and as Commissioner McGibbon noted, this would be a warrant, but I think we need this to be looked at, Traffic Engineer, and it's rather than just saying, okay, let's make it a blink of red, maybe switch to stop signs. I think the whole intersection probably needs to be evaluated and look for safety and to come up with an answer right away. But this is, that's why we have a traffic, a director of traffic and engineering, and they need to look at this. We are the regulatory body, right? So once the expert looks at this and designs an intersection and makes suggestions to change things for safety reasons, we approve them for the regulatory or the regulations that need to be a part of that. So we're not designers of these issues, but that could be, you know, formulated into a motion that, you know, based on the petition, we move to have traffic engineering look at this intersection and come up with a plan for safety.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: Yeah, chief, I think we had a pedestrian collision. multiple collisions, but pedestrian line was fine.
[4FrRjkCyMqA_SPEAKER_06]: You've also reminded the commission. There was a stop sign, probably less than a hundred yards in front of people's corner. So that would be taken into consideration. Yeah. Stop sign where it's in front of people's corner. Oh yeah.
[Alicia Hunt]: But I'm talking about the cars coming up. You mean this one?
[SPEAKER_07]: Yep. That's past the intersection in question.
[Alicia Hunt]: And it may be that there needs to be a second stop sign on Fulton Street back here at this intersection too.
[SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, this one is the problem here. This is a big problem and it's, you know, if you've had collisions there, I understand that maybe somebody else should take a look at it, but how much longer do you want to
[Jack Buckley]: um not do anything about it if if there are so i agree with you and just but there's there's a lot that has to go into this right so not only the mass dot regulations but this federal uh mutc regulations that have to be reviewed and looked at before we can make that we can't i mean i know it seems simple enough that the the traffic commission could say hey we want to put a stop sign up here but we we're regulated by how and where they are placed. Same thing with traffic signals. And so we rely on a traffic engineer to study this and put those into place. So it's not so much, I don't think anyone here is even disagreeing with you. It's just that, again, at the risk of repeating myself, we're a regulatory why we're not an urban designer or we're not the engineers for this. So generally a lot of times the engineering department has already reviewed that and made recommendations. We then vote and approve those to go into play so that they can be enforced as traffic regulations and that sort of a system. So as much as I do appreciate you bringing this forward, There are procedures that we have to go through to get, before we can vote and approve this. And I don't have a problem with pushing this issue as far as, you know, if one of the commissioners would make a motion to sending it to traffic engineering, but I can't see how we can come up with a solution ourselves right now at such a, without recommendations from the engineering department. Commissioners, have any other thoughts?
[Alicia Hunt]: No, I just wanna, I'm gonna express, I walk through and drive through this intersection. I don't usually come up Winslow, I'm usually on Fulton, so I get it. But, and I know that the traffic department has been looking at this, which is why there've been different layouts with the cones, the different poles. They've been trying to find a layout that works at this location.
[SPEAKER_07]: Do you have any idea how long they've been working on that?
[Alicia Hunt]: It's one of many intersections in Medford they've been working on, but they've tried different things. That's why you've seen the different paint out there, the poles that people move out of the way. It's because they've been trying to find something to build permanently that will work for that area. And there just hasn't been a good solution. We have some messy roads in Medford.
[SPEAKER_07]: No, I understand that. I posted this actually on Facebook and somebody suggested that I propose it to this commission. Um, we walk this every day. My wife and my 16 month old daughter. And you're right. It's not just cars. It's dangerous all around. And so, you know, my question is that it has to start in a different department and then come back to you guys. How long does that typically take? Because everybody can acknowledge that it's a dangerous intersection. How long do you allow it to be dangerous for in the meantime? I mean, my idea would be to at least start by changing a blinking yellow to a blinking red but that's not even possible.
[Jack Buckley]: Well, not possible until we get the engineering. One of the things that doesn't need to happen here, as far as the traffic commission goes, is to modify current standards of practice. So if the traffic engineer recommended making that a two-way flashing red light, they don't need to come before the traffic commission necessarily for that, because that structure and those that sort of semi-regulation already exist. further design would need to be then approved for the regulatory body. But, I mean, I appreciate your frustrations. They are working on this, but the solutions need to come from the people who are experts at this and know and put in place because the city can assume liability if we put or agree to improper standards and signage and lighting. So I will tell you this, I don't think it's gonna have hurt your cause to have come before the Traffic Commission because we can make a motion and push this before the Director of Parking and Engineering, but I don't know what we can agree to tonight.
