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tetris
Moderator
2040 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2011 : 08:45:15 AM
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Everett Square to get makeover
Residents, firms asked for ideas
By John Laidler
Globe Correspondent / August 21, 2011
Everett is reaching out for community input as it explores ways to bring new life to one of its key retail areas.
Working with a Boston-based nonprofit, the city is evaluating possible changes to zoning and sign rules, considering investments in streetscape and storefront façade improvements and other initiatives that could spur growth and activity in Everett Square, the area along Broadway from Second Street to Hancock Street.
To guide the effort, the city and the Community Design Resource Center of Boston are inviting Everett Square businesses, as well as residents from surrounding neighborhoods, to a community meeting next month, at a date still to be determined.
Marzie Galazka, the city’s director of community development, said that while Everett Square has some active businesses, the city believes that the area has untapped potential.
“There is always an opportunity to improve,’’ she said. “That’s what we are trying to do. Our thinking is, let’s start with the existing signage. Let’s look at some of the façades, the zoning, how else can we grow our retail base in the square.’’
She said some of the other changes to be looked at include modifications to traffic rules and enhancing open space.
The square also encompasses the old high school building. The city is considering four proposals from groups interested in purchasing or leasing the building for residential use.
“We have some great retail, banking, and professional services right in the heart of Everett Square,’’ Mayor Carlo DeMaria Jr. said in a prepared statement. “I believe Everett Square can have more shops, restaurants, and greater use of office space. This study and planning exercise will help us with both the visioning process and working with businesses on the future of the square.’’
Complementing the informal study is a plan for the city to build a memorial plaza in the square honoring the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. A fountain would be the centerpiece of the plaza, which would also include landscaping and benches.
Katharyn Hurd, a student at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design who is doing planning work for the city this summer through a fellowship, has developed a design for the plaza, which was proposed by DeMaria and his wife, Stacy, who chairs the city’s Beautification Committee.
The mayor has begun seeking donations from local businesses to cover the cost of building the plaza.
The Community Design Resource Center of Boston provides public agencies, nonprofits, and local groups with preliminary planning and design assistance for projects to improve their communities. Through the center, planners, architects, and other design professionals volunteer their time, for which recipients are charged a small stipend.
Erik Miller, an architect, and Caitlin Bowler, a planner, both from a Boston firm, ICON Architecture Inc., are volunteering on behalf of the center for the Everett study, which will produce a written report.
Bowler said that she and Miller have had initial meetings with city officials, but they are looking toward next month’s community meeting to help them develop a focus for their work.
“The meeting is really to get a sense of what’s the best use of our time and resources . . . [and] what direction the business owners, the stakeholders, see this process going,’’ she said.
Everett Square, Bowler said, “has all the elements to be an even more dynamic place that could draw more people to it on a regular basis. There is already a whole variety of different shops and retail. . . . There are transit buses that run through there, and there are people out and about.’’
She said that one notable opportunity for new economic activity would be redevelopment of a vacant building at the corner of Broadway and Norwood that formerly housed a restaurant on the ground floor and an Odd Fellows hall on the second floor.
“This is a great historic building on a corner with benches and trees in front of it,’’ she said. “. . . I know it would need a lot of work to be rehabbed, but this could be a real gem for the square.’’
Bowler said there has also been some talk of finding a way to connect the evolving Northern Strand Community Trail to the square.
Galazka said another possible improvement would be to extend to Everett Square the period lighting to be installed on Lower Broadway as part of a state roadway improvement project that is expected to begin soon there.
She said the city would welcome a change in zoning rules that would allow development of housing on the upper floors of commercial buildings, adding that the city will probably ask business owners to weigh in on that idea.
© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company. |
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2011 : 3:57:14 PM
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Area races will feature 14 for mayor
By John Laidler
Globe Correspondent / August 21, 2011
Beverly’s incumbent mayor, William F. Scanlon Jr., is battling three challengers while candidates in four other cities are jousting for open seats in area mayoral contests claiming the spotlight this election season.
Across the 21 communities in the region that are holding fall elections, 14 will be selecting mayors, and 10 feature contests with two or more candidates.
Elections will take place Nov. 8, in some cases preceded by September preliminaries to winnow the fields.
Among the mayoral races is a four-way contest in Methuen to succeed the outgoing three-term incumbent, William M. Manzi III, who is barred by term limits from running again. Contending are School Committee member Kenneth R. Willette Jr., Councilor at Large Stephen N. Zanni, Central District Councilor John A. Cronin Jr., and Al DiNuccio, who lost to Manzi two years ago. A Sept. 20 preliminary will pare the field to two.
West District Councilor Jeanne M. Pappalardo said the race has been relatively quiet but “things are picking up now. With the primary coming, you can see signs popping out all over the city.’’
She said the race appears to be very competitive with no obvious outcome, noting that Cronin, Willette, and Zanni are familiar to voters from their years in local politics, while DiNuccio, a local businessman, is known from his mayoral run and his unsuccessful bid for state representative last year.
The mayoral race in Beverly is also described by observers as difficult to handicap.
Scanlon, who has occupied the mayor’s office for all but two of the last 18 years, is one of the city’s most enduring political figures. But two of his challengers - City Council president and former state representative Michael P. Cahill and former City Council president Timothy P. Flaherty - also are high-profile figures.
The third challenger is Rick Marciano, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2007, and for City Council in 2003, 2005, and 2007. A Sept. 20 preliminary will reduce the field to two.
Given the wide-open nature of the race, Councilor at Large Patricia B. Grimes said of predicting the outcome, “I wouldn’t even want to try.’’
In Revere, two at-large city councilors, Daniel Rizzo and George Rotondo, are vying to succeed Mayor Thomas G. Ambrosino, who is retiring after 12 years in office.
Both contenders in the first mayoral contest in Revere since 2003 are visible figures in the city and are waging energetic campaigns.
Rizzo, the owner of a local insurance company and part-owner of a function facility, is in his sixth term as a councilor at large. He is also past president of the Revere Chamber of Commerce and the Revere Rotary Club.
Rotondo, a cardiothoracic intensive-care nurse at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is in his first term as a councilor at large after three terms as Ward 4 councilor.
