--------- FOR THE RECORD. MY NAME IS ENRIQUE PEPEN DISTRICT FIVE BOSTON CITY COUNCILOR AND I'M THE CHAIR OF THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON CITY SERVICES INNOVATION TECHNOLOGY
TODAY'S AUGUST 12TH, 2025 THE EXACT TIME IS 10:16 A.M. THIS HEARING IS BEING RECORDED AND IS ALSO BEING LIVESTREAMED AT BOSTON OUR GOV CITY COUNCIL TV
AND BROADCAST ON EXPANDING CHANNEL EIGHT RCN CHANNEL 82 FILES CHANNEL 964 RATING COMMENTS MAY BE SENT TO THE COMMITTEE EMAIL US I.T AT
BOSTON NOT A GOV AND WILL BE MADE PART OF THE RECORD AND AVAILABLE TO ALL COUNCILORS. PUBLIC TESTIMONY WILL BE TAKEN AT THE END OF THIS HEARING. INDIVIDUALS WILL BE CALLED ON IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY
SIGNED UP AND WILL HAVE 2 MINUTES TO TESTIFY IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN TESTIFYING IN PERSON PLEASE ADD YOUR NAME TO THE SIGN UP SHEET NEAR THE ENTRANCE OF THE CHAMBER. IF YOU'RE LOOKING TO TESTIFY VIRTUALLY PLEASE EMAIL OUR
CENTER STAFF LIAISON MEGHAN MEGHAN CARUSO BOSTON OUR GOV FOR THE LINK AND YOUR NAME WILL BE ADDED TO THE LIST. TODAY'S HEARING IS ON DOCKET NUMBER 0772.
ORDER FOR A HEARING TO ACCESS AND ENHANCED ACCESSIBILITY AND SAFETY OF BOSTON SIDEWALKS FOR ALL RESIDENTS THIS MATTER WAS SPONSORED BY COUNCILORS AARON MURPHY, ED FLYNN AND MYSELF AND
RICK PEPEN AND WAS REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE ON APRIL 2ND, 2025. TODAY I'M JOINED BY MY COLLEAGUES IN ORDER OF ARRIVAL
COUNCILOR MURPHY AND MYSELF WE ALSO HAVE SOME PANELISTS. WE HAVE COMMISSIONER KRISTEN MCCOSH, WE HAVE CHIEF OF ST JOSHUA FRANKLIN HODGE AND WE HAVE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STREETS JULIA CAMPBELL.
SO WHAT I'LL DO IS I'LL PASS OVER TO THE SPONSOR FOR OPENING REMARKS. THANK YOU, THANK YOU CHAIR PEPEN AND THANK YOU ALSO I KNOW
THAT WE FILED SIMILAR HEARING ORDERS AND JOINED TOGETHER TO WORK TOGETHER ON A MATTER THAT AFFECTS ALL ALL OF THE COUNCILS. WE GET LOTS OF CALLS AND EMAILS
ALL THE TIME ABOUT STREET CONCERNS SO I DO WANT TO BEGIN FIRST THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. I APPRECIATE YOU AND LOOKING FORWARD TO THE CONVERSATION AND THE INFORMATION YOU CAN SHARE WITH US.
AND I ALSO WANT TO BEGIN BY THANKING ALL THE PUBLIC WORKS EVERYONE WHO WORKS IN THE STREET CABINET AND ALL OUR CITY WORKERS WHO ARE OUT THERE EVERY DAY WORKING HARD. I SEE THEM. I KNOW THEY ARE YOU CAN JUST
LAST WEEK THE MY MY DAD HAD FALLEN AND THE NEXT MORNING IT WAS ABOUT 630. I WAS DRIVING BY JUST TO CHECK IN AND I ALREADY SAW A GROUP OF YOU KNOW, THREE PUBLIC WORKS RIGHT THERE ON WESTMORELAND
PATCHING UP THE SIDEWALK AND I GOT OUT AND I TALKED TO THEM. SO IT WAS JUST GREAT TO SEE, YOU KNOW AND IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO TALK TO OUR CITY WORKERS WHO SOMETIMES WE'RE HERE IN THE CHAMBER AND WE'RE UPLIFTING
CONCERNS AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO HEAR AND HAVE HEART CONVERSATIONS BUT I DON'T EVER WANT TO GET THAT LOST AND MAKE ANY CITY WORKER FEEL AS THOUGH THIS IN ANY WAY IS AGAINST
THEIR HARD WORK. BUT BOSTON HAS A LEGAL AND MORAL OBLIGATION TO MAKE EVERY SIDEWALK SAFE AND ACCESSIBLE FOR OUR SENIORS PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, PARENTS WITH
STROLLERS IN EVERY PEDESTRIAN IN EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD. I MEAN 2021 THE CITY ENTERED INTO A CONSENT DECREE COMMITTING TO INSTALL OR UPGRADE AN AVERAGE OF 1630 CURB
RAMPS PER YEAR UNTIL EVERY CORNER MEETS FEDERAL ADA STANDARDS. THAT COMMITMENT WAS A PROMISE OF EQUITY AND MOBILITY NOT JUST A CONSTRUCTION TARGET.
IT'S DISABILITY IS NOT JUST A MATTER OF CONVENIENCE IT IS ABOUT FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE FOR MANY AND I'VE SAID THIS MANY TIMES FOR ME IF I HAVE TO WALK AROUND A BROKEN SIDEWALK OR AN OBSTRUCTED STREET IT MAY
BE A BIT OF AN INCONVENIENCE BUT FOR SOME IT BLOCKS THEIR ABILITY TO YOU KNOW, THEIR FREEDOM AND THEIR ABILITY TO GET MOVE AROUND. THESE INCIDENTS WERE NOT MINOR INCONVENIENCES.
THEY WERE PREVENTABLE HAZARDS THAT LIMITED ALSO ACCESSIBILITY IS NOT JUST A MATTER OF CONVENIENCE AND I'VE SEEN THIS FIRSTHAND IN THE PAST TWO MONTHS MY FATHER FELL TWICE ON
THE SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF HIS HOUSE AND THEY WERE NOT A MINOR INCONVENIENCES. THEY WERE PREVENTABLE HAZARDS THAT LIMITED HIS MOBILITY AND INDEPENDENCE. TOO MANY RESIDENTS FACE SIMILAR
RISKS EVERY DAY AND WE MUST ACT BEFORE ACCIDENTS OCCUR AND MOST RESIDENTS NOT SURE IF YOU KNOW BUT JUST TO KIND OF SET THE STAGE FIRST BOSTON FACES 800
MILLION SIDEWALK REPAIR BACKLOG CREATING WIDESPREAD HAZARDS CITYWIDE AND THE CITY RECEIVES ROUGHLY 5700 SIDEWALK DEFECT REPORTS EVERY YEAR THROUGH 311
DESPITE THE 2120 21 CONSENT DECREE, ADA COMPLIANCE REMAINS INCOMPLETE WITH A LEGAL OBLIGATION TO FINISH BY 2030. SO I'M HOPING TODAY IN THAT CONVERSATION WE CAN SEE HOW WE'RE GOING TO MEET THAT MARK
AND WHAT SUPPORTS WE CAN GIVE ON THE COUNCIL TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT HAPPENS. SO MY GOAL TODAY IS SIMPLE SURFACE WHAT'S WORKING, IDENTIFY WHAT IS IN AND ENSURE A TRANSPARENT PLAN WITH
TIMELINES AND OUTCOMES SO EVERY RESIDENT CAN SAFELY MOVE THROUGH THEIR COMMUNITY WITH DIGNITY AND INDEPENDENCE. SO THANK YOU AND LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS CONVERSATION WITH MY COLLEAGUES. THANK YOU COUNCILOR MURPHY I
WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE HAVE BEEN JOINED ALSO BY COUNCILOR DURKAN AND COUNCILOR FITZGERALD. WE'RE DOING OPENING REMARKS NOW SO WE'RE GOING TO CALL SOME
DURKAN THANK YOU SO MUCH CHAIR AND THANK YOU TO DEPUTY CAMPBELL AND BOTH OUR COMMISSIONER AND CHIEF FOR BEING HERE. I THINK WE'VE HAD GREAT
PARTNERSHIP WITH MY OFFICE. I, I KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE COMING FOR DISTRICT EIGHT AND INCLUDING THE FINALLY REALIZED
ADA IMPROVEMENTS OF THE BEACON HILL RAMPS WHICH WERE OUR LONG AWAITED AND I KNOW ARE BEING WORKED ON I JUST WANT TO SHOUT OUT THE FOLKS THAT ARE WORKING
ON THIS EVERY SINGLE DAY. I THINK DANNY, ME AND NORMAN PARKS I'M LIKE EMAILING ALL THE TIME. I JUST WANT TO THANK THEM FOR ALL THEIR WORK. I KNOW WE DID AN AUDIT OF THE BACK BAY ALLEYS WHICH I KNOW
ARE YOU KNOW HUGE PEDESTRIAN CUT THRUS INTO CITY SO SO JUST EXCITED TO DIG INTO THAT A BIT BUT I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL THAT YOU DO TO KEEP
OUR SIDEWALKS OUR STREETS SAFE . I KNOW WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED A LOT IN THE TWO YEARS I'VE BEEN ON THE COUNCIL IN DISTRICT EIGHT BUT I KNOW THERE'S MORE WORK TO
DO AND EXCITED TO CONTINUE TO PARTNER WITH YOU IN THAT WORK. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR DURKAN
COUNCILOR FITZGERALD AND I ALSO WANTING LAUNCH THAT WE'VE BEEN JOINED BY COUNCILOR FLYNN. THANK YOU CHAIR AND THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TODAY. MOST OF MY MARKS FOR QUESTIONS BUT I THANK YOU ALL FOR SHOWING
UP AND LOOK FORWARD TO THE PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR FITZGERALD COUNCILOR FLYNN THANK YOU MR CHAIR AND THANK YOU TO COUNCILOR MURPHY FOR ADDING
ME AS A CO-SPONSOR. THANK YOU TO THE ADMINISTRATION TEAM THAT IS HERE AS WELL. I KNOW FOR YEARS THE CITY WAS UNDER COURT ORDER TO PUT HAVE
TO PUT MUCH OF ITS FOCUS ON HANDICAPPED RAMPS TO GET IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECES OF FEDERAL LEGISLATION
IN MY OPINION. OVER THE YEARS I HAVE ADVOCATED FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF SIDEWALKS ALL ACROSS MY DISTRICT INCLUDING CHINATOWN, THE OTHER DISTRICT DOWNTOWN
BOSTON ON STATE STREET ON SUMMER STREET ON CONGRESS STREET SWEEPER STREET, FORT POINT NEIGHBORHOOD THROUGHOUT SOUTH BOSTON AS WELL CHINATOWN PARTICULARLY A DENSE
NEIGHBORHOOD WITH A LOT OF PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC NEEDS, A LOT OF WORK WITH SIDEWALK REPAIR AND IMPROVEMENT. WE HAVE SENIORS IN THE COMMUNITY WITH CANES IN WALKERS
WHO LIKE TO GET THEIR EXERCISE WALKING TO THE STORE TO BUY THEIR GROCERIES, TO SEE THEIR FRIENDS. I'M ALWAYS WORRIED ABOUT THE UNEVEN SURFACES OF SOME OF OUR
SIDEWALKS IN CHINATOWN, ESPECIALLY ON BEACH STREET. I KNOW THIS I'M PROBABLY IN CHINATOWN FOUR OR FIVE DAYS A WEEK. I KNOW THERE IS MONEY IN THE
CAPITAL BUDGET ALLOCATED FOR SOME OF THESE REPAIRS IN CHINATOWN AND CONGRESS AND SLEEPY STREETS THAT HAVE HAVE ADVOCATED FOR FOR YEARS IN THAT THEY'RE ALSO CURRENTLY IN
DESIGN. I'M HOPEFUL WE CAN GET AN UPDATE AT THIS HEARING ON THE STATUS OF THAT AS WELL. WE ARE FORTUNATE TO LIVE IN A CITY THAT IS RELATIVELY FLAT AND WALKABLE. IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT THAT OUR
SIDEWALKS ARE REGULAR, REGULARLY MAINTAINED AND IN GOOD REPAIR TO ENSURE ACCESSIBILITY FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES FOR OUR SENIORS,
SAFETY OF OUR RESIDENTS, FAMILIES WITH STROLLERS AS WELL . I WANT TO FINISH MY OPENING COMMENTS BY ACKNOWLEDGING COMMISSIONER CORSI DO AN
EXCEPTIONAL JOB TREMENDOUSLY TO NOT JUST HEAR IN BOSTON BUT REALLY ACROSS THE ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IT'S PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
EQUAL ACCESS TO EVERYBODY BUT ALSO THIS ISSUE LIKE LIKE FOR EVERYBODY ELSE'S IS PERSONAL TO ME WITH WITH MY PARENTS PARENTS
THAT ARE ELDERLY AND DISABLED TOO AND THEY CARE FOR A SPECIAL NEEDS GRANDCHILD. THEY'RE WALKING THE NEIGHBORHOODS OF SOUTH BOSTON
ALL THE TIME AND THEY'RE HAVING A VERY DIFFICULT TIME WITH OUR SIDEWALKS AND CROSSING THE STREETS ON PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ISSUES AS WELL.
SO THESE ISSUES ARE IMPORTANT TO RESIDENTS. THEY'RE IMPORTANT TO OUR SENIORS, THEY'RE IMPORTANT TO PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AND YOUNG FAMILIES WITH LITTLE KIDS. SO IT'S NOT ABOUT CRITICISM.
