A Panel Discussion and Pictorial Review of CPA Progress and Projects with Project Leaders, Planners, Committee Members and Aldermanic Representatives

 

The Community Preservation Act (CPA) was adopted by the City of Newton in 2001.  Since then, over 40 projects involving open space, community housing, historic preservation, and recreation have been approved.  In Newton, the CPA Fund comes from a 1% surcharge on the property tax which, to date, has received 100% matching from the state, and whose projects have leveraged additional funding sources.  As we near the fifth year since its passage in Newton, there has been increasing debate on the value of the program.

 

The Newton Conservators Spring Lecture this year will be devoted to a review of the projects that  have been implemented with the aid of the CPA Fund.  This presentation will provide a review the history of the CPA in Newton, the process by which projects go from proposal to implementation, and the distribution of projects by type, area of the city, and funds allocated.  Members of the CPA Committee, the Planning Department, Aldermanic Committees with CPA oversight, and project planners themselves will be provide their perspectives on the program.  There will be opportunities for questions on the CPA process and its future.

 

The bulk of the program will be devoted to a pictorial overview of CPA projects that have been funded in the years since inception in Newton.  In its first four years, over 30 acres of open space have been preserved including the last remaining farm in the city and a large tract that connects existing conservation areas.  Over 80 units of community housing have been funded, including a Newton Housing Authority apartment building in Waban and the land for the first Habitat for Humanity project in the western suburbs.  Our city's three historic burying grounds are receiving badly needed restoration work and recreational improvements for many of our parks and facilities such as Gath Pool are underway. 

 

The free Newton Conservators Lecture Series , now in its fifth year,  is cosponsored by the Newton Conservators and the Newton Free Library.  The program will take place on Thursday, April 20, starting at 7 PM at the Druker Auditorium at the Newton Free Library.  For further information, please contact Ted Kuklinski,  lectures(AT)newtonconservators.org, or visit the Newton Conservators website at www.newtonconservators.org/lectures.htm. 

 

 

Programs and Services Aldermanic CPA Hearing

Wednesday, April 19, 2006 - 7:45 pm

Newton City Hall - Aldermanic Chambers

 

A joint meeting of several aldermanic committees takes place on Wednesday evening to consider whether the Community Preservation Act should be put on the ballot for reconsideration as we near the 5 year mark of CPA's adoption in Newton.  Some believe that the matter should be put to the voters again while others feel that if the system is working well, why jeopardize it?  Our understanding is that there will be opportunity for the public to be heard at this hearing.  Come to City Hall's aldermanic chamber on the second floor at 7:45 pm on Wednesday evening.

 

The CPA has been of tremendous good in helping acquire new open space.  We were fortunate that a number of preservation opportunities came along since the CPA was adopted.  In the 1980's and 1990's there were little resources to acquire open space in Newton and virtually none was added in Newton.  Important parcels such as the hillside adjacent to Andover Newton were lost to development.  The outcome may have been different with the CPA.  Please let your aldermen know how you feel about the value of the CPA to Newton.  Contact information for the aldermen can be found on the city's website at http://www.ci.newton.ma.us/Aldermen/pix/bios_index.htm.  Please consider attending this important hearing on Wednesday evening and letting your voice be heard.  Information on the activities related to the CPA can be found on the city's website at http://www.ci.newton.ma.us/Planning/CPAC/committee.htm. 

 

In particular, you may find last years CPA annual report of interest - http://www.ci.newton.ma.us/Planning/CPAC/FY05%20CPC%20Annual%20Report.pdf.  Here are some "Fast Facts" from that report:

• Years of CPA in Newton: 4 (enacted November 2001, with funds collected since July 2001)

• Acres of open space preserved under CPA: 32.25
• Units of community housing funded: 81
• Dollars from other sources leveraged with CPA local share funds:
           • $5.18M from state match
           • $1.90M more available October 15, 2005
           • Nearly $11M from other public and private sources
           • $2 leveraged for every $1 spent
• Total projects funded to date: 41 ($11.5M, not including future bond payments)
           • Open space - 6 ($2.42M)
           • Housing - 10 ($5.69M)
           • Historic preservation - 13 ($1.76M)
           • Recreation - 12 ($1.64M)
• Total CPA funds raised to date: $12.21M
           • Raised from tax surcharge: $7.08M
           • Raised from 100% state match: $5.18M
• CPA funds available for FY2006: $4.9M
  

Newton Conservators Spring Walk Series

 

Each Spring and Fall, the Newton Conservators organizes a series of walks to local open space areas. These walks are led by knowledgeable leaders and are open to the public and normally last for an hour or two.  These walks (and sometimes bicycle or canoe trips) are a great way to get to know open space areas in Newton. Below is the current walk schedule.  A printable version of the walks list is available on the Newton Conservators website at:  http://www.newtonconservators.org/events/walksspring06.pdf.  If you wish to check out the walk list online for updates and photos of some of the walk areas, see http://www.newtonconservators.org/walks.htm.

