• Both the City Manager and members of the State Legislative Delegation have written letters to the Secretary of Transportation and the MBTA General Manager on the volume and duration of the train horns, as well as reiterating our request for a speed reduction to potentially eliminate the need for horns.
• We recently forwarded the Notice of Intent (NOI) paperwork to the Department of Public Utilities, when we were informed by MassDOT that they are the state agency responsible for grade crossing safety (rather than MassDOT, as they had originally indicated). This letter was sent on July 26^th, 10 days after the original NOI. Although this technically provides DPU with 10 additional days to respond, we are working closely with the DPU to try to shorten their comment period, and hope that there will be no increase in the original 60 day window (staff from Representative Hecht’s office have already reached out to DPU staff to request an expedited response).
• We have posted a recap of the July 24^th meeting, along with the meeting presentation, a recording of the staff presentation, and an update to the Frequently Asked Questions list.
• City staff met with residents of Bellis Circle this week to discuss concerns related to the closing of the Sherman Street entrance to the Jose’s/Cambridge Montessori parking lot.
• The city issued an invitation to bid for the installation of the roadway safety improvements that will allow us to designate the quiet zone. Bids are due back to the City by August 8^th.