IT'S ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER, RESPECTING EACH OTHER, WORKING TO ENSURE THAT THIS IS A CITY FOR EVERYBODY. THANK YOU, MR CHAIRMAN. THANK YOU, COUNSELOR. ALL RIGHT. SO JUST REAL QUICKLY THEN, COUNCILMAN MURPHY, FOR LEADING
THIS DOCUMENT FOR INCLUDING MYSELF AND COUNCILOR FLYNN AS CO-SPONSORS, THANK YOU TO OUR PANELISTS FOR BEING HERE TO SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND THANK YOU TO ALL THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS WHO RAISED THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS ISSUE TO MYSELF AND THEIR COUNCILORS AND
CITY DEPARTMENTS. I LOOK FORWARD TO THE COMMON CONVERSATIONS THEY LIKE TO NOW GIVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO THE SPONSORS SORRY TO THE PANELISTS TO DO THEIR OPENING PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH CHAIR CAPTAIN AND COUNCILORS THANK YOU FOR THE OPENING REMARKS AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE TODAY. THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT
ISSUE FOR THE CITY AND THE ADMINISTRATION AND SO I WANTED TO JUST WALK THROUGH A LITTLE BIT OF INTRODUCTION TO THE CITY SIDEWALK PROGRAM AND HOW WE THINK ABOUT IT, HOW WE WORK TO
IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF SIDEWALKS IN THE CITY AS WELL AS SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT COME ALONG WITH THIS WORK. SO I THINK AS OTHERS HAVE SAID, SIDEWALKS ARE A CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE CITY
OF BOSTON. AND COUNCILOR MURPHY, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR FRAMING OF THIS AS THROUGH THAT LENS OF DIGNITY AND INDEPEND AND BECAUSE THESE ARE NOT JUST PIECES
OF CONCRETE, THESE ARE THESE ARE WAYS THAT PEOPLE ACCESS THE WORLD AROUND THEM AND WHEN THEY FAIL TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THOSE PEOPLE REGARDLESS OF THEIR ABILITY, THEIR AGE, WE ARE
FAILING TO GIVE EVERYONE THE DIGNITY AND INDEPENDENCE THAT THEY DESERVE IN THE CITY. SO I APPRECIATE YOU FRAMING IT THAT WAY. I ALSO HOPE THAT YOUR FATHER IS RECOVERING WELL FROM HIS
INJURIES. SO AS WE THINK ABOUT THE SIDEWALKS, THERE ARE MORE THAN 600 MILES OF SIDEWALK IN THE CITY. LAST YEAR WE SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED THE AMOUNT
OF SIDEWALK RECONSTRUCTION THAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO REPAIRING MORE THAN 16 MILES OF SIDEWALK WHICH IS DOUBLE THE AVERAGE OF THE PREVIOUS THREE YEARS. WE MEASURE THE QUALITY OF OUR
SIDEWALKS WITH LOOKING AT SIDEWALK AND SOMETHING CALLED THE SIDEWALK CONDITION INDEX. THIS IS AN ESTABLISHED MECHANISM FOR EVALUATING INDIVIDUAL SEGMENTS OF SIDEWALK
AND WE CAN ROLL THAT INTO SOMETHING LIKE THE HEAT MAP THAT YOU SEE WHICH REPRESENTS THE OVERALL CONDITION OF SIDEWALKS ACROSS THE CITY. YOU'RE LOOKING AT A ZOOMED OUT VIEW.
WELL THIS IS VALUABLE DATA AND IS USEFUL FOR PRIORITIZING OUR WORK. IT IS ALSO A VERY TRADITIONAL WAY OF MEASURING SIDEWALK PERFORMANCE HISTORICALLY THE
CITY HAS UPDATED THIS DATA ONCE EVERY FIVE YEARS. WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF PUTTING OUT AN RFP FOR A NEW ASSET MANAGEMENT CONTRACT THAT WILL USE MORE MODERN AND FREQUENT DATA COLLECTION APPROACHES TO
PROVIDE US MORE REAL TIME AND PRECISE DATA ABOUT SIDEWALK CONDITION ISSUES IN THE CITY. FUNDAMENTALLY THOUGH, THE CHALLENGE THAT WE HAVE IS ABOUT INVESTMENT.
WE HAVE A CURRENT ESTIMATED AS A BLESSING COUNCILOR AS A COUNCILOR, MURPHY SAID WE HAVE A CURRENT ESTIMATED $800 MILLION BACKLOG IN STATE OF GOOD REPAIR ISSUES.
THIS IS A MAINTENANCE BACKLOG THAT GOES BACK DECADES. THIS BACKLOG WAS ESTIMATED IN 2017 AT $500 MILLION. IT HAS OBVIOUSLY INCREASED AND
WE'LL TALK ABOUT COST IN A MOMENT WHICH IS ONE OF THE BIG FACTORS IN THAT. WITH THAT SAID, WE ARE ALLOCATING MORE MONEY THAN EVER TOWARDS DOING REPAIRS TO OUR
SIDEWALKS, LOOKING AT OUR STATE OF GOOD REPAIR CAPITAL PROGRAMS. WE HAVE MORE THAN $90 MILLION PLAN TO ADVANCE SIDEWALK AND RAMP RECONSTRUCTION IN THE CURRENT CAPITAL PLAN.
IN ADDITION TO THIS, MANY OF OUR LARGER CAPITAL PROJECTS INCLUDE SUBSTANTIAL SIDEWALK WORK IN SOME CASES THIS IS THE LARGEST SINGLE LINE ITEM ON
MANY OF OUR CAPITAL PROJECTS AND SO THERE IS ANOTHER $100 MILLION IN PROJECTS THAT INCLUDE SUBSTANTIAL SIDEWALK RECONSTRUCTION ON TOP OF THE FOCUSED STATE OF GOOD REPAIR
WORK FOR FY 26, THE DEDICATED STATE OF GOOD REPAIR CONTRACTS ARE VALUED AT 18 MILLION AND AGAIN THERE ARE ALSO ADDITIONAL PROJECTS UNDERWAY THAT WILL BRING SUBSTANTIAL SIDEWALK
IMPROVEMENTS SO TO SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO OUR PROCESS THERE'S DIFFERENT APPROACHES THAT WE TAKE BASED ON THE PARTICULAR SITUATION. OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT SIDEWALKS ARE SAFE AND
ACCESSIBLE AS POSSIBLE AND SO WHEN WE BECOME AWARE OF A DEFECT IN THE SIDEWALK, THE FIRST THING THAT WE DO IS MAKE SAFE WORK. THIS IS WHAT YOU SEE SHOWN HERE. THIS IS INTENDED TO BE A
TEMPORARY IMPROVEMENT. RARELY DOES IT DOES IT SORT OF FIXED IN A IN A ROBUST WAY IN THE SIDEWALK BUT IT CAN IT CAN REDUCE TRIPPING HAZARDS AND ACCESSIBILITY HAZARDS BY USING
ASPHALT AND OTHER TEMPORARY MATERIALS. THAT'S A PATCH FOR MINOR REPAIRS. WE PUT THIS INTO A REPAIR QUEUE. THIS IS A THERE IS A THERE'S A BACKLOG IN THIS QUEUE BUT THIS
IS BASICALLY THE WORK THAT WE DO AS LIKE SPOT REPAIRS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. WE HAVE IN RECENT YEARS THE SWITCH TO FOCUS MUCH OF OUR EFFORT ON FULL SIDEWALK
RESTORATION USING NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERED CONTRACTS AND THIS IS THE SORT OF PROACTIVE SIDE OF THE SIDEWALK WORK WHEREAS YOU KNOW THE SMALL REPAIRS TEND TO BE REACTIVE BASED ON THREE
ON ONE REQUESTS WE ARE FOCUSING ON DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS. WE HAVE FIVE CONTRACTS NEIGHBORHOOD WIDE CONTRACTS EACH YEAR FOR CONCRETE AND ONE BRICK AND WE MOVE THESE AROUND
THE CITY TO TARGET THE HOTSPOTS WHERE OUR DATA SHOWS US WE HAVE THE HIGHEST RATE OF SIDEWALK DEFECTS IN THE PROCESS WE OFTEN PICK UP AND CLOSE OUT MANY OF THE BACKLOG THREE ON ONE AND
MINOR REPAIR REQUESTS. LOOKING AT LAST YEAR WE HAD THESE CONTRACTS THIS IS WHERE THE FIVE CONTRACTS WERE LAST YEAR. ONE OF THE NEW THINGS WE HAVE
DONE IS TO ADD A DEDICATED BRICK REPAIR CONTRACT BUT HISTORICALLY THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THE CITY HAS EVER DONE AND YOU NOW HAVE THAT EACH YEAR IN ADDITION TO OUR FOUR NEIGHBORHOOD FOCUSED SIDEWALK
CONTRACTS BEYOND THE NEIGHBORHOOD CONTRACTS THOUGH WE ALSO HAVE A SIX CITYWIDE CRM CONTRACT TWO EXCUSE ME CITYWIDE CRM CONTRACTS. THESE ALLOW US TO TARGET REPAIR
ISSUES WHEREVER THEY COME UP TO WORK THROUGH THAT MINOR REPAIR QUEUE BACKLOG TO REPLACE INDIVIDUAL FLAGS TO DEAL WITH TREE LIFTS TO REPLACE A STRETCH OF SIDEWALK THAT MAY HAVE DEGRADED THESE CONTRACTS WORK
IN EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD ACROSS THE CITY IN ADDITION TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOCUSED ONES THAT WE HAD PREVIOUSLY LISTED AS HAS BEEN MENTIONED BY SEVERAL OF THE COUNCILORS, ONE OF THE
IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF THIS OVERALL PROGRAM IS OUR ADA RAMPS ARE PEDESTRIAN RAMPS AS COUNCILOR FLYNN MENTIONED IN 2021 WE ENTERED INTO A CONSENT DECREE THAT OBLIGATES THE CITY
TO BRING CURB RAMPS INTO A STATE OF GOOD REPAIR. WE HAVE NOT HIT THE TARGET THAT WE HAVE SET MOST YEARS SINCE THEN.
WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK UNDERWAY. WE'RE HAPPY TO SHARE UPDATES ON IT TO TRY TO IMPROVE THE VOLUME OF RAMPS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DELIVER BUT I WILL SAY THAT THE TARGET THAT THE CITY SIGNED UP
FOR IN 2021 IS VERY AGGRESSIVE AND WHEN WE LOOK RELATIVE TO MANY OF OUR PEER CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHO ARE UNDER SIMILAR CONSENT DECREES, BOSTON STANDS OUT FOR THE LARGE VOLUME
OF RAMPS THAT WE'RE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE EACH YEAR THIS IS COMPLICATED BY THE FACT THAT MANY OF THE CURB RAMPS THAT WE WORK WITH ARE IN LOCATIONS THAT HAVE SUBSTANTIAL ENGINEERING COMPLEXITY.
WE ARE A CITY FILLED WITH NARROW SIDEWALKS AND HILLS AND PRODUCING ADA COMPLIANT CURB RAMPS IN THOSE CONDITIONS IS A SPECIAL ENGINEERING CHALLENGE. SO THIS HAS BEEN A PRIMARY
FOCUS OF THE TEAM OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS TO BUILD UP OUR CAPACITY TO DO THIS WORK. AT THE SAME TIME IT IS IMPORTANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT RAMPS AND SIDEWALKS REQUIRE MONEY AND CONTRACTOR CAPACITY
AS WELL AS STAFF CAPACITY. OUR GOAL IS NOT TO PUT THESE THINGS IN COMPETITION WITH EACH OTHER BUT AS A PRACTICAL MATTER WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO ALLOCATE OUR FINITE RESOURCES SO THAT WE CAN WALK AND CHEW
GUM WITH BOTH SIDEWALK WORK AND CURB RAMP WORK. SO JUST TO TALK IN A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ABOUT SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE ARE WORKING THROUGH AND IN SOME CASES SOME
OF THE SOLUTIONS THAT WE'RE BRINGING TO THE TABLE. SO FIRST THE COST OF CONCRETE WORK HAS INCREASED ALMOST 60% IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS. THESE ARE LOOKING BACK AT OUR STATE OF GOOD REPAIR CONTRACTS. THE AVERAGE PRICE IS
SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER IN 2025 COMPARED TO WHERE IT WAS IN 2018. THIS JUST MEANS THE BUDGETS DON'T GO AS FAR AS THEY ONCE DID. BRICK IS ITS OWN SPECIAL
CHALLENGE. WE HAVE MANY BEAUTIFUL BRICK SIDEWALKS THROUGHOUT THE CITY BUT BRICKS FAIL IN A DIFFERENT WAY THAN CONCRETE AND FREQUENTLY THINGS LIKE THESE
BRICKS OR CHIPPING UNEVEN SURFACES CAN CREATE HAZARDS EVEN IN PLACES WHERE A CONCRETE SIDEWALK MIGHT NOT EXHIBIT SUCH A PROBLEMATIC OUTCOME.
THE REPAIR PROCESS IS ALSO CHALLENGING. YOU CAN SEE ONE OF OUR CITY WORKERS HERE DOING THE HARD HAND TROWEL WORK NECESSARY TO REPAIR BRICK SIDEWALKS.
THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE TEAM. THEY'RE UP ON THE BACKSIDE OF BEACON HILL AS WE SPEAK DOING WORK ON SOME SIDEWALKS THERE AND THEY GO THROUGHOUT THE CITY WHEREVER WE NEED THIS WORK.
