[Fred Dello Russo]: This regular meeting of the Medford City Council will come to order. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Clerk]: Councilor Caraviello? Present. Councilor Falco? Present. Councilor Knight?
[Unidentified]: Present.
[Clerk]: Vice President Lungo-Koehn? Present. Councilor Marks? Councilor Scarpelli? Present.
[Fred Dello Russo]: President Del Russo?
[Clerk]: Present.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Seven members present, none absent. Please join us in rising to salute the flag. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye.
[Richard Caraviello]: Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Council night for what reason do you ask for the suspension of the rules to take paper 1 6-0 5 6 out of order? Mr. President on motion to take paper 1 6-0 5 6 out of order petition for signed denial reversal by Antonio Pereira of tasty cafe on the hill 321 Boston Avenue method mass OCD application 2016 Cannot exceed two square feet per linear foot of frontage. We received a communique in our packets over the weekend with a detailed description and delineation of the problem, Councilor Knight. The petition is present. Please present yourself to the rail. Please state your name and address for the record, sir. Mr. President, it's a non-conforming sign.
[Adam Knight]: I've reviewed the documentation that they've attached. I think it'll be a beautiful addition to the neighborhood and I'd move for approval.
[Fred Dello Russo]: On the motion for approval by Councilor Knight, Chair recognizes, seconded by Councilor Caraviello, Chair recognizes Vice President Lungo-Koehn.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Thank you, President Dello Russo. I agree, I think it's classy. If I could ask you a question, if you don't mind. Is the rest of the stores that are beside you, are they going to go to awnings as well?
[SPEAKER_07]: I hope so.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Yeah, they will look very nice.
[SPEAKER_07]: I'll make sure that the landlord finances it for them. Well, good luck. It'll look really nice. It'll stand out, and that's the point, is to make it stand out.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Yeah, it's great. You want to spend the money on an awning like that. It's going to look very nice. Thank you.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Good, Tony. Good luck. Thank you. So on the motion for approval by Councilor Naita, seconded by Councilor Caraviello. All those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? Motion carries. Thank you. Congratulations. Thank you. Good luck. Thank you.
[Michael Marks]: While we're under suspension, Councilor Marks. We have members from the Method Arts Council here tonight. Can we take two papers? 16-054 offered by myself and also 16-055 offered by Councilor Falco.
[Fred Dello Russo]: I would be delighted. 16-054 offered by Councilor Marks. be resolved that the Medford Arts Council be recognized for being named the 2016 Council of the Year award from the Massachusetts Cultural Council for its dedication to community arts and culture in the city of Medford, Mr. Councilor.
[Michael Marks]: And also Councilor Falco's too.
[Fred Dello Russo]: We'll do them one at a time, are they both the same? Same paper, Mr. President. Then we'll take them together, 1516-055, offered by Councilor Falco, be it resolved that the Medford City Council commend and congratulate the Medford Arts Council for being selected as the 2016 Council of the Year by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Councilor Marks?
[Michael Marks]: Thank you, Mr. President, and I want to thank Councilor Felkel for also offering his resolution of the same subject. You know, Medford's on the move, Mr. President, and we have many great volunteers to thank, and we're getting a lot of good press in this community when it comes to the arts. Of most recent, Mr. President, as you just mentioned, the Massachusetts Cultural Council announced a few days ago that the Method Arts Council is the recipient of the 2016 Council of the Year Award for its dedication to community arts and culture over the past year. You know, this is a recognition, Mr. President, that is comprised of 329 local cultural councils. This is not one of five, one of 10. This is 329 statewide cultural councils. And our great council volunteers received the number one recognition, Mr. President. And here we have a group, Mr. President, until just recently, the last two to three years, had zero funding from the city. There was no direct funding mechanism to support the arts in this community from the administration until, I believe it was three years now, two to three years, that there was a resolution offered by this council requesting that the administration look into creating a line item for the arts in our community, which funds thousands of projects a year in the community, involves people from three years old to 83 years old of the community, And it really touches every aspect of our community. And without the Method Arts Council and these dedicated people to organize, a lot of this would never happen, Mr. President. And I just personally would like to thank all the members of the Method Arts Council. I'd like to also recognize them here tonight through a citation, Mr. President, a future citation. I know many members are here tonight. So I'd just like to recognize, Mr. President, The chair of the Medford Arts Council, Gary Roberts, is here with us tonight. Laurel Siegel is the treasurer of the Medford Arts Council. Anita Tucker is the secretary of the Medford Arts Council. Bettina Lentzfeld is the grant coordinator of the Medford Arts Council. Patricia Davis is a member. Jenny Gilbert. Jenny Gilbert. Linda Malik. And Allie Fisk is also a member of the Method Arts Council. And, you know, I had the opportunity, I think it was probably eight months ago or maybe a little longer, to sit down with the chair of the Arts Council, Mr. President, Mr. Roberts. And he presented to me a portfolio of accomplishments over the years, also a projection of what they'd like to see done over the next several years regarding how we can improve arts in the community and involve more community outreach to different aspects and segments of the community. And I found it quite enlightening One of the things that, and I bring it up quite often, I brought it up during the debates, when we had our council debates. Gary mentioned to me about things that are done in other communities. And he pointed out, he had a PowerPoint presentation, he was well prepared, which was great. And he pointed out what they do in Lowell, Mr. President. And I don't like to compare ourselves to other surrounding communities, but I think it's important to look when the success in other communities and try to capture that success in a way that represents our city, in a way that works for our city. And there was one particular thing that stood out to me, and it was the performing arts, and how they utilized pox and lull that were downtrodden and crime-ridden and filled with drugs. And they opened them up to the arts community, built small performance stages at very minimal cost. They encompassed their park with wrought iron art and signage. And they made it so welcoming that people wanted all of a sudden to say, you know what? This is no longer a drug park. This is no longer a park I'm afraid to take my kids. It's a welcoming park. And the performance stage, you know, it was very modest. But it was enough to attract people back, make these community parks, which we are very fortunate in our community to have so many community parks, as once again part of the community. And I would submit to my fellow colleagues that, you know, years ago we used to have the park leagues, and there used to be a lot of activity in the parks, as Councilor Scarpelli could probably attest to. And over the years, our parks have really grown to just a large open space that's, in my opinion, underutilized. And I think we have a real gem here with, at least with the Method Arts Council and their vision to utilize this open space, attract people in the neighborhoods so you can meet the people. Nowadays, you only know the people that live across the street or next door to you. Wouldn't it be nice to go to a local park that's right down the street, and meet neighbors in your neighborhood. It's just a great concept. And I know these are the small things that the Method Arts Council is working on towards under the leadership of Mr. Roberts and the whole group that's been active for years. And I just want to personally thank them, Mr. President, for putting Method once again on the map and letting people know that this community is an art community. We are a cultural community. We have a lot of assets in this community, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. I see a bright, bright future based on the volunteers that we have here tonight and the other hundreds of volunteers throughout the community that are part of the Method Arts Council and all the different groups that are comprised of MACI and so forth. So, again, Mr. President, I'd like to thank the members of the Method Arts Council and that they be duly recognized. uh, by an official citation of the Medford city council.
[Fred Dello Russo]: On the motion of Councilor Marks that they be recognized by citation. Uh, the chair, uh, recognizes councilor Falco who also, uh, presented to us a motion of a similar nature. Councilor Falco.
[John Falco]: Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, uh, councilor Marks. Uh, I, again, uh, thank you for you bringing the citation forward and, uh, for, uh, recognizing the Medford Arts Council. Congratulations to the Medford Arts Council. Fabulous job. This is pretty amazing. When you think about it, you are only the third council to ever receive this award, which is pretty amazing. This is just a great group of people. Myself and I believe Councilor Marks and Councilor Caraviello last fall had the opportunity to attend the Arts and Culture Summit that you had in this very room. And it was just a great day. to see that many, I think there must have been about 100 people, over 30, 35 organizations that were here talking about arts and culture and the importance of arts and culture in our community. And it's just, this is a great achievement. I know there's a lot of great things, you know, that you're working on and there's a bright future. And I think, you know, also the really important thing is that, you know, that we make sure that this is funded in the budget. It's important. We need to stand by you. And I know I will and I'm sure my colleagues will as well. in the administration as well. But I just want to say congratulations. Great job. Keep up the great work. Thank you. Thank you.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Well, on the motion of approval.
[Michael Marks]: Oh, please, by all means. Because I'm glad Councilor Falco brought up the funding. And I received several emails from members of local artists in the community. And with the change in leadership in the community, they were asking whether or not The commitment that was there under Mayor McGlynn for the budget line item would still be present in this year's budget in July. And I think as a council, we should send, along with this paper, a message asking the administration if they would continue, because the budget's created by the mayor, continue the funding of a line item for the Medford Arts Council, and taking it one step further because The commitment that we made as a council back some years ago was, you know, we're going to give you an amount of money. I think it was $10,000 or $12,000 at the time. And knowing that was just a small amount in a city of this size, but then to revisit it in a year from now saying, what were you able to accomplish? Is this money being well spent? And I think everyone behind this reeling, and I won't speak for them, feel that we got our best bang for our buck for that $10,000 or $12,000. and the amount of programming that took place in this community. So I would ask, Mr. President, along with asking the mayor once again for the commitment to the line item in the budget, that we also ask that it be increased, Mr. President. And it seems to be that the $15,000 range from 15 to 30, maybe to 45, would be the next natural progression in this funding. And I can just speak for myself that I know every penny of that goes towards improving and also reaching out to people in the community to make them aware that the arts are alive and well in this community. So if I can make that part of the paper, Mr. President, that in addition to the council citations to the Method Arts Council that we ask that the mayor continue the line item in the budget and also to increase the budget Um, uh, this year, uh, you know, we can put in an amount or not. Sometimes it's a double edged sword. Uh, maybe the mayor wants to fund it to 100,000. Uh, so, uh, you know, it'd be up to the council, but I think we should just ask for increased funding, Mr. President, in the line item for the city budget.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Very good. She has budget. So that the, you have that Mr. Clerk.
