Attend Cambridge meetings from Nov. 28-Dec. 4: Studying broadband and issues of the unhoused
These are just some of the municipal meetings and civic events for the coming week. More are on the City Calendar and in the city’s Open Meetings Portal.
Municipal broadband feasibility
City Council roundtable/working meeting, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday. The council checks in on progress on a municipal broadband feasibility study under new City Manager Yi-An Huang. A city-run task force that wrapped up its work in September 2016 suggested the study, but it faced headwinds under a previous city manager hostile to getting data on whether city-owned broadband would work. The council meets at City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square.
Unhoused and substance issues
Human Services & Veterans Committee, 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday. This committee run by city councillor Marc McGovern discusses the unhoused population in Cambridge and uptick in substance use in Central Square; it’s preceded by an 11:30 a.m. City Hall launch of the Unhoused Neighbors Project, which introduces some of Cambridge’s homeless population. The committee meets at City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square.
Alewife zoning recommendations
Neighborhood & Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts & Celebration Committee, 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday. This committee run by city councillor Dennis Carlone hears an update on the latest recommendations from the Alewife Zoning Working Group; part of the area remains under a moratorium on construction of offices and labs to give the group time to find an approach that will result in a well balanced neighborhood. The committee meets at City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square.
School energy costs and repairs
School Committee Buildings & Grounds Subcommittee, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. This hearing chaired by José Luis Rojas Villarreal discusses strategies for managing rising energy costs and the more complex energy systems in new school buildings; the status of an accelerated repair program and other significant maintenance projects; policies about parents entering school buildings; and potential edits to the district’s transportation policy. Watchable by Zoom video conferencing.
East Cambridge conservation area
Historical Commission, 6 p.m. Thursday. The preliminary report of the East Cambridge Neighborhood Conservation District Study Committee arrives for consideration – more controversial than it might sound, as the study faces opposition from people who feel conservation districts add expense and complication to needed housing. Watchable by Zoom video conferencing.