Hi everyone. Uh we're going to go ahead and get started officially open up the September 2025 Traffic and Parking Commission public meeting. Uh just as a reminder, if you wish to speak, I have a sign-in sheet there and it's when it's your turn to speak. Step into the microphone and just uh state your name
and address for the record. First item on the agenda is approval of the minutes from the June 3rd, 2025 meeting. Um, I'd like to make a motion to table that for the next meeting. Second. All in favor? I
I Next is a public hearing proposing amendments to article 13 of the citywide parking program. if anyone he is here from the public that wishes to speak on that. So we have a question um asking what article 13 is of the citywide parking
program if the clerk wants to speak on that behalf. Uh what exactly is article 13? It's for the resident park parking regulations. Correct. Lisa, if you want to come just come
right to the mic and uh just to repeat what she said is that article 13 includes all the regulations that go along with the citywide parking program. So that includes the process for getting residential passes. It includes visitors passes. It includes everything that you interact with the clerk's office for to be able to park
your car on Chelsea's streets is governed in article 13. Uh Janette, please feel free to add on to anything there. No, you got it right. Um do you think you could start by introducing yourself and just give like a couple sentence overview of what this
proposal is meant to do? Uh so I submitted um uh proposed amendments uh to article 13 of the citywide parking program uh due to an internal evaluation of the language. Um and what kind of sparked that was the city's looking into
um digital permitting uh for the next renewal. Um and so it made us take another look at it. It's been a few years. In 2019, the council uh city councilors asked me to look at it to tighten it up. Um because the because of
day the day-to-day operations, we want the regs to reflect the actual practice. And so there's some grammatical um uh corrections um and we just kind of tightened up some of the language for like taxis and liveries um and then
larger vehicles. Um Uh, counselor, what are we looking for? Okay, so I don't know if anyone is here from the public that wishes to speak on what parking clerk just had to say. the changes to article 13 doesn't look like there is.
I have a question. What what how is this affecting larger vehicles? Um so let me find this and what's the definition of a larger vehicle? I think it's over it's like over six tires and nine feet or something like
that. Is that sound? Uh, so I see a definition for commercial vehicle on the first page of the revised regulations. No. So we uh let me just find that section. Did you? So in section 137 for
residential commercial parking program we are recommending um so section B any motor vehicle which is a trailer, semi-tra, auto home, camper, house trailer, tow truck, dumpster, box truck,
taxi cab, ambulance, hearse, livery vehicle, bus, school bus or pupil transport vehicle is excluded from the parking program. Can can I have I have two comments? Well, a couple of comments. One is that
could you put that in the definition so it's more upfront. Um the other thing um could you also put a definition for digital sign this digital permit? Um, and then
I think with regard to like a commercial display, Massachusetts commercial vehicle license plates or used primarily for commercial purposes is it and or is it or or is it both? And is there a limit on how many people like if I'm a resident in Chelsea and I have five commercial vehicles?
So there is a restriction uh only one vehicle with a commercial license plate that is legally registered in the city of CH shall be eligible for a parking sticker. Um and then the decal on the commercial is it going to be a magnet or is it going to be like permanent lettering? So
we are um if you pass the digital permits um we are looking to take um small steps with this uh because there's a learning curve usually. Um so we wanted to start off the digital permits with the resident
stickers and then still make um allow for the visitor passes to be um physical permits and so they're displayed and so um a resident can see whether or not they have a permit at all. um for the which permit of which one they would
fall under. So there's a commercial um and it's every six months and then there's a landlord. Um so with a commercial though is it is it a permanent like so it's more agarity LT you know limited partners. Is it going to be permanently on my car? Is that
considered commercial or is it just a commercial license? So in our office we go by the registration. There's a type a vehicle type. So, it's commercial in that regard. And the other question I have that you brought up, the landlord, I'm not clear if the landlord is not a resident, they
don't have a car here, they don't garage a car here, why are they only paying is are they only paying $10? So, there's two permits. There's a landlord uh parking sticker, which is $50 and it goes to that that of a vehicle. the parking pass, the visitor
parking pass is $10 and it can go into any vehicle. And so the idea again, I did not implement this program, but it uh what I understand it to be is um an option as a landlord. So you um you're sending someone to check on the property
and so you're in a daytime restricted area, something happens at night, um you would someone of a like a plumber can go and visit the property using the visitor pass, but like a landlord, why are we not charging them the same as we're charging
like a commercial restaurant, you know, because they they're not paying excise tax, they're not paying insurance, you know, it's I guess the question is Um, so Pete, I know you're here for something else, but
could they make an amendment to my amendments and recommend that? Okay. I don't know. I just don't understand why we're I mean, if I had to speculate, I'm guessing it's
because some landlords are very small operations. I'm not that's not a justification or a defense. is a guess. I mean, as a resident who pays tax, excise tax and insurance, you know, I feel as though that, you know, we should
be fair to the residents who live here. Um, I can I add on a question more or do you have more? No, that's um I do have one question. If we're going to be phasing it, everywhere in these regulation it says it says stickers and you it's been crossed out
and replaced with digital permit. So the sections for sticker that are permanent stickers will say for residence will say permanent uh digital permit if you found one that was uh missed but then there are other stickers that we called it uh
parking permit or pass and I think we caught them all. Um this isn't that you miss one, it's just like if it's going to be a phase thing and people there will be stickers for a little longer at the same time there are digital passes. I wonder if we want to say something more generic like parking permit. So that we took care of that. So
you'll see that instead it used to say stickers. So for example in the non-residential parking pro prohibitions it says um it used to say stickers and now it says parking permits for the phasing. Yeah. So we did so the resident passes are not being phased. That's going to be all at once
and that's why that's a digital permit. As long if you approve it we will start that for renewal uh next year. Okay. Thank you for the clarity. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Do you want to ask? Um, I have one other thing that I'd ask. Um, in these regulations, it doesn't say anything
about the places that are restricted from being in the parking program due to the zoning relief. Could we get that added to the regulations that refers back to the zoning just so it's clear to people when they're looking at it? So, I can look into that. Um, because it falls under zoning to I can look into
with the law department about putting language in our regs that refers to it. Um, because ultimately we we enforce it. Um, but we are we don't initiate it. Um, but I can definitely look into that and I can get you that like chapter
reference because I was just talking to permanent land use about updates to that section because I mean as as you read it if if I you know I can get a you know I can get a resident sticker. So I I think there should be some transparency just saying
that um you know there are there are people that are going to be exempt from the parking you know I mean you don't have to but I I think there should be I mean for for you guys too so that you're not the person saying no agree should be like the landlord or the
condo association. Any other questions on the commission? Sorry, one more. Um, there's a section here on page five that says a lost, stolen, or damaged residential parking digital permit will not be Can we lose a
residential digital parking permit or should we just strike that section? We should strike that. Okay. So, we'll just strike that for to make it not confusing for people. You said page five. Uh, page five of 12. It's section 13-4.2 C.
Okay, I will take I will look into uh so I'm going to take another look at it because I think we may have been thinking of something else. I just want to make sure and I will get that back to you. That sounds great. Thank you. Do you want to comment?
Um I I saw the agenda and I knew this was going to be a public hearing, but my question is did the public know the specifics because I did not. I knew peripherally what some of the changes may be as a counselor because I had
followed it. But I think that this might be a premature public hearing when the public hasn't had a chance to see what the amendments were. I know that this was posted on the agenda center as part of our agenda for tonight
with a very general amendments to article 13. I didn't see any other supplemental materials to even tell the public what the changes were going to be. Do we not post the packet? This was u advertised in the paper
um that it was taking place or the all the specifics as well. Well, I think that if somebody really wanted to look into it, they would reach out to us. I I just don't know if that that's not
good enough for me as a representative. I think that you needed to perhaps be specific about what the amendments were going to be so that people who would be affected could come.
That's just my opinion about it. I think we have to inform before we perform. I think we have to inform before we perform. Informing comes first.
Make it easier for people. too difficult to just describe what Janette described and then it may aren't given that there are changes we're
asking to see anyway. Do we want to move to continue the like we can still listen to people, but can we ask the clerk's office to put together a des like a high level description of the changes to include and do another public hearing at the next meeting?