[SPEAKER_07]: seems to me that we, you know, we spent 50 minutes on a girl's permit on forest street. And now we're, we have a dangerous intersection that is getting no sort of time or resolution. And, you know, it is, I guess this is the way it works.
[Alicia Hunt]: So except because we know that we need an engineering decision here on the other one, it's a policy decision. This is an engineering solution and we've seen it before. And it's not that we don't care, it's that why waste your time when we know that we need an engineer to look at this. I'm just very sorry that it didn't go straight, that you weren't told to go straight to our traffic engineer because people do do that. And he will go out and look at intersections. And usually when a stop sign request is on our agenda, he has already looked at it with the resident who has a concern about it and has looked at that solution and is bringing forth the solution to us.
[SPEAKER_07]: All right, well, if that's the correct path, then maybe I ought to do that.
[Jack Buckley]: And we have your contact information. We will forward that as far as this commission goes to the director of engineering. And hopefully that kind of fast tracks that for you.
[SPEAKER_07]: And not just for me, for everybody in the Fulton Heights. You should have seen the response on Facebook. The most dangerous intersection in Medford by far. Everybody agrees. Nothing ever seems to get done about it.
[Jack Buckley]: Well, I will say this, we have several dangerous intersections and we've made great strides in improving several of them. This is one that they've been working on.
[SPEAKER_07]: My biggest concern here is the speed. Is more enforcement a possibility or one of those signs that says you're going too fast?
[Jack Buckley]: You have a great opportunity. I have my two traffic sergeants here who should be listening and responding to you. And I suggest that not just because I'm present in this room, but they have speed boards that they can put out there. We can do a traffic assessment, right? We have the amount of cars and the studies that we'll put up there and put advisements and increase enforcement. Absolutely. That's why they attend this meeting.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: We have a speed trailer that's on there. getting repaired as we speak. It is at the stop sign, it's a movable speed trailer that we have. That was the number one location that we put out was probably two blocks down for a speed trailer. And we have four speed trailers. No, no, I was saying that there's actually already one there. We have four speed trailers.
[SPEAKER_07]: That was the one going down the hill towards 93, right?
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: And we're also getting another one that's gonna come up the hill so that we'll have both directions and we can get data from both of these speed trailers. So that way, this was the number one street that we had an issue with along with Lawrence and Salem and amongst others, but those are the top three. This being number one. So we, and we will 100% be able to, the enforcement that we've got on this street has been closer towards the stop sign at Fulton, spring and fall and spring and Fulton, but we will be sure to move that closer towards, as you are you talking more morning like seven to eight, seven to nine, and then really anytime a day cars come up this, this view right here, cars come up, probably on average 4045 miles an hour.
[Jack Buckley]: just, I'm sure it's both ways. I mean, I've been around, but is it more this northbound side that you're seeing that this?
[SPEAKER_07]: Yes. And it's, and the thing that makes this side more dangerous is the fact that the cars coming off of Winslow can't be seen and they can't see the cars coming out.
[Jack Buckley]: And I asked that just so they can relay that to the traffic engineer. So, you know, I mean, he's, I'm sure he's looked at this already, but yeah. And, you know, there are there are things in place coming from the soapbob like like the session already referenced one there's multiple turns as a stop sign, and in effect that slows down the traffic but when you're coming up for the street I get it you're on a straightaway and you're kind of, you know, there's nothing really. that's kind of managing your speed there. You can just kind of enter that intersection. So environmental design might be an idea or thought process on the northbound side of this one for the engineer also to kind of- I don't know what environmental design means, but I'm intrigued. Yeah. So, I mean, they can put different things like we've talked about, you know, whether it's narrowing the road or farrows or different things to kind of slow traffic down the side. So, I mean, this is why- Yeah, I mean, they've done it in different locations. So, and I'm only being, generalizing because that's what the engineers, right?
[SPEAKER_07]: Well, I'm happy to pursue it with the engineers and then come back to you guys if that's the way this works.
[Jack Buckley]: Yep. We'll do that. So to the commissioners, um, we want to just have a simple motion to, uh, refer 2023 29 to the traffic and engineering department or, uh,
[Alicia Hunt]: your recommendation.
