Cambridge City Council meeting - Jan 29, 2015 - AGENDA

CITY MANAGER’S AGENDA
1. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the reappointment of Gerard Clark as a Commissioner of the Cambridge Housing Authority for a term of 5-years, effective Jan 26, 2015.
Referred to Housing Committee - Kelley

Jan 29, 2015
To the Honorable, the City Council:

In accordance with M.G.L. Chapter 121B, Section 5, I am submitting the following name for confirmation as Commissioner of the Cambridge Housing Authority:

Gerard Clark (5-year term to expire Jan 25, 2020)

Approval is recommended.

Very truly yours, Richard C. Rossi, City Manager

2. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to a Planning Board recommendation on the Whitehead Institute Rezoning Petition.
Referred to Petition

3. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to an appropriation of $10,000 for the Healthy Aging through Healthy Community Design grant from the Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging to the Community Development Grant Fund Other Ordinary Maintenance account which will allow for the Community Development Department to collaborate with the Council on Aging and the Cambridge Public Health Department to ensure that the bicycle network planning process incorporates measures of and actions for mobility and accessibility for the 55+ population on bicycle infrastructure.

Jan 29, 2015
To the Honorable, the City Council:

I am hereby requesting an appropriation of $10,000 for the Healthy Aging through Healthy Community Design grant from the Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging to the Community Development Grant Fund Other Ordinary Maintenance account.

Over the next five months, CDD will collaborate with the Council on Aging and the Cambridge Public Health Department to ensure that the bicycle network planning process incorporates measures of and actions for mobility and accessibility for the 55+ population on bicycle infrastructure.

The following activities will be funded through this appropriation:

Facilitation of 3 formal public meetings with residents aged 55+ focused on the challenges bicycling in Cambridge for transportation. The goal is to reach at least 100 residents, aged 55+ through this process. In order to realize this goal, we will also create a survey tool.

Facilitation of 6 informal ‘drop-in' events to gather feedback from people who would not generally attend formal public meetings.

Facilitation of one urban bicycling workshop to gather feedback from people who would not generally attend a formal public meeting.

Development and implementation of a set of recommendations based on barriers identified by residents aged 55+. City staff expect to complete one of the recommended implementation projects, based on priority and remaining available grant resources, before the end of June 2015.

Very truly yours, Richard C. Rossi, City Manager

4. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 14-149, regarding a report on gathering data on the number of minority and veteran owned small businesses in the City.

5. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the status of the reconstruction plan of Pearl Street.

6. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to a communication from Director of Environmental Health Sam Lipson relative to proposed amendments to the Tobacco Ordinance along with new red-lined draft amendments addressing the most recent changes requested by the Council at its meeting of Dec 15, 2014 regarding e-cigarettes being banned in workplaces and hookahs being allowed in restaurants. Also attached is the Appendix A list of parks and plazas (Option B) that was previously sent to the Council.

Jan 29, 2015
To the Honorable, the City Council:

Please find attached for your consideration, a communication from Director of Environmental Health Sam Lipson relative to proposed amendments to the Tobacco Ordinance along with new red-lined draft amendments to address the most recent changes requested by the Council at its meeting of Dec 15, 2014 regarding e-cigarettes being banned in workplaces and hookahs being allowed in restaurants. Also attached is the Appendix A list of parks and plazas (Option B) that was previously sent to the Council.

Very truly yours, Richard C. Rossi, City Manager

7. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 14-125, regarding a report on changing the name of "North Point Boulevard Extension" to Education Circle."

Jan 29, 2015
To the Honorable, the City Council:

In response to Awaiting Report Item Number 14-125, regarding a report on changing the name of "North Point Boulevard Extension" to Education Circle," Public Works Commissioner Owen O'Riordan reports the following:

With the Oct 27, 2014 vote by City Council to rename "Northpoint Boulevard Extension" to "Education Circle," the street name has been officially changed. The City Engineer has reviewed the request and has coordinated the change with the Historical Commission, Emergency Communications Department and Traffic, Parking and Transportation.

Very truly yours, Richard C. Rossi, City Manager

8. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 14-63, regarding a report on rodent control operations, and the possibility of providing rodent-proof trash barrels to residents.

9. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 14-141, regarding a report on improvements to the sidewalks abutting Newtowne Court and Washington Elms.

10. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 14-133, regarding a report on property damage to private property during City street reconstruction projects.
Charter Right - Kelley

11. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 14-116, regarding a report on Cambridge Youth Programs usage rates and space.

Jan 29, 2015
To the Honorable, the City Council:

In response to Awaiting Report Item Number 14-116, regarding a report on Cambridge Youth Programs usage rates and space, Assistant City Manager for Human Services Ellen Semonoff reports the following:

Since the 1970's, Cambridge has operated Teen Centers - places where the city's older youth could find safe, supervised, age-appropriate activities. In the 1990's the target audience was expanded to include younger youth as well using a drop-in model that focused on recreational and enrichment activities. In 1999, the Department of Human Service Programs worked with a Strategic Planning Committee in a process led by TDC (Technical Development Corp.) that worked to revise the program model and resulted in the creation of the Cambridge Youth Programs Division (CYP). Under this new structure, CYP created a new program model - a licensed afterschool model for 9-13 year olds and a teen drop in model in the evenings.

Between the years of 2000-2005 CYP worked to build quality Out of School Time (OST) models in both the afterschool and teen programs using national youth development frameworks to establish quality standards. Much attention was paid to the development of the content and structure of the new models, focusing on youth leadership as a core principle.

In 2005-2006 DHSP worked with the nationally recognized Innovation Center for Youth and Community Development and the Youth Development and Research Fund to further the strategic process and build a logic model and framework for the organization. As part of the improvement efforts, CYP conducted community meetings to gather input and ideas for change. Over 20 focus groups were held with youth, school staff, City Council and School Committee members and other stakeholders.

As a result of this year-long process, new staffing structures were developed to better support the Teen Program and content was reworked in all programs to ensure youth voice was included. New partnerships and several new programs were developed, including a 5 year partnership with MIT to operate the NSF-funded Terrascope Youth Radio Project, City Peace, a violence prevention program funded by the Shannon Grant, the Middle School Partnership, which was launched with the support of the Cambridge Public Schools, and new summer evening programming which was introduced for teens in partnership with the Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program.

Today, the Cambridge Youth Programs, a network of five Youth Centers, offers many high quality programs that promote leadership and youth development through enrichment activities, unique experiences, and opportunities to develop relationships with adults and peers. The mission is to enable Cambridge youth to thrive and feel a sense of belonging, resulting in young adults who are ready for future employment, higher education, citizenship and adult life.

A diverse, multi-talented staff provides direct service, enrichment opportunities and mentorship for young people enrolled in CYP's programs. Each Youth Center has full-time staff members who plan program activities to ensure that programs are aligned with national research, promoting positive youth development and leadership. A part-time staff of approximately 70 Youth Workers provides mentorship and implements program activities.

During the school year the Cambridge Youth Programs operate two distinct programs within each center-a licensed Afterschool Program for youth in grades 4-8 and an evening Teen Program. We offer additional programs during the school vacation weeks and summer months.

The Afterschool Program provides a safe, fun learning environment for youth from 2:00-6:00 pm, Monday to Friday, and is licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC). While each Youth Center offers its own distinct programming, all of the Centers offer homework assistance, healthy snacks, leadership development opportunities, sports leagues, arts, community service and other enrichment activities. The programs also focus on social and emotional development and considerable staff training over the last several years has guided staff in supporting young people in programs. Staff have presented at National conferences on our behavior management support systems. The afternoon programming is also enhanced through partnerships with several organizations, including: The Agenda for Children, Lesley University, Creative Commons, and the Cambridge Police Department, to name a few.

Cambridge Youth Program's Teen Program is developed around a "three pillars" model of youth development: Comprehensive, Enrichment and Social Development. In the comprehensive programs, small groups of youth work with adults and are focused on skill building and developmental outcomes for youth. These programs are often work-based, but also include Youth Advisory Councils, service-learning or other project-based experiences. The enrichment programs introduce young people to new experiences, and broaden their vision of themselves and the world through classes, workshops, field trips and guest speakers. Social Development offerings include activities that support positive peer/peer and peer/adult relationships and promote healthy lifestyles.

Examples of specific teen program activities include:

In addition to regularly scheduled programming for youth, the Cambridge Youth Programs also operates the Middle School Activities Club, offering monthly social and recreational activities for any Cambridge youth in grades 6-8. CYP also regularly sponsors community events that encourage youth and families to participate in activities together. Some examples of ongoing activities offered: Family movies in the park, Family trips, Community dinners, Speakers' Panels and Middle Grades only field trips.

Data

Enrollment

Last school year (2013/14) the CYP Afterschool programs had a combined enrollment of 422 (4th-8th graders). Each Center is licensed to serve up to 65 youth daily. Some programs had waiting lists at different times during the year. Enrollment requires 70% attendance rate. The summer enrollment in full-day programs was 392.

In 2013/14 the CYP Teen Programs enrolled 532 teens during the school year. The summer enrollment was 399. The Teen Program model is a drop-in model. Membership allows teens to travel between sites and participate in programs across the city. Few offerings require mandatory attendance. The exception is enrollment in a summer or school-year internship, which requires regular attendance.

Outreach

CYP conducts outreach in a variety of ways and at several different times in the year. Outreach for the programs happens in connection with schools, the Middle School Network, the Reaching all Youth Committee, social media, word of mouth and staff presence, particularly at CRLS during lunch and afterschool hours. We participate in many community outreach efforts including Camp Night, CRLS Club Day and door-door outreach events in housing developments in partnership with the Cambridge Police.

Space usage

The Youth Centers have great space that is used for internal and other programming. The five fully-equipped youth centers include classroom space, meeting rooms, gymnasiums, kitchens and easy access to parks. The centers are open Monday-Friday from 2:00 - 6:00 pm for our licensed afterschool program and from 6:30 - 9:30 pm for our teen programs (The Moore Youth Center is open from 2:00-9:30 each weekday for teens). CYP often hosts specialized events on Saturdays. Outside of our operating hours, the centers are heavily used by other Cambridge organizations to run meetings, operate programming and for special events. For instance, three of the centers are used daily from 8:00 am - 2:00 pm to host gym and music classes for schools. Weekly Family and Day Care Provider play groups occur in three centers. On Saturdays, most of the centers are used by Community and other city programs to operate activities, such as the Program for Persons with Special Needs, the Ethiopian American Community Association, Cambridge Pride Travel Basketball League, and Citizens of the World, among others. Additionally, at the Russell Youth Center, the second floor Community Room is regularly used to host trainings and meetings for school and city departments, as well as for outside community groups.

Possible Next Steps

While it is true that the Youth Centers are fully enrolled for the afterschool and summer preteen/middle school programs, and have a significant enrollment by teens in our evening programs, the average daily attendance by teens (who is in the building at any given time in the evening) is not at the level that is desired. There are times when there are 80 young people on a given night in attendance for a particular program, but on many nights, staff have the desire and capacity to serve more teens. Over the years, the Centers have embarked on several initiatives to tackle this issue.

Part of CYP's goal setting process this year includes strategic planning for the Teen Program. We anticipate working with staff from across the youth programs as well as with partners from outside of the organization to create a 1-3 year plan to strengthen the Teen Evening Program. An initial step in this direction was to establish a structured role for the CYP Teen program as part of the College Success Initiative to formalize and expand the work that already happens in supporting youth in their college preparation process. The goal is to continue this work by collaborating with the CPI Coordinator to develop curricula and staff training modules to support and grow the college readiness activities in the Youth Centers.

Another goal of the Teen Development Committee will be to enhance the partnerships with other specialized programs to continue to expand the opportunities being offered to teens through the Youth Centers. We anticipate being part of the programming collaboration on STEAM as that moves from planning to implementation.

Very truly yours, Richard C. Rossi, City Manager

12. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the Flatbread Benefit Night donation in the amount of $558.25 to Grant Fund Human Services Other Ordinary Maintenance account which will be used to support activities including monthly nutrition and healthy eating classes to the Haggerty Preschool.

13. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the Friends of the Community Learning Center (CLC) grant in the amount of $18,700 to the Grant Fund Human Services Salary and Wages account ($18,281) and to the Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($419) which will fund advising and coaching for the Bridge Program, advising for the ESOL/Certified Nursing Assistant Program, education and career advising for other CLC students and partially support staff salaries and program supplies.

14. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to an additional appropriation of the Low Income Heating Assistance Program grant in the amount of $271,400 to the Grant Fund Human Services Salary and Wages account ($31,743), to the Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($237,657), and to the Travel and Training account ($2000) for the operation of the Low Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP) serving Cambridge and Somerville.

15. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appointment of Joseph Barr as the Director of the Traffic, Parking & Transportation Department, effective Mar 2, 2015.

Jan 29, 2015
To the Honorable, the City Council:

For the past several months, the City has been engaged in a hiring process to find a permanent replacement for the Director of your Department. I am pleased to inform you that Joseph Barr has accepted the City's offer to become the next Director of the Traffic, Parking and Transportation Department (TT&P), effective Mar 2, 2015.

Joseph, who worked in the Community Development Department as a transportation planner more than a decade ago, returns to the City of Cambridge with extensive experience from both the private and public sectors. He is leaving his current position of Planning, Environmental, and Traffic Manager for Parsons Brinckeroff, one of the world's leading engineering services consulting firms. Prior to his current position at Parsons Brinckeroff, Joseph worked for the New York City Department of Transportation as the Director of Policy, Technology, and Management Analysis as well as the Director of Transit Development.

Joseph holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Northwestern University and a Master of Science in Transportation from MIT.

Joseph brings to his new role in the City a proven record of leadership, a clear understanding of transportation operations, a commitment to progressive transportation, and a history of building trust through public engagement processes. As the new Director, Mr. Barr is committed to a building on existing successes in the realm of transportation, addressing future challenges related to technology, growth, and resources, and implementing the City's progressive vision for a multimodal transportation system that serves all users.

I hope that you will join me in welcoming Joseph Barr to the TT&P Department.

Very truly yours, Richard C. Rossi, City Manager

16. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 14-136, regarding a report on resident parking at the Kendall Square Garage during snow emergencies.

17. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 14-138, regarding a report on feasibility of implementing a pay-by-phone parking meter program; Council Order No. 6, dated 12/15/14, regarding Pay-by-Plate at Smart Parking Meters; and other inquiries on Pay by App.

18. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 14-128, regarding a report on the crosswalk at Cadbury Commons on Sherman Street.

19. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to transfer of $15,000 from the General Fund Employee Benefits (Insurance) Salary and Wages account to the General Fund Library Travel and Training (Judgment and Damages) account to cover current and anticipated medical services and/or prescription reimbursement costs for the remainder of the fiscal year for personnel injured in the performance of their duties.

20. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appointment and reappointment of the following persons as members of the GLBT Commission for three year terms, effective Jan 26, 2015: Maya Escobar, LaTayna Purnell, Jessica Daniels
Reappointments: Bill Barnert, Neil S. MacInnes-Barker, Rachel Oppenheimer, Kara Smith

Jan 29, 2015
To the Honorable, the City Council:

I am hereby transmitting notification of the appointment of the following persons as members of the GLBT Commission for three year terms, effective Jan 26, 2015:

Maya Escobar
Ms. Escobar is a Cambridge native and currently holds the position of Teen Librarian for Youth Services at the Cambridge Public Library. As a Librarian, she has daily interaction with Cambridge teenagers and many youth advocates, experience which will add valuable insights for GLBT Committee.

La Tayna Purnell
Ms. Purnell has her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, her M.Ed. in Counselor Education, and B.S. in Kinesiology and Health. She has served on various committees including as Chair of the Black Leadership Conference and the Sexual Assault Prevention Committee at Indiana University. Ms. Purnell is the mother of 2 young boys and is a teacher at an independent school in Cambridge.

Jessica Daniels
Ms. Daniels is employed by Tuft University as a Senior Associate Director of Admissions and has served for the past two years as a sexual misconduct adjudicator for the University. She currently serves as a Community Representative Member of the Cambridge Kids' Council. Ms. Daniels' daughter has been a member of the GLBT community since her junior year in high school, which has given her a personal understanding of the concerns of GLBT youth.

I am pleased to welcome them all as members of the GLBT Commission.

I also would like to notify you of the following reappointments to the GLBT Commission for three year terms:
Bill Barnert
Neil S. MacInnes-Barker
Rachel Oppenheimer
Kara Smith

Very truly yours, Richard C. Rossi, City Manager

21. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 14-103, regarding a report on making the Foundry Building available for a major installation of the 2015 Fab Lab Conference.

Jan 29, 2015
To the Honorable, the City Council:

In response to Awaiting Report Item Number 14-103, regarding a report on making the Foundry Building available for a major installation of the 2015 Fab Lab Conference, please be advised of the following:

The City Manager's office, Department of Public Works, and Inspectional Services Department, have been working with representatives from the FAB Foundation as well as organizers of the upcoming FAB11 conference to look into the feasibility of using the Foundry building for an installation during the conference in August 2015.

FAB11 is the 11th International Fab Lab Conference which will take place in the Boston metropolitan area from Aug 3rd, 2015 through Aug 9th, 2015. The conference will include workshops throughout the week, culminating in a Fab Festival during the weekend of Aug 8th and 9th which is intended to be a public celebration of maker spaces and bring together the international Fab lab community and local residents and groups of all ages for hands on experiences and demonstrations.

A major attraction of the conference is the creation of a Super Fab Lab which features a concentration of several different types of maker spaces in separate bays at a single location. The Super Fab Lab is also the main attraction during the Fab Festival. The conference is expected to draw up to 1,000 attendees as well as attract hundreds of visitors for the Fab Festival.

City staff have had several meetings and have taken several on-site visits to the Foundry building with Fab Foundation and Fab11 organizers to consider the feasibility of using the space, or a portion of the space, for a Super Fab Lab as part of the conference. Among the items discussed included the current conditions of the building, safety and accessibility code issues, space and utility requirements for a Super Fab Lab, and the anticipated schedule for the comprehensive redevelopment and reuse of the Foundry building.

In addition to the weeklong conference, organizers would likely need at least to two weeks before the conference to set up the space and one week after its conclusion to take down equipment. Any physical changes are intended to be temporary.

