[ROLL CALL]
[00:00:04]
A QUORUM OF THE CITY COUNCIL BEING PRESENT.
I CALL TONIGHT'S MARCH 23RD, 2026, REGULAR MEETING OF THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL.
TO ORDER THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS A ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS PRESENT.
ABSENT VICE MAYOR, PRESENT PRESENT, COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY.
PRESENT, COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER.
YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED AS PRESENT, AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT PER THE RULES.
PLEASE JOIN ME IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND PAUSE FOR A MOMENT OF SILENCE.
THE PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
PER CHAPTER TWO OF THE ACTS OF 2025, ADOPTED BY THE MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL COURT AND APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR, THE CITY IS AUTHORIZED TO USE REMOTE PARTICIPATION AT MEETINGS OF THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL.
IN, IN ADDITION TO HAVING MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL PARTICIPATE REMOTELY, WE'VE SET UP ZOOM TELECONFERENCE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
YOU CAN ALSO VIEW THE MEETING VIA THE CITY'S OPEN MEETING PORTAL OR ON THE CITY'S CABLE.
CHANNEL 22 TO SPEAK DURING PUBLIC COMMENT, YOU MUST SIGN UP AT WWW.CAMBRIDGEMA.GOV/PUBLIC COMMENT.
YOU CAN ALSO EMAIL WRITTEN COMMENTS FOR THE RECORD TO THE CITY CLERK AT CITY CLERK@CAMBRIDGEMA.GOV.
WE WELCOME YOUR PARTICIPATION AND YOU CAN SIGN UP UNTIL 6:00 PM PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDS THIS MEETING AND MAKES IT AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC FOR FUTURE VIEWING.
IN ADDITION, THIRD PARTIES MAY ALSO BE AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDING THIS MEETING.
[PUBLIC COMMENTS]
COMMENT.PUBLIC COMMENT MAY BE MADE IN ACCORDANCE WITH MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL LAWS CHAPTER 30 A, SECTION 20 G, AND THE CITY COUNCIL RULES 20 3D AND 37.
ONCE YOU FINISH SPEAKING, THE NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE CALLED, INDIVIDUALS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO ALLOCATE THEIR REMAINDER OF THEIR TIME TO OTHER SPEAKERS, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD AND THE ITEM YOU'RE SPEAKING ON.
WE HAVE SEVEN SPEAKERS WHO HAVE SIGNED UP TONIGHT.
EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES, AND COUNSELOR ZUBIE IS PRESENT.
OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS JOE QUEST.
BERT, JOE, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.
IF YOU CAN JUST TURN THAT MIC ON, JUST HIT THE BUTTON TILL YOU SEE THE GREEN LIGHT.
I'M JOE QUEST, BERT 1222 CAMBRIDGE STREET.
I'M SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF POLICY ORDER NUMBER FOUR.
IN ADDITION TO BEING A CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT, I AM A TEACHER IN THE CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND WAS ONE OF THE EDUCATORS WHO, ALONG WITH MY STUDENTS AT PUTNAM AVE AND IN TANDEM WITH MY FORMER COLLEAGUE, MELODY BRAZO, FOUGHT TO ENSURE THAT ALL CPSD SCHOOLS HAD ALL GENDER BATHROOMS ACCESSIBLE TO STUDENTS.
IT WAS A MULTI-YEAR PROJECT AND TOOK MUCH PERSISTENCE AND NEARLY A DECADE LATER, THERE IS NOT A STUDENT IN OUR DISTRICT WHO DOES NOT HAVE ACCESS TO AN ALL GENDER RESTROOM IN THEIR SCHOOL BUILDING.
IT WAS A HARD WON FIGHT AND VERY WORTH IT.
I SHARE THAT HISTORY BECAUSE THE WORK OF MAKING OUR CITY SAFE, ACCESSIBLE, AND INCLUSIVE OF TRANS AND GENDER EXPANSIVE FOLKS HAS BEEN ONGOING, INCREMENTAL AND LABORIOUS.
AND POLICY ORDER FOUR IS A PART OF THAT WORK.
I'M GRATEFUL TO LIVE IN A CITY THAT DECLARES ITSELF A SANCTUARY FOR TRANS AND GENDER EXPANSIVE PEOPLE, PARTICULARLY AT A MOMENT IN HISTORY WHEN TRANS RIGHTS AND TRANS LIVES ARE UNDER ATTACKS THAT SEEM TO INCREASE DAILY.
AND I ALSO KNOW THAT TO TRULY BE A SANCTUARY, WE NEED TO FOLLOW UP DECLARATIONS WITH ACTIONS THAT ACTIVELY PROTECT TRANS AND GENDER EXPANSIVE PEOPLE AND MAKE OUR SPACES SAFE AND WELCOMING.
POLICY ORDER FOUR IS A CRITICAL STEP IN MOVING US CLOSER TO THE ACTION OF ENSURING THAT EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY, REGARDLESS OF GENDER IDENTITY OR EXPRESSION, CAN MEET THEIR BIOLOGICAL NEEDS SAFELY.
IN PLACES OF PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION, I CALL ON THE COUNCIL TO SUPPORT POLICY ORDER FOUR AND TAKE THIS NEXT, NEXT STEP TOWARDS SANCTUARY.
UH, VINCENT DAVID IS NOT ABLE TO JOIN THE MEETING TONIGHT.
WE WILL GO ON TO SUZANNE BLEIER, FOLLOWED BY JOSEPHINE MULLEN.
UM, UH, SUZANNE BLEIER FIVE FULLER PLACE, AND, UM, I'M SPEAKING ABOUT TWO ITEMS. ONE IS UNFINISHED BUSINESS NUMBER TWO, AND THE OTHER IS ON THE
[00:05:01]
TABLE, NUMBER ONE, AND ON UNFINISHED BUSINESS NUMBER TWO, THIS IS ABOUT THE DOVER AMENDMENT, AND IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST DEVASTATING IMPACTS OF THE RECENT MULTIFAMILY HOUSING UPZONING BECAUSE IT WOULD NO LONGER PRESERVE IN CAMBRIDGE, UM, SOME KIND OF CONTROL OVER INSTITUTIONAL EXPANSION INTO RESIDENTIAL AND MIXED USE AREAS.THE SAME IS TRUE FOR RELIGIOUS, AND I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING WE REALLY, REALLY NEED TO ADDRESS.
AND I GIVE TWO SPECIFIC EXAMPLES IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, THE FORMER HOME OF PEBBLE GIFFORD ON HILLIARD STREET IS NOW A CHINESE UNIVERSITY, UM, UH, UM, SPACE.
UM, AND YOU CAN IMAGINE ANY NUMBER OF UNIVERSITIES AROUND THE WORLD THAT WOULD LOVE TO HAVE, UM, A CAMPUS IN CAMBRIDGE AND IF IT'S NOW RENTED.
BUT IF THESE ARE PURCHASED, UH, IT MEANS THAT THEY WOULD BE OUT OF THE, UM, CRITERIA FOR TAXATION.
IT WOULD BE REMOVING CRITICALLY NEEDED SPACES FOR COMMERCIAL USE AS WELL AS RESIDENTIAL USE.
AND IN ANOTHER CASE, NOT, UH, TWO OR THREE BLOCKS FROM ME, I WAS AT THE HISTORICAL COMMISSION MEETING.
IT'S FOR A RELIGIOUS GROUP, UH, CURRENT RESIDENCE THAT THEY OWN.
AND I ASKED, ARE YOU LIKELY TO BUILD, UM, OR TO RETHINK IN TERMS OF DORM ROOMS FOR THE GROUP OF STUDENTS THAT THEY ARE SUPPORTING? AND THEY SAID, WE'RE NOT CONSIDERING IT AT THE MOMENT, BUT ANY NUMBER OF RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS AND WE ALREADY SEE THEM HAPPENING, COULD BE POPPING UP IN CAMBRIDGE.
AND SO I THINK THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED, UM, ON THE TABLE NUMBER ONE AND THE PARKING PERMIT ISSUE IN SENIORS.
THIS IS AN AGE GROUP OF WHICH I AM PART.
UM, WE'VE GOT 10 YEARS IN WHICH MOST OF US WILL BE GONE AFTERWARDS, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, MANY OF US LIVE ON FIXED INCOMES.
UH, YOU KNOW, RENTS ARE GOING UP, HEALTHCARE COSTS ARE GOING UP, EVERYTHING IS GOING UP.
MOST PLACES AROUND THE COUNTRY GIVE A DISCOUNT TO SENIORS.
AND I THINK IT'S REALLY UNFAIR FOR SENIORS, UM, TO HAVE THIS INCREASE AT A MOMENT IN TIME WHEN ALL OF THEIR EXPENSES ARE REALLY BUILDING UP.
SO I HOPE YOU'LL CONSIDER BOTH OF THESE, AND THANK YOU, UH, SO MUCH.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JOSEPHINE MULLEN, FOLLOWED BY VALERIE BONDS.
JOSEPHINE, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD.
HI, THIS IS JOSEPHINE MULLEN OR TO GOLD STAR ROAD NORTH CAMBRIDGE.
I'D LIKE TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF POLICY ORDER NUMBER FOUR.
I BELIEVE THAT IT'S A BASIC HUMAN RIGHT THAT MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO SAFE, CLEAN BATHROOMS REGARDLESS OF THEIR GENDER.
I URGE THE CITY COUNCIL TO PASS POLICY ORDER NUMBER FOUR, AND I ALSO SUPPORT POLICY ORDER NUMBER ONE.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS VALERIE BONDS, FOLLOWED BY EMILY DEXTER.
UH, IT SAYS TWO MINUTES AND 30 SECONDS, SO I HOPE I HAVE THREE.
UH, PAYING A FAIR SHARE SHOULD REFLECT PEOPLE'S CIRCUMSTANCES AND SENIORS LIVING ON FIXED INCOMES WITH MOBILITY CHALLENGES EXPERIENCE TRANSPORTATION VERY DIFFERENTLY THAN YOUNG RESIDENTS.
FIXED INCOME DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN LOW INCOME, BUT FIXED INCOME MEANS THAT THE INCOME DOES NOT NECESSARILY COMPARE WITH THE COST OF LIVING.
MOST SENIORS HAVE ALREADY PAID THEIR FAIR SHARE FOR DECADES THROUGH TAXES AND COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS.
UH, AND THE SMARTEST EXEMPTION HELPS THEM REMAIN INDEPENDENT IN THE COMMUNITY THAT THEY HELPED BUILD.
AND MANY WHO LIVE HERE NOW, UH, ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE RESOURCES THAT THE, THAT THE, UH, SENIORS HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO.
FOR MANY SENIORS, A CAR FUNCTIONS AS A MOBILITY TOOL.
SO MAINTAINING THE EXEMPTION IS LESS THAN A FINANCIAL BENEFIT, AND MORE ABOUT PRESERVING INDEPENDENCE AND DAILY NECESSITIES.
CITIES OFTEN BALANCE COST RECOVERY WITH ACCESSIBILITY.
AND POLICIES THAT SUPPORT SENIOR MOBILITY RECOGNIZE THE REALITIES OF AGING WHILE KEEPING RESIDENTS CONNECTED IN COMMUNITY LIFE.
UH, FAIR SHARE SHOULD NOT MEAN IGNORING THE REALITIES OF AGING AND MOBILITY.
ALSO, IT'S, I'M VERY PLEASED THAT, UH, OUR LEADERSHIP IS, UH, CONCERNED ABOUT FAIRNESS, UH, AND PROBABLY WOULD BE INTERESTED IN
[00:10:01]
SEEING THEM SUPPORTING CORPORATE FAIR SHARE.WHEN WE TALK ABOUT BILLIONAIRES AND WEALTHY SENIORS WHO, UH, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS POLICY, WE SHOULD MAYBE ADJUST POLICIES LIMITING INDIVIDUALS TO TWO VEHICLES.
UM, UH, UH, WE SHOULD NOT PUNISH PEOPLE FOR BEING WEALTHY.
WE SHOULD ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO BE WILLING TO USE THEIR INCOME IN A WAY THAT BENEFITS E EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, I DO BELIEVE THAT, UH, UH, THE $75 TO GO FROM $25 TO $50 IS, EXCUSE ME, TO $75 IS, IS JUST, UH, NOT QUITE FAIR AT ALL.
UH, OTHER COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING BOSTON CHARGES, NO FEES AT ALL TO ANYONE.
UH, CAMBRIDGE IS KNOWN FOR BEING ONE OF THE WEALTHIEST COMMUNITIES IN OUR CITY.
AND, UH, IF WE TALK ABOUT FAIRNESS, I LOOK AT THE EXEMPTIONS THAT GO TO SOME OF OUR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ARE EXEMPTIONS THAT ARE GIVEN TO DEVELOPERS, UH, THAT FEES AND EXEMPTIONS ARE PART OF THE, THE ADVANTAGES OF BEING WEALTHY.
AND I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT SENIORS SHOULD BE THE FIRST DEMOGRAPHIC THAT IS TO BE CONSIDERED WHEN IT TALKS ABOUT EQUITY AND FAIRNESS.
VALERIE BARNES, CAMBRIDGE, PORT MEMORIAL DRIVE.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS EMILY DEXTER, FOLLOWED BY HEATHER HOFFMAN.
EMILY, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.
HELLO EVERYBODY, AND CONGRATULATIONS FOR THOSE OF YOU RIGHT THERE.
CONGRATULATIONS FOR YOUR ELECTION OR YOUR REELECTION.
I KNOW IT'S VERY DIFFICULT WORK TO BE A ELECTED OFFICIAL 'CAUSE I WAS ON THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE FOR FOUR YEARS.
SO ON THE AGENDA, I'D LIKE TO SPEAK ABOUT COMMITTEE REPORTS AND THE CIVIC UNITY COMMITTEE.
UH, YOU MAY ALREADY BE ADDRESSING THE 2026 ELECTIONS, BUT IF NOT, I SUGGEST THAT THE CIVIC UNITY COMMITTEE AND THE WHOLE COUNCIL WORK WITH THE CITY'S ELECTION COMMISSION, THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT, THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE, THE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND COMMUNITY GROUPS, AND ANY OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO MAXIMIZE ACCESS TO 2026.
VOTER INFORMATION, VOTER REGISTRATION, AND ACTUAL VOTING.
PUBLIC SIGNS AND WRITTEN INFORMATION ARE IMPORTANT, BUT THEY'RE NOT SUFFICIENT.
YOU MAY EVEN WANNA CONSIDER ESTABLISHING A SHORT-TERM RESIDENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE OR PRIORITIZING ADVICE FROM THE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT TEAM.
ENCOURAGING RESIDENTS TO VOTE IS A PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND FOR ANYBODY WHO HAS DIFFICULTY GETTING TO THE POLLS OR VOTING BY MAIL.
IF THAT'S STILL, UH, LEGAL IN SEPTEMBER, IT'S NOT CLEAR.
UM, THIS ENCOURAGEMENT SHOULD APPLY TO BOTH THE PRIMARY ELECTION ON SEPTEMBER ONE, WHICH TYPICALLY HAS VERY LOW TURNOUT AND TO THE GENERAL ELECTION ON NOVEMBER THREE.
AN ELECTION IS A MAJOR CIVIC UNITY EVENT.
IT GIVES ALL OF US AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN A MAJOR CIVIC EVENT AND TO INTERACT WITH OUR NEIGHBORS AT THE POLLING STATION.
IT'S OFTEN A VERY, UM, SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT.
IT'S ALSO AN EVENT THAT UNITES US IN A SHARED AFFIRMATION OF DEMOCRACY.
REGARDLESS OF OUR POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS, THOUGH THIS IS A FEDERAL AND STATE ELECTION YEAR, RATHER THAN MUNICIPAL POLITICAL DECISIONS MADE AT THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL HAVE A DIRECT AND ENORMOUS IMPACT ON CAMBRIDGE BUDGET AND CAMBRIDGE LAWS AND POLICIES.
THIS IS TRUE PARTICULARLY FOR THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT, WHICH IS BY FAR OUR LARGEST DEPARTMENT.
IN FACT, STATE AND FEDERAL DECISIONS CAN HAVE EVEN LARGER IMPACT ON OUR CITY AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS THAN THE MUNICIPAL DECISIONS MADE BY THE CITY COUNCIL, THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE, AND THE CITY AND SCHOOL DEPARTMENT ADMINISTRATIONS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR OPPORTUNITY, THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS HEATHER HOFFMAN, FOLLOWED BY GARY MEOW.
HEATHER, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.
UM, I'D LIKE TO CHECK FIRST TO SEE IF I CAN SPEAK ON THE RIVERWALK, THE LAKE POLICY ORDER.
SO, HEATHER, THINK THAT SHOULDN'T TAKE AWAY MY TIME.
YEAH, WE WON'T TAKE AWAY YOUR TIME.
IN ORDER FOR HEATHER TO SPEAK ON A LATE ITEM, THERE HAS TO BE, IT'S NOT BEFORE US CURRENTLY, SO WE'D HAVE TO, UM, SUSPEND THE RULES.
SO COUNCILLOR NOLAN HAS, UH, MOVED TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO BRING FORWARD THE LATE, UH, POLICY ORDER ON THE RIVER WALK.
AND SO ON THAT MOTION WE'LL HAVE TO DO ROLL CALL.
[00:15:03]
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS.AND YOU HAVE SEVEN MEMBERS RECORDING THE AFFIRMATIVE AND TWO RECORDED AS PRESENT.
WE ARE IN SUSPENSION WITH, WE'VE BROUGHT THAT FORWARD.
WE, AND SO YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES, HEATHER, PLEASE GO AHEAD.
HEATHER HOFFMAN, TWO 13 HURLEY STREET.
AND IT WAS GREAT TO SEE THIS LATE ITEM.
AND I HAVE BEEN PART OF TALKING ABOUT A RIVER WALK FOR MORE YEARS THAN I CAN EVEN IMAGINE.
THERE USED TO BE A WAY TO GET ACROSS THE DAM BY GOING BEHIND THE SCIENCE MUSEUM, THROUGH THE PUBLIC PARK THERE, AND THEN THROUGH THE, UH, GARAGE.
SO YOU CAN'T GET THROUGH THE GARAGE ANYMORE.
IT WAS A LOVELY WALK WHERE YOU GOT TO ENJOY THE RIVER AND, UM, ENJOY NOT BEING IN TRAFFIC.
SO I, I REALLY APPRECIATE THIS.
UM, WITH RESPECT TO THE DOVER AMENDMENT, DO YOU KNOW YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS? THE ZONING ORDINANCE IS ALREADY SET UP TO SAY, WELL, IF WE BLOW OFF THE, THE REALLY KIND GIFT THAT THE GREAT GENERAL COURT GAVE US, THEN WE DON'T GET THE EXEMPTION FROM THE DOVER AMENDMENT.
SO THIS JUST SEEMS TO BE A WAY OF TELLING ALL OF US, YOU REALLY DON'T CARE WHAT HAPPENS IN RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, AND YOU CERTAINLY DON'T CARE ABOUT HAVING RESIDENCES IN THEM NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY.
