Regular City Council Meeting

All right, it is 5.30. One. We're waiting for some folks to settle in. A quorum being present. I wanted to call tonight's April 13th, 2026 regular meeting of the Cambridge City Council to order. The first order of business is a roll call of members present.

Councilor Al-Zubi. Present. Vice Mayor Azeem. absent, Councilor Flaherty, present, Councilor McGovern, present, Councilor Nolan, present, Councilor Simmons, present, present, Councilor Sobrinho-Wheeler, present, present, Councilor Zusy, present, Mayor Siddiqui, present, present, that's eight members present, one recorded as absent.

Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance and pause for a moment of silence. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, With liberty and justice for all. Pretend you're hearing a gavel. I can't find it. So we can sit down. Per Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2025, adopted by the Massachusetts General Court and approved by the Governor, the City is authorized to use remote participation at meetings of the Cambridge City Council, in addition to having Members of the council participate remotely. We've set up Zoom teleconference for public comment. You can also view the meeting via the city's open meeting portal or on the city's cable channel 22.

To speak during public comment, you must sign up at www.cambridgema.gov. You can also email written comments for the record to the city clerk at cityclerkcambridgema.gov. We welcome your participation and you can sign up for public comment until 6 p.m. Please note that the City of Cambridge audio and video records this meeting and makes it available to the public for future viewing. In addition, third parties may also be audio and video recording this meeting. We'll go to public comment. Public comment may be made in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 30A, Section 20G, and City Council Rules 23D and 37. Once you finish speaking the next speaker will be called. Individuals are not permitted to allocate the remainder of their time to other speakers. I ask that you state your name and address of the record and the item on the agenda that you're speaking on. Given right now that we have 85 speakers who have signed up, each speaker will have one minute.

We'll go ahead and start calling public comment.

Our first speaker is Irene Kang, followed by Julia Stevens, then Paola Rabosco. Irene, please come to the mic. You have one minute.

Irene, if you turn on the button, it's right on the mic.

At the base of the microphone, you'll see a green light once you press push.

Oh, thank you. Sorry, I've never done this before. My name is Irene Kong, and I live at 113 7th Street, apartment number 2. It's right across from Kennedy Longfellow. I'm speaking in support of both policy order number 2 and number 3. I'll focus on number 3. Most homes in East Cambridge have zero lot lines and minimal yards, if any. Since we don't have any green space of our own, we use Ahern Field every day for exercise, relaxation, and socialization. Converting Ahern Field into an artificial turf athletic field is not just a simple matter of choosing a material like you would choose a carpet. This is a major city planning decision. It significantly impacts the community, public health, climate, resiliency, and transportation not just for East Cambridge but for the greater community. We ask the City Council to support Policy Order No. 3.

We also ask the City Manager to conduct a transparent and inclusive decision-making process that incorporates feedback from the entire community, not just sports leagues. and to pause construction until they reach an inclusive solution that complies with the Cambridge net zero action plan and resilient Cambridge plan. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Julia Stevens.

Hi, I'm Julia. I'm 13 years old and I live at 179 Spring Street. I'm here to speak out against astroturfing at Hearn Field. Ever since I was a little baby and I tried to learn how to walk on the field, the field has been really important to me. Over the years, I have met some of my dearest friends there, tried and failed to do cartwheels with them, played that one game where you spin and spin around and whoever falls first loses, hula hoops, frisbee, picnics, games of sardines or tag. You can imagine my dismay when I heard that my beloved field would get turfed. All of the sports and games that I mentioned before have one thing in common, falling. And when you fall on turf, It will give you turf burns. Grass is forgiving, fresh and it doesn't release microplastics into the air. Also, it provides water drainage in case of floods. With all of this in mind, I would like to ask you to do what is within your power to stop Ahern Field from being astroturfed. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Paola Rebusco, followed by Kenny Hawkins.

Paola Rebusco, 179 Spring Street. Can I start? Ahern-Grassfield is one of the main reasons why I moved to East Cambridge 19 years ago before having kids and why I didn't move to the suburbs after having kids. It's everybody's backyard where my kids, like many from the old Kalo and East End house, could roll around and meet to play. It's where we meet our elders in the community and those in nearby assisted living who manage to take a walk in nature. It's a piece of our mental and physical well-being. In East Cambridge, we have the least trees and grass. Unlike other neighborhoods, we don't have the luxury to choose where we will walk for a picnic versus playing soccer. The March meeting reported fixed decisions that we didn't have a chance to contrast. I want to know whose interests are represented in this project and the trade-offs. I support policy order three. I encourage the city manager to consider that Ahern is a shared space. Boston Bend Artificial Turf. We can do the same.

We can play all sports and keep free play, communal activities in our patch of grass at Ahern.

Thank you. Your time has expired. Our next speaker is Kenny Hatta, followed by Jeremy Astori, then Melanie Abrams. Kenny, you have one minute. Please go ahead. You have the floor.

Hi, good evening. My name is Kenny Hoda. I live at 303 3rd Street, Cambridge. I'm a parent of a young athlete and I'm speaking in favor of PO number three. I want to thank the three counselors who sponsored this order which basically asked the city to show its work before asking residents to live with the consequences PO number three matters not just For Ahern Field in East Cambridge, but for all Cambridge residents, because if a major decision like this can move forward on a weak record, then every resident has a right to ask what important community space will be bulldozed next. Moving forward as is creates a bigger trust and precedent problem than the decision to turf would be worth. If the city cannot clearly show how the turf decision was made, what alternatives were seriously considered, and finally how community input was weighed before turf became a fixed decision, then Ahern should keep its grass until it does. Please support PO number three. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Jeremy Astori, followed by Melanie Abrams. Jeremy has not joined. We will go to Melanie, followed by Phyllis Simpkins, Susan Reed, then Suzanne Blier. Melanie, you have one minute. Please go ahead.

Hi, my name is Melanie Abrams. I live at 10 Agassiz Street, number 12A in Cambridge, Massachusetts. And I'm speaking in favor of policy order number two, which gives us the way out of I bike to work every day on Garden Street and I also care about the safety of neighbors on like both on cycles, on foot, and in cars. I care about their convenience but also Just want to make sure that people understand what the current plan would be doing. No one would ever suggest having four lanes of cars in alternating directions they would say that's radically unsafe and so we need to take this opportunity to step back from doing the same when two of those are lanes with cycles and no one knows which way to turn and even worse we're going to have In the removed parking, we're going to have delivery trucks, Ubers, Uber Eats, trying to pull into the bike lanes or completely stopping traffic. So instead, taking this chance to reevaluate, to look.

where we can think beyond what we've currently thought is essential.

Our next speaker is Phyllis Simpkins, followed by Susan Reed, then Suzanne Blier.

I'm Phyllis Simpkins of 249 Huron Ave, corner of Appleton and Huron. This is my fourth time commenting to return Garden Street back to a two-way street. Communities coming from Boston, heading home via Route 2 West, cut through Cambridge. They are a big part of the traffic. They won't stop driving and start biking. They just change their route. I've stood on Garden near Madison observing bike patterns. It's heavily going towards the square in the morning, the reverse in the evening. Bidirectional bike lanes will work well. Prior to the directional change, Appleton had 3,000 cars daily, afterwards 4,200. Since the no left turn sign, Appleton traffic has eased, but Huron traffic has increased and backs up from Concord past Appleton most evening rush hours.

With the upcoming tear down and for one family to build a six-story 55-unit building on Wyman Road, We know there will be substantial increase of traffic. A two-way Garden Street will even have traffic in larger neighborhoods.

We're going to go back to Jeremy Astori, then we will hear from Susan Reed, Suzanne Blier, then Sharon Mombrew. Jeremy, one minute.

Hi. Hi. My name is Jeremy Astori. I'm a resident of East Cambridge, and I would like to state my support for priority order number three. We heard multiple times that the installation of a turf field at Ahern is in part the result of community feedback and quote, for the good of the East Cambridge community. I would like to challenge this. for three reasons. One, community input has been overwhelmingly in favor of natural grass. Documented feedback during the two pop-up events from last summer were respectively 12 to 1 and 25 to 1 in favor of grass. while people present at the March 11 open house almost unanimously opposed TERF. Two, we were repeatedly told that this decision was already made prior to any of these events anyway. and three, we have a petition that gathered well over 800 signatures so far and still steadily growing with a vast majority of local respondents.

Among other issues with the turf decision raised today, we would like to know how community input was gathered.

Jeremy, thank you. Your time has expired. You can email the remainder of your comments to citycouncil at cambridgema.gov. Our next speaker is Susan Reed, followed by Suzanne Blier.

I'm Susan Reed, and I live at 52 Garden Street. I'm speaking for Agenda Item 2, placing Garden Street construction on hold. I know you've voted for this subject before and I appreciate you reconsidering it with an open mind. The current plan moves our loading zone from in front of our building across the street to the blue bike station on a map that looks like a minor shift. In reality, it's a safety hazard to many seniors, a barrier. Right now, our residents take five steps to reach the front entrance. Under this plan, they must walk 145 steps through the crosswalks nearly 30 times as far. They would have to cross three lanes of traffic and two bike lanes just to get home. Disabled residents would be effectively stranded. I've been there. I was in a boot cast on crutches four years ago when Garden was two-way.

I could not cross that street. Too many cars, too fast, and I was too slow. Let's put this project on hold.

Thank you, Susan. Our next speaker is Suzanne Blier, followed by Sharon Mombrew, then Carolyn Johnston. Suzanne, you have one minute. Please go ahead.

Thank you. This is Anne Blais, 5 Fuller Place. And first of all, I favor grass on playing fields, but mostly I want to speak to Policy Order 2 and support City Council's earlier decision to return Garden Street Thank you for joining us. some parking spaces will be lost but the city and city council has overlooked this concern for cambridge street and broadway where we have Fewer driveways and smaller buildings They did not care about Brattle Street seniors who also lost their parking We need to follow policies from one neighborhood to the other and be consistent on this. Garden goes to Sherman, a major artery in and out of Harvard Square. Thanks so much.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Sharon Mombrew, followed by Carolyn Johnston, then Jiajing Li. Sharon, you have one minute. Sharon, if you can unmute yourself.

Yes, can you hear me now?

We can. Please go ahead.

In Sharon-Mornborough, I live at the corner of Raymond Street and Upland Road. For the record, I am a cyclist, my husband is a cyclist, my three children are cyclists, and I urge you tonight to vote no on Policy Order 2676. I'm not here tonight to re-litigate the merits of a one-way versus a two-way traffic on Garden Street. That argument has been made exhaustively by hundreds of residents over three years of public meetings, listening sessions, and city staff reports. It has been argued ad nauseum and this council voted on it five to four over a year ago. That vote was the end of the process, or it should have been. What I'm here to address is something more fundamental, what it means when a council simply refuses to accept its own decisions. The policy order can simply be cancelled by a subsequent order, then no vote of this council ever means anything. Residents who spent years advocating for a decision which is then voted on cannot trust that the decision will hold. This is a failure of governments, not a feature of it. Please vote no on policy order 2676. The decision has been made.

Let it stand. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Carolyn Johnston. Carolyn, you have one minute.

I am Lynn Johnston. I've lived at 52 Garden Street for nearly 50 years and I'm 81 years old. I'm asking you to put this construction on hold because of the safety of the people living on Garden Street. I still drive. My car is not a luxury, it's a lifeline. Not just for me, but others in our building, and especially those that have limited mobility like me. I can help them as well as myself, whether it's Getting to a doctor's appointment or dealing with the groceries as long as we have our parking and loading zone where it is now. The suggestion to use the Harvard Observatory for overnight parking wouldn't work well. Where does the car go during the day? And in the winter when the sidewalks are icy and slippery, asking an 81-year-old with the titanium hip to walk that distance isn't just inconvenient, it's dangerous.

we need a design that respects the reality of aging in this city please vote to put this construction on hold until it's found that keeps us all mobile and safe thank you

Thank you. Our next speaker is Jiajing Li, followed by Zion Shearing, then Nicole Barna. We are at speaker number 12 of 86 speakers.

Jiajing Li, 22nd Street. I'm speaking regarding policy item three. As a state-appointed special education surrogate parent, I recently wrote in Cambridge State that the Ahern Field Plan contradicts the city's own goals. Please move this to the action agenda for three reasons. we cannot be climate leaders while installing surfaces 40 to 70 degrees hotter than grass. Equity. This is an outdoor classroom for East Cambridge schools. Synthetic turf creates sensory and thermal barriers for our most vulnerable students. Fiscal risk. The city ignores a million dollar replacement liability every decade. While Boston has a moratorium and the state is moving to restrict these materials, Cambridge is doubling down on a recurring expense. We need a transparent public hearing to re-evaluate this design. Please protect our children and our neighbourhoods. Only green oasis.

Thank you. Zion, you have one minute. Please go ahead.

I'm here on policy order two, and I know most people probably have their mind up, and there's going to be a whole bunch of speakers that are going to share what I could share, so I'm just going to share a personal story. Recently, I was over in West Cambridge. I was door-knocking for someone who's running for Senate out there. And on my way back, I was on my electric scooter. I was on Brattle Street. Brattle Street is a two-lane bike lane next to, you know... I was going down and to my surprise I saw a car driving directly towards me in the two lane bike lane, driving probably about 30 miles an hour with another car right next to it. Now, I haven't felt this unsafe in Cambridge. I've had multiple times in my life where I felt much less safe, but never here in Cambridge. And I just want to share that so that when we're discussing this design to make sure that we're stopping it. Recently, I went by Brattle in my car and I saw that

Now there's a cone blocking that entrance where the car would have entered. But I just want to make sure that's a consideration when people are considering policy order two. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Nicole Barna, followed by Ron Axelrod, then Nathan Wang. Nicole, you have one minute. Please go ahead.

