[Fred Dello Russo]: Medford City Council will come to order. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Clerk]: Councilor Caraviello. Present. Councilor Falco. Present. Councilor Knight. Present. Vice President Lungo-Koehn. Yes. Councilor Marks. Present. Councilor Scarpelli. Present. President Dello Russo.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Present. With seven members present, none absent, please rise and join us in saluting the flag. Aye. The chair recognizes Vice President Lengelkern for the suspension of the rules to accept an address from the mayor regarding recent findings of the FAA. All those in favor? All those opposed? Welcome to the podium. The Honorable Stephanie M. Burke, Mayor of Medford.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Good evening, Mr. President and Councilors. Thank you so much for taking me out of order. I really appreciate it. As many of you are aware, last Friday the FAA had a meeting on the noise, the noise issues that we've been having in the city from the low flying planes. Councilor Lungo-Koehn was in attendance as well as Councilor Capiello and Mark Rumley, the city solicitor. We all kind of went up, hoping that we would get in, and at the last minute we found out that we did not have clearance to enter the FAA building. We stayed for quite a while, and finally, when Congresswoman Clark appeared, she was able to overrule their rules, which required a 48-hour notice to have someone on the list. So I was able to attend and sit in on the meeting, which we know impacts several of the neighborhoods throughout Medford. This meeting was put together at the bequest of a state senator that represented the Belmont Watertown area. So the FAA was just listening to the request, and that's why they held the meeting, and it was scheduled with those parties involved, and the city of Medford really wasn't invited formally. But I did want to just come back to let you know what transpired during the meeting. Obviously, a lot of the CAC members, Logan has a community board as well as Massport, so the two separate community boards that meet regularly. And several of those members were in attendance during this meeting. They had been previously cleared. So they brought the issues of what they're dealing with as well as we are. We all know firsthand that there's certain sections of the city that have been impacted by the change and basically what the FAA has tried to do is simplify the air travel routes. So back a year or so ago, a year and a half, the planes were dispersed over multiple cities throughout the Commonwealth. So when they took off, they were dispersed, so we all dealt with an occasional sound here and there, but nobody was impacted directly all day long with a certain sound. They try to simplify the skies, make travel lanes, and therefore it has brought about the volume that is going over one particular route in the city. There's actually quite an area over the Malden Hospital. It's where the planes that come off of runway 33L, they actually split, and they go in different directions. So that particular area gets hit very hard. And in a lot of the studies that the community groups have done, They're actually looking at the Stearns Ave area as being hit very, very hard in our community. So what we talked to the FAA about was, what are you going to do about it? We're all dealing with this issue. It's a quality of life issue in our neighborhood and the surrounding communities, and what are you going to do? And they basically told us that they have MIT, Massport has commissioned MIT to do a formal study, but it will not be ready until next fall. So a year from now, they'll get the results of the sound testing that they have commissioned through Massport. And of course, we all said that's not good enough. Go back to the way it was. Do something different. And the FAA's position is that it's all about safety. Their main concern above and beyond sound is safety for the flights, the people on the planes, the pilots, and the workers, and the FAA in general. So they heard our cry for help, and not only is it that there are the numbers that are traveling down these roads in the sky, but the elevation, the volume, which are two of the main concerns that are also causing havoc in our area. So they listened intently. They said that they were going to reach out through Massport and try to get some more information quicker. We actually do have a sound study that's part of Massport that's set up in Magoon Thatcher area and that they do not have the results from that yet. So once they get those results, they will be forthcoming to us. They use a 65 decibel as their magic number, and that's what they've been using as their level that is tolerable. And so I know what I mentioned to them is that they need to stop looking at things from the sky, and they need to come down to the neighborhoods and see the real impact that it's causing on our citizens. So they did seem to listen, they're heavily on, they want to do constituent service, community involvement, so they vowed to us that they will be having many more community meetings and we're actually going to be working with Senator Markey's office to get a straight Medford meeting, which all of you certainly will be able to attend. So we are working on putting that together in the next couple of weeks so that we can deal with the Medford issues in particular. And just lastly, I just wanted to mention that today I've named Peter Hook to the Massport CAC community group, and Luke Priessner as the Logan CAC representative, and the backup to Logan will be Peter. who's on our mass board. So these two individuals have been very much involved in this process the entire time. They've been outspoken and data-driven and looked at a lot of the facts and circumstances around the area. So I know that they will hit the ground running. They will be invested and involved. It directly impacts their quality of life. So I'm looking forward to them serving on behalf of the city of Medford, and I'm sure that they will do a great job. So thank you all. I just wanted to give you a verbal update on the Friday meeting, um, so that you're all aware of it as well as the general public. So we can move forward and try to rectify the issues that are at hand. Thank you very much.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you, Your Honor. If I may, Madam Vice President.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Thank you, President Dello Russo. And thank you, Mayor Burke, um, not only for coming to give us an update tonight, but also for being there on Friday. Um, it was unfortunate Rick and I weren't allowed in, but we were happy that at least our state delegation and you were there to represent the city. The question I have is with regards to this vote that was supposed to be taking place in Boston in December. Now, is that still going to be taking place with regards to rerouting the Milton air traffic over Medford, or is that something?
