CITY OF WORCESTER

JOURNAL OF THE CITY COUNCIL

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Esther Howland Chamber

Convened: 7:00 P.M.

Adjourned: 7:52 P.M.

Mayor
Joseph M. Petty

www.worcesterma.gov

City Manager
Edward M. Augustus, Jr.

City Auditor
Robert V. Stearns

Councilors

Order - That the City Council of the City of Worcester hereby approves the minutes of the City Council Meeting of January 20, 2015.

RESOLUTION - That the City Council does hereby recognize and congratulate WCCA, its staff, participating members and Mauro DePasquale for the filming of the 1,000th episode of the program SOAPBOX which has empowered members of the community to communicate, advocate, inform and move ideas forward and for its 21 years of service and dedication to Worcester. (Lukes) (Adopted in City Council on February 3, 2015).

Hearing: NATIONAL GRID and VERIZON NEW ENGLAND, INC. for a joint pole location in: HURTLE AVE. Granting permission to NATIONAL GRID and VERIZON NEW ENGLAND, INC. for a joint pole location in: HURTLE AVE.

Mayor Petty recognized the following speaker: 1. Jo Hart, Worcester resident

John Dunbar request sidewalk repair in front of 116 Bay State Rd.

Councilor Tony Economou on behalf of F. Worth Landers et al request Briar Lane from Mountain Street East to the West Boylston line be widened and resurfaced.

Clara Savage request removal of "No Parking Anytime" in front of 12 Dustin St.

Sriranjani Padmanabhan et al request improvement to the traffic environment at the intersection of Lincoln St., Shattuck St., Burncoat St., and Brittan Lane to rectify safety inadequacies at this intersection such as painted crosswalks with walk and do not walk signals, clear and obvious signage to indicate the rules of the roadways, and ideally a stop light to allow for an organized flow of traffic and safe pedestrian transit.

Steve Boucher request speed limit of Carter Rd. be reduced to 20 MPH, with installation of signage stating the same.

NSTAR for a gas main location in: LINCOLN ST. AND BOYLSTON ST.

Jo Hart request the Mayor immediately hold a full and well publicized public meeting with the full city government and Police Chief, mediated by the Commissioner of Public Health, to explore and improve current city initiatives for and against Worcester's homeless population with a full question and answer between the public and city officials.

Jo Hart request the Mayor and City Manager or any other public office holder publicly post any meetings established concerning items of public interest, such as Elm Park, refugee/immigration or police/protest/race issues so the public will be notified and can attend whether or not these meetings are held at City Hall or elsewhere.

Request City Manager report to City Council concerning funds received from the cable franchise license regarding the following: (1) any and all “surplus funds” or the like from the government and educational channels that are unused, being held or set aside for any purpose from 2006 to present; (2) the amount of yearly funds received from the cable franchise license fee and a breakdown of the distribution of said funds from 2006 to present; (3) copy of any and all city administration, Public Service and Transportation and Cable Advisory reports relating to the current cable franchise agreement and WCCA TV13. (Gaffney)

Request City Manager provide City Council with a cost estimate to purchase sound level meters, and all costs and expenses to train the police personnel in the use of the meters to ensure compliance with local ordinance Chapter 9§1A. (Gaffney)

Request City Manager report to City Council concerning the process used by the city in timely permitting and approving the work done by private companies that are installing solar panels on city homes. (Rosen)

Request City Manager consider additional means for removal of snow piles on connector and side streets as a result of the continuous snow storms city is enduring using best practices in place in other cities. (Palmieri)

Request City Manager report on the efficiency of the parking program at the Worcester Public Library parking lot. (Lukes)

Request City Manager report on the public health policy regarding the potential measles outbreak and further, report what is the state and city wide policy regarding vaccinations. (Lukes)

Request City Manager consider other publicly owned properties for snow dumping because of continuous and pending storms. (Palmieri)

Request City Manager consider revising the bid specifications for future trash bag purchases so that they are stronger and larger. (Palmieri)

Richard Doucette, Federal Aviation Administration New England Region, transmitting Draft Environmental Assessment for the Worcester Regional Airport Runway CAT-III ILS and Taxiway Project.

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRAFFIC AND PARKING Upon the Petition of Barbara Garcia on behalf of Dacian Tirado request installation of handicap parking space in front of 191 Chino Ave.: recommend passage of the accompanying proposed Ordinance.

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRAFFIC AND PARKING Upon the Petition of Felix Burgos request installation of a handicap parking space in front of 9 Winslow St.: recommend passage of the accompanying proposed Ordinance.

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRAFFIC AND PARKING Upon the Petition of Michael Varney and Anna Confer request installation of handicap parking space across from 47 Providence St.: recommend passage of the accompanying proposed Ordinance.

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRAFFIC AND PARKING Upon the Petition of Haitham Ghazi request installation of a handicap parking space in front of 104 Southgate St.: recommend passage of the accompanying proposed Ordinance.

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRAFFIC AND PARKING Upon the Petition of Michael Nickerson request handicap parking space in front of 21-23 Hollywood St. be removed: recommend passage of the accompanying proposed Ordinance.

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRAFFIC AND PARKING Upon the Petition of Mary O'Toole request installation of two (2) handicap parking spaces on the north side of Leon St. along the side of 186-188 Ingleside Ave.: recommend passage of the accompanying proposed Ordinance to install one space.

