CITY OF WORCESTER
CITY CLERK DEPARTMENT
JOURNAL OF THE CITY COUNCIL – JANUARY 22, 2002
7:00 P.M.
Convened:
7:02 P.M.
Adjourned: 9:25 P.M.
1. INVOCATION – Rabbi Herschel Fogelman
Congregation Tifereth Israel
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/STAR SPANGLED BANNER
3. ROLL CALL – All present
4. ITEMS OF CITIZEN INTEREST
4a. ITEMS OF DEPARTMENTAL OR EMPLOYEE INTEREST
5 REFERRED TO PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE
5. Attorney Samuel DeSimone on behalf of Hill Financial Services request to enter into a prior agreement with the City of Worcester, through its Department of Public Works to construct at its expense the extension of sanitary and surface water lines from its property on Wrentham Rd. across property of the City of Worcester to connect with the sanitary and surface water lines on Columbine St.
6 & 7 REFERRED TO TRAFFIC & PARKING COMMITTEE
6. Maritza Velazquez request handicap parking in front of 34 Newbury St.
7. Cheryl Oliveri, General Manager, Central Mass. Convention & Visitors Bureau request to remove two parking meters (921 & 922) from the east side of 30 Worcester Center Blvd. and replace with a 30 minute parking area.
8 PLACED ON FILE – Petitioner Spoke
8. Michael C. Moschos request: 1) To increase the annual salary paid each Councillor-at-Large and District from the present amount to $25,000.00 per annum, and 2) To pay as an additional amount to the member of the Council serving as Chair and Mayor of the City for said service an additional amount per annum of $25,000.00 to said member for a total of $50,000.00.
9 PLACED ON FILE – Petitioner Spoke
9. Arthur Kevorkian & Claudette Danielson request to speak before the City Council on January 22, 2002 relative to cuts in bus services to take effect on January 26, 2002.
10. Request City Manager to communicate with Congressman McGovern and Senators Kennedy and Kerry regarding the filing of legislation to provide for re-establishment of regulation of cable TV services and rates. (Lukes, Irish, Perotto, Clancy, Abraham, Patton, Palmieri, Gomez, Haller, Murray, Petty)
11. Request a Council rules change to specifically assign responsibility for matters related to higher education to the Standing Committee on Education and to change the Committee’s name to Education and College/University Relations. (Irish)
Councillor Irish
moved to amend to add Councillor Patton as an author. Referred, as amended to
Rules and Regulations Committee
12. Request Administrator of Traffic Engineering to recommend to City Council a solution to the persistent and growing problems associated with excessive truck traffic using Arwick Ave. between I-290 and Quinsigamond Ave. (Haller)
13. Request Administration provide City Council with a report detailing by Council District the number of miles of streets and sidewalks that are in need of repair/replacement and the number of miles of private streets that might be converted to public streets, including in the report the estimated cost for the work needing to be done. Said data to be utilized as a planning tool for future budgets and the use of Block Grant monies. (Palmieri)
Councillor Lukes moved to amend to delete words “by Council District”Amendment approved on a roll call vote of 6 Yeas (Clancy, Irish, Lukes, Patton, Perotto, Petty) and 5 Nays (Abraham, Gomez, Haller, Palmieri, Murray)
14. Request Administration prepare a report comparing the percentage of miles of public versus private streets in the City of Worcester and other New England cities. (Palmieri)
15. Request Administration provide City Council with a GIS-generated map of the City broken into Council Districts and delineating the following data indicating by color the year the most recent infrastructure improvements took place: City of Worcester street resurfacing, sidewalk repair, catch basin replacement, sewer line replacement, street lighting upgrade and sanitary sewer replacement and the following utility work: gas line replacement, electrical line replacement, cable television wire replacement and telephone line replacement. Said data requested for the past ten years. (Palmieri)
Withdrawn by Councillor Palmieri. City Manager to report to Council on the City’s capability to produce report requested
16. Request Administration issue a Request-for Proposals for the re-use of the Worcester Public Schools’ Maintenance facility located on Shrewsbury St. in light of the tremendous investment being made in the Union Station/Washington Square neighborhood. Said RFP to consider creating a mixed-use for the site, including commercial, retail and housing. (Palmieri, Murray)
Councillor Clancy moved to amend to request the School Department to consider declaring this building surplus
17. Request City Administration prepare a traffic study with recommendations to increase traffic flow and access of Higgins Industrial Park as bounded by I-190, West Mountain St., West Boylston St. and New Bond St. (Murray, Patton)
18. Request Administration report on and make recommendations with regard to the recently enacted State legislation, An Act Returning Tax Title Properties to Productive Use (H.4725) which was signed into law on January 13, 2002. (Haller)
19. Request Administration to update City Council on the education process with regard to the dog ordinance passed by City Council on June 24, 1997. (Haller)