Two familiar faces are vying to succeed Peabody Mayor Michael J. Bonfanti, who is retiring after five terms.
The contestants are four-term Councilor at Large Edward A. “Ted’’ Bettencourt Jr., a local lawyer, and Sean R. Fitzgerald, a former chief of staff to Bonfanti and currently town manager in Plaistow, N.H.
Two candidates are competing to become Malden’s first new mayor since retiring incumbent Richard C. Howard was elected in 1995. Contending are Ward 1 City Councilor Gary Christenson and Councilor at Large Deborah Fallon.
A former School Committee member, Christensen is budget director for the Middlesex sheriff’s office. Fallon, the daughter of the late Malden mayor Thomas Fallon, is founder and longtime director of Portal to Hope, an agency that serves victims of domestic violence.
In other races, Amesbury Mayor Thatcher W. Kezer III faces two challengers in his bid for a fourth term: Planning Board member and first-time candidate Theodore Semesnye and former selectman James N. Thivierge, who has lost previous bids for mayor, including in 2009. The field will be reduced to two in a Sept. 20 preliminary.
Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria Jr. is being challenged in his bid for a third term by Ward 1 Common Councilor Peter Napolitano.
Twelve-term Medford Mayor Michael J. McGlynn also has two challengers: John M. Byers and Anthony D’Antonio. Byers has run unsuccessfully for City Council and for School Committee on four occasions. D’Antonio is a political newcomer.
In Gloucester, two-term Mayor Carolyn Kirk is being opposed by first-time candidate Kenneth Sarofeen. Daniel Ruberti, who has run for mayor numerous times in the past, said last week he is running a write-in campaign.
Haverhill Mayor James J. Fiorentini has competition from Debra Campanile, a political newcomer who works as a customer service manager for the US Treasury Department in Andover.
Four mayors are running unopposed for reelection: Robert J. Dolan of Melrose; Donna D. Holaday of Newburyport; Joseph A. Curtatone of Somerville; and Scott D. Galvin of Woburn.
There are no mayoral elections in three cities because the incumbents - William Lantigua in Lawrence, Judith Flannery Kennedy in Lynn, and Kimberley L. Driscoll in Salem - are midway through four-year terms.
© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.
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tetris
Moderator
2040 Posts |
Posted - 08/25/2011 : 09:07:14 AM
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Towns curbing health care bills
New law makes process easier
By John Laidler
Globe Correspondent / August 25, 2011
Cities and towns north of Boston are stepping up efforts to rein in employee health-care costs following the recent adoption of state legislation bolstering their power to make changes.
The new local option law allows communities to change the design of their health care plans or transfer their employees to the state’s Group Insurance Commission system by following a specified process that includes an expedited union bargaining period.
Already, several local municipalities have adopted the law through votes by their governing bodies, with more planning votes in the coming months. There are also communities that have negotiated changes without tapping the law, or plan to try to do so.
“We anticipate a huge amount of activity statewide using the new law in the coming weeks and months,’’ said Geoffrey Beckwith, executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association.
Beckwith said that in addition to the communities that have adopted the law, many other cities and towns are laying the groundwork for adoption by analyzing the potential for savings and educating themselves on the steps required.
Under the new law, municipalities can propose changes to their deductibles, co-payments, or other features of their health plans provided they are comparable to those offered by the GIC, or they can transfer to the GIC.
The community would have to negotiate with a local union committee regarding those changes, estimated cost savings, and plans to mitigate the impact of the changes on subscribers who would be adversely affected.
If no agreement is reached after 30 days, the matter would be referred to a three-person review panel.
The panel would be required to approve the design changes if they determine the benefits are comparable with those of the GIC, or to approve the community’s transfer to the GIC if the community can show the savings would be at least 5 percent greater than going with changes in its own health plan.
Up to 25 percent of the first-year savings would go to funding the subscriber mitigation plan, which would have to be approved by the review panel.
The Beverly City Council on Aug. 2 and the Somerville Board of Aldermen on Aug. 11 voted to approve their cities’ adoption of the new law.
Beverly Mayor William F. Scanlon Jr. said he hopes to begin negotiations with the city’s unions in the next few weeks and expects the city will be seeking a change to its plan design rather than a transfer to the GIC.
Scanlon, one of a number of municipal leaders from the area who were active in seeking the legislation, said he is pleased with the final product.
“I think this law will allow for better balance in how cities and towns spend their money,’’ he said, noting that Beverly’s health care costs consume 17 percent of the city’s general fund, up from 7 percent when he first took office in 1994.
Somerville is seeking through the new law to transfer the city into the GIC, which officials estimate will save Somerville about $9 million annually.
“We looked at plan design, and we wouldn’t have achieved nearly as much savings as through entering the GIC,’’ said Jackie Rossetti, a spokeswoman for Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone.
Salem Mayor Kimberley L. Driscoll said she plans to place before the City Council at its Sept. 8 meeting a proposal that the city adopt the new law.
Driscoll said the city has had an informal dialogue for some time with its unions about how to lower the city’s health care costs.
“This is really a continuation [of those talks], and now there is a way to end them,’’ she said.
Peabody Mayor Michael J. Bonfanti said he intends to seek a council vote for his city to adopt the new law, and as a first step has arranged to have consultants brief councilors on the regulations at tonight’s council meeting.
“I think in the end we will come up with something that is worthwhile for the city of Peabody, its residents, and its employees,’’ he said.
Lowell city councilors were set to vote on adopting the state law this Tuesday, according to Thomas Moses, the city’s chief financial officer.
Moses estimated Lowell could save $3 million annually from implementing the law, which would come on top of $1 million the city is already saving this year through a union health-care concession.
Haverhill Mayor James J. Fiorentini said he plans to ask the City Council in mid-September to adopt the new law.
“I’m convinced there would be some immediate savings and some very significant long-term savings,’’ he said.
Gloucester this past June reached agreement with its unions providing for health care changes. But the pact is for fiscal 2012 only, and Mayor Carolyn Kirk said she plans to ask the City Council next month to adopt the new law, allowing her to seek cost savings extending beyond this fiscal year.
