Cambridge City Council meeting - May 19, 2014 - AGENDA
Councillor Kelley was ABSENT
CITY MANAGER’S AGENDA
1. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to a Planning Board recommendation on the PUD Procedural Zoning Amendments petition.
2. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to a supplemental appropriation of Addendum #1 to the Fair Housing Assistance Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for $3,100 to the Grant Fund Human Rights Other Ordinary Maintenance Account which will be used to cover the costs of a HUD Partnership funded Training.
3. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $50,000 to the Public Investment Fund Community Development Extraordinary Expenditures account received from a special permit required for the development at 300 Massachusetts Avenue which will pay for a study of the current bus operations in Central Square.
May 19, 2014
To the Honorable, the City Council:I am hereby requesting the appropriation of $50,000 to the Public Investment Fund Community Development Extraordinary Expenditures account. Funds were received from a special permit required for the development at 300 Massachusetts Avenue.
Funds will pay for a study of the current bus operations in Central Square and propose potential improvements to how buses use Central Square and the location and design of the stops.
One of the goals of the newly formed Cambridge Transit Strategic Planning Process is to improve the operations of buses in the city. Both the "Mayor's Red Ribbon Commission on the Delights and Concerns of Central Square" published in 2001 and the 2013 K2C2 "Central Square Final Report" recommend that the city study improvements to the locations of current bus stops throughout Central Square to improve operations and convenience to passengers.
Very truly yours, Richard C. Rossi, City Manager
4. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of a donation to the Arts Program for the Council on Aging in the amount of $500 to the Grant Fund Human Services Other Ordinary Maintenance account which will provide support for the Arts Program at the Cambridge Senior Center to subsidize supplies, arts presentations/workshops or other arts related programming.
5. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the Friends of the Community Learning Center (CLC) grant funded by Friends of the Community Learning Center in the amount of $32,703 to the Grant Fund Human Services Salary and Wages account ($27,511), to the Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($3,592), and to the Travel and Training account ($1,600) which will be used to provide a class for immigrant elders in need of learning English and for the Bridge to College Program.
6. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of funds for the Cambridge Employment Program (CEP) from the Cambridge Housing Authority for $69,302 to the Grant Fund Human Services Salary and Wages account which will be used to maintain the capacity of the CEP by continuing to fund a Vocational Case Manager to provide career counseling and case management services to Cambridge residents seeking employment, particularly those residing in public housing.
7. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the City Run Road Race funds received from registration fees and corporate donations in the amount of $21,893 to the Grant Fund Human Services Other Ordinary Maintenance account which will be used to benefit the Friends of Cambridge Athletics, the Special Olympics Program, the Andrea Harvey Memorial Fund, as well as race expenditures.
8. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the transfer between School Department statutory accounts, which includes $41,401 from the General Fund School Salary and Wages account and $34,485 from the General Fund School Travel and Training account to the General Fund School Other Ordinary Maintenance account $75,886 and are related to reallocations within school department programs.
9. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 14-25, regarding a report on the status of the Grand Junction Path project.
To: Richard C. Rossi, City Manager
From: Brian Murphy, Assistant City Manager for Community Development Department;
Date: May 6, 2014
Re: Council Order O-11 dated Apr 7, 2014 regarding the proposed Grand Junction Community PathThe Grand Junction Community Path will run alongside the existing tracks in the Grand Junction corridor from the Boston University Bridge connecting to the planned extension of the Somerville Community Path being constructed as part of the Green line Extension. We believe the path can be created while maintaining current rail operations and accommodating a “bus rapid transit” alignment using a portion of the corridor. It will provide a continuous pathway for residents, schoolchildren, workers and visitors to stroll, jog, or bike along a linear park connecting several neighborhoods with each other, with commercial areas, and with regional resources such as the Charles River.
At the northern end the path will provide access, via the Community Path extension through North Point, to the Charles River pathways, Downtown Boston, and Charlestown to the east, and to Davis Square, Alewife, and the Minuteman Path to the west which serves Arlington, Lexington, and Bedford. At the southern end, connections to the Charles River Pathways and the BU Bridge serve Back Bay and the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, and provide regional access to Brighton, Watertown, Newton and Waltham.
The Grand Junction was one of the first north-south rail links in the Boston metropolitan area. Opened in 1855 by the Grand Junction & Depot Company, the line followed a serpentine alignment weaving through the newly industrialized areas of Cambridgeport, East Cambridge, Charlestown, Everett, and Chelsea, ending at the piers of East Boston. The closing of industrial and manufacturing uses along the corridor in the twentieth century reduced the importance of the line for freight. Presently, two to four trains a day run on the Grand Junction through Cambridge, as this corridor remains the only north-south rail connection east of Framingham and Worcester.
The use of the Grand Junction corridor as a multi-use path was first formally envisioned by the 2000 Cambridge Green Ribbon Open Space Committee in its study of possible new parks and open space in the city and was identified as a top priority. The 2001 Eastern Cambridge Planning Study (ECAPS) also recommended the creation of the path along the Grand Junction corridor as an infrastructure project to enhance non-auto mobility. In August 2001, the Cambridge Bicycle Committee completed a concept proposal for the path. In October 2006, the city completed a feasibility study of the corridor. A 2013 report by the Boston Green Routes Initiative, currently spearheaded by LivableStreets Alliance, has the Grand Junction Path as part of the vision for an interconnected network of paths in the Boston region.
The Metropolitan District Commission (now the Department of Conservation and Recreation) 1997 Charles River Basin Master Plan recommended that the Grand Junction Railroad Bridge, a double-barreled crossing with active tracks on one side and an abandoned roadbed on the other, be used to connect bicycle/pedestrian paths on both sides of the river.
Interest in the Grand Junction Community Path project was reinvigorated in 2010 when MassDOT proposed introducing commuter rail service from Worcester to North Station with about 20 trains per day along the corridor, a project that was cancelled after further analysis. Additionally, the 2013 MassDOT Healthy Transportation Policy Order clarified the state’s willingness to accommodate shared-use paths along railroad rights-of-way.
MassDOT’s 2014 Capital Investment Plan introduced the idea of using European-style Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) trains on the Grand Junction corridor. This would provide urban rail service from a proposed new “West Station” at Beacon Yards near the Allston-Brighton I-90 interchange along the Grand Junction corridor to North Station with a stop in Cambridge near Kendall Square. It is unclear whether both this rail service and a community path can both utilize the corridor.
As part of MIT’s Letter of Agreement with the City related to Kendall Square PUD-5 re-zoning in 2013, MIT committed to conduct a more detailed feasibility analysis of the segment of the proposed path through MIT property between Main Street and Memorial Drive. MIT has formed an advisory committee for the feasibility study, composed of a representative of the Community Development Department, a representative of the Charles River Transportation Management Association, the President of the Friends of the Grand Junction Community Path, a representative from MIT Facilities, two MIT faculty members, and the Executive Director of the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (CRA). In April 2014, MIT awarded a consulting contract for a study of the feasibility of the multi-use path on the section of the Grand Junction owned by MIT. The study is to be completed by October 2014.
In addition, as part of MIT’s Letter of Agreement, MIT has agreed to provide $500,000 in construction funds to the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority for construction of a segment of the path between Binney and Main Street. The CRA has committed over $60,000 to developing construction documents for this segment, and hopes to put the construction project out to bid later this year. The Community Development Department and Department of Public Works are closely coordinating with the CRA on the design.
Starting in 2013, the Community Development Department has allocated staff time to accelerate the planning process for the Grand Junction Community path project, with monthly internal planning meetings and regular coordination with stakeholders, including the newly-formed Friends of the Grand Junction Community Path organization. Connectivity to the Grand Junction Path and its role as a connector in the public space network will also be an important element of the upcoming Eastern Cambridge Kendall Square Open Space Planning Competition.
In addition, CDD has engaged the Civil Engineering department at Northeastern University to obtain assistance from a graduate student in conducting preliminary evaluations of various design options to connect the Grand Junction path to the planned Somerville Community Path extension.
10. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to a proposed ordinance concerning building energy use reporting and disclosure.
Referred to Ordinance Committee
May 19, 2014
To the Honorable, the City Council:I am submitting a proposed ordinance concerning building energy use reporting and disclosure for your consideration.
The proposed ordinance is the result of a recommendation from the City's Climate Protection Action Committee which advised that the City establish a requirement for larger buildings in Cambridge to track and report their annual energy use to the City along with related building information which would be made available on a public website. As you know, energy use in buildings is our primary source of greenhouse gas emissions. This proposed ordinance is a foundational measure to support a range of climate change and sustainability initiatives including the Cambridge Community Compact for a Sustainable Future, the Kendall Square Ecodistrict, the Net Zero Task Force, and other efforts to make the city more sustainable and reduce our contribution to climate change. The ordinance would also enable the City and the community to plan more effectively for energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Municipal buildings over 10,000 square feet in size would be subject to the ordinance and would be the first to report and disclose their energy use. Private non-residential buildings over 25,000 square feet and residential buildings with 50 or more units would follow. A one page summary of the ordinance and the draft ordinance are attached.
The City is also developing a detailed implementation plan to ensure a high rate of compliance, provide property owners with the data and information they will need to meet the requirements, and identify the training and outreach programs to support property owners. The Community Development Department will continue to work with stakeholders on the details of implementation, including how best to provide information with the energy use data that helps put the numbers in context.
Should the Council approve the ordinance, Cambridge would join a growing list of local governments that have similar requirements including Boston, New York, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Chicago, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, and Montgomery County, Maryland.
Very truly yours, Richard C. Rossi, City Manager
ON THE TABLE
1. 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.]
2. 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.]
3. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the submission of two legal opinions as part of the City Manager's Supplemental Agenda on Mon, May 5, 2014, regarding Awaiting Report Item Number 14-22 concerning the Sullivan Courthouse and Council Order Number 13 of Mar 17, 2014 concerning the First Street Garage. [City Manager Agenda Number Eleven of May 5, 2014 Placed on Table for further discussion at City Council Meeting of May 19, 2014.]
Place on File - Maher
4. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 14-22, regarding whether the Edward J. Sullivan Courthouse qualifies as a pre-existing non-confirming structure. [City Manager Agenda Number Fifteen of May 5, 2014 Placed on Table.]
Place on File - Maher
5. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to Council Order Number 13, dated Mar 17, 2014, which requested that city staff determine the relevant zoning requirements for the Edward J. Sullivan Courthouse with respect to use of the First Street Garage. [City Manager Agenda Number Sixteen of May 5, 2014 Placed on Table.]
Place on File - Maher
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
6. 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.
7. 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.
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 Mar 26, 2014 to discuss the re-filed zoning petition by the City Council originally filed by Christopher H. Lutz, et al requesting the City Council to amend the Zoning Map of the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Cambridge by rezoning an area on the northern border of Richdale Avenue from Upland Road to Walden Street from its C1-A designation to residential C-1. The question comes on passing to be ordained on or after Apr 21, 2014. Planning Board Hearing held Mar 18, 2014. Petition expires June 24, 2014.
9. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $1,150,000 to provide funds for the design, drainage, and installation of new synthetic field surfaces on the soccer fields at Danehy Park. The question comes on adoption on or after May 12, 2014.
10. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $150,000 to provide funds for the purchase and installation of mechanical components to ensure the operational integrity of the elevator at the Robert W. Healy Public Safety Facility. The question comes on adoption on or after May 12, 2014.
11. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $550,000 to provide funds for renovations to the Thomas P. O'Neil, Jr. Fresh Pond Golf Course. The question comes on adoption on or after May 12, 2014.
12. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $2,600,000 to provide funds for planning and municipal building renovations, including a Comprehensive Facilities Improvement Plan, design and construction of improvements at the City Hall Annex and upgrades to the City Hall Third Floor Women's Restroom. The question comes on adoption on or after May 12, 2014.
13. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $750,000 to provide funds for building renovations, including water infiltration system repair at the Haggerty School, replacement of the emergency generator at the Graham & Parks, Tobin and Cambridgeport Schools, and boiler replacement at the Graham & Parks School. The question comes on adoption on or after May 12, 2014.
14. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $9,205,655 to provide funds for various water pollution abatement projects, including construction of sewer separation, stormwater management and combined sewer overflow reduction elimination improvements within the City's Western Avenue and Agassiz areas as well as the Sewer Capital Repairs Program and public toilet installation at Harvard Square. The question comes on adoption on or after May 12, 2014.
15. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $1,000,000 to provide funds for the reconstruction of various City streets and sidewalks. The question comes on adoption on or after May 12, 2014.
APPLICATIONS AND PETITIONS
1. An application was received from Emma's Pizza requesting permission for four tables and eight chairs for restaurant seating in front of the premises numbered 40 Hampshire Street.
2. An application was received from H Mart requesting permission for two sandwich board signs, twenty-five tables and fifty chairs for restaurant seating on the side of the building at the premises numbered 581 Massachusetts Avenue.
3. An application was received from Church of Saints Constantine and Helen requesting permission for a temporary banner across Massachusetts Avenue at City Hall announcing the Grecian Festival June 13th - June 15th.
4. A zoning petition has been filed by Timothy R. Flaherty, et al. requesting the City Council to amend the Zoning Map of the City of Cambridge to expand the Medical Marijuana Overlay District, MMD-1 to encompass 61 Mooney Street.
Referred to Ordinance Committee and Planning Board
5. An application was received from Antje Danielson requesting permission for a curb cut at the premises numbered 55 Washburn Avenue; said petition has received approval from Inspectional Services, Traffic, Parking and Transportation, Historical Commission and Public Works. Response has been received from the neighborhood association.
COMMUNICATIONS
1. A communication was received from Larry Rosenberg, 48 Antrim Street transmitting support for the linkage order.
2. A communication was received from Nancy Hausman, 201 Lexington Avenue transmitting support for the linkage order.
3. A communication was received from Arthur Strang regarding increasing the linkage fee for affordable housing.
4. A communication was received from Paul Guglietti transmitting support for the linkage order.
5. A communication was received from Betsey Ansin regarding merging the ER with Psych ER at the Cambridge Hospital.
6. A communication was received from Steve Harris transmitting support for the linkage order.
7. A communication was received from Diana Goldfarb, 95 Kinnaird Street transmitting opposition to electric signs in Cambridge.
8. A communication was received from Hazel Arnett transmitting opposition to electronic signage in Cambridge.
9. A communication was received from Carol O'Hare, 172 Magazine Street regarding OOA-Clear Channel Electronic Signs.
10. A communication was received from Jacquelyn Smith, 7 Ashburton Place regarding Affordable Housing Linkage Fees.
11. A communication was received from Marilyn Wellons, 651 Green Street transmitting opposition to electronic billboards.
12. A communication was received from Patrick Barton, 130 Appleton Street transmitting support for the linkage order.
13. A communication was received from Arthur Strang, 60 Fresh Pond Parkway Street transmitting support for common carrier status for telecommunications services in Cambridge.
14. A communication was received from Patrick Barton, 130 Appleton Street regarding creating a City parking ticket for parking in bike lanes and Safe Routes to School.
