Cambridge Civic Journal

Issue 17
March 23, 1999

EQUINOX ISSUE

CCJ web site: http://www.rwinters.com

The Cambridge Civic Journal is produced by Central Sq. Publications, 366 Broadway, Cambridge MA 02139. All items written by Robert Winters unless otherwise noted. (e-mail: rwinters@math.harvard.edu)

Contents:

1) Explaining PR
2) Feb 8 City Council meeting
3) Feb 22 City Council meeting
4) Mar 1 City Council meeting
5) Mar 15 City Council meeting
6) Mar 22 City Council meeting
7) The Current Crop of Candidates
8) Civic Tidbits
9) Calendar

1) Explaining PR

The Cambridge Election Commission is gearing up for this fall's municipal election and the topic of voter education has arisen. As you may know, Cambridge is the only city in the United States that employs the single transferable vote, proportional representation election mechanism to elect its City Council and School Committee. New York City uses it for its community school boards, but the New York State legislature has acted to change the election system. The US Dept. of Justice has intervened with the purpose of ensuring minority representation on the local school boards.

Proportional representation is not just about ensuring representation of ethnic minorities. In fact, it was originally created to ensure representation of political minorities. Indeed, since every Cambridge voter is free to rank candidates according to whatever criteria he or she pleases, our STV-PR election system has the potential to elect representatives that reflect a very diverse range of individual criteria and preferences.

A challenge for the Election Commission is to craft educational materials that explain not only how to properly cast a preferential ballot in Cambridge but how all the ballots are tallied to determine the winners and losers. True political junkies in Cambridge have given these explanations in one form or another many times. What would be very helpful is if, from out of all of our collective wisdom, some clear, correct, and concise explanations could be given that might assist the Election Commission in developing materials for the voters of Cambridge.

There are many new voters in Cambridge who have never heard of PR and who might either misunderstand our voting system or who might choose to avoid the municipal elections altogether. For their sake, I want to make a challenge to all readers of the Cambridge Civic Journal.

Reach deep into your heart, soul, and mind and see if you can come up with the ultimate voter education instrument. I have materials that explain the system in terms of choosing basketball teams, in terms of filling buckets, you name it. I'm looking for The Holy Grail of PR education, the most beautifully clear and convincing explanation of our election system. I will collect all submissions and present them to the Election Commission. Just think, you could go down in history as an author of the ultimate PR guide. I'll even buy you dinner. How can you pass that up?

Send your best efforts to me at rwinters@math.harvard.edu. You can also mail them directly to the Election Commission at 362 Green St. Cambridge MA 02139.

2) Feb 8 City Council meeting

Most of this meeting was taken up by a very contentious hearing in which representatives of Grove Properties, the company that recently purchased the expiring-use building 929 House (929 Mass. Ave.), answered questions from the City Council. In attendance and speaking at the hearing were US Rep. Michael Capuano and State Representatives Alice Wolf and Jarrett Barrios. Each of the councillors tried their best to welcome Rep. Capuano in the grandest possible manner.

The central issue was the fact that Grove Properties had backed out of an agreement with the City of Cambridge that would have preserved 55 of 127 units of the building as permanently affordable housing. Zoning restrictions guarantee 24 units as permanently affordable. Grove's proposal was to add 6 additional permanently affordable units and to guarantee affordable rents for income-eligible tenants in 15 other units. Those 15 units would eventually become market rate apartments.

The purchase of this building was part of a massive transaction in which Grove Properties acquired 22 buildings. The role of tax write-offs in some of these properties appears to be a significant factor.

Councillor Triantafillou suggested that the City investigate possible improprieties in the transaction. One of the two Grove representatives suggested that the transaction was "not as sinister as you make it out to be." In response to Grove's explanation that the previous owner may not have kept the City properly informed, Triantafillou said, "They're the ones we want to string up!" Nothing like a little frontier justice.

After some rather pro-forma questioning by Councillor Galluccio in which he tried to position himself as a champion of affordable housing, Councillor Reeves made a not particularly veiled reference to previous votes by Councillor Galluccio in opposition to extending regulation in expiring-use buildings. Reeves appealed to the Grove representatives' business instincts when he said, "I'm waiting for the capitalism part to come in. We could show you properties where you can make more money on something else. We could make money with you!"