If you want to make that motion, I'm I'm gauging interest. I'm gauging openness. I make the motion. I I agree with this item. Janette did speak on particulars before it went to a public hearing though. That's I we had a discussion about it in June, but if our packet I kind of thought our
packet was posted online. Uh and if the specifics aren't available, which it sounds like they were not like I get people not understanding like how it might impact them if there was no way for them like it it's different to click on a link than to like call or email the
clerk's office. And I don't if a delay to October won't like adversely impact you, I don't see a reason not to. Um so I would have a discussion with um in-house internally because uh a lot of
what the city does is they do the generic legal ad and it says copies are available for your for public viewing. Um so that way it invites anyone in from the public. Um so I would have to look into that.
Do we have copies of those here today uh with me? No, I do not. I mean, we can look it up in the Chelsea record real quick. I believe there was a motion on the table. Oh, I I would I would move to like push
this off until the next month. I would see the re the revisions. Maybe the motion maybe the thing to do is not to change the public hearing notice, but to see if we can work with the city manager's office to and their like press and social media people
to put out something more specific about this. Sorry, I know council recover you've been Yeah. I if it's going to um impede the process in terms of the time,
I wouldn't want to do that. So maybe if things are available, um I just think maybe the bigger thing is that we could do a better job with that going forward so that we're not just counting on
people to read the Chelsea record. I don't want to um like I said impede this process right now by bringing this to everyone's attention but I just think we could do better with communication um going forward because hopefully there
won't be that many people who are affected by this who will say your communication wasn't good enough so I don't want to hold you back but it was just notable to me that I I didn't see anything.
I I don't want to approve something that I haven't seen. So, I mean, until we see the revisions, I wouldn't be willing to Yeah, I don't think we're going to vote on it tonight anyway because we're asking for revisions. You're still going to table it. You'd table it, but it would be tabled to another public session. It would just be tabled to with the revisions. We'd
review the revisions and if someone wanted to speak on it, they could speak on. Well, the only difference here would be if we decide we want to continue the public hearing, which I don't know that that we need to because the legal notice doesn't like if we're just saying we want to invite people to come talk to us, that doesn't have to be in a public
hearing. It would just be wherever on the agenda instead of first. Please chime in if I've missed. All right. So, I'll make a motion to table with the revised amendments. So, councelor Rubro wanted to speak before we table. I think
my name is Joanna Recuber and I'm a city council. The city's always had a big issue. The biggest issue that I have is they always say, "Well, we advertised it to who?" You advertised it on a computer. What if you don't have a computer? You advertised it on the Chelsea record. What? You don't read a Chelsea record. So, who did you
advertise it to? I know by law, you're required to post it in a newspaper. What if you can't read a newspaper? You don't know how to read it. You don't understand. How would you s What would you do to those people? How would they know? How would you compensate for them? You don't have to because by state law, you only have to put it at public
hearing. But a public hearing, but the city, if you want to be more transparent, you would make sure that everybody gets it. And the city does not do that. It doesn't always, that's why you never see people here. 90% of them don't even know what goes on. They don't understand. They say, "Well, we
advertised it." On what? The Chelsea record. What if you don't read the Chelsea record? On what? Your computer. What if you ain't got a computer? So, if you were going to do something like this, there's a very simple solution. The clerk's office can send a letter to everybody that owns a car and
say to them, "This is what's going to happen." They used to do it before when you got your presidential sticker, they will send you a letter with your sticker in it. Then they stopped it. So now you go, city will spend a little extra money and you will send each individual in
Spanish and in English. You will send to them, this is what's going to happen. Are you interested? That's how you will solve the solution. You can't just say, "Oh, well, we advertised it on the Chelsea record. Oh, we advertised it. What about the other people? They deserve to know themselves.
So, there will be the bigger solution." Like fellow counselor said, people don't know. So, what would it cost for the city itself to send out a miller? They do it every When you send out Miss Janette, can I talk to her
for one second? Ask her a question. I was just going to say, you know, we've taken what you're saying into consideration. It's a really it's a valid point. Okay. That's that's the whole thing. Before you say we had a public hearing, yes, you had a public hearing, but how many people actually know what you're
saying? I think that stands for all the other commissions as well, not just the traffic and parking commission meeting too. The I work in the housing community development department and we spend so much time trying to figure out how to reach people. I will say um I expect the
primary barrier there would be cost. It would cost at least a few thousand dollars and I don't know where that's coming from but I think it's the taxpayer just like you taxpayer will hang it up but as as a council could you not do you not have a mailing list that you could send out notifications to too. I mean
it's I mean to ask the city to send out an email to every car owner some people don't have email well I you know I don't know I mean how do you propose that we do this? I mean because I I think they're doing it legally what they're supposed to be doing. They put it in the paper. It's on the website. It's you know it's at city
hall. I mean at some point there is some onus on the residents to also be aware of what's going on too. I understand that's the point I was trying to make. When you want full transparency the people to know you make sure it's fully transparent because if you only get 80% of the population what
happens to the other 20 that doesn't know? Don't they deserve to know? They do. But it's also their responsibility to figure that out too. You know, I mean, it's, you know, as somebody in the city, they're they know that there's city government. They know that they have committees. They have
representatives that they could be reaching out to. So, I mean, there's a lot of different ways. It's not necessarily only on the city to do this. I mean, speaking as a resident, that's I understand what you're saying. I got, you know, the issue is that you have to when you talking about advertising, you
ought to advertise to the whole public. You can't just advertise to a section of it because you look at it in this city, right? When I say it to all of them. The city before used to do everything digital. Now the city doesn't do everything digital. It sends out it puts
papers. When you apply before to get a permit, it will be digital. now. So, I was able to make sure that people that don't have all these equipment can have the paper for it because it's unfair to somebody that doesn't have all these equipments, doesn't have a phone,
doesn't have. So, you're saying, "Well, you're backwards. You're living in the past." But, so what? If you're living in the past, what does that mean? You're going to discriminate against these people? You can't see the same thing the city each year, right, sends you and it says to you, you have to renew your
registration on your car. Doesn't the city pay for that? When they send you a bill to re get your car, right, the excise tax, they send you a paper, right? They send you a paper telling you you have to pay your excise tax. So why
can't you put that in there say here this is a changes we're going to make to the pocket program. I think we can, but we can't really decide on that now. I understand. I I you don't have to decide now. But I'm saying when they're talking about transparency, it's not really transparent. Then you say, "Well,
the city when it wants his money, it sends you the paper says you have to pay your exercise tax. Everybody that has a car gets one and if you don't, you pay." So if you do it that way, why can't you be transparent and send the same thing to the people to say to them that, "Here, listen. This is what we're going to do. Are you interested?" And then
it's a burden on them, not on you. Yep. It's a good point. It's a good point. Good evening. Uh Clarangelis Kovas, 22 Garish Avenue. Um while the public hearing is still open um just to give
you guys a little bit of feedback. Um number one we have I believe some considerations as far as the resident um stickers are concerned as far as the digital permits. Um, for a while now I have been advocating for some
modifications to be considered, especially for anything that is being um, brought up in any of the areas that are um, being done anywhere
where they're going to be new developments um, being brought up where we are considering any new zoning. And I know that's for zoning, but you guys are parking in traffic. I know that if we are approving projects that do not have
adequate parking, and I'm not saying areas where there's going to be parking relief. I know that that's on the on the landlords or whatever, but because we are making accommodations for um T
proposals and there is going to be new parking um rollouts. In the past, we have been told, well, that's a John D priest um conversation. He's not here to have that conversation. We are rolling out a new um
part uh parking permit. So, hence I'm bringing up the conversation now. residents who own vehicles and are, you know, paying uh the fees and whatnot. If we are here and we have
parkings um whether they are being paid for um independently because these uh landlords cannot necessarily give the spots to everybody. Once you leave your um garage home and
you go to conduct business outside of that space, you still have to park your your vehicle elsewhere. So, if you're dropping off your child in a you know designated area, you're no you're going to potentially get a ticket somewhere. Um so, that's something that should be
considered. um either if we're going to do like a restricted area zone, um it's worth considering how we're going to go ahead and um potentially create a resident sticker, a Chelsea resident, uh zone XYZ, so that they can't necessarily
park overnight, but it's, you know, a Chelsea resident sticker for those people that, you know, reside in Chelsea, pay excise taxes in Chelsea, but um should not be be able to park their, you know, their vehicles outside
of their homes at night. Uh, so that's something to consider. Number two, it is unacceptable to say that with all of the outreach that we are that we are seeing recently, whether it's balante um community outreach or whatever, that
if we're going to have a public hearing that we can't for a public hearing with uh uh text alert or something for parking and traffic, our commissions that we're
just going to rely on our newspaper which is at this point laughable or obsolete um only because of our recent uptick and the uproar that we have seen in other boards and commissions. Absolutely. I do feel that our residents
also have to be engaged, but I was watching it um via the live streaming and I literally got out of my house and came over um just to make sure that I could, you know, have my voice heard from my constituents as well because I get tons of calls from the school
committee because a lot of members don't realize that parking and traffic or the parking issues have nothing to do with the school issues. you know, there's only so much that we could do, but unfortunately the boards will overlap and people will make confusions over
what's what's going to what. So, thank you for my counselor for speaking up for the constituents, but I do think that when it comes to public hearings, we do have to do a little bit better. And that has nothing to do with you guys, but just to, you know, to put that out there. So, thank you. I I actually don't disagree with like an
like a a rave or wave, you know, announcement. I don't Yeah, because we have now palante which they're doing the they do like the onboarding and stuff and I know that we have had a lot of other things and you guys do so much already and I feel like
where there's uh with the board commissions there's you guys have like a whole month in order to you know to get the stuff but even if like let's say there there's like a situation where you guys are going to have um a continuation of um a hearing
those emails that you know that like whatever is spoken of right now that continuation gets carried over not all of those um emails or that information gets brought over to the next hearing or that overlap you know especially if there's like I know for a school
committee um we have a gap in between the summer so you know there's a pretty big overlay and there's a lot of um unresolved issues to you know to put it that way or there's a buildup of of like you know um cases that we see o you know
over the time. So so for this particular amendment proposing the changes to the parking parking program it looks like the attachments were not there for the public hearing portion for the public to view if Lisa wasn't able
to see it. The I think that legally we followed what is the process of you know being advertised on the papers and on on um computer right on the website. However, for this particular item, the supporting documentation wasn't there maybe
and and usually the board will get the attachments separately. Then what like the agendas will be posted but the attachments don't necessarily the public can view the agenda the attachments don't necessarily get posted. Um the item the line items usually get posted separately.
