CITY OF WORCESTER

JOURNAL OF THE CITY COUNCIL

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Esther Howland Chamber

Convened: 7:10 P.M.

Adjourned: 8:40 P.M.

Mayor
Joseph C. O'Brien

www.worcesterma.gov

City Manager
Michael V. O'Brien

City Auditor
James A. DelSignore

Councilors

Order - That the City Council of the City of Worcester hereby approves the minutes of the City Council meeting of January 11, 2011.

Hearing for NATIONAL GRID and VERIZON NEW ENGLAND, INC. to install one jointly owned pole and remove one jointly owned pole location on : BRANDON ROAD

Granting permission of NATIONAL GRID and VERIZON NEW ENGLAND, INC. to install one jointly owned pole and remove one jointly owned pole location on : BRANDON ROAD

Mayor O'Brien read a Proclamation declaring Thursday, February 10, 2011 as Shen-Yun Day recognizing a traditional Chinese culture presentation to be held at the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Jane Kuang request sidewalk repair in front of 34 Beacon St.

Karen Santiago request Amesbury St. be resurfaced.

Deborah Taylor request to install handicap parking space in the Vinson St. side of 80 Stanton St.

Transmitting Informational Communication Relative to the Appointment of Peter Lukes as Chairperson of the City's License Commission.

Transmitting Informational Communication Relative to the Appointment of James Mirick to the G.A.R. Memorial Hall Board of Trustees.

Transmitting Informational Communication Relative to the Snow Removal Operations.

Transmitting Informational Communication Relative to the Governor's Proposed Budget Recommendation for Fiscal Year 2012.

Transmitting Informational Communication Relative to the Short- and Long-Term Savings Generated by Health Care Reform and the Adoption and Implementation of Section 18.

Transmitting Informational Communication Relative to the City's 2nd Quarter Fiscal Update.

SUPPLEMENTAL: Transmitting Informational Communication Relative to an Encumbrance from the Capital Equipment Account in the Amount of One Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars and No Cents ($150,000) for the Emergency Purchase of Snow Removal Equipment.

Recommend that Nineteen Thousand Four Hundred Forty Nine Dollars And No Cents ($19,449.00) be transferred from Loan Account #91C7341A, Sewer Capital Equipment, and be appropriated, when and as received, to Account #44C704, Sewer Capital Equipment, to allow for the purchase and future payment of a vehicle.

Recommend Adoption of a Loan Order in the Amount of One Hundred Twenty Five Thousand Dollars And No Cents ($125,000.00) be Appropriated to Account #91C7351B, Sewer Building Rehabilitation, to Fund the Construction and Rehabilitation of the Off-Season Storage Facility at the Millbury Street Storage Facility.

Recommend Adoption of a Loan Order in the Amount of One Hundred Twenty Five Thousand Dollars And No Cents ($125,000.00) be Appropriated to Account #91C7321A, Water Building Rehabilitation, to fund the Construction and Rehabilitation of the Off-Season Storage Facilty at the Millbury Street Storage Facility.

Recommend Adoption of the Amended Loan Order in the Amount of Four Million Seven Hundred Fifteen Thousand Dollars And No Cents ($4,715,000.00) for Citywide Building Rehabilitation.

Transmitting Informational Communication Relative to the 2011 Caffrey Memorial Award.

Transmitting Informational Communication Relative to a Grant Award to the City in the Amount of One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000) from the Commonwealth's Interagency on Housing and Homelessness.

Dr. Francesco Cesareo, President of Assumption College, transmitting communication regarding a Community Benefits Report.

Dr. Roberta Schaefer, President & CEO of the Worcester Regional Research Bureau, transmitting a communication relative to "Worcester's Bond Rating and the Recession: What's the City's Credit Score?'

REPORT OF THE PLANNING BOARD Upon the Communication of the City Manager relative to a discontinuance of a portion of highway laid out by Mass Highway on behalf of the City (Parcel C-5 abutting Rte. 146 and Tobias Boland Way).

REPORT OF THE PLANNING BOARD Upon the Petition of Robert Clark, Wildwood Development LLC, request to make public Rodi Circle.