UM, WITH RESPECT TO GENDER, GENDER NEUTRAL BATHROOMS, UH, I THINK THAT THEY ARE REALLY FANTASTIC TO HAVE, I'M GLAD TO HEAR THEY'RE IN SCHOOL BUILDINGS, BUT I CAN SAY FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE THAT, UM, THEY DO NOT APPEAR TO BE ACCESSIBLE TO OUTSIDE GROUPS USING, FOR EXAMPLE, THE AUDITORIUM, UM, WHERE THE NORTH CAMBRIDGE FAMILY OPERA IS PERFORMING WHEAT PATCH THIS COMING WEEKEND.
UM, YOU SHOULD COME SEE IT, UH, AT THE PEATY SCHOOL AND THE, UH, RING J UPPER CAMPUS.
IT WOULD BE REALLY NICE BECAUSE THERE, I HAVE HAD SOMEONE ASK ABOUT THAT.
UM, AND WITH RESPECT TO SNOW, DURING THE, UH, LAST HEAVY BLIZZARD, I WAS THE SOLE PASSENGER ON A BUS.
SO I GOT TO TALK TO THE BUS DRIVER, AND HE COMPLAINED VIGOROUSLY ABOUT THE POOR SHAPE OF THE BUS SHELTERS IN CAMBRIDGE.
HE SAID EVERYWHERE ELSE AROUND DOES BETTER.
I WOULD ALSO ASK THAT YOU REVISIT PUTTING, UM, REFLECTORS ON POLES ON ALL OF THE FIRE HYDRANTS SO THAT PEOPLE ONLY HAVE TO SHOVEL THEM OUT ONCE AND THEY DON'T GET SNOW DUMPED ON THEM.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS GARY MEOW.
MY NAME IS GARY MEOW AND I LIVE ON FRANKLIN STREET.
NOBODY'S GONNA BE SURPRISED THAT I'M ADDRESSING THE STREET PARKING RENEWAL PROGRAM, WHICH IS NUMBER ONE ON THE TABLE.
GOT SOME SHOW AND TELL FOR YOU TONIGHT.
THIS IS A TURNPIKE TRANSPONDER.
THEY DON'T MAKE THESE ANYMORE.
A NEW ISSUE IS A STICKY WINDSHIELD THINGY THAT THE STATE PURCHASES FOR 37 CENTS EACH VERSUS $75 FOR THIS NO TRAFFIC.
AND PARKING'S PROPOSED LINE ITEM FOR SALARIES AND WAGES FOR FISCAL 25 WAS 27% MORE THAN THE PRIOR YEAR.
THAT'S $30,000 MORE PER EMPLOYEE INCREASE.
DOES LOCAL 25 KNOW ABOUT THAT? THIS WHOLE STICKER NONSENSE IS JUST THAT.
THERE IS, HOWEVER, A HUGE AND INTOLERABLE PROBLEM ROOTED IN POOR MANAGEMENT, ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY AND LACK OF OVERSIGHT BY THE CITY MANAGER.
AND YOU, THE CITY COUNCIL PERPETUATE WASTED TIME AND MONEY.
IT'S TIME FOR A CLEAN SHEET ANALYSIS OF TRAFFIC AND PARKING, REGARDLESS OF HOW UNFLATTERING THE RESULT WILL BE.
AS A POSTSCRIPT, I WALKED BY 3 44 BROADWAY TODAY AT ABOUT FOUR 15, THERE WERE NINE VICTIMS IN A LINE WAITING TO PAY FOR WELL, NOTHING.
[00:20:02]
MADAM MAYOR, THAT IS ALL THAT WERE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK.IT'S FIVE 50, SO WE'LL LEAVE PUBLIC COMMENT OPEN AND COME BACK.
[SUBMISSION OF THE RECORD]
MOVE TO THE SUBMISSION OF THE RECORD.THERE IS ONE, UH, MINUTES OF THE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON MARCH 16TH.
HEARING NONE ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR NOLAN TO PLACE ACCEPT THIS REPORT AND PLACE THIS ON FILE.
AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.
THOSE MINUTES ARE, THAT REPORT IS ACCEPTED AND PLACED ON FILE.
THERE ARE NO RECONSIDERATIONS.
WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE CITY MANAGER'S
[CITY MANAGER'S AGENDA]
AGENDA.THERE ARE EIGHT CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEMS. PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL, MADAM MAYOR, COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER.
AND POLL NUMBER SEVEN, COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER.
POLLS NUMBER SEVEN, PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL.
WELL, I WANNA PULL A BUNCH, BUT I'LL, I'LL SAY ONE, TWO, AND EIGHT.
SO WE HAVE PULLED NUMBER 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, AND EIGHT.
WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL ON THE BALANCE.
AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.
THE BALANCE IS PLACED ON FILE.
AGENDA ITEM NUMBER ONE, A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM IAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE BLOCK RATES FOR WATER CONSUMPTION AND SEWER USE FOR THE PERIOD BEGINNING APRIL 1ST, 2026, AND ENDING MARCH 31ST, 2027.
MY QUESTION WAS, SO THE, THE, THE COSTS ARE GONNA GO UP DRAMATIC, WELL, NOT DRAMATICALLY.
THEY WILL BE INCREASING QUITE A BIT IN FISCAL YEAR, UM, 30 AND 31.
AND I JUST WANTED TO UNDERSTAND BETTER WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR, UH, THE RATE INCREASE AT THAT TIME.
MAYOR SIDIKI, MAYBE I CAN START.
AND THEN, UM, WE ALSO HAVE, UH, JIM WILCOX, CITY ENGINEER AND MARK GALLAGHER, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE WATER DEPARTMENT THAT CAN ALSO HELP FILL IN.
UM, SO JUST TO TAKE A STEP BACK, YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS LOOK AT OUR WATER AND SEWER RATES TO TRY TO BE PREDICTABLE, KEEP THEM AS LOW AS POSSIBLE.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS YOU'LL SEE IN THIS RATE LETTER IS THAT THE RATES PROJECTED FROM THIS YEAR ACTUALLY CAME DOWN FROM WHAT WE PROJECTED LAST YEAR.
AND AGAIN, THAT'S BASED ON THESE GUYS REALLY MANAGING THE OVERALL BUDGETS.
THERE WAS ALSO A FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN ANTICIPATED CAPITAL AS PART OF OUR CAPITAL DISCUSSION, UM, WHERE WE'VE REALLY TRIED TO BE, BLESS YOU, YOU KNOW, AS BLESS YOU TIGHT AS WE CAN ON OUR CAPITAL, UM, REQUEST, AS WELL AS, UM, THE LOWER INTEREST RATES THAT WE GOT WHEN WE SOLD THE BOND.
SO ALL OF THOSE THINGS HELPED TO REDUCE THE OVERALL CAPITAL, UM, IN TERMS OF THE DEBT SERVICE THAT REALLY DIRECTLY AFFECT BOTH WATER AND SEWER.
AND SO THE PROJECTED RATES THIS YEAR WERE LESS THAN WHAT WE HAD ANTICIPATED LAST YEAR, WHILE STILL REALLY BEING COMMITTED TO MAINTAINING, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR WATER AND SEWER SYSTEMS. WHEN WE LOOK AT SOME OF THE OUTER YEARS, YOU START TO SEE SOME OF THE CSO COMBINED SEWER OVERFLOW PROJECTS BEING PROJECT PROJECTED.
AND SO YOU SEE THAT CAPITAL, UM, HITTING AS WELL.
AND I WOULD SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING AT, AS THE YEARS COME UP, WHAT WE CAN DO TO REDUCE THOSE.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY WE GET LOWER INTEREST RATES AND SOME OF THOSE CAN COME DOWN AND THEN WE'LL CONTINUE TO LOOK AT THE OVERALL SCHEDULE OF THOSE PROJECTS.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, ALSO, I THINK FOLKS HAVE, YOU KNOW, HEARD A LOT ABOUT THE COMBINED SEWER OVERFLOW PLAN AND, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE TO WORK WITH MWA ON SORT OF WHAT ARE, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE PLAN, WHAT ARE THE COST OF THAT PLAN, UM, AND WHAT ARE THE, UM, THE MIX OF FUNDS IN TERMS OF WHO'S PAYING FOR WHAT.
SO WE'VE GOT PROJECTIONS IN HERE FOR US TO CONTINUE DOING PRETTY AGGRESSIVE SEWER SEPARATION, UM, STORM WATER, HO, YOU KNOW, HOLDING TANKS AND REALLY CONTINUING TO REDUCE OR COMBINED SEWER OVERFLOWS.
SO THAT IS A BIG PART OF THAT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THOSE OUTER YEARS.
I JUST, I WANNA JUST SAY THAT, UM,
[00:25:01]
I REALLY APPRECIATE THIS LONG-TERM INVESTMENT IN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE AND ALL OF THE CITIES PLANNING AND UPGRADES.UM, I WANNA TELL YOU, UM, COUNCILLOR NOLAN AND I ARE JUST BACK FROM THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES WHERE CITIES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY ARE REALLY STRUGGLING TO PAY FOR, UM, COMBINED SEWER OVERFLOW IMPROVEMENTS.
AND I, I JUST FELT VERY, VERY LUCKY, UM, THAT WE'D DONE SO MUCH PLANNING OVER THE YEARS.
I'M GLAD YOU WERE ABLE TO, UM, UM, BORROW MONEY AT A LOWER RATE, WHICH LOWERS THE COST.
BUT I, I I, IT MADE ME FEEL VERY PRIVILEGED THAT, THAT, THAT WE CAN MAKE THIS INDE INVESTMENT, UM, FOR THE WELFARE OF OUR CONSTITUENTS.
AND I, LOOK, I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING YOUR AND THE MWRA PLANS, UM, FOR CSOS GOING FORWARD.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT REPORT BACK WILL BE AT THE END OF APRIL.
I YIELD, WE'LL GO TO COUNCILLOR NOLAN AND THEN COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY.
THANK YOU THROUGH YOU, MAYOR SIDIKI.
AGAIN, THANKS TO, I ALWAYS BELIEVE IT OR NOT, LOOK FORWARD TO THESE REPORTS, MOSTLY BECAUSE WATER AND SEWER ARE CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE.
IT'S A UTILITY THAT WE SOMETIMES DON'T THINK ABOUT AND YET IS CRITICAL TO SO MANY DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE CITY, INCLUDING PUBLIC HEALTH.
AND WE KNOW FOR SURE SO MUCH OF IT IS ALSO, AS WE HEARD, RELATED TO THE COMBINED SEWER OVERFLOWS AND THE WORK AROUND THAT.
BUT ALSO ALL OF OUR WORK TO TRY TO MITIGATE THE FLOOD, WHICH IS HAPPENING, HAD HAPPENED WITH INCREASING FREQUENCY, AND NOW PARTLY DUE TO OUR INVESTMENTS, IT'S HAPPENING LESS.
I DO HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS AND BUILDING ON PART OF WHAT COUNCILOR SUZI SAID, ANOTHER THING WE HEARD A LOT ABOUT AT THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES AND, AND, UM, WATER SUPPLY THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY IS A REAL CONCERN ABOUT PFAS AND ABOUT EVERY SINGLE, UH, ENTITY IN THE COUNTRY IS WORRIED ABOUT IT BECAUSE, ONE, WE DON'T KNOW THE HEALTH IMPACT, AND WE KNOW FOR SURE, YOU KNOW, ONE DROP OF SOMETHING IN FRESH POND IS THE EQUIVALENT OF THE 20 PARTS PER TRILLION THAT IS VIEWED AS A POSSIBLE SAFE LEVEL.
I DO HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT IT, WHICH IS WE ARE DOING THE GRANULATED ACTIVATED CARBON.
IT'S GONNA BE 1.3 MILLION GOING INTO THE FUTURE.
DO WE HAVE A SENSE THAT THAT WILL BE SUFFICIENT AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO BE SUFFICIENT AS WE GO FORWARD? BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S PFAS ARE SOMETHING MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE, UH, CONCERNED ABOUT.
WE'LL HAVE A HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AT SOME POINT AND TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE FOOD WASTE PROGRAM WE HAVE, BUT SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO WATER, ARE WE PRETTY CONFIDENT THAT FOR HOW LONG INTO THE FUTURE WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH THE GACS ARE GONNA BE SUFFICIENT TO ENSURE A SAFE WATER SUPPLY AT THE LEVELS THAT ARE SET BY THE STATE? AND THIS IS ONE WHERE IT'S INTERESTING THAT THE STATE LEVELS ARE AT THIS POINT HIGHER THAN WHAT MIGHT BE PROPOSED AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, WHICH I DON'T BELIEVE THEY'LL EVER GO THROUGH WITH.
BUT, UM, THROUGH YOU, MAYOR SIDIKI, UH, MARK, MAYBE YOU CAN ANSWER BOTH IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE ARE MEETING A HIGHER, WE'RE MEETING AN EXTREMELY HIGH STANDARD.
UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW IS BEING EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN TERMS OF THE TEST RESULTS, IN TERMS OF OUR FREQUENCY OF SWAP OUTS.
BUT MARK, IF YOU COULD TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT, THAT'D BE GREAT.
UM, UH, YES, COUNCIL NOLAN, UH, CURRENTLY WE ARE, UM, WE DO CHANGE OUT ALL OF OUR CARBON, UM, ONCE A YEAR.
UM, THAT CARBON CHANGE OUT TAKES APPROXIMATELY THREE MONTHS, UM, FROM START TO FINISH TO GET ALL SIX FILTERS EXCHANGED.
UM, AND WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT NOW FOR PRO FOR THREE YEARS.
AND WHAT WE HAVE, UM, NOTED IS THAT, UM, IT'S BEING VERY, UM, EFFECTIVE AT REMOVING PFAS.
UM, AND IT HAS BEEN VERY CONSISTENT AND, UH, BEEN EXACTLY WHAT OUR PILOT STUDY THAT WE DID INITIALLY BACK IN, UH, 2019, UH, PREDICTED FOR ITS EFFECTIVENESS IN WHEN WE MIGHT SEE BREAKTHROUGH ON SOME PAS COMPOUNDS.
UM, SO CURRENTLY MASSACHUSETTS, UM, BEING ONLY ONE OF 20 STATES THAT ACTUALLY STILL HAS, THAT ACTUALLY HAS PFAS REGULATIONS IN PLACE.
UM, OUR PFAS CURRENT PFAS REGULATION SET BY THE MASS DEP IS 20 PARTS PER TRILLION.
UM, AND THAT'S THE COMBINATION OF SIX PFAS COMPOUNDS.
UH, CURRENTLY, UM, WHEN WE DO A CARBON CHANGE OUT, UM, FOR THE FIRST TWO QUARTERS, WE GET ROUGHLY, UH, NON-DETECT TO TRACE AMOUNTS.
UM, AND, UH, BY THE END IN THE FOURTH QUARTER, JUST BEFORE WE CHANGE OUT, UH, THE CARBON, UM, WE ARE GETTING A COMBINED TOTAL OF, UH, APPROXIMATELY AROUND SIX, 6.5 PARTS PER TRILLION.
UM, WHICH IS BELOW THE MASS DEP GOAL OF, UM, 10 PARTS PER TRILLION.
AND IF YOU STAY BELOW 10 PARTS PER TRILLION, UM, WE ONLY HAVE TO MONITOR OR, OR TAKE SAMPLES QUARTERLY INSTEAD OF EVERY MONTH BECAUSE WE'RE WELL BELOW, UH, THE 20 PARTS PER TRILLION, BUT ALSO
[00:30:01]
STAYING WELL BELOW THE HALFWAY POINT OF 10 PARTS PER TRILLION.UM, SO CURRENTLY WE, OUR, OUR PFAS REMOVAL, UM, WITH THE GAC HAS BEEN VERY EFFECTIVE AND VERY CONSISTENT.
UM, WHICH WE'RE HAPPY TO SEE THAT THE NUMBERS HAVE, UH, REALLY, UM, SHOWN THAT THIS, YOU KNOW, THIS IS PREDICT ALMOST PREDICTABLE AT THIS POINT.
UM, OF COURSE WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE CONTINUING TO LOOK AT, UH, YOU KNOW, UPCOMING, UH, TECHNOLOGIES AND BREAKTHROUGHS ON HOW TO, YOU KNOW, FOR PFAS REMOVAL OR DESTRUCTION, UM, THERE ARE SOME, UH, STRIDES IN THAT AREA, YOU KNOW, BUT THERE ARE STILL A LONG WAY FROM COMING INTO PRODUCTION.
UH, BUT CURRENTLY, YES, AND WE ARE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE MEETING THE, THE MASS DEP STANDARD AND TO, TO NOTE THE UPCOMING EPA STANDARD, UH, WHICH ARE LOWER QUANTITIES, UM, OF FOUR PARTS PER TRILLION, UH, FOR P FOUR AND POS.
AND THEN THERE'S A HEALTH INDEX FOR, UH, COMBINATIONS OF PFAS CURRENTLY.
IF THAT, UM, REGULATION CAME INTO EFFECT TODAY, UH, WE WOULD, WE WOULD MEET THAT REGULATION AS WELL.
SO WE ARE ALREADY MEETING THE FEDERAL STANDARD THAT WON'T COME INTO EFFECT UNTIL 2029.
UM, AND YES, THERE'S A LOT OF TALK AND THAT BRINGS US WITHIN COMPLIANCE UNDER THE MWA WATERS, ALSO AT THE, LIKE THE THREE OR FOUR OR FIVE.
SO WE ARE WITH THE GAC, JUST TO LET EVERYONE KNOW WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY MEETING STANDARDS THE ACROSS THE STATE.
UM, AND THERE'S A LOT OF TALK AT NLC ABOUT ENSURING THAT MUNICIPAL, UH, LIABILITY DOESN'T HAPPEN DEPENDING ON WHEREVER.
AS WE TAKE OUT PFAS, WE DON'T WANNA BE BLAMED FOR TAKING IT OUT AND HAVING ANY KIND OF LIABILITY FOR THE DISPOSAL, WHICH WE CAN, UM, ENSURE HAPPENS, YOU KNOW, SAFELY.
I HAVE, UH, ONE MORE QUESTION, ILLA, I'LL COME BACK TO YOU BECAUSE YOU ASKED TWO QUESTIONS.
SO THAT'S ONE ABOUT PS, WAS THAT ONE? YEAH.
UM, WELL, JUST ONE MORE QUESTION.
AND THEN WE HAVE TO MOVE TO SOMEWHERE ELSE.
THE, THE QUESTION IS ABOUT THE DROUGHT PREPARATIONS.
I HAD INDICATED TO STAFF I'D BE ASKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE WE'RE, THE STATEWIDE IS IN A CRITICAL LEVEL THREE DROUGHT.
OUR WATERSHED IS, AND OUR OWN RESERVOIR LEVELS, WHICH I CHECKED EARLIER TODAY AT HOBBS BROOK, ARE ACTUALLY HALF OUR CURRENT LEVELS ARE HALF OF OUR 20 YEAR MEDIAN FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR FOR MARCH.
SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO UNDERSTAND AS A CITY AND FOR US TO CONTINUE TO COMMUNICATE THE SEVERITY AND POSSIBILITY OF THIS CONTINUING.
I WAS, AS I SAID TO DIRECTOR GALLAGHER, I WAS REALLY HAPPY TO SEE THE RAIN TODAY BECAUSE I HAD LOOKED AT THAT.
BUT I'M REALLY CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT OUR PREPARATION IS IN CASE WE DON'T CATCH UP TO PRIOR LEVELS OF INCREASING, UM, PRECIPITATION IN OUR RESERVOIRS.