BUT THERE IS A LIMIT TO THE CAPACITY OF THIS GIVEN THE COMPLEXITY OF THESE KINDS OF REPAIRS. WE ALSO KNOW THAT EVEN REPAIRED BRICK SIDEWALKS MADE WITH TRADITIONAL BRICK DO NOT ALWAYS
PROVIDE AN ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL SERVICE SURFACE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE USING MOBILITY AIDS AND SO OUR LONG TERM GOAL IS TO REPLACE THE MORE TRADITIONAL BRICK OF THE KIND YOU SEE HERE
WITH MODERN WIRE CUT BRICK CERTAINLY WITH ANY NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS OR RECONSTRUCTION PROJECTS WE ARE USING WIRE CUT BRICKS SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE ON CITY HALL PLAZA WHICH OFFER A MUCH SMOOTHER ROLLING SURFACE THAT
IS AN EXTRAORDINARILY COSTLY ENDEAVOR AND IT WILL TAKE A LONG TIME TO GET TO THE PLACE WHERE ALL OF OUR BRICK SIDEWALKS HAVE BEEN UPGRADED TO THAT MATERIAL AND UTILITIES ALSO POSE A SIGNIFICANT
CHALLENGE IN THE CITY. THE UTILITY CONSTRUCTION WHICH IMPACT SIDEWALKS OFTEN RESULTS IN ASPHALT PATCHES WHERE THERE USED TO BE BRICK OR CONCRETE. THESE ARE LESS DURABLE THEY CAN
IN THEIR OWN RIGHT POSE HAZARDS PUBLIC WORKS SINCE LAST YEAR HAS BEEN WORKING TO CREATE A WHOLE ADDITIONAL LAYER OF ACCOUNTABILITY FOR UTILITIES THAT DISRUPT SIDEWALKS WITH THIS TEMPORARY WORK WE HAVE
REGULAR MEETINGS. WE REVIEW THEIR BACKLOG OF REQUESTS. THIS ADDITIONAL OVERSIGHT HAS LED TO SUBSTANTIAL INVESTMENTS IN RESTORATION BY THE MAJOR UTILITY COMPANIES AND WE ARE WE
DO BELIEVE THAT WE ARE WORKING THROUGH THE BACKLOG OF THESE OVERDUE UTILITY REPAIRS AND BUT JUST TO PUT THIS IN CONTEXT, NATIONAL GRID ALONE OUR GAS
UTILITY SPENDS ROUGHLY $400 MILLION A YEAR IN THE BOSTON GAS SYSTEM DOING PIPELINE REPLACEMENTS. THEY DO MORE THAN 120 MILES OF PIPELINE EVERY SINGLE YEAR
IN MANY CASES THESE ARE MAIN REPLACEMENTS HAPPENING IN ROADWAYS BUT THAT ALSO HAVE SERVICE REPLACEMENTS. SO EVERY HOUSE EVERY BUSINESS GETS A CUT ACROSS THE ROADWAY AND ACROSS THE SIDEWALK WHICH
THEN NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED AND REPLACED. SO THIS IS A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF DAMAGE THAT WE ARE OVERSEEING THE REPAIR OF AND SOMETIMES PLAYING CATCH UP WITH THE UTILITIES TO MAKE SURE THEY
DO WHAT'S REQUIRED OF THEM STREET TREES ARE ALSO A UNIQUE CHALLENGE. THE CITY HAS ADMIRABLY BEEN WORKING TO EXPAND THE TREE CANOPY THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND
MANY BENEFITS THAT COME FROM THAT BUT STREET TREES AND THE ROOTS SYSTEMS ARE ONE OF THE MAJOR CAUSES OF SIDEWALK DAMAGE AND ACCESSIBILITY CHALLENGES.
THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, THE DISABILITIES COMMISSION, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT HAVE ALL BEEN WORKING VERY CLOSELY TO ADDRESS THIS. WE HAVE NEW STANDARDS FOR THE DESIGN OF TREE PITS THE PARKS
DEPARTMENT HAS MADE HAS PUT TOGETHER ROBUST GUIDANCE ON TREE SPECIES SELECTION TO AVOID SOME OF THE SPECIES MOST LIKELY TO DISRUPT SIDEWALKS AND WE HAVE BEEN EXPLORING THE USE
OF NEW MATERIALS THAT HELP US RESTORE SIDEWALKS WHERE THERE IS TREE DAMAGE IN WAYS THAT BOTH PROTECT THE TREES AND CREATE MORE ACCESSIBLE PATHS OF TRAVEL. THESE PHOTOS ARE FROM JUST
OUTSIDE OF PETERS PARK WHERE FOR THE FIRST TIME WE'VE USED A MATERIAL CALLED RESIN BOUND AGGREGATE TO REPLACE A TRADITIONAL TREE PIT. THIS MATERIAL IS POROUS TO WATER SO IT ACTUALLY INCREASES THE AMOUNT OF WATER THAT THE
TREE IS ABLE TO RECEIVE. IT IS FLEXIBLE SO AS THE TREE GROWS IT IS LESS LIKELY TO CREATE THE SORT OF BRICK TRIPPING HAZARDS THAT YOU SEE IN THE PHOTO ABOVE. SO THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF SOME WORK THAT WE'VE DONE THE PHOTO
BELOW IT TOOK YESTERDAY MORNING AS HAS JUST HAPPENED THIS YEAR AND WE'LL BE EXPANDING THE USE OF THIS MATERIAL IN OTHER PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. SO I'M GOING TO WRAP UP BUT
JUST TO KIND OF PROVIDE A QUICK OVERVIEW SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING DIFFERENTLY TODAY WE HAVE MORE NEIGHBORHOODS ENTERED CONTRACTS
TO ALLOW US TO DO FOCUSED PROACTIVE STATE OF GOOD REPAIR WORK. WE ALSO HAVE TWO DEDICATED CONTRACTS FOR SPOT REPAIRS AND SMALLER WORK TO GET TO TRY TO WORK THROUGH OUR BACKLOG.
WE'VE ADDED CAPACITY TO DO BRICK WORK WITH SEVERAL CONTRACTS TO SUPPLEMENT THE INCREDIBLE IN-HOUSE WORK THAT OUR CITY STAFF DO. WE HAVE INCREASED THE AMOUNT OF OVERSIGHT OVER UTILITIES FOR
THE DAMAGE THAT THEY CAUSED TO THE SIDEWALKS AND WE ARE WORKING TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH STREET TREES SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A WONDERFUL TREE CANOPY AND ACCESSIBLE SIDEWALKS AT THE
SAME TIME THERE'S MORE THINGS THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT AND I'M SURE WE'LL GET TO HEAR BUT I WILL WRAP UP THERE AND SAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU ALL. THANK YOU, CHIEF.
YOU KNOW OTHER STATEMENTS, COMMISSIONER, I CAN GET MY OPENING STATEMENT IF THAT'S OKAY. ABSOLUTELY SURE. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HAVING MEJIA TODAY. MY OFFICE, THE DISABILITY COMMISSION WE SEE OURSELVES AS
KIND OF AN INTERNAL CONSULTANT TO HELP WITH THE BEST OUTCOME POSSIBLE. WE KNOW THE STREETS CABINET HAS ENGINEERS AS ARCHITECTS, LOTS OF PROFESSIONALS DOING THE WORK BUT WE LIKE TO SUPPORT THEM TO
GIVE THEM INSIGHT FROM THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY ABOUT NOT ONLY MEETING COMPLIANCE BUT HAVING WHAT WE CALL IDEAL ACCESSIBILITY. BOSTON IS HOME TO OVER 80,000 RESIDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.
WHEN YOU ADD IN COMMUTERS, TOURISTS AND SENIORS WHO DON'T IDENTIFY AS DISABLED, THAT NUMBER INCREASES EXPONENTIALLY. SIDEWALKS ARE OF COURSE A CRITICAL PIECE OF INFRASTRUCTURE IN OUR CITY,
ESPECIALLY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. THEY ARE A KEY COMPONENT OF INDEPENDENT LIVING IN COMMUNITY. WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS THEY ARE REQUIRED TO BE ACCESSIBLE BOTH AS A CIVIL RIGHT UNDER THE
ADA AS WELL AS UNDER THE BUILDING CODE OVERSEEN BY THE MASSACHUSETTS ARCHITECTURAL ACCESS BOARD. KEEPING THESE SIDEWALKS IN A STATE OF GOOD REPAIR SO THAT THEY ARE ACCESSIBLE IS A
PRIORITY FOR THE CITY AS WELL AS A CHALLENGE. CHIEF FRANKLIN HODGE LAID OUT A LOT OF THOSE CHALLENGES AND THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE WORK ON REGULARLY WITH THE STREETS CABINET.
WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ARE OUT AND ABOUT ON OUR SIDEWALKS EVERY DAY. THEY USE THEM TO CONNECT TO JOBS, EDUCATION CHAMPIONSHIPS, SPORTS TEAMS, AWARD WINNING
RESTAURANTS AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT BOSTON HAS TO OFFER . WE ARE REALLY WORKING GREAT COLLABORATION WITH THE STREETS CABINET AS THEY ALWAYS PRIORITIZE THE NEEDS OF OUR RESIDENTS. WHEN WE MEET MONTHLY WE RAISE
THE CONCERNS THAT WE'VE HEARD AND WE MEET MORE OFTEN AS NEEDED TO ENSURE THAT ALL THE ACCESS THAT WE NEED IS IMPLEMENTED AND MAINTAINED. SOMETIMES WE'RE ONLY ABLE TO
MAKE SHORT TERM FIXES WHILE CONTRACTS ARE SENT OUT FOR LARGER REPAIR. BUT WE DO THIS IN COLLABORATION WITH STREETS AND WE'RE PROUD OF OUR PARTNERSHIP AND WE THINK IT WORKS TO MAKE THE BEST
OUTCOME FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. GIVEN ALL THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE, SOME OF THE THINGS WE'VE IDENTIFIED RECENTLY OUR AREA WAYS WHICH THE CITY DOESN'T ACTUALLY OWN THAT PROPERTY SO WE CAN'T REPAIR IT
. ALSO JURISDICTIONS OF THE MTA MASSDOT AND PRIVATE PROPERTY LEAD TO CHALLENGES AND US DOING WORK TO MAKE THE SIDEWALKS ACCESSIBLE. HOWEVER ON THE SIDEWALKS WE OWN
I FEEL LIKE WE DO A REALLY GREAT JOB. COUNCIL MURPHY LIKE YOU SAID I SEE CITY WORKERS ON THE SIDEWALKS EVERY DAY AND THE STREETS CABINET IS EXTREMELY RESPONSIVE TO OUR REQUESTS. I WORK WITH DISABILITY
COMMISSIONERS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND I'M ALWAYS SURPRISED WHEN THEY TELL ME THEY GET PUSHBACK FROM THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS BECAUSE I CAN HONESTLY SAY I'VE NEVER GOTTEN ANY PUSHBACK FROM THE STREETS CABINET. THEY'RE ALWAYS WILLING TO
LISTEN TO US TO COLLABORATE AND TO COME UP WITH CREATIVE WAYS TO KEEP OUR OLD SIDEWALKS ACCESSIBLE DESPITE THE CHALLENGES OF BEING AN OLD CITY ,A WINTER CITY, A HISTORICAL
CITY AND A BRICK CITY. AND I WILL LEAVE IT AT THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. NOTHING. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE
OPENING STATEMENTS AND FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE ALREADY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR FOR CONTRACTS AND EVERYTHING TO MAKE SURE OUR WAS OUR FIRST. I'M GOING TO GO OVER TWO QUESTIONS FOR MY COLLEAGUES.
I'M NOT GOING TO USE THE TIMER BECAUSE IT IS FRUSTRATING BUT I LIKE IT. I APPRECIATE HOW WE USE MY MY PHONE. I'LL PROBABLY GET LIKE SIX OR 7 MINUTES BUT THEN WE COULD DO SECOND ROUNDS OF QUESTION TWO. SO THANK YOU.
I HAVE QUESTIONED IN DIFFERENT CATEGORIES BUT BASED ON YOUR PRESENTATION AND THANK YOU FOR THAT. IN THE HEAT MAP WHAT IS THE YELLOW COMPARED TO THE RED?
I THINK THE YELLOW ARE THE AREAS OF THE MOST CONCENTRATED DAMAGE DAMAGE OR NOT THE RED. SO THE YELLOW. OKAY. OH, ONE QUESTION SO I DON'T
FORGET THE BRICK QUITE MANY NEIGHBORHOODS AND STREETS AND YOU MENTIONED IT LIKE A BRICK CITY. IT'S THE CHARACTER. ARE WE INVESTED IN REPAIRING AND MAKING SURE WE'RE NOT JUST TEARING UP BECAUSE IT MAY BE
CHEAPER BECAUSE IT REALLY IS THE FABRIC OF MANY OF OUR STREETS. WE ARE WE ARE THE DEDICATED CONTRACTS THAT WE HAVE ARE FOCUSED ON THAT OUR CRAFTSPEOPLE ARE FOCUSED ON THAT. WE DO TRY TO WORK IN
COLLABORATION WITH THE DISABILITIES COMMISSION, ESPECIALLY AROUND CURB RAMPS. WE SOMETIMES DO EXPAND THE AMOUNT OF CONCRETE IN ORDER TO CREATE LEVEL LANDING SURFACES AND SAFE SLOPES FOR PEOPLE WHO
ARE USING A MOBILITY DEVICE. BUT WE DO OUR VERY BEST TO PRESERVE THE CHARACTER OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. OKAY, THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR. THANK YOU. SO I'LL READ OUT MY QUESTIONS AND MAYBE TO THE SECOND ROUND SO WE GET TO ALL OF THEM AND
SOME OF THEM YOU ACTUALLY HAVE ALREADY TOUCHED ON BUT UNDER ACCOUNTABILITY AND PROGRESS. HOW MANY CURB RAMPS HAVE BEEN INSTALLED OR UPGRADED EACH YEAR
SINCE FY 2022 VERSUS THE 1630 PER YEAR OBLIGATION AND IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO PROVIDE TOTALS BY NEIGHBORHOOD AND BY PRIORITY FACTORS SUCH AS NEAR TRANSIT SCHOOLS OR A SENIOR
HOUSING IN WHAT IS THE REMAINING BACKLOG OF NON-COMPLIANT CORNERS BROKEN OUT BY COUNCIL DISTRICT THAT MIGHT NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL AND YOU COULD GET THAT TO ME AFTER.
