The Everett City Council voted Thursday, February 26 to borrow $1,234,108 to rebuild Fuller Street Park in North Everett, 8-0, and put off a companion $1,326,928 loan for Chelsea Street Park until the administration delivers a citywide parks plan. The meeting, which Councilor Wayne Matewsky opened in the chair until Council President Stephanie Smith arrived, also confirmed the first of Mayor Robert Van Campen’s department heads.
Two parks, one vote
Ward 2 Councilor Anthony DiPierro said Fuller Street is “one of the last playgrounds to be completed in this community” and “currently in deplorable shape.” Matewsky said he voted for the last Fuller Street rebuild 30 years ago, when it cost $1 million and then-Councilwoman Rose Lacourse pushed it through, and that playground equipment is expensive because every piece must meet federal safety rules. On Chelsea Street Park, which he described as a dog park “where you gotta kinda hold your nose as you walk by,” he and Councilor Michele Capone, who took her own children there, spoke in favor but agreed to postpone to March 23 so Councilor Peter Pietrantonio could see the overall parks plan the council requested. Councilor Katy Rogers counted at least 25 amenities in the design. Maria Malchiono and Lillian Gorham told the council borrowing $3 million for two parks after a large tax increase was irresponsible. “If this is how you do your finances at home, you buy your kid a new swing set instead of paying your electric bill,” Malchiono said.
Appointees confirmed
Robert Knox Jr. as executive director of city services, Jaclyn Munson as city solicitor, Ellen Collins as human resources director, Tawana Pessoa to the planning board and David Hila to the housing authority board were confirmed together, 8-1, with Councilor Vivian Nguyen voting no. Confirmation of Monica Lamboy as chief development officer and Omar Boukili as chief administrative and financial officer was postponed to March 23 because the administrative code changes creating their departments need a public hearing first.
Money
- The schools’ request to repurpose $1,028,000 in leftover capital funds for Whittier bathrooms and district-wide roof, elevator and floor repairs passed 8-1, Capone opposed. Assistant Superintendent Chris Barrett said several million dollars more in approved school capital projects remain in progress, including $2 million for Whittier School HVAC.
- $85,000 moved into health department salaries for nurse overtime. The department now has 21 full-time nurses and no longer uses contract nurses from Cataldo, the clerk’s committee report said.
- A $50,000 Massachusetts Clean Energy Center grant for preliminary design of a rebuilt Connolly Center and a $50,000 state fire services radio grant were accepted 9-0.
Rules and new business
The council adopted a rule change clarifying how seniority is determined. Rogers proposed replacing the two separate two-minute public comment lists, agenda and non-agenda, with a single three-minute turn per speaker at the start of the meeting, as the school committee does; she cited a resident with a disability who had to wait until the end of the last meeting to speak about snow. It went to Legislative Affairs. Councilor Stephanie Martins filed an ordinance “promoting fair labor standards and preventing wage theft,” with Nguyen, Rogers, DiPierro, Matewsky and Holly Garcia as cosponsors; it also went to Legislative Affairs. Martins and Smith asked the DPW to answer written questions on snow removal at the Government Operations committee. Malchiono said 15 to 20 cars, some belonging to city employees, park illegally in the Broadway bus lane every morning before 9 and are never ticketed. Rogers announced a planning board meeting on data centers for Monday, March 2.
Previous council meeting (January 13): New Everett Council Opens the Year With a Data Center Ban, a Summons for the Assessor Over Tax Bills, and a Demand to See the Kraft and Wynn Deals
