[Fred Dello Russo]: A oitava reunião regular do Conselho da Cidade de Medford chegará à ordem. Sr. Clerk, ligue para o rolo.
[Clerk]: Diretor de Caraviello. Presente. Diretor Falco. Presente. Diretor de Caballero. Presente. Vice-presidente Lungo-Koehn. Presente. Marca conselheiro.
[Unidentified]: Presente.
[Clerk]: Consejero Scarpelli. Presente. Presidente del ruso.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Presente com sete membros presentes, nenhum ausente. Junte -se a nós na saudação da bandeira. Prometo lealdade à bandeira dos Estados Unidos da América e à República pela qual está localizada, uma nação, sob Deus, indivisível, com liberdade e justiça para todos. Sr. Conselheiro.
[Michael Marks]: Bem onde acabamos de toda a reunião e relatamos o documento 16, foi 079?
[Fred Dello Russo]: Uh-huh.
[Michael Marks]: 072. Se eu pudesse dar uma breve sinopse desse artigo em que temos várias pessoas que estão aqui e depois ...
[Fred Dello Russo]: So we're going to report that paper out of committee. Uh, there was a committee, the whole meeting held, uh, from six to seven ish, uh, in which, um, the city council, uh, barely discussed, uh, paper number 16-zero 72. We had a lot of community input. Uh, it was a discussion of the, uh, paper which was offered last week by Councilor Marks. It had some suggestions for amendment that were voted out of committee. uh, suggestions were or, uh, amendments were, uh, that, uh, the election of a seven member municipal charter commission be changed to a nine member municipal charter commission that, um, in the process of, uh, this review that, um, the, uh, commission be restricted to coming up with five changes or areas for recommendation of change in the charter, and that number five was stricken, if I'm correct, and we asked that There was a periodic review, periodic review, be removed and left up to the committee and that there be a request that in this process that the charter review committee, um, be aided by outside experts and these affairs. So, uh, we have that to be, uh, sent over. and the recommendation that it be sent to the city solicitor for a compiling of those, uh, aspects in a redraft of this piece that we have before us to be sent back to us. So, um, that's a, do I have that substance Councilor? So, uh, we have, uh, the city solicitor, uh, who might want to say something.
[Mark Rumley]: Uh, yes, Mr. President. Thank you. Mark Rumley, a city solicitor, 50 Woodrow Avenue in Medford. And, uh, I thought that the committee of the whole meeting was very productive. I thank the council for putting bookends on this. So I know what I'd be drafting. Uh, and that's very helpful. I would also say that I was talking to Jean Martin while you were deliberating at the committee of the whole. And she said, there's a miracle happening behind the rail. And so I think that, I think there's some truth to that. I know that, uh, um, I was with, uh, mayor Burke when she met, uh, with council of marks and talked about this resolution. I know that she'll be happy to see that, uh, this has moved along to the next level. And I look forward to drafting this up for the council and let's see where it goes from here.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Very good. A motion for approval. So, and I think it was Mr. Miller in actually, who was the miracle in the room because he brought us back on course. Yes. So on the motion for approval by Councilor, my roll call vote, Mr. Roll call vote is requested. Mr. Clerk, if you would call the roll.
[Clerk]: Councilor Caraviello, Councilor Felko, Councilor Knight, Vice President Lowenkern, Councilor Marks, Yes. Councilor Scarpelli?
[Fred Dello Russo]: Yes.
[Clerk]: President Del Russo?
[Fred Dello Russo]: No. The vote of four in the affirmative, three in the negative. The motion passes. Congratulations. On the motion of Councilor Marks to refer back to the regular order of business. All those in favor. All those opposed. Um, Does that constitute our discussion, 16-085, or should we save that for the regular order? Yeah, well, we'll see what happens. So, 16-077, hearings, locations of poles, attachments of fixtures, and underground conduits, Medford, Massachusetts, city clerk's office. You are hereby notified that by order of the City Council, a public hearing will be given at the Howard F. Alden Memorial Auditorium, 85 George P. Hassett Drive, City Hall, Medford, Massachusetts at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, February 23rd, 2016 on a petition of National Grid of Andover for permission to locate poles and fixtures, including the necessary sustaining and protecting fixtures along and across the following public way. Governor's Avenue. National grid beginning at a point approximately 10 feet west of the central line of the intersection of Governors Ave and continuing approximately five feet in a westerly direction. National grid to install five feet plus or minus one or three inches, a secondary conduct from existing manhole onto the property of 28 Governors Ave for new service to a residential home. Wherefore, it prays that under due notice and hearing as provided by law, it be granted a location for and permission to erect and maintain poles and wires together with sustaining and protecting fixtures as it may find necessary. Set poles to be erected substantially in accordance with the plan filed herewith, marked Governors Ave, Medford, No. 20944570, January 6, 2016. Approved by the City Engineer, no city-owned or private utilities or other structures are adversely impacted. National Grid shall ensure that all sewer, water, and drain lines are marked prior to any excavation. Any disturbed concrete sidewalk panels shall be replaced in kind unless said panels are being replaced by the resident's contractor. Asphalt must be replaced by asphalt. An as-built sketch must be delivered to the residence's contractor for incorporation into the overall as-built for the site. Before beginning work, contractors shall notify DIGSAFE and shall obtain applicable permits from the engineering division. The contractor shall utilize City of Medford regulations and standards for restoration, as well as remove all debris related to its work approved by the superintendent of wires Call 781-393-245 for any accommodations, et cetera, et cetera. Edward P. Finn, City Clerk. I now open the public hearing. All those in favor, present yourself to the podium if you are in favor of this matter and state so.
[XA7wYJ4TI4w_SPEAKER_13]: Good evening, my name is John Jankowski. My address is 170 Medford Street in Malden, Mass. I'm representing National Grid. The petition that you have in front of you... Are you in favor of this matter, sir?
[Fred Dello Russo]: I'm in favor. Yes. Anybody else in favor? Anybody else in favor of this matter? Hearing and seeing none, I declare that portion of the meeting closed. Anybody in opposition to this matter before us? Those in opposition, please welcome yourself to the podium and state your case of opposition. Hearing and seeing none, I declare that portion of the meeting us for a description of this project, Mr. Grid.
[XA7wYJ4TI4w_SPEAKER_13]: My name is John Jankowski. Um, the petition that you have in front of you, 28 governors, they have, they requested to upgrade their electrical service. It's a manhole duct system in that area. Uh, the existing conduit is too small and the age is, uh, many years ago. So we have to petition, um, we have to install a conduit from a manhole in the sidewalk to the property line to a, uh, handle on the property line. Do you have any questions or concerns? I could answer them if you'd like.
[Adam Knight]: Chair recognizes Councilor Knight. Mr. President, thank you very much. And Mr. Jankowski, thank you for being here this evening. Um, if you've been looking at this petition for the public hearing, it says that, um, the contractor should utilize city of Metro regulations and standards for the restoration, as well as the removal of all the breeze related to this work. And, um, I'm hoping you can explain to me a little bit more about the process and how this works because, um, Now we have some construction that we've approved being performed by the grid that goes out two years or a year. And sometimes the road isn't repaired in a condition that was exactly suitable to the neighbors in the neighborhood. And the process that I've been working with a gentleman named Mr. Carmody would be that they do the best they can, let it set, and then come back the next season. And I'm by no means an engineer and not much of a construction worker either. So I was hoping that you'd be willing to explain the process a little bit so that people can understand how it works. Because I have a number of requests from residents here in the community that aren't too happy with the product that's left out in front of the house. It's not an end result. But it's still having to live with it now for an extended period of time, 8 to 13 months in some situations.
[XA7wYJ4TI4w_SPEAKER_13]: Well, in this situation right here, we're just going to dig up just the sidewalk, not the asphalt on the road itself at all. It's just going to be five feet of the sidewalk itself. It's probably a cement sidewalk. And we'll just repair it as we put it back on as possible.
[Adam Knight]: E agora você vai repará -lo com a mesma cor de cimento, não o cimento asfalto? Quero dizer, estamos vendo muitos painéis da calçada da cidade sendo substituídos. Veremos cimento, cimento, depois haverá um painel de asfalto preto. Sr. Presidente, eu gostaria de, na verdade, não vou anexar a este artigo. Vou arquivar um assunto separado em nossa próxima reunião, solicitando que a grade nos relatasse de volta para o status de suas inspeções na comunidade. Hum, mas neste momento, hum, eu movia a aprovação do artigo.
[George Scarpelli]: Scarnli Advisor. Obrigado Sr. Jankowski. Muito obrigado por estar hoje à noite, através de você, Sr. Presidente. Hum, sozinho, apenas para esclarecer que isso afetará apenas uma casa, correta? Isso é correto. Bem. Então, hum, Não há necessidade de aviso em nenhum outro lugar. Estou apenas curioso.
