APPT-2025-4 : Appointment of Andrew Paul, 83 Damon Avenue, Melrose MA 02176, to the Traffic Commission.

Transcript (~6 min @ 27:25)

Speakers identified by voice; unnamed voices are numbered within this recording. Auto-caption text — verify against the video.

▶ 27:24 Kimberly Vandiver: Uh, uh, we'll have a voice vote. All in favor?

▶ 27:27 Speaker 7: Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay.

▶ 27:30 Kimberly Vandiver: This order will be brought to the next full council meeting with a recommendation for passage. Thank you. Thank, thank you. Uh, the next, uh, item on our agenda is appointment 2025 dash four, the appointment of Andrew Paul, 83 Damon Avenue, Melrose, Massachusetts 0 2 1 7 6 to the Traffic Commission. Welcome, and, uh, please.

▶ 27:55 Jen Grigoraitis: Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, so Andy Paul is another resident who had reached out to my office, um, like Jonah seeking appointment to the traffic commission should and a seat become available, which there is. Um, he brings extensive experience as a highway engineer. He currently works for MAs Dot, so we now have federal and state, um, experience coming our way. He's a resident of the community raising his three children here. We actually, in full disclosure, met when our, um, boys were in preschool together, um, at the ECC. Um, and I think brings, again, a real depth and breadth of experience, both professional and lived experience, and thinking about how do we holistically and safely use all of our public ways to get people to and from where they need to be.

▶ 28:40 Kimberly Vandiver: Wonderful. And would you like to, um, say anything to begin before we have questions?

▶ 28:44 Speaker 6: Um, so serving as a civil engineer in Massachusetts, I'm a registered professional engineer, uh, started working at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation in 2003. Um, and I think for me, what's most exciting about this opportunity is I've been working across the state and communities all over Massachusetts. Uh, and getting to work close to home with folks in my community is really, uh, an honor.

▶ 29:13 Kimberly Vandiver: Thank you. Uh, any questions from the committee? Uh, vice Chair Hamilton, thank you.

▶ 29:17 Ward Hamilton: And thank you for volunteering to serve and for bringing all of your experience to our traffic commission. We appreciate that. Um, I'm sure you just heard me ask Mr. Za question, so Yep. Talk to the chase. If you could share your thoughts on parking in Melrose and congestion and, uh, if a measure was brought before the commission to amend or change overnight parking, what, what Your thoughts are on that?

▶ 29:42 Speaker 6: Sure. Um, I think from my experience working at the state is there's never a a one size fits all solution. And I think an overnight parking van across the city maybe could be looked at at a different, like I'd say a neighborhood level, uh, with you folks engaged with the community on what works for certain blocks or certain streets or certain neighborhoods. Um, I think one of the impacts when you do, and we've seen this in other communities, both in Massachusetts and elsewhere in the country, uh, is when you do have an overnight parking ban, often people then park on the sidewalk. And you can have, I've, I've worked at the statewide level on accessibility issues and, um, so how do you balance the needs of people walking on the sidewalk or pushing a stroller on the sidewalk with people who don't want to get a parking ticket for overnight parking on their street. Um, so I think from a perspective of, uh, keeping the status quo, I think is always easier, but I think there's always opportunities to look at doing things differently, exploring them, and I'm open-minded about different solutions for different places in Melrose.

▶ 30:48 Speaker 3: Thank you.

▶ 30:50 Kimberly Vandiver: Additional questions, councilor Karen Chetty? Yeah,

▶ 30:53 Manjula Karamcheti: I just, it's similarly have the same question. Oh, yes. I've been reprimanded for my mic use before. Um, similar question, just curious, in terms of being on the traffic commission, what do you see as some of melrose's biggest issues to address? Like what do you really value, what matters to you in doing this type of work?

▶ 31:13 Speaker 6: Sure. Um, I think as a, a parent of school aged children and just having lived here, um, since even before I had kids, uh, one of the biggest barriers in getting around with a family is oftentimes only a handful of streets. As Jonah mentioned, most of Melrose has a very good network of sidewalks, lower speed, lower volume roads, and it's oftentimes within Melrose and many communities where there's a handful of streets within the community that are a barrier, say, between neighborhoods or getting to your school or a grocery store. Um, so I think some of those higher volume, higher speed roadways are where some of the most challenging, uh, examples exist with how do you balance the needs of, say, the region or even the community. Uh, people are driving in Melrose and that will continue to happen, but there's also people who maybe wanna have other ways to get around.

▶ 32:10 Manjula Karamcheti: Great. Thank you so much. I look forward to chatting with you about Franklin Street. Thank you.

▶ 32:17 Kimberly Vandiver: Are there any other questions? Uh, I'll just take one moment to say, I, I appreciate you, uh, benching parking on the sidewalk because I actually did encounter, I was out for a walk a month ago and almost walked face first into a car that was actually fully on the sidewalk, you know, not, not perpendicular on the sidewalk parallel. So Yep. I was shocked that that, uh, had happened. Um, okay. So, uh, do we have, what is the will

▶ 32:46 Speaker 1: of the committee motion to recommend

▶ 32:47 Speaker 3: Second.

▶ 32:48 Kimberly Vandiver: Okay. Uh, we have a motion to recommend by Councilor Karen Retty and a second by counselor by Vice Chair Hamilton. Uh, roll call vote. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. All opposed? Okay. That motion carries and, um, will be brought to the next Bill Council meeting with a recommendation for a passage. Thank you very much. Uh, uh, the next item on our agenda is, uh, appointment 2025 dash five, the appointment of Kara Oberg, 11 Tappan Street, Melrose, mass 0 2 1 7 6 to the Traffic Commission.