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: It didn't sound like from the FAA that they were taking any actions immediate, because they're waiting on this MIT study to determine everything. They said, basically, they can't just look at our runway in particular, because our runway impacts every other runway. So if they ought to alter the routes in our area, It's like a domino effect, it impacts every other route that affects Milton, the North Shore, the South Shore. So it didn't sound like they will be taking action, but I believe that that's a Massport meeting, so these gentlemen will be in attendance.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: So the members of, people from the FAA will be at the Massport meeting, and so we don't know 100% if this vote is gonna take place or not, but you don't believe so?
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: FAA controls the sky lanes. Massport controls the time that the planes can run, how many can go up, how frequent that they can be dispersed out of Logan. So it's funny when you bring up certain issues to FAA, they say, well, that's not really it. We just tell them where they can go. We don't tell them when they can go and how many can go, the frequency. But certainly, if they're all going and they're all going down a certain route, we're impacted. So they heard us loud and clear. So I would doubt very much that they're going to do anything that's going to impact a particular area, especially until the study's done.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: And then you said the fall of 2017, all of 17, which is astounding.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Okay.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Madam mayor for your presence and a happy Thanksgiving.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Thank you. Enjoy your family and enjoy your meal. Thank you.
[Michael Marks]: Thank you, Mr. Pratt. Just had a quick question, madam mayor, if you wouldn't mind. Um, it was reported in, uh, the transcript just the other day that, uh, there hasn't been a member of, uh, an appointed member of, uh, this community that has attended any of the CAC meetings, the Logan airport, uh, community advisory meetings, uh, in the last two and a half years. And I was wondering if we can get any feedback, why the appointed members haven't shown up, why the city of method doesn't have a voice at the table when many of these issues are brought up. discussing runways and discussing other issues that impact our community.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: We did have a Massport representative that attended some of the meetings. Unfortunately, they've canceled several of the last few months based upon not having enough information. So we did have a representative that was at those meetings. The original Logan CAC was established many, many years ago, and it was for sound, really, looking at the sound lanes. And then the Massport CAC kicked in that looks at everything, all the operations of Massport. So we do have a Massport CAC. As you're aware, I just named some new bodies to that so that we will have full activity on that commission.
[Michael Marks]: Right, but I'm specifically talking about the Logan Airport, which that board has an appointed member by the mayor, the past mayor and yourself, correct?
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: It has an appointment and it has a... an alternate as well.
[Michael Marks]: Right. That's the particular board that I'm talking about that hasn't been represented by this community in two and a half years.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: I can't go back prior to the year, the 10 months. I can only look at the 10 months and I wasn't aware that Logan, I don't even know if Logan has had a meeting, but Massport has had meetings over the last several months. Massport has had several meetings as well.
[Michael Marks]: And so has Logan, just so you know, they've had several meetings and our representative for whatever reason, maybe one wasn't appointed or it was an in between time. Uh, but, uh, we haven't had a representative on that board speaking on behalf of the residents of this community. in two and a half years over a dozen meetings that we have failed to go to the table and at least have our opinions voice. So maybe, um, at some point it'd be nice to have a check and balance that we know when we appoint people, even this council, we appoint people, not as many as the mayor's office, but we appoint people to boards of commissions as well. And it might be a good idea or it might be a good policy, Mr. President, to make sure that our representatives are truly attending these particular meetings. And maybe there should be some type of policy devised that would encourage maybe some type of sign-in or allow us to know if our representatives are truly making these meetings.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Well, I've actually read the Mass Support and the Logan, their enabling legislation. And they're supposed to be in attendance, and if they miss a few, I think it's three meetings in one case, they're different between the two. They're supposed to notify the appointing authority that someone is not going to these meetings. So if they're not, if they were not notifying, obviously they didn't notify me, or I would have taken action. before tonight. So going forward, we're going to check. We'll get a monthly report from the meetings themselves. These individuals are very active in the community. They're very active with this particular issue. So I know that they will make us very proud and we'll be reflecting our interests there as well.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you, Madam Mayor.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Thank you.