[XA7wYJ4TI4w_SPEAKER_13]: Thank you. No, when we do the petition, we have to get the abutters, you know, but that's all. Just that one house.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you. Awesome. On the motion for approval by Councilor Naita, seconded by Councilor Scarpelli, Councilor Caraviello.
[Richard Caraviello]: Thank you, Mr. President. Governor's Avenue is a very heavily traveled road in the city, and usually when you guys fill the holes up, they tend to sink. I know. I request that within 30 days, you come back and reevaluate and make sure the whole doesn't have to be refilled again. Like I said, that's a, that's a very heavily traveled road in the city of Medford and it gets more wear and tear than some of the other streets do. So if in 30 days you can come back and reassess if it has to be refilled again or repaved, I'd appreciate that. That's fine. Yeah, just it's a sidewalk. Yes, that's fine. Yep. Okay.
[Fred Dello Russo]: One of the best amendments I've heard in years. So on the motion of approval by councilor Knight, seconded by councilor Scarpelli, As amended by Councilor Caraviello. All those in favor? All those opposed? Carries. Congratulations, sir. Thank you for your patience tonight. Motions, orders, and resolutions. 1516-085 offered by President Dello Russo. Be it resolved that paper 16-072 regarding the creation of a charter commission through home rule petition for the November ballot be taken out of unfinished business for public forum discussion and input. Councilor Marks, we've disposed of this. I had discussion and public input in Committee of the Whole. Though there are many citizens, I don't want to obstruct anything. But the paper was taken out in Committee of the Whole, sent, and we just ratified it to send it off to the city solicitors. So in a sense, I don't know if procedurally we should discuss it. on the motion of Council Knight to receive and place on file. All those in favor? All those opposed? 16-086, offered by Vice President Alongo Curran, be it resolved that the City of Medford replace the roof to the Medford Public Library as soon as possible. Madam Vice President.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Thank you, President Dello Russo. We discussed this last week. Yes. As of Monday of last week, there was buckets around the Medford Public Library with constant dripping. A number of the tiles are removed, so you have all the ventilation being exposed, and that's just in the couple sections that I went into. I've since got emails that there are leaks in other sections of the library. I'm a little frustrated, as I'm sure the rest of my colleagues are. The major leaks were reported in December. We asked the administration to do whatever it took, as soon as possible, to remedy those leaks in the Medford Public Library and to look into the future. We're either replacing the roof or getting a plan together so that it won't happen again. This is December. We're now into February. So we're talking about at least eight, if not nine, ten weeks ago, the Medford Public Library's roof was leaking. We still have major leaks in the roof. I question now if there is mold. I question now if we have a rot issue in one or multiple places in that roof. We did receive an update from the mayor, and I appreciate that. But $5,000, I guess, was put into the library roof to repair it. Obviously, that didn't work, and I don't think what's going on is good enough. It sounds like they're submitting a proposal to perform an evaluation. I feel that that should have been done already. I feel like an evaluation and proposal should have already been submitted to the city two months ago. We have families. We have residents. We have senior citizens. I saw business owners in the library today when I went in. extremely unfortunate that we're not taking it more seriously. And I appreciate, you know, we got an update and I appreciate that, you know, something's being done. But in my opinion, it's just not good enough. I would ask that we do this immediately. I think we asked that in December. I think each one of us spoke about this. This is obviously one of our priorities. We discussed that when we discuss our goals. This will come up tomorrow night when we meet with the mayor. But what has been done has not been good enough. And I'm just highly disappointed in the lack of change that has gone on, especially since I've expected so much more. So like I said, now we're working on two mayors with the same leaks in the same roof, and it's just not being fixed. And I'm disappointed. So I would respectfully ask that we get a new roof on that entire library as soon as possible. Because I think that's what our residents deserve. That's what the children who visit the children's section deserve, because that's obviously where I saw the major leaks last week after speaking about it nine weeks ago. This is a priority of the Medford City Council. It should be a priority of the entire city. 40 plus emails, maybe 30 to 50 people come to the council meeting last June 2015 when the library was underfunded. Are we saying now that we need to have an uproar from the citizenry? I don't think that's needed when you have a leaky roof that's ruining our, I mean, it's ruining the rugs. The rug was a mess. Are we talking, is there mold? I mean, do we need to have a mold evaluation now? So I know my council colleagues will support this, but I just want to send a strong message that we can't continue to let our infrastructure fall apart while we create jobs and do a number of other things that we shouldn't be, you know, other ways that we're spending money and shouldn't be, which we put in the money towards a roof.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you. So that the roof be replaced in its entirety offered by Councilor of motion for approval by Vice President Lungo-Koehn. Councilor Caraviello will share some good news regarding the library with us.
[Richard Caraviello]: Thank you, Mr. President. Um, I agree with Councilor Lungo-Koehn. Uh, I was in the library last week myself. I think also you were coming out as I was going in that day and it was, it was a shame to see what it looked like. And, um, I think it'd be, uh, the roof should be fixed immediately. Uh, on the good news is, um, with the help of the mayor and I spoke with Mayor Burke, uh, on March 21st, The Library Building Commission will make its first meeting to Medford to hopefully get the process going to discuss either renovations or some type of funding for the library to get it up and running to where it should be and up to the standard that the other 100 libraries in the city and this whole area have gotten over the last five years. So hopefully when they come, they'll make some recommendations on how to get this process started and how to get some funding for the slappery.
[Adam Knight]: Thank you, Councilor. Councilor Knight. Mr. President, thank you very much. I think as we behind this rail are all aware, a certain dollar figure, $10,000, would require that the public bid process be kicked off. So I think the first question that we need to ask the administration is whether or not A bid has actually been put out for the roof to see if, in fact, the ball is rolling. You know, if we've all banged the table, we've all asked for the roof to be repaired. I think we're all on board that we want to see a new roof on the library. We don't want to see the library leaking. We want to see the library to be a sanctuary in the community. You know, I love quoting Solicitor Rumley. when he speaks of Dick Lee that says that the library is really the only city-owned building that people voluntarily go to. And, you know, people voluntarily go there because they want to utilize the resources that are in place and they want to do so in a fashion that's comfortable to them, Mr. President. Um, so, you know, we put a resolution forward, um, sometime in December, um, the roof was fixed, $5,000 was spent to do that. Uh, in February, Councilor Caraviello put a resolution forward, um, asking for some updates. Uh, the update said that the, you know, the building commissioner has actually met with an engineer and performed an evaluation and a cost proposal for repairs and roof replacement is forthcoming. Um, so Mr. President, I think it's important that we find out exactly where in the process this is. because I know that the public bid process is somewhat cumbersome, and I know that the Baker administration has put forward some proposals to streamline the way that municipalities can purchase, which Ms. Miller is in support of after speaking with her, and she's actually wrote some testimony and spoken at the public hearings on that. So with that being said, Mr. President, I'd ask that the administration report back to us as to the status of the repairs, as to whether or not an RFP has been issued to actually go in there and put a new roof on this building.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Point of information, Vice President Lungo-Koehn. I read the letter update from February 12th a little differently because I would state that no bid has been requested because it said the on-site inspection with an engineer was done this past week. And that engineer will be submitting a proposal to perform an evaluation. So we haven't even had an engineer to the library to perform an evaluation. I just feel that that's something that should have been done eight weeks ago. And obviously $5,000 did not repair it as the leaks are all over the place.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you. So on the motion for approval by vice president, uncle Kern is amended by Councilor Knight. Um, Councilor Falco.
[John Falco]: Thank you, Mr. President. I just wanted to thank my colleague for bringing up this resolution tonight. It's very important. The library is one of our most important buildings in our city. And like I said, I went to a fundraiser there a few weeks ago, and it was rather depressing. I mean, here we are. There's, I think, over 100 people there, and there were buckets and ceiling tiles missing, and it was really just a sad state of affairs. But back when the library director came back, I think it was the first or second meeting of the year, she came before us, and they had offered an amendment to the resolution to give us a report on the overall health of the Method Public Library. the building in total, so more than just the roof, but the whole building. And we still haven't received that. And I'd like to, if we could check with the administration to see when we're going to receive that report, because I think we need to look at the roof, that's important, but we really need to look at the whole entire structure to see, you know, what kind of physical health it's in. So if we could get that report, I'd greatly appreciate it.
[Fred Dello Russo]: And further amended by Councilor Falco that the administration report back to the council regarding the aforementioned report requested on the overall physical health of the library. Chair recognizes Councilor Scarpelli.
