Cambridge City Council meeting - Aug 2, 2010 - AGENDA
CITY MANAGER’S AGENDA
1. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appointment of the following persons as Constables without power, for a term of three years effective the first day of Jan. 2010: Rachel Graham, Christopher A. Garcia & Craig W. Yearwood, II
2. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the Adult Basic Education grant received from the Mass Dept of Elementary & Secondary Ed. in the amount of $650,321 to the Human Service Salary & Wages account ($557,456), Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($91,285) and Travel & Training account ($1,580) which will supports partial salary costs for benefited direct service staff, contractual hours for student leadership projects employing CLC students as job mentors and health advisors, funds for mileage for in-state DESE meetings and for partial funding of conference expenses as well as providing funding for educational supplies and other operating costs.
3. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of funds to the Baby University program from the Cambridge Housing Authority in the amount of $25,000 to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Salary & Wages account which will be used to support salary costs of care workers, playgroup leaders, and childcare workers.
4. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the Mass Dept of Public Health Bureau of Substance Abuse Services grant received through the U.S. Dept of Public Health & Human Services in the amount of $80,000 to the Human Service Salary & Wages account ($66,881.63), Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($11,868.37), and Travel and Training account ($1,250.00) which will be used to support the Cambridge Prevention Coalition's work to continue addressing the issue of underage drinking.
5. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Bureau of Substance Abuse Services (BSAS) grant received through the U.S. Department of Public Health and Human Services in the amount of $125,000.00 to the Grant Fund Human Service Salary and Wages account ($120,631.05), Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($3,118.95), and the Travel and Training account ($1,250.00) which will be used to support the Cambridge Prevention Coalition's work to implement programs and projects to reduce opioid overdoses in collaboration with the coalition's partners.
6. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $62,000.00 for the Center for Families Program Grant funded from the Massachusetts Department of Education through the Children's Trust fund to the Human Service Salary and Wages account ($55,389.00) and the Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($6,611.00) which will be used by the Center for Families to support family programs targeting parents of children up to six years, which include a variety of family support and parent education programs and resources.
7. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the Temporary Emergency Shelter grant received from the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) in the amount of $261,820.00 to the Grant Fund Human Service Salary and Wages account ($26,000.00) and the Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($235,820.00) which will be used for a partnership between the City's Multi-Service Center and the Cambridge YWCA to fund a Housing Search and Stabilization Worker and provide housing services for six months.
8. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the Safe Home Supportive Housing Program grant awarded from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act in the amount of $162,236.00 to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Salary and Wages account ($3,862.00) and to the Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($158,374.00) which will be used for costs related to serving homeless persons in Cambridge through HomeStart's new Safe Home Permanent Supportive Housing Program.
9. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of a grant from the Cambridge Housing Authority for $62,446.00 to the Grant Fund Human Service Department Programs Salary and Wages account which will be used to maintain the capacity of the Cambridge Employment Program (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.
10. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the Massachusetts Formula Grant for $84,945.00 funded by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs to the Grant Fund Human Service Salary and Wages account ($38,675.00), Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($44,440.00), and the Travel and Training account ($1,830.00) which will be used to provide substance abuse prevention services for Cambridge seniors, transportation for Cambridge seniors to medical appointments, and weekly food shopping trips. as well as to support one part-time weekend coordinator position and several instructors who provide services at the Citywide Senior Center.
11. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the Friends of the Community Learning Center (CLC) Bridge to College Program grant in the amount of $33,450.42 to the Grant Fund Human Service Salary and Wages account ($30,985.42), Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($1,875.00), and Travel and Training account ($590.00) to support two ESOL classes at the Community Learning Center, a portion of salaries for two part-time ESOL teachers, and to support the Bridge to College program which consists of one class that meets two evenings per week for a total of six hours of instruction per week.
12. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of a Green Communities Grant from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources in the amount of $283,770 to the Public Investment Fund Public Works Extraordinary Expenditures account to fund HVAC improvements at the Haggerty School and the Area 4 and Frisoli Youth Centers, which will support the implementation of the City's Green Community energy reduction plan.
13. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 10-85, regarding a report on traffic issues on Kenway Street.
14. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 10-95, regarding a report on off-leash use of Paine Park.
15. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 10-104, regarding a report on signs for Clement Morgan Park.
16. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 10-105, regarding a report on participating in events related to the 2011 APA conference.
17. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 10-106, regarding a report on rectifying frequent traffic jams at the intersection of Putnam and Western Avenues.
18. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 10-83, regarding a report on the closing of the Main Library on Sundays for the summer months.
Referred to Cable TV, Telecommunications, & Public Utilities Committee - Davis
19. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 10-88, regarding a report on the status of dog use at Norton's Woods.
Dear Neighbor,
Welcome back to Norton's Woods. We have completed the first phase of safety repairs to our property, which address the most immediate problems caused by the spring storms. All gates will reopen on Thurs, July 1 and we invite members of the community, including dogs on leashes, to our grounds.
For the enjoyment and safety of all who visit, we are asking the community to assist in ensuring compliance with the Cambridge leash law. We also request that you remove all dog waste and other refuse. Please report any incidents or infractions by calling 617-441-6111 and leaving a message along with your contact information.
As a reminder, the City of Cambridge provides several locations where dogs may be off leash. These designated areas include Fresh Pond Reservation, Danehy Park, Corcoran Field, Pacific Street Park, Fort Washington Park, and Gold Star Mothers Park. Additional information on Cambridge's dedicated and shared use off leash areas may be found at http://www.cambridgema.gov/cdd/cp/parks/offleash/index.html.
The recent work included the removal of dead or diseased trees and forest management as recommended by arborists to preserve our native species and to encourage their growth. Our work and full remediation of the water problems in the lower woods are not complete, and a portion of this area is still fenced off. Please be aware that additional work will require intermittent closures and we will post signs accordingly.
Thank you and all good wishes for a safe and happy Fourth of July weekend.
Sincerely, Paul Karoff, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
20. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 10-96, regarding a report on the status of tents of Flagstaff Park. [They vacated in late June after being informed about the prohibition of erected structures on the Cambridge Common, including Flagstaff Park.]
Referred to Human Services Committee - Reeves
21. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 10-103, regarding a report on delivery trucks knocking down wires on Lexington Avenue.
22. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Numbers 10-91 and 10-108, regarding truck restrictions and enforcement on Second Street.
23. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 10-102, regarding a report on a forum on forecasting future housing needs for older Cantabrigians.
24. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Numbers 10-86 and 10-99, regarding the status of the building and parking lot formerly occupied by Marino's Restaurant.
25. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 10-98, regarding a report on whether wires on Windsor and Seckel Streets were installed correctly.
26. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 10-97, regarding a report on extending the Hybrid Cab program.
27. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 09-147, report on what barriers would prevent residents from raising chickens and what could be done to remove these barriers.
Charter Right - Davis
Aug 2, 2010
To the Honorable, the City Council:
In response to Awaiting Report Item Number 09-147, report on what barriers would prevent residents from raising chickens and what could be done to remove these barriers, staff members of the Public Health, Law, Public Works, and Inspectional Services Departments and the Animal Commission submit the following information.
Statutory barriers to raising chickens in Cambridge
The underlying restriction in the City of Cambridge Zoning Ordinance (Article 4.000, paragraph 4.13) states that "No building, structure, or land in any district may be used, erected or designed to be used in whole or in part, for any use not listed in Section 4.30, except nonconforming uses which may be continued under the provisions of 8.20."
In Cambridge, there has been no allowance in the existing Zoning Ordinance for the use of any property to raise chickens. An exemption from this restriction may apply to property owners who can demonstrate prior and continuous use of their property for raising chickens that predates the relevant provisions of the Zoning Ordinance.
In addition to the Zoning Ordinance, there may be portions of the Noise Ordinance that could be triggered by having chickens, especially if roosters were allowed as opposed to only hens. Also, issues pertaining to nuisance, odors, waste, predator and pest control, health and the humane treatment of animals would have to be considered in connection with a decision to allow and regulate the raising of chickens in Cambridge. In order to allow residents to raise chickens in Cambridge, the Zoning Ordinance would have to be amended at a minimum, and possibly other ordinances would need to be promulgated or amended.
Public Health concerns
While the practice of raising chickens for their eggs reflects a growing interest in local, fertilizer-free, sustainable food sources within urban communities in the United States, there are several known public health risks to people who keep poultry without proper preparation and care.
Common bacterial and fungal pathogens
The most common human pathogens associated with chickens are Salmonella and Campylobacter, two common types of bacteria. These bacterial agents are generally transmitted through contact with chicken feces or material that has been contaminated by feces. This pathway of exposure, referred to as "oral-fecal," can pose a risk to anyone who works around poultry when conditions are not sufficiently hygienic and proper hand washing practices are not observed. There is also some risk of bacterial contamination from chicken eggs, if not properly handled and washed, as they often come into contact with feces from the animals. Another well known risk to humans working with chickens is Histoplasmosis, a fungal infection most often acquired by inhalation near deposits of dried feces causing respiratory illness, even pneumonia.
As with other public health risks, individuals who are older, immuno-compromised or very young are likely to experience the greatest risk of illness from exposure to any of these pathogens.
Avian influenza risk in poultry
Avian flu - also called H5N1 - is an influenza A virus subtype that occurs mainly in birds, is highly contagious among birds, and can be deadly to them. H5N1 virus does not usually infect people, but infections with these viruses have occurred in humans. These infections have resulted when people have direct or close contact with H5N1-infected poultry, such as would occur from sleeping on the ground where infected poultry have been. To date, no H5N1 infections have occurred in humans in the Western Hemisphere. A milder strain of the virus, LPAI A (H5N1) or North American H5N1, has been detected among wild migratory fowl in North America since at least the mid-1970s. The risk that backyard chickens in the United States could acquire an avian flu virus like H5N1 from the droppings of migratory fowl is extremely low, and the likelihood that it would be the more deadly strain is even lower. However, prominent avian disease specialists suggest that keeping poultry in a fully covered coop to prevent exposure to these droppings is a preferred practice.
Restrictions and minimum standards
Other requirements or prohibitions that have been cited in studies, included in local regulations elsewhere in the United States, or mentioned in other written materials to promote disease prevention and nuisance avoidance include:
Regulation and enforcement
Specific regulation of backyard chickens, beyond removal of restrictions in the current zoning ordinance, would be needed to maintain assurance that minimum public health and animal treatment standards are being met. It is feasible to create regulatory language that addresses the concerns that have been raised, but enforcement would add to the code enforcement workload within any department that is charged with this task.
Oversight options for local regulation of this activity include one or more of the following:
Several departments might have the appropriate experience to assume this role, including the Inspectional Services Department, the License Commission, the Animal Commission, and the Public Health Department.
It is unlikely that fees collected for this permit would cover more than a fraction of the additional staff time and administrative costs associated with enforcement, but the needed capacity would depend on the type of enforcement that is established (complaint-driven vs. regular inspection; permitted vs. unpermitted). A brief review of requirements placed on the practice of raising backyard chickens follows.
Regulation of backyard poultry in other municipalities
Many cities in the United States, including several Massachusetts municipalities that have previously prohibited the raising of chickens in residential areas, have reconsidered or are now reconsidering their prohibition against raising chickens in light of the benefits of local food sources as a sustainable practice capable of delivering food of high quality at low cost and with personal control over the use of synthetic hormones and poultry feed with chemical fertilizers. Several other Boston area municipalities have traditionally allowed chickens and other livestock to be kept with zoning restriction or subject to Board of Health approval (e.g., Brookline, Newton). Brookline is in the process of reviewing their approval process and Boston is also considering a formal oversight process for keeping domestic chickens, a practice now prohibited. The City of Seattle is among the many larger municipalities that allow domestic fowl and small farm animals to be kept on residential property, but like many other towns there are few requirements other than having the minimum lot size (+20,000 square feet). The New York City Health Department has much looser restrictions, essentially allowing chickens in a required coop if it is more than 25 feet away from any residential building and provided that it does not constitute a demonstrable "nuisance." Exceptions are allowed for coops within 25 feet of single-occupancy homes.
As one of the most recent and detailed bylaws expressly written to regulate domestic fowl on residential property, the Town of Arlington bylaw may be instructive. In May 2009, the Town of Arlington enacted a bylaw that established conditions under which residents may keep poultry on their property. Restrictions include:
Nuisance Control
Predator and Pest Control
Health and Disease Concerns
Humane Treatment
Regulation and Permit Process
In conclusion, there does appear to be an emerging acknowledgement that municipalities can accommodate residents' interest in keeping domestic fowl for egg-harvesting purposes. The conditions established within each municipality vary considerably from simple lot-size and set-back requirements to permitted regulation from local health departments that include training mandates (NYC), coop placement and design (Arlington), and regular inspection and sanitation standards (Arlington).
While the primary public health concerns might feasibly be addressed with an appropriate local regulation or bylaw, this would not guarantee that all nuisances associated with this activity would be avoided. Any local regulation or ordinance in Cambridge should be written to oversee public health risks, proper animal treatment, and reasonable impact on neighbors.
Very truly yours, Robert W. Healy, City Manager
28. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the transfer of $75,000 from General Fund Cable Television Salary and Wages account to the General Fund School Salary and Wages account to cover the costs of an Educational Access Program Manager position.
29. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of a Public Safety Answering Point Emergency Communications Center Support (PSAP Support) Grant funded from the State 911 Department for $301,330 to the Emergency Communications Salaries and Wages account ($180,274), Emergency Communications Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($34,056) and to the Emergency Communications Extraordinary Expenditures account ($87,000) which will support three dispatch positions and the purchase and maintenance of dispatch equipment.
30. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of a Public Safety Answering Position (PSAP) Grant funded from the Statewide Emergency Telecommunications Board (SEBT) for $55,037 to the Emergency Communications Department Salary and Wages account ($41,500), Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($4,000) and the Travel and Training account ($9,537) which will support training to dispatch personnel as well as software maintenance costs.
31. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of a donation from the Turner Family Foundation to the Youth Engaged in Life-Long Sports (YELLS) Program in the amount of $47,000.00 to the Grant Fund Human Service Salary and Wages account ($4,650.00) and to the Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($42,350.00) which will support the YELLS program held at the Russell Youth and Community Center and is designed to expose young people to sports they can play for the rest of their lives - golf, tennis, cycling, hiking, ultimate Frisbee and more.
32. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of a grant from the MetroNorth Regional Employment Board through the Cambridge Housing Authority and Just-a-Start Corporation in the amount of $23,437.00 to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Salary and Wages account which are funds MetroNorth Regional allocated to be used to reimburse the city for salary costs associated with enrolling twenty-eight additional income-eligible youth in the Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program.
33. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance grant funded by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) in the amount of $88,979.00 to the Grant Fund Human Service Salary and Wages account ($86,787.00), and the Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($2,192.00) which will be used for costs related to the Carey Men's Transitional Program operated by the Multi-Service Center.
34. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of a grant from First Literacy in the amount of $14,000.00 to the Grant Fund Human Services Salary & Wages Account ($12,050.00) and to the Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($1,950.00) whch will provide a student leadership class on presentation skills and pronunciation for Community Learning Center students.
35. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 10-60, regarding a report on the City's current cell phone tower zoning policy.
36. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to a recommendation to increase the residential parking sticker fee.
Charter Right - Toomey [This matter is expected to be referred at the Sept 13 meeting to both the Ordinance Committee and the Finance Committee for further discussion. It will also likely be passed to a 2nd Reading at that meeting. A final vote would then most likely take place two weeks later at the Sept 27 meeting.]
Aug 2, 2010
To the Honorable, the City Council:
In 1992 the City Council passed the Vehicle Trip Reduction Ordinance, City Ordinance 10.17. The Ordinance established the City's strong commitment to pursue programs that would reduce auto generated air pollution in response to the City's environmental priorities. In the 18 years since the ordinance was passed the City has created numerous both successful and innovative transportation programs. There has been a reduction in single occupant vehicle trips while transit use has increased. Bicycle trips have grown 100% in the last six years. Car ownership by Cambridge residents has declined as shown by the reduction in total resident permits issued. New large projects are being built with less parking and a strong commitment to transportation demand management programs.
Now the demands on the City's transportation and environmental programs are expanding to include not just efforts to reduce air pollution but actions to reduce green house gases and combat climate change. I am recommending an increase of the residential parking sticker fee which, in addition to helping fund many current positive programs, can also be used to fund the programs to reduce green house gas emissions.
The original residential parking sticker fee was $4.00 in the mid-70's and increased to $8.00 in 1992. The proposed ordinance calls for a 2-phased increase: $20.00 for 2011 permits, and $25.00 commencing with the 2013 permits and thereafter. In order for this to occur for the calendar year 2011, the ordinance change must be voted by Sept 30, 2010 to coincide with renewal notices.
Passage is recommended.
Very truly yours, Robert W. Healy, City Manager
In Amendment to the Ordinance entitled "Municipal Code of the City of Cambridge", as follows:
1. Within Section 1 0.17.070 Strike out the words "eight dollars per permit per household" and replace them with the words "twenty dollars effective with the 2011 permits and twenty-five dollars effective with the 2013 permits and thereafter per permit per household:
2. Within Section 1 0.17.150 insert a new clause following the word "chapter" which reads ", and other actions addressing climate change."