Amesbury Mayor Thatcher W. Kezer III said city unions have made health-care concessions twice in the past three years. But he said he plans to ask the Municipal Council next month to adopt the new law because he believes “there are much more savings to be sought after.’’
Chelsea City Manager Jay Ash said the city is seeking to either join the GIC or have its own plan in place by Jan. 1. He said he is negotiating with unions outside the new law, but will seek to have the city adopt the law if those talks are not successful.
Medford is joining the GIC next Jan. 1 under an agreement Mayor Michael J. McGlynn recently struck with unions that he said will save the city $25.5 million and employees $9 million over the next six years.
The pact was negotiated outside the new law, McGlynn said, “because the unions recognized something had to be done to make sure there was a good plan for the employees but also to ease the burden on the community.’’
© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2011 : 3:29:45 PM
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Memorials planned for 9/11 anniversary
By Kathy McCabe
Globe Staff / September 4, 2011
Volunteers in Lynnfield today will plant almost 3,000 American flags on a grassy patch of land in the town center, a tribute to each victim of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
The display will mark the start of the town’s two-week commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the attacks. The flags, which will be displayed until Sept. 18, will stand as a visual remembrance of the lives lost on that fateful morning.
“People will be welcome to walk among the flags,’’ said the Rev. Dennis C. Bailey, pastor of the Centre Congregational Church, who is coordinating the town’s commemoration. “It will be a place for people to think, and reflect, about the lives lost.’’
In song and prayer, tolling bells and taps, cities and towns across the North region this week will hold public remembrances.
Most events are scheduled for Sunday, when the state and national observances are also due to be held. Some events will be solemn, remembering loss and sacrifice. Others will celebrate the commitment of first responders, military personnel, and veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Lowell will collect toiletries, foods, and clothes this week to distribute to veterans in need, with drop-off locations at City Hall and the Senior Center.
Tewksbury will start its memorial service at 8:46 a.m. to mark the time the first jetliner hit the World Trade Center. The event will be held at a memorial, which includes bricks naming all of the nearly 3,000 victims, in front of the town library.
On Friday, Andover will unveil a memorial plaque at the World War II Memorial Auditorium at 8:30 a.m. in the Town Offices. The plaque includes the names of four Andover residents who died in the attacks, Christopher Morrison, Billy Naiman, Betty Ong, and Len Taylor.
Ong was a flight attendant on American Airlines flight 11, the first jetliner to crash into the twin towers at the World Trade Center in New York. She served alongside Karen A. Martin of Danvers, the lead flight attendant.
Amesbury will hold an Evening of Heroes, a salute to police, fire, and military personnel, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Landry Stadium. Area choruses are to perform. Swampscott will hold a 9/11 Heroes Run, honoring first responders, at 11 a.m., starting at the Veterans of Foreign War Post on Pine Street.
In Somerville, Tufts University will present a musical program at 3 p.m. at Distler Performance Hall, which will feature the premiere of a new work, “September Quartet.’’
Dracut Remembers, a town food drive, will be held all day Sunday. Donations can be made at local farms, St. Francis Church, or at the central fire station on Pleasant Street.
Dracut was the hometown of American Airlines Captain John Ogonowski, the pilot of Flight 11.
Medford will hold a remembrance ceremony for victims at 9:30 a.m. at Morrison Park on Central Avenue. Guests are then invited to proceed to Immaculate Conception Church for an 11 a.m. Blue Mass, honoring police, fire, and other first responders, according to the mayor’s office.
The variety of events planned is a poignant reminder of the broad and deep impact Sept. 11 had on people of all walks of life, Bailey noted.
“We were shaken. The world was shaken,’’ said Bailey, the chaplain to the Lynnfield Fire Department, who visited ground zero in New York just days after the attacks, to counsel firefighters and their families. “It’s important for people to gather at such times as the 10th anniversary to remember every person who died.’’
On Sunday at 2 p.m., Lynnfield plans a reading of the names of the nearly 3,000 victims during a ceremony on the town common. At 6 p.m., a service on the Common will feature remarks by Katherine Bailey, the widow of Garnet “Ace’’ Bailey, a former Boston Bruin and pro hockey scout from Lynnfield, who died aboard United Airlines flight 175, the second jetliner to strike the towers.
In Salem, a memorial built with a 3-foot steel beam recovered from ground zero will be unveiled Sunday, 10 a.m., at the fire headquarters on Lafayette Street. Firefighters designed the memorial, which includes a granite replica of the towers.
The New York and New Jersey Port Authority made pieces of steel recovered from the towers available to communities and organizations across the country. Manny Ataide, a four-year member of Salem fire department, applied for the department to receive a piece of the beam to build a memorial for 9/11 victims. “I wrote an essay telling them how our department would honor the memory of all the victims,’’ said Ataide, 32, an Iraq war veteran, who joined the Army one week after the attacks.
A solemn ceremony is planned. The fire department chaplain will bless the steel beam. A bagpiper will play, and bells will toll five times in memory of fallen firefighters. “We really hope the public joins us on this occasion,’’ Ataide said.
In Danvers, Town Manager Wayne P. Marquis will moderate a panel discussion on the impact of the attacks on American culture. The 2 p.m. event, at Peabody Institute Library, is open to the public.
At 9 a.m., a procession will start from the Lyons Ambulance building on Maple Street. Guests of honor will be the family of the late Karen A. Martin.
Danvers officials, police and fire personnel will take part. The procession will end at Danvers Fire Headquarters at 9:55 a.m. A wreath will be laid in memory of the hundreds of firefighters and other first responders who died in the attacks.
“It will be a solemn procession,’’ said Jim George, a retired Danvers police officer who organized the first procession, held on the fifth anniversary. “We are inviting the people of Danvers to be there, to show our honor, and respect, as a town.’’
McCabe can be reached at kmccabe@globe.com. |
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2011 : 09:36:15 AM
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Everett is considering a proposal to charge developers a fee to support street, park, and recreation projects.
Mayor Carlo DeMaria Jr. proposed the linkage fee as a way for the city to mitigate some of the impact of commercial and large-scale residential developments, according to his chief of staff, Melissa Murphy.
