Greetings! I hope you had a great holiday season. Here is a quick update of what is going on in Newtonville and beyond.

Martin Luther King Day Celebration
The 47th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Newton Community Celebration takes place tomorrow (January 19) at 9:30AM at Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward St. in Newton Centre, featuring Mayor Setti Warren, Superintendent David Fleishman, Rev. Howard Haywood, student speakers, and numerous musical selections. 
 
Austin Street meeting January 21st
As you may recall, there were two community meetings last summer related to the proposed Austin Street parking lot development. The mayor’s chosen developer, Dinosaur Capital Partners, held meetings in the last two weeks about the project with the following groups: League of Women Voters Newton, Engine 6, the Mayor’s Transportation Advisory Group, and Green Decade Newton. Here is an article in today’s Boston Globe about the project.
 
The nonprofit Beautiful Newtonville is going to host the first meeting since last summer that the general public is invited to. According to their press release, 
 
Beautiful Newtonville will host a unique public conversation on the proposed Austin Street development at the Newton Senior Center (345 Walnut St.) at 6pm on Wednesday, January 21st. Informed by written questions from the audience, Newtonville Area Council member Wayne Koch, Principal at WKArchitects in Boston, will pose questions and initiate discussion with Scott Oran, Managing Director of Dinosaur Capital Partners, a partner in the proposed Austin Street development with Oaktree Development LLC. Beautiful Newtonville President Tim Stone will moderate the event. The public can write questions at the start of the event, or send them up to Tuesday, January 20th to timstonewrites@gmail.com.
 
Newton at Home
In case you missed it, the Newton Tab ran an article about the terrific nonprofit Newton at Home, which helps Newton seniors remain in their homes. It is a membership (fee-based) organization that helps seniors with home repairs, computer needs, personal tasks, gardening/lawn care, transportation and more. Click here for more information.
 
Plastic Bag Ban
This Tuesday January 20th, the Board of Aldermen will consider an ordinance to ban checkout plastic bags from supermarkets and larger retailers. (Other plastic bags such as drycleaning bags, fruit/vegetable bags and newspaper bags, are exempt.) Massachusetts communities such as Brookline, Marblehead, Falmouth, and others have instituted similar bans. California passed a statewide ban last August, after numerous community-wide bans, and that is the hopeful outcome of community bans here in the Commonwealth. These bags are rarely recycled and often end up as litter in trees, along roadways, and in parks. As plastic lasts for centuries, these bags eventually find their way into our oceans, where they kill millions of marine animals every year; sea turtles mistake them for jellyfish. A much better choice for the environment is to bring your own reusable bag.
 
Newtonville listserve
Just a reminder, if you'd like to be added to the Newtonville listserve please let me know. Many people find it a convenient way to find a sitter, sell a snowblower, or stay updated on community events. 

Office Hours
My monthly office hours are held the last Friday of the month at the Newton Senior Center, 345 Walnut Street in Newtonville. I hope to see you there on January 30!
 


 
 
 

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Contact Emily

Email: emily@emilynorton.org

Phone:  617-795-0362
Cell:  508-397-6839

www.emilynorton.org

Councilor Emily Norton
58 Prescott Street
Newton, Massachusetts 02460

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