[Unidentified]: George, I was with a bunch of friends from summer. Did you do my best?
[Richard Caraviello]: So, January 23rd, 2018. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll. Vice President De La Ruza.
[Clerk]: Present. Councilor Falco. Present. Councilor Knight. Present. Councilor Long-Tern. Present. Councilor Marks. Present. Dr. Scarpelli, President Cariollo.
[Richard Caraviello]: Presidents, please rise and salute the flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Communications from the Mayor, 18-044-4000. Dear Mr. President and City Councilors, I respectfully request and recommend that Your Honourable Body approve the following loan order. Be it ordered that the sum of $669,000.00 be and hereby is appropriate to pay the cost of a custom fire pumper truck or trucks, including the payment of all costs incidental and related thereto in that to meet this appropriation. The city treasurer, with the approval of the mayor, is authorized to borrow the said sum under and pursuant to Chapter 44, Section 7, Section 1 of the Massachusetts General Laws as amended and supplemented, or pursuant to any other enabling authority, and to issue bonds or notes of the city. Therefore, and further, that the mayor is authorized to seek, contract for, and expend any federal or state funds available for this purpose in addition to or to supplement the amount appropriate herein. In that, any premium received upon the sale of any bonds or notes approved by this order, lest any such premium applied to the payment of costs of issuance of such bonds or notes may be applied to the payment costs approved by This order in accordance with Chapter 44, Section 20 of the General Laws, thereby reducing the amount authorized to be borrowed to pay such costs by a like amount. In further order, that the City Treasurer is authorized to file an application with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Municipal Finance Oversight Board to qualify under Chapter 44 of the Massachusetts General Laws, any and all bonds or notes. The City is authorized by this vote or pursuant to any prior vote of the City in any connection therewith. to provide such information and execute such documents as the Municipal Finance Oversight Board of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts may require. Sincerely, Stephanie M. Burke, Mayor. We have the City Treasurer here. Would you like to speak on this?
[gwIgYT_iFzI_SPEAKER_19]: Thank you, Mr. President. Ann Marie Irwin, Treasurer-Collector, City of Medford. This is a very straightforward borrowing of $669,000 to purchase one new fire truck. It would most likely be a short-term borrowing of less than a year. We'd do a bond anticipation note and then roll it into something when we had a bigger group of borrowings to warrant a bond.
[Adam Knight]: Mr. President, thank you very much. Madam Treasurer, how are you? I'm well, thanks.
[Richard Caraviello]: How are you?
[Adam Knight]: I'm well. Quick question for you. Do you anticipate that this appropriation would have any effect in setting us back in our endeavors to create a new police station and then a five-year plan for breaking ground on a new fire station?
[gwIgYT_iFzI_SPEAKER_19]: Not in the least, no.
[Adam Knight]: Thank you.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Mr. President, we've certainly been strong advocates of this Council has, all of us without exception, for the Fire Department and to promote public safety. So I want to move approval on this matter, Mr. President. In fact, I do make the motion for approval on this loan request. and that we move forward with it in all due haste for the betterment of the Fire Department and for the protection of the citizens of Medford. Mr. President, I have one question regarding the piece of apparatus to the Chief, and it's a matter that concerns me, as I notice in, if I may, through the Chair, ask the Chief, I know he's present here with us tonight, I notice that More recent, newer pieces of equipment have a rather loud and quite visible reflective stripe pattern in the back of the apparatus. It may in fact be mandated by occupational safety standards. But I must say, Mr. President, if I can, through you to the Chief, that I find this addition to the apparatus to be something that detracts from the aesthetic of the pieces and I would hope that with this new pump we could do something that Promote safety for the firefighters while at the same time isn't as loud. And I'd rather invest that into the siren for loudness.
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: We have two sirens, by the way. Thank you. It is a requirement. You're correct. It is a requirement under the NFPA. In fact, the manufacturer would not release the truck without that. Now, you can vary the colors a little bit. but it's still going to be loud believe me. Thank you Mr. President.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Thank you President Caraviello. While we have the Chief here, could we just stay a minute and just get an update from you with regards to the turnout gear and potential washer and dryer.
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: All of the turnout gear was delivered. It was delivered. It came in with some Deficiencies. The suspender system was the incorrect system. There's a certain patch that goes on the jacket that was supposed to be a certain color and size. That was incorrect. And some of the names and spellings, which that happens anyway, but they took it all back last week and they're gonna make it right. So we're just waiting for the delivery of that.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: And did they give you a time frame on that?
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: No, but what they've always told me, we'll get it back as soon as we can.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Okay, and then with regards to, I know there was a grant that was being applied for the washing machine for the turnout gear. What is any update on that?
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: Well, that grant didn't come through, so I purchased two washing machines. We've taken delivery of those. We're going to be installing those, uh, hopefully in the very near future. I'm waiting to get, uh, some, um, construction work done before we can install the plumb for both washes.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: And those washing machines will cut, will be able to clean the turn oak.
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that is correct. That'll make three total.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Okay. Um, and then with regards to, um, I don't know who the question would be for, but from what we were just told, it's going to be a one year. We're going to go to Vaughan for one year. If we could just get a little more detail on that.
[gwIgYT_iFzI_SPEAKER_19]: So it would be a bond anticipation of a ban, which is a short-term borrowing in anticipation of doing a bond. In order to do a bond, sometimes the expenses incurred in doing a bond are They're higher, so we like to do bond anticipation notes and wait until we have a group of smaller notes and then do a bond for those smaller notes.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Okay, so with that being said, we anticipate another how many bonds coming down the line?
[gwIgYT_iFzI_SPEAKER_19]: Well, right now the only thing we have, the only things we have that aren't bonded are, we have the Riverside Plaza project, which I believe has a balance of about $300,000, and we have the We have the City Hall repairs, which we still have to bond, and that's about $1.8 million. So we would put those all together with this borrowing as well to do a long-term bond.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: So those are the only three that we would group together, anything else?
[gwIgYT_iFzI_SPEAKER_19]: Well, depending on, some are longer term, so it would depend on the circumstances, but that would be the likelihood.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: So what's the total we're thinking of going out to bond for? That would be 2.8 million?
[gwIgYT_iFzI_SPEAKER_19]: Approximately. Let me just take a look at what I have here. But we also have, I mean we haven't talked about any of the other things, I'm sorry. Just add them on top, yeah. Right, so we have the Winthrop Street. And drainage project, that's an older one, and DPW borrowing, and then we have the Riverside Plaza and the City Hall. So those combined, the DPW and the Winthrop Street Drainage Project are 650, this is 670, and then 300 for Riverside and 1.8 for City Hall repairs.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Three of those projects we're already doing. So what's the total we're going to hope to go out to bond for?
[gwIgYT_iFzI_SPEAKER_19]: It'll probably be around $3,600,000 approximately, depending on what gets grouped together. I mean, some of them are shorter term. and we're anticipating doing that sometime in 2018? Yes, I'm hoping to meet with some of our financial advisors at the end of February. We're trying to keep a close eye on the rates just in case anything starts to creep up. We would do that sooner rather than later. And what's the current rate? Well, it depends on what we go out for, how long the term is. I mean, they average anywhere from 2%, 3%, 4%. We're just gonna try and get the best rate we can. Are we looking for a 20-year on that? Well, it depends on what's included in it. Some things you can't go out that long on because there are restrictions under Chapter 44, Section 7 on how long you can bond for.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: And this fire pump or truck is gonna, is it gonna be replacing a truck or is it? Yes. So one will be taken out of service?
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: No, actually I'm going to use the one that it replaces as a reserve piece.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: I'm good for now, thank you.
[Michael Marks]: Come so much. Thank you, Mr. President. Chief, can you just explain the necessity of replacing a piece of equipment? How old is that piece that you're going to be replacing?
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: The current piece engine four on Riverside Avenue is a 2000 and 2005 PS truck, so that that truck is. Almost 13 years old. We're talking 13 years old now. That was engine one. When that was brand new in 2005, it was at headquarters. And then when we replaced engine one and engine two three years ago, we moved that one down to engine four.
[Michael Marks]: So where will you be storing the truck that you're replacing?
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: Where? In one of the stations. Do you have room now to store trucks and whereabouts? Well, there are several trucks that I'm trying to dispose of with this transaction or on something that Council President Caraviello apprised me of through a gentleman dealer. The Mass Municipal Association. There are several ways that we can do it, but I was trying to get some dollar value for them. See through the through the manufacturer. So using the backup truck or you gonna sell the backup truck know the backup drops. I'm saving that there are others that we have. There are others that are older.
[Michael Marks]: So that that truck's going to go on engine four?
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: Yes. And what is a typical life expectancy of a truck of that nature? A truck that goes with the runs that that company does per year. Twelve years, maybe. Ten, twelve. Depends. Depends on the care and the maintenance. The maintenance will be done internally? Yes.
[Michael Marks]: So we don't contract for any outside maintenance?