15. A communication was received from Dena Feldstein (Brody), 661 Green Street transmitting opposition to electronic advertising billboards.
16. A communication was received from Tracy Winn regarding the merger of the psychiatric ER with the general ER.
17. A communication was received from Jan Devereux, 255 Lakeview Avenue regarding increased nexus payments.
18. A communication was received from Debby Rosenkrantz transmitting support for affordable housing in Cambridge.
19. A communication was received from Gary Dmytryk transmitting support for Cambridge-Somerville Legal Services in Cambridge and the linkage fee order.
20. A communication was received from Justin Crane, 220 Harvard Street transmitting support for the linkage order.
21. A communication was received from Ann Robbart, Alpine Street transmitting support for the linkage order.
22. A communication was received from Lindsay Frazier, 14 Arlington Street transmitting support for the linkage order.
23. A communication was received from Andy Nash and Peter Berry, 18 Worcester Street transmitting support for the linkage order.
24. A communication was received from Brooke Stevens, 5 Hemlock Road transmitting support for the linkage order.
25. A communication was received from Langley C. Keyes transmitting support for the linkage order.
26. A communication was received from Laura Landy transmitting support for the linkage order.
27. A communication was received from Annie Fowler, LICSW, Director of Clinical Services, Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services, 61 Medford Street, Somerville transmitting a letter of support for Cambridge and Somerville Legal Services to maintain their satellite office in Cambridge.
28. A communication was received from Michele Sprengnether, 31 Chilton Street transmitting support for the linkage order.
29. A communication was received from Elizabeth Lerret transmitting support for the linkage order.
30. A communication was received from Joy Hackel, 25 Alpine Street transmitting support for the linkage order.
31. A communication was received from Edward Woll, Jr., 79 Dana Street transmitting support for the linkage order.
32. A communication was received from Wendy Zens transmitting support for the linkage order.
33. A communication was received from Helene Lipstadt transmitting support for the linkage order.
34. A communication was received from Paul Steven Stone, 219 Harvard Street transmitting support for the linkage order.
35. A communication was received from Susan Koechner transmitting support for the linkage order.
36. A communication was received from Jacqueline Riley, RN regarding closing of psychiatric emergency services at CHA.
37. A communication was received from Jeanne Koopman, 248 River Street transmitting support for the linkage order.
38. A communication was received from Gaylen Morgan, 197 Lexington Avenue transmitting support for the linkage order.
39. A communication was received from David Hermann transmitting support for the linkage order.
40. A communication was received from Ellin Sarot, 22 Hews Street regarding electronic billboards.
41. A communication was received from Russell L. Chin, Esq. regarding the Wasabi at Porter, LLC at 2088 Massachusetts Avenue.
42. A communication was received from Nancy Kehoe, RSCJ PhD transmitting objection to the merger of the psychiatric ER with the general ER.
43. A communication was received from Barbara Quinn, RSCJ transmitting objection to the possible merger of the psychiatric ER with the general ER.
44. A communication was received from Fran de La Chapelle, RSCJ, 100 Cushing Street regarding the two emergency departments not merge and the mental health emergency not close.
45. A communication was received from Eleanor MacLellan, 104 Cushing Street regarding the merger of emergency rooms.
46. A communication was received from Hilary Kiley, 170 Windsor Street transmitting disappointment the Cambridge Psyche ER closing.
47. A communication was received from Lynn Nanos, LICSW regarding the plans to merge the Psychiatric Emergency Department with the rest of the ED at CHA.
48. A communication was received from Elaine O'Reilly, 95 Cushing Street transmitting her concern over the potential closing of the Psychiatric ER at CHA.
49. A communication was received from Martin, R. Healy, Goodwin Procter LLP regarding the Edward J. Sullivan Courthouse, 40 Thorndike Street, East Cambridge.
50. A communication was received from Rob Dickey, Executive Vice President and Partner at Leggat McCall Properties relating to the Sullivan Courthouse and in agreement with the legal opinion of the City Solicitor.
51. A communication was received from George R. Metzger, President, Central Square Business Association in support of any effort to remove unnecessary regulations to promote and encourage new forms of retail and food vending.
52. A communication was received from Hasson J. Rashid, 820 Massachusetts Avenue supporting the Foundry Building to be used to create economic opportunities for the poor.
53. A communication was received from Bethany Stevens, 100 Spring Street regarding the legal opinion of the City Solicitor on the Sullivan Courthouse.
54. A communication was received from John Greene, CEO, Greenway Wellness Foundation relating to the zoning petition to include 61 Mooney Street as a medical marijuana dispensary.
55. A communication was received from Seth Teller, 281 Hurley Street read by Alan Greene, 82 Fifth Street regarding the Sullivan Courthouse.
56. A communication was received from Cathy Hoffman, 67 Pleasant Street in support of Order #9 on parole for Joe Donovan.
RESOLUTIONS
1. Retirement of Lieutenant Galvin C. Murphy from the Cambridge Fire Department. Mayor Maher
2. Happy Birthday wishes to Allan Isbitz. Councillor McGovern
3. Happy Birthday wishes to Fenton Hollander. Councillor McGovern
4. Happy Birthday wishes to John Maher. Councillor McGovern
5. Happy Birthday wishes to Carol Weinhaus. Councillor McGovern
6. Happy Birthday wishes to Janice Tingle. Councillor McGovern
7. Happy Birthday wishes to Judy McKie. Councillor McGovern
8. Happy Birthday wishes to Catherine Zusy. Councillor McGovern
9. Happy Birthday wishes to Jay Yesselman. Councillor McGovern
10. Happy Birthday wishes to Michael Brower. Councillor McGovern
11. Happy Birthday wishes to Michael Lund. Councillor McGovern
12. Happy Birthday wishes to Rachel Wyon. Councillor McGovern
13. Happy Birthday wishes to Alex Burakoff. Councillor McGovern
14. Happy Birthday wishes to Jennifer Bump. Councillor McGovern
15. Happy Birthday wishes to Lori Sutherland. Councillor McGovern
16. Happy Birthday wishes to Andrea Kontos. Councillor McGovern
17. Happy Birthday wishes to Karl Schneider. Councillor McGovern
18. Happy Birthday wishes to Matthew McGovern. Councillor McGovern
19. Happy Birthday wishes to Jennifer Ausrotas. Councillor McGovern
20. Happy Birthday wishes to Kim Scantlebury. Councillor McGovern
21. Happy Birthday wishes to Nancy Campbell. Councillor McGovern
22. Happy Birthday wishes to Niels Sokol. Councillor McGovern
23. Happy Birthday wishes to Robert Ellsworth. Councillor McGovern
24. Happy Birthday wishes to Kashayla Spencer. Councillor McGovern
25. Happy 160th Anniversary wishes to East Cambridge Savings Bank. Councillor Toomey
26. Retirement of Michael Stone from the Department of Public Works. Mayor Maher
27. Congratulations to Carmen Enrique for being awarded the Unsung Hero Award from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. Vice Mayor Benzan
28. Congratulations to Christopher Thomas for being awarded the Unsung Hero Award from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. Vice Mayor Benzan
29. Congratulations to Lincoln Craven-Brightman for being awarded the Unsung Hero Award from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. Vice Mayor Benzan
30. Congratulations to Betelhem Tesfaye for being awarded the Unsung Hero Award from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. Vice Mayor Benzan
31. Congratulations to Nikita Gilbert on being awarded an Elizabeth and Anthony DiGeronimo Family Scholarship. Vice Mayor Benzan
32. Happy Birthday wishes to Daily Guerrero. Vice Mayor Benzan
33. Resolution on the death of Arnaldo "Nando" Burgos. Vice Mayor Benzan
34. Resolution on the death of Quirino A. Pacheco. Vice Mayor Benzan
35. Happy Birthday wishes to Richard Floor. Vice Mayor Benzan
36. Resolution on the death of Maurice Antoine "Tony" Williams. Vice Mayor Benzan
37. Resolution on the death of Rosa (Santosuosso) Bonavita. Councillor Toomey
38. Resolution on the death of Alice C. (Sorrentino) Bertolami. Mayor Maher
39. Resolution on the death of Mary Elizabeth (Moore) Donahue. Mayor Maher
40. Retirement of Gregory Dottin from the Department of Public Works. Mayor Maher
41. Resolution on the death of Lillian G. (Moschella) Quinton. Mayor Maher
42. That the City Council go on record urging all Cantabrigians to pause on Memorial Day and pay tribute to our nations' defenders, both living and deceased, for their service and devotion to our country. Councillor McGovern
43. Resolution on the death of Kathleen (Kearns) Clifford. Councillor Simmons
44. Congratulations to Homeless Empowerment Project/Spare Change News on their 22nd Anniversary. Councillor Cheung
45. Welcome the hit show "Top Chef" to New England. Councillor Cheung.
46. Congratulations to the graduates of the Salvation Army Continuum of Care for Men Program. Councillor McGovern, Vice Mayor Benzan and Councillor Carlone
47. Resolution on the death of John P. Clinton. Councillor Toomey
48. Resolution on the death of Andre Nelson. Vice Mayor Benzan
49. Resolution on the death of John A. McCarty. Vice Mayor Benzan
50. Welcome KAYAK to the City of Cambridge. Councillor Cheung
51. Happy Birthday wishes to Marlene Crawford. Vice Mayor Benzan
52. Commending small business owners for the hard work and contribution to the Cambridge economy and honoring May 12-16, 2014 as National Small Business Week in the City of Cambridge. Vice Mayor Benzan
53. Happy Birthday wishes to Robinson Benzan. Vice Mayor Benzan
54. Congratulations to the participants of the CRLS Sister's On The Runway Fashion Show which will take place on May 23, 2014 at 6:30pm at the Christian Life Center. Councillor Toomey
55. Congratulations to the staff at Neville Center on being free of any deficiencies by the Department of Public Health. Mayor Maher
56. Resolution on the death of Harriett M. (Drury) DiMatteo. Mayor Maher
57. Speedy recovery wishes to Marilyn Montiero. Vice Mayor Benzan
58. Speedy recovery wishes to Janie Jeffers. Councillor Simmons
59. Happy Birthday wishes to Helen Murrell. Councillor Simmons
ORDERS
1. That the City Manager is requested to work with the Traffic, Parking and Transportation Department and any other appropriate City Departments, the developer of 1868 Massachusetts Avenue and neighborhood residents regarding the congested intersection at Massachusetts Avenue and Upland Road. Councillor McGovern
2. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the appropriate City departments as to whether it would be feasible to issue licenses/permits to push cart vendors and local artists, both at Carl Barron Plaza and similar spaces in Central Square. Vice Mayor Benzan and Councillor Cheung
3. That the City Council go on record expressing support for the early voting and teenage pre-registration bill as it heads back to the House and Senate floor for a final vote. Vice Mayor Benzan
4. That the City Manager is requested to work with all relevant City staff and departments in an effort to move the Planning Board's upcoming hearing on the Special Permit application for the Sullivan Courthouse redevelopment from the Citywide Senior Center to a gymnasium or auditorium-type location within or nearby the East Cambridge neighborhood and report back to the City Council on this matter. Councillor Carlone
5. That the City Manager is requested to consult with the appropriate City personnel to determine the feasibility of taking the Vail Court lot by eminent domain for the good of the community. Councillor Simmons
Order Adopted as Amended
6. That the Chair of the Economic Development & University Relations Committee be and hereby is requested to schedule an upcoming meeting to discuss how to best launch a Small Business Town Hall Meeting. Councillor Simmons and Councillor Cheung
7. Urge the Cambridge Housing Authority to delay implementing the smoking ban until such time as the organization can identify a new source of funding to robustly initiate the various smoking cessation programs that will be necessary to assist its tenants in complying with this new policy. Councillor Simmons
Order Adopted as Amended
8. That the City Manager is hereby requested to confer with the Department of Public Works, Police Department and other relevant city departments about how to reduce dust, debris and traffic confusion being caused by the Alewife Sewer Separation project. Mayor Maher
9. That without discounting the gravity of the crimes perpetrated against Yngve Raustein, the City Council does hereby go on record expressing support for Joseph Donovan's application for parole, which will be reviewed on May 29, 2014. Councillor Carlone, Councillor McGovern and Vice Mayor Benzan
10. That this City Council go on record expressing support for MBTA janitorial workers as an integral part of our public transportation system and calling on the MBTA take all necessary steps to prevent cuts and ensure a high standard of cleanliness at all MBTA stations. Councillor McGovern, Councillor Simmons and Vice Mayor Benzan
11. That the City Council go on record urging Comcast to eliminate obstacles that currently prevent low-income families from enrolling in the Internet Essentials Program. Councillor Cheung and Councillor Mazen
Order Adopted as Amended, Reconsideration Filed by Councillor Cheung
12. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the Community Development Department to create a parking map of all public parking spaces in the Central Square to be given out free of charge by local businesses. Councillor Mazen
13. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the Law Department, the Election Commission, and the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance to determine the feasibility of publically funded elections for Cambridge, taking into account models for implementation from other municipalities as well as the exploration of new publically funded models. Councillor Mazen and Councillor Carlone
Order Adopted as Amended, Reconsideration Filed by Councillor Mazen
14. That the City Manager is requested to confer with all relevant City departments on the feasibility of joining the FAB11 planning committee, along with co-hosts MIT and FAB Foundation, and assist in the planning process of the FAB11 Conference that will be held in Cambridge in 2015. Councillor Cheung
15. That the City Manager is requested to report back to the City Council on the status of relocating the Department of Public Works and any plans for creating open space at the current location once DPW operations are moved. Councillor Toomey
Amended
16. That the City Manager is requested to detail how the non-zoning recommendations that have emerged from the K2C2 Report can and will be implemented in the months ahead. Councillor Simmons
17. The City Manager is requested to confer with the Community Development Department regarding the feasibility of hiring a design consultant to design the rails-with-trail path along the Grand Junction corridor and to include money in next year's budget for design funds for the Grand Junction Rails-with-Trails path. Councillor Cheung
Amended
18. That the City Council go on record urging Congress to boost Social Security now to protect the economic security of millions of American families. Councillor Simmons and Councillor Cheung
19. That the subject of the City Council Roundtable for June 23, 2014 shall be changed from "Affordable Housing" to "An update on the City's Climate Mitigation and Preparedness Planning." Mayor Maher
20. That the Plastic Bag Reduction Ordinance remain in committee and the City Manager is requested to instruct the Community Development, Public Works and the Recycling Division of Public Works to report back to the City Council on how to modify the ordinance and to come back to the City Council with changes to the ordinance on the following issues: fees for bags, elimination of paper bags from the ordinance, elimination of the thickness of the plastic bag in the ordinance, increasing the timeframe for implementation of the ordinance and inclusion of compostable bags in the ordinance. Councillor Cheung
21. That the City Manager is requested to instruct the Personnel Director to conduct an analysis and assessment of the position of Aide to the City Council and that the City Manager report back to the City Council on this matter in three weeks. Councillor Toomey
22. Effective June 2, 2014 there will no longer be holds on orders and resolutions. Councillor Toomey
23. No revisions to final text for policy orders and resolutions that have been received by the City Clerk's Office shall be made after 12:00pm (noon) on Thursday. Councillor Mazen.