3. Within Section 10.17.060 B delete the first sentence which provides that: "Beginning on the January first following the effective date of this provision, each residential visitor pass issued by the Traffic and Parking Department shall be designed to display a calendar for the year during which it is valid."
Resident Parking Permit Program Fees
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37. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 10-78, regarding a report on allowing residents to purchase permits to barbeque on public land.
38. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 10-70, regarding a report on the feasibility of updating the website with automatic translation software. [The Information Technology Department will link to Google Translation via the City Homepage. Google Translation is a free application and it has the ability to translate a website into 57 different languages. The City website is in the process of being updated with a potential launch in fall 2010. We will have the ability to add this feature with the new website. There will be some programming involved to create the interface and determine placement design on the new website.]
ON THE TABLE
1. A communication was received from D. Margaret Drury, City Clerk, transmitting a copy of the referral of Order Number 15 of Dec 21, 2009, regarding increasing the amount of public information about elections while the election is in progress, to the 2010-2011 City Council. [Communications and Reports from City Officers #1 of Jan 11, 2010 Placed on Table.]
2. That the City Manager is requested to restore funding for School Department clerical positions until a proper and negotiated process can be achieved with the Cambridge School Department and Unions representing the employees, and to report back to the City Council on the progress. [Order Number Fourteen of Apr 26, 2010 Placed on Table. May 10, 2010 Councillor Kelley made a motion to take from the table motion failed 2-7-0 remains on Table.]
3. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 10-32, regarding a report on issues with the development of the former St. John's property site. [Charter Right exercised on City Manager Agenda Item Number Eighteen of May 24, 2010. Placed on Table June 7, 2010.]
4. An application was received from Tony LaVita, requesting permission for a curb cut at the premises numbered 68 Middlesex Street; said petition has received approval from Inspectional Services, Traffic, Parking and Transportation, Historical and Public Works. No response has been received from the neighborhood association. [Applications and Petitions Number Ten Of June 7, 2010 Placed on Table.]
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
5. A communication was received from D. Margaret Drury, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor Timothy J. Toomey, Jr., Co-Chair of the Ordinance Committee, for a meeting held on June 9, 2010 to continue discussion of a proposed amendment to Section 5.28.2 of the Zoning Ordinance to expand the applicability of section 5.28 Conversation of Non Residential Structures to Residential Use to include structures that may have been built for residential use but have been in Institutional Use for at least ten years. The question comes on passing to be ordained on or after June 28, 2010. Planning Board hearing held on June 1, 2010. Petition expires Aug 4, 2010.
Petition allowed to expire
6. A communication was received from D. Margaret Drury, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor Timothy J. Toomey, Co-Chair of the Ordinance Committee, for a hearing held on June 9, 2010 to continue discussion of a petition by the City Council to amend the Zoning Ordinance in accord with the recommendations of the Green Building Task Force to encourage energy efficient buildings. The question comes on passing to be ordained on or after June 28, 2010. Planning Board hearing held May 18, 2010. Petition expires Aug 4, 2010.
Ordained as Amended, 9-0, Ordinance #1333
7. A communication was received from D. Margaret Drury, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor Timothy J. Toomey, Jr., Co-Chair of the Ordinance Committee, for a meeting held on June 9, 2010 to continue to consider proposed amendments to the Zoning Map and Zoning Ordinance in Article 14 Mixed Use Development Cambridge Center to create a "Smart Growth Underutilized Area" in the vicinity of Broadway, Main and Ames Street and the site of the West parking garage on Ames Street. The question comes on passing to be ordained on or after July 5, 2010. Planning Board hearing held June 1, 2010. Petition expires Aug 9, 2010.
Ordained as Amended, 8-0-0-1 [Kelley voted PRESENT], Ordinance # 1334. See appendix at end of Committee Report #7 for late amendments prior to ordination.
APPLICATIONS AND PETITIONS
1. Revocation of a sign permit for Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New England, a division of Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. for the premises numbered 896 Massachusetts Avenue, issued Oct 7, 1975. Inspectional Services inspected the property on July 6, 2010 and the sign is down.
2. Revocation of a sign permit for Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New England, a division of Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. for the premises numbered 93 Windsor Street, issued Sept 30, 1975. Inspectional Services inspected the property on July 6, 2010 and the sign is down.
3. Revocation of a sign permit for Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New England, a division of Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. for the premises numbered 27 Gore Street, issued Aug 5, 1975. Inspectional Services inspected the property on July 6, 2010 and the sign is down.
4. An application was received from Subway, requesting permission for a sign at the premises numbered 4 Central Square. Approval has been received from Inspectional Services, Department of Public Works, Community Development and abutters.
5. An application was received from VIM, requesting permission for a H framed sign and two planters on Blanche Street.
6. An application was received from Cakewalk Bakers DBA Flour Bakery, requesting permission for ten tables and twenty chairs in front of the premises numbered 190 Massachusetts Avenue.
7. An application was received from Jagdish Singh, Cafe of India, requesting permission for four tables and ten chairs in front of the premises numbered 52A Brattle Street.
8. An application was received from Jean Cunningham, Cambridge Family YMCA, requesting permission for two sandwich board signs in front of the premises numbered 820 Massachusetts Avenue.
9. An application was received from Hassan Ghazli, La Creperie, requesting permission for two tables and four chairs in front of the premises numbered 1154 Massachusetts Avenue.
10. An application was received from American Apparel, requesting permission for a sandwich board sign in front of the premises numbered 47 Brattle Street.
11. An application was received from Laura Dugdale, requesting permission for a display of merchandise in the vicinity of Massachusetts Avenue and Vassar Street.
12. An application was received from Eamon Lee, requesting permission to remove an existing curb cut and relocate two smaller curb cuts at the premises numbered 66-76 Harvey Street; said petition has received approval from Inspectional Services, Traffic, Parking and Transportation, Historical and Public Works. Approval has been received from the neighborhood association.
13. An application was received from Central Bottle Wine & Provisions, requesting permission for a sign at the premises numbered 196 Massachusetts Avenue. Approval has been received from Inspectional Services, Department of Public Works, Community Development and abutters.
14. An application was received from Tistik, requesting permission for a sign at the premises numbered 54 Church Street. Approval has been received from Inspectional Services, Department of Public Works, Community Development, Historical Commission and abutter with one condition that the sign not obstruct the view of the clock at 58 Church Street.
15. An application was received from VIM Fitness Corporation, requesting permission for a sign at the premises numbered 350 Massachusetts Avenue. Approval has been received from Inspectional Services, Department of Public Works, Community Development.
16. A zoning petition has been received from Richard McKinnon, et al., requesting the City Council to amend the Zoning Ordinance and Map relating to the NorthPoint PUD-6 District.
Referred to Ordinance Committee and Planning Board
17. An application was received from "From Russia with Art", requesting permission for a sign at the premises numbered 1977-1979 Massachusetts Avenue. Approval has been received from Inspectional Services, Department of Public Works, Community Development and abutter.
COMMUNICATIONS
1. A communication was received from the family of Peter J. Dolan, transmitting thanks to the City Council for the kind expression of sympathy.
2. A communication was received from Nancy Rappaport, transmitting thanks to the City Council for the kind resolution.
3. A communication was received from Sarah Satterthwaite, 198 Hamilton Street, in opposition of the proposed rule changes for signs on buildings.
4. A communication was received from Peter Valentine, 37 Brookline Street, regarding an internet search of his name.
5. A communication was received from Kevin P. Crane, Esq., transmitting copies of letters from Ronald Axelrod, 26 Shepard Street and Colleen Clark, 21 Williams Street in opposition to the sign ordinance amendments.
6. A communication was received from Mark Chase and Charlie Denison, LivableStreets Alliance, regarding sustainable parking policy.
7. A communication was received from the tenants of 9-13A Ware Street, regarding the installation of a sprinkler system by Harvard Real Estate.
8. A communication was received from Filipe Zamborlini, Field Organizer, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) in support of the Dream Act.
9. Kyle de Beausset, 32 Chatham Street, transmitted three communications from undocumented Harvard students in support of the Dream Act.
RESOLUTIONS
1. Thanks to Andala and Sami Herbawi for their contribution to the Hoops 'n' Health event. Councillor Reeves
2. Thanks to Highland Kitchen and Mark Romano for their contribution to the Hoops 'n' Health event. Councillor Reeves
3. Thanks to Richard Harding for his contribution to the Hoops 'n' Health event. Councillor Reeves
4. Thanks to The Asgard and Jacob Zachow for their contribution to the Hoops 'n' Health event. Councillor Reeves
5. Thanks to Legal Sea Foods and Jaclyn Plunkett for their contribution to the Hoops 'n' Health event. Councillor Reeves
6. Thanks to Basta Pasta Trattoria and Altin Hoxhallari for their contribution to the Hoops 'n' Health event. Councillor Reeves
7. Thanks to the Men of Color Health Initiative for their contribution to the Hoops 'n' Health event. Councillor Reeves
8. Resolution on the death of William E. "Billy" Frammartino. Councillor Toomey
9. Retirement of Theodora Guthrie from the School Department. Mayor Maher
10. Retirement of Elena James from the School Department. Mayor Maher
11. Resolution on the death of Mary Kearns. Mayor Maher
12. Resolution on the death of Hilda E. (Andrews) Enos. Councillor Toomey
13. Resolution on the death of Edmir "Eddie" de Carvalho. Mayor Maher
14. Congratulations to Penelope Tang and Benjamin Meyer on their recent marriage. Vice Mayor Davis
15. Congratulations to the Cambridge residents who have been chosen to participate in the Crimson Scholars program. Councillor Cheung
16. Congratulations to the graduates of the Community Learning Center. Councillor Cheung
17. Congratulations to Brendon Jean-Baptiste and Mikayla Duncan on receiving new bicycles and helmets on behalf of the CYCLE Kids program. Councillor Cheung
18. Congratulations to Adriana Jacobsen on winning an Honorable Mention in the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority's annual writing contest. Councillor Cheung
19. Congratulations to MAPS for their excellent work spreading infromation about HIV prevention. Councillor Cheung
20. Congratulation to the participants who joined the Swim Across America to make a splash for pediatric cancer survivorship programs at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Councillor Cheung
21. Resolution on the death of Muriel L. (Fitzgerald) Reynolds. Mayor Maher
22. Resolution on the death of Patrick S. Pizzuto. Mayor Maher, Councillor Toomey
23. Resolution on the death of William H. Frazier. Councillor Toomey, Mayor Maher
24. Congratulations to the twelve students who were certified as student mediators by the Cambridge Police Department. Councillor Cheung
25. Resolution on the death of Francis J. Higgins. Councillor Toomey
26. Resolution on the death of Anthony J. Materazzo. Mayor Maher
27. Resolution on the death of Mary E. (Mylon) Sullivan. Mayor Maher
28. Retirement of Stephen Persson from the Cambridge Fire Department. Mayor Maher
29. Resolution on the death of John F. Henning. Councillor Toomey
30. Resolution on the death of Frances P. Collins. Mayor Maher
31. Resolution on the death of John A. "Artie" Harrington. Mayor Maher
32. Resolution on the death of Mary E. (Aylward) Grassia. Councillor Toomey
33. Resolution on the death of Specialist Stanley J. Sokolowski III. Councillor Decker
34. Resolution on the death of Staff Sergeant Amilcar H. Gonzalez. Councillor Decker
35. Resolution on the death of Major Ronald W. Culver Jr. Councillor Decker
36. Resolution on the death of Private First Class Alvaro R. Regalado. Councillor Decker
37. Resolution on the death of Private Francisco J. Guardado-Ramirez. Councillor Decker
38. Resolution on the death of Sergeant Steve M. Theobald. Councillor Decker
39. Resolution on the death of Sergeant Israel P. O'Bryan. Councillor Decker
40. Resolution on the death of Specialist William C. Yauch. Councillor Decker
41. Resolution on the death of Specialist Christopher W. Opat. Councillor Decker
42. Resolution on the death of Captain Michael P. Cassidy. Councillor Decker
43. Resolution on the death of Jacob P. Dohrenwend. Councillor Decker
44. Resolution on the death of Private First Class Bryant J. Haynes. Councillor Decker
45. Resolution on the death of Specialist Morganne M. McBeth. Councillor Decker
46. Resolution on the death of Sergeant Johnny W. Lumpkin. Councillor Decker
47. Resolution on the death of Sergeant Jordan E. Tuttle. Councillor Decker
48. Retirement of Sarah Baker from the School Department. Mayor Maher
49. Retirement of Sharon Kenney from the Human Services Department. Mayor Maher
50. Resolution on the death of Kathryn "Kay" (Moore) Calter. Councillor Toomey
51. Congratulations to Michael Ward and Val Harris-Alleyne on being honored for donating blood. Councillor Cheung
52. Congratulations to the Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House, the Cambridge Health Alliance and the Cambridge Family YMCA for their work on the Cambridge Men's Health Alliance. Councillor Cheung
53. Resolution on the death of Rita (Garvey) Capuano. Councillor Toomey, Mayor Maher, Councillor Simmons
54. Resolution on the death of Jesse J. Souza. Councillor Toomey
55. Welcome to Lyndell's Bakery on their new shop at 74 Prospect Street, Cambridge. Councillor Toomey
56. Congratulations to Linda and William Forry on the birth of their daughter Madeline Casey Forry. Councillor Toomey
57. Resolution on the death of Dolores M. (Tosti) Zappala. Councillor Toomey, Vice Mayor Davis
58. Retirement of Sylvia Greene from the Human Services Department. Mayor Maher
59. Retirement of Marsha Lazar from the Cambridge Hospital. Mayor Maher, Vice Mayor Davis
60. Retirement of Marie Ciampi from the Cambridge Hospital. Mayor Maher
61. Retirement of Julie Medley from the Cambridge Hospital. Mayor Maher
62. Retirement of Judith Weiner from the Cambridge Hospital. Mayor Maher
63. Retirement of Ellen Serino from the Cambridge Hospital. Mayor Maher
64. Retirement of John O'Connor from the Cambridge Hospital. Mayor Maher
65. Recognize the sacrifices of the men and women being remembered on the 9th anniversary of the September 11 attacks as the Cambridge Police Department commemorates these heroes as well as deceased members of the Cambridge Police Department who have died in the line of duty with memorial stones at the site of the Robert W. Healy Public Safety Facility. Councillor Toomey
66. Congratulations to Robert Perry on his athletic feat of becoming a Tri-Athlete. Councillor Toomey
67. Congratulations to the East Coast Grill on the occasion of their 25th Anniversary. Councillor Toomey
68. Retirement of Victoria Solomon from the Cambridge Public Library. Mayor Maher
69. Resolution on the death of Charles A. "Chuck" Doran. Mayor Maher
70. Resolution on the death of John R. Mullen. Councillor Toomey
71. Best wishes to Chief Justice Margaret Marshall on her retirement from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Councillor Decker, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Seidel
72. Resolution on the death of First Lieutenant Michael L. Runyan. Councillor Decker
73. Best wishes to the Flour Bakery and Cafe on the opening of their new location at 190 Massachusetts Avenue. Mayor Maher
74. Congratulations to New Profit, Inc. on being awarded a grant from the Social Innovation Fund (SIF) through the Corporation for National and Community Service. Mayor Maher
75. Retirement of Louise Rice from the Cambridge Public Health Department. Vice Mayor Davis
76. Best wishes to the Community Art Center as they begin their capital campaign to raise funds. Councillor Seidel
77. Best wishes to the organizers of the Sharif Moustafa Fundraiser which will take place on Sept 17, 2010 and the rededication of the Sharif Moustafa Basketball Court on Sept 18, 2010. Councillor Toomey
78. Resolution on the death of Olga (Mucci) Sinatra. Councillor Toomey
79. Congratulating Stephanie Kaplan, Windsor Hanger, and Annie Wang for their excellent and successful work. Councillor Cheung
80. Congratulating the students who participated in the Crimson Scholars program. Councillor Cheung
81. Congratulating the AAC and the CCA on their successful merge. Councillor Cheung
82. Congratulating The Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. Councillor Cheung
83. Thanks to the members of Charlie Company 1st Battalion, 181st Infantry Regiment as they deploy to Afghanistan for their service to their country. Mayor Maher
84. Resolution on the death of Patricia T. (Finn) Ferreira. Councillor Toomey
85. Wishing Alice Moretto a Happy 100th Birthday. Councillor Toomey
86. Congratulating Wilson Wong and Brian O'Keefe on their wedding nuptials. Councillor Simmons
87. Wishing Ms. Janie Jeffers a speedy recovery. Councillor Simmons
88. Resolution on the death of Nancy Rebello-Coughlin. Mayor Maher
89. Resolution on the death of Thomas E. Crumlish. Mayor Maher
90. Resolution on the death of George R. Peloquin. Councillor Toomey
91. Resolution on the death of Loretta W. Shanley. Councillor Seidel
92. Congratulations to The Boston Home Show on relocating its annual expo to the MIT Johnson Athletic Facility in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mayor Maher
ORDERS
1. That the City Manager is requested to report to the City Council on what safety plans exist to contain a city-wide disaster or to mitigate the impact on Cambridge of natural or man-made disasters occurring elsewhere in the United States or abroad. Councillor Simmons
2. That the City Manager is requested to support the office of the Mayor in appointing a committee of individuals to commence in June of 2011 an annual Bayard Rustin Civil Rights Rainbow Award, to bestow upon a member of the African American and/or GLBT community of color and/or ally who has done outstanding work on behalf of advancing the civil rights of all. Councillor Simmons
Amended
3. That the City Manager is requested to direct the IT Department to present a plan within 2 months time for addressing an alternative Common Ground Web Content Management System to all departments currently approved to manage their own web pages. Councillor Simmons
4. That the City Manager is requested to report back to the City Council on options to improve the safety of the intersection at Prospect Street and Broadway. Councillor Cheung and Councillor Simmons
5. That the City Manager is requested to direct the appropriate departments to investigate the problems that the heavy rains have caused the city and report to the City Council appropriate remedies. Councillor Simmons, Councillor Toomey and Councillor Cheung
6. City Council supports the DREAM Act, and call upon the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to halt the removal of Eric Balderas and all other young immigrant students who would be eligible to gain legal status under DREAM or other comprehensive immigration reform proposals while such legislation is under consideration in the U.S. Congress. Councillor Toomey, Councillor Seidel and Councillor Simmons
7. That the City Manager is requested to update the City Council as to any measures which can be implemented to address the current traffic and safety concerns associated with the Jersey barriers in front of the property at 5 JFK Street. Councillor Seidel
8. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the Department of Public Works on measures for monitoring and detecting any infestation of the Asian longhorned beetle in City trees. Councillor Seidel and Councillor Cheung