“When a new development comes in or a building expands, they tend to have an impact on the environment,’’ she said. “They have trucks that come in and do damage to the street. They are bringing more trash in or are increasing traffic. A linkage fee is a way for us to offset the development.’’
“You want businesses to come in the city and be good neighbors,’’ she added.
A number of other nearby cities have linkage fees in place, Murphy noted, including Boston, which instituted one in 1983; Medford, which started one in 1989; and Somerville, which initiated one in 2005.
But the plan so far is drawing a mixed response from Everett city councilors, who must approve it.
On Sept. 19, the Common Council referred to the Committee on Rules and Ordinances the mayor’s request that the city be authorized to seek special legislation allowing Everett to create the revolving account needed to hold the future fee revenues. State law requires municipalities seeking to establish linkage fees to create such accounts.
Murphy said some councilors at the meeting said they would not be comfortable creating the account without knowing more about the proposed fee, such as who would be assessed it, and how the amounts would be calculated.
In light of that concern, she said it was decided that prior to the Common Council and the Board of Aldermen voting on whether to seek special legislation, the committee would work with the mayor’s office to craft a draft of the ordinance establishing the fee.
The administration had intended to work on the ordinance after securing the special act, but “to ease everyone’s concerns, we all’’ agreed to that process, Murphy said.
DeMaria first proposed a linkage fee in 2009, and the City Council at that time authorized the city to seek the special act. But the bill was returned to the city by the House clerk’s office with suggested changes. The current bill incorporates those changes.
Ward 4 Common Councilor D.J. Napolitano believes a linkage fee could have merit, but wants to see further discussion of the plan.
“During these tough economic times where taxes are so high and businesses are struggling to get by, we don’t want to handcuff any business coming in to Everett. But at the same time, I don’t think the city is in a position to leave any source of funding off the table. I don’t think we’re in a position to not have that discussion,’’ he said.
Ward 5 Alderman Robert Van Campen said he is also reserving judgment on the plan.
“I think, generally, linkage fees are a good idea in communities that are starved for revenues,’’ he said. But he wants to be sure any fee the city adopts “not be a deterrent to economic development in the city,’’ Van Campen added.
But Ward 3 Common Councilor Rosemary Miller opposes creating a linkage fee.
“I do not favor any additional tax on businesses,’’ she said. “Everett has one of the highest commercial tax rates in this area. To add a fee for the privilege of coming to our city makes no sense to me whatsoever.’’
Murphy said DeMaria does not believe the fee will have a negative impact on the local economy.
“We have developers coming in every day to look at the city,’’ she said, adding that many of those who carry out projects agree to fund improvements as a condition of their permitting. “This is just a way of making that fair and equitable.’’
Miller also opposes creating another revolving account, contending Everett already has too many of them.
“It’s basically taken control of taxpayers’ dollars away from the council,’’ she said, noting that the mayor can spend from revolving accounts without council appropriations.
DeMaria, in a statement, said he appreciated the council’s “efforts to further deliberate on the linkage fee. I still believe this is an opportunity to develop solid relationships with our emerging business community, ensuring that any significant development partner who comes into Everett is committed to and shares our vision for Everett’s future.’’
“Growth of our business community is important to the well-being of our residents, either through jobs or community service. However, new development can impact our neighborhoods and our services. This is just another tool to alleviate the strains and helps us build a stronger city,’’ he added.
Murphy said the mayor’s preference is that the linkage fee be assessed for new construction, expansion, or renovation of any commercial or large rental properties, but that he is flexible on those and other details.
Marc Draisen, executive director of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, said linkage fees are in place in some Greater Boston communities and are most often used to create housing and generate jobs.
“Everett is one of those communities north of Boston that has a strong market for both commercial and residential development and that’s the kind of place where a linkage fee may well work,’’ he said. “It certainly could provide some funds which the city could use to good advantage.’’
© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.
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snoopy1
Member
64 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2011 : 09:56:36 AM
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| I read it this morning. Why would the Boston Globe bring up the fact that Miller also opposes revolving accounts and how would the Boston Globe know that? She was not the only councilor against it. |
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
 Posted - 09/29/2011 : 10:18:42 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by snoopy1
I read it this morning. Why would the Boston Globe bring up the fact that Miller also opposes revolving accounts and how would the Boston Globe know that? She was not the only councilor against it.
I would contact Rosemary Miller and ask her if she was questioned by the Globe.
Here we go again....drain the business dry for streets and parks! Look around and see the streets getting done. The ones being done all have DeMaria signs and tax abatements! People need to start putting the puzzle pieces together and see what's going on. They proclaim to want to linkage fees for damage to the streets?? GO AFTER THEM FOR THE DAMAGE. Don't we have a brand new assistant city solicitor?
So, all the business have to suffer because ONE "might" damage the streets? And all that money goes to grass and parks to make the mayor look good...all the while the city is sinking fast? People and business are leaving.....but we have pretty flowers and grass. All mindless stuff.
I'm glad questions were asked about a revolving account. How can you ask the council for that without any information and no idea what the linkage fee would be? |
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snoopy1
Member
64 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2011 : 11:34:02 AM
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I looked up linkage fee in Ma and it says
A linkage fee is a "housing" impact fee. Linkage fees, which are found primarily in California, New Jersey and Massachusetts. are a means for cities to collect monies from new commercial and industrial development to provide affordable housing. Linkage fees are premised on the basis that lower-wage workers, who are needed to build and work in new nonresidential development, should also be able to afford adequate housing within the community.
Are you supposed to use that for parks? |
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2011 : 12:26:12 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by snoopy1
I looked up linkage fee in Ma and it says
A linkage fee is a "housing" impact fee. Linkage fees, which are found primarily in California, New Jersey and Massachusetts. are a means for cities to collect monies from new commercial and industrial development to provide affordable housing. Linkage fees are premised on the basis that lower-wage workers, who are needed to build and work in new nonresidential development, should also be able to afford adequate housing within the community.
Are you supposed to use that for parks?
Here's what Somerville does. Not sure about parks. If we have to establish linkage fees to use it for low income, I say forget it! We have enough and leave the businesses alone. What concerns me is after looking up linkage fees, there's a lot of talk about housing development. That's one thing we do not need any more of.
