[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Angel Castagnetti, Cushman Street, East Medford Mass. Thank you, council. Thank you for the presentation. I was not aware of this. I just want to play devil's advocate while I'm here. Does the presenter know how many total parking spots we have with the three parcels as we speak?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: And then what would be the parking spots after the three building development?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: How many parking spots do we have in all these three parcels and how many will we have after this proposed development is completed?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yeah. How many present senior parking spots do we have presently? And how many will we have in the future after development? I have one last one, should I continue speaking to you?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay. And those grocery store right there, is it really a really good idea? There used to be a grocery store here on the left side of Transit Street. It was there many years ago, and it was a decent size. I don't remember the actual company name. But I was wondering, if there's a grocery store there, where would the customers park? And how many spots would they have? Or is it needed parking? They have to pay for parking. Those are the only three questions I have today.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. I just wanted to say he was a consummate. He was one of the best gentlemen I've ever known in the city. I am shocked to hear it, but he was up there in numbers. I'll miss him. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, East Methodist. I feel compelled to say something. This past officer, Razo, he's a great person and he's been here since 2005. He is on Mystic Ave with his business. I've never heard a noise from there, unlike the Bear Garden. So I wish him the best and hope you go linear with him and go with him. Thank you very much.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Beres, Andrew Castagnetti, Cushman Street, East Medford Mass. First of all, I want to say, I want to start off by saying it's been a pleasure to deal with our new Chief Real Estate Tax Assessor, Mr. Jarvis Jagdjan. He's one of the better ones we've had in the last, 20 years. I got to say something about the breakeven point because it was mentioned, and I did the mathematics and I found an error. The breakeven point is not 1,038,000. It's more like 1,080,000, give or take 1% or 2%. And I realized in the packet, it does say to 1,000,038 is a ballpark. But I did the actual number, it's closer to 1,000,080, almost 1,100,000. Therefore, the correct break-even is over 1,080,000. And by the way, this break-even goes higher and higher every year as it should with the appreciation or inflation, whatever you wanna call it. I heard deja vu. Thank you for your time, but please listen. It's like deja vu all over again. I'm here to adopt Mass General Law Chapter 59, Section 5C, the owner-occupied real estate tax exemption at the full, full 35% shift. allowed by our commonwealth of Massachusetts. This is my 22nd year here in person trying to help our own occupied homeowners get a tax breaks on our real estate tax bills. After all, we carried the load financially for over 100 years. These cities are doing this for many years, and they're still helping their own occupied real estate taxpayers in Boston, Somerville, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, but still not here in Medford. Why not? For God's sakes, even Senator Kerry gets it at 28 Lewisburg Square in Beacon Hill, if that's his real address, according to the IRS. And yes, I am totally baffled why I am the only one out of 60,000 Method people who come here to fight and cares for 22 years to give thousands of owner-occupied real estate taxpayers real tax relief. By the way, Dr. Stirella said to me, but Andrew, if we get it, then how is the city gonna pay their bills? And my reply was, and still is, as far as I know, the law has not changed. The city still gets all their money because our owner-occupied savings is simply shifted and added to all the absentee homeowners, the business investors. Finally, I do believe you city councilors and many others, if you're using common sense, Now realize that most of our homes are being snatched up by national and international investors, which hurts our affordability big time. So let's have the absentee business new owners, maybe some are slumlords, I don't know. have them pick up the tab and give us, the owner-occupied homeowners, some real estate tax relief for the first time ever. Period. Period. But it can only be done if we adopt Mass General Law, Chapter 59, Section 5C, in my opinion. Do you have a better solution? What say you?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: What say you? Do you have a better idea to help the people who carried this law for a hundred years.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yeah, yeah. I heard you. I heard you cry about the mayor didn't give you the money. As you said, you last November, you said you could get some money and study this six months in advance. Well, anyways, why can't you vote to do this? And then get it done by next November, and that gives you a whole year instead of 10 months to get the job done.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: No, I'm not talking about starting at a medium, I'm talking about a year from today, Mr. Assessor.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: And of course, these cities, like Somerville, probably have eight people working in the assessors department, and Everett and all the other ones, especially Boston. But if they're doing it and they haven't dropped out of this, that says volumes to me. It must be dynamite. It helps.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I really kind of understand the mentality of this council and the mayor.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Because if you vote majority to do it and the mayor says, okay, it automatically goes to the state house and right away we get it.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Bears. Andrew Castagnetti, Cushman Street, East Medford. First of all, I want to apologize if my phone blew up with a phone call at the start of the meeting over an hour ago. It was one of our residents. She was very irate and yelling at me because Channel 22 Comcast was not coming through for this meeting. So hopefully it got rectified, because I did not want to interrupt your meeting an hour ago. I tried to knock on the door, it was locked, no response. So hopefully it's working for everyone. As far as Salem Street goes, I'll make it very, very brief. because I'm repeating myself from last five meetings on the same subject, Salem Street is congested enough as is. My uncle had three family with a store attached to it, still there. And it's congested in my opinion. If you can do anything is get that large gas station out of the three of them that takes up the whole block around Otter Street. If you can get that, from the owner who lives in Winchester to give it up or Eminent Domain there, that's a nice big parcel, it's a whole block. That would be tremendous. But otherwise, I wouldn't do too much more because it's already gonna be like Somerville with the Somerville congestion and the issues with or without heroin or methadone. Go easy on Salem Street, please.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you very much. Castagnetti, Cushion Street, East Mayfair, Mass. There's a lot of stuff going on here. I wouldn't want to age off all the tea in China. Crazy. I guess the old adage is true, you cannot satisfy all the people, especially at one particular time. But anyways, first, I should probably congratulations to you councillors on the re-election. I hope it was a good and fair election. Number two, also special thanks to all the politician wannabes who ran. Keep the faith because our country needs you. Number three, charter review also passed with term limits, but it would be better still if we term limited the Congress and the Senate and more in Washington, D.C., in our opinion. Was this meeting scheduled for Tuesday night, last night on the 11th originally?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: It was originally originally way back. Yeah, it was changed because of Veterans Day six months ago.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay. So anyways, I wanted to say happy Veterans Night after. Because it wasn't for our veterans from World War Two, we'd be speaking German here if we'd be alive at all. Maybe Japanese on the West Coast, or maybe Spanish, up to the man based in Dixon line. The veterans They're not respected enough. They tried to throw me in Vietnam back in 68. I've seen my friends come back in body bags from Haines Square. Another one coming back missing an arm and a leg. We saw around Mr. Marcelino, Barry Park. And it's just horrible. Imagine if you walked a half mile in their shoes, what they did. They're not respected enough. So a thank you is not good enough, in my opinion. A heartfelt prayer is what I like to say to these soldiers. Please hear my prayer. Almighty God, creator of heaven, earth, all sentient beings, and more, please get me and all of us to be and do the best that we can, now, always, forever and ever, in our quest for eternal, blissful peace. Amen. God help them, wherever they are. And hooray, I think I've seen some holiday lights coming back from the VFW of Veterans Party on Sunday night along the footbridge in the Mystic River. Hooray.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Bears, appreciate it. I am very much dismayed and shocked if Salem Street is going to relax their zoning to a point that, as I stated many times before, it's already congested and it's going to become like Somerville. And we're going to have the summable hassles along with that. In my opinion, the only best place is Mystic Avenue for development. End of story.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Bears. I've neglected to say that Salem Street is very, very congested as is. I live one block away. I avoid that and go through the square because it's easier to deal with Medford Square than it is with Salem Street at times. And don't forget, we on the east side of Route 93 have been suffering with the noise pollution 24 hours a day, which really hurts at three o'clock in the morning when you have a motorcycle revving up It's not fun, and the pollution is not good either. Even the people that say, oh, the noise doesn't bother me, but I have to wash my boat at the Riverside Yacht Club on a daily basis. It's like insult to injury. For 65 years, they've been suffering since they built Route 93 in 1960. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Castagnetti, Andrew, Cushman Street, East Method. I just have one question for these two individual department heads. What was our new growth value last year, and what is it projected to be this year?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: With the extra million dollars new growth this year, can for a change, can we eliminate the prop two and a half increase and use this new growth to offset our increases?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I just wanted to chime in on this. Going hungry is no fun. And it seems like one in five Massachusetts residents are getting whatever they call it, snap, eight, food cards. And it's not fun, especially if they're used to getting the food. However, if I'm not mistaken, didn't the governor Haley come up with a billion dollars somehow to help with these hotels, with the immigration situation? I would think if she can come up with a billion dollars, maybe she could do something for all the 351 cities and towns.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: No, this is...
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Bears. I have a question that's very unusual. First, your Prop 2.5 double override that we passed costs me about $1,000 extra on my real estate tax bill. Now I'm pushing up to $10,000 on a year real estate tax bill. And that doesn't take into account the $1,000 extra from the increase. It is going to be a 2.5% added thanks to Barbara Anderson. It won't be any more unless we do another override. But that's going to be in perpetuity along with the $9,000 I'm already paying. Some of us are having trouble paying our real estate tax bills, especially our seniors on a fixed income. My question is, if you all city councilors are reelected next week, will you please repeal this unfair prop two and a half override and help all the method real estate taxpayers? Yes, no or no comments.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay. Yeah. Now, number two. I also have a question for Mr. Beers and another Councilor. What the heck happened with my $100 check I gave to you in the city to install the memorial lights on the Mystic River footbridge? Are you gonna give it to the mayor?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: And there's no lights, it's over a year now.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: It's a lousy hundred foot of lights. And one of the Councilors checked on the internet and a dollar light that would cover a hundred lights. And it should face the Craddock Bridge, the first bridge in North America built in 1638. it will look wicked pisser, and it will be glowing on the mystic river. It's so sad. I would say, may the good Lord shine a light for all method people. It's a memorial, living and deceased, amen.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Bears. Good evening, City Councilors. I'm Andrew Paul Castagnetti. of Cushion Street, East Medford. First, let me start on a positive note. Must thank whoever is responsible for repairing our Crystal Campbell Marathon Memorial Water Fountain at the Senior Citizen Center on Riverside Avenue. Thanks. Number two, thanks for the DOT, I believe it's Department of Transportation, for cutting down those wild trees at Roosevelt Circle. It was a major, major safety problem at the worst intersection in Medford. Number three, after 24 years of fighting Department of Recreation, DOR, and eight condo owners in court. We finally have our Clippership Connector bike path all the way to Medford Square. And I am pleasantly shocked they did it the right way within 20 feet of mean high tide as required by riparian rights law from a colonial law in 1641. Kudos to all. We thank you a lot. And now tonight I'm starting on my fourth mission to help out all of the East Medford residents by stopping geographical discrimination in East Medford Mass. One, in 1960, you may recall the Department of Transportation built Interstate Route 93 by Eminence O'Maine. Route 93 split the city in half, destroyed many homes and the old cemetery, et cetera. First, I must thank State Rep. Paul J. Donato Sr. for installing one sound barrier on the west side of Route 93. But we the people also need our own East Medford sound barrier to stop us suffering since 1960. The noise is terrible, 24 hours a day and especially at night. And the pollution also sucks as we're sucking in diesel fumes. This is very unfair and unhealthy, in my opinion. For the past 65 years, it's been going on. Please stop our suffering on the east side of town. Build our wall now, or yesterday would still be better still. I am not blaming anyone, because I love everyone. But as you know, I always do what as I please. In closing, I have started a signature petition to build our East Medford sound barrier and reverse, stop the geographical discrimination against all 10 to 20,000 East Medford residents. Amen. We need our barrier. We want our barrier now, period. Therefore, I'm offering you honorable city councilors this opportunity to sign my petition now. And the noise is bad, bad, and the pollution sucks too. Thank you if you're listening. Route 93 was built in 1960. Today is October 21st, 2025. That was 64 and a half years ago. You suffered long enough. Any more time left?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: If you want to sign the petition, if any of you want to raise your hand, I'll pass it on my own.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I have a lot of takers. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Bears, Andrew Castagnetti, Cushman Street, East Medford. Before I start, this is the second time this happened to me. I'm having problems getting on the Zoom. Out of 10 years, this is the second time I've had problems. It says to enter the meeting passcode. I don't see it on the agenda. Which link did you use? Sorry?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I did everything that I've done for 10 years, but now it says they want a meeting passcode. All right. It's not on this agenda as far as I can tell. But you're having people on Zoom, they got through okay, correct?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: More than one?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: So you know what the passcode is?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: With a number sign at the end?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay, I'll try that later on and I'll put the number sign in this time.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. All right. I appreciate your help.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I have three minutes.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. You're good. Sometimes your city councilors talk on world issues at the same time versus fixing up newest pothole in town. So now I am, I am talking world issue. Today is two year anniversary. October 7th, 2023, the slaughter of 1,200 Jews and non-Jews at a music festival. They took hostages. It seemed horrible as far as on the newscast, but I'm not here to blame because I wasn't there and I don't know who these characters are. So I'm not placing blame, but I feel horrible for them and the families. So I'd like to please hear my prayer. Almighty God, creator of heaven, earth, all sentient beings, and more, please get me and all of us to be and do the best that we can, now, always, forever, and ever, in our quest for eternal, blissful peace. Amen. Now, I don't have the authority to ask for a moment of silence, so I'm gonna end by saying Lastly, my Christmas wish this year is the Mideast has an everlasting peace for the first time in the last two, maybe 3,000 years, period. Thank you for your time.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Medford resident, East Medford. War is hell. Actually, war is worse than hell. Because in hell, you expect to burn, at least most of us do. But in war, you don't know what village is gonna be hit. So, I'm always a peacenik, always, except on certain occasions. I'm a Woodstock graduate, 1969, I repeat. We protested a lousy Vietnam War and a damn military draft. We were part of the first ever of 100,000 gathering in Boston Commons in 68, or maybe it was 69. I'm not quite sure. We were hip, but we were not hippies. We youths had real problems with war. Today's youths have no clue. Number two, without armatures, Those companies supply the USA. Without that firepower, USA would have lost World War II, and you and I would be spooked in German or be never born dead. Three, yes, I'm against all pollution. It's bad enough that I smoke. but you cannot snap your thumb and get off the oral addiction. It takes time. Thanks, but no thanks.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Castanedi, on Andrew, on Anise Bedford, two blocks to your right. I got here on time. I apologize for missing the first part of Councilor Bears' talk. It took me about 12 minutes to find a decent cup of water. I need more. Maybe I can go in there, because I'm not doing well. I apologize for not hearing everything, but did I hear at the end the connotation was that everything's kaput, or it's on hold, or you're going to reorganize? in a nutshell?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: It feels like this is like the 19th meeting. 29th. Maybe I missed 10. So maybe I should proceed with this because not knowing what you were speaking about earlier, it might pertain, if I may. I've come to my conclusion that you city councilors are tired of seeing and hearing me here at our public meetings. Ditto. I'm also tired of fighting city hall. It ain't fun anymore. But however, you city councilors are out of control, especially because of your rezoning ideas. This is a horrendous assault on we the people of, in Medford, Mass. Are we nuts, in my opinion? I speak at last week, hold on for the music to clear too. I speak at last week at this podium, different reading, same subject, sort of. A speaker last week here made a great common sense point. He or she, I don't recollect, said, OK, do the ADU, I guess it's called Additional Dwelling Units, period, and only that. And I thought that was really good because my initial thought was, Monsec, whatever you want to do, cut it in half. But that's way too much overkill. So even then, the ADUs, if 10% of the houses did this, it still may not give you any affordable units, whatever the definition of affordable is. Anyways, and forget the rest of this zone, because we have enough concession in this city as is. So please, please, please stop the assault on our fair city. Stop the bleeding, save our city, or else we can never go back to old Meffa.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I understand the word you're saying.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I still can't understand. I have one paragraph. May I finish?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. They're gonna send me to Yale or jail for talking like this, but someone's gotta do it. Also, I'm waiting for your mayor, Brianna, to step up and take control of this disaster before it's too late, before the next election. P.S., is she running unopposed? That's a question. Anybody know? City Clerk, no? You're not allowed to speak?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. I appreciate that, Councilor Spears. Very nice of you. So, how many signatures are needed to run for the office?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, sir. And when is the deadline?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I don't either. It's July something. OK. Thank you. Can I get some agua, please? Thank you, sir. I'm done.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes, sir. Go ahead. Yes, sir. Being of Castagnetti, Andrew, Ace, Medford. being of Ginju blood since 1492, yeah, and Columbus too, by the way. I wanna quote the Bible, Genesis chapter 12, verse three. Whether you believe in God and the Bible or not, I must quote these verses. I will bless thee who blesses thee. I will curse he, her, or it. who curses thee." The translation is, if you go against the Jews, you will perish. By the way, I'm afraid history is repeating itself. Mr. Bloomberg, Sr., believed in the 40s, bought a house in West Medford, but he was not allowed, as a Jew, and how to use a strong name. Are we repeating history? This is insanity. Be nice.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'll take a few seconds. What was I gonna say? Nobody's right if everybody is wrong, as the song says, but let's us not forget what happened October 7th, 2023. Innocent people in a concert. That's equivalent to three, two and a half. What happened in New York City, you know, the World Trade Center. That was horrendous. After thousands of years, wrong, two wrongs don't make a right, but that was horrendous. And I cannot watch that video. I don't have a stomach for it.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I just have one question. I thought the armory was under private ownership. Are we allowed to use our public money on a private building?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: What's the total cost?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes, thank you very much. What is your name, miss?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: No, I'm just, I'm on the list right there. What's your name?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Emily, you're doing a fine job as MC for months.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: And I like the way you control the mic. So anyways, B, I'm glad Mayor Breonna- I'm sorry, can you state your name and address for the record? Sure, Andrew Castagnetti, East Medford, Massachusetts.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'm glad the Mayor Breonna came to her senses before the election. I get it, the city wants maximum monies. I don't mind development if it's smart development. The best and only place for development in my opinion, is Mystic Avenue. Since 1960 when they built Route 93, because that was the old highway to Boston, Route 38. And the city has the power, don't forget, of eminent domain, mind you. Versus developing Salem Street, which is already congested, it will become like Somerville with big time Somerville hassles. By the way, the prop two and a half override cost me $1,000 per year forever and ever and ever. Will this new zoning idea lower our present real estate tax at all? I don't think so. Unless you tax all new housing, from this point on at a third tax rate of, let's say, in the middle, $15 per thousand. You got a shot that way. Five.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: 30 seconds is plenty. Thank you, dear. What the heck happened to those three Chapter 40B real estate projects from three years ago, four years ago? Do you know anything about that at all?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Sorry? Yeah, it seems like all three were sued by the city and they can't do it because it's not cost effective. They're bankrupt. We lost out on hundreds of apartments, millions of dollars. Lastly, thank you. If you are still listening, I'm just trying to make some sense to save our Republic of the USA. America. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Castagnetti, East Medford, Massachusetts. This is the first I've heard of the Supreme Court ruling. Thank you for enlightening me. I wish everyone peace and happiness. Again, being a Woodstock graduate, as you know. But we have some important issues out in the streets, like the potholes. I wish that was more of a priority. But on the idea of this ruling, I want to say, God, Jesus, help us all, please.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Villes. Thank you very much. Castagnetti, East Medford, Massachusetts. There you go again with national and international issues. but please do fix our potholes. Still, I really appreciate that. I'll agree, war is hell. Actually, war is worse than hell, because in hell, you expect to burn, so they say. But in war, you don't know what village is gonna be napalmed or bombed. So war is worse than hell. And normally, I'm for peace, as you should know by my record from 1969. But sometimes you need to use a big stick to stop us, for example, from speaking German or Japanese. Fossil pollution is not great, but you can't not snap your finger and get off the oil addiction. It's not feasible. I don't care how you vote because you really listened to my advice anyway. Shalom.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: The name is Andrew number 18.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Do you see it?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Should I wait? I'll come back tomorrow.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: So you have no guarantees. Thank you for your time.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Who are you? Hi, thank you for your remembrance. I have returned.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'm Andrew Castagnetti, and I am in East Medford, two blocks to your right. I'm usually for more real estate development. However, it must be smart development. At Mystic Ave is our best place for mass mixed use buildings. But not Salem Street. It already is congested and will become like Somerville with Somerville hassles. If you live there, it would be worse. I get it. The city wants more and more real estate tax money. But what fries my ass is our real estate tax bill will not come down at all. Will it? It's a question. Will the real estate tax bills come down at all or the opposite? They're gonna add two and a half percent onto a larger number every year for eternity. I'm waiting for an answer.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you very much.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Am I unmuted, sir?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: For one second.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: And for once, I could hear this thing. Because usually, you people talk like you're on Wi-Fi. And I'm telling the facts. Even one of the ladies here said to me, well, I don't want to hold you up. Listen, Andrew Castagnetti, Ace Medford, it's common sense. I agree with you all. All. We are a nation of laws, and we must enforce the laws, or else we don't have a nation no more. Not a nation, not a country worth a damn, especially for our children. If you have them, we're gonna get them. Thanks be to God and the Democratic Republic. Please save it, thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Bears. Just when I thought I was out, I was down the stairs, someone brought up Los Angeles. So the First Amendment is extremely important, in my opinion. Besides, I'm a Woodstock graduate. Also, I was one of the first of 100,000 protesters on the Boston Common against the Vietnam War. You see, we kids had problems. A lousy effing Vietnam War and a damn draft. These kids don't know what those problems are. Thank you for agreeing. That was in 1969, both events. Peaceful protest is good. question everything, but mostly peaceful nugget.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Hello.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Can you hear me? I have headphones on. Yes, we can hear you. Okay. Thank you, Councilor Bears. Thank you very much. I hope you all had a good Memorial Day yesterday, and I want to thank the veterans for all they did to try to keep our Democratic Republic alive for 250 years almost. But I want to thank them. They had a lot of courage. I have a question. Did I hear this evening that we have a city solicitor again?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Great. Same office as usual.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: No, thanks.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: You too.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Hello, Councilor, am I on?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes, I have my hand up for the previous one, but this all ties in. I wanna say the previous speaker that spoke, Nick, he made some good points. Like before we couldn't use the free cash and now we can. I still think he made some great points there. And also, if I'm understanding this properly, we're going to spend $30 million for capital improvements for the two schools. Two schools, yes. Yes. That seems like an eye-popping number. I'm sure the two new schools when they were new in the year 2000, didn't cost $30 million to build both of them, you know, combined. I guess I'm in, I'm back in the times, but this is a huge number. I wish us luck. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: It's just it's an incredibly big number, you know, just for capital improvements. And as a matter of fact, I believe when Michael McGlynn was mayor, he got the state to give us that land by the Andrews and McGlynn. And I believe we had like half a dozen new schools built back then. And I don't think it cost us one dime because we sold the old schools at that time. So this is like very, very, very huge number. I'm concerned. Thank you for listening. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Bears. I agree 100% with the people who mentioned we've got to keep the water out of the buildings. As a matter of fact, the McGlynn School has been leaking for many, many years. And it is not new, I'll agree with that. But maybe we should have used some free cash money many years ago to fix that roof, because we don't want the water coming in to condemn all these buildings in the city and then put it on our kids' charge cards, the $230 million each. not counting further inflation and tariffs, as you say. And second of all, in my opinion, free cash is money that was overcharged to us, the taxpayers. In reality, maybe they should give us back the money or at least half of it. Good night. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Bears. I want to thank all the parties involved because this was quite a task and it was a lot of work, I'm sure. And I'm glad to come to an agreement. I wish you luck in the election in November. When was the last time we had a charter change?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: So it's been more than 30 years, right?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I think that's when Michael McGlynn decided to run for mayor with a strong mayor and It's been quite a long time. I wish us all luck. Thank you very much.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Beatty, Andrew Castagnetti, Cushman Street, Medford Mass. It's late. A clarification, I'd like to ask two or three simple questions. First one is, are we still going to be a strong mayor, plan A government, what's proposed?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Basically.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: What's it called? What's the term?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: No term. Second question is, You have seven Councilors presently, and what will it be if it goes through in the future?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: OK, so you're going to have to add some carpentry and furniture here, evidently, if it goes through.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: And also a lady was on the Zoom and she was asking a question. I don't know if she got an answer, but she asked why was the mayor taken off the school committee?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay, thank you. Before I start the first two hours of this meeting was like there's a lot going on. I didn't want to interrupt it, but I had to write this paragraph. We are a nation, a country of laws that must be enforced, or else we don't have a country worth a damn, especially for our children. Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street, Aginju, and East Medford. First, I must commend Councilor George Scarpelli, Little Shoes, searching for a peace. Seems evil Adolf Hitler was POed at the Jews. He was rejected for an art school position in Austria as a youth. And Jews controlled the finances in Germany. But you should have a good.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Dr. Starello, you might recall him, I hope. I once said to him, man is basically good, doctor. He replied, that's not true, Andrew. I'm afraid to say it seems that he's right. Almighty God was quoted in Genesis chapter 12, verse three. I will bless thee who blesses thee, or I will curse he, her, or it. who curses thee. Translation is, if you go against the Jews, you will perish. You gotta have peace or there's gonna be war. And this time, I believe Jesus Christ himself will be returned. He'll be coming back to fix this whole business, period. This is a sad situation. I'm worried about my family, I'm worried about your family, I'm worried about this country, and I'm worried about the world. They're not worrying about me.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew from Salem Street. I'm glad someone did a great call to arms. This side of the room is like the Congress in Washington DC. They're all speaking for this proposal development, and not one of them, as far as I can tell, gave an address of Sill Street, not even close. Good job.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: You don't want to waste my time and tell me where the addresses are, I'll listen.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I can stand to be corrected. But it was a good call to arms, regardless. That you cannot deny. I'm usually in favor of new development if it's smart development. But Salem Street is already too congested. Stop this, please. Or let them vote on the issue from Lambert Street and Salem Street and other connected streets. Let them vote on it and not you. Because they have to live with this. Presume all your councilors still reside in Medford. While you don't reside in Medford and everyone here lives in Medford.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Anyone reside on on selling street. He took my question. What street is to the chair.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: All right. I told you once and I told you twice, but you never listened to my advice. Mystic Avenue is the only place. It's the best. It's your ace in the hole. You can do eminent domain through the government power, and you could have seven buildings, 10 stories high. First floor is around the clock, 7-Elevens, coffee shops. Second floor and the third floor can be offices and things of that nature. And the third, fourth floor up to the 10th, could be truly affordable housing? Because I don't know what affordable housing is. I'm sure I can't afford. How much is affordable housing, Mr. Pierce, right now in this city? How much?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: No, no. Simple answer. Give me a simple answer. 100 bucks, 10,000 bucks a month, ballpark.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Well, I'd like to know, because it's not affordable to me. I can't even afford cigarettes at $16 a pack. Okay, the worst thing, the whole thing, which really fries my rear end is this. You're gonna collect millions of dollars, tens of millions of dollars of real estate tax, additional real estate tax on top of the present tax. And it's not gonna have our real estate come back down even a dollar, as Dr. Sorella begged you. It's gonna increase, every year you're gonna add 2.5% to the levy, then the levy is gonna be much higher. So it's progressive forever and ever until we get to Oak Grove. It's not fair to Salem Street, period.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Castagnetti, Andrew, Cushion Street, Medford, Mass. I just wanted to, I'm saddened by something that's been happening for the last half a century. I don't know how the hell we ended up in this situation, supply and demand. When I went to elementary school, I recollect the teacher saying this economic system, capitalism, I guess, is basically built on supply and demand and that will dictate the price. That make sense? Maybe, mostly, but anyways, I kind of understand how, the prices became a million dollars and the developers, they didn't develop it back when they were in the mid price range or was it the government was the problem or a combination of both. And now with the Canadian plywood going through the roof, we'll never get out of this jam.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Someone called me and said that this was not transmitted. This meeting was black followed. It didn't go over the airways.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: And the Committee of the Whole did not go through at 6 p.m. That I can guarantee you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: It's on Channel 22.