[Bob Dickinson]: Yeah, whatever fast tracks it's a Todd. I don't know what that would take so that instead of the applicant starting over, whatever the motion could read that we could actually spearhead this, I'd prefer that.
[Jack Buckley]: I think it would be a motion that directs a response from the traffic, the Director of Traffic and Engineering.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: Chief, I got this with Todd this week. He's away. He's away. So next week.
[Jack Buckley]: Sergeant Canava said himself that he will get up. I mean, in addition to the enforcement, he'll meet with the traffic director and engineer. So now that I've sat as chair again, I'll take out to entertain a motion on that from one of the two other chairs.
[Bob Dickinson]: Yeah. Motion to review.
[Jack Buckley]: Motion to refer to. Yeah. What was that? I said she has the two other commissioners I met, but yeah.
[Bob Dickinson]: Oh, fair enough. Motion to refer to a traffic and engineering for further review and comment.
[Unidentified]: Second. Sorry.
[SPEAKER_07]: His name is Todd. Do you be able to maybe send me an email with his contact?
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: We'll send an email and then I'll also follow up with you. Uh, My name's Sergeant Canava, I'll have my email on it and I'll have Alpha CC and then we'll CC it over to you and then we'll have it all. And I'll be sure to come out there this week.
[SPEAKER_07]: Sounds good, I really appreciate it guys.
[Jack Buckley]: All right, on the motion of Commissioner Brzezinski to refer to Traffic and Engineer for review and comment, seconded by Commissioner Hunt. I'll have a roll call vote.
[MCM00001607_SPEAKER_07]: Commissioner Hunt? Yes. Commissioner Brzezinski?
[Jack Buckley]: Yes. Chief Buckley. Yes on a three nothing. Uh, the motion is approved, uh, to the petitioner. I mean, I do really appreciate your participation and, uh, representation of all the neighbors up there. I do think this will benefit you for having company. You'll get some additional enforcement from the police side. We'll get this, um, sort of fast tracked to the traffic and engineering department and hopefully see some quick results for you. All right. Thank you very much.
[Unidentified]: Thanks again.
[Jack Buckley]: That is it for new business. anything else sergeant sergeant nothing other commissioners um as i mentioned earlier our next scheduled meeting is uh september 12th i'll be right down september 12th um that is based on two things the historic taking june and july uh i mean sorry july and august off and then also uh the schedule we put out at the beginning of the Any thoughts, comments, any other issues? I do like the idea of not being sort of quiet during the summer months. And maybe we can stop looking at these table businesses. And I know commissioner visits, I owe you like five phone calls and six cups of coffee to kind of get caught up in this. We can spend some time.
[Bob Dickinson]: I'm just going to start sending you more memos than I just flood your email with memos.
[Jack Buckley]: Yeah, I think, yeah, I'm beginning to think the memos are just overwhelmed too. You're just going to show up and knock on the door and be here. We'll get this done. But I do think it's a goal of us to get these table visits just narrowed down to what very few will need it.
[Bob Dickinson]: I think that, and unfortunately we lost Tim tonight, but I would like to follow up more on that study we talked about of making sure that these issues that we've approved actually get put in place. You know, kind of just making sure that what we've agreed to actually does get implemented. I don't know where we stand with all that. So I think that was the second issue I worked on.
[Jack Buckley]: Yep, it was. And I think it's something surprisingly we really have never put in place. And it goes beyond, okay, we pass a motion, we push forward a motion, we pass it. We don't really follow up and make sure it's instituted the way we want it. But then again, sometimes there are some things that have of doing business beyond just Tuesday night, right? And I know we're all busy with traffic commission stuff, but we have to take it upon ourselves to look at these things that we're implementing and also kind of getting our own feedback and evaluation on the impact, right? Just because we think it's a good idea on a certain Tuesday night, you know, reality might be, a difference of two, three, four months down the line in different areas. So I really do like the idea. It's part of the growth of the traffic commission, and we should spend some time preparing for September with that, being ready to go.