Because of the current condition of the building, and the physical requirements for the maker spaces envisioned for the conference, there was agreement that the basement/garage level would be the most feasible space to use for a Super Fab Lab. Still, there are a number of code violations in the building which would have to be addressed before the space could be even temporarily occupied for such a use:

The Fab Foundation and Fab11 organizers are also exploring other potential opportunities and locations for Fab11 attractions including using the nearby park on Rogers Street. Organizers made a preliminary presentation to the City Special Events Committee as well. If there is a desire to move forward with using the space at the Foundry for Fab11, staff will continue to work closely with Fab11 organizers to identify and properly address code issues.

Very truly yours, Richard C. Rossi, City Manager

22. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 14-144, regarding the drafting of a framework for a Community Benefits and Mitigation Plan. [Attachment]

Jan 29, 2015
To the Honorable, the City Council:

In response to Awaiting Report Item Number 14-144 regarding the drafting of a framework for a Community Benefits and Mitigation Plan, please be advised that I am recommending a broad framework for distributing funds earmarked for Community Benefits. This memorandum explains the preferred approach to enter into agreements with the nonprofit community for services in order to extend service reach to Cambridge residents and to better serve our community's unmet needs.

My recommended approach involves the following actions to be taken by the City Council:

Establish a Stabilization Mitigation Fund from which funds will be appropriated annually to support Community Benefit expenditures;

Conduct a needs assessment to enable the City Council to set broad funding goals;

Support the creation of a committee appointed by the City Manager to oversee the development of a funding plan based on the broad goals set by the City Council.

Background
Between 2010 and 2013, mitigation funds designated to be used for community benefits purposes, have been pledged to the City of Cambridge through zoning amendments and agreements with developers. These funds acquired through these amendments and negotiations with developers are public monies to be used for Community Benefits purposes. At this point, we know that at least $13.7 million ($3.5 million received) has been pledged by MIT to be paid upon completion of various stages in its new development in Kendall Square. To put these public funds to good use, a lead idea suggested by the City Council is to use the funds to partner with the nonprofit community in order to expand services to benefit Cambridge residents and better meet residents' unmet needs.

Research on Municipal Funding Allocation
Following the City Council's request, the City conducted an analysis of funding allocation models for nonprofit services. The analysis compares municipal models for establishing funding priorities and needs assessment strategies that municipal legislative bodies use to inform funding priority decisions. Attached is a summary of the research and analysis: "Comparative City Survey of Funding Allocation Processes for Nonprofit Services."

Massachusetts Anti-Aid Amendment
In conducting research for the City Council regarding opportunities to expand nonprofit services in Cambridge, there are some constraints of which the City Council should be aware. Specifically, it is illegal under the Anti-Aid Amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution to directly distribute public funds to nonprofits. However, it is permissible for the City to contract with nonprofits for services. For example, if the City Council set a broad funding category of alleviating poverty, funds could be allocated to nonprofits for services that would be directed to that goal. The City Council should note that the recommendations within this document to partner with the nonprofit community are made under the assumption that the City would contract with nonprofits for services in order to comply with the provisions of the Anti-Aid Amendment.

Proposed Next Steps
At this time, we are still working on refining a governance structure to recommend to the City Council. However there are several key actions we suggest to set the next course:

If the City Council agrees with this broad framework, the City Manager will continue to work on defining the governance structure for this process. Further development would include identifying the recommended vehicle which the City might employ to create and manage the Community Benefits Fund and a proposed outline for the full funding allocation process including the governance, nonprofit application process, review process, evaluation criteria, selection process, report and auditing, and program evaluation for contracting with nonprofits for services to serve community needs.

Recommended Framework for a Community Benefits Plan

Overarching Goals for the Process:

Recommended Governance Framework to be further developed:
While further work remains to be done to fully define a governance framework, I would anticipate that a likely preferred structure would include formation of a committee appointed by the City Manager that includes city staff, non-profit leaders, and foundation, business, and university representatives. The work of the Committee would be to take the broad funding goals of the City Council and use those goals to make recommendations about specific programmatic funding to be approved by the City Manager. I anticipate that the City Council would use an updated needs assessment to set new goals or reaffirm its existing goals every several years.

Timeline of Proposed Next Steps:

Given the broad support from the community, especially the local nonprofit community, I recommend that the City Council endorse this framework for the Community Benefits Plan and the plan to initiate a comprehensive needs assessment in collaboration with the Cambridge Community Foundation. If the City Council approves these next steps, I would then anticipate coming back to the City Council to establish the Stabilization Mitigation Fund and to appropriate funds for the needs assessment. I also recommend that the City Council refer the report to a subcommittee meeting to discuss the report and options for governance including community engagement.

Very truly yours, Richard C. Rossi, City Manager

23. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the Incentive Zoning Nexus Study.
Referred to Housing Committee

Jan 29, 2015
To the Honorable, the City Council:

Please find attached for your consideration the Incentive Zoning Nexus Study, received from Assistant City Manager for Community Development Brian Murphy.

Very truly yours, Richard C. Rossi, City Manager

24. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to a Disposition Report for the Foundry Building.
Referred to Unfinished Business #14

Jan 29, 2015
To the Honorable, the City Council:

Please find attached for your consideration a Disposition Report for the Foundry Building. This submittal is also herewith being transmitted to the City Clerk and to the Members of the Planning Board.

Summary
As part of the redevelopment of the Foundry Building at 101 Rogers Street, I am recommending that the City Council vote to approve of the disposition of a long-term leasehold interest to the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (CRA), in accordance with Section 2.110.010(G) of the City's Disposition Ordinance. The CRA would then issue an RFQ/RFP for a developer to complete necessary improvements, building fit-out, and facilitate the reuse of the Foundry building according to the vision and objectives developed through a robust community process, and within the overall framework requested by the City Council and the community.

The City Council was briefed on this project on Dec 15, 2014, and the Planning Board was briefed on Jan 6, 2015. On Feb 10, the Planning Board will hear the proposal to dispose of the long-term leasehold and will make a recommendation to the City Council. Within six weeks of receipt of the City Manager's recommendation and the Planning Board report, the City Council must hold a public hearing to decide on the proposed disposition and the diminution of the full disposition process as described below. The project also will need City Council approval of a Demonstration Plan pursuant to the provisions of MGL Chapter 121b. The draft Demonstration Plan was approved by the CRA Board on Dec 17, 2014.

Proposed Project Disposition
The Foundry building is a former industrial and office building that is currently vacant. The property was acquired by the City of Cambridge in 2012 from Alexandria Properties in connection with a zoning amendment sought by Alexandria. The zoning amendment is incorporated into the Cambridge Zoning Ordinance as Section 13.59.10 and states a preference for the Foundry Building's use for municipal or community uses as generally set forth in Section 4.33 of the Table of Use Regulations; and requires at least 10,000 square feet to be devoted to educational, cultural or institutional uses listed in Section 4.33 of the Table of Use Regulations.

The proposed approach to the Foundry Redevelopment is subject to Cambridge Municipal Code Chapter 2.110.010-Disposition of City Property (the "Disposition Ordinance"). Pursuant to the Disposition Ordinance, the City Manager is required to prepare a comprehensive report (the "Disposition Report") addressing the potential uses of the property or property interest to be disposed of, including but not limited to, the financial impact of each use, zoning status, development potential of the property or property interest, and any proposed development plans for the property or property interest. The Planning Board is required to hold a public hearing, after which it will submit a recommendation to the City Manager for submission to the City Council. The City Council will then hold a public hearing on the disposition of the leasehold interest in the Foundry and the diminution of process, which each require a 2/3 vote for approval.

As part of the disposition process, I am requesting that the City Council approve a diminution of the full disposition process. Pursuant to Section 2.110.010(G) of the Disposition Ordinance, the City Council may vote to authorize a diminution of the full disposition process set forth in the Disposition Ordinance. A vote to diminish the full disposition process would allow for disposition of City-owned property where the full process of the Disposition Ordinance would be unduly burdensome, including but not limited to, the property valuation through appraisals and traffic impact studies.

If the disposition is approved by the City Council, the City Manager would then be authorized to negotiate a lease with the CRA, which would be the fundamental document setting forth the relationship regarding the Foundry Building between the City and the CRA. The terms of the lease, which must also be approved by the CRA Board, will be guided by the approved Demonstration Plan and the Disposition Report. In addition, the lease between the City and the CRA will require that the CRA conduct a robust, public, and competitive process for selecting a developer for the Foundry, which is designed to leverage the CRA's resources and to accomplish the City's objectives consistent with ongoing community input.

Very truly yours, Richard C. Rossi, City Manager

CHARTER RIGHT
1. An application was received from Muireann Glenmullen, requesting permission for a curb cut at the premises numbered 48 Middlesex Street; said petition has received approval from Inspectional Services, Traffic, Parking and Transportation, Historical Commission and Public Works. No response has been received from the neighborhood association. [Charter Right exercised by Councillor Kelley on Applications and Petitions Number Two of Jan 5, 2015.]
Tabled - Maher

2. That the City Manager is requested to report back on any progress made in acquiring state funding for design and construction of the portion of the Watertown branch B&M Line railroad property to construct the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway and on the feasibility of a low-cost, temporary paving solution for the Greenway in order to realize the community benefits while the path awaits permanent construction. [Charter Right exercised by Councillor Toomey on Order Number Two of Jan 5, 2015.]
Approved

3. That the City Manager is requested to report back to the City Council on the status of the implementation of the Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance and what property owners should expect. [Charter Right exercised by Councillor Cheung on Order Number Six of Jan 5, 2015.]
Placed on File under Rule 19

4. That the City Manager is requested to instruct the Community Development Department to abandon the "Complete Street" plan for Pearl Street. [Charter Right exercised by Councillor Toomey on Order Number Seven of Jan 5, 2015.]
Tabled - Cheung

ON THE TABLE
5. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the Cambridge Arts Council to determine the types of spaces that are most needed within the local arts community with the view of using the Foundry to fill those needs and to allocate appropriate funds to make appropriate upgrades for the purpose of creating a community arts center. (Order Amended by Substitution.) [Order Number Ten of Jan 27, 2014 Placed on Table on motion of Mayor Maher on Jan 27, 2014.]

6. An application was received from Ting-hsu Chen requesting permission to widen the existing curb cut at the premises numbered 14 Soden Street; said petition has received approval from Inspectional Services, Traffic, Parking and Transportation, Historical Commission and Public Works. No response has been received from the neighborhood association. [Applications and Petitions Number Six of Feb 24, 2014 Placed on Table on motion of Councillor Simmons on Feb 24, 2014.]

7. That the City Council go on the record in opposition to any type of casino project in the Greater Boston area whether constructed and managed by Mohegan Sun or Wynn Resorts. [Charter Right exercised by Councillor Simmons on Order Number Five of June 16, 2014. Placed on the Table on the motion of Councillor Cheung on June 30, 2014.]

8. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Vice Mayor Dennis A. Benzan and Councillor Dennis J. Carlone, Co-Chairs of the Ordinance Committee for a public hearing held on June 18, 2014 to discuss revisions to the Cambridge Municipal Code Section 9.04.050 (A) Defacing public property of Chapter 9.04 entitled "Offenses Against Property". [Committee Report Number Five of June 30, 2014 Placed on Table on motion of Vice Mayor Benzan on June 30, 2014.]

9. That as we undertake the Cambridge Conversations and the Master Planning Process, the City Manager is requested to direct the Community Development Department to study emerging business types in Cambridge and how they are affected by the use regulations in the Zoning Ordinance, and to recommend changes to the Zoning Ordinance that will help classify such businesses in a clear, rational way that supports the long-term interests of the community and instruct the Community Development Department to evaluate appropriate ways to facilitate home-based businesses above and beyond what is currently allowed. [Charter Right exercised by Councillor McGovern on Order Number Five of Sept 22, 2014. Placed on the Table on the motion of Councillor McGovern on Sept 29, 2014.]

10. That the City Manager is requested to direct the Community Development Department and the Planning Board to begin testing strategies to enhance such engagement at the earliest opportunity by methods such as requiring developers to hold a public meeting in the neighborhood and provide a report along with the permit application describing public input and changes to the project as a result of such input and to suggest changes to the Planning Board rules, which could be adopted by the Planning Board and/or Zoning Ordinance, which could be enacted by the City Council to codify successful community engagement strategies. [Charter Right exercised by Councillor McGovern on Order Number Six of Sept 22, 2014. Placed on the Table on the motion of Councillor McGovern on Sept 29, 2014.]

11. Congratulations to Marvin Gilmore on the release of his biography Crusader for Freedom. [Charter Right exercised by Mayor Maher on Resolution Number Twenty-seven of Oct 20, 2014. Placed on the Table on the motion of Mayor Maher on Oct 27, 2014.]

UNFINISHED BUSINESS
12. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor David P. Maher, Chair of the Ordinance Committee for a public hearing held on Nov 22, 2013 to conduct a public hearing on an amendment to the Municipal Code by adding a new Chapter 8.68 entitled "Concussion Prevention and Management in Youth Activities at City Facilities." The question comes on passing to be ordained on or after Dec 23, 2013.

13. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor David P. Maher, Chair of the Ordinance Committee for a public hearing held on Dec 19, 2013 to conduct a public hearing on an amendment to the Municipal Code in Chapter 8.67 entitled relating to Plastic Bag Reduction. The question comes on passing to be ordained on or after Feb 24, 2014.

14. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to an update on the Foundry Building process, including the City's plans to collaborate with the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (the "CRA") to redevelop the Foundry building in a way that meets the vision and objectives expressed by the City Council and the community. City Manager Agenda Number Seventeen of Dec 15, 2014 Referred to Unfinished Business.

15. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Vice Mayor Dennis A. Benzan and Councillor Dennis J. Carlone, Co-Chairs of the Ordinance Committee, for a public hearing held on Oct 30, 2014 to discuss a proposed amendment to the Municipal Code in Chapter 8.28 entitled "Restrictions on Youth Access and Sale of Tobacco Products and Smoking in Workplaces and Public Places. The question comes on passing to be ordained on or after Jan 5, 2015.
Ordained as Amended - Ordinance #1363

16. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to an order requesting the authorization to borrow an amount not to exceed $39,000,000 for the purpose of refinancing existing General Obligation Bonds to acquire lower interest rates than those currently being paid. The question comes on adoption on or after Jan 19, 2015.
Approved 9-0

COMMUNICATIONS
1. A communication was received from Jen Craft, 30 Holworthy Place, regarding funding and temporary paving of the bike path.

2. A communication was received from John Campbell, Strawberry Hill, regarding the bike path to Watertown.

3. A communication was received from Arthur Strang regarding a variety of homelessness issues.

4. A communication was received from Aaron S. Weber regarding the Teague Petition.

5. A communication was received from Arthur Strang transmitting support for the Mayors for Peace initiative.

6. A communication was received from Arthur Strang regarding the bike path to Watertown.

7. A communication was received from Jamie Porreca, Reservoir Street, regarding the bike path to Watertown.

8. A communication was received from Torgun Austin, 28 Bristol Street, regarding the Teague Petition Part 2.

9. A communication was received from Anker Lerret, 15 Locust Street, regarding the connection to Watertown bike path.

10. A communication was received from Carolyn Shipley, 15 Laurel Street, regarding clarification of Special Permits.

11. A communication was received from Carol O'Hare, 172 Magazine Street, regarding Policy Order Resolution 5 regulating use of drones.

12. A communication was received from Margaret Desjardins, 261 Lakeview Avenue, regarding bike paths.

13. A communication was received from Joy Hackel, 25 Alpine Street, regarding the Concord Avenue to Watertown bike path.

14. A communication was received from Anastacia and Jorge Salcedo, 196 Appleton Street, regarding acceleration of paving of Fresh Pond bike path and purchase of New Street spur.

15. A communication was received from Shelley Rieman regarding Mayors for Peace.

16. A communication was received from Carol O'Hare, 172 Magazine Street, regarding City Council Reconsideration - Legal Opinion "may" v. "will normally" grant.

17. A communication was received from Arthur DaPrato, 209 Erie Street, regarding Special Permits and Teague Petition Part 2 needs Law Department opinion in writing.

18. A communication was received from Christine Mastal, 30 Holworthy Place, regarding bike path to Watertown.

19. A communication was received from Alice Heller, 22 Corporal Burns Road, regarding Planning Board/Special Permitting.

20. A communication was received from Nicolai Cauchy, 387 Huron Avenue, regarding Teague Petition Part 2 needs Law Department opinion in writing.

21. A communication was received from Arthur Strang, Fresh Pond Parkway, regarding Teague Petition Part 2 needs Law Department opinion in writing.

22. A communication was received from Tom Stohlman, 19 Channing Street, regarding 1/5/2015 Reconsideration.

23. A communication was received from Claudia Majetich, 329 Concord Avenue, regarding various matters.

24. A communication was received from Rafael Jaramillo, 63 Reservoir Street, regarding the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway.

25. A communication was received from Kimberly Simonsen, 76 Fayerweather Street, regarding the bike path.

26. A communication was received from Barbara Broussard, President, East Cambridge Planning Team, regarding the Whitehead Institute Zoning Change.

27. A communication was received from Doug Brown, 35 Standish Street, regarding the Walden/Sherman Rezoning Petition.

28. A communication was received from Genevieve Coyle, 230 Lakeview Avenue, regarding written Law Department opinion needed on the Planning Board's discretion to deny Special Permits.

29. A communication was received from Lee Farris, for the Cambridge Residents Alliance Executive Committee, regarding Council/Planning Board Roundtable and the Cambridge Residents Alliance response to the Manager's Report on Planning Board Improvement Goals.

30. A communication was received from Michael Hawley, 101 Third Street, regarding written Law Department opinion needed on the Planning Board's discretion to deny Special Permits.

31. A communication was received from Langley C. Keyes regarding written opinion needed on PB discretion on Special Permits.

32. A communication was received from Roy Kring, 2240 Massachusetts Avenue, regarding written Law Department opinion needed on the Planning Board's discretion to deny Special Permits.

33. A communication was received from David Levitt, 14 Notre Dame Avenue, regarding written Law Department opinion needed on the Planning Board's discretion to deny Special Permits.

34. A communication was received from Carol O'Hare, 172 Magazine Street, regarding City Council Reconsideration - Legal Opinion "may" v. "will normally" grant.

35. A communication was received from Joseph Poirier, 78 Highland Avenue, regarding the Pearl Street Policy Order.

36. A communication was received from Helen Privett, 463 Concord Avenue, regarding written Law Department opinion needed on the Planning Board's discretion to deny Special Permits.

37. A communication was received from Mairi Staples, 145 Concord Avenue, regarding written Law Department opinion needed on the Planning Board's discretion to deny Special Permits.