20. Request Administration report on number and types of dog complaints for the past 12 months, by month (or quarter) and district (or some geography). (Haller)
21. Request Administration contact Webster Square Business Association to explore reuse of tree grates held by the Association in City Streetscape improvement. (Irish, Haller, Abraham)
22. Request Administration report on status of redevelopment project at Webster Square Plaza, specifically to include “Phase II” parking lot improvement. (Irish, Abraham)
23. Request Administration report on the number of times the fire hydrants at Main St./Curtis Parkway have been repaired/replaced in the past 24 months and protective measures adopted, if any, to prevent such damage. (Irish, Abraham)
24. Request City Manager to provide a report concerning the “COPS” Program for the purpose of considering a new Police class. (Perotto, Murray)
25. Request City Manager to provide a program with the Office of Neighborhood Services, City Wide Crime Watches and neighborhood groups for the purpose of public safety. (Perotto)
26. Request Administration to communicate with Charter Communications regarding receipt by the City of all cable program logs of their new local weekday news program and also, of any policy which pre-empts or gives priority to other programming in the same time slot with the news program. (Lukes)
27. Request Administration report on whether there is a current or potential water shortage regarding City water supplies and what impact, if any, is anticipated regarding water rates. (Lukes)
28. Request City Manager designate a Canal District in the City of Worcester. The proposal of the district will be delineated within the boundary of the Canal District CDC, which includes the proposed Visitor Center north to Union Station. This will be inclusive to the Canal bed through Green Island. The designation of this area as Worcester’s Blackstone Canal District would highlight the City of Worcester’s role in the industrial innovation that made the Blackstone Valley the “Birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution”. The designation would also identify the Canal District within the Blackstone Valley Heritage Corridor as a special place in the history of the City of Worcester, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the United States. (Murray, Clancy, Haller)
Councillor Clancy moved to amend to add Councillors Palmieri, Perotto and Lukes as authors.
29. Request City Manager provide City Council with a report on process for removing registered vehicles that are being stored for long periods of time on city streets. (Haller)
30. Request City Manager provide City Council with an update on process for removing unregistered vehicles from city streets. (Haller)
31. Request City Manager provide City Council with a report on regulations regarding street parking of boats, utility trucks and large trailer trucks. (Haller)
32. Request City Manager provide information and recommendations for dealing with the pigeon problem under the Ashmont Ave. bridge that is spreading out into the neighborhood. (Haller)
33. Request City Manager report to City Council on whether the Massachusetts Historical Commission would have jurisdiction on any redevelopment of the Parcel Post building on Franklin St. (Clancy)
34. Request City Manager report to City Council on timeline for repair of electric company trenches on Providence St. (Clancy)
35. Request Administration to include the Blackstone Heritage Corridor Committee in the deliberations regarding the Union Station Master Plan and to request a written report from the Commission regarding the Master Plan as part of its studies being conducted regarding the Blackstone Canal. (Lukes)
Councillor Irish moved to amend: Request at least an interim report within thirty days.
36. Request Administration provide secure barrels and address the lighting for the Vernon Hill field. (Murray)
37. Request Administration provide City Council with a report on the number and percentage of City employees who reside in the City of Worcester broken down by department. (Murray)
38. Request Administration notify all City employees via letter of the Mass. Housing’s Municipal Mortgage Program that provides mortgages with reduced interest rates, waives closing costs and does not require down payments. (Murray)
39. Request Administration provide City Council with the Fiscal year 2003 State and Federal legislative agenda. (Murray, Haller)
39a. Request Administration report to City Council on the outcome of the court hearing relative to the bus route changes to take effect on January 26, 2002. Motion-Petty @ #9CC – Adopted
39b. Request City Manager to contact Congressman McGovern’s office to see if there are any reforms pending in Congress relative to cable television and whether those reforms would be adequate for the City of Worcester to support in terms of effectuating real reform in the system. Motion-Lukes @ #10CC – Adopted
39c. Request City Manager report as to the amount of time customers are spending on line for service from Charter Communications and the reason for the increase in cable rates other than the upgrade of service. Motion-Clancy @ #10CC – Adopted
39d. Request City Manager report whether Charter Communications is meeting all the provisions of the agreement as signed by the City in 1997. Motion-Petty @ #10CC – Adopted