UNDER SIDEWALK THE SIDEWALK REPAIR PROGRAM WHAT IS THE CURRENT ANNUAL BUDGET LANE MILES PANELS REPAIRED IN COST PER UNIT AND HOW WOULD THESE PROJECTS SELECTED AND SEQUENCED?
YOU TOUCHED ON A BIT OF IT AND THAT THE COSTS HAVE GONE UP BUT WHAT IS THE POLICY FOR CONFLICTS WHEN THERE'S TREE ROOTS REPLACEMENT FLEXIBLE PAVING EXPANDED PITS? AND WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR
COSTS? IS IT THE CITY? IT THE BUTLER? IS IT THE UTILITY? IF THEY'VE CUT IT OPEN WRAPPED IT UP. UTILITY RESTORATION AND SERVICE STANDARDS.
WHAT IS THE SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT SOLELY FOR RESTORING SIDEWALKS AFTER UTILITY CUTS? IN WHAT PERCENTAGE OF REPAIRS MEET THE SLA AND WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CONTRACTORS MISS
DEADLINES? I KNOW WE'VE HAD THAT CONVERSATION A FEW TIMES IN THIS CHAMBER BUT IT WOULD BE GOOD TO HAVE IT PART OF THIS CONVERSATION TODAY IN UNDER EQUITY AND TRANSPARENCY WHEN
WILL THE CITY PUBLISH A PUBLIC MAP SHOWING BLOCK LEVEL STATUS OF A SIDEWALK REPAIRS AND CURB RAMP INSTALLATIONS EITHER PLANNED IN DESIGN UNDER CONSTRUCTION OR COMPLETE? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE
WORKING ON OR YOU WOULD CONSIDER DOING? HOW DOES THE ENSURE EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF REPAIRS ACROSS ALL NEIGHBORHOODS ESPECIALLY HISTORICALLY UNDER RESOURCED
AREAS AND HOW DOES THE CITY PRIORITIZE SIDEWALK REPAIRS RELATIVE TO OTHER INVESTMENTS LIKE BIKE LANES AND BUS LANES? AND ON THAT I DID NOTICE THAT
THE 2024 CONTRACT YOU HAD FIVE NEIGHBORHOODS AND THEN FIVE AGAIN IN 2025 THE NORTH END AND THE SOUTH END WERE THE BRICK ONES AND I KNOW THEY KIND OF GET CAUGHT UP UNDER THE
CATCH ALL BUT WHAT ARE LIKE WHAT ABOUT WEST ROXBURY YOURSELF BOSTON OR CHINATOWN THE ONES THAT KIND OF JUMPED OUT AT ME AT FIRST THAT WEREN'T INCLUDED IN THESE ANNUAL CONTRACTS.
SO I'LL STOP THERE. I'LL SEE IF THERE'S SOMETHING YOU CAN. SURE. I'M HAPPY TO GIVE SOME THOUGHTS OR RESPONSE AND SOME OF THESE I THINK WILL BE DATA REQUESTS THAT WE WILL NEED TO GET BACK
TO YOU ON. WE DID SHARE SOME OF THE HIGH LEVEL STATS OF OUR CURB RAMP WORK BUT WE'RE HAPPY TO SHARE MORE BROKEN OF THAT AND SHARE THAT INFORMATION IN A MORE BROKEN OUT WAY. THE NUMBERS THAT WE REPORTED IN
THE SLIDES ARE THE NUMBER OF CURB RAMPS THAT WERE SUCCESSFULLY MET. EVERY ONE OF THE CRITERIA FOR ADA COMPLIANCE. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF RAMPS WE ACTUALLY CONSTRUCT IN MORE THAN
2000 RAMPS LAST YEAR. A NUMBER OF THEM DID NOT PASS. MANY OF THOSE WILL BE IN THE PASS THIS YEAR. IN SOME CASES THERE'S VERY MINOR ISSUES LIKE ASPHALT
LEVELING ISSUES OR CROSSWALK STRIPING THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN. SO THAT DOES SOMEONE COME OUT AFTER TO TEST IF IT PASSES OUT AND WHAT'S THE CRITERIA? YEAH, SO WE HAVE PROTOCOLS
OURSELVES SO WE HIRE A CONSULTANT TO DO THAT WORK FOR US. THIS IS WORK THAT WE BASICALLY JUST HAVE THE BACK UP FOR OURSELVES AND THEN WE SUBMIT IT IN AN ANNUAL REPORT IN
COMPLIANCE WITH THE CONSENT DECREE AND THAT'S HOW WE DOCUMENT OUR WORK. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN INVESTING A LOT IN IS THE SPEED AND QUALITY OF THE AFTER POST-CONSTRUCTION MEASUREMENT.
IT'S NOW AT THE POINT I WAS OUT ON WHAT YOU SAID STREET WHERE WE'RE DOING A LOT OF RAMP WORK TWO DAYS AGO AND OUR ENGINEERING CONSULTANT FOR MEASURING RAMP FOR ASSESSING
RAMPS WAS ACTUALLY ONSITE DURING CONSTRUCTION WITH HIS SMART LEVEL AND AS THEY PUT IT A LAP RAMP HE WOULD VERIFY THAT THE THE DIMENSIONS WERE CORRECT. WE HAVE INTERNAL TOOLS THAT WE
USE FOR TRACKING THIS INFORMATION IN REAL TIME SO WE'RE BUILDING A LOT OF THOSE ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEMS AND MAKING THEM MORE ROBUST SO THAT WE CAN HOLD OUR CONTRACTORS ACCOUNTABLE AND MAKE SURE WE'RE FOLLOWING UP WITH OUR ISSUES IN
TERMS OF ANNUAL BUDGET, I THINK WE PROVIDED SOME HIGH LEVEL INFORMATION. IT IS A BIT COMPLICATED AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THERE ARE QUITE A THERE'S QUITE A BIT OF SIDEWALK AND RAMP WORK THAT IS EMBEDDED INSIDE OF OTHER
CAPITAL PROJECTS AND SO WE TEND TO FOCUS OUR CONVERSATION IT'S EASIEST TO BREAK OUT THE SORT OF PURE STATE OF GOOD REPAIR INVESTMENTS BUT THERE ARE OTHER TYPES OF INVESTMENTS THAT HAPPEN SO WE CAN TRY TO GET YOU
MORE INFORMATION, MORE DETAILS ON THAT AS PART OF A REQUEST AS WELL AS SOME OF THE STATS THAT YOU REQUESTED IN TERMS OF CONFLICTS. I THINK THIS IS THIS IS AN AREA
OF KIND OF ONGOING DISCUSSION. A YOU KNOW, THE MOST COMMON THING THAT WE RUN INTO IS A CONFLICT BETWEEN TREES AND ACCESSIBILITY IN SOME CASES THE
ONLY WAY TO CREATE ACCESSIBLE SIDEWALK IS TO REMOVE A TREE AND WE DO DO THAT BUT THAT IS NOT NEVER OUR FIRST CHOICE IN SOME CASES THAT REQUIRES US TO GO THROUGH A TREE HEARING WITH
THE TREE WARDEN AND WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THE SOLUTIONS THAT CAN GET US WHERE WE NEED TO BE WITHOUT TAKING TREES OUT. BUT THERE ARE SIMPLY PLACES WHERE THAT'S THE ONLY CHOICE
THAT WE HAVE. SOME OF THE NEW APPROACHES THAT WE HAVE AROUND DESIGN HAVE BEEN HELPFUL IN REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF TREE REMOVAL WE NEED TO DO. TYPICALLY THOSE COSTS ARE BORNE BY THE CITY WHEN IT'S AN
EXISTING SIDEWALK IF THERE IS A NO ONGOING CONSTRUCTION PROJECT EITHER UTILITY WORK OR A RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION NEW BUILDING CONSTRUCTION THEN MOST OF THOSE PROJECTS WILL DO THE
APPROPRIATE RESTORATION FOR THE IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT SIDEWALK. IN TERMS OF PUBLISHING A MAP, I THINK IT'S ABSOLUTELY SOMETHING WE'RE OPEN TO DOING. WE HAVE A FEW DIFFERENT DATA SOURCES DO WE DO YOU KNOW IF WE
PUBLISH THE CURRENT BILL WE HAVE A VERSION OF IT. OKAY. SO WE HAVE SOME OF THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE BUT WE'D BE HAPPY TO WORK WITH THE COUNCIL TO MAKE MORE THE INFORMATION WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO US TOO SHOULD WE KEEP GOING
OR DO YOU WANT TO FINISH AROUND? THANK AROUND SO I THINK THE EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION AND SOME OF THESE OTHER QUESTIONS SHOULD WE TRY TO GET INTO THOSE MAYBE
LARGER? SO YOU KNOW, I THINK WE ARE THE TENSION THAT WE FIND IS THE COMPLAINTS ABOUT SIDEWALKS AND REQUESTS FOR SIDEWALK REPAIRS
ARE NOT A PERFECT MATCH FOR WHERE THE ACTUAL SIDEWALK ISSUES ARE. WE TEND TO SEE IN GENERAL MORE REQUESTS FOR SIDEWALK REPAIRS FROM HIGHER INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS, NEIGHBORHOODS
THAT HAVE BEEN TRADITIONALLY RESOURCED AND IN SOME CASES THE PLACES WITH THE WORST QUALITY SIDEWALKS ARE IN OUR LESS RESOURCED AND LESS CONNECTED NEIGHBORHOODS. SO THERE IS ALWAYS THIS BALANCING ACT THAT WE NEED TO
STRIKE BETWEEN PROACTIVELY USING DATA TO INVEST IN THE PLACES THAT NEED THE MOST AS WELL AS BEING RESPONSIVE TO CONSTITUENT REQUESTS FROM WHEREVER THEY COME.
AND THAT'S HOW WE'VE STRUCTURED THIS PROGRAM. THAT'S WHY WE HAVE THOSE FIVE NEIGHBORHOOD SPECIFIC PROJECTS, THOSE ARE SELECTED EACH YEAR BASED ON THE SIDEWALK CONDITION DATA THAT WE HAVE AND WE KNOW
YOU SEE IN THE LISTS OF NEIGHBORHOODS THERE THEY'RE VERY MUCH A BROAD SPECTRUM OF THE CITY. OUR CRM CONTRACTS THAT ALLOW US TO GO TO WHERE PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED ISSUES AND THAT'S
REALLY HOW WE TRY TO CREATE THAT EQUITABLE BALANCE IN TERMS OF PRIORITIZING SIDEWALK REPAIRS VERSUS OTHER TYPES OF INVESTMENTS. SO 73% OF OUR CAPITAL SPENDING
OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS HAS BEEN ON STATE OF GOOD REPAIR PROJECTS CITYWIDE AND YOU KNOW, WE ARE THE STRUCTURE THE CAPITAL PLAN GIVES US THE
ABILITY TO PUT MOST OF OUR RESOURCES INTO MAINTAINING THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE HAVE. WE ALSO WHEN WE ARE DOING STREET RECONSTRUCTION PROJECTS WHETHER IT'S A MAJOR PROJECT LIKE YOU KNOW, THE
RECONSTRUCTION OF COMMONS HIGHWAY FOR EXAMPLE A $31 MILLION FULL STREET RECONSTRUCTION OR WHETHER IT'S A MINOR PROJECT LIKE THE INSTALLATION OF A BIKE LANE WE
TRY TO ALWAYS PAIR STATE OF GOOD REPAIR EFFORTS WITH WHATEVER STREET CHANGES THAT WE ARE DOING SO. WITH MANY OF THESE PROJECTS YOU WILL SEE THAT WE MAY BE DOING SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS YOU KNOW
PUTTING DOWN A BUSTLING ARE IMPLEMENTING SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS. WE TYPICALLY WILL ALSO MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO REPAIR THE CURB RAMPS IN THAT AREA. THE TIME WE'RE DOING THAT WORK
PROJECTS LIKE FOR EXAMPLE THE CENTER STREET SAFETY PROJECT IN WEST ROXBURY ALL OF THE CURB RAMPS WERE BROUGHT INTO ADA COMPLIANCE. THE STREET WAS FULLY REPAVED
ADDITION TO THE SAFETY WORK THAT WAS DONE. SO THAT'S REALLY OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BEING HOLISTIC ABOUT HOW WE MAKE THESE INVESTMENTS EVEN WHEN THEY ARE, YOU KNOW, PART OF THE THE WHEN THEY'RE FOCUSED ON A
SAFETY PROJECT AND SAY THINGS LIKE BIKE LANES, YOU KNOW, BIKE LANES REPRESENT LESS THAN 10% OF OUR CAPITAL SPENDING OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS. AGAIN, STATE OF GOOD REPAIR BEING THE PREDOMINANT THING
THAT WE SPEND OUR MONEY ON THOSE THAT'S I THINK MOST OF IT IF YOU ASK ABOUT OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS I MEAN I THINK WE YOU KNOW JUST WE STATE THE POINT WE DO WORK IN EVERY
NEIGHBORHOOD EVERY YEAR AND WHILE THOSE NEIGHBORHOOD WIDE CONTRACTS MOVE AROUND FROM YEAR TO YEAR, WE MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO RESPOND ALL OVER THE CITY WHEN NEEDED. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. COUNCILOR FLYNN. THANK YOU, MR CHAIRMAN. AND BEFORE I BEGIN, CHIEF,
THERE WAS A I DID A ACTUALLY TO WALK THROWS MID-JULY WITH RESIDENTS WITH CITY OFFICIALS IN THE ANDREW SQUARE AREA IN
RIGHT ON THE CORNER OF DORCHESTER AVENUE AND SOUTHAMPTON STREET ACTUALLY GOT OUT IN FRONT OF THE MBTA
STATION AS A KIND OF A SMALL VARIETY STORE BUT THERE WAS A BICYCLE FRAME THAT'S BEEN CHANGED TO A POLE.