38. A communication was received from Jane Tenenbaum, 159 Concord Avenue, regarding written Law Department opinion needed on the Planning Board's discretion to deny Special Permits.

39. A communication was received from Andy Zucker, 35 Winslow Street, regarding legal opinion about the Planning Board's review of Special Permits.

40. A communication was received from William A. Van Dam, Director, Community Relations, NSTAR Gas Company, transmitting the schedule for the upcoming public hearings scheduled by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities to increase gas distribution rates.

41. A communication was received from Marianna Murphy Zazzaro transmitting thanks for the kind words and expression of sympathy for her brother James E. Murphy.

42. A communication was received from State Senator Sal DiDomenico transmitting support of the Whitehead Institute zoning petition.

43. A communication was received from Paul Steven Stone, 219 Harvard Street, regarding remarks made about an Ombudsman.

44. A communication was received from Young Kim, 17 Norris Street, regarding the Planning Board process improvements.

45. A communication was received from Jamie Porreca, 57 Reservoir Street, regarding an Ombudsman Policy Order.

46. A communication was received from Russell Windman, 78 Fresh Pond Parkway, regarding an Ombudsman Policy Order.

47. A communication was received from Nancy W. Menzin, 56 Alpine Street, regarding an Ombudsman Policy Order.

48. A communication was received from Saul Tannenbaum, 16 Cottage Street, regarding further action on the Olympics.

49. A communication was received from Torgun Austin, 28 Bristol Street, regarding an Ombudsman Policy Order.

50. A communication was received from Carolyn Shipley, 15 Laurel Street, regarding an Ombudsman Policy Order.

51. A communication was received from Margaret Weyerhaeuser, 261 Lakeview Avenue, regarding an Ombudsman Policy Order.

52. A communication was received from Ellen Baker, 18 Saville Street, regarding an Ombudsman Policy Order.

53. A communication was received from Steve Harris, 4 Malcolm Road, regarding an Ombudsman Policy Order.

54. A communication was received from Genevieve S. Coyle, 230 Lakeview Avenue, regarding an Ombudsman Policy Order.

55. A communication was received from Peter Klinefelter, 220 Erie Street, regarding an Ombudsman Policy Order.

56. A communication was received from Michael Brandon, 27 Seven Pines Avenue, Clerk, North Cambridge Stabilization Committee, regarding the curb cut at 48 Middlesex Street.

57. A communication was received from Saul Tannenbaum, 16 Cottage Street, regarding the design of Pearl Street for the future.

58. A communication was received from Laurie A. Friedman, CNM, 33 Essex Street, transmitting support for Policy Order #3 creating 100 beds.

59. A communication was received from Lawrence Blum, 149 Prospect Street, transmitting support on proposed order regarding new municipal power supplier.

60. A communication was received from Ernest Adams, regarding affordable housing in Central Square.

61. A communication was received from Judith E. Smith, American Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston, regarding not renewing TransCanada contract.

62. A communication was received from Jan Puibello, 69 Brookline Street, regarding Policy Order #18 Cambridge switch to renewable energy.

63. A communication was received from Steven E. Miller, 92 Henry Street, regarding the Pearl Street design.

64. A communication was received from Roy Russell, 40 Cottage Street, regarding Policy Order #18.

65. A communication was received from Kathy Greeley, 200 Erie Street, regarding renewable energy.

66. A communication was received from Noel Jette and Alan Zaslavsky, 149 Prospect Street, regarding obtaining municipal electric power from renewable sources.

67. A communication was received from Amy Meltzer and Philip McArthur, 45 Antrim Street, regarding 100% renewable energy for Cambridge.

68. A communication was received from Cindy Marsh transmitting support for the Policy Order regarding terminating business relationships with TransCanada.

69. A communication was received from Jeffrey Quinlan, 16 Allen Street, regarding Pearl Street reconstruction.

70. A communication was received from Bill Kirtley, 28 Walden Street, regarding the Pearl Street redesign process.

71. A communication was received from Emily Rideout, 209 Chestnut Street, regarding Pearl Street options.

72. A communication was received from Will Cook, 3 Jefferson Street, regarding Pearl Street Reconstruction.

73. A communication was received from Susan Redlich, 19 Sacramento Street, regarding Pearl Street re-visioned.

74. A communication was received from Erica Reisman, 40 Russell Street, regarding the design of Pearl Street.

75. A communication was received from Max Storto, 65 Harvey Street, regarding bike lanes on Pearl Street.

76. A communication was received from Jeff Byrnes, 7 Lawrence Street, transmitting support of the Pearl Street complete streets plan.

77. A communication was received from Rachel Wyon, 283 Sidney Street, regarding Policy Order 18.

78. A communication was received from Matthew Welch, 49 Bristol Street, regarding the Pearl Street reconstruction project.

79. A communication was received from Roy Russell, 40 Cottage Street, regarding the Pearl Street reconstruction project.

80. A communication was received from Cythia Smith, 37 Crescent Street, regarding the Pearl Street reconstruction project.

81. A communication was received from Lily Ting, Ph. D., 155 Hamilton Street, regarding the Pearl Street reconstruction project.

82. A communication was received from Doug Healy, 36a Rice Street, regarding the Pearl Street reconstruction project.

83. A communication was received from Steve Wineman, 26 McTernan Street, regarding electricity contracts with TransCanada.

84. A communication was received from Chris Taylor, 23 Decatur Street, regarding Pearl Street reconstruction.

85. A communication was received from Kathy Watkins, 80 Fawcett Street, regarding City Manager's agenda item 23 and the Pearl Street reconstruction.

86. A communication was received from David A. Kuss, regarding Pearl Street reconstruction.

87. A communication was received from Quinton Y. Zondervan, 235 Cardinal Medeiros Avenue, regarding Pearl Street reconstruction.

88. A communication was received from Nancy Ryan, regarding the Nexus Study.

89. A communication was received from Helping Hands, regarding the 2015 city-wide MLK Day of Service.

90. A communication was received from Deborah S. Ruhe, Executive Director of Just-A-Start Corporation, with regard to City Manager agenda item number 22, drafting a framework for a Community Benefits and Mitigation Plan.

91. A communication was received from Leslie Bliss on behalf of Mothers Out Front, regarding policy order number 18.

92. A communication was received from Michele Sprengnether, 31 Clinton Street, regarding policy order number 18.

93. A communication was received from Maria Pantazopoulos, 225 Pearl Street, regarding the Pearl Street reconstruction.

94. A communication was received from Beth Adams of Mothers Out Front, regarding policy order number 18.

95. A communication was received from Anne Shumway, of Mothers Out Front, regarding policy order number 18.

96. A communication was received from Lauren Donahue, regarding the Pearl Street reconstruction.

97. A communication was received from Shelley Rieman, 201 Franklin Street, regarding the Nexus study.

98. A communication was received from Risa Mednick, Executive Director of Transition House, regarding City Manager Agenda Item number 22.

99. A communication was received from Eva Martin Blythe, Executive Director of the YWCA, regarding City Manager Agenda Item number 22.

100. A communication was received from Emily Wieja, 11 Franklin Street, Charlestown, MA, regarding Calendar Item 6 on amendments to the Tobacco Ordinance.

101. A communication was received from Chris Zegras, 327 Pearl Street, regarding the Pearl Street reconstruction project.

102. A communication was received from Hasson J. Rashid, 820 Massachusetts Avenue, regarding converting the Foundry Building into a homeless shelter.

103. A communication was received from Richard Mandel, 307 Pearl Street, regarding the Pearl Street reconstruction project.

104. A communication was received from Eli Tucker-Raymond, 140 Elm Street, regarding the STEAM Working Group's findings.

105. A communication was received from Joan Abrams, 7 Union Street, regarding the STEAM working group's findings.

106. A communication was received from John Sanzone Jr., regarding policy order 23 and 24, as well as calendar item 4.

RESOLUTIONS
1. Congratulations to Yoni Appelbaum on being named The Atlantic's politics editor.   Councillor Cheung

2. Congratulations to Dave Bisceglia for being named in the Forbes 30 under 30 list.   Councillor Cheung

3. Congratulations to Isis Pharmaceuticals on being recognized by the Boston Business Journal.   Councillor Cheung

4. Congratulations to Moderna Therapeutics on being recognized by the Boston Business Journal.   Councillor Cheung

5. Congratulations to Accion Systems on being recognized bythe Boston Business Journal.   Councillor Cheung

6. Speedy recovery wishes to Jean McGuire.   Councillor Simmons

7. Happy belated birthday wishes to Bishop Brian Greene of the Pentecostal Tabernacle.   Councillor Simmons

8. Speedy recovery wishes to Ethel Ampey.   Councillor Simmons

9. Happy Birthday wishes to Beverly Neugeboren.   Councillor McGovern

10. Happy Birthday wishes to Christopher Knight.   Councillor McGovern

11. Happy Birthday wishes to Janice Sallum.   Councillor McGovern

12. Happy Birthday wishes to Blaine Yesselman.   Councillor McGovern

13. Happy Birthday wishes to Domenico Ferrante.   Councillor McGovern

14. Happy Birthday wishes to Laurie Gaines.   Councillor McGovern

15. Happy Birthday wishes to Caitlyn Roberts.   Councillor McGovern

16. Happy Birthday wishes to Holly Zellweger.   Councillor McGovern

17. Happy Birthday wishes to Nancy Nagle.   Councillor McGovern

18. Happy Birthday wishes to Carolyn Fuller.   Councillor McGovern

19. Happy Birthday wishes to Irene Pappadopoulos.   Councillor McGovern

20. Happy Birthday wishes to Robert Downing.   Councillor McGovern

21. Happy Birthday wishes to Steven Milosavljevic.   Councillor McGovern

22. Resolution on the death of Patricia A. (Teevan) McCaffrey.   Mayor Maher

23. Resolution on the death of Theresa (Desjardin) Fitzmaurice.   Mayor Maher and Councillor Toomey

24. Resolution on the death of Patricia F. Lydon.   Councillor Toomey

25. Congratulations to Steve Carter on being named as Senior Vice President of Information Technology at Chief Information Officer for the Cambridge Health Alliance.   Vice Mayor Benzan

26. Retirement of Susan Harris from the School Department.   Mayor Maher

27. Retirement of Daniel J. Turner from the Fire Department.   Mayor Maher

28. Resolution on the death of John J. "Bim" Daniliuk.   Mayor Maher and Councillor Toomey

29. Congratulations to Amy Poehler on being named the Hasty Pudding Theatricals' 2015 Woman of the Year.   Councillor Cheung

30. Congratulations to Jenna Wiens for being named in the Forbes 30 under 30 list.   Councillor Cheung

31. Congratulations to Vivek Hallegere Murthy on being named Surgeon General.   Councillor Cheung

32. Congratulations to Patrick Hsu for being named in the Forbes 30 under 30 list.   Councillor Cheung

33. Congratulations to Fadel Adib for being named in the Forbes 30 under 30 list.   Councillor Cheung

34. Congratulations to Erinn Danielle on being honored by the Bay State Banner showcasing her dedicated service to the Cambridge community.   Vice Mayor Benzan

35. Congratulations to Jason Sheltzer for being named in the Forbes 30 under 30 list.   Councillor Cheung

36. Congratulations to Vinit Sukhija for being named in the Forbes 30 under 30 list.   Councillor Cheung

37. Thanks to the TTT Mentor Program mentees for participating in the TTT Mentor Program.   Councillor Simmons

38. Thanks to the TTT Mentor Program Mentors for participating in the TTT Mentor Program.   Councillor Simmons

39. Resolution on the death of Muriel Best.   Mayor Maher

40. Resolution on the death of Claire (Josselyn) O'Brien.   Councillor Toomey

41. Resolution on the death of Florence (Nicoloro) Renna.   Councillor Toomey

42. Resolution on the death of Mary A. Fabiano.   Mayor Maher

43. Resolution on the death of James F. McCarthy, Sr.   Councillor Toomey

44. Resolution on the death of Margaret A. (O'Brien) Sullivan.   Mayor Maher

45. Resolution on the death of Peter Koutoujian.   Mayor Maher and Councillor Toomey

46. Resolution on the death of Brandon Boliver.   Councillor Toomey

47. Resolution on the death of Marie E. (Petersen) Hazlett.   Councillor Toomey

48. Retirement of Cheryl Baines from the Cambridge Health Alliance.   Mayor Maher

49. Retirement of Roseline Merondel from the Cambridge Health Alliance.   Mayor Maher

50. Retirement of Anne Sezak from the Cambridge Health Alliance.   Mayor Maher

51. Retirement of Martha Sweezy from the Cambridge Health Alliance.   Mayor Maher

52. Retirement of Janice Lovejoy from the Cambridge Health Alliance.   Mayor Maher

53. Resolution on the death of Monica (Wulff) Steinert.   Councillor Cheung

54. Resolution on the death of Christine Curran.   Councillor Cheung

55. Congratulations to Adam Bry for is pursuit to develop algorithms that can build a map of a plane's environment on the fly.   Councillor Cheung

56. Welcome Governor Patrick to the City of Cambridge.   Councillor Cheung

57. Congratulations to Apple INC on it expansion in Kendall Square.   Councillor Cheung

58. Congratulations to Jeff Sabados on his pursuit to research new drugs that could provide cure for PTSD.   Councillor Cheung

59. Congratulations to Dance in the Schools on being awarded additional funding.   Councillor Cheung

60. Thanks to Jim Braude for his years at the helm of NECN's "Braudeside" program.   Councillor Simmons

61. Resolution on the death of Bob Costa.   Councillor Simmons

62. Congratulations to Lori Lander and Many Helping Hands 365 for a successful 5th Annual Many Helping Hands-MLK Day of Service.   Councillor Simmons

63. Thanks to Evan Martin Blythe and the Cambridge YWCA for organizing the Many Helping Hands-MLK Day of Service.   Councillor Simmons

64. Thanks to Keith Harvey for speaking at Cambridge's Annual MLK Day Commemoration and Remembrance.   Councillor Simmons

65. Thanks to Reverend Dr. Christian Brocato and St. Peter's Episcopal Church for opening their doors to allow the people of Cambridge to observe the Annual MLK Day of Commemoration and Remembrance.   Councillor Simmons

66. Condolences to the family of Eugene Goosby.   Councillor Simmons

67. Resolution on the death of Joseph S. Ronayne.   Mayor Maher

68. Happy Birthday wishes to Estelle Disch.   Councillor Simmons

69. Congratulations to the members of the Cambridge Gridworks team for competing in the EF Glocal Challenge.   Mayor Maher

70. Congratulations to the members of the Cambridge L.E.A.V.E.S. team for successfully competing in the EF Glocal Challenge.   Mayor Maher

71. Congratulations and best wishes to Holli Banks and the Scout Magazine's staff on their relocation to The Center for Arts at The Armory in order to accommodate their growing business.   Vice Mayor Benzan

72. Congratulations to Fanshen Cox DiGiovanni for bringing her show "One Drop of Love" to the City of Cambridge.   Vice Mayor Benzan and Councillor McGovern

73. Happy Birthday wishes to Nereida Becerril Carrasquillo.   Vice Mayor Benzan

74. Happy Birthday wishes to John Hills.   Vice Mayor Benzan

75. Happy Birthday wishes to Ray Shurtleff.   Vice Mayor Benzan

76. Happy Birthday wishes to Nicole Meehan.   Vice Mayor Benzan

77. Happy Birthday wishes to Lorraine Woodson.   Vice Mayor Benzan

78. Happy Birthday wishes to Alan Dobson.   Vice Mayor Benzan

79. Happy Birthday wishes to Maria Silverio Benzan.   Vice Mayor Benzan

80. Happy Birthday wishes to Javier Benzan.   Vice Mayor Benzan

81. Happy Birthday wishes to Denise Cosby.   Vice Mayor Benzan

82. Happy Birthday wishes to Matt Nelson.   Vice Mayor Benzan

83. Congratulations to the members of The Eco League team for successfully competing in the EF Glocal Challenge.   Mayor Maher

84. Congratulations to the Green Monsters team for competing in the EF Glocal Challenge.   Mayor Maher

85. Congratulations to Jessica Lander and Jean Dany Joachim for organizing the Many Voices project.   Mayor Maher

86. Congratulations to Jim Braude on being named the new host of Greater Boston.   Councillor Toomey

87. Resolution on the death of Cheryl Ann Brown.   Vice Mayor Benzan

88. Congratulations to Brad Berkson, CEP of Cambridge-based N12 Technologies on being awarded a $2.5 million dollar state loan.   Councillor Cheung

89. Congratulations to Moderna Therapeutics on raising a record amount of funding for a biotech company last year.   Councillor Cheung

90. Congratulations to CoUrbanize for helping Boston residents track city development projects.   Councillor Cheung

91. Congratulations to Eddy Zhong and Leangap on its recent successes and best wishes in future endeavors.   Councillor Cheung

ORDERS
1. That the City Manager is requested to advocate for the creation of tax credits specifically geared towards incentivizing the creation and support of transitional housing and services at his next meeting with the new Secretary of Housing and Economic Development.   Councillor Cheung and Councillor McGovern
No Action Taken

2. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the Assistant City Manager for Human Services to review current staffing levels at the Multi-Service Center to ensure adequate staffing to meet the needs of families who will be turned away from the housing wait list.   Mayor Maher
No Action Taken

3. That the City Manager is requested to work with the Human Services Department, Community Development Department, Health Department and any other relative departments as well as local shelters to determine a way to fund and supply an additional 100 shelter beds as soon as possible so that the City can better address the immediate shelter needs of our homeless community members while ongoing conversations are taking place regarding long-term solutions to this crisis   Councillor McGovern
No Action Taken

4. That the City Manager is requested to work with the Mayor to reach out to representatives and city officials in Arlington, Belmont, Boston, Everett and Somerville to gauge interest in forming an inter-city committee which would meet three times per year to discuss and develop strategies for common issues that would be best handled regionally with support from the state.   Councillor McGovern, Vice Mayor Benzan and Councillor Cheung
No Action Taken

5. That the City Manager is requested to partner with TicketZen following Boston's announcement of a year-long extension to the successful pilot program allowing residents to pay for parking tickets with their cell phone.   Councillor Cheung
No Action Taken

6. That the attached amendment to the Municipal Code entitled "Prohibition on the Use of Polystyrene Based Disposable Food Containers," together with the input of the Recycling Advisory Committee, be referred to the Ordinance Committee for a hearing and report.   Councillor Cheung
No Action Taken