 

Cutler/Millennium/Charles River Loop
Sunday, May 7, 2:00 PM

Starting at Cutler Park, you will explore Cutler Park, Millennium Park and complete the tour by way of the Wells Avenue Charles River Pathway. These areas have been improved over the past several years and now provide a wide variety of trails, river landings and playing fields This is a long walk (2 ½ hours) and the leader has advised that the pace will be brisk and participants should be in sufficiently good shape to keep up with the group. This is early in the spring so hiking boots or heavy all-weather shoes are recommended.  Meet at the Cutler Park entrance 1/4-mile south of the Charles River Bridge, on Kendrick Street in Needham.  Henry Finch , Newton Conservators board member, will lead the hike.

Nahanton Park Mother’s Day Bird Walk
Sunday, May 14, 7:30 AM

Woodlands, wetlands and meadows make Nahanton Park a wonderful place to view migratory birds in spring. This annual event of the Newton Conservators is always well received. This is a great program for novice birders who want an introduction, as well as for experienced birders. Bring binoculars, if you have them. Meet at the park's Nature Center building, at the Nahanton Street entrance nearest the river. A parking lot is located at this entrance. The walk will be led by Cris Criscitiello, a Newton Conservators board member.

Triangle Weekend
Saturday & Sunday, May 20 & 21

We encourage everyone to participate in the first Triangle Weekend, featuring the 24th Annual Newton House Tour, sponsored by the Newton History Museum (Sunday, Noon-5:00 PM at the Jackson Homestead), and Newton Open Studios (Saturday and Sunday, Noon-6:00 PM, http://www.newtonopenstudios.com). The Newton Plant Sale, sponsored by Newton Pride, will be held on Saturday only (9:00 AM-5:00 PM, http://www.newtonplantsale.org).

Aqueduct Tour Sunday
May 28, 2:00 PM

Henry Finch will lead a walking tour of parts of the Sudbury and Cochituate Aqueducts that run through Newton. This walk has grown in popularity over time but it still serves as a way to introduce new and veteran residents of Newton to this wonderful resource. The group leader is an active user of the aqueducts, both as a biker and runner, and is a great source of information about the trail system. You will walk close to backyards, but will also visit pinewoods, meadows and hills. In areas adjacent to backyards, please be respectful of the privacy of homeowners.  Meet in front of the Starbucks near the Waban MBTA Station. Call Henry Finch for info.

Kennard Park Walk Sunday

June 4, 2:00 PM

A walk along the trails of the Kennard properties, where a 32-acre post-agricultural forest has grown up on 19th century farmland that became an early 20th century gentleman's estate. In the 1980s, the property became a Newton park, adjacent to Brookline's 58-acre Lost Pond reservation. Explore South Meadow Brook, the mixed and conifer woodlands with colonial stone walls, a red maple swamp with century-old trees, and throughout, a wide variety of trees, shrubs, and ferns.  Meet at the main entrance at 246 Dudley Road. Trip leader Larry Burdick is a Newton Conservators board member.

Charles River Wildflower Walk
Saturday, June 10, 10:00 AM

Carole Smith Berney will lead a Wildflower Walk along the Charles River from Watertown Square to Bridge Street. Walkers will receive a copy of her new Wildflower Guide to the Charles River. The walk will follow the newly completed Charles River Pathway and participants will identify wildflowers found on both the Watertown and Newton sides of the river. Distance is approximately three leisurely miles.  Park at the DCR (formerly MDC) parking lot off Pleasant Street in Watertown, adjacent to the Sasaki Landscape Office sign, and meet at the stone pillars on Galen Street. Carole Smith Berney is a photographer and naturalist, who has exhaustively studied and photographed wildlife in this section of the Charles River.  Note that this walk is on a Saturday morning and is part of Biodiversity Days in Massachusetts.