[Fred Dello Russo]: And have a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Councilor?
[Fred Dello Russo]: Who are the appointees?
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Peter Hoek from Massport CAC. And Luke Prisner for Logan CAC. And Peter will be the alternate on the Logan.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Happy Thanksgiving.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Happy Thanksgiving, Mr. Solicitor. On the motion of Councilor Lungo-Curran to return to the regular order of business. All those in favor? All opposed? Hearing 16-744, City of Medford. Notice of a public hearing. A public hearing will be held by the Medford City Council in the Howard F. Alden Memorial Auditorium, 85 George P. Hassett Drive, Medford, Massachusetts, on Tuesday evening, November 22, 2016, at 7 p.m. on a petition from Dom's Motor Service, 86 Mystic Avenue, Medford, for Class II Used Auto Sales Special Permit. In accordance with Chapter 94, Zoning Ordinance of the City of Medford, Section 94-148D, Table of Use Regulations, Automobile Uses 27A, for permission to operate its Class II secondhand motor vehicle sales at 83 Mystic Avenue, Medford, Massachusetts, a Commercial II Zoning District. Petition and Plans. may be seen in the office of the city clerk, city hall method, mass for further information, et cetera, et cetera. By order of the city council, Edward P Finn, city clerk advertising method, daily mercury, November 18th and November 15th, 2016. We open this public hearing. All those in favor, please present yourself to the podium and state your name and address for the record. Those in favor.
[George Scarpelli]: Good evening. Keith Pemberton, 18 Cheever Road, Malden Mass, 02155.
[Fred Dello Russo]: And you're in favor of this petition? Yes, sir. Thank you very much. Thank you. Anybody else in favor? All those in favor? Hearing and seeing none, I declare that portion of the meeting closed. Anybody in opposition? Anybody in opposition? Hearing and seeing none, we declare that portion of the meeting closed. Chair recognizes Councilor Knight, Chairman of the Zoning Committee.
[Adam Knight]: Mr. President, I've reviewed the paperwork and everything appears to be in order. I move for approval.
[Fred Dello Russo]: On the motion for approval by Councilor Knight, seconded by Councilor Caraviello. All those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? Motion carries. On the motion of Councilor Knight for suspension of the rules to take petition 16-767. All those in favor? All those opposed? 16-767, petition for a class 2 auto dealer's license by Dom's Motor Service, 83 Mystic Avenue, Metric, Massachusetts. On file is a business certificate number 210, a report from the building department, police department, fire department, bond, treasurer, letter of compliance, tax ID, workman's compensation, and the petition itself.
[Richard Caraviello]: Chair recognizes Councilor Caraviello, Chairman of the Licensing Committee. Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, I reviewed the papers also, and I find them in order. Again, similar to last week, they're just moving down the street from where they were, and we're happy that they're keeping their business at Medford. Is the petitioner present?
[Fred Dello Russo]: Come on up. We, uh, granted you a licenses last week. This is, is this your final application for tonight for tonight? It is for tonight. It is. And this is for, uh, uh, to, uh, be a dealer in used automobiles used, which will be primarily used, uh, used motorcycles. Yep. Very good. Well, uh, on motion for approval by council caviello, uh, seconded by vice president uncle current, uh, All those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? Motion carried. Congratulations. Thank you very much. And best of luck to you. Thank you. Thank you. On motion of Councilor Scarpelli to return to the regular order business. All those in favor? All those opposed? Motions, orders, and resolutions. 16-765, authored by Vice President Laura Kern, Councilors Falco and Scarpelli, to be resolved that the Metric City Council respectfully request that the City Solicitor's Office inquire with the Attorney General's Office about the sale of the Malden Hospital site and render an opinion as to whether it was subject to review by the AG's office as it was a non-profit being sold to a private entity. If the hospital is still considered acute care, it should be subject to the AG's inquiry. The chair will recognize at this time Chairman Falco of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Malden Hospital site. I appointed you as chair to amass a committee and the committee members to examine the situation up there. Councilor.