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Good evening. Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street, East Method Mass. I first met Bob Scarri at the brand spanking new grand opening at the Medford Public Library in 1960. He's a man of great character. We love the United States of America, and we love our city, Medford, Massachusetts. And I want to say God bless all, including the other 1968 graduates of Medford High School. Please hear my prayer. Almighty God, creator of heaven, earth, all sentient beings, and more, please get me and all of us to be and do the best that we can, now, always, forever, and ever, in our quest for eternal, blissful peace. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Hello, am I on now?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Castagnetti, Cushman Street, East Medford, Mass. I'm very saddened to hear about these two deaths. I'm sure it was unavoidable. Since the city sends out a lot of reverse 911s, maybe to like, to like cover their mentality, they should send out a message to all the peoples saying, please use extreme common sense and look both ways and look all four ways, especially if you're walking a dog, because it's hard to get out of harm's way when you have an animal with you. All I can say is it's unnecessary. It should not happen. And I say my prayers. Good night.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Beres, Andrew Castagnetti, Cushman Street, East Medford. The shock and awe, the bills have already arrived. I paid mine today, there was some irate, taxpayers at the assessor's office, and the poor girl was catching heck. However, the only solution that I can see to give relief is what I've been pushing for the last 19 years, and that is the owner-occupied, it's not just residential, it's the owner-occupied residential tax exemption. The Mass General Law is MGL Chapter 59, Section 5C. Please, someone, look it up, read it. They've been doing it in Boston, Everett, Malden, Chelsea, Cambridge. And some of all the average homeowner who lived in their house saved three grand, $3,000. In Everett, I believe they saved $2,400. We're not saving zero. We're not saving nothing at all. And it's been in business, this proclamation that we can do. And the state house gave us this option. Imagine the state senators felt that they had to help the homeowners who've carried the weight for decades. So, Councilor Bearsley, as you had said, one of my previous 19 occasions that you would start this process in May or June because it takes time to figure it out and hire more assessors. And I recommend you do it at the full 35 percent exemption. I am tired. Good night.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Hello, are we going?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, miss. My name is Andrew Castagnetti of Cushing Street. Thank you. In East Medford, Massachusetts. I get it. You want more development. I've always said Medford is the best location in New England next to Boston, proximity wise. However, Sill Street is already a busy street. So it seems to me your new rezoning will add a lot of new additional real estate tax to the city, to the city's coffers. But will this new money lower our real estate tax bill at all? Will it lower our real estate tax bill even one dollar or less? Okay, I guess I'll wait for an answer tomorrow. I said this before and I'll say it again. Maybe it's time East Medford to secede from the city and form our own city because we have the most valuable land, period. P.S. Miss Sikav is our best bet. Thanks if you're listening and good night.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Well, the real estate tax lower by even $1. It's been going up since I've been born every year, more than two and a half percent. And with the overrides, it's more like 8%. It's tough for a lot of people that are on seniors, they're on fixed incomes. By the way, I appreciate your patience. You're doing a good job. Good night.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'm personally. I lived on Mr. Gabb in 1955. That was the old highway to Boston, Route 38 for information's sake. When they built Route 93 in 1960, then we really didn't need Route 38, but we have it. It's a lousy place back then, street cars and trucks and mechanic places and things of that nature. And it has not been developed when it should have been 60 years ago. No, 64 years ago, 1960. It's a live industry. It's still the same street. And that's where you can go high on one side, on the 93 side, but you gotta lower our taxes. If you go up 10, 15, 20 stories, you put your own off rent on 93.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you so much for commenting.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Done.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Council President. We are a nation of immigrants. And supposedly that made our country greatest of all times. My mother and father both were sponsored to come to the USA from northern Italy, mind you, which is rare. One out of ten Italians you find here come from the north because supposedly we're more affluent. However, they were sponsored. My father sponsored others. Let them sleep in our houses and with their families. They took the, they became citizens. They studied the book. My mother had to learn English. So I grew up speaking an Italian dialect in Somerville. I went to the Hancock school in kindergarten, 1955. I'm sure Richard could attest to that. I don't speak English. Not a word. My father couldn't afford a black and white TV to watch the Three Stooges. How am I going to learn English? The point is, I made it. The key is this, legal immigrants, legal immigration. It's one word, legal. That's the only way to do it for the best chance for the United States of America. Good night.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Bears. Uh, I, I'm very confused and It's sad to hear this. It's a new method happening, I guess. I never heard of this before. But I just have one question for, I believe, for a Councilor, and hopefully that Councilor can respond this time. Did I hear a Councilor say that a needle was found in the bathroom in the City Hall premises?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I see. OK, could that have been a false flag? could have been planted by anyone and could that happen again and do emergency testing all over again in the future if that's the case?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Do you know the location?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Where's that located?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. Andrew Castagnetti, Cushman Street, Method Mass. Just wanted to ask you, where do we stand with my donation to the city about hanging the Christmas lights from the footbridge on Mystic River? Do you know where we stand with that? Was the check accepted?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I appreciate it. If you can just get the answer because I'm hoping it would be hanging there from the memory of Larry Lepore. our messenger and also before Christmas will be sweet, you know. So anyways, I want to wish you all good holidays and a Merry Christmas, if the shoe fits, and a happy, healthy new year for everyone. Thank you. Good night.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes, Andrew Castagnetti, Cushion Street, Bedford, Massachusetts. I want to commend and thank Councilor Lazzaro for bringing up a very dangerous spot in that area, that curve on Route 16. I think it's near Whole Foods. Matter of fact, I think that speed limit, they should have a reduced speed down to like 10 miles per hour, especially if there's ice on that curve. It's a dangerous curve. I've negotiated many times, and once I had Very little success. I ended up wiping out in front of Whole Foods. I hit the curb. I lost two tires back in 1969 while I was commuting to Honeywell in Waltham. However, I disagree. You should not lower the 35 mile an hour limit, in my opinion, on the other parts of the state roads. Because if you're coming from Boston on Route 28, heading to a station landing, you might be in dangerous, more dangerous, troubles with a speed limit of 25, because they're moving pretty fast. The city itself, it lowered the speed limits, I believe, within the city of 25 miles per hour. So I think it would be an opposite effect. I think it would cause more problems on the rest of the roads. And by the way, who would enforce these tickets?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay, I said my piece. I think that curve in front of Whole Foods, very dangerous from past experience, I know. That could reduce speed down to 10 miles per hour. But the rest of the state highways, I would let it be. But I would compromise if I had a choice, if I had the power, instead of 25, maybe go to 30, And in between, we could settle between 25 and 35 miles per hour. Thank you for listening. I got to go. Bye.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes, personally, I want to compliment Councilor Callahan for asking intelligent and pertinent common sense questions about this. I appreciate that. You impressed me. I have a filing problem. OK. Thank you for your patience. I'm Andrew Castagnetti, 23 Cushman Street, 02155. Good evening, honorable Councilors. First, I might start with this newspaper article in the Boston Globe. It was about our meeting on October 29th at the city council. And I will quote the reporter as she quoted me. One resident brought this concern, his concerns, to the city council meeting on Tuesday. This paper is actually on Saturday, November 2nd. A lot of taxpayers are having trouble paying bills with all this inflation in the past four years. Andrew Castagnetti said, I have one question for all of you city councilors. Do you have any ideas to lower, lower our real estate tax at all. I am listening. And the reporter sort of reported that the Councilors, you Councilors, no one answered. So I expected at least at minimum that one of your Councilors or more would bring up chapter 59, section 5C, the owner of real estate, owner-occupied real estate tax exemption, because that's the only one I know about that would apply in Medford, along with 18 other communities that have adopted this. So, I am here again for the 19th time. We're asking for the city to adopt Mass General Law Chapter 59, Section 5C. The owner occupied real estate tax exemption at the full 35% shift. This savings is being done in Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Cambridge, Somerville, and in all of Boston. Senator Kerry gets it at 28 Lewisburg Square if that's his truthful address according to the IRS tax document, if. So why not here in Medford? We also need real estate tax savings. Somerville owner-occupied homeowners saved $4,053 last year with a cap break of, a breakeven cap of $2 million. And Malden saved $2,690.04 with a cap break even of at one and a quarter million dollars. These numbers are not fake. These numbers I got from both city hall assessors in person. I will leave with you these assessor City reports. There they are. I will leave you with the reports from the assessors and these reports with you to trust and but verify the numbers. P.S., in the last 10 years, these owner-occupied homeowners in Malden and Somerville saved an average of $2,600 per year in the last 10-year average. My translation means we MedFed owner-occupied homeowners have lost out on a $26,000 savings in the last 10 years on average. And that does not include lost bank and interest. Page two. People say you can't fight city hall, but I had fun trying for 19 years without success on this matter. This is my 19th time trying to help the average homeowner. Here comes my 19th nervous breakdown. I'm tired. So now I am asking the homeowners in Medford for small donations to hire a real estate tax lawyer and a retired real estate tax assessor. Andrew Castagnetti, 23 Cushing Street, Medford, Massachusetts, 23. Here is the packet of information from Malden and Somerville City Assessors. Somerville started in 1992. Malden started the owner-occupied-exemption in 2008. Again, I repeat, City of Malden saved the owner-occupied-exemption peoples that own the houses, that live in the house $2,690 last year. And Somerville, as I said, started in 1992, and last year they saved, if they qualified, if they truly lived in the home, doesn't matter if it's a one, two, three, four, five, or six family, because it only applies to their unit, including Senator Kerry, if he's telling the truth about his address, and Beacon Hill. That's a lot of cake, man. And there's other communities, as you know, and it all started in Martha's Vineyard, I believe, or Nantucket, or both, this exemption, because the residents, the working class people that were taking care of the lawns and working in the restaurants that lived there, they couldn't really afford, but they didn't want people around with these mansions like ex-president Obama, who don't live there, they're not owner-occupied, and they get tired. And this is how this law passed, according to what I believe is truth. So I think I've said enough. If you have any comments or questions, I really would appreciate it.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: It's been a long time coming.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. If I may rebut.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I just want to rebut her. OK. If I may, through the chair.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: It's not a rebuttal. It's a comment.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Can you imagine that the state senators had a hot, for the first time ever, to help the owner occupied to get a break on the real estate tax? I'm shocked that they did this back in the 90s, I believe. It's amazing. So besides, the owner-occupied homeowners, they've carried the financial load for more than 100 years. That's all I want to say.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Take your time, but the quicker you do it, the better it is. That's what's important. Anyways, he must've knew me. Thank you, Council President. Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street, Medford, Massachusetts. My request to the city council, I brought this up a few months ago with $100 cash, but you become a scared, you told me to put the cash away. So I brought a check this time. I got the guy got rid of this licorice. You don't want to smell my cigarettes. Please see my check, my donation for $100, check number 742. I want this to go forward to light up the Karatek Bridge, the Mystic River footbridge over the Mystic River in memory of Lawrence Larry Lepore. He is well loved by many with this 37 year city employment history. This historic footbridge is the best existential landmark in Medford, Massachusetts. And it would be really cool to see the lights shimmering on a river year round. I'm hoping this beautification will be done before the holidays. Thank you for listening, Andrew P. Castagnetti. P.S. I've enclosed a photo of the Mystic River footbridge taken by your mom, Mr. President, Mrs. Beers. I met her at the West Bedford Open Studio. She had a booth. And it's a beautiful photograph. I'm keeping the original, but it's part of the copy I'm gonna give you along with the check. Also, please submit my request and check to the Mayor, City Mayor, Mayor Brianna. And if you have any questions or comments, I do appreciate it, because I walked the bridge a few times, I checked out the two, electric poles on both ends of the bridge. They're within spitting distance. They're like four or five feet away from both sides of the bridge. So I think it would look really cool. And if I wanted to use some Boston vernacular, it would look pisser. Thank you for correcting me. So if you have any questions or comments, I appreciate it. I seem to know a lot about this. So do you have any questions or comments?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I really appreciate that council. Thank you. Cause it would really look wicked nice. And year round, it won't be the Longfellow Bridge or the Salt and Pepper Bridge as they call it, but man, looking from the Karatek Bridge towards that lit up, shimmering river, it would be wonderful. I wanted to push the envelope and confuse matters worse. The Karatek Bridge was built in 1634, I believe. It was recently rebuilt before Carol's went out of business. And I was told, you can see the year as you're going out of the square over the bridge and through the woods, that was the bridge, I'm sure. Not the footbridge, but it's all granite. I'm sure it's been redone that bridge at least five times. I believe it was a footbridge at first and it was a drawbridge and it was a toll bridge. So we made the Beacon Hill people pay the toll in order to go to the fells. Very interesting. So someone told me it's the first bridge in the USA. I started thinking, wait a minute, USA was 1776. This is 1634. So it must be the first bridge in 13 colonies. So I'm presuming it might be the first bridge in all of North America.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: And, you know, this, I mean, I don't wanna push the envelope. I'm trying to get these heavy duty, well-built Christmas lights. They shouldn't cost more than $100. And what can they afford more than paying for six packages of cigarettes? That's 16.50 a wack. So the point is, this is not rocket science. It's very doable. And there'll be thousands of people that would appreciate this.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I think it's appropriate that I leave the check with my letter that I hope you forward to the mayor as a council president you meet with him frequently, and it's appropriate that I leave it on the same messages desk.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I have to save my cash for the real estate tax bills now. Thank you for listening. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Name and address for the record, you have three minutes. Thank you, Council President Andrew Castagnetti, Cushman Street, East Method Mass. I walked in here a little bit late. Please excuse me. And there's a lot of yelling and screaming. It was like a hornet's nest. What the heck happened? I'm sorry for the lack of civil order or whatever. However, it seems to me that It's something to do with salaries for the City Council, am I right?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Basically, I have two simple questions. One is, what is the Medford City Council, what is your salary or stipends all totaled per year?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: into your hands also besides that no really well not from the city of medford for this job you don't get stipends for papers and pencils i thought you did no no oh thank you for confirming that yeah uh my second question is uh with all your brains and all your computers can you tell me where method ranks out of the 351 communities in Massachusetts, as far as your salary, what is the rank, Boston's 110, Buck 25, they got a raise I think last year, but what do you rank at 30,400? I don't know. Does any, with all your computers and all your brains and college education, no one can tell me that answer? Does any other council have any answer?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Oh my god, I'm, I guess I'm living in a twilight zone myself.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you Council President Bears. Castagnetti Andrew, Cushing street, he's met forward near Magoon Park and the Buddhist temple. I have two parts of comments. Part one, I am sure six of you city councilors and more are very happy with the unprecedented passage of on two prop two and a half overrides in Medford Mass, USA. Hope this will not become a city hall habit. I pray to God our senior citizens and others will be able to pay the real estate tax bills. For the answer is blowing in the wind still. Part two, President-elect Trump won in a landslide, 75 plus more million votes. The Senate, and retain the House of Representatives. The jig is up. Now is the time for all good Americans to come together and heal and keep our democratic Republic intact, if we can. But my major concern is that our country may be too far gone and it is not fixable. Also worried our country may fall into another 1929 style economic depression. Even your parents don't know what I'm talking about. Especially with a $34 trillion plus national debt. That's over $250,000 per taxpayer, over $100,000 per test, translation per head. Legal or illegal? or, and a world war three that would really suck. That would be bad. Yeah. Cause it would hit every place with all these weapons. And I'm also worried for our children's future, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. God, please help us unite and live in harmony or else there's going to be war in my opinion. And I repeat God, please help us unite, heal, and live in harmony. Amen. Thank you, Andy.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Council President Andrew Castagnetti, I live two blocks east of the Senior Citizen Center in East Medford. I've been a member for some years of the Senior Citizen Center, and parking can be a problem at times, especially if they have one of those potty type things. And I'm not against development because without future development, we will shrink economically. However, I can understand their concern because they're having a hard time getting around. And so am I at times. And it's hard to walk, you know, a couple of hundred yards from Brigham's or Colleen's as you call it. So more importantly, I believe it was Councilor Lemmy had mentioned that for sure, or maybe, maybe through the chair and over the rail, he could, Go over this for me to be a parking garage. And how many units would that be for parking spaces? How tall of a garage? Is there an elevator? Things of that nature. And designated for the senior citizens, how many spots? If you have the answers.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: OK. Again, I'm not against development because that's important. Mystic Ave should have been done when they moved there in 1955. This is the same, five years later, they built Route 93. So the old highway to Boston is where the development should actually go. Mystic Ave, the old highway, Route 38. And if I remember correctly, the original builder of the hotel, the original builder, It didn't work out, he failed because of political reasons, I believe. He was going to build a hotel there where it is now, and he was going to make some grand or type of entrance way to the river, which is something we never should have turned our backs on. In Georgetown, Virginia, they built it on the river with their decks and their entertainment. We turned our back to the river. That was a big mistake. So, so I want to say, and I wanted to talk during public participation about something. Would that be now it's a different subject are you going to hold it open for me later on, sir, I'm going to finish out this subject and then we will take you after that.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Do you councilors remember City Councilor Mayorko, by any chance?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: There's a few. He made a statement once, and I'll never forget it. It's the only time I agree with him. He said, I quote, leave the people alone. But no, you want two, perhaps two and a half, overrides in the ballot next week, which never, ever happened in this town, ever, never. Some, a lot of taxpayers are having trouble paying bills with all this inflation in the past four years. I have one question for all of you city councilors. Do you have any ideas to lower our real estate tax at all? I am listening. And do you have another two minutes and then we'll go to the council, so the council does not have to answer me is that what you're trying to tell me, that is true. Thank you for your, for your input. Or is it the tax the rich and feed the poor until they're on the original more, tell me where is sanity. This can go on. How much is enough. Please stop the bleeding. No further taxation without proper representation. Andrew said that. Again, leave the people alone. Mr. Miyako said that, this.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Bears, Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street, East Medford, Massachusetts. I'm very devastated that we lost Larry Lepore. He's a wonderful man. He's a good friend.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yeah, there you go. I'm sorry we lost Larry Lepore. The minutes.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. I hope you all had a good Columbus Day yesterday, because he is the greatest world naval explorer in history. He said the world is round, not flat. He had more courage than all of us combined. He is also a hero to me and others. Also hope you had a good Indigenous People's Day. I also hope the same for the Jews. in the Mideast because they've been there more than 2000 years. Now let's talk prop two and a half overwrites. As I told you all before method never had a prop two and a half overwrite. We're not Winchester, we are all method here, a working class town city. Our problem is fiscal management and lack of building maintenance period, full stop. My ask is for you honorable city councils to stop this real estate tax assault on we the homeowners and leave the people alone. Stop the bleeding. We're already having trouble with all this Biden inflation.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Um, does it have one sentence?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I mean, it's up. You can say the sentence. Andy is a minute up. Yes, sir. It is up. Yeah. All right. My motto was this no, no further taxation. He's allowing me to speak. Do you want to interrupt me? Do you want to interrupt me?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: This is crazy. Stop it. My motto was this, no more further taxation without proper representation. The end. Andrew said that dark call.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes, sir.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: All the information is hot. She's the first person that brought this owner-occupied residential exemption up at this podium. And as you don't know, I've been here at least 16 years in succession every December to ask for it. And every single time, it was knocked down. Basically, it's called Mass General Law, if you want to look it up, Chapter 40B, Section 5C. And at the maximum, it will be 30% shift of residential values. And then, as you said, Councilor, they'll come out to be a figure as a cutoff value. Anything below will receive discounts and real dollars, and above will go up. 30% is the maximum. and Somerville does that, and the average Somerville resident that is applicable for it is saving over $3,000, real cash. So it's more than half of their bill, some of these people. So anyways, the way I understand the law was my sixth grade education, I read it once, 16 years ago. The mayor has to ask and approve for it, and the majority of the city council, if that is done and sent to the state house, you get it right away.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'm shocked and I'm sad. I think I first met him in 1980, my first time ever voted for Ross Perot, I think, from Texas, the chicken man. Can I finish, can I finish, can I finish? And I think I started coming to the council meetings about that time. I was not a youth either, I was already past my teens. And I had to love the guy, you know, he's just such a beautiful man. I'm going to miss him at our coffee talk at Alexander's. He was such a class act. He was a true gentleman. And I'm extremely sad. He was funny a lot of times also. Once over here by his desk, he says, hey, you're the eighth Councilor. I had a crack up. So he had such a charisma about him. It's a true gentleman. And he'll be missed. I hope his wife's doing okay. And do you know anything about the funeral arrangements? Do you know anything yet?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Rest his soul, he'll be in good shape in heaven.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: East Medford. It's late. Maybe I misspoke. I want to correct the record on the owner-occupied real estate tax exemption. Actually, the law, I think I said MGL chapter 40. That's not it. It's MGL chapter 59, section 5C, if somebody is interested. Next. I'm sorry that Mrs. Scapelli had to see this, they call it a swastika, with your kids eating post cereal, he said. That's low life, you know. I've never been online, social media, I guess I'm not missing much, so whatever they're saying about me, I don't give a hoot. And also, by the way, don't feel, you're in company, because in Harvard Square I heard today, at Harvard University, they put a lot of these swastikas on Israeli flags. tonight. So anyways, so much for free speech. I happen to be reading the Boston all the time Sunday communist newspaper. I mean, did I say Globe? The Herald? No, the Globe. I buy the post with my numbers at the smoke shop before I go to the hotel to read the paper. Anyways, let me check my football pool. So the point is, I happen to see this cartoon. I know you people work diligently to go against the leaf blowers, I remember. I think it all went through, right? This is a really cool cartoon. I think it's funny. It's a couple of squirrels. They're trying to get it on. Then the leaf blower goes off. And anyways, it's cute. My messenger, I wanted to give it to him tonight.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Can you hear me, please?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Bears. Andrew Cassinetti on Cushman Street, East Ford Mass. I want to thank George Scarpelli, the Councilor, for putting this forward and for you to accept it for the next Tuesday's meeting, is it?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: On the 15th, thank you. I am a senior citizen myself and my wife and We want to fix incomes. Can you, in my pre-minute span, can you help the people out? Can you tell me, question number six, how many million is that for?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: No, no, no, question six.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay, that's a debt exclusion. I'm sorry, question six, is it a debt exclusion or an override?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay, and how much is the total amount?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay, question number seven. That's an override, yes?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: And what is the total amount for that override, sir?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. And question number eight, is that exclusion also?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: It's $4 million. It's an override. OK. Are the seniors exempt from this if any of these pass?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'm gonna I'm gonna repeat myself. Most seniors are on fixed income and they have in trouble with this Biden inflation. It's really tough out there. That's all I have to say, sir.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Castagnetti, Cushing Street, East Medford. Thank you for the extra 30 seconds. Councilor Bears, I beg to differ with you on your comment, the negative comment about when Prop 215 started in 1980. As far as I'm concerned, Barbara Anderson, rest her soul, did a great thing by limiting the state that the city from increasing our real estate tax levy more than 2.5 percent annually or else the city would go who knows to what percent 10 20 30 um and i think she she was great the law is flawed guarantee you because everyone should uh every owner occupy should get a savings and not have some have to pay. Um, so I think she did a, she, she did a great thing. And, uh, again, rest his soul. Thank you. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Unmuted, I think. Yes.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay, thank you, Councilor Scarpelli. I wanna say I'm always against testing, to be honest with you, pretty much all my life. And the only thing is I'm just hoping this doesn't go further to the top and down of America. Good luck, people.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I want to say thank you for bringing up this subject. We are a nation of immigrants, and it's made us, created a great country once upon a time in the USA. On the other hand, it would be best if the immigration was legal so the country could absorb it financially and logistically. and make sense, and hopefully they will assimilate into our ways. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Castagnetti Andrew Cushion Street, East Method Mass. Through the chair and over the table, I'd like to address to Councilor Bears. Totally, I'm 99.9 behind Councilor Bears on this. I think it's great, because this country has really neglected to study alternative medicines for the longest time. For example, cannabis, it took them 85 years to legalize it, only after they could figure out a way to tax it. Let's call the diamond a diamond and a club a club. They figure out a way to tax it. Now on this psilocybin, I'm hearing really good stories. It's helping people with the PTSD, depression, anxiety. This could be a natural God's sin. If you don't believe in God, a natural nature's sin that could help a lot of people. And this should have been done a long time ago. I believe Harvard Professor Timothy Leary, back in 1960, was experimented with lysergic acid, and this government should have been right on it, not to lock him up, but to look at the different parts of psilocybin, et cetera. I commend you, Councilor Bears. Let's get it through, no matter what they say. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Honorable Councilor. Thank you, Honorable Councilors. Can you hear me? Yes, we can hear you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Free cash is not free. It came out of my pocket. It came out of all the other taxpayers' pockets. not just real estate, but excise taxes on the vehicle, et cetera, et cetera. Actually, the gentleman was right. It's an overcharge. That money actually belongs to the taxpayers, not to the city. Also, Medford High School is only 54 years old, and it seems they can condemn it. That's a maintenance problem we have in Houston. It's just not fair that you let our most assets in the city, our public buildings, become condemned. That's terrible. And you're putting it on our kids' charge card. Terrible. And this Prop 2.5 override business, it never, ever happened in Medford, Massachusetts. Never. We're not Winchester with deep pockets. We're working class people in Medford. The city is out of control. I gotta go. Have a good night, people.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Bears. Andrew Castagnetti of East Ford, Massachusetts. Someone brought up business. I'm gonna start this business talk with Medford. In 1960, my father told me, as we lived on Mystic Ave, the old highway to Boston, that there was only two businesses that made money back in those days, and that was the Old Carol's Diner and Grava, which is now another company. okay and by the way this country is not so rich eh we owe over 17 or 32 trillion i can't keep track without a scorecard we are past the point of bankruptcy now i'm going to get to my points if you're still listening sir i'm listening first off first off you grouped these four or five agenda items for one vote Wouldn't it be better for each agenda item to have a separate vote, in my opinion?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay, so I have a few mathematical questions. What is this year's levy, the budget this year? How much is it, the total?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay, I'm gonna call it 190. And two and a half percent of that would be what, about 5 million?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: So the property tax levy, I believe is- And then my next question would be after that is how much new growth do we have in real estate taxes right now coming up?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: That's good news, not compared to Summerville, but better than last year. So five and three, $8 million on top of the 190, without doing an override, we're going to have another $8 million more than last year's by right, without doing anything. But still, I guess it's not enough, and you want more? That's ouch. That hurts. Medford never asked for a prop two and a half override or a debt exclusion. We are not Winchester. We don't have deep pockets. We're a working class town. God help us forever and ever to pay our bills. Good night and good health.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor. You read me? Okay. I have much empathy for people with addictions. I've seen it in the sixties, a tough spot. I seen a few people go down with the needle, and it was sad. Reminds me of a song. I seen the needle and the damage done, a little bit of it in every one. Uh-oh, the damage done. Okay, now it's worse. We got Chinese chemicals going into Mexico, then the fentanyl's coming across the border. We're having 100,000 plus dead a year in the 50 continental states. You know, this is really, really bad. And if they can get to the pharmacy and pick up the methadone, which is a little better than fentanyl, I'm sure, and heroin, but we don't know what the hell's in this stuff besides the point, okay? All right, so the point is, Give them their methadone, if that's what works, and maybe they can become functioning members of society and go to work and stop robbing Mama and Papa and their neighbors, for God's sakes. But we should not have this location in a residential bordering neighborhood. If they insist on Medford, how about we put it in the section of Mystic Avenue, south of Harvard Street, in a commercial district. That would make more sense and keep them away from Medford Square because we've got enough problems as is. Good night.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yeah, I make it very, very brief. Um, as of two weeks ago, I spoke to his last via zoom and I wanted to thank whoever was responsible for their, their wherewithal in order to get that fountain, that, that, that, that fountain working again. It was great after many years of not working. However, as I said last week, it's not working again. And I got to go. You have the way with them. Maybe you can get that fixed. Good night.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor. Andrew Castagnetti, East Medford, Massachusetts. I want to thank the Council for putting this on the agenda. It seems to me I've never seen this much anti-Semitism in my lifetime. It probably goes back to the 30s and maybe 2030, besides. This has been going on for more than 2,000 years. You probably would not expect me to make this kind of a quote, but I like to quote Genesis chapter 12, verse three. I will bless thee that will bless thee, and curse him, her, or it that curses thee. My translation is if you go against the Jews, you will perish. So, I really appreciate you put this on the table, because we're in dire straits in this world. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Hi, Councilor Bears. Also, I'm from East Medford also. I'm Castagnetti Andrew. I'll agree that inflation is out of control... for all, and...