'CAUSE AGAIN, IF WE'RE AT HALF OF OUR 20 YEAR MEDIAN FOR MARCH 23RD, THEN IF WE DON'T SEE A DRAMATIC INCREASE, THEN WE MAY NEED TO MOVE INTO OTHER METHODS OF WATER CONSERVATION.
I WANNA UNDERSTAND HOW THE CITY IS PREPARING AND IF THERE'S ANYTHING WE SHOULD ANTICIPATE TO LET THE COMMUNITY KNOW, UH, THROUGH YOU, MAYOR
UM, SO YES, UM, CURRENTLY WE ARE, UH, THE STATE IN THE NORTHEAST REGION IS IN A LEVEL THREE CRITICAL DROUGHT.
UM, AND THAT'S UP FROM, UH, UH, LAST MONTH WHERE WE WERE STILL IN A SIGNIFICANT DROUGHT, BUT WE HAVE BEEN IN A STATE OF DROUGHT, UM, UH, SINCE I BELIEVE AUGUST OF THIS YEAR OR OF 2025, UH, WE HAVE BEEN IN DROUGHT STATUS.
UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, YOU KNOW, WE, UM, PASSED THE, UH, ORDINANCE WHERE IT'S NOW, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, THE, THE WATER BAN IS IN EFFECT.
THERE ARE FINES FOR WATER, UH, UH, OUTDOOR WATER USE, UH, OUTSIDE OF THE RESTRICTIONS.
UM, ALL OF THAT INFORMATION IS POSTED.
YOU KNOW, WE PUT IT OUT IN WATER STUFFERS, UH, IN THE BILLING STUFFERS, YOU KNOW, SOCIAL MEDIA ON OUR WEBSITE, ON THE CITY NEWSLETTER, SCROLLING ON, UH, OUR CABLE TV WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GETTING THE WORD OUT.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD DIRECT CONVERSATIONS WITH HARVARD AND MIT, THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THE LARGEST GREEN SPACES IN THE CITY.
UH, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED TO THEM DIRECTLY ABOUT WHAT IS ALLOWED AND WHAT ISN'T ALLOWED.
UM, AND I BELIEVE OUR COMMUNICATION IS GETTING OUT THERE AND IS IT'S GETTING HEARD.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, UH, IN 2025, WE, WE USED, UH, YOU KNOW, 118 MILLION GALLONS LESS, UH, WATER THAN WE DID, UH, THE RE THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
SO, UH, OUR CONSUMPTION'S DOWN APPROXIMATELY 4.3%, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, SOMEWHAT, I, I BELIEVE A DIRECT EFFECT OF A BEING.
YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY BECAUSE WE HAVE WATER BANDS, BUT BECAUSE WE'RE GETTING, UH, THE WORD OUT AND PEOPLE ARE, UH, BEING MORE WATER CONSCIOUS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, WE'VE DONE A LOT OF EFFORTS, YOU KNOW, PART OF, UH, YOU KNOW, THE WATER RATES GOING UP.
UH, OUR CAPITAL COSTS ARE IMPROVING, UM, AND CONTINUOUSLY WORKING ON THE WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM TO CUT DOWN ON THE AMOUNT OF, UH, LEAKAGE AND UNACCOUNTED FOR WATER.
[00:35:01]
UH, FEDERAL AND STATE GUIDELINE IS YOU WANT YOUR UNACCOUNTED FOR WATER BELOW, UH, YOU KNOW, 10% OR LESS.CURRENTLY, UH, FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR, WE'RE AT 7%.
SO WE'VE REALLY GOTTEN A HOLD, UH, ON THAT.
YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY WE'VE BEEN AROUND 12, UH, 12% OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS ON AVERAGE.
SO, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY WORKING HARD TO, TO, UH, YOU KNOW, GET A HANDLE ON UNACCOUNTED FOR WATER.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, SO OVERALL, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, YOU KNOW, DOING A GOOD JOB ON, UM, YOU KNOW, MINIMIZING WATER CONSUMPTION AND JUST, YOU KNOW, THE, THE FEDERAL EPA, YOU KNOW, RECOMMENDS THAT THE PER CAPITA USE, UM, YOU KNOW, WAS 65 GALLONS PER PERSON PER DAY.
AND FOR MORE THAN A DECADE, CAMBRIDGE HAS BEEN, UH, BELOW 45 GALLONS PER PERSON PER DAY.
SO, YOU KNOW, OVERALL AS A CITY, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DO A REALLY GOOD JOB ON WATER CONSERVATION AND GETTING WORD OUT AND, YOU KNOW, UH, THE, THE RESIDENTS, UH, YOU KNOW, ARE OBVIOUSLY IT, IT'S IMPORTANT AND PEOPLE TAKE ACTION.
SO, UH, OVERALL, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE DOING PRETTY WELL ON WATER CONSERVATION OVERALL.
COUNCILOR NOLAN ALL SET, COUNCIL, FLA, RU, YOU, MADAM MAYOR.
UM, I, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I JUST WANNA SAY, I THINK THE CAMBRIDGE WATER DEPARTMENT UNDER DIRECTOR GALLAGHER'S LEADERSHIP DOES AN OUTSTANDING JOB AS SOMEONE WHO, UH, ACTUALLY DRINKS FROM PUBLIC FOUNTAINS AND LOTS OF DIFFERENT MUNICIPALITIES IN MASSACHUSETTS.
I'M HERE TO TELL YOU, YOU CAN TASTE THE DIFFERENCE, UH, WHEN YOU'RE DRINKING CAMBRIDGE WATER FROM PRETTY MUCH ANY MUNICIPALITY IN MASSACHUSETTS.
BUT, UH, MY QUESTION IS THIS, AND IT, MAYBE IT'S A, IT'S A SIMPLE QUESTION WITH A COMPLICATED ANSWER, AND IT MAY BE ALREADY HAS BEEN ANSWERED, BUT WHEN THE SEWER RATE INCREASES, IS THAT DUE TO SET ASIDES FOR OUR, IN OUR INTENDING OR OUR CONTEMPLATED CSO PROJECTS? OR IS IT BECAUSE OF THE LEAKAGE THAT YOU JUST DESCRIBED THAT'S UNDER CONTROL NOW IN THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE DIRECTOR? OR IS IT SOMETHING ELSE? UM, UM, MAYORS, MAYBE I'LL TAKE THE FIRST CRACK AT THAT.
SO THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE.
ONE IS THE SEWER RATE AND ONE IS THE WATER RATE, AND THEN THEY ARE COMBINED, AND SO YOU PAY A COMBINED BILL.
UM, SO THE SEWER RATE IS HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY, UM, WHAT WE HAVE TO PAY MWRA TO TAKE OUR SEWAGE.
SO ON THE SEWER SIDE, WE COLLECT THE SEWAGE, BUT IT ULTIMATELY GOES TO THE MWA, AND THEN WE HAVE TO PAY THE MWA.
UM, IT ALSO, YOU KNOW, PAYS FOR STAFF THAT MANAGE THE SEWER SYSTEM FOR THE CITY.
AND IT ALSO PAYS FOR, YOU KNOW, ONGOING OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE SEWER SYSTEM AND AS WELL AS THE DEBT FOR, YOU KNOW, EXISTING PROJECTS.
LIKE, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE BIG ONES WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT HERE IS THE PORT, SO THAT'S ON THE SEWER SIDE.
AND THEN ON THE WATER SIDE, IT'S SIMILAR IN TERMS OF, UM, YOU KNOW, MANAGING THE PLANT, UM, MANAGING THE RESERVOIR.
AGAIN, CONTINUED OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE AS WELL AS CAPITAL.
SO THERE'S SORT OF, THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT BUCKETS IN TERMS OF THE SEWER SYSTEM AND THE WATER SYSTEM.
SO I'M NOT, 'CAUSE YOU HAD ASKED ABOUT THE SEWER, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE ANSWERING THE RIGHT QUESTION.
I, I JUST, YOU KNOW, I KNOW WHEN I LOOK AT THE BILL THAT WE ALL GET THAT, UH, SEWER SEEMS TO INCREASE AND I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE MORE STABLE THAN IT ACTUALLY IS, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE EXPLAINED THE DRIVERS OF THAT COST AND, AND I GET IT.
THE ONE THING I WOULD JUST ADD TO THAT IS I WOULD SAY HISTORICALLY, UM, WE HAVE PAID FOR A LOT OF WATER IMPROVEMENTS THROUGH THE SEWER SIDE BECAUSE WHEN WE'VE DONE LARGE SEWER SEPARATION PROJECTS LIKE THE WEST CAMBRIDGE SEWER SEPARATION PROJECT, ALL OF THOSE IMPROVEMENTS WERE FUNDED BY THE SEWER RATE BECAUSE THAT WAS REALLY THE DRIVER OF THE PROJECT.
BUT THAT HAS, THAT ALSO FUNDED A LOT OF WATER SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS.
AND SO I THINK YOU MAY SEE SOMEWHAT OF A DISPROPORTIONATE INCREASE ON THE SEWER SIDE, THEN THE WATER SIDE.
AND, AND AGAIN, THAT'S BASED ON HOW SOME OF THESE PROJECTS REALLY ORIGINATED AND THAT THEY WERE DRIVEN BY THE SEWER SIDE.
AND SO WE'VE, WE FUNDED THEM OUT OF THE SEWER RATE, UM, BUT THEY'VE ALSO ADDED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS TO THE WATER SIDE.
COUNCILOR FLAHERTY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS MATTER? HEARING NONE ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR ZUZI TO PLACE CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM NUMBER ONE ON FILE, WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL.
AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE
[00:40:01]
CITY MANAGER AGENDA.ITEM NUMBER ONE IS PLACED ON FILE, AND WE'LL ALSO GO AHEAD AND CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR MCGOVERN.
WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL TO CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT.
AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE PUBLIC COMMENT IS NOW CLOSED.
WE ARE GOING TO CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO.
THIS IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM IAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO THE APPROPRIATION OF $900,000 FROM THE MITIGATION REVENUE STABILIZATION FUND, AND THE RESCISSION OF FUNDS FROM TWO GRANTS IN THE AMOUNT OF 2 MILLION AND $400,000 RESPECTIVELY TO SUPPORT A NEW OFF-ROAD BRIDGE OVER THE FITCHBURG RAIL LINE.
COUNCILLOR UZI, YOU HAVE THE FOUR.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, I JUST WANTED TO SAY I THINK IT'S FABULOUS THAT THIS PROJECT IS ADVANCING.
UM, IT'S SOUNDS LIKE IT'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT OF A BUMPY RIDE.
UM, I HAD SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS EARLIER THAT ARE HEAD OF FINANCE, CLAIRE SPIN SPINNER, UH, CLARIFIED, YOU KNOW, THAT THE GRANTS THAT WERE RESCINDING ARE, WERE, WERE FOR FUNDS THAT WE HAD APPROPRIATED EARLIER, BUT THEN WE, WE HAD TO RETURN THE CONNECTING FOR COMMUNITIES GRANT FOR $2 MILLION AND THEN THE $400,000 GRANT UNTIL WE ACTUALLY DO THE WORK.
SO IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'LL GET THE $400,000 LATER, BUT, UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S, UH, ONE QUESTION.
BUT MY OTHER QUESTION, OR IT MAY BE THROUGH YOU, MAYOR SIDIKI, TO OUR TRANSPORTATION COMMISSIONER BROOKE, UM, I ALSO GOT CLARIFICATION FROM CLAIRE SPINNER ABOUT THE $600 OF ARPA FUNDS THAT WERE ORIGINALLY DEDICATED TO THIS PROJECT.
SO MAYBE YOU CAN JUST SPEAK TO THOSE THINGS SO THAT EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS, UM, WHAT FUNDING WE HAVE, WHETHER WE'LL GET THE 400,000 LATER AND WHAT SORT OF, UM, SCHEDULE THIS PROJECT MIGHT BE ON NOW.
SO FIRST, THE 600,000 IN ARPA FUNDS.
UM, WELL THAT WAS, UH, THERE WAS A THOUGHT TO USE IT TOWARDS THIS PROJECT.
IT WAS THEN DETERMINED THAT THE ARPA, IT WOULD'VE BEEN AS A, AS, UH, LOCAL MATCHING FUNDS TO THE FEDERAL GRANT.
AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ARPA FUNDS COULDN'T, COULDN'T BE USED IN THAT WAY.
SO THAT MONEY WAS REALLOCATED TO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. SO THAT'S THE FIRST PART.
SO THE SECOND PART IS THAT WE HAD THE, WE HAD WON THROUGH IN, UH, THE, THE RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES GRANT UNDER THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION.
AND THE WAY THAT THAT GRANT WAS WORKING WAS THAT THE INITIAL PORTION OF THE FUNDING, WHICH WAS $400,000, WAS, UM, MADE AVAILABLE.
AND WE WERE ABLE TO OBLIGATE IT.
AND WE, AND THAT WAS TO START THE PROCESS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PERMITTING.
AND THE REST OF THE FUNDING WAS NOT, WE COULDN'T GET THAT OBLIGATED ALL AT ONE TIME BECAUSE YOU HAD TO KIND OF JUMP THROUGH THAT FIRST HOOP OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL WORK.
UM, THEN IN THE NEW ADMINISTRATION, ALL OF THE UN OBLIGATED FUNDS IN THIS RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES GRANT WERE, WAS CLAWED BACK BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
SO THAT WAS NO LONGER AVAILABLE TO US.
BUT WE'VE HAD GREAT SUCCESS IN WORKING WITH MAPC, UM, TO IDENTIFY NEW FUNDS, UH, THROUGH THE TIP.
SO, UM, BUT WE ARE STILL WORKING TOWARDS THAT FIRST HURDLE OF COMPLETING THE ENVIRONMENT.
WE WILL BE, WE'RE ABOUT TO START WORKING WITH THIS APPROPRIATION, UM, ON THAT FIRST HURDLE.
AND THEN WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET THE ADDITIONAL FUNDS.
WE'RE VERY CONFIDENT FROM MAPC ONCE WE ARE DONE WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL PERMITTING.
SO WE'RE STILL IN A VERY GOOD POSITION FROM, UM, FROM A FUNDING PERSPECTIVE, UH, BECAUSE OF THE COLLABORATION WITH MAPC.
AND WHAT ABOUT THE OVERALL TIMELINE? SO WE'RE DOING THE DESIGN NOW, WE NEED THE DESIGN.
SO AT SHOVEL READY, DO WE HAVE A SENSE FOR, I KNOW WE, WE DON'T HAVE FUNDING FOR THE BRIDGE YET, BUT, UM, ANY, CAN YOU, DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE OF A TIMELINE? I THINK THAT, UM, I CAN GIVE KIND OF AN OVERVIEW AND BILL NAN, I THINK HAS JOINED US ONLINE, AND HE CAN JUMP IN AS WELL IF HE'S AVAILABLE.
UM, SO WE ARE READY TO GO, UM, WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL WORK, UM, AS SOON AS THE APPROPRIATION IS DONE, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO EXECUTE THE CONTRACT VERY QUICKLY.
UM, SO THAT WILL GET US GOING.
UM, AND I THINK IT'S PROBABLY ABOUT IN THAT, UH, THIS PROCESS WILL INVOLVE, UM, THE ENVIRONMENTAL WORK, UH, WHICH INCLUDES COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND
[00:45:01]
THEN THE REMAINDER OF THE DESIGN ONCE WE CAN ACCESS THOSE FUNDS.UM, SO I THINK IT WILL PROBABLY BE ABOUT 18 MONTHS.
YEAH, THAT, THAT SOUNDS, THAT SOUNDS GREAT.
AND THEN ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS FIND THE MONEY TO BUILD THE BRIDGE, WHICH IS A BIG NUMBER.
BUT HAVE IT, IT WILL BE A BIGGER NUMBER, BUT, UM, ONCE WE HAVE THE DESIGN, AS YOU SAID, IT WOULD BE SHOVEL READY, AND THEN THAT USUALLY OPENS UP A LOT OF SOME DOORS.
I COUNCILOR NOLAN? YEAH, JUST A, A QUICK FOLLOW UP.
IS THERE ANYTHING WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT IN TERMS OF WHAT THE PRECISION MEANS FOR THE CITY? EITHER THE FINANCES OR THE PLANNING OR, YOU KNOW, ANY, ANY CHANCES THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA GET THE FUNDS EVENTUALLY? YOU KNOW, WHAT, HOW IS IT THAT WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT PREPARING THIS FINANCIALLY AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY? 'CAUSE I THINK WE'RE ALSO EAGER FOR THAT BRIDGE.
I PERSONALLY WAS VERY EAGER FOR AN UNDERPASS, BUT THAT WAS NOT TECHNICALLY FEASIBLE.
SO NOW I'M REALLY EAGER FOR THE OVERPASS.
SO I THINK WE ARE IN A BETTER PLACE IN TERMS OF OUR CONFIDENCE THAT WE WILL GET THE REST OF THE FUNDING FOR THE DESIGN.
UM, MAYBE THEN THIS APPROPRIATION SEEMS JUST BECAUSE WE DO HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL WE, WE FINISH THAT FIRST PHASE.
UM, BEYOND THAT, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, WE'RE GONNA BE WELL POSITIONED TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR ANY ADDITIONAL, UM, FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES THAT MIGHT NOT BE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
BUT ALSO CONTINUING TO WORK WITH THE MAPC AND SEE IF WE COULD GET IT ON THE, ON THE TIP, WHICH IS THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PRO, UH, PROGRAM.
SO WE'LL DEFINITELY, UM, PURSUE THAT AS WELL.
AND AS, AS WE GET FURTHER ALONG IN THE DESIGN, WILL BE BETTER POSITIONED TO DO THAT.
AND THEN, AND, AND ALSO JUST TO REMIND EVERYONE, THE CRA, THE CAMBRIDGE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY DID A PRETTY EXTENSIVE CONNECTION REPORT FOR THIS PARTICULAR AREA OF CAMBRIDGE.
AND REALLY GOOD TO, I HOPE THEY'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO BE INCLUDED IN THE PLANNING AND THE DESIGN, AND THEY ALSO MAY BE ABLE TO HELP WITH SOME OF THE FUNDING.
PLUS THE BRIDGE IS GONNA BE REDONE BY DOT PLUS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CURRENT ROADWAY.
THERE IS A WHOLE PLAN FOR A BRIDGE OVER THERE.
SO EVENTUALLY THAT AREA OF THE CITY WILL BE WELL SERVED.
I YIELD, I DON'T SEE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS MATTER.
WE WILL GO AHEAD ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR ZUZI TO PLACE CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO ON FILE.
WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL AND ADOPT AND ADOPT IT.
AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.
THE ORDER IS ADOPTED AND THE COMMUNICATION IS PLACED ON FILE.
WE'LL MOVE ON TO CITY MANAGER.
AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FIVE, THIS IS A COMMUNICATION FROM IAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO THE APPROPRIATION OF $5,234,379 FROM FREE CASH TO SUPPORT SNOW OPERATIONS COUNSELORS, COUNCILLOR NOLAN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
AND THEN THE NEXT TWO ARE ALL RELATED TO KINDA SNOW OPERATIONS.
I DUNNO IF WE WANNA DISCUSS 'EM ALL AT ONCE.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE OR NO? I CAN TAKE A MOTION FROM YOU TO TAKE, I, I MOVE THAT YES.