9. That the City Manager is requested to direct the Department of Public Works and any other department of the city as deemed appropriate to look into the possibility of starting a tree guardian program in the City of Cambridge. Councillor Simmons and Councillor Cheung
10. That the City Manager is requested to report back to the City Council relative to the ruling in favor of the plaintiffs in the 303 Third Street dispute and the impact this could have on the affordable units within the building. Councillor Toomey
11. That the City Manager is requested to confer with relevant City staff and report back to the City Council on how the decriminalization of possession of small amounts to marijuana has impacted the Cambridge Police Department's actions and how the Cambridge Police Department has responded to this change in state law. Councillor Kelley
12. That the Mayor is requested to convene a special meeting of the City Council in September 2010 to review the findings of the Cambridge Review Commission. Councillor Kelley and Councillor Reeves
13. That the City Manager report back to the City Council on summer rains and flooding, neighborhood stormwater systems and the proposed Wetlands Protection Ordinance. Councillor Kelley
14. That this City Council go on record encouraging funding for the Salvation Army's Our Place day-care center so they may continue to provide this essential service to Cambridge's homeless parents and children. Councillor Decker and Councillor Cheung
15. That the City Council go on record urging the Cambridge Congressional Delegation to support legislation that clearly guarantees local governments the right to assess special taxes for clean energy programs and restore the promise of Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE). Vice Mayor Davis
16. That the City Manager is hereby requested to report back to the Economic Development Committee of the City Council with recommendations for how the City of Cambridge can achieve 10% municipal procurement from locally owned businesses, ensure that independent banks are encouraged to participate when bids for municipal banking services are requested and support efforts by the School Committee to increase the locally grown and produced food served to Cambridge children. Councillor Cheung and Councillor Seidel
17. That the City Manager is requested to direct the Public Information Officer to post information on the city's website about this outbreak [of Fire Ants on Bellis Circle], including how to detect whether a person is having an allergic reaction and what to do if the situation arises. Councillor Cheung
18. That the City Manager is requested to work with the Election Commission to develop a bi-annual program (once during fall semester, once in spring) that would allow Election Commissioners and staff to visit every student dorm in Cambridge to educate students on their voting rights and encourage them to participate in local government and state elections. Councillor Cheung
19. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the Executive Director of the Election Commission to produce a one page flyer that will be distributed to the universities via PDF that will provide voter information, summary of how we elect our local government officials and a fact sheet answering common questions about what reregistering in Massachusetts entails. Councillor Cheung
20. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the appropriate department heads to draft our own station plan for the relocated Lechmere Station and to work with the East Cambridge community and neighborhood groups to advocate for the inclusion of Cambridge needs in the final MassDOT Green Line Extension plan. Councillor Cheung
21. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the appropriate department heads to provide adequate trash removal in Dana Park. Councillor Cheung
22. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the Director of Information Technology to arrange for a portion of the website to be dedicated to information for college students and development of a flyer that advertises the website. Councillor Cheung
23. That the City Manager is requested to provide the City Council with ideas on any useful changes to City ordinances or regulations on scooter use and parking. Councillor Kelley
24. That the City Manager is requested to obtain a report from the Cambridge Housing Authority on the long-term plans for the building and associated open space located at 116 Norfolk Street. Councillor Seidel
25. That the City Manager is requested to direct the City Solicitor to examine the feasibility and enforceability of implementing the provisions of House Bill 3371, an act providing cities and towns with the option of increasing certain motor vehicle fines to improve driving, if the city council enacted them through adoption of the local option in the Bill. Councillor Seidel
26. That the Committee on Cable Television, Telecommunications and Public Utilities request NSTAR representatives to attend a committee meeting to discuss NSTAR's policies on replacing residential gas meters in properties which contain asbestos and to discuss whether NSTAR has established programs to assist residential property owners with testing for the presence of asbestos fibers or with the abatement of asbestos in properties with NSTAR gas meters. Mayor Maher
27. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to provide this City Council with appropriate notice of considerations, conversations and discussions he and his senior staff have regarding the City's primary health institution. Councillor Decker, Councillor Cheung and Councillor Reeves
28. That the City Manager is requested to report no less than quarterly to the City Council about the conversations that have taken place about the Cambridge Health Alliance relative to service charges and other matters that impact our community. Councillor Decker and Councillor Cheung
29. That this City Council go on record urging its residents to vote no on 2 to preserve the affordable housing law. Councillor Decker and Councillor Cheung
Approved 8-1, Kelley voted NO
30. That the City Manager is requested to urge Harvard University to set up a meeting between a representative group of tenants from 9-13A Ware Street and Ed LeFlore, Harvard's Mitigation manager, and other Harvard employees (including the structural engineer) who are knowledgeable about all aspects of the renovations at 9-13A Ware Street, to discuss the proposed renovation and also to discuss relocating tenants during the ten-day renovations. Vice Mayor Davis
31. That the City Manager is requested to recommend the appropriate city personnel to attend the International Code Council Conference in October. Vice Mayor Davis
32. That the City Manager is requested to investigate with the MBTA the possibility of installing a long flat tube slide (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4o0ZVeixYU) at a Cambridge MBTA station to add a bit of personality to a subway stop. Vice Mayor Davis
33. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to instruct the Assistant City Manager for Human Services provide support staff to work on publicity of the use of the EBT machine at the Farmers Market for SNAP Cards and WIC vouchers. Vice Mayor Davis
34. That the Cambridge Masonic Temple, 1950 Massachusetts Avenue, be designated as a protected landmark pursuant to Chapter 2.78, Article III, Section 2.78.180 of the Code of the City of Cambridge, as recommended by vote of the Cambridge Historical Commission on October 8, 2009. Councillor Seidel and Councillor Cheung
Landmark Status Approved 8-0-0-1 [Councillor Reeves voted PRESENT]
COMMITTEE REPORTS
1. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, Deputy City Clerk, transmitting a report from Vice Mayor Henrietta Davis, Chair of the Environment Committee, for a meeting held on June 16, 2010 to discuss community gardens, Urban AG Fair and to receive other updates.
2. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, Deputy City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor Leland Cheung, Chair of the Economic Development, Training and Employment Committee, for a meeting held on June 22, 2010 to discuss supporting local businesses.
3. A communication was received from D. Margaret Drury, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor E. Denise Simmons, Chair of the Public Safety Committee, for a public meeting held on June 24, 2010 for the purpose of continuing the discussion of plans to prevent violence in the city in the summer.
4. A communication was received from D. Margaret Drury, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor Sam Seidel and Councillor Timothy J. Toomey, Jr., Co-Chairs of the Ordinance Committee, for a meeting held on July 8, 2010 to consider the report of the Historical Commission recommending landmark designation for the Masonic Temple at 1950 Massachusetts Avenue.
Landmark Status Approved 8-0-0-1 [Councillor Reeves voted PRESENT]
5. A communication was received from D. Margaret Drury, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor Leland Cheung, Chair of the University Relations Committee, for a meeting held on July 19, 2010 for the purpose of discussing what steps the City and the universities can take to bolster students voting locally and to discuss the City preparing a welcoming packet for distribution by the universities to their students.
6. A communication was received from D. Margaret Drury, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor Sam Seidel and Councillor Timothy J. Toomey, Jr., Co-Chairs of the Ordinance Committee, for a meeting held on July 8, 2010 for the purpose of continuing discussion of a petition filed by Boston Properties to amend the zoning in the MXD district in the vicinity of Broadway, Main and Ames Streets and the site of the west parking garage on Ames Street.
7. A communication was received from D. Margaret Drury, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor Sam Seidel and Councillor Timothy J. Toomey, Jr., Co-Chairs of the Ordinance Committee, for a meeting held on July 28, 2010 for the purpose of continuing discussion of a petition filed by Boston Properties to amend the zoning in the MXD district in the vicinity of Broadway, Main and Ames Streets and the site of the west parking garage on Ames Street.
HEARING SCHEDULE
Mon, Aug 2
5:30pm Special City Council Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
Tues, Aug 3
6:00pm School Committee Summer Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
Wed, Aug 4
10:00am The Housing Committee will conduct a public meeting to receive an update on their work and the outlook for the next year from the Affordable Housing Trust. (Ackermann Room)
11:00am The Housing Committee will conduct a public meeting to receive an update on their work and the outlook for the next year from the Housing Authority. (Ackermann Room)
Tues, Aug 10
5:30pm The Transportation, Traffic and Parking Committee will conduct a public meeting to discuss bike facilities including bike lanes, bike tracks and bike parking. (Sullivan Chamber)
Mon, Aug 16
3:00pm The Government Operations and Rules Committee will conduct a public meeting to discuss the process the City Council will use to set its FY2013 goals and any other matters properly before the committee. (Ackermann Room)
Tues, Sept 7
6:00pm School Committee Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
Mon, Sept 13
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
Wed, Sept 15
4:00pm The Economic Development, Training and Employment Committee will conduct a public meeting to discuss the subject of entrepreneurs development. (Sullivan Chamber)
Thurs, Sept 16
5:00pm The Claims Committee will conduct a public hearing to consider claims filed against the city. (Ackermann Room)
Mon, Sept 20
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
Tues, Sept 21
2:00pm The Economic Development, Training and Employment Committee will conduct a public meeting to discuss place-making strategies for Kendall Square. (Sullivan Chamber)
6:00pm School Committee Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
Mon, Sept 27
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
Tues, Sept 28
4:00pm The University Relations Committee will conduct a public meeting to discuss campus safety. (Sullivan Chamber)
Mon, Oct 4
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
Tues, Oct 5
6:00pm School Committee Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
Mon, Oct 18
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
Tues, Oct 19
6:00pm School Committee Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
Mon, Oct 25
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
TEXT OF ORDERS
O-1 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS
WHEREAS: Over the past few months Cambridge and other communities around the Boston metropolis have been affected by events as far away as Canada; and
WHEREAS: Brush fires in Canada have had an effect on air quality and visibility in Cambridge; and
WHEREAS: The earthquake in Canada on June 23 was felt as close as Brookline; and
WHEREAS: The safety of our citizens is of paramount to the municipality of Cambridge; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report to the City Council on what safety plans exist to contain a city-wide disaster or to mitigate the impact on Cambridge of natural or man-made disasters occurring elsewhere in the United States or abroad.
O-2 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS
WHEREAS: Cambridge has long been an open and inclusive community that celebrates the diversity of all who live and work here; and
WHEREAS: Cambridge has been at the forefront of acceptance and tolerance for both African Americans and the GLBT community and has resolved, ordered, legislated, and celebrated the gains in the Civil Rights Movement which have been individually and jointly undertaken; and
WHEREAS: Bayard Rustin, a champion of civil rights for all, would no doubt acknowledge the foundational strength of the African American civil rights struggle upon which the GLBT community has proudly stood and continued to raise local and global consciousness of a movement that will someday provide civil rights to all with utter sameness regardless of any difference; and
WHEREAS: Each year various awards are given at the GLBT Pride Brunch hosted by the GLBT Commission and the Office of the Mayor to acknowledge the activism and actions of individuals and groups that have advanced the GLBT cause; and
WHEREAS: Fundamental reasons remain to bring together African Americans and the GLBT community as they continue to lead our nation toward ultimate civil rights; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to support the Office of the Mayor in appointing a committee of individuals to commence in June of 2011 an annual Bayard Rustin Civil Rights Rainbow Award, to bestow upon a member of the African American and/or GLBT community of color and/or ally who has done outstanding work on behalf of advancing the civil rights of all.
O-3 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS
WHEREAS: The City's Common Ground Web Content Management System, which all city departments rely on for posting timely information on departmental web pages, is cumbersome and ineffective as experienced by most city staff; and
WHEREAS: Cambridge city departments and staff have historically gone through extensive training to learn how to use the Web Content Management System, only to be unable to get information on their departmental web pages in a timely manner; and
WHEREAS: Many city departments, including the Department of Public Works, have created web pages using software other than Common Ground Web Content Management System for the purpose of updating content quickly and easily in a visually appealing manner; and
WHEREAS: All city departments with web pages would benefit from having multiple staff trained and authorized on an alternative, user-friendly software; and
WHEREAS: Constituents request and often require access to current website information as they look to the City of Cambridge department pages to provide them critical information; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the IT Department to present a plan within 2 months time to provide an alternative Common Ground Web Content Management System to all departments currently approved to manage their own web pages.
O-4 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council on options to improve the safety of the intersection at Prospect Street and Broadway.
O-5 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS
COUNCILLOR TOOMEY
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
WHEREAS: On Sat July 10, 2010, Cambridge recorded 3.58" of rain falling between 2:10pm and 3:10pm; and
WHEREAS: This is an unprecedented amount of rain in one hour. To put it in perspective, it would be the equivalent of 42" of snow falling during the same time period; and
WHEREAS: This resulted in substantial street and home flooding in the city - most particularly in East Cambridge and Mid-Cambridge; and
WHEREAS: Many Cambridge residents have called and written complaining of flooded basements, and damaged property; and
WHEREAS: Cambridge Police recorded nineteen reports of cars that stopped working and got stuck in the rain, and three reports of cars damaged by manhole covers that blew off; and
WHEREAS: Think Tank, a new, locally-owned Kendall Square restaurant accumulated twelve inches of water inside the restaurant and six feet of water outside its front door, putting the future of this establishment in jeopardy; and
WHEREAS: TT the Bears, a music club in Central Square is in the process of fixing the sub-ceiling of the building that caved in due to the storm. They found the club flooded with one and a half feet of water, damaging the bar, register and three cases of liquor; and
WHEREAS: There is a lot of misinformation and hearsay circulating amongst the community about the supposed cause of the flooding and many constituents feel the city did not do enough to prevent it from happening; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the appropriate department heads and report back to the City Council with a comprehensive study on what mechanisms the city currently has in place to prevent flooding, what we can do further to improve our services and to evaluate in particular the city's response to the July 10, 2010 flooding.
O-6 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR TOOMEY
COUNCILLOR SEIDEL
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS
WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge and the United States were founded by immigrants, who have traveled from around the world to seek a better life; and
WHEREAS: Our nation's immigration system should uphold our basic values of family, economic opportunity, and fairness; and
WHEREAS: The U.S. immigration system, which has torn apart families, created long backlogs for legal visas, and produced a undocumented population of twelve million immigrants is broken and is in dire need of comprehensive reform; and
WHEREAS: Among these undocumented immigrants are hundreds of thousands of young people who were brought to the U.S. while they were children to be with their parents; and
WHEREAS: 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high schools throughout the U.S. each year; and
WHEREAS: Many of these youths have excelled in school, worked hard to fund their studies and support their families, and become leaders in their communities; and
WHEREAS: These youths are highly motivated to continue with their education (with many doing so despite being ineligible for federal financial aid) or to serve our nation as members of the U.S. Armed Forces; and
WHEREAS: Despite their excellent academic records and contributions to the community, these youths are in constant peril of being identified, detained, and deported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; and
WHEREAS: One such youth, Cambridge-resident Eric Balderas who came to the U.S. when he was four, works full-time to pay for school and support his family, volunteers with several community organizations, and is now enrolled at Harvard College with hopes of becoming a medical researcher, faced removal from the U.S. on June 15, 2010, after being identified while visiting his mother in Texas; and
WHEREAS: 39 U.S. Senators and 124 U.S. Representatives have co-sponsored the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, a bipartisan proposal that would enable many of these students, including Eric Balderas, to earn legal status, continue with their educations, and pursue careers that would enable them to further contribute to their new home country; and
WHEREAS: Our city and our country can only benefit if youths like Eric Balderas can become legal, continue with their studies, and further develop as workers and leaders; and
WHEREAS: Students like Eric Balderas should be allowed to remain in the U.S. while the DREAM Act is under consideration, lest they lose their opportunity to ultimately gain legal status and pursue their education in the U.S. if they were deported; now therefore be it
RESOLVED: That the City Council go on record supporting the DREAM Act, and calling upon the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to halt the removal of Eric Balderas and all other young immigrant students who would be eligible to gain legal status under DREAM or other comprehensive immigration reform proposals while such legislation is under consideration in the U.S. Congress; and
RESOLVED: That a suitably engrossed copy of this resolution be forwarded to President Barack Obama, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Senator Scott Brown, Senator John Kerry, and Congressman Capuano on behalf of the entire City Council.
