The document discusses a proposal to extend the Green Line light rail from Newton Highlands to Needham Heights along an existing railroad corridor parallel to Needham Street. Key points:
- The 2-mile extension would serve new developments and reduce traffic congestion in the growing corridor.
- Light rail is more environmentally friendly and could accommodate projected population growth better than increased car traffic.
- The estimated $100 million project would create new economic opportunities and stimulate growth while improving transportation options.
1. 2009-2010 District No. 7910
ROTARY CLUB OF NEWTON Club No. 6580
719 WASHINGTON STREET BOX MS295
NEWTONVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS 02460
MEETS TUESDAYS; 12:15 P.M. BRAE BURN COUNTRY CLUB, 326 FULLER STREET, NEWTON, MA
President Vice President Treasurer Sergeant-at-Arms Director Director
Marie Presti Laurisa Neuwirth Peter Mahler Bill Garr Dick Bowen Justin Sallaway
617-620-6948 617-291-0572 617-630-5289 617-969-5906 x116 617-969-9134 617-244-0065
President-Elect Past President Recording Secretary Newsletter Editor Director Director
Jeff Tucker Marc Epstein John Hurney Scott Lewis Jeff Chin Tony Bibbo
617-340-1263 617-244-1212 617-332-7412 617-293-6371 617-965-1988 781-237-1144
THE SERVICE GEAR
Volume LXXXVI No. 24 January 6, 2010
P resident Marie Presti was running late, so
President-elect Jeff Tucker took charge and
started the meeting, asking visitor Ken Jaffe to
lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Dennis
Prefontaine offered an invocation requesting
“peace, prosperity, and security” in the new year;
Susanne McInerney led the Club in a chorus of
God Bless America.
After lunch, President Marie opened for
business by quoting Mother Theresa: “It is not
how much we do, but how much love we put in
the doing; It is not how much we give, but how
much love we put in the giving.”
Marie thanked today’s Club Greeters, Bill
Garr and Jeff Tucker, who handed out NCSC
tote bags along with handshakes.
SERGEANT-AT-ARMS
Bill Garr announced that 22 members were With $493 on the line, Dr. Bob Staulo could find
present, including the long-absent Michelle only the Three of Spades in the diminishing deck
Desimone and Pat Palmer. Bill recognized Pat’s of cards. Only 31 cards left in the deck with over
guest Mary Kern of the YMCA as well as Bill $500 in the jackpot next time!
Lowery’s guest, wife Helen Lowery, and our
speaker, Srdjan Nedeljkovic. Visiting from CONTENTS Page
Brookline was that club’s president-elect, Ken ANNOUNCEMENTS 2
Jaffe. SERGEANT-at-ARMS 1
THIS WEEK’S JOKE 2
STUDENT of the MONTH 3
MEETING GREETERS NEXT MEETING: HAPPY DOLLARS 4
January 13: Bill Garr & Jeff Tucker SPEAKER/PROGRAM 3
RAFFLE 1
c 2010 Rotary Club of Newton Page 1
2. ANNOUNCED FROM THE PODIUM
10 thing a father will never say: Paula Kirrane first asked the Club to sing
Happy Birthday in honor of Dick Bowen’s
* Well how ‘bout that? I’m lost! Looks like milestone January 10th.
we’ll have to stop and ask for directions.
Death by Chocolate: Paula thanked the
* You know Pumpkin, now that you’re many members who brought silent auction items
thirteen, you’ll be ready for non- to the meeting, and reminded us to bring in
chaperoned car dates. Won’t that be Lottery Scratch tickets for the “ticket tree” that
fun? will be auctioned off as well. Last year’s ticket
* I noticed that all your friends have a tree was sold for over $400! Bruins Hockey
certain “up yours” attitude. I like that in a items are needed as well for the Clun “Bruins
young person! Basket.”
* Here’s a credit card and the keys to my Tony Bibbo reported that this year’s Mar-
new car. GO CRAZY!!! tin Luther King Jr. Celebration will take place
at Our Lady’s Chuch on Monday, January 18,
* What do you mean you want to play 10:00 AM. Tony is helping organize the event
football? Figure skating not good enough with Mayor Setti Warren.
for you, son?
UPCOMING...
* Your mother and I are going away for
while. You might want to consider
January 13, 2010: WEDNESDAY Meetings
throwing a party.
continue at Brae Burn
* Well, I don’t know what’s wrong with
your car. Probably one of those doo- January 31, 2010: DEATH by CHOCOLATE
hickie thingies - you know - that makes it Fundraiser at the Crown Plaza Hotel
run or something. Just have it towed to
the mechanic’s and pay whatever they
ask.
* No son of mine is going to live under
this roof without an earring. Now quit
your belly aching and lets get to the mall.
PAUL M. KERRISSEY
* Whaddaya want to go and get a job Attorney at Law
for? I make plenty of money for you to
spend.