[Michael Marks]: So those, those two motions.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Yes.
[Richard Caraviello]: Chair recognizes council. Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, Again, I want to commend this group. I remember when this group first started from a small organization to an award-winning group now. I agree 100% with Councilor Marks. I was proud to be part of the group that awarded funding for you in the past, and I feel that more funding should be made available too. And I think the mayor has the same commitment because she has, I think they've already started some, a transition team as an art and culture team, And I commend you for doing that and taking more input from the community to see how we can grow the arts. I also think it's incumbent of us to help you find a home again, seeing that the mall is closed and you're displaced again. So I would hope that part of the transition team will be suggestions on finding a home for the method arts in this community. Again, I thank you and I congratulate you on your award.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you, Councilor. So on the motion for approval by Councilor Marks, seconded by Councilor Falco, as amended, a roll call, Mr. Clerk, has been requested on this matter. Oh, we'd be delighted to before we call the roll. We, uh, invite the president to address us.
[3aOalIsRmxU_SPEAKER_00]: That's right. Thank you. Uh, well, uh, first of all, thank you for, uh, recognizing us, uh, today, uh, especially, uh, councilor Falco and council Marks and for your attendance councilor Caraviello at the summit in this very chamber on November 14th. That was an incredible experience for the community, envisioning a moment for what could happen in the future. We had four themes that day of partnerships. Participation, publicity, and public art. And when you start thinking long-term, planning with these new resources that the city's providing, having a vision for what can happen when all these isolated efforts are linked together. It's truly astonishing. I think it's only going to get better for the arts and culture in this community. I think not a week goes by that I don't encounter yet another exciting effort that's happening in one of our middle schools and our high school. in an artist organization, in a writer's group, in a performing group. Just learned today that a Medford musician, Shannon Heaton, was awarded a fellowship from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. So, you know, it's almost on a daily basis where recognition is happening for what's going on in the city. With the funds that you provided us last year, We were able to increase our granting budget for this calendar year of 2016 by $15,000, so we awarded $45,300 to 62 grants, 62 projects and field trips, which serve hundreds and thousands of members of this community. So we're very excited about the future. We do believe that your money is being well spent, and we plan to continue doing that. 2016 is going to be an even better year for us, I hope. Thanks.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you, Mr. President. Vice president.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Thank you. I'm president Delaware. So I, I think council Marks and council Falco said it all, but I just would be remiss if I didn't say, you know, how thankful I am as a Councilor. Um, I saw, uh, I saw the arts in Medford grow with Maria Daniels and now it's even picking up more so with, um, Mr. Roberts. So I just want to tell you to keep doing what you're doing. Um, the interest is growing tenfold. And like you said, the amount of people that are affected by a small amount of money and what you're able to do for the community, just think it's great work. Um, and keep up the good work. Thank you.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you. Councilor on the motion. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll council.
[Clerk]: Caviolo.
[Richard Caraviello]: Yes.
[Clerk]: Councilor Falco. Councilor Knight. Yes. Vice-President Long and Kern.
[Richard Caraviello]: Yes.
[Clerk]: Councilor Marks.
[Richard Caraviello]: Yes.
[Clerk]: Councilor Scarpelli. President De La Ruccia. Yes.
[Fred Dello Russo]: With a vote of seven in the affirmative, none in the negative, the motion carries. On the motion of Councilor Knight to resort back to the regular order of business, all those in favor? All those opposed? 16-049 offered by Councilor Marks. Whereas delivery trucks are still parking on city sidewalks at the corner of Harvard and Main Street, causing a public safety concern, and whereas, after a neighborhood public safety walk conducted with the area residents and Chief Sacco took place, resulting in the request to relocate the bus stop located at the corner of Harvard and Main Street, then be it resolved that the Metro City Council call for an onsite committee of the whole meeting to relocate the bus stop and request the Traffic Commission to create a loading zone to assist area businesses with deliveries. Councilor Marks.
[Michael Marks]: Thank you, Mr. President, and I want to thank you too Mr. President, for meeting with area residents of the Salt Method area over the weekend to try to resolve this very important, what I consider a public safety concern in the area. I think anyone that's tuned into the council meeting has heard over the last at least six months, a year, that there's been a concern with the parking of trucks at the corner of Harvin in Maine, in particular, and also Yield in Maine. And it's been a real concern of residents for a number of years. And after a safety walkthrough, it was recommended by the chief and by a number of area residents that took the walk that ball would be placed on both corners. And I think they've done some help in alleviating some of the concern with cars and trucks parking on the corner and on the sidewalk. In particular, on Harvard and Maine, there still is a concern with large trucks, 18-wheelers pulling up, parking down Harvard Street, right on the sidewalk, where it poses a real public safety concern for pedestrians in the neighborhood. So, I would ask, Mr. President, and I know we've had a lot on our plate, but I think it's about time that we have a Committee of the Whole meeting on this issue. This council has taken several unanimous votes to requesting a committee of the whole meeting. But to date, we have not had any. And I would ask that it be on site because the major issue is relocating the bus stop, which is in front of the Oasis Restaurant, possibly down another 20 yards down Main Street, Mr. President. And that is not just because we want to relocate a bus stop. It's to create a delivery spot, which currently does not exist in that business district. You can go to Medford Square. There's delivery spots. You can go up to Hillside, which is a very congested area. There's delivery spots. Almost every business district has delivery spots for area business. However, none exist in this particular area. And what we're seeing is that these trucks are being very careless in where They park their rigs. They're only concerned about one thing, and that's to get the product to the business. And that's what they should be concerned about. But we, as a city, Mr. President, and as elected officials, have to be concerned about the public safety in our community. So I know there's a couple of residents that would like to speak, but I would ask, Mr. President, forthwith, and I think you appreciate the situation here and realize that something needs to be done. And that Committee of the Whole, on-site Committee of the Whole meeting be addressed with Chief Sacco, with the MBTA, and whoever else wants to attend to address this issue, Mr. President.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you, Councilor. We'll take that under advisement. As you know, the matter is still in subcommittee on transportation. And with the new chairman, we're going to, uh, uh, urge him to have a swift meeting, uh, to report that out. Uh, I can also report to you that the mayor has met with the police chief on the matter, uh, this past week and is urging resolution a on the, um, uh, as directed resolution on a, uh, the parking on the sidewalk. and to make measures of enforcement, uh, and stricter supervision there and B, uh, to, uh, begin dialogue with the MBTA to examine, uh, options for the bus stop, uh, moving. Chair recognizes Councilor Caraviello.
[Richard Caraviello]: Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, I, I along with Councilor Marks, you know, we were there for some of the, I was there with him for some of the walkarounds and, uh, I've gone to, uh, many traffic committee hearings. in regards to these matters. And the city did put some bollards in, but I think on the Harvard Street side, the only way to alleviate this would be to put bollards like halfway up the street to stop the parking on that end. I mean, I drive by there, I see this rocks on the sidewalks, and there was some grassy area, now it's just a mud area. Again, it's unsightly for the neighbors, I feel for them because I'm down there a lot. I see it. Um, and I'm, I'm glad that the mayor is, um, getting involved with this and, uh, hopefully, uh, with, uh, as a group in the next couple of weeks, uh, and the MBTA will just, uh, the whole city can come up with some type of solution, uh, to end this and, uh, and for the, for the neighborhood.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Absolutely. Thank you. Councilor chair recognizes the vice president.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Thank you, President Dello Russo. I guess my question back to you, if you don't mind, maybe if you have the answer to elaborate. I did email the mayor myself last week with regards to this, because, you know, we've spoken out with our dissatisfaction on trucks parking on the sidewalk, Mack trucks, where people can't traverse our sidewalk. So I was very happy to hear that she was meeting with the chief, that Mayor Burke was meeting with the chief of police. So maybe you can give us a little bit more detail on their meeting, or if you don't have specific or any more detailed information, maybe Mayor Burke wouldn't mind putting it in writing of exactly what the measures will be to alleviate that problem. What was the directive to the chief specifically with regards to enforcement? Because I think that's something we've asked for, and I think that I would like to see it in writing, specifically what is going to be done. How can we tell our residents that are complaining and continuing to send us pictures, what are we going to say to the residents that need to traverse the sidewalks? This is going to be done every day, 9, 12, and 5. A police officer will be there to do some enforcement. I would really like an update on that. And I'm very happy, again, to say that there was a meeting and there is some push from the mayor's office for this enforcement, because I think I said it last week. we need the mayor on board with this or else it's not going to happen.