Mayor Duehay was unusually firm in his remarks. Speaking of the reduction from 55 to 30 permanently affordable units, he said, "Fifty-five. That's what we want to keep. That's what we're going to keep." He then suggested that the City consider taking the property by eminent domain.

In Duehay's comments and subsequent comments by Councillor Davis, it became clear to me that this matter was not so much about protecting existing tenants as much as protecting affordable units. This was reminiscent of the philosophy of the rent control era where the preservation of rent-controlled units was treated as more important than the delivery of housing to income-eligible tenants.

The most interesting moment for me was when Councillor Sullivan introduced a late order expressing the City Council's support for HR447, the enabling legislation that would allow cities with expiring-use buildings to extend the regulation of rents in those buildings. Only Councillor Galluccio voted against this (he actually voted "present"), arguing that there were "constitutional issues" to consider. Councillors Reeves and Toomey challenged Galluccio on this point and highlighted the fact that Galluccio has received considerable financial support from the real estate industry. Galluccio did not to elaborate on which constitutional issues were of concern to him.

Councillor Triantafillou closed out the hearing with a late order calling on the City Manager to explore taking the property by eminent domain and to report back within two weeks. The order passed unanimously.

Tabling and re-filing of zoning petitions

After substituting the Planning Board recommendations in the proposed Backyard Development and Green Space Zoning amendments, the Council tabled the matter for the purpose of allowing it to expire and to be re-filed. Councillor Sullivan exercised his charter right on a late order to re-file the matter upon expiration.

In similar fashion, the Council voted to leave the Frankelton II petition on the table. This time it was Mayor Duehay who exercised his charter right to delay a late order to re-file that petition upon expiration. This proposal deals with the zoning for the Linear Park area in North Cambridge and is burdened by controversies surrounding the proposed Cornerstone Cohousing project and concerns of a number of commercial property owners in the affected area.

Odds and Ends

There was an interesting discussion about a proposal from Councillor Galluccio that would require a certain percentage of revenue from new construction to be used for the purchase of open or recreational space in the neighborhood in which the construction takes place. It was Councillor Born who wisely pointed out that this would require revenue generated by a development project in Harvard Square to be used in Harvard Square. This would completely violate the stated goal of increasing open and recreational space east of Harvard Square.

Councillor Galluccio allowed the friendly amendment to allow such funds to be allocated on a citywide basis. Councillors Triantafillou and Sullivan expressed some reservations about the possible diversion of funds from affordable housing. The order passed but the complete lack of enthusiasm about the idea suggests that little will come of it. A more appropriate policy will likely grow out of the newly formed Green Ribbon Open Space Committee.

Councillor Born and Treasurer Jim Maloney had an interesting exchange on the future use of the Kendall Square Fire Station building as a Bed & Breakfast or lodging house. $1,350,000 of the funds derived from the sale will go toward the Open Space Acquisition Fund. The total allocation to this fund in FY2000 will be $2 million, the same allocation made in FY1999.

Councillors Reeves, Sullivan, Triantafillou, and Born took issue with the Planning Board recommendations on the Jelley petition to rezone the area bounded by Putnam, Western, Blackstone, and River Street. There were references to spot zoning (Triantafillou), different standards for different areas of the city (Reeves, Sullivan), building type (Born), and composition of the Planning Board (Triantafillou, Sullivan).

The meeting closed with the Council singing Happy Birthday to Ken Reeves in what has become an annual ritual of very bad singing.

3) Feb 22 City Council meeting

Opening this meeting was a resolution to name the corner of Pleasant St., and Mass. Ave. as "Little Joe Cook Square." Little Joe graced the Council with falsetto renditions of "Peanut" and "Lady from the Beauty Shop" sung to music from a portable boom box. The Grammy is in the mail.

Significant matters at this meeting were the enactment of the Newsbox Ordinance to regulate the rapidly growing number of newsboxes sprouting up around the city, and the unanimous passage of the original Jelley petition without the recommendations from the Planning Board. Comments by Police Commissioner Ronnie Watson about some labor relations issues were the most interesting to this observer.

