Welcome to the City of Newton, Massachusetts

Newton North Update

 Following the referendum vote on building a new Newton North in January, we have been proceeding at a rapid pace to ensure our shovels are in the ground by July 1 st and that the building is completed during the 2009-2010 academic year.

Since the vote we have hired a Construction Manager, Dimeo Construction Company of Providence, Rhode Island, and we have formed a Newton North Liaison Committee that will be instrumental in facilitating the sharing of information and dialogue throughout the construction phase of the project.

The Newton North Liaison Committee is made up of members of the school community, Board of Aldermen, and citizen representatives from all four abutting neighborhoods. The Committee will be chaired by me and by our Planning Department Director Mike Kruse. All meetings of the Committee are open to the public. The first meeting is scheduled for Wednesday May 2 nd at 6:30 pm in the Newton North library.

As we enter the pre-construction phase, and in anticipation of construction beginning this summer, it is important to remember that public input will continue to be sought. Working with the Liaison Committee, neighbors and citizens from all over Newton will have an outlet to stay informed and to express their ideas, concerns, or satisfaction as we continue to build this new facility.

Today I am pleased to also announce that our Design Team has completed the design development documents, which enables us to move from the design phase of the project into the pre-construction phase. With the completion of design development, we can now shift our focus to the actual construction of this outstanding facility. These key documents serve as the basis for us to bundle several key aspects of the building for pricing by our construction manager, known as early packages. One of the most important early packages is the site package, which is the materials required to demo the stadium, grading of the site, and constructing the foundation of the building. Other early packages we are preparing are concrete, steel, mechanicals, and elevator packages. By locking in a price early, we expect to get a better price for these materials.

I want to thank the Board of Aldermen for their continued cooperation on this project. I am pleased to welcome Building Commissioner Nick Parnell, who has with him the design development documents. Thank you for your leadership on this project Nick, you’re doing a great job. Please share your thoughts with us.

Newton Schools Foundation Expo

The City of Newton has earned its impeccable reputation for offering the highest quality public education in the Commonwealth. Our students benefit from talented and dedicated teachers and administrators; active and involved parents and mentors; and from the overall emphasis our community as a whole places on education.

As mayor I have never wavered from my commitment to education, allocating 70% of our City’s new revenue to the school department. But because the demand on our City and school budget is so great, and there are so many opportunities we want to provide to our schoolchildren, here in Newton we are fortunate to have the Newton Schools Foundation to supplement the schools budget.

Since its inception in 1985, the Newton Schools Foundation has offered more than $2.4 million in grants. These needed funds have enabled our educators to implement programs, upgrade equipment, and enhance curricula that would have otherwise been impossible.

I am pleased to announce today a very special event that will raise awareness about the great work of the Newton Schools Foundation, will raise money for the cause, and will even provide citizens with the chance to win a brand new car. On Tuesday May 8 th, you won’t want to miss the first ever Newton Schools Foundation Expo. From 4:30 – 7:30 pm in the cafeteria at Newton South High School, the work of the Schools Foundation will be on display as teachers and students from 21 schools will present interactive exhibits, art musical performances, and much more. This innovative event dramatically brings to life what the contributions the Newton Schools Foundation have meant to our community over the years.

But not only can you enjoy the presentations from our talented teachers and students who have been awarded past grants from the Newton Schools Foundation, but the awardees for 2007-2008 will be announced at the Expo as well. In addition, you could also ride off with a brand new Honda Civic EX coupe, courtesy of a very generous contribution from Clair Honda in a raffle. Other prizes include: a Hewlett Packard Laptop computer, a Giant Dub bicycle, a digital camera, and an iPod.

I want to thank the people of Clair Honda, Farina's Bicycle Center and Newtonville Camera & Video for their contributions of raffle prizes. I also want to thank Chryse Gibson, Executive Director of the Newton Schools Foundation, and congratulate her on this innovative fundraiser. Also with us is the former principal of Newton North High School, and a Newton Schools Foundation Board member, Jennifer Huntington. I appreciate all of the contributions you both have made to public education in Newton, and I ask that you come up and share more details about this very exciting event.

Thanks to the Newton TAB for Recycling Ads

The City of Newton’s longstanding recycling program has improved our environment while at the same time saved the City precious taxpayer dollars. We are rightfully proud that more than 90% of our residential households participate in our curbside recycling program. We are also proud of our recycling campaign that reminds you “If you can rip it, you can recycle it.”

Besides the positive impact on our environment, increasing our recyclables saves the City money in two ways. For each ton taken out of the waste stream we save $131 in trash removal costs. For each ton added to the recycling load, we add $45 to the City coffers. Knowing that Newton residents throw away an average of 30,000 tons of trash each year – enough to fill Fenway Park up to the top of the Monster seats – the savings can really add up. The money we save from recycling goes to everything from public safety equipment to street and sidewalk maintenance to hiring teachers – the most important expenditures municipal governments make.

Recycling, like so many other environmental initiatives is truly a community effort. The Environmental Affairs Division of the Department of Public Works is comprised of creative and talented people, but they alone cannot get the job done. That is why we rely on citizens and businesses around the City to do their part, and to remember to recycle.

Every so often, a business or group steps up and makes a significant contribution to what we are doing here. I am pleased to recognize today Greg Reibman, Gail Spector, Rachel Lebeaux and the staff of the Newton TAB for their efforts to promote the City’s recycling campaign. Starting with their April 25 th edition, the TAB ran the first of at least six consecutive advertisements to promote our recycling initiative at no charge to the City. This translates to a donation of more than $3,300.

This generous gift to the City represents a partnership between the media and government that can have a dramatic impact on the welfare of our City. I applaud the TAB for their efforts on this initiative, and I hope it is merely the beginning of many fruitful projects we can work on together to make Newton a better place for all of us. Again I want to thank you for your generosity, and I welcome Greg and Rachel who are with us this afternoon up to the podium. In addition I am pleased to welcome Courtney Forrester, the City’s Solid Waste Manager, who has been largely responsible for making our recycling program the success it is today.

Department of Senior Services Survey

The population of senior citizens in Newton is on the rise. There are currently more than 16,000 Newton residents who are over the age of 60, which is roughly 20% of our population. By the year 2020, the senior population in Newton is projected to gain another 25% - up to nearly 20,000 residents.

Under the leadership of Jayne Colino the Department of Senior Services has done an outstanding job of meeting the needs of this growing segment of the Newton population. By offering a dynamic array of programs and services, with activities that are fun, educational and stimulating, the Newton Department of Senior Services continues to provide our seniors with the highest quality of service in the Commonwealth.

One of the reasons Jayne and the staff of the Senior Services Department are able to provide such high quality and popular programming is that they make a concerted effort to listen to their clients. The concept of communicating with their clients to understand their needs and desires is a simple one that is not always put into practice. But it is an important part of what our Senior Services Department does every single day of the year.

Today I am pleased to announce another effort by our Senior Services Department to gain valuable insights from the seniors in our community. There is now a survey available for residents 60 years and over that seeks input on the kinds of programs that are of interest and what services are felt to be important. Surveys will only take a few minutes to fill out, and are widely available around the City. An electronic copy of the survey can be found on the City’s website: www.ci.newton.ma.us, the senior services website: www.newtonseniors.org, and in the May edition of the City’s online newsletter, the Newton Community Report. Hard copies can be found in the rotunda of City Hall, the Newton Free Library, and at the Senior Center.

I hope many of you will take the time to fill out this survey. The information we receive from it will help us to maintain and improve on the services we offer Newton’s seniors today and into the future. It is my pleasure now to introduce Jayne Colino, the Director of the Senior Services Department.