[Fred Dello Russo]: So, um, I don't have any, uh, specific details, um, uh, as far as, uh, steps a, B, C and D, but I know, uh, she, uh, has indicated to me as well as the police chief has indicated to me that they both very serious about this. I'd also add that at the meeting, uh, efforts were made, uh, or, or people from, uh, code enforcement and the board of health, We're also directed to examine some of the other complaints that were lodged there. So, um, uh, uh, as council president, uh, in, uh, someone who communicates regularly to the membership of the council from the mayor, but, uh, certainly you don't need me to do that. Um, but, uh, nonetheless, uh, they're, they're working on it. It seems quite clear and, uh, and I'm quite delighted to see such action taken.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Me too. Um, if we could just, possibly if she wouldn't mind, um, Ms. Burke wouldn't, Mayor Burke wouldn't mind just giving us a further update on that meeting. That would be helpful. And then we know what the board of health was asked to do, what the code enforcement, just to keep staying in the loop so that we can advise, um, appropriately.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you. Chair recognizes Councilor Knight.
[Adam Knight]: Um, thank you very much, Mr. President. Whereas the resolution before us is calling for an onsite committee of the whole meeting. It might make sense to invite the administration. to come and present to us what their solutions are while we're all there together on location. And looking at the issue, I mean, we'll talk about this until we're blue in the face, but it's an enforcement issue, Mr. President. It's an enforcement issue. It's whether or not vehicles parking on the street are being appropriately ticketed. And I think the answer that we all know is no. It's really a parking issue, Mr. President. We need to figure out where we're going to put these vehicles when they need to make deliveries so that these businesses and our business sisters can be successful, but so there's also a balance between the neighborhood and the business concerns, Mr. President. So with that being said, I'd again like to amend the paper. It's just the same way we did last week to ask for directed patrols at Harvard, Maine, and Yale during the day, Mr. President, so that our patrolmen, when they are out there, will make a concerted effort to continue to enforce the violators.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you. And, uh, if I can also add, I apologize for speaking from the chair. If anybody wishes me to stop, I will. But, um, I, uh, also know that this will also be part of this. The, uh, subcommittee or the committee transition committee on economic and business development, uh, will give, as we have our neighborhood meetings, uh, residents, store owners, and all will have a ample opportunity to point out those areas that need improvement and, um, and see what works better in each of the business districts. In fact, we have our first meeting tomorrow night at the Roberts School to address Haines Square and all the details are available on the city website for that meeting because sometimes I get my times confused. Chair recognizes Councilor Falco.
[John Falco]: Thank you, Mr. President. I just wanted to thank Councilor Marks for bringing up this resolution. We've all received many emails regarding this issue and it's a public safety issue that needs to be addressed. as soon as possible. So I'm hoping that the subcommittee can hopefully take action on this soon so we can have the Committee of the Whole meeting ASAP. But I just wanted to also thank the resident for bringing this to our attention. We've received many emails, and it's important that people reach out to us when they do have problems in their neighborhoods. And I just wanna say support this 100%. Thanks.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you, Councilor. Thank you. Good evening. Welcome. Please state your name and address for the record.
[Anita Dantonio]: Good evening. Anita D'Antonio, 14 Yale Street. I thank you for bringing this to the fore. It's been a long time coming. Thank you, Councilor Lungo and Councilor Marks for putting it on the agenda. It's going to be a joint effort. It's true. It's enforcement. That's a very large piece, but we are not unaware of the fact that these businesses have to function successfully to remain there. and we'd like to help in terms of actually having a place for them to make the deliveries, but that's safe and not on sidewalks and not interrupting the peaceful enjoyment of our homes and our streets. So I look forward to action on this. I hope that we as residents will be invited to participate. I also hope that the businesses will participate because it's actually They are benefiting greatly from this if we do, in fact, get a loading zone. I know on Yale Street, the curb that was once dropped has now been restored, and I think it obviates the need for the bollards. So I don't think we need bollards at that point as long as that is enforced, and we don't have people driving up over the curb to park next to the building, which is what they were doing. And also, we need clear definition of where handicap ramp is, access ramp is. We need markings on the loading zone and pedestrian walkway there. The handicap access is not marked. People do park right over that. So there are many aspects of this, and I, for one, would enjoy participating and finding resolutions to this. I know some people were upset with the curb going back up. I think they've calmed down somewhat. But I also know that the delivery guys from Maze Cafe, for instance, are not using the loading zone on Yale Street. It's a designated loading zone. It's not marked off. There is a sign. I asked him, he walks all the way down to the public lot to get in his car and make the deliveries. I said, why aren't you using the loading zone? He said, he gets ticketed. So perhaps there can be some immediate action to inform them that maybe they can park there to make deliveries, maybe something could be indicated in that regard so they're not getting ticketed and they're parking at the beginning of Yale rather than in the public lot and walking down and people's food will be getting cold when they get it brought to the door. But as a resident, I'm more than willing to cooperate with the businesses. It's just it has become an issue of safety and we've been going round and round and round with this. we can finally find a path to move forward on it. I know you've all seen the pictures that Mrs. Fritz provided, and one picture is worth a thousand words. It speaks for itself. We want to eradicate that problem, and I'm more than willing to do my part, and hopefully the city will do theirs. It looks as though we're moving forward on this, so I have some hope. And hopefully, we'll resolve this satisfactorily for all concerned. Thank you.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Good evening. Welcome. Please state your name and address for the record.
[Ann Fretts]: Good evening. Anne Fretz, 215 Harvard Street. And to pick up on Anita's last comment, I had a quote written by Stephen Mamet, the playwright, who said, we all hope it's what keeps us alive, which is what keeps me coming back here. ad nauseam. My apologies for appearing again. First of all, I wish to thank the city council members for allowing me to frequently appear before you, sending feedback about our neighborhood, respond to phone calls and meet with us to discuss existing public safety conditions and potential solutions. We have lots of ideas, yet we don't have any solution as of yet. In particular, I want to thank Michael Marks for the bus stop resolution being addressed today. and Brianna Longo-Cohen for last week's parking enforcement discussion. I also want to express my gratitude to Directors Karen Rose and Paul Mokey, Inspector Kimberly Fowler, and Constant Resource Building and Code Enforcement Officer John Bevuso, and Mayor Burke, in particular, for responding to requests for assistance for residents confronting a variety of health and quality of life issues at 159 Harvard Street. I'm grateful for their prompt actions and involvement in several long-term issues. I really want to thank all of you, in particular Mayor Burke. Our South Medford Square is a troubled square impacted by the rapid and unfettered growth of one restaurant. We need corrective action to improve the quality of life for residents, the business owners, and the general public. Mayor Burke has planned economic meetings to assess where we are and where we need to be for Medford's commercial success, satisfying the residents in the area. I totally support this. It's the best way to proceed. The bus stop move, like the need for more parking enforcement, cannot wait, as it's critical for public safety, necessary for the survival of current commerce in all residents in South Medford Square neighborhood. We've been addressing this concern for about three years, with no change to the current situation. We're pretty much flaming out with physical risk to the public escalating. There does seem to be some measure of public enforcement. But driving down there yesterday, I noticed we now have bike motorcycles tied to the posts on the sidewalks on Main Street. There were some this summer. There are more there now. I don't know if they're employees or customers of Oasis. But it's a motor vehicle that drives up onto the sidewalk. Residents and the general public need safe sidewalks to walk on, healthier to breathe. Schoolchildren in school buses who terminate at that corner need a safe zone for stops and walking. And the MBTA serving all citizens need a safe place to disembark and get on the bus. They need to have it closed, as these ladies have often mentioned. Currently, it's safer to walk on Main Street sometimes than it is to walk on the Harvard Street sidewalks. given the flow of traffic on the sidewalks, including the motorcycles, customer vehicles, delivery trucks, and bicycles. Reasons point to unchecked growth in a densely populated area, part of which I'm guilty of. We had 100 people move into the Lincoln County condos during 2009 and 2010. Prior to that, in 2006, Oasis owners spent a million dollars to buy a block of stores. They increased their small business area with limited seating to three storefronts on half the block, operating from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m., whether they had a permit to do so or not. They are now able to accommodate 200 seated guests or more in their restaurant. So we basically doubled the number of seats in a restaurant, the number of vehicles in that particular square over a very short period of time, over a four or five year period. None of the abutters were informed of the two expansions that Oasis went through. This is one thing we should look at with our city ordinances. How did they expand so rapidly without any notice to us, the abutters, any input from the abutters, and now we're seeing the results of it and begging for support. Two expansions, just double the size right to what Bocelli said, and forgive me for repeating myself. All of these expansions occurred without City Hall prior to 2016, adjusting limits, lending advice, or building a commerce support system such as moving a loading zone or adding a loading zone to support Oasis fitting into an already established neighborhood that was also expanding at the same time. I believe that Ron Lopez purchased the Lincoln School and the Kennedy School in 2007, and our unit was completed in 2010. This is a side note, but Oasis tripled in size over the past three years without increasing the size of their waste management facilities until the neighbors intervened due to chronically overflowing dumpsters filled to the brim and doubling the size with their smelly trash. That promoted the growth of rats in the area. The people who live at 159 have had rats infiltrating their patio during the summer. That was brought into control, yet we're seeing them again from in front of their condo, all the way down to Berwick, on the street, alive and dead. So that's one of the issues that the city is addressing at this point. Neighbors of South Medford Square have long felt their concerns have gone unheard or dismissed, much like the first complaints by the residents of Flint, Michigan, who complained about the water. We are of the opinion that parking enforcement is but one measure that can greatly improve residents' quality of life and easing of stress on the businesses in South Medford Square. We've been advocating through all relevant avenues available to us for City Hall to enforce the town's laws or the city's laws. These are not laws we're asking for. These are laws that exist. If you look at a parking ticket or a parking violation, parking on sidewalks, parking on hash marks, they're all there. We just don't have the manpower in the public safety groups, whether it be the Republic Parking or police department to support our own laws. And I think that's going to change. I can hope that changes with Mayor Burke. We need to support the traffic division, specifically in the police department, to move the trailer trucks and haulers off Harvard Street. We have many roadblocks and naysayers that add to this. We're not just dealing with trucks on the sidewalk. We're dealing with them hauling back and forth. So it's a tremendous area. For a long time, we didn't have the commercial centers with shops and restaurants. So said Medford native, Nancy McLaughlin, as she was writing about the newly proclaimed hottest city in Boston was the South Medford neighborhood, which is great. And we would like to see everyone coming to our South Medford Square and improve the area. I know that city councilor, Mr. Dello Russo, Mr. President, and Anita D'Antonio and I shared some of those discussions on what we could do to draw. Oasis is a huge draw for Main Street, as is Bocelli, as evidenced by the constant replenishment of food, beverages, and supplies to their location by their purveyors. Unfortunately, their rapid and unsupported growth has been at the expense of the residents in the neighborhood. I can't emphasize that more. We just didn't have any say in it. It just happened. We've been asking for support and help to help them be a better neighbor to us. And we can go through everything they're doing wrong, but that's not fair to them at this point. I would just like to say that moving the bus stop, installing five or six no parking, no standing, no stopping signs from the corner of Harvard and Main Street at the traffic lights down to the driveway at 215 Harvard Street would be a huge improvement. It would also be a temporary blockage to anyone wishing to park along the sidewalk there. Right now, it wouldn't cost more than $500 for the raw material of the posts and the signs at the labor costs in to dig holes and what you would encounter putting them in there would be earth, as Councilman Caraviello said, there's pits now where we used to have grass, there's cracked concrete, which the science can be driven through, and there's probably two areas where you would have to actually drill a hole. That's something we could do tomorrow. That's something I would urge having done until we can move the bus stop and change everything. putting those signs up will do, will protect the residents in the area. We can't use our sidewalks. My little dog will be two years old in May. We don't walk the sidewalks down there because it's unsafe. We haven't been able to walk on them for about a year and a half now. I thank you all for your time and your effort to change this, but I would urge that we do a committee of the whole and do a physical tour as we did back in October of 2014 and recognize the needs and deal with it. Thank you for your time.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you very much, Anne. On the motion of Councilman Marks for approval, all those in favor? As amended. Councilman Marks.