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: No, only some of the maintenance that's under warranty, of course. But after warranty, you know, we're responsible. And how long is the warranty? I think it comes with a two-year warranty, but bumper to bumper. But there are certain components that are longer. Let me take a look, I'll tell ya. The cab, there's a two-year standard warranty with the truck. The cab itself has a 15-year structural warranty. The body, same thing, 15 years. Five years on the engine, five years on the pump, and a 10-year on the pump plumbing, the plumbing itself. And then a lifetime frame and cross-member warranty. Those are the warranties that it comes with. When do we anticipate this pump will be at Engine 4? Once the contract is signed, up to nine months from now. Nine months? Yes. Is it going to be a similar situation like the turnout gear? That being? Turnout gear has been a little over two and a half years, I believe? Well, the turnout gear went out, we were supposed to get that turnout gear in the fall, and the The distributor kinda messed up on me, so. In regards to what? Time. I was promised it so long and then he just kept moving it, moving it, moving it. For whatever reason. And you just recently sent back all the turnout gear? All of it. Based on the fact that you said there were some patches or? There were several things. The suspenders that came with the pants were the wrong ones. They were the wrong ones. That's number one. There's a certain patch that's on the jacket. That was the wrong patch. And then some of the lettering and the spelling, which isn't a big deal, but I'm not going to hand out turnout gear and piecemeal it to have it fixed. So we sent it all back, and he's going to fix it as soon as he can get it done. Okay. Then we can distribute it. Okay.
[Michael Marks]: Now, regarding, uh, you mentioned you purchased the washers. Yes. And they're going to be located at the headquarters. Correct. And we did not purchase any additional dryers.
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: No. That was, that was our original thought process, but, um, we, we've changed that because the manufacturer and the manufacturer does suggest that you do air dry it. for the care of the fabric and you get longer life out of it. You can dry them, certain temperatures, certain times, but it is suggested that you air dry it. And so that's been the consensus throughout the membership that we do air dry it. And how long does it take to dry in a dryer compared to air dry? A dryer could take up to six hours, five hours, air drying it, maybe a day or so.
[Michael Marks]: So dry, when they put those in the dryers, those heavy-duty dryers, it takes up to six hours? Sure. Depending on how many turnout gears go into the unit? Yeah.
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: And if you air dry it, it's one day compared to... Well, it's not just sitting. We're going to have fans all... We have the whole elaborate setup that we're going to set up when we... at headquarters, with fans, oscillating fans. In the same area where they're housed now? No. So where are you going to be doing that? It's going to be housed where the wire department used to be, in the back of my building.
[Michael Marks]: And with the plans for the police station, that building is still going to maintain? Yeah, that portion, yes. That portion of the building is still going to be there? Yeah. Okay.
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: The uh, can you give us a training tower update? Uh, training tower, in fact, I placed another call, uh, I was away last week, and I did receive a call from a gentleman from the state. Uh, state delegation has been working to try to acquire the property, whether it be through a land swap or some, something, I don't, I'm not really privy to that. Uhm, but the gentleman that contacted me, I've called him twice now. I called him last Thursday, and I called him again today, and I haven't heard back from him. I don't know what he's looking for, what he's going to ask me. Okay, so I assume that's plan A? Oh yeah. Do we have a plan B? Regarding what, the training facility? Correct. No. That's the place I, we needed to go. Right. What, what happens if it doesn't come to fruition? Oh, we got a problem. So there's no plan B. I feel very confident that we're going to get the property.
[Michael Marks]: It'd be helpful just as one member. Yeah. And I know there's a lot of discussions going on.
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: We haven't been kept up on this at all. Well, it's been kind of dormant, to be honest with you. Let me take a step back. We do have other options, but they weren't. I had three options that I had presented to the mayor. This is being the one that I prefer, and everybody prefers. There are two others, but they're not as They're not as ideal as what we have currently, what we're looking for. I don't even want to think about them, to be honest with you. Right. But if it doesn't come through, you have to have another plan, right?
[Michael Marks]: Well, we've got two of them. Actually, they're out there. So, so do we have a timeline when, when this, I, I have, we don't have a timeline established.
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: I think that was one thing the council asked when this, I was also started, I was trying to get the property acquired by the end of the year, as was the state delegation. But here we are today, it's mid January and that hasn't happened yet, right? Because they're going to be staring down, uh, The current academy training facility very shortly, maybe in the spring. Right.
[Michael Marks]: And the firefighters were promised that this would be a work in progress. And it has been. It really has been. You just said there was nothing's been done. It's been dormant.
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: You're dealing with the state. What can I do? I, I, I, I, you know, I've gone through a whole, uh, uh, period of, of drafting, uh, what we want on the, the, the land, the committee that we had established. One of my deputies spent countless hours, uh, mapping this whole thing out on the property. We, we've contacted several different state departments and, uh, There's this one more hurdle that we have to get over, and that's what we're trying to do.
[Michael Marks]: Okay. Personally, Chief, I think we should have a timeline. We should have something that we can look at and say we're meeting our target goals, because we have no idea other than to say, well, things seem to be going on.
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: It's been very dormant for quite some time. I'm telling you, I was hoping, and we were shooting for, The end of the year, they will have the property acquired by the city. That's what I was told in the fall. Right. Now that didn't happen.
[Michael Marks]: So come this June, just a hypothetical, come this June, no movement. What happens?
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: I don't know. I don't know. I don't even want to think about it. I think we have to think about it. What do you want me to say? We're going to go build it somewhere else and then a month later, then we get the property?
[Michael Marks]: I don't understand, Chief. If your plan is to take state property and rely on the state, which you just said, well, it's the state, that's your plan.
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: I'm relying on a whole host of people.
[Michael Marks]: We have our own city property, too, that we don't have to rely on the state. But it's not ideal for our use. It really isn't. I'm just saying, as part of building the new police station, the firefighters were promised a bill of goods. I think we all heard it behind this reel. I know exactly. And I just want to make sure that we're following through.
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: We are. Believe me, we are. The union and myself and the committee, we're all working pretty close together to try and get this thing done. We really are.
[Michael Marks]: If you could just keep us updated, Chief, on what's happening, because surely we don't get anything from the administration.
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: Well, if you want to ask me, I'd be glad to offer anything. Call me. I'll tell you what's going on.
[Michael Marks]: Right, but we should be receiving some type of communication saying where we are in the process. That's all I'm asking, Chief. I don't think that's a big request. You know, to find out where we are in the process. That's an important training tower. Otherwise, we wouldn't be trying to find a building chief to do it.
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: But for the last four months, you'd be getting the same report. Nothing. Nothing has happened.
[Michael Marks]: At least I would know nothing's going on. So when I don't get anything, I'm not sure what's happening, and I have to hear scuttlebutt from different people saying, some people saying all the process is working well, other people saying... It is, it is, but don't listen to scuttlebutt.
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: You want to know the truth, ask me. I'll tell you the truth. Right. Well, send us a communication.
[Michael Marks]: So we're all on the same page. My last question, Chief, and I'm sorry to throw all this at you, but... It's all right. We don't see you too often, so... I'll take advantage of the opportunity. That's a good thing, isn't it? I guess. Chief, we're bonding for a new truck and that's great. We still have many, many needs in our fire stations. Many, many needs. That's true. From heating, windows, air conditioning, kitchens, subfloors that are still sub-par. I mean, the list goes on and on. Showers, locker rooms. And I have yet to see, and I know you did a lot of homework a few years back on putting together a capital improvement plan, and some of it was implemented, but I've yet to see any request Well, I haven't seen anything, Chief, from you requesting that we start putting some money into these stations that we know, you know, we don't have a plan to rehab all our stations right now or rebuild our stations. So I think we really need to put together a capital plan to start addressing some of the needs.
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: I have been asking for the funds since the last rehab, each and every year. And what happens? We all do the budget together, we all know, nothing, nothing, I haven't been a lot of the money. I'm talking capital, capital plan. That's exactly what I'm talking about.
[Michael Marks]: Right, as you know, the budget is the budget is the budget, it's been the same way for 30 years. We're looking at a capital plan to address the needs.
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: It's been there, it's been there, I don't know, it's been there. Okay, I think we really need to revisit the chief. You know, I revisited every budget year. I'm talking outside of the budget. I'm talking about a capital plan that I do revisit every budget year, whether it be staffing. equipment, stations, all of that, personnel. I'm talking about the physical plant itself. Give me the money, and I'll get it done.
[Michael Marks]: Well, unfortunately, we don't appropriate that. That's from the city administration. I don't need them. So we need to sit down, like this council's been requesting, and put together a capital plan to start addressing some of the needs. And, you know, I don't think we can go much longer with some of the conditions I saw, Chief, honestly. I mean, you're in the buildings, you see them. I do. And they were 100% correct. Some of them are health and safety concerns. That's true. We're talking fire alarms in a fire station that aren't working. You're aware of that, Chief. Of course I am, but they are being fixed. Well, they're being fixed, but, I mean, we're talking fire alarms at a fire station. Chief, Chief, you know, these are important issues, and I know you know the report. Nobody knows that more than me. Right. And I'm hoping maybe if it's a lack of the administration to address the issues, maybe we should sit down with the Public Safety Committee, the subcommittee of the council, and start looking at some of these issues that need to be addressed. Otherwise we're gonna be facing, like we did with the DPW yard, all of a sudden it's condemned. Because the place, you couldn't have anyone in the building. And then you're looking at a police station that, quite frankly, probably should be condemned also. And now we're gonna be looking at individual fire stations.
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: We're not there yet.
[Michael Marks]: We're not there, but we're getting there, Chief.
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: We're not there. The guys do a pretty good job keeping those buildings up, believe me.
[Michael Marks]: Right, but they're firefighters, they're not maintenance people.
[_ILL_rSpLCY_SPEAKER_00]: Well, that's part of their duties, to maintain the station.
[Michael Marks]: I understand that, but this goes far beyond paint and washing of a floor. I'm talking about structural, I'm talking about the replacement of windows and doors and a lot of things, Chief. I understand, I understand. I'd like to have a conversation. Beautiful. You know, with this council regarding capital plan. Sure. Be glad to do it. Thank you, Chief. You're welcome. Councilor Nice.