LINKAGE FEE INCREASED
In the Fall of 2004, the Affordable Housing Organizing Committee (AHOC) successfully organized for several months to increase Somerville's linkage fee from $2.60 to $3.91. The linkage fee is a tax placed on commercial properties at the time of development. In Somerville, the money collected from the fee is placed into the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. This fund is used to preserve and create affordable rental and homeownership units in Somerville and carry out programs that directly assist low- and moderate-income homeowners and renters.
The Board of Aldermen unanimously voted to increase the fee from $2.60 to $3.91. This put Somerville on par with Cambridge's $3.20 fee and Boston's $7.28 fee. At the new level, proposed development at Assembly Square will bring in $1.38 million, as opposed to the $919,000 at the current level. In Somerville, fees on new development above 30,000 sq. ft. are collected; for new developments of 50,000 sq. ft., only 20,000 sq. ft. would be taxed.
AHOC members held house meetings with each of the 11 Aldermen to gain support for this change, and mobilized a large turnout at a public hearing on September 30. The Aldermen voted unanimously for increasing the linkage fee. |
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Marie
Senior Member
114 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2011 : 9:52:01 PM
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| So the mayor is taking his cues from Somerville as usual! We need to get rid of him in November. |
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 09/30/2011 : 08:52:37 AM
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Liquor lobby gives $45,000 to treasurer
Grossman aide says gifts won’t affect actions
In his biggest one-time haul of political cash since he took office, state Treasurer Steve Grossman accepted $45,000 at a fund-raiser earlier this month from package store proprietors, bar owners, and liquor distributors, industries his office heavily controls and regulates.
Grossman took donations from executives across the state, all of whom have a financial interest in the decisions and policies set by the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, the agency he oversees as treasurer.
The donations represent nearly one quarter of the entire $187,000 Grossman has raised since he took office in January.
The event, held Sept. 15 at Legal Seafood in Park Square, was attended by some of the industry’s heavy hitters. It was organized by Ralph Kaplan, owner of Kappy’s Liquors, and Stephen V. Miller, a Boston lawyer who specializes in representing bars, liquor stores, and distributors before local licensing boards and the ABCC.
Miller, a partner in the Boston firm McDermott, Quilty & Miller, is also a registered State House lobbyist for the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of Massachusetts. Neither he nor Kaplan, whom the treasurer describes as a good friend, returned calls made to their offices seeking comment.
Grossman would not respond directly to questions this week over the appropriateness of his soliciting campaign donations from the businesses he oversees through the ABCC.
The Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission has broad powers to regulate and control the sale, distribution, and consumption of alcohol in Massachusetts. It is often the final appeal on license suspensions imposed by local authorities. It enforces liquor franchise agreements and promulgates rules that have far-reaching impact on all aspects of the industry.
While the practice of seeking campaign funds from state-regulated industries is routine on Beacon Hill, public interest groups have long complained that it is a conflict of interest and gives the appearance of impropriety.
In his campaign for treasurer last year, Grossman emphasized a platform of transparency and promised to bring a new standard of reform to the office. Voters, he said on the night he won the Democratic nomination, “want the next treasurer to reform the way we do business in the Commonwealth.’’
A political aide released a statement yesterday saying the treasurer is not influenced by his political donors.
“No one should have any illusion that they would get special treatment from Treasurer Grossman or his office because of any campaign contributions,’’ said Joshua L. Dawson, director of Grossman’s political committee.
Dawson said the contributions are allowable under state campaign finance and ethics laws. “His only concern is and always will be the interests of the people of Massachusetts,’’ said Dawson.
Since taking office, Grossman has made significant changes in the treasurer’s office. In his role overseeing the ABCC, however, he has yet to face some of the controversial issues that the liquor lobby frequently generates. But the industry appears to be watching closely for what may come.
“We . . . elected a new state treasurer, and since his office oversees the ABCC, we must wait to see if any changes are coming to our enforcement division,’’ the Massachusetts Package Store Association told its members in a recent statement on its website.
Grossman’s predecessor, Timothy P. Cahill, also took money from the liquor industry, but the amount that Grossman collected at the event appeared unusually large, industry observers said.
Executives at Horizon Beverage, one of the state largest liquor distributors, kicked in $3,000 at this month’s fund-raisers, having already given Grossman’s political committee $7,500 over the past two years. Cahill collected upwards of $13,000 from Horizon officials, but that was over the seven years he controlled the commission.
One of Grossman’s donors at the Legal Seafood event, Horizon president Robert Epstein, also gave $5,000 to the Democratic State Committee at Grossman’s urging during the treasurer’s election campaign. The Globe reported earlier this year that Grossman additionally solicited campaign donations from firms regulated by the treasurer and in turn received hundreds of thousands of dollars of in-kind support from the party. Epstein’s office said he was traveling this week and unavailable for comment.
Distributors like Horizon are particularly sensitive to the decisions of the alcoholic beverage agency. The commission controls much of the details of their businesses, including changes in their product lines, the amount of inventory they can import into the state, and where they store it.
The owners of the Martignetti Companies, which promotes itself as New England’s largest distributor of wine and liquors, gave Grossman $1,500 at the fund-raiser, in addition to the $3,000 they gave him over the last two years.
Other donations came from a wide spectrum of businesses. Stanley Chaban - owner of Mary Ann’s Bar at Cleveland Circle in Brighton, which has a long history of facing regulatory problems, both at the Boston Licensing Commission and the ABCC - gave Grossman $500.
Further donations came from a handful of distributors who control the wholesale market from Cape Cod to Springfield and the Merrimack Valley. Other gifts came from restaurant, liquor store, and bar owners. The Beer Distributors Political Action Committee kicked in $500.
Frank Phillips can be reached at phillips@globe.com.
© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 10/02/2011 : 5:33:10 PM
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I wonder if the Robert Joy that that chairs this search committee is the same Robert Joy employed by the City of Everett?
Town manager hunt narrows
Prominent area officials are vying for town post
By John Laidler
Globe Correspondent
October 02, 2011
Four longtime municipal officials from the north of Boston area, including retiring Malden Mayor Richard C. Howard, have emerged as finalists for the position of Winchester’s town manager.
