CC Response Ongoing Update 1.12.23 — File 23-0108

CITY OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS KATJANA BALLANTYNE MAYOR JILL LATHAN ERIC WEISMAN DPW COMMISSIONER DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS 1 Date: January 12, 2023 RE: DPW responding to orders from the following City Council meeting: September 8th, September 22nd, November 10 , & November 22nd 9.8.22 Agenda Item #214242- That the Commissioner of Public Works and the Director of Parks and Recreation discuss extending the season for pools and splash pads during the Summer of 2023. Closing of the pools is determined by the availability of certified lifeguards. Splash pads remaining open is weather dependent. DPW cannot risk pipes freezing by extending use. 9.22.22 Agenda Item #214307- School Building Facilities and Maintenance Special Committee That the Director of Mobility and the Commissioner of Public Works assess the need for additional bike racks in all school buildings. This request will be reviewed by Mobility and implemented by DPW if additional bike racks are determined to be needed. 9.22.22 Agenda Item # 214319- Open Space, Environment and Energy Committee That the Commissioner of Public Works update this Council on the recent closure of Lincoln Park soccer field and the condition of the playing surface. Lincoln Park Soccer Field has been closed to permitted activities due to ongoing planarity and grass coverage issues. The field has been reseeded seasonally as well as spot filled weekly to fix any large potholes or gradation issues. Due to the current soil composition being comprised of primarily sand, there is too much constant soil migration to reestablish a grass stand while under constant permitted play. At this point we are comprising a plan to mediate the 90% sand soil profile into a 50% organic blend that will hold together better during intense permitted sports play as well as the daily recess and non-permitted use. DPW is currently planning a remediation project that will include changing the topsoil or amending to obtain the best soil profile to withstand the heavy permitted and non-permitted use for Fall of 2023. Upon amending the topsoil and root zone we will investigate a sod or reseed of the field in order to reopen for use in Spring of 2024.

CITY OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS KATJANA BALLANTYNE MAYOR 2 9.22.22 Agenda Item #214322- Traffic and Parking Committee That the Commissioner of Public Works install speedbumps at Heath Street, Ash Avenue, and Edgar Avenue. Agenda Item #214323- Traffic and Parking Committee That the Commissioner of Public Works install speed bumps on Thurston Street. These requests are not within the purview of the DPW. Engineering and Mobility work together to determine where new speedbumps are placed and installed. This request has been forwarded to those relevant departments. 10.13.22 Agenda Item #214406- School Building Facilities and Maintenance Special Committee That the Director of Infrastructure and Asset Management and the Commissioner of Public Works provide an update on preventive maintenance plans for all school buildings. This work is underway and the DPW will provide an update as soon as one is available. 10.13.22 Agenda Item #214407- School Building Facilities and Maintenance Special Committee That the Commissioner of Public Works and the Chief Information Officer provide an update on ongoing issues with Wi-Fi services for all schools. IT is preparing a memo in response to this request which will be submitted for the School Building Facilities and Maintenance Special Committee meeting scheduled for February 1, 2023. 10.13.22 Agenda Item #214412-Traffic and Parking Committee That the Commissioner of Public Works address the malfunctioning streetlight on the corner of Knowlton and Morton Streets. This work has been completed. 10.13.22 Agenda Item#214423- Public Utilities and Public Works Committee That the Commissioner of Public Works update the Ward 1 City Councilor regarding plans to find a location for excessive snow other than 90 Washington Street. This item was addressed during the SRA meeting on 11.16.22, where they voted to approve use of the site this snow season.

CITY OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS KATJANA BALLANTYNE MAYOR 3 10.13.22 Agenda Item#214413-That the Commissioner of Public Works address the inconsistently lit streetlights on East Broadway. This work has been completed. 10.13.22 Agenda Item#214414- That the Commissioner of Public Works address the leaning electrical pole at Tufts and Knowlton Streets. This electrical pole is owned by Eversource and is beyond the internal capacity of the DPW to address. We have reached out to Eversource for them to remediate the issue. 10.13.22 Agenda Item#214436-That the Commissioner of Public Works clean Chuckie Harris Park. DPW cleans this park consistently. The week of 11.14.22, DPW patched the poured-in-placed rips. There are larger public health challenges that this park faces which are beyond the purview of DPW. 10.13.22 Agenda Item#214367-That the Commissioner of Public Works take steps to permanently fix or replace the leaning light posts on the pedestrian boardwalk connecting Ten Hills to Assembly Row. This is the property of DCR. These lights are on 2x8s going out over the water. DPW is not the entity which would perform this work. 11.10.22 Agenda Item #214536 & Agenda Item #221927- School Building Facilities and Maintenance Special Committee That the Commissioner of Public Works provide the current noise readings of the mechanical systems on the roof of the East Somerville Community School and verify that they are in compliance with Noise Control Ordinance regulations. The noise was assessed while the unit was running, and the decibel reading was within the normal parameter of the city’s volume control ordinance. There was a small amount of metal-on-metal noise, most likely from the fan. DPW has called in the HVAC company, JCC, to have the unit investigated further. As of this memo, JCC is continuing to look into this matter.

CITY OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS KATJANA BALLANTYNE MAYOR 4 11.22.22 Agenda Item # 214622- That the Commissioner of Public Works provide information on options to engage local and minority owned businesses in contract work. Procurement and Contracting Services (PCS) is working with DPW to identify and seek quotes and/or bids from any traditionally underutilized contractors that perform work that DPW contracts out for services and/or supplies. This effort includes review of publicly available lists of certified MBEs and by online searches of local businesses that offer services, supplies and equipment the DPW needs to deliver high-quality services to the Somerville community. PCS ensures that all identified businesses are directly contacted for each upcoming opportunity to submit quotes and bids. This work is also being done in collaboration with Economic Development, specifically with the Strategic Planning and Equity Manager. Agenda # 214658- That the Director of Parks and Recreation, the Director of Public Space and Urban Forestry, and the Commissioner of Public Works adopt a policy of proactively communicating closures of parks to the public, including contacting nearby daycare providers, and posting signage at least five business days in advance. Moving forward, DPW will post signage at least 5 days in advance of a closure required due to a DPW project. Agenda #214663- That the Commissioner of Public Works place trash barrels next to all city- owned benches along East Broadway. DPW is working to place additional barrels to better cover East Broadway. DPW intends to have this completed in February. Agenda #214664- That the Commissioner of Public Works move the new speed bump sign in front of 91-93 Franklin Street, to avoid blocking the sidewalk. The Traffic Engineer and the Project Manager from Traffic and Parking did a site review of this location. They determined that it is not blocking the sidewalk. This location for Dig Safe was not an issue, and the pole is installed on the correct side of the sidewalk. While it is not as close to the sidewalk as people are used to, it was measured to confirm that it has the required 4 ft. of clearance. The pole is installed as close to the curb as possible, without the sign overhanging into the street.

CITY OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS KATJANA BALLANTYNE MAYOR 5 Agenda #214412- That the Commissioner of Public Works address the malfunctioning streetlight on the corner of Knowlton and Morton Streets. This has been repaired. Agenda # 214686- That the Commissioner of Public Works consider extending yard waste pickup to December 31. This would have cost an extra $37,120, which would not be fiscally prudent considering pick up would not occur during snow events. As an alternative, residents can drop off yard waste at DPW- 17 Franey Road. Please let me know if you have any questions. Jill Lathan, DPW Commissioner