Angino Farm Tour Sunday

June 11, 2:00 PM

The Angino Farm will be planting its first crops under the direction of Newton Community Farm, which will operate the farm under an arrangement with the city. A tour of the farm and show how Newton's last farm will continue as an active agricultural site to grow organic produce for Newton residents and provide a model for sustainable agricultural and environmental practices.  The tour will be led by John Regosin, a founder of the Newton Community Farm and Conservators board member.

 

Charles River Lake District Canoe Trip

Sunday, June 18, 2:00 PM

An almost-annual favorite is the canoe trip through the Charles River Lake District, a mixture of residential, commercial and wetlands. It starts from the Charles River Canoe Service on Commonwealth Avenue and passes Norumbega Park, Fox Island, Auburndale Park, Weirs Cove, the Waltham Watch building, Mount Feake Cemetery, Purgatory Cove and stops just short of the Moody Street dam. These wetlands are well populated with ducks, geese, blue herons and the occasional hawk or egret, so you might want to bring your binoculars. Meet at the Charles River Canoe Service on Commonwealth Avenue in Auburndale. Trip leader is Bill Hagar, current president of the Newton Conservators. Parking is across the river in the parking lot near the Route 95 ramp entrance.

Cheesecake Brook & Halloran Field Tour

Sunday, June 25, 2:00 PM

 

The Cheesecake Brook corridor, with its banks along the brook, and the adjoining recreational and park lands, with a new entrance to the Charles River Pathway over the Blue Heron Bridge, has the potential to become a significant open space and recreational resource if some of the CPA, Community Development and city-funded proposals to improve the area are approved. Curtis Betts, along with representatives of the Newton Conservators and the Newton History Museum, will lead a three-mile tour of recent improvements to the area and will discuss plans for further improvements to the corridor.  Meet Curtis Betts of the Friends of Albemarle at the new gazebo that is adjacent to the tot lot at the Horace Mann School.

 

 

Living With Wildlife in Newton - Part 2 - Practical Tips
The Environmental Show on NewTV's Blue Channel - April

 

What do you do when a wily coyote visits your backyard?  Tennis anyone?  Tennis balls thrown at a coyote can be an effective deterrent according to Colleen Olfenbuttel, a staff Biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Or how about discouraging wild turkeys by moving toward them with an open umbrella?  Wildlife encounters with coyotes, turkeys, deer, possum, fisher, fox, and geese are becoming increasingly common here in Newton. 

 

April's Environmental Show is Part 2 of Living With Wildlife in Newton, is based on last November's lecture by Colleen Olfenbuttel, a staff Biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.  February's show (Part 1) provided some perspective on the phenomenon of why we see more wildlife locally these days.  After hunting and the clear cutting of Massachusetts forests for farming led to a decline in animal populations, the regrowth of forests led to a return of many species.  Animals find the suburban habitat and available food sources well suited to their needs.  The show explained the habits and characteristics of many of the creatures who have adopted Newton as their home.  The proximity of wildlife sometimes leads to conflict.  April's program (Part 2) deals with practical steps that can be taken by residents to minimize such conflicts and to help residents coexist peacefully with their wildlife neighbors. 

 

Such wildlife encounters are becoming increasingly common in cities such as Newton.  In recent years, a bald eagle was spotted feasting on fresh Charles River fish on the same field,  an otter was found cavorting in a West Newton swimming pool, a turkey was harassing a postal worker in Newtonville,  a wild moose chase occurred in our fair city, and deer, coyote, fox, and even fisher sightings are more common than ever.

The Environmental Show is a volunteer partnership between Newton Conservators and the Green Decade Coalition with each organization presenting on alternate months.   Learn to think globally and act locally with the Green Decade Coalition and learn more about your parks with the Conservators! 

 

The Environmental Show is broadcast at eight times weekly for a month duration on the NewTV Blue channel (Comcast Channel 10, RCN Channel 15):  The Environmental Show is currently shown on NewTV's Blue Channel  (www.newtv.org) on Monday (3 pm), Tuesday (1:30 am, 11:30 pm), Wednesday (11:30 am), Thursday (12 pm, 4 pm, 7:30 pm), and Saturday (10 am).  Newton Conservators shows are hosted by Cris Criscitiello and other members of the Conservators.  Shows produced by the Green Decade are hosted by Beverly Droz with guests from a variety of environmental organizations and interests.

 

Upcoming Events

 

Below is a time ordered list of events other than our Spring Walk Series that you may find of interest.  Please send your listings to dolanpond(AT)aol.com.