[George Scarpelli]: Thank you, Mr. President. I echo my colleagues' sentiments, but again, I also talk about what Councilor Falco mentioned in understanding that what has been going on for years, as Councilor Longo-Corin said, is that the building It's frightening to understand what else is wrong with it. And I know I made the suggestion that we look at other avenues and thinking of 21st century libraries and thinking of something like Springstep and doing that. And I think that, you know, as we look into growth in our community and thinking outside the box, I understand the frustration that, you know, I saw the pictures of the the kids on Facebook with an umbrella. I thought that was cute. But I think it's dangerous. What now is underneath that is what I feel. It's scarier than just the drip. So I think we need to get a more in-depth report back to us, because the air quality is now questioned, I think. So thank you. Thank you, Councilor. Welcome, my neighbor.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Please state your name and address for the record.
[D'Antonio]: Louise D'Antonio, 41 Dartmouth Street, Medford, Mass. I believe it's going to be a two-step process. The staff at the library to be commended. They've worked under very difficult conditions and the health and the safety of both the staff and the people who go to the library is important. Long range, I envision a second floor on top of the roof. that can be used as a resource for senior citizens, for meetings and so forth. That's an expenditure and I realize that. And I'm just tossing around ideas and I'm wondering if our, quote, very good neighbor, Tufts University, end of quote, could not contribute something to the Medford City Library. They use a lot of space in Medford, They have resources that are available in Medford to the people of Medford Hillside. They're obeying to their existence. And it would be nice if they came forward and offered some of the money that they have sitting in their accounts to improve a vital facility in Medford. The other thing I was thinking about, and I don't know the legality of it, Comcast, we have a fund with Comcast. We don't have a cable station right now. Could some of that money be used towards the library and have perhaps the cable station in a portion of the library that was rebuilt? So I think we need to do something about the library. Even though we're in a very computer-oriented society, it's nice to go someplace, especially for people who are older like myself, to sit down, to read a magazine that I might not want to subscribe to. to look at the books, just for socialization. And I know in Watertown and other places, they serve coffee. So people that want to be in communication with others and don't have the opportunity because they live alone have an opportunity to go someplace that's safe and that's comfortable. So I think we need something done to the library. An immediate fix, yes. But long range, something should be done to that facility. Thank you very much.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you.
[Oj3ns4r1Qn4_SPEAKER_04]: Welcome. Please take your name and address for the record. Frank O'Leary, 85 Rollington Street, West Medford. I'd like to say thank you to Councilor Lungo-Koehn for bringing this up again. And that was it. That was here for the meeting when everybody agreed that the library was a priority, is a priority. On top of the, your roof issue, isn't the city liable if somebody trips and falls over a bucket? or somebody who's handicapped can't access something because there's a leak and too much water dripping down. I'm not a meteorologist or anything, but this is New England. Wait a minute, the weather will change. We will get more rain. We will get more snow. It will pile up on that roof. There will be more damage. Now, just from walking in the back door, you see that the library does a lot more things than just You know, rent out, have books go out and DVDs and CDs. There are small children doing Legos. There are small children doing Mindstorm. You know, there's other crafts going on. If anything says that this is a priority that needs to be dealt with, then the children are the priority. You know, God forbid something happens or some child goes in there who's severely allergic to mold. Now, you've got even more issues because you have sick children on your hands. You know, it was said that this was a priority and the roof would be taken care of. It's a shame that the reports haven't come through that need to be, need to happen, but maybe there is some pressure that can be exerted to make this move along. And it's great that we have the meeting March 21st coming up. But as the council said, it's already been two months, another month. We could, March could be, This year is February from last year. That roof won't last. Exactly. And everything else. Thank you very much.
[Richard Caraviello]: Thank you. Everything Mrs. D'Antonio brought up, you've been to all the other libraries in the area. All those other libraries have gotten funds from this library building commission. Winchester, Everett, Malden, we're the only library in the whole area that hasn't gotten any funds. And hopefully this will be our chance. Maybe they may even suggest that we get a whole brand new library. I mean, they'll come down with the commission, and hopefully they'll make some recommendations that'll be very beneficial to us.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you, Councilor. Madam Vice President.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Thank you, President DeLaRusso. Thank you, Councilor Caraviello. I know you've discussed it with the commission. It's great that they're coming down March 21. My only reservation to that is, if they're going to be helping us get a grant, will they have reservations with the fact that we don't maintain our structures?
[Richard Caraviello]: Well, they may decide that the building may need a whole new building. I mean, I don't know what the criteria is. They're going to come down, discuss the criteria to get money, and what it takes.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Because if I was one issuing a grant, and I knew there was leaks in the roof, For at that point, it will be three months. I'd be hesitant to give a grant to a city that isn't going to maintain their structures.
[Richard Caraviello]: You're 100% right. Our history of maintaining municipal buildings is not the best.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: And my last point would be, I hope we don't wait for what happened with the Department of Public Works building, where we waited for the roof to cave in before we did something about it. Like the gentleman said, we have people of all ages all the time traversing that library. So I really hope that we do something to make a permanent fix for a little bit more than $5,000 on that roof.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you. Councilor Marks.
[Michael Marks]: Thank you, Mr. President. And I think year after year, we meet with each individual department head. So that means the director of the public library came before us year after year after year. with his budget recommendations. And I, as one member of the council, never heard the director mention anything about leaks in the roof or need to look at the roof that was done 25 years ago. And that's part of the problem that, you know, department heads, when they come before this council under the old administration, were told not to say anything. If there's a problem, don't vent your dirty laundry. just let it go by the wayside. And for years there's been a lack of maintenance budget, so that coupled with the fact that department heads wouldn't speak frankly when they came before us for budget, the one time you'd want to sit down and say, you know what, we need X, Y, and Z, that's the time to do it. And there was a gag order for many years in this community And I hope that changes, Mr. President. The other issue is that we don't have a long-term capital improvement plan. Although we had one some years back, one currently doesn't exist. And when you look at all of our structures, go up to high school, there's more barrels up to high school catching rain than in the library. and they have a much larger roof in the high school, but this is systematic throughout all of our buildings in the community, and it's just a lack of maintenance. It's a lack of oversight, and I'm not quite sure what it's gonna take in order for this city to wake up, and maybe it's gonna be this budget with a new council. When we go through the line items, and you see a maintenance budget of $750, think about your home. What is your maintenance budget in the course of the year? Then think about a public building like the library that has 40,000 people that go through it in the course of the year. And see if the $750 is adequate enough for a maintenance budget. So those are the type of questions I think we have to ask, Mr. President, when we're sitting in budget. And, yeah, that's the first account to get cut, I understand. It's the easiest account to cut. But it's the most important, because what you're seeing now is everything that's been neglected in years all coming up. Our fire stations are all in deplorable condition. You know, look at the DPW yard. It had to get condemned. They had to condemn it in order to build another building. The police department, same condition. City Hall, the roof is leaking in here, too. I mean, it's all over. It's a shame, Mr. President. And I agree. The only problem is, if we spend $350,000 on a brand new roof, and then in six months from now, we decide that we want to add, expand the second layer on the second floor of the library, then that money went to waste. So I think we have to have more of a vision. And I would like to see the footprint of the library expanded. I think it could be used for so many other things. I like the fact that there's been talk about possibly having more of a gathering place, maybe have an area where you can buy a coffee and a scone and sit down there and read the paper like they do at many bookstores. And, you know, it could be used for so many more things than, you know, I hope, Mr. President, I know we're meeting with the mayor tomorrow night, that this be put on the priority list, because the building served us well for many, many years, and now it's asking for some repair or a total renovation. You know, we were able to get the public bathrooms done through this council, and it wasn't until this council spoke up and said, you know what, those bathrooms in the library are deplorable. that finally the last administration put $10,000 in the budget, and they're still in tough shape. The bathrooms, they're really still in really bad shape there. So I would ask, Mr. President, that at least at tomorrow night's meeting that this subject be brought up again for a long-term capital improvement plan.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Absolutely. And if there was one thing we were all in agreement with at our committee of the whole meeting where we discussed these matters was the library. So that's good.
[Adam Knight]: Mr. President, thank you very much. Councilor Marks brings up a number of great points, and it got me thinking about, you know, the state of the library and what exactly it looks like. And we all received an email, I believe, over the last week regarding the Henry Putnam Memorial that sits out in front of the library where the old play structure used to be closest to City Hall. And a gentleman came up from Pennsylvania, and he came up with his wife, and his wife's seventh great-grandfather, I believe, fought in the Revolutionary War. And his name is on that monument. So every time they come to Medford, they feel an obligation to, every time they come to Massachusetts, they feel an obligation to come to Medford and to see the memorial. And they were very disappointed at the status and state of disrepair of the memorial, as well as the library, Mr. President. So I'd ask that the administration also take a look at maybe a power wash of the Henry Putnam Memorial over there. You know, when reading the history, it's a pretty interesting story. The gentleman fought at the Battle of Monotony over in Arlington, and he also was a, revolutionary war soldier and war hero, Mr. President. So I think it's very important that we preserve that tradition and that culture here in our community. Also, in the research that I've done, it's my understanding that in order for the library to remain eligible for library funding and grant funding and to retain its accreditation and to not require an accreditation waiver, funding needs to be increased by about two and a half percent over the previous year's appropriation, Mr. President. So that means that the funding in the library budget for next year would have to be 2.5% higher than it was this year. And I think that it might make sense for this council, since we are seriously concerned about the status of the library and the future of the library, that we would make a request to the mayor that she include this figure in the next budget.