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I swear I'm not on CNN. I don't do that kind of work.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: That's fine.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: And I appreciate that because I'm camera shy. Okay, can we start again?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay, I'll agree inflation is out of control for all. Welcome to Bidenomics. I told you once and I told you twice, but you never listened to my advice. I said it before that comes with listen, the best solution for the housing situation is to form an apartment cooperative ownership buildings in Medford. The person that gets into the apartment will own up just like a condo and that would be with a 67% savings from today's condo prices in Medford. So instead of a million, you probably get into it for like 350,000 PS: rent control failed in the city of Boston. My uncle Joe Castagnetti brothers, you know, owned nine buildings in the north end but not by the expressway. He ended up selling them all and rent control failed. Good night.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'm unmuted, I think.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay, thank you, Council President. I wanted to thank and commend whoever is responsible to get the Crystal Campbell Boston Marathon Fountain up and running in front of the Senior Citizen Center on Riverside Ave. It was a pleasant surprise after many years. My question is, how come it's not pumping water today?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: That would be nice, because it hasn't been pumping water for many, many, many days.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: You're welcome.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Bears, Andrew Castagnetti, Method, Massachusetts. I appreciate your time. Thank you. Can you hear me?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. I want to thank Councilor George Scarpelli for putting this on the agenda to support our state legislators who are finally trying to fix this problem. I am more than appalled. I am totally shocked when I heard about this. It's a travesty of justice. It's an injustice against the real estate owner. I can't believe that Carl Malter Massachusetts would allow the 351 cities and towns to basically take by domain for non payment or real estate taxes and water bills, etc. and sell the house somehow and pocket the difference. I mean, this is terrible. It's grand theft. Furthermore, if I had the power, I will also have the cities and towns, they should and they must pay treble damages with interest to the x owners or The ears, period.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes I'm done, thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes, Andrew Castagnetti. Cushing Street Methodist. Thank you, Councilor, President Isaac Beers. Can you hear me, sir? You can hear me?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Isaac B. Zach Beers. Can you hear me, sir?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I could barely hear you. Being a Woodstock graduate, I'm all in and I'm for taxing these these nonprofits with their multi-billion dollar endowments, which supposedly they cannot touch, which to me is a bunch of malarkey. On the other hand, have any of you Councilors heard of this entity called Walnut Hill Properties?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay. And can you basically tell us what it stands for and who owns it?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: That's what I understand. I was at a meeting 20 years ago with Michael McGlynn, and I think he was He was the one that got this forward. This is an entity of Tufts College, and it forces them to when they buy real estate, one family's 10 families doesn't matter to buy it on the Walnut Hill properties. So we don't lose that real estate tax on off the tax tools, which is great. You know, So I don't know how much more tax you're gonna be able to get out of them, you know, with your proposition.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: No, I wish you luck because we do take care of all the fire department apparatus stuff. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes, sir. Peaceful protesting is cool. I've done it since 1967. However, if it starts to cross the line becomes mostly peaceful, then we have a, how you say, a safety problem. Then that's a different ballgame. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes, Andrew Castagnetti, Cushin Street, Medford, Mass. I just heard that Asian water pipes are over 100 years old, I believe.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I believe Boston is even older. I don't think they've replaced all their pipes. And someone spoke and said it would cost like a half a billion dollars to replace all the new water pipes with new water pipes. I mean, how many overrides or dead exclusions would that take? It would be more than a half a billion. As a matter of fact, I think as we go now, if it ain't bust, don't fix it. And we just repair when there's a leak. I don't know of anyone that's not having access to fresh water, whether it's polluted or not, I have no clue. But it seems like, I never heard a complaint from anyone, and I talked to a lot of people. They seem to, everybody seems to have water. And I would like to see the potholes filled from the Crystal Campbell fountain, which ain't working, the day after Patriots Day, after many years. going from right there on Riverside Ave going towards Route 93, I have to negotiate five or six bad potholes. I think we should just concentrate, first of all, on the potholes, or as Councilor Dello Russo called them, potholers.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: You know, I just want to make a quick question. Is it possible to they could store these these this credit site ties inside of some sort of a trailer? And when the workers go in, they can put on their masks and pull out as needed.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for your time, sir. You're welcome. How much time do I have?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I hope everyone had a great Patriots Day yesterday. Because if it wasn't for those Patriots, we wouldn't have a democratic republic, if we can keep it. Yesterday, I walked by the fountain. I didn't see any H2O water action. I went to the festivities at the old cemetery. And it was a sad thing that happened to me on my way to this forum. First off, last November, I was here questioning the councilors, but they didn't answer because they did not have to, they said. But City Councilor Caraviello told us the city, that the city has funds in place to fix the Crystal Campbell waterfall. It's not just for her, it's for the other three dead people and the hundreds of injured and maimed people for life from all over the world. But sadly, after many years, the Marathon Memorial Fountain is still not working. It's a damn shame on who. I need names. McGlynn spent lots of hours, he gathered tens of thousands of dollars, and I guess he started a trust. Well, maybe McGlynn, Michael, can come here and tell us what he did. He should be concerned. and you can tell us how to rectify this problem. Hopefully, the developers of that font were not that stupid to have it to a point in order to replace whatever the issue is, computer, the pump, Van Halen, whatever. But hopefully, you don't have to start ripping up cement. This is typical of Method USA 0215. This is a damn shame. Can someone tell me how this is gonna get rectified, anyone.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: So it's a damn shame. Can we get Mr. Ask Mr. McGlynn, Michael, to come down here and tell us the real score? You know, Maybe he still has the clout after being here for like two decades, you know? Can you reach out to him? Yeah. And I'm not a big computer person, but if the computer's the issue, why can't we just have the fountain run as a Boston Public Garden fountain? We don't have to computerize each little jet. Don't make it so complicated.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Amen.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street, Method Mass. Sorry I'm late, talking about Mr. McGlynn, Sr.? ? Thank you. I wanted to say the man was, he's a great man and a great neighbor across the street from me on Cushman Street. And when I first moved there, I knocked on the door in 1980, introduced myself, because my sister worked for the Attorney General, Francis X. Bilotti, and I know he knew of the people. So he started speaking in Italian, I mean, fluent. I said, I thought you were an Irishman. He says, I grew up speaking Italian just like I did in the house. And I didn't understand half of what he said, because he spoke Southern Italian, but he was very fluent in his Italian. And he spoke Latin also, and he told me that whenever his grandkids got an A in Latin, he would give them a hundred dollar bill back then. It was wonderful. He's one of the last of the greatest generation. obviously, and he is a consummate gentleman and a consummate politician. I miss him a lot. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Bears. AP Castanedi, Cushing Street. Three quick points under one minute. I'm not quite sure what you Councilors are aiming at. Some of you Councilors are aiming at as far as this registry thing. However, right below you, Councilor Bears, is the Registrar, Real Estate Department, the Assessor's Office. They have all the addresses of all buildings, including commercial, right below you. So there's your address list, and hopefully there's no penalty if we homeowners don't wanna answer the question, or a renter, to add insult to injury, by the way. I just wanna say, I'm really tired We have a lot of bills to pay, and it hurts sometimes. So I just would wish that Big Brother and you all would just keep the nose out of our business for a change. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I've been here in December when you set the tax rate, what the city assesses for at least 19 Decembers in a row. I missed once on purpose to see what you would do. Still the same results, seven to zero, they voted against it. Maybe it's about high noon time to adopt what they did in Boston, Somerville, Cambridge, Chelsea, Cambridge, to adopt Mass General Law, Chapter 59, Section 5C. And that is the real estate owner occupied exemption. If you live in the house, doesn't matter how many units, because it's only going to apply to your one unit, period. you would receive the owner occupied exemption, about 85% of owner occupied would receive a savings. Instead of the usual, I'm getting $300, $400 every effing year. It's crazy. So you, Councilor Bears, even said to the commissioner, of the real estate downstairs that we have to look at this in advance, like six months before, which is like May and June. So this is the time, as you said, we should investigate whether we should adopt this or not. At the full 35% exemption, or else don't even bother. There's a lot of people that are business people behind me, actually, that does not want this to happen. because they're absentee owners, maybe not slumlords, but they know on Christian Street, there's two or three, Winchester, Wellesley, et cetera. They're just collecting rents, two, three, $4,000 a month, depending on how many bedrooms there are. Every month it changes, and different cars come, no one knows where to park, not enough parking anyways. They don't know what color barrels to put out, I don't know, do I make sense? Or is it you people with the problems?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: What I just said was 85%, is my guesstimate, would save if they live in the house, period.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: At least it's not 1 a.m. Last time I was here, I spoke at 1 a.m., I was the last one. Andrew Paul Castagnetti, C-A-S-T-A-G-N-E-T-T-I, alias Burrata III.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Is my two and three minutes up yet?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Oh, aren't you kind? I heard at least three constants mentioned that the flowers are getting late 10 1112 after even one o'clock in the morning two weeks ago, and Councilor Penta mentioned a good solution that would be common sense to return to full time work. You're getting full-time pay, 30,000. I believe the Boston City Councils make 130,000, but after that, I think you're in the next tier of three or so. That's a lot of cake. Plus you get pens and pencil expenses, a couple of grand. No, I feel bad. You know what I get for the last, since we had injury, 30 years? That's a zero. So anyways, back to zero, what is next? One minute or zero minutes? A la Groucho Marxist commie bastard government.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: What swear?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I said, is this gonna end up as zero minutes? So we have zero input? A la the communist Groucho Marxist commie bastardo government?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I did it. I added a no.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Cushion Street, Method Mass. After the last election, I noticed Councilor Lemke was appointed as councilor, and I was hoping that you would be a good addition to the council. Through the chair, how much of an increase by you going with the state formula would this be, percentage speaking, approximate?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: What am I will be an increase, correct? Oh, yes. Thank you. Years ago, I used to call this developer extortion. But in reality, I understand the mentality by calling it linkage. Because when you start digging a hole or destroying a building and putting up a new building, there's definitely going to be costs, especially if it's a 40-unit or 100-unit apartment building, for example. Because you've got the infrastructure of the storage, the drainage, et cetera. And who knows what else? Right now, I think it's like $5,000 per apartment.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: 3,903. 4,000, okay. And that's in East Medford price or the rest of Medford?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thanks. I'm just curious. once the building is completed and they do the infrastructure, what happens to all that extra monies?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: That's coming up, possibly? Yes. Later on the agenda. How much is in the fund, presently, you said?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Total, yeah. And how much is allocated for the Christine Campbell, the Marathon Bauman Fountain, which has been out of commission for more than three or four years?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: How long has that money been appropriated?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I really appreciate that. Thank you, Councilor Scott Peller. Thank you. Thanks for your time. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Castagnetti, Cushing Street. I'm hearing there's an affordable, there's a housing problem, or shortage of housing, and especially affordable housing. And believe me, I can feel that pain. But it seems to me, what the so called illegal aliens that are coming in, it seems like that would make housing more of a problem than help. But I gave a solution to Councilor Kit Carson, is she here?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay, I gave her a copy of the New York Post. Johnny Carson. I thought she was on Zoom. I gave her a copy of the New York Post about a month and a half ago, and it was a solution that they use in New York City. And I suppose, I hope she read the article, and I hope she shared it with you people, because it's called apartment cooperative ownership.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yeah, thank you. This is not chapter 59, 5C. This is to make housing much more affordable. They've done it in New York City for many decades, I'm sure. For example, my guesstimation, the price of a million dollar condo here would cost you, if you put zero down, it would cost you a lot of money. But if you buy this co-op, it would be probably a third of the million dollar price. It'd be probably in the ballpark of $300,000. That means if you're paying $2,000 rent now and owning nothing but stacks of rent receipts, with the $2,000 rent, that'll allow you to pay 500, 1,000, $2,000, it would allow you to get out of the rental situation. You could borrow $400,000. with a $2,000 rent payment by giving it to the mortgager. And you have total rights to your apartment, just like a condominium, you own shares in the building. It makes sense to me, I'm not sure if they have the apartment co-op ownership around Boston, but it would be like three times less expensive. you can get out of paying the rent and making the landlords happy. I just wanted to bring that up again. I hope you investigate that.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: someone left their trash. Listen, I kind of understand in this country, how we could have a housing shortage. When I was educated in the seventh grade back in the 60s, back at the Lincoln Junior High School, I believe an economics teacher that said to me, this is a democratic republic. And it's a capitalistic society. which runs better than Russia or China, as a matter of fact, from what I understand. My point is, I was told it's supply and demand. Well, if we're in such a crisis, what the hell happened? How come the developers were not on top of this? Or is the government somewhat responsible for discouraging and not encouraging development? Maybe lower the linkage while you're at it. I don't have the answer because I didn't go to too many colleges, but it doesn't make sense to me. And furthermore, you mentioned Chapter 40B. Now that's a state law. The developers can come in if you don't have over 10% affordable or something to that effect, they can come in and circumvent your actually your building codes, et cetera, to a certain degree. Is it true that we have one, two or three large developments of apartments that are 40 Bs that are tied up in court by the city? Is that true?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: And these are how many units approximate? Hundreds of apartments?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Well, something doesn't make sense. Something is rotten at Denmark. This shouldn't be a shortage. There might be a shortage of cash with all this hyped up inflation. That I'll agree with. I don't understand. The life sciences went down the tubes, right? That's where they were going to put the illegals, as a matter of fact, in the building that was sold from a Boston retail, where my son worked. And he's probably stuck with not just that building. He made two offers they couldn't refuse behind him, including Santini Iron Works. And I guess musical chairs is over. And that's That song is done for now.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I think we're in a sad situation. I hope leaders can fix this.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Gee, you're cheap.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yeah, I noticed. Am I off then?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, sir.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: The Councilor made a good point. Land is scarce in 02155. There's plenty of land. A third of Medford is woods. That's called Middlesex Falls Reservation by Saltwater Road towards Stoneham and Winchester. That's over a third of this land mass that's protected. However, I remember on Mystic Avenue, I lived there. listen to those big trucks going to Boston, because that was the highway to Boston, Route 38. It's still called Route 38, it's still called Mystic Ave. But when they built Route 93 in 1960, I remember the eminent domain, these houses over here, And I remember making a raft out of telephone poles, about eight of them with two by fours. And we sailed like Tom Sawyers down the Mystic River. When the ocean came up to Medford Square, the Chronic Bridge, my blowtide was not pleasant. However, when they built 93, they never developed Mystic Ave to its full potential, especially on The 93 side, they have huge parcels of land that have buildings mostly, and it goes back, the lots of land go back like 300 feet. And at 300 feet frontage, it's huge. And if I remember my real estate business, there are air rights.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Air rights.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: 20, 30, 40, 50 stories. 50 stories. You can call this Boston. You have air rights and if you need a variance, so be it.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay, thank you. The name is Castagnetti, you got that right. Andrew.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: The other side of East Medford.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: That is correct. Thank you. To protect the innocent. I've been a resident too long in this one horse town, since 1955. I didn't really want to come speak for this because we have a bigger fish to fry. And that's why most of us are here. However, when I started hearing about this stabilization fund, I started to get concerned. If any of you own homes, if... Thanks for the interruption. I got my HO3 bill yesterday. You know what that is? Council President, do you know what that is? A HO3 bill.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: You don't, okay. It's simply a homeowner's insurance policy.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: In layman's terms. And the bill went from, it was $1,000 five years ago, it was $2,500 last year. It went to 3,000, three large. I don't know how you people pay your bills because I'm struggling with a fixed income. So this is about stabilization, all right? The point is no further taxation without proper, proper, proper representation, period.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Castagnetti Cushman Street. Normally, if I recollect from 10-20 years ago, the condo ordinance or laws to develop condominium complexes requirement was 2.5 parking spaces per condominium. However, that's changed, especially when you have transportation nearby. My question would be simply, How many parking spots or partial parking spots would you have per condominium?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Paul Cassinetti, Cushing Street, East Medford. What time is it?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Don't be a wise guy.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I already did that. Ham and cheese.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: 10, 15, May Eastern Standard, right? I got five minutes, sir.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'll agree, affordability is a monumental problem, but it's not my culpa, it's not my fault, and it's not these people's fault behind me either. To make matters much, much worse, this week, three years ago, rampant inflation started, the worst in 50 years since Carter's presidency. P.S., inflation is the most regressive tax of all. It's horrendous. It applies to everyone, but the rich don't feel it. It's against us all. Math does not lie, but people skew the numbers. In 1955, my father bought a 400, 250-year-old house. Poirot, Riviera, Asheville didn't buy the house. It used to be on High Street next to Gaffey's slash this and that, and they moved it to make Governor's Avenue. I don't know how they did it 150 years ago with logs and bulls. That's why the floors were all sag. He paid 11.5 for that house. His salary as an immigrant cook was probably $2.50 an hour. I believe it's $5,000 a year. It's a close guesstimate. He's not here for me to ask. So let's call it 15 grand. He's making five grand, so that's triple. The yearly salary qualified him to pay three times his annual salary, which is 15,000. He actually got it for less. Today, 2024 with $100,000 a year, I wouldn't know what that is. Maybe some of you people know, maybe my guess is pretty right on, maybe it's not. But I'm taking $100,000 figure today's salary times three years to qualify for the mortgage from the lender would let you allow you to buy a dwelling for 300,000. Where are you gonna find a house for 300,000? I don't know. 600,000, probably. 900,000, that might happen. So the point is, inflation is rampant. And my mother took care of the two children, and she didn't work. And he paid it with a rent that says $100 from his brother and $80 a month rent from his brother-in-law who he sponsored to come from Italy, the old fashioned way and get him a job. And he wanted me to kick in to buy three new heating systems. I said, sorry, I'm going to Woodstock, I'm done. He sold the house. 40 grand you don't want to hear the rest so I'm going to cut that short. The point is, I gave you people a solution. The last meeting, two minutes ago I was here, I guess that's a month ago or more. And I gave I had the city messenger. Mr. LaPore give an old New York Post I had from January, and gave it to Councilor kick Carson. Maybe she can hear and she remembers it. Maybe you can recall. I don't know if anyone read it. It's a solution to the housing problem. It's called co-op apartment shares. Co-op ownership. They do this in New York big time, probably 30 years ago to make it affordable. So anyways, I don't know if you people have any information on that. If it's done around Boston, has anyone done any homework to find that answer? If you have a housing problem, you should have checked that out in my humble opinion.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Answers?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: That's not fair. He took up some of my time.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay, the point is, if you did it, we also, if it makes it more conducive and doable, we have three parcels of city land. One here, next to 93, one behind you, and one across from the senior citizens, their parking lot. So that might solve a big problem. So I would look into it if you have any things to do that's gonna help.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: And this is important, Councilor Beards. I never busted him. I got it.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yeah, let me finish my first round.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I understand. I'm I'm usually the one is your million dollar Mr. Castagnetti. Yeah, but let me finish the point. The million dollar condo. Fussy Lansky.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Scott Powell, you get a gag order, it's my turn, quiet. You get 20 minutes. I know, my wife's been wrong. All right. Oh, by the way, thank you for, I think you remember.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Correct. I wanna thank you very, very much, I appreciate it. I like to close off meetings, but I didn't realize it would be the next day. What time is it?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'm sorry, what was the question? My paper?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Who's who's talking? It's Matt. I thought it was from the movie, 13 Ghosts. I just watched it. Never mind. You wouldn't get it. It was 1964. These papers, I have to get my notes in order because these are my president notes, my cue cards. They're all shuffled from not speaking before. That's what they are. They're cue cards, presidential ones.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I bet you do. So anyways, maybe I can get this done real quick. I'll agree affordability is a monumental problem, but it's not my fault, it's not their fault. And to make matters much, much worse, three years this week, we've had the most worst rampant inflation in 50 years. P.S. inflation is the most regressive tax of all.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I guess you interrupted me, I mixed up my presidential cut.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: All right, so this is, I think it's number two. Math doesn't lie, but people skew the numbers.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: That's great, good memory. You have a great memory, what did I say?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: And what was below it?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: That's not coming here. My old man paid 11 five for the house. Yeah, he met his $5,000 salary, the call of 50 so he paid triple the salary today you make 100,000 a year, I have no clue. I never seen that kind of money. The same formula would be you could pay only 300,000. You ain't gonna find for three, it's gonna be six or 900. So you're gonna have to put up a heck of a hundreds of thousands and thousands of dollars down payment in order to qualify with the mortgagor. I gave you a solution a month ago from the New York Post, cooperative shares. It's like a condo, but you have shares. It's the same thing, but instead of a million dollar condo in this condo area in Station Landing, you get into it for 300,000. Think about that. If we take a mortgage for the whole $300,000, no money down, it's $510, $1,500 a month, instead of you paying $2,500 a month rent right now. This is a solution.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Oh, you know I had my last one.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I waited until after midnight.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: You know, you're a pain.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: By the way, the CPA tax, there's a story about that. When they started gathering the signatures like five years ago, and one of the girls was Ms. Cameroon, along with other girls, and they gathered signatures by the hat shell here, and they only needed half the required signatures that you and I, the regular people, would have to acquire in order to put it on the ballot. because the state did that, because they liked the tax. They allowed that. And anyways, that was not fair, because not only that, they put the ballot question on the CPA tax on the back of the ballot. Not very many people turned the ballot over, and it passed by a narrow margin. That was like unfair. Also, by the way, I told you about the HO3, car insurance came in yesterday, $2,500 to $3,000.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: That's crazy, the house bills are insane. There's a quote that goes like this, tax the rich, feed the poor, until there are no rich no more. Tell me where is sanity? But the point is, I don't worry about the rich. They can only sleep in one house if they have five mansions like the Rolling Stones. The point is, it's the middle class you're destroying now. No more the lower middle class. Now you're going after the middle class. Once you do that, we don't have a society worth a damn. You might have a Marie Antoinette running on the best deal. That's serious stuff you're talking. I'm not blaming you, I'm blaming your government.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: or say middle class. Oh yeah one thing Council my uncle said something there's a city council you probably don't know him. He just say one thing that I agree with one, and he said leave the people alone and Council March when he retired from this body, you might recollect. He says to you, Councils, as he left. Go easy on the people, especially his mother probably trying to on a fixed income like me and West method, trying to support herself. All right. So please consider we got to wrap it up there. It's a one paragraph.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'll speak quick. Please reconsider your proposal because if we give you an inch, you will become the ruler. What's next? A 51% sales tax or a hundred percent. Again, no more taxation without proper representation. Leave the people alone. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I would accept.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Hello, Councilor Bears. Are we on?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew P. Castagnetti, Christian Street, East Medford, Mass. Through the Chair, I'm asking all the Councilors that are present and should be present Do you have any intentions of going after the lawnmowers and snowmobiles, excuse me, snowblowers?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay. It's going to be a hardship for some of these lawn care peoples and it's going to cost the consumers more. I understand that. But I remember on my honeymoon way back in lovely San Francisco, when it was nice, I used to be waking to 6 a.m. at the hotel by the leaf blowers, and it was not nice to my ears. And plus, the dust is bad for my nostrils, along with cigarette smoke, of course. I have no further comments about this. I'm going to take the fifth. As long as you don't go after our Second Amendment rights to carry firearms. Good night.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Well, here's your worldwide search it ends right here so