O-7 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR SEIDEL
WHEREAS: The sidewalk in front of the building at 5 JFK Street in Harvard Square is currently blocked by Jersey barriers; and
WHEREAS: These barriers are hampering the flow of pedestrian and vehicular traffic in this section of Harvard Square; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to update the City Council as to any measures which can be implemented to address the current traffic and safety concerns associated with the Jersey barriers in front of the property at 5 JFK Street; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council regarding the plan to permanently remove the Jersey barriers out of the roadway and sidewalk area in front of 5 JFK Street.
O-8 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR SEIDEL
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
WHEREAS: The City of Boston recently found Asian longhorned beetles in six trees on the grounds of Faulkner Hospital in Jamaica Plain; and
WHEREAS: These same beetles were responsible for a major infestation and destruction of trees in Worcester; and
WHEREAS: Cambridge has made a major commitment to the maintenance and preservation of its trees through allocation of City resources; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Department of Public Works on measures for monitoring and detecting any infestation of the Asian longhorned beetle in City trees; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to update the City Council of plans to inform the public of the importance of reporting possible sightings of the Asian longhorned beetle in Cambridge; 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-9 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
WHEREAS: The planting and protection of newly planted trees is a matter of public interest and a goal of the City Council; and
WHEREAS: The city wants to protect the new trees planted; and
WHEREAS: The personnel supports may not be sufficient to properly care for all newly planted trees; and
WHEREAS: On Magazine Street a resident has been the "guardian" of a newly planted tree; and
WHEREAS: A resident has proposed that the city consider a tree guardian program; and
WHEREAS: This type of program can promote a level of civic engagement and community building; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the Department of Public Works and any other department of the city as deemed appropriate to look into the possibility of starting this type of endeavor.
O-10 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR TOOMEY
WHEREAS: It has come to the attention of the City Council that the court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in the 303 Third Street dispute; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council on this decision and the impact this could have on the affordable units within the building.
O-11 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR KELLEY
WHEREAS: Marijuana possession in limited quantities has recently been decriminalized in Massachusetts; and
WHEREAS: Cambridge Police Department staff recently stated in a committee meeting that the use of marijuana has increased; and
WHEREAS: Anecdotally, the public use of marijuana appears to have increased in recent months; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with Police Commissioner Haas to report back to the City Council on how the decriminalization of possession of small amounts to marijuana has impacted the Cambridge Police Department's actions and how the Cambridge Police Department has responded to this change in state law.
O-12 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR KELLEY
COUNCILLOR REEVES
ORDERED: That the Mayor be and hereby is requested to convene a special meeting of the City Council in September 2010 to review the findings of the Cambridge Review Commission.
O-13 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR KELLEY
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with relevant agencies and staff and report back to the City Council on:
* The impact of summer rains and resulting floods on Cambridge residents and businesses;
* The current and planned future capacity of Cambridge neighborhoods' stormwater systems to handle similar rain events in the future; and
* The status of Cambridge's proposed Wetlands Protection Ordinance and a copy of that document.
O-14 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR DECKER
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
WHEREAS: This City Council has learned that The Salvation Army's Our Place day-care center at 402 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge is at risk of closing down due to a loss of state funding; and
WHEREAS: The Salvation Army's Our Place day-care center is one of two places in the state where homeless people can bring their children during the day; and
WHEREAS: If the center closes down, both children and parents will suffer as the daycare is heavily relied on by parents who have no other place to care for their children while they are working or taking classes; and
WHEREAS: The day-care is facing a $160,000 budget cut which would leave the 38 children it cares for without help if closed; and
WHEREAS: It would be devastating to the community if after 23 years of operation the doors of the Salvation Army Our Place Day Care Center were no longer a resource to our homeless and underserved parents and children; and
WHEREAS: The Salvation Army's Our Place daycare center provides kids a safe environment while their parents are working to create a better life for them, and without it, this would not be possible; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That this City Council go on record encouraging that the funding be made available to the Salvation Army's Our Place day-care center so they may continue to provide this essential service to Cambridge's homeless parents and children; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Clerk be and hereby is requested to forward a suitably engrossed copy of this resolution to Governor Deval Patrick, the Cambridge Legislative Delegation, and Major Stephen Carroll of the Salvation Army on behalf of the entire City Council.
O-15 Aug 2, 2010
VICE MAYOR DAVIS
WHEREAS: Investing in cost-effective energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements to homes and businesses can save energy, cut utility bills, create thousands of local jobs, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and
WHEREAS: The upfront cost and potentially long payback periods prevent property owners from making otherwise cost-effective clean energy improvements; and
WHEREAS: Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing programs are an innovative local government solution to help property owners finance energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements-such as energy efficient boilers, upgraded insulation, new windows, solar installations-to their homes and businesses; and
WHEREAS: Twenty-two states have passed laws enabling local governments to develop PACE programs; and
WHEREAS: The White House and the U.S. Department of Energy strongly support PACE, have dedicated $150 million to develop local PACE programs and issued guidelines to ensure that PACE programs meet safety and soundness requirements and adequately protect both bond buyers and property owners; and
WHEREAS: Despite PACE's great promise, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on July 6th issued statements that immediately forced existing PACE programs to halt operations and froze the development of dozens of PACE programs nationwide; now therefore be it
RESOLVED: That the City Council go on record urging the Cambridge Congressional Delegation to support legislation that clearly guarantees local governments the right to assess special taxes for clean energy programs and restore the promise of PACE; and be it further
RESOLVED: That the City Clerk be and hereby is requested to forward suitably engrossed copies of this resolution as soon as possible to the Cambridge Congressional Delegation on behalf of the City Council.
O-16 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
COUNCILLOR SEIDEL
WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge has long been a hub of innovation, ideas and most importantly action; and
WHEREAS: The most readily available action any city can take to diminish the effect of the national economic crisis on its residents is to help strengthen its local economy; and
WHEREAS: Examples abound of cities where a grassroots movement committed to leveraging the ‘multiplier effect', wherein money spent at locally-owned businesses contributes 57% more to the local economy than does money spent at non-locally owned businesses, has helped give residents more healthy, vibrant, and sustainable communities; and
WHEREAS: Cambridge is fortunate to have hundreds of unique and popular locally owned and independent businesses that are critical components to a strong local economy; however, In these hard economic times owning a business has become even more difficult; and
WHEREAS: That hardship necessitates a more pro-active approach by municipal governments to support local economic development in order to realize a positive impact for residents in the local economy; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City of Cambridge declares itself a "Local Economy Community" welcoming and supportive of local entrepreneurship; and
ORDERED: That the City of Cambridge declares Sept 26th - Oct 2nd as "Cambridge Local Economy Week" and that the City Manager is hereby requested to confer with appropriate departments to promote the steps residents can take to contribute to localized economic development during that week, including notification on the billboard in front of City Hall, notification on the City Website, and increased distribution of a locally-owned business directory; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager is hereby requested to report back to the Economic Development Committee of the City Council with recommendations for how the City of Cambridge can:
1. Achieve at least 10% municipal procurement from locally owned independent businesses; and
2. Ensure that locally owned and/or regionally owned independent banks are encouraged to participate and given whatever preference is lawfully allowed when bids for the provision of municipal banking services are requested; and
3. Support whatever efforts are made by the School Committee to increase the percentage of locally grown and produced food served to our children; and
ORDERED: That the Economic Development Committee's Local Economy Taskforce continue to identify and develop policies that directly support the growth and development of locally owned and independent businesses in Cambridge; and
O-17 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
WHEREAS: It has come to the attention of the City Council that Northern Fire Ants or "Myrmica Rubra" have invaded a two yards in Bellis Circle, Cambridge; and
WHEREAS: This is the first time this species has been found in Massachusetts, usually these ants stay away from populated areas and prefer to reside in marshlands, near a water source; and
WHEREAS: The sting of these ants can cause anaphylactic shock in allergic humans; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the Public Information Officer to post information on the city's website about this outbreak, including how to detect whether a person is having an allergic reaction and what to do if the situation arises.
O-18 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the Election Commission to develop a bi-annual program (once during fall semester, once in spring) that would allow Election Commissioners and staff to visit every student dorm in Cambridge to educate students on their voting rights and encourage them to participate in local government and state elections.
O-19 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
WHEREAS: There being a general consensus to address the perennial issue of student engagement in municipal elections, efforts to disseminate information must be made, and in light of the discussion documented in Committee Report #5 of Aug 2, 2010; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Executive Director of the Election Commission to produce a one page flyer that will be distributed to the universities via PDF that will provide information, a summary of how we elect our local government officials and a fact sheet answering common questions about what reregistering in Massachusetts entails, including potential home state implications of declaring Massachusetts residency; and that the Executive Director work with local universities to enable Election Commissioners and staff to conduct in-person outreach disseminating that same information and encouraging participation.
O-20 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
WHEREAS: Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority proposed the extension of the Green Line beyond Lechmere Station into Somerville and Medford; and
WHEREAS: As part of this proposal, Lechmere Station would relocate to the east side of the Monsignor O'Brien Highway; and
WHEREAS: Although extending the Green Line will increase mobility, encourage public transit usage and improve regional air quality, the MassDOT plan does not take into account the effects of this project on Cambridge; and
WHEREAS: The proposed relocation of Lechmere Station is inconvenient and will introduce many riders of both train and bus lines to the dangers of crossing a 6-7 lane highway on a daily basis. It also discourages prospective consumers from shopping at the Cambridgeside Galleria and increasingly alienates East Cambridge residents from public transportation; and
WHEREAS: Additionally, the MassDOT design for the new Lechmere Station does not include an entrance oriented towards the south (i.e. the direction where most of the station's ridership will be headed to and from) nor does it include a proper bus drop-off and queuing area for commuters. In its current form the Lechmere design also does not include an enclosed lobby to protect commuters from inclement weather, a convenience that every other proposed station except ours includes; and
WHEREAS: It is important to remember that the green line extension project is not just another public works project, but an opportunity to revitalize the neighborhood of East Cambridge; and
WHEREAS: The way in which MassDOT approaches infrastructure projects needs to be reevaluated. They can not continue to devise massive public works projects without incorporating the potential for community and economic development. There needs to be a shift in focus from simply worrying about traffic mitigation to whether the area around a T station is provided with the opportunity to bloom. T stations are integral parts of a neighborhood and have the potential to become economic hubs as well. The Green Line Extension project offers us the chance to redevelop Lechmere Square as a major gateway to Cambridge; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the appropriate department heads to draft our own station plan and to work with the East Cambridge community and neighborhood groups to advocate for the inclusion of Cambridge needs in the final MassDOT Green Line Extension plan.
O-21 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
WHEREAS: It has come to the attention of the Cambridge City Council that for several weeks this summer there has not been adequate trash removal in Dana Park; and
WHEREAS: Numerous residents have complained that the rotting trash has attracted rodents and is giving off a strong, unpleasant odor; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the appropriate department heads to rectify this issue, either by installing bins that are impenetrable to rodents and seal in odor or by scheduling more frequent trash pickups.
O-22 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
WHEREAS: There being a general consensus on the importance of communicating the history, cultural norms, and expectations of the City of Cambridge to new students in order to encourage civic engagement in the community, and in light of the discussion documented in Committee Report #5 of Aug 2, 2010; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Director of Information Technology to arrange for a portion of the website to be dedicated to information for college students, preferably by changing the main categories on the front page from "Living Working Visiting" to Living Working Studying Visiting", or establishing another prominent home page headline and including in the "studying" area links to information already on the website that is of particular interest to college students in Cambridge, and to work with the Cambridge universities and colleges to provide additional information for the site; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Public Information Officer to develop a one page flyer for distribution by the colleges and universities that advertises student oriented website links and also contains a description of Cambridge and its significance to introduce students to the city as their new home.
O-23 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR KELLEY
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with relevant City staff and report back to the City Council on issues raised by:
* Scooters riding to the right of automobile traffic and how their acceleration capacity, mass and ability to drift in and out of traffic presents challenges to cyclists and automobile drivers
* Scooters parking on sidewalks and in the public way and whether their greater bulk is overly taxing existing bicycle parking facilities
* Scooters adding to noise levels with their high pitched engines that are not very well muffled; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to provide the City Council with ideas on any useful changes to City ordinances or regulations on scooter use and parking.
O-24 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR SEIDEL
WHEREAS: There exists a scarcity of open space in the Area 4 neighborhood; and
WHEREAS: The property at 116 Norfolk Street includes both a large apartment building providing affordable housing and land which is currently owned by the Cambridge Housing Authority; and
WHEREAS: The open space at 116 Norfolk Street provides respite for area neighbors; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to obtain a report from the Cambridge Housing Authority on the long-term plans for the building and associated open space located at 116 Norfolk Street; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council with this information.
O-25 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR SEIDEL
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the City Solicitor to examine the feasibility and enforceability of implementing the provisions of House Bill 3371, an act providing cities and towns with the option of increasing certain motor vehicle fines to improve driving, if the city council enacted them through adoption of the local option in the Bill; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council on this matter.
O-26 Aug 2, 2010
MAYOR MAHER
ORDERED: That the Committee on Cable Television, Telecommunications and Public Utilities request NSTAR representatives to attend a committee meeting to discuss NSTAR's policies on replacing residential gas meters in properties which contain asbestos and to discuss whether NSTAR has established programs to assist residential property owners with testing for the presence of asbestos fibers or with the abatement of asbestos in properties with NSTAR gas meters.
O-27 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR DECKER
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
COUNCILLOR REEVES
WHEREAS: It has come to the attention of this City Council that conversations have taken place "to ascertain if there is a business model that would allow the Cambridge Health Alliance to continue its long-term Mission of being a quality health care provider"; and
WHEREAS: The Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) identifies itself as a "health system that provides high quality care in Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston's metro-north communities," and "manages health programs and leads community coalitions that address issues such as obesity, substance abuse, and childhood asthma programs" that "are part of its Cambridge Public Health Department, which is operated via municipal contract with the City of Cambridge"; and
WHEREAS: The CHA also operates Network Health, a statewide Medicaid managed care and Commonwealth Care provider that offers critical health coverage to low-income individuals; and
WHEREAS: The Cambridge Health Alliance evolved out of the publicly-run Cambridge City Hospital, which is often called "Cambridge City" by those whose families and communities have depended for generations on a local medical care system that was led by people who understood and provided for the specific needs of its wide range of its linguistic and cultural patient base; and
WHEREAS: The Cambridge Health Alliance is governed by a 19-member Board of Trustees appointed by the City Manager of Cambridge, MA [and] In accordance with the enabling statute which created Cambridge Health Alliance (Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Chapter 147 of the Acts and Resolves of 1996), at least 2/3 of board membership shall be residents of the City of Cambridge with the remaining membership composed of residents from Somerville, the CEO (ex officio), a representative from the CHA medical staff, and two City of Cambridge officers or employees; and
WHEREAS: The code of ethics of the Cambridge Health Alliance states that "Honest, open communication characterizes all of our interactions with patients, employees, and the community"; and
WHEREAS: The Cambridge Health Alliance serves a public trust that has been integral to the community life and health of the residents of Cambridge; and
WHEREAS: It appears that the City Manager has engaged in discussions about the future of the Cambridge Health Alliance with no notification to the Cambridge City Council; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to provide this City Council with appropriate notice of considerations, conversations and discussions he and his senior staff have regarding the City's primary health institution; 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-28 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR DECKER
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
WHEREAS: It has come to the attention of this City Council that the Cambridge Health Alliance has closed the Teen Health Center for the summer; and
WHEREAS: The potential for the Teen Health Center to close last summer was of great concern to both the City Council and the community. And with the assistance of the City Council and city administration the Teen Health Center was able to stay open with limited hours; and
WHEREAS: During the city's budget hearings the Finance Committee explicitly asked if the Cambridge Health Alliance would be closing the Teen Health Center for the summer and the answer from Cambridge Health Alliance CEO Dennis Keefe was one of uncertainty; and
WHEREAS: The Finance Committee was concerned that if the Teen Health Center did close that it might be due to budgetary concerns and requested to be informed and additionally offered to consult on the potential financial hardships of the Teen Health Center; and
WHEREAS: Though no word came from the Cambridge Health Alliance, the Teen Health Center has closed its doors for the summer; and
WHEREAS: It is unclear why the Cambridge Health Alliance did not respond to this concern by communicating with the Council before closing the Teen Health Center particularly when additional funds were available; and
WHEREAS: The City Council is entrusted by the community to protect its interests in vital issues, therefore the City Council must have sufficient knowledge to adequately fulfill this responsibility; and
WHEREAS: The closing of the Teen Health Center negatively affects Cambridge youth citywide who utilize the mental health and medical services; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to inquire about the reasons for the closing of the Teen Health Center; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested, as the legal appointer of members of the board of the Cambridge Health Alliance, and a contributor to ongoing talks with the CEO, and as the employee of the City Council, be and hereby is requested to report no less than quarterly to the City Council about the conversations that have taken place about the Cambridge Health Alliance on topics including but not limited to service changes and other matters that impact our community and the future of the Cambridge Health Alliance; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council on these matters.