So that's what I would say for this particular agenda item. If those attachments weren't there, they should have been there. But changes to how public hearings are actually advertised, that's a bigger conversation that we can't. I mean, the public I disagree with what you're saying. I don't think that's something that we
could, but I don't disagree with having some sort of notification people can sign up for, but that's an issue for city government. Yes. And and even if we look at our city um and even in our city website and you look at the um balante um uh
notifications and agendas um if you look at those two um but they are also um powered by a different um system al together because they're uh that uh system is very much more detailed as
well. Um so it's it's um something worth considering and having a more in-depth conversation which it puts the boards and everybody there um in a difficult position. But um we do have the um the outreach source to at least send out um
maybe if it's a week before um the text messages and stuff like that because you know ultimately you guys get the the short end of the stick. So thank you. Thank you. I do just want to share for context that the number of public hearings that the
city has is large and it's not I've lived in a city where they send out text alerts for every single thing you could conceivably send out a text alert for and people start ignoring them. So, it's something I think the city tries to use judiciously. That being said, could you not sign up for the ones that
you're interested in as opposed to getting every single one? I mean, like you there's some, you know, I I don't want every single one either, but if I was interested in parking and commission or zoning, I would absolutely sign up for it to see what it was. It also assumes that people want a text
message. People have a preferred point of contact. Maybe there should be some effort to find out what people's preferred point of contact is. Any legitimate business runs that way. I don't see why this and that's why I specifically mentioned balante and that's why I specifically
mentioned um the text alerts and and I mean we at the school department we use parent square and even for parent square you can choose to opt out to have either you know whether it's a teachers text alert or whether it's the teachers um
you know you can limit the amount of um you know the the text alerts the emails and all that stuff you can dial it back to just, you know, emails along and and you could also mute the notifications so that you can at least get them and
review them, but at least we could as a city um then go back and go ahead and and view to see if if it went out. Um but it's better to say, okay, so we put it on the mail um and we put it on, you know, we sent the email, we sent the newspaper, and we sent the text alert.
So now we covered all of our tracks and you know we did the greatest amount of outreach rather have residents say that they were not um aware that something was was done or or something occurred and they were not aware especially
something that's at this point um taking place at such a large scale and affecting so many residents and then we have less than I think 2% of the population here um you being affected and and taken you know by storm.
So th those changes taken under advisement this commission as well as the other commissions. I don't know if the city council will talk to the city manager how those changes will be implemented but I appreciate all that feedback from this counselors of the way people are notified via advertisement for these public hearings for this
particular agenda item. a lot of proposed or um changes to what was proposed by the parking clerk. Who wants to make a motion? Uh can I make a motion to table this item until the next meeting so we can see a version that incorporates
comments and suggested revisions and give further opportunity for public comment. I'll second it. Second. All in favor? I I um and I will give myself a to-do outside of the public hearing notice discussion to just talk to the city
manager's office about this specific one and see what we can't do to advertise it better in advance of next month. Thank you. Uh next item on the agenda, communication April 28, 2025 from Linda Doo requesting speed humps on Pine Street.
Um, I would actually ask to table this one also again because we don't have our fire department representative here and I would prefer not to I would prefer to wait for his presence to discuss it any further. Make a motion a second. I'll second. All in favor? I
I would just say if you guys don't mind, um, I think there are two other speed hump agenda items. Yeah. Can I motion to table discussion of Well, I think you might you're here. You might want to speak on them. Yes, I only have one, but I've been
speaking on for the last year. I'll speak on it again. U then we should just wait. Yep. Okay. So, the there was a motion to table agenda item number four. Excuse me. Are you guys from Pine? Oh, you're here from Pine Street.
Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were here to talk about it. Uh, I would love to still hear what you guys have to say and we just won't be able to make a decision tonight. Podski, 36 Pine Street. I've lived there since 1982. Linda and EJ have lived were
born here and uh the traffic is just getting worse there. Like like Linda's eloquently said in her letter of April 20th, people do when William Street gets backed up, people speed up Pine Street to get to the light at Chestnut and Williams. And I think some of the worst
offenders, I hate to say it, come from the courthouse in the morning. They speed up there to get into the parking lot. But I know you have to table it for now, but uh it's it's a it's a miracle that nobody's been hit. One of our pets hasn't been run over. There hasn't been a bad crash. And when all the extra
construction at the old gas station plus two houses on Pine Street, we have more commercial vehicles up there, too. Yeah. If you want to comment, just come up to the mic. Just sir, do you mind signing? Sir,
make sure he signs into the signin sheet, too. There's a sign in. If you want to speak, you just have to sign in, too. Yes. And sir, did you also go up and sign in? just we need to ask you to um while you're doing that, I'll just give a little context on why I asked to table it until the fire department is here because the fire department has
currently put a hold on putting any new speed bumps in until they can assess the impact of it. Speed bumps. What? Speed tables. They told us speed um they've put a hold on changing the surface of the roadway in
height in with the goal of slowing down speeds. Yeah. uh because it can adversely impact the fire apparatus and response times. So, I work for the housing community de development department and we've been talking with the fire department slowly over time about trying to balance like pedestrian
safety and the ability to respond quickly to fires. That discussion is ongoing with that. Please continue with your comments. The fire truck just makes it up the street. The street is, like I said, is 13 ft wide. That's it. My sidewalk is 29 in from my door to the street. It's 29
in. I mean, that's an alley. And speed up there. That's one reason I think that we might have some hope on this one that like it wouldn't really adversely impact the fire department because I can't imagine they're using Pine Street to get any to any fires that aren't on Pine Street.
Right. I mean, but like I said, they when traffic backs up on William Street, of course, they just take the Pine Street and fly to the and they get to the side of lights. Now, we got that building being built at the bottom of the aisle street. Where are those cars
going to go? How are they going to exit? How, you know what I mean? Yeah. Just It would be nice. Yeah. Couple of those not speed. We've actually been talking about a a new kind of speed table we just learned about or I just learned about that is calibrated to the width of a
firetruck. So, it's wider than a normal car but narrower than a firetruck. And that's the thing I'm hoping to come back to you guys about. So, the fire department would be able to drive over it, but cars would have to slow down or hit the speed bump. So,
street, right? Um, and our widest fire apparatus is 8 feet wide. 8t wide, feel free. I don't have business cards on me, but if you guys want to reach out
and talk more directly as this conversation with the fire department is ongoing, my name is Emily. I work in housing and community development. My contact information is on the website. And then this will be you made a motion of table to the October. Yes. Do I have a second for that?