Hi, my name is Nicole Barna. I live at 29 Bella Circle, and I'm here to speak in support of policy order number two. As a longtime Cambridge resident, my family and I have found the current configuration of Garden Street to be a significant improvement for our safety and comfort when walking and biking between North Cambridge and Harvard Square. I think we can all agree that we want transportation options across our city that are safe and convenient. The current configuration is the safest option for those who use Garden Street. The residents of Garden Street, as we've heard, and particularly our city's students who travel back and forth between CRLS and Danahy on a regular basis. I appreciate the work that the Transportation Department has done on Garden Street and beyond, and particularly their work in establishing safe bike lanes. I am in full support of this policy order, especially the part that asks city employees to halt further work on reconfiguring Garden Street.

Instead, I urge the counselors to redistribute the money that would have gone to reworking Garden Street and instead apply those funds to analyze and install appropriately.

Thank you, Nicole. Please email the remainder. Our next speaker is Ron Axelrod. Ron, one minute.

My name is Ron Axelrod. For 48 years, I've lived at 26 Shepherd Street that will be heavily impacted by a return to two-way traffic on Garden Street. My firm, TAMS, Engineers and Architects Traffic Planning Group, headed by David Black, was selected by the city to develop the 1990s city traffic calming program citywide. I ask the city to adopt policy order two for further study of the existing one-way system that keeps traffic calming working for the city. I read directly from a recent press alliance Tonight, Cambridge City Council will decide whether to keep Garden Street in its current safer design or B, support a change to a worse, less safe design. I'll pass this policy order out. Not the policy order.

The press release out is the rest of my comments. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Nathan Wang. Nathan, you have one minute. Please go ahead.

Hello, my name is Nathan Wang and I live nearby at 42 Parker Street and I'm in favor of policy order two. I commute for work and use Garden Street very frequently on my bike. I both bike and drive my car frequently in the area and the current configuration is extremely safe and I find it easier to use than the proposed The proposed change that was previously passed is dangerous as it has two opposing lanes of bike traffic that cars have to look out for, which is already hard enough. In addition, it'll cost Cambridge taxpayers a lot more money to change it, and so I appreciate the work that the study has done. In conclusion, yes, I'm in favor of Two. Policy order two, stopping the work order and keeping it as it is. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Patricia O'Neill, followed by Alex Dickle, then Mark Boswell.

Hello, Patricia O'Neill, 91 Garden Street. I'm here in support of Policy Order 2. In 2022, This group decided to keep Cambridge a great walking city and a great biking city and unfortunately in 2025 we reversed that and despite the fact that Our Department of Transportation said it would be less safe and more congestion. We voted to reverse to two-way traffic. I ask that you reconsider that and follow what your Department of Transportation is asking you to do, which is keep garden one way, but adjust to the side streets, which I agree probably have increased traffic and need to be helped out in that regard. But let's not make a good thing bad. by over-correcting.

So I ask that you consider that if you were a parent of a child who you want to put on a bike

Thank you, Patricia. Your time has expired. Please email the remainder. Thanks. Our next speaker is Alex Dickel, followed by Mark Boswell, then Adam Lubin. Alex, one minute.

Hi, my name is Alex Dickle. I own 41 Stearns. I take Garden Street every day to and from my house. So while I despise or re-litigate this, I'd like to say thank you for bringing this order up because I'm speaking in support of it. and thank you to the counselors that engaged on this via email as well. My first reason for this is the cost. We've paid for Garden Street as is, it is safe. We've paid for the study to verify that it's safe and effective. which then said changing it will increase congestion and safety issues. Those funds could be repurposed for calming measures in the neighborhood, giant planters, speed humps. City planners have already told us that going to 2A is less safe. It is more congested. and finally the politics of this. It's been mentioned that the council voted yes. That was the old council. Two of those members are no longer here and the vast majority of you were endorsed by Cambridge Bike Safety

on a promise to not negatively impact biking in the city. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Mark Boswell. Mark, you have one minute. Please go ahead.

Good evening, Council. My name is Mark Boswell. I live at 105 Walden Street, Cambridge, speaking on policy order number two. I ask that you vote yes on this policy order. I am a resident of Cambridge's neighborhood 9, living very close to Garden Street, and one of the hundreds of residents who wish to tell you that the current configuration is much better than the proposed change back to two-way. A two-way street with a two-way bike lane will never be safer or simpler than bike lanes on each side because of the extra turning conflicts that are introduced. I prefer the slower, calmer car traffic speeds we currently have. I'm afraid a two-way street will go back to the excessive speeding we saw before Garden Street was redesigned initially. Finally, as a volunteer who helps with the Graham and Park School Bike Bus, which is a weekly group ride for children to school, I can tell you parents of young children definitely prefer Garden Street as it is. Please vote yes, policy order two.

Thank you. We are at speaker number 20, Adam Lubin, followed by Perry Lubin, then Chloe Hockey. Adam, you have one minute. Please go ahead.

Hi, my name is Adam Luban. I live at 22 Cottage Park Ave and I'm speaking in support of policy order number two. I'm a student at Boston University. I'm also on the cycling team there and I use the Garden Street bike lane daily to get across Cambridge. The changes to Garden Street will make it less safe for myself and the many other people of all ages, especially students at local schools who use the bike lane daily. Cambridge is currently ranked the number four city in the country for cycling infrastructure. I understand sometimes changes need to be made to our bike lanes, but they should be made as a result of reasoned decision making based on data. The Council should pause the proposed changes while that data is collected so that an informed decision can be made about what's best for all users of Garden Street. Thank you. Thank you.

Our next speaker.

Yeah, hi, I'm Perry Lubin. Perry Lubin, I live on Gray Gardens East, right off Garden Street, and speaking today in favor of policy order two to... Keep Garden Street as it is, one-way operation for cars. I'm on that street with my kids on bikes a couple times every day and we all really appreciate the safety improvements that were made a few years back. and can't help but feel like the changes that are proposed would make the Garden Street less safe for us and increase congestion around surrounding streets and In coming to that conclusion is not just my guess. As far as I can tell, that's the findings of the city professional staff who've looked at this issue.

and in all the discussion in all the years on this topic, I haven't heard anything to the contrary. So I hope you'll support policy order two.

Our next speaker is Chloe Hockey, followed by Prabal Chakraborty, then Kathleen Capel. Chloe, one minute.

Hi, everyone. I'm Chloe Hockey, and I live at 112 Vassell Lane in Cambridge. I'm here to speak in support of policy order one, the resolution in support of the Harvard academic workers. I'm a member of HAW and a lecturer in the history and literature program at Harvard, which is to say I'm among the 2,600 non-permanent faculty members and researchers who do much of the daily teaching and lab work that keeps the university running. I love getting to live in Cambridge and I try to be a good neighbor. But it's hard to be as generous and community-oriented as I'd like to be when my employer is constantly reminding me that I won't be here for long, when it's encouraging me to spend all my free time applying for jobs elsewhere, and when it's refusing to grant us cost of living adjustments and thus effectively lowering my salary. In fighting for a fair contract, HAW is holding Harvard accountable for being a good employer and a good neighbor, both of which in turn help its employees, including me, to be better members of this community. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Prabal Chakrabarty. Prabal, you have one minute. Please go ahead.

Hello, can you hear me?

We can.

I'm Prabhal Chakrabarty. I'm asking you to reject policy order number two. Garden Street should be restored the two-way. I live in the neighborhood. Since that change was made, All of the streets around have cars that are trying to get around it It's much less safe all around the area. My daughter is a freshman at CRLS. She's on the track and cross country team that practices at Danahy. It's much less safe for her to bike all around the neighborhood. anywhere else except Garden Street. You can easily preserve the bike lanes there and make all of the neighborhoods safe by restoring Garden Street to two-way. We all see the cars all around trying to get around that. It's an arterial road and it creates a lot of pressure everywhere else.

The council was right to restore it to a please preserve it.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Kathleen Capel, followed by Benjamin Flame, then Daniel Locke. Kathleen.

My name is Kathleen Capel. I live at 52 Garden Street. My husband and I have owned a condo there for over 20 years. I am speaking for Agenda Item 2, Placing Garden Street Construction on Hold. Five years ago, my husband suffered a stroke that left him with a loss of speech as well as right-sided weakness. On good days, he looks as if he can walk okay, but it affects his stamina as well as his ability to walk quickly. There have been other physical challenges as well that have necessitated frequent visits to urgent care or the emergency room. With the existing configuration on Garden Street, I have been able to assist him to the curb in front of our building for Uber rides to the many medical appointments when he was too weak to walk any further for transportation. The proposed two-way traffic plan eliminates that option and it will be much more dangerous for all of us. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Benjamin Flame followed by Daniel Block. Benjamin, one minute.

Hi, good evening. Ben Flame, 98 Raymond. I want to thank you for all you do for Cambridge. I know it's not easy. I cannot believe we're still talking about Garden Street. It's been over three years since it was changed to a one-way, but the reason this keeps coming up is because the current configuration does not work. The original study that led to this situation was conducted in the throes of COVID when there was far less traffic and people who lived on neighborhood streets weren't notified of what was going on. From the minute that change was implemented, traffic on surrounding smaller streets became a nightmare, particularly during the p.m. rush hour. I can't even get out of my driveway after 4 p.m. We now live in a city that is being controlled by one faction, and that does not feel fair. That's how the federal government operates right now, not our Cambridge. Here, the council represents all citizens, not just the loudest ones. Think of the thousands of people who aren't here tonight. We need to respect them and their families as well. If we don't return Garden to a two-way street for cars, this issue will not go away.

We have a chance to strike a true compromise here, listening to both sides and ensuring a plan that works for cyclists, pedestrians, drivers, runners, children, the elderly and those who are unable to get around by bike. Daniel Wlock

Daniel, you may need to... There you go. Can you hear me? We can. Go ahead.

My name is Daniel Block at 50 Buckingham Street. I'm head of the West Cambridge Neighborhood Coalition. I'm writing in opposition to the proposed public policy to reverse the council's previous decision to do changes in Garden Street back to a two-way street with bicycle lanes. The vote to change Garden Street back to a two-way street with the addition of bike lanes was in response to the documented and observed detrimental impact of the one-way change in the surrounding neighborhoods. It was not due to objectives over the use of bicycles on Cambridge roads. or some bicycle advocates in the objective principle to the change that is not a sufficient reason to reverse the previous decision. If they can provide objective and documented evidence of the negative impact of the agreed upon change back to a two-way street then and only then should a vote to reverse that decision be considered. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Sylvia Mangan. Sylvia, one minute.

I'm Sylvia Mangan at 76 6th Street, and I'm here to speak in favor of policy order number three. I live across the street from Ahern Field, and from my own windows, I can see the vibrant community space. This field is so much more than an athletic facility. I think of it as much like Cambridge Commons, a vital community space in a dense neighborhood. While I understand the convenience of turf, I would argue that it does not benefit the community. As a former athlete, I am concerned at the increased risk of injury players experience on turf fields. As a mother, I am concerned at the forever chemicals and microplastics that turf fields leach into the environment, the increased heat retention in an already dense neighborhood, and the risk of my 10 month old eating the rubber from the field, to be honest. As a homeowner, I'm also concerned at the increased risk of flooding created by loss of this grassy area. This region is a swamp, historically, and our basements and foundations are already at risk. As a community member, I'm concerned at the loss of this communal temperate grassy area.

I respectfully ask the City of Cambridge to retain natural grass at Ahern Field rather than replace the entire field with synthetic turf.

Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Young Kim. Young, you have one minute. Young Kim, if you can unmute yourself. Young, you have the floor. We will come back to Young Kim. Our next speaker is Andrea Carls, followed by Jennifer Brittain Colonese. Andrea, you have the floor. Please go ahead.

My name is Andrea Carls. I live at 52 Garden Street. I speak in favor of policy order number two. I have owned a condo at 52 Garden Street for 19 years and I'm now 80 years old. I have lower back pains, face upcoming surgeries, and move more slowly than I once did. I have seen other residents slow down too. We are an aging group. More often now we need to use canes, crutches, or walkers. Our mobility will inevitably decrease further, making crossing streets more hazardous and putting our lives at risk. I like the current configuration. Once I got used to watching for bicycles and scooters I felt much safer having to judge the time for crossing with cars coming from only one direction. The thought of the restoration of two-way traffic along with two bike lanes alarms me. I don't have a car. I shop at Porter Square and often use the taxi to bring me back.

Unloading groceries from the taxi on the far side of Garden Street and then crossing Shepherd and Garden Street would be longer and far more danger than unloading directly in front of the building. I urge you to weigh our safety and vote in favor of policy order two.

Thank you. We're going to go back to Young Kim. Young, you have the floor. If you can unmute yourself, please go ahead.

Young, can you hear me?

We can. Please go ahead.

Young, can you hear me? Young, your sound is a bit distorted.