24. That the Government Operations, Rules and Claims Committee meet with the operational side of the City Clerk's office to check in at six month intervals to visit any and all operational issues. Councillor Simmons
COMMITTEE REPORTS
1. A communication was received from Paula Crane, Administrative Assistant, City Clerk's Office transmitting a report from Councillor Nadeem A. Mazen, Chair of the Neighborhood & Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts & Celebration Committee for a public meeting held on Apr 3, 2014 to discuss open data and civic programming volunteerism, including corporate and university stakeholders in the out of school education discussion.
2. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor Dennis J. Carlone, Co-Chair of the Ordinance Committee for a public hearing held on May 14, 2014 to discuss a petition by the Planning Board to amend the Cambridge Zoning Ordinance Article 12.000 Planned Unit Development procedures.
3. 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 Apr 17, 2014 to discuss a proposed amendment to the Municipal Code to reduce plastic bag usage.
4. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk transmitting a report from Councillor Timothy J. Toomey, Chair of the Government Operations, Rules and Claims Committee for a public meeting held on May 6, 2014 to discuss the effectiveness of the City Council Aide positions as well as procedural issues regarding the submission of policy orders and resolutions.
COMMUNICATIONS AND REPORTS FROM CITY OFFICERS
1. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk transmitting a communication from Mayor David P. Maher together with an order changing the June 23rd Roundtable/Working Meeting from Affordable Housing to an update on the City's Climate Mitigation and Preparedness Planning.
HEARING SCHEDULE
Mon, May 19
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
Tues, May 20
3:00pm The Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing on the re-filed Chun zoning petition requesting the City Council amend the Zoning Map of the City of Cambridge in the entire district currently zoned Residence B located in the Cambridge Highlands neighborhood, situated north of Concord Avenue, south of and adjacent to the municipal boundary with the Town of Belmont by deleting the designation Residence B and substituting therefore a designation of Residence A-2. This hearing to be televised. (Sullivan Chamber)
Wed, May 21
6:00pm The Finance Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss FY2015 School Department Budget. This hearing to be televised. (Sullivan Chamber)
Thurs, May 22
9:00am The Finance Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss FY2015 City Budget (if necessary). This hearing to be televised. (Sullivan Chamber)
6:00pm The Neighborhood and Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts and Celebration Committee will conduct a public meeting to discuss planning for Art City, a city wide arts and culture festival. (Sullivan Chamber)
Tues, May 27
5:00pm The Human Services and Veterans Committee will conduct a public meeting to discuss the impact of poverty on communities, families, individuals and education, as well as what policy makers can do to help combat poverty rates in their communities. (Sullivan Chamber)
Mon, June 2
5:30pm City Council Meeting - Budget Adoption (Sullivan Chamber)
Wed, June 4
5:30pm The Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss creating a new Chapter in the Cambridge Municipal Ordinance Prohibiting the Use of Wild and Exotic Animals in Traveling Shows and Circuses. (Sullivan Chamber)
Mon, June 9
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
Tues, June 10
5:30pm The Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing on a petition by the Planning Board to amend the Cambridge Zoning Ordinance Article 12.000 Planned Unit Development procedures. The three parts of the proposed zoning amendment would clarify the procedures for amending a PUD special permit and create an option for some amendments to require one public hearing (under current zoning, an amendment may be granted with no required public hearing or two required public hearings). It would modify the time within which a permitee must begin construction on a PUD project from one year to two years. And it would clarify that all owners of land within a PUD are subject to the requirements set forth in the special permit, even if ownership of land is separated after the PUD is granted, but that the special permit may assign specific rights and obligations to different components within a Development Parcel. This hearing to be televised. (Sullivan Chamber)
Wed, June 11
5:30pm The Economic Development and University Relations Committee will conduct a public meeting to discuss the creation of better public spaces in Central Square, how best to attract/support new and existing small businesses and to determine the feasibility of creating a plaza that can have housing on the second level and commercial space on the ground floor in the parking lot behind HMart. (Sullivan Chamber)
Mon, June 16
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
Wed, June 18
5:30pm The Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss revisions to the Cambridge Municipal Code Section 9.04.050(A) Defacing public property of Chapter 9.04 entitled "Offenses Against Property." (Sullivan Chamber)
Mon, June 23
5:30pm Roundtable/Working Meeting for the purpose of discussing affordable housing. No public comment. No votes will be taken. Meeting will not be televised. (Sullivan Chamber)
Mon, June 30
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
Mon, July 28
5:30pm Special City Council Meeting (Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, 459 Broadway)
Mon, Sept 8
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, 459 Broadway)
Mon, Sept 15
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, 459 Broadway)
Mon, Sept 22
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, 459 Broadway)
Mon, Sept 29
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, 459 Broadway)
Mon, Oct 6
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
Mon, Oct 20
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
Mon, Oct 27
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
TEXT OF ORDERS
O-1 May 19, 2014
COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN
WHEREAS: The intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Upland Road is often congested due in part to the difficulty in turning into what is now the Gourmet Express parking lot from Upland Road and the ease of which can be blocked by even one vehicle; and
WHEREAS: The parking lot to Gourmet Express currently has a curb cut on both Upland Rd. and Massachusetts Avenue allowing two options for entering and exiting; and
WHEREAS: Gourmet Express will soon be replaced by a residential housing development; and
WHEREAS: The City Council recently approved a plan to eliminate the Massachusetts Avenue curb cut at this location thus leaving only the Upland Road curb cut as the one option for entering and exiting this location; and
WHEREAS: This change will potentially cause an already-congested intersection to be even more congested; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the Traffic, Parking and Transportation Department and any other appropriate City Departments, the developer of 1868 Massachusetts Avenue and neighborhood residents regarding the congested intersection at Massachusetts Avenue and Upland Road, including but not limited to: ways to limit gridlock caused by entering or exiting the curb cut on Upland Rd.; ways to limit potential traffic blocking in both directions on Upland Road; possible new signage, including a stop sign at Richdale/Upland Road intersection, extending the right turn lane from Upland Road onto Massachusetts Avenue; allowing vehicles to turn right onto Massachusetts Avenue from Upland Road after stopping in the right lane; re-timing or repositioning of traffic lights at the intersection; and painting "Don't Block the Box" on Upland Road in front of the curb cut at 1868 Mass Avenue property; 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-2 May 19, 2014
VICE MAYOR BENZAN
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
WHEREAS: Carl Barron Plaza is a space full of potential located on the corner of Massachusetts and Western Avenues, in the heart of Central Square; and
WHEREAS: Carl Barron Plaza is currently an inactive space known more for disturbances and crime than for its beauty; and
WHEREAS: The retail space in the plaza has been vacant for at least 5 years and the space has been difficult to police, leading to an increase in inappropriate solicitations, drug transactions and fights; the plaza is neither safe nor inviting to families, seniors, youth and tourists that enjoy visiting Central Square; and
WHEREAS: In a 2013 Neighborhood and Long Term Planning Committee hearing, many residents went on record stating that they do not feel safe traversing the square and exposing their children to the vulgar behavior that takes place in the plaza; and
WHEREAS: Permitting pushcart vendors to operate and artists to perform within Carl Barron Plaza will help enhance Central Square as a cultural district and create an inviting, safe place where families, seniors, youth, and tourists can enjoy the beauty of Central Square; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the appropriate City departments as to whether it would be feasible to issue licenses/permits to push cart vendors and local artists, both at Carl Barron Plaza and similar spaces in Central Square, and report back to the City Council.
O-3 May 19, 2014
VICE MAYOR BENZAN
WHEREAS: A bill that would allow early voting up to 11 days before Election Day, online registration and let 16- and 17- year-olds pre-register to vote is currently making its way through the Massachusetts Statehouse; and
WHEREAS: The legislation would also create an online portal to check voter registration status and allow for postelection audits of randomly selected precincts after presidential elections; and
WHEREAS: Early voting is a great way to promote civic engagement as it helps citizens better meet their civic obligations; similar bills have been passed in 33 states including the District of Columbia, allowing any qualified voter to cast a ballot prior to Election Day without having to provide an excuse or justification; now therefore be it
RESOLVED: That the City Council go on record expressing support for the early voting and teenage pre-registration bill as it heads back to the House and Senate floor for a final vote; and be it further
RESOLVED: That the City Clerk be and hereby is requested to forward a suitably engrossed copy of this resolution to the Chairmen of the Joint Committee on Election Laws at the Massachusetts Statehouse on behalf of the entire City Council.
O-4 May 19, 2014
COUNCILLOR CARLONE
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with all relevant City staff and departments in an effort to move the Planning Board's upcoming hearing on the Special Permit application for the Sullivan Courthouse redevelopment from the Citywide Senior Center to a gymnasium or auditorium-type location within or nearby the East Cambridge neighborhood and report back to the City Council on this matter.
O-5 May 19, 2014 Order Adopted as Amended
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS
WHEREAS: For several years, the apartments located on Bishop Allen Drive known as Vail Court have sat empty and derelict, with no sign that the owner or owners have any intention of developing this property or otherwise doing anything with it that would benefit the community; and
WHEREAS: There have been numerous passionate community discussions about the need for more affordable housing, more parking space, more space for community based organizations, and so forth, and locating any of these concepts on the Vail Court property, right in the heart of Central Square, would be far preferable to the notion of this lot remaining vacant and unused; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to consult with the appropriate City personnel to determine the feasibility of taking the Vail Court lot by eminent domain for the good of the community, and to report back to the City Council on this matter; and be it further
ORDERED: That this matter be referred to the Housing Committee.
O-6 May 19, 2014
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
WHEREAS: In recognition of the fact that the health and vitality of any community is largely dependent upon the vibrancy of its local economy, the City of Cambridge has often taken initiatives to engage with local business leaders; and
WHEREAS: Via initiatives like Cambridge Local First, publications like the Women and Minority-Owned Business Directory, conducting Business Development Workshops, and establishing programs like the Facade, Signage & Lighting Program, the City of Cambridge has historically worked to help foster an environment where local businesses can thrive; and
WHEREAS: In the spirit of continuing to reach out to local business owners, to help foster stronger relationships between each other and with the municipal government, it would be beneficial to invite local business owners into City Hall for a discussion that allows them to share their thoughts on how Cambridge is adequately supporting their efforts, and how the City might improve its efforts in the future; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the Chair of the Economic Development & University Relations Committee be and hereby is requested to schedule an upcoming meeting to discuss how to best launch a Small Business Town Hall Meeting.
O-7 May 19, 2014 Order Adopted as Amended
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS
WHEREAS: In September 2013, amid much controversy, the Cambridge Housing Authority's Board of Commissioners voted in favor of banning all smoking on their property, including inside tenants' individual units, effective as of Aug 1, 2014; and
WHEREAS: In 2013, the Cambridge Housing Authority stated that it planned to utilize funds obtained by the Cambridge Health Alliance to help launch smoking cessation programs, smoking prevention programs, mental health programs, and substance abuse programs. The Cambridge Health Alliance subsequently revealed that it was unable to procure the grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Prevention Wellness Trust Fund, and therefore this money is not available for the smoking cessation programs as was originally expected; and
WHEREAS: It is unknown to what degree the failure of this funding to materialize will impede the scope and effectiveness of the smoking cessation and prevention programs the Cambridge Housing Authority had been planning. It is also unknown what provisions and considerations will be made to those tenants who would have depended upon these programs to comply with this smoking ban; now therefore be it
RESOLVED: That the City Council go on record strongly urging the Cambridge Housing Authority to delay implementing the smoking ban until such time as the organization can identify a new source of funding to robustly initiate the various smoking cessation programs that will be necessary to assist its tenants in complying with this new policy; and be it further
RESOLVED: That the City Clerk be and hereby is requested to forward suitably engrossed copies of this resolution to Greg Russ, Executive Director of the Cambridge Housing Authority, and to the entire Cambridge Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, on behalf of the entire City Council; and be it further
RESOLVED: That this matter be referred to the Housing Committee.
O-8 May 19, 2014
MAYOR MAHER
WHEREAS: The Alewife Sewer Separation project has caused a significant amount of disruption to local residents in the Huron/Concord Avenue neighborhood including dealing with construction dust and debris and numerous detours; and
WHEREAS: The dust being caused by the construction, construction vehicles and private cars trying to navigate the area is raising serious concern among residents; and
WHEREAS: Several area residents have expressed a desire for added police details to help facilitate detour routes for better traffic flow and controls; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and is hereby requested to confer with the Department of Public Works, Police Department and other relevant city departments about how to reduce dust, debris and traffic confusion being caused by the Alewife Sewer Separation project.
O-9 May 19, 2014
COUNCILLOR CARLONE
COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN
VICE MAYOR BENZAN
WHEREAS: On Sept 18, 1992, 21-year-old MIT student Yngve Raustein was fatally stabbed on Memorial Drive in Cambridge in a horrific incident involving three Cambridge Rindge & Latin School students; and
WHEREAS: This dark chapter in the City's history continues to cause pain for the family of Yngve Raustein and the family of Joseph Donovan, one of the three Cambridge teens involved in the incident; and
WHEREAS: Joseph Donovan initiated the incident by throwing a single punch and was convicted of felony murder even though the evidence showed that he did not intend to kill any human being and, in fact, did not kill Yngve Raustein; and
WHEREAS: The 15-year-old who stabbed Yngve Raustein was tried for homicide and convicted as a juvenile and later released following ten years of incarceration, while 17-year-old Joseph Donovan was tried and convicted as an adult on felony murder charges and received a mandatory natural life prison sentence; and
WHEREAS: Retired Superior Court Judge Robert Barton, who presided over more than 150 murder trials during his 22 years on the bench, has called for Joseph Donovan's release, stating that, "[o]f all the murder cases that were assigned to me, Mr. Donovan's case stands out in my memory. I heard the evidence presented against him first hand, and even at the time of trial, I did not believe that sentencing Mr. Donovan to prison for life was a fair result"; and
WHEREAS: Judge Barton maintains that a life sentence without the possibility of parole is "unjust and excessive" in Joseph Donovan's case, and members of the jury that convicted Joseph Donovan have also gone on record stating that his continued incarceration is unjust; and
WHEREAS: Both surviving members of Yngve Raustein's immediate family, including his mother, Inghild Køhler Raustein, and his brother, Dan-Jarle Elmersønn Køhler Raustein, announced in 2010 that they believe Joseph Donovan should be released from his life sentence, and in addition, they have also formally stated their support for Joseph Donovan's current parole application; and
WHEREAS: The Boston Globe editorial board has called for Joseph Donovan's release because he "has had time to evaluate, change and come to terms with his actions" and his sentence of lifelong imprisonment was a "grossly disproportionate result" in light of his role in the killing of Yngve Raustein; and
WHEREAS: More than 1,500 people from across the world, including hundreds of Cambridge residents and U.S. Congressman Michael E. Capuano, have signed petitions and letters of support calling for Joseph Donovan's release; and
WHEREAS: In 2012, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the mandatory sentence of life without parole for juvenile offenders (under the age of 18) violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment; and
WHEREAS: In 2013, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court went even further, striking down life sentences without parole for juvenile offenders (under the age of 18), noting that lifelong imprisonment for juveniles is cruel and unusual because their brains are not fully developed; and
WHEREAS: Because Joseph Donovan was 17 years of age at the time of Yngve Raustein's murder, these high court rulings have provided him with the opportunity for parole after spending the past 21 years in the Massachusetts Correctional Institution system; now therefore be it
RESOLVED: That without discounting the gravity of the crimes perpetrated against Yngve Raustein, the City Council does hereby go on record in expressing support for Joseph Donovan's application for parole, which will be reviewed on May 29, 2014; and be it further
RESOLVED: That the City Clerk be and hereby is requested to forward a suitably engrossed copy of this resolution to Josh Wall, Chairman of the Parole Board for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 12 Mercer Road, Natick, MA 01760, on behalf of the entire City Council.