[Richard Caraviello]: Move approval of the question, Mr. President. I think we're talking about a pump truck, right? Councilor Dello Russo. Move the question.
[George Scarpelli]: Thank you, Mr. President. If we can, I know that the Chief mentioned, could we get the word out to our state delegation that we get an update from them that this committee, this council is requesting a timeline for the purchase of the land that we've been requesting for some time, and they've done such hard work. I think Council Marks is right about what we talked about. The tower coming down and the new tower being built was supposed to be simultaneous. So if we can do that, I appreciate it. There's a motion please. Thank you.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Councilor Lungo-Koehn. Last question. Thank you President Caraviello. Maybe our city administration can just update us on what bonds are coming offline this year. And if we could also, as part of the paper, just get an updated spreadsheet of what we're looking at from now until 2037.
[gwIgYT_iFzI_SPEAKER_19]: I don't have that with me, but I'd be happy to provide that to you with what's coming off. How far out do you want it in a couple of years?
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: What's coming off the next one, two, three years, and also it is broken down in the system where we can see into the future up to 2037, just the 20 years, so we can see what's coming off each year. If we could get an updated one, especially if you'll be coming for additional bonds to group together, if we could get that before the next bond request. Certainly. Thank you.
[Michael Marks]: In the form of a motion that we also meet with the chief to discuss a capital improvement plan for the fire department.
[Richard Caraviello]: Councilor Scarpelli has a motion to get an update from the state delegation on the lands and if you want to make a separate one on the, or you want to run it in with his.
[Michael Marks]: No, that's the two separate issues. Right? Yours is for the land. This is the capital.
[Richard Caraviello]: Let's vote on the loan order first, and then we'll come back to those two issues. Okay, on the motion by Councilor Dello Russo, seconded by Councilor Knight, that this loan order take its first reading. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, Send a paper to our state delegation to get an update on the lands that we're looking to acquire for the training tower. Seconded by Councilor Dello Russo. All those in favor. And on the motion by Councilor Marks that the City Council meet with the Chief to discuss a capital plan. Would you like to do that in the Committee of the Whole, Councilor Marks?
[Michael Marks]: That'd be probably the best.
[Richard Caraviello]: On the motion by Councilor Marks that we meet with the Chief in the Committee of the Whole to discuss a capital plan, seconded by Councilor Falco. All those in favor? All right. Motion passes. What do you got? You going to tell?
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Yeah, breakdown before any other bond expenditure comes before us, just a breakdown, 20 years of bond debt.
[Richard Caraviello]: On the motion by Councilor Lungo-Koehn, that the Treasurer provide us with a breakdown of all the bonds, the bonds of 20 years?
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: How they're looking at it, 20 years out.
[Richard Caraviello]: A bond ratio of what you have on the 20-year schedule. On the motion by Councilor Lococo and seconded by Councilor Marks. All those in favor? Aye. Motion passes. Thank you, Chief. Thank you, Madam Treasurer. Thank you. Thank you all. Appreciate it. Councilor Dello Russo.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Motion to take papers under suspension and in the hands of the clerk.
[Richard Caraviello]: On the motion by Vice President Dello Russo to take papers under suspension and in the hands of the clerk. Seconded by...
[Michael Marks]: If we could, we have a resident that would like to speak, that's actually me tonight, so Andrew will allow the resident to speak.
[Richard Caraviello]: On this suspension, could we get the resident first? Yes.
[SPEAKER_00]: My name is Todd Ching. I live at 9 Harris Road. Thank you members of the City Council. I'm here tonight with my wife Emily. We live on 9 Harris Road. I'm coming here tonight to speak about street cleaning and street sweeping. Harris Road, it's in Hillside. Boston Ave. So here tonight to kind of just kind of give some feedback about street thing where on the morning of November 29th, our car was both ticketed and towed. And this kind of happened that we received no real notifications. We, you know, at the time actually weren't aware kind of of some of the city. Notifications as far as the email and texting alerts, since signed up for those, they're great. Definitely would recommend all residents to sign up for those. The cost of the ticket ended up being $50 plus the tow was $143. So I'm starting a small business, almost $200. It's a lot of money for any resident, I think, to pay. We're renters. and just kind of really felt that there isn't enough in place for a lot of residents to really know about the schedule of street sweeping as it occurs. We don't have a landline for any kind of landline notifications. There were no signs posted anywhere near our streets. We don't regularly commute through Medford Square, where I know there was a marquee posted to kind of look up street cleaning dates on the website. Så, in addition to all of this... What happened is once we even got the ticket, got the tow, we started the appeal process through Park Medford, had originally called them on the phone, asked to talk to supervisor just to kind of give some feedback, was put on hold for 20 minutes and then call hung up on, went in person to their office to then file the appeal, never heard back on the appeal at all, never received any kind of notification back, took basically until about a week and a half, week-and-a-half ago where we received a notice of an overdue citation which did include the phrase quote late fees have now been added and that failure to make payment within 15 days of this date of this notice could result in additional late fees again we never even heard back on our appeal interestingly enough when I called Park Medford this time they responded to say oh sorry about your notice that says they're late fees there actually aren't late fees so don't worry about that you know not knowing that we didn't really have any other avenues on this. We obviously paid through everything, but again, that's $200 we wish we had, but we don't and it is what it is. I reached out to the mayor's office twice now on the issue and never heard back. I reached out to members of the city council. I want to thank Marks & Lungo-Koehn, some of whom were very sympathetic to the issue. Overall, it seems like there's more that can be done. I did post something to Nextdoor, which has a pretty large community here in Medford. There were really three themes that emerged from that Nextdoor thread. was just overall kind of a wide dissatisfaction with Park Medford, and I've noticed Councilor Scarpelli kind of nodding his head on everything, you know, appreciate your sympathy on that. Just kind of including some of the time it takes also, you know, for them to kind of respond to notifications that around parking permits too, there seemed to be a lot of complaints in their responses. The second kind of overall theme was that numerous people had had kind of issues getting responses from the mayor's office over issues like this. And just, you know, a simple acknowledgement would go a long way. And kind of the third theme was just that there are a lot of stories like ours of people who, especially after they've moved to Medford, have gotten their car ticketed and towed for street cleaning and just not feeling like enough is being done for residents, especially new residents, who might not be aware of Medford's unique street sweeping policy. So taking all of this into consideration, I wanted to thank and offer some possible solutions that I think could be fairly useful to improving the overall process for residents. And I think, you know, one is just obviously reevaluating the current street sweeping and how it's done just the twice a year. And kind of it's sometimes it's sometimes it's April, sometimes it's May, sometimes it's October, sometimes it's November. You know, this by November 29th, our street, you know, it's pretty late in the fall. Even some of the gutters were starting to get nearly full. It just kind of doesn't seem totally sufficient. And so I think if we were to move to kind of more of a monthly street cleaning like some of the neighboring cities have, that would also enable us to have street signs that would say, hey, on the third Wednesday, move your car between seven and noon. And if you don't, that's on you, because those signs would be available for everyone. If that's not something that's within the budget, I think even just sending out simple mail notices to residents would be good. I mean, just today received in the mail this notice about the recycling, something like this would be great. About street cleaning, I think especially in the fall, right after you'd have kind of peak move-in time for new residents who are on that kind of September 1st move-in date, especially kind of in the hillside area near Tufts, which is where we are. Second thing too, I think it's just kind of improving notifications around the notices system, kind of those email texting alerts and phone call alerts. I think, you know, again, some kind of mailer, you know, and maybe this already happens, but encouraging some kind of mailer to be sent, especially kind of around that September, October timeline so that new residents kind of can know to sign up for those alerts. and be more aware of, you know, impending street cleaning and kind of other things. Third is just kind of doing a more thorough investigation on Park Medford just to see, you know, I don't know if there's any kind of SLA in place with Park Medford to where they're supposed to respond to things, to where they're supposed to do things within a timeline, but it seems like there's a pretty clear pattern based on some of the feedback I received on the next door thread where they're just not really doing an adequate job to serve this community. I think the fourth thing would just be kind of improving overall communications to the city in terms of more engagement, especially with the mayor's office to be able to raise issues like this and get responses. Again, thank members of the city council for responding. It's not great that the mayor's office didn't respond to two of these complaints raised to residents. Certainly, evaluating new systems in terms of looking at how to engage over social media, over other avenues that maybe haven't traditionally been part of. The way that the city of Medford engages with its residents, especially considering some of the changing demographics of Medford, I think would go a long way. So that's everything that I have on my list, and I just want to, again, thank you for your time.