[Fred Dello Russo]: So on the motion for approval by Vice President Lungo-Koehn, as amended by Councilors Knight, Falco, and again by Councilor Knight. Ma'am, you wish to speak on this matter?
[mex41hYCPiQ_SPEAKER_14]: Sim. É realmente emocionante ouvir essa discussão sobre a biblioteca. Eu estava lá há algumas semanas com o Cason Ruggiero, que, eu acho, quase três anos. E foi muito difícil correr entre os baldes. E quanto mais ficamos lá, mais crianças chegavam. E foi realmente, realmente parecia realmente embaraçoso para mim ver as mães lá com seus filhos pequenos e, você sabe, ter que assistir onde eles andavam em vez de se sentirem confortáveis na biblioteca. E eu amo a ideia de Louise de que, hum, estive no centro sênior de Malden. É absolutamente lindo. Eles têm um átrio e plantas e você pode olhar para o céu. E acho que seria uma ideia maravilhosa, talvez pergunte à Universidade Tufts se eles estão interessados, contribuindo para a cidade de Medford e eles talvez até que fizessem cursos lá. Há tantas coisas diferentes que poderíamos fazer para colaborar com uma faculdade maravilhosa que temos em nossa cidade. E, hum, Eu apenas esqueci o que mais eu ia dizer. Tudo bem. Eu esqueci. Então, obrigado.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Obrigado, senhora.
[mex41hYCPiQ_SPEAKER_14]: Eu não disse meu nome, Valerie Geiselman.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Bem dito. Então, no movimento de aprovação, todos aqueles que são a favor alterados, todos opostos. A chamada foi solicitada. Sr. Clerk, se ele conseguir chamar o rolo.
[Clerk]: Conselheiro Caraviello? Sim. Conselheiro Falco? Cavalheiro do conselheiro? Vice-presidente Lungel-Kern? Sim. Marcas do conselheiro?
[Unidentified]: Sim.
[Clerk]: Concejal Scarpelli? Sí. ¿Presidente del ruso?
[Fred Dello Russo]: Sim. Com um voto de sete afirmativo, nenhum negativo. O movimento passa. 16-087, oferecido pelo vice-presidente Lungel-Kern. Resolveu que o estacionamento da calçada é melhor aplicado, Eu gostaria de ressaltar, a vice -presidente da sra., Que falou sobre esse assunto duas vezes nas últimas duas semanas.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Obrigado, presidente do Russo. Eu queria mencionar isso novamente porque sinto que estou mencionando novamente porque obviamente não moro no As três ou quatro estradas onde recebo as queixas. Portanto, existem várias pessoas que entraram em contato comigo através de um e -mail e telefonemas sobre qualquer resolução de qualquer tipo de aplicativo que eu acho que deve ser feito. Winthrop e George, tenho recebido queixas. E, obviamente, todos recebemos queixas sobre Harvard e Maine. Recebemos fotos quase diárias em relação às pessoas que tentam andar na calçada. E você tem caminhões Mack. Faça no seu negócio e chegue à calçada, o que eu acho muito perigoso. E sinto que precisamos mencionar isso repetidamente. Há várias coisas com as quais não concordo, mas com relação, você sabe, como as empresas são executadas. Mas no chão do conselho, acho que algo precisa ser mencionado uma ou duas ou três vezes, é assim que podemos ouvir as vozes de nossos constituintes e suas preocupações são ouvidas. Alguém vai doer e deve ser mencionado novamente. Precisamos fazer algo. Agora recebo e -mails onde as pessoas ficam tão frustradas que estão dizendo que esta cidade não se importa, o conselho não se importa. E eu tenho que explicar repetidamente, fazemos isso. Continuamos falando sobre isso. Continuamos a fazer aplicativos. Vários de nós foram para a Comissão de Trânsito. Nós imploramos, não mais do que nada menos do que oramos ao chefe de polícia para acreditar no pedido. Enviei um email para o prefeito. O prefeito mencionou que ele se encontraria com o chefe. Para discutir, desde então, você sabe, não tenho certeza do que foi decidido, mas se pudéssemos obter uma atualização sobre isso, você sabe, o que foi decidido e se pudéssemos obter qualquer aplicativo para criar um nível de segurança para nossos residentes, para pessoas que, para todas as pessoas, não importa as pessoas que tenham, estão no caminhão de cliques de quatro ou oito whheels. Você sabe, eles me pediram para mencionar isso novamente. Esperei algumas semanas com a esperança de conseguirmos um aplicativo. Agora recebo e -mails de dois moradores da Harvard Street que nem conseguem sair do caminho de entrada. Eu acho que uma mulher está com uma criança, e ela tem medo de sair do caminho de entrada porque os caminhões estão bloqueando sua saída. Você sabe, o que mais você precisa para obter algum aplicativo? Sei que o conselho precisa ter uma reunião com relação à parada de ônibus e a uma área de carga, e definitivamente precisamos fazê -lo, mas o aplicativo deve ser o primeiro. E não sei quantas vezes posso dizer isso. Não temos a aplicação e precisamos fazê -lo. Eu acho que há pessoas que gostariam de falar, então vou ceder aos moradores que têm preocupações. Mas acho que é uma questão tão importante e é um problema de segurança pública. Se não podemos falar sobre aquela semana após semana, não sei o que estamos aqui.
[Adam Knight]: Diretor de Caballero. Sr. Presidente, muito obrigado. Essa é uma questão que acho que todos vimos, ouvimos e discutimos uma vez ou outra desde o início desse período. Tivemos resoluções que chegaram ao governo solicitando que adotassem a abordagem de Donald Trump ao Oasis e construa um muro ao seu redor para que as pessoas não possam estacionar na calçada. Conversamos sobre o aumento das patrulhas dirigidas para lá. E quanto mais eu olho para isso, Sr. Presidente, mais eu examino o que eles fazem em outras comunidades, uma coisa que eu vi é que Você sabe, a maioria desses caminhões de 18 rodas não vai a um bolso de residência para entrar lá e, você sabe, pegar o jogo de beisebol. Eles estão entregando. Estes são caminhões fundidos. E acho que poderíamos estar em uma boa posição para restringir as horas que o caminhão fundido pode entregar. E se restringirmos essas horas, podemos pegar esses caminhões das calçadas durante os períodos de tempo em que as pessoas as desviam com mais frequência. Certamente a situação não será resolvida no momento, porque sem a aplicação, as áreas de carregamento restritas e o tempo restringem as áreas de carregamento não funcionarão. No entanto, podemos criar uma estrutura, Sr. Presidente, que tem uma estrutura fina, de modo que, se alguém estiver entregando fora das horas das áreas de carregamento, essa carga é delineada ou restrita, podemos atingi -los no bolso onde dói. Porque essa é a única coisa que fará com que qualquer uma dessas empresas perceba que É benéfico para eles obter um ingresso de US $ 20 para estacionar na calçada e deixar um pedido de US $ 1.000. Está em benefício de custo. Não vou estacionar sete ruas para baixo. E acho que, se apenas colocarmos uma parede em torno do oásis ou uma parede em torno dessas áreas onde esses problemas estão acontecendo com o estacionamento na calçada, ele apenas moverá esse problema para além da rua. Mas não abordará o problema. Só levará um pequeno tamanho de amostra nessa área e simplesmente a moverá pela rua, Sr. Presidente. Então eu acho que poderia ser uma boa ideia, e eu gostaria de alterar o jornal, Para que o Escritório de Desenvolvimento da Comunidade e a Comissão de Trânsito dêem uma olhada em algumas recomendações para restringir as horas de entrega em nossos distritos comerciais. E acho que isso aliviará a carga de nossas calçadas estacionadas com frequência. E multas crescentes. E multas crescentes. E multas crescentes, Sr. Clerk.
[Richard Caraviello]: O presidente reconhece o conselheiro Caraviello. Obrigado, Sr. Presidente. Sabe, eu recebo os mesmos telefonemas e e -mails que o vice -presidente recebe. E, novamente, você sabe, eu não sei o que dizer a essas pessoas. Uma resolução, uma resolução e mudança, e vamos às reuniões da Comissão de Trânsito, e nada parece ser feito. Não sei para onde virar. Ligamos para o escritório do prefeito. Fomos ao chefe. E digo que não existe como aplicação da lei. Existe uma aplicação zero desses problemas. Novamente, não sei qual é a resposta. E eu digo, quando recebo essas ligações e recebo essas coisas, isso tem vergonha. Não sei mais o que dizer a essas pessoas. Eu me sinto impotente. Eu fui a cada área que acho que podemos ir, e nada acontece. Não importa o que fizemos, nada aconteceu lá, seja a polícia, o zoneamento ou qualquer coisa. Novamente, eu sei que estaremos lá novamente esta semana, e veremos para onde está indo. Máx.