O-29 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR DECKER
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
WHEREAS: This City Council has learned that in November voters will decide to keep or repeal 40B the Affordable Housing Law by voting on ballot question two; and
WHEREAS: In the last ten years 40B has created eighty percent of the affordable housing in Massachusetts outside of its major cities; and
WHEREAS: 40B has led to the creation of 58,000 new homes and of those homes 29,000 are reserved for households earning less than eighty percent of the area median income; and
WHEREAS: The Affordable Housing Law gives communities the opportunity to build new housing and offers the citizens of Massachusetts a choice about where they live; and
WHEREAS: Cities, towns, and municipalities who utilize the Affordable Housing Law are obligated to dedicate ten percent of the new housing built to affordable housing and from 1997 to now under 40B the number of communities that have reached that ten percent threshold has jumped from 24 to 51, an additional 40 communities above eight percent; and
WHEREAS: In the middle of a recession and a housing crisis restricting access to affordable housing to vulnerable residents of Massachusetts means working families and seniors will be left with even fewer options; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That this City Council go on record urging its residents to vote no on 2 to preserve the affordable housing law; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Clerk be and hereby is requested to forward a suitably engrossed copy of this resolution to Governor Deval Patrick and the Cambridge Legislative Delegation on behalf of the entire City Council.
O-30 Aug 2, 2010
VICE MAYOR DAVIS
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to urge Harvard University to set up a meeting between a representative group of tenants from 9-13A Ware Street and Ed LeFlore, Harvard's Mitigation manager, and other Harvard employees (including the structural engineer) who are knowledgeable about all aspects of the renovations at 9-13A Ware Street, to discuss the proposed renovation and also to discuss relocating tenants during the ten-day renovations.
O-31 Aug 2, 2010
VICE MAYOR DAVIS
WHEREAS: Cambridge is a national leader in climate protection and in the effort to reduce carbon emissions; and
WHEREAS: Forty percent of energy use nationally is in buildings subject to international building code and 80% of Cambridge emissions come from buildings; and
WHEREAS: The international building code, including energy code, is set by the International Code Council; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to recommend the appropriate city personnel to attend the International Code Council Conference in October.
O-32 Aug 2, 2010
VICE MAYOR DAVIS
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to investigate with the MBTA the possibility of installing a long flat tube slide (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4o0ZVeixYU) at a Cambridge MBTA station to add a bit of personality to a subway stop.
O-33 Aug 2, 2010
VICE MAYOR DAVIS
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to instruct the Assistant City Manager for Human Services provide support staff to work on publicity of the use of the EBT machine at the Farmers Market for SNAP Cards and WIC vouchers.That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to instruct the Assistant City Manager for Human Services provide support staff to work on publicity of the use of the EBT machine at the Farmers Market for SNAP Cards and WIC vouchers.
O-34 Aug 2, 2010
COUNCILLOR SEIDEL
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
ORDERED: That the Cambridge Masonic Temple, 1950 Massachusetts Avenue, be designated as a protected landmark pursuant to Chapter 2.78, Article III, Section 2.78.180 of the Code of the City of Cambridge, as recommended by vote of the Cambridge Historical Commission on October 8, 2009. These premises so designated is the land defined as parcels Parcel 118 of assessor's map 178 and the building thereon and the premises described in a deed recorded in book 2274, page 422 of the South Middlesex Registry of Deeds.
This designation is justified by the important architectural and historical associations the property embodies as one of two extant fraternal buildings in Cambridge, and as the largest and most elaborate building in Cambridge designed by builder Frederick Furbish.
The effect of this designation shall be that review by the Cambridge Historical Commission and the issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness, Hardship or Non-Applicability shall be required before any construction activity can take place within the designated premises or any action can be taken affecting the appearance of the premises, that would in either case be visible from the public way. In making determinations, the Commission shall be guided by the terms of the final landmark designation report, dated October 8, 2009, with respect to the designated premises, by Section VII, Standards and Criteria of said report, and by the applicable sections of Chapter 2.78, Article III, of the Cambridge Municipal Code.
That the Cambridge Masonic Temple, 1950 Massachusetts Avenue, be designated as a protected landmark pursuant to Chapter 2.78, Article III, Section 2.78.180 of the Code of the City of Cambridge, as recommended by vote of the Cambridge Historical Commission on October 8, 2009. These premises so designated is the land defined as parcels Parcel 118 of assessor's map 178 and the building thereon and the premises described in a deed recorded in book 2274, page 422 of the South Middlesex Registry of Deeds.
This designation is justified by the important architectural and historical associations the property embodies as one of two extant fraternal buildings in Cambridge, and as the largest and most elaborate building in Cambridge designed by builder Frederick Furbish.
The effect of this designation shall be that review by the Cambridge Historical Commission and the issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness, Hardship or Non-Applicability shall be required before any construction activity can take place within the designated premises or any action can be taken affecting the appearance of the premises, that would in either case be visible from the public way. In making determinations, the Commission shall be guided by the terms of the final landmark designation report, dated October 8, 2009, with respect to the designated premises, by Section VII, Standards and Criteria of said report, and by the applicable sections of Chapter 2.78, Article III, of the Cambridge Municipal Code.
TEXT OF COMMITTEE REPORTS
Committee Report #1
The Environment Committee held a public meeting on Wed, June 16, 2010 at five o'clock and thirty-four minutes P.M. in the Sullivan Chamber.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss community gardens, Urban AG Fair and to receive other updates.
Present at the meeting were Vice Mayor Henrietta Davis, Chair of the Committee; Penny Peters; Jennifer Wright, Director, Conservation Commission; Emma Watkins, Director, Cambridge Senior Center; Lena Bell, Cambridge Senior Center Food Pantry Coordinator; Rosalie Anders, Project Administrator, Environmental and Transportation Division, Community Development Department (CDD); Jane Hirschi, City Sprouts; Jesse Rose Gordon and Lilah Glick, Cambridge Energy Alliance; Mike Gormley, Cambridge Housing Authority; Frank Connelly, Cambridge Prevention Coalition; and Deputy City Clerk Donna P. Lopez.
Also present were Susan Redlich; Kari Kuelzer, Grendel's Den; Robin Lapidus, Harvard Square Business Association (HSBA); Juliana Lyman, Savenors Market; Maddy McDowell, 237 Franklin Street; Anne Marie Reardon, 11 Madison Street, Sacramento Community Garden; Minka vanBeuzekom, 20 Essex Street; Kathy Reine, Green Decade; Paul Poisson, 808 Memorial Drive; James Williamson, 1000 Jackson Place; Joan Squeri; Joanna Herlihy; and Helen Snively.
Vice Mayor Davis convened the meeting and explained the purpose. It is a good idea to touch base and hear of any new ideas. Community gardens were now discussed.
Jennifer Wright explained three new initiatives.
Paul Poisson questioned Ms. Wright about the Riverside Press community gardens. Ms. Wright responded that this site is a pilot project and requires a budget plan. Vice Mayor Davis suggested applying pressure for a commitment by the City. Ms. Wright explained the difficulty with selecting where the available funding should be applied. For example it is a tricky balancing act when replacement is required for fixing the play equipment in the three parks that use pressure treated wood versus new community gardens. Resources are being looked at in house; the Water Department can supply water; Public Works Department the soil and Community Development Department the containers.
Ms. Wright stated that the waiting list for a community garden plot is getting longer all the time. . There are thirteen community gardens in the city with 450 plots and 200 on the waiting list. The city is trying to be more creative this year with finding ways for residents to garden such as helping with pick-a-pocket gardens. On May 22, 2010 a successful container garden workshop was held at the Senior Center by the Public Works Department. There were fifty participants.
Ann Marie Reardon, Sacramento Street garden, informed the committee that this garden has one raised bed that is four years old and has major structural issues. Ms. Wright stated that the bed needs to be excavated in the fall and remade. Ms. McDowell commented that recycled lumber is poor quality and this site has poor drainage. Ms. Reardon added that the soil is also rocky. When asked if the city has worked with companies that make raised beds, Ms. Wright informed the committee that the raised bed must be accessible.
Helen Snively distributed resources for gardening in Cambridge (ATTACHMENT A).
The Urban Agricultural Fair was now discussed (ATTACHMENT B).
Kari Kuelzer explained the Ag Fair includes a competition for Cambridge city dwellers to display their locally grown food. The last Ag Fair was held in Harvard Square on Sept 20, 2009. This year the Ag Fair, on Sept 19, 2010 will be bigger and better. The logistics are handled by the Harvard Square Business Association; beer will be served by Grendel's Den and this year Savenors will be a sponsor. Businesses, organizations, participants and volunteers are needed. Specifically a person is needed to run the logistics of the competition. Outreach to the fruit and vegetable growers as well as vendors and organizations are needed. The education piece will focus on cooking demonstrations, composting and water collection. A suggestion was made to see if state money is available from the Division of Fairs Program. The Harvard Square Farmers Market will be integrated into the Ag Fair. Jane Hirsch, City Sprouts, commented that the City Sprouts interns would be great judges.
Vice Mayor Davis discussed the cost of a table at the Ag Fair and professional versus non-profit vendors. Ms. Kuelzer informed the committee that the cost of a table is between $30-50 and free for non-profits.
Ms. Kuelzer stated that in mid July telephone calls need to be made to secure commitments from vendors and for demonstrations. The competition will be held in Winthrop Park. Vendors will be situated on Brattle Street. Vice Mayor Davis stated that she would be the point person for the vendors along with Juliana Lyman. Ms. Kuelzer suggested that helpers e-mail Vice Mayor Davis and that Ms. Kuelzer will give out assignments. She also noted that she is soliciting photos from last year's Ag Fair.
An update was given on the use of EBT machines.
Penny Peters informed the committee that the Mass. Farmers Market Group received a grant for an EBT machine that would read SNAP Cards (food stamps) at the Central Square Farmers Market. WIC vouchers are accepted at all farmers markets also. Publicity is needed about the EBT machine. Ms. Peters asked if CEOC could get the word out about the EBT machine.
At this time Vice Mayor Davis submitted the following motion:
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to instruct the Assistant City Manager for Human Services provide support staff to work on publicity of the use of the EBT machine at the Farmers Market for SNAP Cards and WIC vouchers.
The motion - Carried.
Juliana Lyman from Savenors gave an update on the Taste of Cambridge which will benefit City Sprouts. The Taste of Cambridge will be held on June 24, 2010. This will be a "zero waste event" (ATTACHMENT C). Volunteers are needed from 4-8 PM to tell attendees where to recycle their waste. Compostable tableware and cups has been donated by a local distributor. There will be no bottle water. Compost bins will be used for the food.
Vice Mayor Davis made the following announcements:
"King Corn" is being shown at the Library on Tues, June 22, 2010 (ATTACHMENT D).
On July 25 the Somerville Garden Club is hold a tour of 31 gardens (ATTACHMENT E).
James Williamson asked if there has ever been a community garden on Cambridge Housing Authority property. Mr. Gormley, CHA, responded that Jefferson Park has a community garden for the residents, but it may not be active now. There are scattered lots with flowers that are tended.
Mr. Frank Connelly informed the committee that some farmers are unhappy with the management at the Central Square Farmers Market. Vice Mayor Davis stated that she will attempt to resolve the problem.
A discussion ensured about more community garden plots and yard sharing.
Robin Lapidus spoke about the Urban Ag Fair. There will be a small table at the Taste of Cambridge publicizing the Ag Fair which will be held on Sept 19, 2010. She informed the committee that a for-profit cost for a table is $30.00.
Vice Mayor Davis thanked all those present for their attendance.
The meeting adjourned at six o'clock and fifty-five minutes P.M.
For the Committee,
Vice Mayor Henrietta Davis, Chair
Committee Report #2
The Economic Development, Training and Employment Committee held a public meeting on Tues, June 22, 2010, beginning at five o'clock and nine minutes P.M. in the Sullivan Chamber.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss supporting local businesses.
Present at the meeting were Councillor Leland Cheung, Chair of the Committee; Councillor Craig Kelley; Councillor Sam Seidel; Robert W. Healy, City Manager; Richard Rossi, Deputy City Manager; Cynthia Griffin, Purchasing Agent; Elizabeth Bedell; and Deputy City Clerk Donna P. Lopez.
Also present were Josh Gerber, Chair, Government Affairs Committee of Cambridge Local First, 1369 Cambridge Street; Gavin Kleespies, Cambridge Historical Society, 24 McTernan Street; Frank Kramer, Co-Chair, Cambridge Local First, 7 Avon Street; Michael Kanter, Founding Member, Local First and Treasurer, Cambridge Local First, 23 White Street; Jane Dawson, 25 White Street; Steve Fischer, 297 Broadway, Arlington; Pat Carrier, 90 Mt. Auburn Street; Rachael Solem, Co-Chair, Cambridge Local First, 24 Irving Street; Charlie Marquardt, 10 Rogers Street; Charlie Christopher, 1667 Mass. Avenue; Brianne Studer, 29 Wellington Street, Boston; Holly Heslop, 1667 Mass. Avenue; Laury Hammel, Clerk, Cambridge Local First, 10 Hilliard Street; Anne Shuhler, 678 Mass. Avenue; Robert Winters, 366 Broadway; Emily Kanter, 186 Hampshire Street; Sally Lesser, 17 White Street; Scott Walker, 363 Walden Street; Dennis Jen, 8 Walnut Street; JJ Gonson, 2 Worcester Street; Daniel Meyers, 64 Farragut Avenue, Somerville; Robin Young, Hilliard Street; Gus Rancatore, Toscanni's Ice Cream; and Kelley Foley.
Councillor Cheung opened the meeting and explained the purpose. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss how the City of Cambridge could support local stores and buying locally. The City buys from local businesses where possible. Small shops make Cambridge culturally rich and create its unique charm. The committee is looking to explore policy to help small business with their challenges and how small businesses are run in the city. At this time Councillor Cheung stated that a presentation would be made by Cambridge Local First.
Josh Gerber, co-owner of 1369 Coffee House, stated that he was excited to sit down with the city. Organizations like Local First have stated to work together with municipalities nationally.
Gavin Kleespies, Executive Director, Cambridge Historical Society, stated that people remember their communities by their unique spaces and businesses. His memory is of Bailey's Ice Cream in Harvard Square. He stated that having independent spaces creates memories and preserves history. The Cambridge Historical Society supports local business and keeping unique spaces alive. Councillor Cheung noted that locally owned businesses creates the uniqueness.
Frank Kramer explained how Cambridge Local First was founded. Book stores were closing nationally due to the increased use of the internet. Locally owned businesses educated the government about the importance of creating local business alliances. There are 285 local business members in the Cambridge Local First and this strengthens the Cambridge economy. He submitted a prepared statement (ATTACHMENT A).
Michael Kanter spoke of the mission of Cambridge Local First (ATTACHMENT B). It was founded to build a vibrant economy. The Cambridge Local First directory is the fifth edition. Cambridge Local First raises awareness of the customer to buy locally. Every dollar spent comes back to Cambridge. The new local economies initiative engages leaders to build a strong economy. He suggested shifting ten percent of government spending to locally owned businesses. A resolution was drafted supporting becoming a local economy community.
Josh Gerber listed some concerns of local businesses:
Challenge is the state procurement policy;
State website not updated;
Proposed Lechmere development;
Empty retail space
E-Fairness;
Parking; and
Loading and unloading zone issues.
JJ Gonson explained the community incubator kitchen project she is working on now. There are no such kitchens in the area. Only site is in Jamaica Plain. There are people interested in access to needed facilities. Five user groups could use this facility. There is room to teach canning, cooking and pickling. Occasional users could purchase food and put it up for the winter. This could create a Cambridge community kitchen label. She would like Cambridge to support this project and help her with the permits and to find space.
Robin Young stated that this is an important issue. Sages in Harvard Square, she said, wanted to stay in Cambridge, but the rent went up so high it was impossible to stay. Abercrombie & Fitch pay this rent from their advertising budget. So Cambridge lost a local food store and revenue. Character is why people come to Cambridge and Harvard Square. People come from around the world to see Harvard Square. However, now there are big empty buildings in Harvard Square. She spoke about the importance of banking locally. She was unable to get refinancing from a bank that was not local so she moved her money to Cambridge Savings Bank, a local bank. If local businesses are not there, people get in their cars and drive. Squares are built to walk around.