We're just getting bits and pieces. I don't know if you can get closer to your mic.

I have a phone. And that's why and somehow I have an echo here. I don't know how to get rid of this echo.

Young, if you can sign out of Zoom, sign back in, raise your hand when you're back in the Zoom, and I'll call on you again.

Okay, thank you. Thank you.

We're going to go to Andrea Carls, then Jennifer Brittain-Colonnais, followed by Nahit Trivedi. For those waiting, we are at speaker number, I'm sorry, we're going to go to Jennifer, speaker number 30. Jen, you have the floor. One minute.

Hi, thank you. My name is Jennifer Britton Colonies. I live at 209 Hurley Street. Thank you for the opportunity to comment on agenda number three. to keep air and field with grass. As a nurse practitioner working in endocrinology, I see the harms of PFAS or forever chemicals as endocrine disruptors. My daughter is a soccer player and does her games and practices at Danny Park and at Russell Field, both of which have turf rather than grass. Honestly, the turf she plays on concerns me but we can't undo those fields. For these reasons, I urge you to keep Aaron Field as grass. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Nahit Trevity, followed by Paul Rakuglia, then Andrzej Kovarik. Nahit? Please go ahead. You have one minute.

Hi there. My name is Naheed Trivedi. I live at Magoon, 41 Magoon Street, North Cambridge. I am speaking in support of policy order number two on Garden Street. Years ago, I used to bike up and down Garden Street almost every day for my work commute. The current setup with one-way traffic, driving traffic, and two-way biking, I find Much better as a biker and as a driver. I actually just drove down Gardner Street about 10 minutes ago, my children in the car, and believe that the traffic calming measures that are proposed on the side streets is reasonable and makes a lot of sense. And the existence of some parking on Garden Street towards Harvard Square, which we use as well, makes a lot of sense.

So I hope the city council will pass policy order number two.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Paul Recuglia. Paul, one minute.

Hello. My name is Paul Recuglia. I own my home at 9-5 Bella Circle. I first moved to Cambridge in 2013. I'm speaking in support of policy order number two, leaving Garden Street as it is and improving safety and traffic mitigations on nearby streets. My daily bike commute is down Sherman Street to Garden Street to Broadway, and I've seen firsthand how the changes to Garden Street have been very positive. is improved safety, improved the intersection of Garden and Huron, and these are both very good. I think it would be a mistake to spend scarce DPW resources on changing Garden Street. It's an excellent solution that was implemented after extensive study. and the complaints about rerouted traffic are straightforward to address. Bicycle safety is an important area for me. In two weeks I'll be undergoing surgery to remove a bone from my right hand. I fell due to poorly maintained pavement after the snowstorms and I can't help but wonder if a better allocation of DPW budget would have prevented that.

Surely we would be better served spending our budget mitigating more dangerous streets.

Thank you. We're going to go back to Young Kim, followed by Andrzej Kovarik. Young, you have the floor. Please go ahead.

My apologies. Young Kim, thank you, Norris. I would like to begin by congratulating. Oh, I'm sorry. I have a problem. Okay. I have to try again.

Young. Yeah. Please go ahead. We can hear you. We're going to move on to Andres.

Okay, young people, I would like to begin by congratulating Sarah Rivera on her appointment to an election commission and wish her success. I am asking the county to reject CMA number two on transparency grounds and to reject policy order two on fiscal responsibility grounds. The City Manager's presentation should have included the complete description of the detection process and take evaluation. and rationale for the final joint. Without that, the Council and the public are being asked to act on a basis. With number two, the city has already spent and public welfare fund under the 2020 redesign and followed by a continued adjustment of appropriate policies to complete the current effort and conduct a systematic,

Thank you, Young.

That's time. Please be sure to email your comments. Andrzej Kovarik, followed by Anna Astori, then Michael Rogov.

Hello, I'm Andre Kovarik. I live on 88 Ames Street, apartment 903. And I'm here in support of policy order number three, Turf is nice, don't get me wrong. I've played a lot of sports when I was younger. But it's good for fields, not parks. Ahern Park is a general use space. Turf is good for specialized fields and places that you can keep it isolated from the general messiness of nature and where you don't need that flexibility of grass. I play volleyball in Ahern. If we were to play volleyball on a turf field, where would we stake our nets? I don't see any place for nets on the plan. Furthermore, the point about reducing maintenance costs seems strange when grass would still be left on the field. What's the marginal cost of Mowing a whole field versus mowing only a small fraction of it. I don't know. Further, two other parks that are cited as success stories, Russell Park and Danahy, also both have isolated areas for their turf fields,

and they have grass nearby for dogs and for picnics. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Anna Astori, followed by Michael Rogo, then Carolyn Hunt.

Good evening, City Council. My name is Anna Astori. I'm an East Cambridge resident speaking in support of policy order number three, requesting a pause on converting Ahern Field to synthetic turf. Ahern Field is not just a sports facility. It is one of the only natural green spaces accessible to residents in a One of the most densely populated neighborhoods in Cambridge, where many people have no private outdoor space. With Gold Star Mother Park closed for a multi-year contamination remediation, East Cambridge has already lost significant open space. Replacing Ahern Field with synthetic turf now would compound that loss at the worst possible time. We're not asking the city to stop investing in Ahern Field.

We're asking for a balanced approach, a well-maintained natural grass field with improved... Drainage, and the Manatees.

Thank you. Thank you. Michael Rogo, followed by Carolyn Hunt, then Ethan Frank. One minute, Michael. Please go ahead.

Thank you. Hi, Council. I'm Michael Rogo from 65 Spark Street. speaking in favor of policy order two on behalf of the four families for zero to one car households, nine cyclists and pedestrians, including a current and future Cambridge public school student who all live in our building. Most of them cannot be here due to caregiving needs. We live on one of the roughly parallel streets impacted by Garden Street configuration changes, and we are in favor. I know the council is really not excited to take this up again. We appreciate it. You are the arbiters of the public way. City traffic is up citywide, and the calming effect on nearby Field Street from just a couple of speed humps is palpable. It's in front of the Universal Playground. Let's keep making that progress. Let's calm the streets all the way from New Street to Field Street to Sherman Street, Raymond, Hurom. all the way down to Harvard Square. My neighbors and I applied online and we're thrilled to learn that we'll be receiving speed humps on Spark Street. That is popular policy on the public way. Let's direct our limited funds there.

Thank you and please stay hydrated.

Thanks, Michael. We missed that. Our next speaker is Carolyn Hunt, followed by Ethan Frank, then Jason Targoff. Carolyn, please go ahead. You have the floor.

Hi, my name's Carolyn Hunt and I live at 106 Berkshire Street. I'm speaking in favor of PO number three. with respect to our Hearn field. Neighbors and users of the field were asked for input, but when we overwhelmingly expressed support for grass and against plastic turf, we were ignored. I'm asking for a pause on this project and for the city to have a full transparent community process that I think will lead to the opposite conclusion. I'm also very disappointed with Cambridge youth soccer. My child has been playing soccer with CYS for six years and has played on many different fields across the city. He and all of his CYS friends prefer playing on grass. Even when it's overly dry or overly wet, they prefer it to playing on artificial turf, which is hot, scratchy, and leaves all of us with tiny little bits of chopped up old car tires in our shoes and our clothes.

CYS does not speak for all or even most CYS players or families. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Ethan Frank, followed by Jason Targoff, then Andrew Farrar. Ethan, you have one minute. Please go ahead.

Hello, my name is Ethan. I live at 632 Mass Ave. I was able to write on Garden Street for the first time last month, and I found it to be very enjoyable. and very safe. In their presentation to the city council, the transportation department showed that a two-way Garden Street would be less safe Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Our time and money on making the rest of the city safer. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Jason Targoff, followed by Andrew Farrar, then Beth Gamse. Jason, one minute.

Hello, I'm speaking as the president of Cambridge Youth Soccer in favor of putting artificial turf in at Ahern Field. We are a program that has now reached 2,400 kids this academic year, and we've raised their numbers by focusing on play and getting kids to have fun by playing. And so much so that we formalized informal play as part of our practices. Every coach at Cambridge Youth Soccer is expected to have a period of informal play at the beginning of practice. And we do that because our vision, we take our vision very seriously, is a community of happy and healthy children in the city of Cambridge. We know the state of children in the United States is that we're not getting enough play, too much phone, not enough play. And we find that it's a lot easier to get kids to play in North and West Cambridge, where there are good fields. Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Andrew Farrar, followed by Beth Gamsey. Andrew, one minute.

Thank you. My name is Andrew Ferrer. I live at 4 Lawrence Street in Cambridge, Mass., and have for 45 years. I am speaking today regarding policy order number three. I'm speaking as an advocate for play, not for soccer, but for play. It is essential to the health of children. There are states and cities making difficult decisions to reduce the environmental impact of projects, not about fields but about roads and the installation of gravel roads as a more environmentally sound decision. A gravel road may be a good solution for limited traffic. It is not a solution for a road used by thousands of people. I don't think anyone here would suggest that Cambridge revert to gravel roads. Cambridge is one of the top 30 most densely cities in the United States. Our commitment to the health of our children demands first-rate play facilities that can meet that population demand. Are there trade-offs? Of course.

And I believe the city should address those trade-offs and the community should accept them or understand them and be able to debate them.

Thanks, Andrew. Please email the remainder. Your time has expired. Thank you. Our next speaker is Beth Gamsey. Beth, one minute. Please go ahead.

Good evening. Thank you very much. This is Beth Gamze, Walker Street, where my wife and I have lived for nearly 33 years. and I am urging the council to vote no for policy for agenda item number two. We face daily challenges because of the current situation on Garden Street. and I think most of those challenges are from unintended consequences of prioritizing bicycle safety. What I appreciate about the proposed plan Thank you so much for joining us. More safety hazards as cyclists and scooterists use the wrong bike lanes to travel on Garden Street.

And we look forward to having Garden Street return to two-way. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Ellen Blumenthal, followed by Jenna Odette, then Sarah Block. Ellen, you have one minute. Please go ahead. Ellen, if you can unmute yourself, you have the floor.

Hi, I'm sorry, I'm the wrong Ellen. I'm not Ellen Blumenthal. Sorry.

All right, we'll come back to you, other Evan. So I don't see Ellen Blumenthal. We're going to go to Jana Odette. Jana has not joined. We will go to Sarah Block followed by Emmett von Stackelberg. Sarah, one minute.

Hi, I'm Sarah Block. I live at 24 Shepherd Street. First moved to Cambridge in 1970. I am speaking in favor of policy order two. I'm a little frustrated because in 2022 when the change was made, people on Raymond Street complained of danger. Before 2022, people on Raymond Street complained of danger and they're still complaining. and nothing's been done is I think since the only thing I remember ever happening on Raymond is they took away the traffic light at the end of Raymond and Walden which reduced and everything I read from the analysis by the transportation department tells me that Changing garden to two ways with two bike lanes will make the situation on Raymond Street worse. I can read a little piece.

But basically what will happen is the signal at the firehouse will become about a minute longer and each car will have less time to go through. So you're going to have more cars trying to cut around that light and everybody who's in queue there will be Waiting longer, so you'll have more congestion, which is what the transportation department concluded after measuring all the different levels of traffic everywhere.

Thank you, Sarah. Your time has expired. You can email the remainder of your comments.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Emmett von Stackelberg, followed by Charles Kike, then Abigail Lewis-Bowen. Emmett, you have the floor. You have one minute. Please go ahead.

Hello, my name is Emmett von Stackelberg and I live at 1697 Cambridge Street. I'm speaking on policy order one. I teach history and literature at Harvard and I am one of over 2,600 teachers and researchers on campus who have unionized with Harvard academic workers. I've lived in Mid-Cabridge since 2023 and I love living here, but the university regards my job as temporary no matter how well I teach and no matter how much I contribute to the university and to the broader community. Harvard Academic Workers, along with our sibling union, Harvard Graduate Students United, is working to negotiate contracts that will help hold Harvard accountable to the Cambridge residents it employs. The Council's support would be a great help in these negotiations. We're one of the few bodies able to hold Harvard to account for being not merely a good business, but a university that takes seriously its mission and its responsibility to its employees and its neighbors. We value our ties to Harvard and to Cambridge and want to keep them. Help us stop Harvard from forcing us out of our jobs and frequently out of Cambridge too. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Charles Keke. I do not see Charles on the Zoom. We will go to Abigail Lewis Bowen followed by Tina Liu.

Hi, good evening. My name is Abigail Lewis-Bone. I live at 80 Thorndike Street, and this evening I'm speaking on behalf of the East Cambridge Open Space Trust, of which I am a trustee. The Open Space Trust does support policy number three so that the public can see a full accounting of how the decision to put artificial turf at Ahern Field was arrived at. We'd also ask that the report go further and address whether the city has fully explored an improvement in drainage and maintenance of the field. There are a lot of allegations that Thank you very much. I'd also like to challenge the statements in the environmental standards that were presented in a community meeting about PFAS and recycling. We just ask the council to look closely at those statements for their validity. And thank you for your time. Have a good evening.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Tina Liu. We are at speaker number 47. We're about halfway through our list. Tina Liu, followed by Bill McEvaney, then David Marini. Tina, please go ahead. You have the floor.