Public Comment

Many Riverside residents spoke in favor of the Jelley petition to change the zoning in the affected area from Office 3 to Resident C-1. The Council voted unanimously for the petition during the public comment part of the meeting, though Councillor Galluccio bungled the proceedings by gaveling it through on a voice vote. Mayor Duehay and City Clerk Margaret Drury corrected things to have a roll call vote on the matter. A roll call vote is necessary because a zoning amendment requires 6 and often 7 votes in order to be approved.

David Hoicka spoke at length about censorship, freedom of speech, and corporate takeover of the Internet. Apparently Mr. Hoicka had some of his access privileges curtailed by MediaOne after engaging in some serious "spamming." Everyone else is to blame, of course.

Dean Wallace, owner-editor of the cartoon paper Editorial News, spoke against the fees proposed in the Newsbox Ordinance as being prohibitively high. He owns a significant number of newsboxes in Cambridge. (The annual fee is to be $200 plus $10 per box.)

A Discussion about Public Buildings

The City Manager's not-too-enthusiastic response to Councillor Born's suggestion to restore the former Board of Alderman chamber in City Hall for use as a public meeting space led to some interesting discussion. Councillor Born, unimpressed by DPW Commissioner Ralph Dunphy's analysis, suggested that the matter should more appropriately be taken up with the Mass. Historical Commission and the Cambridge Historical Commission. She noted that the original ink-on-linen plans for City Hall were recently donated to the City by the Rindge family. Frederick Hastings Rindge last century donated City Hall, the Cambridge Public Library, and the Cambridge Manual Training School to the people of Cambridge.

City Manager Bob Healy described the current state of affairs of City Hall renovations. A proposed bond order early in the decade was dropped when our free cash position dropped and we were within $600,000 of our levy capacity. The principal issues now are egress, building codes, window replacement and repair, exterior stairs and walkways, electrical and heating systems, renovations to common areas, and landscaping. Councillor Born warned against actions that might preclude restoration of the Alderman Chamber, a space now occupied in two levels by office space, including the Personnel Dept.

Councillor Reeves became quite exercised in expressing his dismay about the design of City buildings and their locations. He described the current configuration of various buildings as "a study in how you would never do it." [Councillor Reeves has now spoken about this issue dozens of times, but this observer has yet to see any coherent proposals or even creative ideas drafted by the good councillor. It would seem that the "study in how you would do it" continues to elude Councillor Reeves.]

A Visit from the Police Commissioner

Police Commissioner Ronnie Watson spoke before the Council on two significant matters. The first topic concerned continued drug activity, especially in Area 4. Councillor Triantafillou took issue with a report from the Commissioner, characterizing Watson's response as saying "there's nothing we can do about it." The Commissioner disputed this interpretation.

In describing the Police Department's position on the matter, Watson explained that his community policing strategy relies heavily on communication with residents in the area. He spoke of arrests not only of sellers but of buyers as a means of getting to the sellers. He also spoke of the problems of prolific narcotic peddlers in Central Square.

Councillor Triantafillou pressed Watson to give more details. To this, Commissioner Watson said, "May I suggest that it may not be best to write out our plans. It may be better to discuss our plans (privately) in a room due to the sensitive nature of the investigation." He expressed some concern for the safety of his narcotics officers. He also emphasized that the problem was not confined to just the four blocks that were the subject of a previous Council order. "When you put pressure on one area, they move. They don't just go away."

In response to a $60,000 appropriation request related to the City's labor and discipline cases, Triantafillou questioned why there has been an increase in claims. City Mgr. Healy described a change in strategy by police organizations in which more grievances are filed and where grievances are now pursued much further. He told of how some police have filed grievances in response to being asked to attend community meetings.

Commissioner Watson told tales of arbitration, contract settlements, and more arbitration dating back to the days of his predecessor, Perry Anderson. He said, "Change is not easy for some people. Very minor things are now taken to arbitration. Sometimes I have to ask for volunteers to go to community policing meetings. I'm not proud of this."