[Michael Marks]: Obrigado, Sr. Presidente. E, você sabe, talvez nesses certos distritos comerciais, tenhamos que voltar aos velhos tempos em que tínhamos um policial no ritmo e alguém que estaria nessa área e realmente veria o que está acontecendo, em vez de apenas dirigir pelo distrito comercial. Mas, algumas semanas atrás, votamos em colocar pôsteres temporários no canto de Harvard e Maine. E enquanto as balas ainda foram verificadas por Harvard e Maine devido a 18 rodas, E hoje conversei com o chefe Sacco, e ele disse que está na próxima agenda da Comissão de Trânsito, e ele não vê nenhum problema com sinais temporários no momento. Ele também disse que durante a lista de listas todas as manhãs, eles são informados de que os policiais prestam atenção especial não apenas a Harvard e Maine, mas muitos dos pontos quentes da comunidade que Nós, como conselhos e vizinhos, estamos conversando. Então ele disse que eles intensificaram o aplicativo. Mas eu realmente acredito que às vezes precisamos retornar às maneiras antigas de abordar algumas dessas preocupações. E ter um policial no ritmo em alguns dos distritos comerciais, ou ter um oficial de bicicleta que se move como em Cambridge e Boston, É uma maneira muito mais rápida de atravessar a área, e acho que é uma abordagem melhor para a vigilância do bairro, e seria muito útil em nossa comunidade resolver alguns desses problemas. Isso é a coisa.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Polícia Comunitária, Conselheira. Exatamente correto.
[Michael Marks]: Mas os sinais temporais estão perante a Comissão de Trânsito em sua próxima reunião.
[Fred Dello Russo]: E o chefe me informou que ele exerceu pessoalmente o pedido na semana passada. Diretor de Caraviello. Obrigado, Sr. Presidente.
[Richard Caraviello]: Você sabe, continuamos falando sobre sinais. Quero dizer, essa área tem mais sinais do que em qualquer lugar da cidade. Existem sinais em todos os lugares lá. Sem estacionamento, sem parar, sem nada. E todo mundo ignora os sinais. Qual é a utilidade de colocar mais sinais? Quero dizer, perguntamos algo temporário ... Barreiras temporárias para cima ou algo assim. Eu tenho tantos sinais em minha casa. É assim que é. Essas ruas têm mais sinais do que em qualquer outro lugar de toda a cidade. Qual é o uso de outro sinal se ninguém irá para lá e aplicar a regra? Portanto, podemos colocar 100 sinais e, como diz o conselheiro Locke, se não houver polícia na área, o sinal é apenas uma perda do tempo de todos. A vigilância comunitária funciona. Vigilância comunitária.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Welcome. Please state your name and address for the record.
[Cheryl Rodriguez]: Hi, I'm Cheryl Rodriguez. I live at 281 Park Street, which is not in a business district. I feel like if it's in a business district, Republic should be raking it in and giving every truck that stops there a ticket. But I live on Park Street, which is the street that the Roberts Elementary School is on, which is the street where they let out the middle school kids off the bus. And they walk up Park Street and around the car that's been on the sidewalk since the first meeting that I came to about sidewalk parking. If that car has moved, I missed it. I walk my dog every day, twice a day, down that street. I walk my daughter to the park almost every day. That car is on the sidewalk, not on the park side, on the other side, and it hasn't moved. Nine and a half years I've been living on the street. Nine and a half years that car has been on the sidewalk. Nine and a half years he's never gotten a ticket. I'm not even sure he drives. He has a handicap placard up there and he hasn't moved. I met with the mayor about it three times. I met with Chief Sacco about it. I've called the police department, and the police department at this point doesn't want to hear from me. When I call, they say, just walk on a different sidewalk. And I say, well, I can't because the other sidewalk is a parking platform. I need the car off the sidewalk. This is basic. Write tickets, tow cars away, get them off the sidewalk. I don't want to witness a student walking to the elementary school getting hit by a car. We have a parent who does walking Wednesdays, And they walk to school in little trains every Wednesday, and one of them's going to get hit by a car. This is important, and someone needs to address this. Thank you.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Welcome, neighbor. Please state your name and address for the record.
[Anita Dantonio]: Anita D'Antonio, 14 Yale Street. This is deja vu all over again. I mean, there are great ideas coming from the city council somewhere from here to what happens on the street. Something gets lost and there's nothing done. There is no enforcement. That's the key. The business owner just feels free to allow the vendors to park wherever they want to park, which is on the sidewalk. These are big trailer trucks. They're not small cube trucks, although we have vans, we have trailer trucks. And what instigated me was watching a father and son trying to negotiate around a trailer truck on Harvard Street. Their alternative was to go into Harvard Street. And I said, this is unacceptable. And the suggestion was made that the business owner should inform the vendors of what time these deliveries should be made. They can do that. They can say they need to be made before 9 o'clock in the morning, and perhaps then the truck can park. I don't know if I've got this. The truck can park where the cars would usually park. It's going off and on, it must be me. It doesn't want me to speak anymore, I understand. But to have the trucks park before the business patrons come on the scene and park their cars. There's got to be something done. We can't just leave it the way it is. You're going to keep getting calls and emails and photographs. I mean, we have so much, we have volumes. Also, there are a lot of signs, and they really and truly just ignore the signs. The signs are ignored. We have resident parking, signs on Yale. they're regularly ignored. So I think it's up to the business owner and the vendors, is communication with them. I also think the police need to step up and it would be a great idea to have community policing and have the officer walk the beat. But they need to be reminded that they've got to share the sidewalk. It's not for trucks, it's for pedestrians. They've got to be a decent participant in the neighborhood in which they're doing business, and that's been lacking. So whatever can happen in terms of enforcement, I think, first order of business, and making them understand, speak to your vendors. They're not going to arrive all at once, but they should arrive before a certain amount of time. I mean, there's got to be some onus put on the business owner here. He's really created a very uncomfortable situation in the neighborhood. Thank you.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you very much. So on the motion for approval by Vice President Lungo-Koehn as amended by Councilors Knight and Marks, all those in favor?
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Read the amendments, please. Make sure we have them all.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Mr. Clerk, please read the amendments.
[Clerk]: From the mayor, an update on the meeting with the mayor.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: The meeting and the chief of police, OK, yep. And then the community policing by Councilor Marks, that we do some community policing in the area. Is that a you want that as amendment? And then restrict delivery trucks. Certain times that the Traffic Commission look at that. And if I could ask a question while I have the microphone. Increase fines and restrict delivery trucks. I like that idea, especially in the problem areas. I just ask, you think just in the problem areas? Are we talking about the whole city? because we don't want to create problems where there are none.
[Adam Knight]: I think if, Mr. President, we want to protect the integrity and quality of life of our communities, we need to have a consistent policy that's applied even-handedly across our business districts. The problems that we see in South Medford Square, as it likes to be called, are significantly different from those that we see in West Medford Square. So, you know, I think that it's something that needs to be deliberated and discussed, and that's why I suggested that we get recommendations back from Community Development and the Traffic Commission. because what works for one might not work for another. And we heard that same situation when the parking enforcement plan was rolled out. What works in Haines Square doesn't necessarily work in West Medford Square. So I think that we would be in a better position to rely on the recommendations of the Traffic Commission and the Community Development Office.
[Fred Dello Russo]: As Anita pointed out to us, there is no reason why the shopkeeper can't place a restriction on their vendors to say, you want my business? You deliver between X and X these days of the week. And that's it. It works everywhere else.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: So on that point, I just want to make sure that's clarified in the minutes that we asked the OCD and the Traffic Commission to restrict the delivery trucks and up the fines as they decide. from area to area.
[Adam Knight]: And I think escalating fines, Mr. President, might be the way to do it. First offense, second offense, third offense, fourth offense, and they increase, you know.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Escalating fines, Mr. Clerk. Mr. Clerk had that. Madam Vice President, are you satisfied? Thank you. Thank you. All those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? Motion carries. 16-088, offered by Councilor Falco, whereas, The City of Medford is experiencing various traffic and development issues throughout our city. Be it resolved that the City of Medford hire a traffic engineer slash consultant to review the various traffic patterns throughout our city and design a traffic plan for the City of Medford. Councilor Falco.