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Castagnetti Andrew from East Medford.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Three questions. What is the total cost of this project?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: And this is strictly for Method residents, sir.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: He hasn't had a spoke in four hours. I know. Or five. My sympathies. It's more like six. It's a nasty habit. This is about housing stability, right Councilor? Right. It's a problem. When I get out of, The old high school, 68, it still stands like the Coliseum. You have new high schools going to hell because of the leaks, no one takes care of. It's just sad. You have over 8,000 houses in this community made of wood, over 100 years old. Most of the immigrants bought them, and with low pay, kept them alive without leaks. It's sad to condemn. Picking more buildings like the library, the police station, the fire station cries, the new high school ain't so new anymore. It's sad what we did to our buildings through lack of maintenance. We have this problem, Houston, and it's terrible. Now, when I graduated high school, of course, my father was equivalent to sixth grade in Northern Italy. But I remember they were telling me that this is a capitalistic society and it's based on supply and demand, nothing to do with our president. It's just the way it is. So I can't understand how we have such a housing crisis and a shortage of houses if supply and demand usually dictates when they're gonna build. Something is amiss, maybe government has to be more involved. It's sad. Now, some of us here are paying over $1,000 in rent, maybe $2,000, maybe we go to three, maybe it's four. Since I'm around five. It's horrible. You're gonna be making tons of cash. It's terrible. I feel bad for people. I can't even afford my cigarettes. Camels are $18 a pack. I won't tell you it was 28 cents. 28 cents went to Dr. Nolkemar in 1962. You really care about us? If we ever quit smoking, they want us to quit. We'd have to redo a prop two and a half override. Get my drift? But anyways, I have a solution. I brought this up when you had 50, 60 people When they were being evicted, the developer bought the apartment building behind Gaffey's Funeral, it used to be called, Captain Isaac Hall's house back in 1776. And they were upset, and I don't blame them. After so many years of paying short rent, five, 600 bucks, and they were on the street. I don't know what happened to these people, but they came here that night. You might remember, Councilor, through the chair, Councilor K. Collins. And so we have an expression in Northern Italy, saying, la punda més que la crida. Translation is, on the first of the month, who's laughing and who's crying? You know, but if you don't get in on the action, and I don't have the stones to do so myself until I finally pull the trigger, it's hard to get into the game. When you're talking, you need three, $400,000 salary in order to qualify for a damn mortgage at a million plus. Am I wrong?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I couldn't help I get it from the gallery.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: That's my job. I apologize. My job usually. I know. So anyways, I have a solution, which I brought up after I said, Oh, well, who cries? And I mentioned it, it happens in New York City all the time. For decades, I don't know of one building in this Boston area that uses the co-op ownership method. Do you understand what I'm talking about now? No, anyways, I brought you, don't get offended, the New York Post. It's December's issue. I wrote here, save C page 33, which is right there, for City Councilor Kit Collins. I'm gonna make you get up for a change. Can you give this to her please? It's a story, it's a story. Now he needs the exercise. Let him do his job. Yeah, let him do his job. It's a story kit about co-op ownership in New York City. In a nutshell, I'm guesstimating with my six-year education that you have a million-dollar condo, which means you get to make $300,000 in order to afford it, right? Instead of you paying a million dollars for a condominium in Medford or Allentown or anywhere, with a co-op ownership, you will have that same square footage, around a thousand's average, for a third of the million, $233,000. It's a co-op ownership. You don't own it totally, you own shares. The price stays the same for decades. Good night.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Christian on East Medford. You have two minutes. Thank you. I'll make a list. Can you hear me? I am shocked and pleasantly surprised at this government finally catching on to try some other medicines that are totally natural. Of course, I'm hearing a lot of good stories, especially I believe Matt works for the Mass General. He would know more than me because I'm a layman, although I'm a Woodstock graduate. I am so excited to see there'll be some possible natural remedies to maybe 35% of the population is my guesstimate. And I'm sure I'm close, especially to my old buddies who are still alive, missing limbs with PTSD from the 1960s Vietnam War. Good luck.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: There's a lot of people here. I feel like I'm at a ballgame.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I canceled most of everything I was gonna say. Hearing these poor people, I feel horrible. As some of you know, I've always been a peaceful person since I went to Woodstock in 1969 and protested the lousy, undeclared war that cost us 60,000 soldiers dead, 10 times that, 600,000 wounded. Some of my friends in body bags, some are still around with PTSD, missing an arm and a leg, living in Medford right now. War is hell. Actually, it's worse than hell. And we also protested the mandatory draft, which might happen real soon in this neighborhood, again. Just like Israel's had a draft for male and female, or she's, whatever. They've had it all these years since before I was born. This war is a total mess, and the world is one bomb away from World War III. May I say a God's heavenly prayer for all, please? Really, you'll let me?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: because before I heard some rebuttal that you didn't like the prayers. Almighty God, creator of heaven, earth, all sentient beings and more, please get me and all of us to be and do the best that we can, now, always, forever and ever, in our quest for eternal, blissful peace. Amen.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Some of us might swear there ain't no heaven, but we all better pray there ain't no hell.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Castagnetti E. Smith. I think it's great that you're going to do this DIA education thing. It's wonderful. But on the other hand, I believe the most qualified job applicants should get hired for the job in the name of public safety and efficiency in our government and private sector, in my opinion.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Medford. I remember like it was yesterday when JFK put the embargo on Cuba with the cruise ship missiles there. We felt like we were going to get wiped out by nuclear missiles from Russia, I guess. or the Soviet Union at that time. I think it's great to open up relations with Cuba, personally speaking, providing they don't have any military, especially foreign military installations there. And they don't empty their prisons and their asylums into the continental USA, as they have done in the past. So saying that, I'm okay with it because Cuban cigars can't be beat.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: One minute? You must be psychic, that's all I need. At this hour.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I believe I understand Councilor Matt's idea here, commercial vacancy tax. So the West Bedford Square and other locations can look fuller, like we're all selling on a full apple cart, and it looks better on a retail basis, I presume. And this may be an extra additional real estate tax, commercial real estate tax, on top of the existing, I presume. as a sort of penalty to push forward someone to rent it out, and make the city look better. Nate brought up 398-400 Riverside Avenue, and I believe it was Life Sciences that bought that building a year or two ago. My son used to work there in the machining department. And I'm just guessing that I think the life science industry hit the fan. And he paid, or the entity paid $29 million, I believe, for that property. And his last sold, I think, I forget, and previous to that, it was sold for a dollar, probably father to son, I presume. So, And I believe the entity bought the building behind it, and also the other building behind that, which was Santini Ironworks. They've been in business over 100 years. They build steel beams to build all these bridges in Massachusetts. But anyways, they're all empty. Of course, they're not on street level in the front and center. But what concerns me more than all of this is this. And I'm generally going to ask if you have an answer and be willing to answer. I'm more concerned if the commercial real estate values are crashing. That is a question. Are they crashing? Commercial real estate values, are they crashing as we speak?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Right. Big time, I hope not.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes, I understand. My real estate tax didn't go up prop two and a half style. It went up like four, $500. Again. Yeah. Every year for the last three years, 400, 400, 400.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yeah, so what I'm concerned about is for, 17,000 real estate taxpayers, if the commercial real estate is going in the dumps, that means the residential real estate is gonna have a huge increase. It's gonna rise dramatically, big time. This happened before, and Mr. McGlynn had this meeting at the McGlynn School. I said, well, what are you talking about? Prop two and a half, it should only go up like 50 bucks, a hundred dollars. He says, Andrew, you had a full house there, high rate residential owners. And he says, it's gonna go up, I think it was like $700 instead of the a hundred bucks usually. So I said, what about prop two and a half, Mr. McGlynn, Mayor? He says, Andrew, good question. Because when the commercial real estate values go down, We're gonna get it big time, maybe two, three, four times more increase than normal, which is already $450 for mine last year. That's a scary thought for people with fixed incomes. I don't know if you know about this, if I'm factual, but you might wanna check that out. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I think this is great that Councilor Bearsley brought this forward because maintenance is key, I've said many times. And furthermore, the McGlynn School, I'm not sure if anyone here knows it, but it's been leaking for years. It's only a 23-year-old building, I think. That's when I asked for the bike path to be built from those schools to Medford Square. And finally, it looks like it's getting done. I'm impressed so far. But the point is, there's over 7,000 wood frame homes in this city. I'm guesstimating. And it seems like they're all still standing. And most of the people back 70, 80, 90, 100 years ago when they were built, most of them were legal immigrants, and they didn't make much cash, salary-wise. But yet, they kept them afloat, and they're still standing. So it hurts me to think, I remember when they built the Method Library in 59, and it seems like 63 years later, A brick and mortar building is condemned and they had to rebuild it for 30 million plus two from Bloomberg. And if you see the configuration of the two or three roofs, it's like an invitation for snow and leaks to occur, in my humble opinion. I'm not a contractor. So the police station, same thing. I remember being a customer there back in 63 when that was built, I believe. And I told my friends, it was their fault. They weren't quick on their feet like I was.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: That was five, six years before that. So what I'm trying to say is, if I cut out the Milwaukee, brick and mortar buildings owned by the city of Medford, our most precious assets are not being taken care of. And we don't need no debt overrides, a prop two and a half overrides, debt exclusions.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I want to congratulate all the new Councilors that were elected, first of all. I also want to thank all the other political figures that ran and spent a lot of time and effort and cash. And I want to thank them for trying hard. I came because on this agenda, it does say 19-554. I didn't realize it was six years ago when I brought this up. and before that, and it says resolution to add noise barriers along Route 93 on the north side. So I'm here to correct this because it was done, well, first of all, I should back up to like more than 10 years ago, I believe, when, as you mentioned, Mr. Donato, the state rep, he had done great things for the city, including getting Chevalier all kinds of seats, and you're speaking about trees, et cetera. So he's had some good clout in the state house. However, when he came forward and said, I have the cash in place in order to add a sound barrier on one side only, and that was the west side. which is the West Medford side of 93, in my opinion. So I said to him, and he didn't like it. I said, Mr. Donato, if you're gonna give it to one child, why not give it to the other side of the Route 93 child? And he made a comment, I don't want to misquote him, but it's something to the effect like, oh, I've had a few complaints from some East side residents on the East Medford side. So my reply to him was, I can't see how a few people can sway You, as an individual, not to give it to our east side. So I don't recollect if there was any comment after the fact. As a matter of fact, there probably was not. So I was ecstatic to see this on the agenda yesterday, and that's why I am here. However, I'd like to see this corrected to state that on the east side of 93, not the north side, because this is west, east is on the opposite side, and it's not north. And as Councilor Bears, I believe, mentioned certain areas that should have it. And I believe he said, and he's right, where I am near Riverside Avenue, it should start not just at Riverside Avenue, further south, about a football field, three, four, 500 feet, probably. Actually, we're right on top of the river, on the bridge, behind the Senior Citizen Center, because there's at least five condominium complexes there, and houses on the Ship Ave and Marine Street area, which is, that alone has gotta be, 500 units.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Also 93 goes in the opposite direction towards Boston South.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: So I think there's a semantics by my mentality.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I got a pretty good compass rose in my head. You know, I know my directions quite well. And also, who wrote up the resolution? Does it state where it starts and where it finishes?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Does it state where this barrier would start and where it finishes?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Who makes that determination, us?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: So do we know when this, if it ever gets started, when this will start?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Can you ballpark that timeline?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I really would appreciate that for at least half the population of the city, over 30,000 on the east side. We keep getting the short end of the stick.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: And we supply more real estate taxes than all the other three sections of Medford combined probably.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I want to say thank you, but it would be nice if it was done from day one, east meets west.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I want to say this. Cushing Street, Medford mask. This is one heck of a heinous-ness meeting tonight. I must say, I want to say that our Council President Morell has the power.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: We got the Council.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I believe it would cut their salary in half.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. Thank you, Councilor. Can you hear me?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Council President. Good evening, Honorable Councilors. I haven't been here in a while, and I'll make this very brief. It is election time in two weeks, and I have some pros and cons for the city of Medford that concern me and other voters. Number one, on a positive note, we have the best, as you know, location in all of New England, five miles north of Boston, Interstate Route 93. Can't beat it, and mostly residential community, by the way. On the con side, I live in Mystic Ave, and in 1960, they built Route 93. That was 63 years ago. Mr. Gav was kind of like in rough condition business-wise in those days. It's the same old song and dance, mostly cars and car lots and too many cars. And it's just a disaster. So I was thinking out loud here that we should have requests for proposals from the best you can get, even from the boys from New York City and the New York Minute. to give us the best, as Murata would say, best possible use for that land while we're still here. And don't forget, it's like 63-year relic. This is a great opportunity. It's probably 35 times more valuable today than it was 63 years ago. So if I was in charge, I would have mixed shoes, like the Roman Empire did business The first floor would be business, commercial, even a 24-hour donut and coffee shop, and other commercial businesses, retail. Second floor, you could do offices, whatever, insurance companies, et cetera. And the third floor up to this, whatever, six, seven, eight, nine, especially on the east side of the, which is next to 93, it's a lot of land back there. You could have affordable housing. I mean really affordable housing instead of what they call affordable. And this is a golden opportunity, especially with the rental problems these days. And then maybe after you have all these residential units, maybe you'd be able to adopt by chapter 59, section 5C, the owner-occupied real estate tax exemption. Although not everybody would be grateful about that. So I guess I said enough about that golden opportunity. But first we have safety issues in the city. And number one I have is the same old song from when I was here three months ago. It's Roosevelt Circle. Get on 93 right here, go north, first exit is Roosevelt Circle. As you're going around the intersection, the roundabouts, as they say in Great Britain, there's weeds that are taller than me, they're six feet tall. And it's an obstruction, it's a danger, it's a safety problem. And the cars are flying around there. And guess what I found out, coming back from my friends from our walk around the Hidden Reservoir, coming down 93, from Stoneham to Roseville Circle, it's worse. Not only do you have eight foot weeds, you have 30, 40, 50 foot high junk trees, wild. And you cannot see what's coming around the bend on the roundabout. There's been too many accidents there. You can say, hey Andrew, this is MG, it's a state issue. Do you know something? I'm not that smart, maybe you people are city councilors, that are smarter and more honorable. Maybe you should just check it out. And if you feel it's an issue, you drop the dime to the state and not leave it on Castagnetti. You might have more pull. I'm tired. I've been fighting the city for too long. And I've come up with solutions. I'm not trying to be negative. Another one's a problem. I'm gonna talk fast because you're not gonna wanna hear about this. You're on Mystic Avenue from Somerville driving 38 north towards Medford Square. As you pass Harvard Street, you have two lanes on both sides. There's no cars parked there at all. It's a state road. It's the old highway to Boston before Route 93. And then all of a sudden, we're doing 40, 50, some are doing 60 miles an hour on average. I'm not pushing the number here. And all of a sudden, it merges into one lane. And instead of no cars, right after Atlas and Hancock Street, as you mentioned earlier, Councilor, there's five cars parked there. Why can't they park further down in front of the VFW or the Verizon building? That gives us an extra 100 feet to make the adjustment. I see a car roll over there with an accident with an elderly lady. There's too many accidents in that location. I'm not gonna say it again for the fourth time, so I said it for the third time. I wonder about this missing bike path right behind you, Councilor Morell. The bike path comes from Arlington, West Medford, it goes right into Medford Square, right behind you, at the Senior Citizen Center, it stops. It's a half a mile blockage. Once you get to the Doug Andrews School, 23 years ago they were built, you had a bike path all the way to take the subway, you don't have to worry about driving down Willis Ave. You could take your bicycle, you could walk too, or a wheelchair. So what happened to this missing bike path? Can anyone tell me what's going on? When will it be done? All these people want more transportation, but what is going on? It's been five, six, seven years I've been working on this and broke my head in one of the potholes there. Can someone tell me, please?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Cool, and by the way, it's gonna be within 12 feet of mean high tide next to the river, I hope, because that's the Massachusetts law back in the 1700s on the riparian rights. You know about that, right, Councilor? I absolutely do. I'm glad you do. I always said you were smart. But let's get the job done.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I don't wanna get PO'd, man.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I wanna be able to use it with a bicycle, and not have, down the road, they have to use a wheelchair.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Oh, come on, this is ridiculous. Okay, I'm gonna keep my animation down. And what about the marathon bombing? 2000, what? My wife had cancer, I was in Mass General. I wanted to go, she said, I don't want to go, let's go, I've never been there. Thank God we didn't go. And I missed the Dalai Lama too, at the Buddhist temple. But the point is, McGlynn, Mayor McGlynn, he got a lot of business people at the Chamber of Commerce thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands to build the Kristin Campbell fountain. I don't see any activity. I don't see any water spouting out of that for at least months, years. But Mr. Scarpelli, Mr. Caraviello, can you help me?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: The parts are on order? They can't get the parts?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Where is it, a pump? What's a pump, $100?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I know you've always been good about these things, Councilor. I appreciate your help. You have good common sense. I want to say that. I'm going to say it again later.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Where is the scoop? I shouldn't say this. Where is the scoop on all the silence with the airplanes running? runway 33L. It's another construction. Haven't heard a plane in months or months. That's why I'm going. Yeah, just don't jinx it. Why? Somebody must know the answer.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Maybe they forgot about us.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Let's hope is correct. I must thank City Councilor Caraviello for having great common sense all these years. I really, we thank you for that. Thank you. And hopefully your concern will come to materialize and fruition about that guy, that big guy north of Richmond might cause a drag us into a World War III.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I saw buying Camel cigarettes at 1750. It must be Biden economics. It used to be 28 cents a pack. 28 cents a pack, 1962, when the first bar movie came out, Dr. No. The stock market went up so many times, the cigarettes went up more, 20% more than the Dow Jones. Can you imagine? Larry knows what I'm speaking about. Okay, you city councilors, would you want to take this opportunity to tell the voters of your best accomplishment in the past two years, starting with Councilor Knight, but I think he's indisposed.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Going to tell us, can you, can Council build some of your best accomplishment in the last two years? And I want to go around the horn. I'm sure the voters want to know.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: You don't get into that, you said? No? Okay. Lastly, I have a really, really cool idea for the city, for the best landmark. What's the, it's essential or something? The best landmark in the city. Do you know what the best landmark would be in your opinions? Not the big or low building. Do you anybody have an idea? The best landmark in this city, what would that be? Like a square? Wright's Tower. Wright's Tower. How about the London? How about the footbridge behind Old Craddock's? The footbridge over the Mystic River. I think it would be really cool If you did a like a salt and pepper thing like the bridge in Boston Council bid maybe you take $100 instead. I'm, I'm offering $100. I donate this to the city to put two strands of Christmas lights on each side of that footbridge since you don't know where to send that direction. It would look really cool with the lights glowing, have it come on at dusk. And by the way, my old electrician used to work for the city, Jimmy Abagast told me, and I saw it, the pole was right there. It's called the electric pole. I could spit at it. It's only five feet away from the bridge. So Mr. City messenger, please take this. I want you to do that. I want you to message it over there. Please write a check. Can you please get this to the mayor?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: No, I want you to give it to the mayor.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'm not dropping it off at the treasurer's office because when it comes to money, McGrath said he couldn't trust his own shadow.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: We should take a moment of silence for what happened in Israel.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: You don't want the Christmas lights on the- We do, but- It sounds like a lovely idea.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Cushman Street Method Mass. Thank you, Council President. If I may, I'd like to offer some historical information, according to me. I recollect Route 93 was built in 1960. And I don't think it affected the square in any way, except for the eminent domain. More importantly, in 1968, I graduated the old high school on Forest Street. And two years later, my wife closed the school, 1970. And they built a so-called new high school. in West Medford in the woods, and in my opinion, it was a terrible political mistake because Medford Square, with our three grades, 10th, 11th, and 12th, the baby boomers, 800 per class, about 2,500 students, and we're lucky if we had $2 in our pockets. However, we supported Method Cinema, Papa Gino's Joe's pool room, small ball bowling, where have advanced and God is the pewter pot. And I know there was Woolworths and grants, but that's a day of a different age. However, the square was vibrant. There was a lot of action, including Joe's pool room below old Markey's office. So that was a major mistake for the business of Medford Square, in my opinion. Also, I like to say, Councilor Caraviello was 100% right. I've been saying this for over 30 years at your meetings, that basically we turned our back on the river. Big mistake. I've been to Georgetown, Virginia, used to be a ghetto until the Kennedy's moved in there, and now it's high-end place. I they have all these beautiful pubs like bestsellers used to have, but their back have these beautiful porches on top of the river. And all these beautiful lights. I mean, we should have not turned our backs on the river. And furthermore, we built over 500 clipper ships in the city over 500. And over 300 of those ships were longer than the football stadium. Hormel Stadium, they're over 300 feet long. And we don't have one lousy clipper ship or a miniature version on clipper ship drive, whether it's in the water or on the shoreline. And to attract 50 people per busload coming in from Faneuil Hall is tourism. I think that should get done. Although Medford is a one horse town, It's, it's, they think that they're a bedroom community. And you're not going to make Harvard Square here, or Davis Square here. But furthermore, why not bring the the underground subway from Station Landon and have it emerge on one of these parcels of lands next to the river, then you'd have the eternal stimulus, in my opinion. However, also, instead of this diff thing, how about have you done any requests for proposals from all these big developers to see what they think they would like to do? And don't forget, we do own that land, the people, we the people own that land. So that's all I have to say at this point.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: No.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Hello, President Andrew Castagnetti, Medford, Massachusetts. I don't know much about this Airbnb business. However, I feel for Mr. Elliot Jockelson from Marshall street and all his neighbors who have to deal with all these different vehicles, maybe on a nightly basis, they should not be allowed to rent out a home, especially an absentee landlord. Um, and they rented it as a hotel. That doesn't make any sense to me. And this is unjust to the, to the people that live in the neighborhood. so uh I mean for lack of a better word um if one of your councils live next door to one of these hotels on a daily basis in a house it would really for lack of better english it would really suck plain english hopefully you have federal or state or local laws or local ordinances that you can uphold and have teeth because this should not go on it's not just Marshall Street's problem. I'm sure there's many locations. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Hello.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay. Are we on?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. Yeah. With all due respect to our city council at night, I disagree because this city does one thing really, really well. and that is collecting our real estate taxes. Also, is it time to adopt Mass General Law, Chapter 59, Section 5C? So the owner-occupied exemption will go to the homeowners who live in their home, and our savings will be shifted to those absentee landowners, house owners. On my street alone is three, Winchester, Andover, and Wellesley. Maybe it's time. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: So moved.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Hello, Councilor.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay, thank you very much, Council President. First off, someone had already chatted to your council that your volume is way too low, and it's still very low. It's hard to understand, except when Councilor Scarpelli spoke, that was loud and clear. If it's possible, can you turn it up a lot louder, and we can always adjust the volume on our end to lower it, please?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, thank you council. Listen, I have two quick points about the rodents and rats and things of that nature. Number one is I'm amazed to see a lot of holes in the top of these barrels, the rubbish barrels. And it looks like squirrels are chewing right through the lids. It's hard to believe, but it looks like that's what's happening. Have you noticed that?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I have a simple possible solution. um to make some sort of a spray ball and fill it with maybe a hot pepper liquid or something and spray the top of the lid so they would have some hot pepper and they might stop that business you know and because i don't think they like licking the hot pepper as they're chewing you know anyways that's one if you heard it yep thank you okay number two as far as the rubbish bottles um the raccoons are pretty cunning and they have hands and fingers they open those barrels i've seen them open the barrels they jump right in i don't know how the hell they get out or maybe they get dumped into the rubbish truck So what I do is I put a small bungee cord, there's a hole on top of the lid in the front, and I can actually bungee cord it with a four-inch bungee, or you could tie it yourself. But just make sure when it's time to go out to the track, you untie it, you know. That was number two. And I have an addendum. Did I hear Councilor Bears say something like playoffs? You mentioned that at seven o'clock earlier.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Playoffs. Oh, I'm sorry. I think the word was override, real estate tax override.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay, it wasn't a playoff, it was an override. Okay, which has to be voted on by the public.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: And hopefully if decree is the right word, then exclusions also while you're at it.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Please not here, because we're not Winchester. We've never had an override or exclusion in our lifetime. Never. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Let me unmute myself. Okay. Am I getting through?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay, thank you. By the way, I did go to school also with Richard Orlando and he was one of the top three smartest kids in our class back at the Hancock School in the 50s. Anyways, and I didn't realize he had such great common sense. I would listen to that guy because it's getting quite dangerous out there. And that's not why I'm on. I wanted to address, Councilor Bears talked about building Tufts Park and the money it costs. It is my understanding But part of Park Method's agreement with the city was they were going to take, I'm not sure of the amount, $100,000 every year to build out and build up and improve all the squares. So far, I've only seen Tusk Square being done. And this was done without an override or that exclusion. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I want to thank councillors. Again, and again for many years bringing up the situation. That was the most dangerous intersection in the city. It's still pretty dangerous, especially when you have four foot weeds. It's an obstruction of view. If I may, I ask and I request to the council if you can add a second location, and that would be Roosevelt Circle. If you're in Medford Square and you get on 93 North, your first exit is at Roosevelt Circle. You will notice weeds that are probably five feet high on the left, and these cars coming around. That's a bad intersection on a good day. Many accidents there. And as of last week, the weeds were five feet high. It's an obstruction of view. If one of you would please attach this location for the DCR to cut it down, please.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'm sorry, what was the answer?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: You take that exit also.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Greetings, I said greetings.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Oh, shocking, absolutely shocking. It's a bad, sad night in Madford, let me tell you. You know, Mick Jagger once said, we need leaders, but we get gamblers instead. Good night.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: There is no more comment on it.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes, thank you, Mrs. President. I am in favor of this petition, and I wish Russ Rossi best of luck. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you future references a second. First of all, casting Eddie Andrew Christian Street, he's met. I want to thank console cover your for bringing this up was. I knew Mr. Rossetti. Russ was a great guy. He probably still is a great guy. And if I could, I'd like to commend him for all his volunteerisms for that Chevalier Commission. It's been more than a decade, maybe two. And it's amazing what that man did for the city and Chevalier. I'd like to share a story he once told me. As he grew up in the north end of Boston, he had an unfortunate accident. He fell down an elevator shaft. And from that day on, he had severe back pain. And I don't even know how he got up and down the stairs in West Method. So I really commend him for putting all his efforts forth. He's a great man, and he'll surely be missed. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yeah, since this subject has come up again and again and again, I recollect when Councilor De La Ruza was here, he called the plot holes plot holders. But anyways, I brought this up years ago. I kind of understand why you fix a pothole, and then it regurgitates, and it becomes a pothole again after it was patched. I brought this up years ago. Maybe we should reach out to other TPW yachts, such as Buffalo, New York, or Montreal, Quebec, wherever, someplace in Maine, where they have probably more potholes than we have, since they probably use more salt. If I DPW could reach out our administration, maybe there's a better way to build a mousetrap. Maybe if you cut them at an angle, what a task skills are, I'm not sure, whether it's slanted in or slanted out, or different type of material. but it seems like we're fighting mother nature and it's the same old song and dance. I've also lost two tires on the old 2155 out streets. I have yet to put in to get paid for one, but I think this time it's more time. And of course, Councilor Knight lost two at one shot on Mystic Avenue, but you gotta pay attention out there too.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: This is my last one, I'm going home.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Probably. What's the subject? Remind me. Post office. Thank you, Councilor. I want to say factually, my wife has a habit. of sending birthday cards and Easter cards and Hanukkah cards and things of that nature to friends and associates. And she usually slips in a couple of scratch tickets. I think you probably know where I'm going. This has been going on a few years. She asked her friends, did you get my card? The answer is no, no. So I find it very disconcerting that When I was a kid, it was said that the meal must go through a range, so no sleep, shine. And I hate to think that something nefarious is going on in the postal office, but that's lousy. And I'm sure there's some other stuff. As you know, in Melrose, the lady, I think we call her a lady, post office gal, was robbed at knife point by two hoodlums. And I guess what they wanted was, I didn't think she was carrying a 24-carat gold bullion, and she wasn't, but they wanted the key. the key to the city post office boxes. Now I'm not sure when that happens, if the post office general immediately changes the locks and issues new keys at that instant. Because in the old days, people would fish them out with chewing gum in a fishing rod, but they made them mailboxes. So I kind of put a decent package in there. I have to go to the post office physically to bring it in. So now when she tells me to mail these cards with scratch stickers in them, I go in the post office and put it into the slit where the sack is. But I'm not sure if that even works. It's kind of sad. The state of the country, the state of some peoples, it's just not right. I hope they can do something about this. Maybe put a tracker or some sort of technology chip or something. Find out what's going on. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. Um, I'm very, I don't understand this 14 page, I believe ordinance. And I don't think 99% of the people in the city understand that either, nor have they even read it. I'm hearing things that sound pretty touching on both ends of the spectrum here. To be fully honest and full disclosure, I am a Woodstock graduate, 1969 in Bethel. And I wasn't a big fan of cops in those days. or Big Brother putting their nose in our business still. However, if something is happening that's violent and it's not fair, I mean, who are you gonna call? I think people wanna call the cops, not Ghostbusters or Dr. Phil or Phyllis. You're in deep trouble, and chances are, even if they're like three houses away, they won't get there in time, mind you. I just have one concern. Not that I'm a fan of cameras, the big brother thing. However, if a camera catches someone stabbing you, I would hope, I wouldn't hope, I would demand that that video, if it's authentic and not fake, should be shown in a court of law to Convict the culprit. And it should be colorblind, the camera.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Motion to close nominations.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Isaac Beezik Beers.