Gus Francatore, Toscanni's Ice Cream, expressed his challenges as a business in Cambridge. Short-term parking is important. The city diminishes short-term parking. Loading zone time was reduced. The definition was changed by the Traffic, Parking and Transportation
Director and the change was done unannounced. Parking at Lafayette Square is difficult for his customers. His customers complain about treatment received from Parking Officers. The city should plan aggressively for small businesses. Micro businesses are usually started by immigrant women. Spoke of the need for aggregate housing plans for new high tech companies and security. He stated that it is unacceptable the encounters with homeless people and street people for people who live and work in the Central Square area.
At this time Councillor Cheung asked City Manager Robert W. Healy for his comments.
City Manager Healy stated that he agreed with the concepts, but Chapter 30B is particular. Flexibility is $5,000 per vendor in aggregate with sound business practices. Cambridge does do business with local businesses. There is no preference allowed for local businesses in Chapter 30B. The changes sought must be done by the state legislature with the state procurement law. Expenditures $5,000 - $20,000 require three written competitive vendors. The laws are carefully regulated by the Attorney General and the Inspector General of the Commonwealth. The challenge is to get enabling legislation and it needs to be state-wide. The city paid $14 million and the Cambridge Health Alliance paid $6 million in local purchases. He suggested working on crafting a legislative proposal with other local communities to change the state procurement law. He stated that he would check into the loading zone time change. Parking is a conundrum; single occupancy vehicle trips are discouraged by the city. Accommodations are provided for bike lanes, pedestrians and traffic calming. Cambridge has more linear miles of cars than there are linear miles of curb side for parking. The state law also regulates property assessment. Property is assessed at 100% fair market value. Rent is whatever the market will bear. The city cannot fund Cambridge Local First; it is not permitted.
Councillor Cheung suggested organizing other communities to petition the state legislature.
Emily Kantor informed the committee that she works with local businesses to make them more environmentally friendly. She has worked with 19 businesses and 11 businesses are energy efficiency models reducing the carbon footprint in the city. Businesses use more carbon. Making small change has a domino effect.
Rachael Solem stated that the state website is not up to date and is not user friendly. Small businesses want a level playing field. There are vendors on the website that are out of business. She would like the city to push the state on the travel route taxes and e-trade. She said the Cambridge Local First is a dynamic organization. Businesses donate money to non-profits, neighborhood events and food and good cheer.
Laury Hammel stated that he loves living, walking and the culture of Cambridge. He wants to protect and preserve the culture in Cambridge. There is a wave in this country to build a local economy commitment. He is asking for a partnership with Cambridge to create a stronger local economy. This will increase jobs and taxes. Local First is looking for ways to develop contracts to do business with Cambridge. Things we can do are:
Address the procurement law;
Be a leader to craft legislation to resolve procurement issue;
Do public relations explaining the benefits of buying local and
Develop entrepreneurships.
His goal is to make Cambridge a beacon of light to create a vibrant and green economy.
Councillor Cheung stated that the City Manager has been supportive of the local economy. His presence here shows how serious he is in this matter.
At six o'clock and twenty-five minutes PM Councillor Cheung opened the meeting to public comment.
Sally Lessor asked if locally owned business could be approved similar to the minority and women owned businesses.
Scott Walker suggested the city encourage pop-up shops for empty store fronts. Get the Art Council involved. He would like to see bike parking in the city; one quarter of his customers are bike riders. He requested that the city make streets attractive for pedestrians and bikers. He suggested connecting large institutions with local businesses.
Charlie Marquardt stated that he supports local banks. He spoke about on-line purchasing. Help is needed from the universities to discourage students from primarily buying on-line rather than buying locally. The city should do something with its First Street retail space that is boarded up. Cambridge Electric and Public Works are the biggest users of loading zone parking and they are not ticketed.
Robert Winters stated that he buys local where possible. The Army & Navy Store and Stop & Shop are gone both of which hired local people. He suggested getting a good fruit and vegetable shop in Cambridge that has reasonable prices and fresh produce. He spoke of the empty store fronts. Councillor Cheung stated that he would schedule another meeting to discuss the issue of empty store fronts.
Councillor Seidel stated that the energy in this meeting is good. It is a good discussion. Councillor Cheung stated that it costs more money to use paper cups that can be recycled versus Styrofoam.
Mr. Gerber stated that 1369 Coffee House has changed the waste stream by using composting. It costs more. He favored subsidies for making environmentally friendly decisions. He favored moving the city's operational bank accounts to local banks. Ms. Solem stated that local banks would love the city's business account business.
Mr. Hammel stated that the term should be to support local economy, not to support local business. Local businesses do not want to do business with the government because it takes too long to get paid. He suggested establishing a local task force of leaders to get the job done by developing problems, challenges and solutions and prepare a collaborative plan. He would serve on this task force. He announced the 5th anniversary of Cambridge Local First would be celebrated on Wed, July 14, 2010 at 10 Hilliard Street from 7-10 PM.
Mr. Gerber stated that he would like the City Council to commit to local buying. Councillor Seidel made his commitment now. Councillor Cheung stated that he is already committed but is happy to reaffirm his commitment.
Councillor Cheung thanked those present for their attendance.
The meeting adjourned at seven o'clock PM.
For the Committee,
Councillor Leland Cheung, Chair
Committee Report #3
The Public Safety Committee held a public meeting on June 24, 2010 beginning at 10am in the first floor conference room at the Robert W. Healy Public Safety Building,, 125 Sixth Street. The purpose of the meeting was to continue discussion of plans to prevent violence in the city in the summer.
Present at the meeting were Councillor E. Denise Simmons, Chair of the Committee; Councillor Leland Cheung; Councillor Sam Seidel; City Clerk D. Margaret Drury; and Muna Kangsen. Also present were Police Commissioner Robert Haas; Police Deputy Superintendent Lester Sullivan; John DiFava, Director of Facilities/Security, M.I.T.; James M. Claiborne, Deputy Chief, Harvard University Police Department; Hilary Smith, Resident Services, HRI, Inc.; Dr. Wayne J. Montague, Senior Director of Community Relations, Winn Management; Abraham Haile, Assistant Manager, Walden Square; David Degou, Public Safety Administrator, Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA); Gloria Leipzig, Director of Operations, CHA; John Silva, Director of Safety and Security, Cambridge Public School Department; Michelle Farnum, Director of the Cambridge Youth Program, Department of Human Services (DHSP); and Charles Marquardt, 10 Rogers Street, neighborhood resident.
Councillor Simmons convened the meeting and explained the purpose. She stated that this meeting is a follow up to the committee meeting on this issue that was held in May. She sees it as an opportunity for keeping housing management companies informed as well as allowing them to share best practices and to provide the community with the information necessary to counter the inaccurate stereotype that most of the city's crime is connected with affordable housing projects. Councillor Simmons then invited updates from housing management on summer programs and security.
Mr. Degou said that he has established regular meetings with the tenant councils in the CHA developments. From his point of view, the biggest security issue at the CHA developments is domestic violence.
Councillor Simmons said that the recent newspaper accounts of gun violence in Boston have led her to wonder if there has been an increase in gun violence in Cambridge. Commissioner Haas replied that there has not. Deputy Superintendent Sullivan added that in contrast with the gun incidents in June in Cambridge last year, this June there has been very little violent activity in Cambridge. One reason is that some key impact players have gone to jail.
Commissioner Haas said that he has been meeting with Cambridge District Court First Justice Sragow and District Attorney Leone and there will be a gun court established at Cambridge District Court. The advantages to this include consistency and expedited lab reports from the state labs.
In response to a question from Councillor Simmons about whether the Cambridge Police Department monitors the release of former Cambridge residents who are being released from prison or jail, Deputy Superintendent Sullivan answered in the affirmative. They get daily notifications. There is no re-entry program in Cambridge, but there are agencies that provide services to Cambridge ex-offenders. Commissioner Haas explained that our release center is located in Quincy, which is not ideal because of the distance. He added that in the last two years in Central Square, the police have encountered ex-offenders who were not Cambridge residents before prison.
Mr. Haile reported that the very successful soccer program run by the Vineyard Church last year has been expanded this summer. Councillor Simmons asked what needs attention at Walden Square and what can the City do. Mr. Haile said that there is an issue of kids hanging out in the back part of the development. The police bike patrols have been great; it would be wonderful if they could be expanded. Dr. Montague added that the door-knocking campaign by police and Department of Human Services (DPHS) staff followed by a barbeque last year was terrific. They hope that can happen again this year. Commissioner Haas agreed that it was an excellent collaboration between DHSP and the CPD and that DHSP staff did a great deal of work. Dr. Montague said that it was very helpful for residents who needed help with paying their rent and did not know where to get that help.
Ms. Farnum said that there was a similar door-knocking campaign on May 2nd at Newtowne Court and Washington Elms. DHSP is committed to continuing this program, but they do need to spread out the resources. Councillor Simmons asked whether DHSP ever thinks of carrying this program beyond the large projects into the neighborhood. Ms. Farnum said that they do, but it is a question of resources and the "bang for the buck."
Ms. Leipzig said that the CHA is hoping that there can be another door-knocking event at Jefferson Park this year. She said that, in addition to regular monthly meetings with the Jefferson Park tenant council, Mr. Degou is doing lighting surveys with the tenants. She also noted the activities of the Workforce Development Program, and expressed appreciation and enthusiasm for the police bike patrols.
Mr. Marquardt expressed his agreement with Mr. Degou's evaluation of the seriousness of the domestic violence problem, and not just in Cambridge. He praised the cooperative work by DPHS, CPD and the CHA in the housing developments and urged more attention to neighborhoods outside of the housing projects. He also said that he has heard anecdotally that there has been an increase in marijuana use among high school and younger kids.
Councillor Simmons requested that Mr. Silva report on the high school over the past year. Mr. Silva said that the past year has been one of the best years for CRLS in his memory. One of the biggest factors has been block scheduling, which has dramatically reduced the amount of time students spend in the hallways because they have gone from changing classes seven times a day to four times a day. This in turn has reduced the number of hallway conflicts and incidents. Mr. Silva said that the involvement of the Cambridge Police Department has been tremendous. The bike patrol police are youth-friendly, the family services police are youth-friendly. Many more young people now have policy officers that they know and trust.
Mr. Silva said that there has been concern about an increase of marijuana use since possession of less than an ounce has been decriminalized. For the past ten years, the survey on student drug use has shown usage pretty close to the national average of 25% of students using marijuana. There has been an increase this year. If members of the school safety staff think students have been smoking at school, they check them. If they are found with an amount of marijuana that falls into the classification of selling drugs, then because it is a school zone, there is an automatic two year sentence for a conviction. However, someone in that situation is likely to plead guilty to a lesser offense.
Mr. Silva said that there is also a safety concern with regard to kids carrying knives under the mistaken impression that this will make them safer. CRLS has a very strict policy with regard to bringing any kind of weapon to school. The automatic penalty is a 10-day suspension and an expulsion hearing. The problem is out of school time. There are knives that are not covered by state law as weapons but they are dangerous weapons. Some communities have forbidden carrying these knives by ordinance.
Councillor Simmons asked the housing managers whether they are aware of the many summer programs and activities available to Cambridge youth. Dr. Montague and Mr. Haile said that they do need to get more information. Councillor Simmons and Ms. Farnum encouraged them to look at the city website, especially the DHSP pages. Ms. Smith said that she does get information from the website, but the problem is that she needs it a month ahead of time to put it in the monthly newsletter. Ms. Farnum encouraged her and any other managers with the same need to contact her.
Ms. Farnum then described the myriad summer youth activities and programs. The City runs over 20 summer camps in Cambridge. The DHSP youth program runs 5 and they focus on middle school camps. In North Cambridge there is a summer camp dedicated to rising 6th graders through 8 graders. It is free. There are still spots for kids up to age 13 and camp for 13 year-olds is free for families. There are also programs for teens. The youth centers are open every night in the summer. DHSP youth program employees are working closely with the CPD. Police are involved in every program. They run the calisthenics for sports camps and are collaborating on a new bike program. There will be night sports leagues again this year, late night basketball on Mondays, girls' volley ball on Tuesdays. There will be dances. Family activities will include the popular Movies in the Park program and a trip to New York City.
In response to a question from Councillor Simmons, Ms. Farnum said that she has not seen any violence this year, with the exception of some trouble with incidents involving girls. Mr. Silva agreed that the majority of incidents have been with girls this year. Ms Farnum said that they have started a "chat and chew" discussion group for girls in response to some of these incidents.
Councillor Cheung applauded the Police Department's addition of a new communications specialist who is dealing with the media. In response to a question from Councillor Cheung, Commissioner Haas described the communications responsibilities of CPD staff. He announced that the City Manager has just given them permission to try out adding a Facebook and Twitter account to their communication tools.
Councillor Simmons asked who is the person at the CPD that someone could call if they had concerns that was not an emergency but that they did not want their name attached to, for example, kids starting to hang out later and act a little rowdier.. Commissioner Hass said that it varies. They are trying to make as many connections as possible with the community and at the same time to have a consistency of response. He added that Deputy Superintendent Sullivan is the liaison for all of the housing management companies for the various housing developments in Cambridge. It is not practicable for there to be one person to respond to all of the questions and needs raised by neighborhood residents.
Councillor Simmons then invited the university police to speak.
James Claiborne, stated that he began his job as Deputy Superintendent of the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) in November, 2009, after 30 years with the Boston Police Department. He is very impressed with the number of programs in Cambridge. He said that most of the problems HUPD deals with relate to kids having parties. They try to address these problems through the school's administrative boards because students are more afraid of those consequences than they are of the police. Commissioner Haas said that they try to give information back to the university police about incidents in which the students are involved.
Mr. DiFava said that as Director of Facilities/Security, he has a very collegial relationship with the CPD. M.I.T. is involved in a lot of community programs. He said that 85% of undergraduates live on campus and that 95% of the fraternity houses are located in Boston.
Commissioner Haas said that they are starting to put together a bicycle racing team at CRLS, and he would like to get the universities involved.
Mr. Marquardt said that he has a question about how bullying and anti-bullying programs fit into the anti-violence framework. Ms. Farnum said that a committee from the Cambridge Public Health Department is beginning training about the new anti-bullying curriculum that the Cambridge Public School Department is rolling out. Mr. Silva said that when a principal identifies bullying as a problem, the Safety Department makes an age-appropriate presentation that includes a definition of bullying and what the consequences can be for the perpetrator. Under the new law, principals need to do a better job of communicating to teachers the importance of reporting every incident. The Safety Department wants just about every incident reported with almost no exception.
Ms. Smith asked what about the parents. They often know first. Mr. Silva said that parents are encouraged to call the Safety Officer at the school.
Councillor Simmons thanked all those present for their participation. She said she feels that she can take it from this conversation that the City has a good handle on summer violence prevention. She noted the following issues that were mentioned during the meeting:
* Increased marijuana use by youth
* Domestic violence
* The possibility of an ordinance to prohibit youth from carrying certain types of knives that can be used as weapons but are not prohibited under state law.
Councillor Simmons stated that she expects that she will schedule another Public Safety Committee meeting in late September to review what went well this summer and to talk about any problems. The next meeting will be an evening meeting and neighborhood groups will be invited.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:23am.
For the Committee,
Councillor E. Denise Simmons, Chair
Committee Report #4
The Ordinance Committee held a public hearing on July 8, 2010 beginning at five o'clock and thirty-five minutes p.m. in the Sullivan Chamber. The purpose of the hearing was to consider the report of the Historical Commission recommending landmark designation for the Masonic Temple at 1950 Massachusetts Avenue (Attachment).
Present at the hearing were Councillor Sam Seidel and Councillor Timothy J. Toomey Jr., Co-Chairs of the Committee; Councillor Leland Cheung; Councillor Craig Kelley; Mayor David Maher; City Clerk D. Margaret Drury; William King, Chair of the Historical Commission; and Charles Sullivan, Executive Director of the Historical Commission.
Councillor Seidel convened the hearing and explained the purpose. He then invited Mr. Sullivan to make a presentation on the process and report of the Historical Commission.
Mr. Sullivan reported the following information:
The Cambridge Masonic Temple is historically and architecturally significant as one of two purpose-built lodge buildings remaining in the city. The temple is associated with Freemasonry in Cambridge, which was first established in 1805. The history of the structure, which was built in 1910, reflects the evolution of Porter Square from an outlying district of Cambridge to a gentrified suburban area.
A proposal for a new hotel on the nearby Kaya-Ka restaurant site and zoning amendments to the Massachusetts Avenue Overlay District allowing for increased density and relaxed dimensional requirements for the hotel uses in the overlay district prompted neighborhood speculation about the future of the Masonic Temple property. The City Council adopted an order on Sept 8, 2008 requesting that the Historical Commission consider initiating a landmark designation study of the property. On Oct 2, 2008 the Commission determined that the Temple met the criteria for a landmark designation study and initiated a one-year protection period during which the property has been protected as though it were already a landmark.
At a public hearing on Oct 8, 2009 the Historical Commission voted 7-0 to accept the corrected study report and forward the report to the City Council with a recommendation for landmark designation.