7. That the City Manager is requested to contact the current owners of the Vail Court property and demand that graffiti be removed, exterminators assess the property, and any other maintenance that would improve the appearance and safety of this building be conducted immediately.   Councillor McGovern, Vice Mayor Benzan and Councillor Simmons
No Action Taken

8. That the City Manager is requested to ask all City Departments to have documents and presentations made available to the public and the City Council at least three business days in advance of the scheduled meeting to allow ample time for review.   Councillor McGovern and Councillor Carlone
No Action Taken

9. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the appropriate departments and elected officials from Somerville to arrange a public meeting of the two cities to discuss regionalism and potential regular scheduling.   Councillor Mazen
No Action Taken

10. That the City Manager is requested to create and fund the position of ombudsman, with degrees of both organizational independence to serve as an advocate and organizational ties to be effective, to serve as a liaison with and an internal advocate for community members.   Councillor Cheung
No Action Taken

11. That the City Manager is requested to confer with relevant City staff and report back to the Council with a list of variance requests and applications results (approved, disapproved, withdrawn) since Jan 1, 2010.   Councillor Kelley
No Action Taken

12. That the City Manager is requested to take the necessary measures to formally designate the 2nd Floor meeting room at the City Hall Annex, located at 344 Broadway, as the Bayard Rustin Meeting Room.   Councillor Simmons
No Action Taken

13. That the City Manager is requested to allocate $10,000 to help fund the Cambridge African-American Heritage Alliance's work in hiring a research assistant and in updating of the African-American Heritage Trail booklet.   Councillor Simmons
No Action Taken

14. City Council support for President Obama's plan to significantly lower the cost of community college making it possible for more Americans to have access to higher education to be better prepared for the workforce of the 21st Century and to have more opportunity for economic mobility.   Vice Mayor Benzan
No Action Taken

15. That the City Manager is requested to work with applicable boards and commissions to assist them in clarifying yearly goals and initiatives, to provide increased administrative oversight and accountability where necessary, and where possible, discuss ways to increase resident involvement.   Councillor Mazen
No Action Taken

16. That the City Manager is requested to report to the City Council any existing agreements that may have been signed between the City of Cambridge and Boston 2024, the US Olympic Committee, or any other organizations representing Olympic interests and that the City Manager is requested to bring any proposed agreement regarding the Olympics to the City Council for discussion and debate prior to signing.   Councillor Cheung, Councillor Toomey, Councillor Carlone and Councillor Kelley
No Action Taken

17. That the City Council go on record in support of the We the People Act.   Councillor Carlone and Councillor Mazen
No Action Taken

18. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested not to enter into any future contracts to obtain electricity from TransCanada and to investigate the possibility of entering into an agreement to obtain up to 100% renewable power for all municipal electricity needs.   Councillor Carlone
No Action Taken

19. That the City Manager is requested to work with all relevant City Staff to explore the potential for installing composting facilities inside City Hall and other key municipal buildings.   Councillor Carlone
No Action Taken

20. That the City Manager is requested to work with all relevant City Staff to investigate the feasibility of establishing an agreement with ride-share services such as Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar, to provide the City with "Smart Data" that will help inform future policymaking decisions related to traffic planning, congestion reduction, safety regulations, and other issues.   Councillor Carlone
No Action Taken

21. That the City Manager is requested to report back to the City Council on the status of the Cambridge Common renovation project along with an update on next steps and the projected date of completion.   Councillor Carlone
No Action Taken

22. That the City Manager is requested to confer with City staff to determine how the median strip was removed at Russell Street despite official documents that clearly stated that the median strip would not be affected.   Councillor Kelley and Councillor Cheung
No Action Taken

23. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority to determine if they can be of further assistance in understanding how the portion of the path from Binney to the Somerville border can be completed and to report back to the City Council.   Councillor Toomey
No Action Taken

24. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the Assistant City Manager of Community Development and report back to the City Council with language that could create a Grand Junction Overlay District that would help to create incentives and ensure the completion of the Grand Junction Multiuse Path.   Councillor Toomey
No Action Taken

25. That the City Manager is requested to determine the feasibility of executing the recommendations of the STEAM Working Group with the appropriate City departments.   Councillor Mazen, Vice Mayor Benzan, Councillor Carlone and Councillor McGovern
No Action Taken

26. That the City Manager is requested to determine the feasibility of creating a survey in collaboration with the Community Development Department and other appropriate departments to gather data on the positive impact of the Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance on the lives of Cambridge residents and families and to determine the feasibility of hosting a town hall meeting where tenants and families who benefit from the Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance can come together to share their experiences and provide valuable feedback on how to perfect the program.   Vice Mayor Benzan, Councillor McGovern and Councillor Cheung
No Action Taken

27. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the appropriate departments to determine the feasibility of renaming Area 4 "The Port."   Vice Mayor Benzan
No Action Taken

COMMITTEE REPORTS
1. A communication was received from Paula Crane, Deputy City Clerk, transmitting a report from Vice Mayor Dennis A. Benzan, Co-Chair of the Economic Development and University Relations Committee and Councillor Nadeem A. Mazen, Chair of the Neighborhood and Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts & Celebration Committee conducted a STEAM Summit on Dec 10, 2014 to present research by the STEAM Working Group and to present the Working Group's recommendations.
No Action Taken

2. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor Marc C. McGovern, Chair of the Finance Committee, for public hearing held on Jan 7, 2015 to discuss discretionary budgeting and the feasibility of introducing Home Rule Petitions regarding an increase to the residential exemption, a tax credit for benevolent landlords and a property transfer for those coming to Cambridge to speculate on land.
No Action Taken

COMMUNICATIONS AND REPORTS FROM CITY OFFICERS
1. A communication was received from Councillor Leland Cheung regarding Unfinished Business Item #11 on the Concussion Proposal.
No Action Taken

2. A communication was received from Councillor Timothy J. Toomey, Jr. transmitting a copy of a letter sent to the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority Board expressing gratitude for their actions to advance the construction of the Grand Junction Multiuse Path.
No Action Taken

HEARING SCHEDULE
Mon, Jan 29
5:30pm   City Council Meeting  (Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, 459 Broadway)

Tues, Jan 27
5:30pm   The Civic Unity Committee will conduct a public hearing to receive an update from the City Manager's Office on the measures it has taken to increase diversity and fairness within the City's workforce since taking office.  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, Feb 2
5:30pm   City Council Meeting  (Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, 459 Broadway)

Thurs, Feb 5
4:30pm   The Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing to continue discussions on the zoning petition filed by Whitehead Institute to amend the Zoning Ordinance, Sections 14.32.1 and 14.32.2 to provide for an increment of 60,000 square feet of GFA to be allowed by special permit in a portion of the MXD District, in Section 14.70 by retitling "Special Provisions Applicable Within the Ames Street District" and by adding a new Section 14.72 "Special Provisions Applicable Outside the Ames Street District.  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, Feb 9
5:30pm   City Council Meeting  (Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, 459 Broadway)

Wed, Feb 11
5:30pm   The Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss a proposed amendment to the Municipal Code entitled Plastic Bag Reduction together with proposed amendments and regulations for Checkout Bags.  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, Feb 23
5:30pm   City Council Meeting  (Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, 459 Broadway)

Mon, Mar 2
5:30pm   City Council Meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, Mar 9
5:30pm   City Council Meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, Mar 16
5:30pm   City Council Meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, Mar 23
5:30pm   City Council Meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, Mar 30
5:30pm   City Council Meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, Apr 6
5:30pm   City Council Meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, Apr 13
5:30pm   City Council Meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, Apr 27
5:30pm   City Council Meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, May 4
5:30pm   City Council Meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, May 11
4:00pm   2015 Scholarship Award Ceremony  (Sullivan Chamber)
5:30pm   City Council Meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, May 18
5:30pm   City Council Meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, June 1
5:30pm   City Council Meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, June 8
5:30pm   City Council Meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, June 15
5:30pm   City Council Meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, June 22
5:30pm   City Council Meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, June 29
5:30pm   City Council Meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

TEXT OF ORDERS
O-1     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN
WHEREAS: Homelessness continues to present a challenge for residents and policy makers in Cambridge; and
WHEREAS: In a previous committee meeting, the Director of Human Services cited the need for more transitional housing and services; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be an hereby is requested to advocate for the creation of tax credits specifically geared towards incentivizing the creation and support of transitional housing and services at his next meeting with the new Secretary of Housing and Economic Development.

O-2     Jan 29, 2015
MAYOR MAHER
WHEREAS: It has come to the attention of the City Council that the wait list for placement in the Cambridge Housing Authority is now closed due to ongoing and future renovations at Cambridge public housing sites; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Assistant City Manager for Human Services to review current staffing levels at the Multi-Service Center to ensure adequate staffing to meet the needs of families who will be turned away from the housing wait list; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to consider this potentially difficult situation for Cambridge families when developing the Fiscal Year 2016 City Budget.

O-3     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN
WHEREAS: The Cambridge City Council and City Administration is very much concerned with the challenges faced by those struggling with homelessness in our community; and
WHEREAS: A recent Boston Globe article pointed out that on any given night there is a shortage of approximately 100 shelter beds in Cambridge; and
WHEREAS: The Human Services and Veteran's Committee will be evaluating the City's Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness, which is currently in year nine and focuses on many long-term solutions to this crisis; and
WHEREAS: Although the City must focus on these long term solutions such as transitional and affordable housing; job training; mental health and substance abuse care; and hunger, there is an immediate need to shelter and feed people each and every night, particularly during these cold winter months; and
WHEREAS: The closing of the Long Island Shelter in Boston has further added to the lack of shelter beds in the metropolitan area; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the Human Services Department, Community Development Department, Health Department and any other relative departments as well as local shelters to determine a way to fund and supply an additional 100 shelter beds as soon as possible so that the City can better address the immediate shelter needs of our homeless community members while ongoing conversations are taking place regarding long-term solutions to this crisis; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council as soon as possible regarding any recommendations or plans to address this immediate need.

O-4     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN
VICE MAYOR BENZAN
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge shares state elected officials with the surrounding communities of Arlington, Belmont, Boston, Everett, and Somerville; and
WHEREAS: These communities share many of the same challenges including the lack of affordable housing, education needs, poverty, public transportation, and environmental issues; and
WHEREAS: Despite sharing these challenges and being geographically close to one another, elected officials and city administrators from these communities never gather together to discuss these regional and shared interests; and
WHEREAS: The gathering of elected officials and city administrators from these communities to discuss these issues could lead to a unified effort to lobby the state for greater support to address these and other issues; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the Mayor to reach out to representatives and city officials in these other communities to gauge interest in forming an inter-city committee which would meet three times per year to discuss and develop strategies for common issues that would be best handled regionally with support from the state.

O-5     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to partner with TicketZen following Boston's announcement of a year-long extension to the successful pilot program allowing residents to pay for parking tickets with their cell phone.

O-6     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
WHEREAS: On Nov 19, 2012, the City Council adopted Policy Order #10 instructing the City Manager to direct the Law Department to draft language for a Municipal Code amendment to ban the use of polystyrene-based disposable food containers; and
WHEREAS: On July 29, 2013, the City Manager transmitted the draft ordinance language together with the attached input from the Recycling Advisory Committee; and
WHEREAS: The proposed draft ordinance was referred to the Ordinance Committee; and
WHEREAS: On Dec 16, 2013, pursuant to Policy Order #1 and no action having been taken by the Ordinance Committee, the proposed amendment was placed on file without prejudice; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the attached amendment to the Municipal Code entitled "Prohibition on the Use of Polystyrene Based Disposable Food Containers," together with the input of the Recycling Advisory Committee, be referred to the Ordinance Committee for a hearing and report.

O-7     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN
VICE MAYOR BENZAN
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS
WHEREAS: The property located at Vail Court has long been a blight on the surrounding community; and
WHEREAS: The current owners have shown no willingness to maintain this abandoned property; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to contact the current owners of the Vail Court property and demand that graffiti be removed, exterminators assess the property, and any other maintenance that would improve the appearance and safety of this building be conducted immediately; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to levy any fines legally allowed by the City if the property owners fail to address these needs.

O-8     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN
COUNCILLOR CARLONE
WHEREAS: City Departments are often asked to present complex and important information to the City Council at roundtables, special meetings, and committee meetings; and
WHEREAS: This information takes great effort and time to create; and
WHEREAS: This information is often not made available to the public or the City Council until the day of the meeting and often at the meeting itself; and
WHEREAS: The comments and questions raised by the community and City Council would be greatly enhanced if this information was presented prior to the scheduled meeting; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to ask all City Departments to have documents and presentations made available to the public and the City Council at least three business days in advance of the scheduled meeting to allow ample time for review.

O-9     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR MAZEN
WHEREAS: Cambridge faces a number of issues that are also pertinent to neighboring municipalities, including: urban planning, affordable housing and education; and
WHEREAS: Cambridge and Somerville are closely interconnected communities and should explore opportunities to collaborate on regional issues; and
WHEREAS: Cambridge City Councillors and City officials ought to have regular opportunities and incentive to directly coordinate with their Somerville counterparts; and
WHEREAS: Corresponding departments between Cambridge and Somerville could form partnerships and share information on issues that affect both cities such as the upcoming Green Line extension; and
WHEREAS: A committee, working group, or department initiative could be formed to explore the best methods of forming regional partnerships across the Greater Boston Area; and
WHEREAS: Somerville has already been through the Master Plan process, sharing of information on this process would be beneficial for Cambridge, and similar reciprocity could be established for Somerville; and
WHEREAS: These meetings could eventually include surrounding municipalities such as Arlington, Belmont, Boston, and Watertown; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the appropriate departments and elected officials from Somerville to arrange a public meeting of the two cities to discuss regionalism and potential regular scheduling; and be it further
ORDERED: The City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council on this matter.

O-10     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
WHEREAS: Residents are most in touch with the needs of their respective neighborhoods and are instrumental in implementing lasting positive change in the community; and
WHEREAS: Residents may recognize a need for advocacy, but may find it difficult to vocalize their proposals to the various boards and agencies of the city, since those most affected may not necessarily have prior experience with the inner-workings of our municipal government; and
WHEREAS: Developers often have the funds to hire lawyers to advocate for their positions in front of the City Council and Boards, presenting their position with a unified and singular voice; and
WHEREAS: Residents may not have access to, nor the means to procure, such experienced representation; and
WHEREAS: Differences in opinion presented by different members of the public, while valued, present a spectrum of opinion to our boards and agencies which may diminish their collective bargaining position, as compared to a unified voice; and
WHEREAS: An Ombudsman could not only advocate on behalf of residents' interests, but could also mediate disputes within the ad-hoc collection of residents to present to our boards and commissions and unified voice; and
WHEREAS: It has been suggested that some sort of municipally appointed ombudsman would be a welcomed addition for residents looking to navigate the intricate process of municipal policies, regulations and ordinances, and effectively advocate for a neighborhood's best interests; and
WHEREAS: The Community Development Department has a primary fiduciary responsibility to the city as a whole, and has not routine, nor should not, argue for one side or another; and now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to create and fund the position of ombudsman, with degrees of both organizational independence to serve as an advocate and organizational ties to be effective, to serve as a liaison with and an internal advocate for community members.

O-11     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR KELLEY
WHEREAS: Repeated variance requests for relief from Cambridge zoning restrictions for signage, setbacks, parking and more indicate that there is a disconnect between what the City's current zoning allows and what some property owners want to do; and
WHEREAS: This disconnect results in many property owners seeking variances for dimensional relief, table of uses relief, setback relief and more rather than accepting the limitations placed on properties by zoning; and
WHEREAS: Variances are only to be granted in narrow circumstances; and
WHEREAS: Repeated requests for variances, many of which are granted, creates a general concern that the City's zoning code is not working properly, especially if many variances are granted; and
WHEREAS: Trends in both variance applications and variance approval would give City planners and the City Council information on what changes might be considered in the zoning code or what communications might be sent to the Board of Zoning Appeals, and, if appropriate, the Planning Board, on the importance of narrowly construing relief of a zoning code the Council has affirmatively adopted; now be it therefore
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with relevant City staff and report back to the Council with a list of variance requests and applications results (approved, disapproved, withdrawn) since Jan 1, 2010.

O-12     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS
WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge, a beacon of diversity, tolerance, and inclusivity, has long been celebrated as a community that forever strives to acknowledge, honor, and commemorate the rich tapestry of people who make this community so special; and
WHEREAS: It was in this spirit of celebrating diversity, and of forever striving to better understand and appreciate the various ethnic, gender, and religious backgrounds of those who comprise our community, that in 2011 the City established the Annual Bayard Rustin Award for Public Service, which was named in honor of the late Civil Rights champion, and which is bestowed each year at the City's LGBT Pride Brunch; and
WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge continues to work towards creating a more inclusive, more diverse, more tolerant society, both within our city borders, and as an example to others; and
WHEREAS: It was the spirit of these same ideals and this kind of striving to increase tolerance and acceptance for all that led President Obama, on Nov 20, 2013, to posthumously award Bayard Rustin the Presidential Medal of Freedom on what would have been Mr. Rustin's 100th birthday; and
WHEREAS: Bayard Rustin was one of the architects of the March on Washington in 1963, and he was a close advisor to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but his role in history was long obscured due to his sexual orientation, and it is only now, decades after his passing, that Mr. Rustin's work and legacy are starting to be granted the recognition they deserve; and
WHEREAS: In the spirit of continuing to acknowledged the life, work, and legacy of Bayard Rustin, of helping him reclaim his rightful place in American history, and of recognizing how his work and ideals match the ideals of the City of Cambridge, it would be fitting for this City to designate a room designed for conversation, deliberation, and collaboration as the Bayard Rustin Meeting Room; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to take the necessary measures to formally designate the 2nd Floor meeting room at the City Hall Annex, located at 344 Broadway, as the Bayard Rustin Meeting Room.

O-13     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS
WHEREAS: Cambridge is home to one of this nation's oldest African-American communities, and since 1991, the Cambridge African-American History Committee has been working to collect, cultivate, and preserve that aspect of our local history; and
WHEREAS: Cambridge has always prided itself for being a community that is concerned with preserving and celebrating our rich history, and the Cambridge African American Heritage Alliance has been working to update the African-American Heritage Trail book to ensure that it is current and readily available, and this project is in keeping with the kind of historical preservation the City should supportive of; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to allocate $10,000 to help fund the Cambridge African-American Heritage Alliance's work in hiring a research assistant and in updating of the African-American Heritage Trail booklet.