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Good evening. Andrew Castagnetti, East Method, Massachusetts. Am I getting through?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. I've come to praise Caesar and not to bury him, as they say. I must praise and commend whoever got Freedom Way repaved. Many, many kudos. Thank you very much. In the name of safety and humanity. And it's a good night. And I do hope it last a chance Donnie. Thank you and good night.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Hello. Good evening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Good evening. Maybe it's a bad evening. It's Andrew P. Castagnetti. What the hell happened to an abnormal world? It's just insanity. I have three simple solutions. My first solution is to send George Soros back to Hungary, but he is banned from his home country.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'm on topic, it's part of the problem, there's no respect, including the parents. Number two solution, sir, Medford High School must be policed and our laws be enforced to the fullest. And third and last, leaders should fall on the sword and we must hire good leaders with simple common sense, period. In other words, talk softly, but carry a big stick. We need help. We need leaders, but we get gamblers instead. Please help the people. Protect and serve.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: This is the time before we actually vote.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'm Andrew Castagnetti, Cushman Street, East Medford. Today's December 6th, 2022. Greetings to the city councilors and Mayor Brianna. I'm here again, and I'm still disappointed that you and the mayor never adopted the owner-occupied real estate tax exemption named Mass General Law, Chapter 59, Section 5C. here in Medford. As was done in Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Malden, and our neighbor next to you in Somerville, which is saving the owner-occupied homeowner an average of $3,000 a year each off their real estate tax bill. So in closing, I simply ask, and you all, why not give us this Massachusetts static perk here in 02155?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: the 85% of the home occupied would receive savings instead of the usual 4% increases, which happens by clockwork instead of prop two and a half. It's more like four or 5%, especially with my two family. And yes, I would see an increase. So I'm not here to save money for me, it would cost me. But 85% of the people are gonna save. instead of the usual 4% tax. Also, if it's such a bad program, why is all these communities, especially some of them with a maximum of 35% shift exemption, why are they still in the program? They can drop out anytime. So could we, if we got in. And also, I don't wanna see anyone's bills go up personally. I think the tax man gets more than their fair share. It just never ends. If you wanna help, the renters, I suggest you all talk to your president in Washington DC to get them to reverse the energy situation. Because I've never seen this inflation since when Jimmy Carter was there in the 70s. And we had gas lines to buy gasoline for our vehicles. And if it's so complicated, it can't be rocket science if all these communities are doing it. Boston, I missed Everett, Chelsea, Cambridge. It started in Nantucket originally. And the formula is defective, I'll agree. It should not be a cutoff point of $700,000 or whatever. It should be rewritten at the state house that take the exemption amount of that tax swing at 35%, for example, it should be even dollars for every owner occupied one set amount. It can't be that hard to do the mathematics. Instead of someone saving 2,000, which is not right, which will happen in the Heights more than downtown. It should be one set figure, probably $700 it might come out to for every single owner occupied. I rest my case.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Castagnetti, Cushing Street. I don't have any dog in this fight, but this is like worse than, this is worse than bad. I mean, imagine if it was one of you people that were lying on the floor bleeding. or you're a kid if you ever have a kid. This is more than unacceptable. I don't like bullies. I guess you got to talk soft and carry a big stick. In the old days, Lincoln Junior High School's Mr. Buckwell, the sheet metal worker. Mr. Scott probably must remember the story. And walking through front of his classroom during intermission in between classes or cigarettes, he would have a steel yardstick. And we would catch it on the rear. They would call a cheap lawyer today. They would own the city. As a president once said, talk soft and carry a big stick. You can throw all the money you want, as Calvillo says. But you know, if you don't take care of business, and this society wouldn't be gone.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'm not talking about a peon, especially if, if, if the injured party were not respected properly, maybe set an example and teach it some good lessons. Um, I could go on and on. But to make it brief, if you're not getting a response, well, maybe it's true. Maybe I've heard this years ago. I never believed it. So maybe it's true that the tail of the school committee is wagging the city's dog. I don't know. I never went to a school committee meeting. I have no interest in it. They are full houses. I don't know if they're allowed to speak. As a matter of fact, at what time? quarter to 11, there's over 60 people on the Zoom meeting. And it seems like most of them are school committee members. If you're not getting responses, maybe they could tune in and plug in right now, hit the button. This is not acceptable. This is real bad. What if it was you? Get your stones together, cast a stone, rewrite it if you have to. Night is bright.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Christian Street Method Mass. I want to thank the council for bringing celebrating the Italian Heritage Month. And I appreciate that. In my opinion, I might be a bit biased, but Italy, the Italian people's probably the greatest contributors to the world worldwide. And they'll live in worldwide too. From the depression days when they had to get out of the country because they couldn't feed themselves. A few examples of their great leaders would be Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Ferdinand, Galileo, Marconi. It goes on and on. Miracle versus Gucci and we're named after that as the Americas. Thank you, Councilor. And Italian cuisine, as a matter of fact, where my folks come from, I'm not first generation, I'm half generation. I was born in Cambridge. I didn't speak English until I started kindergarten. I spoke another Italian dialect, one of thousands with all the mountains from the Alps down to the boot heel. The first gastronomical university in all of Europe was in Bologna, Italy, which is near Venice and Milano. And to a lot of us, Italo-Americans, the greatest of them all was the most courageous explorer of all time. Cristoforo Colombo, who said that the world was not flat, he would not fall off it, and he would get to the other side, but he was blocked by a couple of continents in the central, which became America. Imagine the courage on this guy, the stones, saying the world was wrong. And unfortunately, the King of Italy did not back him, or else it would have been all Italians in Central America. So Queen Isabella gave him the Nina Pinto and Santa Maria, and so be it. However, it's most unfortunate, and it saddens a lot of we residents that the Christopher Columbus School was delisted, the name was taken away. And mind you, that was done during the so-called Corona 19 pandemic when the world was shut down and we could not even attend the meetings live in person, mind you. I would have loved to have that opportunity to say a few syllables. I don't know why they took his name down to this day and destroyed statues. It makes me ill to think of that, the disrespect. They're saying that he's bad, he's a bad man, but no one's shown me any document that he was convicted of any crime and therefore was a felon. I don't see it. All I hear is rumors. I mean, can all our politicians that were elected, can they truthfully say that they're not felons? Here, next door, Austin, Washington, D.C.? Again, I thank you, Councilors, for bringing up Italian Heritage Month, but I wish Columbus was back on the school. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street Method Mass. My gut feeling says we do have a major problem with the parking department um, I went through it firsthand to get my registration and new license renewed And a very very unfunny thing happened to me on the way to the forum the parking forum um Bottom line is I have too much information. You don't want to hear it all. However, it is my understanding that the problem lies supposedly with Park Method, the previous bounty hunter, as Penta would say. I don't know if that's true, but we're in a big mess. I guess Councilor X, what was his name? Mr. Caraviello would know, but he used to say, what we have here is a lack of proper communication. I don't know what's going on, but it is terrible. Good night.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Hello.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Angel Castagnetti, Cushman Street. Just wanted to say I wish your president lots of good luck and Godspeed and his quest to cure cancer. We could all use some help in that area. Thank you very much.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Governor Kamara, the chair of the Water and Sewer Commission, I strongly support everything these two gentlemen are going to be proposing tonight.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Good evening, Andrew Castagnetti, East Medford Mass. I'll be very brief. I'm actually glad that you're a day late and a dollar short and not going to be able to get this Prop 2.5 override on this November's ballot, because a lot of the taxpayers are struggling to pay their bills. As you said, with inflation, especially the homeowners, Matter of fact, we already got hit last December when we set the tax rate. My hit was probably $450, an extra charge that just started this year. And if this $12 million override went through, I'm hearing it's gonna cost 800, it's gonna cost me $1,000 extra. At the worst scenario, and I'm not for overrides of two and a half, God rest Barbara Anderson's soul, Although the law is flawed on a state level, and I'll get into it some other time. Because everyone, every single owner occupied should get the same dollar amount. And that would make it fair. But I got to fight City Hall and Medford before I can fight the state. But I know my idea is perfect if I can get the right mathematician to do the math. So I don't need a thousand dollar jump on top of it all. And we're not Winchester with these overrides of two and a half or debt exclusions. Never been done in this town. However, if it did something like this for $12 million, that would cost me a thousand dollars one shot this year. I want you to do that debt override business. It'll probably cost $40 per annum. instead of $1,000 per year for 20 years until the debt is paid, then it stops.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay, so like Winchester, I went to legal for $100 million debt exclusion to build the Winchester High School a few years back. And that was 800 bucks. per quarter for 20 years. So at least if you can't help relieve the taxpayer, as Dr. Sorella would say, come down even one lousy dollar. But if you can't really help the taxpayer, give them tax relief, or hear her, at least do no harm. Thank you for not getting it in a timely manner.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Is the part time city assessor Ellen Bordeaux going to be there?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: This is going to be a public meeting so people can come in in person.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Would you like to speak? No, he's good. I'm going to say something that's probably a bit insensitive, but I'm going to fix it with a solution. My godfather from Northern Italian dialect used to say to me, On the first of the month, he who laughs and he or she who cries. In other words, landlord tenant situations. And I think what he meant by that was, that if you can afford to buy the house, for some, even if they can, they don't want the headaches. And I understand, believe me. But eventually after 25, 30, 35 year payments, you own it free and clear, hopefully. And then you are in control of your own destiny, hopefully. So, there is a solution and you don't need the state for this. You can do it right here, especially on that mile of Mystic Avenue, the old highway to Boston 38 could do it like New York City does to control your rents. They have the cooperative housing I believe that's the term. Have you heard of a council. Thank you. So, whether it's. private or quasi government and quasi private, a mixture. And you could, the rents would be locked in with minimal increases. It can't be that hard to do if someone wants to get going. But also in Vienna, Austria, I cut out an article from the Boston Globe, but my wife has me throwing out papers, so I discarded it. It's a huge building, and it's quasi government and private, and everybody seems to be happy. It's not like a development or a project type that we have here. I mean, it has a swimming pools, it has everything. So it can be done if somebody wants to do it. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Castagnetti. When I grew up as a kid on Mystic Ave in a house that was built in the 1750s, I believe. It used to be where Governor's Ave is. They moved it to Mystic Ave to make Governor's Ave. A reasonable facsimile of Commonwealth Avenue in Boston. Hence, you have the islands in the middle, but you don't have those beautiful brownstones. My father used to say to me, with a sixth grade education method is anti-business. So he said, look, the only two businesses that are making it that's Cal's diner and Hosmer. And constant light is getting ahead of me. Carol's is still is there as part two location. They had a beautiful location, Grosvenor Police Station and the fire station. And Hosmer is now Grava. Hosmer Chiefs, baseball? Okay. So I'm agreeing with these two gentlemen to my left and right. I understand historical, I like to keep character. However, Even though we have over 10,000 houses at over 100 years old, to me they're not historical per se. The real house, house my father owned, I'm not mentioning where, because he might have problems down the road when they start destroying Mr. Gav to rebuild. So I'm not going to flip the card over. We're anti-business. If my house is built in 1910, it should not be questioned, it might be historical. If a developer wants to come in and rip it down, I understand you want to keep up the character, but you've got to develop the Councilor mindset and then add extra real estate tax base. It's sad, they have to wait a year and a half to knock it down, is that right? And they have to put up some serious money. and they have to carry that, and they still have to need the approval, mind you. And some of them went bankrupt, me and me on Riverside Avenue. I'd like to buy that parcel and do it myself, if it's not too late. You can't be anti-business to a point that you're crippling our city. I think I'm gonna stop talking. I'm kind of upset. It's just overkill. It really is.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Mr. Andrew Paul Castagnetti, Cushing Street, Medford, Mass. I never thought I would say this. It's like 53 years since I've been to Woodstock 1969. And I was not a big fan of method cops in those days. However, things certainly changed in the last two or three decades. And I truly respect them a lot more than back then. So I just want, especially in these trying times out there in this country, in the world, I believe we should back boys and girls in blue because they've come a long way since the safe deposit box heist.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Council President Morell. Good evening, honorable councilors. My name is Mr. Andrew P. Castagnetti, and usually I speak last on issues and to throw out my Andrew-isms or sort of, but Councilor Marks allowed me to speak first, and I'm gonna let the best, all these speakers, if they come forward to be, come last. I just wanted to say, I'm going to add a few points, I'll make it probably less than three minutes without point of information. This, no matter how you disguise this, it's not written on 22-439, but basically we all know it's a prop two and a half override, never been done in this city. Winchester's done many of them and dead exclusions. So if it's 12 million, why not go for 10 times that 120 million while we're at it? Because it's never enough, is it? For the tax man or tax woman, the city. What's next? Is this a prelude for a $300 million bond for a new high school, which ain't so new in 52 years? due to lack of maintenance amongst other buildings that were only 52 years old, library, police, fire, DPW, that's a different story. You're financially killing the working class heroes, especially the fixed income retirees. Don't you care? Don't you care? You've talked about housing affordability in Medford many, many, many times. Even the newies spoke of this, especially them who's paying rent or doesn't even own home property. Doesn't have to pay real estate tax per se. Your $12 million prop two and a half override will cost us probably more like 10 to 12% more on the current bill starting this fiscal year, which is already started. and you are still refusing us, the homeowners, my baby, Mass General Award, Chapter 59, Section 5C, the owner-occupied real estate tax exemption at the full 35% shift. We've lost over $2,000 a year, on average, per household. Since the Commonwealth of Massachusetts adopted this in 1998, mind you, that's 22 years or so. Imagine, even the state politicians had some compassion to help the owner-occupied homeowners, and many cities have adopted this savings. Somerville, Everett, Malvern, Boston, even Senator Kerry gets it at 28 Lewisbury Square, if that's his legal address, he's not lying to the IRS, again. And they're still doing it after years. Does that tell us it works or does not work? I don't know. Maybe my common sense is going south. I think it works just fine. It's still in the program. They didn't unadopt it. They adopted it and they're still using it. I've been asking you all for this real estate tax relief for 19 years, and be aware, this will not cost the city hall, a dime, Mr. Orlando, because the tax savings that the owner occupied would save is simply shifted to the absentee maybe slumlords. So the city gets dime number one. What if people don't understand that? I read the law. I have a sixth grade education, but I read the law. Has everyone here read the law? Has anyone read the law? Thank you. Hold that thought, sir. So again, I ask you all again, why not here? Come on, man.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yeah, she couldn't even tell me how many absentee owners. What does she know.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I think you already said it. I just want to hang around to the end, because it's late, it's quarter 11 but point out as late as the last meeting was probably what 145 am is that the last minute. I'm not gonna get you there. I cut to the chase. I just wanted to say, I get passionate at times, because I guess I still care about this city, you know, for better or for worse and trying to make betterments. And I know you people must be in the same shoe or mentality. So, If I must excuse myself at times, I do. I hope you do, excuse me, excuse me. But I wanted to say one thing, because Mr. Gabb came up in conversation this evening, and how can I say for a lack of the proper word, not enough rules, tax going to the city of Medford, it seems. So I used to live on, Route 38, which is Mystic Ave, the old highway to Boston, when I was five years old. And then five years later, 1960, the old highway to Boston was not replaced, but made adjacent, parallel to Interstate Route 93. I think, I think, huh? You don't know when I was 10. Now you know the numbers. Now you get the numbers. Okay, you really want to know. So the point is this. Don't you think that this, that's like, it's a cash cow. It's still blighted with mechanic places and this and that, and bumpy, five times curved over, whatever. The point is, that's the old highway to Boston, Route 38. Why not? Of course you're thinking about it, but it's not happening. 60 years later, is it? There's the Rolling Stones 60th anniversary tour right now. Come on, man. You should have, who am I to dictate? Five, six, seven, eight stories. I won't. I was gonna say, I won't piss off some people and say 12 and 25 like New York City, 100. But listen, the first couple of floors should be mixed use like Station Landon or Assembly Road, right? Mr. Beers, are you still with me? I'm listening. Are you with Mr. Knight? The first couple of four should be as big shoes. Okay. And, and then above, it could have residential, you wouldn't have affordability problems, you could do it different ways and Innsbruck Austria, I believe they, the city had land and gave it to a developer. So it's quasi federal. Austrian federal and private, and they have affordable housing. And it's like, it's like, it's like the, not the timeshare. It's like, it's like they have in New York City. It's not called real, it's not called condos. It's some other term.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I believe it is co-op. Yeah, it is co-op in New York City. I don't think I've ever seen that here. Have you? Well, okay.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'm glad you reiterated what I was implying. God bless you, I'm glad you know that.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: It's possible, you know, and we could have, I come up with an idea. I think I stole from Connecticut, Mr. Knight. Could have a third tax rate instead of 10 for the residential, 20 for the commercial, let's go for 15. It's quasi this and that, and maybe eminent domain, if need be. You could have Davis Square on Mystic Ave all the way, put a trolley.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Hello, Prez Morell. Can you hear me?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I just wanted to say, I just wanted to say it's been a long, long, long night for you people, but you must be tired. And, uh, what can I say? Uh, There are a lot of really good teachers that I know of, and there are some that are not so good, eh? But with a $201 million budget, hopefully we can make things do. And because it's just got to happen. I just have one question for Vice President Bears. Are you running for mayor, my dear?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay, thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street, East Medford, Massachusetts. Thank you for your attention, Madam President. And the last One and a half years, it seems everyone wants free cash. From the federal government, the state government to the local cities and towns, it seems everybody wants free cash. And what we have is massive inflation. I saw RAC 61, make it 69 on this zoom meeting. And I figured prop two and a half override was coming or and a dead exclusion. And sure enough, I must be a psychic. You mentioned it many times, a lot of you, but not, but you know something, not here. It never happened ever before in Medford. This is not Winchester. As Dr. Starella says,
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'm not saying cut. I'm telling you to make do with the $200 million budget, which would be an all time record. And let me finish, please. I know you have point of information. I'd like to end with one sentence. Can you hear me please?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. And be mindful you the city have not ever adopted to give us the real estate tax, the home tax exemption. It's not fair for the last 23 years. Come on, man. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yeah, I know that maybe maybe in a couple of years before I get to old world.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Aye.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Just wanted to say thank you to Mr. Giglio. That was very thoughtful for recognizing our flag in this country. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street, Medford Mass. As Councilor Marks might comment saying that this sounds like a slippery slope. Personally, I would think that only one thing should go on to that City property the flag and that would be the United States flag while we still have it and also the prisoner of war POW flag and pretty much nothing else Because it wasn't for our veterans. I don't think any of us would be here today tonight If you allow one entity to put up whatever their mission is and Who knows where that may end and who makes these final decisions? We might end up with some group or entity that wants to worship Satan. And I think it's a bad idea to mix the government with people's missions. That's all I have to say.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Same address, Andrew Castagnetti. What's the population of Medford, by the way?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: And how many people did you say are in the audience?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you for the answer. Thank you very much. Have a wonderful evening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, sir. I appreciate your input. Good night.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Hi Andrew Castagnetti, Method Mass. To repeat myself from last week, it seems like after tens or hundreds of years that you want to change the rules in the middle of the game. Doesn't make good sense to me because if you're going to take off 20 meetings next year and He's still gonna get paid your $30,000 salary a year, plus expenses, and maybe even ask for a raise down the road. I believe it's gonna be a huge mistake because you're handicapping against the people. I wish you would reconsider. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Madam President. I just have one question to you, the chair. Is there an important meeting tomorrow night at city hall?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'm sorry. Who, who, who's ill?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Uncle Albert.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yeah, good luck.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, East Medford. Am I coming across?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Madam President. I'm very, very sorry. Dr. Starrell is gone. but he will never be forgotten because he was and is the best patriot who's for the people and for limited taxation here in Medford. He's the best ever and he's irreplaceable. Madam President, may I say a short prayer for him and us please?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. Almighty God, creator of heaven, earth, all sentient beings, and more, please get me and all of us to be and do the best that we can now, always, forever and ever in our quest for eternal blissful peace. Rest in peace, my friend. Good night.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, East Medford. Good evening, Honorable City Councilors. I want to thank you, Councilor, President Morell. I actually want to commend you for putting this on tonight's discussion with the Mass General Law 59-5C with the real estate tax assessor. Is she here?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: And after the committee of the whole, where is it gonna go?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay, in that case, I'm not sure I'm gonna be able to make the committee of the whole if it exists in the future. So basically, I wrote this up real quick for tonight. I'm a little nervous, so please bear with me. This law, the Mass General Law, Chapter 59, Section 5C, was started in 1998, for your information, 24 years ago. Imagine even our state politicians had the compassion to pass this law to help lower the real estate tax for owner-occupied homeowners. But only, it's only if you, the mayor, and the council adopt this law at the full 35% exemption. Do you councils have, have you all, any of you, have you read the law in full? Okay, hearing none and seeing you not, thank you, Council President. These cities have adopted this law and are saving their own occupied homeowners tons of real estate tax monies. That's Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Cambridge, Somerville, and all of Boston. Even Senator Kerry gets it. 28 Lewisburg Square, if that in fact is correct address according to the IRS. And I believe these cities are still in none have dropped out, which tells me the majority must be quite happy with this program. Therefore, I strongly suggest that we, you, in the mirror, also adopt Mass General Law, Chapter 59, Section 5C, here in Medford, at the full 35% exemption. I want to thank you for listening and bringing this up more than six months prior to setting the tax rate in December, as I asked you to do. And I want to commend you again for bringing it up eight months prior Are there any questions or comments while I'm here?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I hope to be able to make it. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Council President. Andrew Castagnetti, Cushion Street, Methodist. I wanted to, I don't understand, through the chair, I'd like to ask Mr. Caraviello, I didn't see that news broadcast about, yeah, internet. All right, so listen, my question is, you mentioned a figure. Did you say that the casino's selling the rental to a different entity for 1.7 billion or a million? Would it be? Wow, must be a lot of land there. And like you implied, maybe it's an end around to do as they please. So my question is, the most important question I would think would be is, has this bridge to somewhere, nowhere, maybe somewhere in the future, has it been approved yet? No. Okay, so who is the boss of that airspace over the busy Route 99 Broadway? The Gaming Commission will make that determination. Not the city of Everett where it's located?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: So the state road is the state. Nothing to do with Everett as far as having authority. Well, who knows what's gonna happen in the state. The bigger these politicians are, the more you can count on the people taking it, you know where. Good luck.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you very much. One time ago, I'm wondering if, if there's a better way to fill these potholes so they actually stay filled, or as Councilor Dello Russo called them, potholes.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: So I was thinking a little further out of the box. Maybe we should speak to someone who has more experience than us in colder fluctuations of temperatures up and down, such as. Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Iceland, I don't know. But it seems like they pop up everywhere. As Councilor Marches has said, I go put a glass of milk in my dish, on my dashboard, and by the time I get to Brigham's, it becomes a milkshake. It is bad. There's gotta be a better way of, fill in the holes, I mean, maybe cut them at an angle, whether it's inside or outside going down. I'm not sure, but it doesn't make sense why it just keeps crumbling. It's getting worse and worse. And to fix the a hundred miles of roads, it would cost more than what the government gave us, the 15 million, by the way.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Council President. I'm out of breath, having a hard time breathing with this mask. It's the most addictive drug in the world, nicotine. Did you know that one gram of nicotine would kill an elephant? True story. I wish it never started. Good evening, city councilors. First off, congratulations on your re-election to the new, all you councilors who are re-elected and to the new two councilors. Also, I must thank the others who ran for office and caring for Method's future. Thank you all. I'm sorry Frank Palmisano was gone. I first met him at the Old Method High School in 1965. After school, we used to go walk one block to Joe's pool room on the corner of High Street and Forest down the cellar with 10 pool tables. I guess we were practicing our geometry, mathematics, as we'd be shot many, many pool balls. And sometimes we all talked about how we could avoid being drafted into that lousy Vietnam War conflict. For you see, in the 60s, we teenagers had real issues to protest and worry about. The regime war in Vietnam, or was it a conflict? And the draft. Enough about history. I simply want to say, frankly, Frankie was a good boy and a man of good, good character. He'll be missed by many. Thank you, Councilor Knight, for bringing this forward and letting me know about this. And thank you all for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Mr. President Andrew, for me, Smith, I'll be very brief. Councilor Morell brings up some good points. I wouldn't want anyone to get told, unless they're in front of my driveway, or they're causing problems near where I have to navigate with my vehicles. On the other hand, signage, as Councilor Caraviello stated, that we get enough signs, it's more than sign pollution, it's sign confusion also. And the ex-chief, Leo Sacco used to say, we have too many signs in this city. I don't want to add any more. So I guess the song says, signs, signs, everywhere is signs. Don't do this, don't do that. Can't you read the sign? However, we need solutions. You already have a field that worked, it worked for me and some of my neighbors, and actually there were absentee owner tenants. And I was impressed that they paid attention. being absentee tenants, so to speak. So you do the reverse 9-1-1, and I guess you do an email, I understand, this evening. The only other solution I can come up with is maybe get a Times Square billboard in the middle of the square. But it's still never gonna satisfy all the people at any time. I wish you good luck.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I want to thank Councilor Bears for bringing up higher pay for the cannabis industry, especially with three entities soon hopefully to be opened in Medford, and who knows what other type of cannabis entities might also open down the road. I want to thank you for that, because I'm sure it's a very lucrative business. especially with only three in the city at this point coming, unless there's too much competition, that might affect their profitability, of course. But I'm interested in Mr. Camucho, if he's still there, I'd like to make a point that I believe he said that some of these cannabis owners, have paid fines on the unfair labor practices come with the Massachusetts.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Do you know if this company has entered as one of the nine proposals for Medford or Mystic Avenue? I believe the address was like 142 or 144 Mystic Avenue to the right of Atlas Liquors. Do you know if they've been fined by the state government?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: What's the name of that company, sir?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Do you know the name of that company, Mr. Camucho?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I see.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay. And do you know if any of the nine applicants have violated the state law?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay, I'm sorry to trouble you with questions that you don't know about.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti in Method, Massachusetts. I wanna say hallelujah, I am very thrilled and very happy to finally see this project hopefully come to completion. This is a half mile missing bike path that is a blockade to the rest of the 10 miles in both directions. From West Mifflin beyond, you can come to Medford Square today, but this is half mile that does not exist in the middle of the square from the Senior Services Center to the new schools. In my opinion, this is 20 years late when the new schools were built. It could have been done then, but better late than never, I hope. I hope it gets done now while I'm still alive. And I want, it must be, done according to the Riparian Rights Law in 1600s in Massachusetts, which guarantees we the people access to 10 feet above high tide along all waterways, including the Mystic River and the oceans and the state. And especially, it must be completed along the river behind those eight condos, numbered 54 to 68 on Ship Avenue, because they have two fences on each side of the property, next to the Royal House, the Riverside Yacht Club. Both their fences, from the front sidewalk to the rear, they go right into the river. That is a blockage of the 10 foot that We have a right under the repairing rights law in this state from the 1600s mind. So, and if the condo owners didn't know they didn't own the last 10 feet towards the river in their backyards, it's not the people's fault. They must have a deed and a plot plan. And the point is the law is on our side. Thank you very much. Also, is this going to go behind those condominiums? I want to ask the people in charge of this operation.