[John Falco]: Thank you, Mr. President. I've only been on the council now for a short term, but I find that A majority of the phone calls that I receive and constituent emails all revolve around traffic problems and issues throughout our city. If you take a look around our city, you see a number of developments both in our city and in surrounding cities that have had a significant impact on the traffic patterns throughout our city. I feel that we need someone that will review and make recommendations on our neighborhood traffic issues and coordinate traffic signals citywide to provide technical recommendations on major proposals in our city. If you take a look throughout our city, we have issues in South Medford. We have potential issues in North Medford with a possible redevelopment of the Mullen Hospital. If you take a look at the Everett Casino coming to town, there's going to be issues with traffic congestion with regard to that. There's potential issues with the Wegmans development, I'm sure, because there's going to be a lot of cars down in that area. And if you look throughout our city, You know, you're hearing about condominiums and apartment buildings being built. And, you know, these are all going to have an effect on the traffic pattern throughout our city. I believe this is a crucial time as our city continues to see an increase in the number of proposals from developers that want to build apartment buildings and condominium buildings. I believe that these projects will dramatically alter traffic flow throughout our city, and we must act now. This is a good resolution. I think we need to get ahead of this with regards to planning and as planning and development grows throughout our city. So I move approval.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Yes.
[Richard Caraviello]: Thank you Mr. President. Um, for those who don't know, I am the, uh, I'm our city's representative to the casino mitigation committee and um, Maybe at the next meeting, that'll be something I can suggest. Maybe some funding can come from that group to help out with the engineer consultants. So I will bring that up at the next mitigation committee meeting. Thank you.
[Adam Knight]: On the motion for approval by Councilor Falco, Councilor Knight. Yes, Mr. President. I certainly would be in support of the resolution. I think it's a good resolution for the city to hire a traffic engineer. This was something that came up through our budget deliberations last year. We did have a debate about it on the council floor at some point in time last year also. However, that occurred after the budget process, so it would have been very difficult for us to have this new position to the budget. With that being said, Mr. President, I think it's very important for us to take a look at where we want to put this traffic engineer, where we want them to work. Do we want them to work on the DPW? Do we want them to work on their engineering? What office do we want to have them in? And also, whether or not we know what the cost of traffic engineer would be. I think they run anywhere from $76,000 to $106,000. I think with my understanding of doing some research, Mr. President. So, um, I certainly support the resolution. Um, you know what I mean? I think if we want to make this really become a reality, uh, we might be able to get a little bit more information to the administration in order to, uh, put it through. So I'd be happy to work with the Councilor, uh, through the subcommittee process or through a committee, the whole process, or just, um, through the legislative process to be sure that we get this done.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Awesome. So on the motion approved by council, Falco, All those in favor? All those opposed? Very good. 16-089 offered by Councilor Scarpelli. Be it resolved that the DPW report back to the City Council if they have a plan in place for pothole repairs for this upcoming season. Councilor Scarpelli.
[George Scarpelli]: Thank you, Mr. President. I know that as we're coming along and the weather starts to shift, we hope that we start looking ahead and figuring out uh, and asking our director, acting director of DPW to report back to us on a report and what, what is in place for, um, the multiple potholes that will be throughout our community and, um, get ahead of it before we are paying for, um, new rims and tires through Mr. Rumbley's office. So I'm hoping that we can be proactive and make sure that we have a plan in place. Thank you.
[Richard Caraviello]: Thank you, Councilor. Councilor Caraviello. Thank you, Mr. President. You know, as I've been to the MMA show, one of the things I found out is that I met a company called Street Scan. And what they do is they go around and they assess your potholes for you in the streets, and they do what they said to report to your city. In fact, on March 10th, they'll be doing a demonstration and a meeting up at Northeastern University in Burlington. So maybe if we could pass that information on to our DPW director or someone like the mayor. They do a lot of cities in this area and they said they contacted our city but they had no response.
[Fred Dello Russo]: So on the motion of approval by Councilor Scarapelli as amended by Councilor Kavliotis uh, DPW office, uh, for, uh, review, uh, Councilor Scappelli. I'm sorry, I hit the button by accident. That's all right. So all those in favor. All right. All those opposed? Motion carries. 16-090 offered by Vice President Lungo-Koehn, be it resolved that the Medford City Council receive an update with regard to what has been done within the last two months to help expedite the permit process for those who want to open a new business in Medford Vice President Lungo-Koehn.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Thank you, President Dello Russo. I just want to get an update with regards to making it easier to open a business, whether it be a restaurant or non-restaurant type business in the city of Medford. It's been, I don't know if we've ever updated the process or reviewed the process, and I believe it was something that was on the mayor's agenda, so I really hope that comes to fruition. It sparked my attention online. There was a video of, I believe it was the Chicken and Rice Guys, who just opened recently, when I hear the food's great, but a video span of all the permits that the Chicken and Rice Guys had to get. I think it was about 17 permits, which took about six months. So I have quite, you know, what was it? Thirteen months. Thirteen months to open a restaurant in Medford. I feel like that would be discouraging to a number of businesses. So I would request maybe make an amendment that a pamphlet be made to make it easier, to make the process more understandable and that something be done to expedite that. I don't know what can be done, but I know a number of inspections need to be had. I think we just need to make it easier to open a business and be more welcoming to people who want to establish in Medford. That was shocking to see a video that long of permits, and I know people I'm actually close with that had a hard time opening businesses in Medford. So I just would like to be, figure out a way, and hopefully that that is on the agenda, and hopefully this has already taken place. But if we can get an update with regards to how we're going to help expedite the permit process, make it more business friendly, make our departments more business friendly so that it can be quite simpler and less time consuming.
[Fred Dello Russo]: It's one of the primaries of discussion we've had in the transition team meetings.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Great.
[Fred Dello Russo]: And I think there's a draft already under review.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: So a draft pamphlet where somebody can say, OK, I need to A, B, and C. I need to apply for F now so it doesn't take longer. OK, great.
[Fred Dello Russo]: So a draft is being reviewed and tweaked.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Great. If we could get a copy of the draft. We could, through the chair, get a copy of the draft. That would be great.
[Fred Dello Russo]: The clerk is meeting with the business liaison in the mayor's office during the week.
[Richard Caraviello]: Councilor Caraviello. Thank you, Mr. President. And I went to the opening of Chicken and Rice Guys last week and talked with the owner, myself, and he explained to me and told me that they had an easier time getting a license in the city of Boston and in the city of Medford. And he said that, you know, much easier, much more streamlined in Boston. They were also going over to Everett. And the Everett Town Hall is working with them, and you get much easier. I came back, well, after I left there, I came over to City Hall, and I went to the mayor's office. And I reached out to Annie Scro, I think that's the person, and to have her call me back. And I wanted to go, and I said to him that I would bring her over there. But as of since Thursday, she's not reached back to me to go over there with him to discuss the issues that he had. So a new business coming into town wouldn't have to face the same hurdles that he went through. So, Mr. President, I ask that Ms. Grove get back to me on the message from when I left there last week to go over and meet with the chicken and rice guy so we can discuss the issues that he had so businesses in the future won't have to go through the same thing.
[Fred Dello Russo]: So on the motion approval by Vice President Lungo-Koehn as amended by Vice President Lungo-Koehn and Councilor Caraviello, Councilor Knight.
[Adam Knight]: Actually, Mr. President, it all came out in the discussion. I wanted to know what recommendations the transition team was receiving from the business community in terms of this process. However, through you to Councilor Caraviello, did the gentleman at the chicken and rice that the chicken and rice guy, I guess we can refer to him as, share with you where the breakdown was, what department it came from. Did it come from the traffic plan? Did it come from licensing? Do you have any idea, Councilor, where exactly the delay was most significant? I'm sorry? Do you have any idea where the delay was most significant? It was less significant.
[Richard Caraviello]: It was less, he said the process was much easier.
[Adam Knight]: No, no, no, but I'm saying, you know, it took 14 months. Where was the delay in the process? There are a number of different departments that are involved in the process.
[Richard Caraviello]: It was in the, he said, he explained to me that every time he had got something, he met a criteria, a new one would come up. He went and got a license, a proof of something where he should have been over here first. He said it was just a process that was, It was one hurdle after another, and nobody was on the same page to help the guy out. So I hope that when new business comes down, this is where you go, and they can walk the person through that. But again, I offered to bring her over there, sit down with the gentleman and talk, and see what the issues were that he went through, so we could streamline it for the next person. And again, I haven't heard back from the office yet. Move approval, Mr. President.
[Fred Dello Russo]: On the motion for approval, seconded by Councilor Knight, Councilor Marks.