[MCM00001829_SPEAKER_08]: Nos come out. Kind of the thing you said on that, this party and multiple people called Sergeant Rogers and I about issues that they have, and he had thought he got the right advice to go here to this commission when really he should have went to Todd. Um, and first, if there is something that we can kind of, we get calls all the time about issues that they had call us, they leave us a message and we may not get back for three or four days or two days, or maybe it'd be a day, but if there's somewhere they can go where they can understand that they need, if they have an issue like this gentleman had, they can go to email Todd so that they're not wasting a week or two weeks waiting because they think they're coming to a traffic commission meeting, because we're going to be able to solve their issue and now he's wasted. however much time and we're not fixing an issue that is truly an issue and this is not the first time it's happened. But we are. That's good. No, go ahead.
[Jack Buckley]: I was just gonna suggest we are doing considerable work, updating and modifying our police website and there's going to be, you know, we should have a traffic commission offset but maybe we really got to put that sort of message on there, right, we're to reach out for resources and how to direct yourself. have this information on there on the website. I think it's going to help. I do think most people in 2023 are just going to Google the city of Edford and ask the question. And if a website can come up and direct them in the right way, then we're only serving their purpose. petitioner gets frustrated at sort of the bureaucracy of it all. What seems simple to us, like, oh, no, you gotta go to engineering, can be frustrating to the general public.
[Bob Dickinson]: I know we had had a consultant set up an email on our computer, or at least he set up on my computer, if there were an email address where people could ask questions about where do I go I'm happy to help monitor that. I know Alicia does a good job of monitoring Facebook and commenting on where people can go.
[Alicia Hunt]: I had to stop. It was too stressful.
[Bob Dickinson]: I thought about recommending we have a traffic commission Facebook page, but I know it will get abused.
[4FrRjkCyMqA_SPEAKER_06]: Steve, we do have a Steve Clicker, but they're usually yelling at me.
[Bob Dickinson]: It's not asking questions. I'm trying to avoid more yelling, but if it's if it's an information, like, you know, have a question about whether you're, you know, whether you need to contact the traffic commission or the parking department, we did have a separate email. I'm happy to, you know, as we've talked about before, chief, I have, you know, a little bit more flexibility on time. I don't have 20 commitments with the city that, you know, happy to at least tell people You know, I could at least ask Alicia a question, like, who should they go to first? And I think he could have alleviated a lot of issues today with the Fulton Street issue by telling that gentleman, you should call Todd first and then let Todd bring the issue to us and then approve it, because I think it would have gone faster. And Todd does a great job because he's out there and meets with them, too. On a side note, the parking for the Forest Street building, I think this is a continued problem that is only going to get worse here in town. And I don't necessarily know what the ultimate solution is and continuing to allow the city to provide private parking rights to these buildings who struck and don't get parking somewhere else. Um, I know that there's a lack of, we can't park in our city parking lots after 11. I think that's the law. I believe that the current review. Yeah, I'm interested to talk with the mayor and the city council I know we have an election coming up so I don't know where their focuses are but you know to try to find maybe one lot in town that could be for overnight purposes. for people who do have visitors or do have. Unfortunately, people who want a car, I think it's just a modern thing now. Even the people who live in Medford Square want to have some sort of vehicle and I don't know if they just don't think about where to park. The visitor thing, that's always a problem, but maybe we can start coming up with some better solutions for people. I know West Medford could use an overnight spot people to park at, but I don't know where to put that into view.
[Jack Buckley]: Yeah, I wholeheartedly agree with that, especially, you know, a focus should be on those Minnesota lots first, because that's kind of the obvious, right? And then it's the never ending question I'm getting approached with also, there's a lot of new development, but there's a lot of old development that never really had parking. And this is the age old question, will you to provide parking to people who reside in our city? I don't know that the answer is yes to that because it's almost an impossibility.
[Bob Dickinson]: Yeah, I don't know. I know you and I talked a long time ago about what is the obligation. Are we on the same page with the building department when they approve you know, a revitalization permit or, you know, demolition permit for a house.
[Alicia Hunt]: It's the zoning board and it's the planning boards. And these are the that I work with in my office is working to give them more recommendations. The reality is that we the general planning expectation is that if you limit the amount of parking with the development, then people who want to live there won't own cars. The problem is when the people who market that development and rent the space, the apartments, mislead the people they're renting to. Now if they said this is an apartment that doesn't have parking, you're going to get people who say, okay, I'll use public transportation and a bicycle and stuff. And they'll think twice about getting a car. If you rent the apartment to somebody saying, oh, there's plenty of street parking, you can park on the street, then you're going to get somebody who moves in thinking that there's going to be street parking. So the problem is actually at the point of the person marketing and renting the apartment, because we do want more development here. And the reality is you don't need a car if you live in Medford Square, if where you're going is stuff that's served by the bus system, or you're a strong bicyclist, right? But if you were told that there was parking, right? Like this young lady, you do not need to own a car if you live in Medford Square and you go to Tufts every day. But if you go other places, You might, or you, you know, I remember being in college or grad school and I wanted my car so that when I went home to visit my parents, I had my car and I drove it every two weeks. You know, that was being a good environmentalist, but you needed somewhere to keep it.