Bob Healy explained that the appropriation was needed to be able to fund legal costs for the remainder of the current fiscal year. He remarked that some of the pending cases go as far back as 1991. Councillor Triantafillou asked what would happen if the funding was not approved, suggesting that this might force a resolution.

To this the Manager responded, "You're assuming we don't settle. We do settle cases when the opportunity arises as long as it doesn't violate fundamental principles." In response to Triantafillou's continued suggestion that the increase in grievances was evidence of an underlying problem with management, Healy again disagreed and argued that some officers are resisting the implementation of City Council policies such as community policing. One of the stickiest issues is the authority of the Police Commissioner to assign officers to particular shifts.

Councillor Galluccio disputed the accounts of the Manager and Commissioner and argued that they were only hearing one side of the story. Mayor Duehay drew attention to the deplorable state of the police station as a contributing cause. Councillor Reeves emphasized that the primary role of the police is to protect and serve the citizens and commented that we certainly pay our police officers well enough.

The rest of the meeting

Council Davis moved to re-file the Backyard Zoning petition with a lower applicability threshold of 2750 sq. ft. At issue is what property owners can do on the "green" or undeveloped portions of their lots. Councillor Born argued that this measure was already a "tough row to hoe." The Council also voted to re-file the Frankelton II petition with Councillor Sullivan voting NO and Mayor Duehay voting PRESENT.

The Newsbox Ordinance was approved unanimously with an amendment to allow the Public Works Commissioner to grant fee reductions in the case of significant hardship. The Council offered no guidance in determining criteria for what might constitute "hardship".

There was some drama late in the meeting when Councillor Toomey pulled 31 communications from the agenda that apparently resulted from a campaign by David Clem and Lyme Properties to organize opposition to proposed amendments to the IPOP, i.e. the Interim Planning Overlay Petition. [Actually, since this petition is now an ordinance, we should really call it the Interim Planning Overlay Ordinance, or IPOO.]

Toomey read a letter sent by Clem to commercial property owners that spelled out the campaign and even quoted Ben Franklin saying, "If we fail to hang together, we will surely hang separately." Toomey used the opportunity to argue that the City Manager should approve funds to help the East Cambridge Planning Team contend with the very significant resources of Lyme Properties.

4) Mar 1 City Council meeting

This meeting opened in fine style with awards given to students of the Graham & Parks School for their recent book entitles "The Street Trees of Cambridge." This was followed by Roger O'Sullivan, President of the Cambridge Teachers Association, speaking in support of the "Read Across America" program. Mr. O'Sullivan wore a rather convincing Cat in the Hat costume during his remarks.

Presentations were also given in recognition of Suzanne Green, Fresh Pond Ranger Jean Rogers, and 19th century abolitionist Harriet Jacobs.

Councillor Triantafillou introduced a late order calling on the City Manager to investigate the possibility of acquiring the property at 8 Bigelow Street by eminent domain. [The number of requests for the City Manager to take properties by eminent domain has skyrocketed of late. In my opinion, this is an easy vote for a councillor to take but a very risky thing for the City to actually do.]

The Council voted to send to the Traffic and Transportation Committee a curb cut application for the controversial parking garage at Putnam and Pleasant on the so-called Polaroid site. What makes this complicated is that the proponent already has approvals for a less safe curb cut. The current application, though undesirable to many, is for new curb cuts that would be safer in accordance with recommendations from city staff.

Councillor Davis pressed CDD staff for an explanation of why the new housing units proposed for the University Park area would not be subject to the Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance passed a year ago. Beth Rubenstein and Roger Herzog explained that the exemption was written explicitly into the ordinance in recognition of the fact that the zoning approved with the Master Plan for University Park provided for 37.5% affordable housing, significantly higher than the 15% called for under inclusionary zoning. Even with the new housing proposed there will be 23% affordable housing.

The City Manager reported that he would be able to provide funds for an independent traffic engineer for the East Cambridge Planning Team in dealing with development proposals in that part of the city. Funds would not be made available for mediation/facilitation because the City could not advocate for one side over another in this matter. Mr. Healy emphasized the neutrality of the Community Development Department in these matters. The majority of councillors nonetheless urged the Manager to provide whatever additional assistance was possible to residents of East Cambridge in dealing with these proposals.