THEY'RE ALL RELATED TO THE, SO ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR NOLAN TO TAKE CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FIVE AND SIX.
TOGETHER, WE'LL DO AND SEVEN AND SEVEN AND WE'LL DO, WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL.
AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT.
SO WE HAVE CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM FIVE OF FOREST CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM SIX IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM A YOUNG WONG CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO THE APPROPRIATION OF $700,000 FROM FREE CASH TO SUPPORT ROAD REPAIRS RELATED TO SNOW OPERATIONS.
THEN FINALLY WE HAVE CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM SEVEN, WHICH IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM IAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO A WAITING REPORT, ITEM NUMBER 26 DASH 21 REGARDING EXPIRATION OF A POTENTIAL SNOW CORPS PROGRAM.
AND THIS IS, I WAS VERY HAPPY TO SEE, UH, KIND OF ALL THREE OF THESE.
'CAUSE WE KNOW THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING AT THE END OF, WE HOPE IT'S THE END OF THE SNOW.
UM, ALTHOUGH WE DO LIVE IN NEW ENGLAND AND THERE WAS AN APRIL 1ST SNOWSTORM JUST A FEW YEARS AGO, MAYBE IT WAS 10 YEARS AGO.
UM, BUT I DID PULL IT JUST BECAUSE I, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO UNDERSTAND, TO COMMUNICATE HOW IS IT THAT THERE'S, YOU KNOW, $5.2 MILLION? OBVIOUSLY THE MEMO IS KIND OF SHORT ON IT.
THE, THE LONGER MEMO THAT ADDRESSES
[00:50:01]
THE SNOW CORPS ACTUALLY HAS A LOT MORE DETAIL ABOUT IT, BUT IT'S A COMBINATION OF, YES, THERE WERE TWO SNOWSTORMS, BUT THERE WERE ONLY TWO MAJOR, MAJOR ONES.BUT THERE WAS A LOT OF THE PRE-SALT AND PRE, UM, PREPARATION EVENTS AS THE CITY MANAGER, UM, TALKS ABOUT IN THIS.
SO I'D, I'D, I'D LOVE FOR THE STAFF TO BE ABLE EXPLAIN WHAT ARE WE DOING TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE BEING AS COST EFFECTIVE AS POSSIBLE.
UM, HOW IS IT THAT WE MONITOR THE EFFECTIVENESS, BOTH OF THE, THE PRE-TREATMENT, BUT ALSO THE PLOWS THAT GO AROUND? YOU KNOW, WE CERTAINLY HEARD THIS YEAR, I THINK THE STAFF DID A PHENOMENAL JOB.
I KNOW FOLKS ON SOME SMALLER STREETS FELT LIKE IT TOOK A FEW DAYS AND IT DID.
HOWEVER, WHEN YOU HAVE 25 INCHES OF SNOW, WHICH REALLY DIFFERENT THAN IF YOU HAVE SIX OR EIGHT INCHES OF SNOW, I RECOGNIZE THAT I LIVE ON A MAJOR STREET.
SO I KNOW THAT THOSE DO GET CLEARED FIRST, UM, BECAUSE IT IS A MAJOR STREET WITH BUSES AND MANY OTHER, UH, VEHICLES GOING DOWN.
BUT, BUT I'D LOVE TO UNDERSTAND HOW IS IT THAT THIS, UH, WHAT SEEMS LIKE A PRETTY BIG AMOUNT.
IT'S FAR BIGGER THAN, UM, ANYTHING OTHER THAN, YOU KNOW, A FEW YEARS AGO.
IT'S ALSO ABOUT THE SAME AS WHEN WE HAD 120 INCHES OF SNOW IN 2015.
SO THAT STRUCK ME AS WHEN I WENT BACK FURTHER THAT IT'S, IT'S PRETTY HIGH, BUT TO JUST EXPLAIN WHAT WE'RE DOING AND ALSO AS YOU ANSWER TO EXPLAIN HOW IT IS THAT WE ENSURE THAT THE SALTING OPERATIONS WE DO ARE AS ENVIRONMENTALLY AND ECOLOGICALLY RESPONSIBLE, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT'S A REAL CONCERN THAT SO MANY CITIES DO NOT WANT JUST PURE SALT.
AND I KNOW THAT WE USE A PARTICULAR VERSION THAT IS MUCH BETTER.
SO, AND THEN COMMISSIONER, UH, THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR, SO HOPEFULLY COUNCILOR, I GOT ALL THAT AND I CAN TRY TO ANSWER IT FOR YOU.
UH, AS FAR AS THE SNOWSTORM, SO LET'S GO BACK TO 2015.
YOU'RE RIGHT, IT WAS 110 INCHES, UH, A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT COST TO THE CITY AT THE TIME.
AND I THINK IF YOU READ THROUGH THE RESPONSE, YOU CAN SEE OVER THE YEARS THAT PRICES HAS JUST CONTINUED TO CLIMB.
UM, WE DID A COMPARISON TO, UH, WHAT IT COSTS PER INCH, AND WE DID THAT MORE BECAUSE PEOPLE ALWAYS ASK US, WELL, WHAT DOES IT COST PER INCH? THE REALITY IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN 10 YEARS SINCE, SINCE 20 15, 11 YEARS SINCE 20, UM, 15.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT OVER TIME, UH, IT'S REALLY ABOUT INFLATION AND HOW MUCH THINGS HAVE GONE UP.
SO THAT'S ABOUT A, I THINK IT'S ABOUT A 40% INCREASE.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THAT WITHOUT COMPOUNDING INTEREST RATES AND ALL THIS OTHER STUFF, UM, IT GETS US TO ABOUT THE SAME PRICE.
SO WHILE IT LOOKS LIKE WE ARE SPENDING A LOT MORE, I THINK INFLATION HAS A LOT TO DO WITH THAT.
THAT SAID, WHEN WE GET A WINTER LIKE WE DID THIS YEAR, AND WE HAVE REALLY BACK TO BACK REALLY LARGE STORMS LIKE THAT, IT PUTS US INTO A MUCH DIFFERENT MODE.
AND I THINK YOU SAW THAT THIS YEAR, AND I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT, I ACTUALLY THINK THAT ALL OF OUR OPERATIONS WENT EXTREMELY WELL THIS YEAR.
UH, AND NOT HAVING TO DEAL WITH BIG SNOW FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.
UH, WE SHOOK THE COBWEBS OFF AND I THINK WE DID A NICE JOB, BUT IT REALLY KICKS US INTO THAT SECOND PHASE OF WHAT HAPPENS WITH SNOW, WHICH IS OUR HAULING OPERATION.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF MONEY NOW THAT WE'RE SPENDING ON JUST CONTRACTORS THAT ARE GETTING VERY DIFFICULT FOR US TO FIND, THOSE PRICES HAVE GONE UP QUITE A BIT.
SO WHEN WE DO A LARGE PLOW OPERATION, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE IN THE, ROUGHLY THE 300 TO $400,000 RANGE TO JUST GET PLOWS ON THE STREET.
AND THEN THE HAULING OPERATION, AS WE EXPLAINED IN THE RESPONSE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S 250 TO $300,000 A NIGHT TO REMOVE THAT SNOW ON BOTH OF THESE STORMS. WE WERE OUT FOR AT LEAST FOUR NIGHTS.
UM, I THINK THE SECOND STORM, WE WERE ACTUALLY OUT LONGER THAN THAT.
SO THE, THE MONEY BUILDS UP PRETTY QUICKLY.
WHEN WE HAVE STORMS LIKE THIS, I THINK IN AN AVERAGE WINTER WHEN WE'RE JUST MOST OF OUR, AND YOU CAN SEE IT EVEN THIS YEAR, MOST OF OUR OPERATIONS DEAL WITH JUST ASSAULTING OPERATIONS.
AND WHEN WE DO ASSAULTING OPERATIONS, IT'S COMPLETELY IN-HOUSE, UH, WITH IN-HOUSE EMPLOYEES.
SO, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE LOOKING AT REALLY OVERTIME COST AND THE COST OF SALT.
TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT SALT, UM, TJ SHAA IS HERE WITH US TONIGHT.
HE'S OUR SUPERINTENDENT OF THE STREETS.
SINCE TJ'S COME ON BOARD, WE, WE'VE, I IMPLEMENTED OUR BRIAN PROGRAM.
SO BRIAN IS REALLY, IT'S ESSENTIALLY WATER MIXED WITH, UH, SALT.
AND THEN WE PUT AN ADDITIVE INTO IT.
SO IT'S MUCH LESS, AND WE CAN PUT THAT OUT PRIOR TO A STORM IF THE CONDITIONS ARE RIGHT.
SO THAT ALLOWS US TO BRING OUR SALT USE DOWN.
BUT THE BIGGER THING THAT WE'VE DONE OVER THE YEARS IS WE'VE AUTOMATED ALL OF OUR SALTERS, WHICH MEANS WE'VE TAKEN SOMEWHAT OF THE HUMAN FACTOR OUT OF IT.
SO IF YOU WERE TO GO BACK 10, 15 YEARS AGO ON AN AVERAGE STORM, WE MAY BE PUTTING DOWN, YOU KNOW, A THOUSAND POUNDS OF SALT PER LANE MILE IN MOST OF OUR SALTING EVENTS.
AT THIS POINT, WE'RE DOWN TO ABOUT 200 POUNDS PER LANE MILE PER LANE MILE, WHICH IS MUCH
[00:55:01]
LESS THAN A LOT OF SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES.AND I IF, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN AROUND LONG ENOUGH, YOU'LL KNOW THAT WE IN YEARS PAST, WE'D GO OUT ON A SALTING EVENT, WE MAY GO VERY LITTLE SNOW, BUT IF YOU COME AROUND THE NEXT DAY, ALL THE STREETS WERE WHITE AND ALL THE TREES WERE DEAD.
I DON'T THINK YOU SEE THAT MUCH ANYMORE.
AND WE'VE ACTUALLY REALLY REDUCED THAT.
SO THE SALTERS, AS I SAID, THEY'RE AUTOMATIC.
OUR FOLKS CAN GET INTO A TRUCK, THEY SET IT TO WHATEVER TJ SETS IT FOR, AND WHEN WE STOP AT A STOP SIGN, THE SALT STOPS, UH, AS IT'S GOING DOWN THE ROAD, IT DOES THAT, IT, IT DOES THAT BLEND THAT WE SET IT TO.
SO I THINK THAT WAS ALL YOUR QUESTIONS, COUNCILOR NOLAN? YEAH, I'M HAPPY TO HAVE OTHERS ANSWER.
I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION, BUT I'LL JUST WAIT AND SEE IF IT GETS ASKED.
I'LL GO TO COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER, AND THEN I'LL GO TO COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY.
THANKS, MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU.
AND THANKS TO, UM, OUT FOR BOTH THIS RESPONSE AND FOR ALL THE WORK, UH, ON CLEARING SNOW THIS SEASON.
THIS WAS THE, MY FIFTH YEAR ON THE COUNCIL, AND I THINK WE HAD A LOT MORE SNOW THIS YEAR THAN WE HAD IN ANY OF THE, THE PREVIOUS FIVE YEARS AND APPRECIATED ALL THE WORK ON IT.
UM, THE RESPONSE, THE POLICY ORDER NUMBER SEVEN, UM, THE DATA AND THE CHARTS AND GRAPHS WERE REALLY HELPFUL.
IT WAS INTERESTING TO SEE THE SNOW COSTS VERSUS SNOWFALL AND SORT OF THE IMPACTS THERE, AS WELL AS THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF AMOUNTS, UH, SPENT ON SNOW PER INCH OVER THE FIVE YEAR PERIOD AND HOW THAT VARIES.
UM, THAT WAS SUPER INTERESTING AS WELL AS JUST SOME OF THE DETAILS ABOUT SNOW HAULING OPERATIONS AND, UM, SNOW FARMS. UM, AND I'D SAY THE, YOU KNOW, BROADER GOAL OF THE POLICY ORDER OF THIS AS A FIRST STEP TOWARDS SORT OF BUILDING OUT A SNOW CORE PROGRAM LIKE OTHER CITIES, INCLUDING BOSTON ARE CONSIDERING.
AND, YOU KNOW, LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUE THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
AND I'LL, I'LL FOLLOW UP ABOUT THAT OFFLINE.
I HAD A COUPLE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE, UM, DATA AND, UH, RESPONSE HERE.
UM, THE ONE WAS JUST DIGGING IN THE CHART OF COMPLAINTS VERSUS TICKETS ISSUED WAS HELPFUL AND LOOKING ABOUT HOW THAT VARIED ACROSS YEARS.
OB UNSURPRISINGLY, WE HAD A LOT MORE COMPLAINTS AND TICKETS ISSUED THIS YEAR, JUST GIVEN HOW MUCH SNOW.
UM, WAS JUST CURIOUS IF YOU COULD TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT IT.
THERE WERE, FOR THIS YEAR, IN 2026, THERE WERE 2059 COMPLAINTS, UM, AND THEN 569 CITATIONS ISSUED.
AND THE REPORT TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE REASON IT'S NOT A CITATION FOR EVERY COMPLAINT IS THAT SOMETIMES IT, IT GETS CLEARED, SOMETIMES IT'S MELTED, SOMETIMES THERE'S A COMPLAINT, BUT ACTUALLY IT'S, IT MEETS THE CITY STANDARDS.
I WAS JUST GONNA ASK FOR THOSE OTHER, YOU KNOW, THERE'S 2000 COMPLAINTS, ABOUT 500 TICKETS FOR THOSE OTHER 1500.
IS THAT BECAUSE CITY STAFF WENT OUT AND SAID, NO, THIS ACTUALLY DOESN'T, THIS DOESN'T MEET THE THRESHOLD, IS IT 'CAUSE IT MELTED AND WAS THEN, OKAY, IS IT NOT, WEREN'T ABLE TO INVESTIGATE ALL OF THOSE 2000 COMPLAINTS.
JUST LOOKING FOR A LITTLE MORE COLOR ON THAT.
YEAH, THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR.
UM, SO I THINK COUNSEL, I THINK YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD WITH ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
SO WE GO OUT, WE INVESTIGATE ALL OF THE 2000 COMPLAINTS THAT WE HAVE.
AND, YOU KNOW, TO BE QUITE HONEST, SOMETIMES IT MAY TAKE A LITTLE WHILE FOR AN INSPECTOR TO GO OUT AND TAKE A LOOK AT THINGS.
AND IN THAT TIMEFRAME, IT COULD BE THAT, I MEAN, THERE'S A, THERE'S A VARIETY OF THINGS.
SO SOMEBODY MAY SAY, WELL, THIS ISN'T WIDE ENOUGH.
AN INSPECTOR GOES OUT, THEY MEASURE IT, THEY SAY, NO, IT IS WIDE ENOUGH.
COULD THEY HAVE DONE BETTER? YEAH, BUT THEY HAVEN'T VIOLATED ANYTHING.
OR THEY'LL GO OUT, THEY'LL TAKE A LOOK AT IT WHERE PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED LIKE RIGHT AWAY.
I MEAN, THAT'S THE OTHER THING.
WE HAD SO MANY CCL FIXES COMING IN AND PEOPLE HAVE STARTED COMPLAINING BEFORE SNOW STOPS FALLING.
UM, SO BY THE TIME WE GET OUT TO A LOCATION WHERE SOMEBODY MAY HAVE COMPLAINED THAT NOBODY SHOVELED THE SIDEWALK, WE'LL GET OUT THERE, IT'S ACTUALLY BEEN SHOVELED.
UM, USUALLY IT'S NOT, UH, YOU KNOW, THINGS HAVE MELTED UNLESS WE HAD A REALLY MINOR STORM.
IT WON'T BE BECAUSE OF THINGS HAVE MELTED.
UH, AND IF THINGS ARE, EVEN IF THINGS ARE ICED UP AND THAT VIOLATES, UM, THE ORDINANCE, WE WILL GIVE SOMEBODY A EITHER A WARNING OR A CITATION, BUT THEY DO A FULL INVESTIGATION.
AND IT'S REALLY, IF THEY GO OUT THERE AND THEY DON'T SEE WHAT MATCHES UP TO THE COMPLAINT, THEY'RE NOT GONNA GIVE A TICKET FOR HER COUNCILOR.
UM, THERE'S A FOLLOW UP THERE, LIKE HOW, UH, IF THERE ARE, I DUNNO IF YOU HAVE DATA ON THIS, BUT LIKE, REPEAT OFFENDERS, CURIOUS ABOUT, I THINK WE AS COUNSELORS HERE A LOT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THIS ONE PROPERTY IS AN ABSENTEE LANDLORD, THEY'RE NEVER CLEAR.
I'M CURIOUS HOW MANY OF THOSE ARE AT VERSUS ONE-TIME COMPLAINTS.
AND THEN ALSO HAD A QUESTION ABOUT BUS STOPS, NO CLEARANCE.
AND, UM, JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT SOME, SOME BUS STOPS ARE MANAGED BY THE CITY, SOME ARE THE MBTA, SOME ARE PRIVATELY OWNED, I THINK EVEN BY LIKE THE ADVERTISING COMPANY.
DOES THE CITY CLEAR ALL OF THOSE BUS STOPS TO SOME, WE'RE JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND.
BUS STOP CLEAR A LITTLE BETTER.
SO, UM, THE FIRST QUESTION I THINK I'D HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU ON THE NUMBER OF REPEAT OFFENDERS, BUT WE DO HAVE THAT INFORMATION.
UM, AND THERE'S A FEW AND WE KNOW THEM AND WE'LL, INSPECTORS WILL GO OUT AND THEY'LL CONSTANTLY TRY TO WORK WITH THOSE FOLKS.
UM, AS FAR AS THE BUS STOPS IN GENERAL, ANYTHING THAT HAS A BUS SHELTER ON IT, THE MBTA TYPICALLY HAS, UM, A CONTRACT WITH, WITH A PRIVATE CONTRACTOR.
[01:00:01]
THE SNOW IS, THEY'LL GO OUT AND THEY'LL MAKE A FIRST PASS TO TRY TO CLEAR THAT.IF WE GET INTO A SNOWSTORM SITUATION WHERE WE'VE HAD, SAY, SIX TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW, OR WE HAVE BACK TO BACK STORMS WHERE THERE'S A BIG BUILDUP OF SNOW, THAT'S WHEN WE GET INTO, UH, BUS STOP, PEDESTRIAN CLEARING OPERATION.
UM, AND WE END UP HAULING A LOT OF SNOW.
UM, SO THAT'S WHERE THE CITY WILL, WILL COME INTO PLAY.
AND WHAT WE DO IS WE GO OUT AND WE'LL CLEAR THE ENTIRE CURB IN FRONT OF A BUS STOP AND ALL AROUND THAT BUS STOP.
I THINK THE BIGGER THING, AND THIS IS WHERE WE GOT INTO, UH, DISCUSSIONS YEARS AGO AND WE CONTINUE TO, UH, STAY IN CLOSE CON CONTRACT WITH THE, UM, COMMISSION FOR DISABILITIES IS, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE FIRST STARTED A BUS STOP PROGRAM, WE WOULD JUST GO AND DO BUS STOPS AND THAT'S ALL WE DID.
AND WE REALIZED WE WERE ON EVERY MAJOR ROUTE.