O-10 May 19, 2014
COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS
VICE MAYOR BENZAN
WHEREAS: Cambridge recognizes that the contracted janitors who clean MBTA stations work hard to maintain a clean and safe environment for T riders; and
WHEREAS: Cambridge recognizes that in an environment in which workers are routinely called upon to clean not only soil and trash, but urine, vomit, and feces, dirty MBTA stations create a serious public health risk; and
WHEREAS: The MBTA has approved a plan to eliminate 90 contracted janitors, resulting in hour cuts of up to 79% during peak travel times at some stations; and
WHEREAS: Contracted janitors, who are among the lowest paid workers, do not deserve to bear the brunt of cost saving measures; and
WHEREAS: The elimination of these jobs will cause tremendous hardship for these workers and their families and send shockwaves through the largely low-income, minority communities in Boston and Greater Boston where they reside; and
WHEREAS: The MBTA has recognized its obligation to provide an exceptionally clean and safe environment at all times for its patrons and employees; and
WHEREAS: Residents of Cambridge deserve a clean and safe public transportation system; and
WHEREAS: Cambridge has an additional stake in MBTA contracting and budget decisions through its representation on the MBTA Advisory Board; now therefore be it
RESOLVED: That the City Council go on record expressing support for MBTA janitorial workers as an integral part of our public transportation system and calling on the MBTA take all necessary steps to prevent these cuts and ensure a high standard of cleanliness at all MBTA stations; and be it further
RESOLVED: That the City Clerk be and hereby is requested to forward suitably engrossed copies of this resolution to the MBTA Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Beverly Scott as well as the Massachusetts Department of Transportation Board of Directors on behalf of the entire City Council.
O-11 May 19, 2014 Order Adopted as Amended, Reconsideration Filed by Councillor Cheung
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
COUNCILLOR MAZEN
WHEREAS: As a condition of the FCC's 2011 approval of Comcast's merger with NBCUniversal, Comcast agreed to establish a program that would allow millions of low-income families in its service territory to get Internet Access at a reduced price of $9.95 + tax / month; and
WHEREAS: On approval of its merger, Comcast established a program to meet that requirement, naming it Internet Essentials, and announced it as an effort to bridge the digital divide; and
WHEREAS: In March, 2014, Comcast stated that in its Internet Essentials program's first two and a half years, 300,000 families with children eligible to participate in the National School Lunch Program had subscribed to the service; and
WHEREAS: At the same time, Comcast estimated that an additional 2.6 million families were eligible for the service but had never enrolled; and
WHEREAS: Comcast has offered to extend its Internet Essentials program indefinitely at a time when Comcast is trying to win approval of its merger with Time Warner Cable; now therefore be it
RESOLVED: That the City Council go on record urging Comcast to eliminate obstacles that currently prevent low-income families from enrolling in the Internet Essentials Program such as:
1) not permitting families to start the application process until they have been without any Comcast Internet service for at least 90 days
2) not allowing participation in the program, even with a concurrent repayment program, if any household member has any past due account or unreturned equipment
3) not providing Internet Essentials customers with a wireless router, despite the fact that increasingly students are relying on mobile devices such as tablets and laptops and may need to use the Internet simultaneously with a sibling or parent; and be it further
RESOLVED: That the City Clerk be and hereby is requested to forward a suitably engrossed copy of this resolution to Comcast on behalf of the entire City Council; and be it further
RESOLVED: That this matter be referred to the Neighborhood and Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts and Celebration Committee.
O-12 May 19, 2014
COUNCILLOR MAZEN
WHEREAS: Increased density and development has led to a shortage of accessible parking for retail establishments and residents in and around Central Square; and
WHEREAS: Customers of retail establishments in Central Square often utilize on-street spaces designated for the owners or tenants of residential units; and
WHEREAS: This utilization of residential parking spaces is often unintentional resulting from a lack of knowledge of the area's public parking infrastructure; and
WHEREAS: The creation of a low-cost parking map to be distributed by Central Square businesses would serve to better educate patrons about Central Square's parking resources; and
WHEREAS: The creation of a parking map offers a more equitable solution than punitive measures such as increased parking enforcement; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Community Development Department to create a parking map of all public parking spaces in the Central Square to be given out free of charge by local businesses.
O-13 May 19, 2014 Order Adopted as Amended, Reconsideration Filed by Councillor Mazen
COUNCILLOR MAZEN
COUNCILLOR CARLONE
WHEREAS: Since 1996, states and municipalities have begun implementing full public financing of elections, as part of a "Clean Election" movement, in an attempt to curb the undue influence of special interests in politics; and
WHEREAS: Public financing will encourage candidates who lack substantial resources, effectively lowering the barrier for entry, increasing the ideological and socio-economic diversity, and expanding the range of policy positions put before the electorate; and
WHEREAS: Public grants can make elections more competitive by reducing the fundraising advantages that, in particular, incumbents have over challengers-increasing candidate diversity and encouraging shorter terms; and
WHEREAS: Public funding can reduce the influence of private contributions on both candidates and officeholders by replacing individual, labor, and committee contributions with public funds not tied to any particular interest; and
WHEREAS: Public financing programs have been shown to reduce the overall cost of elections, preventing the further escalation of campaign spending; and
WHEREAS: Despite the up-front cost, public funding ultimately saves tax payers' money by reducing wasteful government spending that can result from the influence of campaign donors; and
WHEREAS: In 1998 Massachusetts voters approved by a margin of 2-1, The Clean Elections Law which provided public financing of statewide elections with 77% of Cambridge residents voting in favor of the initiative; and
WHEREAS: In 2002, The Clean Elections Law was effectively repealed, through an amendment to the state's budget which eliminated funding for this popular initiative; and
WHEREAS: Municipalities such as Santa Fe, NM, New York, NY, and Albuquerque, NM have all implemented successful public financing programs; and
WHEREAS: Publically funded municipal elections can set a powerful precedent as one step towards nationwide campaign finance reform; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Law Department, the Election Commission, and the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance to determine the feasibility of publically funded elections for Cambridge, taking into account models for implementation from other municipalities as well as the exploration of new publically funded models; 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
ORDERED: That this matter be referred to the Government Operations, Rules and Claims Committee.
O-14 May 19, 2014
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
WHEREAS: Digital fabrication is a process that joins design with construction/production through the use of 3D modeling software and additive and subtractive manufacturing processes; and
WHEREAS: These tools allow designers to produce digital material, which is something greater than an image on screen, and actually tests the accuracy of the software and computer lines; and
WHEREAS: MIT's Center for Bits & Atoms produced the first Fab Lab which is comprised of off-the-shelf, industrial-grade fabrication and electronics tools, wrapped in open source software and programs; and
WHEREAS: The Fab Foundation was formed Feb 9, 2009 to facilitate and support the growth of the international fab lab network and the mission of the Fab Foundation is to provide access to the tools, the knowledge and the financial means to educate, innovate and invent using technology and digital fabrication to allow anyone to make anything and thereby creating opportunities to improve lives around the world; and
WHEREAS: Each year the international Fab Lab community gathers somewhere in the world to hold an annual conference and host a wide range of workshops, conferences, exhibitions and symposiums about digital fabrication; and
WHEREAS: This year's Fab Lab conference will held in Barcelona, Spain, and will draw over 250 laboratories from more than 40 countries where they will share tools, projects, programs and processes; and
WHEREAS: Next year's Fab Lab conference will be coming back to Cambridge and promises to draw over 3,000 participants; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with all relevant City departments on the feasibility of joining the FAB11 planning committee, along with co-hosts MIT and FAB Foundation, and assist in the planning process of the FAB11 Conference that will be held in Cambridge in 2015.
O-15 May 19, 2014 Amended
COUNCILLOR TOOMEY
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council on the status of relocating the Department of Public Works and any plans for creating open space at the current location once DPW operations are moved the process moving forward.
O-16 May 19, 2014
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to update the City Council on the list of non-zoning recommendations that have emerged from the K2C2 Report; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to detail how these non-zoning recommendations can and will be implemented in the months ahead.
O-17 May 19, 2014 Amended
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
WHEREAS: In 2006, a City of Cambridge feasibility study on a potential multi-use along the Grand Junction Corridor determined it was feasible to enable the railroad to continue its services with a separated trail functioning parallel to the rail; and
WHEREAS: The proposed Grand Junction Rails-with-Trails (RWT) would serve pedestrians, bicyclists, joggers, and others as a recreational and transportation route, linking various Cambridge neighborhoods and other recreational facilities and serving major employment and university centers; and
WHEREAS: The planned multi-use path will integrate Boston University, Cambridgeport, MIT, Kendall Square, and East Cambridge, and ultimately connect with the planned Community Path extension in Somerville; and
WHEREAS: The current City Manager has previously discussed in committee the possibility of an east-west bike route / pedestrian path stretching from Danehy Park to the proposed Grand Junction Railroad path; and
WHEREAS: The City Council understands certain important steps must be taken before the design phase of the Grand Junction Path project begins; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the Transportation and Public Utilities Committee discuss the Grand Junction Path also discuss the potential of developing the east-west bike route/pedestrian path stretching from Danehy Park to the Grand Junction Railroad path; and that the City Manager be and hereby is requested to be prepared to further discuss that path at that meeting; and be it further
ORDERED: The City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Community Development Department regarding the feasibility of hiring hire a design consultant to address the problem-solving and planning issues that need to be resolved before the design process of the path can begin design the rails-with-trail path along the Grand Junction corridor; and be it further
ORDERED: The City Manager be and hereby is requested to include money in next year's FY2016 budget for design funds for the Grand Junction Rails-with-Trails path; 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-18 May 19, 2014
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
WHEREAS: Social Security is the major source of income for most of America's elderly, with 46% of unmarried elderly and 23% of married couples relying upon Social Security for 90% or more of their income, with an average monthly benefit of just $1,290; and
WHEREAS: The annual Social Security cost of living allowance for beneficiaries has averaged just over 1% over the past five years, with a zero increase for two of those years; and
WHEREAS: Health care costs make up a large percentage of seniors' expenses with Americans facing an estimated $220,000 in medical bills in retirement; and
WHEREAS: Social Security is the nation's largest program for disabled workers, providing 8.9 million with benefits and the nation's largest children's program serving 4.4 million children; and
WHEREAS: Social Security will be especially important to future generations, including the Recession Generation facing income loss, diminished net worth, and high unemployment during their vital income earning years, all of which impacts their retirement; and
WHEREAS: American families spend $816 billion in Social Security benefits nationwide each year, providing vital economic stimulus to local businesses and state economies they wouldn't have without Social Security; and
WHEREAS: Our economic debate should include review of provisions which boost Social Security benefits, adopt a more accurate consumer price index for the elderly (CPI-E) and increase the minimum benefit formula. This benefit improvement could be paid for by lifting the payroll wage cap; now therefore be it
RESOLVED: That the City Council go on record urging Congress to boost Social Security now to protect the economic security of millions of American families; and be it further
RESOLVED: That the City Clerk be and hereby is requested to forward a suitably engrossed copy of this resolution to Olivia Zink on behalf of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare on behalf of the entire City Council.
O-19 May 19, 2014
MAYOR MAHER
ORDERED: That the subject of the City Council Roundtable for June 23, 2014 shall be changed from "Affordable Housing" to "An update on the City's Climate Mitigation and Preparedness Planning."
O-20 May 19, 2014
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
ORDERED: That the Plastic Bag Reduction Ordinance remain in committee and that the City Manager be and hereby is requested to instruct the Community Development, Public Works and the Recycling Division of Public Works to report back to the City Council on how to modify the ordinance and to come back to the City Council with changes to the ordinance on the following issues: fees for bags, elimination of paper bags from the ordinance, elimination of the thickness of the plastic bag in the ordinance, increasing the timeframe for implementation of the ordinance and inclusion of compostable bags in the ordinance.
O-21 May 19, 2014
COUNCILLOR TOOMEY
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to instruct the Personnel Director to conduct an analysis and assessment of the position of Aide to the City Council and that the City Manager report back to the City Council on this matter in three weeks.
O-22 May 19, 2014
COUNCILLOR TOOMEY
ORDERED: That effective June 2, 2014 there will no longer be holds on orders and resolutions.
O-23 May 19, 2014
COUNCILLOR MAZEN
ORDERED: That no revisions to final text for policy orders and resolutions that have been received by the City Clerk's Office shall be made after 12:00pm (noon) on Thursday.
O-24 May 19, 2014
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS
ORDERED: That the Government Operations, Rules and Claims Committee meet with the operational side of the City Clerk's office to check in at six month intervals to visit any and all operational issues.
TEXT OF COMMITTEE REPORTS
Committee Report #1
The Neighborhood & Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts & Celebration Committee held a public meeting on Apr 3, 2014 at 6:00pm in the Sullivan Chamber.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss open data and civic programming volunteerism, including corporate and university stakeholders in the out of school education discussion.
Present at the meeting were Councillor Nadeem A. Mazen, Chair of the Committee; Vice Mayor Dennis A. Benzan; Councillor Dennis J. Carlone; Councillor Craig Kelley; Councillor Leland Cheung; Richard C. Rossi, City Manager; Lisa Peterson, Deputy City Manager; Lee Gianetti, Director of Communications and Community Relations, City Manager's Office; Ellen Semonoff, Assistant City Manager for Human Services; Cliff Cook, Planning Information Manager, Community Development Department; Sue Walsh, Assistant Director for Adult and Family Services, Office of Workforce Development, Human Services Department; Mary Hart, Chief Information Officer; Mike Dugas, Deputy Director; Jeff Amero, GIS Manager, Information Technology Department (ITD); Fran Cronin, Fred Fantini, School Committee Members; Matt Nelson, Community and Strategic Partnerships Coordinator, Cambridge Police Department; Khari Milner, Co-Director, Agenda for Children and Cambridge Public Schools (CPS); and Paula M. Crane, Administrative Assistant, City Clerk's Office.