5) Mar 15 City Council meeting

This evening marked the Council's unanimous vote to approve the landmark designation for the Swedenborg Chapel at the corner of Quincy and Kirkland Streets. An impressive array of speakers came to speak in support of this designation. Harvard University even took a position in support of this landmarking.

In response to concerns expressed by some residents about the possibility that the Chapel could be turned into little more than an entryway to a larger structure, Charles Sullivan, Executive Director of the Cambridge Historical Commission, explained that since all four sides of the chapel are visible from the street, this landmarking would effectively stop anything like that from happening without approval from the Historical Commission.

There was something of a tempest in a teapot concerning yet another zoning petition written by the inevitable Robert LaTremouille (known by many simply as La Turmoil). Apparently his latest effort (the Cook petition) is less restrictive than his earlier Zoeller-Wellons petition. He was concerned that the withdrawal of the earlier petition would prevent its reintroduction at a later date. [Forgive me if I miss a detail or two here. Mr. LaTremouille's reasoning, if you can call it that, often eludes me.]

Councillor Russell introduced an order calling on the City Manager to acquire land at the Armory site on Concord Ave. for a youth center in accordance with the wishes of the West Cambridge Youth Center Steering Committee. Some had argued for a Glacken Field location, an unlikely scenario in light of all the discussions currently underway about land use on the Fresh Pond Reservation.

There was considerable discussion on the proposed Neville Manor Home Rule Petition that would enable the Cambridge Public Health Commission to proceed with plans to renovate Neville Manor as a skilled nursing facility and to build a new assisted living facility. The slightly amended petition was approved 8-0 with Councillor Toomey voting present. Toomey seemed to try everything he could think of to find a fatal flaw in the petition while the Manager and officials from the Health Commission and the Cambridge Housing Authority defended the proposal.

There was some discussion late in the meeting about the siting of the new or expanded main library. There was a noncommittal report from the School Department on the matter. Mayor Duehay and Councillor Davis reported on a meeting they had during the National League of Cities Conference in Washington, DC with officials of the US Postal Service about the disposition of the Central Square Post Office and of its possible use as a site for a new main library. Councillors Reeves and Sullivan expressed some concern about the possibility of further delays in a decision on the library siting.

6) Mar 22 City Council meeting

This was the kind of meeting we all like - short and sweet and with relatively little performance art during the public comment period. My own personal highlight was the presence of a contingent from the Harvard Living Wage Campaign who came to speak in support of Cambridge's proposed ordinance. The spokesperson, Eli Richlin, had been a student in one of the classes I teach at Harvard.

John Pitkin spoke forcefully of his disapproval of the Planning Board decision at their March 16 meeting to approve with conditions the Planned Unit Development (PUD) permit for the proposed Cambridge Research Park in Kendall Square by a 5 to 1 vote. He likened the original proposal to a 1000 pound wrecking ball aimed at the neighborhood and characterized the approved plan as an 800 pound wrecking ball. He urged the Council to approve the amendments to the IPOO now before the Council as well as the Toomey-Born proposal to rezone an area that contains this site.

On the agenda for this meeting was the vote to approve the water and sewer rates for the coming year. The recommendation calls for a 3% increase in water rates and a 2% increase in sewer rates for an overall typical increase of 2.4% on the combined bill.

A status report from the Domestic Violence Free Zone Core Group was on the Manager's Agenda but was not discussed.

The City Manager reported that the parcel of land at 74-76 Putnam Ave. that some had lobbied the City to purchase for a park has been sold and will be developed for residential use. This parcel has been referred by some as "Putnam Park." The City submitted a bid on the property, but constraints imposed by state bidding laws and a very high bid from a competitor led to the sale to a party other than the City.

The highest the City could legally bid on the property was $315,000 and the property sold for an amount in excess of $800,000. Zoning on the site allows for up to six residential units, so the fact that these units will be very expensive is an absolute certainty. Several councillors expressed concern for what this sale may portend in terms of acquisition of other open space and recreational space in the city. The Manager suggested that a device analogous to the Affordable Housing Trust may grow out of the deliberations of the Green Ribbon Open Space Committee. Such an entity would have far less constraints in future transactions.