[Bob Dickinson]: Yeah. Well, I'm from the South. We have cars, whether we use it or not. And we generally have two cars per person. So I'm used to having multiple cars where yeah. where I'm from, but, um, I just, you know, I think like the, the new complex that got approved that is built on mystic, I think it's on mystic street. Um, go past Mickey's pizza, the Royale, it's the Royal house. It's down there on the left, the brand new development that got approved. It's almost finished. You know, they were smart enough to build onsite parking, which I love. So I think in that case, when you have a tear down and you can rebuild something, it looks like maybe the building department is actually encouraging them or forcing them to have onsite parking versus the, like our house on Grandview, which used to be a two family house, it's now a single family. Like if it were a two family house, a family like us, the parking would be, you know, there'd be cars all over the place. So something I think I would love for the commission to start getting, still start getting more on the front end of these problems. Um, And I don't know how we educate the public more, just continuing information about, please check with the traffic commission before you rent. What we had the people over there in West Medford off the playstate, they rented a place that had no parking. So I don't know how we do that to actually stave off a lot of these younger people who are coming to town and getting in trouble.
[Alicia Hunt]: So I think that we should think about whether we should have some meetings. First of all, if there are requests that are coming in over the course of the summer, I'm not comfortable with just saying to everybody, sorry, we can't help you to September. But I don't want to hold a meeting just in case. So this is twofold right one is, can you tell us if, like if questions come in. At the same time, what would be our regular meeting date in July, July 11, I'm likely to have to be at city council meetings starting at six that evening. So it would be better if it was a different. The other thing is that we were looking at the rules and regulations of the traffic commission and we need to have technically a public meeting to discuss those, to review those, to change those. The summer feels like a great time to do that. I'm wondering what the appetite would be for doing that during regular city hours and just posting it as a public meeting. But we're not hearing from, like if members of the public need to show up, they can, but it's, because we need to talk about the procedures, the process, the rules and regulations, and it's for us to have a conversation about it and whether we could do that at some point during this.
[Bob Dickinson]: If I'm given enough heads up, I'm happy to, you know, like a week's notice, I can just rearrange my schedule. I'm happy to make that work and then Things that come in during the summer, I don't know who would be the person who could make the evaluation, but if we get some things in like the handicap sticker matters that come in, I'm happy to jump on a special meeting to approve those types of things instead of stretch them out to September. Perhaps we can kind of gather them up and maybe have like a July meeting. And that way, if you came in after July, you just have to wait till the September meeting. But I think I'm here. So if we needed to call special emergency meetings to address some things that are pretty slammed on.
[Jack Buckley]: I don't have the statute in front of me but I believe, reflecting back and I'll just remind me, but by statute I think we're limited we don't need in the summertime, we could hold special meetings 1956 or 64 I mean like a piece of face that's
[Bob Dickinson]: I'll send you a memo about it. I'll research it and send you a memo about it. Very good. If you could call a special meeting to approve those things. I'm like Alicia. I mean, if it's something that requires us to talk for an hour about, I don't necessarily think about that. But if it's a handicap placard, if it's a
[Jack Buckley]: And I don't think there's anything precluding us, especially if we're going to do those other meetings, right, during the Tuesday at 10 o'clock in the morning. And we refer to it as a special meeting that we can't, as long as we post it, add a handicap or something along those lines. We just conduct a business that is, and get those things done. So there's enough work to be done that we can, that we should do something. Just that we have to be mindful of how we do it. With the open meeting.
[Alicia Hunt]: The ordinance just says that there's a traffic commission, but it refers to the chapter 421 of the acts of 1958. So we probably have to refer back to that. But I'm sure it doesn't say that we only meet these times. I'm sure it says we would meet at least these times. Nothing prevents any public board from meeting more often.