Also present at the meeting were former Mayor Henrietta Davis; Jeff Lockwood, Executive Director of Communications, Novartis; Tom Lucey, Director of Community Relations, Harvard University; Paul Parravano, Co-Director of Government and Community Relations, MIT; Matt Cloyd, Harlan Weber, Ari Lev, Code for Boston; Saul Tannenbaum; John Hawkinson; Ilan Levy; David Talbot; Zachary Baum; Adam Friedman; Dan O'Brien; Jacey Buel, Possible Project; Ingrid Gustafson; Elissa Spelman, Executive Director, Breakthrough Greater Boston; Risa Mednick, Transition House; Sue Cusack, Lesley University; Ben Clark, Cambridge Community Services, Executive Director; Art Bardige; Elizabeth Schwab, Google; Ellen McLaughlin, Tutoring Plus; Firouzbakht Mahmood, Nixon Peabody; Sarah E. Kennedy, Director of Government Affairs; Kelly Thompson Clark, President & CEO, Cambridge Chamber of Commerce; Vicky Wu Davis, Youth Cities; Anne Larkin; Ken Williams; Lourdes German; Anne Schwieger; Jane Chiang; Jan Devereux; David Day; Michelle Scott; Carolyn Shipley; Susan Fleischman, Executive Director, CCTV; Victoria Harris, Friends of CRLS; Anne Schwieger; Mina Berg; Jacob Crutchfield; Priyanka Chatterjee; Sarah Hoffman; Jennifer Fries, Cambridge School Volunteers; Jane Chiang; and Maria Balinska, Pangea.
Councillor Mazen stated that the work on this issue comes on the heels of what the Information Technology Department (ITD) does daily as well as the work of Councillor Cheung. He asked Mary Hart and Lee Gianetti to discuss open data plans.
Lee Gianetti stated that for the past few months, city staff and various city departments have been looking at putting together an open data portal on Socrata. He said that it is exciting to look at how we can make data more accessible to citizens. In many ways, this is a culture shift for the city. He stated that there must be a balance between the protection of privacy and transparency. He stated that the strategy is to look at data sets that are easy to put up and then introduce new data sets. He noted the importance of a regular schedule for updating information while looking forward to automate data into the site. He stated that the city is working to set a good foundation for this process moving forward.
Mary Hart stated that ITD has worked with closely with Lee Gianetti. She stated that Jeff Amero has been responsible for data and getting it uploaded into Socrata. She stated that the city willl be broadening data sets when Socrata is up and running. She noted that this has involved a tremendous amount of work by city departments. She stated that Mr. Rossi and Ms. Peterson have been a strong support throughout this collaborative effort along with all city departments who have come together to give input and make decisions to enable the ITD to prioritize goals.
Councillor Mazen stated that as part of the open data discussion, one of the most basic, yet complex, issues is the legal corpus. He said that right now the codification and online publishing of that set of data is done by Municode. He stated that in the meantime, the city has a adopted a policy order that will explore how the city can reach out to Municode and release its information for public use.
Councillor Mazen opened public comment.
John Hawkinson stated that it is great to make forward progress. He asked if the ITD is expecting to release the online portal in June. Lee Gianetti stated that that is the hope. John Hawkinson stated that there will be a lot of kinks on day one and urged a soft launch. He stated that when it comes down to it, the portal is a way to get information and what counts is what the information is. He stated that no one is in it for the portal, just for the information. Lee Gianetti stated that there will be a soft launch. He stated that it will be interesting to see what data sets people are interested in. He noted that he likes that Socrata will allow for people to engage and that feedback is an important type of data to have.
Saul Tannenbaum stated that one of things to be open and transparent about is the plan for open data. He urged the City to publish plans as early as possible with constant updates as the plans change so that feedback about what people are interested in can happen early. He stated that there is a need to be open about being open. He asked the City Council for a transparent process for the open data ordinance. He stated that many people attending this meeting spent time last fall trying to shape this ordinance. He firmly believes that for open data to be more than a passing fad, it needs to be in the ordinances of the city. Councillor Mazen stated that it would be helpful to provide updates in real time. As it relates to an open data ordinance, Councillor Mazen stated that the momentum is rebuilding on Councillor Cheung's pervious work. Lisa Peterson noted that the city is in the process of finalizing open data policies and standards internally. The information obtained from previous meetings regarding open data is what is being used to develop internal standards and definitions, regardless of there being an ordinance in place. She stated that people have impressed on her that the custodians of the data be actively involved so they have been working closely with departments to furnish information that people are interested in. She noted that ensuring comfort and privacy are important issues.
Harlan Weber, Code for America, Code for Boston, stated that over the summer of 2013, Councillor Cheung approached Code for America about drafting an open data ordinance and asked for guidance, feedback, and commentary as it relates to open data. He stated that Councillor Cheung hosted a meeting to receive feedback. The Code for America community was very involved. He stated that they have waiting anxiously because open data is how we can affect change. Code for America wants to give back to the city by utilizing their skills. The city is excited. He asked the group to use this opportunity to give insight and experience. He stated that locally, the City of Boston does a good job updating their portal with available data. He stated that Curt Savoie, Principal Data Scientist, City of Boston, is a member of Code for Boston. He stated that in Boston, it has been difficult acquiring data from departments or individuals who may not want release of information. He stated that this effort has no "bite." There is no law on the books for people to comply with open data. Boston is limited by the lack of an ordinance. He stated that in Somerville, even the most popular data sets have been opened up since July of 2014. Nationally, Chicago is a leading example of open data in the country. Mr. Weber noted that the volunteer community is very active and there are good examples of communities that are working with open data and doing it well.
Mr. Rossi stated that he thinks it is important for all members of the City Council to understand the issue of open data. HHe urged the City Council committee members to follow-up with their colleagues so that everyone has equal footing in this discussion. Councillor Mazen stated that it is a long and arduous process and while there are no clear obstacles, they will work together as issues arise. Mr. Rossi stated that communication and understanding is important and that the administration looks forward to working with the City Council on this issue.
Mr. Tannenbaum stated that the ordinance is taught. An important aspect of building an organization that believes in open data is identifying a champion to lead the cause. Mary Hart stated that the city's ITD is going through realignment. She noted that Jeff Amero has been champion in ITD but has numerous people in other departments that are working to gather data. Lisa Peterson stated that Lee Gianetti, a representative of ITD along with representatives from other city departments will be responsible.
Harlan Weber stated that from his experience, the GIS Department has been a great example. He noted that much of GIS data is available through the city website and they have built applications with it and it has been a great resource. This is a good indicator.
John Hawkinson asked for clarification regarding the EGov process. Ms. Peterson stated that Egov is a broad term. The city started the strategic planning process and from that process, there were two recommendations: Development of a new government process and increase resources of ITD to ensure that it is strategically organized and staffed appropriately. The IT realignment is about supporting projects and priorities. The whole realignment process and HOPE report will not be done until the end of spring.
Councillor Mazen moved the conversation to the subject of a citizen board. He stated that an advisory board may be able to provide advice on cost, specs and procurement. He stated that the input of a advisory board would not harm the process.
Matt Cloyd, Code for Boston, stated that Code for Boston is at the CIC every week to help and improve civic life. There is volunteer interest and there would be many volunteers who would take part in an advisory capacity.
Harlan Weber stated that one of the duties that was enumerated in the open data ordinance is revisiting the file formats in which the open data needs to be exposed. He stated that we do not want to lock ourselves into a file format by law. That is difficult to change. It is important to ensure that data is provided to the community and that the data is accessible.
Saul Tannenbaum stated that engagement is about opening up the thought process (not only data). He stated that ITD staff does some of this work but people operate in different circles. If the goal is to put Cambridge on the leading edge, those conversations become critically important. Councillor Mazen stated that it does not hurt to set the bar high. He stated that while there are some hurdles, Cambridge could very easily be leading in this area.
Ilan Levy stated that it is important to engage people that are not typically not involved . He stated that it would be good to access the community that is not currently engaged. Mary Hart stated that the education process is just beginning. There are provisions for training and resources throughout the city. She stated that more education to city departments needs to take place. Ilan Levy stated that regarding live data sets, it is fun when new things are discovered. He said that it is important to have all the data available in a clear way to access information easily. He suggested that the data sets should not be too selective. Lee Gianetti stated that is what the city and Socrata are aiming for.
David Talbot, Commissioner of the Reading Municipal Light Department, spoke about municipal broadband. He stated that there has been discussion about how to provide high speed internet to the city. He noted that there are ways and models in Massachusetts that do it successfully. He stated that it is expensive to do. He noted that Santa Monica, California, planned a high speed fiber network throughout the city. They aligned construction projects so that they could string fiber into the projects. They began with a half a million dollars, and saved almost that amount by cancelling fiber optic leases. As they built out, they found economic development benefits. Google is leasing fiber from the city. They have generated five million dollars in revenue with no debt. Stockholm decided to do this and they set up a company and built out a network that has been revenue positive in all but a few years. He stated that service in is Cambridge is slow.
Councillor Mazen stated that he met with Susan Crawford whose research focuses in telecommunications and information law. He noted that the ballpark figure to lay fiber in the City of Cambridge is approximately 80 million dollars. He stated that cities with similar expenditures may have 5-10 year repayment periods on recovering that amount through leases. He noted that these are very rough numbers. He noted that this process can be done in pieces. He stated that Ms. Crawford stated that despite the advances in wifi, networking and cell tower ubiquity, all of the data has to come from somewhere and that comes from fiber. He stated that new technologies that come out are going to need that type of access.
Saul Tannenbaum stated that it is important to remember that Cambridge still has a digital divide. He stated that Mayor Davis was the champion of that work but noted that this problem has still not resolved. He stated that it would be beneficial for Susan Crawford to speak to the committee.
Zach Baum stated that he is interested in the types of data being presented or uploaded, and what percentage is being used by the City of Cambridge. He questioned what percentage of data captures are automated and what has to be coded manually. Mary Hart stated that internally the information is used daily. She noted that restaurant inspections and the property database are used daily. A large percentage of data is used daily. Regarding what part of data is captured automatically, Jeff Amero stated that a high volume of data is being downloaded. He stated that parcel data is the biggest piece of that information downloading. Lee Gianetti stated that currently the data is manually uploaded. He stated that the Police Department has certain categories of information to go into Twitter. He noted that nothing that will be automated at the time of launch.
Councillor Kelley stated that he appreciated the discussion about a system with fiber optics. He noted that this will require a lot more focused talks and will not be an easy task. Regarding the digital divide, he stated that Comcast offers its customers $9.95 per month for internet access. He stated that he does not believe lack of access is the problem.
Ari Lev stated that the Comcast program is more public relations than practical. For many, the cost of $120 per year is a lot of money.
Paul Parravano stated that Cambridge is incredibly inclusive. One important thing to remember when thinking about big data is that people have access in different ways. In terms of access, it is important to think about technical issues if one is using a different technology. There are good solid standards and he offered consulting help from students at MIT moving forward.
Matt Cloyd stated that he spoke with someone from the Sunlight Foundation and talked about the Cambridge ordinance. He stated that some open data guidelines fell short and questioned that if the ordinance is open to public comment, what is the process moving forward.
Ann Schwieger stated that she is excited about municipal broadband. She stated interest is very high in connecting people to the internet. She stated that cities have not stepped up to the plate. She questioned how the City of Cambridge envisions all of the working parts coming together. Councillor Mazen stated that dissemination of information will be a high priority.
Adam Friedman asked if there is one place that lists the list of datasets. Councillor Mazen answered in the negative. Lee Gianetta stated that GIS layers are available on Gibhub and the city's GIS website. Those are publicly available data sets. He stated that as it relates to Socrata, it would be a good thing to be able to enable the public to leave comments.
Dan O'Brien stated the importance of promoting urban research and urban research policy collaboration. He stated that one resource is the distinction between raw data and the intelligence that this data provides. He suggested that Cambridge has a greater density of higher institutions than anywhere else in the world. He encouraged the value of people both inside and outside the building working with collaborators to figure out information for any given data set. He noted the importance of convincing city departments that that they can learn from their data.
Councillor Mazen called a brief recess at 7:10pm.
The meeting reconvened at 7:20pm to discuss corporate and university stakeholders in the Out of School Time Ecosystem. He stated that feedback on the agenda (Attachment A) has been positive and optimistic.
Henrietta Davis stated that it is pleasure to be here. She stated that she is pleased to hear that the City Council and all partners are interested in moving forward with the STEAM initiative to bring inclusion to all Cambridge children. She introduced Vicky Wu Davis, Youth Cities, with whom she is partnering on events on STEM. Vicey Wu Davis stated that Youth Cities is an organization that helps middle and high school students make change through entrepreneurship. She stated that having been in the high tech industry, she has a special place for STEM initiatives by applying entrepreneurial thinking. Henrietta Davis stated that this is an example of one of the many partners available to our city to work on STEM. She stated that as Mayor she was asked to help an intern of the Superintendent create STEM champions which are companies or institutions that make large contributions to offer something to every child at one grade level. Harvard sponsors a day celebrating STEM which is the culmination of a year-long program for 8th graders. They participate by helping design the curriculum. She stated that companies have been hosted and through that collaboration, agreements were forged. She stated that Cambridge was asked to go to Washington to talk about being part of a STEM inclusion program. She stated that starting in January of 2013, she went to Washington with Greg Russ, CHA, Dean Blaze. She stated that everyone wants to be part of the solution. One of the things that is hard to do is to figure out how to make that collaboration possible. She stated that there is not a superstructure for STEM inclusion outside of things included in the curriculum. She stated that Cambridge needs an umbrella organization and that having a central group where people can focus is necessary. She noted that there needs to be time to have a working group to talk about priorities. She stated that the timeline is important. She stated that descriptions of what the partnership looks like and what role each entity will play is vital. She stated that the process is important and that there is a real interest on the part of all the universities in the city. She stated that Cambridge has a multitude of riches. She stated the opportunity for real world learning is the most important thing.
Councillor Mazen read a letter from Mayor Maher in his absence regarding his support for the efforts to bring a cross section of area stakeholders to the table to discuss access to, and participation in, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) opportunities for Cambridge youth. (Attachment B)
Councillor Mazen stated that it is good to read through the committee agenda and encouraged on-line comments and changes at http://bit.ly/1hhmiCe. He stated that this meeting is a culmination of dozens of meetings. He gave a brief overview of the Four Pillars that has emerged as a framework to help educators inventory student outcomes and experiences in corporate and university out of school time: Curricular Development/Project Based Learning, Staff/Volunteer Training, Student Recruitment/Accountability/Data and Internships/Externships/Apprenticeships.
Dennis Benzan thanked former City Councillor and Mayor Henrietta Davis for her work around STEM and STEAM. He stated that we live in a city with a booming economy and that all residents should have the opportunity to access this economy. As we think about STEM and STEAM education, we should involve every entity, individual, corporation, and non-profit to figure out how to collaborate and coordinate and create an umbrella organization. He stated that many people are doing the work but we are not bringing it all together. He would like to see the creation of a marketplace online to find out what STEM and STEAM-related programs can be utilized. He stated that he looks forward to continuing this important work.