A report of a location survey for the Main Library elicited plenty of comments from councillors. Though most respondents (61%) seemed to prefer the current location to a Central Square location (27%), some neighborhoods responded at a significantly higher rate than others. This raises the issue of current library users vs. potential library users. Like every other aspect of this issue, there are no easy answers. The Manager seemed to give his greatest indication to date that the current site may ultimately be the recommended site once the Central Square Post Office options are fully explored.

The proposed Cambridge Living Wage Ordinance did not come to a vote at this meeting. There are still a number of unresolved questions about possible consequences of this proposed ordinance. In Somerville, a similar proposal has been delayed due to possible conflicts with state contract bidding laws. The Cambridge proposal calls for a $10 per hour minimum wage compared to $8.23 per hour in the Somerville proposal. It is possible that this matter may come to a vote at the March 29 City Council meeting.

At the very end of the meeting, former School Committee member Fred Fantini was permitted to speak on the matter of the Planning Board approval of the PUD permit for Cambridge Research Park. His passion and severe disappointment were clearly evident. He noted that the approved plan of 1.3 million sq. ft. was one-third more than the Prudential Building. He added that the 2000 approved parking spaces exceeded the number in the Alewife garage. He told of how some residents broke down because they were so emotionally distraught. He declared that East Cambridge had been sold out for the $4 million in linkage fees while East Cambridge got nothing, and concluded by expressing his belief that every member on the Planning Board should be replaced. It was a very strong statement indeed.

Scorecard: Feb 8 through Mar 22 City Council Orders

P (policy-related), I (requests for info), R (rules and procedural items), M (maintenance - potholes, traffic, etc.), D (deaths), C (congratulatory orders), A (announcements), and F (foreign and national policy). Here’s the approximate tally of orders introduced:

7) The Current Crop of Candidates

Time's a-wasting for all you brave souls who have given thought to running for a seat on the Cambridge City Council or the Cambridge School Committee. To date, here's the list of potential candidates:

Cambridge City Council candidates:

Kathleen Born (CCA incumbent)

Jim Braude (mulling it over, big fish in the little pond)

Henrietta Davis (CCA incumbent)

Marjory Decker (declared, committee formed)

Frank Duehay (CCA incumbent) [Mayor Duehay announced on March 26 that he will not seek reelection this year. He has continuously held elective office in Cambridge since his first election to the School Committee in 1963.]

Anthony Galluccio (Independent incumbent)

Robert Goodwin (declared)

Don Harding (declared, ran in 97)

Bill Jones (not declared, but you know he's running)

Craig Kelley (probably running, e-mail says votecraig, ran in 95)

Alan Nidle (Zeitgeist Gallery, says he's in, lives in Somerville)

Ken Reeves (independent incumbent)

Sheila Russell (Independent incumbent)

Denise Simmons (reconsidering since Robin Harris has declared she will not seek reelection to School Committee this year)

Michael Sullivan (Independent incumbent)

Tim Toomey (Independent incumbent)

Katherine Triantafillou (independent incumbent)

David Trumbull ("exploring" a run, he ran in 97)

Robert Winters (hat's in the ring, ran in 97)

Cambridge School Committee possibilities:

Fred Fantini (Independent, former School Committee member)

Joe Grassi (Independent incumbent)

David Maher (Independent incumbent, he has hinted at a possible Council run)

Susana Segat (CCA incumbent)

Denise Simmons (CCA incumbent, Council run still a possibility)

Alice Turkel (CCA incumbent)

Nancy Walser (declared, author of Guide to Cambridge Schools)

8) Civic Tidbits

We were all very pleased to hear of the birth of Owen Green Ryerson, the newest member of the family of School Committee member Alice Turkel and her husband, Mitch Ryerson.

I was quite sad to hear of the passing of Margaret Power-Biggs at the age of 81. Peggy and I were partners in the glass area of the volunteer recycling program from 1989 to 1991. Working with Mary Vise and Peggy Biggs was one of the high points of every month in those days.