[Michael Marks]: Thank you, Mr. President. You know, in my opinion, anyone doing or wanting to open up a business in this community, they should be assigned someone from the Office of Community Development that walks them through the process, that helps them get the licenses that they need. They should be assigned a person, not having them scrambling around this city. I've been on the council 14 years, and I still don't know what half these offices in this building do, Mr. President. You come down into the main foyer of City Hall, the directory on the wall says you can go get your milk license in room 204, whatever it is. Milk licenses were done away with 65 years ago. So you have a directory downstairs that makes no sense at all on the wall. These are the type of things, the hurdles. If you want to know what hurdles people are bumping into, just come into the building and try to figure out where to go in this building. Try to figure out who to contact, who to call. Why not have someone, why not promote the city and have someone that's gonna get out there and say, hi, I'm from the city of Medford. I'm gonna walk you through the process. I'm actually gonna file your licenses. I'm gonna do all the legwork for you. That way you won't see half the businesses in the square that have their lights out. Look at the square. I used to debate this with Councilor Caraviello. He said there were no vacancies in the square. I don't know if he'll still debate that anymore, but the whole square's vacant. The whole square's vacant, and it's because word gets out after a while, Mr. President. You know what? Business owners talk. The chicken and rice guy talks to his friends. And they talk to their friends. And they say, you know what? Do business anywhere but the city of Medford. Avoid the city of Medford. They'll put you through 13 months of torture to open up. 13 months of torture. I give the chicken and rice guy a lot of credit for his stamina. and wanting to stay with this community. But there are a lot of other businesses that would have just threw the towel in and said, the heck with them, I'll take my business somewhere else. The city of Medford doesn't wanna pursue us, I'll take it somewhere else. You know, we have to sell this community. We have to sell, we gotta get out there. The Office of Community Development gotta get out and sell this community. It doesn't happen, there's one person and there's a part-time person up there. You know, we don't want to get into this story over and over again, but that's what, you know, you want to point where the problem is, that's the problem. There's no one selling this community.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you. So on the motion of approval by Vice President Lungo-Koehn, seconded by Councilor Knight as amended by Councilor Lungo-Koehn and Councilor Caraviello. All those in favor? All those opposed? Motion carries. 16-091 offered by Councilor Knight. On the motion to suspend the rules for the purpose of councilor.
[Adam Knight]: I know that the clerk has a several papers in hand as well. And in looking at the paper before me, we have some petitions and presentations for a couple of taxi operator licenses. And I think based on what I can see over your shoulder there, it might be in these gentlemen's best interest to get out of here and try to get home and battle that weather. It is now snowing. With that being said, Mr. President, I'd like to take papers 16092 and 16093 up so that the individuals in the audience have the opportunity to vote.
[Fred Dello Russo]: On the motion of Councilor Knight to take petitions, petitions, presentations, and similar matters, and papers in the hand of the clerk and onto suspension. All those in favor? All those opposed? 16-092, petition of taxi operator license by Hickam Humdy. of 158 Pearl Avenue, Revere. Sir, are you present? Is the petitioner present? So on the motion of Councilor Caraviello to table this, all those in favor? All those opposed? Motion's tabled. 16-093, petition for taxi operator license by Philippe M. Tovar of 20 Burgett Avenue, number two in Medved. Mr. Tovar, are you present? Mr. President, motion to the table? On the motion to the table by Councilor Caraviello. All those in favor? All those opposed? Two more things were coming to you, Madam Vice President. Under suspension 16-094 offered by Councilor Caraviello be resolved that the Metro City Council request for public parking repair or replace the meter head at 451 High Street that has been broken down several times. Mr. Councilor Caraviello. Thank you, Mr. President.
[Richard Caraviello]: You know, um, public parking, Having enough of a problem with the kiosk, now this is just playing single head meters. With a few dozen that we have in the city, the one up front of the store has been broken for about a week and a half now. They had a cover over it at 451 High Street. It was covered for about a week and a half. It took the cover off, and it was broken the next day. So I went in the other day to go to a Macy's Pizza. I bring a couple of quarters, I go in there. does not take orders, does not take change, must use a credit card. So I try to call on the public. No answer. No trying to work through the thing there. If we could have them get down there, either change their head or fix it again. On that motion, all those in favor?
[Adam Knight]: Mr. President? Councilor Knight? I'd like to amend the paper and ask for a report back from Republic as to what their policy is regarding parking at a disabled meter, whether or not it's a ticketable offense, whether or not you're not supposed to park there, whether or not you're allowed to park there for free, but for the two hour limit. So what is the policy for parking at a broken meter?
[Fred Dello Russo]: What is the policy for Republic parking at a broken meter? Is it a ticketable offense? As amended by Councilor Knight, Councilor Caraviello?
[Richard Caraviello]: I know I've asked for this report multiple times before, but I never received a report that we asked for from the parking. I know the newspaper got it. I never saw it in my package. I don't know if maybe, I don't know if the other councilors got it in their package. We asked this paper a long time ago.
[Fred Dello Russo]: The year to date, analysis of public, Republic parking intake.
[Richard Caraviello]: The newspaper managed to have it. And he's not even an elected official. And we as elected officials don't have it. As amended by Councilor Caraviello, Councilor Falco.
[John Falco]: If we could have 2015 year end as opposed to year to date this year. I want to see the total.
[Fred Dello Russo]: So 2015. January to December. January to December. To the end of January to December and year to date 2016. That'd be perfect. As amended. All those in favor. Aye. All those opposed. Motion carries. Offered by Councilor Knight, the result of the Fire Chief update the Council regarding the status of the EMS service zone plan. Mr. Councilor.
[Adam Knight]: Yes, Mr. President. Um, recently it's been brought to my attention that the Fire Chief has, uh, submitted a service zone plan to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Uh, the service zone plan would delineate the proper operations for the deployment of emergency medical personnel in our community. I'd like to ask that the chief give us a report back as to the status of said report.
[Fred Dello Russo]: All those in favor? All those opposed? The motion carries. Chair recognizes Madam Vice President.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Thank you, President De La Rousseau. There is a resident who would like to say a few words, so just if we could allow her to speak, give us a little update.
[mex41hYCPiQ_SPEAKER_14]: Thank you. Valerie Geiselman, Medford Mass. Let's see. This was a wonderful night at City Hall. Attending the meeting of the Committee of the Whole was so exciting to see so much participation. Let's see. I like what Gene said. A miracle is happening in Medford. And, um, I like, thank you. Um, Councilor Marks, um, famous phrase that, um, and we'll be seeing the creation of Medford, the miracle city on the mystic. I like that phrase. Was that your can't hear me.
[John Falco]: Okay.
[mex41hYCPiQ_SPEAKER_14]: Okay. Is that better? Okay. Uh, uh, G Martin said, um, she thinks a miracle is happening here in Medford. And I like Councilor Mark's phrase that we may be seeing the creation of Medford, the miracle city on the Mystic. Is that your phrase? I like that phrase a lot. Let's see. Yeah, I'd like to say a few words about Oak Grove Cemetery. I wondered what's happening with the suggestion that we have an advisory committee discussed here by the city council. And I'm interested in the advisory committee addressing the issues of natural space. for green burials, natural burials, and also creating an appeal process for decisions that are made where there are sometimes a request is made and exceptions perhaps should be allowed. And I was going over some of the rules and the bylaws, and they're not all that easy for an ordinary citizen to understand. Councilor Marks did ask me if Mount Auburn Cemetery, that's a private cemetery in Cambridge and also part of it's in Watertown, if they have a separate section. And I spoke with a separate section for green burials. I spoke with Candace Curry, who is a head of development there. And she said, yes, they have many separate sections. So they have graves where there could be six or more, 10 separate graves that are somehow mixed in with the other graves. And they do it a special way, but they are what is called natural or green burials. And that's how they do it. They don't have one big section. They have many sections. And I wanted to give that answer to you. You asked that, I think it was two weeks ago. Just recently, I read a quote by President Jimmy Carter. And he said, I'm sorry, my notes are a little bit mixed up. President Carter said, it was quoted in a German newspaper, that we don't have a functioning democracy in America right now, in our wonderful republic. I thought that was a pretty frightening statement by an ex-president. Maybe, you know, this new process that we're developing here with the city council will be a good example for other communities that may feel some intimidation. I'd like to thank Michael Ruggiero for creating the movement of our child review in Medford. and after so many years of waiting for this to happen. And let's see. Sorry. My notes are a little bit mixed up. Some other comments that I wanted to make. A few years ago, our past mayor, Michael McGlynn, honored the Dalai Lama with a key to the city of Medford for his compassion and efforts to help humanity. And along, I was just thinking along those lines that the cemetery, Oak Grove Cemetery mission, in their own words, the mission statement says, the mission of the cemetery division is to serve the citizens of Medford by meeting their needs with compassion and dignity. we will deliver services in a fair and impartial manner. And this is the mission statement that these people would be following. That's Stephen Brogan. He's the manager and superintendent. And then the board of trustees, James McDevitt is the chair, Stacey Clayton is the vice chair, and then Susan Dee is the third trustee. And so that's the mission statement of the cemetery. And I think if we follow through with an advisory committee, we could support the cemetery to follow this mission statement and fulfill obligations to the citizens of Medford. And I think that's about all in my notes. Thank you.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Through the chair to Valerie, I believe we haven't got a report back or anything from the mayor's office on the commission, but we did get an approval to ask the board of trustees and the superintendent of cemetery to report back on the number of requests they get per year on green burials. So I just haven't seen anything. I don't know if anybody else has with regards to the commission we requested. So maybe we can follow up on that. Um, and then also the clergy from Medford interfaith clergy, is in support of the green burial. So I'm not sure if you've been in touch with them, too, to maybe help your cause. OK, because it sounds like they all sent us a letter into the Cemetery Board of Trustees. So there are other groups that you can maybe work with to help your cause. I know you're on a time frame issue. But hopefully, you can get some help through this committee as well.