[Michael Marks]: Just if I could, Mr. President. On that motion. I think Anne brings up a great temporary fix for the Harvard Main Corner with the signage that she mentioned. So I would ask that this council send that recommendation, Mr. President, to the Traffic Commission. And it's only a temporary fix. Absolutely. But the no standing, no stopping signs how many they believe is needed. You said four or five, but six. Whatever the Traffic Commission feels is necessary to solve that issue, Mr. President, I would ask that that be sent. Also, Anne mentioned about Method, Salt Method in particular, receiving recognition, Mr. President. And that is a real estate brokerage firm, Redfin, which is a nationally known real estate brokerage firm once a year comes out with their three hottest Boston neighborhoods. And, you know, it's amazing to see Method number one, Cambridge and Somerville two and three. You see how the tide is changing, Mr. President. And it's incumbent upon us and groups like SMARTO and other involved residents in the South Method area to keep doing what they're doing. because they're not doing it on behalf of themselves. They're doing it on behalf of improving the quality of life in that neighborhood. And we're already seeing the benefits of being named number one hottest market, real estate market, in Boston. That's an amazing, amazing feat, Mr. President, knowing that, in my opinion, very little has been done. And I'm not speaking out of school. Very little has been done in the South Medford area, Mr. President. to improve any type of pedestrian safety, to improve traffic flow, to improve business and economic development in the area. And, you know, we're seeing that it's a hot market. And I think as a community, it's incumbent upon us to parlay that into really moving forward these traffic improvements, pedestrian safety improvements, and making the South Medford area something that our Neighboring communities will envy, Mr. President, the same way we envied what they did in Somerville and a lot of their business districts. We could be that, Mr. President. And I think it's starting to make a turn, but only if the city is able to cooperate and move these issues forward. So I just want to thank Anne Fretz and Anita D'Antonio for coming up tonight. I want to thank Jim Silva. from the Salt Method Neighborhood Group, SMARTO, who organizes a lot of what goes on in that area and gets feedback from area residents. And I look forward, Mr. President, to a Salt Method that we're all going to be very proud of in the future, Mr. President.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you, Councilor. As amended, Mr. Clerk. Councilor Knight.
[Adam Knight]: Mr. President, I'd ask that the questions be separated. Although I understand the reasoning for Councilor Marks bringing the last portion of the last amendment up, if the purpose of the council to go on site to have a committee of the whole meeting to talk with the traffic commission to see what we can do to move the bus stop and to improve the loading zone, I think that maybe we want to start from scratch. And if we go down there and we already start making recommendations without first sitting down and actually having the dialogue, I think that we're putting the cart a little bit before the horse, Mr. President. So I'd ask that the amendments be separated and be severed. I'm fully supportive of all the other amendments that were filed. However, at this point in time, I'm not comfortable supporting the erection of any signage until we can go actually on site and meet with the traffic commission to talk about what the options are.
[Fred Dello Russo]: So the resolution is that the Medford City Council uh, actually it would be the president of the city council would call for a, uh, committee of the whole meeting on site to relocate the bus stop and request the traffic commission to create a loading zone. So you want to separate traffic commission.
[Adam Knight]: That was the initial, that was the initial paper, right? Right. So yeah, vote would vote to put the committee of the whole process in session and in motion rather than I amended for director patrols at the area until we can get this meeting done. Correct. And we had several other amendments as well. And there were several other amendments as well. I really just have a problem with the amendment of putting up signage at this point in time. If we're going down there to try to determine what's going to work best, I think that we should go down there and have an actual picture of what's going on as opposed to changing what's going on there right now and then going down and taking a look. I mean, if we're going on the site, if we're going to the site to see the problems, we put up the signs, the problems aren't going to be there anymore, right? So why aren't we going to go down there and witness what these problems are, show what an actual effect it is going to, it is having on the neighborhood. I mean, we've all heard it before, Mr. President, there's, there's no doubt about that. Um, however, I think that it would be best to be, uh, to be dealt with as a clean slate. Let's go down there and let's take a look at it in its current state of disrepair so that we can come up with a comprehensive plan.
[Michael Marks]: Point of information council members. And I appreciate what council and I just had to say, uh, I consider this, uh, like the residents, a temporary fix. As we heard from the council president, this particular issue is already in the transportation subcommittee. So it has to be voted on by the transportation subcommittee. If I'm correct, Mr. President, I think that's what you were alluding to. And the, it's under the council purview to move the bus stop, but the loading zone is not under the council purview. That would be under the traffic commission. So then we have to take another step, even when we do eventually move the bus stop, we have to wait for the traffic commission to meet. which, but they don't meet every day. They meet twice a month, once a month. So you may be talking several months out before, and I know you're saying enforcement, but in my opinion, the enforcement will happen for a day or two and then it'll stop happening. That's only my opinion. And I'd rather have signage at least there on a temporary basis, but you know, I don't mind separating it cause I'm going to vote.
[Adam Knight]: I mean, I just, I don't think we should put up any signage if we're going to go down there and ask the traffic commission to do a comprehensive review. And to go forward and to come up with a plan, let's let them do that. But we're asking for enforcement anyhow. So let's get the enforcement. People know they're not supposed to park on the sidewalk. I think that's clear. It's just a matter of them ignoring the rules, regulations, and so forth, Mr. President. So with that being said, I rest my case. I think I've explained where I'm coming from. So you still have the motion to sever? I would have a motion to sever, yes. It can just be the last amendment, Mr. President, because I'm fully supportive of the rest of the paper.
[Fred Dello Russo]: OK. Ma'am?
[Ann Fretts]: Hi, Anne Fretz, 215 Harvard Street. Long-suffering blocked sidewalks, unable to walk down them, was last here October 27, 2015, asking for relief from the area. I don't know how many weeks it is, or how many days, or how many trucks, but even with the parking enforcement, people don't respect the world of no parking on the sidewalks. I've written God knows how many letters to the truck haulers themselves, the presidents of the company, and it continues. I don't understand why we can't put a temporary measure up for public safety to protect pedestrians. This is ridiculous. Thank you. Forgive me for getting so upset. But to let you know, Jim Silva would be here this evening. He's away on vacation, a much deserved vacation, supporting the city. And I put a resolution with a list of 10 items, one of which was temporary installation of No parking, no stopping, no standing signs for the length of Harvard Street, where I might add that bollards were approved to be installed and were never installed around the corner to prevent trucks from parking on the parking lot. We're going nowhere. We've got parking enforcement. And as Mr. Marks kindly said, it lasts for a day. They relax, and the trucks come back. It's cyclical. We've seen three years of it. I'm starting to froth at the mouth. Thank you.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you all. On the motion for approval, we have a motion to sever all those.
