April Update: Earth Day at WPI and City Council Watch

Hello Worcester Strong Towners! Our next general meeting is this Saturday, April 4th, from 4pm-5:30pm. This meeting will be held in person at Technocopia at 44 Portland Street (please use the furthest door to the left and the intercom – you’ll need to scroll to Technocopia on the touchscreen to call up). We will be discussing the Earth Day event at WPI on April 22nd. In addition, if you are able, we think it would be great if those attending would consider bringing a food item for the community fridge located just outside the Printers’ Building on Portland Street! You can find information about the “Woo Fridges” here.

March Recap: Thank you to everyone for attending our March meeting. Thank you Will for the presentation on Worcester’s Now | Next Plan – let’s continue to keep an eye on the City’s implementation of its first long-range, citywide plan in decades. It would have transformative impacts on current and future residents if the City follows it through!

New Website: Also, as a reminder, visit our new website at strongtownsworcester.org!

Action Items

Earth Day at WPI: We will be tabling an Earth Day event at WPI on April 22nd, from 4:30 PM to 7 PM at the WPI Quadrangle at 100 Institute Road.

City Council: Worcester’s City Council is meeting on March 31st at 6:30 PM in the Esther Howland Chamber (on the third floor of City Hall). You can view the upcoming agendas and all of its other files here (just look for City Council under “Meeting Title” on the left). You can watch in person or online.

  • This week, there are multiple petitions for crosswalk repainting and crosswalk traffic control timing reviews on Shrewsbury St.
  • There are 30 councilors’ orders on the agenda. Among them, there is a request for a report on how the City handles 311 requests (10a), whether a left turn is allowed on Norton Drive onto Shore Drive (10d), whether the city can offer to sell 50-gallon buckets for recycling to residents (10e), and a request for a list of current Payment in Lieu of Taxes agreements (10f).
  • Interestingly, 10i requests a draft ordinance to impose “escalating fees onto underdeveloped lots that have been underdeveloped and vacant for more than five years.”
  • 11b requests the City Manager organize a volunteer cleanup day for Burncoat St at Mountain St. East – apparently long an illegal dumping area.

Planning Board: The Planning Board is meeting on April 1, at 5:30 PM, in the Levi Lincoln Chamber (on the third floor of City Hall), and you can also join via Zoom. You can view all application materials here. They will be discussing: 0 Chester Street, 28 Harrington Way, 1103 Millbury Street, 3 Dundee Court, 12 Malden Street, 17 Pearl Street, 540 West Boylston Street, 0 and 2 Tyson Road and 0 Burncoat Street, 25 West Chester Street, and portions of the Belmont Street/Plantation Street Corridor/Green Hill Area.

Vernon Connected: This is a planning effort regarding the future of the Vernon Street Bridge and the surrounding neighborhoods. These are neighborhoods that were separated by I-290 decades ago, and this is an opportunity to reconnect them.

  • You can learn more about Vernon Connected here. There is also a Vernon Connected survey, located at that link.
  • If you’ve ever encountered an issue with the transportation network in this area, you can add a marker to this interactive map to bring the project team’s attention to it.

Vision Zero: The Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC) is developing a Regional Vision Zero Action Plan (Regional Safe Streets for All), covering all of central and southern Worcester County. CMRPC is looking for feedback in the development of the plan.

  • There is a short survey here to help CMRPC identify and prioritize projects across the region meant to eliminate fatalities on the region’s roadways.
  • There is also a concern mapper (here) where you can specifically identify areas on the map where you have mobility concerns (like a dangerous intersection, or areas where biking is dodgy, for example).

Neighborhood Connect: Neighborhood Connect is a free training program to learn strategies for making change in your neighborhood. It is a research study led by the Prevention Research Center (PRC) at UMass Chan in partnership with the Coalition for a Healthy Greater Worcester, Worcester Division of Public Health, and WalkMassachusetts. They are currently taking sign-ups from people associated with Main South/Piedmont Street, and Quinsigamond Village/Whipple Apartments/Route 20.

  • If you live, work, or volunteer in a Worcester neighborhood, you can join as part of a team or on your own. You’ll meet with others 6 times on Zoom, and once in person, to learn what has worked in other communities and how to work in your own!
  • There are also 3 surveys to complete over one year – and receive a $20 gift card for each one!
  • You can learn more by clicking here or by emailing the program directly.

WRTA Bus Tracker: If you didn’t know, the Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) released an updated bus tracker online. Use it here.

Call to Action! In February, Worcester’s Department of Transportation and Mobility (DTM) held a public session to present a redesign of the Newton Square roundabout and the half-mile of Highland Street in front of Doherty High School. There are currently two proposed redesigns of Highland Street. We highly recommend calling (508-929-1300, ext 49500) or emailing DTM and politely advocating for Alternative 1: the Separated Bike Lane. We still have a chance for our voices to be heard in the continued construction of a Worcester bike network!

We’re putting out feelers for any Strong Towns members who would be open to going to City boards and commissions meetings – especially those most related to Strong Towns interests (such as the Planning Board or the Zoning Board of Appeals). Let’s get that conversation started on our Discord!

Ongoing Efforts

What are we watching? What are we reading?

A recent video from YouTuber “Streetcraft” showcased how Kelley Square went from a dangerous and confusing intersection (especially to visitors) to one that has much improved. Check it out here.

Social Media

We have an Instagram, a Discord, a Facebook group, a Facebook page, and a Bluesky. We’d love to see you there and hear your thoughts! If you have any pictures or other Worcester-specific content you’d like us to post, please share!

Thank you for your continued interest! We look forward to bringing you more in the future.