IT'S BEEN THERE FOR TWO WEEKS. I IMMEDIATELY PUT IT INTO THE 311 SYSTEM I KNOW OTHERS PUT IT INTO THE 311 SYSTEM. PATTI MCMAHON AND IS A BLOCK IN
RESIDENTS OF ANDREW SQUARE DID AS WELL I BELIEVE CITY OFFICIALS ALSO PUT IT IN BUT BUT IT'S STILL THERE AND THE BICYCLE FRAME HAS NO WHEELS ON IT AND IT'S IT'S BASICALLY
ABANDONED. IT'S IMPACTING THE SAFETY OF PERSONS WITH DISABLED LIVES. IT'S IMPACTING OUR SENIORS THAT ARE TRYING TO GET DOWN THAT
STREET GOING INTO THE GOING ON TO THE TRAIN SYSTEM. MOTHERS AND FATHERS TAKING THEIR LITTLE KIDS TO SCHOOL. I HAVE THE PHOTO HERE I BUT CAN
WE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT CHIEF THAT'S THAT'S A HUGE PROBLEM FOR ME. YEAH, WE'LL GET THAT PRIORITIZED FOR REMOVAL. OKAY. COULD I RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT WE GET IT DONE TODAY? I NEED TO CHECK WITH OUR TEAM
TO SEE WHAT CAPACITY WE HAVE IN THE FIELD TODAY BUT WE WILL GET IT DONE AS SOON AS WE'RE ABLE. OKAY. WOULD YOU LET ME KNOW WHEN IT'S GOING TO TAKE PLACE? SURE.
WHEN I SEE ISSUES LIKE THAT IN MY DISTRICT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THEM BECAUSE I FIGURE IF WE'RE NOT ABLE TO FIX THAT PARTICULAR PROBLEM, ARE WE ABLE TO ADDRESS
THE BIGGER PROBLEMS THAT TYPE OF PROBLEM SHOULD BE ONLY SHOULD TAKE YOU KNOW HALF HOUR TO AN HOUR TO JUST SNIP THE LOCK. BUT IN THE MEANTIME ELDERLY PEOPLE AND PERSONS WITH
DISABILITIES ARE WALKING AROUND IT GOING INTO DORCHESTER AVENUE WHICH AS YOU KNOW IS A IS A VERY HEAVY TRAFFIC STREET.
SO IF I HAD BOLT CUTTERS MYSELF I'D GO DOWN THERE AND DO IT MYSELF. THAT'S HOW THAT'S HOW I USED TO DO THINGS. BUT AS A CITY COUNCILOR I DON'T THINK I CAN DO THAT ANY LONGER
. SO CHIEF, LET ME LET ME ASK YOU AND I KNOW IT WAS IN IN THE HANDOUT THAT I SAW BUT I SAW
CHINATOWN NOT YEAH SO NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERED CONTRACTS. I'M LOOKING AT 2000 FOR 2005. I DON'T SEE I DON'T SEE
CHINATOWN AND I DON'T SEE SOUTH BOSTON INCLUDED. WHY IS THAT? I THINK WE TO YOU KNOW, BASICALLY WE FOR EACH YEAR WE
WORK THROUGH THE DATA AND WHERE WE HAVE THE MOST SIDEWALK DEFICIENCIES THAT ARE REPAIRABLE THROUGH OUR REGULAR STATE OF GOOD REPAIR PROGRAM AND WE PRIORITIZE A GROUP
OF NEIGHBORHOODS FOR THAT. WE DO CONTINUE TO WORK IN SOUTH BOSTON AND CHINATOWN. I THINK ONE OF THE PHOTOS IN THE SLIDE IS FROM A STREET AND IT'S DOING SOME RAMP WORK ALONG
THERE. I KNOW WE'VE DONE QUITE A BIT YOU KNOW IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD THIS YEAR BOTH RAMP AND PAVING WORK. SO WE DO CONTINUE TO WORK
CITYWIDE. CHINATOWN OFFERS A UNIQUE CHALLENGE WITH AREA WAYS AND THIS WAS MENTIONED EARLIER TODAY BUT MANY OF THE BUILDINGS IN CHINATOWN EXTEND UNDERNEATH
THE SIDEWALK AND AS I THINK YOU'RE AWARE THAT MEANS THAT OUR STANDARD APPROACH TO SIDEWALK REPAIRS AND THE STANDARD CONTRACTS THAT WE USE ARE NOT ABLE TO AFFECT THE
KINDS OF REPAIRS THAT WE NEED BECAUSE WE RUN THE RISK IF WE START JACKHAMMERING IN THE SIDEWALK OF INTRUDING INTO BUILDINGS SPACE SOMETIMES OCCUPIED BUILDING SPACE.
AND SO IT REQUIRES A MUCH MORE CAREFUL ORCHESTRATION OF REPAIRS WORKING WITH THE BUILDING OWNERS EITHER CLOSING UP THEIR AREA WAYS OR CERTIFYING THAT THE AREA WAYS ARE STRUCTURALLY STABLE TO
ALLOW US TO DO THE KIND OF HEAVY CONSTRUCTION WORK ON TOP OF THEM THAT IS NECESSARY HERE. SO WE WOULD DEPUTY CHIEF CAMPBELL SPEAK A LITTLE BIT MORE TO THE PROCESS.
WE'VE BEEN DEVELOPING A FRAMEWORK FOR HOW WE WORK WITH BUILDING OWNERS ON THIS BUT IN NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE CHINATOWN DOWNTOWN THE WHARF DISTRICT,
THE OTHER DISTRICT WHERE AREA WAYS ARE COMMON PLACE SIDEWALK REPAIRS ARE MUCH MORE LABOR INTENSIVE, SLOWER AND EXPENSIVE PROCESS BECAUSE OF THE CHALLENGES FACED THERE.
YEAH. THANK YOU CHIEF. I'LL JUST ADD THE COMMISSIONER ALSO BROUGHT UP THAT THERE'S ELEMENTS OF JURISDICTION THAT COMPLICATE THINGS LIKE AREA WAYS.
SO EVEN IF WE HAVE ALL OF THE TOOLS AT OUR DISPOSAL WELL WE STILL NEED THE SUPPORT AND COOPERATION OF A PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNER IN ORDER TO DO A
REPAIR TO A SIDEWALK. THERE'S AN AREA WAY SO A NEIGHBORHOOD LIKE CHINATOWN, IT'S DIFFICULT FOR US TO ROLL OUT A FULL MAINTENANCE CONTRACT IN A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT HAS SO
MANY ENGINEERING COMPLICATIONS WHERE WE CAN'T JUST DO REGULAR MAINTENANCE WORK BASICALLY A LOT OF THOSE SIDEWALK REPAIRS ARE GOING TO REQUIRE A CAPITAL LEVEL OF EFFORT WHICH MEANS WE
NEED FULL ENGINEERING NEED SURVEY, WE NEED SOMEBODY TO NEGOTIATE THE REPAIRS AND STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE AREA WAY JUST IN ORDER TO DO A BASIC REPAIR THAT'S VERY COMMON
IN CHINATOWN. THAT'S NOT EVERY CORNER OR SIDEWALK IT'S JUST VERY COMMON. IT'S ALL OVER DOWNTOWN. SO THAT'S WHY NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE THAT PROBABLY WON'T BE
RECEIVING THE TYPE OF MAINTENANCE CONTRACT THAT YOU SEE IN OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY. SOUTH BOSTON DOESN'T HAVE AS MANY AREA WAYS SO WE VERY WELL MAY SEE US DO A MAINTENANCE
CONTRACT IN SOUTH BOSTON IN THE NOT SO DISTANT FUTURE. THANK YOU. MY MY CONCERN IS THAT WHEN I
UNDERSTAND AND RESPECT THE POSITION YOU'RE IN BUT COMING FROM MY POSITION MY MY JOB IS TO ADVOCATE FOR MY CONSTITUENTS AND I JUST CAN'T ACCEPT THAT
NOTHING IS GOING TO TAKE PLACE IN CHINATOWN AS AS YOU KNOW, WHILE MANY OF THE RESIDENTS ARE ELDERLY, THERE'S A LOT OF YOUNG FAMILIES THAT MANY OF THE
RESIDENTS ARE ELDERLY IN PERSON. THE PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES THERE'S A LOT OF YOUNG FAMILIES TAKING THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL ON BEACH STREET AND I HAVE TO I
SEE THEM BECAUSE THE THE SIDEWALK IS SO BUCKLED THAT THEY RAMOS WALK THE THE WALKING IN THE STREET AND FOR ME THAT'S A MAJOR MAJOR CONCERN I JUST
CAN'T I JUST CAN'T ALLOW ALLOW THAT BASED ON THE FACT THAT WE'RE NOT ABLE TO FIX THE SIDEWALK I I HAVE TO DO MY DUE DILIGENCE TO ADVOCATE FOR MY
CONSTITUENTS BUT IS THERE SOME WAY YOU ARE ABLE TO WORK WITH ME ON COMING UP WITH A SOLUTION TO TO ADDRESS THAT. YEAH WE'RE HAPPY TO WORK WITH
YOU ON THAT. AND TO DEPUTY CHIEF CAMPBELL'S POINT THERE ARE PLACES WHERE WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE REPAIRS AND IMPROVEMENTS PARTICULARLY OF NEWLAND STREET AS PART OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS LOW STREETS PROJECT.
WE HAVE A NUMBER OF PROJECTS UNDERWAY IN CHINATOWN RIGHT NOW THAT ARE IN THE PLANNING STAGES AND SOME DEDICATED BUDGET FOCUSED ON CHINATOWN SIDEWALKS WOULD BE HAPPY TO WORK WITH YOU TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHERE TO
KIND OF BEST PRIORITIZE THOSE RESOURCES. THANK YOU. AND MR CHAIR, COULD I ASK ONE QUESTION TO THE YES, COMMISSIONER, THANK YOU COMMISSIONER KOSH AGAIN FOR THE
WORK YOU DON'T YOU ARE DOING COMMISSIONER, YOU AND I HAVE WORKED ON SOMETIMES IT'S A PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN ABOUT
SNOWSTORMS IN THE WINTER PEOPLE NOT SHOVELING THIS SNOW BUT THE IMPACT IT HAS ON PERSONS PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN OUR SENIORS ALSO.
AND WE SEE WE SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE GOING TO WORK OR TAKING THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL ALSO THAT THAT LITERALLY WE SEE PEOPLE BECAUSE OF THE THE SIDEWALKS NOT SHOVELED WE SEE
PEOPLE IN WHEELCHAIRS LITERALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. AND I KNOW YOU'VE DONE EXCELLENT WORK, COMMISSIONER AND EDUCATING PEOPLE AND AND
TRYING TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO DO THEIR PART AND I THINK THAT THAT'S THAT'S SO IMPORTANT. I GUESS MY QUESTION IS WITH
WHAT THE CHALLENGES OF THE SIDEWALK LIKE THAT YOU KNOW, NOT DURING THE WINTER TIME BUT I ALSO I STILL SEE PEOPLE IN WHEELCHAIRS IN VARIOUS IN
ELDERLY PEOPLE STILL WALKING STILL WALKING IN THE STREET BECAUSE THEY ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THEM NAVIGATING THE PARTICULAR SIDEWALK.
AND THAT'S WHY I THINK AND THAT'S WHY I'M I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT IT AND I KNOW YOU ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT IT BUT I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROFESSIONAL YOUR HARD
WORK, YOUR DEDICATION BECAUSE I KNOW WHEN YOU COME INTO WORK EVERY DAY YOU'RE YOU'RE ALWAYS FIGHTING FOR POOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AND OUR SENIORS AND MAKING SURE EVERY SPACE IS
ACCESSIBLE. BUT I JUST WANTED TO GET YOUR COMMENTS ON SOME OF THE ISSUES I HIGHLIGHTED. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. SO I MENTIONED EARLIER IN MY OPENING STATEMENT THAT WE WORK
VERY CLOSELY WITH THE STREETS CABINET AND WE LOOK AT SPECIFIC AREAS EVEN BLOCKS AND DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS THAT AREN'T ACCESSIBLE. WE DID GET A COMPLAINT ABOUT AMORY STREET, FOR EXAMPLE.