[Richard Caraviello]: The last amendment. Councilor Caraviello. I have a question. I don't know if our DPW has access to those plastic Jersey barriers. Maybe that would be a faster solution to put maybe some of those up there instead of signs that say, I don't know. I don't, I don't know if we have them in our city. I might tend to stand this as a resolution. I'm just asking that we look into if the city, if the city has plastic, uh, they, they have Jersey barriers that are plastic and they can go in, uh, almost immediately and come out as, uh, uh, as, as needed.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Very good. So if we amended that the, uh, DPW, uh, installed temporary plastic, if they have them in the building, they may have them in that place and they'll be able to go up tomorrow. Yes. Chair recognizes Councilor Falco.
[John Falco]: Thank you, Mr. President. I have a quick question. I'm not sure if you know the answer to this, but do we know when the bollards were approved?
[Fred Dello Russo]: I don't know that.
[John Falco]: And that's prior to me being elected, so I'm just kind of just.
[Fred Dello Russo]: That would be a communication from the Traffic Commission to inform us of that.
[Unidentified]: It's been a whole year?
[John Falco]: Yes. Do we know who's responsible for installing those? Do we know why they haven't been installed? Do we know if we paid for them and they've just never been installed? These are questions that I have. I'm kind of curious. A whole year has gone by.
[Richard Caraviello]: Some have been installed. Two or three and two or three. One councilor at a time, please.
[John Falco]: I was down in the neighborhood last night and Councilor Caraviello was there as well. And we noticed there were two bollards that were installed in the corner of Harvard and Maine. Do we know when those were installed?
[Richard Caraviello]: During the fall. Yeah. The fall.
[Ann Fretts]: Yeah.
[John Falco]: And those aren't really doing the job because There's still, I've seen the pictures, all four wheels of these trucks are on top of the sidewalk, which is completely, does not make any sense at all. So, and the Council Member Marks had mentioned it before, it really sounds like we need to install bollards up a good portion of Harvard Ave. So, yeah. Thank you.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Ma'am, you wish to speak to us? Welcome. Please state your name and address for the record.
[acqgxK4yhEM_SPEAKER_28]: Mixed J Spalding, 3610 Mystic Valley Parkway, Bedford, Mass. And I'm wondering if we aren't circling the wagon about trucks being on the sidewalk here. This isn't unique to Oasis. Last week we were talking about the exact same thing regarding commercial vehicles parking on sidewalks throughout the city of Medford. whether or not you put ballards or a plastic cone out, if there's no enforcement, there's no enforcement. So I'm wondering if we've heard back from Chief Sacco. I know that the mayor spoke with him, but until we find out about enforcement regarding parking, we're gonna continue to have these issues and they're not unique to Oasis, not at all.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you. Thank you. On the motion. As severed and as amended. So on the severed piece was for the signs. The erection of temporary signs. All those in favor? All those opposed? Mark Councilor Knight as opposed. Motion passes. On the main motion as amended, all those in favor? A roll call vote has been requested for the main motion. Mr. Clerk, if you would please call the roll.
[Clerk]: Councilor Caraviello?
[Unidentified]: Yes.
[Clerk]: Councilor Falco?
[Unidentified]: Yes.
[Clerk]: Councilor Knight? Yes. Vice President Lowell-Kern?
[Unidentified]: Yes.
[Clerk]: Councilor Marks? Yes. Councilor Scarpelli?
[Fred Dello Russo]: Absent.
[Clerk]: President Dello Russo?
[Fred Dello Russo]: Yes. With the vote of six in the affirmative, one absent. The motion carries. Congratulations. 16-050 offered by Councilor Caraviello. Be it resolved that the Medford City Council discuss and hold public hearings regarding moving the bus stop from 17 to 19 Main Street to Riverside Avenue and reversing the direction of River Street on a temporary basis. Councilor Paraviello.
[Richard Caraviello]: Thank you, Mr. President. This is something we discussed earlier in the evening in regards to moving the bus stop on a temporary basis to alleviate some of the traffic and confusion that comes at that 17, 19 area. It was my suggestion and this council from last year's suggestion that we move the bus stop to Riverside Avenue on a temporary basis. There's already a cut out there versus moving it under the bridge, which would be, I think, a further hindrance to have people walk all that way under a dark underpass. Whereas you can move it into a business district, it's lit, there's other buses that stop there. I think that would be the least of the inconvenience to the T. And probably the only, the hottest part would be the buses that come down Salem Street that would normally stop there. That poses a little bit of a problem. And my only other suggestion would be to let them turn onto River Street. And there is a natural cut out there. And put the parking that's on that side to the other side of the street, Mr. President. And again, so they can just turn and make the loop and continue on. So I don't know what the process is. Do we need to hold a public hearing or is this something that we do on our own?
[Fred Dello Russo]: I believe when we had a rather incoherent presentation on this a year or two ago. and the lead up to the construction process of the Craddock Bridge, we were reminded finally and quite clearly from representatives from the MBTA that any change in route of a bus may only be approved by the MBTA. And my consultation with the city solicitor, he pointed out that in fact, the council does have the power to move a bus stop But that process must be done or ought to be done or should be done under the consultation of the Traffic Commission.
[Richard Caraviello]: If we can refer this matter to the Traffic Commission for the next meeting, I'd be happy to attend that meeting, Mr. President. Very good.
[Fred Dello Russo]: So on the motion of Councilor Caraviello that, oh, I'm sorry, Madam Vice President.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Thank you, President Dello Russo. And I do think this needs a discussion, but I also want to just make sure we get Diane McLeod involved. I've received two or three emails from her within the last year or so with regards to her objection to moving the sidewalk. So I just think maybe a discussion needs to be had, which includes her. So I agree with your public hearing. I believe, you know, there's so many different things that need to be done in that area with construction, which is why we met with MassDOT today at 530. But I think she needs to come to the table because she has outwardly spoken out as we had somebody on that commission as well before us at 5.30. So I just want to include her.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Why don't you send it to the Transportation Committee of the Council instead of there? Okay, if that's your suggestion, Mr. President. All right, so we're not going to send it to the Traffic Commission, but we're going to send that to the Committee on Traffic.
[Richard Caraviello]: That would be Mr. Scarpelli's commission?
[Fred Dello Russo]: Chairman Scarpelli.
[Richard Caraviello]: And we are going to send it to the traffic commission also, correct?
[Fred Dello Russo]: Why don't we maybe let them send it or invite the traffic commission to be part of that?
[Richard Caraviello]: Well, because we'll miss the meeting if we, if we, uh, cause they meet at the end of the month and, um, then we'll send it to both. Okay. You do both.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Yes. Thank you, ma'am. Welcome. Please state your name and address for the record.
[Sqp6S0Yyr0A_SPEAKER_04]: Hi there, Rachel Tannenhaus, 26 Pearl Street. I am the chair of the Medford Disability Commission and I have noticed that a number of things have come up that are relevant to the Disability Commission and that might be worth talking about. I'd like to invite any and all of you to come to our to our meetings. If you have questions for us, obviously we only meet so often, so if you've got something that's really time-sensitive, of course you want to talk to Diane about it. But I just want to let you know that we do meet on the fourth Wednesday of the month, generally, from 5.30 to 7 o'clock. Our next meeting is what? Yep, so I'm gonna be on a boat then, so I don't actually remember when it is, but it's February 24th, and you are more than welcome, and of course, we'll be meeting in March as well. So if you've got questions, and we also are happy to put any of these topics on our agenda, we just need sufficient notice. So if you'd like to come in and talk in general about bus stops and what would be necessary to move bus stops, you know, what it's, what navigating the sidewalks in particular areas is like, that sort of thing. We would actually really love to have a dialogue about that, so please come join us. Thank you.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you. So on the motion of Councilor Caraviello, as amended by Councilor Caraviello, all those in favor? Opposed? Motion carries. 16-051, offered 50 motions already in this year. Offered by Councilor Marks, be it resolved that the Medford vocational technical high school, explore offering evening courses to local residents for advanced manufacturing training. There is an increased demand for skilled workers to fill these high-paying jobs where we already have the vocational school as a resource to prepare area residents. Councilor Marks.
[Michael Marks]: Thank you, Mr. President. And I'd like to start by thanking Andrew Castagnetti, who brought this issue to my attention as a former graduate of the Medford Vocational School. I'm always looking for ways to improving upon our vocational education within our community and also by also bringing in other people to take advantage of the vocational school. And this is a unique opportunity, Mr. President. Right now, the advanced manufacturing sector And the Commonwealth has, I guess, a boom in jobs and the need to fill these jobs. The average salary is about $75,000 for someone in this particular field. And the city of Somerville just recently put together a course that they're offering. They have two courses, one during the day and one at night. And they're offering local residents over the age of 18 to and take courses in the advanced manufacturing training. And this opens up a whole new networking for young adults that are 18, 19. Maybe they didn't end up going to college. Not everyone goes to college. They're stuck in a low-paid job, and they're looking for advancement, a way to create a career. And this really, I think, would be a win-win, not only to promote our vocational school, but also to allow area residents to attend courses at a local school that's accessible, Mr. President. And I think it would be a win-win for our residents. So I would just respectfully ask that the new director of the vocational school, who's doing yeoman's work in improving vocational education at the high school, and also bringing in new state-of-the-art technology equipment and courses at the vocational school, look into, Mr. President, the offering of this advanced manufacturing training to see if we have, first of all, the capability of doing it, and secondly, if we can offer courses to local residents that may have an interest in potentially looking at jobs in the 75 to 80 grand range for this particular trade, Mr. President. So, again, I want to thank Mr. Castagnetti for bringing this to my attention. and ask that this be moved for approval, Mr. President.