[John Falco]: Thank you, Mr. President. So we met last Tuesday night in a subcommittee meeting, myself, vice president, Mungo Kerner and a Councilor, Scarpelli. And we met with, um, the friends of Fellsmere Heights and actually the method police department as well to talk about, uh, any type of traffic issues. And, uh, it was a good discussion. Uh, uh, friends of Fellsmere Heights laid out their plan for what they would like to see in that area. Um, yeah, in a, in contrast to what the developer is actually proposing. And during that conversation, uh, uh, actually a mass general law came up, uh, chapter one 80 section eight a concerning, uh, sale, lease, and exchange of nonprofits, uh, corporations assets. And, um, what this involves is basically, uh, it, it, it involves a charitable corporation planning to dispose of its assets, uh, must notify the attorney general within 30 days before doing so. And, uh, it goes, the law goes on to state that, um, And it was actually updated in July 21st of 2000 that it requires a non-profit acute care hospital or health maintenance organization to give 90 days notice to the Attorney General and the Commissioner of Public Health before the sale, lease, exchange, or other disposition of substantial amount of its assets with a personal entity other than the public charity. Following receipt of the notice, the AG, the Attorney General's Office is to investigate and or hold a public hearing. And so the Friends of Fellsmere Heights actually, back in 2015, inquired about this with the Attorney General's Office. And the Attorney General's Office actually basically came back saying that this doesn't apply because they ruled that Hallmark Health is not a acute care facility or an HMO, a health maintenance organization. So they basically turned it down. And there seems to be a lot of doubt as to whether or not they should have done that because you know, why is the law there in the first place? Um, you know, it hasn't been used in a hospital for a while, but I mean, technically it's still on the Malvern hospital is still owned by hallmark health. It's still, uh, listed as an asset on their books. So we really should be considered as part of the hospital. Um, so we would like the city solicitor, uh, to actually look into this a little bit further and, uh, give us an opinion as to whether or not, um, probably the, whether or not we should inquire with the Attorney General on this issue. Really, I mean, it definitely seems odd that the law is there, but the Attorney General's office really isn't following through with it, from what we could tell. So we'd like City Solicitor Rumley to look into this, offer us an opinion, and I'm sure my council colleagues would definitely like to speak on this as well, but we felt that this should be looked into further. Thank you council. Madam vice president.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Thank you. I'm president Delaware. So I think John gave a good synopsis of, you know, the law and what it entails and what it, what it was, the purpose was. Um, and I think it's really important that the, the city look into it. We, we do own three acres of that property and there is a developer who has a proposal that's obviously scaled down from their last proposal. We also have the group, the friends of the Felsmere Heights who, who have a, almost a better proposal, obviously less dense, um, less units and more open space. So it's something that we want to push and, um, advocate for. And we would love the attorney general's help to oversee this because the intent of the law is to figure out for this five, I guess, reasons why the law was put in place. But for Medford it's important because it, it will help figure out whether the proposed transaction is in the best is in the public's interests. And I think that's something we would love to have the Attorney General review with the help of being pushed, obviously, by our city solicitor, Mark Rumley, because when the, back in September, September, October of 2015, there was a group of people that did ask the Attorney General's office for some help, and they ruled that it wasn't acute care, you know, mainly, I think, because it was closed down, it was closed down in 2000, but that's truly not the intent of the law. I think if you're gonna, any acute care facility that wants to get around Chapter 180 would just close down and sell a month or two or 10, 15 years later. Where in this, you know, the intent of the law is to make sure that the public's interests are taken into account, whether you're closed, no matter when you're closed. It's the fact that it was a hospital. It was owned by Malden Healthcare and then sold to Hallmark Health. So we want to ask the city solicitor to advocate on Medford's behalf, on obviously the behalf of the friends of Felsmere Heights and all the residents who are affected by this location. We want to ask that the AG do investigate and do look into this parcel and do render an opinion and create an atmosphere where there is a public hearing, which I think is going to be extremely beneficial in the long run. So I do respectfully ask that our city solicitor look into this. There is a letter that was drafted to the AG's office, September 14th, 2015, that we'd probably like to give to our solicitor. We have hard copies and I think we've all been emailed the letter and that will be a good starting point and I think Mark and his office would do a great job advocating for the community and hopefully get the attention of the AG, which the friends haven't been able to do yet. And I think coming from, obviously, with the mayor's support and our AG's, our city solicitor's office, it would go a long way.
[Fred Dello Russo]: So if you would kindly Madam Vice President, uh, give a copy of that letter to the, uh, city messenger so he can convey it, uh, to the, uh, city solicitor's office. Uh, the chair recognizes council night.
[Adam Knight]: Um, Mr. President. So as I understand this, the question that we're asking the city solicitor at this point in time would be, does chapter 180 of the Massachusetts general laws apply regarding the sale and redevelopment of the Malden hospital site? Yes. Move approval, Mr. President.
[Fred Dello Russo]: On the motion for approval by Councilor Knight.