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yeah, before the restaurant closes. I have no idea what you're talking about. Well, all right, listen, I just wanted to add a few Andrewisms. I would be remiss not to say a few words on this last meeting of the year. Good evening, honorable Councilors, and start with our city Councilor, John Falco. You've always been a good Councilor and a superb, great gentleman. Thank you. To the chair, to city councilor Michael J. Marks, I wanted to thank you for being you and being the best councilor of all for many decades in Medford, Mass. You're the best of the litter. What else can I say? God bless, Godspeed, and good weed. Andrew said that, dark on. And now, As you said at the last meeting, Councilor Marks, maybe you'll join me on this side of the railing and approve the unoccupied real estate tax exemption through the council and the mayor, and then run for governor. Thank you. Wish you all a happy Christmas and holidays and a good, healthy New Year's. Love you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes. Andrew Castagnetti, Cushion Street Method Mass. I want to read some brief points, if I may. This is probably my 19th time here for this matter in December. My only agenda is to save the majority of owner-occupied homeowners some serious money in their tax bills. By the way, this report is incomplete. Was it a mistake or was it on purpose? Imagine even the state politicians felt the pain of the unoccupied homeowners and passed a law, Mass General Law, Chapter 59, Section 5C in 1998, 23 years ago. And it was adopted in Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Cambridge, and all of Boston. Even Senator Kerry gets it at 28 Lewisburg Square on Beacon Hill. If, according to the IRS, that's his legal address. Unless he's on his yacht, tax-free yacht in Rhode Island, I don't know. There must be a damn good deal for the majority of homeowners because the proof is They're still doing it and they have not dropped out of this wonderful program. So why not here in Medford? We've been losing out since 1998. If it's adopted, over 80% of the unoccupied homes, homeowners would see savings. And the actual average of savings would be $2,000 per year, every year, and increase in the following years, according to this outrageous inflation. State tax bill, real dollars. Our savings would simply be added to all of the absentee owners' real estate tax bills, meaning the city still gets the whole tax levy wanted. Also, if your home is in a trust, you will also get the exemption slash savings provided the trust is still in the owner's name, period. Also, thus our exemption does not affect the commercial entities at all. So in the name of fairness and justice, why not we give them, us, this real estate tax decrease to the homeowners who supported and carried our fair city of Medford for many, many, many decades. So why not here, please? It's long overdue. In closing, I'm asking, requesting all seven of you honorable city councilors, if you are for or against this Mass General Lobb Chapter 59 Section 5C slash owner-occupied real estate tax exemption. in Medford and why? If anyone wants to answer my questions, I appreciate it.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Your silence is deafening. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Please. I want to thank Councilor Marks for using common sense again. I appreciate it. I'm going to try to simplify what this means in net net. I have like 16,000 residential units. In reality, over 10, 11, 12,000 are going to save. And it's calculated differently. if you don't understand. Yes, the present tax rate proposed is $9.02. And yes, if we go with the full 35% exemption, which I would like, the tax rate would go up. However, what you do is, even if you live in a three family or a five family house, you will get it, but you get a dollar amount. In other words, at 35% shift, they take 35% of the value of your house, let's say it's a million, they take off 350, so that leaves 650, and then they calculate that at a higher rate. But in over 85% of the cases, you're saving money.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Public participation, may I? Good evening and hope you all have a merry Christmas and happy holidays. We will see you next week. I'm not sure if I'm still gonna be around. And to all else, a happy New Year's. Thank you, Mr. President.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Mr. President. First of all, Andrew Castaneri, Cushman Street, East Ford Mass. First of all, if I recollect correctly, your city councilors on numerous occasions have asked the administration for financial help to the city clerk's office because of all the responsibilities, including the voting Am I correct with that? Thank you, Councilor Marks. Thank you. I hope enough went to, the request was honored and heeded and enough of it went through to really help out in the situation of a city of 57,000 peoples. We must have honest and fair elections without questions. anywhere in this country, especially in our hometown. And with 25% of the voters in question, 25% of the registered voters, actually it's more if it's 12.5,000. That's a huge number. I remember in the days we used to play poker. And if a car got flipped over or an extra car was dealt, we used to call it a flood deal. So I'm thinking, whether this election is certified or can you uncertify it, that we should call this a flood deal and do a do-over election for the sake of many candidates who spent lots of money. And some of it might be theirs, mind you. Who knows how much time and aggravation? Is it too much to ask in a so-called republic democracy for free, fair elections that we can make book on? That's all I have to say. Do you have any responses at all?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Could we file lawsuits? No, not me. I ain't got your kind of cash or union money behind me. I'm talking about, a lawsuit can be filed for that, you think? Anything can be done. That is your honorable opinion. Thank you. Thank you, sir. This is very upsetting in plain English.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street, East Ford, Massachusetts. Am I coming across?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to add some historical information to this parking enforcement business. Let's go backwards to when I got my license, when Papageno's used to be in the middle of Medford Square, they had the parking meters 50 years ago. And it costs like whatever, a nickel for 10 minutes, half hour. And then after a couple of four or five years, it seemed that we pulled all the meters out from the cement curb. And then we added signs that said two-hour parking only. And for whatever reasons or reasons, it was not enforced very well, except for our old friend Vinnie the Cop. And he would write up a few of those fluorescent orange tickets in probably multiple squares. And it seems to me that the people from Stonehenge, Melrose, Winchester, Malden, etc. They would drive down to Medford Square, they would park their car there for 8-10 hours and take the express buses that you people took from Medford Square and come back and they tied up all the parking spots for the local businessmen. And It seems like that's when we got serious, and as Councilor Penta said, we hired the bounty hunters, and we found it out, we subbed that job out, et cetera. And here it is, eight, 10 years later, who knows where we're gonna go with this now. And Councilor Machford brought up a good point. Will the new enforcers be able to effectively police near resident parking, which is like whatever, five, seven miles of the city. It's a tough situation, and I wish us all good luck, or else we're gonna be back in the same soup like 50 years ago. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, can you hear me? We can hear you. Thank you, Mr. Calviello. Mr. President, I just wanted to add a few comments. Councilor Marks is absolutely correct, he speaks perfectly. As a matter of fact, I wish he was mayor for the last 10 years in this community. Anyways, we have a perfect solution that I've been presenting to the council for at least 17 years. And that is to help the unoccupied real estate owner through a Massachusetts state law. And that's called Chapter 59, Section 5C, Massachusetts law, owner-occupied real estate tax exemption. And simply put, it would save the average homeowner in our city who live in their house, it's an 85% perfect solution, about $2,300 per year. We've been missing out on this exemption since its inception, when Chelsea got into it, when the state started in 1998. If we averaged $1,000 that we lost, we overpaid for the last 20-something years, that's over $20,000, not counting juice, meaning interest. That's, to me, it's like robbery of the people. And a lot of us are seniors. House rich for sure, cash poor with cigarettes at $13 per pack. Anyways, I can't understand why the city does not adopt it. If four out of seven Councilors adopt it, the mayor says, yes, it's done, and a snap of a finger with the state house. We get it. End of story. By the way, An override never happened in this community since I've been here for over 60 years. Never. We're not Winchester with multiple overrides of Barbara Anderson's prop two and a half, rest her soul. And nor have we done any debt exclusions like Winchester High School did for their high school for $100 million. And my old friend, the bookie from Tough Spark, was on South Border Road living in Winchester, says, Andrew, this thing cost me 800 bucks per year for the next 20 years to pay you off the Winchester New High School. This is nuts. We're having troubles. Forget two and a half overrides. You already have $180 million plus budget. Just cut the fat and get the job done. Good night.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Point of information. May I make a counterpoint, please? It's important.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Hello. Hello, have my hands up for about 510 minutes I was going to say something about this last resolution about the race.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Right, so I simply wanted to say before, I believe there's good and bad in every race, creed, and religion, and I believe Martin Luther King had the right idea, we should judge man or woman by their character. Now, onto the subject at hand. Councilor Marks is right on, as usual. I remember when the previous mayor was gonna sell her for a song, a cheap song at that, and I think believe Council Marks and Caraviello was saving it for the people. And Council Marks is always also right about when the three to three vote for the Swan School was the deciding dagger in the table was by Councilor Muccini-Burke at that time. And that's why we lost the vote four to three to get the Swan School for the TB3 and methadoxinitis and the, Method Arts Council. Council March has been right on for over two decades. Anyways, maybe this opportunity for the artists might come somewhere else, it seems to me in my gut feeling. So maybe this would, it is cost prohibitive and maybe you people should just sell it our city building to a developer dependent on the square footage and just demolish it and make more hopefully affordable housing. I have no further comments.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, East Medford Mass. Good evening, consulary Councilors. I don't want to be political tonight, but as they say, if you don't get involved with politics, we'll get involved with you, I guess. Our veterans should matter more than any other group in our nation. Because of our soldiers, we still have our republic and our First Amendment rights. to speak our minds here tonight. Imagine if you can, if you walked just a half mile in their boots to experience the hell they went through to keep our United States of America. When I went to Woodstock, they went into battle. And if I may, I'd like to commend them big time and please do the right thing for duty and humanity.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Move approval.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'll have to be careful what I say then. By the way, Mr. President, to the chair, off the record, I could tell Councilor Marks, say it ain't so, Joe. We're gonna sorely miss him, but not for long, I hope. Thank you. On this tree business, it is my understanding, let me back up, I'm not sure what the ordinance or law is within the city about trees. I love nature, personally speaking, and I have three trees around my house, city trees. My question Actually, my thought was, I remember reading the legal notices all too often, and I thought they were advertised in advance, so at least I want to guesstimate a week, two or three weeks in advance, and usually has a listing of multiple trees at certain addresses in the city, saying and calling them public trees, and they will be taken down, so that's all I can say. I'm not sure if I was dreaming when I saw this years and years ago, haven't seen any recently.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, 23 Cushing Street, Medford, Massachusetts. I sincerely want to thank City Councilor Morell for bringing this up, especially the Clippership Connector part. It's very personal to me being injured in that location. I scribbled a few notes, I hope it makes sense, but this missing incomplete bike community path. And we in Medford have the best location in all of New England, in my opinion, five miles north of Boston with Route 93 here. But you know, they can't seem to finish off the missing link, the half mile right behind 99 Riverside Ave. I was supposed to wave to Mr. Sano, who lives there. Anyways, It's sad because you could go from West Method and beyond, actually, you come right through here, if you didn't have the half mile blockage to the Duggar Andrews, you could go clear to the MBTA stations without dealing with Route 16 or Route 28. That's huge as a safety concern. So it's long overdue. Personally, in my opinion, it should have been done 20 years ago about when they built the two new schools, so-called two new schools, with bike paths and footpaths that go underneath Route 16. Also, they should do this job right. Finish this half-mile missing link in the center of Medford Square with the Riparian Right Law. It's a 1600 Massachusetts law. And that means we the people have the right of pathway, egress, I believe it's 15 feet alongside waterways. In this case, the Mystic River and Blessing of the Bay. Please, build this missing link The part that's missing is right next to the Doug Randrew School, that piece of land there. And then the next piece would be the Riverside Yacht Club. And then heading towards the square would be two condo buildings, 54 to 68, Ship Ave, I believe. And by the way, they have two fences on each end of the property. that go from the sidewalk all the way to the river, which, in my opinion, under riparian rights, is illegally built on the people's egress land. And then there's another building going towards 93 that will be the last building, the 76th shipyard, large condo complex of approximately 20 units. They have plenty of land and they didn't build any fences on top of the people's land. And it continues around where I actually broke my hand with a bike injury when my bike found one of two potholes, four feet wide, one to two feet deep. They're still there. They put cones there. I found one on the river today, took my bike ride again. I put one cone inside the hole. The DCR, they should at least fill in the potholes, which is grass. And the storm outfall number is OF04100. And then it continues, the missing link I should say, does not continue, underneath 93 to behind the senior citizen center, which is the building in the back where Mr. Sano lives at 99 Riverside Avenue, the high affordable rent building. It's a lousy half a mile, we're talking like 10, 15 miles beyond Arlington, Lexington possibly. Are you kidding? This is ridiculous. Excuse my lack of 10 cent words here, but I understand the wheels of government work slowly, but 20 years and still waiting is ridiculous. Come on, man. Let's get the missing half-mile path done now and complete the 10-mile plus route to the MBTA assembly row and station landing, and safely keep with the people off the streets, especially Route 16 and Route 28. This is a no-brainer. Please, city, wake up.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Last week's transcript? No, is that? It's going underneath Route 28, like some of them already did it at my path to Sunday Road. They already have that. This is great. Barbara is the rep? Yes. Right. But you know, I'm talking about the center of method over 20 effing years. Come on, people.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: And are they actually going to build it on our property? As far as the egress next to the river behind those condo complexes? Because they were complaining. Yes. Yeah. Or they have to build a little bit onto the water. in order to give them a break, which they don't need. They already built the fence on our land. I'm speaking straight English here. That's wrong. I'm sorry, my heart bleeds, my head broke, I was bleeding, broke my hand, I have receipts and bills like this. I did not sue DCR or the city. All I'm asking for is common sense 20 years later. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Name and address of the record please cast a netting on the subject of Councilor Marks about the condition of the city. I once made a comment is looking. It's looking like Chelsea around here but I was, I was corrected. I looked at Chelsea Chelsea looks a lot better. I can point out defects and, but I don't want to complain too much behind doors with a difference for one example, the bricks are sticking up like eight inches. It's incredible, and with the snow, you don't see that. But anyways, besides what my wife felt, Mr. Caballero tried to bring up that issue before we went on vacation. In front of Doris, what a difference, and she ripped her shoulder apart. I want to thank you, Councilors, for bringing up these concerns. But you know something? Out of 550 tree stumps, and we're going to fix 10%, maybe 50. I used to be involved with methadoncinitis. a chairman at that time, 2001 until Councilor Moss recalls. You know something? Put a planter with a hanging plant over it. Good night.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, yes, of East Method, Massachusetts. Good evening, honorable Councilors. I wanna thank Councilor Marks for bringing up this resolution. I might also add if you could possibly add to have the facilities to add public parks and statues. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Hello.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Cushman Street, Method, Massachusetts. It's very, very sad that the Method School Committee has caused such a great division in Medford. They said that Christopher Columbus was a bad person. He was no good. He was a criminal of sorts. As far as I'm concerned, it's just hearsay and rumor. So I'd like to know where's the beef? Can someone, anyone out there show me in the method transcript next week or the week after the police show me the court case when he was convicted of any major crime, please. Talking about the rumors of bad people, I don't know if Columbus was good or bad. It's all hearsay to me. Then I hear other rumors, why should we believe anything? For example, did Ms. Rousseau stopped this problem from the school committee?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay. Can we mention Columbus's name?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Even though he's not here to represent himself?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Aren't you kind? Thank you, sir. Also, I want to ask the city lawyer if a convicted Felon is legally allowed to run And serve as an elected official on that road.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Mr. Castagnetti Yes Councilor. Can you hear me? Councilor president? I can hear you Thank you very much Um, I just wanted to ad lib a few words. I wanted to go back in the meeting and thank The director of the veterans affairs for his wonderful words of of thankfulness to our veterans usa and because of them we still uh speak the English language mostly, and also we still have the Constitution and I believe first, second amendments and more. Hopefully we have all of them in place. Also, he was very well spoken. He wrote a great speech. He sounded good at Memorial Day at Oak Grove last Monday, and it's great to hear someone of his stature speak up for these veterans, including my father. And come to think of it, I don't recollect President Biden talking on Memorial Day, anything to this effect to thank our veterans. And I want to thank Mr. Durham, especially. Thank you all, Councilors.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Hello. Andrew Castagnetti. Thank you, Council President. I don't know if you can hear me with all this plane noise above me in East Medford.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: You can hear me? Okay, the plane went by. I want to commend Councilor Marks for bringing forward to commemorate The gentleman and Dr. Graffield, for bringing, getting the cinema back into motion, from the ashes. It was wonderful. And Councilor Marks mentioned all the beautiful businesses we had, World War Western, Grants, et cetera, et cetera. He neglected only two. One was Joe's pool room below the cafeteria on High Street and Forest, and also the small ball bowling where Harvey Van Guyde is also. And it was great to have businesses doing some business. However, the city, the politicians made a huge mistake. Back in 1970, when my wife graduated, that was the last year of the old Medford High School. And unfortunately, they built the new high school and the so-called new high school in the West Medford Woods. And in my opinion, it devastated the Medford Square economically. And we've never, ever recovered from that. Hopefully we all learn lessons, especially our next cities around us. But it's wonderful that we commemorate him and have a plaque there for him because he did a lot for the city. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Hello.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I was actually having a cigarette inside my fireplace. I was waving at my cigarette. However, that's okay. However, since I have an invitation.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Tell you what, I'll say a few words. I'd be remiss not to. May I?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Castagnetti Andrew, Cushman Street.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes, sir.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thanks, Councilor Marks, for bringing this on your agenda. And I believe last week, Councilor Penta was right when he said back when we installed these meters in 2002, thereabouts, that as Councilor Penta says, they sold us a bill of sale. It's more like a bill of goods. I believe back then it was stated by the department heads in the water and Mr. Geer, that if there's an unusual increase in our water meters, that we would be notified through the computer system. And I remember it like it was yesterday, even though it's probably 18 years ago. So a friend of mine received a bill instead of the usual bill, it was like six times per bill. And she owns Bell Raviolis, it happened in her home. And she was very upset about it. I guess she used the bathroom downstairs in the cellar and went upstairs and probably didn't go back for two more months until she received the bill. Probably six times the usual bill. And it's hard for her to make the steps. So, very sad. She went to pay the bill or actually question it. And I guess she just paid it, period. As they say, it counts by city hall.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'm glad to hear that. So therefore, since the city has approximately $5 million in the so-called water fund account, Basically, in my opinion, it's like an overcharge to all us rate payers. So therefore, the money's just sitting there. Maybe I'm thinking outside the box that the city could figure it out or the city council to give us a one strike, one time only shot. If it is increased by double and triple or better, that you could forgive it through the $5 million overcharge fund. Just a thought, if you want to take it on the committee as a whole, because sometimes you face City Hall, if you appeal it, you probably, maybe you don't have any requests after the fact. So that's all I wanted to say. You might want to consider something like that with the $5 million, but the commission, that's what you're hiring.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: All right, because please urge you to do that to receive a bill that's like five or 10 or 20 times your usual. That might hurt a lot of people who are having struggles in these times. Thank you, sir.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Mr. Caraviello. Hello. Andrew Castagnetti, Cushion Street, tomorrow, 101 Main Street. Thank you for your time. I especially want to thank you. Thanks to Councilor Marks for all the information, tons of homework. He's been doing it consistently. He truly earns his $30,000 salary. Thank you, Councilor. You got a race. As I said, as I said at the last Verizon meeting and the next one, by the way, I believe is 7 p.m. Thursday, Councilor. On Zoom, as I said at the last meeting on part two of the of the three meetings, I guess is I told Verizon, it seems like this is a done deal. through their lobbyists and other high-tech companies, and they got the law on their side. I guess from what I understand, we cannot say no. We can mitigate whatever that means, but they'll definitely, if they're not approved, litigate, and that's gonna cost us a lot to the taxpayers' coffers. Obviously, They cannot guarantee this is a safe situation when they install it, because it very well could be a potential problem. I gave them a simple example, low tech. 40, 50 years ago, we were painting the house, inside the house, and then 30 years later, they start saying, well, we have a lead paint problem. I don't care how safe they say it is, but at least if we cannot stop this, And I have a loved one that's gonna have an apartment directly across from this pole. And by the way, the apartment is five feet above the telephone pole, which is worse. I'm not happy about this because I don't know about the future and I can't trust nobody. So I asked Verizon directly, I'll ask them again, maybe you will, maybe they'll laugh. But if it's so effing safe, at least why don't you put up a $10 billion charity bond for possible health concerns in the future? That is my only point, sir. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes, sir.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Castagnetti Andrew, Cushing Street, Method Mass. I want to thank all the councilors for bringing this up. and Mayor Marks and our citizens. I'm also very concerned about this 5G. As a matter of fact, if it's so safe, as the Verizon people were telling us a few days ago, how about the mandatory, they put up a $10 billion bond for future possible health issues in 02155. By the way, I have a loved one who they plan to place one of these boxes in front of his bedroom window. And I'm very, very concerned. And it's unfair and it's appalling that we as a community, according to GOP, have no push or say because the government okayed them. I presume Verizon and the other entities of that nature had their had their people, you know, basically bribe the politicians to give them cop lunch. I'm very, very concerned. I'll see you Thursday night.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, 101 Main Street, temporarily under doctor's care.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: 101 Main Street.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'm Christian and 101 Main. Did you miss me? I didn't think so.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Not here. Not for a year. Not for a year. Anyways, it's nice to see most of you back in the City Hall chambers, taking care of the people's business. and not Ohio in your Corona basements. I did not write up anything. I guess this time it's very personal. Columbus, he's a big one. And I've been to the old country 12 times, even though I was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: So your legislative powers, you cannot put on the ballot.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Mr. McKillop was right. Where it stops, nobody knows. And I don't wanna go down that path with this canceled culture.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Castagnetti Cushman street method, Massachusetts. Um, I like to agree strongly with Councilor Bears. He makes a good point. We all should be opposed to any kind of violence, violence against all sentient beings period. because as you can see what happened this year, violence begets more violence. We all need peace. Let there be peace. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Are you talking to me, Mr. President?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I was going to, I was, I wanted to say some condolence prayer for Adam, Mr. Adam Hurdybee and his family because he's always been a constant gentleman. But I think I coined a prayer last year with my friend Geshe-la Tenley at the Buddhist temple around two words, sentient beings. I think I like to say my prayer for all of mankind. Almighty God, creator of heaven, earth, and all sentient beings, and more. Please get me and all of us to be and do the best that we can, now, always, forever and ever, in our quest for eternal, blissful peace. Amen.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Will the clerk please call the roll.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes, Councilor President. Can you hear me?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, East Medford, Massachusetts. Thank you, Council President. And again, I would also like to thank Councilor Scarpelli for bringing this forward. I believe it's long overdue to come out of our old hide-in basements and get back to the forum to take care of the city's business, especially as Councilor Marks had Brooke stole my words saying that with $180 million plus budget, it's time to, uh, at least be able to fix our, our damn potholes. That's all I have to say. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Needs a second.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Morell. Can you hear me now?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes, we can, Mr. Castagnetti.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Mr. President. Andrew Castagnetti, East Medford. If I may play devil's advocate, I'm neither here nor there on this issue. However, I must recollect when I was on my honeymoon in California many decades ago, I was rudely awakened one morning by the sound of the leaf blower for the first time in my lifetime. It was not a pleasant sound. And when I was out there in the field, even near Big Sur, mind you, I didn't appreciate all that debris going in my face. So I do own a rake. And I own snow shovels, plural. And I'm not sure if Man, the new generation knows what slow shovels are. So I wish you well in your deliberations. I don't like hearing it. I don't like the debris. I understand time is money, et cetera, et cetera. And the cat is out of the bag. As long as you preserve our second amendment and leave that cat out of the bag, I'm all set. Thank you, sir.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Move approval as amended.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Is that better?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you very much, Councilor Bears. Can someone there explain to me- Name and address of the record, please, sir. Andrew Castagnetti, East Medford.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Sorry?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Go ahead. It's this technical stuff, excuse me. Can someone there simply please explain what this phase one expenditure is on the Thomas Brooks Park master plan? Are there other phases beyond this? And what is the total cost? And what is this all being spent for, please?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Good evening, councilors. Can you hear me, please? Yes, we can hear you. Great. I'm Andrew Castagnetti, Method, Massachusetts. It's nice to see you all back in the city hall chambers. Not in O'Heiden, but when can the taxpayers come attend in person, sir? You know? We're trying. Got to get through the COVID. Thank you. Anyways, welcome back to the new admiral. Thank you for your attention. I'll be very brief. I'm here for the 10th year to ask you and the mayor to lower our real estate tax bills for own occupied homeowners. It's not a hard thing to do, but with the people. Simply adopt mass general law, Chapter 59, Section 5C, at the full 35% exemption. This act will lower the average owner-occupied real estate tax bill by $2,000 yearly in O2-155, as it is being done in Chelsea, Everett, Malvern, Cambridge, and even in all of Boston. So why not here? This Massachusetts state law has been applied for over 28 years times an average of, let's say $1,000 a year equals over $28,000 in total loss savings and all the charge by this city's against the average owner occupied homeowner, if they live in their home. So why not here? Furthermore, the city will still receive the full total real estate tax levy that the city demands because the law states that our tax savings is simply shifted and added to all the absentee residential apartment building owners from one unit to 350 unit buildings. It is a commercial business enterprise. Furthermore, these owners mostly don't live or vote in our city. Imagine this. Even our Massachusetts state politicians had a touch of heart to relieve some of our real estate taxpayers when they copied California's Proposition 13 law. So, Why not here? Because after all, we own occupied homeowners have a vested interest and take pride in improving our city, I think. Also, this would help renters to become first time home buyers in Medford with lower real estate tax bills if they live in the home. So please, I ask again, Why not here stop the discrimination and help us adopt the owner-occupied real estate tax exemption under state of Massachusetts law for method homeowners only if they actually live in their house. Of course, it is 28 years long overdue. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Mr. President, Andrew Castagnetti, Cushman Street Method Mass. If I may, I'd like to commend the mayor for her mission and her entourage. It's a great idea because no one should be hurting. If they're hurting now, imagine if at full employment, mind you, as we're going to hear tonight from the State of the Union. Imagine if we have a recession or something worse We're it's really going to be much worse of course I'm sort of thinking out loud Would it be possible to ask the presidential candidate the ex? Resident of massive method mass mr.. Bloomberg for some assistance on this matter. Just think it out loud.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street, Medford, Massachusetts. I want to thank Councilor Scarpelli for bringing this up on the agenda. The Selton Main Street intersection has been a problem when I got my license and most people in this room, if not all, were not even born. I hear the $5 million bond is possible. I'm not sure, even if it does go through, if that will help, even if you spend $50 million. Again, I hate to reiterate and repeat myself, the risk of being cruder, but I would suggest trying in right turn only at this juncture from South onto Main, right street only. Or else, as someone else suggested in the past, let me back up. Also, Councilor Knight mentioned, I believe something to the effect of shutting down that exit on Route 16 heading east. If the state will do that, that would be a big help. And another, sorry?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilman Knight, for clarifying my brain on that. However, if it was shut down, they still could take the exit at Winthrop Street, near where your condominium's located, towards that rotary. Another person or persons has suggested another idea, and that would be to make South Street a one-way, which it is, but in the opposite direction. I understand some of the residents don't like that, but again, this has been going on for over 50 years. I and we all know people that have personally been injured and there have been deaths there. I would start with right to rent only and good luck with the bond.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: But I was thinking that the tax should be reduced from...