[George Scarpelli]: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. To our residents, I apologize for what you've gone through. I know that I got a phone call this week with a similar concern with a visiting nurse visiting a disabled resident. her car being towed and ticketed and not having notifications. So I know that there was something in the past that there was some concerns of timelines of posting, but I think that, you know, we've had going back and forth, but that posting that actually The actual posting on the street, I think is important. I think not everybody has the notification system in place. And some seniors don't see it. And then when you have visitors, they don't understand the process either. So I think that these are the concerns that we have. I think I know we talked about in the past, something I thought was a great idea in the past, was one of my colleagues brought this up as part of the new Medford people that are moving in, a welcome package. where you might have gotten some information about being notified via texting if you had A, B, or C. So maybe we can look into that. I know that... Park Medford has, we've had them in front of us numerous times and customer service issues and maybe it's time that we make it as a resolution that we call for a committee of the whole meeting with the Park Medford people and bring them back in especially, you know, when you're probably going to be getting into one of the busiest snow months in February and these issues coming about again. So I think that and then again during spring sweeping that we get some resolutions and some ideas that we can help our residents. And last but not least, I think that, do we, help me out Mr. President, do we have a liaison from City Hall for the Park Method concerns? So maybe that might be put out there too, that we have that liaison that the residents can go to. I think that's very important. So make it as a resolution that we look into some time. Relatively soon that we have a meeting with the representatives from. And we could bring them back in and get some ideas. I know that we've had some issues about permit parking residents parking. We've had some issues with the sweet street sweeping with the. Some of the guidelines, when they're ticketing, when they're not ticketing again. So if we can meet again, maybe get some, I know they have a huge turnaround there too. And I think I'd like to get an update and see what they've done to rectify their customer service issues that we've had in the past. So thank you. Again, sorry about that.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Thank you President Caraviello. I want to thank Todd for coming in. I know he and I went back and forth quite a bit. He's not the only one that got told that over the period of time when they were doing street sweeping, but this is a really unfortunate situation. I know the only way we had to notify residents were the signs in Medford Square, the reverse 911, and supposedly from what I hear, the police were going down the streets with the megaphone. With regards to the complaints I've received, that wasn't the case on every street. I believe they probably did as much as they could, but there were a number of complaints that came in with regards to no megaphone notification, and that's kind of the last minute notification, and it really helps those that either don't know about the reverse 911 or haven't signed up for it yet. I do sympathize and I think that this city needs to get it together a little better. Number one, getting a response from the mayor's office, that seems to be a recurring complaint. I'm receiving an email and although Lauren, who helps us out, is very responsive to us, It's really unfortunate to hear time and again that people are not getting a response from the mayor's office. So I hope that improves. I think we've discussed it plenty of times, but I'm not sure if we've discussed the issue with regards to permanent signage and a permanent street sweeping schedule in the last two years since we've had new administration. I know Council Marks and I, in the past we've been on the council when we've I know Todd said monthly, but right now we do twice a year, I believe. Whether it be twice, three times, four times, or as much as monthly for street sweeping, whatever we can afford, that we make it a permanent schedule and we put permanent notification on our streets. I think that's the simplest way. Even if at first it's just twice a year or we can add another. time or two, something needs to be done. I mean, a big sign in Medford Square is great, but it's not enough. It doesn't reach people who aren't traveling through Medford Square, and that's a majority of people who live in Medford because people who live in Medford avoid Medford Square if they can, especially during rush hour. So I think that really needs to be looked at. I don't believe this council in the last couple years has asked that that be looked into, although we may have, but I know it's been asked in the past. So I ask that that be looked into. And my last resolve would be that we also look into our appeal process. When I ever got a second or third email from Todd saying, I haven't heard back from my appeal, yet they're sending me letters with a late fee. That's absurd. It's absolutely absurd and we've complained about it before because we've got the complaints where people, it's taken 4, 5, 6, 7 months to hear back on their appeal. We have somebody in City Hall who looks at each appeal and this is something that we need to get a handle on and a decision should be rendered within 30 days. City Hall should be communicating with Park Medford on these appeals, and notices for late fees should not go out until 30 days after that appeal decision is rendered to the resident. That just makes sense. It makes sense, and it's something that should have been done from the get-go, and that's something that has to be worked on through the mayor's office with Park Medford on board. It's something that is long overdue, and we need to get a handle on it. So those are my couple points, and I thank Todd again for coming up, and hopefully we can get some resolve here. Park Medford, when I emailed them on the specific ticket, weren't very helpful, but there's avenues in place that we can put in place, that the city administration should put in place, so this doesn't happen to residents in the future.
[Michael Marks]: Thank you. Councilor Marks. Thank you Mr. President. I too want to thank Todd and a number of other people that have contacted us on this very issue. The only thing I would disagree with Councilor Longo-Curran, almost every year for the past 10 years that I can remember, we've brought up as a council requesting the city administration set up a full-fledged street sweeping program. And it was because of these very incidences that we found out that the lack of notification, although the city believes 911 is proper notification, in my opinion, the city now is abusing 911. And most people, the minute they hear Barry Clemente, they hang up. And if that's gonna be the method that the city uses to notify people to move their car, or otherwise they'll be towed, it's not proper notification in my opinion. And as we requested year after year, permanent signage is the only way to go. I mean, this is a large city, seven square miles. 800 streets. I mean, we need a proper program that residents, because residents, when I talk to them and say, you know what, if we knew what's going to happen, we'll move our car. It's the inconsistency over the years that residents don't know what's happening. We heard from Todd. Todd said if there's a sign out there, you know, the third Wednesday of every month, my car will be off the street. And if it's not, shame on me. And he's right. But one year when you have the posting on telephone poles and trees of paper signs, the following year you have just the police going around with blowhorns, the following year they're only using electronic signs in certain locations around the city. It's just not consistent, and I can see why residents are confused. I'm on the council. I'd like to think I'm in the know, and I get confused. This is not rocket science. They do it in every other surrounding community, and they're successful, Mr. President. We only sweep twice a year, and we can't get the program correct. Imagine if we swept once a month in the summer and spring months? What would it be like then? We can't even get this correct. So we really have to start off with a program that makes sense, proper signage, proper notification of residents in this community, and once everyone's on the same page, they'll know, Mr. President. And, you know, I hear from the city administration saying, well, if we do the third Wednesday of every month or whatever it might be, then it's difficult for residents to find parking. Other communities, they do odd-even street sweeping. So you're not taking 100% of the parking away from residents. You're still giving them the ability to park on one side or the other during street sweeping time. So these are the things, really. I'm not sure why it takes so long to implement. I'm not sure why this administration doesn't see this as a need in this community to implement a full-fledged program. You know, we started a pilot program back some, I think it's 8 or 10 years ago, to sweep major thoroughfares. That was a pilot program. You know what? It's still in the pilot stage. It's been 10 years. We haven't progressed at all in this community. So, you know, I feel your frustration. I hear what you're saying. The city administration runs the day-to-day operations. This falls under the day-to-day operations of the city. And we're a legislative body and people are welcome to come up, but really this is an issue the city administration should be working on. And to get a reverse 911 call that you may not be, you may be a new resident, not have access, whatever the issue may be. You may just have gone on vacation. There's a host of issues, like Councilor Scarpelli said, you may be a visiting nurse. There's a million different reasons why you may come into the city and not be aware of the program that's taking place. And that's unfortunate, Mr. President. So, I agree with Councilor Locco's sentiments on this about the permanent signage around the community. I think that will solve most of the issues that I hear from residents, and I would support that, Mr. President.
[Adam Knight]: Mr. President, thank you very much. Every year, every single year, we have the same exact problems with street sweeping. And quite frankly, we're just not good at it. It paralyzes IDPW every two years, sorry, every year, biannually, two times a year it paralyzes IDPW and nothing else can get done. And we really need to look at what we're doing and how we're delivering these services. Based on the current staffing levels and with the current equipment that we have, we cannot implement a successful street sweeping program, which leads us to the possibility that we have to look elsewhere to see how we're going to deliver this service, Mr. President. There are individuals in this community that expect a service. There are individuals that are moving into this community that have come from communities that have delivered great services to their residents, and we're lacking in that regard, Mr. President. And a lot of it surrounds DPW and the staffing thereof. I think it's safe to say that DPW is the most understaffed department in the community, and it's the most vital department in our community. It's the backbone of Medford. It's what makes the city run. If we don't have water, our schools aren't open. If we don't have roads to drive on, the police aren't coming. DPW is the most important department that we have here in the community, Mr. President, and I think we're failing them at this point in time. We really need to take a long-time look at the investment that we're making there and the way that we're deploying our limited resources in this point in time. I'd love to see a street sweeping program in place that's effective, that's much more frequent than twice a year. that makes sense in that when it happens, it doesn't paralyze the city so that nothing else can happen because that's what happens. We have 20 plus zones in this community that need to get swept and two times a year when this is going on through a period of four, six or eight weeks, that's all that the focus is on. That's all that the focus is on, Mr. President. And with all that focus and all that attention that this program gets, we still do it terribly. We still do it terribly. So I can certainly agree with The experiences that the speaker has had, because I think we've all experienced them, we've all shared them. The only difference, I think, between Mr. Ching's experience and our experience is that it happens to us every year and we're getting beat over the head with it and saying, okay, this is what it is, what are we going to do? What can we do? We're begging, we're pleading, we're asking, can we do something different? Can we do something different? And we haven't gotten much further than asking, Mr. President. Councilman Mox is right, we need to meet, we need to sit down, we need to figure out how we're deploying our resources and what's going on. But I think when you look at Todd, it's a perfect example of an individual that's moved here from another community where service delivery has been a priority. And the services that are being delivered are excellent. And he's come to Medford and he's seeing the deficiencies that are here. Now I'm sure after four, five, six months, you're going to fall in love with Medford. You're going to love living here. It's going to be the greatest place that you've ever been because that's how we all feel. But I'm going to tell you, I had a bad experience. You're going to really enjoy living here. You're going to really like living here. And we have some work to do. So I can wholeheartedly agree with the gentleman, Mr. President, that we can do a better job in this regard, that we're certainly failing in this regard, and that it's been a topic that this council has discussed for a number of years over and over again until we're blue in the face trying to improve on it. So with that being said, I support the motions that have been made on behalf of the resident. Mr. President, move for approval.