Mayor Maher thanked Mr. Sullivan for his presentation. He stated that he filed the original Council order because neighbors wanted protection for the building and their neighborhood. He asked if the building were designated as a landmark and then later sold, what protection would the landmark designation provide. Mr. Sullivan said that if the building is designated as a landmark, there could be no alterations of the façade unless the Cambridge Historical Commission reviewed the proposed plans and issued a Certificate of Appropriateness. The Commission would ensure that any alterations to the outside of the building were appropriate. The Commission has no jurisdiction over interior spaces.
Councillor Kelley complimented the Historical Commission staff on the thoroughness of the report.
Councillor Seidel invited comments from William King, Chair of the Historical Commission. He said that when the Commission is requested to take on a landmark process, especially for a building like this for which there is no current threat of destruction, they have to consider the allocation of the resources of the staff time. In this case, particularly after reviewing the material in the report, they are very satisfied that this was a very appropriate use of staff time. He congratulated the staff on the quality of the report and stated that not only was there unanimous support among the Commission members for recommending the landmark designation, there was no opposition expressed in the public hearing of the Cambridge Historical Commission.
Councillor Seidel then invited public comment.
Richard Clarey, 15 Brookford Street, Chair of the North Cambridge Stabilization Committee, stated that the Stabilization Committee voted unanimously to support land marking this building. He expressed concern about the effect of the planned construction of the hotel on the abutting lot or the structural integrity of the mason Temple.
Keith MacKinnon, member of the Masonic Temple and curator of the temple, spoke in support of the landmark. The Masonic Lodge does not intend to sell the building. They will work closely with the owners of the abutting Kaya-Ka lot to be sure nothing happens to the building during the planned hotel construction.
Mayor Maher moved that the report be forwarded to the full City Council with a favorable recommendation for landmark designation for the Masonic Temple at 1950 Massachusetts Avenue by adopting the order set forth in the report. The motion passed on a voice vote without objection.
Councillors Sam Seidel and Timothy Toomey thanked all those present for their participation. The meeting was adjourned at six o'clock and twenty minutes p.m.
For the Council
Councillor Sam Seidel, Co-Chair
Councillor Timothy Toomey, Co-Chair
Committee Report #5
The University Relations Committee held a public meeting on July 19, 2010, beginning at three o'clock and five minutes P.M. in the Ackermann Room. The meeting was held for the purpose of discussing what steps the City and the universities can take to bolster students voting locally and to discuss the City preparing a welcoming packet for distribution by the universities to their students.
Present at the meeting were Councillor Leland Cheung, Chair of the Committee; and City Clerk D. Margaret Drury. Also present were Ini Tomeu, Public Information Officer; Tom Lucey, Director of Community Relations, Harvard University; Paul Parravano, Co-Director of Government and Community Relations, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Sarah Gallop, Co-Director of Government and Community Relations, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Elizabeth Young, Associate Dean of New Students, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Tanya Ford, Executive Director, Election Commission; Polyxane S. Cobb, Chair, Board of Election Commissioners; Peter Sheinfeld, Election Commissioner; Ethridge King, Election Commissioner; Darleen Bonislawski, Election Commissioner; Charles Marquardt, 10 Rogers Street; Jessica Headd, Northeastern University; Haley Pero, Graduate Research Assistant, Suffolk University; Sara Brady, Mass Vote; Rachael Cobb, Assistant Professor and Chair of the Government Department, Suffolk University; Lesley Waxman, Assistant Director of the Election Commission; William Doncaster, Director of Community Affairs, Lesley University; and Elizabeth Bedell.
Councillor Cheung convened the meeting, welcomed all present and invited all to introduce themselves. He distributed an agenda for the meeting (Attachment A) and made opening remarks. He stated that the meeting was engendered by two orders that he submitted to the City Council (Attachment B) one on how to bolster college students voting in local elections and one on welcoming packets to introduce new students to the City of Cambridge. The orders were adopted by the City Council and referred to this committee.
Councillor Cheung stated that the issue of how to get students engaged in Cambridge elections is a perennial question. In his mind, it is related to overall civic engagement--getting students to think of themselves as citizens. From this line of thinking came the idea of creating welcome packets from the City of Cambridge to be distributed to new students by university officials.
Councillor Cheung invited the Election Commission to describe what efforts the City makes to get students to vote. Tanya Ford, Executive Director of the Election Commission, said that the Election Commission holds registration events at the universities and also at city events that would be of interest to students throughout the year. Polxyane Cobb, Chair of the Board of Election Commissioners, said that the degree of student participation depends on the election cycle. Students are generally more engaged during the federal presidential election years. Darlene Bonislawski, Election Commissioner, reviewed the sections of the Massachusetts election law pertaining to the universities' responsibilities to make registration forms available to students and to allow registration events on campus and submitted a copy for the record (Attachment C). She said that they have had several registration events at schools over the years and they have been very well received.
Councillor Cheung asked what if anything the commission has tried that they would say has not worked. Ms. Cobb said that it is very difficult to try to register students for voting at the time that they are registering for school. This year the Sept 14th primary election means that registration activities will have to take place after the primary. Ms. Bonislawski described a successful activity at CRLS in which they showed an excerpt of the documentary "Eyes on the Prize" to emphasize how hard some people have had to fight for the right to vote and how important that right is. They also helped CRLS students to run their election for student officers.
Paul Parravano, Co-Director of Government and Community Relations, expressed his appreciation to the Election Commission on their willingness to assist the university administration in facilitating the voter registration that takes place at the time of registration. He also noted that there is no way that new students could vote knowledgeably in the Sept 14th primary. He added that many of these students have been very active in their home communities and are still attached politically such that they want to vote in their home communities. Mr. Parravano said that there are several other occasions throughout the year when there are large gatherings of students at the universities, such as family weekend and commencement. Such occasions would be good venues for voter registration.
Tom Lucey, Director of Community Relations, Harvard University, asked the Election Commission how the percentage of 18 year-olds living and working in Cambridge who have registered to vote compares with the percentage of 18 year-old college students living on college campuses in Cambridge. He also expressed his appreciation to the Election Commission for their assistance in voter registration at class registration time. He said that all students have to hand in a study card as part of class registration and at that time they have voter registration cards right there. Approximately 600-700 students per year register through this system. There is a competition among residence halls, H-Vote, in which the winner is the hall in which the largest proportion of students are registered voters.
Peter Sheinfeld, Election Commissioner, said that there is lots of student involvement in the presidential elections but not in the city/local elections. Ms. Cobb said that getting students to feel that they are a part of the city and local community involves more than just voter registration. It means getting students to feel that Cambridge is their home.
Ms Ford said that it could be helpful for the universities to assist students to understand their responsibility to stay registered. Many do not realize that university housing of their school can fall into different precincts and wards. Sara Brady, MassVote, suggested that universities let students know at the time when they are changing their university residence that they need to update their voter registration.
Councillor Cheung said that he has encountered students who did not know that it would be legal for them to vote in Cambridge. Ms. Bonislawski said that they do get questions about whether registering to vote in Cambridge will affect their financial aid. The Election Commissioners tell students that they cannot answer those questions, but they should check with the proper authorities on whether home residence is a requirement for their financial aid because when the student registers to vote in Cambridge, their home jurisdiction will be notified.
Councillor Cheung noted that he has seen that 10-20% of students are vested in voting in their home community, 50-60% have not thought about voting at all and the rest are willing to vote in Cambridge.
William Doncaster then described Lesley University's activities with regard to voter registration. Lesley has voter registration material available at class registration time. More students register in years in which there is a presidential election. The vast amount of successful voter registration efforts have been started by students. With regard to the issue of civic engagement, most Lesley students become involved with a nonprofit organization or a public school and will have had community contact during their time at Lesley.
Councillor Cheung requested that M.I.T. and Harvard representatives talk about the civic engagement of their students. Mr. Parravano invited Elizabeth Young, Dean of New Students, MIT to describe orientation. Ms. Young described the 26 pre-orientation community projects from which the new students will choose a week long experience in the larger Cambridge community. She also described City Days, in which over 700 freshmen will participate in projects set up by the MIT Public Service Center, which matches students with public service opportunities. In developing the projects, the Public Service Center sends out invitations to Cambridge nonprofits. There have been years when the focus was on the public schools. Councillor Cheung asked whether MIT tracks whether students who have been involved in City Days participate more in public service as students than students who have not been involved in City Days. Mr. Parravano said that he expects that the Public Service Center would be more likely to have that data.
Mr. Lucey said that Harvard's public service program looks a lot like that of M.I.T. The Phillips Brooks House (PBH)is the main funnel of student volunteer opportunities and services. The PBH has strong city connections. The Assistant City Manager for Human Services is a member of the PBH board. The public service programs are year-round. Most Harvard graduates have been involved in public service through these programs.
Mr. Doncaster emphasized that as educational institutions, the universities all require that students learn something from their experience and not just serve as a pool of free labor.
Rachael Cobb, Assistant Professor and Chair of the Government Department, Suffolk University, described their work to increase voter participation. She said that one of the challenges is that in the United States we have lots of elections. The rate of voter participation varies widely throughout the Country. In the last presidential election over 70% voted in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio. In Texas, South Dakota, Utah and Arizona, the turnout was less than 30%.
Ms. Brady said that the states that have the highest turnout are the states that have same-day registration. She suggested that all official email from the universities to their students have a link to a voter registration site.
Councillor Cheung said that volunteering is a big part of civic engagement, but there has to be something more than volunteering to make students feel like Cambridge is their home. He added that there is a very different feeling for neighbors when students feel like Cambridge is their home.
Mr. Doncaster said that the most student participation that he has seen in elections has been on occasions where local candidates have reached out to students and helped them become involved. He said that getting students involved in local issues is a challenge because at that age, they are more interested in national issues. Ms. Bonislawski said that Matt DeBergalis, who ran for City Council as an MIT undergraduate and did very well, focused on issues that students were interested in, for example later operating hours for public transportation.
Councillor Cheung then invited ideas on what cities and universities could do to increase the student voter and civic participation.
Ini Tomeu, Public Information Officer, stated that that a number of publication that the City produces contain information that would be useful for students, for example, City Life magazine and the Cambridge map, which Harvard already purchases and distributes to students. Mr. Doncaster said that Lesley produced a map that showed all of the retail on Mass Ave from Boston to Arlington. That map was very popular.
Ms Tomeu suggested a link from the university websites to the Cambridge website. In response to a question from Councillor Cheung Ms. Tomeu said that working with things that the city already has on its internet sites but tailoring the information to students, she could produce a one-page web information resource. Ms. Young said that if Cambridge produced a one-page list of city web resources that would be of interest to students, MIT would distribute it to students.
Commissioner King said that he agreed that a link from the university websites to the city website could be helpful to students. He cautioned that although Matt DeBergalis registered 1200 new voters, they did not become civically engaged. His focus is on getting the voters to vote. Ms. Ford said that she would like to see students engaged in issues that are important to residents, not just students. Ms. Bonislawski said that working at the polls on Election Day is a good way for students to get involved and meet their neighbors.
Councillor Cheung then invited public comment. Charles Marquardt, 10 Rogers Street, suggested that the message be that the City Council wants you to vote, either here or in your home state and city or town. There can be consequences for out-of-state students voting in Cambridge. They have to be residents of Cambridge to vote here, and declaring Cambridge as their residence could affect home state benefits such as state scholarships that are only available to state residents. The important thing is to get the students out into the community.
Councillor Cheung submitted the following motions:
1. ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Director Of Information Technology to arrange for a portion of the website to be dedicated to information for college students, preferably by changing the main categories on the front page from "Living Working Visiting" to Living Working Studying Visiting", or establishing another prominent home page headline and including in the "studying" area links to information already on the website that is of particular interest to college students in Cambridge, and to work with the Cambridge universities and colleges to provide additional information for the site; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager is requested to confer with the Public Information Officer to develop a one page flyer for distribution by the colleges and universities that advertises student oriented website links and also contains s description of Cambridge and its significance to introduce students to the city as their new home
2. ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Executive Director of the Election Commission to produce a one to two page flyer that will be distributed to the universities via PDF that will provide information on where they can register to vote and vote on election day, a summary of how we elect our local government officials and a fact sheet answering common questions about what reregistering in Massachusetts entails, including potential home state implications of declaring Massachusetts residency.
Councillor Cheung thanked those present for their attendance. The meeting was adjourned at 5pm.
For the Committee,
Councillor Leland Cheung, Chair
Committee Report #6
The Ordinance Committee held a public meeting on Thurs, July 8, 2010, beginning at six o'clock and forty-five minutes p.m. in the Sullivan Chamber. The meeting was held for the purpose of continuing discussion of a petition filed by Boston Properties to amend the zoning in the MXD district in the vicinity of Broadway, Main and Ames Streets and the site of the west parking garage on Ames Street.
Present at the meeting were Councillor Timothy J. Toomey, Jr. and Councillor Sam Seidel, Co-Chairs of the Committee; Mayor David P. Maher; and City Clerk D. Margaret Drury. Also present were Susan Glazer, Acting Assistant City Manager for Community Development; and Stuart Dash, Director of Community and Neighborhood Planning, Community Development.
Councillor Seidel convened the meeting and explained the purpose. He announced that the subject matter is still in committee. He reported that there will be another Ordinance Committee meeting this summer before the Aug 2nd summer meeting of the City Council. The co-chairs have met with various community members and stakeholders and have also been encouraging conversations among the community members and stakeholders. More meetings have been scheduled. The process has not yet been completed. Councillor Seidel then moved to public comment.
Mark Jaquith, 213 Hurley Street, said there are a lot of parallels between this petition and the Alexander petition. The company will gain a substantial amount of money if the petition is ordained. The affected neighborhoods might be able to benefit from their benefit in terms of open space and amenities.
Rhonda Massie, 211 Charles Street, stated that the land that is the subject of this petition is the last open space in the district. None of the three sites presented by Boston Properties as possible alternative sites for housing seem feasible to her.
Charles Marquardt, 10 Rogers Street, stated that there is still work that needs to be done on the plaza in the district. He calculates the value of the amendment to Boston Properties as approximately $420 million. He noted that the MXD Zoning does not require developers to apply for special permits from the Planning Board. Once the amendment is ordained, there is no further public review. He said that there should be a public process just like there is for any other large project project.
Councillor Kelley asked who is now involved in the Broad Institute. Michael Cantalupa, Vice President, Boston Properties stated that the Broad was formed as a joint venture of the Broad property, Harvard University and MIT. Last year the Broad reconstituted itself as completely independent, although they still have connections with the Broad family.
Councillor Kelley said that he believes would be worthwhile to define zoning terms such as parking requirements. He would like to see some housing innovation, for example loft styles, less square footage per unit. Nothing has changed in this proposal.
Attorney James Rafferty said that there has not been a new proposal but there have been conversations and the petitioners are listening and evaluating various changes.
Councillor Seidel and Councillor Toomey thanked those persons present for their participation. The meeting was adjourned at seven o'clock and three minutes p.m.
For the Committee,
Councillor Sam Seidel, Co-Chair
Councillor Timothy J. Toomey, Jr., Co-Chair
Committee Report #7
The Ordinance Committee held a public meeting on Wed, July 28, 2010, beginning at five o'clock eighteen minutes p.m. in the Ackermann Room. The meeting was held for the purpose of continuing discussion of a petition filed by Boston Properties to amend the zoning in the MXD district in the vicinity of Broadway, Main and Ames Streets and the site of the west parking garage on Ames Street.
Present at the meeting were Councillor Timothy J. Toomey, Jr. and Councillor Sam Seidel, Co-Chairs of the Committee; Mayor David P. Maher; Councillor Leland Cheung; Councillor Craig Kelley; Donald Drisdell, City Solicitor; Roger Boothe, Director of Urban Design, Community Development (CDD); Iram Farooq, Senior Project Planner, CDD; and City Clerk D. Margaret Drury.
Councillor Toomey convened the meeting and explained the purpose. He said that in response to issues raised by members of the community, the City Council and the Planning Board, the petitioners have submitted proposed amendments to their proposed petition to amend the zoning. A copy of the proposed petition language with the new amendments underlined is attached to this report. (Attachment A). He outlined the proposed changes as follow.
Councillor Toomey said that the Commitment Letter (Attachment B) had not been finalized but that they expected that it would be available to the public the next day. He asked Mr. Rafferty to summarize the content of the letter. Attorney Rafferty stated that the letter of commitment provides for $300,000 contribution to the City of Cambridge Scholarship fund, with a preference for awards to residents from Area 4 and Wellington Harrington; $100,000 contribution to the East Cambridge Scholarship fund, $250,000 to the City of Cambridge to be used to fund various neighborhood planning studies as determined by the City Council, and housing that was to be built on the area that is the subject of the petition to be built in another site in the MXD district. Construction of the housing must occur within seven years of issuance for a building permit for construction on the petition site. If it has not been built by then, the petitioners will pay the city $2.5 million over seven years. The commitment also includes the dedication of 20,000 square feet of GFA as space for incubator/start up businesses, with the kind of flexible lease terms that can help start-up entrepreneurs develop a business. The space will allow for flexible dimensions for rentals and could be either office or lab space. There is also a commitment to make improvements to the plaza area utilizing a design review process to commence within a year of ordination of the zoning amendments.