REPORT OF THE PLANNING BOARD Upon the Order of Councilor Clancy requesting the Planning Board to consider changing the name of Foch Ave., a private street, to General Foch Ave.

Order of Mayor Joseph C. O'Brien - Request City Manager develop a comprehensive five or ten year plan for Watershed/Storm Water Management Plan that would involve: the development of rain gardens, swales, incentives for usage of impervious surfaces for parking lots, roads and walkways, policy changes that will help reduce storm water runoff in the city, and public education efforts to educate residential and business property owners as to how they can reduce storm water runoff. Further, request that he report to City Council concerning current efforts by the DPWP to prioritize rain garden locations in the city’s watershed areas. (Tabled - O'Brien January 25, 2011)

COMMUNICATION of the City Manager transmitting informational communication relative to the 2009 Leaf Collection Program. (Tabled - Haller June 1, 2010)

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRAFFIC AND PARKING Upon the Petition of Councilor Philip P. Palmieri and State Representative Vincent Pedone request to install a trailer truck ban in Mulberry St. between Shrewsbury St. and East Central St.: recommend the passage of the accompanying proposed Ordinance. (Tabled - Petty June 8, 2010)

Motion Haller @ #9.1A CM - Request City Clerk send a letter of appreciation to Kevin O'Sullivan on behalf of the City Council and the Mayor to thank him for his years of service and his fine work as a member of the License Commission and most recently as the Chair of the Commission.

Motion Rushton @ #9.14A CM - Request City Manager consider working with Mass DEP to explore the possible flexibility of allowing the city to dump excess snow into Lake Quinsigamond as it is being done in Boston Harbor.

Motion Palmieri @ #9.14A CM - Request City Manager consider the Minneapolis snow dragon machine for possible usefulness in Worcester and investigate its operational uses and cost/lease issues.

Motion Germain @ #9.14A CM - Request City Manager investigate the use of inexpensive de-icing applications as alternatives to the current use of road salt.

Motion Toomey @ #9.14A CM - Request City Manager consider investing collaboratively with other communities, regionalization, as a method for making a snow dragon more cost effective.

Motion Toomey @ #9.14A CM - Request City Manager post to the city's web site the circumference around the hydrants that is needed to be cleared for appropriate fire personnel to access the fire hydrant in times of need.

Motion Lukes @ #9.14A CM - Request City Manager report to City Council how other communities deal with identifying and locating fire hydrants in times of heavy snowfall. Further, request City Manager report to City Council if poles with flags for fire hydrants are available to be distributed and how a resident may obtain them.

Motion Haller @ #9.31C CM - Request City Manager provide City Council with a report regarding the differences between chart 7 relative to golf revenues benchmark and the reported golf revenues.

Motion Toomey @ #12a CC - Request City Manager provide City Council with a report concerning the impact homes that are not currently tied into the municipal sewer system have on waterways, how many homes use septic systems and the cost to have them tie in.

Motion Lukes @ #12a CC - Request City Manager consider as a condition to the TIF applications the requirement for impervious surfaces for parking lots, roads, and walkways.

Motion Rushton - Suspension of Rules - Request City Manager develop a task force to explore the possibility of drawing Pfizer to Worcester for announced research and development plans in an academic and entrepreneurial community in Massachusetts.

Motion Haller - Suspension of Rules - Request City Manager report to City Council the next steps to bring the former Pharmasphere parcel within the South Worcester Industrial Park into productivity.

Motion Clancy - Suspension of Rules - Request City Manager report to City Council plans regarding potential sites for the relocation of the WRTA facility; if there are plans to merge a site with MassDOT; is the Quinsigamond Ave. (the old Gas Works) site being discussed?; and to provide a list of other locations that may be shovel ready.

Motion Petty - Suspension of Rules - Request City Manager provide City Council with a recap of the number of real estate abatements requested, the dollars amounts requested, numbers of those granted or denied, and the amount of dollars granted as well as any other helpful information the City Assessor would like to provide.

Motion Haller - Suspension of Rules - Request City Manager update City Council concerning the status of the study from a consultant hired to make recommendations relative to the flooding in the Cambridge St., Southbridge St. and Quinsigamond Ave. area.