O-14     Jan 29, 2015
VICE MAYOR BENZAN
WHEREAS: On Tues, Jan 20, 2015 President Barack Obama unveiled a major plan for free community college education thus making the case that government has a role in ensuring equal opportunity for all in his penultimate State of the Union address; and
WHEREAS: In addressing the nation, President Obama said he would send Congress a bold new plan to lower the cost of community college to zero; and
WHEREAS: The President's plan, first announced on Jan 8, would make two years of community college free for students of any age who earn a C+ average, attend school at least half-time, and are making steady progress toward their degree; and
WHEREAS: The program would be available at community colleges with academic programs whose credits transfer to local public four-year college and universities; and
WHEREAS: Part of the community college push would be to help students gain technical training and jobs in high-demand fields as greater educational attainment does indeed reduce Americans' chances of being unemployed; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Council go on record expressing support for President Obama's plan to significantly lower the cost of community college making it possible for more Americans to have access to higher education to be better prepared for the workforce of the 21st Century and to have more opportunity for economic mobility.

O-15     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR MAZEN
WHEREAS: The City has over forty boards and commissions each with specific goals and objectives; and
WHEREAS: Many of these board and commissions are public facing and are intended to facilitate vibrant resident discussion and input or community-led research; and
WHEREAS: The public could benefit from a clear understanding of the goals and upcoming initiatives and could benefit from understanding the timelines associated with those goals and initiatives, for each board and commission; and
WHEREAS: Developing these goals and timelines can also facilitate increased organization, efficiency, public input, and public service, maximizing value to the community; and
WHEREAS: These efforts would not present a burden to these boards or commissions or the City Manager's office; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with applicable boards and commissions to assist them in clarifying yearly goals and initiatives, to provide increased administrative oversight and accountability where necessary, and where possible, discuss ways to increase resident involvement; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council on this matter by budget time.

O-16     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
COUNCILLOR TOOMEY
COUNCILLOR CARLONE
COUNCILLOR KELLEY
WHEREAS: The Cambridge City Council has gone on record as being opposed to the Boston 2024 bid for the Olympic Games; and
WHEREAS: Boston 2024, a private organization, did submit such a bid without meaningful public input or any real community engagement; and
WHEREAS: The United States Olympic Committee selected Boston to represent the United States as the host city for the 2024 Olympics; and
WHEREAS: Cambridge venues are proposed as part of this bid, with MIT hosting archery and Magazine Beach hosting the triathlon, with routes that include Memorial Drive and Massachusetts Avenue; and
WHEREAS: Public documents have revealed that Boston Mayor Marty Walsh signed a non-disparagement agreement with the US Olympic Committee, prohibiting the City and its officers and employees from making statements that "reflect unfavorably upon, denigrate, or disparage, or are detrimental to the reputation or statue of the IOC, the IPC, the IOC Bid, the Bid Committee or the Olympic or Paralympic movement;" and
WHEREAS: The bid documents further require that officers and employees of the City of Boston shall each promote the Bid Committee, the USOC, the IOC Bid, and the Olympic and Paralympic movements in a positive manner; and
WHEREAS: A private organization restricting the freedom of speech of officials who represent their citizens is anti-democratic; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report to the City Council any existing agreements that may have been signed between the City of Cambridge and Boston 2024, the US Olympic Committee, or any other organizations representing Olympic interests; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to bring any proposed agreement regarding the Olympics to the City Council for discussion and debate prior to signing; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council on this matter; and be it further
RESOLVED: That the City Council does hereby go on record in support of City Staff providing their unbiased, professional opinions and judgments about the Olympics, both positive and negative, as the case may be; and be it further
RESOLVED: That the City Council go on record in support of democratic processes for evaluating the question of the Olympic Games, including popular ballot initiatives and referenda.

O-17     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR CARLONE
COUNCILLOR MAZEN
WHEREAS: It has come to the attention of the City Council that Massachusetts State Senator James Eldridge and Massachusetts State Representative Cory Atkins have recently filed the We the People Act; and
WHEREAS: The We the People Act calls on the United States Congress to propose an amendment to the Constitution to affirm that the rights protected by the Constitution are the rights of natural persons (i.e. human individuals) only; it further affirms that Congress and the states shall place limits on political contributions and expenditures while also making it clear that the spending of money to influence elections is not protected free speech under the First Amendment; and
WHEREAS: The We the People Act also calls for an Article V Constitutional Convention if Congress has not proposed such an amendment within six months of passage of the act; California, Vermont and Illinois have already called for such a convention; and
WHEREAS: The We the People Act has already garnered strong support from local organizations such as Move to Amend, MassVote, the Massachusetts Sierra Club, and many others, now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Council go on record in support of the We the People Act; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Clerk be and hereby is requested to forward suitably engrossed copies of this resolution to the state and federal legislative delegations on behalf of the entire City Council.

O-18     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR CARLONE
WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge obtains electricity for municipal operations through a contract with TransCanada Corporation; and
WHEREAS: TransCanada is the driving force behind Keystone XL, a proposal to create a 1,179-mile pipeline to deliver tar sands oil from to the United States; and
WHEREAS: Jim Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, has stated that the Keystone XL pipeline would mean "game over" for the environment, because exploitation of tar sands oil would make it implausible to stabilize climate and avoid disastrous global climate impacts; and
WHEREAS: It has come to the attention of the City Council that our contract with TransCanada is set to expire at the end of the year; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested not to enter into any future contracts to obtain electricity from TransCanada; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to investigate the possibility of entering into an agreement to obtain up to 100% renewable power for all municipal electricity needs; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council on this matter.

O-19     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR CARLONE
WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge is committed to expanding composting programs and services; and
WHEREAS: Composting is nature's way of recycling and is one of the best and easiest things that can be done to reduce waste; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with all relevant City Staff to explore the potential for installing composting facilities inside City Hall and other key municipal buildings; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council on this matter.

O-20     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR CARLONE
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with all relevant City Staff to investigate the feasibility of establishing an agreement with ride-share services such as Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar, to provide the City with "Smart Data" that will help inform future policymaking decisions related to traffic planning, congestion reduction, safety regulations, and other issues.

O-21     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR CARLONE
WHEREAS: A number of months ago, the City of Cambridge fenced off portions of the area around Cambridge Common in anticipation of a major rehabilitation project; and
WHEREAS: Residents have expressed concern and frustration over that fact that much time has elapsed without many visible signs of work or progress on the project; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council on the status of the Cambridge Common renovation project along with an update on next steps and the projected date of completion.

O-22     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR KELLEY
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
WHEREAS: The median strip on North Massachusetts Avenue helps define traffic and constrain turning movements; and
WHEREAS: The majority of bicycle/car collisions involve turning movements; and
WHEREAS: The North Massachusetts Avenue reconstruction project was specifically advertised as not impacting the median strip (see attached); and
WHEREAS: The reconstruction of the Russell Street/Massachusetts Avenue intersection nonetheless resulted in the removal of roughly 65' of median strip to alter southbound automobile traffic flow; and
WHEREAS: The removal of this section of median strip allows southbound cars to make a left turn on Russell Street at a higher speed and an easier angle than when the median strip was in place, as the median strip required a 90 degree turn to access Russell Street (see attached); and
WHEREAS: This expanded vehicular access to Russell Street makes the intersection for northbound cyclists more dangerous as cars angle at greater speed across the northbound lane and onto Russell Street; and
WHEREAS: The median strip was specifically not to be altered during the project; and
WHEREAS: There has already been one bicycle/car collision at this intersection since its reconstruction; and
WHEREAS: The City's suggested solution to the new and more dangerous traffic flow is to review it in the spring and possibly install a concrete rumble strip that cars could also easily drive over, though not as smoothly as the current yellow lines; and
WHEREAS: This suggested solution is neither timely enough nor effective enough to maintain adequate street safety; now be therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with City staff to determine how the median strip was removed despite official documents that clearly stated that the median strip would not be affected; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with City staff to determine an appropriate way to physically keep automobiles from making a left hand turn at this intersection of less than 90 degrees so that drivers will be more attentive to making the turn, will make the turn at a slower speed and will pose less of a threat to oncoming bicycle and motor vehicle traffic; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council on these issues.

O-23     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR TOOMEY
WHEREAS: The Cambridge Redevelopment Authority has taken action to begin construction on the first parcel of the Grand Junction Multiuse Path sometime in Spring 2015; and
WHEREAS: MIT recently submitted their feasibility study for their portion of the multi-use path and identified some possible conflicts and pinch points that need to be addressed; and
WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge is planning for the design and development of the parcel between Broadway and Binney Street as part of the Connect Kendall project; and
WHEREAS: The portion of the path between Little Binney and the Somerville border is the remaining stretch of the path that needs to be examined and it is potentially the most complicated do to various land owners and special conflicts; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority to determine if they can be of further assistance in understanding how the portion of the path from Binney to the Somerville border can be completed and to report back to the City Council.

O-24     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR TOOMEY
WHEREAS: Planning for the Grand Junction Multiuse Path continues to advance and portions of the first portions of the path are slated for construction starting in Spring 2015; and
WHEREAS: While support for the path grows there are many design and land issues that need to be resolved along the corridor to ensure a future where the Grand Junction Multiuse Path is a safe and viable transportation option through all of Eastern Cambridge; and
ORDERED: Providing flexibility to property owners along the Grand Junction by creating a Grand Junction Overlay District could help to solve some of the conflicts that have been identified in various feasibility studies, preserve safe setbacks needed to create a viable path, and eliminate any conflicts with possible additional rails; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Assistant City Manager of Community Development and report back to the City Council with language that could create a Grand Junction Overlay District that would help to create incentives and ensure the completion of the Grand Junction Multiuse Path.

O-25     Jan 29, 2015
COUNCILLOR MAZEN
VICE MAYOR BENZAN
COUNCILLOR CARLONE
COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN
WHEREAS: Educational equity is critical for economic mobility and for addressing structural inequality; and
WHEREAS: For the past ten months representatives from local universities, corporations, community non-profits, the School Department, and the Human Services department have been meeting regularly as part of a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) working group; and
WHEREAS: The STEAM Working Group mandate is to develop a plan that improves coordination within and between out of school time STEAM programs for youth and adults, ultimately increasing the breadth and scope of educational opportunities for underserved communities; and
WHEREAS: The Working Group builds off of the work conducted by former Mayor Henrietta Davis's city-wide STEM inclusion roundtable and the work of various City departments, as well as work done by previous councils; and
WHEREAS: Over the course of many months of research and citywide conversation, the STEAM Working Group has officially recommended that the City of Cambridge: make a citywide commitment to becoming a world-class STEAM city; establish a STEAM portal for internships and opportunities; create a STEAM Center in the city for learners of all ages; create a comprehensive network of internships to match the skill level and interests of all learners; and launch a communications and outreach campaign drawing all families into the full range of educational and economic opportunities in Cambridge; and
WHEREAS: The STEAM Center will provide hands-on STEAM learning activities, exhibitions, workshops, presentations, and job training, eventually establishing satellite neighborhood STEAM Centers; and
WHEREAS: Achieving " comprehensive network of internships requires the City to inventory and categorize existing internships, facilitate collaboration with potential host organizations to create new internships, and collaborate with researchers to evaluate and improve the entire network's existing internship experiences; and
WHEREAS: A communications and outreach campaign launched by the City should sponsor "Wow" projects to engage students, adults, and the entire community in complex interdisciplinary projects, should: use branding, newsletters, social media, email, mailings, and street teams to assure an increase in equity and participation; hold frequent neighborhood information sessions and focus groups to build residents' knowledge about STEAM and Out of School Time opportunities, and to garner feedback on program activities; offer STEAM tours to build excitement and interest; establish a STEAM youth advisory group; and engage STEAM stakeholders and industry in leading this campaign; and
WHEREAS: The STEAM portal will function as a searchable database of STEAM/Out of School Time internships, activities, and opportunities, including an integrated calendar, searchable map, feedback options for learners and families, and feedback options for Out of School time programs, also including a digital badge system that will allow learners to track their own activities, progress, and options while communicating accomplishments to mentors and OST programs; and
WHEREAS: The most critical, central STEAM Working Group recommendation charges the City to establish and gather funds for a 3-4 person STEAM Coordination Office to implement the set of working group recommendations over 3-5 years or beyond; and
WHEREAS: The STEAM Coordination Office will work across city departments, the schools, companies, universities, nonprofits, and other organizations fulfill these recommendations as a community-wide effort; and
WHEREAS: The STEAM Working Group also recommends convening a standing STEAM advisory group that includes members from the current STEAM Working Group, STEAM professionals, community members, parents, educators, learners, and other stakeholders, to bring valuable feedback to the STEAM Coordination Office and to review accomplishments, short-term goals, and long-term vision; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to determine the feasibility of executing the above recommendations with the appropriate City departments; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to present a plan for shared city and corporate financing of the STEAM Coordination Office and report back to the City Council; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council on this matter.

O-26     Jan 29, 2015
VICE MAYOR BENZAN
COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
WHEREAS: The Cambridge City Council passed the Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance in 1998 and has since created 822 units of affordable rental and ownership housing completed in new developments located throughout the city; and
WHEREAS: With an emphasis on creating affordable units on-site as part of new residential developments, the Ordinance has become a model for other communities looking to address affordability for lower-income residents in high-cost areas, and has worked to ensure that the socio-economic diversity of the community is reflected in new housing; and
WHEREAS: Article 11.200 of the Zoning Ordinance states that the purposes of incentive zoning provisions and inclusionary housing provisions are to promote the public health, safety and welfare by encouraging the expansion and upgrading of the City's housing stock while accommodating the expansion of housing and commercial opportunities in the City; and to provide for a full range of housing choices throughout the city for households of all incomes, ages and sizes in order to meet the City's goal of preserving diversity; and
WHEREAS: Article 11.200 of the Zoning Ordinance also states that the purposes of incentive zoning provisions and inclusionary housing provisions are to mitigate the impacts of commercial and residential development on the availability and cost of housing and especially housing affordable to low and moderate income households; to increase the production of affordable housing units to meet existing and anticipated housing and employment needs within the City; and to provide a mechanism by which commercial and residential development can contribute in a direct way to increasing the supply of affordable housing in exchange for a greater density or intensity of development than that otherwise permitted as a matter of right, among other things; and
WHEREAS: The Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance is often undervalued and misunderstood; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to determine the feasibility of creating a survey in collaboration with the Community Development Department and other appropriate departments to gather data on the positive impact of the Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance on the lives of Cambridge residents and families; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to determine the feasibility of hosting a town hall meeting where tenants and families who benefit from the Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance can come together to share their experiences and provide valuable feedback on how to perfect the program, and report back to the Council.

O-27     Jan 29, 2015
VICE MAYOR BENZAN
WHEREAS: Prior to the filling in of Boston's Back Bay and Charles River marshes, brackish saltwater reached into what is now Area 4; and
WHEREAS: After landfill allowed Cambridge to expand over the area now known as Cambridgeport, this entire portion of Cambridge was known as the "Old Port;" and
WHEREAS: Cambridge's "Old Port" was split into two planning zones, Area 4 and Area 5, by the Cambridge Community Development department, with Massachusetts Avenue as the dividing line; and
WHEREAS: The "Port" name went to Area 5, today known as Cambridgeport, where the waterfront is currently located, and inland Area 4 lost its name and became known by its neighborhood planning designation, which is also its police zone; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the appropriate departments to determine the feasibility of renaming Area 4 "The Port" and report back to the City Council in a timely manner.

COMMITTEE REPORTS
Committee Report #1
The Economic Development & University Committee and the Neighborhood and Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, arts and Celebration Committee conducted a STEAM Summit on Dec 10, 2014 beginning at 5:30pm in the Sullivan Chamber of City Hall.

The purpose of the STEAM Summit was to present research conducted by the STEAM Working Group. The Summit invited the greater Cambridge community to hear the Working Group's recommendations around STEAM-related workforce development, issues of access and equity in the innovation economy, and best practices. Final recommendations were sent to the full City Council and then forwarded to the City Manager for his consideration and actions.

Present at the meeting were: Vice Mayor Dennis A. Benzan, Co-Chair of the Economic Development and University Relations Committee; Councillor Nadeem A. Mazen, Chair of the Neighborhood and Long term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts and Celebration Committee; Councillor Toomey, Member of the Neighborhood and Long term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts and Celebration Committee; Councillor Cheung, Chair of the Health and Environment Committee; City Manager Richard Rossi; Deputy City Manager Lisa Peterson; Assistant City Manager for Community Development Brian Murphy; Assistant City Manager for Human Services Ellen Semonoff; and Director for Adult and Family Services Susan Walsh.

Also present were: Tahtyana Fortune, Student at Prospect Hill Academy; Tyler Fortune, Student at Prospect Hill Academy; Antoinae L., Student at Prospect Hill Academy; Brianna, Student at Prospect Hill Academy; Kaylene N., Student at Prospect Hill Academy; Ashley Fortune, Student at Prospect Hill Academy; Laura Chadwell, Director at the Community Arts Center; Eryn Johnson, Executive Director at the Community Arts Center; Rich McKinnon, McKinnon and Co., Developer for EF; Jake Crutchfield, Teacher; Sarah Hoffman, Director of Admissions and Community Dvp., Mmmmmaven; Beverley Sobers, Director, Office of Workforce Development/DHSP; Joan Abrams, CRLS Biotechnology teacher; Kathryn Saunders, YMCA and longtime Cambridge resident; Pardis Saffari, Cambridge Community Development Department; Sung Kim, Cambridge Science Festival; Marc Saunders, PHA & Longtime Cambridge resident; Pharaoh Saunders, Student at Prospect Hill Academy; Paul Parravano, MIT; Meera Singh, Eco-Audit Program; Kathleen Fitzgerald, Teacher at Cambridge Rindge and Latin; Victoria Harris, Friends of CRLS; Jason Weeks, Director of the Arts Council; Kyle Browne, Director at Cambridge Creativity Commons; Tom Lucey, Harvard University; Ana D. Mejia, Teacher; Susan Cusack, Lesley University; James Lee, Dean at Cambridge College; Laura Nelson, Ph.D. student, Harvard University; Nancy Tauber, Executive Director, Kids' Council and Cambridge Youth Council; Ed Moriarty, Instructor, MIT; Zoë Levitt, CRLS Student, MIT Outreach; Marshall Milner, Executive Director of Science Training, UMass Boston; Ben Clark, Cambridge Community Services; Mina Reddy, Director of the Community Learning Center; Emily Dexter, Teacher, CPS Parent; Eli Tucker-Raymond, Research Scientist, TERC; and Khari Milner, Co-Director of Cambridge Agenda for Children/Director of CPS.