[Fred Dello Russo]: On the motion for approval by Councilor Marks, all those in favor? All those opposed? Motion carries. 16-052 offered by Vice President Hungo Kern. Be it resolved that the administration update the Medford City Council and keep us appraised of what changes have and will be made with regards to plans and procedures of the Medford Police Department and Medford Fire Department, such as implementation of interdepartmental email for the fire department. Madam Vice President.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Thank you, President Dello Russo. I put this on the agenda. I think I've had requests for updates on changes, resolutions on the agenda for the last three or four weeks. And some things obviously have shown my frustration with regards to, but I think people are ready for change. in a number of ways and a little anxious to get those changes and see what's gonna happen and find out what's gonna happen when. And this is just to piggyback with regards to last week, I brought up enforcement and how is it gonna change, how is it gonna increase and better our community. With regards to the Medford Police Department, Medford Fire Department, there have been resolves throughout the last many years with regards to changes and updates, whether it be building-wise, or inter-department issues that go on. I know that I, as one Councilor, have asked for the fire department to have inter-departmental email for almost two years now, since I found out there was no such thing, and I think it's kind of archaic. We've also questioned, you know, the female locker rooms, which we issue, which we know is in arbitration, and, you know, now the females are getting gym passes. We've gone in length with regards to the police department building and updates and the minor updates that were implemented. And I'd like to know from our administration what additional updates may be taking place, what the plan is, how are we going to make changes in a positive way, where are we going to spend our money, what are we going to do, what type of push will there be towards different enforcement throughout the police department and, you know, how are those, you know, when are those changes going to take place? I think it's important, and I think it's important for us to be updated with regards to, you know, minor things that, you know, the administration may seem to think are minor. I think the council should be apprised of it, and I hope that we can, you know, get a communication from the mayor's office with regards to changes that have already been addressed and discussed and changes that maybe she would like to make in the future so that we can get an idea of how we're moving forward and hopefully get a better understanding of the positive changes that we know need to be made and hopefully will be made.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Very good. Thank you, Madam Vice President. You might notice in your packets, we've gotten the swiftest responses to most resolutions than I can remember on my tenure on the council. Councilor Knight.
[Adam Knight]: Mr. President, Councilor Longo did speak a little bit about the female locker room at the police department. It's my understanding that they're in the process right now of rectifying the situation. So it's been brought to my attention that a certain area has been vacated by a certain department and they've been moved to the new DPW building and the administration is in the process of building out a female locker room for female officers, Mr. President. So I'd like to amend the paper and ask for an update on that item in particular.
[Fred Dello Russo]: So on the motion for approval by Vice President Lungo-Koehn as amended by Councilor Knight. All those in favor? All those opposed? Motion carries. 16-053 offered by Councilor Falco. Whereas the Medford City Council receives a weekly agenda and an informational package each Friday to prepare for the weekly council meeting. Whereas each package contains various postings of upcoming public meetings throughout the city of Medford. be it resolved that the city administration require all boards and commissions to post meeting notifications and agenda items on the Medford City website. Councilor Falco.
[John Falco]: Thank you, Mr. President. Um, this, this resolution is about, uh, you know, government being open and more transparent to our residents in, and also just making government more accessible in general. Um, and I have to say when I first wrote this resolution last, uh, Thursday, and sent it to the city clerk. I did some research on the city website and I couldn't find any information on this. And it's great, every week we receive, I don't know, at least 10 notices of open meetings and they're important. And I think the public should be encouraged to attend and be involved. But last night as I was preparing for our meeting, I went back onto the city website and I noticed the city actually has a city calendar now. And actually when it came online, I'm guessing, over maybe the past couple of days, but when I first wrote the resolution, it wasn't there. So, but it's—I give the administration a lot of credit. I think it's heading in the right direction. It's nice. You click on the meetings. You get a link. But what I didn't—what I noticed is not all meetings are posted. So that's why my resolution is basically to require. that all of them, all of the, uh, boarding commission meetings be posted. Uh, I think they should require an agenda. And if I could, um, amend the resolution to require that the minutes be, uh, also posted, uh, once the meeting is, uh, has been completed, it's important that, you know, we involve our citizens and they, you know, have the right to go to a website, go to the city website. And if they, they can see a list of meetings for the month, if they want to attend things, great. If they don't, at least when they, or if they can't at least, At the conclusion of the meeting, if the minutes are there, you know, they can actually see what happened during the meeting. And I think it's important. So, um, if I could amend that to, um, if you can amend that to, uh, require the minutes as well, uh, that'd be great. And, uh, I move for a motion of approval as amended council night.
[Adam Knight]: Um, thank you very much, Mr. President. Thank you. Councilor Falco for this resolution. I think it's a great resolution. I'd like to amend it, Mr. President, to request that the administration begin scheduling their board and commission meetings outside of normal business hours so those individuals that are working for a living have the opportunity to appear after their work day to participate. And I'd also ask that if and when possible, the meetings be televised or streamed.
[Fred Dello Russo]: So on the twice amended motion, three times amended motion, twice by council night by council.
[Adam Knight]: Well, while I'm on such a role, Mr. President, I have also filed a resolution under suspension of similar substance, asking that the three week look ahead. schedule for the Craddock Bridge will be posted on the city's website as well. So I'd like to amend this paper to include that and I'll withdraw the paper under suspension. Very good.
[Fred Dello Russo]: So on that motion and second approval by Councilor Knight as amended of the resolution of Councilor Falco who made the first motion for approval. All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? Congratulations. Thank you. 16-057 offered by Councilor Caraviello. be resolved that the Medford City Council invite Rosemary Waltos, a library building specialist from the Massachusetts Libraries Board of Commissioners, along with members of our state delegation to a committee of the whole, to discuss funding opportunities for our public library, which is in need of major repairs and replacements. Councilor Caraviello.
[Richard Caraviello]: Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, it was only a few weeks ago that Barbara Kaye was here from the library, complaining how the roof was leaking and disrepair. Well, two weeks ago, I attended for the fourth time the convention at Sheridan for the city officials. And for the fourth year in a row, I've asked them if Medford, the library commission, if Medford has applied for any money. And finally this year, she said that some talks were in discussion. Well, it took us years to get this. But what I want to point out is, Over the last couple of years, Mr. President, over 100 libraries have been either built, reconstructed, under construction, or in the planning stage. And just in our area, you've got Malden, Melrose, Arlington, Winchester, Cambridge, Everett, Woburn, Wakefield, Burlington, Lexington, Walton. These are all cities and towns, Mr. President, that have taken advantage of the money from the Library Building Commission. And I think it's time that City of Medford get a chair. She says there's money available. I spoke to her again today. She's more than willing to come down to the city to talk with the librarian, the trustees, and anybody we want to talk to. But she's willing to help us out, to do whatever's necessary to get the process started, to get us some funding, to get the library either rebuilt or reconstructed. So I would ask that this motion be sent to the mayor for her immediate action. And Mr. President, while we're talking in the library, would it be possible that we can get a report back if the roof was ever repaired from a few weeks ago? So we'll take that as an amendment to your resolution as well. Yes. But again, over 100 cities and towns, Mr. President, have taken advantage of funding for their libraries. And in the last four years that I've been on this council, we have not gotten $1. I think it's a shame.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you for this important measure, Councilor. And thank you for your participation on behalf of this body with the Mass Municipal Association. You've been a wealth of information for all of us. Chair recognizes Vice President Lungo-Koehn.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Thank you. Thank you, President DeLaRusso. I want to thank Councilor Caraviello for reaching out to the Commissioner. I think that's a huge help. I know that the library needs a rehab. It needs a lot of work. We've been speaking about whether it be the bathrooms or the roof leaking, years and years, or underfunding the library. So many people are interested to see this library updated, and I really hope it comes to fruition. I know that when I proposed that we hire a grant writer years back, one of my main reasons for it was because I read an article with regards to the grants that are out there for libraries in Massachusetts. And for us not to be taking part in trying to get these grants and trying to get state money, federal money to update our library, I think we're shortchanging something that could be so wonderful. I'm not sure about the roof, but I, too, would like to get an update on that. And I want to thank you again, Councilor Caraviello, for reaching out to the board member. And hopefully we can sit down and try to get some ideas. get the administration moving on some grants so that we can, whether we have to fund some ourself or not, I think we need to do it either way.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you. Madam Vice President, Chair recognizes Councilor Falco.
[John Falco]: Thank you, Mr. President. I just want to thank Councilor Caraviello for bringing this up tonight. This is a very important resolution. The library is a very important asset to our community and I support the resolution completely. The question I had with regarding the roof is, um, just because, uh, you caught some Kyriel brought it up is, uh, he had asked if, um, if it's been fixed, I'd like to know not whether or not it was fixed, but what's the plan. I mean, as far as if it's not been fixed, what is the plan for the roof? I mean, with regard to, I mean, for example, I was in the library, uh, I think about two weeks ago, I went to a, they had a trivia night. I think it was a friends in Medford public library. And it was a great event. They raised a lot of money. And it was nice. It was the first time they had an event like that in the library. It was after hours. And open to the public. And we're sitting there having a great time. But as you look around, you see, you know, ceiling tiles that are not there, barrels collecting water. And, you know, we're still only maybe halfway through winter. So we need to find out exactly, if we could find out exactly from the administration, what is the plan with regard to the roof?