Second. All in favor? I Okay. Next communication June 5th, 2025 from councelor Giovanni Recuper requesting the installation of a stop sign on Central Avenue at the intersection of Shamage Street eastbound direction. Counselor,
the the stop sign. Do you wish to speak on it? My turn. Yes. Okay, this is in regards to the stop sign on Central A. Wait a minute. I got to put my ear on. If I don't have my ear, I don't hear.
Okay, now I can hear you. This This is just You're um requesting the installation of a stop sign on Central Avenue at the intersection of Shamat Street, the Central Edge Shamat, the eastbound direction. Yeah. Going towards the Chelsea Street Bridge. Um that's a four-way intersection. There's cars coming on all
four ways, but there's only there on three sides. You know what? Because so the pe people that are going that way don't have to stop and that's how you got problems all the time. If now I think by adding the other stop sign and put in there to stop, people are getting used to stopping on that side, but they're not getting used to coming from
the other end. It's a four-way intersection, put a stop sign right there. Make all four ways stoppable so that people can stop on all sides. Makes sense. Makes sense. Any want to comment on that? That makes sense to me. Makes sense. Anyone want to make a make a motion?
Motion to approve this request. Second. I'll second. All in favor? I. Thank you. I one minute. Can I see I'm here for I have the yellow one, too, right? Let me let me read that one. So, I'll read when I get to that. Come right back
up. Okay. Right now, we're on number six. Number six. uh handicap application of June 18, 2025 for Raphael Maniva of a Reynolds AP please. Sure.
Oh, no. If you if you can the best the best [Music] moment. Okay. Um, okay. I'm letting him know to just go slow that I'm going to try to translate.
[Music] Okay. Okay. Um, he's saying that he doesn't know u if it's his fault that his sign was taken down. Okay. Uh [Music]
[Music] oh. Um, he's saying that perhaps it was because he did not renew uh with us the handicap black card. Um, I I think it might have been it. Um,
we did vote to remove some that hadn't renewed. I don't recall, but it might I know that we were um um we made some um Yeah. Right. Um and that might have been the
reason why um his was taken down because uh he didn't update the um documents with us. I don't see a reason not to reinstate it now if he's back and has clear I have questions because um his application am I correct that it Off
street parking has off streetet parking. Is it on his application? No. Just look at the application. I could be wrong. And I know Emily, you're saying not to to to say, but I would I would have Elsa check to make sure that it was there
before that we already approved before before you just say to put it back up there. Yeah. So, okay. So, I think he might have just made an error with the application. [Music]
Okay. Does he does he own the place or he rents? Okay. Is Elsa Oh, sorry. No, I was just saying that it's a problem if people don't properly fill it up. That's why
just if confirming that he doesn't have off streetet parking available. The house doesn't have because that also seemed like something that might have been an error. Yeah, I think it's an error from the garage. Um Jimmy, any reason you see not to put
a sign up here whether or not there was one before? No, only I'd only want to confirm what else that there was an existing sign there. That's all. We could just make a motion to put one up and then it doesn't matter if there was one before. Well, is there there signs in the area, too? Well, the only issue is he was he was issued a handicap placard and then
when the city reached out to him to re uh give his paperwork for it, he failed to do that. Like there has to be some onus on him to continue to provide the right paperwork. And I do have to say we call Yeah. multiple times. We leave voicemails and
we also sent letters and then we did take the sign down, but if he's here now to apply for it again, like why doesn't he just go through the handicap application process again? make sure it's a legitimate uh sticker and all those things and then deal with it
when those things are done. Well, Elsa, can you tell me what the difference is between going through the handicap application process and what uh Mr. Menchvar has already done here because this is the same paperwork I normally see. He is going through the application process again. That's that's what I thought and like
but I I don't recall him being having one before. So that's what Jimmy's saying for me to verify. Yeah. I don't I just I'm asking if it matters. Oh, I mean I think it matters that people fill out correctly and it's a formality. I I don't think we just spell loosey gooy.
Yeah. Like for instance, unfortunately we can't almost tell unless you can house like there is there is a twocar garage in the house. It obviously he rents so that's probably his, you know, reason he can't. But no, Emily, I don't disagree with you. You're right. if it's if he's applying for one, whether or not it was there before, but I'd still like to know if it was there before just
because if he didn't do the proper paperwork, and like Elsa said, we reached out to him multiple times and he failed to give that like that's the onus is on him. He needs to follow up on that. Now he's just coming up here to say, "You took it away from me. Give it back to me." That's what I feel. But I do agree with you, Emily. So,
I mean, even if he reach missed the outreach, he is here going through the proper channel to apply for us to put it back. So, I can confirm real quick on the April agenda, uh, 8 Reynolds Avenue did have their handicap placard removed due to their failure to update the expired placard on
file. So, so now he's pretty much coming back with the right paperwork and saying that he has it. Correct. Yeah. Okay. So, that information, does anybody want to make a motion? I would like to motion to approve the handicap placard application.
There a second on that. I'll second it. Second. All in favor? Okay. So, [Music] I'm gonna tell him to make sure to have his documents up to date next time. Yep. He said he apologizes.
Okay. Easy. No, no problem. Okay. No problem. Okay. Thank you very much. You're welcome. Can I just make one comment because I then I Is the application in Spanish too or is it just
It's just English. Can we do Spanish and English? I I don't know. Uh I'm going to put that on my to-do to follow up on. Okay. Because the same the next application I also think might Yeah. I mean, but I think we have to verify because I do feel as though that this is a formality. People should fill
it out properly. But on the other end, we should also have it. Next item on the agenda, a handicap application June 18, 2025 for Santos Romeo of 105 Garfield A. Santos Romeo. Romero.
Santos Romero. Um, I suspect that there might have been a some confusion about filling out the form given how page two looks. Um, but
there isn't a lot of information and I'm wondering if we can follow up with this gentleman to clarify. Okay. like I can't I can't read anything in question five and he checked off all the boxes for questions three through five
even the if no box but he checked yes so I just I think it's a comprehension barrier but if we can table I motion to table I would second it second all in favor table I I
next communication June 25th 2025 from Linda Levy requesting a speed hump at 100 Stockton Street. Um I'll just speak quickly on I do know in that particular stretch of roadway there's a two fourway stop signs at both at Galuli and at Clark.
So I don't I know she's talking about just down past that. So the city line ends just at the end of Deborah Park which is maybe 200 feet from the intersection of Galuli and then it then it becomes to the commons and becomes a private way and she's talking in front of 100 Stockton which would be that
would be the creek side the commons buildings. Um so we wouldn't be able to I wouldn't think you'd want to put one at the city line technically where the city property ends but because that'd be in the middle of an intersection also that too. That's a dangerous place
to put a speed bump. Yeah. Um, yeah. I'm not exactly sure where she's talking about, but I like Jimmy, I suspect it's on Creek Side. I confirm with her she wants it literally in front of 100. Um, what is
it? Stock which is the creek side. Yeah. Yeah. I don't think that's going to necessarily pass muster from an engineering safety perspective. No. So I I would make a request to deny the request. I'm sorry. I would make a
motion to deny the request. Second on that. Seconded. All in favor? I I um with the added note that it is helpful to know that there is the speeding issue here and we will take
that into account in our traffic calming and traffic safety planning that we do. Absolutely. Yep. Next communication June 26, 2025 from councelor Giovanni Recooper requesting the installation of a speed bump in front of 140 Essex Street. Uh I'm here
again for the same thing. I asked for this speed bump for the last what was it? 3 years. Two years. Three years. Um I've lived here since 1979 and that is a very dangerous place.