[John Falco]: Thank you, Mr. President. I thank the President for coming down tonight. This is an issue that, like my colleagues have said, it comes up every year. It comes up numerous times during the year, and the city this size, and with, I believe it's over 50 miles worth of roadway we have here in our city, We really should be getting our streets swept on a regular basis. And I think especially when you have, when it's on a regular basis, you know when to move your car. It's automatic, like you said, if it's a certain, if it's a Thursday of the month or whatever they determine, you automatically know. And so I think that we need to, we definitely need to come up with a plan and have something in place where it's done on a regular basis. I also agree that the appeal system, I think, needs to be looked at because that is something that I have received numerous calls on. Appeals, people have filed appeals, they're getting no notice at all. That's very discouraging because, you know, we have the parking program in place for a reason and I do agree that we need to meet with them again. We met with them, I think it was last year, but I think a meeting on a yearly basis at least is a good step in the right direction. But specifically, I'd like to ask, if we could make this part of the report, when we do meet with the parking people, the parking management company, if we could actually ask them specifically for the number of tickets issued, how many appeals, how they were resolved in the duration it took for them to get resolved. We need to add those metrics when we look at this. Because we need to know, is the parking management company doing their job? Is the appeals process working? It sounds like it's not working from the people that I've talked to. And we need this information. This is how we're going to find out if this is working or not. It doesn't sound like it's working. From what I'm hearing, in addition to the regular numbers that they provide for their revenue and whatnot, you need to have these numbers as well. And if I could offer a separate resolution and I could put it in writing afterwards, if we could get a cost analysis from the DPW director to actually put a program in place where there actually is signage throughout the community on every street. I think if we're going to look at this, we need to look at it the right way. We need to have numbers at the meeting to actually see what this is going to cost. Of course, there's a cost associated with it. You're going to be sweeping on a regular basis. Hopefully, it's at least once a month, but signage needs to be there. If we could have the DPW put together a cost analysis to do sweeping once a month between the months of, we'll say, April and November. get how much it would cost to have signage throughout the community.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Briefly, thank you President Caraviello and thank you Councilor Falco. I think we need to ask the, those are good questions for Park Medford, but if we could also get them answered by whatever department head is handling the appeals in City Hall. If we could get those numbers from her, I mean her as well. That would be helpful.
[John Falco]: Thank you. Councilor Falco. So is Allie Fisk actually handling the appeals? No.
[Richard Caraviello]: Okay. Neil Osborne actually handles the appeals, but she is the liaison to Park Method. Okay.
[John Falco]: Thank you.
[Richard Caraviello]: Thank you. So did you want to make a motion, Councilor?
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: There's like five motions, so I gotta know.
[Richard Caraviello]: On the motion by Councilor Falco, by Councilor Scott-Pelly and Scott-Pelly. Councilor Scott-Pelly would meet with Park-Method.
[Clerk]: to discuss ticketing, towing, customer service issues.
[Richard Caraviello]: We will schedule a committee of the whole meeting with Park Method again within the next couple of weeks. Councilor Scarpelli? Yes. And get that done. As amended by Councilor Lonego-Curran.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: No, I just want to make sure our city clerk has the amendments.
[Richard Caraviello]: This is just to meet with Park. I want to do separate motions.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Okay.
[Richard Caraviello]: On the motion by Councilor Scarpelli that the City Council meet in the community hall with Park Medford, seconded by Councilor Marks. All those in favor? Aye. Motion passes. On the motion by Councilor McCurry.
[Clerk]: City administration looking to permanent signage and scheduling on street sweeping. And with an amendment is, it doesn't really go with it, but to look into the appeals process and the issuance of latent fees, which really relates to.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: And that we create a system where those appealing hear about their appeal within 30 days.
[Richard Caraviello]: Let's do the street sweeping one first. The motion by Councilor Lungo-Koehn that the city set up a system for permanent street sweeping and schedule. Seconded by Councilor Dello Russo. All those in favor?
[Unidentified]: Aye.
[Richard Caraviello]: On the motion by Councilor O'Connor that Park-Metford... No, we look into the appeals process and the issues of late fees. And the issues of late fees by Park-Metford.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: The City Administration work to try to give people notice of their appeal within 30 days. That's how I think I would like it to re-read if that's okay. If that's a negotiated term, then our mayor, we ask politely that she renegotiate that term. Because to hear in your appeal six to nine months after you've appealed is absurd.
[Richard Caraviello]: On a motion by Councilor O'Karen, seconded by Councilor Dello Russo. All those in favor? Motion passes. On a motion by Councilor Falco that we set up a cost analysis.
[Nate Merritt]: Nate Merritt, 373 Riverside Ave. Um, just so y'all know, if you want. Nathan Merritt, 373 Riverside Ave. Medford. If you go to the Park Medford website, how can I appeal my citation? Answer, you can appeal your citation online at, and it gives a link, or you can visit the office. All appeals will be reviewed within 30 days, and you will be informed of the result. Go click on the link. Technology server error in slash application resource cannot be found. Basically, it gives you an error page. Will be with them. You have a problem now. But to answer the question, sounds like 30 days. Is there policy?
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Thank you, I agree, but for some reason we do the appeals here at City Hall, so we have a department head at City Hall that isn't related to Park Medford, and there's a problem there with communication, and you know, obviously City Hall needs to be a little faster on that. And then after, whether it's pending or waiting for a decision, City of Medford should be now then relaying it to Park Medford as Hey, it's gonna take us another 60 days, hold off on sending a late notice, you know, we have, things are going wrong, like you just read to us, I mean, just, we have, we need to, we need to figure this out.
[Nate Merritt]: Violent agreement, but just, even their own website, like, right now, if you try it, doesn't work. We will address that.
[Richard Caraviello]: Thank you.
[Clerk]: Motion by Councilor Falco. That was Councilor Longo, but we should add Councilor Falco's request to that resolution, which is the number of tickets, number of appeals, the resolution date of the appeal.
[John Falco]: The motion by Councilor Falco, seconded by Councilor Marks. All those in favor.
[Clerk]: Motion passes.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Paul Castagnetti, East Medford, Massachusetts. I'll be very brief. It's very important to clean our streets, even if it's only twice a year. After all, we don't want the plague, as they say. I'd like to say thank you, Councilor Scarpelli, for bringing up the old-fashioned common-sense approach. I've been thinking this for years. It's good to have a one-tenth of a cent flyer. Ten flyers for a penny, maybe. To have them plastered throughout on the vehicles the day prior and on telephone poles and, excuse me, Tom Lincoln, but on trees also. At the risk of causing rubbish, however it's not plastic, It will biodegrade and end up in the Mystic River and the ocean like everything else. And I understand the shortage of manpower. DPW employees, in my opinion, are overworked and probably underpaid. Especially also when you have absentee owners that have tenants that have no clue. Along with your present advertising, if it's only twice a year, I would highly recommend the good common sense approach by Councilor Scott Peller, possibly put an amendment to that. Again, thank you for listening.
[Richard Caraviello]: Thank you.
[Michael Marks]: Mr. President. Councilor Marks. Just if we could, I know Councilor Falco, did you ask for the number of appeals every year?
[John Falco]: So how many appeals?
[Michael Marks]: So, so, so Mr. President, I think that's going to be very telling because prior to Park Method, as if anyone's been in the city for a number of years, we had no parking enforcement at all for all intents and purposes. And the appeals process, if and when a ticket was handed out, That person that was responsible used to be the assistant city solicitor back some years ago, and he would handle all the appeals, even though we didn't hand out a lot of parking tickets. And then at some point they moved it from the legal department to the Office of Diversity and Compliance, and that person who has a full-time job is now responsible for also doing the appeals. And when Park Method came into the community, one of the questions we asked, and I remember it vividly, was the fact that now we're going to have an outside company come in and start doing ticketing, it's going to increase the ticketing tenfold. And as a department head that already has a job that's doing hearings kind of on the side because we don't do much ticketing, now going to be inundated with the appeals process,
[Richard Caraviello]: He appeals, he hears the appeals that Park Method gives you an appeal. If you don't like the decision Park Method gives you, you then appeal it to the next one.
[Michael Marks]: In my opinion, Park Method shouldn't even be involved in any type of appeal process because they're the ones issuing the ticket. So I don't think they should be involved. But needless to say, we have a department head now, in my opinion, that's probably not able to keep track of The number of appeals that they're getting in that office, and that process, I think, will be telling when we find out how many appeals that that particular department head is handling. And I think we're going to find out that's the reason why they can't get back within 30 days, which is unacceptable. But I think that was the main reason why we wanted this to be a separate entity and a separate body. That's a position in itself. Go to any other community, the hearings offices, that's their job. Go to Somerville, go to Boston, that's what they do. Over here, it's the department head that handles appeals also. So I think you're going to find the reasoning why these appeals and the communication is because It's kind of an adjunct to a role that someone already has, you know, full-time position. That's all I want to say.
[Richard Caraviello]: Thank you. 18-045 offered by Councilor Knight. Be it resolved that the Medford City Council request the city solicitor draft a city zoning ordinance enabling the establishment of taprooms, breweries, and beer gardens in the city of Medford. Councilor Knight.