Finally, here's to my dearest friend Lisa Pakulski for drawing my attention away from civic affairs for a while. If you were wondering why it took a bit longer than usual for this issue of the CCJ to come out, rest assured that its author had the very best reasons for the delay.

Wed, Mar 24

12:00 noon   The Government Operations Committee will conduct a public meeting to discuss technological/audio visual improvements to the Sullivan Chamber, the final revision of the Council priorities, a process for considering the Manager's goals and any other business of the committee. (Ackermann Room)

5:00pm   The Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing to consider a proposed amendment to the Municipal Code to ban the sale of laser pens to minors. (Sullivan Chamber)

5:30pm   The Ordinance Committee will consider a petition to amend the Zoning Ordinance filed by Karen Falk, et al. to regulate through trucks in Cambridge. (Sullivan Chamber)

5:30pm   Harvard Square Historic District Study Committee meeting. (BankBoston, 1414 Mass. Ave., 5th floor)

6:00pm   School Committee meeting. A public hearing on the FY2000 School Department budget is scheduled. (Media Cafeteria, CRLS)

5:30pm   The Traffic and Transportation Committee will conduct a public meeting to receive an update on University Park. (Sullivan Chamber)

6:00pm   Cambridge Pedestrian Committee meeting. Contact Rosalie Anders at 349-4604 for more information. (City Hall Annex)

7:00pm   North Cambridge Neighborhood Sergeant Meeting, hosted by Sergeant Lester Sullivan. Opportunity for residents to discuss their crime and safety concerns with the officers who patrol their neighborhoods and to get information on neighborhood crime statistics. Handouts on various crime and safety topics and information on programs offered by the Cambridge Police Department will be available. For more information, call Neighborhood Coordinator Vicky Boulrice at 349-3236. (Fitzgerald School Auditorium, 70 Rindge Avenue)

10:30am to noon   Representative Alice Wolf district office hours. (North Cambridge Senior Center, 2050 Massachusetts Ave.) website: http://www.alicewolf.org, email: alice@alicewolf.org, state house tel: 722-2070, district tel: 868-9653

9:00am-2:00pm   Kick-Off Celebration for the Area Four Recycling Participation Project. Featuring the 50 ft. long "Trashasaurous." For info, call coordinator Cherie Duval at 876-0871 (Maynard School)

12:00pm-2:00pm Congressman Michael Capuano will host a meeting about the Logan Airport runway issue. This meeting is for the variety of groups and individuals opposing the MASSPORT plan for a new runway at Logan. (Bunker Hill Community College) For more information, contact Jay Kiely at (617) 621-6208.

5:30pm   City Council meeting (Sullivan Chamber)

5:30pm   The Housing and Community Development Committee will hold a public meeting to discuss MIT's Housing Impact Statement. (Sullivan Chamber)

7:30pm   Planning Board meeting. (City Hall Annex)

12:00 noon   The Traffic and Transportation Committee will conduct a public meeting to discuss options for shuttle buses in Cambridge. (Sullivan Chamber)

7:30pm   Wellington/Harrington Neighborhood Sergeant Meeting, hosted by Sergeant Paul Sugrue. Opportunity for residents to discuss their crime and safety concerns with the officers who patrol their neighborhoods and to get information on neighborhood crime statistics. Handouts on various crime and safety topics and information on programs offered by the Cambridge Police Department will be available. For more information, call Neighborhood Coordinator Vicky Boulrice at 349-3236. (St. Anthony's Parish Hall, 400 Cardinal Medeiros Avenue)

8:00-9:15am   Environmentally Desirable Practices/Recycling Advisory Committee meeting. (Ackermann Room, City Hall)

6:30-8:30pm   Green Ribbon Open Space Committee meeting. (City Hall Annex, CDD Conference Room)

7:00pm   Area IV Neighborhood Sergeant Meeting, hosted by Sergeant John Lang. Opportunity for residents to discuss their crime and safety concerns with the officers who patrol their neighborhoods and to get information on neighborhood crime statistics. Handouts on various crime and safety topics and information on programs offered by the Cambridge Police Department will be available. For more information, call Neighborhood Coordinator Vicky Boulrice at 349-3236. (Maynard School, 225 Windsor Street)

5:30pm   Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Conservation District Commission meeting. (City Hall Annex, 3rd floor conference room)

3:00pm   Meeting of the City Council's Deliberation and Policy Task Force. (Ackermann Room)

7:30pm   Planning Board meeting. Public hearing on IPOP Special Permit for Tech Square; continuation of public hearing on IPOP special permit for Polaroid site (8:30pm). (City Hall Annex)

1:00-3:00pm   Community Forum on Expiring Use Housing with Congressman Michael Capuano. (Roxbury Community College) For more information, contact Jay Kiely at 621-6208.