[Fred Dello Russo]: be it further resolved by Councilor Falco that, uh, or amended by Councilor Falco to get a answer from the administration with a long range plan for dealing with the roof. Thank you. Thank you. And the chair recognizes Councilor Marks.
[Michael Marks]: Thank you, Mr. President. I want to thank Councilor Caravielloli. He's been a real advocate for the public library and the children of this community when it comes to the public library. So I want to thank him for his action on this. Uh, the reason why we didn't receive funding for the past, four years was that the city of method during budgetary discussions didn't meet the state mandated threshold that's required for funding of a public library. So we therefore were ineligible to participate in any state grants. And we also, anyone that uses their library card, we lost membership in surrounding communities, the ability to go to another library in the network, the Minuteman network, and use their library because of our lack of funding our library. And I'm hoping to see that change, Mr. President. I also just want to touch upon the roof, because the report that we received had a various range from a couple of thousand dollars on a very temporary fix to I believe it was $125,000 or $130,000 for major roof repair and replacement throughout the entire library. So I think it's only incumbent upon the administration to at least update the council Because if the option three, which is I believe 130, 140,000 of repair is necessary, we're probably going to be looking for a bond for the roof. And that would be approval by this council. So I think it's important that the city administration at least give us a direction on what the plans are. And that roof has not been touched in 25 years. That's the last time that roof was replaced. And much of the pointing of the bricks, not only the roof, but the pointing around the bricks are accepting water, standing water from the roof itself, some of the flashing. So it's a lot of work that needs to be done on that roof, Mr. President. So I would ask that I thank Councilor Falco and Councilor Lungo-Koehn for bringing that up, and Councilor Caraviello about the roof repair, Mr. President, that we get an immediate response on that.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Very good.
[Richard Caraviello]: Councilor Caraviello. Mr. President, this is the reason if we can get this into the mayor's hands quickly and we can act on it quickly, rather than us going off for a bond, let's see what the state can do for us rather than burden our city taxpayers.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Excellent.
[Richard Caraviello]: Thank you.
[Fred Dello Russo]: So on the motion of Councilor Caraviello, as amended.
[Michael Marks]: Mr. President.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Yes, Councilor Marks.
[Michael Marks]: Just if I could, I'm under the impression that the new administration was putting on a position that was in the mayor's office that was also a liaison between the mayor's office and the council. And if I'm not mistaken, that position, I haven't seen anyone. I haven't had any outreach like, hey, look at me. I'm the new person that's going to be taking your request back and getting a quicker response to the mayor and I haven't seen that yet, so maybe, Mr. President, maybe not to a resolution, but maybe if you could find out what the situation is with the liaison to the council, with the mayor, because that seemed to be a big point during the election. Thank you. On the motion for approval, all those in favor?
[Fred Dello Russo]: Aye. All those opposed? Motion carries. A couple things. Yes. I'm sorry?
[John Falco]: Rules to talk about an issue.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Yes. Next week, six o'clock, Committee of the Whole to address our goals as councillors. Committee of the Whole met this evening. at 5.30 and upon resolution by Councilor Marks, it was reported favorably out of committee. It was a long meeting. We addressed the issue of the Craddock Bridge construction, its impact on life in general in the neighborhood, its specific impact upon business there, pedestrian safety, traffic, congestion, buses, transportation in general. We had a good session. We had representatives from Massachusetts Department of Transportation, project manager for the program. We had representatives from Zoppo Construction. The project manager was there for the construction progress, which I, on the sense of, on the part of DOT. We had department heads, Lauren DiLorenzo, Chief Sacco, Engineer Koudelakis, the acting commissioner of the DPW, Brian Cairns, and I might be missing some, as well as all six councillors were present. Seven citizens had the opportunity to speak and express their concerns. We're very grateful. How many councillors were there? Seven. Councilors and seven citizens spoke. I was there. I sat at the head of the table. Yes. And I think the clerk is going to read off, if he would, the committee report.
[Clerk]: You had some recommendations from the committee. One was to do an ADA audit of the project. And the administration to designate a contact person with the project. And to have an update, and to have updates from MassDOT in a week or two on the issues that were discussed during the meeting.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Very good.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: And was that, did that get your, uh, Madam Vice President had those, uh, just, if we could just make clear that the contact person be somebody from, from city hall. Um, just make that clear. Maybe one of the three that have already been dealing with mass dot as of recent.
[Unidentified]: All right.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: And that we, and that we do get it, sorry that we do get an update within, you know, the next week or two with regards to, the many issues we discussed and recommendations and requests. Okay.
[Fred Dello Russo]: So we're going to then get a report back and then reconvene for an update. So on the motion president, Oh, uh, council Marks, if you would please. Yes.
[Michael Marks]: Thank you, Mr. President. And I agree with all my colleagues. I think we all felt it was necessary to have a contact person, a clerk of the work, whatever you want to call them, uh, to be responsible. Um, you know, At one point in this city, we had a person by the name of Jack Buckley, who was a project manager. And Jack Buckley was responsible for the oversight of the building of the new schools, which was probably the largest endeavor in this city's history. He was responsible for the refurbishing of the fire stations. He was responsible for the oversight of a number of large projects happening in the community. And he retired recently. And I think one thing that's lacking in this community, Mr. President, is that type of oversight. Jack had great expertise on building trades, how to deal with manufacturers, how to make sure that these particular companies were compliant with contract. And, you know, he had a great depth of knowledge. And you could rest assured if you asked him a question on anything regarding construction or what's taking place, timeframes, he was always there to answer the question. And I really believe someone in that capacity is needed, Mr. President, because what we heard tonight from the administration was the question was asked, who's the point person on this project? I don't know if it was, I think it was Councilor Knight that asked that. And we were told, well, Lawrence said, I can answer questions. The city engineer, Cassandra Koudelaitis, said I can answer questions. Or you can send them to Paul Mokey. He may be able to answer questions. I think when we get back to accountability, get back to having a central depository where you know who to call, I think it's very important, Mr. President. And I would just like to mention that to the city administration, The project manager was there for a number of years for a reason, and it was successful. In my opinion, it was very successful, maybe based on the person that we had in that position, but it was a successful position in moving projects forward and alerting residents on the ongoings of what's happening in the community, and I do want to point Point that out, Mr. President.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you, Councilman. I'd like to point out that that project in person was for projects that were funded by the city as part of bonding processes and all of that. And I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that this was a state project that we're dealing with and not a municipal one.
[Michael Marks]: But Mr. President, with all due respect, it's on a Medford road. It's affecting Medford business. It's affecting Medford pedestrians. It's affecting method traffic. For us not to have a clerk of the work or a project manager, whether it's state or city, makes no sense. It has no bearing at all. The project is a method project. I'm in no disagreement with you. I know, but I think you were trying to point out that that was only for city projects. And even with the FAST-14 project, the bridge repair, that was a state project. It was the largest bridge repair in this state's history that went through this city, the heart of this city. And at the time, we had someone on board, and that was Jack Buckley, Mr. President. We had someone on board that was there to make sure that the I's were dotted and the T's were crossed and that all contractual language was adhered to. and to make sure that resident, business owner, and everyone's questions were addressed. So, you know, I would disagree with you. I think that position was for any project in the community, whether it was bonded by our city or not, to ensure that the rules and regulations and that this city is heard when issues need to be addressed, Mr. President.
[Adam Knight]: Mr. McNerney. Mr. President, thank you very much. And Councilor Marks, I think everything you said is 100 percent accurate. There's definitely a need for someone to be the so-called clerk of the work, someone that has a set of eyes on these construction projects that are going on in our community. As these private contractors come in and these private utility companies come in and tear up our streets and then say they'll be back in a year to fix it, we need to make sure that there's someone there saying, hey, remember nine months ago when you said you were going to be back? Well, the nine months are up. It's time to start digging in the ground and fixing the street. I really support the position of the office of the project manager and the position of a project manager or the so-called clerk of the works, Mr. President, for the simple reason that it provides accountability. And we know if someone's not doing the job because we can see the ramifications and the aftereffects when the ground gets opened up and gets put back together. We know who to go to. We know who to talk to. So, you know, I certainly echo Councilor Mack's sentiments and statement when he says that he'd like to see a project manager rehired here at the city level. was an unbelievable asset to this community. I'm not just saying that because his backyard is right around the corner from my parents' backyard. He did a great job, and he did great work. And if you go down the list and you look at the projects that he oversaw, whether it was the pool or the science labs or the DPW yard or the renovations at the firehouse, he certainly was someone that made sure that we got our bang for our buck, Mr. President. And I think we need someone in that capacity to continue. So I certainly support Councilor Mark's position wholeheartedly and I move for approval on the paper.
[Fred Dello Russo]: So on the motion for the approval of the committee report by Councilor Marks. Absolutely. All those in favor? All those opposed? Congratulations. On the motion of Councilor Falco for suspension of the rules. All those in favor? All those opposed? Motion carries. Councilor Falco.