[George Scarpelli]: Chair recognizes Councilor Scarpelli. If I can, thank you, Mr. President. I will not repeat what Councilor Fowle and Councilor Lungo-Koehn have already expressed, but I think again, this is so important for the constituents and especially the Fulton Heights area because the realization is coming closer and we need to make sure that We overturn every rock and we investigate every possible concern and issue that if that is developed for what they intend to develop in that area, the major impact is not going to be on Malden. It's not going to be on Melrose. It'll be in our neighborhoods in Medford. So I appreciate also wanted to uh, thank, um, Sergeant, um, hard net for being out and they've already started traffic studies in the area to help us further along. So we can hold a, I know that one of the questions, make sure the public wanted to reiterate to the public that we're looking to hold a, uh, one of our next meetings at, uh, St. Francis in that area to make sure more residents can come out and be heard. So, um, I just want to make sure I've mentioned that. And, uh, thanks for my colleagues for all their work. Thank you.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you. Councilor chair recognizes Councilor Marks.
[Michael Marks]: Uh, thank you. And I want to thank, uh, the, uh, council president and the members of the ad hoc committee for, uh, their diligence on this matter. Uh, as we know, this is a very important issue to, uh, neighbors up the heights. And, uh, if the project was built out in its current capacity, it would have a devastating impact on traffic, uh, as we know it, uh, in that area. Uh, we also heard tonight from the mayor that the FAA, is looking to change plane routes on some of the runways that impact this community. And the highest impact will be to the heights and to Wellington. So think about it. Think about if this project that we're talking about were to go through with the additional traffic, road traffic, and think about if the runway to go through with the additional air traffic we may have a mass exodus out of certain parts of our community. And I think we have to be very diligent and persistent on these issues and shake every tree possible. And I think this is a great recommendation that's being offered tonight to have the city solicitor offer an opinion and then to go towards the Attorney General's office and have the Attorney General's office at least give some guidance on the issue. And I agree with Councilor Lungo-Koehn. The possibility of having a public hearing that involves both communities united, I think would be extremely helpful, Mr. President, in making sure that this area is addressed in a way that doesn't impact the quality of life in our community. We're not against building. I don't think anyone's against building, at least in this council or in this community. But we want sensible approach to building in this community. We want a sensible approach to neighborhoods that have existed for over 100 years, Mr. President. And we want to be mindful of that fact. So I support this wholeheartedly and thank the ad hoc committee for their efforts on this matter.
[Fred Dello Russo]: On the motion of approval by Councilor Knight, seconded by Councilor Falco. All those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? Motion carries. Reports of committees, 16-766. Report of the Committee of the Whole meeting held November 15, 2016 in room 207, Council Office, Medford City Hall, regarding the Ordinance for Community Preservation Act. Chair recognizes Councilor Knight.
[Adam Knight]: Uh, Mr. President, thank you very much in our packets. And, um, following last week's committee of the whole, we had a discussion relative to the establishment of the community preservation committee. Uh, the community preservation committee is required, um, with the passage of the community preservation act. And, um, as we are all aware, the community preservation act passed about a year ago. Um, president Dello Russo appointed an ad hoc committee on the implementation of the community preservation act for the city of Medford consisting of myself, Councilors, Falco and Scarpelli as well as Alicia hunt from the office of energy and environment. Roberta Cameron and Joan Sear were citizen representatives and attorney Rumley served as legal counsel for the subcommittee. And, um, the subcommittee came up with a series of recommendations after about a year of deliberation. Mr. President. Um, we met at the committee of the whole and we went over these recommendations. The committee of the whole voted to send the recommendations to the city solicitor to establish a draft ordinance. The draft ordinance was presented to the council last week before our regularly scheduled Medford city council meeting. And it was, uh, adopted favorably. Mr. President, this paper right here is the product of the work of the subcommittee and the, uh, review and the, um, analysis of the Medford city council. And I would move for approval for a first reading on it this evening. Mr. President, it's our duty as the Medford city council to establish the community preservation commission to execute the functions of the Community Preservation Act. It's required by law, and this would be the first step in us becoming in compliance with the passage of the Community Preservation Act, Mr. President.