There's a bus stop at the corner of Essex Street and Lind Street Extension where the kids get picked up from school. So they before they approved a star a speed bump a little upper because they used to speed down as you know as your police officer you would know from
the corner store from Charmed that will speed up and then they would just speed up. So what happened was the speed hump that's there stopped them from going where the kids are with the bus at. So now what's happening is after they stop where the bus is, they just fly all the
way down. They don't stop anymore because and and that's very dangerous. The mother and father put their kids, they pick up at the bus stop and then they walk down that street cuz a lot of them live on Congress have on the other side all over that area. I can tell you
a month ago a lady had a dog right across the street. I can even bring you the records if you want to. The dog just happened to get out and it got hit. Imagine if there was a little child that just by mistake happened in that street. You could go look when you go down Essex Street. You'll see that it'll say
caution children playing. There's all kinds of children that play there and they don't stop. I know that the fire department says, "Oh, they got to look at it." But you just put one on street in front of the school that's 10 ft high. So if you have one there, how does
the apparatus of the fire department going to get broken on another one when you already have it? You know, how you going to say, well, the fire department is against it because the apparatus. But if if you're worried about your apparatus, why'd you put one on street,
a giant one, in front of the school? Cuz you were worried about the kids. So I'm the same thing for me. I'm worried about my grandkids. They play there all the time. The people in that street ask me to put one there. They keep asking me and I keep coming to you. But every time
you can't put it, you can't put it. Why? If you put it on street for because of the children, why can't it be to me? Well, because the fire department Well, the fire department said you can put it there. So, if you're going to put it for one, why not the other? What's the matter? The fire department's apparatus
doesn't break over there. What's that? A removable one? You know what I mean? I've been coming back and forth here for 3 years to help the kids. There's a bus stop there where the kids go to school and you can't put one there and the reason is always
denied. Oh, because the fire department can't go there. So, but you approved that on street. I know it's redundant. I'm going back to the same thing. I'm just trying to make the point. How you going to say one thing and don't do it for the other? And Emily, you spoke and they said that there's some that are a little bit more
wider and less apparatus impacted. Yeah, there are ones like the removable speed bump that is narrower than the wheels of a firetruck but wider than the wheels of almost every like personal vehicle um
that we're investigating and looking into. If there's a new speed bump of any kind on Hawthorne Street, that is news to me. I didn't in front of the Phoenix school. Is that what you No, he's talking about in front of the ELC. It's been there for four years now in the day when it came up. I bet it's only been there maybe 2
years and I've been telling you to put a speed bump where I am for about 3 years. Okay, I'm going to ask can I request to see when that was put in? Sure. Okay, I'm going to request that. I'd say about four years ago when Lum commissioner. Yeah, I don't think so. So, I would say the fire department is
possibly amanable if the bump itself does not damage its apparatus, but it's still ongoing. I really cannot speak for the fire department. The fire department's not here. Council Rupo, please believe me that I am very interested in the ability to use speed bumps to slow down cars, especially on dense residential streets
like Essex Street. I would love to be able to do this. We are working to do this in a way that maintains everyone's safety both from traffic accidents and from the potential of a fire that a firetruck would need to get to quickly. I hear your frustration in many ways. I
share it. Uh this conversation is happening. It has been happening for the time that you've been coming to us and I now now I will I would like for you to explain to me right and to the people that are watching this how is it that you can put a giant speed bump on Argon
Street like Jimmy said it's been there four years right and the fire department has been going over it back and forth. Has there been any complaints of the fire truck breaking? Yes. Complaints of the fire truck breaking over the one on over the ones on Washington for sure. If it's the one on
Hawthorne Street that's been there already, they have talked to me about it as a problem. The fire department only put a moratorum on new speed bumps in November of last year. Before that, they were inclined to try and not pass them through this commission. But the
moratorum is newer than that. And I understand I've been coming here since you've been here for the same speed bump. since longer than I've been here. But the entire time I've been here, we have not been able to put in a speed bump because of concerns about the fire apparatus. So,
but they put a couple of speed bumps, Jimmy can tell you, not too long ago on Library Street. There's four of them in a row. I believe How many do you have on Library Street, Jimmy? I'm sorry, councelor. What? How many speed Oh, speed tables do you
have on Library Street? Uh, we don't have any on library street right now. What's the one next to it? What? What is that? The one going up. Marl, the street. Yeah, Mar was that Mar Street. Where you got all of them? How many do you have there? Uh, I don't know. I didn't install those,
but I seen I I know that there's four of them. I think there's a couple. So I think since the installation of these bumps, a fire department has stopped correct its installation so they can there was like there was a moment when we put in speed bumps around the city
and since then the fire department has said hey stop that's damaging our trucks. Okay I I I I can understand the point where they're coming from right but at a certain time you have to make either you damage the truck or you kill somebody. What's more important damaging your truck or killing somebody? Their other
concern is that it slows response times, which is really concerning to them in a place that has this many fires. Look, I hear you. I would love for us to be able to have this conversation with someone from the fire department because it's fine by me. It's fine by me. Like I
would explain to me again. I would love to be able to put in speed. I spoke to the fire chief, right? And he told me that there wasn't really a moratorum. They're looking at a way to make them, you know, it's Jimmy can tell you the one they put on Essex Street is a little bump. It's not like
the installable one like the Yeah, it's a little bump, right, Jimmy? How big is the one on Essex Street? Yours is a Yours isn't a removable one. It's actually No, no, no. It's a small bump. I don't know. I don't know. I know uh our engineer and Joe Motor did those ones. I don't I don't Yeah, they're real small. They're not,
you know, they're not big. They're little ones. But I will say that your concerns are definitely heard because the fire department is aware of it and and they're trying to look at ways to get this done without damaging the apparatus, slowing response times and and we are very actively working on like
having a dialogue with them to figure out how we can achieve both as part of our safe streets for all project. Like I promise you that is something I think about literally every day. Listen, you the promise you make to me, you make to the people that are telling me to tell you and they can come talk to me. Not. See,
like earlier you said, right, someone said, "Reach out to your elected official." Well, they've been reaching out to me. So, I'm the voice of them. So, if I'm telling you, it's because they're telling me, not because I want to to put one there and because they're concerns. And I've been trying for a few years. It's not just now. I've been
trying and trying and I'm going to keep trying. They ain't going to make me stop. I'm just going to come back again. Not asking you to stop. Just trying to help you understand that like we're both working in the same direction here. Like I understand the speeds are too fast. That's true in a lot of places in Chelsea. We want to keep pedestrians
safe. We want to keep kids playing in residential areas safe. I think we all agree that those are important goals. Yeah. But there's one thing where I am and he can tell you through the years they always crash into the wall. Let us um Jimmy, how many times they crashed into that wall?
You mean the wall of the old building that's gone on on Highland? Yeah, a couple times. Yeah. Yeah. But you know, like you say, Carson, it's no different. You know, they speed on Essex Street. They speed on Congress. So they turn around, they take your left, and they go right up Congress, and they step on the gas to Lyn Street. But you want you want a speed bump in every street in your
district? No. I mean, I I don't want a speed bump in every every section. Just Essex Street. I just want it in that section where the kids go to school and their parents go down the street. But it doesn't it doesn't matter if the next street over the car goes around the corner and speeds up and hits someone over there, though.
No. Well, it doesn't you if you leave it up to me, I put a speed bump wherever it is. But it's not feasible to do it. It's not going to happen. So, if you can't get them all, at least get one. Isn't one better than none? Depends. Well, it depends. I don't know. I was
always in the belief you can't stop everything, but you can try to at least contain some of it. And where I am at the end, it's the end of the street and there's a lot of children. So, they think that no one's going to bother them because there's no one there. But there is a lot of kids. In a residential area where
there's more houses, they tend not to go as fast and where there's no houses at all. In my block, there's only three. One, one, two, three, five houses. In a whole block, there's only five houses. So, I would say allow us to have the fire representative here next month. So,
hopefully from now until then, there's an update. Sure. Official. I'm not I'm not like she said, I'm not You know what I mean? Whatever you decide, you decide no, I'll just come back again. Mhm. So, thank you. Thank you.