In addition to Howard, the lineup includes Saugus town manager Andrew R. Bisignani, Swampscott town administrator Andrew W. Maylor, and Belmont town administrator Thomas G. Younger.
The four finalists, recommended by a search committee from 54 original applicants, are set to be interviewed publicly by the Board of Selectmen on Wednesday. Selectmen then plan to visit the communities of the finalists, and invite the four to spend a day in Winchester.
Robert Joy, who chairs the search committee, said he believes the field of finalists is a strong one, calling all four “eminently qualified people’’ based on their experience and advanced educational degrees.
“And there is a diversity of experience,’’ he said, noting that the field consists of a mayor, a town manager, and two town administrators, from varying sized communities.
The finalists are ‘eminently qualified people. . . . And there is a diversity of experience.’
Selectman Roger Berman, the board’s liaison on the search committee, is also pleased with the field of finalists.
“I think as a group they offer both a practical and an intellectual experience and insight into what it takes to manage a municipality in the current economic environment we are in,’’ he said.
Winchester has been without a permanent town manager since Melvin Kleckner departed June 30, 2010, after selectmen opted not to renew his contract. Town Clerk Mary Ellen Lannon has served as acting town manager since. Kleckner is now town administrator in Brookline.
In April, selectmen offered the post to the assistant town manager, Mark Twogood. But he declined the offer several days later after public criticism that the process was not done openly.
Lannon in August made public that she was a candidate for the full-time position. Berman said Lannon was among 10 applicants interviewed by the search committee, but was not selected as a finalist.
Howard, Malden’s mayor since 1996, announced last November that he would not seek another term this fall. Prior to becoming mayor, he had a business-oriented law practice in Malden that also included serving as counsel to the Malden Housing Authority and the public library.
“I’ve left the second half of my year to begin to figure out what I will be doing come January,’’ Howard said. “I had professionally looked at different options; some would lead to further involvement in government and some would maybe lead to the private sector, most likely around legal work perhaps dealing with municipalities.
“When I heard about the opening in Winchester, I was particularly interested because in considering opportunities in the field of municipal management, that is one of the few towns that I think fits with the skills that I have, plus my geographic background in the north of Boston area,’’ he said. “It’s the only manager’s position I’m applying for.’’
Howard currently earns a base salary of $105,000, plus a $9,500 stipend for his role as chairman of the School Committee. In advertising its town manager’s job, Winchester listed the salary range as $130,000 to $160,000.
At least four former north of Boston mayors have become municipal managers in recent times: former Salem mayor Neil J. Harrington, now Salisbury’s town manager; former Everett mayor David Ragucci, now town administrator in Stoneham; former Woburn mayor John C. Curran, town manager in Billerica and previously town administrator in Maynard; and former Salem mayor Stanley J. Usovicz Jr. who served for a year as town manager in Smithfield, R.I.
Bisignani, a Nahant resident, has been Saugus’ town manager since December 2002. Before that, he worked for Revere for 25 years as chief financial officer, city auditor, and purchasing agent. He also chaired the Retirement Board.
“My contract expires next July and I am seeking other opportunities in the public and private sector,’’ said Bisignani, who earns $120,000 a year as town manager.
Maylor has been Swampscott’s town administrator since October 2002, a position for which he earns about $133,000 a year. Since April 2010, he has also been chairman of the Essex Regional Retirement System. He previously worked for Chelsea for six years as city auditor, chief finance officer, deputy city manager, and acting manager, and for Winthrop for three years as tax collector and town accountant.
He was drawn to the Winchester job, Maylor said, because it meets his professional goals of “working in a community where there is an engaged residential population that is committed to education and infrastructure and concerned about open space,’’ and with a charter that clearly defines the manager’s role.
Maylor said Swampscott also offers those things, but that Winchester has a larger budget and workforce.
A Lynnfield resident, Maylor in recent years was a finalist but ultimately not selected for several town manager posts, including in Billerica, Tewksbury, and Winthrop. He applied but ultimately withdrew from contention for Winchester’s job when Kleckner was hired in 2004.
Younger has been Belmont’s town administrator since April 2005, a position for which he earns $145,000. The Belmont resident served as town administrator in North Reading from 1995-2005, property transactions manager for the state Division of Capital Asset Management from 1986-95, town administrator in Norton from 1983-86, and town accountant/administrator for Oak Bluffs from 1981-83.
He was drawn to the Winchester job because the town has “a lot of similarities to Belmont,’’ Younger said, and because of the chance to serve as a town manager.
He said he became familiar with carrying out the stronger role of town manager in Reading, where his position - though titled town administrator - had town manager authority.
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2011 : 10:09:24 AM
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Costs to transport homeless students increase
By Kathy McCabe
Globe Staff
October 06, 2011
A van drops off a student (with backpack, left) at a hotel at the end of a school day late last month
The white van with a yellow school bus sign on top stopped at the front door of a hotel on Route 1.
A young girl with a heavy backpack stepped off, waving to her mother, who came to meet the bus. Two other children exited the bus and pushed the glass door to enter the lobby.
Hotels are a regular stop on public school bus routes north of Boston, where hundreds of homeless families are temporarily living because the state’s 2,000 family shelter units are full.
As of Monday, there were 1,437 families living in motels and hotels across Massachusetts, according to the state Department of Housing and Community Development.
‘Absolutely, we see these kids as our students. . . . But the state [policy] does have a very real impact on our costs.’
More than 300 families are living at hotels in Burlington, Chelmsford, Danvers, Haverhill, Malden, Saugus, Tewksbury, and Woburn, according to state data.
But since August, when a new program started to place homeless families in permanent housing, the number of families living in hotels has dropped by about 20 percent, or by 341 families, including 30 that moved from Danvers hotels.
“It’s a promising trend that we anticipate will continue,’’ said Robert Pulster, associate director of the Department of Housing and Community Development.
Still, the gains are not enough to offset thousands of dollars in new transportation costs faced by local communities.
Federal law gives homeless families the option for children to attend school in their home district or the district where their shelter is located. A shelter can be a motel, group housing, a campground, or another form of temporary housing.