Hi, my name is Tina Liu at 37 Huron Ave, number one. Speaking on policy number two, I'm in favor of keeping Garden Street as is. because I just think it's safer for the bikers, especially students commuting back and forth between Sierra Les, Russell Field, and home. At the same time, though, I would ask the city to act on the findings from, I think it was over a year ago, there's a walking tour to address traffic concerns for surrounding street areas. especially for safety and I heard from the group that had been involved that there was no follow-up from the city after an hours-long walking and listening session. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Bill McIverney, followed by David Marini, then Andrew Ong. Bill, you have one minute. Please go ahead.

Bill McIverney, 12 Douglas Street. I'm an elderly pedestrian who has to frequently cross Garden Street near Concord Ave. And prior to it being one way, It was the worst intersection that I have had to cross. It's the only place in Cambridge that I've had someone actually Veer towards me trying to run me over while I was in a crosswalk with a New Hampshire, a truck with a New Hampshire plate. This Since the change to one way, it's been one of the safest crossings that I cross. A lot of people, when it was two-way, a lot of people not from Cambridge, rushing out of Cambridge, Ignored Crosswalks. Please do not throw us elderly pedestrians under the cars and keep Garden Street the way it is with single-way traffic. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is David Marini, followed by Andrew Ong, then Max Kaplan.

Good evening, everyone, and thank you so much for your time. I'm originally from Italy. I've been living in Cambridge for decades, and I'm super grateful to the City Council for the work that you do to keep our city safe and vibrant. I'm also an engineer, and my profession will have a saying, there are no solutions, there are only trade-offs. So from my own perspective, the current design of Garden Street is the best, and I was very impressed by the process Thank you very much. A couple of years ago, so I'm here tonight to speak strongly in favor of keeping Garden Street as is. I've noticed a tremendous improvement in terms of safety since the previous design.

and as a biker, as a pedestrian, and also as an automobile driver, I think this is the best solution that we have. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Andrew Ong, followed by Kelly Sherman, Joe Ataleta, then Rebecca Bjork. Andrew, you have one minute. Please go ahead.

Hello, my name is Andrew Ong and I live at 64 Willow Street. I'm here to support policy number two and number three, but I will focus on policy order number three. I strongly oppose the installation of turf field at Ahern Field. It's one of the only green spaces for a half a mile radius. in one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in Cambridge. As previously mentioned, the park on Gore Street, Gold Star Mother Park, is also under construction, eliminating one of the other large Green Spaces and East Cambridge. This field is heavily used by residents, families and local youth programming, and numerous studies have shown that turf fields negatively impact children's safety and climate change. I'm a parent of three children, frequent all the playgrounds in the neighborhood, including this field. and additionally when KLO is used again, those children will primarily use this field as their outdoor space. This proposed plan has seemingly not received any input from the community and I'm asking for some clarity on the process of how this plan was proposed and developed.

Please stop this project and retain grass at Ahern Field.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Max Kaplan. Max, you have one minute.

Hi, Max Kaplan, 45 Yerxa Road. I'm speaking in support of Policy Order 2, keeping Garden Street as is. The current Garden Street setup is my absolute favorite bike facility in the city. I'll go out of my way to ride on Garden Street because of how safe it feels. Please don't waste city money and tear up our awesome bike lanes. Thanks.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Maggie Barretts followed by Pamela Blau, then Sunny Gupta. Maggie?

Hi, I'm Maggie Barretts. I live at 37 Walker Street. I urge you to support policy order number two. I understand the motivation for the two-way conversion is for less congestion and less cut-through traffic on side streets. Worthy goals. Here's what this city report has to say about that. A two-way Garden Street presented challenges at traffic signals. A Garden Street that is two-way for vehicles for the full length would have implications at the Linnean Street signal and the Concord Ave signal. Under this alternative, it would take longer to cycle through traffic signal phases, causing additional delays and likely backups for all travelers at these intersections. That's the whole ballgame right there. The two-way solution makes it worse. That should give you all pause. When traffic is more backed up on Garden, it will still flow to Raymond Street. And in the meantime, you'll have all the collateral damage you've heard described tonight. Please use your authority to gather any data at all that shows there will be a single positive outcome to this conversion project.

That's all I ask, along with 718 of my Cambridge friends and neighbors who signed the petition. This vote isn't a flip flop on policy. It's a vote to leave things the way they are. Thank you.

Thank you. The next few speakers are not in the Zoom. I will call them in case they're in the room. Pamela Blau. Sunny Gupta, Andrew Geng. Andrew, you have the floor. One minute. Please go ahead.

Thank you, and good evening. My name is Andrew Gung of France's Place. I'm here to speak in support of policy order number two to halt the reconfiguration of Garden Street. First, thank you for doing this right. The two-way proposal was a rushed and run around the process that had occurred before. and thanks especially for taking the time for the traffic analysis to save us from what Maggie Bratz had just told us would be an expensive lesson about induced demand paradoxes. My interest in this remains mostly selfish. As a Garden Street biker, I would like to not die. And I hope you never just take my opponent's word for what counts as safe. But if I may point out our common ground, That traffic, probably most of which isn't even going to or from Cambridge, nobody who is part of that traffic wants to be there either. and increasingly so right between the environment, the economy, the parking situation. Like I was surprised at how happy my father-in-law was when his car got totaled.

The way Garden Street is now makes not driving more of an option for me and others, and there, I think, are still many things we can do to make that kind of a difference. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Kelly Sherman, followed by Joe Adaletta, then Rebecca Bjork. Kelly, one minute.

Good evening, my name is Kelly Sherman. I live at 71 Folkerson Street, directly across from Ahern Field. I'm a Cambridge resident, long time a parent, and I'm here in support of Policy Order 3. I want to thank Mayor Siddiqui, Councilor Nolan, and Councilor McGovern for sponsoring this order because it asks the city to do something basic. really just to show the work before that's gone into making this decision before asking all the nearby residents to live with the consequences. My family and I use the field multiple times a day, every day. Every morning I gather there with a small group of neighbors and we watch the season change on that field every morning. It's not just a facility to us, it's our neighborhood green space. and for many residents without a yard or an outdoor space of our own, it's the only one we have. What concerns me most is that no one appears to have rigorously assessed how it's actually used before converting it.

So I support this order and ask to ask for citywide usage assessment of the fields across Cambridge, including soccer and baseball.

Thanks, Kelly. Our next speaker is Joe Adeletta. Joe, you have one minute. Please go ahead.

Hello, thank you, Joe Ataleta, 68 Walker Street. I wanted to speak just for a minute on policy order number three. It does seem to me that... Overall, this seems to be a failure in governance rather than specifically geared towards athletic facility versus not. It seems to me that before the proposed change, was initiated, it should have been studied, as the last speaker just said, in order to determine what the city actually wanted to do with the piece of land. If it stays a park like Cambridge Common, that's great. If it's determined that this is going to be a multi-use park, The use of grass in New England in particular is certainly suboptimal and I suspect for that reason, Danahy Park was converted to turf. Moreover, the Danahy turf was studied independently and uses wood infill.

I don't think turf is the end of the world as a parent of four kids who've all played CYS. So thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Rebecca Bjork, followed by Edamar Turner-Troring, then Hannah Bagley. Rebecca, you have the floor. One minute.

Hi, my name is Rebecca Bjork and I live at 20 Concord Avenue and I am speaking in favor of policy order three to keep garden as it is. As many have said, the change from garden to two-way to one-way has dramatically improved my life as a multimodal user of My biggest thing about this change that was so good is it eliminated a lot of the cut-through traffic on Garden. A lot of people have argued that Garden should be used for cut-through traffic, but anyone who looks at Garden knows that was never the intention. Now the city needs to take the steps to eliminate cut-through traffic on the other roads like Raymond. One of the things I experienced on Garden so many times when I was cycling was how dangerous it was because cars were driving far too fast on that wider section. Now with the chicanes and the bike lanes, it's... Everyone's moving slower and it's safer for all of us whether we're biking, driving, or walking.

So I'm really appreciating that we are looking back at the policy order from last fall that seemed very problematic and doing it the right way listening to city staff. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Idemar Turner-Trawing. Idemar, you have one minute. Please go ahead. Edomar Turner-Trying. You have the floor. We're going to come back to Itamar. We will move on to speaker number 60, Hannah Bagley. Hannah, you have the floor. You have one minute. Hannah, if you can unmute yourself. Yep, please go ahead. Hannah, you're unmuted on our end and your end, but we can't hear you.

Can you hear me now?

We can. Please go ahead.

Wonderful. Thank you. Okay, I'll start from the beginning. My name is Hannah Seven-Allen-Road, and I'm speaking in support of policy order number three. I am in support of retaining a natural grass field at Aharon Field rather than replacing it with a synthetic turf surface. Natural grass serves the full community by providing a flexible, welcoming, and shared surface that doesn't prioritize one activity over others. replacing Ahern Field entirely with turf removes one of the few places where the community can experience natural ground. I play volleyball at Ahern Field up to several times a week during the warmer months, and I see the value that it brings to the community of East Cambridge. Losing this space would be a huge blow to the community that has already had limited green space. In addition, natural grass is also safer for athletes and reduces their risk of injury compared with turf. Public health studies have shown that synthetic compounds can persist in soil and water systems where artificial turf systems are present.

I'm asking for a pause in the construction project and the city manager to revisit this decision as well as a full transparent community process going forward. Thank you.

Thank you. We're going to go back to Itamar Turner-Trawing. Please go ahead. You have the floor.

Hi.

Can you hear me this time? We can.

Okay, my name is Itamar Turner Trowering. I live at 139 Oxford Street. I'm speaking in support of policy order number two. As others have said, the city staff have said that the current attempts to switch to a two-way design will make things worse. It'll make it less safe. Increase traffic congestion. And you can proceed with this plan and you can spend $100,000 or more, $200,000, whatever it's going to take, and spend a lot of money. And then you'll have people who are more upset. and then as the council you can then blame city staff for doing it badly and this is the gambit here which is you propose something you know that won't work but then when things go badly it's not your problem and that's great but A, things are worse. B, you spent wasted money. And C, this is hugely demoralizing to city staff when they warned you in advance and then you ignore them and then you blame them for things that they told you weren't going to fail. So please vote yes on policy order number two.

Thank you. We are going to skip Brendan Hickey. They had to leave early. We'll go to Julia Fuller, followed by Brittany Bychowski, then Frank Reese. Julia, you have the floor. Please go ahead.

Hi, are you able to hear me?

We can.

Great. My name is Julia Fuller. I live at Garden Court in Cambridge, which is immediately next to the section of Garden Street that we're focused on for policy order number two. I biked to get around the city. I walked to get around the city. I love going running. And I also have a car. And I think the one-way street change has been a huge improvement for like every mode of transportation. The current layout with the street being one way slows traffic naturally. It also prioritizes pedestrian and cyclist safety. Putting it back to two-way creates more dangerous crossings, takes away more parking spaces. It's also going to create a layout that

is going to incentivize delivery vehicles to pull over and block the bike lane.

Thanks, Julia. Your time has expired. Please email the remainder. Our next speaker is Brittany Bichkovsky, followed by Frank Reese, then Mike Green. Brittany, one minute. Please go ahead.

Hi, everyone. My name is Brittany Bychkowski. Thank you for the opportunity to speak on policy order number three. I have lived in Cambridge since 2005. I am a medical oncologist with expertise in cancer prevention. I am on staff at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. I am also a mom of a CYS soccer player who plays on a foreign field. We prefer grass to turf. Ahearn is a multi-use space and people in urban areas need access to green space. Turf exposes our community to microplastic pollution, PFAS, and toxic fumes, especially in the heat. And with climate change, our community is getting warmer in the fall season, which is soccer season. TURF also reduces our community exposure to natural antigens. Less exposure to green space has human health consequences. Grass, green space, mud exposure prevents allergies in growing kids. This is very consistent in the medical literature.

Natural antigens also increase CD8 T-cell immunity, which is important for urban residents. Thank you, Brittany.

Your time has expired. Please email the remainder. Anyone that we had to cut short please email your comments to citycouncil at cambridgema.gov and you also may copy clerk at cambridgema.gov so that your comments are added to the public record of this meeting. Our next speaker is Frank Rees. We are at speaker number 64. Frank, you have the floor. One minute.

Thank you very much. Can you hear me?

We can. Please go ahead.

My name is Frank Reese. My wife and I have been living at number 45 Garden Street for 50 years. I'm speaking in favor of policy order number two. The shift of Garden Street from a two-way street to one way is the best project decision and implementation process that we have experienced in our life here at Cambridge. The current one-way traffic configuration is safer for automobile, bicycle, scooters, pedestrians, and dog walkers alike. It is also considerably quieter, giving the neighborhood relief from traffic congestion, noise, and accompanying exhaust. The traffic on Walker and Shepherd Street has also been reduced, allowing these residential streets a quieter and safer existence next to the Radcliffe Quad. If John Lennon were still with us, he would say, let it be, let it be. We urge you to vote yes on policy order 2026-76. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Frank. Our next speaker is Mike Green, followed by Nicholas Fernandez, then Scott Kilcoyne. Mike, you have the floor. You have one minute.