39e. Request Rules and Regulations Committee to consider including in the duties of the Education Committee matters related to college and university relations, but to keep the name of this Committee as the Education Committee. Motion-Clancy @ #11CC – Adopted
39f. Request Administration to provide City Council with a copy of the partnership agreement and any amendments thereto relative to the New Worcester Limited Partnership. Motion-Irish @ #41CC – Adopted
39g. Request City Manager to report if the City fails to qualify for the tax credit to repay the $2.8 million loan for Union Station where would the City find the money to repay the loan. Motion-Irish @ #41CC – Adopted
39h. Request City Manager to report as to the short and long term future of the Worcester Redevelopment Authority and address the issue of land takings. Motion-Lukes @ #41CC – Adopted
39i. Request City Manager to present a scenario in the event the City does not get the tax credits to repay the $2.8 million loan for Union Station, what projects will be delayed if the $2.8 million must come from the $10 million capital plan. Motion-Perotto @ #41CC – Adopted
39j. Request Commerce and Development Committee to look at the issue of rental of business office space in Union Station. Motion-Clancy @ #41CC – Adopted
39k. Request City Manager report on the feasibility of locating one or two parking garages under the proposed residential locations as presented in the plan from the WBBC and Administration relative to development of Washington Square. Motion-Palmieri @ #41CC – Adopted
39L. Request Administration to provide City Council with worksheets from whoever did the estimate of the $2.8 million for Union Station. Motion-Patton @ #41CC – Adopted
39m. Request Administration to provide City Council with a breakdown from the engineers of the actual estimated cost of the road design for Washington Square. Motion-Patton @ #41CC – Adopted
39n. Request City Manager report on whether the State Highway Department can review its design of the Burncoat/Lincoln exit off of I-290 eastbound. Petty – Suspension of Rules – Adopted
39o. Request City Manager to contact Charter Communications to ask for their surveys conducted in determining programming and services offered. This request is pursuant to Section 5.1 of the agreement. Petty – Suspension of Rules – Adopted
39p. Request City Manager to provide City Council with a report on whether Charter Communications is meeting its full FCC customer service standard and recommended cable industry customer service industry standards. Petty – Suspension of Rules - Adopted
40 ADOPTED
40. SEWER BETTERMENT ASSESSMENT: RODBY ST.
41. Thomas R. Hoover, City Manager transmitting communication relative to questions asked at the City Council meeting of January 15, 2002 relative to the Union Station/Washington Square Master Plan.
41a. That the City Council of the City of Worcester honor and thank Celeste M. Butcher for her many years of service to the City. Murray, Petty, Irish, Perotto, Palmieri, Patton, Clancy, Lukes, Abraham, Gomez, Haller – Suspension of Rules – Adopted on a roll call 11-0
42. RECESS TO FINANCE AND ORDINANCE: No Action Taken
FINANCE
a) #4B CM June 19, 2001
Communication of the City Manager relative to Breakdown of New Growth Figures over the past 10 years.
43 VOTED TO ADVERTISE PROPOSED ORDINANCE
43. REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON ORDINANCES Upon the Report of the Planning Board upon the Petition of Attorney Donald O’Neil on behalf of Liem Lang requesting to change the Zoning Map of the City of Worcester from MG-1 to RG-5 by extending the RG-5 zone in the vicinity of Bancroft St., Bluff St. and Bellevue St. westerly from the centerline of Bancroft St. to the centerline of Mason St. to include three parcels of land at 4 and 6 Bancroft St. and 35 Mason St.: recommend passage of the accompanying proposed Ordinance.
44 REFERRED TO THE PLANNING BOARD – On a roll call vote of 10-0 Councillor Lukes was recused
44. REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON ORDINANCES Upon the Report of the Planning Board upon the Petition of Attorney Donald O’Neil on behalf of John Zinkevich requesting to change the zoning map of the city of Worcester from BO-2.0 to RL-7 by extending the RL-7 zone in the vicinity of North Lake Ave. and Teconnett Path: recommend passage of the accompanying proposed Ordinance changing the zoning designation of lots 29, 30, 31 and 32 on Map 46, Block 16 of the Worcester Assessors Map.
45-47 REFERRED TO PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE
45. REPORT OF THE PLANNING BOARD Upon the Petition of Brian Woodman et al requesting to make public Jolma Rd.
46. REPORT OF THE PLANNING BOARD Upon the Petition of Constance Cappabianca requesting to make public Pelican Ave.
47. REPORT OF THE PLANNING BOARD Upon the Petition of Robert L. Moylan, Jr., Commissioner of Public Works requesting to install sewers in Alpine St. from Vernon St. to Sterling St., approximately 600’.
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JANUARY 28, 2002 COMMERCE & COUNCIL CHAMBER
5:00 P.M. DEVELOPMENT
Re: Union Station &
Washington Square
JANUARY 31, 2002 PUBLIC SERVICE & COUNCIL CHAMBER
6:30 P.M. TRANSPORTATION
JANUARY 31, 2002 TRAFFIC & PARKING SAXE ROOM
7:00 P.M. FIRST FLOOR
PUBLIC LIBRARY