The law also requires public school districts to provide transportation to school. If a family chooses to send children to school in their home district, the cost must be shared by that district and the district where the shelter is located.
“Whether a kid is flopping on a mattress in a shelter or living in a motel, public schools have to make sure they have a stable place for learning,’’ said Barbara Duffield, policy director of the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. “It’s an important part of the safety net [for homeless families].’’
But there is no fiscal safety net for public school districts, which are not reimbursed for transportation costs for the homeless. That leaves some educators feeling pinched between state and federal housing policies.
“It’s another unfunded mandate,’’ said Kara Kosmes, assistant superintendent of finance and operations for the Haverhill public schools. “The state doesn’t give you any money and we have to follow the federal law.’’
“It’s complex,’’ said Lisa Dana, Danvers school superintendent. “Our job is to educate all our students. Absolutely, we see these [motel] kids as our students. . . . But the state [policy] does have a very real impact on our costs.’’
Duffield said her association believes one solution could be for the federal government to allow schools to use other federal money available to homeless students, such as Title I education funds, to cover transportation costs.
“We need a bigger pie,’’ Duffield said. “The housing crisis is at the worst level ever. People are losing homes and jobs. . . . The funding needs to catch up to the times we’re in.’’
Danvers, where town officials in August criticized the state for using motels to house homeless families, spent $72,000 to transport homeless children in the last school year, down from $158,000 the previous school year, the data show.
The drop is largely due to federal stimulus money that was used to help people at risk of homelessness catch up on rent or avoid foreclosure. Saugus’s spending dropped to $46,798 in the last school year, from $66,868 in 2009-2010, figures show.
But stimulus funding has run out. And with the economy stalled, homelessness is rising.
State data released Tuesday shows Danvers has 80 children ages 5 to 18 living in motels in town. Some attend Danvers schools, with a school bus picking them up at the motels.
Students attending school in their home districts usually are transported by vans. The cost for operating each van can be as much as $11,000 per year, according to School Department data.
“It’s a cost that is hard to predict because the number of homeless students we have, and their transportation needs, can change daily,’’ Dana said.
Malden spent $496,880 in the 2000-2011 school year on transportation for the homeless, the most of any school district in the region. There were 161 students who were living in motels in the city or who were from Malden and lived in a shelter elsewhere, according to data from the state Department of Education.
In September, there were 75 homeless families living in Malden motels. Counting students who live in shelters, transportation costs this year could rise to $600,000, Superintendent David DeRuosi said.
“Wherever kids end up homeless, in Malden or if they’re from Malden, we’re responsible for the cost,’’ said DeRuosi, who is in his first year as superintendent. “It’s a big impact for us. . . . Our population, due to the tough economic straits, will only see these numbers go up.’’
Woburn spent $90,883 on homeless transportation last year, nearly a third more than in the previous school year, when the bill was $59,627, according to its School Department.
Haverhill - which has transported children as far as Worcester - spent $61,310 in the last school year, nearly double the $31,295 spent in 2009-2010.
The high costs have added pressure to school districts at a time when many have cut jobs and services and raised student fees to balance their budgets.
Danvers increased sports, fine arts, and bus fees 20 percent this school year.
“We look at our budget collectively,’’ said Keith Taverna, the district’s interim business manager. “Fees are one part of them.’’
Saugus increased athletic user fees $100 to $350 per student, per sport. The district also cut a custodian’s job at the high school and reduced spending on materials and supplies.
“If there is anything a homeless kid deserves, it’s to be able to stay in their schools,’’ said Samuel Rippin, the Saugus business manager. “But a dollar is a dollar. If we didn’t have to pay this expense, we could spend the money somewhere else.’’
Kathy McCabe can be reached at kmccabe@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @GlobeKMcCabe.
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 10/13/2011 : 11:40:21 AM
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Heating oil costs projected to hit record
Season’s cost likely to near $2,500
By Erin Ailworth
Globe Staff
October 13, 2011
Households that heat with oil are expected to spend a record amount this winter to stay warm, with bills projected to rise nearly $200 over last year, according to a federal forecast released yesterday.
The US Energy Information Administration said the nation’s heating oil customers - most of whom live in the Northeast - will probably pay more than in any previous winter as heating oil costs rise to an average $3.71 per gallon. The average household is estimated to spend nearly $2,500 between now and March.
The biggest reason for the increase: the rising price of a barrel of crude, the main component of heating oil, as demand rises in emerging markets such as China and the Middle East.
“Crude prices haven’t really been this high [before] going into the winter,’’ said Chris Lafakis, an economist with Moody’s Analytics, a forecasting firm in West Chester, Pa.
During the past few years, heating oil prices have been higher, but in the summer months, usually dropping before winter hits. Prices hit record highs in the summer of 2008.
‘I don’t really know what I can cut back on. I’ve got my groceries down to a minimum, [and] I can’t cut back on electricity.’
Any increase in heating oil prices has the potential to strain already cash-strapped residents in the Northeastern states, which account for 80 percent of the nation’s households that heat with oil.
People are streaming into Action for Boston Community Development Inc., an agency that funnels state and federal heating assistance to needy families in Boston, Brookline, and Newton. The agency has already received 12,000 applications for assistance.
“We have more people coming in than last year because people are poor,’’ said president John J. Drew. “People are running out of unemployment, they’re getting kicked off welfare, they’re unemployed and underemployed.’’
Hyde Park homeowner John Murphy, a 68-year-old with advanced prostate cancer, said he depends onheating assistance during the winter to help stretch his annual income of about $18,000 from Social Security disability payments. Last winter, his heating bill totaled $1,600.30 - mainly to heat the one room he spends most of his time in.
“You take out another two hundred bucks, I’ll have to cut back somehow,’’ said Murphy, who keeps his thermostat at 68 degrees during the day, then lowers it by four degrees and sleeps in long johns and socks.
But, he added, “I don’t really know what I can cut back on. I’ve got my groceries down to a minimum, [and] I can’t cut back on electricity. I’ve already done that. I can’t put the thermostat any lower. I can’t do 60 [degrees] where I walk around with a pair of mittens.’’
