Plans for bike-share program hit another roadblock

An ongoing attempt to implement a bike-sharing program in the city hit another snag at the City Council’s Economic and Community Development Committee (ECDC) this week.

Attempts to bring the program to Waltham go back to 2022.

The idea gained some momentum in September, when the Traffic Committee heard a presentation about the project from a planner with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the local facilitator for Bluebikes, a municipally owned and managed bike-sharing system. 

In response, Traffic Engineer J. Michael Garvin sent the ECDC a letter recommending the city join Bluebikes.

ECDC Chair and Councilor-at-Large Paul Brasco said that based on a memorandum from the city’s purchasing agent, he worried that accepting Garvin’s letter could open the city up to legal liability. He said he was concerned that the presentation to the Traffic Commission might violate the city’s bid process, pointing to the state’s litigation with Waltham firm Global Partners over a service plaza contract as a scenario the city wants to avoid.

Councilor-at-Large Colleen Bradley-MacArthur disagreed, saying that joining Bluebikes would mean joining an existing regional program and as such Waltham bidding regulations would not apply. She added that Bluebikes is the only bike-share program in the area — “unless we want to invent one ourselves as the City of Waltham, which I don’t think we want to do.”

Ward 5 Councilor Joey LaCava made a similar remark, saying “Everyone has Bluebikes. I don’t know who we’re kidding that we’re trying to find someone else.”

He also expressed frustration at how complicated the process was getting.  “We’re going down a rabbit hole,” he said. “The Traffic Commission didn’t act on their own to do this. …This is something that we voted on in this committee. They did what we asked them.”

He added: “Every other community has a bikeshare program. Why are we making it so hard on ourselves?”

The committee voted unanimously on Ward 8 Councilor Cathyann Harris’s request that the city’s purchasing agent write out the next steps the committee needs to take to avoid a bid challenge, with a friendly amendment from Bradley-MacArthur that she also explain if the city was allowed to join a regional program as opposed to searching for a contractor.

It also voted to request Garvin and Planning Director Robert Waters attend the committee’s Oct. 23 meeting to explain the steps the city should take to implement a bike-sharing system.

Fernald updates

The Long Term Debt and Capital Planning Committee unanimously approved Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy’s request to allocate $6,356,860 for the final two stages of her plan to develop parts of the former Fernald State School property into community recreation facilities. These final stages will include an amphitheater area dedicated to the arts, and an athletic area.

Recreation Director Kim Hebert said project designers will avoid areas within 200 feet of identified wetlands. She estimated that, if funding is approved, the committee will sign the work contract in late December and it should be completed by May 2027.

The Finance Committee also unanimously approved $140,000 for the proposed move of the Department of Public Works to new headquarters on the Fernald property.

This funding will pay for a project manager to oversee the move, a statewide requirement for projects costing more than $1.5 million. The city has selected as its project manager Construction Monitoring Services, which is also assisting in the design of the city’s future police headquarters. The project’s next steps will involve choosing a designer for the future DPW building and then six months of schematic design.

Additionally, City Council’s committees

• heard a presentation from Waltham-based nonprofit Reach: Beyond Domestic Violence about its work to combat domestic violence and support survivors. (Economic and Community Development)
• voted to allow the DPW to purchase and install a $9,704 Big Belly Solar trashcan on Newton St. (Finance)
• approved a $9,700 Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon on Farwell Street, requested by the Traffic Department. (Finance)
• agreed to transfer $128,000 of the city’s reserve funds to the Building Department to begin repairs at the Common Street Garage. (Finance)
• allowed the Auditor’s Department to transfer $2,901 to a different minor capital account to purchase office furniture. (Finance)
• approved a license for New England Transit Sales to sell used motor vehicles. (Licenses and Franchises)
• accepted two Community Preservation Committee recommendations to fund historic church restoration work through the Community Preservation Act: $77,250 to preserve and restore a steeple at the First Parish Church and $942,575 to restore masonry in the St. Mary’s Parish St. Joseph’s building. (Long-Term Debt and Capital Planning)
• heard from Waltham Land Trust treasurer Marc Rudnick about cyanobacteria at Hardy Pond. (Public Works and Public Safety)
• sent an ordinance changing the city’s definition of fast food establishments to the full council for initial approval next week. (Ordinances and Rules)