Today, John Sisson and I met with three leaders of the Newton Cultural Alliance–Adrienne Hartzell, former mayor Tom Concannon, and Representative Kay Khan.  We introduced each other to our respective organizations, and found a lot of common interests but little redundancy.

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This past Friday, Newton Villages brought together of a group of of people from different city departments and community organizations to discuss the creation of a city-wide initiative involving Newton’s artists, bicyclists, and others who are interested in working together to bring art and bike racks into our village centers.

We identified some fundamental requirements and concerns about bike racks:

• Sizing and locating racks according to user needs,
• Choosing styles of racks that may allow artistic expression without undermining their utility,
• Using materials that would minimize maintenance and repair needs,
• Being mindful of other public space needs, especially snow-removal,
• Addressing zoning regulations for placement on public vs. private property, and
• Creating signage that directs people to bicycle racks and (pending a zoning change) credits sponsors. [Read more →]

Below is an email I just sent to Mindy Gregory Sieber, executive director of the New Art Center, to gauge her interest in an artistic bike rack for Panera Bread. I wanted to get the right people talking about this idea, and she’s the perfect person. I believe she formerly coordinated the Open Studios events for artists in Newton.

John Pears had mentioned the installation of informational kiosks in our village centers, directing people to restaurants and other services. Brilliant idea. I’d also had a lark of a thought about directional signs that would point from one village to other villages and nearby points of interest, like parking lots and the main library. Of course, other towns are already doing these things, such as Renton, Washington. [Read more →]