Thank you, Council, for having me and for the work that goes into this and keeping our community as vibrant as it is. I'm speaking in support of using turf, the right kind of turf, in Ahern Field. I'm pleased that the committee has found a PFAS-free Recyclable Low Temperature 3G Turf. And I understand the concerns about rubber, but this turf that we're talking about here is going to have cork infill. like what's up at Danahy on the new Field 4 up there where I spent the weekend with my kids. I've got three kids in the Cambridge Public Schools who play CYS. and that field is is you know soft and resilient and I just want people in this east side of Cambridge to have access to be able to play because When we're over there, some parts of the season, when my daughter was playing first and second grade, Ahern was often really muddy and puddly and not usable. And now we have to have those players sometimes getting all the way out to Russell to be able to play. So in the spirit of access, I think this is a good suggestion. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Nicholas Fernandez, followed by Scott Kilcoyne, then Hossein Alide. Nicholas, you have the floor. Nicholas, if you can unmute yourself.

Oh, can you hear me? One of the safest routes in the city. And compared to Mass Ave, it's just so much safer. I take that route every day. I drop my kid off at Tobin, bike down to work, go down Garden Street. It's a really great configuration and I think it's Thanks for watching!

Thank you. Our next speaker is Scott Kilcoyne, followed by Hossein Alide, followed by Peter Glick. Scott, you have the floor. One minute.

Hi, thank you for having me. I love Garden Street as it is now. It's been a huge upgrade. It's how I get to basically anywhere in the city, honestly, at this point, because it's so pleasant. but I also live right next to Danahy and just last week took a walk through Danahy in the afternoon on Friday or Thursday and every group of kids out there on the fields there was a pile of bikes right next to all their bags and this is the way that Danahy is to the high school We did this project on Garden to make that route from the high school to Danahy Safer for all the kids. And it's really apparent that it's been working super well.

and it would be a shame to do any spend any money to make it any bit less good than it is now so I'd love to continue keeping it as it is I just love it so much thank you

Thank you. Our next speaker is Hossein Alidey, followed by Peter Glick, then Pedro Vaz-Texera. Hossein, you have the floor. Please go ahead. You have one minute.

Hi, my name is Hossein Alidai. I live at 15 Ridgetale Avenue and I am speaking in support of policy order number two. I live on Ridgetale and I commute over to Harvard every day. This is by far a much safer route for me to get to Harvard Square than going down Mass Ave and further even on a social basis. My wife, for example, as well as other friends of mine in the area that I know are literally afraid to go down Mass Ave and much prefer Garden Street and in some other world where we didn't have Garden Street we would have to go by car only further congesting the roads and so I'm strongly in support of keeping this a bike lane both to kind of make it easy for citizens of Cambridge to get around and to not be scared for their lives in the process of just trying to get dinner around town or get to work. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Peter Glick. Peter, you have one minute.

Hi, Peter Glick, 60 Raymond Street. For about the past three and a half years, I've been living on a street that is unsafe for about four hours a day, five days a week. It is really stressful, really dangerous, not just for me and my family and other neighbors, but for the kids who walk to school, for the many cyclists who are on Raymond still despite the Garden Street bike lanes. And what makes it even worse in some ways is that a lot of us in the side streets feel like we've been sort of completely ignored. You know, there were listening sessions where it was clear that nobody was listening. There are statistics that get thrown around that couldn't possibly reflect rush hour on the side streets like Raymond and Buckingham and Walker and Appleton.

And now there are city council votes, two of them, that we won, but actually, no, the work was delayed, delayed just long enough for another policy order to come up and sort of pull the rug out from under us. were told that, oh, we're going to look at it holistically. Who could possibly believe that after all this time? Thank you.

Thank you. We are at speaker number 70, Pedro Vaz-Texera, followed by Brenda Shannon, then Richard Fryerman. Pedro, you have the floor, one minute.

Hi, can you hear me? My name is Pedro Teixeira. I live in West Cambridge and I am speaking in support of policy order number two and keeping Garden Street the way it is. Even though I own a car, I mainly walk and cycle in Cambridge, and I'm one of several parents who bike along Garden Street to take my toddler to and from childcare, as well as parks such as Denny and Cambridge Common. Like Scott said earlier, Garden Street is also relied upon by kids cycling every day between school and Dennehy Parks. This is something I witness every day living close to it. Garden Street should be kept in its current configuration as it's safer for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Brenda Shannon. Brenda's not with us. We're going to go to Richard Fryerman, followed by Carolyn Fuller, then Ellen Minahan. Richard, you have the floor. You have one minute.

Hi, I'm speaking. Today in support of policy order number two, I get that this seems like a change to something that was already planned, but in fact, we're asking you to not change what's already in place. If there are problems with congestion on other streets, let's address those. Making Garden Street less safe for all users won't fix those problems. Please respect the advice of city professionals, the residents of Garden Street, the speakers in support tonight, the many letters you've received, and over 700 people who partitioned the council last year. I'd like to also add that it's really great tonight to hear the support for this policy that makes it clear this is not just about the bicycle lobby or however you like to characterize it.

It's from a lot of residents in the area who like this calm street and want to keep it that way. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Carolyn Fuller, followed by Ellen Minahan, then Luca Govedi. Carolyn, you have the floor. You have one minute. Please go ahead.

Hello, my name is Carolyn Fuller, 12 Douglas Street. I'm here tonight to speak in favor of policy order number two, I'm a 78 year old pedestrian. I don't own either a car or bike, but I walk all over the city. Garden Street is safer, Four pedestrians now that it is a one-way street, especially at the intersection of Garden and Concord. 35 years ago, our seven-year-old son ran across that intersection to greet his best friend. He had a walk light, but at the time one of the many traffic lanes merging into that intersection also had a green light. I watched in horror as an ambulance driver nearly ran our son down. Those traffic lights were fixed many decades ago but it is still a confusing intersection when both Concord and Garden are two-way streets. Please keep Garden Street one way. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Ellen Minahan. Ellen, you have one minute. Please go ahead.

Hi, Ellen Minahan. I reside at 139 Otis Street and I'm expressing my support to Policy Order 3 today and my concerns about replacing natural grass with artificial turf at a Hearn Field. I am an East Cambridge homeowner and resident and a parent to three young children. My family resides in an East Cambridge row house without a yard and we currently utilize a herd field on a daily basis for exercise and general recreation. I am concerned about the health and environmental impact of replacing natural grass with artificial turf. More specifically, I'm concerned about the shed of microplastics and other harmful chemicals from the field into our soil and groundwater. and the consequences of that exposure on human health. I'm also concerned that replacing natural grass with artificial turf will contribute to an urban heat island effect, contributing to elevated temperature in our already densely built neighborhoods. Thank you for an opportunity to voice our concerns today.

Thank you. We are going to skip Gary Mello, who left us his comment in writing. We're going to go to Luca Govedi. Luca is not here. We will go to Ken Carlson. Ken is not here. Catherine Rose left earlier. We will go to Jackson Potter. Jackson, you have the floor. You have one minute. Please go ahead.

Hi, my name is Jackson Potter and I'm calling in support of policy order number two. Please keep Garden Street one way as is. It is so much safer, calmer, and a better experience for all users of that street. and making it two-way, reverting back to the old design would just reduce safety. It would make traffic worse at Linnean Street and Huron Ave. And it's... just adding more and more costs to a project that was already made and is wildly successful. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Adam Mitchell followed by Adina Golden. Adam, you have the floor. You have one minute. Adam Mitchell, if you can unmute yourself, you have the floor. We are gonna move on to Adina Golden. Adina, you have the floor.

My name is Adina Golden. I live at 124 Garden Street. I'm an avid biker in the Cambridge area. I also do own a car and often drive to work outside of the city about once a week. So I'm familiar with both the driving, walking, and biking in the area. I'd like to voice my support for policy order number two to keep Garden Street the way it is. I feel very safe as a biker on it currently and I worry that if it goes back to two ways then the light at Garden Street and Huron Avenue would just be too long to allow for a bike light and the extra way on Garden Street which will cause more backup on Huron Avenue past Concord Avenue. In addition, I would just feel much safer as a biker and a pedestrian if we kept it the way that it is. Thank you for listening.

Thank you. We're going to go back to Luca Govidic. Luca, you have the floor. You have one minute.

Hi, can you hear me?

We can, please go ahead.

Okay, thank you. Hi, my name is Luka Govetic, and I'm speaking today in support of the policy order number two, I bike a lot around Cambridge in general, but also on Garden Street when I head to Danahy Park and back. and the current configuration of the street is much more pleasant than what it used to be before. It's safer for cyclists and it gives more just of a peaceful vibe to the neighborhood which is you know it's a very residential neighborhood so i think it does its job to satisfy kind of everybody as best as possible the cyclists the pedestrians and the drivers that want to park somewhere and I think there's a lot of like projects like this that get kind of shut down because they remove a lot of the parking and this is one that really prioritized parking and so I think removing it would be very inconsistent with kind of like our Thank you.

Our next speaker is James Zoll, followed by Charles McKinnon. James is not with us. We will go to Charles McKinnon. Charles, you have the floor. One minute. Charles, you're unmuted on both ends. Please go ahead. Okay, Charles, we will ask you to leave the Zoom, rejoin, and raise your hand when you're back. We'll call on you again. We're going to move on to James Sullivan, followed by Neil Levitt.

James Sullivan is not with us. Neil Levitt followed by Heather Hoffman.

Hello, I'm Neil Levitt and I live on 113 7th Street. which is right next to our Ahern Field and I just wanted to comment and say that I'm in favor of keeping Ahern Field like it is and you know I'm also a soccer player and I very much appreciate a concern with soccer. But I do think that also as a former player, I never once ever played on a plastic pitch. Ever. local, state, regional, team, national team. I didn't play on a plastic pitch ever. and I just think it's a mistake to take this rare place that's unique within East Cambridge and convert it to artificial turf. Okay, thank you very much.

Thank you. We're going to try again. Charles McCannon. Charles, if you can unmute yourself.

Yes. Can you hear me now?

We can. Please go ahead. You have one minute.

Thank you so much. My name is Chuck McCannon. I'm 54 Garden Street in Cambridge. My wife and I have lived here for almost 20 years, and as we approach 80 years old, safety and accessibility are extremely important to us. We have the kind of unique benefit of having a driveway that empties out onto Garden Street. And when the changes that occurred a couple of years ago were proposed, we were quite hesitant trying to consider how we might deal with bicycle traffic. We find that this is still a very safe solution for us and for our neighbors next door who can access the loading and unloading zone in front of our house for the purposes of taking rideshares and accepting deliveries and the like.

It would not be important for me to convey to you things that other people have already said in a much better way than I could. But it just seems that there's an overwhelming support for the situation as it is today, as opposed to changing it. But I understand we also have to convince a majority of the council to get this to happen. and so I would hope that the council sitting would understand what support there is for this on a local basis as opposed

Charles, apologies, your time has expired. Please email the remainder. Our final three speakers are Heather Hoffman, Christopher Casa, and James Williamson. Heather, you have the floor. Please go ahead. You have one minute.

Hello, Heather Hoffman, 213 Hurley Street. Start with my standard spiel on litigation. Followed by all of these appointments. It would be lovely to know that the city manager actually thinks about, pays attention to, and otherwise, I don't know, like talks to the people that he's appointing to all of these committees. And then finality. It's so amazing. East Cambridge tends to be told, well, the decision was made. It's final. I am glad to see that Ahern Field might not be so final. City staff made it quite clear to us that no matter what we said, they'd already decided things. And yet, this is not.

and should not be solely a soccer field. It's for all of us. What my neighbors said. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Christopher Casa, followed by James Williamson. Christopher, you have the floor. You have one minute. Please go ahead.

Hi there, Chris Casa from 103 Gore Street. I'm in support of policy order number three to reevaluate the Ahern Field situation. It sounds like there's quite a bit of interest in that and checking out if that decision can be reconsidered. I also would like to just focus on support of policy order number two. I feel like it was a big mistake last year. When we overrode our transportation staff, they're experts at understanding the impacts to congestion and that will They say it will increase from signal changes and I also think will increase from delivery zones that are blocking travel lanes and bike lanes. They also said that it will make things less safe, that it will increase turning conflicts and expose people walking and biking to more risk from higher speeds. I really do empathize with the concerns about cut-through traffic on streets like Raymond and Buckingham, but we have proven tools that we can use today to address the speeding and the traffic calming directly on those streets.

So I really hope we listen to the Garden Street residents who, especially people who don't bike, who are really happy with the current design.

Thank you. James Williamson is not on the Zoom. We have one person who has signed in since they were skipped earlier, Ken Carlson. Ken, you have the floor. You have one minute. Yes, hi. Can you hear me? Yes, we can. Please go ahead.

Great. Hi, Ken Carlson, 328 Harvard Street. I am speaking to City Councilors to please support Posse Code number two. and leave Garden Street as one way for cars with its current safe, protected bike lane infrastructure and street calming. Reverting Garden back to two-way for cars will result in an unsafe, narrow two-way bike facility. with increased turning conflicts, as pointed out, as drivers exiting side streets will not know to look to the right for oncoming cyclists, a common problem in two-way cycle. Tracks of this type. My concern is many upper school and CRLS students use Garden Street to get to Russell Field and will be exposed to greater risk of being hit by a car if Garden Street is reverted to two-way. The two-way conversion, besides being very expensive to implement, will also leave very little room for deliveries, as noted, pickups or quick stops. That will inevitably block the bike lane and create even more conflicts between motor vehicles and bicycles.