Low-income families and individuals like Murphy could be hit even harder because funding for heating assistance to them is likely to be cut in half. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program was allocated $4.7 billion last fiscal year - after much debate among legislators and several delays - giving the poorest families in Massachusetts a maximum of $1,090 in aid. This fiscal year, the Obama administration is requesting about $2.6 billion in such assistance, meaning that the amount of financial help the poorest families could get would fall by about half.
“If the benefits are as low as I think they are going to be . . . the vast majority of people who are looking for assistance from us will have used all of their benefits by Christmas,’’ Drew said.
Last winter, about 250,000 households received heating assistance. Drew’s agency said itexpects that number to grow by about 10 percent this winter, as it has for the last few years, because of the weak economy.
Heating oil dealers across the state have been working with customers to establish reasonable heating budgets and payment plans in advance of the worst winter weather, said Michael Ferrante, president of the Massachusetts Oilheat Council, a trade group for the state’s heating oil dealers.
“No matter what your income, higher heating bills are painful,’’ Ferrante said. “I think what’s happening with [the federal oil assistance program] is symptomatic of what’s happening in Washington. They’re looking at every entitlement, every program that can be cut to reduce the deficit, but people suffer.’’
Erin Ailworth can be reached at eailworth@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @ailworth.
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tetris
Moderator
2040 Posts |
Posted - 10/13/2011 : 2:24:12 PM
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Sounds like this could end up being "Bike Part-Way to the Sea"
Bike trail through Lynn hits bump over lease
City cites liability terms set by MBTA
By John Laidler
Globe Correspondent
October 12, 2011
The effort to develop the Lynn section of a regional recreational trail faces uncertainty due to objections from city officials over the terms of a proposed MBTA lease of railroad property to the city.
Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy said she will not sign the agreement drafted by the MBTA in its current form because of concerns that it would expose the city to potential liability and make it responsible for insurance, maintenance, and other costs.
“For the great cost, I don’t see an equal benefit to signing the lease. So until the MBTA can relax its restrictions and take a little more responsibility for the conditions along the bike trail, I’m not going to put the city in the position of having each taxpayer in some small part fund that trail,’’ said Kennedy, reiterating remarks she made at a Sept. 27 meeting of the City Council’s Public Property Committee.
Lynn needs to secure the lease in order to develop the Lynn section of the approximately 9-mile trail that the nonprofit Bike to the Sea is seeking to develop.
The evolving Northern Strand Community Trail is intended to extend along the right-of-way of the former Saugus Branch rail line from Everett through Malden, Revere, and Saugus to Lynn, and along a designated on-road route from the end of the right of way to Lynn Shore Drive.
‘For the great cost, I don’t see an equal benefit to signing the lease.’
Everett and Malden have signed 99-year agreements with the MBTA to lease their sections of the old Saugus branch right-of-way at no cost. But to date, Lynn, Revere, and Saugus have not done so, with all three communities wrestling with similar concerns.
Active Lynn supporters of the trail are urging city leaders to find a way to resolve their legal and cost concerns.
“Lynn needs this,’’ said Mary Ellen Palermo. “All the other towns seem to be moving forward on this. Rather that having us as . . . the bad area you have to avoid, we want Lynn to be a nice part of the route. . . . It’s time that Lynn goes green.’’
Councilor at Large Dan Cahill, a member of the Public Property Committee, is also hoping the city can move forward.
“We know the possible exposures of liability, but at some point the city has to take a risk for what will be a beautiful public resource,’’ he said.
Following the Sept. 27 Public Property Committee meeting, the City Council voted to create a special committee to further study the issues surrounding the proposed lease, according to Ward 2 member Richard C. Colucci, who chairs the Public Property Committee and made the motion.
Lynn first outlined its objections to the draft lease in a letter that assistant city solicitor George Markopoulos sent to the MBTA on May 24.
In a recent interview, Markopoulos said the city is concerned that the proposed lease would make the city liable for damages should someone be injured on the trail. He said it would also require the city to indemnify, or exempt from liability, the T for any harm resulting from soil contamination unless Lynn purchased environmental insurance.
Markopoulos said a related concern is that the agreement would bar the city from testing the soil for contamination prior to entering the lease.
The city also objects to the costs it would need to bear, including the purchase of environmental and required regular liability insurance and the maintenance of public safety on the trail, Markopoulos said.
In a letter last May 31 responding to the city, Mark E. Boyle, the MBTA’s assistant general manager for development, noted that the agency had executed leases with Everett and Malden and that the T’s board had directed that similar leases be executed with Lynn, Revere, and Saugus.
“Although we fully understand the concerns you have raised, please note that the MBTA is willing to grant the lease rights to the city at no cost for 99 years. In return, however, the MBTA needs to be indemnified for any and all costs or acts that may arise from the Saugus branch,’’ Boyle said.
Boyle noted that Danvers, Topsfield, and Wenham had executed similar agreements with the T “and those communities have either completed or initiated the construction of bike paths.’’
“The MBTA is not in a position to alter the terms of the lease for each particular city/town,’’ Boyle said.
Markopoulos said his recommendation to the council was to establish a panel to explore in depth the concerns he had raised so that it has a clear sense of the costs and benefits of entering into the lease. The new committee is intended to do that.
Cahill said he believes there are ways the city can resolve its concerns, noting that it could obtain the required insurance coverage and offset the costs through grants.
Stephen Winslow of Malden, cofounder and a board member of Bike to the Sea, said other communities have “raised similar concerns to Lynn’s, and several laws were passed to address those, so I hope the council committee will look at those laws in more detail.’’
Winslow said getting access to the right-of-way in the near future would enable Lynn to take advantage of an opportunity to get the trail cleared at no cost.
Everett built its trail section through an agreement with the Iron Horse Preservation Society, under which the Nevada-based group removed the rails and ties and applied a stone dust surface at no charge in return for being able to keep the material it removed. Winslow said that in the limited time that Iron Horse remains in this part of the country, Lynn could arrange a similar deal.
The long-term goal of Bike to the Sea is to pave the right of way, but Winslow said clearing the path and laying down a firm surface will allow it to be used right away.
“This is an opportunity to get something done sooner rather than later,’’ he said.
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Boston Globe 2011