[Adam Knight]: Mr. President, thank you very much. Here in Massachusetts, there's a great, great demand for craft breweries, especially here in the region. If you look at the Commonwealth of Massachusetts website and the Department of Agriculture, Mr. President, there are 110 craft breweries that are open to the public in Massachusetts, 28 of which are located in greater Boston. We're seeing craft brewery markets share. grow by 32% while large market holders like Anheuser-Busch have seen their market share decrease by 70%, Mr. President. 7%, I'm sorry. In 1980, in Massachusetts, there were 50 craft breweries. In 2015, there were 3,739, one of those being Medford Brewery Company, right here in the city of Medford. There is a certain economic impact, Mr. President, that these craft breweries are having in the commonwealth of Massachusetts, and I think that the city of Medford has an opportunity right now to get their fair share and their piece of the pie. Across the commonwealth, it has the potential to generate 26,000 jobs in the craft brewing industry, Mr. President. 29 cents of every dollar spent goes towards business and personal taxes. In 2016, the craft brewing industry generated $766 million in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It's been given credit for revitalizing underutilized parcels. If we go over to Everett, we'll see the night shift brewery is in an old warehouse that has been abandoned for a number of years, and now it's a vibrant and thriving destination for people young and old. It increases the demand for manufacturing jobs, Mr. President, in canning, bottling, and labeling, which is a dying industry in this region and in the United States of America. And it also increases the demand for locally sourced ingredients to develop the products. And also, to date, has created 7,000 supply-side jobs, such as warehousing and deliveries and trucking, Mr. President. So the craft brewing industry is an industry in Massachusetts that's growing. It's in high demand. And if we look at our neighboring communities, Chelsea, Everett, Somerville, Brookline, Haverhill, Worcester, they all have craft breweries. Some of which have craft brewery ordinances, Mr. President. And what this does is it allows these individuals who are involved in craft brewing, and craft brewing is a certain and specifically defined entity, Mr. President. It's small and it's independent. Less than 25% of it is. Business can be owned by a large entity, and they have to produce small batches. So it's really a down-home, community-based type of endeavor, Mr. President. And we're seeing success across the region. If we go to Vermont, the craft brewing industry in Vermont is thriving right now. It's a $300 million industry. second only to the tourism industry, and it actually is the equivalent of the money that they bring into Vermont for skiing, the craft brewing industry. So I'm putting this resolution forward, Mr. President, asking that the city solicit a draft of city ordinance to allow the establishment of taprooms and to govern the safe establishment of taprooms here in the community as an opportunity for us to take a look at it as we begin a discussion on zoning and capture some of these revenues that are being generated across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the city of Medford.
[Richard Caraviello]: Thank you, Councilor Knight. On the motion by Councilor Knight, seconded by Councilor Scarpelli. All those in favor? Aye. Motion passes. Offered by Councilor. Offered by Councilor Knight and Councilor Falco, be it resolved that the Medford City Council follow up to the October 17th, 2017 Committee of the Whole meeting and reserve a portion of the February 6th City Council meeting for a presentation on Community Outreach Campaign and Municipal Energy Aggregation, be it further resolved that the posting of such be read into the City Council record at each meeting preceding February 6, 2018, published on the City website, and publicized through an informational message.
[Adam Knight]: Councilor Knight. Mr. President, thank you very much. This Council is very familiar with energy aggregation. It's a discussion that we've had multiple times. Back in 2015, our Energy and Environment Committee began looking at energy aggregation. In 2016, the City of Medford adopted a Climate Action Plan, which included a commitment to reduce our city's reliance on carbon-based energies. In 2016, our city's Energy and Environment Committee adopted energy aggregation as its number one priority, Mr. President. Since 2016, it has been an agenda item in every single one of their meetings. In May of 2016, we had a Committee of the Whole meeting on energy aggregation. It was paper 16534. A presentation was made by the administration of good energy, and the paper was introduced the following week by the mayor to the city council floor. The paper was tabled and brought up again in August. The paper was voted on in August and failed, Mr. President, 6-1, Councilor Falco being the only Councilor supporting municipal aggregation in Medford at the time. In April of 2017, there was another Committee of the Whole presentation. Paper 17382 was referred to our Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment, Mr. President. In May, this paper was reported out with no recommendations. In October of 2017, Mr. President, we met with representatives from the city of Melrose who ran the community outreach campaign, and we had a number of questions about how they made their program successful.
[Michael Marks]: Point of information. Councilor Marks. I just want to clarify. I believe that the committee reported out to be sent to a committee of the whole, so there was a recommendation to send it to a committee of the whole. Right. I hope the records reflect that.
[Adam Knight]: That was the committee's vote. I stand corrected. No recommendations for action. Just to refer to the Committee of the Whole, but no recommendations to, you know, change the program, ask any questions, provide us with any information. But here, that's the end of it. You are correct. It was reported out to the Committee of the Whole.
[Michael Marks]: Mr. President, if I could? Yes. We did ask, I hate to interrupt you, we did ask the city solicitor who did report back to us whether or not that we could file a home rule petition to make this whole process an opt-in rather than an opt-out process, and we did get a response back from the city solicitor, so we did have questions and got responses back from the city solicitor that attended the meeting.
[Adam Knight]: Actually, Mr. President, if you want, it's 5-9-17 is the date that the committee report was adopted, and the minutes of the city council meeting would show that on 5-9-16, what exactly the committee report said. So with that being, I stand corrected in terms of Councilman Marks' regard that there was no recommendation. They did make a recommendation to go to the committee of the whole. In the interim, they did ask questions to vet the issue that was before them, so absolutely. In October of 2017, we had a committee of the whole, Mr. President, Papal 17382, and there was a presentation again, and this presentation was on community outreach strategies and municipal aggregation and what they did in the city of Melrose to make it successful. There was some discussion at this October meeting. that we'd like to have this presentation made public for individuals in the community to come and appear before the council and hear what's going on, and learn about the outreach strategy, and learn about what direction the city is going to be going in, or what direction the city may go in. So with that being said, Mr. President, I'd like to invite a friend from Melrose, Martha over here, to discuss the community outreach campaign. I've been in contact with our Office of Energy and the Environment, and they said that the date of February 6th would be fine. I've conferred with Councilor Falco, who has also made some calls on this, and it's an issue that I think that he and I both support wholeheartedly, and I would like to see come to fruition, Mr. President. So with that being said, I move for approval on the paper, and yield the floor to the Council, my co-sponsor.
[John Falco]: Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Consul. This issue has been batted around a number of times, different meetings, and I think we need to find a solution. put this to a vote. And one of the biggest things that came forward was the community outreach campaign and how that was going to work. And that's where a lot of the questions were with regard to how it's going to work if we put it in place and how it's going to move forward. I know a lot of our colleagues had questions on that. So I think it's important that we have this meeting on the 6th and get that presentation moved forward on this issue. It's long overdue. I just wanted to voice my approval with this as well. And I move approval. Thank you. Thank you.
[Michael Marks]: Councilor Marks. Well, thank you, Mr. President. And, you know, we did have a vote on this. So, this hasn't been an issue that was voted down as Councilor Knights at six to one. So there was a vote on the issue, and then we had subsequent other meetings with additional information, and that's, I guess, where the council stands now. I don't know if Councilor Knight spoke to Martha recently in Melrose, but I just read an article that I don't have with me tonight, that the town of Melrose has put the program on hold. until at least November of 2000, October or November 2018, they're unable to get a rate that's lower than the basic rate of National Grid. And they thought, the article I read said that in the interest of the rate payers of the town of Melrose, that they thought it was best that they put the program on hold, and I assume from what I read, everyone reverts back to where it was before, and then at some point, They're going to revert back, I guess, when the rates are more acceptable for that town. So I'd love to hear what Martha has to say because these are the very things that I've been speaking about for the last two years. I'm all in favor, Mr. President, of having people have a choice. But in my opinion, when the state legislature created this law and had everyone automatically opt into the program, I don't buy that, Mr. President. If this is such a great program, and it may be, you know, aggregating and so forth, then why not have it voluntary that people opt into the program? And once word gets out there that, hey, look, I saved and so forth, the numbers will start to increase. And that's the one concern I had. The other concern I had was the outreach. You know, we have probably the fifth highest, fourth or fifth highest percentage of seniors in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts living here in Method, Massachusetts. My concern is I represent everyone in the community, not just the advocates that want to go green or reduce their carbon footprint, which is great. I represent the seniors also and the people that may not have a grasp when they get something in the meal. That tells them they have to opt out, and this is how you opt out, and this is what aggregation is, and the kilowatts, and they're not going to understand, Mr. President. And, you know, depending on the outreach, and the nature outreach, and knowing how this city works, that we can't run a street sweeping program and basic city things, I don't see this. I don't see the outreach working in this community, and I have a lot of concerns regarding those that may not be in the know to opt out of a program that they may not want to participate in. Those are the, I think, legitimate concerns that I have as a member of the council. I'm not opposed to this. I think we should do a tri-city. If it's so great to have aggregation, why just Method stand alone? Let's join with other communities. Let's make it even cheaper for our residents. Let's take it a step further. I've heard enough on this issue to know where I stand on it, and the reasoning that I have is the opt-out, which I think is un-American to be quite honest with you, and I also believe The notification, how we do community outreach, has always been inadequate in this community, and I can't see this being any different unless someone could tell me otherwise. And for that reason, Mr. President, I don't support the municipal aggregation, and I've been very consistent on my opposition to this from day one. So I haven't wavered on this at all, and coming to find out that Melrose, from what I read, now is who came before us and said, this is such a great program, now it's not part of the program. I think that should raise some eyebrows.
[Richard Caraviello]: If you could find that article and send it to the other councilors, it would be appreciated.
[Michael Marks]: I believe if you go under the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, this is how I found it, it wasn't in the newspaper. Commonwealth of Massachusetts, if you look under municipal aggregation, there's a section that lists all the cities and towns. They have to file an annual report. And as part of this reporting package, there was a blurb, it was only a paragraph or two, that explained that Melrose, for at least the time being, is out of the municipal aggregation business because the rate was not one that was acceptable to their community. Thank you. How's the knife?