So please choose the safest configuration of Garden Street for all by leaving it in its current safe configuration as one way for motor vehicles. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Madam Mayor, that is all that were signed up to speak.

Thank you, Naomi, for doing a great job leading us through public comment. Wu on a motion by Councilor Zusy to close public comment. Is anyone on Zoom? Looks like Councilor Simmons has logged off. Logged off? Okay, so we can do a voice vote to close public comment. All those in favor of closing public comment say aye. Those against say no. The ayes have it. Public comment is now closed. We will move on to the submission of the record. There are two sets of minutes. On a motion by Council Member Govern to place these two sets of minutes from September 8th, 2025 and then December 22nd, 2025. on file. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Those against say no. The ayes have it. Those two records are placed on file. There's no reconsiderations.

We'll move on to the city manager's agenda. Pleasure of the City Council, are there items that you would like to pull? Councilor Al-Zubi. I'll pull 10. Councilor Al-Zubi will pull number 10. Zusy? Five. Councilor Zusy will pull number five. Any other items? So we've so far pulled five and we've pulled ten. Hearing no one else pull any of the items, we'll go ahead and do a roll call on the balance of the city manager's agenda.

Al-Zubi, yes, Vice Mayor Azeem, yes, Councilor Flaherty. Yes, Councilor McGovern. Yes. Yes, Councilor Nolan. Yes. Yes, Councilor Simmons. Absent. Councilor Sobrinho-Wheeler. Yes. Yes, Councilor Zusy. Yes. Yes, Mayor Siddiqui. Yes. Yes, that's eight members voting yes, one recorded as absent.

The balance of the city manager agenda is adopted. We'll go ahead to city manager agenda item number five. This is a communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, city manager, relative of the transfer of $73,000. from the general fund police salary and wages account to the general fund police travel and training, judgment and damages account to cover current and anticipated settlement costs for police personnel injured in the performance of their duties. Zusy, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mayor Siddiqui. Through you, I just wondered if this was a Do we put money into this judgment and damages account every year? Are there regular injuries of the police personnel? injured in the performance of duties.

Through you, Mayor Siddiqui, I believe we have Superintendent Cabral online.

Superintendent Cabral, are you online? I don't think we have Superintendent Cabral online.

Okay. Well, I would say... I think we do request transfers from time to time. I think our practice is to have some normal budget but I think at times there's a need for a transfer which requires a council vote and so I think in this case we are requesting one from the salaries and wages account where we are we still have some budget for this fiscal year.

Councilor Susi? Yes, my broader question was, so are police personnel regularly injured in the performance of their duties, and so is the city? Annually, how much do we pay out to an anticipated settlement cost? That's my larger question. Is this a broad thing or is this unusual?

Through you, Mayor Siddiqui, I don't think it is entirely unusual, but I think we can probably get back to you in terms of what the average is and then where we're running this fiscal year.

Councilor Zusy? Sounds great. Thank you. Any other questions on this appropriation? Hearing none, we'll go ahead and do a roll call on the appropriation and placing the communication on file.

Al-Zubi, Vice Mayor Azeem, Councilor Flaherty, Councilor McGovern, Councilor Nolan, Councilor Simmons, Yes, Councilor Sobrinho-Wheeler. Yes. Yes, Councilor Zusy. Yes. Yes, Mayor Siddiqui. Yes. Yes, that's nine members voting yes.

The appropriation is approved and the communication is placed on file. We'll go ahead to city manager agenda item number 10. This is a communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the Police Review and Advisory Board quarterly report for the period of Fall 2025 to the first quarter of 2026. Al-Zubi, you have the floor.

Thank you. Through you, Madam Mayor, I want to appreciate the work that Carolina Almonte has put into this and want to just go ahead and move to refer it to the Public Safety Committee to unpack at some point.

So, Councilor Al-Zubi has made a motion to send this to the Public Safety Committee. Any questions, discussion on that motion? Yes, Councilor Nolan.

What number?

Thank you. I support the motion. I also want to say I really appreciate that we have gotten this report, which is a long time coming. This council has asked for it a couple times, and I really want to recognize that... Director Amante has delivered it. There's a couple questions I could have about the report, and I think it's really appropriate to ask them if it will be referred to the Public Safety Committee, but again, it's... Could we have that? There's a lot here that I think to discuss that's really important to discuss. This is a central feature of how it is that we approach community safety, and I look forward to the discussion.

Anyone else on this? Hearing none, so Councilor Al-Zubi has moved to refer City Manager Agenda Item Number 10 to the Public Safety Committee. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Those against say no. The ayes have it. City Manager Agenda Item 10 has been referred. We are done with the City Manager's Agenda. We'll move on to Policy Orders. Pleasure of the City Council. Councillor Flaherty.

Madam Mayor.

Well, Councilor Flaherty, can you please speak into the mic? Sorry.

Polling number two.

Councilor Flaherty, polls number two. Councilor Sobrinho-Wheeler? Poll number one. Number one. Councilor Nolan? Well, number three. Number three. We'll go ahead to policy order number one. This is that the City Council go on record urging Harvard administration to end the practice of time caps for Non-tenure track teaching faculty and urging Harvard administration to acknowledge the labor contribution and employee status of all Azeem researchers, regardless of funding source, and congratulate... Contractually recognize these researchers' protected right to union representation. This was filed by Councilor Sobrinho-Wheeler, myself, Councilor Nolan, and Councilor Al-Zubi. Councilor Sobrinho-Wheeler, you have the floor.

Thanks, Madam Mayor. Through you, this policy order is in support of the Harvard Academic Workers Union in support of their demands for fair working conditions, which include ending the time caps for non-tenure track faculty that make and create a lot of instability and uncertainty for workers who keep Harvard running, ending the arbitrary distinctions based on the funding sources that fund the faculty positions, and supporting workers in their demand for fair treatment by the administration. This policy order is just urging the Harvard administration to bargain in good faith and supporting the workers in their There is a small correction that I put forward via amendment to the sixth whereas just correcting the number of Harvard employees who are affected. So I put forward that. that I hope we can adopt and then adopt the policy order.

Any questions about this? Yes, Councilor Zusy.

Well, I feel sympathetic to the Harvard non-tenure faculty I don't think this is council business. I think this is Harvard business. I mean, Harvard ran 113, I know they're very rich, but they ran $113 million deficit last year. So I will be voting present.

Any other comments on this before we move to adopt the amendment? Hearing none, so the amendment is before us. It was to change the number of the employees to the correct number. So seeing no one on that amendment, all those in favor of adopting the amendment say aye. Aye. Those against say no. The ayes have it. The amendment has been adopted. Now we're going to do a policy order as amended, so we'll do a roll call on that.

Al-Zubi, yes, Vice Mayor Azeem, yes, Councilor Flaherty, yes, Councilor McGovern, yes, Councilor Nolan, yes, Councilor Simmons, yes. Yes, Councilor Sobrinho-Wheeler. Yes. Yes, Councilor Zusy. Present. Present. Mayor Siddiqui. Yes. Yes, that's eight members voting yes, one recorded as present.

The policy number one as amended is adopted. We go on to policy number two. This is that the city manager is requested to direct Cambridge Department of Transportation and any other relevant departments to halt any further design, engineering, procurement, or construction activities related to implementing a reconfiguration of Garden Street to restore two-way roads. Motor Vehicle Traffic. This was filed by Councilor Al-Zubi and Councilor Sobrinho-Wheeler. This was polled by Councilor Flaherty. As we have done, unless the main motion maker yields, we'll go to the main motion maker. And then we'll go to Councilor Flaherty.

Thank you. Through you, Madam Mayor, I would like to take the time to turn to the city manager and staff just to walk us through the recommendations from this process, including whether restoring to two-way would meaningfully reduce congestion and the cut-through traffic, as well as an update on the estimated costs, including the added loading zone.

Through you, Mayor Siddiqui, I'll turn it over to Commissioner McKenna and maybe helpful to just give us some context as well, since I know it's been a little while since we've revisited this.

Thank you. Through you, Madam Mayor. So just about a year ago, we were here talking about this. And at that time, we had explored a number of options for different ways to have two-way bike lanes rather than the one bike lane on either side to allow us to restore two-way traffic. At that point, we came back with four options. The first option was to keep the current configuration. Options two through four were variations on returning two-way traffic. with number four being the most popular option among the body, which was a full return to two-way traffic for the length of the project area. all the way from Huron Ave down to Concord Ave.

So we will never bring forward options that we don't believe are safe. So we believe that both of the options All of the options that we put on the table last year are safe. Our preference is to keep the current configuration. We think that it operates best and offers the best environment. but they are kind of both safe options. In terms of the cost of the change, the cost would be split basically in two buckets. One of them would be the construction costs to create a bump-in so that there could be some loading activity on the Concord. on the Concord Ave end of the corridor. And then along with that would be the cost to relocate a blue bike station.

And the estimate on that is about $120,000. and then for us to redo the design to implement a two-way for vehicles and the two-way for bikes and then the markings and and post costs would be about $130,000. So about 250 total was our estimate for those costs.

And are you able to just also walk us through the process in terms of the community engagement from what brought us to changing it to one way?

Sure. Going back to 2021 and to 2022, we had an extensive public process for the cycling safety ordinance implementation. We had what felt at the time like a very broad engagement across the community of folks who were focused on local parking issues and folks who were focused on bike issues. and really the one-way solution emerged from that conversation because it really checked a lot of boxes where it had all of the safety from the bike facilities plus kept a good amount of the parking. I think that since that time, supporters of the project have always also felt like, or even at the time that pedestrians were also in favor of the one-way configuration as well.

So that felt like a very good inclusive process for us, but as we got towards the end where it was becoming clear that the one-way scenario was probably the most likely outcome, We tried to broaden the engagement that we were doing because we knew that the one way would have broader implementation or broader impacts. So we did broaden that. I think that we heard a lot. After that point that we did not broaden that impact enough, that outreach enough, and we've taken that to heart. So after the implementation, there was a lot of feedback and we went back out into the community. We listened. I think we had Two to three, I think two in person and one online possibly, just neighborhood meetings to hear what people were thinking. And that led to the conversation that we had here in the chamber in December of 2022.

where we laid out our consideration that the current configuration was better and that a lot of the challenges that people in the neighborhood were concerned about from the one-way configuration would either not be fixed or there would be different complications from restoring two-way traffic because of the complexity that it introduces at the intersection of Huron Ave and Garden Street. because once we have two-way traffic and two-way bike traffic there we need and additional phase in the signal. So that makes it longer and more wait time for all users and likely an increase in congestion on Huron F at the Huron and Sherman area.

Through you, Madam Mayor. Thank you for your answers, and I'll yield.

We have Councilor Flaherty next.

Thank you, and through you, Madam Chair. As many of you know, I'm an attorney by trade, and one of the cardinal principles of our legal system is called race judicata. That's the Latin for a matter of judged. It's a legal principle that prevents parties from relitigating a claim that's received a final judgment on the merits. The purpose of this principle is to prevent repetitive litigation. It's to ensure finality and to conserve resources. This extends to arguments that are actually made and those that could have been raised prior to judgment. As an attorney who's practiced for decades in this state, reopening of this matter is bad public policy.

It creates a precedent that encourages parties to continue to press their claims despite receiving an adverse judgment. Political discourse, in my view, requires decorum. Claiming that an action that has been the subject of a final vote should be halted simply because an adversary disagrees is error. Simply error. Whatever anybody's substantive view is about Garden Street, this policy order is just procedurally misplaced and it's disruptive to the legislative process. on here on F. I don't really need data to tell me what it's like. What the traffic patents are like, subject after this change was made to Garden Street.

I've lived my entire life in Cambridge. I've been up and down. Godwin Street, and Huron Ave for decades. I've seen the change. The people in the community have seen the change. Thank you very much. My charter right.

Councilor Flaherty has exercised his charter right, so we will move to policy order number three. which is that the city manager is requested to work with relevant city departments to provide a report on how the decision to install Install Artificial Turf at Ahern Field was made, the rationale for artificial turf, and what process was taken to ensure community concerns and public health. Considerations were fully addressed and ensure that construction will not move forward until a report is delivered. This was filed by Councillor Nolan, myself, and Councillor McGovern. Councillor Nolan?

Thank you, Mayor Siddiqui, and thank to you and Councilor McGovern for co-sponsoring. Thanks to the many, many people who came in public comment to discuss this. This is another one of those. Thank you. The reason we filed this policy order, and I talked with the mayor and Councilor McGovern, was it became clear that Thank you very much. probably a turf field I think that was said but I will acknowledge myself I didn't focus on that I didn't fully address it and clearly the community feels very strongly that that was not fully known addressed and

and communicated in a way that people are assured that they're being heard. And I also appreciate Councilor Zusy I know has an amendment that I fully support. because what one of the things we need to do to make sure is that since perhaps then has changed is with the Gold Star Park being off with some people in the community really coming out to explain how important it was for them to have a grass field and then we have folks who play on it who say, well, it's one of the few soccer fields in that area of town and if we don't do this, we're gonna have less playing time. I really think this is a time when we need to make sure construction doesn't move forward until we have those issues addressed fully and hopefully if this passes then the city will very quickly reach out to the community make sure that there's a full discussion of The health elements of the PFAS and any of the material being used, but also this whole question of how is it that we are taking one part of a city with very little green space Is it appropriate for us to use the turf field?

