Tag: Crystal Lake

  • Mayor Laredo reflects on first 100 days as mayor at public forum

    Mayor Marc Laredo, left, talks with NewTV News Director Jenn Adams, middle, and Newton Beacon Editor Bryan McGonigle, right, about his administration’s first 100 days. Photo by Joe Hunter

    Celine Hijazi

    Mayor Marc Laredo marked his first 100 days in office with a public event hosted by NewTV and the Newton Beacon on Thursday night.

    During the discussion, moderated by Newton Beacon editor-in-chief Bryan McGonigle and NewTV news director Jenn Adams, Laredo addressed questions from the moderators and residents about key issues, including pension funding, school budgeting and immigration.

    One of the central issues was the city’s financial outlook, particularly its long-term pension obligations, which Laredo said he extended to 2035.

    “If that had played out, that would have placed a tremendous strain on city finances,” Laredo said of the previous 2032 timeline.

    Laredo also described a “game-changing” approach to pensions: a pension obligation bond agreed upon by leaders from the school committee, city council and financial experts.

    “Why do those two things matter so much? Because we get the extension … and we can time the issuance of the bond much better,” he said.

    School funding also remained central to the discussion, with Laredo framing it as a balance between rising costs and maintaining long-term stability.

    “I am confident that we are going to get the schools to a place where they will thrive,” he said.

    He noted that education spending has increased significantly under his administration.

    “We provided a historic increase to the schools this year … almost 7.4% above last year’s base allocation. We’re still increasing the school budget by 5.75%. That’s a very large increase,” he said.

    On immigration, Laredo emphasized the city’s policies and preparedness, calling Newton a “welcoming city.”

    “I do not view the tactics that ICE has used in places like Minnesota as consistent with our constitutional values,” he said.

    He also stressed the importance of coordination among city agencies.

    “It’s very important that we are consistent, we’re firm and we don’t put our officers in jeopardy both legally and physically,” he said.

    Housing affordability and accessibility also emerged as a key issue. Laredo described a “toolkit” approach that includes accessory dwelling units, senior housing and redevelopment strategies.

    “Housing affordability is an extraordinarily difficult issue. Let’s be clear, we are not going to resolve it in Newton alone,” he said.

    He added that the city is working to streamline development processes.

    “We’re also talking to our developers and making it quite clear that we want to help them get through the process quickly,” he said.

    Laredo also pointed to broader infrastructure and transportation issues shaping housing pressure.

    “Anybody who’s visited European countries knows how you can get on a train in one city and get off two hours later in another city … we ought to be having that here,” he said.

    Looking ahead, Laredo outlined several priorities for the next phase of his administration, including launching a new city website to improve transparency, coordinating long-term budget planning with the schools and managing upcoming union contract negotiations. He also said the city will focus on developing a parks and recreation master plan and improving civic assets such as Crystal Lake.

    The complete video will be online within a couple of days.

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    This story is part of a partnership between the Newton Beacon and the Boston University Department of Journalism.

  • Play it Forward: Newton’s Artful Pianos make music for all

    Ninn Davis photographs Tom Page while he plays a painted piano, titled “Koi Notes,” painted by Raquel Fornassaro, located in Newton Centre. Photo by Miu Tung Rong

    A symphony of sound and color takes over the streets of Newton as the Artful Pianos installation returns for the summer.

    Seven hand-painted pianos are scattered throughout the town, transforming parks and other public spaces into art galleries and stages for spontaneous performances.

    “When you walk through the villages of Newton and you see these pianos out, there are all kinds of people playing them,” said Lisa Rucinski, program manager of the Newton Cultural Development Center, which organizes Artful Pianos. Coming from a musical family, Rucinski said she understands that music can bring people together, and she takes pride in maintaining this Newton tradition. 

    The seven pianos, each painted by a different artist and given a name, are all across town through Labor Day:

    • “Embrace Everything,” by Ashley Jin, is along the Upper Falls Greenway.
    • “The Harvest,” by Columba Kenner, sits outside the Auburndale Library.
    • “In Full Bloom,” by Jenn Dua, is in Farlow Park.
    • “Somebody Come & Play,” by DaNice Marshall, is in Austin Street Plaza. 
    • “Find Zen Within,” by Gary “Zen” Chen, sits outside City Hall.
    • “Koi Notes,” by Raquel Fornasaro, livens up Newton Centre Green.
    • “Forget-Me-Not,” by Michael Talbot in Officer English Park, Newton Highlands. 

    Now in its eighth year, the Artful Pianos 2025 installation invites residents to sit down, play and take part in interactive art.

    Luca Dalzell and Ethan Lan play a painted piano, titled “Koi Notes” by Raquel Fornasaro, located in Newton Centre, while a passerby stops to listen. Photo by Miu Tung Rong

    But these pianos aren’t just for music lovers or aspiring performers.

    “People who give their pianos away for this project love to see their old pianos put to use,” Rucinski said. “Meeting the artists, seeing the focus, painstaking detail, and how much they love and get attached to their pianos–it’s just a win-win.” 

    Raquel Fornasaro, a longtime Newton resident and artist, painted the only grand piano in this year’s collection–the rest are uprights. Her piano, titled “Koi Notes,” is adorned with lily pads and koi fish, paying tribute to Crystal Lake, a picturesque 33-acre natural pond in the heart of Newton.

    Fornasaro said her vision was to bring “calmness to the busyness” of Newton Centre with her serene depiction of the lake near her house. Crystal Lake, she said, is “the place where my kids usually go whenever it gets warm. For me, it [has] extra memories of having young kids there.”

    The process of creating the piano installation begins months in advance with help from a team of movers, artists and volunteers.

    It begins with donors looking to part with their old pianos. Greg Livingston, who tunes all of the pianos, evaluates the instruments before they are selected to be in the exhibit.  

    In Farlow Park, Michael Lonzana plays a painted piano titled “In Full Bloom,” painted by Jenn Duan. Photo by Anny Zheng Wu

    Once enough pianos are identified, Griffin Piano Moving transports them to the Newton Bath House at Crystal Lake, a makeshift art studio where the painters work.

    Piano Pals, a group of local volunteers, care for the pianos all summer. They monitor the weather and rush in with tarps whenever rain threatens. Every morning, volunteers like Garrett Van Siclen head to their designated locations to unveil the pianos and return every evening to protect them from the morning dew.

    “If they aren’t getting wrapped and they aren’t being protected from the moisture of the rain, they’re quickly not going to be able to be played anymore,” Van Siclen said. 

    Van Siclen said he enjoys hearing melodies drift through Newton’s neighborhoods–whether it’s a child playing his first notes, an artist bringing her vision to life, or people pausing from their commutes home to listen.

    Van Siclen has witnessed the magic this installation has brought to Newton over the past three summers.

    “Last year,” he said, “there was a couple, and they would come up here every night and play the piano.”