Last night the DPW presented news to the City Council that Melrose has been awarded $158k in grant money under the spring funding round of the MassDOT “Shared Streets & Spaces” grant program. This program, which MassDOT launched during the pandemic to encourage cities and towns to create “quick-build” projects that improved the use of streets and sidewalks for more community engagement, previously funded the city’s public parklets, its “Slow Streets” program, and was also used as part of the funding for the conversion of Central Terrace into a pedestrian alleyway. Per the city, the latest round of grand funding will be put towards three programs:
1. The implementation of intersection improvements to the intersection at Vinton St. and West Emerson to slow vehicle speeds and enhance safety for pedestrians and bicycles. This busy intersection is located next to a park, a commuter rail station, residences, and businesses. Speed data has been collected and will be used in the design. The grant will fund evaluation of alternatives, including improvements to intersection geometry and changes to curbing and sidewalks. Field design/build of the final improvements with one of our on-call contractors. The grant amount is for $77,900.
2. Purchase of portable traffic calming devices to be used to pilot changes to residential streets. Devices to be purchased include portable speed bumps and cushions, flexible posts, “Slow Street” signs, traffic barrels, and both steel and water filled barricades. The DPW plans to implement pilot projects on Woodland Ave. and Lynde St. as soon as the equipment is acquired. The grant amount is $30,943.
3. Acquisition of a sidewalk plow dedicated to the schools. Improving safe winter access for children (and parents) at our school properties is a goal of the DPW and having this new piece of equipment will help achieve that goal. The recent reduction in contractors and their specialized equipment during the winter seasons has challenged the DPW, and the acquisition of this small plow will help to fill that gap. The amount of this grant is $50,000.
May 27, 2022 DPW Memo to City Council
You can read our letter to the City Council regarding this grant below. We are encouraged to see the city promoting a more advanced quick-build traffic calming program and will continue to advocate for successful project to be made permanent. The city also shared during the meeting that they will be using ARPA funds to hire Neighborways Design for the purposes of helping to develop a Melrose-specific traffic calming “toolkit” to use in the deployment of these pilots, something Mayor Brodeur had previously mentioned in his state of the city address.
Date: June 13, 2022
Re: ORDER-2022-127 : Acceptance of Three (3) MassDOT Shared Streets and Spaces Program Grants for various equipment and pedestrian safety measures funded at a total of $158,843.
To the members of the City Council Appropriations & Oversight Committee:
We are writing to strongly support acceptance of the MassDOT Shared Streets & Spaces program grant before you tonight under Order 2022-127.
This grant program has already brought considerable benefits to Melrose, including the city’s popular parklets program and its “Slow Streets” program, both of which our Committee was pleased to be able to provide technical support for. We are thankful to the city for continuing to devote staff time to not only pursuing these grants but to rapidly implementing them. These grants are supportive of so many of our community’s goals around walkability, accessible community spaces, and small business support. They also encourage a “quick build” dynamic – a pacing which we feel is critical in these complex, fast-changing times.
This particular grant round will build on the strength of those prior efforts, particularly through the purchase of portable traffic calming devices. The city’s “Slow Streets” program has proved immensely popular with residents, and demand for neighborhood installations has consistently exceeded available capacity. These installations were always meant to be part of a path towards more permanent infrastructure improvements, and we view the materials being purchased under this grant as the next step towards that goal. Lynde Street, which is one of the locations the city will target with these grant funds, was the first neighborhood to embrace the city’s “Slow Street” program, and for good reason: despite the street’s central location within the city and proximity to Main Street, it still lacks contiguous sidewalks. It is also the site of one of Melrose’s most recent pedestrian fatalities, when in 2016 John Strileckis was killed by an automobile driver while making his weekly Saturday morning walk to Dunkin’ Donuts.
We are pleased to see the City devoting the remaining grant funds to improving access around schools during snow events, which is one of the main complaint areas our Committee receives during the winter; and to the area around Bowden Park, a key link to the Cedar Park train station, businesses along the Rail Corridor, and the site of the Melrose Farmers Market, which provides perhaps the most vibrant outdoor community space within the city.
Thank you for your consideration.
The members of the Melrose Pedestrian & Bicyclist Committee