So I think those are open questions now. And I, again, know that Councilor Zusy has an amendment that I think makes a lot of sense for us to consider in relation to this.

We'll go to Councilor McGovern and then we'll get to Councilor Zusy's amendment.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. Through you, thank you to Councilor Nolan for sponsoring. Just to remind folks, though, because we did get some emails from people saying... that they were in support of this order because they thought it was saying not to do turf and to do grass and just that this order does not take a position on that. It's just asking for further discussion and to explain As someone dating myself now, as someone who played at a Hearn Field soccer, that's where the The high school field used to be before Danahy. One was at Donnelly and one was at Ahern. I think a lot of this, and I think where there's some disagreement is You know, what is the purpose of the field, right? If the purpose of the field is to be sort of a general open space like we heard someone say like Cambridge Common, then of course you want grass, right? Nobody wants to have a picnic on a turf field, right?

If the purpose is as a soccer field, Turf does make a lot of sense because of the upkeep. And I can tell you that I played both on turf fields and grass fields. And I have been personally and seen more injuries on unkept grass fields. More twisted ankles, blown out knees. So if we do decide to keep the grass, we have to make sure that we are investing in making sure that and it's still used for soccer. We need to make sure that we're investing in keeping that field in good shape because I don't want anybody twisting an ankle or blowing out a knee because the field gets too bumpy or gets too beat up. So we sort of have to We are redoing Gold Star Mother's Field, so one of my questions is, do we have a sense of what, is that going to be turf as well? Are we not at that point yet?

If that's grass and a heron stays turf or the other way around, this might be some way to kind of split the difference here.

Three, Mayor, I can answer that. So none of the conversations we've had about Gold Star Mother was about making it turf. And when we went through this exercise, and I mean, I just want to say, first of all, I think it's really helpful to have this council order to really be able to come back and provide sort of a full package of information, have this conversation with council. So, you know, we're very supportive of the council order and having this conversation. None of the conversations at Gold Star Mother have involved When we looked at options for doing a turf field in East Cambridge, the Gold Star Mothers is not a great layout for that in terms of size. and Supporting Soccer. Ahern is a much better location. It also has the benefit of being heavily used for the school. And so again, sort of seeing where you get the benefit of turf and definitely understand the sort of preference for a natural grass turf field.

And the challenge is when you talk about sort of doing what it takes to maintain it, The big trade-off is what it takes to maintain it, and what we're not very good about doing is really restricting the amount of use on those fields. So the way that you maintain a grass field, particularly with these... you know soccer and football and lacrosse where you have this sort of pivot sports where there's really high intensity use on the fields is that Thank you for joining us. Thank you. One last question, Madam Mayor, through you.

Can we also, it's a little bit different than this, but I assume we have a report or data on, we hear a lot about there's no open space in East Cambridge. And sort of when I go through my, I mean, it depends on where you draw the line. If you go from the tracks, right? You know, but there is Donnelly. There is Ahern. Gold Star Mothers will come back on play. There is Cambridge Crossing. There's going to be a lot of open space at Volpe when that gets done. I'd like to have a better idea. I think of Riverside where I live, we have Hoyt, and that's it. So I'd like to get a better sense of sort of where the open space is because it The CDD did a report a couple years ago that showed 99% of the people who live in Cambridge live less than a quarter mile from open space. So I'm not sure where that other 1% is, but...

We do have, I mean, we are, most people live relatively close to open space in the city. So I think getting a better sense of that and checking that data because I want to make sure we're talking about the right thing. But I'm happy to be a co-sponsor on this. I think a lot of people were sort of taken by surprise by this and so if we can... help explain how this decision was made, why this decision was made, and if there's any way that we can figure out a way to provide some more green space so that we can kind of do both. We should be open to any alternatives that we can come up with. Thank you, Madam Mayor. I'll yield.

I have Councillor Zusy and then Councillor Flaherty.

Thank you, Chair Siddiqui. So I guess I want us to start off with a question for our Assistant City Manager. Has a decision been made, or is the decision still up for discussion?

Through you Mayor Siddiqui, so when we came through and again we tried to be really clear about this because I think one of the things people often sort of have frustration about is if we're not clear about decisions and so When we came through with the budget last year and we had a conversation, At the budget hearing, the budget that we put forward and the description of the project included changing it to a turf field. And I know Cambridge Youth Soccer was here when we had that hearing. And so we definitely, as part of that conversation, went into this project with it being an artificial turf field. And again, I think it'd be helpful for us to come back with a report to sort of fully lay out how that decision was made and then throughout the community process the team has tried to be really clear about here's some of the givens and here's some of the things with the project and here's what we have really open-ended and we're looking for feedback and really to try to be clear about

Thank you very much. We've really been working to try to think about what are the other areas. So when people are saying, I want to have a picnic, I want to use the space, what does that look like? What can be there? And then I think to Councilor McGovern's point, it'd be really helpful for us to come back and sort of talk about What's the overall, just like we did with the building portfolio, what's the portfolio of open space in East Cambridge, both in terms of the amount, the location, and then the various types of open space? because I think the other one the councilor McGovern didn't mention was also Tumi Field, Tumi Park, which has also come online. So I think it would be helpful to sort of dig into that and share because that was some of the thinking behind the process.

Councilor Zuzi. Yeah, I wish the decision hadn't been made, because I guess I'm not convinced that a synthetic turf field is the way to go. My amendment to the policy order, I think it's a great policy order and I'd like to be a co-sponsor to it. It adds, maybe I can introduce that now. After the first ordered, it says that the city manager work with the relevant city departments to study and analyze the demographics in relationship to field resource allocations. including how many synthetic versus natural turf fields we want to have and in which neighborhoods to meet resident needs and be it further. So I'd like to have that broader understanding before... Before we actually make a decision, I understand the pros and the cons.

I understand it costs between a million and 1.5 million to construct and install a turf field. I understand that a turf field, you can get about 2800 playing hours from it versus 800 fields on a grass field. But again, it sounds like this field actually has many more uses than being a recreational field. I understand that At Harvard and MIT, as I understand it, they're no longer doing synthetic turf fields because they're worried about PFAS, heat absorption, apparently can be 180 degrees Fahrenheit on hot days on a turf field. and having just gone to the Office of Sustainability program on hot summers and extreme heat, they were talking about how in 2030,

Thank you for joining us. And if you want to get scared further, by 2070, 130 days over 80 degrees and 60 days over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. So that's like far off. It seems like going forward, A synthetic field, again, you get more playing time. But again, you're creating incredible waste because you're throwing away this huge plastic carpet after 10 years. And then we have flooding issues. and it's an impervious surface so there are all sorts of things that should be considered so I hope

Thank you so much for your time. is the way to go, though I understand arguments for and against it. Another idea an East Cambridge neighbor shared with me is that, how about, why not have a synthetic turf field at Donnelly. Maybe it would make sense. And again, I don't want there to be a war between the baseball players and the soccer players. We want them all. But maybe we need a synthetic soccer field at Donnelly.

Maybe it doesn't need to be at a Hearn where they really need a park because they don't have any open space. So that's the broader discussion that I'm eager to read and to hear before we go forward. And it seems like we need to have a little balance here. So again, I hope the city will make its final, or the council maybe will vote on a final recommendation for what the field is after hearing your report. But anyway, so this is my amendment to this policy order. And again, I am grateful to Councilors Nolan, Siddiqui, and McGovern for introducing the policy order. But I think this will encourage a broader discussion that we really need to hear back about before proceeding further.

Thank you. I yield. So, Councilor Zusy has this amended before us. It's up for discussion. I had Councilor Flaherty.

Sure.

Yes, true you, Madam Chair. So when I thought about this, I was assuming that this was a single use field and I put it through that prism. and in that prism and every person's own personal experiences are their reference, I thought of My experiences as a Little League baseball coach and having muddy fields, and I thought of my own personal experiences playing high school football on a muddy field at the old Daly Field down on Soldiers Field Road. where one of my teammates who was that can't mess kid blew out his knee which cost him a scholarship to the University of Notre Dame. He was gonna be a football player for the Fighting Irish. And so ever since then, I've been prejudiced towards the safety of turf fields. And having played on turf fields, there's something to be said for that.

And recognizing the issues with drainage and restricting use on a grass field and the difficulties with that. I would ask, I'd ask, Councilor Nolan did invite me to be a co-sponsor. I'd ask to be named as a co-sponsor to this order today, and I support it. But I'd also ask that in the review, Thank you very much. and, um, Thank you very much.

I think there's some real valid concern about this and I'd ask the city to look at those issues, the drainage in addition to what's here on the policy order, the drainage and also restricting the use. So we can maybe serve the broader interests of everyone in East Cambridge. The war between soccer and baseball has already been won. I won't tell you who won that war, but the war has been won. And East Cambridge won the Mayor's Cup. So I yield.

So we have Councilor Zusy's amendment. There's also a motion to add Councilor Zusy and Councilor Flaherty. on to the policy order as well. And I have for a few more hands. So I have Vice Mayor Azeem, and then we'll go to Councilor Al-Zubi.

Um...

Sorry, Naomi, what did you want to say? Sorry, just to clarify, Councilor Zusy, when you were reading, you said the word in relationship and what you sent is in relation. Can you please clarify what you want for your amendment?

We can come back to that while you look, Councilor Zusy. Yes, Vice Mayor Azeem.

Thank you. I'm sorry if I missed this, but as I was going through everything, I know that Ahern Field, and you've kind of mentioned this as well, is bigger than a soccer field by dimensions, right? So what are we doing with all the remaining space?

Through you, Mayor Siddiqui. So again, the design team has been having a number of community meetings and can provide that update as part of this, but it does also include, you know, there's the like street hockey court, the playgrounds and Other areas, grass areas around the field. And so all of those are being incorporated into the design and are also being Reimagined. And so I think that's part of the conversation about some of the other desires and needs is that does it all need to happen on the field, or are there other opportunities as part of that? But we can provide that updated design when we come back, if that's okay.

Waisemarie? Thank you. That'll be helpful. And also how much, like I understand that you said to some extent that decisions have been made about, you know, turf. I would love to know how much of like that finalized design has also been made in that like I wonder if to some extent people wanted like a natural grassy area if we can provide a space for them too on the same field and then maybe that problem goes away a little bit. So that's something I'm very curious about. And then second is that I don't think it needs to be this conversation because I think we'll be biting off a little bit more than we can chew. But I actually want to say I kind of agree with Councilor Zusy in that I do think that, you know, to Councilor McGovern's point, there's a lot of different sorts of green spaces around East Cambridge now. And I do wonder if... As usage of those fields changes over time, I do wonder if it makes sense to reallocate some of those spaces, especially because I think soccer has been growing pretty quickly.

And so I think that can be a whole separate conversation we don't need to get into at this moment, but I did want to put in a plus one for that. And I would also love to be added to this policy order as well. Thank you.

Councilman Zubi.

Thank you. Through you, Madam Mayor, I'm glad that this policy order is on the floor, and I'd also love to be added as a co-sponsor, but just want to note, as some of us used to hustle on synthetic turf, unlike Councilor Flaherty, And sometimes it's not easy. Usually when it's hot outside, to what folks have said, it can be very dangerous to be on a very hot synthetic turf as someone who has also navigated navigates heat like hot weather, it sometimes isn't the safest thing for kids. That on top of the fact that just generally across the board because synthetic turf actually gives more than natural grass, it usually sometimes can be less safe than natural grass. and not to mention that FIFA that's coming up right now, they actually use strictly grass to play, at the least hybrid systems. So there are certain things to consider and I think the one thing that I'm sitting with right now is

I love if we can get the kids who play on the field to talk through what it is and how they use the field to better understand what is it that they Is everyone who wanted to speak on the floor spoken?

On this side, I know we're going back to Councilor Zusy, but anyone who hasn't spoken. Okay, so Councilor Zusy, you have the amendment. Oh, go ahead, City Manager.

Thank you so much. Through you, Mayor Siddiqui, I think this discussion's been really helpful, and I do think there can be some clarifications. I think actually the discussion does... bring out some of the trade-offs that ultimately we're going to have to grapple with. And so I do feel it in some of the public comment in the conversations we've had that Thank you for joining us. and I don't think we're going to be able to come back and say that there is a way for grass fields to be as utilized. and I think there is increasing demand from youth sports that actually does justify the expansion of fields and we actually do need more spaces to book. I think some of the concerns around

Public Health around safety, heat, drainage. Those I think we can address pretty well. The recreation team and the public works team have been doing a lot of work Thank you very much. Natural Material, the environmental specifications that we put in place, how it is going to respond differently to heat. And I think there's a number of different ways that we can address some of those concerns. But I do think that ultimate tradeoff between the use of open space, and I think, Councilor McGovern, you said this really well, If what you're used to is going to a field and sitting down and having a picnic, it's just not gonna feel the same with a turf field.

and that is ultimately a trade-off that we're going to have to make and whether we're looking more broadly there will ultimately be a trade-off on uses and so I think some of what made Ahern an exciting location was actually getting more well-utilized fields onto the east side of the city because right now it's really concentrated at Danahy. but also the opportunity because we knew we were already going to be doing work there to do a fuller redesign and that we were not actually pitting maybe a baseball Demand against soccer. So not to say who would potentially win out. I would maybe... Say to Councilor Flaherty, I'm not sure if that battle is fully won or over, but I think we did feel like this was going to at least not create that kind of dynamic.

