Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 6 PM

Agenda 4 items

1. 1.
   23-0070 Order Kept in committee

   That the Director of the Office of Sustainability and Environment update this Council on plans for a pilot of on-street direct current fast charging stations for electric vehicles.

   {\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang1033{\fonttbl{\f0\froman\fprq2\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}{\f1\fnil\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}} {\colortbl ;\red0\green0\blue0;} \viewkind4\uc1\pard\f0\fs24 Climate Change Program Manager Sullivan said that OSE is looking to develop a community-wide electric vehicle strategy, including assessing installation for direct current fast charging stations. OSE is currently working with the Mobility, Parking and Engineering departments to finalize an RFP.\par \par Councilor Wilson asked about the constraints on the electric grid should electric vehicle usage in Somerville rise sharply. He also raised that a constituent got a ticket for parking in the wrong direction on Evergreen Ave to use a charging station and asked if, in addition to resolving this issue with the constituent, the city will revisit parking regulations to accommodate parking at charging stations. Ms. Sullivan said that OSE will coordinate with Eversource on grid capacity, and that she would discuss parking regulations with the Parking department. \par \par Chair Burnley asked how much OSE has considered installing a variety of types of EV charging stations. He also asked about the potential for the city to own part of the electric grid or have municipal generators. Ms. Sullivan said that a report on ideal station locations was released in 2021, but it did not describe technology in detail. She said she would look into the second question.\par \par Councilor Gomez Mouakad commented that a car manufacturer is looking to install EV chargers at no cost and stated that the city should take advantage of offers like these by finishing the RFP soon. She also said parking management plans would be needed for onstreet charging stations.\par \cf1\f1\par }

2. 2.
   23-0092 Order Kept in committee

   That the Directors of Mobility and Traffic and Parking discuss with this Council the use of meters at electric vehicle charging stations and ability for the City's vendor to impose a monetary charge after a certain amount of time that the vehicle is parked there.

   {\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang1033{\fonttbl{\f0\froman\fprq2\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}{\f1\fnil\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}} {\colortbl ;\red0\green0\blue0;} \viewkind4\uc1\pard\f0\fs24 Councilor Pineda Neufeld noted the differences between charging stations in residential neighborhoods and commercial areas, and that in residential areas, residents wait until meters stop running and park there overnight, causing a rush in the off-hours. This issue inspired the monetary charge idea in this item. Councilor Pineda Neufeld commented that the goal with the meters is car turnover rather than revenue, but residents are working around the meters instead of using them as intended. Ms. Sullivan said that OSE is exploring this idea with other departments and can share updates as they develop. She said she could bring questions about metered parking to the Parking department.\par \cf1\f1\par }

3. 3.
   22-0951 Order Kept in committee

   That the Director of Sustainability and Environment update this Council on any plans for a municipal composting program.

   {\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang1033{\fonttbl{\f0\froman\fprq2\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}{\f1\fnil\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}} {\colortbl ;\red0\green0\blue0;} \viewkind4\uc1\pard\f0\fs24 Ms. Sullivan said that OSE is finalizing a contract with a consultant for a zero waste planning process, part of which will involve making recommendations for a composting program. When that consultant work is finished this year, there will be an update for this item. Ms. Sullivan talked about the details of the consultant\rquote s work analyzing waste management.\par \par Councilor Wilson said that he would like to see the municipal pilot program done in areas with low rates of adoption of private composting programs. He also called for the Administration to use rodent control as a framing in educational materials, which should be available in many languages.\par \par Councilor Scott asked questions about the cost for the work, which will total approximately $75,000, and how Somerville plans to achieve a 90% reduction in waste. Ms. Sullivan said that the 90% target is largely informed by the Massachusetts Solid Waste Master Plan for 2020-2030.\par \par Chair Burnley asked how certain it is that the consultant plan will include composting, and how much funding has been allotted to the pilot program to date. Ms. Sullivan said she is confident composting will be included, and that she would follow up on the pilot funding.\par \cf1\f1\par }

4. 4.
   22-0828 Order Kept in committee

   That the Director of Public Space and Urban Forestry update this Council on plans to dramatically increase the number of trees in Foss Park.

   {\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang1033{\fonttbl{\f0\froman\fprq2\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}{\f1\fnil\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}} {\colortbl ;\red0\green0\blue0;} \viewkind4\uc1\pard\f0\fs24 Councilor Wilson noted that the park is owned and operated by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), who constructed a new astroturf field at Foss Park. The new field contributes to the heat island effect, but trees mitigate its impact. Councilor Wilson said he would like to see a similar approach at Foss Park to the one taken at Conway Park. He talked about air quality and particulate matter concerns at Foss Park. Finally, he said that if cost is an issue, there are likely many options for corporate partners.\par \par Councilor Scott asked about the status of tree plantings that were scheduled to take place at Foss Park. Liaison Carrillo said that she would take the question back to the Administration and shared that 30 new trees were planted there in 2021.\par \cf1\f1\par }

   • 📎 Foss Park AirQuality-Analysis