[mex41hYCPiQ_SPEAKER_14]: My understanding, the clergy is interested in green burials and having an advisory council and having other situations that would be related to cemetery matters dealt with with the clergy. They also want to include other groups so that you don't have to be attending a church and also funeral directors for their participation and advice. Yes, but I wondered, Can the city council also be involved in that, so that it's a citywide endeavor?
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Well, we can pass resolves, we can make recommendations, but I'm not sure. Yeah, Councilor Knight's right. I mean, the commission is, if you want to explain that further, that was perfect.
[Adam Knight]: Boards and commissions fall under the purview of the mayor, the appointment power. They don't have to be approved by the council or any of that. you know, in terms of what the council can do, we can take legislative action or advisory action, but in terms of establishing, we can establish a board of commission, I'm sure, whether or not we'd have the statutory authority from the state to do it regarding the cemetery or cemetery advisory committee is a different question that I'm not qualified to answer. However, the short answer to the question is no, at this point in time that was posed.
[mex41hYCPiQ_SPEAKER_14]: I think a number of us that are concerned about green burials and conservation in the city, and there is a growing number of people now that we've been talking about it, are interested in seeing that the whole community of Medford could be involved in expressing their needs and their concerns, and to be able to have those needs addressed in a timely manner, and also if there's things in the bylaws that need to be changed, such as maybe things are going to be changed with the charter review, that that would also be a consideration so that everyone's needs could be understood and met in a timely manner.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you. Thank you very much. Good night.
[Michael Marks]: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. And unlike the Veterans Advisory Board, which Councilor Caraviello pushed for and was finally implemented by Mayor Burke recently, there is no state statute that governs, like Councilor Knight mentioned, governs the same process for cemetery boards to have an oversight body. However, we could, that does not preclude us as a legislative body to create that. And I think we're at about that point right now. And I see the interest from the clergy and other interested parties in the group, as well as in the city, as well as Valerie, that over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be offering a paper for the creation of an advisory board that will be the purview of this body through legislative action. And I think it's only appropriate that the matter be discussed And whatever the decision is, whether this body feels that we can create a city ordinance or not, that'll come out in the vetting process. But I think at this point, there's enough interest out in this community. And I don't see why, personally, the cemetery board wouldn't amend their rules and regulations to allow a certain portion of the cemetery, a small portion, to be used for green burials. At this particular point, it's done in other surrounding cemeteries, and there doesn't seem to be a public health threat or risk. And, you know, as Valerie mentioned, that's a public cemetery, and we should be able to accommodate everyone in this community. I may choose not to be buried that way, but someone else should have the right to do so after the process is thoroughly examined. And I think, at the very least, Mr. President, I'm going to make sure that process happens.
[mex41hYCPiQ_SPEAKER_14]: I spoke with Mark Rumbley, our city solicitor, and he said under Mass General Laws, there's nothing that prohibits this type of natural burial.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you. On the motion of Council Knight that the paper be received and placed on file, all those in favor? All those opposed? Yes, Councilor Scott.
[George Scarpelli]: I'm sorry, just a feel-good story.
[Fred Dello Russo]: No problem at all.
[George Scarpelli]: public information this Friday night, probably one of the most selfless acts I've ever heard in my life. John Howard, a teacher at the St. Joseph School, will be donating his kidney to a student that needs it. And to me, I think that is the most amazing situation. That gentleman is a hero. He stepped up on his own, from what I hear, went out, made sure he was compatible for what's needed for that fourth grade child. And thank God it was. And on Friday night, they're having a big meet and greet at the Irish American at 7 to 11. And if anybody can make it, I think we should all go down there and give that gentleman a a pat on the back and a recognition. This Friday night at the Irish American, kidney donor meet and greet. It's for John and Justin. To raise money. The surgery's okay, I guess it's for other reasons, but I appreciate what John's doing, and he's a great person. He runs the drama spotlight productions, and my daughter Gianna. I want to thank John for giving her a solo. I've listened to a song for the last three months. But thank you. Yeah.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you, Councilor. By way of information, while we're on the announcement portion, the economic development transition meeting schedule has been announced. Next week, Wednesday, in the city hall chambers on March 2nd, 6 to 8 p.m. will be a public input session for business and economic development regarding Medford Square for the Hillside neighborhood on the 9th of March, a Wednesday, 6 to 8 p.m. at number 574 Boston Avenue, room 401, which is a Tufts facility. for West Medford Square on the 16th of March, Wednesday at 6 to 8 p.m. at the Brooks Elementary School, 388 High Street, and South Medford on the 23rd of March, 6 to 8 p.m. in the Arthur Dello Russo Community Room at the South Medford Fire Station. Finally, offered by Councilor Knight, 16 dash, one more announcement, Councilor Knight.
[Adam Knight]: Included in our packets this week, Mr. President, was a letter from Lauren DiLorenzo, our Director of Community Development. And inside that letter is an advertisement for the request for proposals for public service funding through the Community Development Block Grant Program. The City of Medford is in their 42nd program year. It's going to run from July 1st, 2016 to June 30th, 2017. And residents can pick up an application and submit their proposals by March 4th to the Community Development Office. So it's going to be a big year, I think, this year, Mr. President, and I'm hoping that There are a number of organizations out there that are helping work, curb the opiate crisis for low and moderate income residents here in Medford that are going to hear this and are going to apply so that we can continue to get some help here in the community in combating the addiction crisis that we're facing.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Committee of the whole April 5th at 530 in the council chamber for the council room office for that and May 3rd. will be before us in the public hearing. Also, Mr. President, the OCD director is reaching out to the two new Councilors, two of you on the process. Councilor.
[Adam Knight]: Also, the Community Preservation Committee will be meeting to discuss the structure of the Community Preservation Commission on the heels of the Voter Approved Community Preservation Act, and we will be meeting on the 2nd in room 207 at 6 p.m.
[Fred Dello Russo]: while the economic and business event is happening here. Yes. Awesome.
[George Scarpelli]: Councilor. I believe I was left off that. Um, yeah, George.
[Adam Knight]: Thank you. Solicitor Rumley became a non-voting member. Right. George is on. We'll have to review that, I guess.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Thank you. And, uh, 16-091 offered by Councilor Knight, be it resolved that the Medford City Council extend its deep and sincere condolences to the family of Amabile Billy Rizzo on his recent passing. Mr. Rizzo, a distinguished member of the Carabinieri when he was a young man in Italy, and both of his sons are distinguished public servants.
[Adam Knight]: Yes, they are. Yes, they are. So, Mr. President, the Rizzos have been good friends of mine for a number of years, dating back to the early 90s. Tony and Gino were great kids. And Mr. and Mrs. Rizzo were always very hospitable and welcoming. You know, they had that type of home where you could walk down the street and the front door would open and somebody would yell at you, get in here. What do you want to eat? They were great people. Billy was a wonderful guy. He immigrated here from Sicily after serving as a member of Interpol, actually. And, you know, he had thousands of pictures to show you every time you saw him. And he loved to kiss me and everything else, Mr. President. He's going to be sadly missed. Um, and I'd like to extend my condolences and that at the council in the city of Medford to a longtime resident who was very civically engaged, um, who's going to be greatly missed.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Please join us in a moment of silence. The records meeting of February 16th, 2016 will pass a consulate. Mr. Caraviello, Mr. Councilor, how'd you find those?
[Richard Caraviello]: Mr. President, I found a small error here. On 16072, at the bottom of the paper, it says, upon motion by Councilor Marks to be tabled, it should have been referred to Committee of the Whole. So if the clerk could make that change, it would be appreciated.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Very good. Otherwise, you move for the approval?
[Richard Caraviello]: Otherwise, the papers are in order.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Very good. On the motion for approval, all those in favour? All those opposed? Motion carries. On the motion for adjournment by Councilor Falco.
[Michael Marks]: No meeting next Tuesday?
[Fred Dello Russo]: And there is no meeting because everybody must get out and vote.
[Michael Marks]: Committee to hold until tomorrow.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Committee to hold until tomorrow.
[Michael Marks]: Motion to adjourn.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Vote and vote on it.
[Michael Marks]: Approved.