Councillor Kelley asked whether there was a specified square footage for the housing to be built. Upon being told there was not, he asked what would happen if Boston Properties built a lot less than the 200,000 square feet originally planned for the site.
Councillor Cheung thanked the property owners for their responsiveness to the issues raised at the Ordinance Committee, particularly the entrepreneurial space and the housing. He is still very concerned about retail but he understands that the Article 19 review can help assure a ground floor retail component. Councillor Kelley pointed out that there is no requirement for retail in Article 19, which raises questions as to what power the City has if the owners decide not to do the retail part. Mr. Rafferty said that the urban design guidelines in Article 19 speak to the desirability of ground floor retail, and the Planning Board has been emphasizing it as a priority. If the Planning Board requires it as part of the Article 19 review, there is plenty of enforcement power related to the issuance of permits.
Councillor Toomey expressed his desire for the children of Cambridge to benefit from the science knowledge and technology of Kendall Square. Mr. Rafferty said that the director of the Broad Institute was disappointed not able to attend this meeting to describe what the Broad offers students. The institute has an educational program with a Director of Educational Outreach and three other staff members. The program is aimed at high school students (younger children are not allowed in biotech lab spaces). The most popular program is a half day visit by an entire class. There is also a program in which science teachers select high school students to participate in "Spend Saturday at the Broad" and from that program nine students are selected to be summer interns and are paid a stipend. There is also a teacher training aspect to the Educational Outreach program. The interns are not all from Cambridge. Councillor Toomey asked whether there could be more interns from Cambridge and stressed how important this benefit is to the Cambridge community. Councillor Seidel expressed his agreement.
At this time there ensued a discussion of the retail space, what size individual incubator spaces should be, whether it would be workable and useful.
Mayor Maher said that if Cambridge Center were being built today from the ground up, they all know that it would look very different; Kendall Square has grown and changed in some very exciting ways. He would like to see Boston Properties look at the entire campus and come back with more of a master plan for the entire area.
Mayor Maher said that funds for planning studies and the improvements to the plaza are very positive aspects of this proposal. Improvements to the plaza are long overdue. It has the potential to be a real gateway to connect Kendall Square to the surrounding neighborhoods. Councillor Seidel agreed and added that the whole locus is a gateway. Boston Properties is a private company, but they are creating public spaces that will be there for a long time. That means that there is a responsibility not just to the community but also to the future.
Councillor Toomey then invited public comment.
Charles Marquardt, 10 Rogers Street, stated that this is a really good deal for Boston Properties, but not such a good deal for Cambridge, more of a sellout. The plaza is already the responsibility of Boston Properties. The scholarships are great, but that amount should be contributed annually to the scholarship funds, not just as a onetime payment. The total of $650,000 represents the amount of Boston Properties' net income for one day and probably less than the bonuses for their executive. The Council should try to do better.
Councillor Toomey noted for the record that he takes offense at the use of the words "sell out."
Mark Jaquith expressed his agreement with the previous speaker. The City should be getting more for what it is giving away. He said that the Council should be sure that the roof garden is retained as a public amenity and not demolished as is shown for all three of the potential alternative housing sites. Mr. Rafferty and Mr. Cantalupa informed the committee that none of the alternative housing sites would entail demolition of the roof garden. He stated that he would like to see a provision that building permit or certificate of occupancy be issued if there are ongoing violations of the zoning ordinance.
Chris Matthews, 22 Sixth Street, stated his agreement with the previous two speakers. The increased density in Kendall Square is great. The scholarships are also good. But overall, what Boston Properties is proposing to give is too little, just a drop in the bucket. More open space is needed.
Barbara Broussard, 148 Third Street, said the repair the plaza is already Boston Properties responsibility. For $650,000, the City is selling itself short. There should be more incubator space and the scholarships should be ongoing not just one time. The huge majority of cars coming from the Cambridge Place garage are single occupancy vehicles.
Minka vanBeuzekom, Essex Street, stated that she lived in Kendall Square in the 1980's and the changes are marvelous. However, she worries that too much space is being created and it cannot all be filled. When Broad moves, who will fill that space? She said that the city should be focused on completing bike paths through MIT and on the MBTA.
Councillors Toomey and Seidel thanked all those present for their attendance and participation. The meeting was adjourned at 6:25pm.
For the Committee,
Councillor Sam Seidel, Co-Chair
Councillor Timothy J. Toomey, Jr., Co-Chair
A. Boston Properties' Commitments [The agreement was amended at the Aug 2 meeting prior to ordination. Changes highlighted below.]
1. Upon the adoption of the Ames Street Zoning, Boston Properties will contribute $250,000.00 to the City of Cambridge (the "City") to fund neighborhood planning studies.
2. (A) Boston Properties will contribute $300,000.00 [$400,000.00] to the City of Cambridge Scholarship Fund over a period of six (6 [8]) years ($50,000.00 annually) commencing upon the issuance of a building permit for a development on any of the Boston Properties Land utilizing any portion of the 2010 Additional GFA (such development being hereinafter referred to as the "2010 Additional GFA Building"). It is understood and agreed that preference will be given to Area Four and Wellington Harrington residents in terms of the recipients of scholarships funded by Boston Properties' contributions under this Section 2(A).
(B) In addition to the above, Boston Properties will contribute $100,000.00 [$150,000.00] to the East Cambridge Scholarship Fund over a period of two (2) [three (3)] years ($50,000.00 annually) commencing upon the issuance of a building permit for the 2010 Additional GFA Building.
3. Boston Properties will agree to commence construction of a residential project (the "Residential Building") utilizing all or any portion of the 200,000 square feet of gross floor area restricted to housing use under Section 14.32.1 of the City of Cambridge Zoning Ordinance (the "Zoning Ordinance") within seven (7) years after the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for the 2010 Additional GFA Building. In the event that Boston Properties shall fail to commence construction of the Residential Building within such seven (7) year period, Boston Properties shall pay to the City of Cambridge the following amounts for each successive year after the seventh (7th) year that construction has not commenced:
| Year | Amount |
| Eight (8) | $250,000.00 |
| Nine (9) | $250,000.00 |
| Ten (10) | $350,000.00 |
| Eleven (11) | $350,000.00 |
| Twelve (12) | $400,000.00 |
| Thirteen (13) | $400,000.00 |
| Fourteen (14) | $500,000.00 |
In the event that Boston Properties has not commenced construction on the Residential Building within fourteen (14) years after the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for the 2010 Additional GFA Building, no further payments shall be due from Boston Properties to the City hereunder.
4. Commencing upon the issuance of a building permit for the 2010 Additional GFA Building, Boston Properties will dedicate a minimum of 20,000 square feet of gross floor area for leases ranging from 250 to 7,500 square feet of gross floor area to start-up or otherwise early stage companies, with flexible lease terms (e.g. shorter duration, lower credit requirements) consistent with reasonable market leasing practices, provided that Boston Properties owns properties within the Kendall Square Urban Renewal Area consisting of at least 1,000,000 square feet of gross floor area for Office Uses and Biotechnology Manufacturing Uses under Section 14.21.2 of the Zoning Ordinance. It is intended that such "incubator" space will attract young and entrepreneurial businesses to the Kendall Square area in the beginning stages of their development and hopefully facilitate their success and growth within the City.
5. Boston Properties will commit to commencing an improvement program on the plaza area adjacent to Two Cambridge Center and Three Cambridge Center within one year from the adoption of the Ames Street Zoning. Boston Properties will submit plans to the Community Development Department for non-binding design review, and will work in good faith with the Community Development Department to address any comments raised during the review process.
6. The 2010 Additional GFA Building will be designed in a manner consistent with the provisions of Section 19.32 of the Zoning Ordinance to have a positive relationship with its surroundings, including active space consisting of retail and consumer service stores and building lobbies that are oriented toward the street and encourage pedestrian activity on the sidewalk.
7. Boston Properties will contribute $100,000.00 to the Cambridge Community Arts Center, $50,000.00 of which shall be paid upon the issuance of a building permit for the 2010 Additional GFA Building and $50,000.00 of which shall be paid upon the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for the 2010 Additional GFA Building.
8. Boston Properties will contribute $75,000.00 to the Margaret Fuller House ($25,000.00 of which shall be devoted to programs), $50,000.00 of which shall be paid upon the issuance of a building permit for the 2010 Additional GFA Building and $25,000.00 of which shall be paid upon the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for the 2010 Additional GFA Building.
9. Boston Properties will contribute $50,000.00 to the Cambridge Energy Alliance, $25,000.00 of which shall be paid upon the issuance of a building permit for the 2010 Additional GFA Building and $25,000.00 of which shall be paid upon the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for the 2010 Additional GFA Building.
10. Boston Properties will contribute $25,000.00 to the East End House for senior citizen programs upon the issuance of a building permit for the 2010 Additional GFA Building.
B. Conditions to Boston Properties' Commitments
For purposes of clarification, Boston Properties' commitments set forth above are offered if the following conditions (the "Conditions") are met:
1. The amendments to the Zoning Ordinance set forth in Attachment A are duly adopted in the form attached hereto as Attachment A, and no challenge to the validity of the same shall have been made (or in the event of any challenge, such challenge shall have been finally resolved in favor of such validity).
2. Boston Properties has obtained the zoning approvals and permits necessary for the 2010 Additional GFA Building and the Residential Building, including without limitation Article 19 approvals, and all appeals period for such zoning approvals and permits shall have expired without appeal having been made, or in the event that any appeal does occur, the outcome of said appeal shall not result in a change in the validity, or reduction in the development rights set forth in the permits and approvals. All time periods specified in this Letter of Commitment shall be tolled during the resolution of any appeal.
3. Until the 2010 Additional GFA Building has been completed, the City shall not have initiated or supported any rezoning or other ordinance changes that would have the effect of adversely affecting any of the uses or development authorized by Article 14 of the Zoning Ordinance (as amended by the Ames Street Zoning). Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, in the event of any change that adversely impacts the 200,000 square feet or gross floor area restricted to housing use under Section 14.32.1 of the City of Cambridge Zoning Ordinance, Boston Properties shall be relieved of its obligations under Section A.3 above.
AWAITING REPORT LIST
09-147. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #27
RE: report on what barriers would prevent residents from raising chickens and what could be done to remove these barriers. Remains on Awaiting Report List at request of Councillor Davis
Councillor Davis and Full Membership 12/14/09 (O-2)
10-50. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on options for amending the ordinance to allow for permitting of civic organizations to use public space after hours.
Councillor Cheung 03/22/10 (O-18)
10-56. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the adoption of a regulation to prohibit licensed hotels from subcontracting housekeeping services.
Councillor Decker, Councillor Cheung, Mayor Maher, Councillor Toomey, Councillor Reeves and Full Membership 04/05/10 (O-16)
10-57. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on Harvard using the Jesuit properties for affordable housing and whether Harvard will offer other properties in the same neighborhoods for the purpose of developing affordable housing.
Councillor Decker & Councillor Cheung 04/05/10 (O-20)
10-59. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on red light violations at 77 Mass Avenue and the possibility of installing a raised crosswalk.
Councillor Cheung and Full Membership 04/26/10 (O-2)
10-60. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #35
RE: report on the City's current cell phone tower zoning policy.
Councillor Cheung, Councillor Seidel and Full Membership 04/26/10 (O-5)
10-63. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on instituting a program similar to the on-bill financing of business and residential building improvements.
Councillor Cheung 04/26/10 (O-8)
10-70. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #38
RE: report on the feasibility of updating the website with automatic translation software.
Councillor Cheung, Councillor Decker, Councillor Kelley, Mayor Maher, Councillor Reeves, Councillor Seidel, Councillor Simmons & Councillor Toomey 05/03/10 (O-5)
10-72. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on removing the raccoons from the Squirrel Brand park.
Councillor Seidel, Councillor Cheung, Councillor Decker, Mayor Maher, Councillor Reeves, Councillor Simmons & Councillor Toomey 05/03/10 (O-7)
10-74. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on white protruding cylindrical objects on the roof the former Blessed Sacrament Church building project.
Councillor Decker 05/03/10 (O-9)
10-78. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #37
RE: report on proposed ordinance to allow residents to purchase permits to barbeque on public land.
Councillor Cheung, Vice Mayor Davis, Councillor Decker, Mayor Maher, Councillor Reeves, Councillor Seidel, Councillor Simmons & Councillor Toomey 05/10/10 (O-6)
10-79. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on a standard set of resources, facility privileges, tools, and barebones operating budget the unfunded commissions may use in their work of enacting Council policy.
Councillor Cheung and Full Membership 05/10/10 (O-7)
10-80. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the possibility of implementing a 2D barcode located on square signs.
Councillor Cheung, Councillor Seidel and Full Membership 05/10/10 (O-8)
10-83. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #18
RE: report on the closing of the Main Library on Sundays for the summer months.
Councillor Toomey, Vice Mayor Davis, Councillor Decker, Councillor Kelley, Mayor Maher, Councillor Reeves, Councillor Seidel & Councillor Simmons 05/24/10 (O-1)
10-85. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #13
RE: report on traffic issues on Kenway Street.
Councillor Simmons, Vice Mayor Davis, Councillor Decker, Councillor Kelley, Mayor Maher, Councillor Reeves, Councillor Seidel & Councillor Toomey 05/24/10 (O-3)
10-86. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #24
RE: report on the status of the building formerly occupied by Marino's Restaurant.
Councillor Simmons, Vice Mayor Davis, Councillor Decker, Councillor Kelley, Mayor Maher, Councillor Reeves, Councillor Seidel & Councillor Toomey 05/24/10 (O-4)
10-88. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #19
RE: report on why the new policy of barring dogs from Norton's Woods has been instituted.
Councillor Decker, Vice Mayor Davis, Councillor Kelley, Mayor Maher, Councillor Reeves, Councillor Seidel, Councillor Simmons & Councillor Toomey 05/24/10 (O-9)
10-89. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on a delineation of the boundaries of Joan Lorentz Park.
Councillor Seidel, Vice Mayor Davis, Councillor Decker, Councillor Kelley, Mayor Maher, Councillor Reeves, Councillor Simmons & Councillor Toomey 05/24/10 (O-11)
10-91. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #22
RE: report on truck restrictions and enforcement on Second Street.
Councillor Toomey and Full Membership 06/07/10 (O-3)
10-92. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on improvements to City parking lot #8.
Vice Mayor Davis and Full Membership 06/07/10 (O-4)
10-94. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on projects being undertaken by City departments along Massachusetts Avenue between Harvard and Porter Squares.
Councillor Seidel and Full Membership 06/07/10 (O-9)
10-95. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #14
RE: report on making Paine Park for children and dogs.
Councillor Seidel and Full Membership 06/07/10 (O-11)
10-96. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #20
RE: report on the status of tents in Flagstaff Park.
Councillor Seidel and Full Membership 06/07/10 (O-12)
10-97. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #26
RE: report on extending the Hybrid Cab program.
Councillor Cheung and Full Membership 06/07/10 (O-13)
10-98. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #25
RE: report on the wires on Windsor and Seckel Streets were installed correctly.
Councillor Toomey and Full Membership 06/07/10 (O-14)
10-99. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #24
RE: report on securing parking in the neighborhood of the former Marino's Restaurant.
Councillor Decker and Full Membership 06/14/10 (O-4)
10-100. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the safety of pedestrian traffic along both Irving and Scott Streets.
Councillor Decker and Full Membership 06/14/10 (O-5)
10-101. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on approximate number of buildings that could be affected by the zoning petition 5.28.2.
Councillor Seidel 06/14/10 (O-6)
10-102. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #23
RE: report on organizing a forum on forecasting future housing needs for older Cantabrigians.
Vice Mayor Davis, Mayor Maher, Councillor Simmons and Full Membership 06/21/10 (O-3)
10-103. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #21
RE: report on delivery trucks knocking down wires on Lexington Avenue.
Mayor Maher and Full Membership 06/21/10 (O-4)
10-104. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #15
RE: report on working with Area IV residents and staff of the Community Art Center on a sign project at Clement Morgan Park & Paolillo Tot Lot.
Councillor Seidel and Full Membership 06/21/10 (O-6)
10-105. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #16
RE: report on participating in events related to the 2011 APA conference.
Councillor Seidel and Full Membership 06/21/10 (O-7)
10-106. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #17
RE: report on rectifying frequent traffic jams at the intersection of Putnam & Western Avenues.
Councillor Cheung and Full Membership 06/21/10 (O-8)
10-107. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on evaluating the need for additional bike racks, on installing long term bike sheds or lockers and on instituting a program that would allow on-street temporary bike parking spaces.
Councillor Cheung, Vice Mayor Davis, Councillor Decker, Councillor Kelley, Mayor Maher, Councillor Reeves, Councillor Seidel & Councillor Simmons 06/21/10 (O-11)
10-108. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #22
RE: report on changing the truck restrictions on Second Street.
Councillor Toomey 06/21/10 (O-12)
10-109. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on repairing broken water spigots at parks across the City and on repairing the water feature at Wheeler Park in Danehy.
Councillor Decker 06/21/10 (O-14)