277 Auburn Street
* Father’s Day? Ah - don’t worry about Suite B
that - it’s no big deal. Auburndale, MA 02466
Office: (617) 964-5800
Fax: (617) 969-9850
c 2010 Rotary Club of Newton Page 2
3. PROGRAM: Extending the Green Line to Needham
Speaker: Dr. Srdjan Nedeljkovic
Dr. Srdjan Nedeljkovic is an accomplished
anasthesiologist at Brigham & Womens Hospital
and is a Newton resident. His presentation today,
however, was about transportation, not medicine.
Dr. Nedeljkovic has been involved with
promoting a promising “Smart Growth” project
to extend the Green Line train system to
Needham along an existing railroad corridor that
runs parallel to Needham Street. It branches off
of the existing Riverside “D” branch of the
Green Line near the Eliot Station in Newton
Highlands and would terminate at the Needham
Heights commuter rail station.
Presiden Marie Presti (r) thanks Dr. Srdjan Nedeljkovic
The idea is to encourage more commuters after his presentation about extending the Green Line to
to leave their cars at home, and to better enable Needham.
more residential development along the way. In
addition to the existing Avalon Bay development only a couple of miles of tracks need to replaced
of 300 apartments, other sites are being planned and some additional rolling stock employed, to
for future growth, including Marshall’s Plaza serve 3,000 to 5,000 new passengers per day.
property and developments in Needham. Unlike most development projects, the Green
The line would also serve bring people Line extension would be relatively inexpensive,
from Boston to work in Newton-Needham job since the corridor is already in place - only a
sites, such as Needham’s 215-acre industrial couple of miles of tracks need to replaced and
park and stores along Needham Street. some additional rolling stock employed, to serve
Other benefits include increased use of the 3,000 to 5,000 new passengers per day.
Cutler Park Wetland Park, and increased tax Dr. Nedeljkovic claimed that the project is
revenues for Newton due to increased econimc supported by many state organizations and agen-
development. cies, including Newton’s new mayor, Setti Warren.
Unlike most development projects, the For more information about the project see
Green Line extension would be relatively inex- Dr. Nedeljkovic’s paper, attached to this newsletter
pensive, since the corridor is already in place -
c 2010 Rotary Club of Newton Page 3
4. HAPPY DOLLARS
Paul Stone led off with happiness for his club members present could boast a perfect
own 90th birthday spent with children, spouses, attendance record for 2010. Dennis
and grandchildren. Tony Bibbo was happy for Prefontaine was happy to receive the gift of a
Paul birthday and for the chance to crow in front robotic beer cooler. Paul Kerrissey was happy
of Pat Palmer about Americans beating Canadi- to supply Carol Kerrissey with the useful
ans in Junior League hockey. pocket flashlight given him by recent club
Peggy Lepore happily returned from her greeter Dennis Prefontaine.
holidays spent in California. Bill Garr was Ken Jaffe was happy to be with us, and
happy for the volunteer help with the Dictionary that the Raffle jackpot at the Brookline Rotary
project. Susanne McInerney was happy to see Club is now exceeding $800. Paula Kirrane
the movie Invictus. Ed Casavant was happy to was happy to see Ken Jaffe and Michelle
see the sun shining today. Desimone. She was also happy to have visited
Pat Palmer was happy to introduce col- New York City and to have attended the Winter
league Mary Kern to the Club. Tom Keery was Hockey Classic at Fenway Park.
happy to flaunt the dress code, wearing no Dick Bowen was happy to meet Mary
necktie, and to let Rotarians know that Frost Kern, for his upcoming birthday, and for the
Motors would be host to an auction sale on fond memory of Jean Fox, with whom he
Saturday, to liquidate office furniture and equip- shared the Month of January for birthdays.
ment, as well as trade items. Marie Presti was happy to predict that 2010 will
Bill Lowery was happy to have his wife be a great year.
Helen with him for lunch, and to declare that all
PAULA KIRRANE SCOTT LEWIS HOME DESIGN
Uniquely Designed Cakes ADDITIONS
230 Adams Street RENOVATIONS
Newton, MA 02458 NEW HOMES
Tel.: (617) 969-1830 HISTORIC RESTORATION
fax: (617) 969-5852 12 Bencliffe Circle
Auburndale, MA 02466
www.theicingonthecake.com (617) 293-6371
c 2010 Rotary Club of Newton Page 4
5. CHOCOLATE, ANYONE?
DEATH BY CHOCOLATE
Sunday, January 31, 2010
1:00 to 4:00 PM
Crown Plaza Hotel, Newton Corner
Please support your club by donating scratch
lottery tickets or other items for the silent
auction today!
c 2010 Rotary Club of Newton Page 5
6. Dying for chocolate? Come to the 9th Annual
Taste and judge the best chocolate creations from local chefs
Taste and judge the best chocolate creations from local chefs
1:00 – 4:00 pm Sunday, January 31, 2010
Crowne Plaza Hotel • 320 Washington Street, Newton, MA
Admission $15.00 per person • $5.00 for children under 12 FREE PARKING
Plus a great Silent Auction and a Kids’ Raffle! www.judgechocolate.com
Sponsored by:
All proceeds to benefit local charities including The Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs,
The Salvation Army, The YMCA, Scholarships for Students, and many more!