So, for this, does anyone want to make a motion? I make a motion to table this till next month. Second. I'll second. All in favor? I I tabled. Next handicap application July 31st,
2025 from Sonia Morales of 136 Shaman Street. Sonia. Sonia. She's asking if we can place a handicap near her home. So, the one I do see on the application, it does say that there's one right
across the street from her house. Unfortunately, this is I mean, it's kind of a She's saying yes, there is. Yeah, it's I mean it's it's un I'm not saying no. I'm just simply saying it's unfortunate when you you got to make a balance of how many spots you take away from the regular parking for handicap
parking. You know, we just don't like to put them next to each other. But I mean, in this case, she happens to live near someone who already has a handicap plaque. I mean what you know does she know she's she can use that handicap cla [Music] No. So,
[Music] [Music] uh, she didn't know that she could use it because she's saying that someone else owns it. No, that's No. [Music]
She's saying, "What if my car gets hit?" Yeah, she's going to contact the policeman. It's unfortunately not much we can do about that. I mean, we can we can look at it alternative. Like we said, there's multiple people that live in the neighborhood that need sign, you know, need a handicap spot. It's just it's just, you know, how do you just debate where to put it? You
I just want her to make sure she has the information if it's available for her to park and she can use her. She didn't know that. It seems like [Music] saying there's always a vehicle parked there. I I don't even know how to just
I mean her hers doesn't say she can't walk, you know, she can walk a little bit. It says she's saying she doesn't want issues. Yeah, we understand. But unfortunately, the spot is for anybody that she's saying it's always occupied. Occupied. I mean, I'm sure it is always
occupied. I wouldn't I wouldn't it wouldn't surprise me. Can you do you want to ask her if now with the knowledge that she is able to park there to give it a chance and if not if it's you know maybe they're come back. Okay. I don't know if anybody else wants to
has any ideas for this or make a Oh, yeah. Exactly. Okay. Okay. See. Okay. She's saying she just doesn't want any issues. Understandably. So, I I mean, I don't disagree with that.
I mean looking at just looking at the the map of it obviously we have one spot right across from her house that's between Chester and Cottage and then there's only about five or six parking spots there as it is and then in the next block there's only another six parking spots and then there's a big unfortunately the corner there there's no parking spots.
She's saying that um the um they they have told the vehicles if they don't have ask. Go ahead. No, you go. I was just gonna say now that she knows she could park, they give it a chance. Um, it's it's for anybody with a placard
and then if that doesn't work, you know, she can come back and try again. But they're so close to get together. Okay. [Music] Okay. She say when can she come? So, you know what? Maybe I'll just ask if anyone wants to make a She should come and see if she can come
and see you before, you know, two in a couple weeks, you know. I mean, she in a couple weeks she should know, you know, shouldn't take too long. Ask her to come back and see you and she can describe it to you. But can you just give her a time frame? I want to see if Yeah, I want to see if she could actually park there. I don't think it's
occupied 24/7. Maybe she has an opportunity to park there some days and then that occupant has to find parking or something. Okay. Okay. Well, she's saying what if they say no, no, you can't park. You don't have to listen to them call.
So, I mean, obviously, like you said, we we can table it and she can come back next month and we can give it that month. So, that's fine. It's not, you know, we can just table it. She has to try. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Certainly try. in the in the month we can table it and she can see how the if she can come back to us and say I'm able to park here four days
a week then that's going to be a plus then that hopefully that'll happen I'll make a motion to just table it for till next month Okay. So, Jimmy made a motion to table it to next month. Is there a second for that? I'll second. Second. All in favor? I
I. And then semi-related. Would it be possible? I don't know if it'd be parking or planning. Um, if we could just get like a map showing where all of the permits that we've issued are so that we can see like just a heat map of like where there
are a lot, where there are not a lot. I think it'd be helpful in making some of these cases now that we're getting where maybe there's a block where there's like five, but maybe there's blocks just as people come up and we're running into more issues where their parking permits next to each other just to kind of see
where they are. So that's actually a DPW question. Is that a GIS GPS? Yeah. Yeah, we could talk to because it has Yeah. Is that a G, but is that like something we already have mapped? It's not something we already have map, but they could GIS valves and shut offs and stuff
like that in the street. So, I'm sure they if they had a list of of I know it's GIS aable. I'm just thinking that's going to be a huge data entry project if it doesn't already exist. Yeah, it doesn't exist as far as I know. I will ask or Jimmy, I mean, he works for you. I don't mean to Yeah.
I just don't want to sign him up for that level. I know, right? Yeah. We'll see what Well, let's see what it might entail. I'll talk to We can speak to him about it. See what how much effort it entails. If it's something Yeah. Sounds good. Can I ask the other question? Do we have on um on the website that these are not owned by the
person who initially applied for it? No, because technically that the the placard doesn't come from Elsa. It comes from the state. Correct. The sign But the sign But the sign the sign does, but the but the placard would you apply for it? No, but I'm talking about the sign on the street like to with regard to she's saying because I feel as though that
that we run into that all the time. We do. And then we probably should have something that says we could. But if you if you have any issues, then you should be calling the police or something cuz I One thing I wrote down while she was talking is to when I'm talking to the city communications person is to be like, "Can we just put something out to
remind everyone that you don't own this?" Yeah. Pockets. The the handicap placards are for anyone with the handicap plaque. I also, Mora, we do tell the people um when they come in. I know you do, but I think it's good to also have it in
writing somewhere. I also feel as though that we should probably have a map on on the website that shows the park public parking and also handicap parking spaces, you know, the people can find. Yeah. Even if they have to find another handicap spot. Yeah. Yeah. Because I mean it's like I feel like the
whole part of point of a handicap space is that it's close to your house. Yeah. But like like you said, if there's two of them in the same vicinity, they can drive four or five houses away or a couple or street away or something. Yeah. better than not. Yeah, but they do that anyways. Unfortunately, if they can't find a spot, they have to go and park wherever they can find one.
I just I just feel like we should get into the 21st century and, you know, use technology. We can talk we can talk with DBW about GIS and that maybe hope maybe getting around on that, but something we can do. Yeah. I mean, that's the other thing that you see a lot of people commenting. They don't know where the the public lots are or you know, where the meters are. That
kind of stuff would be helpful, too. I'm not asking you to do. I'm just It was just something else that I But the meters and and that stuff is I mean it's online. Okay. It's got to be online. No, it's online. It's on mapped online on maps. I I don't know if it's on
It won't be mapped. It'll just be on the city website. This is This is where the city lots are these spots. Don't look, you know. Well, I think is before you would look and there wasn't anything there. Do we have privacy concerns about putting a map of all the handicap spots online?
I don't think so. I was gonna say I'd make them a little fuzzy and I definitely would not give addresses. That's kind of my thing. Why would it be a privacy issue? It's It'd be if if it's voted on, it's a public record. So, they get it. I mean, I'm just curious as to why you
think it would be a privacy issue. I just don't love the idea of having a map of everyone in the city that the city has said yes, there is a handicap person. not the name of the person, the location of the handicapped spot because I mean we don't necessarily put it in front of somebody's house, but is
somebody who's handicapped that wants to visit their friend, you know, four blocks over, it would be nice to know that there's a handicapped spot there if there is one or there's somebody parked in the space that I normally park in, I at least know that I can go, you know, fourth streets over or maybe not. But I just think I mean, I'm not talking about
the application itself. Absolutely not. I'm talking about the actual Some of them aren't in front of people's houses either. Makes sense. All right. So, next up on the agenda is communication July 31st, 2025 from Edward Mros requesting parking relief
during Rashan and Yamp Kapoor in the vicinity of the synagogue. I'll make a motion to uh pass. Seconded. All in favor? I I thank you. Next communication August 18, 2025 from city manager Fidel
Maltell's requesting to designate one parking space dedicated for veterans in accordance to the Valor Act. What would that be? Yeah. He doesn't say if it's one of the current visitor spots or if it's an
additional spot. Uh he so right now we have three handicap spots on the Washington A side and there is a although it has some flat curb it has some curbing buried under the ground. We'd have to remove the existing curbing to make that make it a technically a
legal parking spot. But I I prefer to put either put it there or the last handicap spot. To me if you're you're a veteran and you're and you're going to park like I I I don't like the sense of parallel parking even handicap. We try not to do I try to put it on corners. I was trying to put it where you can just
pull in and pull out. But so I don't know if we want to try to move that spot, but I think we can designate a spot on Washington app for and then work on with with anywhere else where you might want to put it or where you think it might be better to put it. I was just wondering if it like it's not necess this is not necessarily a spot
for a handicap person. So I wasn't sure about taking away a handicap spot. Yeah. For Well, right now the spot that's there is not is legally it is not a spot. There's three spots and there's a small There's a spot that could be that could but legally it's long enough. It's wide
enough. It's just not with the curbing. Yeah, it's got it's so technically it has curbing in it. So, so 15 20 years ago we had ballards out in the street and we had three parking spots. One was a van and it was fairly large. So, we condensed that and we and we knocked
down some of the ballers but we didn't remove the curbing that was in the street buried under the street. So it's flush to the ground, but it's actually not a real a legal parking spot because of that. Yeah, they might. Yeah. Someone they might be. Yeah. Correct. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So right now no cars can park there. This would in fact right now and if we but if we remove that curbing from the ground and then we measured and we put in we could put in four legal spots. Three for handicap and one for um the val one. Uh motion to approve the
creation of a new parking spot and designation as a veteran spot as Fidel describes as motion as described in like diagrammed by Jimmy. C can I just ask one question? How are we going to know they're a veteran? Yeah. I mean I'm just I'm just curious.
