Mayor Fuller is clearly feeling the heat for the opaque process used to choose a site for the Newton Center for Active Living, or NewCAL, (styled by her as “the community center focused on seniors.”) So in this week’s email to us all, she announces a schedule for ten meetings at which citizens can ask question of the project team and/or watch the project team in action. She notes, “These meetings will provide detailed information on the site ranking process and early ideas on site layout scenarios at Albemarle.”
Well, we’re back to the proverbial cart before the horse. As I noted back in July, the process used to decide upon the program for NewCAL was flawed. Here’s an excerpt from that post on Village 14:
The scoping problem is simply this: There was no directive to those involved to consider the extent to which the needs of Newton’s seniors are currently being met—or might be met—elsewhere in the city by cooperative programs with the numerous other institutions in town, by linkage with private developers, or otherwise. Instead, we had a process that was additive: Good idea? Include it in NewCAL! For example, of the 106 requests for specific facilities/programs collected by SBA from listening sessions, office hours, and questionnaires, only 3 or 12 (it’s unclear) were received for a gymnasium. Yet over a third of the proposed building is devoted to this feature.
It is not even clear from the papers produced by the working group whether a full analysis was done as to the possible use of the existing site. What is feasible there if a new building is constructed?
Further, there has been no indication of the manner in which this process will meld with the city’s budgetary priorities, whether in the capital budget or in the ongoing operating budget.
So, the Mayor’s focus on the siting controversy is off point. The idea that any newly built structure is the “solution” has not yet been demonstrated.
In saying this, I don’t mean to diminish at all people’s concerns about a siting process that has been hidden to date (no open meetings, followed by delays in publishing the working group’s minutes). I do mean to suggest that the Mayor’s propensity for creating a new vacuous public process represents a high degree of cynicism about the citizenry’s right to know how this whole venture fits into the range of priorities facing the city. Beyond the citizenry, having now consulted with a number of City Councilors, I’ve learned that they, too, have been kept in the dark. To date, they’ve deferred to the mayor on this issue. Let’s hope that the legislative branch of the city government does its job and holds the administration accountable.
Great stuff. Keep shining a light where its needed.
Thank you. I truly wish I didn’t have to. Perhaps the expanded coverage of Newton by the Globe will help serve to hold elected people more accountable.
I wish I would like this 100 times. Nail meet head. We need to first determine the needs of a new Senior Center before we stipulate that we need 2.5 acres, or an indoor pool, or a gymnasium.
I also want to know what the mayor’s plans are for the existing and seemingly vacated senior center might be. Perhaps an un-named developer will swoop in and t take it off the City’s hands??
I think the site issue really inflamed people however I think the bigger issue is how did we get to this NewCal. How did it go from a Senior Center to the Community Center concept? What do seniors really need/want and what is the best way to meet those needs? My take on the survey is of course someone is going to think a gym is a nice idea as a stand-alone idea but when it comes down to it is it worth the trade off to make it happen such as taking parkland or cutting elsewhere in the city budget then maybe even some or all of those 3 or 12 people say you know what I’m not sure I really want a gym at that cost. It is a bit crazy that such a low number of respondents could dramatically change the scope of this project. Is this really the best way to meet senior needs or is this just how the Mayor perceives it? There seems to be so much lacking with this process. It is head scratching to think that the committee would come to 6 final sites all of which are parkland. It is head scratching that so few respondents could lead to the all potential site plans including a gym which dramatically increases the size of the building foot print. The undertone that I got from Mayor’s email is that these meetings will explain why Ablemarle is the best site rather than really looking for feedback. And it is completely missing the fact that I’m not sure most citizens support the concept. I think the Mayor is missing the point that citizens aren’t onboard and that she needs to take a step back and think about the best ways to meet our Seniors’ needs instead of plowing ahead.
I hope there’s lots of colored sticky notes at the meetings. Those are fun.
@Rick, to pay for all these sticky notes, I wonder how many hundreds of thousands the Mayor is going to request for consultants/architects to help us “vision” her way out of this pickle?
Better yet, I wonder how many more planners the Mayor will add to work on this? (Our current 29 Planning Department staffers are not nearly enough)
While NewCAL at Albemarle Park, according to the Mayor, is not yet ‘confirmed’ as a site, she nevertheless advises in her August 13th Notice that she is currently having the City “develop the [Albemarle] site plan with the help of the architectural team.” At the very least, the Mayor should, if at all possible and to the extent she can, cease committing City funds on that “architectural team”. Proceeding to develop the site plan with the help of the “architectural team” at a pre-site, pre-scope stage is mismanagement of City funds, especially considering other city financial obligations and unmet needs.