[Adam Knight]: It's my understanding that pursuant to the way that the municipal energy aggregation law is structured, if the municipality that you reside in is unable to secure a rate that's lower than the fair market rate that's out there, then the program stops and everybody maintains in the fair market rate. So the city would be precluded from moving forward if they can't secure a rate that's lower than the rate that's currently existing based upon the current service providers, my understanding, Mr. President. But with that being said, I think...
[Michael Marks]: People opt into the program again. I mean, if they're coming out of the program right now, they're going back to national grid becomes the distributor becomes the carrier. What happens?
[Adam Knight]: If you revert back to National Grid... Everybody's out. The community's no longer aggregating the electricity load, so they're going back to the... So to get back into it, what do you have to do, another vote of the council, or what happens? That is a legal question, and that's one of the questions and the concerns that I had, because one of the concerns that I had about energy aggregation was this. We give a blanket approval, and we say, okay, go ahead and go and pursue energy aggregation. But then some of the concerns that you have may come up about outreach and the ability to communicate effectively with the residents. There's a certain disconnect between a certain segment of our population. Is this an open-ended approval to allow this to go on from now until the end of time, similar to the interpretation that we got about the negotiations of the cable contract? So the question that I would like to get clarified from the city solicitor before this is taken to a vote is whether or not the city administration can be required to come back before this council at the expiration of each term of the contract to get the approval. I think that's something that we can take a look at. I think that would be important, Mr. President, because the program may not be going so well, but we're meeting our goals that are set forth in the Climate Action Plan. And it's going to be incumbent upon us as stewards of government to make sure that, you know, the services that are being delivered are being delivered appropriately and effectively. So I can certainly understand some of the concerns that Councilor Marks has. And I also have concerns of my own relative to the direction that our country is going in terms of its commitment to protecting the environment. And our city's commitment that we've made, just saying that we're going to become carbon neutral and that we're going to make a commitment to reducing our reliance on fossil and carbon-based fuels. So with that being said, Mr. President, I think it would be great to hear from Martha. So maybe we can get some information from her as to what's going on in the city of Melrose, why they are where they are. And although they had a very successful community outreach plan, why they're not aggregating their electrical load right now?
[Richard Caraviello]: On the motion by Councilor Knights, seconded by Councilor Falco. All those in favor? Motion passes. I know just recently DPW was on Riverside Ave and did some great work filling some of the potholes. I would ask that a pothole patrol be established in order to look at some of the major thoroughfares throughout the community.
[Michael Marks]: In particular, both on the Winchester line up by the high school and also on the Boston Ave area of Winthrop Street needs to be looked at. Grove Street is a complete nightmare with some huge potholes. Salton Stall to High Street off of Grove Street. Again, some giant potholes in that area and throughout the community. So I understand from talking to a member of the DPW that it's difficult this time of year to buy the asphalt. And when they do go, there's lines to purchase it. And I guess you can't pre-order or so forth unless you have an area within your DPW that you can do your own asphalt. And I'm not sure the cost and so forth with that. But this is an important issue. The weather is warming up now. We'll probably still get some cool and, you know, Inclement weather and snow, but we need to really fix those potholes that are out there. It's becoming a dangerous commute for residents and pedestrians.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you. Mr. President, I haven't noticed it so acutely here in our community, but in a community to the south of us where their efforts are often touted as being superior and model-like and utopian. I thought I was going to lose the filling in my teeth today driving through that community with the amount of potholes I encountered in such a short drive. Thank you, Councilor LaRusso.
[Richard Caraviello]: Councilor Lococo-Carran.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Thank you, President Caraviello. I want to thank Councilor Marksley for bringing this up. It's really tough because I think usually come From March and April, when snow is kind of over, and we start complaining about the potholes and the streets are in rough shape. And now we're only in January, where we're probably going to see more snow. And the potholes are as bad as you usually see them in the spring. So I feel bad for our DPW. I know they're working hard. I know I've seen them out. They were out in Cruz working on the ice a couple weeks ago. But the potholes are worse than I've ever seen them as early as, you know, mid-January. Not only the potholes, but the plows are going over the potholes, and it's just like crumpling on some streets, just rocks crumpling all over the streets because the potholes are just getting dug up. So I too maybe would just amend this and ask for a timeline of when, I thought it was usually around March and April when we start fixing the potholes, so are we gonna, Are we going to keep to that schedule or are we going to do what I guess Councilman Marks wants us to do and buy some asphalt and do it sooner than later? And also ask the administration, amend it further, ask the administration should we look into hiring an outside company to help our DPW with this problem because Councilman Marks named a number of streets. I believe I got three emails for different potholes I don't know if it was the freezing. What's made it so, so bad, so early. But if we could just look for some help for our DPW and create a timeline that this can get done, because we're going to see a lot of people having tire issues. And I mean, when you talk about some of these streets, they're huge. These potholes are huge. I mean, a tire goes in them, we're going to have a problem. probably some small claims in our legal department, and we want to try to do anything to avoid that, even if it is getting some outside help for our DPW. Thank you.
[Adam Knight]: Councilor Knight. Mr. President, this I think is a resolution that I've supported annually since my election. Last week, we passed a resolution at the request of the highway superintendent that the number be given to his office for anybody that would like to report a pothole, in addition to a C-click fix mechanism that we have on the website. uh, that number is 781-393-2402, Mr. President. So if anybody has a portal they'd like to report, 781-393-2402. Thank you.
[George Scarpelli]: Councilor Scarpelli. Uh, thank you, Mr. President. I think, uh, this came about, my suggestion came about a few months back when we had the issues concerning our, uh, repaving of sidewalk panels. And we did a little investigation from some of the communities from the south and that have pothole crews and cement crews. And I believe it was a team of three and one truck. And I think I still have the numbers that the homework that we did that showed what it would cost for that That truck and the crew that would work in multiple facets for the DPW, but focused on the day-to-day pothole and then in the spring and summer and early fall working on replacing panels, which would alleviate the every few years of the $250,000 payment out to an outside agency. So I think that a lot of the questions we're getting in the last couple of weeks about our DPW concerns about plowing and they don't plow, DPW doesn't get it out there and the complaints about they're not plowing our streets. And then when they plow our streets, the potholes are coming. And I know we're all not saying it's their fault, but the truth of the matter is, again, we have to revisit what they have for staffing and what we're giving them to work. So we have a big, beautiful DPW home, but if we don't have anything in that, what are we doing for them? So I think we as a council should actually look when it comes to budget time and add this to the resolution that, again, the DPW director looks into purchasing with the cost of a crew of three, and they would work as a pothole crew and a cement crew. Neighbor communities do to alleviate such issues. So where you're talking about six guys on the water department that's saying a lot being fictitious here and they're out correcting burst pipes. Of course they're not going to get out to do a pothole, and we know that. You're talking about individuals that we've been talking about, the sore covers that are falling in. We're talking about sidewalks that we're putting into our surprise budget annually to replace panels. Now we're talking about potholes as early as January. So I think we should actually take an active look at a resolution, not just I think if we can put that in a resolution that if we ask the DPW director to look into a feasibility study of What it would cost for three employees, because that's what other communities use, the truck that's used for both the hot top and the cement and the equipment that's needed. Because if I recall, and I don't have my paperwork in front of me, but I think at the time we were looking at $250,000 allotted for replacing of the panels, the cement panels. I believe that was last term. And when I presented that through a study, I think that a neighboring community would be drastically under $250,000 to put crews in place that can do multiple activities like that. So, I think we should start looking long and hard at what we're placing for outside services and looking to see how we can bring it and keep it in our own DPW house. So, thank you.
[Michael Marks]: Thank you, Mr. President. That's a great suggestion Councilor Scarpelli offered, and maybe when this year's budget comes up, we can stand up as a council and let the Mayor know what we'd like to see within the budget, and that may be a good idea at that point also. I just want to make part of the report, Mr. President. I happen to live near intersecting State and City Road. And I can tell you firsthand, every year, the state and the city debate on who's going to fill the potholes because the roads intersect. And the potholes just stay there all year. And there's many roads like that throughout the community. And this city has to do a better job in communication with the state highway and so forth to make sure that whosever responsibility it is, we pay taxes, both state and city taxes. Whosever responsibility it is, it has to be done, and it has to be taken care of. I don't think as a community we should turn a blind eye and say, well that's a foot onto the state road, which happens to be Middlesex Ave, which happens to be hundreds of people that pay taxes in this community. We can't go back to them and say, sorry, that pothole is eight inches onto state road. That's unacceptable in my opinion, and those particular areas need to be addressed. If the state doesn't do it, the city better fill them, Mr. President, in my opinion.
