by To commemorate the Italian enclave, a continuous tricolor line has been used to divide a half-mile section of Newton’s road for almost a century instead of a double yellow line.
The St. Mary of Carmen Society stated that since 1935, the center line of Adams Street in Newton’s Nonantum area has been painted red, white, and green and is bordered with Italian flags. The City of Newton, however, changed the famous lines to double yellow just a few weeks prior to the society’s annual event.
The repainting was done without any public outreach or notice, according to the society that organizes the annual Italian-American Festival in Pellegrini Park, which is scheduled to start on July 16. More than 10,000 people attend the festival, which also features a procession down that section of Adams Street.
According to a statement released by the society’s members, the unexpected dismantling of our revered religious public art project was carried out quickly and in the dark, just a few weeks prior to the 90th Annual Festival. This served as a sobering reminder that our customs can be abandoned without notice or regard. It was a smack in the face, not just a betrayal of confidence.
Newton In a statement, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller—who is not seeking reelection this year—stated that the striping of Adams Street was the result of months of careful deliberation. She verified that, as is customary, the lines had been drawn overnight.
Fuller stated that she is certain the street can include both the famous Italian tricolors and the yellow safety lines, but they would need to be pushed over by maybe 12 to 18 inches.
We acted with consideration. Traditions are important. We spoke with Festa volunteers for several months, and we really want them to repaint the green, white, and red tricolors on Adams Street this year, as they do each year, Fuller stated.
According to Fuller, Adams Street is similarly hazardous, especially the half-mile section with the painted tricolor between Washington and Watertown streets. The stretch was identified as the top priority for traffic calming in the city’s 2024 Traffic Calming Analysis, which she mentioned.
Consistent line marks are essential. According to Fuller, other busy streets in Nonantum with double yellow lines include the remainder of Adams Street, Chapel, Bridge, Crafts, Watertown, Pearl, Jackson, and California. We examine data. We adhere to government regulations.
One of the three councilors representing Nonantum, John Oliver of Newton City, told The Boston Globe that neither he nor his neighbors were informed about the repainting.
Apparently contradicting the mayor’s claims, Oliver told the Globe that no elected authorities were informed and that no one in the town knew this was happening.
The St. Mary of Carmen Society urged the city to act morally, even if the mayor claims that volunteers may repaint the colors. According to their statement, they requested that the city restore the tricolor line painting, admit the damage that unintentional cultural bias had caused to Nonantum, and reaffirm their commitment to respecting religious and cultural customs.
As of Wednesday night, almost 2,000 people had signed the society’s petition.
According to the society, this custom is not new. For almost a century, it has coexisted peacefully with city traffic and public safety laws. Actually, the City of Newton had officially approved it for decades prior to the current administration.
Molly Farrar works for Boston.com as a general assignment reporter, covering topics such as politics, crime, and education.
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