SO WE MET WITH JULIUS TEAM AND THERE WERE LIKE SIX OR SEVEN BLOCKS FROM ONE TRAIN STATION TO ANOTHER ONE WHERE THERE JUST MULTIPLE BARRIERS ALONG THE SIDEWALK AND THIS IS AN OLD SIDEWALK IF IT WERE BEING BUILT
AND CONFIGURED TODAY IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN BUILT THAT WAY. THERE ARE NUMEROUS DRIVEWAY CURB RAMPS THAT IMPACT THE SMOOTH PATH OF TRAVEL. THERE ARE HYDRANTS, THERE ARE STREET FURNITURE, LAMPPOSTS,
ELECTRICAL UTILITY BOXES SO IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO CREATE ACCESS ON THAT STRETCH. SO WHAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IS MAPPING OUT THE AREA AND MAYBE
PUTTING SIGNS THAT SAY ACCESSIBLE ROUTE POINTING ACROSS THE STREET BECAUSE ACROSS THE STREET WE ASSESS THAT SIDEWALK TOO. SO IT'S A FAIRLY SMOOTH BARRIER
FREE PATH OF TRAVEL. SO WE CAN DO CREATIVE THINGS LIKE THAT TO TRY TO POINT PEOPLE TO ACCESSIBLE ROUTES BECAUSE ACCESSIBLE ROUTES ARE KEY. IT'S GREAT THAT SAY A SCHOOL OR A COMMUNITY CENTER IS ACCESSIBLE BUT IF YOU CAN'T GET
THERE ON THE SIDEWALK IT'S STILL NOT ACCESSIBLE. SO WE DO LOOK AT CRITICISM SOLUTIONS LIKE THAT. MY MOTTO IS ALWAYS THAT IT SHOULDN'T BE AN EITHER OR
ACCESS OR NICE THINGS. IT REALLY CAN'T BE BOTH. WE NEVER WANT ACCESS TO YOU KNOW, MAKE SOMETHING LIKE UNTENABLE LIKE STREET TREES. WE DON'T LIKE TO REMOVE STREET TREES.
SO WE DO NEED TO LOOK AT CREATIVE SOLUTIONS SOMETIMES ON SOMETHING LIKE AMORY STREET, THE SIDEWALKS JUST NOT WIDE ENOUGH TO FIT A HYDRANT IN AN ACCESSIBLE PATH TRAVEL. SO LONG TERM PLANNING DO WE
LOOK AT EXTENDING THE SIDEWALK AND REDUCING PARKING OR A TRAVEL LANE OF TRAFFIC? THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT LONG TERM. AGAIN, EVERYTHING WE BUILD NOW IS BUILT IDEALLY TO FIT
EVERYTHING IN. IT WASN'T SO MUCH LIKE THAT BACK IN THE TWENTIES, THIRTIES, FORTIES WHEN THESE STREETS WERE DESIGNED. SO AGAIN I REALLY THINK OUR PARTNERSHIP IS KEY TO LOOK AT CREATIVE SOLUTIONS LIKE THE ONE
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ON AMORY STREET. WELL THANK YOU COMMISSIONER AND THANK YOU FOR THE WORK YOU'RE DOING AND I ALWAYS ADMIRED AND RESPECTED YOU AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE ALWAYS FOCUSED ON
IS AND I BROUGHT UP THE SNOWSTORMS EARLIER BUT WE ALWAYS ENCOURAGED OUR NEIGHBORS MOST OF THEM ARE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS THAT LIVE IN SOUTH BOSTON. BUT WE'VE ALWAYS ENCOURAGED THEM TO, YOU KNOW, GIVE BACK BY
SHOVELING THE SIDEWALK, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S AN OLDER PERSON THAT'S LIVING NEXT TO YOU OR A YOUNG YOUNG FAMILY WITH LITTLE KIDS AND YOU'RE A
SINGLE PERSON IN YOUR TWENTIES MAYBE MAYBE GIVE 2820 MINUTES TO HELP SHOVEL OUT A SENIOR OR A FAMILY IN NEED. SO I KNOW THAT'S WHAT YOU'VE DONE YOUR WHOLE CAREER IS
BRINGING BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER. SO JUST WANT TO SAY THANK AND COMMISSIONER MCCOSH. MR CHAIR, I HAVE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR. COUNCILOR DURKIN THANK YOU SO
MUCH. CHAIR PEPEN. SO I HAVE A BUNCH OF THINGS ON MY LIST BUT I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOU ALL FOR ALL THAT YOU DO.
I THINK ONE THING THAT'S BEEN ON MY MIND I I'VE SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN AUBURN CIRCLE THE PAST FEW WEEKS AND ONE THING THAT HAS HAS BEEN ON MY MIND AND THAT OF NEIGHBORS IS THAT
SORT OF THIS BROOKLINE BOSTON BORDER. YOU KNOW THAT MY MY DISTRICT HAS THAT BORDER BUT IT ALSO HAS
A LOT OF MASSDOT DCR CITY OF BOSTON AND BGA SORT OF JURISDICTIONAL ISSUES SO I JUST FIRST WANTED TO ASK
SPECIFICALLY IN OUR ONE CIRCLE I'M TALKING ABOUT MEDFIELD STREET WHICH BECOMES MONMOUTH STREET. THE SIDEWALKS ON THAT STREET ARE PRETTY BAD AND I'VE HEARD A
LOT FROM NEIGHBORS THERE IS THEY HAVE ANOTHER ISSUE WITH SOME PARKING ISSUES THAT WE NOT HELP THEM WITH BUT I WOULD LOVE TO HELP THEM WITH THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE. I DO THINK SO.
APPARENTLY THE CITY OF BROOKLINE OR BROOKLINE HAS HANDLED THERE THERE ARE PARTS OF THE STREET BUT WE NEED TO HANDLE OURS. SO I JUST WANTED TO FLAG THAT I
HAVE A I AM REALLY, REALLY GRATEFUL. I JUST GOT WORD FROM SOMEONE ON MY TEAM THAT THAT THE PUBLIC WORKS TEAM IS OUT ON TEMPLE STREET. SO THANK YOU.
I KNOW THAT USED TO BE COUNCILOR FLYNN'S DISTRICT SO HE KNOWS IT WELL BUT WE'RE THEY'RE OUT THERE DOING BRICKLAYING SO THANK YOU FOR THAT WORK.
WE OBVIOUSLY DID A CHARLES STREET BRICK AUDIT AND THEN A NORTH STREET NORTH BRICK AUDIT AND NOW I JUST FEELS LIKE EVERYTHING'S HAPPENING SO REALLY REALLY GRATEFUL FOR ALL
OF THE WORK I DID. I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT TACTILE PADS I'VE NOTICED IN MY DISTRICT A COUPLE OF THE MOST USED TACTILE PADS HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN REPLACED WITH JUST LIKE
ASPHALT AND NOT REPLACING OF THE TACTILE PAD. I KNOW THERE WAS AT LEAST ONE THAT I THREW ON ONE MYSELF A COUPLE TIMES AND THEN IT GOT REPLACED WITH AND I WAS JUST
CURIOUS WHAT WHY THAT WOULD BE. YEAH. SO IF YOU SEE THAT ESPECIALLY IF YOU'VE PUT IN A311 CASE THAT'S A TEMPORARY FIX.
SO BASICALLY THAT'S OUR TEAM REMOVING THE IMMEDIATE TRIPPING HAZARD. SO IT'S PROBABLY AN OLD PLASTIC PANEL THAT HAS CRACKED IF YOU PUT IN THE 311 OUR MAKE SAFE
TEAM WOULD GO OUT IDENTIFY THAT THAT IS A TRIPPING HAZARD BECAUSE IT IS BROKEN AND THEY WOULD JUST REMOVE IT AS A TEMPORARY MEASURE. THAT'S DEFINITELY NOT THE PERMANENT FIX AND ALL OF THESE
TACTILE WARNING SURFACES HAVE TO BE EMBEDDED IN CONCRETE. SO WE HAVE TO BASICALLY SCHEDULE WORK WITH THE CONTRACTOR TO COME OUT TO MAKE
THE PERMANENT REPAIR SO THAT THERE IS A NEW TACTILE WARNING STRIP THERE. OKAY. THAT ONE IN PARTICULAR IS AT THE END OF ONE OF THE ONES I'M THINKING OF IN PARTICULAR IS THAT AT THE END OF LANSDOWNE WHERE THE CALFSKIN FLAGON IS
OBVIOUSLY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE YOU KNOW, COME OUT OF FENWAY PARK AND THAT'S WHY I WAS PARTICULARLY LIKE I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT WE HAD NOT A
BROKEN TACTILE PAD THERE AND I WAS HAPPY TO SEE SOME FIX BUT I THINK IT'S BEEN LIKE THAT FOR AT LEAST A YEAR MAYBE SO I WOULD LOVE TO SEE BEFORE THE END OF THE SEASON AND HOPEFULLY
THE SEASON IS LONG THIS YEAR THAT THAT BE FIXED. I AM NOTICING AND I WAS JUST CURIOUS YOUR THOUGHTS ON JUST A LOT MORE SINKHOLES HAPPENING IN BEACON HILL AND I THINK IT'S
BECAUSE OF SOME OF THE BOSTON WATER AND SEWER WORK AND OTHER UTILITY WORK THAT'S HAPPENING AND I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF YOU HAD NOTICED THAT THERE WAS AT LEAST ONE WHERE I HAD TO CALL
THE POLICE BECAUSE IT WAS GETTING SO BIG AND THERE WAS A CAR PARKED BY IT, THEY ENDED UP HAVING TO THANK YOU TO THE A-1 CAPTAIN REG DRISCOLL HE GOT HERE. HELPS ME GET THAT DONE AND I
KNOW WORKED WITH YOUR TEAM TO MAKE THAT PARTICULAR SINKHOLE RIGHT. BUT IT JUST OVER THE LAST SIX MONTHS I'VE BEEN NOTICING SORT OF SMALL SINKHOLES AND I WAS JUST CURIOUS WHAT THAT WAS
ABOUT. I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO TELL YOU THE EXACT CAUSE YOU KNOW, AS YOU'RE MENTIONING, WE DO HAVE THE BOSTON WATER AND SEWER WORK OUT THERE SO STRESS ON THE SYSTEM CAN ALSO JUST LIKE CAUSE
WEIRD THINGS TO HAPPEN. IT COULD BE THAT I'D BE HAPPY TO FLAG IT FOR OUR FRIENDS AT BOSTON WATER AND SEWER JUST TO GET THEIR EYES OVER THERE AND MAYBE MAKE SURE THERE'S NOT SOME SORT OF SYSTEMIC STRESS
THAT'S HAPPENING THAT'S CAUSING THAT AND OBVIOUSLY I'M A TRUSTEE OF THE BOSTON GROUNDWATER TRUST. I KNOW COUNCILOR FLYNN GAVE ME THAT SEAT WHEN HE WAS COUNCIL PRESIDENT SO I'M REALLY
HONORED TO BE ON THAT ON THAT TRUSTEE OF THAT BOARD. AND I'M JUST CURIOUS IF IT HAS ANY GROUNDWATER IMPLICATIONS. SO I JUST KIND OF WANT AN ENGINEER TO TELL ME WHAT THAT
COULD BE ABOUT. SO I KNOW WE'VE WORKED TOGETHER ON A LOT OF AUDITS. THE MOST RECENT ONE I DID WAS THE BACK BAY ALLEYS. I DON'T WANT TO MAKE YOU SPEAK
TO ANY TIMELINES OR ANYTHING ELSE BUT I WAS JUST I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON THE BACK BAY ALLEYS THAT IS THE TOP ISSUE OF THE BACK BAY AT THIS MOMENT AND I KNOW WE'VE
BEEN OUT WI MY TEAM ACTUALLY IN THE MORNING OF A COUNCIL MEETING WENT OUT AND IN 3 HOURS WE HAD PICTURES OF EVERY SINGLE ALLEY IN THE BACK BAY SO I JUST WANT TO THANK MY TEAM MY INTERNS FOR
THE SUMMER MY AYESHA AND VIVIAN WHO WERE OUT THERE AND I JUST WANT TO THANK SPECIFICALLY SPECIFICALLY TONY BAEZ WHO YOU KNOW IS AN ACCESSIBILITY WARRIOR.
SO SO IF I COULD JUST COULD YOU SPEAK TO THAT? SO THANK YOU FIRST OF ALL FOR THE AUDIT WORK THERE AND ELSEWHERE. IT'S VERY HELPFUL FOR US TO KIND OF HAVE THAT INFORMATION SO WE'LL SUMMARIZE.
WE WERE ABLE TO EFFECT QUITE A BIT OF PATCHING WORK DANNY ME AND HIS TEAM IN THE HIGHWAY DIVISION DID DO A BIT OF ASSESSMENT OF THE QUITE A BIT OF ASPHALT WORK IN THE ALLEYS.