I think it um I did check in the veterans laws and benefits guide and then I more or less concluded that if they passed a law about it, they must have had a mechanism for that and had to do something else. I mean the request says specifically we request that this be available for veteran parking plates. Oh plates. Okay.
But if you don't have a plate and you So some veterans don't choose to have plates. Correct. Correct. They don't. So I guess they can't do they have some then they can't park there. Just for a veterans plate. Okay. Yeah. No. I'll second Emily's.
All in favor? I I I Next communication August 22nd from Alexander Genovese requesting to appeal the revocation of his visitor parking pass by the parking clerk. Alexander here.
Good morning, Mr. Chair. So, this was supposed to be a um a 30A hearing for uh the revocation of a parking visitor pass. Um so, the procedure in the regulation says that when the clerk's
office revokes an individual's pass, then in turn they have the right to appeal to the traffic and parking uh commission. So, this was going to be a forum for that person to access their uh full and fair hearing pursuant to the law.
But if they're not here, doesn't appear that there's any need and uh the petitioner will have defaulted. Um so if there's any questions, I'm happy to take it, but it appears that we're not going to need to have the hearing. So you're saying he's defaulted since he's not here. Is that what you're
saying? Yes, he appealed and didn't appear. Okay. So since he defaulted, Joe, I don't know if we need to vote on it. Yeah. Just said no vote on Yeah. I Do we even need to take a vote? No, because I think the it's already revoked. So,
or we can or we can just accept his his uh revocation. Revocation. Revocation because he defaulted. Do you want to make a motion on that? Just to I motion to confirm the revocation of this parking pass per the evidence the city clerk has provided.
I'll second. All in favor? I I thank you. Thank Thanks for sticking around, guys. Next up, communication August 22nd from project manager Sarah Han of Housing and Community Development requesting the
approval of the Vision Zero project as an effort to eliminate traffic fatalities in Chelsea with two tactical demonstration projects with temporary paint uh on September 7, 2025. Do you want to get up and speak or do you want me to?
Okay. Um Sarah works with me in housing and community development and we have for a number of months now been working on a safe streets for all plan. Uh which when it's complete will outline how the city of Chelsea is going to eliminate traffic fatalities. Uh we believe that this is possible and it's just going to
take some attention and focus and some work like the conversations we're having with the fire department. Uh one step we're taking towards this is you can see the second page. I can pass this around actually. Um, we've worked with a consultant to create a network of a high injury network showing like where people
are most likely to be injured crossing the street in Chelsea or most likely to be injured not even crossing the street but like in any mode of transportation whether you're driving, whether you're on foot, whether you're on a bike. Uh we aggregated all the data from the last five years and said this is the places
you are most in danger and we are going to look at two of those locations and we're going to put down temporary paint on the road. It'll last about a month uh to make the roadway narrower. Uh we've worked with the police department, we've worked with the fire
department uh if and once approved, this will happen on Sunday and the paint is like general household paint like kind of like the stuff you get from Home Depot. And over the course of like it'll be very bright for a few weeks and then a month from now you won't be able to see it. So it'll wash away. But it'll give us a chance to measure speeds both
before we do this. So that's happening this week and after we do it to measure like do these changes actually slow people traveling on this roadway. Uh the places we're looking at are Washington and Crescent. And I'm going to pass this around. Uh this is a two-sided diagram and it shows you kind of like where the
paint is going to be. Um, it's Washington and Crescent. And then it's, uh, Webster. Webster and Summit. Thank you, Joe. Um, and on Webster and Summit, uh, that's right outside the Creekide Commons building. We're making a much bigger
like curb. So, we're just painting in like to narrow the roadway a bit. We're going to paint a new crosswalk. We're going to brighten the crosswalk that's there across Summit. And at Washington and Crescent, we're making like a painted pedestrian island that's going to have a couple flex posts there.
Do people have questions about that? I know that was a lot of information. Uh, that's the high injury network I just passed around. No, the the map of Chelsea that that's where the fatalities are. the high injury network does it's like
weighted for where people have died and then where people have been severely injured and then where people have been like less severely injured. Thank you. Uh and Washington and Crescent and Webster Summit are two locations on the high injury network that we thought made sense for like temporary tactical
demonstration projects to show how this kind of roadway change can increase safety by lowering speeds. And since it's flat paint on the roadway, the fire department is cool with it. So, it's like an optical illusion almost. Basically, it's supposed to like when
you're driving, you see like, oh, there's something over here. I shouldn't drive there. I've seen other cities where they do optical illusions in the image. So, people do slow down, especially people who are not familiar. And it won't be quite that extreme. Like, it won't look like the roadway is bending into, but they'll be like
there's going to be cute little art with a with hexagons and a B and like some squiggles. Similar to what we did. We did that on Division Street. Exactly. It's like the creative crosswalk stuff happening on Division Street. I was just going to say that there it also exists on Malro Street at the curve
where it turns into willow near the garden. Um yes, flowers were painted and it did definitely slow people down at that dangerous curve. M so it's a very cheap easy to implement
inter uh thing that we can do that has an outsiz impact and we want you said the goal was to obviously see it in the beginning and it's very bright and it sees it but then it fades away and like do is is there a worry that people will go oh look at that let me slow down and then a month later I'm not slowing down it's faded now well that's exactly what's going to
happen like we'll test the speeds a couple weeks later and if it has slowed people down then we know oh let's see what we can do to make that permanent because we know it works. How you going to test the speeds? Uh the police department is going out with a speed gun and measuring 100 cars this Thursday and 100 cars next Thursday. Okay. I was just curious.
Yeah. Yeah. And to add to that, besides doing the speed studies for before and after, um we're inviting community members um both residents and um artists in the Chelsea community to come out and help
paint these tactical demonstrations. So by inviting the community, we're hoping that um you know we have more eyes on the streets, more people actually engaging with this and understanding that oh I painted at this intersection like I know this intersection very well
and like the purpose of this is to slow down. So the hope is there to like slow down because they participated in it too and like spread the word to their neighbors. One thing I've noticed is I' I've never seen a a speed limit sign in Chelsea.
I've just never seen one. Um you you you might you might be able to inform me where they are. At the entrances to the city there are there are overall there's nothing interactive. Correct. Oh, those No, there's plenty of interactive ones. We do. Unfortunately, DVW has about six or seven of them that
don't work, but the police have one or radar down on eastern a there's three or four regular speed signs down there. But we're working with our electrical contractor to try to determine the problems. Most likely the batteries. A lot of them we have are are six, seven years old. Yeah. But I've never really seen um a
real effort to say Chelsea is a 25 mph town. Well, the whole city is, every city is, but the way that the way the regulations are, we basically only need that sign at the entrance to the city. So if you see one at the entrance of the city, it says the speed limit is 25 unless otherwise
noted until you see another speed limit sign. It's 25 throughout the whole city and 20 in a school zone. But I I like I I go on Beach Road and things like that. I've never seen Yeah. And that that's Well, Beach is actually Beach is actually 30. So they're it's not going to be 25.
Yeah. It it wasn't to 25 m an hour. Yeah. There's a couple of them there, but they're they're spread out there. Yeah. Yeah. I I I think we should have more. Yeah. I think and more interactive. I think generally cities are like 25 miles an hour if they adopted that. every there was
every city had the chance to go into it. I I forget what it was called, but they had that opportunity. Some cities chose not to, but most cities do, but they also too if the speed limits somewhere else like down on marginal in Eastern and and uh Beachum, the speed limit's 30 and the signs are posted there. So, you don't have to go to 25.