AND SO WE DON'T, WE MET, I CAN'T SAY THAT WE GET EVERY SINGLE BUS STOP IN THE CITY WHEN WE'RE DOING OUR PROGRAM, BUT WE HIT THE MAJORITY OF BUS STOPS, PARTICULARLY ALONG THOSE MAJOR ROUTES WHERE EVERYBODY IS.
AND SO AFTER MEETING WITH THE DISABILITIES COMMISSION YEARS AGO, WE SAID, YOU KNOW, WE CAN DO A LITTLE BIT MORE.
AND SO WHEN WE DO THAT OPERATION, WE ARE ACTUALLY CLEARING EVERY CURB RAMP AT EVERY INTERSECTION.
SO IF, IF WE'RE DOING MASS AIR FROM THE ARLINGTON LINE ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE BOSTON LINE, WE ARE CLEARING EVERY SINGLE CURB RAMP ALONG THAT ROUTE AS WELL AS THE BUS STOPS.
THIS YEAR WE ACTUALLY WENT A LITTLE BIT FURTHER AND IT WAS FROM AN EFFICIENCY STANDPOINT, AND WE REMOVED PROBABLY MORE SNOW THAN WE HAVE IN THE PAST, AND IT HELPED TO OPEN UP, YOU KNOW, SPACES THAT WE WOULDN'T NORMALLY GET TO.
AND SOME OF THOSE ARE LIKE, YOU KNOW, HANDICAP SPACES THAT ARE AT BUSINESSES, LOADING ZONES THAT WE GOT A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, I'LL YIELD, UH, RIGHT NOW.
THANKS FOR THE, THIS RESPONSE AND LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO, TO BUILD OUT OUR PROGRAMS ON THIS AND CONTINUING THESE CONVERSATIONS.
GO BACK, WE'LL GO TO COUNCILOR FERRI AND THEN VICE MAYOR AZI.
SO I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT I'VE LIVED HERE IN THIS CITY MY ENTIRE LIFE.
I LIVED THROUGH THE BLIZZARD OF 1978 AND AS A KID I ENJOYED IT VERY MUCH IN 2015, I REMEMBER IT WELL.
AND AS AN ADULT I ENJOYED THAT.
AND, AND THIS PAST YEAR I ENJOYED IT AS WELL.
I ENJOYED THE SHOVELING AND THE, AND UH, THE INTERACTION WITH MY NEIGHBORS AND, UH, PEOPLE, UH, THAT ARE SOMEWHAT EXCITED ABOUT IT.
IT'S ACTUALLY A, A IT'S A NICE COMMUNITY BUILDING EXPERIENCE.
UM, AND I JUST LIKE ALSO TO SAY THAT I'M FAMILIAR WITH, UH, THE NUMBER OF CALLS THAT THE COMMISSIONER RECEIVED THROUGH, UH, THE ONLINE REPORTING SYSTEM, THE CITY HANDLES.
AND I KNOW THE RESPONSIVENESS THAT HIS DEPARTMENT HAD AND IT WAS OUTSTANDING, AND I CONGRATULATE HIM FOR THAT.
I THINK THE REASON WHY IT COSTS SO MUCH IN ADDITION TO INFLATION IS BECAUSE IT'S WORTH IT.
UM, MY QUESTION IS THIS, AND I'M FASCINATED BY IT.
I I THINK YOU SAID, MR. COMMISSIONER, THAT YOU'VE GONE FROM 1000 POUNDS OF, UH, SALT TO 200 POUNDS OF SALT PER, UM, LAYING PER MILE.
DID I HEAR THAT CORRECTLY? COMMISSIONER THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR? UH, THAT'S CORRECT.
COUNCIL FLAHERTY, IT'S ACTUALLY, IT'S A, IT'S A RATE THAT YOU SET THE SPIN AROUND.
SO WHEN YOU SEE, I, I, I GUESS THE BEST EXAMPLE IS IF YOU'RE DRIVING A HIGHWAY DURING A SNOWSTORM, YOU'LL SEE THOSE TRUCKS THAT ARE JUST JUST LAYING DOWN SALT, LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW.
THAT'S PROBABLY, UM, WHAT WE WERE AT MANY, MANY YEARS AGO.
OURS IS SET AT A MUCH LOWER RATE.
SO, YOU KNOW, AFTER A LOT OF RESEARCH AND THE SALT, WE HAVE TREATED SALT.
SO OUR SALT IS, UH, TREATED WITH A, A, A, A LIQUID BLEND THAT HELPS IT STICK TO THE ROAD AND HELPS KIND OF IT HAVE IT, KEEP IT STAY AROUND A LITTLE BIT MORE.
UH, WE REALIZED THAT WE COULD DO A MUCH LOWER RATE AND STILL GET THE SAME PRODUCT AS, YOU KNOW, FOLKS THAT ARE JUST DUMPING SALT EVERYWHERE.
WELL, COUNCIL, THAT IS FASCINATING AND WELL DONE.
I YIELD VICE MAYOR IS ALL SET, HIS QUESTIONS WERE ANSWERED.
WE'LL GO TO COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN AND THEN ZUZI.
UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU.
UH, THANK YOU COMMISSIONER, UH, FOR THE REPORT.
UM, JUST A COUPLE QUICK THINGS.
UM, THE, UH, THE SENIOR, UM, STUDENT PROGRAM, UM, THAT WE HAVE, I GUESS IT LOOKS LIKE YOU SAID WE HAD 117 STUDENTS SIGN UP, WHICH WAS A ALMOST DOUBLE, UM, FROM LAST YEAR, WHICH IS, WHICH IS GREAT.
UH, AND THERE WERE ABOUT 103 INQUIRIES.
UM, I GUESS ONE THING I'D LIKE US TO KIND OF THINK ABOUT, AND THIS SORT OF GOES TO, I KNOW COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER HAS BEEN LEADING THE CHARGE ON THINKING ABOUT HOW THE CITY CAN HELP MORE.
UM, I'VE ALWAYS FELT A LITTLE WEIRD THAT WE, WE LEAVE IT UP TO THE
[01:05:01]
SENIORS TO TRY AND NEGOTIATE A PRICE WITH, WITH THE STUDENTS.UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT A, IT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A A, A HUGE NUMBER OF, OF JOBS.
AND I'D LIKE US, YOU KNOW, AS PART OF, YOU KNOW, WITH THE MAYORS PROGRAM, SORT OF A WINTER VERSION OF THE MAYORS PROGRAM, UM, TO SEE IF WE CAN'T, YOU KNOW, MAYBE PICK UP THAT COST OR, OR HAVE SOME KIND OF, YOU KNOW, PER HOUR SPENDING, UM, SO THAT FOLKS AREN'T, YOU KNOW, LEFT TO THEIR OWN DEVICES TO KIND OF FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE, WHAT THE COST SHOULD BE.
AND, UM, IT'LL BE A LITTLE BIT MORE PREDICTABILITY ABOUT THAT.
UM, I GUESS HOW DO WE, IS THAT 103 INQUIRIES, UH, IS THAT UP OR DOWN? I MEAN, HOW ARE WE ADVERTISING THIS? I, I FIND THAT EVERY YEAR THERE'S ALWAYS PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT AND YOU KNOW, AND ASK ABOUT IT.
SO WHAT, WHAT DO WE DO TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT FOLKS KNOW THAT THIS IS AVAILABLE TO THEM? SURE, GEORGE.
AND I'M THINKING, AND AND THIS CAN BE BOTH THE, I KNOW THERE'S THE, THERE'S THE ONE THAT THE CITY WILL GO OUT AND SHOVEL AND THEN THERE'S THE STUDENT ONE.
SO AGAIN, JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE, HOW WE'RE PUBLICIZING THAT AND LETTING PEOPLE KNOW.
UM, THREE, MAYOR CITY, DO YOU WANNA TAKE PART OF IT, ADAM, THOUGH, IN TERMS OF, 'CAUSE I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT THE TWO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS BECAUSE IT'S, WE DO HAVE A PRETTY, UM, ACTIVE PROGRAM IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, FOLKS THAT MEET THE CRITERIA ARE LOW INCOME, UM, AND UNABLE TO SHOVEL.
AND SO THAT IS A PRETTY, UM, PROGRESSIVE PROGRAM AND, YOU KNOW, IS MANAGED BY DANA, HE PARK STAFF.
AND THEN, UM, GEORGE HINES IS ALSO ONLINE AND CAN TALK ABOUT THE OTHER VOLUNTEERS SIGN THE HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR SIGNUP PROGRAM.
THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR, UH, GEORGE, ARE YOU ONLINE? GEORGE HINES AND ADAM? I'M ALSO ONLINE SO I CAN HELP AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AS WELL.
GEORGE, YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF.
SO GEORGE HINES IS THE ONE THAT HANDLES THE INQUIRIES WITH THE, UH, STUDENT SHOVELERS AND HE'S THE BEST EQUIPPED TO ANSWER THIS.
UM, YEAH, SO, UH, COUNCILOR, GOVERNOR, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
IN TERMS OF A MAYOR'S PROGRAM STYLE RESPONSE, I THINK, UM, THE KEY THING IS WE'D NEED TO HAVE THE KIDS ON PAYROLL.
AND SINCE THESE ARE ONE-OFF UNPREDICTABLE EVENTS, IT'S A LITTLE BIT HARDER TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THAT AND MAINTAIN A CORE OF KIDS THAT ARE READY TO GO AND, UM, ALREADY ON CITY PAYROLL FOR THOSE PURPOSES.
ALSO, SNOW SHOVELING TENDS TO PAY A LITTLE BIT BETTER THAN THE $15 AN HOUR THAT WE OFFER FOR MAYORS PROGRAM.
UM, WE DO ASK THE TEENS TO BE MINDFUL WHEN NEGOTIATING WITH SENIORS THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE OFTEN ON FIXED INCOMES.
THEY SHOULDN'T BE GOUGING, THEY SHOULDN'T BE CHARGING EVEN WHAT THEY MIGHT CHARGE, YOU KNOW, THEIR NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR WHO'S, UM, WORKING FULL-TIME, YOU KNOW, CHARGE THAT PERSON A LITTLE BIT MORE AND THEN CHARGE A SENIOR A LITTLE BIT LESS TO KIND OF OFFSET IT AND MAKE SURE IT'S MORE OF A COMMUNITY SERVICE APPROACH TO THE WORK.
UM, BUT I'M OPEN TO IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS, BUT I THINK THAT THOSE ARE KIND OF THE FIRST TWO LOGISTICAL THINGS THAT COME TO MIND FOR ME WHEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE COULD MAKE THAT WORK.
AND THEN ONE THING, MAYBE IF I COULD JUST ADD IN IS THAT I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT THERE'S THE SNOW SHOVELING EXEMPTION PROGRAM WHERE PEOPLE CAN HAVE IT DONE FOR FREE AND THEN THE STUDENT SHOVELER PROGRAM IS REALLY OPEN TO ANY RESIDENT.
AND SO, I MEAN, I THINK THE FEEDBACK WE HEARD THIS YEAR WAS THAT PEOPLE WERE EXTREMELY POSITIVE WITH THE STUDENTS THEY WERE CONNECTED WITH AND FOUND IT, UM, TO GEORGE'S POINT THAT PEOPLE WERE PRETTY REASONABLE IN TERMS OF PRICES.
SO AGAIN, THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS IN TERMS OF LOW INCOME, UNABLE TO SHOVEL, AND THEN OTHER FOLKS JUST LOOKING FOR CONNECTIONS.
COUNCIL MEMBER, GOVERNOR, UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU.
UM, WE DID HAVE A HUMAN SERVICES MEETING, UH, RECENTLY ABOUT SERVICES FOR HOW WE SUPPORT THE DISABLED COMMUNITY.
SO AGAIN, I'M GLAD TO HEAR COMMISSIONER, THAT YOU'RE, UM, YOU'RE TALKING WITH THE COMMISSION AND WORKING WITH THE COMMISSION.
I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD SOME CONVERSATION ABOUT, UM, HANDICAP SPOTS AND, AND THINGS THAT WE CAN DO, YOU KNOW, MAYBE TO HELP CLEAR THOSE OUT.
AND, UM, ALTHOUGH HANDICAP SPOTS DON'T BELONG TO ANY SINGLE PERSON, I THINK IF YOU REALLY LOOK AT HOW THEY'RE USED, A LOT OF, AT LEAST IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS, UM, THERE'S VERY OFTEN THE SAME PERSON WHO, WHO PARKS IN THAT SPOT.
UM, AND IF THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, IF THEY QUALIFY FOR, FOR A HANDICAP SPOT, I I WOULD IMAGINE IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO SHOVEL OUT THAT SPOT FOR THEM.
AND SO IF, UM, IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO TO PLOW THOSE SPOTS OUT OR CLEAR THOSE SPOTS OUT SOMEWHERE IN THE PRIORITY LIST, UM, I THINK WOULD BE, WOULD, WOULD BE HELPFUL.
UH, AND I DO LASTLY, UM, I DO WANT TO THANK YOU AND, AND YOUR STAFF.
UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE, UH, TOWARDS THE END OF THE REPORT WHERE YOU, UM, WHERE YOU LAY OUT, I'M TRYING TO FIND IT, WHERE YOU REALLY LAY OUT HOW, HOW THE OPERATIONS ARE PRIORITIZED.
I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT AND I THINK AS MUCH AS WE CAN SHARE THAT WITH PEOPLE, UM, YOU KNOW, I KNOW IT'S INCONVENIENT AND PEOPLE WANT THE SNOW CLEARED UP, YOU
[01:10:01]
KNOW, REALLY QUICKLY.BUT I THINK, UM, I DON'T THINK PEOPLE ALWAYS KNOW HOW THE OPERATIONS ARE WORKING AND HOW AND WHY CERTAIN DECISIONS ARE BEING ARE BEING MADE.
AND IT, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU READ IT, IT MAKES SENSE THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE DOING MAIN MAIN ARTERIES AND SCHOOL BUS STOPS AND THOSE KINDS OF PLACES FIRST.
AND SOMETIMES WE JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND WE'RE GONNA BE IN CONVENIENCE FOR A COUPLE DAYS 'CAUSE WE LIVE IN, IN NEW ENGLAND AND THAT'S OUR PLIGHT.
UM, BUT I THINK SHARING THAT INFORMATION AND GETTING THAT OUT THERE TO PEOPLE SO THAT THEY BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON, I THINK WOULD, UM, WOULD BE HELPFUL.
BUT THANK YOU TO YOU AND YOUR STAFF.
I YIELD MADAM MAYOR COUNCILLOR UZI.
UM, I ALSO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WORK THAT WAS A LOT OF SNOWY HAD THIS WINTER.
I LIKE COUNSELOR NOLAN THOUGH ALSO AM IMPRESSED WITH, WE SPENT ALMOST $7 MILLION ON THE SNOW REMOVAL IN 2.2 MILLION LAST YEAR.
SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, OVER THREE TIMES AS MUCH, OR ALMOST THREE TIMES AS MUCH AS WE SPENT LAST YEAR.
UM, I THINK THAT COUNSELOR GI AND SABRINA WHEELER'S IDEA OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE SNOW FORCE IS AN INTERESTING ONE AND I, I WAS REALLY HAPPY TO HEAR ABOUT HOW WE'VE ENGAGED OUR MAYOR'S YOUTH PROGRAM KIDS.
AND SO THEY'RE PRETTY MUCH OUR SNOW FORCE ALREADY.
UM, AND I THINK I SHARED EARLIER THERE WERE TONS OF KIDS OUT AROUND CAMBRIDGE PORT AND I SAW ONE OF THEM PHOTOGRAPHING THE OTHER WITH ALL, ALL THEIR TWENTIES.
'CAUSE THEY, THEY REALLY COULD RAKE IN A LOT OF DOUGH THAT, THAT DAY.
SO IT WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THE TEENS AND A GREAT HELP FOR THE OTHERS.
SO ONE OF MY QUESTIONS IS, IS THERE, WELL, WELL FIRST LET ME JUST COMMENT.
I THOUGHT HEATHER HOFFMAN'S IDEA OF PUTTING FLAGS ON HYDRANTS SO THEY'RE NOT LOST WAS ACTUALLY A GOOD ONE.
'CAUSE WHAT I I FOUND IS THAT LIKE OUR, OUR SEWER GRATES AND OUR FIRE HYDRANTS WERE ALL LOST TO SNOW MOUNDS.
AND IF THERE'S SOME WAY THAT THEY COULD BE BETTER MARKED, MAYBE WE COULD BE MORE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT NOT PUTTING SNOW WHERE THOSE TWO THINGS ARE.
BUT IF I, I WONDER IF THERE'S SOME WAY WE CAN GET THOSE MAYORS PROGRAM KIDS ALSO TO BE LIKE SHOVELING THE BUS STOPS, THE HYDRANTS, THE CROSSWALKS, THE PEDESTRIAN RAMPS AND THOSE SEWER GRATES.
LIKE, IF THEY COULD BE DOING THAT EARLY ON, IT COULD MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD.
AND I KNOW THEY'RE NOT ON YOUR PAYROLL, I KNOW THAT WOULD BE COMPLICATED TO FIGURE OUT, BUT IT WOULD, IT SEEMS LIKE IT WOULD, UM, PROVIDE A, A SOURCE OF INCOME FOR OUR, OUR KIDS.
AND, UH, IT WOULD BE EASY WORK.
WE'VE GOT THE LABOR WOR LABOR FORCE, AND WE CERTAINLY WOULD BE PAYING LESS THAN WE WOULD FROM, UM, SOMEONE WITH A BIG SNOWPLOW.
UM, SECONDLY, I, I WAS IN MONTREAL OVER THE HOLIDAYS AND THERE WAS A BIG ICE STORM THERE WHILE I WAS THERE, AND I WAS IMPRESSED.
YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY GOT TONS OF SNOW EVERY WINTER AND WHAT THEY DO IS THEY HAVE A FLAG SYSTEM WHERE, YOU KNOW, IF THE FLAG IS UP THEN YOU KNOW YOU HAVE TO MOVE YOUR CAR OFF THE STREET AND INTO A GARAGE.
AND MY QUESTION FOR YOU IS, I KNOW WE WERE ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO MOVE CARS OFF OF SOME ROADS INTO GARAGES, BUT DID WE HAVE ENOUGH GARAGES? WERE THEY AT CAPACITY? DO, SHOULD WE BE ADDING MORE GARAGES? AND MAYBE EVEN, I, I'M ASSUMING WE'RE USING ALL MUNICIPAL GARAGES, BUT I KNOW THERE ARE OTHER COMMERCIAL GARAGES.
SHOULD WE BE THINKING ABOUT EXPANDING OUR GARAGE RESOURCE LIST, UM, IF WE HAVE ANOTHER BIG SNOW GOING FORWARD? AND SO THAT'S THROUGH YOU TO, UM, COMMISSIONER NARDONE OR OR TO DEPUTY CITY MANAGER WATKINS
YEAH, WE'LL, WE'LL BATTLE FOR THE BIKE OVER THERE.
UM, THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR, UH, COUNCIL, SUZIE, UH, DOT ACTUALLY DEALS WITH THE GARAGES AND WE DO USE ALL OF OUR MUNICIPAL GARAGES AND THEY HAVE, UH, AGREEMENTS WITH SOME OF THE PRIVATE GARAGES.
SO WE CAN CERTAINLY TALK TO THEM ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF REACHING OUT TO MORE.