Vice Mayor Benzan and Councillor Mazen called the meeting to order at 5:37pm. Councillor Mazen read the call of the meeting.

Vice Mayor Benzan and Councillor Mazen presented a brief history of the Working Group.

Vice Mayor Benzan said that the Cambridge City Council, by way of the Neighborhood and Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts and Celebration Committee Co-chaired by Councillor Mazen and the Economic Development and University Relations Committee Co-chaired by Vice Mayor Benzan have spent the last few months convening the Cambridge community in an effort to make Cambridge a World Class Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) City - not just for the companies that make up our booming innovation economy but for the residents of Cambridge that are left out of our economy.

He added that these Council committees have brought together the Extended Learning (EL) STEAM Network---which has done incredible work over the last year and half, non-profits, members of the corporate community, our schools, city officials, universities, and our neighborhoods to build the collaborative infrastructure necessary to 1) develop a STEAM literate city; and 2) create pathways to careers that are at the heart of the innovation economy in our city. As many of you know, our manufacturing economy---the economy that gave many of our longtime Cambridge families the ability to migrate from poverty into the middle class has been replaced by an economy that is much more sophisticated and requires STEAM literacy.

The Vice Mayor said that there are major challenges in making Cambridge a World Class STEAM City for our residents and for learners of all ages including pre-school children and our Senior population, including those that do not have access to Smart Phone Technology and young children that receive little or no exposure to STEAM in the early stages of life. He stated that the City needs to be deliberate and intentional about this effort and he commended every single member of the community that has been a part of this process including members of EL STEAM Network, as well as, Councillors McGovern and Carlone who had been incredibly supportive of the City Council's STEAM Working Group (Kelly and school committee). He congratulated the members of Working Group Committees for spending considerable time and energy understanding how to build our STEAM infrastructure in a collaborative and sustainable way.

The Vice Mayor said that STEAM has to become part of the culture of our neighborhoods if we are to succeed and that the City must be the convener of our stakeholders. Finally, he thanked the City Administration including City Manager Rich Rossi for being fully engaged in the working group's efforts and for understanding the role this work plays in giving residents a higher chance at entering the new economy.

Councillor Mazen expressed his gratitude to the members for the volume of research they produced and for always striving to reach consensus.

He thanked the City administration; members of the School Committee, Patty Nolan, Fran Cronin and Kathleen Kelley; teachers and other school department representatives. He stated that he looks forward to even more input, because there is already a great deal of alignment and commitment around the topics the working group will cover.

Councillor Mazen expressed that there is still a need for coordination: between incredible programs and between leaders in the education ecosystem. He expanded that this means some amount of top-down coordination and a lot of communication, critique, and collaboration.

Councillor Mazen said that there is also a complementary need - a bottom-up need that starts in the neighborhoods, on the streets, and in local organizations. He encouraged every program to go out into the community and consistently, cooperatively, proactively meet learners where they are. He stated that over the months, the working group created a very special kind of dialogue - a prototype for widespread academic success and for economic mobility, but that we are missing mechanisms for regular engagement with learners and families, where they are. He mentioned that each program - especially well-funded programs - ought to have a position for full-time community engagement and some form of street work as part of their program-recruitment and as part of their commitment to education-ecosystem coordination. He closed by expressing that the group is committed to bringing this ongoing work, and the opportunities that Cambridge hosts, to each and every student, and to their families.

Youth who have participated in STEAM activities shared their experiences.

My Brother's Keeper Hackathon first place winner, Prospect Hill Academy student Pharaoh Saunders, presented his group's winning application. He explained that the application CYC (Changing Your Community) is a mobile web app that allows its users to take photos of abandoned building is their area and upload them into a virtual database. The application then allows for others to post comments on the photos and vote on them. Ideally this info will be relayed to local developers and city government in order to get sensible practical and beneficial renovations to the community.

Pharaoh thanked his mentors at Google and all those who equipped his team with the skills to produce a winning application. He thanked his educators for the opportunity to get involved in computer science and application design. He stated that he never would have discovered his passion for computer science if it were not for the opportunity to intern at Google and receive hands-on training from engineers, designers and other professionals in STEAM careers. He urged youth to take advantage of STEAM opportunities and acquire skills that will help them succeed in the innovation economy.

Community Art Center Students Brianna, Tyler, Tahtyana, Ashley Fortune and Antoniae Leaks spoke about their experience with astronaut Doug Wheelock.

Ashley said that she is thirteen years old and that at the art center she learned how to use her voice to transform her community and the world. She truly enjoyed meeting the astronaut and discover new and exciting career choices in astronomy, aeronautical engineering and space travel.

Tahtyana stated that she is eleven years old and that at the art center she learns dance in addition to how to be a great leader and role model. She stated that the children of Cambridge are the future artists, scientists, designers, and engineers of the world. She liked when Doug spoke about working for NASA and she enjoyed learning about how in outer space weight changes but mass stays the same.

Tyler said that he is nine years old and is learning graphic design at the Community Art Center. She explained that Doug taught them that to become an astronaut one needs to study design, biology, math, engineering and physics. She learned that it takes a lot of people doing different types of jobs to send people in a rocket and into space.

Antoinae stated that she is ten years old and that she is learning dance at the Community Art Center. Because they are artists, her and her friends created moon paintings before the astronaut arrived. She enjoyed learning about the moon and how time works differently in space from astronaut Doug Wheelock.

Brianna said that she is ten years old and studies dance at the Community Art center. She was curious to learn how long it takes to get into space. After meeting the astronaut, she is now interested in studying space and the planets. She thanked Vice Mayor Benzan and his aide Pamela Rosario Perez for bringing such an exciting and unique experience to the Cambridge Art Center.

Eli Tucker-Raymond, Education Researcher at Chèche Konnen Center, TERC and Co-Coordinator of the Extended Learning (EL) STEAM Network presented some of his organization's work around STEAM.

Eli outlined why the group uses STEAM as a grounding concept and what his organization thinks it will do for the community, and within that show examples from Cambridge that will hopefully give a clearer understanding of what STEAM looks like for learning and what it means for the larger world. STEAM, at its broadest, is an approach to learning that integrates Arts/Design content and models of learning and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math content and models. It includes many different kinds of models of implementation with different emphases. But at its heart, it is about creativity, knowing the world, and providing pathways for possible futures as creative, curious, cosmopolitan residents, a city that continues to be a hub of innovation not because it is tied to the latest technology, but because it's people are on the cutting edge of learning and engagement and a world that bends toward equity and justice.

He stated that the innovation economy; the creative economy; 21st century skills; science, technology, engineering and mathematics; and citizenship are terms folks hear increasingly applied to what young people will need to pay attention to if they want to lead happy productive lives. It has shown promise as an interdisciplinary framework for engaging young people in creative learning activities.

The EL STEAM network includes the arts because when people engage in the arts they participate with their whole bodies. This is not true of traditional models of STEM learning in school. So, STEAM is about participation of the whole body in the learning process. It is not merely rapping the multiplication tables. To do STEAM is to be, to dwell, to make and to ask critical questions of the world through that making.

Eli stated that most people are aware of the biotech industry in Cambridge, in the computer science based industry, in the rich arts community in the area. He drew attention to what the innovation economy and the creative economy look like. He used the example of a wheelchair developed in Cambridge that employs user-operated levers to propel the wheels rather than pushing directly on the wheels. They are made for off-road terrain such as that often found in rural areas, in developing countries, and places more traditional wheelchairs have difficulty manipulating. This is a small company that relies on outside the box engineering and design thinking, yet returning to basic physics and one of the simplest machines ever invented, the lever. The levers also act as the brakes.

He cited the fact that there at least 15 types of steel-each with its own unique melting temperature, pliability, breaking point- to illustrate the point that careers that use steel, like jewelry-making, require more than being creative; they demand knowledge of each material's properties. He spoke about Cat Tweedie, a Somerville resident and creator of the Mobius Strip, who received her doctorate in materials engineering yet became a full-time sculptor. He explained that it is not that she chose art over science, but that she had the freedom to choose between the two fields.

Eli focused the attention on another local example. He displayed pictures of Rindge Ave Upper School Teacher Dave Suchy, Cambridge Public Schools technology integration specialist Ingrid Gustaffson, and Director of the Cambridge Creativity Commons, Kyle Browne and the sixth grade students at Rindge Ave. The students created interactive ecosystem simulations by painting the habitat, creating animals, and making it able to conduct electricity. They then attached those paintings to the computer program "Scratch" through the use of an electronic interface, "Makey Makey." When one touched the animals in the paintings, the on screen simulation would then increase the population of that animal. The simulations mimicked ecosystem processes of predation, parasitism, mutualism, and competition.

Eli said that students learn through creating, and as made evident in the example of the sixth graders, they are able to learn about more than one topic at once when they create. The students were not only able to learn about ecosystem processes, but also about computer programming, electricity, and visual arts. This project is transdisciplinary. STEAM is about broadening possibilities for all of Cambridge's citizens. It is about opportunity. Opportunity to engage as a full member in economic, social, and political spheres of public life, to be able to make choices about where to live, who to associate with, and how to earn a living. Opportunities are not only about creating a space for someone to step into, providing one more job opening. They are also about preparing that person and that space for each other in a way that benefits the person, the position, and the community. By coming together as a coalition of stakeholders from different sectors of the city, we are working toward that space.

Sue Walsh, Assistant Director for Adult and Family Services and Joan Abrams: CRLS Biotech teacher RSTA provided a local snapshot of STEAM (see Attachment A, slides 14-24)

Sue explained that nationally, STEAM jobs are expected to grow 17% by 2018, whereas non-Steam jobs are expected to grow by 10%. The Arts occupations with the highest growth rates are currently museum technicians and conservators, curators, landscape architects, and interior designers. STEM growth occupations include software developers, computer and information systems managers, medical scientists, and medical and health services managers. In Massachusetts, STEM occupations are projected to grow by 32% and in the Metro North Workforce Development Region, of which Cambridge is a part, key STEM occupations are projected to grow 27% or over 13,000 jobs.

As compared with European countries and China, where 10-20% of students are majoring in STEM subjects, in the U.S. only 4% are doing so. This may reflect lack of interest on the part of U.S. students, or lack of adequate K-12 preparation in math and science. In fact, US 10th grade test scores are ranked only 35th out of a sample of 65 countries, suggesting the need to improve math and science education at the elementary and secondary level

Joan remarked that President Obama issued a national call to action during his "Educate to Innovate" campaign in 2010. When the president made these remarks in 2010, the US ranked 21 and 25 in science and math respectively. 15 year-olds are currently ranked 36 relative to their international peers. The US is not moving in the right direction toward maintaining our competitiveness in the world. Mr. Obama's focus was on preparing, supporting, and retaining good teachers. She called on the attendees to focus on the Cambridge community and how the community can strengthen the local STEAM pipeline. She stated that each approach will require commitment and cooperation from all stakeholders aimed at invigorating and inspiring our youth.

Joan said that to stimulate interest and mobilize Cambridge youth, there needs to be a joint effort to uniformly connect students with real people in real jobs by 1) getting kids excited about STEAM, and 2) capitalizing on their natural inquisitiveness. Educators need to allow students to explore their interests, recognize talents, and explore different working environments. Students need to be able to make important connections between what they are studying in school and real world applications (infuse new energy into school work). It is also important to promote connections and support structures, especially important for underrepresented women and minorities, largest attrition in STEAM careers.

Joan cited some statistics to demonstrate why Cambridge is a STEAM haven.

Sue described the current infrastructure and listed the active work-based learning opportunities available to Cambridge students. These opportunities are both school and community-based and may take place during the summer and school-year; some are STEAM-focused, but many are not.

Joan expressed how success is comprised of 4 components. She added that it is essential that educators: systemize preparation and training of students; coordinate both in-school and out-of-school so they can make meaningful contributions to the host companies; make career and college readiness a graduation requirement (like math, science, English); have strong collaboration with school department; and have STEAM-based professional development for teachers, guidance, OST staff.

The mission of STEAM in Cambridge is to provide a reciprocating environment between the school district, business and academic community, students/families, OST programs and the City.

Marshall Milner opened the floor to questions for the mid-session Q&A.

Shery Lasiter from MIT addressed Joan Abrams. She stated that the graphics and descriptions for the goals were very impactful. She suggested that Joan's group bring together in and out of school programs. She also suggested that Joan's group bring in informal educators to that same community.

Marc Saunders requested that charter schools and private institutions of learning be included in the research and recommendations.

Paul Torin asked if STEAM has been considered as a regional effort.

Maisha Moses from the Young People's Project (YPP) spoke about youth as one of the City's hidden resources. She stated that there is a huge lack of STEM teaching resources in the country. YPP has been exploring how to tap into young people themselves as resources. One of the things that they have been exploring is how to get young people to teach math and science to other young people.

Maisha said that she believes it is not necessary to move a hundred steps ahead before teaching others, people can move a few steps forward before teaching back. She stated that there are many youth who can be employed to teach other young people. She said that best ways to learn something is by teaching it. It is important to consider youth as resources and it is not very expensive considering the size of the problem.

STEAM Working Group sub groups presented their research.

Jacob "Jake" Crutchfield, a Cambridge OST worker and community organizer presented on behalf of the Better Practices group (More information in Attachments A and B).

He stated that his subgroup was tasked with the goal of identifying best practices of STEAM learning, both within Cambridge and throughout the country.

One of the ways his team focused on identifying STEAM learning practices in Cambridge was by having STEAM specific presenters run workshops at the recent out of school time Symposium put on by the Agenda for Children.

One of these was a workshop that was run by the K-Lo Makerspace. This workshop included a series of hands-on stations that gave OST workers experience with various STEAM related learning tools. For example, learning to use small programmable robots called beebots, which are used to teach coding to younger students.

Another one of these workshops was run by the Art Science Prize, and titled brainstorming through building. At this workshop a team of students visiting from South Korea helped OST workers practice working through the creative design process.

In addition to their local approach, the Better Practices sub group spent time looking nationwide for examples of best practices in regards to STEAM. This was done by conducting state-by-state research of other cities and states' STEAM initiatives.

He explained that while their research is very broad, for the presentation he decided to focus on their findings related to creating a STEAM portal in Cambridge.

Badges
One of the first things the Better Practices sub group noticed was that a lot of the better portals included some form of digital badge system. The badges are similar to the badges used by boy scouts and girl scouts, but focused on STEAM skills. An example of how this is done citywide is the Hive program in Chicago. A local example would be from the K-Lo makerspace, mentioned earlier, who created an in-house badge system for their students. Some benefits of including badge systems would be helping students understand what skills they would gain by taking particular classes, as well as allowing programs to understand the level of skills students already have before joining classes.

Searchable Database
The second thing his group found was that the best portals include some kind of searchable database. This would allow for community members to search through programs by location cost, age focus, etc. Some of these databases also include an internship section and a volunteer section. One of the best examples of this is YouSTEM out of San Francisco, California. The Working Group has been in talks with them about sharing their code for this database.

Automatic and curated portal updates
Jake explained that the group noticed was that one of the main challenges facing portals was out of date information. They found that the best portals had some kind of function that allowed for programs themselves to automatically update and curate their own section which would lead for the most up to date info available. Also these portals would send out periodic reminders for updating to programs as well.

Integrated Calendar
The last thing the group found was that all the best portals had some form of integrated calendar where programs themselves could add events. These portal calendars would have the ability to with integrate with Google calendar and other notification services.

He stated that the group believes that if they are able to build a portal that includes all of these findings, Cambridge really has a chance to create a model for cities around the world to follow.

Marshall Milner, Executive Director of the Science Training Programs at UMass Boston and Ben Clark, Executive Director for Cambridge Community Services presented on behalf of the Internship and Apprenticeship group (Attachment A, slides 34-46, and Attachment C)

Marshall stated that the group focused on internships, with the recommendation to start with high school students and then expand to upward to internships for young adults and adult job-seekers and downward to upper school students.

Ben explained that there are four steps to creating internships for every student: 1) conceptualizing the needs of learners with different skills, experience, and interests; 2) creating an inventory and categorizing existing internships; 3) creating new internships to expand options; and 4) conducting research and evaluations to improve and revise internships.

Ben reported that in thinking about how to create a comprehensive network of internship opportunities, the community needs to think first about the students in Cambridge. Some have very little exposure to STEAM workplaces; i.e. are at the NOVICE level. This might also include students with below grade level academic skills or difficulty working independently. They need a lot of support from both the sending organization, such as their school, and the host organization providing the internship. Other students have some experience with STEAM-related subjects and would be considered Intermediate, and need less support. And there are students who are Advanced and bring skill and initiative to the internship. And then they look at the array of topics and interests included under STEAM. Some students may be interested in science, ecology, medicine. Others technology, others engineering and designing and making things. Others might have more passion for the arts and design, others for quantitative work.

Using the conceptual grid, one would now start to inventory and categorize the existing internship programs. What are their topics and what level of experience and skill do they require. We know some students already work at the Aquarium during the summer, there is an astrophysics internship at the Harvard-Smithsonian institute, companies such as Draper, Google, and Biogen offer high tech and biotech internships. You'll notice, though, that there are not many formal internship programs that are designed for the most novice students, those who might not be strong students, very timid, have a hard time meeting basic work requirements. That is where the STEAM coordinating team will have to do the most work: working with companies, universities, and organizations to better serve these students.

So the next step is to work with organizations, universities, and companies to create new internships so as to create a rich network of opportunities that are interesting and appropriate for students of different skill level and different STEAM interests. Maybe a novice student could work in an animal shelter assisting a veterinarian, work in an afterschool Tech Club, or be an assistant to a digital artist. We can be developing internships programs at the hospitals, with city departments such as the Water Dept. for students interested in civil engineering, etc.

Sarah Hoffman, Director of Admissions and Community Development for Mmmmaven presented on behalf of the Messaging and Outreach (M&O) group (Attachment A, slides 47-49).

Sarah explained that Mmmmaven is an electronic music production & DJ school in Central Square. She stated that she has been involved in the STEAM initiative for 9 months.

She stated that the purpose of the Messaging and Outreach group is to facilitate Citywide communication, outreach, and awareness to build understanding of, engagement in and access to STEAM-related learning, employment and life-enriching opportunities

One of the main goals of the M&O sub-committee has been to try and get a sense of the terrain: What do families living in the Area 4 neighborhood know about STEAM? What do they know about the pathways necessary to get their children access to this world of technology, science, and other related STEAM fields? Do lower income parents feel they have real entry points into this world of tech-related opportunities that circumscribes their community? She stated that these are hard questions, and the group felt the best way to answer them was to gather parents together and form a focus group to raise and discuss these issues.