Councillor Carlone stated that when he was in school he excelled in math and science. In technical school he discovered the "A" (Arts). He noted that there were no after-school programs when he was in school but he was active in sports. He stated that he realized that his after school hours in sports gave him his confidence and that is an analogy to these programs which are more intimate. He stated that this is a social equity issue, especially for children who don't have the type of upbringing that he experienced. He stated that "Say Yes to Education" was a program that he was involved in. The leaders of this program were like aunts and uncles to the children at the Harrington School. He noted that some parents didn't speak English and some students had learning disabilities. These children had after-school programs available to them that were education and sports-oriented. The students that came from the poorest-tested school succeeded immensely.
Sue Walsh stated that the opportunity to expose children to real world learning is amazing. She stated that she would love to see more private sector partners. She stated that Cambridge is part of the Metro North Regional Employment Board that oversees workforce development funds. This board is in charge of understanding the labor market. One of the things true to our region is that STEM careers and Stem occupations account for approximately 52,000 workers. The City of Cambridge is part of this group and an active part of the board whose goals of network are similar to the goals of the City of Cambridge. She stated that it is imperative to prepare young people to get jobs in the city. She stated that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education would like to see an intentional series of activities and exposure that starts with career awareness. This will lead to career exposure such as job shadowing, community service and ultimately career immersion which is real world experience. She stated the importance of bringing the middle schools together so that by the time students enter high school they are ready to take advantage of the opportunities that are available. This will lead to success. She noted that there are many partnerships with corporations in the city. She stated that the infrastructure and pieces are there but we need the four pillars as stated above to understand how best to take advantage of resources.
Khari Milner, Co-Director, Agenda for Children and CPS. They have been working with universities, city staff, etc. and growing in hopes to reach every young person in Cambridge. It is imperative that we come together around this issue. We can move mountains with collaboration. The Agenda for Children tries to create access and equity for quality out of school time. During the school day we know where the kids are. Once the bell rings and the end of June comes upon us, the city doesn't know where the kids go. We need to understand where the kids are and guide them by making pathways for positive learning experiences. He encouraged people to look at the background section (NM DRAFT document). They have found young people become less-engaged in participating consistently in any type of after school activities. WE need to create opportunities for kids to try different things. The other main focus is to bring people together to share goals. They are working collectively. The AFC facilitated a STEM based focus breakout session to create access to STEM related activities. Once they added the "A", People are coming together in ways that he has not seen before. He stated that there is the opportunity to create shared goals. He stated we should pick a number that not one can do alone but one that we can do together (internships, etc.). When thinking about the real world in Cambridge, we need to prepare our students.
Fran Cronin, School Committee Member, stated that CPS has recognized this as real need and opportunity. They would like to cultivate students to have future opportunity in the city. There is an employment sector that is the future to so many careers. There are new science and technology standards that are currently being cultivated. OST time is a tremendous opportunity cultivate STEM and STEAM activities. She welcomes the opportunity to partner.
Fred Fantini stated that in China he saw the life changing opportunities from the visit. Lesley University and Longfellow are doing amazing things. As more opportunities are created it will make life-altering changes. Keep at this and get it right.
Vice Mayor Benzan thanked Khari and Sue W. for their presentation. He stated that he went to the Cambridge Community Charter School and that there are competition for internships. How do we create infrastructure where one entity goes out and recruits for internship positions. He finds that it is not a good practice to have other organizations going for the same internships. Is there a centralized system to keep track of these internship opportunities. Sue Walsh stated that they hear that there are many knocking on the door of organizations. It is imperative for a centralized way to document everything that is happening. There is a way to get the information out. We can be better at that. Part of the challenge is that there is not a central point person. It is not a coordinated effort. How do we motivate them to take advantage of this opportunity.
Nadeem Mazen stated that in prep for this meeting, he had great idea to call Natalie Kuldell from MIT. Things in the discussion are about to happen or are already happening. Creating connection and maximizing the leverage of the Cambridge system.
Jacey Buell, The Possible Project, stated that he works with all 3 Cambridge high schools. They come to their space and learn how to stock and operate their own businesses. Right now they serve 100 students per week. They work with the Mayor's Program. He stated that he wishes there was a pipeline with STEM and STEAM that would prepare them for Draper Lab, Google, etc. His vision is that there is a list of non-profits and students can opt in to 6 or 7 throughout their high school years. Then they can list this on their resume so they would have something tangible to show for it. None of youth programs are enough to serve our youth effectively. Too often it is easy to attack parents or teachers. Parents and teachers are worn out and it is time for out of school community to step up in a certain way. Cambridge is far ahead in many ways but we are dropping the ball on this issue.
Khari Milner stated that as people give their comments and think of what is possible, the city has launched an expanded learning STEAM network. He questioned how to get concrete about the goals that are being set.
Ingrid Gufstason stated that works at the Rindge Avenue and Putnam Avenue Upper Schools. She spoke of current collaborative projects that they are working on including Stop Motion Animation and Plate Tectonics. She stated that this network will be built upon to build the next ecosystems. She stated that these types of projects being done organically within the restraints of the current curriculum take advantage of people already in the schools. She stated that she likes the idea of a portal. She spoke of the Chicago online portal wherein students log into the portal for information about programming.
Elissa Spelman, Executive Director, Breakthrough Boston, stated that her program runs an intensive summer and out of school time program for children in grades 6-12. She stated that the after school program's entire focus is STEAM. She noted that the summer program is mandatory for participants in grades 7-9. She stated that students in grades 10-12 can take advantage of internships. She stated that professional development as it links to the schools is a potential barrier. The other challenge is resources as it relates to STEM-related programs which tend to be more expensive.
Councillor Mazen asked how interface could be improved. Paul Parravano stated MIT has been part of this conversation for a long time. He stated that this is not the forum in which we should talk about what we do well. He stated that MIT welcomes this conversation and is excited about supporting this effort. He noted that more can be done. He stated that it would be helpful to hear from the leadership of the Cambridge Public Schools. It is the wisdom of the teachers that will help drive this process. He stated that parents need an easier way to learn about available opportunities.
Councillor Mazen then spoke of Ed Moriarty who is doing holistic hands-on work to combine the beauty of making something that you are proud of and the know-how. This is happening in a fairly unstructured environment. Mr. Parravano stated that Mr. Moriarty is a novel speaker and wise person.
Tom Lucey, stated that one of Harvard's opportunities is that the city has great leadership. He has worked with the Superintendent Young and Deputy Superintendent Turk of the Cambridge Public Schools. He noted that the city administration has also been a great partner. He stated that there are a lot of pieces and places that need to be taken advantage of and he stated that he is pleased to be part of the conversation.
Vice Mayor Benzan stated that when he visited the Harvard Innovation Lab he was impressed by the challenges that the teams undertake. He stated that this work is important to him because there is nothing better than creating opportunity for residents. He stated that MIT may try to support summer programs that cater to children in our community. He stated that he and Councillor Mazen are big supporters of "next steps." He noted that this work is not easy and that he and Councillor Mazen have met with organizations and members of the community. He stated that Cambridge was really the only city talking about STEM and STEAM education while at the National League of Cities Conference.
Councillor Kelley stated that he is the parent of an 11th and 8th grader. He stated that whatever we are going to do for STEAM has to be so drastically different than what has been done in the past. He stated that not only have we not made any gains in the achievement gap in the last thirty years, we have drifted backwards in the last ten years. He stated that there has to be a radical change. He stated that as we move forward with the discussion, it is important not to be bound by what we did last year because what we did last year did not work. He stated the importance of being ambitious.
Councillor Mazen stated that one of his favorite pillars is recruitment. He stated that this is likely happening at a fairly high level. He stated that he would like to see real learning and participation. He stated that the city is already doing a good job. He noted the importance of knowing how and where we lose people in order to address reaching more. He stated that it is the purpose of the working group to move forward and substantively tackle issues.
Risa Mednick, Transition House, stated that anecdotally, families she has worked with use many different community services throughout the year. She stated that the ability to provide and interconnect and create a web to hold the community together is the special sauce of the Cambridge community.
Sue Cusack, Lesley University, stated that much of her work is at the Kennedy Longfellow School. She stated that it is important to start early to align with the school agenda. We need to reach kids very early. When talking about STEM and STEAM we are talking about an add-ons. When talking about add-ons, the conversation is over. She asked how to integrate in a way that the school will embrace the idea. She stated the importance of schools being willing to embrace some of these things.
Ben Clark, Executive Director, Cambridge Community Services, stated that his organization runs three programs. The first program works with immigrant teens who face challenges at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School. They help to build authentic relationships. What is unique to Cambridge is that it has thousands of immigrant professionals who work in the city and at our universities. These people can act as bridges for these teens. If we are able to link kids up with professionals, we will have more success.
Vice Mayor Benzan stated that prior to discussing this topic at the meeting, the conversation revolved around broadband. He stated that it was unfortunate that the community was not represented in the room. As it relates to immigrant students, he stated that they are facing a number of challenges. He noted the importance of figuring out a way to collaborate and bring these people into the room to make them part of the conversation. As we continue to do this work, we must be mindful of the great work of city departments, the school department, and the School Committee.
Councillor Mazen spoke of a working group to include Sue Walsh, Khari Milner, university representatives and interested community members that will meet and work in an advisory capacity to the committee. He stated that as we move forward, it is important to be excited and be willing to "put your name in the hat" as a member of this advisory committee. He stated that a soft meeting of this advisory committee will be in mid-April. He stated that there will be an upcoming joint meeting of the Economic Development & University Relations Committee and the Neighborhood & Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts & Celebration Committee.
Art Bardige stated that he has attended many meetings throughout the years. He suggested that we task this committee with a demand to create a bold vision. We have a dream and we all share that dream. He would like this to be the task moving forward.
Rich Rossi stated that former Mayor Henrietta Davis had a vision that there would be a person hired to coordinate all of these efforts. He stated that while there are many great things happening, it would be good to be able to have somebody who is really qualified and can produce results. He stated the possibility that this person could be given a three-year contract. He stated that potentially by the end of year two of this contract, one would begin to see results. He stated that unless there is one person setting the goals and making sure that the goals are followed, we will be back again in the future revisiting the same topic. Rich Rossi stated that he is willing to develop the seed money. He emphasized that he would want this person to be highly skilled and committed to the cause.
Councillor Mazen stated that he was very pleased to hear Mr. Rossi's comments. To hear each person advance the concept one step further is organic. We all want the same outcome. The working group will hopefully achieve that outcome.
Councillor Mazen thanked those present for their attendance.
The meeting adjourned at 9:06pm.
For the Committee,
Councillor Nadeem A. Mazen, Chair
Committee Report #2
The Ordinance Committee held a public hearing on Wed, May 14, 2014 beginning at 5:38pm in the Sullivan Chamber.
The purpose of the hearing was to discuss a petition by the Planning Board to amend the Cambridge Zoning Ordinance Article 12.000 Planned Unit Development procedures. The three parts of the proposed zoning amendment would clarify the procedures for amending a PUD special permit and create an option for some amendments to require one public hearing (under current zoning, an amendment may be granted with no required public hearing or two required public hearings.) It would modify the time within which a permittee must begin construction on a PUD project from one year to two years. It would clarify that all owners of land within a PUD are subject to the requirements set for in the special permit, even if ownership of land is separated after the PUD is granted, but that the special permit may assign specific rights and obligations to different components within a Development Parcel.
Present at the hearing were Councillor Dennis J. Carlone, Co-Chair of the Committee; Councillor Craig Kelley; Councillor Nadeem A. Mazen; Councillor Marc C. McGovern; and City Clerk Donna P. Lopez.
The meeting was convened and the purpose of the meeting read.
Councillor Carlone announced that this meeting has been rescheduled to Tues, June 10, 2014 at 5:30pm due to non-compliance with Chapter 40A, Section 5 which requires that the notice of the public hearing is to be advertised for two successive weeks with the first advertisement being not less than fourteen days before the date of the hearing.
The advertisement for the amendment to the PUD appeared in the Chronicle on April 24 but was omitted from the May 1st edition.
Councillor Carlone thanked all those present for their attendance.
The hearing adjourned at Councillor McGovern at 5:41pm.
For the Committee,
Councillor Dennis J. Carlone, Co-Chair
Committee Report #3
Meeting Type - Additional public hearing
Meeting Purpose - To discuss a proposed amendment to the Municipal Code to reduce plastic bag usage.
Meeting Details
Date and Time: Apr 17, 2014 at 5:33pm
Location: Sullivan Chamber
Attendees
Vice Mayor Benzan, Co-Chair; Councillor Carlone, Co-Chair; Councillor Kelley; Councillor McGovern; Councillor Cheung; Councillor Mazen; Lisa Peterson, Deputy City Manager; Owen O'Riordan, Commissioner of Public Works; John Nardone, Assistant Commissioner of Operations, Public Works Department; Randi Mail, Recycling Director, Public Works Department; Elizabeth Lint, Executive Director, License Commission; Nancy Schlater, Director of Human Rights Commission; Arthur Goldberg, Deputy City Solicitor; John Bolduc, Environmental Project Planner, Community Development Department; and Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk.
Other Attendees
Don S. Schoenfisch, 108 Forest Avenue, Brockton; Sarah Kennedy, Cambridge Chamber of Commerce, 859 Mass. Avenue; Chris Durkin, Harvest Coop, 850 Mass. Avenue; Anthony Goodh, 7 Craigie Circle, Cambridge; Keith Cialino, 77 Gore Street; Laura Donohue, 11 Flagg Street; Daniel Douyze, 57 JFK Street; Dave Silva, 57 JFK Street; Cheryl DaSilva, 799 Main Street; Phil Sego, 221 Norfolk Street; Chris Cassel, 200 Broadway; Carole Horne, 1256 Mass. Avenue; Rob Gogan, 40 Spruce Street, Acton, member of the Recycling Advisory Committee; Mitt Teevan, 2451 Mass. Avenue; Adam Hirsh, 1 JFK Street; Craig Frizel, 14 Beacon Street, Wilmington; Denise Jillson, Harvard Square Business Association, 220 Mass. Avenue; Paula Phipps,227 Hurley Street; and Carol Warren.
Minutes
Vice Mayor Benzan opened the meeting and stated the purpose. He asked Public Works Commissioner O'Riordan to give a summary of the proposed ordinance.
Commissioner O'Riordan summarized the ordinance submitted by the last City Council to the full City Council for consideration (ATTACHMENT A). The purpose of ordinance is to protect the marine environment, advance the reduction of solid waste, protect the waterways, reduce the number of plastic bags sold and discarded, promote the reuse of reusable check out bags by retail stores and to make sure they are clean. The retail industry must use reusable paper or a reusable bag. He read the definition of reusable bag. A reusable bag is made out of polyester, polypropylene, cotton or other durable material or plastic and must be 3.0 mils in thickness. The Public Works Commissioner can exempt an establishment for 6 months if there is a hardship which is defined in the ordinance. He outlined the penalties. The expectation is that retail establishments who use check out bags will be provided to a customer at the point of sale. Checkout bags that are excluded are bags used for loose produce whether plastic or not, laundry and dry cleaning bags and newspaper bags. Commissioner O'Riordan spoke about additional considerations. The Public Works Department thinks about reuse, reducing and recycling. A small charge is being considered for the use of paper bags. He had examples of 2.25 mil bags that were passed around. Other communities allow a year for adoption and implementation; Cambridge is proposing 6 months.