I DO WANNA SAY THAT THIS YEAR WAS, I, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY WERE FULLY BOOKED UP AS FAR AS PARKING.
WE HAD AN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TIME OF GETTING PEOPLE TO REMOVE THEIR CARS FROM THE STREETS THIS YEAR.
UM, YOU KNOW, I I I COULD GIVE YOU MIKE, THERE IS WHAT, WHY THAT IS.
I THINK PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN USED TO NOT MOVING THEIR CARS AT THIS POINT, PARTICULARLY THROUGH OUR STREET SWEEPING PROGRAM.
UM, BUT WE HAD A REALLY HARD TIME GETTING CARS OFF THE STREET.
AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A FINE LINE BETWEEN WHEN YOU CAN ANNOUNCE A SNOW BAND AND WHEN YOU CAN START REMOVING VEHICLES AND IF PEOPLE LAG ON THAT AT ALL.
AND PARTICULARLY IN THE STORMS THAT WE HAD, BLIZZARD CONDITIONS, WE'RE NOT GETTING CARS OFF THE STREET.
AND IT MAKES IT THAT MUCH MORE DIFFICULT FOR US TO CLEAR SNOW.
[01:15:01]
UH, WE'LL LOOK AT IS THERE A BETTER WAY FOR US TO ADVERTISE THAT? I KNOW WOULD CONSTABLE MCGOVERN MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, WHERE, WHERE DO I FIND SOME OF THIS INFORMATION? SO GETTING MORE INFORMATION OUT TO PEOPLE SOONER AND MAKING IT EASIER FOR THEM TO FIND IT, I THINK WILL HELP OUR OPERATIONS ALL, ALL AROUND.BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY TALK TO DOT ABOUT THE GARAGE SITUATION.
COUNCILOR SUZY? YEAH, THANK YOU.
I JUST LIKE TO, I'M, I'M GLAD YOU'RE GONNA BE LOOKING INTO IT MORE.
'CAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE THIS SORT OF SEVERE WEATHER SITUATION IS, IS THE FUTURE.
UM, AND THEN JUST A QUICK QUESTION, WHAT IS SNOW FARM RESTORATION? SO, UNFORTUNATELY, UM, IN MUNICIPAL OPERATIONS, WHEN YOU START TO REMOVE SNOW FROM THE STREETS, IT'S NOT CLEAN AND PRISTINE AS, AS YOU WOULD THINK IT IS.
SO SOME OF IT REALLY JUST HAS TO DO WHEN THE SNOW MELTS OR WHEN WE HAVE TO HELP THE SNOW MELT A LITTLE BIT, JUST REMOVING ALL THE DEBRIS THAT'S THERE.
BUT WE'RE ALSO IN PRETTY CONFINED SPACES.
SO, UH, ADAM WILL YELL AT ME EVERY YEAR ABOUT ALL THE DAMAGE WE'VE DONE AT DEHE PARK, AND INEVITABLY WE DO DO, UH, THAT TYPE OF DAMAGE.
AND SOME OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH FENCING AROUND THE AREAS THAT WE'RE IN.
SOME OF IT HAS TO DO WITH THE PAVEMENT BECAUSE AS WE GET MORE AND MORE SNOW, YOU KNOW, WE'RE USING EXCAVATION EQUIPMENT TO GET ON TOP OF PILES AND IT TENDS TO TEAR UP ASPHALT AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO THE FEW SPOTS THAT WE DID HAVE TO DUMP SNOW THIS YEAR, THEY GOT BEAT UP PRETTY GOOD.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS BEFORE WE GO BACK TO YOU? COUNCILOR MCGOVERN FROM THE BODY WHO HASN'T ASKED QUESTIONS? GO AHEAD.
COUNCILOR MCGOVERN AND THEN COUNCILOR NOLAN.
JUST A QUICK FOLLOW UP ON THE, ON THE GARAGE PIECE.
I MEAN, ONE, ONE OF THE THINGS I I'VE HEARD FROM FOLKS TOO IS THAT THEY'LL, YOU KNOW, THEY'LL MOVE THEIR CAR OFF THE STREET AND, AND GO TO A GARAGE.
THEY HAVE TO BE OUT AFTER THE SNOW EMERGENCY IS LIFTED, BUT THERE'S NO PLACE TO COME BACK TO BECAUSE ALL THE CARS THAT ARE NOW OFF THE STREET AND IN THE GARAGE, THOSE, THOSE SPOTS ARE NOW FILLED WITH SNOW.
AND, UM, SO AGAIN, JUST, JUST SOMETHING AND THEN, THEN THEY'RE PAYING, RIGHT? IF THEY HAVE TO STAY.
SO, AGAIN, AND JUST SORT OF THINKING ABOUT THIS, LIKE JUST THE OPERAT, I MEAN, IT'S, THERE'S NO PERFECT ANSWER TO THIS AND IT'S A LOT OF JUST, YOU KNOW, MOVING CHAIRS ON THE TITANIC AS THEY SAY.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE IS THIS, THIS, THIS ISSUE TOO, AND I'M NOT EVEN GONNA GET INTO SPACE SAVERS.
UM, YOU KNOW, BUT THERE IS THIS ISSUE TOO ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE SPOTS THAT GET, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY GET FILLED WITH SNOW AND THEN DON'T GET SHOVELED OUT.
UM, AND THEN THERE'S FOLKS THAT AGAIN, JUST LEAVE THEIR CARS FOR MONTHS AT A TIME ANYWAY, REGARDLESS OF SNOW.
SO, BUT JUST, I, I KNOW THAT I'VE HEARD SOME, SOME CONCERNS.
PEOPLE SAY, WELL, I DON'T WANNA MOVE TO A GARAGE AND THEN I'M STUCK, YOU KNOW, IF I, IF I CAN'T PARK MY CAR IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, I, I'M PAYING, YOU KNOW, THE GARAGE RATES AND WHAT, SO JUST SOMETHING, SOMETHING ELSE TO, JUST SOMETHING THAT POPPED IN MY HEAD.
THANK YOU, COMM COMMISSIONER, DID YOU WANNA SAY ANYTHING? NO, I THINK I'M GOOD.
UM, YES, DEFINITELY APPRECIATE REMOVING AND HAULING.
IF PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE, I KNOW IT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT, BUT THERE ARE LIKE THESE TOW TRUCKS AND HAULERS GOING AROUND CLEARING THESE SIX FOOT DRIFTS AT INTERSECTIONS AND AT BUS STOPS.
SO I'VE SEEN IT, I HAVE VIDEOS OF IT IF ANYONE WANTS TO SEE THEM WHEN I GO OUT AT NIGHT, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND SEE IT.
UM, AND I THINK WE HAVE TO REALLY APPRECIATE WHEN YOU HAVE 25 INCHES OF SNOW AND IT PILES AND YOU'RE CLEARING THE STREETS, IT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
UM, I WILL SAY ON THE YEAP SHELF, I, IF WE CAN DO IT EASILY, FINE, BUT THE IDEA OF CREATING ANOTHER BUREAUCRACY THAT WE HAVE TO HIRE PEOPLE AS EMPLOYEES, I DON'T THINK SERVES THE CITY WELL AND I THINK HURTS THOSE STUDENTS WHO ARE OUT THERE MAKING, YOU KNOW, $20 FOR HALF AN HOUR OF WORK, INSTEAD OF THE $7 AND 50 CENTS, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO PAY 'EM FOR HALF AN HOUR OF WORK.
NOT TO MENTION THEY'D HAVE TO SIGN UP FOR A WHOLE RANGE OF OTHER CITY THINGS.
SO I AM ENDORSING THE IDEA OF GETTING THE WORD OUT, BUT ALSO NOT CREATING ANOTHER BUREAUCRACY.
WE MAY HAVE DIFFERENCE ON THE COUNCIL, BUT I'M DEFINITELY FEELING LIKE, LET'S JUST GET THE WORD OUT.
WE HAVE A HUNDRED PEOPLE ON THE LIST, SEND THE LIST, PEOPLE CAN HIRE THEM THEMSELVES.
UM, AND IN PROVIDENCE, RESIDENTS WHO GO INTO PARKING GARAGES HAVE TO PAY FOR THE MOST PART.
THERE'S VERY LIMITED SPOTS IF PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE THAT WHATEVER CAPACITY WE HAVE IN OTHER CITIES, IF YOU'RE GOING INTO GARAGE, OFTEN YOU HAVE TO ACTUALLY PAY.
HOWEVER, IT'S CHEAPER THAN GETTING TOWED OFF THE STREET, WHICH IS WHY PEOPLE DO IT.
SO, UM, I DID HAVE ONE QUESTION, WHICH IS ON THE CITATIONS THERE WERE OVER 500 CITATIONS.
DO, ARE WE SUCCESSFUL AT COLLECTING ON THOSE CITATIONS? AND THIS TIES INTO SOME OF WHAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT AS A CITY.
ARE WE SUCCESSFUL COLLECTING? 'CAUSE I KNOW EVENTUALLY WE MAY NEED TO DO SOMETHING AROUND WHAT'S CALLED SECTION 40 U OF THE STATE CODE IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE MORE SUCCESSFUL.
[01:20:01]
HOW SUCCESSFUL WE ARE AT NOT ONLY ISSUING THEM, WHICH WE SHOULD LET PEOPLE KNOW.WE DID ISSUE A WHOLE SLEW OF CITATIONS RELATED TO SIDEWALK CLEARING.
AND ARE WE SUCCESSFUL AT COLLECTING, UH, THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR? UH, COUNCIL, I MEAN, IT DEFINITELY VARIES FROM YEAR TO YEAR.
UM, I WOULD SAY IF WE COLLECT 50% OF, UH, WHAT WE CITE PEOPLE FOR, IT'S A GOOD YEAR.
TYPICALLY, IT'S A LITTLE BIT LESS THAN THAT.
ONE THING, UM, THROUGH MADAM MAYOR THAT I WOULD JUST ADD IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE REALLY INCREASED THE AMOUNT OF CITATIONS, AND THIS IS PROBABLY GOING BACK 10 OR 15 YEARS, UM, WE REALLY SEE IT, ONE, IT'S ABOUT THE CITATION, BUT IT'S ALSO ABOUT, UM, THE EDUCATION PROCESS.
AND SO I THINK WHAT YOU'VE SEEN AND WHAT I EXPERIENCED CERTAINLY THIS WINTER IS THAT, YOU KNOW, SIDEWALKS IN CAMBRIDGE, YOU KNOW, NOT PERFECT AND STILL CONTINUED WORK TO DO, WERE IN MUCH BETTER CONDITION THAN THEY WERE SAY, 10 OR 15 YEARS AGO BEFORE WE REALLY INCREASED IT.
AND SO, ONE, I THINK THERE IS THIS SORT OF REPEAT OFFENDERS QUESTION, BUT FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE IT'S REALLY ABOUT THAT EDUCATION IS REALLY ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANT VALUE OF THAT PROCESS.
AND THROUGH YOU MAYOR SIDIKI, I, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO REALIZE THIS IS ALSO PART OF THE EDUCATION DAY.
THIS IS PART OF BEING A COMMUNITY RESIDENT.
THIS IS PART OF OUR, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S SOME LEVEL AT WHICH YOU ACTUALLY MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS WHEN YOU'RE OUT SHOVELING YOUR SIDEWALK.
SO IT, IT IS A HUNDRED PERCENT SOMETHING I SUPPORT FOR US TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THEM DO THAT.
AND THEN THE IDEA OF THE SNOW CORPS IS PARTLY IT, IT'S NOT TO PAY PEOPLE TO DO IT, BUT TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S A A READY NUMBER OF PEOPLE TO, UM, WHO CAN BE HIRED BY RESIDENTS, THAT'S GREAT.
AND THEN THE SNOW CORPS MAY BE USED FOR THE ONES WE'RE OBLIGATED TO, TO, UM, TO CLEAR ANYWAY.
BUT I, I, I DO THINK IT'S PART OF THE COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO COMMUNICATE THAT BECAUSE I THINK IT'S A POSITIVE THING TO REALIZE THERE'S, THERE'S A RESPONSIBILITY THAT COMES WITH BEING IN THE CITY AND LIVING IN NEW ENGLAND.
AND WE WILL BE HAVING THAT MEETING ABOUT 40 U WE'LL BE CALLING YOU BACK HERE TO UNDERSTAND HOW IT IS THAT WE CAN DO BETTER AT THAT.
BUT AGAIN, GREAT REPORT, UM, AND LOTS TO, TO DIG INTO HERE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE EXTENSIVE REPORT AND FOR THE WORK OF ALL YOUR TEAM WHEN THEY'RE OUT THERE IN REALLY MISERABLE CONDITIONS A COUPLE TIMES.
I YIELD ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS AROUND ANY THREE OF THESE ITEMS. UH, I'LL JUST, UM, A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS I HAD OR COMMENTS I HAD HAVE BEEN, UH, SPOKEN FOR, BUT I'LL JUST SAY THAT I, THERE WAS ALSO, YOU GO ABOVE AND BEYOND THE, WHAT THE ORDINANCE SAYS.
UH, AND THEN FRANKLY, YOU'RE ALSO DOING A LOT OF COORDINATION WITH, WELL, AT LEAST, YOU KNOW, I SAW A LOT OF THE EMAILS WITH KRISTEN, SHOUT OUT TO HER FOR COORDINATING WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, D-C-R-D-O-T.
SO THERE'S A NUMBER OF BRIDGES, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, THEY, MAKING SURE THAT THOSE ARE DONE ARE A PRIORITY TOO.
AND SO I THINK THAT'S ALL PART OF SOME OF THIS WORK.
AND IT MAY NOT ACTUALLY BE CAPTURED IN, IN SOME OF THE, UH, CCL FIX AND SO FORTH.
SO I JUST WANNA, UH, COMMEND TJ AND COMMISSIONER NARDONE AND DEPUTY CITY MANAGER, UM, AND CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, AND EVERYONE WHO COORDINATED, I WAS IN SOME OF THESE SNOW MEETINGS.
AND IT IS A, IT'S TRULY SOMETHING TO SEE HOW WELL COORDINATED YOU ARE.
UH, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM FOR GROWTH, UH, AND LEARNINGS AFTER EACH INCIDENT.
AND I KNOW THAT YOU ALL DO THAT KIND OF WRAPAROUND, OKAY, WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE BETTER AND SO FORTH.
BUT, UH, GIVEN WHAT WE WERE DEALING WITH, JUST WANNA APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S EFFORTS.
SO I SEE NO OTHER HANDS ON THIS.
SO WE'RE GOING TO DO A FEW THINGS.
WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ADOPT ALL, UH, THE APPROPRIATIONS AND THEN PLACE ALL THE COMMUNICATIONS ON FILE FOR NUMBER FIVE, SIX, AND SEVEN.
AND WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL FOR ALL THREE.
AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.
THOSE THREE COMMUNICATIONS ARE PLACED ON FILE.
AND THOSE TWO ORDERS ARE ADOPTED.
WHERE NOW I'M GOING TO ASK FOR A SUSPENSION OF THE RULES TO GO BACK FOR, TO CITY MANAGER.
THIS WAS NOT IN OUR MATERIALS, BUT THIS SHOULD BE AT EVERYONE DESK AT, AT EVERYONE'S DESKS.
AND IT'S, WE HAVE TO VOTE ON THESE.
[01:25:01]
NOLAN.UH, TO GO BACK TO NUMBER ONE, TO VOTE ON THESE ORDERS, WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL.
AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.
AND JUST GONNA, WE HAVE THE, THIS ON YOUR TABLE.
DOES THE CITY COUNCIL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE TWO ORDERS? THEY'RE TWO.
YEAH, IT'S, IT'S NOT A QUESTION.
IT'S JUST TO REMIND PEOPLE, THIS IS THE COMBINED SEWER RATE.
AND AS WE DISCUSSED EARLIER, IT'S GOING UP ABOUT 7% COMBINED.
THE WATER RATE IS GONNA UP HIGHER.
WE'RE KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STATE.
SO SOMERVILLE IS, THE COMBINED RATE IS LESS THAN OURS.
BOSTON IS ABOUT THE SAME AS OURS.
SO WE'RE KIND OF IN THE BALLPARK, BUT WE ARE, IT, IT, IT INCLUDES A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WORK ON OUR SEWER SYSTEM, WHICH IS SOMETHING WE ALL HAVE TO BE GRATEFUL FOR.
AND THE SECOND ORDER IS AROUND THE, THE DISCOUNT PROGRAM.
SO HEARING NO ONE ON THIS, WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL ON THESE TWO ORDERED IT'S ORDERS.
BUT, AND ONE ROLL CALL ON THE ONE ORDER.
AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.
THE ORDER FOR CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM ONE IS ADOPTED.
WE ARE GOING TO CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM MEMBER EIGHT.
THIS IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM IAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO THE 2025 TOWN GOWN REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS DISCUSSED BY THE PLANNING BOARD IN FEBRUARY.
I, I JUST WANTED TO SAY I ATTENDED THIS MEETING.
I ALWAYS LOVE THE TOWN GOWN REPORTS, AND I FEEL LIKE THE REPORT REALLY WELL REFLECTS THE, UM, THE, THE THOUGHTS OF THE PLANNING BOARD.
THEY TALKED ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS TO BE PLANNING WITH OUR LOCAL INSTITUTIONS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR PLANNING PROCESS, THEIR FUTURE STUDENT ENROLLMENT, HOW THEY WERE GOING TO GROW THEIR CAMPUSES, HOW THEY WERE GONNA PLAN FOR STORM WATER MANAGEMENT, MANAGE THEIR PUBLIC REALM, OPEN SPACE, TREES, PUBLIC FACILITIES, PARKING.
UM, ANYWAY, IT WAS, THEY HAD SOME REALLY THOUGHTFUL COMMENTS.
SO I, I JUST WANTED TO REMIND OR LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT I'VE SUBMITTED A CALL FOR A MEETING OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND UNIVERSITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE TO, UM, TO FURTHER DISCUSS THESE IDEAS.
I MEAN, WE ARE REMOVING, UM, THE EXEMPTION TO THE DOVER AMENDMENT, BUT WE DO NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PLANNING IN CONCERT WITH OUR UNIVERSITIES.
ALL THE REPORTS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE EVERYBODY, THEY'RE VERY EXTENSIVE REPORTS.
I WAS, UM, I'M VICE CHAIR OF THE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITIES COUNCIL AT THE NLC.
AND WHEN I MENTIONED THE TOWN GOWN REPORTS THAT WE RECEIVE, THERE WERE SEVERAL CITIES VERY INTERESTED IN USING THAT AS A MODEL BECAUSE IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT OTHER, UH, UNIVERSITY COMMUNITIES ALWAYS HAVE.
SO I JUST WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO THE FACT THAT WE DO GET THOSE, AND THAT IT IS, UM, SOMETHING THAT WE'RE OFFERING TO AS A MODEL FOR, UH, OTHER COMMUNITIES THROUGH THE NLC THAT I THINK IT'S, IT'S YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF HOW WE'RE SETTING, SETTING THE, THE GOAL.
AND ALSO THROUGH YOU IF, UH, UM, A CM PETERS COULD EXPLAIN, THERE'S ALSO A SUMMARY REPORT THAT IS AVAILABLE ONLINE, JUST SO I THINK WE SHOULD LET PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THAT, THAT IT'S A REALLY GOOD WAY FOR US TO APPRECIATE AND UNDERSTAND HOW IT IS THAT OUR FOUR UNIVERSITIES, 'CAUSE HALT INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SCHOOL IS INCLUDED AS WELL, CONTRIBUTE TO THE CITY.