[Fred Dello Russo]: In fact, we received the primary draft sometime in the summer, at the end of the summer, if I remember. Yes, we did. We had made some recommendations, and those were sent as well to the city solicitor for the draft. A couple of recommendations came out of last uh, week's meeting, uh, they were incorporated into this final draft, uh, which, uh, was motioned, uh, favorably out of the committee hall. So on the motion for approval by Councilor Knight, the citizen wishes to speak. Good evening. Welcome. And please state your name and address for the record.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. Uh, Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing street method mass. Um, thank you honorable council for the time. Appreciate it. And I wish you an early Thanksgiving for all. a good thanks for all the good things in the world and the time we have left on earth to make things better. On the CPA, I believe it was voted in by the voters by a slim margin, and it sounds wonderful. My only request would be is on this ordinance that you're about to pass to add an addendum that would publicly publish in the method transcript or whatever newspaper would be in the future at the deadline of all the requests and ideas that come forth from the entire city population. Therefore, I believe we as a people could make a better decision as to get a better bang for our investment. I believe I would like to see an amendment added to the documents. So the city would indeed publish all the ideas for future reference. So we, the people can make better decisions, hopefully, and not just the mayor. Thank you for listening.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you, sir. On the motion for approval, Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Clerk]: Councilor Caraviello. Yes. Councilor Falco?
[John Falco]: Yes.
[Clerk]: Councilor Knight? Yes. Vice President Long-Term? Yes. Councilor Marks? Yes. Councilor Scarpelli? Yes. President Dello Russo?
[Fred Dello Russo]: Yes. With a vote of seven, the affirmative, none in the negative, the ordinance passes its first reading. Councilor Knight.
[Adam Knight]: Um, Mr. President, thank you very much. Um, I had the pleasure of chairing this subcommittee and I'd just like to thank the members, um, that served on it with me. Councilor Scarpelli, Councilor Falco, um, Alicia hunt from the office of energy and environment and Roberta Cameron and Jones here. Um, we met probably 15 times at least on this. Um, everybody was very committed and diligent in their efforts and um, it was a pleasure working with them and I just wanted to thank them for their efforts and be sure that they were recognized for their hard work. Mr. President.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you, Councilor. On the motion of Councilor Knight for suspension of the rules to take papers under suspension and in the hand of the clerk. All those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? Motion granted. 16-770 offered by Councilors Knight and Scarpelli is resolved that the Metro City Council express its deep and sincere condolences to the family of Denise Bates on her recent passing. Please join us for a moment of silence if councillors would please stand. Offered by Councilor Knight, 16-7969. Offered by Councilor Knight, be it resolved that the city administration provide the council with a presentation regarding the proposed Clippership Connector Project. Councilor Knight.
[Adam Knight]: Mr. President, thank you very much. Back in June, this council approved a paper that I sponsored relative to extending a community path from where the Crystal Campbell Peace Garden is located to Hormel Stadium and then from Hormel Stadium to McDonald Park, ultimately creating a community path that would link in those three amenities that we have here and offer here in our community. Um, it's been brought to my attention that this project is moving forward. Uh, the department of conservation and recreation in collaboration with the Massachusetts highway department has been, um, proposing the development and construction of this plan. Um, however, there've been some changes to the plan. Um, recently the office of energy and environment held a community meeting. I was unable to attend it, However, I did receive some feedback from a number of abutters to the community path that expressed some concern and I'd ask that the administration provide the council with a brief presentation as to the proposal for the creation of the Clippership Connector, Mr. President, what it entails, and give these residents in the community an opportunity to hear it once again and raise their issues, concerns, and questions.
[Richard Caraviello]: On that motion, Councilor Caraviello. Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, I did have the opportunity to attend that meeting that evening and it was very well attended at the Riverside Yacht Club. Some of the concerns that the neighbors had brought up were that the path was going to be too close to their homes. And they had some, that was, I think that was the biggest concern, but there was also, there was a good amount of neighbors also in favor of it. So I think it was a very good presentation. There was a member, someone there from the DCI was there on hand and Alicia Hunt was there and someone from, I think the, I think there was the river association was there. So, I agree with council and it'd be nice for the, for the council to see what was going on there. Um, because they, I know, I know there is some, uh, objections by some of the neighbors, uh, on what's going to be happening there, but it does look like a worthwhile project. Mr. President.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Very good. A motion for approval by councilor night. Seconded by a council caveo chair recognizes the citizen at the podium.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. Cost of the Lord was for Andrew cast and Eddie Cushman street, Medford mass. Thank you for allowing me to speak again. Um, I think Councilor Knight brought up a great idea to have the community bike path from Crystal Campbell, the Marathon Monument towards Somerville. As other parts of our city along the Mystic River has. If I'm not mistaken, one of my various employment opportunities was real estate. I believe the people have the right within, I believe it's 20 feet of mean high tide. Don't quote me, but it's been a Supreme Court ruling that the people own the rights from mean high tide, I believe, to 20 feet on the shore, on the land. And furthermore, when people or persons or entities bought condominiums, or built yard clubs. I'm sure that's deeded, the Cambridge Clerk of Deeds for Real Estate, and they know that. Whether they've been cutting the grass or not, that's their prerogative. However, we the people in the United States of America own so many feet from mean high tide on beach or soil, whatever it is. I would like to see it happen for the benefit of we the people. I really emphasize this. Thank you, Councilor Knight. I'm very impressed. It should happen. It must happen if we have a democracy. Thank you for listening.