She explained that in early November, Mark Stearns and herself coordinated a STEAM focus group with about fifteen parents and community members at the Margaret Fuller House. They were very surprised by the level of energy, enthusiasm, and emotion that came out of their discussion. While the group was somewhat self-selecting group-parents connected to the Margaret Fuller House, and willing to participate in an open-ended discussion-she and Mark nonetheless felt that in the end they got a lot of real insights and genuine, honest points of view from people at the meeting.

She and Mark found that these parents were very much aware of the over-arching political and economic realities of Cambridge. They know that between Harvard, MIT, research institutions and the great proliferation of tech and biotech companies here, there is incredible opportunity, incredible wealth, and a significant gap in the participation of lower income Cambridge families in many of these places.

Parents felt that their kids should have access to these opportunities. Many do recognize that there are very real class and race divides involved in access to STEAM opportunities, and do recognize that there are some cultural forces at work here as well. While some of the parents who attended the focus group were themselves involved in the STEAM fields-as nurses, mental health counselors, or employees of Cambridge Health Alliance-they acknowledged that among their neighbors were many families who have no real experience in science, healthcare, or tech, and therefore have little knowledge about how to get their kids engaged on a track leading to success in these fields.

Based on their conversations with the parents, they presented their recommendations for the STEAM coordinating office:
1. Better communication: There is a need for a wider array of media, as well as more old-fashioned methods to communicate to parents about different opportunities. This includes emails, flyers to parents from schools and Outside of School Time programs, OST person-to-person contact, and even possibly auto-calling. Parents also felt that there should be better communication between the schools and OST programs. When they mentioned the prospect of having an online portal, parents felt that it would be very helpful for creating and increasing access. Language barriers were also discussed: communications need to be available in a wider array of languages appropriate to the populations served. She stated that there are a lot of opportunities already available and by increasing communication, the City can get more families involved.

2. Mentorship Programs: Several people suggested that one of the best ways to encourage STEAM engagement was to put mentorship programs in place: get more representatives of the fields who are successful people of color -- whether that be scientists, technicians, health care workers, or Harvard and MIT students

3. STEAM Center: When they mentioned the prospect of a STEAM center, parents were very excited about getting involved.

4. WOW Projects: Making more exciting events to get kids engaged- for example, the astronaut visiting Cambridge Arts Center.

5. Creating more well-resourced STEAM-related programs that parents can easily get their kids into.

6. Having kids visit campuses to stay overnight in dorms - to really get a feel for what it might be like to attend a place like Harvard or MIT.

7. Internships opportunities for older children at local companies.

In general, parents did share real concern about their kids getting left on the outside of the City's development and trajectory. She reported that one parent said "If we're going to continue to live in the Cambridge community, we need to continue to break down the barriers separating us from the opportunities that are out there." Another parent said: "The city, and the companies in it, need to make real investments in the people already here."

Sarah said that the recommendations that the parents suggested line up with the findings generated by the Working Group.

She said that Mark and herself came away from the Focus Group feeling like they are in a great position as a city, at a kind of crossroads. There are enough diverse, low-income families with genuine interest in getting their kids engaged in STEAM, and they can be a vanguard to get their friends and neighbors involved.

Sarah Hoffman also presented on behalf of the Learners group (See Attachment A, slides 50-57).

Sarah stated that the Learners Group was formed to focus on engaging large numbers of students across all ages and neighborhoods in STEAM activities. They decided that a major Citywide challenge around a major issue facing the city, with prizes for the best projects, could be the kind of activity that would get students excited. While they focused on K-12, the group believes that such an activity could and should involve adults, as well as mentors and supporters to involve the whole community with STEAM. They believe that such a broad scale project would be unique and would build on the City's history as a center for innovation.

She stated that in order to get kids engaged in STEAM activities, the group created a broad challenge dealing with a real issue their City is facing or will face in the near future.

She presented the example of the self-driving car Cambridge Challenge.

To participate, students will have to:
- Write a proposal as an individual or group
- Be assigned a mentor from a university, company, or art and design organization
- Submit Alpha, Beta, and Production versions of your project to a panel of expert judges
- Prizes will be awarded in multiple categories and age groups

She called attendees to envision this as a yearly challenge. With new challenges each year such as preparing for climate change or making Cambridge renewable.

Sarah stated that they will learn from other challenges such as the EF Glocal Challenge. They serve as an example of something that has been done, and a very successful model for real-world, project-based learning. Sponsored by EF Tours to inspire innovation and entrepreneurship, students were asked to identify a local, regional, or national environmental issue then to devise strategies to address the problem. They enlisted the support of local business, government, experts and then put together a business plan and present. EF Tours has had two successful years with hundreds of kids from across the school getting jazzed up about how they can make a difference.

Khari Milner, Co-Director of The Agenda for Children and Cambridge Public School (CPS) Director of Learning Partnerships, presented on behalf of the STEAM Coordinating Team and provided input from the School District.

Khari explained how Cambridge Public Schools (CPS) are in the midst of internal strategic planning around STEM teaching and learning across the district. CPS will continue to cultivate students' access to a progression of STEM and STEAM learning experiences starting in Kindergarten, and throughout every grade until their graduation from CRLS. CPS is interested in expanding students' access to a wider range and depth of hands-on STEM learning experiences through the involvement of committed partners, programs and providers. CPS has learned that deliberately-designed, authentic and invested partnerships are needed to promote meaningful STEM learning experiences for all CPS students. In order to develop and sustain the coordination of committed, far-reaching, symbiotic partnerships, a full time CPS point position is needed. The CPS ICTS Office provides technical support for any initiative that the district sets out to implement around the coordination of STEM learning in schools.

He stated that these are the big ideas that CPS lined up with the STEAM vision and the initiatives, and that they are excited to be a part of this movement.

Councillor Mazen and Vice Mayor Benzan presented the STEAM Working Group's recommendations.

1. Make a citywide commitment to become a world class STEAM city.

a) Ensure access to all Cambridge residents-children, youth, adults, and seniors.

b) Adopt economic and civic goals.

2. Form a standing STEAM advisory group with short-term and long-term vision.

a) Composed of STEAM professionals, community members, parents, educators, and other stakeholders.

b) Meets monthly with STEAM coordination team.

c) Reviews accomplishments, short-term goals, and long-term vision based on research, advice, and trends in STEAM fields and careers.

d) Ensures that STEAM initiative is inclusive and cutting-edge.

3. Establish a STEAM Coordination Office.

a) Staffed by a 3-4 person team working for 3-5 years, or beyond, to fulfill the key recommendations presented herein.

b) Works across city departments, the schools, companies, universities and organizations to establish STEAM network of opportunities.

c) Communicates with advisory group and counterparts in other STEAM/STEM cities.

4. Commission a STEAM portal.

a) Portal will function as a searchable database of STEAM/OST internships, activities, and opportunities.

b) Include a digital badge system that will allow learners to track their own activities. progress and options while communicating accomplishments to mentors and OST

c) Include integrated calendar and searchable map.

d) Include review options that allow learners and parents to provide feedback to STEAM programs and vice versa.

5. Create a STEAM Center for learners of all ages.

a) Center will provide hands-on STEAM learning activities, exhibitions, workshops, presentations, and job training.

b) Eventually establish satellite neighborhood STEAM centers.

6. Create a comprehensive network of internships to match the skill level and interests of all learners.

a) Inventory and categorize existing internships.

b) Collaborate with potential host organizations to create new internships.

c) Collaborate with researchers to evaluate and improve internship experience.

7. Design a communication and marketing campaign.

a) Sponsor "Wow" projects to engage students and adults in complex interdisciplinary projects.

b) Use branding, newsletters, social media, email, logos, and mailings to increase participation.

c) Hold information sessions and focus groups to build residents' knowledge about STEAM opportunities and to gather feedback on program activities.

d) Offer STEAM tours to build excitement and interest.

8. Launch an outreach process shared by STEAM stakeholders and industry.

a) Develop innovative methods of outreach, recruitment, and mentorship to meet students and families where they are, attracting and supporting students from underrepresented groups.

b) Train host organizations to connect with communities directly, as well as to mentor and support diverse learners.

c) Establish a STEAM youth advisory group.

Vice Mayor Benzan and Councillor Mazen stated that the recommendations will be turned into policy.

City Manager Richard Rossi stated that he was very impressed with the Working Group's valuable research and their reporting. He stated that the group's work will help frame the issue and make their goals more achievable.

He expressed his joy at seeing Councillors and School Committee members present because the Working Group's recommendations will only work if a partnership between these two groups is in place. The City Manager stated that the findings of the Working Group are important to the City because the recommendations are aimed at helping residents who are struggling in the job market. Cambridge is blessed because it does not turn its back on the City. He commended the business community for being supportive. He stated that he will be doing something in the City Budget to provide some funds to start some work around the Working Group's recommendations. Come July, the City will have money in the budget to get things started and not lose momentum.

He thanked the School Committee and the City Council for coming together and talking to him about STEAM. He is enthused because this work is about the lives of young children and in a community that is so resource-rich there is no way they can pass up this opportunity. He said that he is looking forward to the partnership with the schools because the true beneficiaries of this work will be families and children. Parents need to make sure to stay knowledgeable about the programs that are available and what skills their children will need to succeed. He stated that the City needs to be strategic and make a greater effort at explaining why STEAM is important and making it easier for parents to get onboard.

Vice Mayor Benzan and Councillor Mazen opened the floor to public comment.

School Committee member Patty Nolan stated the success of the STEAM Summit is a testament to everyone's hard work. She thanked the organizers for presenting actionable plans. She found it very exciting that STEAM has been able to bring 5 categories together while bridging education, economic development, and civic engagement.

Patty said that STEAM could be used as a platform in a way that it will be successful. She stated that this could be achieved by breaking down silos, addressing the digital divide, and creating authentic learning experiences for students. She also mentioned that it is critical for youth to stay engaged and energized about STEAM even after competitions like the EF Glocal Challenge. She urged the Working Group to continue reaching out to students and incorporating their suggestions.

School Committee member Fran Cronin thanked the Councillors and the STEAM Working Group for organizing the event. She also thanked the City Manager for his general commitment to the project.

Fran explained that she is very committed to partnership. She stated that the alliance and partnership between the City and the schools is a seminal piece. She said that the potential to bring this great resource to work in an effort that supports students, schools and the business community is very exciting.

The Vice Mayor thanked the local business associations, the Chamber of Commerce, and the private and public schools who supported the Working Group's efforts.

Ed Moriarty said that STEAM is not only for the kids, it is also for adults. He explained that adults should know that "being a kid" is not something to cure. The joy of it is not designing a huge project but something small. He said that experiences are more authentic when people feel empowered about creating projects. If you create something that the family can talk about that is great.

High school student Zoe Levitt called the community to support the growth of its youth. She encouraged everyone to support students and to help them pursue the projects that interest them. She asked them to allow young people to explore whatever calls their attention.

Cambridge Rindge and Latin graduate Ray Doucette stated that he is in attendance as a representative of the Goree House. He said that he would like to speak on behalf of his peers- young adults in their early 20s. One of the things that Kensley David and him used to do before Kensley's tragic death was talk about the economic prosperity of Kendall Square. He said they would always ask themselves how would they ever be able to secure a job there. After Kensley passed away, he and a group of friends created a group with the mission of empowering other youth to stay out of trouble. He thanked the Vice Mayor and his aide, Pamela, for supporting his group's initiative.

Ray asked the Working Group to keep the 18-30 year old residents in mind, because they are also very concerned about having the skills necessary to succeed in the innovation economy. He mentioned that it is great to focus on younger students, but that residents in the 18-30 year range need these skills and are ready to work now. He said that STEAM project has a lot of potential and that it can be an amazing thing. He requested that the City create more STEAM opportunities for people who are ready to join the workforce now.

Frank Wilkins, Jr. stated that the arts are a really great way to make science fun and, on the surface, look easy. He described a recent jazz event that engaged elementary school students in the arts even though the children were not interested at first. The event was able to activate the children's interest in STEAM by teaching them about measures and rhythms. Just from that time, the students had an experience they would never forget for the rest of their lives. He said that one does not know what one does not know. Sometimes all it takes is that initial experience to discover a new passion. the businesses, that's going to be something we can focus on in the future.

The Vice Mayor expressed how proud he was of the young men and women in the community. He stressed that STEAM is not just about children, it is about learners of all ages. He emphasized the importance of STEAM education as a tool for workforce development and encouraged the community to continue working together on this issue.

Former CRLS teacher Larry Aaronson said that he was once a longtime Cambridge resident. He stated that the STEAM Summit is a dream come true. He said that he appreciates that Cambridge has poured a lot of its wealth into its public spaces. He congratulated the City for distinguishing itself from other wealthy cities but stressed that the income gap is a huge problem that needs to be addressed.

Larry stated that every person in the room is a student. He said that he was very excited to see the different faces in the room and to be talking about breaking silos. He expressed that one of the hardest things to break are internships because of union issues and other liability and legal concerns. He stressed that the City needs to make sure that internships are meaningful and that people in the different housing projects across the City know of these opportunities. He thanked the STEAM Working Group for providing feasible recommendations.

Vice Mayor Benzan and Councillor Mazen thanked one another, the Mayor, the STEAM working group, the School Dept. and associated others gathered for their support and for their hard work around STEAM.

Paul Parravano saluted both Councilors and thanked the STEAM Working Group for reaching out to the community in this great effort to positively impact the lives of underprivileged groups in the community.

Vice Mayor Benzan and Councillor Mazen thanked all those present for their attendance.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:30pm.

For the Committees,
Vice Mayor Dennis Benzan, Co- Chair
Councillor E. Denise Simmons, Co-Chair
Economic Development & University Relations

Councillor Nadeem A. Mazen, Co-Chair
Neighborhood & Long Term Planning, Public Facilities

Committee Report #2
The Finance Committee, comprised of the entire membership of the City Council, conducted a public hearing on Wed, Jan 7, 2015 at 4:07pm in the Sullivan Chamber.

The purpose of the hearing was to discuss discretionary budgeting (Policy Order # 8 9/22/14) and the feasibility of introducing Home Rule Petitions regarding an increase to the residential exemption, a tax credit for benevolent landlords and a property transfer for those coming to Cambridge to speculate on land, pursuant to Policy Order # 1 of Oct 20, 2014 (ATTACHMENT A).

Present at the hearing were Councillor Marc C. McGovern, Chair of the Committee; Vice Mayor Dennis A. Benzan; Councillor Dennis J. Carlone; Councillor Leland Cheung; Councillor Craig Kelley; Mayor David P. Maher; Councillor Nadeem A. Mazen; Councillor E. Denise Simmons; Councillor Timothy J. Toomey, Jr.; Richard Rossi, City Manager; Lisa Peterson, Deputy City Manager; Lee Gianetti, Director of Communications and Public Relations; Louis DePasquale, Assistant City Manager for Fiscal Affairs; Michelle Kincaid, Deputy City Manager for Fiscal Affairs; James Monagle, City Auditor; Jeanna Franconi, Budget Director; Robert P. Reardon, Director of Assessment; and City Clerk Donna P. Lopez.

Also present were Robert Winters, 366 Broadway; Heather Hoffman, 213 Hurley Street; and John Hawkinson, 2 Clinton Street.

Councillor McGovern opened the hearing and explained the purpose. He stated meeting is being audio recorded.

Louis DePasquale, Assistant City Manager for Fiscal Affairs distributed a handout on discretionary funds (ATTACHMENT B). He went over the handout. Jeanna Franconi, Budget Director, gave an overview of discretionary funds. The 3 cities that use discretionary funds, New York, NY, Providence, R.I., and Buffalo, NY used discretionary funding for non-profits. The criterion is stringent because there was some misuse of funds. The funds are used for nonprofits. City Manager Rossi stated that Cambridge would have to adhere to the Anti-Aid law. Free cash is used in Cambridge. He stated that $50,000 was put into budget for participatory budgeting. $500,000 was put into Capital.

City Manager Rossi explained that the Plan E Charter states that the City Manager is responsible for preparing the budget. The City Manager prepares the budget and the City Council can decide if the City Manager has made necessary spending. He feels this is in conflict with the Charter. The City Manager is responsible for providing for the needs of the community. Human needs and public safety needs must be provided and it is done through budgeting process.

Councillor Carlone asked if this is the time to discuss with the City Manager budgetary items. Mr. Rossi commented that requests come to him through policy requests. The City Manager must make funds necessary for the operational working of the City.

Councillor McGovern stated that this is about moving things quickly. He used the example of additional shelter beds needed now. He asked does the City have a mechanism to fund this. Mr. Rossi stated that the City has done this. He stated that this would be sent by a policy order to Human Services and nonprofit agencies and if it is needed this has been funded through free cash. Mr. DePasquale stated free cash is used for one-time items. If the service is needed it becomes a little harder in that it may be added to the budget and be part of tax levy.

Councillor Mazen spoke of the clash between City Council initiatives. He asked if discretionary funds would be used to be innovative and coordinated. He stated that his problem is that free cash has a different threshold than discretionary funds. He wanted a mechanism between free cash and discretionary funds. Mr. Rossi spoke about the possibility of reallocation of funds. This discussion is about the process. Ideas need to be vetted by the City Council and sent to the City Manager through a policy order. He used the example of how the City has progressed in the area of IT for the City and it is now long term financing for the City. Mr. DePasquale stated that ideas will not be held up because of funding. Mr. Rossi stated that early childhood education would have been better for the School Department to apply for a grant for the funding. City funds and grant funds were used to start this. This was tied up in procurement.

Councillor Mazen stated that he is satisfied with the process. Coordination may be multi-year process. Mr. Rossi stated that the City Manager has to take responsibility for the budget. He does not have a clear message from the City Council. If the tax rate increases taxpayers are not happy. He trusts the City's finance team. The City has never disapproved of an idea that was beneficial to the City because of funding. Councillor Mazen stated that if reallocation is a tool that the City Manager can use and it makes sense to him. Net Zero and City wide planning were areas were reallocation of funding was used.

Councillor Cheung stated that nonprofits do a better than average job getting funding from other sources. The City should use unexpended funds. This is the City's insurance. Councillor Cheung wanted the use of "free cash" to be replaced with "unexpended funds." He wanted rules and structure in place on discretionary funds. He wants a system in place that is not tied to the City Council. He wanted money in a separate fund. He spoke about a system to round up on water bills and have specific uses for the funding. Mr. Rossi stated that there are great conversations with nonprofit coalition and they are in support for the proposal for mitigation funds. Charter is based on recommendations from the City Manager. The City does good getting money for expenditures on the "fly".