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Cushman Street, East Medford, Massachusetts. Not to put words in my friend, Dr. Starella, in his repertoire of words, but I think he's implying if you walk the streets, we'll tax your feet, because I'm the tax man, quote the Beatles. First of all, I want to thank Councilor Morell, Councilor Marks, and others, and ex-Councilor Penta for bringing up this housing and affordability situation the way I'm comprehending it. And Councilor Marks brought up a good point that I found out about 20 years ago when my mother was doing income taxes. And he brought up, I believe it's actually called a circuit breaker under the Massachusetts income tax. And a lot of people don't know about this. And believe it or not, some accountants that do taxes don't know about it also. Scary thought, but I've caught a few of them. I believe the formula is, on a Massachusetts return, they take your real estate tax and your water bill, or a portion thereof, and they take 10% of your adjusted gross income, and then they do the mathematics, and if you're above, in other words, you're hurting, you would get dollar for dollar, mind you. up to the max of, like you said, about $1,100, I guess it is. Haven't looked at it since my mother's been gone for years. But thank you for bringing that up. Also, what you failed to mention was, it not only applies to people who pay real estate taxes in houses that they live in, it also applies to renters, which I was surprised to read in the law, unless the law has changed since 12 years ago. However, in Andrew's gut opinion, there's only one surefire way to help the owner-occupied people that live in their houses in Medford is to adopt the Commonwealth of Massachusetts owner-occupied real estate tax exemption. And it's called, if you want to look it up, Chapter 59, Section 5C. And in my estimation, The average owner, average I'm saying, would save about $2,000 a year off their real estate tax bill. I've been asking for nine and a half years. It will be done someday. I may not see it. And if it's done, it's in perpetuity.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Haven't decided yet.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Haven't decided yet. Andrew, Cush Street, Medford, Mass. There's been some good points and concerns brought up with this Chapter 40B. If I remember correctly, one of my many jobs was 30 years ago about real estate. For the layman out there that doesn't know what it is, correct me if I'm wrong, but the gist of it is, in any city or town, specifically here, we're speaking of Medford, If our total housing stock is not at 10% or higher affordability, that a developer can come in from wherever, from the world, and buy a nice piece of valuable land, and pretty much do what they want, or should I say, circumvent the present zoning laws, if there are any at that area. I believe it's something to that effect. Make sense? You are correct, sir. Correct. Thank you, Councilor Knight. So I want to say you ain't seen nothing yet. We're at a crossroads with this boom times during this election year. And unless there's a major crash, whether it's Dow Jones or real estate, we ain't seen nothing yet, if you think about it. because we're not at the 10% threshold yet. So, and I used to live on Mystic Avenue as a youth. And that was a major highway to Boston, Route 38. And then in 1960, they built this Route 93. By eminent domain, they took property and schools, et cetera. So we have very valuable location. three to five miles north of Boston. So, also, it was mentioned about, months ago, about MAC, not a Big Mac, but Mystic Ave... Community? Mystic Ave Corridor. The Big Mac. Although no McDonald's is in Bedford, Burger King's down there. But the point is, unless we get a handle on this, if it's possible to avoid this 40B being jammed on our throats with all this congestion we already have, without our Orange Line subway behind you, we're gonna be in deep stuff, man. So. I'm not sure if you can do moratoriums or anything that's fancy with those 25 cent words, but chances are you can't if we're already in this 40 B thing with the state. But, carverum tuor, buyer beware, be careful.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, uh, Cushman street, East Method, Massachusetts. Um, definitely I'm in agreement that South and main street is most dangerous intersection probably in all the city. And as Councilor mocks has had said at the last meeting that, uh, It's not the only intersection that we should be looking into to make it safer, such as Mystic Ave and Hancock Street near Atlas Liquors, Park Street and Riverside Avenue with that high fence that's hard to see coming onto Riverside from Park. in other locations, I'm sure, but this south of Maine has been a major problem since before I got my license, 50 years ago even. And it seems that it's getting worse with more congestion and cars trying to get into Boston. I would think, at the risk of repeating myself from last meeting, Why can't we, as they say, the low-hanging fruit, erect two signs at the end of South Street before the end of Main Street, which becomes our city street? That you take a right turn only. I understand it would be a change, but it would eliminate people going across, which is already illegal, towards 93, but they do it regardless. and they want to enter the center of Main Street, they want to take a left underneath Route 16, going to Medford Square. That's where a lot of the accidents happen. So if it was right turn only, I understand it's a change. However, why not just try it on a three-month trial basis? and just see what happens, because some action would be better than zero action, instead of talking about a pie dream, about $5 million light travel signal systems from here to Malden Square. That sounds absurd to me. It's just, it's sad, because there's a lot of injuries, and there's been deaths there. I just hope that they could try a simple solution, a right to an only. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Mefford, Massachusetts. Congratulations, politicians, and I wish you great success and good health. Thank you. On the subject of Salton Main Street, when I first received my license a while back, many decades, it's been a problem since then. I'm glad the council is still trying to find a solution to this problem. I believe a few years back, I brought up the Chief Sacco, the crime watch meetings, and also to Chief Buckley, can't we just erect the $100 sign that you probably have at the DPW yard, one on each side, as you're coming off of South onto Main, and have it be right turn only, not go across towards Route 93, not go into the middle of Main Street to take a left into Medford Square, And I believe Chief Buckley says, Andrew, it's going to happen, a few months ago. And for some reason, I guess it did not go forward. So I guess there's no perfect solutions in this world. However, is it possible to put the $100 sign up, times two, and have an officer at that corner during rush hour times, especially? At least for a three-month or six-month trial basis, what we got to lose, we probably have a lot to save. Just an idea that I'm rehashing. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street, Method Mass. We would even be having this conversation about knocking down three buildings, police, fire, library, about 55 years old, made of brick. It seems to me we have a problem with maintenance in the city. Hate to sound like a broken record, but when will the city ever learn? Especially when you keep putting this on our kids' dime on their charge card. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street. What I'm about to say, it all ties in, so bear with me, Council President, to this Clippership Connector path and behind it, Dr. Andrews. First of all, the Douglas Andrews and the McGlynn was probably built on a dump, if I remember correctly. However, that worked out as far as testing, I don't know. I find it unfortunate, as I say in the real estate business, that there's a dirty 21E involved, meaning pollution in the earth, dirt. It's very appalling, it's more than appalling to me that this missing clipper ship connected, which is about a half a mile from behind the Salton Star building to the Dr. Andrews ray yard. It's probably a half mile, otherwise you could go from the center of Medford Square all the way past Arlington. And on the east side, you could go from the Dark of Andrews all the way and not deal with Route 16 or Route 28 and walk to the subway station. Capital idea. Unfortunately, it seems that the leadership here has not done the half mile behind you, Council President. And I find that more than appalling because As you stated, it was not an official bike path, Council President. However, one week after I threw my hat into the ring to run for city council, I was driving and riding my bicycle near the Mystic River, within five feet of the river, next to Route 93, near the Riverside Yacht Club. And my front tire went into a sinkhole, And I had a severe head injury, concussion, and broken bones. When I finally got home, my wife took me to the Lawrence Memorial Hospital, I guess it's called. And we had all kinds of repair work done. I can't understand why it's not done. And if the zero to two foot level has not been tested, If the Douglas Andrews is okay to put a piece of tar on there for their bike path, footpath, and stone dust on the Tom Lincoln side that he designed, well, if you're not gonna disturb the soil, I can't see why we're getting into this big ball of wax trouble.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: So the schools are?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: They have car parks that their grandfather know?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Okay, my second point would be, from behind the Salton Star building, where the path does not exist, towards all the way to the Doug Andrews border. That is underneath Route 93, behind 76 Ship Avenue, behind 54 to 68 Ship Avenue, behind the Riverside Yacht Club, which leases the land. They don't own it, to the best of my knowledge. And behind Shipside Green at 20 Ship Avenue. where the dirty 21E is in the back. And it's all fenced off. So I don't have egress to that area either. This bike path should be built on the people's land under riparian rights in the 1630s, Massachusetts law, that we the people have the rights within so many feet of mean high tide. If I recollect, when I was a child, high tide came up to the Karate Bridge. And low tide, that didn't smell so good, but I don't want to get out of track so people can stop laughing. I'm dead serious. In a city like this, you cannot do the half mile path out of the 10 miles? You know, what is wrong? That is the point. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'm listening. And why are your children going to the schools behind there?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Well, it didn't get polluted after the buildings were built, my dear. Think about that.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: So what was the plan under the rug and dirt back then? If it's not done, one year anniversary of my head injury, I believe I will take legal action to get the city to get this job done, the state, Middlesex County, I got them all covered.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: If I remember correctly, I was the one that brought this forward, and Breonna took the motion to send it to the mayor. Thank you, and thank you for the response. I am more than appalled. I'll take care of it if I have to. Thank you for listening. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Castagnetti, Cushman Street. It's, in order to have, what's the word? no appearance of collusion. It makes sense to have an independent outsider from far, far away. If you're going to spend the money, especially, and we had a saying back even prior to the sixties, if you're not part of the solution, maybe it's all part of something else. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Good evening, name and address of the record, please. Good evening, Council President Caraviello, honorable Councilors, Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street, Medford Mass. I'm sorry for my tiredness this evening. I'm just trying to make some sense of this. First off, my silent concern back in around the year 2000, after the closing of many neighborhood schools and the opening of the so-called new central schools, was my silent thought to myself, hope a Columbine never happens here or anywhere. My understanding is a big boo-boo happened at my wife's school. Because silence was not golden, are there others? God only knows. But hopefully for a silver lining, especially for you, Councilor Marks, with your children at the high school, if they're still there. Hopefully for a silver lining out of all this, after this admitted mistake, with the city budget of 167 point something, million dollars for the year, at least please post a full-time Medford police officer at Medford High School during business hours, especially in a 1970 building with over 500,000 square feet. Should have been done long ago. That's my humble request for a silver lining.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you for your attention. Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street Method Mass. Smoking is a very nasty habit. It's a very addictive drug. However, the government seems to have a nasty habit of also putting their nose in private people's business, such as private clubs like the VFW, American Legion. If it wasn't for these organizations, we'd be speaking German in this country. Smokers deserve a place where they can call themselves lepers instead of be chewing on some cinnamon stick here. and respecting people's rights to keep the smoke away from their face. Most people are considerate of their smokers. I'm not saying maybe we should go as far as I told my VFW people. Ban cigars and pipes. That's overpowering. I think I'm a fair person. I use common sense most of the time. But it doesn't affect me because as W.C. Fields says, there are loopholes. And I seem to have found a few. However, some people that are upset at Mr. Councilor Knight's club, for example, when they're shooting the game of pool, they can't smoke. Maybe they're going somewhere else, or at the fireman's club, this and that. I'm not that smart with information. But there are loopholes. But the point is, The private entity should have the opportunity to vote amongst themselves, whether they're World War II, 98-year-old veterans, or from one of the other 100 wars that we've been into as teenagers today. I believe even the leper deserves a spot away from society. and I'll take one less shower per week. There'll be less pollution in your world.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. Name and address of the record, please. Andrew Cast and Eddie Cushion Street, Method, Massachusetts. I'm for historical preservation. As a matter of fact, if I may tell you a short story, you might find it interesting, although most of the people behind me I'm sure know this story already. I lived in 41 Mystic Avenue for 25 years in a three family, which was originally a single family, that was originally next to Gaffey's, Captain Isaac Hall's house. And they moved that house, I have no idea when, before I was born, where Governor Zav is today. They moved it, instead of destroying it, over 100 years ago, in order to make Governor Zav and you a reasonable facsimile of Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, from what I understand. How they got it across the Karate Bridge, I have no idea. That probably explains why those 200-year-old floors were sagging. The house was built in the 1750s, before Paul Revere. Paul Revere went right by it before they broke up and that's where the house was. Captain Isaac Hall had three sons, if I understand correctly, and I was the first of three sons. I won't get into the fact that they married three sisters from Cambridge. However, by the way, historical designation can be complicated, I'm sure. I'm sure there's different entities that classify it, whatever strength of power they have. I don't know. You have the federal, you have state, city, and I presume there's others, including possibly Middlesex County that I'm not aware of. But you should also consider the new growth as not anti-American, especially if we can fix up some blighted properties. And as far as gentrification, as the lady had spoken earlier, I don't believe we would have much gentrification, even if real estate taxes, the real estate values, the prices, valuations went up drastically. But if you don't use that new growth from the new development to offset Prop 2.5 increases, then we will be pushed out, especially seniors on fixed income. or zero income for the last 29 years. Just wanted to volunteer a story from my childhood.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: You're welcome.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Greetings, Mr. President Caraviello. Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street, Medford, Massachusetts. How do I start?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yeah, I'm talking about water.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Is it free water? There's something in the water, 02155. I got my T-shirt. It's about the water. Listen, Richard. Okay. This connectivity fee, it's all new to me, Councilor Marks. I'd ask you to explain it, but it's kind of late, and some people want to go watch that basketball game. Although the only last two minutes is what really counts, in my opinion. However, this connectivity fee might be something that might, how you say it, the straw that breaks the tax man's back, or the taxpayer's back. I enjoyed seeing Councilor Brianna and some other politicians Yesterday, first time that I recollect ever going to see front of Captain Isaac Hall's house and celebrating our first revolution. Thank you. I guess the Beatles would say, if you walk the streets, we'll tax your feet, because I'm the taxpayer. When does this end? At Dela Rousseau's or Chinkardi's? or a cremation of some sort.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Who polluted the harbor talking about water? Me? You? No. The Mills and Lawrence, the GE, the corporations in Woburn. Who's cleaning it up? The lower middle class. It's paid for. It's done.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Around the corridor.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street Method. Thank you, Council President. Appreciate your attention. Thought I'd share some information about this gas leak situation. Approximately 15 years ago, my wife said there was a gas leak in front of the house, but I couldn't tell. She can smell a cigarette from a mile away, but I really can't. So, sure enough, a gas employee, National Grid, came in front of the house and I didn't notice my new tree on Cushion Street was dwarfed and it looked like it was dying compared to the others that were newly planted. Anyways, across the street, they had gone through multiple trees about number 26 Cushion. So the guest gentleman said to me, listen, This is, I thought he said stage one, stage two, stage three, or I said grade, you said stage, whatever it is, there's one, two, and three. I'm not sure which was the worst. I'm sure you counsel much, you know better. And your mind is refreshed. However, he said it was not so bad. Okay, so he also says to me, don't say I said it, so I'm not quoting his name, I probably have it in my notes. He said, Medford is known as the gassy city, kind of like Shark Bay. And I said, I presume it has nothing to do with Boston baked beans, mind you. So, and I've been seeing them walking around and driving around with their scanners and snifters, whatever they hang from their bumpers. And sure enough, they did come and replace the whole main for the entire street. And we've been fortunate. We have new infrastructure on that street. And they replanted new trees, because they also did the sidewalks. And our tree in the front seems a little bit more dwarfed than the other one we have on the front, which is more on the Abbott's corner. And across the street, where they already went through three trees prior to the replacement of the new line, their tree looks more dwarfed than mine. I would say it's ready to go to De La Ruza's pretty soon. So I think I covered the information I'd like to share. And just think, these pipes are probably 100 years old or more, give or take 20 years. God forbid, if we ever had to do entire re-digging the infrastructure, I don't think this country could afford such a thing and the inconvenience. So I guess we're gonna have to do a piecemeal when it becomes a stage one, as you say, Councilor Marks. But I wanna re-quote this gentleman, just don't quote me, but Medford is known as the gassy city. That's all I have to offer.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew, Cushing Street, Method Mass. I appreciate Councilor Knight's concern about keeping a more of a Winchester-type atmosphere versus a Chelsea-type atmosphere. It's a great thought. Glad you respect the city. It seems to me most people in the world, including in our community, are good people. However, there are some that have issues, and maybe they do bad things, and I'm not sure if we can, Someone can dictate, even through an ordinance, and you probably can, but to whether they should have grates or not, especially if they're carrying 24-karat gold bullion or jewelry. I'm not sure about ice cream parlors. However, I think in order to avoid possibly more of the secondhand shops and massage parlors, which kept Medford hopping until after eight o'clock at night, but they had to go, I guess. But they had to roll up the sidewalks at 4 p.m. at least. However, all kidding aside, I believe it's more important for the leadership in this city to make better amends to beautify our city. and at least clean up the trash. I know it's not Winchester, but I fear it might become like the communities on the East Coast as night is implying it. So behind Mystic River Bend Park, for example, that parking lot, and I've said it to many people, leaders in this community, it's insane. It's like a war zone. You have these cement things that's supposed to stop the cars from hitting the curb. Well, they've been plowed over and broken in half, and you have rebar sticking up. I'm afraid someone's gonna end up in a wheelchair. And there's a lot of debris back there, and it's just, that's only one location. I guess, what's the name? Aretha Franklin, R-E-S. Respect the city. Do something. Besides the great work you're doing, we gotta have respect. I don't mind picking up papers in the street, pieces of plywood in Medford Square, on Salem Street, Riverside Ave, but what am I gonna put in my pocket? The city could do a better job, although DPW employees have a shortage of manpower, in my estimation, and They're tired after a snowstorm, and instead of spending money for the high execs, maybe we should hire a few Indians, so to speak. Use some of that free cash to clean up the neighborhood, and maybe people will stop throwing their chewing gum wrappers on the street. Just thinking out loud, sir.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I want to thank Councilor Knight. That's news to me. I'm very sorry to hear that John's gone. I remember when I was a teenager, we used to get our cars fixed. And if some of us didn't have enough funds, he was very nice about extending time. And I actually didn't really get to know him until I was a member of the Elks. And he was a stature of that organization. And he was a very, very good man. I'm very sorry to hear it. Thank you. Thank you. Councilor knife for bringing this forward.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Council President. Name and address of the record, please. Andrew Castagnetti, Medford. Good development, I believe, most of the time is very good. It's just that, how was this now? How was I going to present this? especially if it's mixed use, a la station landing, because that's how the Roman Empire did business way back. If you lived here, if you worked here, you could eat downstairs, you didn't even need a bicycle, for God's sakes, in the T's there. It'd be nice to have one in Method Square someday also. Might as well get that in there again. Council President, however, when the new growth That's the new real estate taxes from these brand new developments that grow out of ground are not applied to offset the prop two and a half increases. This new growth doesn't help the taxpayer at all that pays real estate taxes. It hurts us because we have to get more schools, more teachers, more police, more fire. infrastructure. So I don't see how it helps us. As a matter of fact, it hurts us because the following year to the $100 million tax levy, they add the new growth, the 1.7 million, and then the two, prop two and a half, another two and a half million on top. Then they take two and a half percent of that greater number. Again, it's like the Russian lady used to say here 15, 20 years ago. It's like an annuity that keeps on giving, but at the cost of the real estate taxpayers here. I'd like to see the city to be a hopping place, because the location is strategic. It's probably the best in all of Massachusetts, proximity to Boston. There's a lot of open space. We're being jammed in in East Medford. I'm not sure, maybe we should secede from the city. It's a capital idea, possibly. Councilor Marks, you lived it yourself. West Medford can stay with Winchester, with your own zip code, by the way. Well, that's okay, because who's gonna pay for their services, the squeaky wheels? The salt won't be able to pay anymore if West Medford secedes. Good luck. You get all the money, but we have the territory. From Route 93 all the way to Fells Lake, this is like Donald Trump land, very valuable. If you ever have one of the two fires Chelsea ever had, hang on to your land. I like new growth. But if you don't use the real estate taxes, and by the way, who says you have to raise real estate taxes $1 or actually $2.5 million at 2.5% of last year's $100 million levy? Is there a law that says you have to? Thank you, Councilor Briana. I knew I liked you. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street. Thank you, Councilor Falco. I knew Elaine Bordenaro. I think her name was Elaine Carrier back at high school when I knew her. And great person. And she ended up marrying one of the top five friends I ever had in my life, truest gentleman of all time, Michael Bordenaro, back in the 70s. And I remember going down to Michael's house when we were engaged, and he would be playing Emerson Lake and Pablo on the organ. And although he was educated at Berklee School of Music, And unfortunately, he passed away more than 25 years ago. And she was fortunate, and also her present husband was fortunate to meet each other, Eric. He's also a great person. And as I said at the wake to Elaine's daughter, Christine, and her brother, the children were very lucky to have three of the greatest parents that ever parented. Thank you. I wish him all the best. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Oh, incredible.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Paul Castagnetti, East Medford, Massachusetts. I'll be very brief. It's very important to clean our streets, even if it's only twice a year. After all, we don't want the plague, as they say. I'd like to say thank you, Councilor Scarpelli, for bringing up the old-fashioned common-sense approach. I've been thinking this for years. It's good to have a one-tenth of a cent flyer. Ten flyers for a penny, maybe. To have them plastered throughout on the vehicles the day prior and on telephone poles and, excuse me, Tom Lincoln, but on trees also. At the risk of causing rubbish, however it's not plastic, It will biodegrade and end up in the Mystic River and the ocean like everything else. And I understand the shortage of manpower. DPW employees, in my opinion, are overworked and probably underpaid. Especially also when you have absentee owners that have tenants that have no clue. Along with your present advertising, if it's only twice a year, I would highly recommend the good common sense approach by Councilor Scott Peller, possibly put an amendment to that. Again, thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Good evening. Name and address of the record, please. Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street, Eastford. First of all, I wish you all a very good, healthy New Year to everyone, sincerely. I came in this evening earlier, and downstairs I noticed this one-page flyer at the information booth table, and it jarred my memory, because I don't recollect If I ever receive this year's recycling brochure schedule. So if any of the Councilors know the answer, I'd appreciate it. Or else I'll have to go through some old mail and see if I misfiled it. I would like to know that for the sake of better disposal for, especially for the absentee owners that live on my street. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Dello Russo, Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street, Medford Mass. I also commend all the people involved that want to better the city. In the past, I've said it numerous times, if you need something, the city needs it, but they should do it. My only concern is these buildings are not that old, such as the police station, the library. And actually, they're younger than I am. and it doesn't seem right that they're in such disrepair that they have to be replaced. Saying that, we have over probably 10,000 houses in this city that are made of wood frame, and they seem to be in fine standing order. Chevrolet Auditorium, I believe, was built in 1939, according to Dee, and I think Method High School on Forest Street, the old one, I believe, was built in the 1800s. So it seems to me we have a problem with maintenance and I just don't want to see us spend millions and down the road our children are going to be saddled in another 50 years with billion dollar buildings. That's my only concern. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Season's greetings.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: First off, I'd be remiss after receiving some information finally from the assessor's office not to mentioned this calculation that I did on my own time, hopefully would benefit the middle class real estate taxpayer in the future. I'll make it very brief. Finally, I received all the information pertaining to last week's real estate tax rate meeting, and I did a fair sample calculation to compare what the average real estate tax bill for the year would be. if we had adopted the 20% owner occupied real estate tax exemption based on the average home value here in 02155, which is 485,000 times $10 and 50 something cents would be 5,122. And with the 20% exemption, the 485, you would take away 20% of the value, which is 97,000. You have therefore a sum of 388,000 times, much higher rate from 1050 to 1240s, but it's 4,800 and change. The bottom line is the average home of a home that lives in it would save $307 a year if the 20% exemption was adopted. But in reality, the average single family will be building extra $280 increase next year. Therefore also 11,000 out of the 12,000 owner occupied homeowners who actually live in their house will miss out on this huge real estate savings. If we only had adopted the Commonwealth of Massachusetts general law chapter 59 section five C which offers us middle class real estate tax relief. This 300 to possibly $600 real estate tax savings for the average homeowner would have been a nice Christmas gift for the first time ever. As I say in baseball, wait until next year unless somebody wants to discuss the matter right now. Thank you for saying no. Furthermore, if I may ad lib this, problem number two we have, in my opinion, you may remember the lovely Russian lady brought this issue to this honorable body. years ago, but I never understood it until now. Now I get it proposition two and a half. Thank you to Barbara Anderson. Rest her soul limits the tax levy, which is about a hundred million dollars last year to two and a half percent increase. So that's about two and a half million dollars. However, the new growth that we generated was 1.8 million. The city always goes up to the max within a hair. which is $2.5 million, the new growth is $1.8 million. And those are new buildings that just come out of nowhere to generate the extra $1.8 million of new real estate tax that never existed prior. Never. So the Russian lady made a good point. In reality, take away a $2.5 million increase from Prop 2.5, and the new growth was $1.8 million, the increase should have been $700,000, period, versus 4.2 million. That's like seven times. So we could have saved maybe, instead of a $300 average increase, maybe it would have been like 50 bucks. But I'm not a math scientist, but the math seems to tell the facts. I'm not sure who was responsible for this injustice. By not first deducting the new growth, from the Prop 2.5 increase. As she used to say, it's like an annuity that keeps on giving. And then the 2.5% is based on the following year on a higher number, and we don't get any tax relief. Not only that, we get hurt because we have to pay more police cars, more fire trucks, more schooling, more teachers, I don't understand. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. In closing, if I may say, wishing some of you a merry Christmas and a happy Hanukkah and to all a good night.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Council President. I want to thank Council March for bringing up a safety concern on the streets at Park and Riverside Avenue. I've been meaning to say this for many decades, and I've heard many people express concerns about the safety issue when they're driving a vehicle, also pedestrians, at that exact location. If you're on Park Street, coming from the north side, from the old Swan School, and you're entering onto Riverside Ave, you have to go left or right, or straight. However, there is, it seems like it's not a fair obstruction, that fence on the left-hand side, it's a white picket fence, Even if you're sitting in a high-rise vehicle versus, forget about it, if you're driving a Corvette, of course, it's hard to see over that fence. I'm sure everyone here is totally aware of the exact location. There's been numerous accidents without me checking the internet from the insurance companies, and therefore, if we could sort of, like, do a surgical eminent domain on the the top 18 inches, whatever it takes on the fence, I would gladly be out of my pocket to see less accidents, less injuries. Just let me know the number, I'll cut you the check.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Dello Russo. Andrew P. Castagnetti, Cushion Street, Medford, Mass. I don't have much to add to the pains in Salt and Method for the parking. I do feel that pain, however, because although I've been out of there for 36 years, I used to live in Mystic Avenue. That was the old Route 93 to Boston before they built Route 93 in 1960. It wasn't a picnic back then when there's more cars, obviously, these days. I would like to advise to a word of caution for future excavations of the problems for future parking. It may become even more of a nightmare if the board of appeals allows developers to not meet their 2.1 parking spots per residential unit. I would find it hard to issue an invariance to not require the 2.1, which maybe we could even increase the three or whatever. Just a word of caution. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. Castagnetti, Cushing street. Um, I don't know much about this auxiliary enforcement police business. However, if I recollect years back when we took away the parking meters in Medford square and then I believe the city installed signs saying two hour parking only. And for whatever reason or reasons, it wasn't enforced very well, especially after my buddy Vinnie the cop left the department. And all they had to do was show, in my estimation, five orange tickets on a daily basis in each square, including the middle square, all five squares, and other squares, if they exist. And I think people would have, saw the orange and said, maybe I should stay in Winchester and Stoneham, Melrose, et cetera, or Somerville, and find other alternate transportation to work. I'm just assuming all this. I don't really know. And I think, I believe, actually, that some citizen brought up a point, well, why can't we hire since the police staff might be understaffed in this community. Why can't we hire, I believe the term was auxiliary police, in order to give out tickets and maybe pay them 10, 12, $15 an hour, instead of what the going rate is in pension for police officers. And I believe the police, not to get involved with unions, but there was some comment made from a department or entity of government here that it's not allowed. However, I believe down the road there was sort of some sort of an agreement between the city and the police union of Medford that they would allow the city to hire auxiliary police. Um, But of course, the city had to give in to some sort of perks, I think, for the union, for the officers. I believe it was something to do with extra education monies, things of that nature. I'm not sure. My recollection's not that good.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: And I don't know what happened thereafter, but maybe there's something to that that might be of some help for the, across industries for these children. if they could hire them. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Greetings, Councilor, President, Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street, Method Mass. Smart new growth is a wonderful thing, most of the time. When I was a kid, before Marada did any of his huge projects, I reiterate, living on Mystic Avenue, of all places, commercial the old highway to Boston before they built Route 93 in 1960, I believe. I said many times I would have taken all of Mystic Ave on one side only, by eminent domain, when we had the muscle and it was affordable, even if there was an EPA problem at the junkyard. And I would have put a ring road next to 93. and keep them off Main Street, unless they really want to go to deeper squalor in those days, and build 20 stories high.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: If you worked here, you'd be at work now. Mr. Sloan took my idea 10 years ago on his billboard, 1.5 in the community to the left, on the major highway, of course. However, that's near the end of the act, because no one would listen to me then, and I'm not even sure about today. But that would have taken a lot of the property tax heat off mama and papa in those days, if it was done properly. And it's not being done properly as of today, still. As we know, Prop 2.5. Thank Barbara Anderson, rest her soul. Every year, you can only raise it 200 percent on your so-called tax levy, which is approximately very close to $100 million this past budget. So that's 2.5% maximum unless you apply for an override. So that's 2.5 million on top of the 100 million. And they never go to 2.5. They seem to go to 2.49% right on the money, very efficiently close to the max. So this smart new growth is wonderful, especially the Roman Empire way. which is like Assembly Road. If you lived, worked, and played here, you wouldn't even need a bicycle. That's very smart. That is smart. My major point is when you have more children attending schools, it costs money for the schools to fire the police. And the problem is the new growth is hurting the existing real estate taxpayers. It's killing us. Think about it. It's common sense. If you use the new growth and applied it to that 2.49% increase on a yearly basis, like clockwork for the past many decades I've been around, fine. But you don't. The city does not. They take the $100 million and they tax it 2.5% increase, $2.5 million, and they do not deduct that new growth, which was approximately $1.5 to $2 million last year. If they did that first, then the increase wouldn't be $2.5 million. It would be more like $1 million increase. Instead of my two-family house going up at a rate of 8%, So what about Prop 2 1⁄2? Well, forget about it. It's hard to explain it. That's a fallacy. So my 2 feet under goes up $400 a year in the past 2 years consecutively. And before that, who knows? But they don't apply the new growth to the Prop 2 1⁄2 increase. Now that's a problem. I rest my case.