It's just when you you don't see a speed limit sign if you're driving down Broadway Central Lab, the speed limit is 25. But I will chime in that like as we're doing this all this work looking at like keeping speed slower because that is safer that helps reduce fatalities for everyone involved, we're
definitely keeping an eye out for money to buy those like interactive signs that as you go past say like the speed limit is 25, your speed is 35. Um because like there's not a clear consensus in the data, but there is strong suggestion that those help. Well,
as as a resident, I'm going to say I really don't see it. Yeah. I don't disagree with you because you sometimes I don't even realize you're going. Although I would say it's hard to go over 25 most streets here. Um but um some people do. I mean
I know I know they do, but I I think it would be helpful to have signs. I don't disagree with that. So does anyone make a motion an effort to eliminate the traffic fatalities that two I make a motion to accept it? Yes. So, I don't feel like I should second this. I'll second.
Second. All in favor? I made a motion. I I did. No, no, it's fine. Next communication August 22nd from project manager Sarah Han of Housing and Community Development requesting the approval of the Second Street MBTA
crosswalk and the rectangular rapid flashing beacon project. Uh, so I'm gonna get us started on this one at least again. Uh so a while ago, like almost more than a year ago at this point, we approved a new bus lane on
Second Street uh to support a new bus route, the 104. Uh that bus route is being incredibly heavily used. So the bus lane has been uh serving a lot of folks, but we have gotten some concerns about this, uh where the crosswalk
across Second Street to the stop there is right now. So, we've been working with our traffic engineer to design a new crosswalk which will have rapid flashing beacons, which are the thing where like you press a button and a hexagonal yellow sign flashes on both sides of the road to tell people like
there's someone crossing here. Like the ones they just installed on front of city hall on the Washington F. Yes, like the ones we just installed in front of city hall and Washington A. Um, and I have I brought the construction drawing of where the crosswalk is going to be, but it's going to it's like a block away from where the current one
is. And then we will work with the MBTA to also move the bus stop down to where the new crosswalk is. So you How many crosswalks are on that area? How many are in that area right now? I'm sorry. Can you repeat that? How many crosswalks are in that area right now? One. And we're going to get rid of the current
school. Am I Am I in the right place near the school or am I There's There's a There's There are two on different parts of Second Street. Okay. Where I'm sorry. Where is it on Second Street then? Uh, it's up towards where you leave the Mystic Mall. Okay.
On Second Street across from the Garden. Okay. So, that's where the bus stop is now, right? Yes. And but there's no crosswalk there. There is a crosswalk, but it's not super safe. People don't feel super safe crossing it. We haven't had an incident there, but this is a proactive thing. Yeah. Because I what I noticed is like
with the kids and students, they cross not in crosswalks. They So, I I guess my question if the bus is here, the crosswalk should be close by, I would think. Yeah. Yeah. So, we're moving the bus stop and the crosswalk. Okay. Is this the charter school? Uh, this is like a block and a half up
from the charter school. Uh, we're not moving the one that's closest to the charter school. I should have brought a Google Maps print out. You're moving the one at the pump station, which is at Carter Street. Yes. What's that? Okay. It's down here.
So, do you want to come just Yeah. And then you need to sign in. Oh, yeah. Okay. Um, at a previous traffic and parking commission meeting, there was a resident who complained or like brought in his attorney to talk about moving the bus stops at Carter
Street. Um, so this is a continuation of that. um where we are moving the bus stops now to this location where the crosswalks are going to be and we've wor we've been proactive about it work closely with the MBTA and they've
approved of the design plan as well on where these future bus stop relocation would be at too okay does anyone have concerns or questions as long as as long as
So when they get off at that bus stop, they can go right to Mystic, I mean to the mall. Yeah. Um that's honestly one of the biggest um positive aspects of this new bus stop relocation is that it's right next to the mall entrance now as well.
Which mall entrance? Where the restaurant is or further down? Um two entrances. Further down towards the entrance. I think you're thinking of maybe like the 112 one cuz there's the 112 or No, no, that's on the other side. Um the 104 one
is going to be um I think I need to pull it on the map to let I'm just going to pull it up on the map and show her. Sarah. Yeah, I'm just going to pull it up on the map. So So the I mean I remember I know the 104 goes straight down Central. The one goes What's the one that goes in the mall that they're re moving the whole bus stop for? That's the 112.
Okay. Yeah, it is right here. And it's going to be like huh like access to the market basket is not functionally changing as a result of this. No, no, no, yeah. No, we're not saying that. No. Just I'm just trying to see where it is. I'm sorry.
Yeah, Tom. That's They're moving They're moving the bus stop from one side of the Market Basket to the other so then they can build a new liquor store on the right side of Market Basket. But the 104 doesn't go in there, which now makes no sense to me. If if if the 104 was trying to cater to people going to Market Basket, why didn't they go
inside the parking lot, make it safer for the people to get off and then go back on the street? But it doesn't matter. It's already too late for that. I mean, it's going to put the big beacons there. To me, that's better. So, that's better. But
something did a public engagement process to talk to just like members of the public. Um, we were given an opportunity for comment, but we don't have any decision making. Um, if you have concerns about that or like the redesign they're doing of the
112, we can definitely talk about it and I can share your comments or concerns with the MBTA. But it's like my capacity my redesign I'm not sure what you mean. The 104 bus
doesn't really just the street. Yeah. So, I think the reasoning there was that the 104 is supposed to be a rapid bus and if you go into the parking lot, then that's just going to slow down every single bus. So, they put it on the
street outside the Sorry, can can you confirm? So this this in fact it's make it's twofold that we're the crosswalk itself by second street is a more safer location than existing now and then the rectangular rapid flashing beacon actually serves for the safety of
the Excel charter academy. So there are rapid flashing beacons going at both the new crosswalk and the XL Charter Academy crosswalk. So two sets of rapid flashing beacons even more safer and we're moving the bus stop to a safer location which I just showed some of you and I will send Elsa a screenshot of.
Okay, so this is a bunch of safety improvements that we think are going to be really beneficial to students, people riding the 104, people who work at the businesses on the other side of Second Street from Mystic Mall. It's just going to be safer for everyone involved.
Does anyone want to make a motion on I'll make a motion to approve it? Second. I'll second it. All in favor? I I Thank you. Thank you. So, thank you, Sarah. There are no other items on this month's agenda. Do you
just want to come speak and see? Maybe it might be for next month's Do you want to just Do you have a handicap application or Excuse me. Is yours a handicap application? Uh yeah, I'm applying on my behalf for handicapping space. I don't think it made it to the agenda when you came. It was already like I
already had the agenda. Uh you came I came on the 22nd 11. Huh? I came in on the 22nd. Yes. Um the I had already done the agenda. Okay. So, it was by 30 minutes. We were about to close. I think you came after 11:30.
So, I had already But it'll be on the next um I'll send you a letter. I don't think you received the letter, correct? No. Yeah. So, I will send you a letter with all the details. Um time and date. Okay. Okay. What's What's the address? I wish I knew uh 36 Garland Street.
I know you just sat here for two hours and we did. Nobody told you. We We should have spoke up. I'm sorry. 36 Garland. Uh 36 Garland. So, uh, you say you're here speaking on behalf of your your mother? No, myself. Oh, yourself. Okay. I'm sorry. I thought you someone else. Okay. Can I offer you the opportunity to speak
now? And then we're already here. We won't know if we have questions about your application, though. But she's not on the agenda. So, I think Lee wants a copy of my application. I understand. But we can't do something that's not on the agenda. It's not on the agenda. You know, I'm not saying to do anything on it. I just If she could if she wants
to speak on it, that's okay. She's I don't know if we could do that like just open it up for public comment on no specific topic. I don't think so. I mean, she can stay after the meeting. We can just talk, but we'll do that. We'll close the meeting. We'll speak there and then we know for next month you could you could come back
or not even come back next month. As long as no more than like two of us speak to her, right? Exactly. Yeah. I could help her or one of you. So, let me go ahead. Let me uh because there's no other items on this month's agenda, let me officially close the September 2025 traffic and parking
public commission meeting. The meeting is adjourned. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.