AND, AND THERE'S A SUMMARY REPORT, I BELIEVE, AVAILABLE ONLINE.
IF THAT COULD BE EXPLAINED, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
UH, THROUGH YOU, MAYOR SIDIKI.
SO IN ADDITION TO THE TOWN GOWN REPORTS, UH, CITY STAFF, UH, CREATE TWO DOCUMENTS.
ONE A SLIDE DECK, KIND OF SUMMARIZING ALL THE REPORTS AND, AND TRENDS, UM, UM, THAT WE PRESENT TO PLANNING BOARD, UH, ON THAT DATE.
UM, AND THEN ALSO A SUMMARY REPORT THAT COUNCILOR NOLAN IS REFERRING TO THAT REALLY IS A, A TABULAR, UH, FORMAT OF, UM, NUMBER OF STUDENTS, UH, STUDENTS HOUSED ON CAMPUS, UH, BUILDING DEVELOPMENT AND SO FORTH.
SO THAT'S A USEFUL TOOL TO LOOK AT AS WELL.
YEAH, I JUST WANNA APPRECIATE IT AND THANK YOU FOR THAT EXPLANATION SO THAT WE COULD, WE COULD LOOK IT UP AND, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THIS CONVERSATION.
[01:30:01]
THE PLAN OF VOTER REPORT, THEY'RE PRETTY MUCH UNDER ATTACK AND UNDER THREAT, AND WE'RE ALL WORKING TOGETHER BECAUSE WE NEED THEM AND THEY NEED US.SO VERY, VERY MUCH, UM, LOOKING FORWARD TO ANY OTHER FUTURE MEETINGS ABOUT THIS.
I, I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS AND IT MIGHT MAKE SENSE TO ALSO HOLD ONE OF THEM TO THE, IN WAITING FOR THE, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT UNIVERSITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE HEARING.
BUT THE FIRST ONE IS RELATED TO I READING THAT THERE WAS A DISCUSSION ON STORM WATER MANAGEMENT AND PARKING OCCUPANCY AS IT RELATES TO HOW WE NAVIGATE WITH THE INSTITUTIONS.
UM, BUT I DIDN'T REALLY SEE ANYTHING REGARDING REDUCTION OF PRESSURES ON HOUSING.
I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY WE KNOW WE'RE IN A HOUSING CRISIS.
I'M CURIOUS TO HEAR IF THE CITY FEELS THAT THERE WAS DISCUSSION ON THIS IN THE MEETING, OR IF THE CITY HAS A RESPONSE RIGHT NOW ON WHETHER THE UNIVERSITIES ARE DOING ENOUGH RIGHT NOW.
UM, REGARDING HOUSING, THIS IS THE CITY MANAGER.
SO, UH, CERTAINLY HOUSING IS A MAJOR POINT, UM, OF DISCUSSION DURING TOWN GOWNS.
AND WE DO ASK THE INSTITUTIONS TO COMMENT ON, UM, THEIR, UH, CURRENT AND FUTURE STUDENT ENROLLMENT AND HOW THEY PLAN TO, UH, HOUSE, UM, STUDENTS, INCLUDING GRADUATE STUDENTS AND AIM FOR PARTICULAR TARGETS TO KEEP THE PRESSURE OUT OF THE HOUSING STOCK IN CAMBRIDGE.
SO CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT IS DISCUSSED IN ALWAYS, ALWAYS AN ONGOING CONVERSATION WE, WE HAVE WITH THE INSTITUTIONS COUNCILOR ZUBI.
THANK YOU FOR SHARING A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT.
I'M DEFINITELY BE CURIOUS TO DIG MORE INTO THAT PIECE, ESPECIALLY AS, AS WE ALL KNOW, UM, STUDENTS DO MAKE UP A PART OF OUR POPULATION.
THE SECOND QUESTION WAS IN REGARDS TO DO, DO YOU HAVE ANY CURRENT UPDATES ON THE HARVARD PILOT CONVERSATIONS AND THE TIMELINE? CITY MANAGER? UH, YES.
UM, WE ARE IN CONVERSATIONS WITH HARVARD OVER, UH, THE PILOT AGREEMENT.
UM, AS YOU ALL KNOW, LAST YEAR WE DID A ONE YEAR JUST RECOGNIZING SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT THE UNIVERSITIES WERE GOING THROUGH.
UM, LOOKING FORWARD TO, UH, HAVING A LITTLE MORE DISCUSSION WITH THE COUNCIL.
UH, AND I KNOW THAT, UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT PLANNING A UNIVERSITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE, BOTH TO TALK ABOUT TOWN GOWN, UH, IN PARTICULAR, UH, BUT ALSO, UH, WE CAN TOUCH ON PILOT IN THAT MEETING.
I WILL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT COMMITTEE HEARING.
WELL, YOU'LL SEEING NO ONE ELSE.
WE CAN GO AHEAD AND PLACE CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM NUMBER EIGHT ON FILE AND DO A ROLL CALL, PLEASE.
AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE THAT MATTER IS PLACED ON FILE.
[POLICY ORDERS]
POLICY ORDERS.PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCILOR, MADAM MAYOR, COUNCILOR MCGOVERN.
TWO AND FOUR, NUMBER TWO AND NUMBER FOUR.
WE'LL GO AHEAD ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR MCGOVERN TO ADOPT POLICY ORDERS NUMBER ONE AND THREE.
AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE POLICY.
ORDERS ONE AND THREE ARE ADOPTED.
WE ARE GOING TO POLICY NUMBER TWO.
THIS IS CITY COUNCIL GOING ON SUP GOING IN SUPPORT OF HOUSE BILL 91 AND SENATE BILL 2 5 5, 6 AND ACT TO MODERNIZE FUNDING FOR COMMUNITY MEDIA PROGRAMMING.
THIS WAS FILED BY COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN, MYSELF, COUNCILLOR NOLAN AND COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY.
THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR, THROUGH YOU.
THANK YOU TO YOU AND COUNCILLOR NOLAN AND COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY, UH, FOR CO-SPONSORING.
SO ESSENTIALLY, UM, CABLE COMPANIES, UH, FOR YEARS HAVE PAID FEES, UH, THAT ARE USED TO SUPPORT, UH, HAVE USED PUB, I'M SORRY, HAVE USED PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE ON OUR STREETS, UM, AND HAVE PAID FEES THAT GO TO SUPPORT LOCAL CABLE CHANNELS LIKE, YOU KNOW, UH, CCTV AND, AND CITY VIEW 22, ET CETERA.
UM, AND THE WHAT'S HAPPENING, I THINK IN CAMBRIDGE AS WELL AS ACROSS MASSACHUSETTS, IS THAT, UH, FEWER AND FEWER PEOPLE ARE USING CABLE FOR TELEVISION.
THEY'RE USING STREAMING SERVICES.
AND STREAMING SERVICES ARE NOT REQUIRED TO PAY INTO THAT FUND TO SUPPORT LOCAL CABLE SERVICES, LOCAL TV EDUCATIONAL
[01:35:01]
PROGRAMMING.UM, AND SO THESE TWO BILLS AT THE STATE HOUSE WOULD, UM, WORK TO REQUIRE THAT STREAMING SERVICES ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO THAT FUND, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE, UM, REALLY NECESSARY PUBLIC ACCESS TELEVISION IS, IS CONTINUING, UM, TO BE FUNDED.
SO THE, THESE ARE THESE, THIS IS A HOUSE BILL AND A SENATE BILL.
IT'S IN COMMITTEE, UM, JUST LIKE US TO GO ON IN SUPPORT, IN SUPPORT OF OUR LOCAL, UH, TELEVISION AND LOCAL, LOCAL TV ACCESS, UM, UH, FUNDING.
UH, AND SO, UH, THAT'S SORT OF THE GIST OF, UM, OF WHAT THESE ARE ABOUT.
HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY OTHER QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU, COUNCILOR MCGOVERN.
ANYONE COMMENTING ON THIS? HEARING NONE.
THANK YOU COUNCILOR MCGOVERN FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD.
WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL ON ADOPTING THIS POLICY, OR NUMBER TWO, COUNCILLOR EL ZUBE.
AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.
WE'LL GO TO POLICY ROOM NUMBER FOUR, THAT THE CITY MANAGER IS REQUESTED TO DIRECT RELEVANT CITY DEPARTMENTS AND STAFF TO EXAMINE AND REPORT BACK ON WHETHER THE CITY CAN REQUIRE SINGLE STALL PUBLIC BATHROOMS TO BE GENDER NEUTRAL.
THIS WAS FILED BY COUNCILOR MCGOVERN, MYSELF, COUNCILLOR SIMMONS, AND COUNCILOR ZUBI.
COUNCILOR MCGOVERN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
AGAIN, THANKS TO YOU AND COUNCILOR SIMMONS AND COUNCILOR ZUBE FOR, FOR CO-SPONSORING.
UM, SO YEARS AGO ACTUALLY, UM, COUNCILOR DECKER, WHEN SHE WAS A REP DECKER, WHEN SHE WAS A COUNSELOR, I BELIEVE, LED THE, THE CHARGE TO, UM, PUSHED THE CITY THAT WHEN THEY RENOVATE A BUILDING OR BUILD A NEW BUILDING, THAT THEY HAVE GENDER NEUTRAL BATHROOMS. UM, BUT IN PUBLIC SPACES AND PUBLIC BUILDINGS, WE, WE HAVEN'T YET TAKEN THAT STEP.
AND, UM, MANY OTHER CITIES, PHILADELPHIA, DENVER, PORTLAND, OREGON, SEATTLE, DC, UM, NEW YORK, UM, HAVE REQUIREMENTS THAT IN BUILDINGS THAT ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE PUBLIC RESTROOMS, THAT THEY HAVE AT LEAST ONE GENDER NEUTRAL, UH, RESTROOM.
UM, YOU KNOW, IN, IN THE CLIMATE THAT, THAT WE'RE IN TODAY, WHERE, UH, YOU KNOW, TRANS FOLKS AND, AND NON-GENDER CONFORMING FOLKS ARE REALLY UNDER ATTACK ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
UM, AND I KNOW WE, WE DON'T THINK THAT THAT NECESSARILY CAN HAPPEN HERE.
UM, BUT ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, FOLKS SHOULD BE ABLE TO USE A RESTROOM THAT THEY FEEL SAFE, UH, WHERE THEY FEEL SAFE AND WHERE THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE.
AND, UM, AND SO, UH, I HAD BEEN TALKING WITH, UH, THE LAW DEPARTMENT IN CDDD AND ISD, UH, ABOUT THIS.
THEY, THEY, THEY ASKED THAT WE PUT IN A FORMAL, UH, REQUEST FOR THEM TO LOOK INTO THIS.
THERE HAVE BEEN SOME, UM, BUILDING CODE CHANGES.
SO, UM, THIS ORDER WOULD, I DO HAVE AN AMENDMENT, UM, ACTUALLY, IF, IF THAT CAN GET PUT UP.
UM, JUST TO CLARIFY SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE LANGUAGE.
UM, BASICALLY THIS WOULD JUST ASK FOR, FOR THEM TO REPORT BACK TO US, UH, ON WHETHER OR NOT WE CAN REQUIRE ALL NEW BUILDINGS AND PLACES OF ACCOMMODATION IN CAMBRIDGE THAT ARE, THAT ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE PUBLIC RESTROOMS, TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE SINGLE STALL BATHROOM WITH GENDER NEUTRAL SIGNAGE.
UM, SO AT LEAST, UH, WE'RE NOT ASKING THAT, UM, CURRENT RESTAURANTS OR CURRENT PLACES, YOU KNOW, RETROFIT OR GO BACK AND, AND RENOVATE, UH, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NEW BUILDINGS THAT ARE, THAT ARE COMING FORWARD, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE, UH, YOU KNOW, HAVE AT LEAST ONE BATHROOM THAT IS, THAT IS GENDER NEUTRAL.
SO I, I THINK THAT THIS IS IN LINE WITH OUR VALUES IN THE CITY.
UM, I THINK THIS WILL GO A LONG WAY TO HELPING MANY IN OUR CITY FEEL MORE SAFE, UH, AND MORE RESPECTED.
UM, AND I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO, UH, HOPING THAT IT PASSES.
COUNCILOR MCGOVERN, WHO HAS MOVED, UH, WHO HAS THESE AMENDMENTS BEFORE US.
THESE ARE UP FOR DISCUSSION AS WELL.
SO ON THE POLICY ORDER AND THESE AMENDMENTS, I HAVE COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY, AND THEN I'LL QUOTE TO COUNCILLOR ZUZI.
I'M IN FULL AGREEMENT WITH COUNCIL MCGOVERN.
I WAS STRUCK BY THE, UH, BY THE COMMENTS FROM THE WOMAN FROM GOLD STAR ROAD, MS. MULLEN.
UM, SHE WAS DIRECTING TO THE POINT, AS IS MR. MCG, AS, AS IS CONST MCGOVERN.
I I THINK IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT POLICY ORDER, AND I'D LIKE TO BE ADDED AS A CO-SPONSOR TO IT.
AND I YIELD THANK YOU, COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY.
WE'LL GET TO ADDING YOU MOMENTARILY.
FIRST WE'LL GO TO COUNCILLOR UZI.
UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR SIDIKI.
I WANTED TO SAY THAT I ALSO AM, UM, SYMPATHETIC TO THIS ORDER.
[01:40:01]
THAT I, ORIGINALLY, I WAS A LITTLE WORRIED BECAUSE, UM, I, I WAS WORRIED ABOUT IT INCREASING THE COSTS FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES THAT ARE ALREADY UNDER TREMENDOUS PRESSURE.UM, IT CAN COST 30 TO $60,000 TO BUILD A SINGLE STALL BATHROOM, AND WE DON'T WANNA INCREASE REGULATIONS ON LOCAL BUSINESSES THAT WOULD REQUIRE SUCH ADDED COSTS.
BUT I'VE BEEN, UM, CONVINCED THAT THIS REALLY ISN'T GOING TO, UH, DO THAT, THAT IN INSTEAD, IT'S REALLY ABOUT SORT OF CHANGING THE SIGNS ON THE DOORS AND MAKING EVERYONE FEEL MORE WELCOME AND INCLUDED IN OUR, UM, IN OUR BUSINESSES.
UM, AND I THANK YOU FOR INTRODUCING THE ORDER.
WE'LL, WILL GO TO COUNCILLOR NOLAN, AND THEN BACK TO COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN.
I THINK IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.
THANK YOU FOR ALL WHO WORKED ON IT, AND I'D LIKE TO BE ADDED AS WELL.
VICE MAYOR ZI, WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE ADDED? SURE.
SO WE'LL GO, WE'LL DO THAT MOMENTARILY.
I'LL GO FIRST TO COUNCILOR MCGOVERN.
JUST, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO BE SURE.
I MEAN, I, BY DOING THIS IN NEW BUILDINGS, I MEAN, THERE, THERE MAY, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THERE'LL BE AN ADDITIONAL COST.
UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT, LIKE, IF YOU HAVE A TYPICAL PLACE THAT HAS A MEN'S ROOM AND A WOMEN'S ROOM WITH SEVERAL STALLS IN IT, THEY'RE NOT GONNA PUT A GENDER NEUTRAL SIGN ON A STALL AND MAKE SOMEONE GO INTO A MEN'S ROOM.
THEY NEED A SEPARATE, THERE NEEDS TO BE A SEPARATE FACILITY, A SEPARATE ROOM, A SEPARATE STALL, UM, THAT WOULD BE GENDER NEUTRAL.
BUT THESE, FROM MY TALKING TO PEOPLE, THESE ARE THINGS THAT SORT OF, BECAUSE IT'S NEW BUILDINGS AND IT'S NEW CONSTRUCTION, THESE ARE THINGS THAT CAN GET BUILT IN TO THE COST.
AND IT'S JUST A QUESTION OF RE OF JUST REDESIGNING SOME THINGS.
AND QUITE HONESTLY, I THINK A LOT OF PLACES ARE GOING THIS WAY ANYWAY.
UM, YOU GO TO A LOT OF PLACES NOW, AND THEY ACTUALLY DON'T EVEN HAVE MEN'S ROOMS AND WOMEN'S ROOMS. THEY HAVE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT DOORS WITH THE, WITH JUST THE TOILET IN THEM, AND THEN THE SINK IS KIND OF OUTSIDE.
UM, AND SO I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S HAPPENING.
UM, BUT BY PUTTING IT INTO AN ORDINANCE AND REQUIRING IT, WE'RE GONNA ENSURE THAT, YOU KNOW, IT DOES HAPPEN.
I JUST DON'T WANNA MISLEAD ANYONE.
I, YOU KNOW, AND, AND IF IT IS AN ADDITIONAL, UM, EXPENSE IN CONSTRUCTION, I THINK IT'S WELL WORTH IT TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, OUR TRANS COMMUNITY ARE, ARE, YOU KNOW, FEEL SAFE AND, AND AND RESPECTED.
I JUST DIDN'T WANT, IF SOMETHING COMES BACK AND IT IS A COST, I DON'T WANT MY COLLEAGUE HERE TO THINK THAT I WAS DUPING, THAT MY, IT MAY BE AN ADDITIONAL COST IN SOME INSTANCES.
UM, BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S MUCH, AND I THINK IT'S WORTH IT.
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER IS, UH, LOOKING AT THE 2012 DOCUMENT THAT FOLLOWS THE POLICY ORDER.
IT'S, UH, THE STATE PLUMBING CODE NOTES THAT VARIANCES MAY BE GRANTED FOR GOOD CAUSE.
AND, UM, I REALIZE THAT YOUR POLICY ORDER IS ASKING CITY STAFF TO REPORT BACK, BUT MAYBE THERE WOULD BE A CLAUSE LIKE THAT, UH, AS, AS PART OF THE ORDINANCE.
UM, SO THAT IF IT IS TOO GREAT A HARDSHIP THAT A VARIANCE MAY BE GRANTED FOR GOOD CAUSE.
SO, UM, WE'LL SEE WHAT THEY RECOMMEND.
AND I'LL JUST ADD THAT THANK YOU COUNCILOR MCGOVERN FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD.
UH, DEFINITELY WHOLELY SUPPORT THE REQUEST AND WE'LL SEE WHAT'S, WHAT'S DOABLE, WHAT'S FEASIBLE.
NOW THAT WE HAVE THE RECOMMENDATIONS, THE, UH, AMENDMENTS BEFORE US, WE CAN DO A ROLL CALL ON THOSE, ADOPTING THOSE AMENDMENTS AND ADDING THE REST OF THE COUNCIL ONTO THE POLICY ORDER.
I, I THINK WE'LL, WE'LL JUST, I HEARD FROM COUNCILOR AZI AND COUNCILOR FLAHERTY THAT THEY, AND COUNCILOR NOLAN, THAT THEY WANTED TO BE ADDED.
SO I'LL JUST ADD THOSE THREE COUNSELORS AND DO A ROLL CALL.
AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.
WE HAVE AN AMENDED ORDER BEFORE US.
WE CAN GO AHEAD ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN TO ADOPT THE ORDER AS AMENDED TO A ROLL CALL, PLEASE.
[01:45:01]
YES.AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.