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes, if I may, I didn't want to interrupt your moment of silence from my old neighbor, Jack McGlynn, Sr. I'd be amiss not to say, read this short three paragraphs, Please. If I may, please, thank you. I'd like to say some kind words about my old neighbor, Mr. John Jake, Jack Sr. McGlynn. But first off, if I may, I'd like to commend you, Councilor President Dello Russo, for doing an outstanding job on Jack's stately funeral. Mr. McGlynn Sr. may have been the consummate politician But more importantly, he was and still is, as he is reunited with his wonderful wife, Helen Lennox, the consummate gentleman, a kind and gentle man all the time. May God bless him and all of us to emulate his character while we are still here on Earth. Also, I'd like to share a little known fact about Jack Sr. In 1980, I knocked on his door to introduce myself as his new neighbor, and he surprised me by speaking in a fluent Southern Italian dialect. This blew my mind, but later on I surmised he must have learned it as a child, as I did, my Northern Italian dialect. Maybe he learned it from the Perica or the Catino, but I believe it's the Perica side of the family. Although I know he also spoke Latin. There's lots more good stories from the past 36 years, but I'll keep it very brief. Okay, I'll just say one more. About 20 years ago, my son knocked on his door for Halloween. Jack come running down the stairs from the second floor. Put some candy in his bag, I guess, and then when he came back down, my son, He says, Andrew, is that your boy? I said, yes. He says, send him back. So anyways, he started to deposit some more treats in his bag. It's like US currency. Sweet guy. Furthermore, can you imagine how many wakes the man attended to? Including both my parents. Didn't have to do these things. The man was and will always be a class act. He truly is one of the greats of the greatest generation. Jack will be sorely missed, but not forgotten. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Council President Dello Russo, Andrew Kasten, Eddie Cushman, Street Medford, Massachusetts. I was thinking out loud, out of the box, City Solicitor Rumley mentioned that we could maybe change, the way I understood, the parameters of 300 feet to make it further for notices. And Brianna brought up some good points that I had missed some of them earlier, because I came in a little late. If one wants to change, if it's possible, I presume, first of all, Chapter 48 is a state law. And if you want to change it, maybe 300 feet, or 500 feet, or 1,000 feet would not be sufficient, especially when depending on the city or town, when you have a development of 300 or 500 or 6,000 units, depending on the population, the locale, I mean, 300 feet would be a butters and a butters, a butters possibly. However, if it's a large unit for that city or town, it might affect five square miles or at least one and a half square miles. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: You're very kind, Council President. I have two points of hopeful common sense. I've noticed, it seems, when the planes are flying low and overhead, it's a west wind or a south wind. And I presume the airlines want to save fuel, as in U.S. dollars. And it seems like their path is down Riverside Avenue or in front of the Dalai Lama's temple, Central Avenue, heading west. Okay. That being one. The second point is, I believe this runway is no It's not even 10 years old thereabouts. And if I recollect correctly, all the cities and towns on this proposed flight path before they built the runway was invited to speak to Massport about this before construction. And I believe that would have been, and hopefully people did go from Medford community to make their points and concerns known. And regardless, I'm not sure how much weight we could carry unless we had good old Tip O'Neill to block it. I wish her luck, because it bothers me and Riverside Ave, and it bothers my friend Getschy Tenley at the temple.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Mr. Castaneri, Cushing Street, 02155. Um, this ordinance, I haven't had a chance to read it in total. It seems that applies to any present campus or any future new campus that may establish here. Notes one five five. Also it reads campus means any real property owned by a school. So my question is, does this ordinance, include Walnut Hill properties or any other entity that buys housing, real estate in Medford for any method college or any entity in the future under the guise of under the wing of any local university. That's very important. I would think to have your language set and contract if you pass this and studying is a lot better than making a possible mistake.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes. Actually, no, it's not on the budget. However, it's partially on the budget. I want to say, and this may shock you, However, I've been to a lot of these budget meetings that all you Councilors have been to in the last few months, it seems like. And I never realized how much work that you, lady and gentlemen, put in. It's astounding. So if I may, I'd like to commend you on all the hard work, and it's incredible. I really, I've never realized it was that intensive. I don't have the budget myself. I'm not privy or I just don't have it. So therefore, I didn't read it. Matter of fact, if I had it, I probably would have a hard time reading it because I have learning disabilities and a head injury, not to sound like Dr. Woods. However, I probably have a better chance of reading the Bible instead. But if it was in my power, I would automatically give all you Councilors a 50% pay increase on a yearly basis. I honestly would. Even though you might be, you might be, are you interested? You may be the second highest paid study Councilors in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts after or the third, or the fourth. Out of 351 communities, I'm sure you're in the top 5%, which would be the top 15. But actually, I would actually double your salaries if you would, this December, when you set the tax rate, as Brianna looks and smiles, give me what they have in Somerville, Everett, and Malden, the owner occupied 20% real estate tax savings. for the owner occupied. If you live in one house only, and the city will still get their levy of $104 million, they would not lose a dollar of tax. It would just be shifted to all others, multiple real estate owners, whether they're Lemire apartment buildings, Meadow Glen malls, Wegmans, or whatever that is. They would not lose a dime, but yet, Somerville, Everett, and Malden does this. And I won't even mention that Somerville gets 35% with a special exclusion permission, I should say, from the state. So I hope this December I would like to double your salary if we could just get the owner-occupied real estate tax exemption at the 20% under the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Chapter 56. Law Section 5C. I'll see you in December. However, if you're going to go on hiatus in the next few months, I wish you all a happy, safe summer. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Mr. President and councillors.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Honorable President. Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street, Medford, Massachusetts. By the way, I didn't write this down, but a friend of mine closer to City Hall here He received a reverse 911 call, I guess, about, it's a robocall, is that what happened tonight? Anyways, I live like three blocks further east, even closer to this proposed development, and I have not received any robocall. Usually, my friend Sergeant Barry Clemente calls for a lot of things, but I didn't get it. So, I mean, if it wasn't for Mr. Captain Barry Clemente and the IRS, nobody would call me, for God's sakes. But anyways, it's neither here nor there. I'm sorry, but East Medford matters too. I'm not against progressive development, but 490-unit apartment building is huge, way too huge for my side of town. Traffic is heavy now before Wetman's Assembly Road is fully developed, and the casino opens with 18,000 vehicles daily alone, just the casino alone, 18,000. The Board of Appeals approved this? Yeah? I don't believe that can happen. What were they thinking? Inhaling? This size project is overkill in a New York minute. So let's take a Medford moment and get the scale down to 150,000 square feet, which must include a smart commercial mixed use of 50,000 with a coffee shop too, please. I'm stunned and I'm at a loss for any nice words for this matter. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes, Mr. President. Andrew Castagnetti, Method, Massachusetts. I was only going to bring up one point when Ms. Jean had spoken. It's been a lengthy conversation and I come up with some more points. I'm sure I'm not going to take up 10 minutes, whoever knowing me. So anyways, first off, I'm not for or against this development. I don't know enough about it. 490 units of apartments for residential. I believe that's the number that's they have applied for. It seems like a big number to me. Can someone give me an idea like a block away from this location behind the old metal glam mall? Well, where miss is gonna go. I think Marauder. Mr. Marauder built some condominium complex kind of a large built I'd say does anyone can answer my question like how many units that is to give a comparison perspective a little bit someone please ballpark anyone 140
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Do you know who Mr. Marauders is?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Approximately, if it's a twin size, that's about 100 units, 120. So this is like three, four, five times, who knows, if we're accurate, number one. That's huge. However, Ms. Jean brought up a good point, and I believe ex-councilor Pinter, who spoke a little while ago, alluded to this same comment that Jean had made at past council meetings, when he said we should, I believe his words were, something to the effect that we should have bought that corner piece of real estate on Riverside Avenue, Locust Street, where the trucks have trouble making that turn. When we had the muscle, it was more affordable, and maybe we had some free cash back then also. And I believe the building is up for sale now, or it was recently sold, and maybe that's part of a development cost for a developer. Now, I read in the local newspaper, method transcript, that someone was quoted, I believe, saying that this building was going to be mixed use. Mixed use is great. That's how the Roman Empire took care of business in Europe. When they would conquer a city, like whatever it was, they'll call it Paris. You don't have to fight. We will be your army. We build a round wall, plenty of land. Now we're going to put the Coliseum in the center. That's your entertainment. No more blood and war. We built City Hall, the Forum, the churches. Anyways, what they did was once they filled up that community in a round circle, they farmed the land outside. But then they would not develop from Boston to Somerville to South Medford to North Medford. They would say, let's go 50 miles away. We'll call it Worcester instead. and start a new development. And that was perfect mixed-use from 2,000 years ago or more. So mixed-use is great. I remember from the North End, they had businesses downstairs, upstairs. They would sleep in their apartments. Don't need a car or a bicycle. It makes great sense, mixed-use. However, if you're talking 500 units and The average apartment is supposed to be 1,000 square feet, I believe, from my real estate days, I recollect. So that's a half a million square feet of residential space. So they're talking 7,000 square feet on the ground floor for the mixed use end, not even a coffee shop. That's not even 1%. I mean, 10% of half a million is $50,000. They're talking $7,000. Mr. President, I'm over here. So, this doesn't make sense. Now, my major concern as being a person that's trying to get owner-occupied real estate tax exemption for Medford, because some of our Everett and Malden does it, but we don't do it for the owner occupies in this city. So I'd be concerned if this was a sweetheart deal. First of all, I'd like to know what the residential real estate tax value is going to be before it's built. I also want to know, I request to know what the tax rate is going to be. for, and what it is called, if it's called residential, or condominiums, if they go condominium down the road. I don't know. Councilor Falco has been trying for zoning, or looking at new zoning, and I think it makes good sense for the new development that's coming in. As a matter of fact, in 1960, As a child, I was living on Mystic Avenue. And one of my ideas was the city should have taken all of Mystic Avenue only on the Route 93 side. And they could build a ring road to keep the people that would be living in the new buildings off Main Street, unless they really wanted to go to deeper squalor in those days. And I would have built all high rise office buildings, even 20 stories high. And if you worked there, you'd be at work now, as Marshall Sloan took the idea and put it on his billboard five years ago. and helped to lower the real estate tax on Mar and Pa back in the 60s, mind you. Now it's 2016. Now the people realize we're not a bedroom community. Route 93 is here. Boston is five miles away. Good luck.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Method, Massachusetts. Thank you. Don't get mad at me, but you're the prettiest VP, Vice President I've seen today. Thank you. So anyways, I want to thank Mrs. Alicia Hunt for performing her job and trying or implying to save us the residential electric payers some money on their bills, hopefully, if it ever goes through there. However, I know what I pay for my supply service side of the electric bill from National Grid on Cushing Street, and that rate is X amount of cents per kilowatt hour. Coincidentally, direct energy, I'm sorry, you didn't get that? I'm paying X amounts cents per kilowatt hour. I left it blank on purpose. Thank you. Thank you for paying attention. So coincidentally, direct energy knocked on my door and I actually gave them half hour of my time this time instead of zero time. And they gave me a contract just to use and read, but he didn't want me to keep it. But this is it. He came back later, and I compared it to what he offered. He offered X amount of cents less than what I'm paying. And much to my chagrin, he told me a lot of my neighbors are paying less than I am. And I did not know that. So I presume some people are paying even more than I am. That sort of tells me that there is no set rate, I guess, period. It could vary. I'm not sure how much it could fluctuate. So through the chair, I never did hear what the cost would be, presently speaking, or through Alicia's energy connections in her department. What is the latest rate that you heard of per kilowatt hours on the supply side? No one would I pay. And people out there that may be in the audience listening, that they may go home and check their bill, see what they're paying. Can you please answer me for the chair?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: What is the kilowatt hour rate, the latest that you know of?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Do you understand the question? Do you understand the question?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you very much, Mrs. Hunt. Okay, direct energy offered me 0.09 cents, which is, as they would say, two-tenths of a cent less than what the latest one in Melrose was. So direct energy, I believe, is two-tenths of a cent cheaper per kilowatt hour on the supply service charge. If I took this offer from direct energy, if it's still available today, from May 30th, I'd be saving 16%, and that would always be 16%. For one full year thereafter, there is no guarantee in life. That's what the market rate would be. If someone brought up solar energy, if I may go off course, but stay on the grid of solar energy, this is from a method transcript I believe. And there's a picture of Senator Patricia G. Holland. Jalen, thank you. She was among one of those who voted to pass the solar energy bill signed into law by the governor on April 11. This is in the transcript on April 28, 2016. And in a nutshell, it says, legislature passes solar energy bill, lifting the net metering cap. So the first paragraph I'll only read, the Massachusetts legislator recently passed legislation that raises the solar net metering cap. Net metering allows consumers, businesses, and municipalities to produce solar power and feed it back into the electric grid for discounts on electric expenses. The legislator raises the net metering cap 3 percent for private facilities and 3 percent for public facilities, which will allow solar projects currently in the development pipeline to move forward. I guess it is an incentive of sorts to get these projects more off the oil addiction, as Mr. Bush would say. My point or question is, if the state really cared about us, they wouldn't have any cap whatsoever. And we could sell it all back to the electric company and tell them to get a real job instead. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Mr. Castagnetti, please state your name and address for the record. Welcome. Thank you. conference president, uh, Andrew Castagnetti, Cushman street method mass. Um, just as a concerned citizen, taxpayer, et cetera, and for other taxpayers, uh, my concern with the old adage or saying is, uh, it ain't broke, don't fix it, but if it's broke, what you should fix it, obviously, especially on the side of safety concerns. Um, my concern is the 600, or 400 sidewalk panels, thereabouts, and 192 stumps. I'm not sure if it's 400 locations or 600 locations. However, my concern is since they're on a list, so they made the grade, so to speak, as a problem, this $500,000 should hopefully be enough to take care of every single location. and not start jumping down other addresses on the same street because, I mean, $400,000, you couldn't even do Clippership Drive. That would eat the whole business of $400,000. So if they just say, well, my sidewalk is busted too, five doors down, well, did you at least call it in? Chances are it was not called in. So they made the grade, but they must be in bad, bad shape and a safety issue. Through the chair, I'd like to ask Mr. Brian Curran a question. On average, I'd like to know, first of all, one question is how many locations? Is it 400 or 600 locations? And then I have a follow-up question.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: And at the Committee of the Whole meeting with the Mayor, you had mentioned, I believe, it costs $25 per panel. for the concrete aggregated self material and $28 labor, which equals approximately, you believe, $53 average per panel, depending on how the contract comes in. A panel, I presume, is four feet by six feet, if that, not even. Thank you. So my final question to you would be, hopefully my final question is, on average, if you could just ballpark 600 locations on average per location, some might be yay big, some might be a lot bigger. Can you give me an average per location what the cost might be, please?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. So what's unknown. So if we get $500,000 from the hard earned taxpayers money from the free cash that the city is holding, If it's $1,000 a shot, I'm presuming that's going to cover 500 problem areas out of the 600 that's on the list. I'm just guesstimating this. However, Councilor Marks are eluded to past histories about this sidewalk repair business with tree stumps. And I'm not sure if he was accurate, but the numbers didn't make much sense. One million, then another million, that's two million, and the list of 400 or 600, and they never totally got completed. So you're talking like 10, 20, $30,000 per shot. I don't understand. Hopefully this law will work out. Thank you if you're listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street, Method, Massachusetts. It was great to hear Dr. Starella. He's always so profound, and it ain't easy to follow him. However, on this subject of U.S. government, I liked it. He reminded me of some things that have been bouncing around in my head of late, especially with these elections that are coming up on a national level. Basically, I feel that I've been lied to back in elementary school in Somerville and when I finished the kindergarten at the Hancock School. They told me it was a democracy. I don't think so. It's more like a capital C, capitalism. Bernie Sanders, I believe, is right in one area for sure, that the Supreme Court allowed Citizens United to exist as an entity a few years back, and it was by a five to four Supreme Court vote. and Mr. Scalia is gone. So now it might be a draw if it came back before the Supreme Court. Citizens United, a lot of people don't know what that means. They think it's a wonderful two words put together. But in reality, the way I understand it, it allows that entity to collect unlimited money, funds, different currencies worldwide, from you and I or from China, Russia, Soviet Union, it doesn't matter, England, and big conglomerates in this country, big oil, et cetera. Rupert Murdoch controls newspapers by the hundreds worldwide. So they collect unlimited funds, unlimited. And furthermore, they do not have to disclose where they received any of these funds. So I'm thinking maybe they are the ones that create these super PACs and give it to hopefully their next political puppet that they want as a leader of the United States of America. whoever that might be on either side does not matter because they want that person to win with all the monies that were collected, illicit and unknown locations, and they don't want the apple cart to be upset in Washington, D.C. So even the Republicans, they don't want Trump, they don't want Cruz, but they're going to allow maybe Mrs. Hillary, to win the next four years. And then they're willing to give up four years in order not to upset their apple cart in Washington, D.C. Now, the Sicilians are right to fish for us from the head down. It starts in Washington, D.C. It comes to the local governors and to your local yokels. in any town and community out of the 351 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I guess I care too much about justice. That's my only agenda. I like to change the old adage from the founding fathers and say, no further taxation without proper representation and to stop the waste, hire Trump to negotiate edge of the bubble before we end up with the Superdome in New Orleans. God forbid. Good luck.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, President Dello Russo. Name is not important. Point of possible information from Councilor Marks and all the people that have water. In order to tell what kind of pipe you have, it would probably be best says it's all dirty and corroded on the top, to scratch it with a piece of metal, and you'd be able to tell if it's a silvery look, that would probably lead, and you may want to get the lead out. Secondly, hopefully you have a reddish copper look, because you prefer copper pipes. As far as I know, these days, unless they change their mind, tomorrow morning.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street. How can I phrase this? In 1970, The new high school was built in the West Method Woods. And I recollect Woolworths and Grants behind you, Candlepen Bowling at Hobbit Vanguard, Method Cinema where the Elephant Store is thereabouts, Pewter Park, Brigham's, Joel's Poolroom below ex-Maki's office. This place was economically viable. Lots of businesses, maybe a bit before your time, However, it seemed shortly thereafter, 1970, the square economically went south. Didn't do very well. A lot of businesses closed down. So I would think if it was a mistake, some of us should learn from our mistakes or other communities can learn from our mistake. As they say in the real estate business, The three words location, location, location. So I would like to see this at a central location, whether it's at city hall here, I don't know about an extra millions of dollars expenditure next door and who's going to pay that nut every month or the gene brought up Chevalier. Maybe we could figure out how long the leases in the basement. And of course, if it was rent free, we'd be able to use more of our money that's already collected to do a better job and not have to worry about paying the landlord every month. It's been a couple of three years. Nothing's going down. Hopefully this can be done before Christmas and this Christmas. Thank you for listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street, Medford, Massachusetts. Thank you, Councilor DelaRosso, all of the councilors, and for your public service, and the mayor, hopefully, make some betterments to our city, at least keep the status quo from deteriorating any further. I wish you all success. And knowing at times that you offer condolences for deceased citizens, if I may, I'd like to mention the passing of Barbara Anderson and It was in the Boston Globe, front page of the Sunday Globe. I have it here. I'll just read the headline because it's a long story. Barbara Anderson, the force of nature who took down Texas dies, shook up the state, reveling in her controversial role. I just wanted to say, uh, she brought us prop two and a half, as most of you know, for all Massachusetts homeowners. And she is our only hero to try to limit real estate tax increases. It's not a perfect Prop 2.5. If I can get off my notation area, Prop 2.5 implies that although the levy can only go up 2.5%, and what about the new growth? I'm not that smart. However, My real estate tax in the past five years have gone up from four to six to 8% in real tax dollars on the tax bill. So prop two and a half. In my limited education, it is a fallacy. Hopefully we can improve upon her legacy. If I'm allowed, I'll take my own moment of silence, and I wish her the best, because she's a anti-tax hero. Thank you for listening, good luck.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street, Medford, Massachusetts. As a taxpayer, I also would like to commend and thank Councilor Falco. It's a great common sense request to the city to get some budget information and hopefully the best information possible in due time so it's not too late. And hopefully better spend our taxpayers' monies Thank you for your listening. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes, Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street, Medford, Mass. I want to thank for five of the seven Councilors for speaking up on this matter of public access, a lack of. The point of, I believe, information might be, I believe the rate that they deduct from Comcast bills is more like $3.50, I believe, per month, times my guesstimate of 20,000 subscribers, that would be probably over $60,000 per month. And that would be, I believe, accumulate to over $700,000 on an annual basis in the past year or two per year. It is about time that this is reopened. And I believe it should definitely be in Method Square. And other communities, as I was pointing out, they have a viable public access. And it really should be in downtown or the Chevalier a worse scenario, the TPWR, which is brand new, and there's a lot of rooms I saw that were in an open house when I got a Coke and a smile when they had the grand opening. But Medford Square would be the best location, and it seems like there's plenty of cash on hand, in place, and maybe more besides that. If I was in charge, I would set a deadline for three months just to get it organized, and therefore add an additional three months more, which is a total of six months, to be reborn and up and running, period. Just my thoughts. Thank you, if you're listening.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Andrew. I will say this about that. Maintenance is obviously key. It's best to spend a couple hundred thousand dollars these days versus hundreds of millions of dollars to our sons and grandchildren.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Citizen Castagnetti. Councilor Dela Cruz. Castagnetti, Andrew, Cushion Street, 02155. If I may, I'd like to commend Mr. Ruggiero for at least trying to improve the traffic, automobile, et cetera, situation in the city. It would be wonderful if there is some improvement, and I'm sure the citizens would appreciate it, and the general public. I commend them. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Certainly. Andrew Castagnetti, 23 Cushman street, Medford, Massachusetts. Congratulations. Council president and council vice president. I'm no politician, as you can tell by my choice of words or lack of choice of words thereof. Therefore, I call it the way I see it. First off, it's very encouraging for a change to see all these people get civically involved. I wish they were here for my residential real estate exemption last month. Number two. Once upon a time, Medford Square did have parking meters. I believe when I was a teenager, they were there. Number three, then the meters were removed and replaced with two-hour free parking signs. However, for whatever reason or reasons, the two-hour limit was not consistently enforced. And then number four, the parking became abused from within and from without. Out-of-towners taking the bus or the train into Boston or wherever. Also, I believe most business owners want constant turnover for customer parking. And six, and now the free parking party is over, and we all must pay as we go or stop to park. Seems that the valid contract is signed, right or wrong? Good luck.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street, Medford, Mass. I'm sorry. Too much luggage. Season's greetings. If I may wish you all a peaceful Christmas too. We feel like this is deja vu all over again and again. But will you please give the local owner occupied homeowner at least a 20% real estate tax exemption. only if they live in their house, which can be verified by their income tax filing address. As you know, this real real estate tax savings is being done in Malden, and Somerville is at 35%. Why not us? At least give us 20%, especially when nine of 10 About 90% of Method homeowners would receive a lower real estate tax bill than presently proposed, versus a historical 3% to 8% increase on a yearly basis. If I may, I'd like to give an example. This year, my home, Attu, has a $400,000 value, times the present tax rate of $12.25, per thousand, I paid $4,900. Next year, in 2015, my evaluation on the home will go from $400,000 to $452,000, times $11.70 at the proposed new lower tax rate per 1,000 that will equal $5,288 in real estate tax for next year as proposed. This yearly increase of $388 is almost 8% over last year, so much for Prop 2.5. There is hope. You, the elected city officials, have the power, through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts law, to lower this increase for the average homeowner in Medford if they live in their house as their primary residence, which is verified by their address on their income tax return. We, the people, are not politicians at this time. However, you, our, the elected city councilors, do have the power tonight to vote for a 20% real estate tax residential exemption and vote to send this request to Mayor McGlynn, because I believe only he, the mayor, has the authorization slash option to select and adopt this real estate tax exemption. along with your city council approval. Under Commonwealth of Massachusetts General Laws, chapter number 59, section 5C, we the people, the working class, need real estate tax relief. Please vote yes, help save our middle class neighbors before it's too late. Thank you kindly for listening and hopefully getting this done, for it's, in my opinion, 10 years overdue. Thank you for your time.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I hope you give the taxpayers a nice Christmas present, and I hope it's a good new year without any fear. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Can I give some information about what was just said? Thank you. Mr. O'Neill made some good points. In a perfect world, we wouldn't have any taxes. That's why we threw the English show in 1776. However, if we do not adopt this 20%, the full 20%, residential, unoccupied, the full 20%, which is automatic, if you approve it, and the mayor approves it. Councilor Camuso, talking to you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you. If you do the full 20% in a perfect world, Zero owner-occupied should pay any increase. However, one, I believe, out of the 10, at a full 20%, I repeat, residential exemption, one will pay more. However, nine others would pay less. It's very important to save the middle class. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'm sorry. Thank you, Councilor Caraviello. Andrew Castaneri, Cushion Street, Method Mass. This, I think Councilor Panter brings up some good points about this tiered rate. I believe it's presently very unfair to the residential versus the commercial. And if I may think off the cuff here, I doubt it was the peoples that polluted the harbor, general public. It was more so like the Tannenmills in Lawrence or the Monsantos where the ProPublica casino probably is going to go.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: You sure? Yes. Because it seems like three tiers. Listen---- They are paying the top rate. No, I don't think so. I disagree with that, sir. Let me, I'm going on my recollection. The first tier was like 800, up to 800, I believe, right? At whatever it is, 13 and 12 point something cents. Correct, Councilor Buenaventura? Something like that.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: But wait a minute.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: It doesn't say commercial in their Councilor Knight, does it? Right.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: I'm not sure that's accurate. You're right, thank you Councilor. Right.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: If I may, if you are going to buy a gallon of gasoline, you buy 1 gallon, it is whatever the price is, $3. If you buy 10, it is $3. As far as the wholesale rate, I am not sure about that. In my limited mathematics, I would have Mr. Lasky, the director, figure this out, but I would start with at least $1,000 for the first tier, $2,000 for the second tier, ballpark here, and $3,000 for the third tier, and above that $3,000, I don't care if you're residential, commercial, or the shoemaker, you pay the highest rate. So you pay as you use and try to conserve. And these old corporations that are defunct, Chapter 11, Chapter 7, like the Monsantos, how much do they pay to clean the harbor? Why do we saddle with this beyond our children's times?
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Thank you, Andrew Castagnetti. I just wanted to say, when you voted on the owner-occupied exemption, even though we all knew that 9 out of 10 of the owner-occupied would see less of a tax increase, I'm very shocked there was 7 to nothing against the proposal from the state. which is from the state we could use. I figure at least you're going to offer 10%, half, a half a bone. I guess I'm not surprised. Maybe capitalism wins again.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, 23 Cushing Street, Medford, Mass. Excuse my hat, I'm a bit out of the weather. I'll make this very brief, even though I forgot my glasses. Thank you, Councilor Dela Ruzzo. First off, season greetings, and if I may, I wish you all a peaceful Christmas. We feel like this is deja vu all over again, will you please give the local owner-occupied homeowner at least a 20% real estate tax exemption, only if they live in their house, which can be verified by their income tax filing address. As you know, this real real estate tax savings is being done in Malden, Everett, Somerville, and it's at 35 percent in Somerville. Why not us? At least give us the 20 percent, which is automatic from the state of Massachusetts, if we adopt it. Especially when 12 of 13, over 90% of Medford homeowners would receive a lower real estate tax bill than last year's, versus historically a two to 4% yearly increase in real estate tax bill dollars. I, we the people, are not politicians at this time, however, You, our elected city councilors, do have the power tonight to vote for a 20% real estate tax exemption and vote to send this request to Mayor McGlynn because I believe only he, the mayor, has the authority slash option to select and adopt this real estate tax exemption. along with U.S. City Council approval. Under Commonwealth of Massachusetts, General Laws, Chapter 59, Section 5C. We the people, the working class hero, needs real estate tax relief. Please vote yes, help save our middle class neighbors, before it's too late. Thank you kindly for listening and hopefully getting this done for its 10 years overdue. Thanks again.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes, thank you, Larry.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Andrew Castagnetti, Cushing Street Method Mass. I hate to go against the man upstairs, and once upon a time there were blue laws in this state. However, as one of the councilors stated, it's the state of the times, it's capitalism, so to speak. It's been a long discussion. I believe in the spirit of compromise, especially with council, they're making some great points. Maybe you people might want to consider a one-shot deal, and for eight days as a compromise. And then you don't have to worry about 90-day review. It can come back next year. Because if it becomes an issue after 90 days or prior to 90 days, unfortunately, this country is strong on litigation. You don't want to go down that road, I would think. This is my thoughts. Thank you.
[Andrew Castagnetti]: Yes, thank you, Mr. President. Castagnetti, Andrew, Cushing Street. Don't recollect. I'm trying to blank. I'm not here to challenge anyone. It's not my style. It seems to me, however, in a city of this size, they should have TV3 broadcasting or government access. Surrounding towns and cities are doing it. And he's sitting on the money. He's raping his money. I don't know. It's just a sad state of affairs, especially during an election month coming up. You would think there would be a It's a great avenue for politicians to talk about what they think is important to help the citizens. It's a sad state of affairs. It's a complete mystery. I wish it gets back on the air so the community can use their monies. Thank you.