WITH THAT SAID, I THINK AS YOU KNOW MANY OF THEM SORT OF ARE AT A PLACE WHERE ULTIMATELY THEY WILL NEED SORT OF FULL RECONSTRUCTION AND REPAVING AND SO YOU KNOW, WE'RE HAPPY TO WORK WITH YOU AS WE THINK ABOUT
PRIORITIZATION OF THE OVERALL PAVING NEEDS IN THE DISTRICT, HOW TO THINK ABOUT SEQUENCING THOSE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND I KNOW ONE THING I HAD IN MY BUDGET LETTER THAT I DIDN'T
HEAR BACK DIRECTLY ABOUT WAS ON BOYLSTON WE HAVE THERE IS LIKE A BASICALLY A RECONSTRUCTION OF EACH BLOCK EACH YEAR AND I
KNOW ONE YEAR THEY MISSED DOING A BLOCK AND I THINK I GOT SOME ASSURANCE WE WOULD DO TWO BLOCKS THIS YEAR BUT I'M NOT SURE. SO IF YOU WOULD BE WILLING TO LOOK INTO THAT SO I CAN SPEAK
TO THAT NOW. I MEAN SO WE'VE MISSED A FEW YEARS IN LARGE PART DUE TO UTILITY WORK. WE HAD ONE BLOCK THAT HAD BEEN READY TO GO AND THE CONTRACTOR
INVOLVED WAS DEBARRED BY THE STATE FOR SOME WORKERS COMP VIOLATIONS AND SO WE WERE UNABLE TO PROCEED WITH THAT. SUBSEQUENTLY NATIONAL GRID
INFORMED US THAT THEY WOULD BE DOING A MAJOR MAIN AND SERVICE LINE REPLACEMENT PROJECT IN THE BLOCKS THAT WE HAD PRIORITIZED FOR RECONSTRUCTION BETWEEN
DARTMOUTH AND BERKELEY STREET. THAT WORK IS UNFORTUNATELY STILL UNDERWAY BUT WE ARE ADVANCING THE DESIGNS FOR THAT WORK SO THAT IT CAN BE READY TO GO AS SOON AS NATIONAL GRID CLEARS OUT OF THERE.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT WE WILL GET ONE BLOCK ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE ALONG THE COPLEY SQUARE PARK BACK IN A FULLY RECONSTRUCTED STATE AS THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN THE
PARK DEMOBILIZE. SO THERE WILL BE SOME BENEFITS THERE BUT WE ARE BEHIND THE FUNDING FOR THAT PROJECT WAS INCREASED IN THE MOST RECENT CAPITAL PLAN TO $9 MILLION SO
THERE IS SUFFICIENT FINANCIAL RESOURCES WE JUST NEED TO GET TO THE SPACE TO BE ABLE TO WORK ON THAT ABSOLUTELY. AND REGARDING THE WORK ON DARTMOUTH, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WORK TO ACCOMMODATE BUSINESSES AND
THEIR CONSTRUCTION AND THEIR PATIO TIMELINES. I JUST FELT LIKE HAVING RAISED THAT WITHIN LIKE YOU KNOW, A FEW HOURS LIKE THE WHOLE TEAM HAD LIKE ACCOMMODATED
BUSINESSES AND REALLY THOUGHT THROUGH LIKE WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE THIS SEASON. SO I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THAT JUST TO THE CHAIR I HAVE ONE MORE THING SO OBVIOUSLY
PART OF OUR AUDIT WE'VE NOTICED THAT THERE ARE INDICATORS WHETHER WHEN THERE THERE'S PATCHWORK DONE ON BRAC FROM SO ESSENTIALLY IT'S LIKE IF IT'S
NATIONAL GRID COMCAST EVERSOURCE THERE ARE PATCHES SAYING SORT OF WHO NEEDS TO CONNECT TO THIS WORK. OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A HUGE STRESS
THAT THE CITY HAS IN LIKE FIXING ALL OF THE STUFF AND GIVEN THAT THE UTILITIES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR FIXING PATCHES I WAS JUST CURIOUS SORT OF WHAT
THE PROCESS LOOKS LIKE FOR THAT AND WHETHER WE CAN BE HELPFUL AT ALL IN REACHING OUT TO THESE COMPANIES TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY THAT THEY FIX THEIR BECAUSE I DO THINK IT DETRACTS
FROM THE LOOK OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND IT'S NOT OUR RESPONSIBILITY, IT'S THEIRS. SO I'M JUST CURIOUS HOW WE CAN BE HELPFUL. YEAH, I MEAN I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT BASICALLY AS SOON AS WE
BROUGHT ATTENTION TO THIS ISSUE THE UTILITIES HAVE BEEN VERY RESPONSIVE. IF SO, RIGHT NOW THEY'RE WORKING THROUGH BACKLOGS OF YEARS OF NOT DOING FULL
RESTORATION TO SIDEWALKS. BUT I DON'T HAVE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THEM RIGHT NOW SO I DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE AN ASK TO HELP WITH THE COMMUNICATION AND PUSH BECAUSE THEY'VE ACTUALLY BEEN REALLY HELPFUL AND GOOD
PARTNERS, YOU KNOW, GOOD I MEAN YOU KNOW, I'M ALWAYS WILLING TO SEND AN UNAUTHORIZED LETTER ON LETTERHEAD, YOU KNOW, SO THANK YOU, COUNSELOR. YEAH, WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH
AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO. THANK YOU, COUNSELOR. COUNSELOR FITZGERALD THANK YOU, CHAIR. AND FIRST THANK YOU ALL CHIEF COMMISSIONER DEBBIE FOR ALL YOU
GUYS DO AND THE HARD WORK IT TAKES TO CERTAINLY KEEP THE CITY UP AND THE FOLKS MOVING AROUND IT. I ALSO WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE BRICKS IN UP ON THIS CORNER THAT WAS A HUGE WE ALMOST HAD
TO TAKE A RESTRAINING ORDER OUT AGAINST AN INDIVIDUAL FOR OUR EYE THAT WOULD TYRUS OUR OFFICE ABOUT THOSE BRICKS SO VERY MUCH I KNOW MY STAFF THANKS YOU AS
WELL FOR TAKING CARE OF THAT AND IT LOOKS GREAT. SECONDLY, THE FOCUS ON THE SIDEWALK YOU KNOW THE ONE THING
I WORRY ABOUT ON THE SIDEWALK STUFF IS THAT ARE WE ARE WE FOCUSING ANYTHING TOO MUCH ELSE ON ON BELLS AND WHISTLES AND OTHER TYPES OF IMPROVEMENTS TO
PEDESTRIAN WAYS WHERE THERE SHOULD BE THE FOCUS ON THE SIDEWALKS? I KNOW A LOT OF THE TIMES THIS IS NOT A BIKE LANE ARGUMENT, RIGHT? I'M NOT BRINGING ANY OF THAT UP
BUT BUT THERE IS THE IN EACH ARTICLE LADY DEVELOPMENT THERE IS A CONTRIBUTION MADE TO THE BIKE LANES RIGHT THERE. I JUST KNOW WHEN THE BPA OR THE PLANNING THE BIKE SHARE SYSTEM
THE BIKE SHARE OKAY YEAH WHATEVER IT IS RIGHT THERE THERE'S A CONTRIBUTION BECAUSE IT'S ALWAYS LISTED AS ONE OF THE BULLET POINTS OF SORT OF THE BENEFITS OF THE PROJECT . I'VE GOT MY OWN ISSUE WITH THAT BEING THAT I THINK IT TAKES
AWAY FROM THE LOT OF THE LOCAL NONPROFITS WHERE THE DEVELOPER THEN SAYS I MADE A CONTRIBUTION TO SOMETHING I WILL NOT GO GIVE TO YOU KNOW BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB WHATEVER IT MAY BE RIGHT THAT
THAT SOMETIMES WE ASK FOR BUT THAT'S AN ASIDE BUT IS THERE IS THERE SOMETHING LIKE THAT THAT COULD GO TO SIDEWALKS TO IMPROVE THE ABILITY RIGHT I
MEAN OR EVEN HALF OF THAT MONEY THAT GOES TOWARDS BIKE BECAUSE EVERYBODY WALKS RIGHT OR USES SIDEWALK SHOULD I SAY MORE APPROPRIATELY EVERYBODY USES THE SIDEWALKS NOT EVERYBODY IN THE CITY BIKES AS MUCH AS WE
WOULD LIKE IT OR NOT. SO IS THERE A WAY TO SORT OF ENHANCE THE FUNDING THROUGH THAT MECHANISM THE SAME WAY YOU'RE DOING FOR BIKE LANES, FOR SIDEWALKS AS SORT OF THE
FUNDAMENTAL ROUTE BEFORE WE I THINK IN THE SOUTH END HARRISON HAVE JUST TO GIVE IT A BETTER EXAMPLE ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTION THAT'S BEEN GOING ON THERE FOR A LONG TIME. PEOPLE WANT THE STREETS IN THE SIDEWALKS BACK TO THE WAY IT
WAS AND FOLKS TALKING ABOUT WELL WE COULD DO, YOU KNOW, ENVIRONMENTAL PLANTERS AND THIS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE AND IN TALKING ABOUT SORT OF BUT IF WE DON'T HAVE THE FOUNDATION PART RIGHT LIKE LET'S JUST MAKE
SURE ALL SIDEWALKS ARE UP TO STANDARD FIRST. DO YOU THINK WE'RE DIRECTING ENOUGH MONEY TOWARDS THAT RATHER THAN SORT OF WHAT I REFERRED TO AS THE BELLS AND WHISTLES?
SURE. YEAH. NO, I THINK FOR THE QUESTION I MEAN I THINK THE STARTING PLACE FOR THIS IS THAT ANY DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED TO TO
AT A MINIMUM RESTORE OR REBUILD THE SIDEWALKS AT THE LOCATION WHERE THE DEVELOPMENT IS TAKING PLACE TO BRING THEM UP TO CURRENT CITY STANDARDS.
SO YOU WILL SEE THIS FREQUENTLY YOU MAY HAVE A BLOCK THAT IS KIND OF A LITTLE OLDER OR A LITTLE MORE WORN SIDEWALKS AND THEY'LL BE A NEW DEVELOPMENT AND SOMETIMES IT COULD BE TWO OR THREE UNITS AND IT WILL HAVE
A BRAND NEW SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF IT. DEVELOPMENT ALSO TYPICALLY INVOLVES CUTTING INTO THE EXISTING SIDEWALKS FOR NEW UTILITIES FOR LARGER DEVELOPMENTS THERE IS TYPICALLY
A NEGOTIATION THAT HAPPENS OVER THE COURSE OF THE ARTICLE 80 PROCESS AND THAT THE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT COMMISSION ABOUT THE SCOPE AND SCALE OF ADDITIONAL MITIGATION THAT THEY DO WHEN IT COMES TO
SIDEWALKS AND STREETSCAPE AND IT'S NOT UNCOMMON TO SEE PROJECTS THAT WILL RESTORE A SIDEWALK LARGER PROJECTS THAT RESTORE SIDEWALK BEYOND THE IMMEDIATE FRONTAGE OF THEIR
BUILDING OR WILL MAKE OTHER TRANSPORT AND SAFETY AND ACCESSIBILITY INVESTMENTS IN RAMPS SO I MEAN I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT THE PROJECTS TODAY THERE IS A LOT OF MONEY THAT DOES GO INTO SIDEWALKS
SOMETIMES THE BELLS AND WHISTLES YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE STREET TREES AND BENCHES AND YOU KNOW, PLANTERS ARE THINGS THAT THE BUILDINGS WANT TO PUT IN PLACE BECAUSE IT ENHANCES
THE CURB APPEAL OF THE BUILDING OR THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE SPACE. BUT THERE ARE A VARIETY OF CITY REQUIREMENTS AND THROUGH THE PLANNING PROCESS YOU KNOW THE ARTICLE 80 PROCESS THERE'S A
SORT OF NEGOTIATION ABOUT THE FULL SCOPE OF MITIGATION BENEFITS AND COMMITMENTS, WHETHER THERE ARE SPECIFIC THINGS LIKE TRANSPORTATION DEMAND OR WHETHER THEY'RE MORE GENERAL LIKE COMMUNITY
CONTRIBUTIONS TOO. I APPRECIATE AND I'M FAMILIAR WITH THE ARTICLE ADA AND PUBLIC BENEFITS HAS INDEED BEEN THE PROJECT MANAGER FOR A LONG TIME DOING THAT STUFF I WAS MORE THINKING ABOUT THE GENERAL SIDEWALKS WHERE DEVELOPMENTS
NOT OCCURRING BUT HAVING FUNDS BEING CONTRIBUTED IN MUCH LIKE THE THE BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT IS CONTRIBUTED THROUGH ARTICLE 80 BUT GOING SO IT WOULD IT WOULD BE TO HELP FUND
MORE SIDEWALKS RIGHT YOU DID THE 16 MILES THIS YEAR TWICE AS MUCH AS IS ANY OF THE PREVIOUS THREE YEARS I THINK YOU SAID IN THE PRESENTATION BUT IF THERE
WAS IF THERE WAS FUNDING THAT WOULD BE PUT INTO WHERE YOU COULD SAY WELL WE GOT, YOU KNOW, 26 MILES DONE THIS YEAR AND AND NOT JUST NOT NOT THE SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF A NEW
DEVELOPMENT BUT THIS IS JUST SAYING FOR THE GENERAL NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ALL NEED UPGRADES RIGHT I JUST FEEL THAT THE MONEY DIRECTED TOWARDS THAT FUNDAMENTAL NEED VERSUS OTHER
FUNDAMENTAL NEEDS THAT ARE SORT OF WHERE I WOULD SAY MAYBE NOT SO FUNDAMENTAL NEEDS THAT WE ARE GETTING MONEY FOR NOW I'M JUST TRYING TO PRIORITIZE THE SIDEWALKS OVER OTHERS.
THAT'S I THINK IT'S A GOOD CONVERSATION FOR US TO HAVE WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT IN THE ROOM. I KNOW AS PART OF ARTICLE 80 MODERNIZATION THEY ARE TRYING TO CREATE A MORE PREDICTABLE SYSTEM. OBVIOUSLY ANY COST WE IMPOSE ON
DEVELOPMENT HAS POTENTIAL EFFECTS IN TERMS OF THE QUALITY OF HOUSING THAT GETS BUILT AND I THINK THERE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE A TENSION WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, MONEY FOR THE BOYS AND
GIRLS CLUB, MONEY FOR SIDEWALKS ,MONEY FOR BLUE BIKES, MONEY FOR ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU KNOW SOMEBODY'S WIFE WANT TO KIND OF BE FUNDED THROUGH DEVELOPER POCKETS IS YOU KNOW, THERE'S
ALWAYS GOING TO BE THAT TENSION AND I THINK THE ARTICLE 80 PROCESS IS INTENDED TO FIND A BALANCE THAT MEETS YOU KNOW, THAT DOES DIRECT MITIGATION FOR IMPACTS OF NEW DEVELOPMENT BUT
ALSO GENERALLY BENEFITS THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE. HAPPY TO BE PART OF THAT CONVERSATION. NOTHING I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY I'M SAYING MAYBE THE SIDEWALK FUND IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN A BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE FUND AT THE MOMENT.