It should now be apparent to the Mayor, by virtue of the uniformly hostile reaction on Village 14 and elsewhere, to the Albemarle siting of a NewCAL athletic complex (called a ‘senior center’ as a few rooms are priority reserved for senior activity), including the anti NewCAL in the Park online petition with in excess of a massive 6,500 signatures to date, that NewCAL in ANY Newton park is soundly rejected by Newton residents — and particularly Albemarle Park with its additional locational drawbacks.
At this point, the prudent course for the Mayor would be to scale down the athletic complex ‘NewCAL’ to an actual senior center and consider only non-park sites, be they in city ownership or not, including in possible combination with the existing Walnut Street Senior Center, and only then proceed with any outside contracted “architectural team”.
One wonders what are the total city expenditures previously and projected to be paid to the three firms already hired to work on NewCAL identified in the City’s web pages.
I agree with Paul about the mayor and her authority.
Fair play and good democratic government is missing at city
hall. RuthAnne rules with an iron fist. What she decides is the
final word on crucial issues. Cost is of little concern. Just keep raising taxes every year. Homeowners’well being is not her concern.
Add on top of this heap the new fine for snow shoveling of city sidewalks which will pit neighbor against neighbor. At the same time the city council wants to double its pay. We will pay them more to be less competent.
I can not bring myself to fully read the mayor’s weekly newsletter.
It tells of too much bad news and dire authoritarian city council votes.
The way to make a difference is by communicating your concern to the elected official who is proposing this project (the mayor) or to those who will vote to fund it (the city council). My mantra (as the councilors well know) is to it early and do it often. Attending meetings can be a burden but 80% of life is showing up. Village 14 is great for disseminating information and an exchange of opinions , but it’s really important to communicate to the deciders directly.
The best way to make sure that this misguided proposal dies a quick death before tens of thousands more municipal dollars are wasted pursuing it (architect fees? are you kidding me?) would be to pin down Council candidates as to their positions, and if they won’t commit to opposing NewCal on Albemarle, then vote against them. Clearly any Council votes on this issue will be taken by the next Council, not the current one. So let’s pin this year’s candidates down. With progress on zoning/development remaining stalled as always, if ever there were a good time to cast a one issue vote, this is it. If a candidate won’t commit to opposing NewCal, just vote for the opponent! Elect 13 committed NewCal on Albemarle opponents and this proposal can be thrown into the trash bin, where it rightfully belongs.
“[I]f ever there were a good time to cast a one issue vote, this is it.” Gerry, Gerry, Gerry,… what have you been smoking or drinking? This is a ridiculous one-issue item on which to vote councilors in or out. I say that having strongly stated that parkland should not be taken for a new community or senior center. Further, I agree 100% that no rationale for a large community center has been disclosed to the public. I strongly support an upgraded and enlarged facility to meet current and expected senior needs. The current senior facility is Totally inadequate and the senior population is expanding.
In general I don’t favor voting candidates in or out on one issue. In Newton at this time, the biggest issues are development and re-zoning. Both of those issues have a far greater impact than NewCal. if one wants to be a one-issue voter. If you chose either of those issues as your one-issue, I may not agree with your choice to go one-issue, but I wouldn’t be questioning whether someone slipped something into your soup today.
Anne-I’m never a one-issue voter. However, if you look at the estimated cost, which virtually no one thinks is close to accurate, and the funding plan for this community center, I’d put it very high on the list of my questions for potential or incumbent candidates. The plan is to fund it through bonding (with annual interest payments from the operating budget) and the operating budget itself. These facts alone could set the city back financially for years to come. That’s no small matter.
Anne, Anne, Anne…I think you know very well what I’ve been smoking & drinking. And I couldn’t agree with you more that zoning and development are the biggest big-picture issues facing the city. (I think the actual biggest issue is the horrible condition of our streets and sidewalks, too many of which need paving ASAP.) But as I wrote, progress on zoning/development remains perpetually stalled. Nothing is going to change after this election. The Council will continue to talk without acting. The mayor will still be the mayor. Developers will continue to go around them and use the 40B option as we’re seeing here more and more. So I say that if there’s ever going to be an opportunity to take a strong position on a subject where you & I agree — that parkland should not be taken for a new community/senior center — then now’s the time. Like you, I strongly support an upgraded and enlarged senior center. Just not on Albemarle. And I urge Newton voters to pin down this year’s Council candidates on where they’d stand on this issue as Councilors and cast their votes accordingly.
This has probably been raised in other threads about NewCAL, but: I remember a few years ago, when construction/reorganization plans were unveiled for Newton Public Schools — specifically the shifting of the Horace Mann School to Carr School, with the former building to be converted in a multi-generational community center. As I understand it, this project was superseded by another, by which some NPS services and programs would be relocated to the old Horace Mann building. Is that absolutely set in stone? If not, here’s a (probably) crazy idea: Keep the community center-in-Horace-Mann idea, and put the NPS services/programs in the Walnut Street senior center once it’s vacated.