Vice Mayor Benzan opened the meeting to public comment at 5:41pm.
Keith Cialino, stated that he is a resident of Cambridge, has a Master's degree in Environmental Science and is a member of the Recycling Committee in the Public Works Department. He informed the committee that the 2014 Recycling Advisory Committee encourages the City Council to consider ordinances that promote reuse and discourage single-use plastic and paper bags. He stated that he is now giving his own opinion on this matter. He strongly believes that Cambridge should be a leader and ban plastic bags. Simply banning plastic bags does not solve the single-use throw away mentality. It is important that the City Council adopt an ordinance with a fee for paper bags. He stated that according to the San Francisco's Environmental department a $.10 fee for check out bags has reduced the use of disposable bags used in California by 70-90%. There is a need to ensure that there is sufficient City staff to handle the workload to implement the ordinance The City should study the single use of bags both before and after the implementation of the ordinance. This information would be beneficial to measure effectiveness of the ordinance as well as to conduct education and outreach to the public.
Laura Donohue, owner of Bob's Slate's in Harvard Square, spoke about the need to protect the products that she sells. The bags used are 1.5 mils made in United States and are recyclable. She distributed a sample. The bags are thinner and are reusable. At a point of sale it is assumed customers do not need bags unless they ask for a bag. It was a challenge to her to charge for a bag. She has destination shoppers, out of town shoppers. She requested a longer implementation time period. This is a challenge for small retailers.
Phil Sego, 221 Norfolk Street, stated that he worked on many plastic bag bans and is working on a statewide plastic bag ban. This was reported out favorable. Plastic bags should be banned because they kill animals. They are light, blow around, do not biodegrade, choke, strangle and kill pets and mammals. Shore birds, harbor seals, great blue heron are killed. The bags do break down to micro plastic bits. The plastic bags blow into the streams. Volunteerism has failed. A ban is needed. Reusable bags can be reused 100 times. He has heard that enforcement is costly. Nantucket stated that it is not expensive to implement. Anything that is not reusable is not great. Mr. Sego stated that he represented The Sierra Club that supports the ban on plastic bags.
Don Schoenfisch for the past 23 years owned Don's Discount Bags, a distributor of plastic, paper and cloth reusable bags. Prior to this he operated an environmental company. He read a prepared statement (ATTACHMENT B). One use bag is simple not true. He stated that 99% of plastic bags are used 3-5 times and saves trees. Carbon is the biggest environmental challenge faced today and the last thing you want to do is to increase carbon into the atmosphere. Only 15% of paper bags are reused. Paper even though it can be replaced it is a marginal choice to replace plastic bags. Recycled bags are more brittle. Paper bags have become almost useless and paper went up 18% this year. The reusable bags have plastic and are made in China. He stated that one half of plastic bags come from China and one half come from the United States. The $.99 cloth bags are not strong and they trap bacteria in the pores of the bags. These bags are expensive and people do not want to buy a cloth bags. This is reality. Jobs will be saved not adopting the plastic bag ban. He stated that 1 mil bags get used over and over again. High density plastic bags are what people do not like. This will hurt the economy.
Councillor Carlone asked Mr. Schoenfisch what is the cost of a 2.5 mils paper bag and a plastic bag. Mr. Schoenfisch stated that a 2.5 mils bag is $.60 for paper; a plastic can cost 10-15 cents.
Rob Gogan, 40 Spruce Street, a member of the Recycling Advisory Committee, stated that paper bags are much worse on the environment than plastic. A culture of reuse needs to be encouraged. The plastic ban is a way to start. It will take a lot for everyone to change their behavior. He supported a fee for paper bags.
Matt Teevan, 2451 Mass. Avenue, Norton Beverage Company, stated that he remembers when plastic was not an option and only paper was used. The elderly prefer plastic bags. How can we eliminate plastic and then charge a fee for paper. If you continue to do these things to small business they will go to other communities. If this is imposed it will be a tremendous burden on all businesses especially when surrounding communities do not charge a fee. Why should Cambridge be the first to start this and businesses take the hit for this in the hope that other communities do the same.
Adam Hirsch, represented a store in Harvard Square, stated that if this is implemented he hopes that this does not impose a burden on retailers and visitors. He hoped one bag is not being replaced with another. He wants the ordinance to be more thoughtful on where the burden is placed. A better ordinance could be drawn up and should be.
Denise Jillson, HSBA, shared comments from some retailers that could not attend the hearing. One retailer supported the ban on plastic bags. People will yell about the ban and then they will buy reusable bags and go on. A book store retailer stated that store customers prefer plastic bags. Plastic bags are given to them and they keep reusing them. The book store was opposed to a ban on plastic bags. Another retailer stated that it has a stock of plastic bags and wants to use them. They wanted a grandfather clause included in the ordinance to allow usage of current stock. Ms. Jillson challenged the technology sector to come up with bag for all.
Paula Phipps, 22 7 Hurley Street, favored plastic bag ban and whatever incentives move from plastic to reusable. By discouraging the production of plastic bags we are reducing the use of fossil fuels. She spoke about the pictures of animal harmed by plastic bags. She stated that we as humans are being harmed also. The use of plastic harms the environment. Asthma increased in the 1990's; autism has also increased in children. Materials in the environment are harming the environment and children.
Chris Cassel, President of Garment District, who stated that they are a recycler; clothing is recycled. This ordinance is a good thing to pursue. But as a retailer he had a bag made of 1.75 mils and it gets used many times. The cost of a plastic bag is $.18; paper bags cost $.63. This is a direct effect for retailers. He supports charging for bags. Ninety percent of his customers take a bag and this is not a good thing. He would not want to give either bag sampled. The 1.75 mils bag for $.18 is not considered in this ordinance. Economically it would not be beneficial to go to a 3.0 mils bag and he does not want to do this.
Carol Warren, General Manager, Harvard Book Store stated that books get damaged in wet weather. She has not been able to find a paper bag with handles that is strong enough for carrying heavy books. The bag used in the store is a plastic bag that is reusable. This bag is not covered by the ordinance. It is a thick /thin bag - it is 4 mils at top and 1.75 mils at bottom. The bag does not break and holds a lot of weight. She requested that the City rethink other definitions of reusable bags. She wanted to have more that 6 months to get rid of the inventory of bags that has been purchased.
Vice Mayor Benzan closed public comment at 6:30 PM.
Vice Mayor Benzan stated that Brookline has a ban. What is the difference between the Cambridge proposal and Brookline? Commissioner O'Riordan stated that there are differences in the standards. The definition of plastic bag is 2.0 mils; penalties and enforcement and that different fines for second and third offenses.
Councillor Cheung stated that Cambridge leads the nation on many things. Plastic bag and the environment are areas where Cambridge is not being a leader. He would support the ordinance. There is an opportunity where other communities have implemented this ordinance to be more thoughtful about the implementation. He would like the ordinance to target more of our goals. When there is a fee for bags there has been a decrease in use. He would like vendors to collect a fee and then purchase canvas bags and ask that they distributed the canvas bags to the people in our community who have the least mean to pay for reusable bags. He does not want paper bags included in the ordinance. He is not in favor of outlining the thickness of the plastic in the ordinance.
Councillor Cheung spoke about the time frame. He wanted to give ample time to transition and wanted the public to be educated about the importance to ban the use of plastic bags. The time frame should be discussed and be on the table. He stated that the City provides compostable bags for dog waste. Compostable bags are not addressed in this ordinance and should be in the ordinance. He stated that compostable bags and containers are cheaper than plastic. If we try to rush this ordinance we are missing out on an opportunity to incorporate best practices. He wanted the buy in of the business community.
Councillor Cheung made the following motion:
ORDERED: That the Plastic Bag Reduction Ordinance remain in committee and that the City Manager be and hereby is requested to instruct the Community Development, Public Works and the Recycling Division of Public Works to report back to the City Council on how to modify the ordinance and to come back to the City Council with changes to the ordinance on the following issues: fees for bags, elimination of paper bags from the ordinance, elimination of the thickness of the plastic bag in the ordinance, increasing the timeframe for implementation of the ordinance and inclusion of compostable bags in the ordinance.
No action was taken on the motion made by Councillor Cheung.
Vice Mayor Benzan questioned Commissioner O'Riordan about the difference between the bags in Brookline is 2.25 mils and Cambridge's bag is 3.0, a difference of .75. Commissioner O'Riordan stated that he was unsure how we came to 3.0 mils. Vice Mayor Benzan spoke about cost of $.26 for plastic bag 3.0 mils or thicker and the cost of a paper bag being $.63 does this defeat the purpose of the ordinance? Commissioner O'Riordan stated that plastic bags of 3.0 mils would be more compatible with the reuse definition.
Councillor McGovern spoke against leaving this in committee. This was before City Council last term. We need to refer this to full City Council so as to ensure there will be a quorum so that this can be discussed. The Ordinance Committee can forward this to the full City Council and then there could be more debate, discussion and a vote. He does not support leaving it in committee. It has to be voted on at a regular meeting. He supports the plastic bag ban. The issue is are we going to make a decision that will be good for the environment and the community. He thinks we should. In Washington he paid $.10 for a plastic bag. Charging a fee will not stop tourist from coming to Cambridge. He has concerns about passing this onto the private business owners to bear the brunt of this for the small businesses. Is there something the City can do to alleviate the burden for small businesses? He has heard from seniors that the paper bags are not strong. He would like to provide senior citizens and people on fixed income with the reusable bags shown by the Sierra Club. He stated that exempted bags seemed to be single use bags; how was this decision reached that these type of bags are acceptable. Commissioner O'Riordan stated that these exemptions were copied from Brookline ordinance. Councillor McGovern asked has anyone studied the impact on small businesses in other communities who have passed a ban. Mr. Cialino stated that there has been a report of the impact of the cost to businesses in county of Los Angles and there has been a 95% reduction in use. He stated that Washington did not ban plastic bags but charges a fee for plastic and paper. Three years after the implementation the study showed that 4-5 people are using fewer bags. There are 50% fewer disposable bags being purchased.
Councillor McGovern asked Deputy City Manager Peterson what the City can do to help small businesses with the cost of transition and seniors and persons who are on fixed income. How do we help people get these bags? Ms. Peterson stated that the City can play a role for access for reusable bags. The Economic Division of Community Development Department could work with small businesses on alternatives and best business practices. She wanted the implementation to be 12 months rather than 6 months. If the City can reasonable help seniors and people on fixed income with access to reusable bag it will. Councillor McGovern stated that he did not favor the proposal remaining in committee. He supported moving this on to the full City Council.
Councillor Carlone agreed with Councillor McGovern. The issues can be discussed with the full City Council. He stated that if the bags cost $.10 - $.50 and if people have a choice they may use less bags. No matter how many times you use plastic it still ends up in the environment. He made an analogy with cans and plastic bottles. This is a logical extension of using less. If people do not want to pay a fee for a bag they will not use a bag. He stated that bags should be used when needed. He favored extending the time for implementation as suggested by Deputy City Manager Peterson. He favored forwarding to full City Council and asking for a full discussion at that time.
Councillor Mazen asked what is the time needed to implement. He further asked if there is enough time to do revisions to the ordinance. Commissioner O'Riordan stated that there are proposed revisions; one being the implementation period. Councillor Mazen stated that he has a business and has moved to paper. He supported the l2 month time frame for implementation. He opposes license exclusion. A fee on paper and also on 3 mils bags is not a significant cost. This is to try to implement a social cultural change. It will encourage an attitude to bring the appropriate bag for the climate and product purchased. The fee should not go to the establishment. Collecting the fee can provide multi use bags. Councillor Mazen stated that the retailer should not keep the fee. Ms. Peterson stated that social change does not make a difference who gets the fee. It would be a burden administratively for the City to do this. Councillor Mazen does not want to create anything burdensome.
Councillor McGovern stated that if the matter were referred to the full City Council more conversation could be held. This needs more conversation and information.
Councillor Mazen stated that he feels that this should be worked on now.
Vice Mayor Benzan stated that this is an important ordinance. There are significant issues that need to be worked on such as impact to seniors, bazaars and church fairs, time line, the fee and whether or not to charge for plastic and paper and this is the forum to work on these issues. He does not see the need to rush this. This should stay in committee until there is an ordinance that the full City Council can vote on. The issues need to be worked out in committee.
Councillor Mazen stated that he was not in favor of bringing the issue to the full City Council. Is there consensus from his colleague to bring to the floor issue to explore.
Councillor McGovern moved to refer the matter to the full City Council with a favorable recommendation. The motion carried on a voice vote of four.
At this time the City Clerk stated that proposed ordinance has been passed to a second reading. The hearing this evening was held on the motion made by the former Ordinance Committee Chair who suggested another hearing for the four new City Councillors in order to understand the proposed ordinance. This ordinance is on the Calendar under Unfinished Business. She stated that Municipal Code amendments do not have a specific time frame in which they need to be ordained like Zoning Ordinances. City Clerk Lopez stated that the request for more information is unclear. The staff does not know what the City Council is looking for the departments to report back on. Another hearing could be held on this matter.
Councillor Mazen would like to understand the economic cost to businesses of not purchasing merchandise if plastic bags are not offered. He would like to look at the potential of charging a fee and whether it would go to the City. He wanted information as to how the City would enforce the fines.
Ms. Peterson stated that clarity from the City Council is needed so that a report can be prepared for the City Council and then revisions can be made to the ordinance.
Vice Mayor Benzan thanked all attendees. The following communication were received and made part of the report.
A communication was received from David Loutzenheiser supporting apply disincentive to using disposable bags (ATTACHMENT C).
A communication was received from Sarah Stewart, 207 Appleton Street, in support of a ban on plastic bags (ATTACHMENT D).
A communication was received from Donald S. Schoenfisch (ATTACHMENT E).
A communication was received from Quinton Zondervan, Chair, Climate Protection Action Committee, transmitting recommendations urging adoption of the plastic bag ban (ATTACHMENT F).
A communication was received from Noel LaPierre, Vice Chair, Massachusetts Surfrider Foundation, transmitting support for the passage of the ordinance that would create an immediate and positive impact on reducing plastic litter (ATTACHMENT G).
Adjournment
On motion of Vice Mayor Benzan the hearing adjourned at 7:26pm.
For the Committee,
Vice Mayor Dennis Benzan, Co-Chair
Councillor Dennis Carlone, Co-Chair
Committee Report #4
Meeting Type - Public meeting
Meeting Purpose - To discuss the effectiveness of the City Council Aide positions as well as procedural issues regarding the submission of policy orders and resolutions.
Meeting Details
Date and Time: May 6, 2014 at 4:02pm
Location: Ackermann Room
Attendees
Councillor Toomey, Chair; Councillor Cheung; Councillor Mazen; Councillor McGovern; Councillor Simmons; Councillor Carlone; Councillor Kelley; Richard Rossi, City Manager; Lisa Peterson, Deputy City Manager; Lee Gianeti, Director of Communications and Public Relations, City Manager's Office; Nancy Glowa, City Solicitor; Sandra Albano, Executive Assistant to the City Council; Paula M. Crane, Administrative Assistant, City Clerk's Office; and Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk.