5:30pm   The Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing to consider proposed amendments to the Zoning Ordinance submitted by the Planning Board regarding yards and space. (Sullivan Chamber)

5:30pm   Meeting of the Cambridge Commission for Persons with Disabilities. (51 Inman St., 2nd floor conference room - fully accessible) Sign language interpreters and other aids and services provided with adequate notice. For more information: 349-6297 (voice), 492-0235 (TTY), 349-4766 (fax)

9:00am - noon   GMAC "Big Picture" public meeting. This is the 3rd of three public workshops by the Community Development Department addressing growth management issues. (Senior Center)

5:30pm   Cambridge Bicycle Committee meeting. Contact Cara Seiderman at 349-4629 for more information. (City Hall Annex)

6:30-8:30pm   Green Ribbon Open Space Committee meeting. (City Hall Annex, CDD Conference Room)

Porter Square Neighbors Association meeting. (Time and location TBA)

9:00am   Tree Walk of Agassiz & Harvard with Larry Acosta, Cambridge City Arborist. Tree care demonstration at 9am, walk from 10am to noon. Meet in front of Peabody Museum on Oxford St.

7:30pm   Planning Board meeting. (City Hall Annex)

6:00pm   Cambridge Pedestrian Committee meeting. Contact Rosalie Anders at 349-4604 for more information. (City Hall Annex)

9:00am - 1:00pm   Household Hazardous Waste Collection will be held at the Mass Army National Guard Armory at 459 Concord Ave. next to the Sozio Rotary.

3:00pm   Meeting of the City Council's Deliberation and Policy Task Force. (Ackermann Room)

5:30pm   The Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing to consider proposed amendments to the Zoning Ordinance submitted by the Planning Board regarding yards and space. (Sullivan Chamber)

9:00am   Tree Walk of Inman Square, Wellington-Harrington, and Area 4 with Larry Acosta, Cambridge City Arborist. Tree care demonstration at 9am, walk from 10am to noon. Meeting location to be determined.

10 am-noon   Mid-Cambr. Nbhd. Assoc. ANNUAL PLANT SWAP. Fayette Park (across from Longfellow School). All Cambridge gardeners welcome. Rain date (in case of downpour) May 8. Info: Helen Snively, snivelhe@gse.harvard.edu.

6:30-8:30pm   Green Ribbon Open Space Committee (City Hall Annex, CDD Conference Room)

9:00am   Tree Walk of North Cambridge with Larry Acosta, Cambridge City Arborist. Tree care demonstration at 9am, walk from 10am to noon. Meet at corner of Massachusetts Ave. and Clarendon Street.

5:30pm   Cambridge Bicycle Committee meeting. Contact Cara Seiderman at 349-4629 for more information. (City Hall Annex)

5:30pm   Meeting of the Cambridge Commission for Persons with Disabilities. (51 Inman St., 2nd floor conference room - fully accessible) Sign language interpreters and other aids and services provided with adequate notice. For more information: 349-6297 (voice), 492-0235 (TTY), 349-4766 (fax)

9:00am   Tree Walk of East Cambridge and Kendall Square with Larry Acosta, Cambridge City Arborist. Tree care demonstration at 9am, walk from 10am to noon. Meeting location TBA

7:00pm   Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Association Annual Meeting.  (location TBA)

6:30-8:30pm   Green Ribbon Open Space Committee (City Hall Annex, CDD Conference Room)

9:00am    Tree Walk of Fresh Pond and Cambridge Highlands with Larry Acosta, Cambridge City Arborist. Tree care demonstration at 9am, walk from 10am to noon. Meeting location to be determined.

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