PODCAST · news
Needham Say More
by Aaron Pressman
Two Needham, Mass., residents discuss local news and politics.
Episodes
-
Episode S4/3: Big dollars needed for new schools in Needham
Doug and Aaron discuss Needham’s plans for renovating the Pollard Middle School, rebuilding the Mitchell Elementary School, and renovating the High Rock School to convert it back to an elementary school. The projects could take more than a decade and cost more than $400 million. Some related…
more -
Episode S4/2: Adding affordable housing in Needham
Doug and Aaron discuss plans from the Needham Housing Authority to add more units of deeply affordable apartments and homes. The plans will also be discussed at a public meeting on December 6 (details below). Some related links: Needham Housing Authority's Preservation & Redevelopment Initiative...
-
Episode S4/1: Rezoning for the MBTA Communities Act
Doug and Aaron discuss how Needham must change its zoning laws to meet the MBTA Communities Act by allowing for hundreds of new multi-family units and apartments. Needham plans to have a public workshop to gather input on the zoning effort on November 9, 20223, at 7 p.m. at Town Hall. Some…
more -
Episode S3/4: Expanding Ridge Hill along the Charles
Doug and Aaron discuss a proposal for the town of Needham to spend $2.5 million to buy 34 acres of undeveloped land known as Castle Farm, which is adjacent to the current Ridge Hill Reservation in west Needham. The multi-part deal also involves a developer buying part of Castle Farm to build 70...
-
Episode S3/3: Senior apartment plan disappears from Avery Square
Doug and Aaron discuss how the developer of a senior living project in the old Carter Mill building in Needham Heights has changed the plan since they sought and obtained a zoning change for the area. The old plan included independent living apartments. The new plan has only assisted care and...
-
Episode S3/2: The big plan for the old Muzi Ford
Doug and Aaron discuss a proposed development of almost 500,000 square feet of lab, office, and retail space at the old Muzi Ford site on Highland Ave near 128. The proposal is before the Needham Planning Board, which must decide whether to grant a special permit to allow the development. Some...
-
Episode S3/1: Needham Town Meeting Spring 2022
Doug and Aaron discuss articles that will be considered at Needham's upcoming Spring Town Meeting, which starts May 2, 2022. Issues of interest range from a study of parking problems to paying for renovating the Emery Grover school administration building plus approving budgets and lots of other...
-
Episode S2/9: Who's running for leadership roles in Needham
In a longer-than-usual episode, Doug and Aaron discuss the upcoming Needham town election on April 13. Four candidates are running for two seats on the Select Board and three people are running for two open seats on the School Committee. Doug also wanted to draw attention to some of the…
more -
Episode S2/8: Too many banks in Needham center
Doug and Aaron discuss the new bank going into the old laundromat space and the 2009 zoning changes that didn't end up changing much in Needham center. Also, follow up to Season 2: Episode 6 on trash pick up and the RTS. Some links discussed in this episode: Needham residents embrace revised...
-
Episode S2/7: Saving Emery Grover
Doug and Aaron discuss plans to renovate or replace the Emery Grover building in Needham center, which currently houses the Needham Public Schools administration. Some linesk related to this episode: Most recent 2020 Emery Grover feasibility study (starting on page 100 of this PDF) Report on the...
-
Episode S2/6: Trash pickup and the RTS in Needham
Doug and Aaron discuss the lack of curbside trash pick up in Needham, the history of the town's "dump," and a proposal to fine people who leave their trash cans out overnight. Some links related to this episode: The Needham Recycling & Transfer Station Needham RTS FAQ
-
Episode S2/5: Addressing racism in Needham
Doug and Aaron discuss incidents of racism in Needham and efforts to address the situation, including the Needham Unite Against Racism Initiative, also known as NUARI. Some links related to this episode: Needham police accused of racial profiling and handcuffing Black man on his way to work...
-
Episode S2/4: Muzi zoning debate returns
Doug and Aaron discuss a revised proposal offered at a community meeting to change the zoning governing the Muzi Ford and Channel 5 site. The revised plan lowered maximum heights and density while adding the possibility of residential development. Some links related to this episode: Links to...
-
Episode S2/3: Which school to renovate next and when?
Doug and Aaron discuss the Needham school facilities master plan, which includes possible renovation or reconstruction of the Mitchell Elementary School, Pollard Middle School, and High Rock School. Some links for this episode: Executive summary of the recent school department master plan (The...