[Richard Caraviello]: Thank you. On the motion by Councilor Marks as amended by Councilor Scapelli, Councilor Longo, and Councilor Falco. And Councilor Marks will amend it as well. Seconded by Councilor Knight. All those in favor? Motion passes. Okay, I have a resolution here by Councilor Lungo-Koehn, Councilor Knight, Councilor Scarpelli, and Councilor Falco, all regarding the Murray Hill area, and I'm going to read it all at once. All right, so we'll start with the first one by Councilman O'Connor, be it resolved that the poles at the stop signs at Murray Hill Road and Falzev, as well as Grover and Murray Hill Road, be painted yellow in the interest of public safety. Be it further resolved that the lines in the word STOP be painted at that intersection. Also, be it resolved that the Department of Public Works Places signs showing where Method starts on Murray Hill Road. And offered by Councilor Knight, Scarpelli and Falco being resolved at the Medford City Council. Request that the Method Police Department Traffic Division conduct directed patrols on Murray Hill Road during rush hours for the purpose of enforcing Speed and traffic restriction on said roadway.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Councilor Lungo-Koehn. Thank you, President Caraviello. I think we all got the emails and we know the problems up at Murray Hill Road. I do not traverse Murray Hill Road or else I abstain from voting on it. But I think there's a serious problem there and it's something that's Councilor Scarpelli and Falco and I on the subcommittee for the Malden Ad Hoc Malden Hospital site have met with the neighbors and discussed it. We've asked to do traffic studies. I think it was done during the vacation week. So hopefully we can get another study done out there. But these are just simple approaches that the residents are requesting. It seems like there's a Tremendous amount of traffic there and people are not adhering to safety rules of the road, which is stop at a stop sign. So this has happened where other residents on different streets have made suggestions and the suggestions have helped. So if we can paint the poles yellow, I don't think that's too much to ask. And also there's no lines where usually stop sign has a line where you come up and you stop the line and you proceed. There are no lines at these two intersections. So I think that's something that can easily help with the not stopping at stop sign problem as well as the word stop. Just anything to make it more clear to the driver that you need to stop. Safety needs to be adhered to. And I think I sent an email to Sergeant Hartnett with regards to, I'm not sure if we have that as a result, but that we step up enforcement. This is one of the two or three emails, complaints we've got with regards to people just wanting more enforcement. So hopefully Murray Hill Road can get a little bit more enforcement.
[Richard Caraviello]: Thank you. On the motion by Councilor Lungo-Koehn, Scappelli, Falco, and Knight, seconded by Councilor Dello Russo. All those in favor? Motion passes. Offered by Councilor Knight, being resolved that the Medford City Council wish Lorraine Miles a happy 75th birthday. Councilor Knight.
[Adam Knight]: I'm sorry, Mr. President. Lorraine Miles had a very momentous 75th birthday just this past week. And if anybody's involved in the St. Joseph's community or has grown up in the Lawrence Estates area by Lawrence Memorial Hospital, they have known Mrs. Miles one way or another. She's a great woman, a great person. She's lived up on Summit Road for a very long time. And prior to that, Changing her name to Miles, she was a PECOS, and we all know a number of PECOSes here in the community as well, Mr. President. Lorraine's a great person, a great friend. She's someone that I was very happy to reconnect with on the campaign trail several years ago after knowing her as a child. And on a lighter note, Mr. President, she's also the mother of school committee person Kathy Kreatz. So with that being said, I'd ask my council colleagues to join me in wishing Lorraine a very happy 75th birthday and wish her another happy and healthy 75 more.
[Richard Caraviello]: Thank you, Consulate. Again, happy birthday to her. Uh, Consulate General, I didn't see the paper in the back you had here. Uh, offered by Consulate General, we have resolved that... One of every three or four traffic commission meetings be held at a time that is convenient for some of our residents. Councilor Lungo-Koehn.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Thank you, President Caraviello. This is something that is always a complaint of residents who have a traffic commission issue and they work full time and can't make it to a two o'clock meeting. I believe this generated from today with regards to complaints about the speeding and traffic on Ashland Road. So I would just ask that one of every three or four meetings, if we can again ask the Traffic Commission, if they can move that one of every three or four meetings to 6 p.m. in the evening, I think that would be very beneficial. A lot of things that have to be done with the Traffic Commission require petitions and community input, and it's really hard to ask for community input and for people to give their concerns and suggestions when your meetings are at 2 p.m. I understand that's when a number of the um members are actually working but to ask for one meeting out of every three or four to be even if it's at five thirty five thirty six six thirty in the evening to allow our residents to get down there um i know council curvil you there frequently and i've attended traffic commission meetings but we have to put in our book and make sure we don't schedule anything else and we're lucky we We work locally, but residents work all over the place, and they have a right to be heard. If there's an issue with speeding or signage or any suggestion or recommendation or request that they have, they should be able to be heard, and sometimes it's impossible due to work schedules. So I would really make this suggestion, and hopefully the administration can get behind this and request that our traffic commission meet couple times a year in the evening.
[Adam Knight]: Thank you.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Councilor Knight.
[Adam Knight]: Mr. President, thank you very much. In 2016, I believe this council supported a resolution requesting that the administration move all meetings to a time that would be feasible for an individual that works a normal work week to be able to attend after hours. And I think that the traffic commission is one of the last commissions or boards in the community that's yet to adjust their schedule to allow for that. So with that being said, Mr. President, this is a reiteration of a previous issue. I think we've had a number of boards and commissions that have been willing to comply with this request, and why not the traffic commission? So with that being said, I wholeheartedly support the resolve and move for approval.
[John Falco]: Councilor Falco. Thank you, Mr. President. I just wanted to say that I support this resolution. It's all about making government more accessible and easily accessible. Most people work at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. They're not close to home. And it just makes sense. We should be having meetings, or at least a percentage of the meetings. If it's quarterly, I think that's a great idea. We should have them in the evening so people can come to those meetings and be part of city government. So I just wanted to go on record as supporting this. Thank you.
[Richard Caraviello]: On the motion of Councilor Lungo-Kearns, seconded by Councilor Knight. All those in favour? Aye. Motion passes. Offered by Councilor Lungo-Kearns, be it resolved that speeding be enforced on Ashland Street, be it further resolved that the speed warning sign be placed on Ashland Street in the interest of public safety. Councilor Lungo-Kearns.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Thank you. Again, a complaint with regards to Ashland. If we could get a speed monitor sign. I know we have two now. If we could request that Sergeant Hartnett place one for a week or two on Ashland, try to calm that. The traffic is one thing I did request today. I don't know if it was, we had discussed it a few weeks ago with regards to trying to deter ways from directing people down certain roads. Ashland and Murray Hill Road, I don't believe you can because there's no restrictions on those roads. But I did, I did ask, um, Southern Heart Net to do that. But if we could get some enforcement just to calm the speeding, um, that's obviously first step. And second step would be obviously to try to deter the traffic, which we need to do through the traffic commission. But enforcement is something that people are really asking for. So hopefully that can take place. Thank you.
[Richard Caraviello]: Councilor Knight.
[Adam Knight]: Mr. President, I'd just like to amend the paper to request that a traffic count be conducted on the street so we can see how many vehicles are actually traveling down there during the rush hour periods to see if we can come up with a data-driven solution.
[Richard Caraviello]: Thank you. On the motion by Councilor Lungo-Koehnan as amended by Councilor Knight, seconded by Councilor Falco, all those in favour? Yes, Mr. President, Christopher Morris was a...
[Adam Knight]: Long time West Medford resident, but many of us here in the community wouldn't know that because he spent the majority of his time at La Conte and Flynn skating rinks. He was a hockey nut, always down there giving his time to the kids, Mr. President, and he unexpectedly passed away this past week, and he was just a great gentleman. He was someone that I always enjoyed seeing, I always enjoyed having conversation with, and he's going to be sadly missed. One of my fondest memories of Chris is when the Bruins won the Stanley Cup. And Chris had seats right there up against the glass in the corner, and when they put out the Bruins Stanley Cup video, there's Chris captured in the video after a goal scored, you know, screaming, spit flying, banging on his chest like a hockey nut. So with that being said, Mr. President, just some great memories of a good friend, and I was going to be sadly missed, and I'd ask my council colleagues to join me in extending our deepest condolences to the family.
[George Scarpelli]: If I can, I'd like to bring this up. I've known Chris for a long time. What I will tell you is that when you see the impact he's made with kids, and you can see with my son John's friends, that's what they're talking about, what kind of a positive impact he made on their lives. As a youth hockey coach at Mefford Rec Hockey. And again, it's not just one game. You would see Chris and Billy Ivey, another Mefford resident, pounding the glass and were very visible at all the Bruins games. A great loss and a great person, so he'll be missed.
[Richard Caraviello]: On my own behalf, I've known Chris since he was a child, seeing him at the rink all the time with my kids. And again, this whole family, and his dad just passed away recently, so again, condolences to the family. And before we do that, we have one more here. Offered by Councilor Dello Russo, be it resolved that the Medford City Council offer its sincere condolences to the family of Joseph Tedda, a long-time Method resident and member of the Auxiliary Police Force.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Mr. President, we can be grateful to Joe for his commitment in this community, his activity in the Auxiliary Police Department. Certainly many of his colleagues turned out under the direction of Commandant Greenwood of Medford Auxiliary Police, and we can be grateful for Joseph so many ways in his involvement in the police motorcycle group that honored veterans and so many civic engagements. So we're grateful to him for his service to our country and to this city.
[Richard Caraviello]: And one more, offered by Councilor Dello Russo, be it resolved that the City Council send its offers and say condolences to the family of Margaret Donovan, long time ever resident and active member of St. George Parish and other civic organizations. Councilor Dello Russo.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Mr. President, a wonderful woman, a lovely person. Mischievous and fun. Very active here. I see her every year. She'd be here to help with the decoration for Christmas and the trees here with the Jingle Bell Festival. And she was certainly a staple at St. Joseph's Parish throughout the years, raising her large family. She was committed to this community.
[Richard Caraviello]: Wonderful, lovely, thoughtful woman. Very good. I know Margaret personally. She'd always tell my wife she was going to steal me. Records. The past two. Councilor Falco. Councilor Falco. How have you filed those records?
[John Falco]: Thank you, Mr. President. I reviewed the records. They appear to be in order, and I move approval.
[Richard Caraviello]: On the motion by Councilor Falco that we approve the records. Seconded by Councilor Scarpelli. All those in favor? Aye. Motion by Councilor Knight to adjourn. Seconded by Councilor Donald Bruce. All those in favor? Aye. You are great. Meeting adjourned. I tried.
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