[Fred Dello Russo]: On that motion, all those in favor? All those opposed? Motion carries. Offered by Councilor Scott Peli. Be it resolved that the City Council update and discuss the MBTA bus stop at Main and High Street and questions on bus stop wait time. Chair recognizes Councilor Scott Peli.
[George Scarpelli]: Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, just briefly, I just wanted to give, uh, my fellow Councilors and our constituents an update. Um, today, um, I know we've, we requested for the department of transportation and, uh, the MBTA to look at the bus stop over at high street in Maine and ask that it be temporarily, um, closed due to the construction concerns. Um, It hasn't happened. Today, I did drive by, and what I witnessed is something that I think is a very, very dangerous situation. They had barrels along the right lane, along the sidewalk, closing that area for the buses to get to the sidewalk, and buses stopping in the left lane to let riders walk up to that bus. Not only did I see I found concerns in the people walking off the curb and walking across an open street, but I found the way the bus was stopping, it really lent some safety concerns for pedestrians and the crosswalk behind them on high street. So I requested that, um, I'd like, I would request that we, we reach out to, um, uh, the MBTA department of, uh, the DOT to, um, call for a subcommittee with transportation and, uh, visit and question these concerns. Uh, the, the feedback I got back today was that, uh, that, that stop, if it was closed for a long period of time, it would lose his grandfather clause for ADA accessibility. And then if would be brought back in the future, it would, we would have to redesign the whole sidewalk. So that was something we never, we'd never heard in multiple meetings with, uh, their, their, um, their group and it bothers bothers me that they said that they did say that. So if I've talked to my fellow, uh, members of our committee and that's never been said. So we want to make sure that the, they're hearing us. Um, and, uh, another concern I had from a constituent was, um, a concern that I'd like to talk, uh, and address with them is the, the wait period, especially with the cold weather coming. uh, the, the amount of time that people are waiting, uh, at some of our bus stops, uh, here in the city and maybe bring that to light. And, um, I welcome any constituent to call me and, uh, if they're having any direct concerns at their stop, so we can bring those directly. I know I have, had a few, but if there are more out there, I'd like to bring that forward. So if we can, we can with, um, city clerk set up that meeting. Uh, if we can sit together and find a neutral time with that organization, it'd be great.
[Fred Dello Russo]: And the subcommittee on transportation. Correct. That motion, all those in favor, all those opposed carries off by Councilor Marks. Be resolved that the light post pedestrian walk sign in front of whole foods, which was knocked down last Saturday, be replaced. by the Department of Conservation and Recreation in the interest of public safety council.
[Michael Marks]: Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, this particular, uh, pedestrian walk signal, uh, serves for a lot of pedestrians who would like to cross over to go to Whole Foods. And, uh, right now there is no light there that, uh, stops traffic. And so I asked that we send a paper immediately to DCR, and also our state delegation for any assistance they can provide in getting this particular pedestrian walk signal posted back immediately in the interest of public safety.
[Fred Dello Russo]: So if you would send that to Senator Jaylund and Representative Goppely who represents that district. On the motion, all those in favor? All those opposed? Motion carries. Offered by Councilor Marks. Be it resolved that the city employee's secondary insurance be discussed. Councilor Marks.
[Michael Marks]: Thank you, Mr. President. As we're probably all aware, or may not be aware, city employees are entitled to health insurance as an employee of the city. They also have the option for secondary insurance that is not covered by the primary health insurance. And one plan that employees do have access to is AFLAC. And just recently — The one with the duck? The one with the duck, correct. Um, just recently, uh, it was brought to my attention that, uh, city employees are receiving, uh, letters from Aflac stating that, uh, dear customer, thank you for being an Aflac policy holder. We wanted to let you know that we are no longer receiving premium payments from the city of method for your coverage. And, uh, they go on to say in the letter that if you want to continue coverage and protection, You need to contact AFLAC by December 12, 2016 to continue your policy. So the calls that I received actually asked why the city stopped paying a premium for coverage where employees have this taken out of their check weekly. And it was brought to my attention that the last payment that was made was in March of 2016 to AFLAC. And I think it's only appropriate, Mr. President, to find out, first of all, how many city employees are impacted by this nonpayment of premium by the city. At any time were city employees who paid for AFLAC coverage to the city not covered due to nonpayment of premium? When did the city stop paying the AFLAC premium on behalf of city employees? Why was the premium payment withheld from Aflac and why were city employees not informed by the city that they would no longer have the secondary insurance that is taken weekly out of their check? So I think, uh, and I can present those questions to you, Mr. Clerk. I know I read them off kind of quickly. Um, I think it's only appropriate on behalf of any city employee that has a secondary insurance that we provide the answers on why this particular premium was not paid forth by the city.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Mr. President, can you also move that that question be sent to the personnel office and the city's treasurer?