We're going to go to Councilor Zusy.

I just wanted to say, though, I meant to say relation, not relationship. The amendment is as it's noted above. The power of organized sports groups because we have like a soccer field in an area that never drains. and some might question whether a soccer field beside the river is like the best use of an area that never drains because a lot of times people can't use it as a soccer field. But I think we've got to listen to also just open space lovers, those that, I mean, they're a whole other group, and over 800 of them signed a petition saying they just want to be able to hang out on open space. They want to have a common... and East Cambridge at Hearn and having grass there.

So don't just consider the baseball and the soccer, but also we must consider the needs of those. that just want a spot of green since they don't have a backyard to retreat to to connect with nature. That's why I feel like the idea of putting in a turf field at Donnelly isn't crazy. because just spend the million dollars at Donnelly instead of at Ahern and put in grass at Ahern to give them open space. And at the Volpe site, it's only going to be five-eighths of an acre at a very busy, noisy intersection. So it's not going to be like the same thing. That's going to be a very urban park. And I love Tim Toomey Park, but that's a very... Curated Park. Ahern is very different because it's like this flat, open, unprogrammed space where you can see the sky.

Thank you. Naomi, does this clarify what... Okay. Councilor McGovern?

Thank you, Madam Mayor. Through you, two quick questions. Even on the... Because there's a lot that's been talked about in terms of drainage. turf fields have drainage, right?

Yeah, through you, Mayor Siddiqui. So one of the things, like if you go to Senate Park where we most, it was probably our most recent significant renovation of a natural turf field, one of the things that We did there was install an under drainage system so that, because otherwise the field stays too wet. So in either condition you would have under field drainage. Yes.

I don't think the school department has made a decision yet about the school building. I hope we're talking to them too because they may prefer grass over turf or the other way around. But I'm assuming that that building is going to be a school again. And I hope that we're including them in the conversation as well.

We are. So the school department is a big part of the overall design process. And I think when they're looking at the schools, one of the big benefits and amenities they see as they're looking at the future use of that site is about the open space. One of the things about an artificial turf field is that if it rains in the morning, you can still go out in the afternoon for recess. So it is those kinds of things. So they have seen it as a benefit in terms of them being able to use it more regularly and, again, not have these like, okay, the field is still wet, we can't use it. But they've been an active participant. in the process.

And I'll just finish, and I just thank you. I mean, this is, there are great arguments to be made sort of on both sides, so I hope where we end up is that, and this is why I like the, I support the amendment as well. that we take a look at how we balance all of this, right? So, you know, actually, I think there's a huge part of Toomey Park that is passive. I mean, the whole big field, I mean, you've got the hill, but the whole rest of the field is just open space, which I think is larger than a hern, just by... Thank you very much. It doesn't all have to be done in the same place.

And I just hope that whatever we decide, we're also thinking about offsetting that decision somewhere else in East Cambridge and get the best of both worlds. Thank you.

So I would recommend, I know there's one more question, but then I think we should proceed to the vote. Councilor Nolan?

Yes, I just want to add thanks for, I don't think we have to amend it, but I think we got the message we'll address the drainage issues and have some real discussion about that. and also while the policy order talks about public health and mostly about the the type of material in PFAS as several counselors have raised and I was also at the library for the heat discussion the impact of climate that that that public health also includes an assessment of how it is that we ensure that with the expected increase in the number of extremely hot days that this field will continue to be appropriate since that has been a concern I don't think we have to amend it, but I want to make sure that that's understood. Thank you.

I yield. I know there's a lot of interest in kind of getting to this soon. We don't have a meeting next... Monday, but when do you think, early May, or when do you think you can get a response to the council?

So I think a couple weeks. I mean, I don't think, I mean, most of the information we have is really just about packaging it and adding some maps. So certainly not next week or two weeks, but, you know, I would think in the next month.

Thank you. Yeah, I think just to sum up what everyone said, I think there is some interest in really understanding what you've alluded to around kind of the why and then there is some interest to I think see how do you do both given the size of the field and so forth so I think For the folks who are wondering just where we are, when this will come back before us, it'll come as a response via the city manager agenda, and then we'll have further discussion from that point, and the council can weigh in at that point, and the public can also weigh in at that point. So we have Councilor Zusy's amendment before us. After that, we will proceed to adding all the people who had wanted to be added.

So we'll go ahead on adopting Councilor... Zuzi's amendment. All those in favor say aye. Those against say no. The ayes have it. The amendment has been added. Now we have the motion to add Councilor Zuzi. Flaherty, Vice Mayor Azeem, and Councilor Al-Zubi to the amended policy order. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Those against say no. The ayes have it. Those for counselors have been added. We now have the amended policy order before us. On a motion by Councilor Nolan to adopt the amended policy order number three, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Those against say no. The ayes have it. That policy order. as amended is adopted.

We're done with the policy orders and for those tuning in to this riveting conversation, when Councilor Flaherty exercises charter right, that means that This policy rule number two will be back at our next full city council meeting, which is April 27th. We do not have a meeting on Patriots Day next Monday, so tune in that day. So we'll move on from the policy orders. We'll also move on from the unfinished business because we cannot act on that. We are now on to... Communications. There are 16 communications. Pleasure of the City Council.

Place on file.

Councilor Simmons makes a motion to place all 16 communications on file. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Those against say no. The ayes have it. Those communications are placed on file. We now move on to the resolutions. There are three resolutions. Pleasure of the City Council.

Adopt the order, resolutions, weigh the reading, make them unanimous upon adoption.

Simmons, moves to adopt the resolutions, making them unanimous upon adoption. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Those against say no. The ayes have it. Those resolutions are adopted. We are on to committee reports. There are three. Are there any ones that my colleagues would like to pull? Councilor McGovern.

Number three.

Councilor McGovern pulls number three. on the balance of committee reports number one and two on a motion by Councilor Nolan to accept these reports and place them on file. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Those against say no. The ayes have it. Those two committee reports are placed on file. We'll move on to committee report number three. This is that the ordinance committee held a public hearing on April 6, 2026. to continue the discussion that was held at the March 11th, 2026 hearing regarding zoning amendments, excuse me, zoning recommendations to strengthen active use requirements on Cambridge Street and Mass Ave as a follow-up. on the recently adopted zoning petitions. Council Member Govern.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. There's four votes in total that we need to take. There are three policy orders that are embedded in this committee report, and then we have to accept the committee report and place it on file. So the first is Policy Order 2026-72. that the City Manager is requested to direct the Community Development Department and relative staff to include a requirement for special permits for formula businesses on Cambridge Street as discussed at the April 6, 2026 committee meeting. I don't know if we want to discuss.

Any questions on that? I think we should do all these on roll call just to make sure. So we'll go ahead and I'm on a motion by Councilor McGovern to adopt that order.

Councilor Al-Zubi. Yes. Vice Mayor Azeem. Yes. Councilor Flaherty. Yes. Yes. Councilor McGovern. Yes. Yes. Councilor Nolan. Yes. Councilor Simmons. Yes. Yes. Sobrinho-Wheeler. Yes. Yes. Councilor Zusy. Yes. Yes. Mayor Siddiqui. Yes. Yes. That's all nine members voting yes. That order is adopted. Councilor McGovern.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. And just before I go on to the second one, Just to remind folks that this is directing CDD. They have to come back with language that will go back to ordinance. So this is not a final vote. There will still be opportunities to either amend or not. The City Manager is requested to direct the Community Development Department and relative staff to prepare a draft zoning petition. to strengthen active use requirements on Massachusetts Avenue per the recommendations and option two on Cambridge Street while keeping Warren Street in the CAM-6 district.

On that order, any questions? We'll go ahead and do a roll call on adopting that order.

Councilor Al-Zubi. Yes. Vice Mayor Azeem. Yes. Councilor Flaherty. Yes. Yes. Councilor McGovern. Yes. Yes. Councilor Nolan. Yes. Yes. Councilor Simmons. Yes. Yes, Councilor Sobrinho-Wheeler. Yes. Yes, Councilor Zusy. Yes. Yes, Mayor Siddiqui. Yes. Yes, nine members voting yes.

And the last motion, Policy Order 2026-74. that the City Manager is requested to direct the Community Development Department to create draft language to propose changing the section of O'Brien Highway to BA Zoning District.

Seeing no comments on that either, we'll go ahead and do a roll call on adopting.

Al-Zubi, yes, Vice Mayor Azeem, yes, Councilor Flaherty, yes, Councilor McGovern, yes, Councilor Nolan, yes, Councilor Simmons, yes, Councilor Sobrinho-Wheeler, yes, Councilor Zusy, yes, yes, Mayor Siddiqui, yes, yes, that's nine members voting yes.

And the last vote, Madam Mayor, is to accept Committee Report No. 3 and place on file.

On Councilor McGovern's motion to accept Committee Report No. 3 and placing it on file, all those in favor say aye. Those against say no. The ayes have it. That committee report number three is placed on file. We now move on to communications and reports from other city officers. There are two. Pleasure of the City Council? Hearing none, on a motion by Councilor McGovern to... Place these two communications and reports from other city officers on file. All those in favor say aye. Those against say no. The ayes have it. Those communications and reports from other city officers are placed on file. We now move on to late policy orders. A late, Paul, I think we have late resolution.

One late resolution from Councilor Al-Zubi. on recognizing Cambridge-El Salvador sister city in the work of San Jose Las Flores.

So we'll go ahead and do a roll call on suspension.

Al-Zubi, Councilor Al-Zubi, yes, Vice Mayor Azeem, yes, Councilor Flaherty, yes, Councilor McGovern, yes, Councilor Nolan, yes, Councilor Simmons, yes. Yes, Councilor Sobrinho-Wheeler. Yes. Yes, Councilor Zusy. Yes. Yes, Mayor Siddiqui. Yes. Yes. Nine members voting yes.

So that late resolution is before us of recognizing the Cambridge-El Salvador sister city. Yes. And Councilor Al-Zubi, you have the floor.

Thank you Mayor Siddiqui. This resolution speaks to the international solidarity that we have with San Jose Las Flores and we have a delegation that is led by city member Sarah who will be traveling to El Salvador with the delegation to meet with community and movement leaders and this expresses our strong message of solidarity to them and we wish them success and and we are looking forward to a report back.

And this was filed by myself and Councilor Sobrinho-Wheeler and I had Councilor Nolan and then Councilor Simmons.

Thank you. I think it's terrific to put in this resolution in favor of all their work. They are really a group that has managed to continue over the years, and I'd love to be added.

Okay. Councilor Nolan would like to be added. We'll go to Councilor Simmons.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just because it's so late, whereas I'm just seeing it now, when are they going? Is that what this is for? Yes. Sorry, Councilor Simmons, we can't hear you. It's a resolution in reference to the trip that's going to Yerevan?

Yeah, not Yerevan, it's San Jose. Okay.

Where? Sorry, I'm mixing up my sister city's apologies. When? When's the date?

At the end of April.

And there's not a council meeting before the end of April?

There will be.

The reason why I'm asking through you, Madam Mayor, to my colleague, I know, and we're probably going to talk about this during Robert's Rules, the City Council has tried to exercise a rule of not bringing in late orders if it's not an emergency. which I don't think this is, but I'm not going to be cranky, so I will not exercise my charter. I just wanted to just say that usually we try not to do that. So I will support it. But we're trying to preserve using, bringing things in as laid orders when it's time sensitive. I yield the floor.

Yeah, I will say it's relatively urgent because we're trying to get a physical, if this is passed by the council, we'd be able to get a physical copy to them so that they can take it on the trip, but we wouldn't necessarily be able to do that if we had it on the April 27th hearing.

I hear you. Madam Chair, through you to my colleague, what you could do just for your edification and our edification is you could have also then suspended the rules and asked reconsideration would have made it final today. They could have had it in their hand tomorrow. FYI.

We're almost done, folks. It's 812, so we'll get through this. So on a motion by, we have a motion to add Councilor Nolan. So all those in favor say aye. Aye. Those against say no. The ayes have it. Councilor Nolan is added. And now we have an amended resolution before us on adopting that amended resolution. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Those against say no. The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Any announcements from the body? Yes, Councilor Zuzi.

Okay, we have tomorrow at the Harvard Joint Center on Housing, there'll be a lecture about social housing from four to six. and you can still attend by Zoom. On Thursday the 16th we'll have our sister city brunch with folks from Armenia and then just to start we'll be presenting The latest plans for 37 Brookline Street, which was Peter Valentine's residence. And also there'll be an open house about Broadway bike safety at the City Hall Annex from 530 to 730, also on the 16th. So lots of things are coming up. Simmons.

Thank you, Madam Chair. As many of you know that we are celebrating 100 years of Negro History Week, starting February of 2026 and will end in February of 2027. And in that vein, we'll be having a fireside chat here in the chamber with Caroline Hunter. Many of you know her and you know her work. That's going to be April 22nd, 5.30 here in the chamber. Program starts at 6 p.m.

Any other announcements from the body before we go ahead and adjourn? Hearing none, on a motion by Vice Mayor Azeem to adjourn, all those in favor say aye. Those against say no. We are adjourned. It's 8.14 p.m. Good night, everyone. and see you in two weeks.