Food assistance, e-bike rules and parking for people with disabilities are on the agenda as the Cambridge City Council prepares to meet on Monday. Here’s what to look for – with a note that council meetings immediately before Election Day tend to be fast and short so incumbents running for reelection can pay attention to last-minute campaign issues:
Snap funding: The council is included in a funding process to keep residents from going without groceries as a federal shutdown disrupts a “critical safety net” that includes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The council indicated its willingness to approve funds last week; on Friday the city manager announced its plan. The proposal reallocates $250,000 from a federal grant stabilization fund to expand food assistance programs in Cambridge – specifically those serving low-income students, seniors and disabled residents – and support the Cambridge Food Pantry Network. Another $250,000 would come from the Cambridge Community Foundation. The move is a stopgap to “blunt the impact of critical food insecurity,” officials said, and more aid will be needed.
E-bike and Moped regulations: With more electric scooters, skateboards and similar vehicles joining walkers and bicyclists on public ways, transportation commissioner Brooke McKenna reports back to the council about who sets the rules: While municipalities have some authority over certain public spaces, most regulatory control remains with the state.
A Special Commission on Micromobility run by the state Department of Transportation in April had three primary objectives: to review and clarify state laws – particularly those for e-bikes and mopeds; second, to examine local laws and some state regulations and propose changes; and to recommend strategies to expand micromobility use as a way to reduce car trips of less than 3 miles and strengthen first- and last-mile transit connections.
Accessible parking in Kendall Square: Creation of accessible parking spaces in Kendall Square is proposed in a communication that finds “extensive private development and construction” has affected much of the on-street parking supply.
Most existing spaces for older people or those with disabilities are commercial, and having many streets partially restricted by active construction sites further limits available parking. The Department of Transportation proposes to add disability parking spaces at 92 Ames St., next to the Bank of America, and another at 1 Broadway. They would replace existing metered spaces.
Russell Youth & Community Center: Older residents in West Cambridge want use of the Russell Youth & Community Center during times when youth programs are inactive, according to a Department of Human Service Programs report; classes such as yoga, tai chi and portrait drawing from the Council on Aging will test the sharing of space Thursdays and Fridays through Jan. 16 from 9 a.m. to noon, open to residents age 60 and older.
The Department of Human Service Programs will also do neighborhood outreach to better understand the interests and needs of older residents in the area. The success of the pilot will be measured by the number of older Cambridge residents who register and participate, as well as their satisfaction with the experience after six months.
The council meets at 5:30 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. Televised and watchable online and by Zoom videoconferencing.
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The Russell Youth and Community Center was intentionally built with separate large spaces for youth and community use: the gym and the community function room. The city wanted to make sure both groups could have events at the same time. The community use should not need to be restricted to when the youth use is inactive. I hope they can make this happen.