[Bob Dickinson]: One question, Alicia, this email that you posted on the chat, the traffic commission, is that the email that we all have access to?
[Alicia Hunt]: It should be, yes, and I have access to it. There is one message that came in in May, and I hadn't noticed it, and I don't know if anybody responded to it.
[Bob Dickinson]: I didn't, I think that's the one that I can get access to, but I did not. Cause I, I used to check it like, you know, two, three times a week and nothing ever came in. So I'll start making a habit of checking it.
[Jack Buckley]: Yeah. Hopefully we see a change to that because like I said, we're doing a lot of updates to the websites and kind of interacting with the websites and maybe, you know, through social media that gets out there more, kind of get a grasp of what's going on.
[Alicia Hunt]: Right. Tim and I have access to this email on our computers with our regular work email.
[Bob Dickinson]: I have to log in like a special way to get to it. I just need to start doing it again. All right.
[Alicia Hunt]: So I guess that's, I think that we should meet and go over our policies and procedures. And I think that if we can set that up during business hours, it would be lovely. I'd rather not stay an extra night during a week for a reason, for a meeting that is not specifically meeting the public to attend, right? If we were having a public input session, that would be different. But I think we need to review and discuss the policies and procedures before we ask for any, and we might during that meeting say, you know what, we should get public input on this and let's have a public meeting and advertise a public, a session where we want to hear from the public. But first we need to just talk amongst ourselves, but that legally needs to be a public meeting. If you get the distinction there.
[Jack Buckley]: Again, as long as, I think we just gotta pick the date. Steve, you're available certain times, right? So if we can kind of just coordinate that, let's do it.
[Bob Dickinson]: Yeah, I think I think I've gone like the last two weeks of July, but I think I think, yeah.
[Alicia Hunt]: And I will tell you that this has come up in many of my public boards. We could have an email thread among the commissioners to discuss scheduling of a meeting. There is an explicit exception in open meeting law that having that conversation offline, not at a public meeting is allowed. We just can't discuss business in an email thread like that, but we could do scheduling.
[Unidentified]: Yeah, all good.
[Alicia Hunt]: All right, anything else? It would be- And I'm happy to come to City Hall too. It would be lovely if I could be home before it.
[Bob Dickinson]: And I'm happy to come to City Hall.
[Alicia Hunt]: Right, I mean, we can do a meeting like that in person. We just have to post that it's occurring and we can, that's what we used to do. We used to post public meetings and sit in person and have a conversation. Go over to, do you see the police chief's very lovely conference room up there?
[Bob Dickinson]: Very nice conference room.
[Jack Buckley]: Yes, you guys are always welcome.
[Alicia Hunt]: He actually has, if we wanted to be truly public on the first floor, there's a very large public meeting room down there as well.
[Jack Buckley]: Entrance just requires a cup of black coffee. And you're all welcome. All right. Motion to adjourn.
[Alicia Hunt]: Okay, motion to adjourn. So I think what we said is if requests come in, the chief will vet them and decide like, oh yeah, no, actually we could have a meeting. And we've expressed that we're willing to hold a meeting if stuff comes in, then schedule the meeting. But then let's on email, let's schedule a daytime meeting to review like our operating procedures.
[Jack Buckley]: That's correct. And to answer Commissioner Bezutis, query is we are adding a civilian, another one, and I'm hoping that that happens real soon. I'm hoping it happens. I'll send you a memo about it.
[Alicia Hunt]: If you need help, we often, my staff often review applicants and reach out to them and stuff. We're happy to also, we have access to the applicant list for all boards and commissions, happy to pull up an applicant list for you and send it to you if that's helpful.
[Jack Buckley]: Sounds good. All right. The motion of Commissioner Hunt, seconded by Commissioner Brzezinski to adjourn. All those in favor?
[Alicia Hunt]: Aye.
[Jack Buckley]: All right. All right. We will talk soon and let's start that email and put some dates as best we can. And I know there's going to be other parties involved in our leases, so we should reach out at least tomorrow and get them sort of starting to figure out when they can do it also. Meaning Jim Silver and Lily and all those others.
[Alicia Hunt]: Yeah. It would be good to include Lily. Yep.
[Jack Buckley]: Excellent.
[Alicia Hunt]: Thank you.
[Jack Buckley]: I can't believe we're going home. Good night, everyone. Thank you all. Thank you.