[John Falco]: Thank you, Mr. President. I received a phone call Saturday afternoon about 4.30 from Father Ed, Ed Doughty from St. Joe's, Joseph's. And he called to tell me that as he was welcoming parishioners into the 4 o'clock mass at St. Joe's, parishioners were getting tickets from Republic Parking. And I find this incredibly frustrating that after one year, I mean, that is not that's not part of the contract, and they shouldn't be ticketing during mass from what I know of the contract. And I find it very frustrating that after one year, they're still ticketing people when they shouldn't. And I'd like some sort of response back from Republic Parking. If we could get something in writing as to why this happened. Father Ed did go on to tell me that he actually approached the person writing the tickets and told them, you know, you shouldn't be doing this. And at no point in the time, did the person stop? They didn't even call the office. You figured they would call the office and check just to get some clarification. So if we could get some sort of a response from Republic Parking to find out why it happened. I'm not sure if it's a case, if it's a new employee or not, employee or not, but in a case like that, there should be some sort of backup for their employees to call the office to find out, you know, whether or not they're doing the right thing or following policy. So if we could get some sort of response from Republic Parking, I'd greatly appreciate it.
[Richard Caraviello]: Thank you. Councilor Caraviello. Thank you, Mr. President. You know, this goes back to my request, um, about three or four weeks ago, uh, to sit down with Republic and discuss their, their policies and practices. Uh, and again, uh, no response, uh, to see we are, where we're going with this, uh, uh, you know, to talk about things that have been done wrong in the past and how to make them better going forward. I mean, you know, he talked about that. Um, uh, a few weeks ago I had a similar problem, uh, with the Republic president. He was, uh, harassing, a handicapped person for not moving his car fast enough. Granted, the guy was in violation, the parking was in violation, and the gentleman who was harassing was a triple amputee, and I explained to the parking person that the gentleman isn't able to walk that fast, and his response to me was, I don't really care, for which I took exception, and I did report him to Dan Nash at the company, since never heard anything back about that. But I felt that the gentleman, I told Dan, I felt that the gentleman was doing an apology for the rude treatment that he was given. And I say, if I didn't see it for myself, it wasn't secondhand. It was something I saw. But again, this was a motion I asked for to sit down with them to discuss their policies going forward, Mr. President.
[Fred Dello Russo]: On the motion for approval on Councilor Falco as amended by Councilor Caraviello, Councilor London Kern.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Thank you. And I just would like to ask if I could further amend this because I received an email this week with regards to a business owner of a daycare. Another portion of the, I'm not sure if it's in the contract or something they were going to adhere to is the leniency during pickup and drop off for daycares and schools in the city of Medford. And from what I understand over the last couple of weeks, that leniency is no more. and they're now ticketing, Republic Parking is now ticketing people who are going in three minutes to drop off somebody, you know, their child at a daycare or at a school. And that's something we were promised. This council specifically asked for leniency in schools and we were promised that there would be leniency before, you know, during the drop off and during the pickup. So I'm not sure if this in mass coincides with The fact that revenues, the big article came out that revenues are short for public parking. But just because your revenues are short doesn't mean you can violate the rules, violate your promises. So I would just like to ask for public parking that as well. This take care, I believe, is on Riverside Ave. But I'm not sure if it's going on in other locations. But I'm assuming from what I've been hearing, there's some ticketing that should not be happening during certain times in certain places. That's a shame.
[Fred Dello Russo]: As amended by vice-president local current council night.
[Adam Knight]: Um, Mr. President, I noticed in our packet that we had not received an update relative to the issues that we discussed on Marion street. And I was hoping we could amend this paper to, uh, ask for a update on that situation as well relative to the, uh, resident annual parking on Marion street that we discussed last week.
[Fred Dello Russo]: As amended by council night on the motion for approval by council Falco as seconded by council cab yellow. and amended as noted. All those in favor? All right. Yes, Councilor.
[Richard Caraviello]: Well, we're on to suspension.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Councilor Caraviello.
[Richard Caraviello]: Mr. President, in our package this evening, I made a resolution back in January 12, 16-206, in regards to the pay phones that are scattered around the city. We got a response back this evening, and I'm questioning a part of it. I have contacted Verizon in awaiting a response. The pedestal of 492 High Street is located on private property, and I request that Verizon contacts the property owner to discuss this rule. Mr. President, all there is is a pedestal with no phone there. I mean, it just looks — it's unsightly. And then it goes on to say, the payphones at CVS and 43 Salem Street are active. Well, unless these people are very good, there's no — there's no thing to call on. I mean, you know, there's no receiver. There's no thing there. So I don't know how they're active. So if I, if you could send this back to the superintendent, why is I'm a little interested for clarification.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Motion of council Caraviello to send back for clarification. to the Superintendent of Wires the recent response received. All those in favor? All those opposed? There's a paper in the hand of the clerk offered by Councilor Marks. Be it resolved that the heavy trucking on Spring Street be discussed. Councilor Marks.
[Michael Marks]: Thank you, Mr. President. As we're all aware, there's a no heavy trucking ban on Spring Street. And I think it was about a year and a half, two years ago, a number of residents came before this council concern that the city was not enforcing enough the trucks that are using Spring Street, the heavy trucks. And for a period of time, the problem was solved. And now it's rearing its ugly head again that Spring Street is being used as a cut through for Penske truck, Budweiser, and a number of other businesses in the area, Mr. President. And for whatever reason, there's been a lack of enforcement by our police department. Back, I think it was a year and a half ago, I offered a resolution to create a trucking team. Many surrounding police departments have a trucking team. And it wasn't just to put on additional police officers. It was to address an issue of 18 wheelers traversing our roads, Mr. President, and at no fear of ever getting pulled over. It really is, from what I've been told by members of the police department, it's a particular training to pull these 18 wheelers over. You have to have the ability to be able to look at the log. You've got to have the ability to be able to read markings on the side of the truck, the type of liquids they may be carrying, the type of goods they may be carrying, the weight of the truck, and so forth. And you have to have ample training, and you have to have the equipment to pull these trucks over. And many of our police officers that I've spoken to aren't willing to pull these trucks over because they're not trained and not equipped. And that was the statement I got from them. So I think after a while, these truckers know, hey, you know what? Don't go through Cambridge-Somerville. Go through Method. They won't pull you over. And I think it's posing a problem in our community. And again, I would ask for enforcement, Mr. President, of the heavy trucking on Spring Street. We all know what happens after a period of time with heavy trucking. It creates the waves in the road. It really does. And we saw that firsthand on Spring Street in particular. I'm not sure if it was poor quality of tar that was put down or whatever it might have been, but it created a lot of ripples throughout the whole road. And that was from the heavy trucking. So I would ask increased enforcement on Spring Street And I would also ask the chief of police to once again look at the creation of a truck team. I was told when you issue a ticket to an 18-wheeler, it could be upwards of $1,200 for a ticket. So the truck unit would pay for itself. doing the basic enforcement. And don't forget, we have major truck routes running through our community, through our neighborhoods. We saw what happened at Centilli Circle in Everett back some 10 years ago, when an 18-wheeler went off and went into the side of elderly housing over there. These are trucks speeding through our community and so forth, and it really poses a public safety concern. So I would ask that the chief look at the truck unit, Mr. President. And if I could just put in a plug while I'm speaking, we also don't have police patrol on the Mystic River. And people might say, oh, the Mystic River, you can walk over the Mystic River. No, that's not the case. We have Medford High School, our young students, rowing on the Mystic River. And we don't have, other than the fire department, which does have a way of getting onto the Mystic River. We don't have any patrol of the Mystic River at all. We would have to wait for state police to come through the locks in Boston. God forbid there was an accident on the Mystic River. We've had tournaments there. Just recently, the Medford Bowl Club had a tournament, a national tournament, actually, on the Mystic River. And I think, really, as a city, we fall short of the mark when it comes to protecting our riverway and also protecting against these 18-wheelers that are coming through our community without any fear of ever getting a ticket, Mr. President. So I would offer those two, as well as the enforcement on Spring Street for the heavy trucking.
[Richard Caraviello]: So the motion of Councilor Marks as amended. Councilor Caraviello. Thank you, Mr. President. I commend Councilor Marks on bringing this forward. In the meantime, if the chief could contact the state police truck team. I see them occasionally on Mystic Avenue pulling trucks over, occasionally on the parkway, but they're not anywhere else. And he's right, when these trucks get pulled over, it's a pretty hefty fine. So if he could contact the state police or the DOT truck team to maybe increase its presence in the Method area, it would be greatly helped. And on the other thing you brought up, we have a position of harbormaster in the city. What does the harbormaster do? Is that something that should be looked upon as that safety? I mean, who is the harbormaster? That's my other question. It's Mr. Burns. I understand Mr. Burns is maybe a little, he's an older gentleman, and I don't think we own a boat either for the harbormaster. So maybe something, maybe having a harbormaster that's a little more up with the times might be something for the new administration to look at. Admiral Knight.
[Adam Knight]: Mr. President, I ask to amend the paper to request that the chief of police provide us with the number of complaints that they received in the past 12 months relative to heavy trucking on residential roadways, as well as the number of citations issued. Mr. President.
[Fred Dello Russo]: On the motion of Councilor Marks as amended. All those in favor. All those opposed. Records of the previous week's meeting were passed to Councilor Marks. Mr. Councilor, how did you find those records? I reviewed the records, Mr. President. I find them to be in order and move approval. On the motion for approval of the previous records by Councilor Marks. All those in favor? All those opposed? Motion carries. On the motion of Councilor Caraviello for adjournment. All those in favor? All those opposed? Meeting adjourned.
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