-
Episode S2/2: Should CPA money fund church renovations?
Doug and Aaron discuss two proposals coming before Special Fall Town Meeting to use Community Preservation Act funding to help renovate two churches in Needham. Some links for this episode: Needham committee members wary over town funding proposed for church restoration (Needham Times, Sept. 30,...
-
Episode S2/1: New zoning for Avery Square in the Heights
Doug and Aaron discuss a proposal to change town zoning rules to allow a senior housing community in the old Carter Mill Building at the corner of Highland Ave and West St in Needham Heights. The proposal will be considered at Needham's Fall Special Town Meeting on October 4. Some links related…
more -
Episode 11: The police funding debate in Needham
Doug and Aaron recount the debate at Needham's Spring Town Meeting about funding for the police and discuss the broader topics of racism and the appropriate role of the police in town. Some links related to this week's show: Police budget draws scrutiny at Town Meeting (Needham Times, June 9…
more -
Episode 10: How should Needham hold town meeting?
Doug and Aaron discuss the problem of holding Needham's annual town meeting (and approving next year's budget) during the coronavirus pandemic. Some links related to this week's show: Needham plans for outdoor Town Meeting (Needham Times, May 22, 2020) Coronavirus should put an end to the town...
-
Episode 9: Netflix show features Needham–and not in a good way
Doug and Aaron discuss a recent episode of the Netflix documentary series Dirty Money that features the story of an elderly Needham resident, John Savanovich, who was put under court-ordered guardianship, moved out of his house, and had his assets sold. Some links mentioned in this episode:...
-
Episode 8: What's open and closed in Needham
Doug and Aaron discuss how the novel coronavirus outbreak is affecting life in Needham, Massachusetts, including which stores and restaurants remain open. For updates on the pandemic in Needham, check out the Public Health Dept.'s web page. Other links mentioned in this episode: The Newton…
more -
Episode 7: Look to the east, Newton's big development
Doug and Aaron discuss the huge Northland development, recently approved by voters in Newton, to be built just over the Charles River from Needham Heights. You can see what the project is supposed to look like on the developer's web site. Here's one explanation of the plans to extend the MBTA's...
-
Episode 6: Novel coronavirus in Massachusetts
Doug and Aaron discuss the spread of COVID-19, or the coronavirus disease 2019, outbreak as it begins to reach our local area. This is a good overview article from Scientific American that Doug mentioned. The Chinese doctor in Wuhan who died after warning of the outbreak was named Li Wenliang.…
more -
Episode 5: The Needham Housing Authority
Doug and Aaron discuss the challenges for the agency that oversees hundreds of affordable housing units in Needham, after one resident was murdered in 2017 and a state audit found multiple shortcomings. They also discuss the housing authority's 2019 facilities master plan for redeveloping its...
-
Episode 4: Train horns and quiet zones
Doug and Aaron discuss complaints about the noise of the commuter rail train horns in Needham and ideas to alleviate the problem. You can watch the 2017 public hearing on the issue, which starts at the about the 45 minute mark, and read the Federal Railroad Administration's info page about train...
-
Episode 3: Where to put the hockey rink
Doug and Aaron discuss the hearing on potential new uses at the Ridge Hill-Nike site, including the desire for a local hockey rink. You can watch the hearing online at the Needham Channel's web site (skip to the 25 minute mark for the start of the public hearing). And the consultants report on…
more -
Episode 2: Safer streets
Doug and Aaron discuss efforts to make Needham safer for pedestrians. The town commissioned an audit on pedestrian safety, which you can find on the town web site here: http://needhamma.gov/4707/Pedestrian-Safety.
-
Episode 1: The Muzi Ford zoning debate
Doug and Aaron talk about the contentious efforts to re-zone a part of Needham containing Muzi Ford and Channel 5.
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Two Needham, Mass., residents discuss local news and politics.
HOSTED BY
Aaron Pressman
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Needham Say More have?
Needham Say More currently has 27 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Needham Say More about?
Two Needham, Mass., residents discuss local news and politics.
How often does Needham Say More release new episodes?
Needham Say More has 27 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Needham Say More?
You can listen to Needham Say More on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Needham Say More?
Needham Say More is created and hosted by Aaron Pressman.
URL copied to clipboard!