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRAFFIC AND PARKING Upon the Petition of Michel Ermani request removal of handicap parking space in front of 3 Flower St.: recommend passage of the accompanying proposed Ordinance.

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRAFFIC AND PARKING Upon the Petition of Mike Hargrove et al request installation of "No Parking" signs on the east side of Edward St. from the corner of Belmont St. and Edward St. to the driveway of the building servicing 116 Belmont St.: recommend passage of the accompanying proposed Ordinance.

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRAFFIC AND PARKING Upon the Communication of the City Manager transmitting informational communication relative to the creation of a Taxi Stand at the Union Station Intermodal Facility: recommend passage of the accompanying proposed Ordinance to provide for a taxicab stand on Harding St. adjacent to the WRTA Bus Hub.

RESOLUTION of Mayor Joseph C. O'Brien - That the City Council of the City of Worcester hereby goes on record in support of the Administration’s efforts to negotiate the maximum hiring of local residents in Tax Increment Financing agreements and other tools used to attract business and to expand our tax base. (Tabled - O'Brien September 13, 2011)

COMMUNICATION of the City Manager transmitting informational communication relative to Out of State Residents Working on Local Projects and Not Meeting the State's Health Care Mandates. (Tabled Under Privilege - O'Brien August 14, 2012 and Tabled - Lukes September 4, 2012)

COMMUNICATION of the City Manager transmitting communication relative to parking meters at Rockwood Field. (Tabled Under Privilege - Eddy December 10, 2013 and Tabled December 17, 2013)

ORDER of Councilor Konstantina B. Lukes request City Manager request the School Department share in the cost for providing police services during the presidential visit. (Tabled Under Privilege - Lukes June 17, 2014 and Tabled July 22, 2014)

COMMUNICATION of the City Manager transmitting informational communication relative to the number of properties in areas surrounding Holy Cross, Clark University, Becker College and WPI that are listed as having true four-bedroom units. (Tabled - Bergman August 19, 2014)

PETITION of Frank Kartheiser et al on behalf of the Worcester Community-Labor Coalition request City Council hold public hearings starting in October on charter change and that at the conclusion of the hearings the Council takes a vote on holding an election to let the voters decide Worcester's future form of government. (Tabled Under Privilege - Lukes August 19, 2014 and Tabled - Petty September 16, 2014)

COMMUNICATION of the City Manager recommending approval of Legislation to Impose a Fine on Motorists that Damage a Bridge that is marked with a Height Restriction. (Tabled - Bergman December 2, 2014)

COMMUNICATION of the City Manager transmitting informational communication relative to the Brittan Square Parking Lot. (Tabled - Palmieri January 7, 2015 and January 13, 2015)

ORDER of Councilor Morris A. Bergman - Request City Manager provide information from the City Solicitor as to what steps are available to enforce breaches of the Services Agreement with Laz Parking Limited, LLC in regards to City owned parking garages, specifically the Federal Plaza Parking Garage. (Tabled - Petty January 7, 2015, Tabled Under Privilege - Bergman January 13, 2015 and Tabled - Bergman January 20, 2015)

ORDER of Councilor Morris A. Bergman, Councilor Tony Economou and Councilor George J. Russell - Request City Manager provide information from the City Assessor, Chief Financial Officer and City Solicitor as to the assessed real property values of all City owned parking garages, the amount of debt, if any, the anticipated repairs and/or capital improvements costs for fiscal year(s) 2015/2016 and the existing lease commitments/terms for spaces in these garages. (Tabled - Petty January 7, 2015, Tabled Under Privilege - Bergman January 13, 2015 and Tabled - Bergman January 20, 2015)

Motion Lukes @ #10c CC – Request City Manager report to City Council regarding the status of the FY2015 Snow Removal Budget and the Sand and Salt Budget, as well as any possible means the City is looking into for financial assistance for possible future snow removal.

Motion Bergman @ #10c CC – Request City Manager meet with Commissioner of Public Works and Parks as well as representatives from the other Top Five Snowiest Cities at the conclusion of the 2014-2015 Winter Season to discuss their snow removal practices, budget protocols and how they finance for the purchasing of new equipment.

Motion Rivera – Suspension of Rules – Request City Manager request Commissioner of Public Works and Parks remove the snow to widen the entrance of Piedmont St. were it intersects with Main St.

Motion Rivera – Suspension of Rules – Request City Manager ensure crosswalks are cleared of snow and provide enforcement of the clearing of these crosswalk entrances, especially the ones in the vicinity of schools, such as Chandler Elementary Community School, Elm Park Community School, Goddard School of Science and Technology, University Park Campus, Woodland Academy and Claremont Academy.

Motion Rivera – Suspension of Rules – Request City Manager convene a group of providers and leaders who work with the homeless population in the City, specifically in regards to the unaccompanied adults, to meet and explore capacity issues related to shelters and the feasibility of a day resources program.

PETITION – Mayor Joseph M. Petty request installation of Truck Ban signage in Franklin St.

PETITION – Mayor Joseph M. Petty request installation of Truck Ban signage in Norfolk St.

PETITION – Mayor Joseph M. Petty request installation of Truck Ban signage in Villa Nova St.

PETITION – Mayor Joseph M. Petty request installation of Truck Ban signage in Orient St.

Motion Gaffney – Suspension of Rules – Request City Manager report to City Council regarding the cost estimate for the cutting of the 5,000 trees in Green Hill Park and disclosure of the contractor hired to complete the cutting.