THE ORDER AS AMENDED IS ADOPTED.
[CALENDAR]
TO THE CALENDAR.MADAM MAYOR, COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER.
UH, POLL NUMBER TWO, WE HAVE NUMBER TWO, WHICH IS UNFINISHED BUSINESS.
UM, THIS IS THE UPDATES TO THE INSTITUTIONAL USE REGULATIONS THAT WERE REQUIRED TO MAKE UNDER STATE LAW.
UM, WE DISCUSSED THIS IN THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE, AND I BELIEVE IT WAS A UNANIMOUS VOTE AT THAT, UH, COMMITTEE TO MOVE IT FORWARD.
SO I WOULD MAKE A MOTION TO ORDAIN AT THIS TIME.
COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER HAS MOVED TO ORDAIN PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL.
I I ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE WE ALL UNDERSTAND AND CORRECT SOME OF THE MISCONCEPTIONS IN THE COMMUNITY.
WE KIND OF HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO DO THIS BECAUSE BY ORDAINING IT, WE ACTUALLY ARE MAKING OUR ORDINANCES IN, UM, IN SYNC WITH STATE LAW.
WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE DIFFERENCES RIGHT NOW.
IT DOESN'T MEAN IN THE FUTURE WE COULDN'T PETITION TO DO IT.
BUT I THINK THERE WAS SOME CONCERN OF WHY ARE YOU ALLOWING ALL THIS? BECAUSE STATE LAW REQUIRES US TO ALLOW IT.
THERE WERE SOME CHANGES MADE IN OUR UNDERLYING ORDINANCE THAT HAS MEANT THAT WE NEED TO ENSURE, PARTICULARLY ON THE RELIGIOUS USE.
THERE'S A WHOLE FEDERAL LAW THAT REQUIRES US TO, TO ALLOW THAT.
WE AMENDED THAT EARLIER, BUT THIS ON INSTITUTIONAL USE, WE NOW ARE AMENDING IT SO THAT IT'S IN, IN ALIGNMENT WITH CURRENT STATE LAW AND OUR ORDINANCES.
SO I JUST WANNA GO ON THE RECORD TO SAY THAT IS EXACTLY WHY WE NEED TO DO IT.
THIS IS GOOD GOVERNANCE IN ACTION.
AND THEN, UM, I WILL BE SUPPORTING IT.
THANK YOU COUNCILOR NOLAN FOR SETTING THAT CONTACT STEP.
ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER TO ORDAIN.
AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND ONE RECORDED IN THE NEGATIVE.
WE HAVE AMENDED SECTION 4.50 OF THE CAMBRIDGE ZONING ORDINANCE.
ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS? WE ARE DONE WITH THE CALENDAR, SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON TO APPLICATIONS.
[COMMUNICATIONS]
COMMUNICATIONS MOVE TO PLACE ON FILE.COUNCILOR MCGOVERN MOVES TO PLACE THESE THREE COMMUNICATIONS ON FILE.
AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.
THOSE THREE COMMUNICATIONS ARE PLACED ON FILE.
[RESOLUTIONS]
THE RESO.THERE ARE TWO RESOLUTIONS ON A MOTION BY COUNCIL MCGOVERN TO ADOPT THE TWO RESOLUTIONS, MAKING THEM UNANIMOUS UPON ADOPTION.
AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.
THOSE TWO RESOLUTIONS ARE ADOPTED.
[COMMITTEE REPORTS]
REPORTS.THERE'S ONE COMMITTEE REPORT FROM THE FINANCE COMMITTEE PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR NOLAN TO ACCEPT THE REPORT AND PLACE IT ON FILE.
AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.
THAT COMMITTEE REPORTS PLACED ON FILE.
THERE ARE NO ROUND TABLE MINUTES.
[COMMUNICATIONS FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS]
AND REPORTS FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS ON A MOVE ADOPTION AND PLACED ON FILE ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN TO PLACE COMMUNICATIONS FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS ONE AND TWO ON FILE.SO I JUST WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT'S REALLY HELPFUL TO HAVE THESE REPORTS FROM THE MAYOR ON THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE THAT.
I APPRECIATE THE, THE THANK YOU UPDATES.
WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL.
[01:50:01]
ZE.AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, THOSE TWO COMM COMMUNICATIONS FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS, OR PLACED ON FILE.
[LATE AGENDA ITEMS REQUIRING SUSPENSION OF THE RULES PER RULE 36A]
RESOLUTIONS.SO WE DO HAVE, UM, A NUMBER OF LATE RESOLUTIONS.
AND SO WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL ON BRINGING THESE LATE AGENDA ITEMS, UM, BOTH THE PO THE RESOLUTIONS AND POLICY ORDER.
AND YOU HAVE NINE MES RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.
SO WE HAVE LATE RESOLUTIONS ON THE PASSING OF PATRICIA L. O'CONNOR, A LATE RESOLUTION CONGRATULATING CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY CENTER 2026 HONOREE, A LATE RESOLUTION TO THE FAMILY OF GLORIA THOMPSON.
UH, CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY OF YVETTE DALTON.
LATE CONDOLENCES FOR LEON BREATH WEIGHT.
I'M SORRY IF I SAID THAT WRONG.
AND THEN A LATE RESOLUTION, RECOGNIZING ERIC AND UKIKO TO LIDO FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER SERVICE COMMITMENT TO CAMBRIDGE YOUTH SPORTS.
ARE THERE ANY RESOLUTIONS THAT MY COLLEAGUES WOULD LIKE TO PULL AND SPEAK ABOUT? MADAM CHAIR? YES.
I JUST WANTED TO SPEAK BRIEFLY ABOUT, UM, THE RESOLUTION RELATIVE TO OKAY.
ALVIN THOMPSON'S WIFE, GLORIA THOMPSON.
UH, GLORIA THOMPSON, LONGTIME CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT, UH, SERVED THE COMMUNITY IN NUMBER OF WAYS, BUT ALSO WAS THE WIFE OF AL STATE, REPRESENTATIVE ALVIN THOMPSON.
AND SHE JUST RECENTLY PASSED AND JUST WANTED TO MARK HER LIVING WITH THE KNOWLEDGES AND AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM THE CITY COUNCIL.
IN ADDITION, ON MR. BRA, THE, UM, BRA WHITE, UM, LONG TIME AGAIN, VERY LONG TIME MEMBER OF THE CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY, UH, RELATIVE OF, OF ONE OF OUR EMPLOYEES DOWN IN THE BUDGET, NOT BUDGET, ASSESSING FINANCE OFFICE.
AND SO HERE ARE TWO PEOPLE WHO HAVE, HAVE LONG AND DEEP ROOTS IN THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE.
AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE TAKE THE TIME TO ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR LIVING.
AGAIN, GLORIA THOMPSON AND MR. LEON BROLEY SENIOR, UH, THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO CAMBRIDGE GO LONG AND DEEP.
AND AGAIN, IT'S, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT WITH ALL OF THE INDIVIDUAL, EXCUSE ME, MISS YVETTE TON, WHO'S, AGAIN, LONGTIME CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT.
IT'S BEEN VERY SAD OVER THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS.
WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF PEOPLE PASS AWAY, AND I'M JUST VERY HAPPY THAT OUR COUNCIL TAKES THE TIME TO THINK THAT IT'S, TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE OVERLOOK.
SO WITH THAT, I WILL YIELD THE FLOOR.
WE'LL GO TO COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY AND THEN COUNCILLOR NOLAN.
I JUST WANNA, UH, SECOND, UH, COUNCIL SIMMONS REMARKS.
UH, ALVIN THOMPSON WAS A TREMENDOUS HUMAN BEING, AND HIS WIFE, UH, AND THE BRAW BRATHWAITE FAMILY, UH, I JUST WANNA OFFER MY CONDOLENCES.
AND SECOND, UH, CONSTABLE SIMMONS, UH, REMARKS.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO MARK THESE, UH, THESE LIVES AS WE DO.
AND, UH, AND I RESPECT, UH, HER EFFORTS AND THE TRADITIONS OF THIS COUNCIL OF, OF DOING THAT.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCIL SIMMONS FOR BRINGING THESE FORWARD.
I WAS JUST GONNA WANT TO BE, I HAD STARTED WORKING ON THE LATE RESOLUTION FOR, UM, ERIC AND YUKIKO TOLEDO, SO I'D LIKE TO BE ADDED.
IT JUST, THEY'RE ALL UNANIMOUS UPON ADOPTION.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THESE RESOLUTIONS? WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ADOPT ALL THE RESO LATE RESOLUTIONS, MAKING THEM UNANIMOUS UPON ADOPTION ON NO DUAL ROLL CALL.
AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.
[01:55:01]
ARE ADOPTED.WE ARE GOING TO GO TO POLICY ORDER NUMBER ONE ON THESE LATE AGENDA ITEMS. THIS IS SUPPORTING EAST CAMBRIDGE PLANNING TEAM'S LETTER IN FAVOR OF BOSTON CAMBRIDGE RIVERWALK INSTRUCTION AT SCIENCE PARK PROJECT.
THIS WAS FILED BY CLARITY COUNCILOR ZUZI, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
I WOULD LIKE, UH, TO MAKE A MOTION TO AMEND THIS POLICY ORDER BY SUBSTITUTION WITH THIS OTHER POLICY ORDER THAT I'VE SHARED.
SO, COUNCILOR ZUZI IS MOVING, HAS A MOTION BEFORE US TO AMEND THE POLICY ORDER BY SUBSTITUTION.
IT'S BEFORE US HERE HEARING NO ONE ON THIS.
WE'LL GO AHEAD AND VOTE ON THE MOTION TO, THERE IS A QUESTION.
POINT OF POINT OF INFORMATION.
IS THIS THE, IS THIS NUMBER FIVE UNDER POLICY ORDERS ON THE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA? IS THAT WHAT THE REPLACEMENT IS? UH, COUNCILLOR ZUZI, YEAH.
I HAD, UH, SUBMITTED A POLICY ORDER ON THURSDAY.
IT'S A LATE, UH, WHICH CELEBR SUPPORTED A FEDERAL EARMARK TO TAKE PLANS FOR THE BOSTON CAMBRIDGE RIVERWALK CONSTRUCTION AT SCIENCE PARK TO 25% DESIGN.
UM, I HAD A DRAFT THAT WE SUBMITTED A THURSDAY, AND THEN WE GOT SOME BETTER INFORMATION.
I WONDER, HERE IT IS ON THE SCREEN, AND NOW IT'S ON THE SCREEN.
IT'S A LATE, IT'S A LATE POLICY ORDER.
I WAS JUST CLARIFYING BECAUSE ON THE COUNCIL AGENDA, THERE IS ITEM FIVE UNDER POLICY ORDERS, AND THEN THERE'S THE LATE AGENDA ITEMS. IT IS UNDER NUMBER ONE.
SO I WAS JUST CLARIFYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S, IT'S THE SAME THING.
I THINK THE SYSTEM IS, WHEN IT WAS SUBMITTED, IT WASN'T IN THE AGENDA PACKET, AND SO THAT'S WHY IT'S LATE.
SO THIS IS MYSTERIOUS TO ME, BUT WE WILL FIGURE THAT OUT.
BUT THIS IS, YOU ARE SUSPENDING YOUR, YOU HAVE A MOTION TO SU TO SUBSTITUTE THE LATE POLICY ORDER YES.
AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.
THE AMENDED SUBSTITUTE IS BEFORE US.
THANK, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR, ALL OF YOUR PATIENCE ON THIS.
SO, UM, MY AID, NATALIE SANDOVAL, AND I HEARD ABOUT THIS ON, WE, WE LEARNED ON THURSDAY THAT THE EAST CAMBRIDGE PLANNING TEAM AND THE BICYCLE SAFETY COMMITTEE, AND THEN LATER WE LEARNED THAT THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE AND LIKE 20, OVER 25 OTHER, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL, UH, ORGANIZATIONS, ORGANIZATIONS THAT PROMOTE CYCLING AND WALKING ALL SUPPORT THIS PROJECT THAT THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE HAS BEEN CONTEMPLATING FOR DECADES.
APPARENTLY THERE HAVE BEEN, UM, MANY, MANY VERSIONS OF THIS PROJECT INTRODUCED, UH, THIS ONE SEEMS TO HAVE LEGS.
IN 2023, THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE RECEIVED A FEASIBILITY STUDY FROM THE FEDERAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION FOR 2000 AND $9,000 TO DO A STUDY TO SEE WHETHER IT WOULD BE FEASIBLE TO CREATE THIS RIVER WALK.
SO THE IDEA IS, UM, WE ALL KNOW THAT IT'S VERY DANGEROUS CYCLING AND WALKING, AND IT'S NOT PARTICULARLY, UM, BEAUTIFUL ABOUT A ALONG CHARLES DAM ROAD IN FRONT OF THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE.
THIS IS A PROPOSAL TO CREATE, UH, SORT OF A, A PARK WITH ISLANDS THAT WILL BE PEDESTRIAN, PEDESTRIAN AND CYCLING FRIENDLY THAT WILL BE ON THE RIVERSIDE OF THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE.
AND SO THE IDEA IS THAT IT WILL COMPLETE THE LOOP OF THE PAUL DUDLEY WHITE BIKE PATH, UM, AND THAT IT WILL PROVIDE A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE.
UH, IT WILL BENEFIT THE RIVER'S ECOLOGY AND PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TEACH PEOPLE ABOUT THE RIVER'S ECOLOGY.
THERE'LL BE FLOATING WETLANDS.
THEY'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE CHARLES RIVER, UM, CONSERVANCY ON, ON DEVELOPING A WETLAND THAT ACTUALLY HELPS TO FILTER THE WATER.
UM, AND IT WILL JUST BE A SAFER AND MORE INTERESTING WAY TO CONNECT BOSTON AND CAMBRIDGE AND CAMBRIDGE AND BOSTON ALONG THE CHARLES SIDE OF THE MUSEUM OF UM, SCIENCE.
AND SO, MASTO HAS GIVEN THIS PROJECT, UH, NUMBER, WHICH IS
[02:00:01]
ACTUALLY, UM, SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE IT MEANS THAT IT'S LIKE A REAL PROJECT THAT THEY TAKE SERIOUSLY.SO WHAT, UH, WE'RE SUPPORTING HERE IS, UM, DCR, THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND RECREATION IS TAKING THE LEAD.
THEY, UM, ARE ASKING FOR A $3 MILLION EARMARK TO DO MORE SITE INVESTIGATION, ALTERNATIVE ANALYSIS, ROBUST PUBLIC OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT TO DEVELOP CONCEPTUAL DESIGNS, COME UP WITH COST ESTIMATES AND ADVANCE A PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE FOR THIS PARKWAY WAY, THIS, UM, RIVER WALK THAT WOULD TRULY BE TRANSFORMATIVE FOR THE CITY.
SO, UM, ANYWAY, SO I HOPE YOU ALL WILL SU SUPPORT THIS EFFORT.
I'M HOPING WE'LL GET THE EARMARK.
UH, AND THEN WE WOULD BE AT 25% DESIGN.
AND AS, AS YOU ALL KNOW, AND AS, AS, AS, AS I WAS TALKING TO FOLKS AT NLC FROM LIKE MAS DOT LAST WEEK, UM, WE NEED SHOVEL READY DESIGNS.
THIS WOULDN'T BE QUITE AT SHOVEL READY, BUT IT, WE WOULD BE AT 25%.
WE'D BE SO MUCH FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD.
AND, UH, IT, IT, IT JUST TAKES US A STEP CLOSER TO COMPLETING THIS VISIONARY PROJECT OR REALIZING THIS VISIONARY PROJECT.
I YIELD, DO WE HAVE COUNCILOR FLAHERTY AT ALL, OR IS HE SET, IS THERE ANYONE ON THE ZOOM? WE'LL GO TO COUNCILOR.
AND IF, UH, IF WE CAN OBTAIN THE EARMARK, THEN WE SHOULD GO FORWARD.
IT'S A, IT'S AN INTERESTING CONCEPT, SO THANK YOU.
AS I INDICATED TO COUNCILLOR SUZY, WHEN MY HUSBAND WAS AT THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE, THIS WAS ACTIVELY UNDER DISCUSSION.
SO IT HAS DEFINITELY BEEN DISCUSSED FOR A LONG, LONG, LONG TIME.
AND I ALSO WONDER IF WE SHOULD INCLUDE THE ENTIRE DELEGATION INSTEAD OF JUST REPRESENTATIVE LYNCH AND REPRESENTATIVE PRESLEY COUNCILLOR ZUZI.
I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S AN EXCELLENT I IDEA.
AND, AND HOPEFULLY THIS, UM, RESOLUTION WILL HAVE THE SUPPORT OF THE FULL COUNCIL.
UM, MY HOPE IS THAT ALONG WITH THE CITY MANAGER PRESENTING SUPPORT FOR THE PROJECT, IF WE CAN DEMONSTRATE THAT THE WHOLE COUNCIL SUPPORTS IT, I THINK WE'RE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO GET THE EARMARK.
SO ON COUNCILLOR NOLAN'S SUGGESTIONS, SHE'D LIKE TO BE ADDED.
AND THEN WE'D ALSO LIKE TO CHANGE THE LAST ORDER TO SAY, UH, FORWARD THIS RESOLUTION TO THE ENTIRE.
WHO ELSE WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD COUNCIL? SO IT COULD BE PHRASED TO US SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN, US SENATOR ED MARKEY, AND ALL MASSACHUSETTS REPRESENTATIVES, US REPRESENTATIVES, UNLESS WE WANNA LIST ALL NINE NAMES, BUT I, I THINK IF WE, AND WE'LL JUST DO ALL MASSACHUSETTS YEAH.
I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT THEY ALL GET IT.
WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS DO A ROLL CALL ON ADDING COUNCILOR NOLAN AND VOTING AND, UH, VOTING ON THIS AMENDMENT.
AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDING THE AFFIRMATIVE.
THE LATE POLICY ORDER HAS BEEN AMENDED.
WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ADOPT THE LATE POLICY ORDER AS AMENDED AND DO A ROLL CALL ON OUR MOTION BY COUNCILOR ZUEY.
AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.
THE LATE POLICY ORDER AS AMENDED IS ADOPTED.
ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE BODY? THERE'S A FEW MEETINGS COMING UP THIS WEEK.
COUNCILOR NOLAN, I JUST WANNA SAY THERE ARE A NUMBER OF MEETINGS THIS WEEK.
[02:05:01]
THE HOUSING A JOINT, NLTP.WE HAVE A HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING.
THERE'S, UM, I THINK ONE OTHER ME, UH, GOVERNMENT OPS MEETING, SO IT'S A PRETTY FULL SCHEDULE.
SO I DON'T THINK I HAVE TO LIST THEM ALL, BUT I HOPE TO SEE EVERYONE WHO'S ON THOSE COMMITTEES AT THE MEETING SO THAT WE CAN DISCUSS THEM.
AND ACTUALLY, I HEAR THAT THE MAYOR MAYOR'S HAVING A TRIVIA NIGHT ON THURSDAY.
I'M HAVING A TRIVIA NIGHT ON, UH, THURSDAY NIGHT AT LAMPLIGHTER, THE EAST CAMBRIDGE LOCATION.
UH, SO WE'LL GO AHEAD ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR NOLAN TO ADJOURN.
AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDING THE AFFIRMATIVE.