Other Attendees
Robert Winters, 366 Broadway; John Hawkinson, 2 Clinton Street; Gary Mello, 324 Franklin Street; Annie Nagle; and John Andreo.
Minutes
Councillor Toomey opened the meeting and stated the purpose. A Policy Order was submitted by Mayor Maher to review and evaluate the effectiveness of the Council Aides positions (ATTACHMENT A). This matter was referred to the Government Operations, Rules and Claims Committee. Councillor Toomey announced that the meeting is being recorded.
Mayor Maher stated that aide positions were added in 2005. It has been 10 years and regular evaluations are not done. It is time to look at the position and to determine if changes are needed. In 2005 he did not support the order; it was in excess. He did not hire an aide for a long time, but he has changed his opinion. The aides help streamline the request for information.
Councillor Toomey asked City Manager Rossi to give a brief overview. What are the hours worked by the aides. Mr. Rossi stated that the aides were hired to work on policy related matters and to do research. Many residents send e-mails to the City Council on issues in the community. The aides were trained on the Cambridge Request System (CRS) and were requested to use the system. The aides are a conduit between the City Council and the public. Councillor Toomey asked if there were other positions in the City where employees did not work 37.5 hours. Mr. Rossi responded that there in fact are many positions.
Councillor Toomey asked Mayor Maher if it was the intention of the policy order to increase the hours that the aides work. Mayor Maher stated that this was raised to phase in the full time hours for the position of the aides. Most aides work more hours than they are paid. The members of the City Council feel that the aides are invaluable to them.
Councillor McGovern stated that his aide is invaluable. He explained that his aide assists him in setting up a meeting with elected officials. He stated that because the City Council job is not a full time position he needs an aide. People may not understand the job. He uses his aide for research, to schedule meetings, to prepare orders and to attend community meetings that he is unable to attend and takes notes. His aide ran his campaign and he trusts her. The reason he hired her as his aide is because it is a solid relationship. He supports the position, especially due to the fact that he has a second job.
City Manager Rossi stated that when employee jobs are changed, the Personnel Department will perform an assessment and make a recommendation to the City Manager to ensure that the salary is fair and appropriate. He suggested that the City Council move forward in this way.
Councillor Kelley stated that he does not have an aide. He stated his belief that having personal assistant makes it difficult to bump incumbents. His choice is not to have an aide. He does not think that the aide position is necessary.
Councillor Mazen stated that the goal is to hire an effective employee; the aides are effective. By increasing depth and level of service this increases visibility. He stated that this is the best use of money. The City Council should have a full staff. He stated that his assistant conducts follow-up and assists him in getting things accomplished. He does not agree with Councillor Kelley that the salary is a waste.
Councillor Carlone stated that he has only done the job with the assistance of an aide and he does not know how the job would be done without an aide. He stated his aide adds to his knowledge and this is important. He feels he is lucky to have an aide and noted that he gets more done with the assistance of an aide. He noted that his aide works more than 37.5 hours per week. He wanted to ensure that the City Council can keep what is currently in place. Councillor Toomey commented that all the staff in the department work more than 37.5 hours per week.
Councillor McGovern stated that if one is doing their job properly, they are working more than work more than the normal hours.
Councillor Mazen stated that his aide works more than 40 hours per week.
Councillor Toomey asked how the committee would like to proceed on this matter. City Manager Rossi expressed concern about other employees. He suggested that this matter be referred to the Personnel Department for further analysis with recommendation to him upon completion of said analysis.
Mayor Maher stated that in most City positions there are step increases in salary. He noted that the salary of the new aides is the same as the aides that have been in place for years. He stated the need for further conversation as it relates to potentially adjusting the hours or the salary. He stated that the City Council aides have no protection like other employees of the city. He stated the need for a fair way to look at this issue.
Councillor Simmons asked if there is a benefit differential if an employee is part time or full time. City Manager Rossi responded in the affirmative. He noted that aides can lose their job in two years and benefit buildup cannot be built in.
Councillor Kelley stated that if the City Council wants to professionalize this position, the position of City Council aide cannot be a political appointment. He stated that if the City Council needs more support, then maybe the way to approach that is to hire more professional support that would work for the body of the City Council as a whole. Councillor Carlone stated that he did not agree with this suggestion. Councillor Cheung stated that he did not agree with the characterizations of Councillor Kelley. Councillor McGovern stated that two of the aides have law degrees and noted that they are very professional. He stated that this is the only position that a City Councillor can select. He stated that the aides are qualified individuals and noted that some are over qualified for position. Councillor Kelley stated that if other positions were looked at there are guidelines and training you would request. He stated that this is not a career path with advancement.
Councillor Toomey opened the meeting to public comment at 4:25pm.
Robert Winters, 366 Broadway, stated that he never was a supporter of the position of City Council aide and is still not a supporter. If there was revamping of the City Council Office to meet the needs of the City Council he would agree with this. He does not agree with a job that does not have a description. He would like a legal opinion as it relates to the City Charter. The City Charter does not grant authority to the City Council to hire their personal aide. He thinks this is a violation of the Charter, especially without a job description or posting.
Gary Mello, 324 Franklin Street stated that the City Council aides are not employees, they are appointees. He stated that it was suggested by a member of the City Council that long term aides be given a higher salary. Mayor Maher clarified that this was not the case. Mr. Mello suggested that there be two aides for the entire City Council. The aides will be used in common. These are political appointees with links to City Council campaigns. He hoped that the hiring process is opened up and posted.
Councillor Toomey announced the close of public comment at 4:35pm.
Councillor Toomey asked City Manager Rossi for the timeframe in which the committee could expect a response from the City Manager after the analysis from the Personnel Department. Mr. Rossi responded 3-4 weeks. Councillor Toomey made the following motion:
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to instruct the Personnel Director to conduct an analysis and assessment of the position of Aide to the City Council and that the City Manager report back to the City Council on this matter in three weeks.
The motion carried on a voice vote.
Councillor Mazen stated that he does not want agreement on a vote to be a Kabul. The conclusion may be a positive act. He stated that the position may be important to the City and the City Council. He stated that he is miffed and disturbed about this.
Councillor McGovern stated that he does not like the insinuation that this is a political position in such that it is a favor or deal.
At this time Councillor Toomey opened the meeting to discuss procedural issues for orders and resolutions. He stated that he has had discussions with the City Clerk and City Council Offices in terms of submission of orders. He stated that it has come to his attention that policy order and resolution topics are being placed "on hold." He stated that this is creating a backlog in the City Clerk's Office. He is of the opinion that a "hold" cannot be done and that it is a disservice to the staff.
Councillor Simmons asked what a "hold" means. Ms. Crane explained that the City Clerk has been notified of a topic of the order or resolution, but not the substance. She noted that it can sometimes take the aides a long time to get the final wording to the City Clerk's Office. She stated that she received many "holds" each week and that the City Clerk's Office is looking to the Government Operation, Rules and Claims Committee for guidance on this matter. She stated that another issue that the City Clerk's Office is regularly encountering is that wording on policy orders is being changed after it has been submitted to the office as final text. Ms. Albano informed the committee that she has asked the aides to not send text for policy orders or resolutions until the text is the final version.
Councillor Carlone suggested the possibility of changing deadlines for orders and resolution from Thursday to Wednesday.
Councillor McGovern explained that there have been times when he has worked on an issue which then results in the submittal of a policy order to the City Clerk's Office only to be told that another City Councillor has a "hold" on that topic. He noted that because of this he feels pressure to get things in quickly. He stated that it is a disservice to have a race on the submittal of policy orders and that it is not a good way to operate.
Ms. Crane stated that "holds" have steadily increased throughout the years.
Councillor Simmons spoke about "save the date" invitations. She asked guidance as to the best way to handle this. Ms. Crane stated that resolutions can be submitted to the City Clerk's Office asking that a suitable resolution be prepared on this event and as the event moves closer, more detailed and substantive information can be added to the resolution.
Councillor McGovern stated that it is unfair to place a "hold" on any given topic for an extended period of time. This does not facilitate collaboration within the City Council. Councillor Simmons then inquired about policy orders and resolutions that are received by the City Clerk's Office that are similar in nature. Ms. Lopez stated that if this occurs, it is suggested to the sponsor of the secondary order or resolution to contact the originating sponsor to seek approval to be added as a co-sponsor.
Councillor Kelley stated that he never heard of putting something on "hold". This may be a problem with the aides.
Councillor Mazen spoke about the spirit of submitting policy orders or resolutions in a rush in order to be the sponsoring City Councillor. He questioned if there is a way to optimize productivity. He stated that he has a latent fear that if a City Councillor waits longer to submit a policy order, it increases the workability on the part of the City.
Councillor Toomey stated that policy orders do not have to be extremely detailed; make them simple. He stated that matters are sent to a committee and that is where the work needs to be done. He stated that the detailed work takes place within the committee meetings.
Councillor Cheung suggested the possibility of City Councillors submitting their orders and resolutions on line. He asked if the City Council could have a daily standing meeting. Councillor Mazen stated that when he attended the State Open Meeting Law training he asked if announced open meetings between City Council members are in violation of the Open Meeting Law. Councillor Cheung stated that he does not know if the City Council can communicate with each other. Councillor Simmons stated that this takes the two clerks out of play when they are trying to get their daily work accomplished. Councillor Mazen stated that at the State training he was informed that you do not need an object clerk to take notes.
Councillor Toomey made the following motion:
ORDERED: That effective June 2, 2014 there will no longer be holds on orders and resolutions.
The motion - Carried on a voice vote.
Councillor Mazen made the following motion:
ORDERED: That no revisions to final text for policy orders and resolutions that have been received by the City Clerk's Office shall be made after 12:00pm (noon) on Thursday.
The motion - Carried on a voice vote.
Councillor McGovern stated his hope that the staff feels comfortable in speaking with City Councillors if they are making things difficult as it relates to the day-to-day functions and effectiveness of their office.
Councillor Simmons suggested the scheduling of a meeting at six-month intervals wherein the Government Operations, Rules & Claims Committee meet with appropriate staff regarding operational issues.
Councillor Simmons submitted the following motion:
ORDERED: That the Government Operations, Rules and Claims Committee meet with the operational side of the City Clerk's office to check in at six month intervals to visit any and all operational issues.
The motion - Carried on a voice vote.
Councillor Mazen suggested the possibility of placing a limit on the number of resolutions which could be used to blanket support for the resolutions.
Councillor Simmons commented that when her constituents get copies of a resolution they feel it is extraordinary and it is part of the historic fabric of the City.
Councillor Toomey agreed with Councillor Mazen and stated that in certain circumstances, resolutions that do not pertain to Cambridge are acceptable.
Councillor McGovern agreed. He expressed concern when the relationship between the City Council and the person or organization is unknown.
All agreed that resolutions submitted have a relationship to the City and organizations in the City.
Public comment began at 5:20pm.
John Hawkinson spoke about "holds" noting that the City Council cannot do business in secret. There is a problem when "holds" interfere with work for the City Clerk. He stated that aides should enter orders in the database themselves and that maybe the system needs to be updated. The City Clerk's Office should be able to revise deadlines. He stated that if an amendment is anticipated it should be on the agenda.
Gary Mello stated that he was happy to see the City Council agenda on line on Thursday.
Councillor Toomey closed public comment. He thanked all attendees.
Adjournment
On motion of Councillor Simmons the meeting adjourned at 5:28pm.
For the Committee,
Councillor Timothy J. Toomey, Chair
AWAITING REPORT LIST
14-05. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of allowing Cambridge residents and visitors to pay parking violations instantly via cell phone application.
Councillor Cheung 02/10/14 (O-2)
14-13. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on putting information on traffic enforcement, accidents and parking tickets online in a format that would allow electronic data analysis by the general public.
Councillor Kelley 03/17/14 (O-9)
14-15. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on ways for cyclists to use public bike parking for short, medium and long term bike storage to alleviate the problem of abandoned bikes clogging bike parking facilities as well as appropriate public space in which cyclists can lock their bikes. Referred back for additional information by Councillor Kelley on Apr 7, 2014.
Councillor Kelley 03/17/14 (O-12)
14-18. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on determining the legal and regulatory process necessary to collaborate with the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority, companies in the private sector and/or local universities, and/or donors that are willing to partner with the City to achieve the desired development objectives at the Foundry Building.
Vice Mayor Benzan, Councillor Mazen, Councillor Carlone & Councillor Toomey 03/17/14 (O-16)
14-19. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on producing an updated report of the Concord-Alewife Plan.
Councillor Cheung 03/24/14 (O-4)
14-20. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the searching for and examining any companies that could potentially offer to deploy fiber optic internet in the city.
Councillor Cheung 03/24/14 (O-5)
14-21. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the implementation of a city-wide job fair exclusively for Cambridge residents.
Vice Mayor Benzan 03/24/14 (O-8)
14-23. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of acquiring web-based financial visualization software for local governments where financial and budget data is modeled and presented in a visual user-friendly and interactive manner
Councillor Cheung 04/07/14 (O-2)
14-25. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #9
RE: report on the status of the Grand Junction Path project.
Councillor McGovern, Councillor Toomey, Councillor Mazen & Councillor Carlone 04/07/14 (O-11)
14-26. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on pedestrian and vehicle safety improvements at the intersection of Cambridge Street and Cardinal Medeiros Avenue.
Councillor Toomey 04/07/14 (O-12)
14-27. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on revising the location of Hubway stations in residential areas.
Councillor Simmons 04/28/14 (O-1)
14-28. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on creating a master list of all residential building managers citywide.
Councillor Simmons 04/28/14 (O-4)
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)
14-30. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on if additional measures can be taken to make the crossing safety at Cambridge and Sciarappa Streets.
Councillor Toomey 04/28/14 (O-6)
14-31. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the possibility of installing a bus shelter on Cambridge Street in front of Millers River Senior apartments.
Councillor Toomey 04/28/14 (O-8)
14-32. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of establishing an information hotline that residents can call to learn about and be connected to the social service providers in their neighborhoods.
Councillor Simmons 04/28/14 (O-10)
14-33. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on potential for continued upgrades and improvements to bus shelters across the City.
Councillor Carlone 04/28/14 (O-13)
14-35. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the condition of the parking lot and fence at the corner of Cherry and School Streets.
Vice Mayor Benzan 04/28/14 (O-19)
14-36. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of offering resident an online option to complete the City's annual census.
Councillor Cheung 04/28/14 (O-27)
14-37. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of painting green all designed bicycle lanes on all major streets.
Councillor Cheung 04/28/14 (O-28)
14-38. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on establishing a Safe Routes to School program.
Councillor McGovern & Councillor Mazen 05/05/14 (O-3)
14-39. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on allocating an additional $140,000 annually to Cambridge and Somerville Legal Services.
Councillor Simmons, Vice Mayor Benzan & Councillor Carlone 05/05/14 (O-7)