Vice Mayor Benzan stated that the administration has been fair funding initiatives. He is not in favor of increasing the property tax and is in favor to reallocating funding. Mr. Rossi stated that it is a good conversation to look at reallocation of funds. Pilots and studies do not break the bank. Vice Mayor Benzan stated that the more development is slowed potential revenue is impacted. He asked why funding for CEOC was that not in violation of anti-aid. Mr. Rossi stated that the City has contracted for services with the agencies. Vice Mayor Benzan asked if mitigation is included in insurance funds. Mr. Rossi stated that there is $4 million in mitigation funds with dedicated spending. He stated that $14 million has not been allocated; $8 million in hand and $4 million is anticipated. The City is working on a mitigation process to deal with this funding. This was funding to be used by the nonprofits and that a board would be established and the board will allocate the funding and report back to the City Council. He wanted to do a Citywide needs assessment. The nonprofits are on board with this. Cambridge has this money due to the development in the City.

Councillor Cheung expressed his concern about the City Council voting on zoning projects because the City gets the money. He wanted the funds to be put aside.

Councillor Mazen commented that when the budget process starts he would love to sit with budgetary personnel.

Councillor McGovern commented on the lack of community participation on the City budget versus the School Department budget. He spoke of the inflexibility for needs once the budget is prepared. Discretionary funds would be helpful in the budgetary process if there is a need that arises. Mr. Rossi stated that the City budget is comprehensive. Mr. Rossi stated that City departments are meeting with the community all year long.

Councillor Simmons spoke about the major impact with the School Department budget. She felt that the impact of the School Department budget is closer to the recipient. It is a different culture. The Public Works Department budget did not bring out the public. The Community Schools budget brought out more of the public because it is related to the human service programs. The two processes are very different. She asked about the discretionary funding where does the funds come from. The unexpended fund balance is used stated Councillor McGovern. She likes this process rather than a slush fund. Mr. DePasquale explained the outreach on the budget process done previously by the former Finance Committee chair and the fact that there was more staff than public. This was done before the budget is submitted. Councillor Simmons spoke about the participatory budget; many attended and there were many ideas. Mr. Rossi commented that in this form of government this is the work of the administration. The administration needs to make the funding available to provide for the needs of the community. Councillor Simmons noted that residents are somewhat satisfied. She urged caution to not undo the good.

Vice Mayor Benzan spoke about police coverage in Area Four and the additional expenditure. Mr. Rossi stated that the Police Department was told to move forward; overtime is built into the budget and if the expenditure is larger then the City Manager comes back to the City Council for additional funding. Vice Mayor Benzan asked if police personnel would be increased or would funding be increased for overtime. Mr. Rossi responded that the City added 5 officers. He explained that Mr. DePasquale reviews revenue every month. Vice Mayor Benzan spoke about program efficacy and whether the City Council should cut programs and this funding become discretionary funding.

Councillor McGovern stated that he would not want the City Council to evaluate programs. The City is great about starting programs and not so good about cutting. The City Council needs to ensure what is funded are working.

Councillor Cheung stated that activity based costing is done in Somerville to determine the unit cost. Mr. Rossi noted that the City Council can cut the budget submitted by the City Manager, but cannot increase the budget.

Councillor Mazen asked if the City Manager has support from the City Council to cut the programs. Mr. Rossi responded in the negative. There may be consolidations for economizing services. The City's work force is lean and the taxpayers are not complaining. Deputy City Manager Peterson stated that the City is looking at ways to do things more efficiently.

At this time Councillor McGovern turned the discussion to the feasibility of introducing home rule petitions.

Mr. Reardon gave an overview of home rules. Currently Cambridge offers a 30% residential exemption. Somerville, through a home rule petition, increased the residential exemption to 35%. This does not affect the commercial sector.

He stated that in 2015 a house valued at $500,000 and eligible for a residential exemption would have $239,500 deducted from the assessed value. This lowers the taxes on the lower end and increases the higher end. He stated that 74% of taxpayers are seeing tax bill increase by less than $100. The increase of 5% will shift those in the lower end. He stated that 12% of taxpayers pay the required 10%. He explained that the City is not recommending increasing the residential exemption.

Assistant City Manager for Fiscal Affairs DePasquale stated that the current 30% residential exemption system is best for Cambridge at this time. It will be revisited down the line.

Councillor Toomey asked about the increase in persons who are well off. Mr. Reardon spoke about the high end value homes and how this will affect them with the shift. Councillor Toomey asked if there is a way to structure this so that it affects the new home purchasers. He wanted this to be looked at going forward. City Manager Rossi stated that this needs to be evaluated to see how the shirt will impact the City.

Councillor Cheung asked if there is a better alternative than the 30-35% residential exemption. Mr. Reardon explained that this would create an unfair shift. The programs do not work the way it was expected. He has not seen a system that works the way it is expected. Mr. DePasquale commented that 1/2 of 1% are challenging their abatement. The property tax structure works in Cambridge.

Councillor Mazen spoke about abatements and stated that a progressive tax may be a mechanism by having all apply for abatement. Mr. Reardon stated that there are various exemptions such as blindness, orphan, etc. The exemption comes off the value of the property. There is a circuit breaker on the state tax. The people in higher valued homes are paying more taxes.

Councillor Carlone stated that real estate agents are shocked about how low the tax rate is. Mr. Reardon responded that those who stated they would pay more in taxes do not in reality want to pay more.

At this time Councillor Mazen submitted the following motion:
ORDERED: That the City Manager and the Assistant City Manager for Fiscal Affairs be requested to investigate a tax exemption that is an opt-in system and is based on progressive income and report back to the City Council.

The motion carried on a voice vote of seven members.

Mr. Reardon stated that there is a format in place on the circuit breaker.

The committee next discussed a home rule for a tax credit for benevolent landlords.

Mr. Reardon stated that this is difficult to administer. He further stated that a tremendous amount of information would need to be collected by the City from property owners. A means testing would need to be done. There needs to be an arms length process; and this would need to be done on an annual basis. It is difficult to enforce. Units are not renovated. Councillor McGovern commented that discounts are given to landlords, but does not translate to lower rents for tenants. If there was an opt-in for landlords that would provide a discount. He wants to think about this. He disagrees with the arms length issue. Providing housing to relatives is a means of keeping people in Cambridge. Mr. Reardon stated that there needs to be a means test to ensure that those that can afford to pay the rent pays an appropriate rent. Mr. Reardon stated that this does not accomplish what is expected.

Councillor Mazen commented that item # 2 charge different rates and item # 5 is prorated. He spoke about renting out spare rooms, cars, etc. Mr. Reardon spoke about Section 8 and renting to family. Councillor Mazen asked what is affordable and what moderate rent is. He stated $750 for a bed is now considered moderate and is difficult to find in Cambridge.

Councillor McGovern spoke about people who have a job and an apartment, but cannot afford to eat. Vice Mayor Benzan spoke about the survey that you need to earn $100,000.

Mr. Reardon stated that he can look into the circuit breaker on a regional basis. Councillor McGovern asked if there can there be funds for lead safe if landlords keep their rents low; maybe through tax credits.

The last home rule petition was a property transfer tax for land speculation. Mr. Reardon stated that the land transfer is out of the bounds. He spoke about a flip tax. He asked how this would be defined.

Councillor Simmons stated that she is interested in this one. She wants people to buy property to live in the City and not to make a profit. Vice Mayor Benzan spoke of a house that will be torn down, a one family home built and it was sold the original purchaser walked away. Mr. Reardon stated that he could not define "speculation." This needs to be done on a state wide level.

Councillor Toomey stated that in 1991 and 1994 he introduced an economic justice plan and he proposed a transfer fee that would go to the trust fund. This did not pass because there were bitter feelings about rent control. In 1995 things changed for low income tenants. He wanted to pursue a transfer tax. He stated that the new governor will not support home rule petitions. Mr. Rossi stated that Mr. Reardon will do research on this.

Councillor Carlone spoke about property transfer and the increase goes out of city. He agreed with Councillor Toomey. Mr. Reardon stated that high commercial property benefits the residential tax base.

Councillor Mazen commented on flipping property and receiving a financial return.

Councillor Simmons stated that Cambridge will not know if there are other communities that will join if they do not ask. Mr. Reardon stated that he will go to Department of Revenue and see if something can be crafted. Councillor Carlone suggested that benefiting affordability could be included.

Vice Mayor Benzan spoke about donations made to the scholarship fund. He asked what difficulty would there be to create a fund. Mr. DePasquale stated that the criterion is difficult and it can be done for scholarships. He stated that property tax regulations are very stringent and cannot contain information to ask taxpayer to pay additional donations.

The hearing was opened to public comment.

John Hawkinson, 2 Clinton Street, asked what happens if 10% were adjusted. Mr. Reardon responded that the state wants all to pay. It could be reviewed.

Heather Hoffman, 213 Hurley Street, stated that not doing work and making money is not speculation; it is when you buy and resell. Lenders look at whether there is a transfer within six months. People buy land and property, get permits and then sell the permits. This is the most abusive and happens mainly with commercial property. When permits are issued they are issued to a person, not an outcome. There are developers and contractors who cut corners and there is no effort by Inspectional Services Department to catch this sloppy work.

Councillor McGovern thanked all attendees.

The hearing adjourned on motion of Councillor Simmons at 5:58pm.

For the Committee,
Councillor Marc McGovern, Chair

AWAITING REPORT LIST
14-29. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on what options exist for dedicated office space for members of the City Council.
Councillor Simmons, Councillor Cheung & Councillor Carlone 04/28/14 (O-5)

14-51. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the potential for creating a program to enable bilingual high school students to learn language interpretation skills and to practice those skills at community meetings and events throughout the City.
Councillor Carlone, Councillor Mazen, Councillor McGovern & Councillor Cheung 06/02/14 (O-5)

14-57. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on drafting an ordinance that would limit the sale of single-serving PET bottles of 1 liter or less and develop a task force to provide clear guidelines for this ordinance.
Councillor Cheung, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Mazen & Vice Mayor Benzan 06/09/14 (O-3)

14-63. Report from the City Manager:  See Mgr #8
RE: report on rodent control operations and the possibility of providing rodent-proof trash barrels to residents.
Councillor Toomey 06/30/14 (O-1)

14-69. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on forming a pilot street team of engaged youth and residents as an experimental model for more consistent departmental outreach, community engagement, youth engagement and civic engagement.
Councillor Mazen 06/30/14 (O-13)

14-74. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on publicizing and convening a community meeting within 72 hours of any catastrophic event that could impact public safety. Referred back by Councillor Simmons on 12/8/14 for additional information.
Councillor Simmons 07/28/14 (O-3)

14-78. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of launching a homeless donation meter program.
Councillor Simmons 07/28/14 (O-10)

14-79. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of implementing a Neighborhood Captain Program.
Councillor Simmons & Vice Mayor Benzan 07/28/14 (O-11)

14-81. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on how to ensure that the apprentice program provision remains part of the Cambridge Employment Plan.
Councillor McGovern & Councillor Simmons 07/28/14 (O-14)

14-89. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the outsourcing of City jobs and how outside vendors are choosen.
Councillor Simmons & Councillor McGovern 09/08/14 (O-2)

14-90. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the City's hiring process and on what kind of professional development and career advancement programs are offered to existing employees.
Councillor Simmons & Councillor McGovern 09/08/14 (O-3)

14-91. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on a summary of previous recommendations for the Volpe Center site included planning studies such as but not limited to, ECAPS, Neighborhood Planning Studies, K2, and efforts by the East Cambridge Planning Team and that the report summarize zoning and zoning overlays, and outline the development potential and limitation of this area.
Councillor Toomey 09/08/14 (O-4)

14-97. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on whether the ML King School construction project is in compliance with the Cambridge Employment Plan ordinance.
Councillor McGovern, Vice Mayor Benzan & Councillor Simmons 09/15/14 (O-9)

14-98. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on travel route taken by circus animals and provide copies of proposals to ban exotic animals from Somerville and Plymouth to members of the Ordinance Committee.
Vice Mayor Benzan 09/15/14 (O-13)

14-103. Report from the City Manager:  See Mgr #21
RE: report on making the Foundry building available for a major installation of the 2015 Fab Lab Conference.
Councillor Mazen, Vice Mayor Benzan, Councillor Toomey & Councillor Cheung 09/22/14 (O-13)

14-106. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the best way to implement a plan to solicit and receive payment in addition to real estate taxes from willing participants and used to support city services.
Councillor Toomey 10/20/14 (O-2)

14-111. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of hosting a Cambridge Challenge Competition for Transportation that offers a prize to the resident or group of residents that come up with the best viable solution to solve our greatest traffic issues.
Vice Mayor Benzan, Councillor Carlone, Councillor McGovern & Councillor Mazen 10/20/14 (O-16)

14-113. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of reducing the minimum income requirement under the Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance for single person households made up of a senior and/or disabled resident and provide any challenges associated with the proposed reduction.
Vice Mayor Benzan, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Simmons & Councillor Carlone 10/20/14 (O-19)

14-116. Report from the City Manager:  See Mgr #11
RE: report on commissioning a study of Cambridge Youth Centers with a focus on use rates and underutilized space.
Councillor Mazen 10/27/14 (O-1)

14-118. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on negative impacts of street-narrowing initiatives.
Vice Mayor Benzan, Councillor Kelley & Councillor McGovern 10/27/14 (O-4)

14-119. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on review of drone use in Cambridge for developing a City regulation or Ordinance on such use.
Councillor Kelley, Councillor Cheung & Councillor Mazen 10/27/14 (O-5)

14-121. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on traffic flow issues, number of collisions, traffic enforcement efforts and possible safety improvements in the area of Rindge Avenue from Cedar to Clifton Streets.
Councillor Kelley, Vice Mayor Benzan, Councillor Cheung & Councillor Mazen 10/27/14 (O-8)

14-122. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on organizing a series of meetings with residents to discuss the future of North Massachusetts Avenue.
Councillor Kelley, Vice Mayor Benzan, Councillor Cheung & Councillor Mazen 10/27/14 (O-9)

14-124. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of hosting an open air STEAM festival in coordination with the Cambridge Science Festival.
Vice Mayor Benzan, Councillor Carlone, Councillor McGovern & Councillor Mazen 10/27/14 (O-12)

14-125. Report from the City Manager:  See Mgr #7
RE: report on changing the name of "North Point Boulevard Extension" to "Education Circle."
Councillor Toomey 10/27/14 (O-13)

14-127. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on best way to implement PaperHealth in Massachusetts Area Hospitals.
Councillor Mazen 10/27/14 (O-15)

14-128. Report from the City Manager:  See Mgr #18
RE: report on safety issues of crosswalk at and outside area of Cadbury Commons on Sherman Street.
Councillor Cheung 10/27/14 (O-16)

14-129. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the status of the Masse Hardware sites at 243 and 253 Walden Street for affordable housing.
Vice Mayor Benzan & Councillor McGovern 10/27/14 (O-17)

14-130. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on whether preference points can legally be allotted to all city employees for affordable housing units.
Councillor Cheung & Vice Mayor Benzan 11/03/14 (O-1)

14-133. Report from the City Manager:  See Mgr #10
RE: report on how private citizens can best protect their property and claim redress for alleged damages from private contractors during City-funded construction projects.
Councillor Kelley, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Mazen & Vice Mayor Benzan 11/10/14 (O-1)

14-135. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the legal limitation of the City to regulate all manner of vehicular traffic within Cambridge borders, including loading and unloading zones, truck and bus timing regulations.
Councillor Kelley 11/10/14 (O-6)

14-136. Report from the City Manager:  See Mgr #16
RE: report on whether resident parking during snow emergencies will still be allowed at the parking garage adjacent to the Kendall Square Movie Theatre and part of the One Kendall Square complex.
Councillor Toomey 11/24/14 (O-1)

14-137. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of posting speed limit signs of 20-25 miles per hour on city streets.
Councillor Carlone 11/24/14 (O-2)

14-138. Report from the City Manager:  See Mgr #17
RE: report on feasibility of implementing a pay-by-phone parking meter program.
Councillor Simmons, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Cheung & Councillor Kelley 11/24/14 (O-3)

14-139. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on a feasibility study and subsequent action plan, instituting suffrage for immigrants in Cambridge.
Councillor Mazen 11/24/14 (O-5)

14-140. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of establishing a Garden of Peace.
Vice Mayor Benzan 11/24/14 (O-7)

14-141. Report from the City Manager:  See Mgr #9
RE: report on when improvements will be made to the sidewalks along the streets abutting Newtowne Court and Washington Elms and Harvard Street between Columbia and Norfolk Streets.
Vice Mayor Benzan & Councillor Simmons 11/24/14 (O-8)

14-142. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the City divesting from all manner of engagement with Dow Chemical Company, including Retirement Board investments.
Councillor Mazen 11/24/14 (O-12)

14-144. Report from the City Manager:  See Mgr #22
RE: report on drafting a framework for a Community Benefits and Mitigation Plan.
Councillor Simmons, Councillor Cheung, Vice Mayor Benzan & Councillor McGovern 12/08/14 (O-8)

14-145. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on possible changes to the "Super Crosswalk" including the bike crossing at Church Street.
Councillor Kelley 12/08/14 (O-12)

14-146. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on how the citywide planning efforts will impact staff workload and any capacity considerations the City Council should take into account when contemplating these or other initiatives.
Councillor Cheung 12/08/14 (O-13)

14-147. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on ways to streamline both the City's process and the City's technology for replying to Massachusetts Public Records Law requests and to examine how major cities' open data and FOIA requests are handled, including options for a full time data management team including representatives of the City Clerk's office, the City Solicitor's office, and IT.
Councillor Mazen 11/24/14 (O-13)

14-148. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on allowing a Veteran Owned Business classification similar to Women and Minority Owned Businesses.
Councillor Toomey 12/15/14 (O-5)

14-149. Report from the City Manager:  See Mgr #4
RE: report on gathering data on the number of minority and veteran owned small businesses in the city including retail shops, restaurants, bars and barbershops.
Vice Mayor Benzan & Councillor Cheung 12/15/14 (O-7)

15-02. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of taking Vail Court lot by eminent domain.
Vice Mayor Benzan 01/05/15 (O-3)

15-03. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on constructing 1,000 brand new affordable housing units in the City by the end of this decade.
Councillor Simmons 01/05/15 (O-9)