[Michael Marks]: I sent it to the administration. If that's what you want to send it to the, uh, treasurer and, uh, director of payroll, uh, that that's fine.
[Fred Dello Russo]: So very good. On the motion of Councilor Marks for approval, all those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? The tabled records of the meeting of November 1st, 2016 were passed to Councilor Falco. Councilor, have you had a chance to peruse these records?
[John Falco]: Yes, I have, Mr. President. I have reviewed the records, found them to be in order, and move approval.
[Fred Dello Russo]: On the motion for approval by Councilor Falco, all those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? The ayes have it. Records are approved.
[Michael Marks]: Councilor Marks. If we could, uh, last week I offered a resolution paper 16 7 3 6 yes. Regarding, uh, the lights in Medford square. Um, and we did get a response. So if I could read the response, this has been an ongoing issue. for a number of years, uh, the poor lighting in our business district. And we did get a response. I think that's, um, worth indicating, uh, to mayor Burke from Alicia hunt director of energy and environment dated, uh, November 10th, 2016, uh, regarding council paper 16-seven, three, six mayor Burke in response to the city council request from information on the lighting in Medford Square and other squares, and their request that we begin converting to LED lighting throughout the city, I am providing the following information. The lighting in Medford Square presents a particular difficulty because of its unique decorative style and past retrofits that have been done over these fixtures. We had a contractor install three different sample retrofits on Salem Street in front of Blue Fuji, Elizabeth Grady, and across the street at Medford Electronics. The one in front of Medford Electronics cast the most light down onto the sidewalk, and we've asked for a quote to do the entire square with that style lighting, but in somewhat warmer, less blue-white color. The preliminary estimate is $99,999 to do all the decorative lighting in Medford Square. This should significantly increase the lighting levels in that area. It will use slightly less energy so the project can be done in an energy-efficient project through my office, but will not qualify for any National Grid rebates or grants. I do not have funding for this in my budget. I initiated the process to purchase our streetlights from National Grid in August. The first step is requesting a quote from them. Last week, National Grid representatives indicated that we might receive our quote in January. At that point, we can evaluate where the money would come from and then take the request to the council. Once the purchase is in process, we can put out an RFQ for a company to do the lighting audit and design, and then retrofit the lights with LEDs. We can include lighting throughout the squares and public parking lots as part of the evaluation and design. We have already converted the parking lot lights behind City Hall and the lots by Clippership Drive, exterior lights at the Columbus School and Medford High School to LED. We are in the process of updating the exterior lights at the Roberts and Brooks to LED. I've been working closely with Steve Randazzo, the superintendent of wires on this project. Please let me know if there are any additional questions or if you would like further details at this time. Alicia Hunt. Uh, this is a very, very promising Mr. President, uh, an issue that has been a concern and brought up many countless times by this council, uh, to improve the lighting in our square. Um, and, uh, not just Medford square, but all our business districts and I look forward to the eventual replacement of the lights with LED to really make downtown business districts bright, welcoming, and friendly, Mr. President.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you, Councilor Marks. And the records of the meeting of November 15, 2016 were passed to Councilor Knight.
[Adam Knight]: Councilor? Uh, Mr. President, I haven't had an opportunity to review the records. And if we look at paper one six dash seven, five, eight, it was amended by Councilor Marks. Um, absent that one change, uh, everything is in order and I'd move for approval as amended.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Mr. President on the motion for approval as amended. All those in favor, all those opposed. Motion carries on the motion of council night that this meeting be adjourned. All those in favor, council Falco.
[John Falco]: Happy Thanksgiving, Councilor. Happy Thanksgiving to you, too. I just wanted to, just before we leave, just say good luck to the Medford High School football team. Go Mustangs. Playing Malden, the 129th meeting. And I just want to wish them well. Good luck, Mustangs. Where? Malden. Malden.
[Fred Dello Russo]: On the motion to adjourn, all those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? Meeting is adjourned. Happy Thanksgiving to the citizens of Medford from the Medford City Council. And congratulations to our many friends who are involved in the Jingle Bell Festival and beautifying these council chambers and their charitable work. Happy Thanksgiving all.
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