7. Newton and Needham’s Best Opportunity for Smart Growth
By Srdjan S. Nedeljkovic
The best option for “Smart Growth” in Newton and Needham may lie in the unused rail bed
that runs parallel to Needham Street and Highland Avenue. A proposal to restore light rail
service between Newton Highlands and Needham Heights would create significant
opportunities for further modest-scaled growth in the corridor. In addition, the new light rail
extension would have significant environmental benefits to our communities by reducing
energy consumptions and traffic pollutants in this otherwise congested part of our
community.
The rail line behind Needham Street and Highland Avenue was formerly part of the old
Charles River line that was used to haul fill from Needham to the Back Bay in the late
1800’s. Once used as a passenger line, it remained active for freight use until several years
ago. The unused rail bed connects the Riverside “D” line just west of Newton Highlands to
the existing commuter station at Needham Heights for a distance of about 2 miles, extending
across the Charles River and Route 128.
The proposal to reestablish rail service calls for a dual track,
electrified light rail line, similar to the existing Green line,
that would use modern, quiet, environmentally sensitive light
rail vehicles. Passengers would be able to board the line at 4
stations: Needham Heights, the Needham Business Center,
Newton Upper Falls, and Needham Street. They would then
be able to take the line to stops on the existing Green line,
including Newton Highlands, Newton Centre, Reservoir,
Brookline Village, Longwood, Fenway, and into Copley and
Park Street Stations. Connecting the Needham Street –
Highland Avenue corridor and the Needham Business Park
to employment and population centers in the central core of
Boston would place our area “on the map” for fast, frequent
light rail transit service.
Many municipalities have recognized the positive benefits that light rail has on local and
regional economies and on the environment. New light rail systems have been built in places
such as Portland (Oregon), New Jersey, Baltimore, Dallas, San Francisco, San Diego, and
most recently Phoenix, Arizona. The effects of having light rail include new and expanded
business opportunities, increased employment, a stronger local tax base, higher real estate
values, greater perceived safety, decreased air pollution, and heightened tourist revenues.
Rail facilities can enhance economic activity in a number of ways. Light rail offers improved
access to businesses for a potentially significant pool of customers. The public senses that a
community with light rail is a desirable place to live and work, which tends to attract new
businesses and new jobs. In addition, people and businesses which are near a light rail line
have an alternative option to using automobiles, which helps combat auto congestion on
8. roads. Having fast and frequent transit alternatives is one strategy to combat major forms of
air pollution and is environmentally “green.”
Newton’s recently approved Comprehensive Plan projects a build out potential of
approximately 2 million square feet of commercial real estate in the Needham Street corridor.
Needham has projected at least 2 million additional square feet of commercial real estate to
be developed in the New England Business Center, in addition to the existing 2.5 million
square feet. Both communities have been open to residential uses in the corridor, which now
includes the Avalon Bay apartment complex (294 units) and the planned Charles River
Landing complex (350 units). And the Northland Corporation has indicated that a large
mixed-use project may be developed on the 21-acre Marshall’s Plaza – IVEX site in Newton.
However important this new growth may be to the economic health of these two
communities, there are significant concerns about increased traffic congestion. Full build out
of the corridor may increase traffic by more than 10,000 trips per day along Needham Street
and Highland Avenue. Many believe that the corridor simply cannot handle this additional
traffic and fierce opposition to further development may result, reminiscent of the Stop and
Shop battles of the 1990’s. Rehabilitating the rail line would offer a way to offset traffic
increases from desired new growth while allowing economically sustainable projects to get
approved. Ridership on the new rail line
would be at least 6900 daily riders, which
is estimated to reduce travel times and air
pollution while reducing annual energy
consumption by about 50,000 million
BTU’s. Having light rail in the corridor
will facilitate a new Needham Street to
take shape, one that respects the
“complete streets” concept that calls for
streets to be equally accessible to
pedestrians, bicyclists, transit, as well as
cars.
(see: www.completestreets.org).
The new rail extension would initially run light rail vehicles every 15 minutes, taking about
30 minutes to get to central Boston. Trips would cost the same as on the rest of the rapid
transit system, $2.00 each way or $59 for a monthly pass, which is a significant cost savings
over the existing commuter rail line. The capital costs of building the line are estimated at
approximately $100 million, and the project could very well be eligible for federal funding.
Federal stimulus funding is intended to support projects that expand public transit and that
will increase economic activity. However, Newton and Needham will not receive any of that
funding unless our communities and our public officials advocate for projects that are
eligible. Transportation accounts for about a third of our overall carbon footprint. The
Newton-Needham rail extension represents a significant opportunity to reduce the
environmental impacts of growth and traffic. The rail proposal also represents a significant
opportunity for our business community and would be a great economic stimulus package for
our two municipalities.