I MEAN I TAKE YOUR POINT COUNCILOR AND I THINK WE CAN ALWAYS DISCUSS HOW TO ALLOCATE THAT MONEY. I WILL SAY THE TOTAL AMOUNT THAT HAS BEEN CONTRIBUTED TO THE BLUE BIKE SYSTEM IS A DROP IN THE BUCKET RELATIVE TO THE
NEED WHEN IT COMES TO SIDEWALK AND IT DOES HAVE THE IMPACT OF MITIGATING SOME OF THE TRANSPORTATION. IT DOES HAVE THE BENEFIT OF MITIGATING SOME OF THE TRANSPORTATION IMPACTS OF NEW DEVELOPMENT, NEW PEOPLE MOVING
INTO A NEIGHBORHOOD BY PROVIDING OPTIONS FOR HOW THEY MOVE AROUND WHICH IS WHY THE CITY INCLUDES THAT AS A REQUIREMENT. I THINK WHETHER WE'VE GOT THE RATIOS RIGHT FOR EXACTLY HOW MANY DOLLARS IN WHICH POOL
OF MONEY IS SOMETHING VERY MUCH UP FOR DISCUSSION. GOTCHA. UNDERSTOOD. THANK YOU. ONE LAST QUESTION IF IT'S A CHAIR AROUND THE UTILITY WORK I
KNOW A WE TALKED ABOUT THE ISSUES THAT OF OF WHEN THEY'RE INTO SIDEWALKS AND THEY'RE DOING THEIR WORK AND WAITING ON THEM IS THERE ANY SYSTEMS IN PLACE TO COORDINATE WITH
UTILITY WITH THE UTILITIES AND IDENTIFY THESE LOCATIONS AND DO WE KNOW HOW MANY MILES OF NEW SIDEWALKS THEY'VE PUT IN VERSUS WHAT WE'VE PUT IN AT THIS POINT? AND DO WE HAVE THAT THAT THOSE
NUMBERS WE DON'T HAVE THOSE NUMBERS TODAY. WE DO HAVE A SYSTEM WHERE WE TRACK BASICALLY WHERE WORK HAS BEEN DONE BY UTILITIES.
WE'RE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF OVERHAULING IT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DO IT THEY'RE DOING SOME ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT FOR US SO THAT WE HAVE MORE USABLE DATA SO THAT WE CAN KEEP BETTER TRACK
OF THESE THINGS SO THAT WE DON'T GET IN THE POSITION THAT WE WERE IN WHERE WE HAD BASICALLY YEARS OF PATCHES THAT HADN'T BEEN CALLED IN TO BE FULLY RESTORED TO PERMANENT
REPAIR. SO I THINK WE'LL HAVE A BETTER TIME OF BEING ABLE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION LIKE WITH MORE REAL LIVE DATA IN A FEW MONTHS. WE CURRENTLY JUST GOT A PREVIEW OF THIS NEW TOOL BASICALLY LIKE
YESTERDAY THAT DO IT IS DEVELOPING FOR US AND YES WE DO HAVE A SYSTEM OF WORKING WITH UTILITIES RIGHT NOW BUT I THINK THE EVIDENCE IS OUT THERE IN
THE STREET THAT IT WASN'T ALLOWING US TO HAVE AS MUCH FEEDBACK AND QUICK FEEDBACK AS WE WOULD LIKE IN ORDER TO MANAGE THE SYSTEM, YOU KNOW, IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE.
AND I ASKED THIS I THIS ISN'T A QUESTION I KNOW THE ANSWER TO BUT IF YOU HAD TO SAY WHO WHO DOES MORE SIDEWALK REPAIR IS IT JUST UTILITIES OVER THE COURSE
OF A YEAR THE CITY OF BOSTON JUST BECAUSE OF THE I HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH SIDEWALK THEY RIP UP PER YEAR AND IS IT LIKE ARE THEY DOING 30 MILES OF SIDEWALK REPAIR ON THEIR OWN BEFORE US OR WHAT IS THE I ACTUALLY DON'T
KNOW THE NUMBER IF YOU KNOW THAT WE ARE DEFINITELY THE LARGER, YOU KNOW, PIECE OF WORK THAT RUNS OUT IN THE CITY. GREAT. NO, THAT'S GREAT. THANK YOU. I WANT TO BE RESPECTFUL OF MY TIME. THANK YOU, JEFF.
THANK YOU, COUNCILOR. ALL RIGHT. I'LL GIVE MYSELF SOME TIME TO ADD SOME QUESTIONS TO PERFECT. SO THIS TOPIC DIDN'T NO
SURPRISE TO ALL THREE OF YOU IS PROBABLY THE NUMBER ONE TOPIC THAT I BUG YOU ABOUT IN MY DISTRICT THE CONDITION OF SIDEWALKS I'VE BEEN IN MULTIPLE OCCASIONS BEEN OUTSIDE
ON WALKS WITH WITH DEPUTY DEPUTY CHIEF CAMPBELL AND THE TEAM OF PUBLIC WORKS AND EVEN THE TREE DEPARTMENT CAME OUT AND WAS ABLE TO TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE CONDITIONS.
THE TOPIC CHIEF FRANKLIN HODGE THEY BRING UP THAT TREES ARE ONE OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES OF THE FACT THAT TREES GET I MEAN SIDEWALK THAT UPROOTED ETC. IS VERY PROMINENT HERE IN MY DISTRICT WHICH IS WHICH
LEADS TO MY QUESTION TWO PART QUESTION FOR THIS ONE WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP LIKE AND HOW WHAT IS IT BECOMING WITH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT AND ESPECIALLY
THE TREE WARDENS BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WHEN I'VE LEARNED THAT ONE WENT A TREE RELATED ISSUE IT GOES TO THIS GO TO THE TREE DEPARTMENT SOMETIMES PUBLIC WORKS IS NOT FULLY LIVED IN AND
THEN THERE'S SOME THERE'S THERE'S SOMETIMES IT'S IT TENDS TO BE A HICCUP AND I KNOW WE SPOKE ABOUT THIS DEPUTY CHIEF SO I WANT TO KNOW IF THERE'S BEEN ANY PROGRESS ON LIKE CREATING A STREAMLINED TYPE OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN BOTH DEPARTMENTS SO THAT WHEN IT IS
REGARDING AN UPROOTED TREE THERE'S RIGHT NEXT STEPS TAKEN AND THEN TO WHERE ARE WE IN IN TERMS OF USING THAT AND THAT
NEW PERMEABLE MATERIAL FOR TREE PITS? CHIEF FRANKLIN HODGE AND I KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING THAT MY TEAM HAS BEEN TRYING TO LOOK AT. WE'VE BEEN WE ACTUALLY FILED
THE HEARING WERE LAST YEAR ON USING OUR RUBBER THE RUBBER SIDEWALKS. IT WAS AN IDEA BROUGHT BY THAT FORMERS CITY COUNCILOR ROXANNE SAVO WHO BECAUSE OF THE SAME ISSUES IN OUR DISTRICT.
SO I WANTED TO BRING THAT UP AGAIN. SO I WANT TO KNOW LIKE WHERE ARE WE WITH THOSE CONTRACT? I KNOW THAT IT'S MORE I'VE LEARNED THAT IT'S MORE EXPENSIVE TO USE THAT MATERIAL BUT I WANTED TO KNOW LIKE WHERE ARE WE THE TRACTION OF USING
THAT GOING FORWARD? SURE I CAN START US OFF THE CHIEF FEEL FREE TO JUMP IN SO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TREES AND PARKS I MEAN I THINK COUNCILOR YOU WERE THERE FOR
LIKE ONE OF THE I THINK FOUNDATIONAL DISCUSSIONS THAT WE HAD ABOUT WHERE WE NEED TO CLOSE THE GAP BETWEEN OUR TWO TEAMS. SO SINCE THAT TIME WE'VE BEEN WORKING BASICALLY ON STANDARD
OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR, YOU KNOW, THE TWO TEAMS TO WORK TOGETHER AND WE WE DIDN'T HAVE A PLAYBOOK FOR HOW WE SHOULD BE WORKING WITH EACH OTHER AND WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT HOW
TO SOLVE PROBLEMS WHEN THINGS LIKE THIS ARISE. SO I THINK YOU SAW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT JUST KIND OF END UP GETTING UNRESOLVED OR JUST LINGER.
SO THAT IS SOME POLICY DEVELOPMENT THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, MAKING GOOD PROGRESS ON. WE DON'T HAVE A FINISHED PRODUCT YET BUT WE'RE JUST WORKING IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR FRIENDS IN THE PARKS
DEPARTMENT WITH THE TREE WARDEN AND I THINK THAT'S GOING WELL THAT IS GOING ON COLLABORATIVELY. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON BRINGING US TOGETHER ON THAT ISSUE. AS FOR THE THE NEW MATERIAL
AROUND TREE PITS, WE'RE KIND OF IN A TESTING PHASE RIGHT NOW FROM THE STREETS SIDE OF THE HOUSE OUR OUR GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE TEAM HAS BEEN AWARE OF AND PROMOTING THESE
MATERIALS FOR MANY YEARS NOW. WE ARE NOW TRYING TO INCORPORATE THEM MORE INTO OUR REGULAR REPAIR WORK. SOME OF THE BASICS THAT WE NEED IN ORDER TO DO THAT ARE TO BASICALLY LIKE HAVE THE ABILITY
TO INSTALL THE MATERIAL. WE DON'T HAVE THAT ABILITY REALLY RIGHT NOW ON A REGULAR BASIS BECAUSE THAT'S NOT A LINE ITEM IN A MAINTENANCE CONTRACT THAT WE HAVE ACCESS TO.
SO WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW IS JUST SEEING LIKE WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PRODUCTS THAT WORK WELL CAN OUR CONTRACTORS WORK WITH THEM? HOW DO THEY HOLD UP OVER TIME?
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ARE JUST TRYING YOU KNOW, OUTSIDE OF PIERCE PARK LIKE THE CHIEF SHOWED ONE OF THE FIRST PLACES THAT WE'VE DONE THAT AND A MAINTENANCE JOB AND OVER TIME WE HOPE TO HAVE THAT AS A
MATERIAL THAT WE CAN REGULARLY DEPLOY AS PART OF OUR MAINTENANCE WORK BECAUSE WE WANT TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO SIDEWALKS FROM TREES AND THAT'S ONE OF THE TOOLS THAT WE HAVE. OKAY. AND YOU MENTIONED THAT IT'S NOT
A LINE ITEM YET SO THAT THAT PREVENTS YOU FROM DOING MORE EXTENSIVE WORK WITH THAT. BUT IF YOU HAD A LINE ITEM IN THE BUDGET FOR THAT IT WOULD HELP. IT'S LESS ABOUT HAVING A BUDGETARY LINE ITEM AND MORE JUST A CONTRACTUAL THING
BECAUSE IT'S A NEW MATERIAL. MANY OF OUR CONTRACTS WERE BID BEFORE WE STARTED USING IT SO BUT WE'RE STARTING TO INCORPORATE IT NOW INTO SOME OF OUR STREET RECONSTRUCTION
PROJECTS SO WE HAVE A BUNCH OF WORK PLANNED IN THE JONES AVENUE NEIGHBORHOOD AREA TO RECONSTRUCT A NUMBER OF STREETS AND SIDEWALKS AND THAT INCLUDES THE RESIN BOUND AGGREGATE AS
ONE OF THE MATERIALS THAT WILL BE BID OUT AS PART OF THAT JOB. IT IS 2 TO 3 TIMES MORE EXPENSIVE THAN TRADITIONAL CONCRETE BUT OBVIOUSLY A MUCH SMALLER AREA. YEAH, NO ABSOLUTELY.
AND TO COUNCILOR FITZGERALD'S POINT IF IT'S NEAR A NEW DEVELOPMENT I THINK THAT THAT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE ASK THE DEVELOPERS TO HELP PAY FOR IN FRONT OF THEIR BUSINESS, IN FRONT OF THEIR NEW DEVELOPMENT
WHERE PART OF THE PLAN IS TO PUT THOSE TREE PITS WITH THE RIGHT MATERIAL. ABSOLUTELY AND SOME OF THESE NEW MATERIALS AND NEW DESIGNS ARE INCORPORATED INTO THE CITY'S NEW GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
DESIGN STANDARDS. SO WE HAVE NEW STANDARD DETAILS THAT WE PROVIDE FOR THIRD PARTIES LIKE DEVELOPERS THAT DO WORK ON STREETS FOR PREAPPROVED DESIGNS ESSENTIALLY AND THAT
INCORPORATES SOME OF THESE NEW MATERIALS INTO THOSE DESIGNS. AND WE'VE SEEN A FEW PROJECTS COME THROUGH THE PIPE. C ONE OF THE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS IN MARCY BOULEVARD
FOR EXAMPLE WHERE THEY'VE INCORPORATED THE RESIN BOUND AGGREGATE AS A WAY TO ENSURE AN ACCESSIBLE PATH OF TRAVEL. SO WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO ENCOURAGE THIS BY EVERYONE DOING WORK ON THE STREET BOTH CITY AND THIRD PARTY AND THAT'S GOOD.
THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW. ALL RIGHT. I APPRECIATE THAT. THE OTHER TOPIC THAT I WANTED TO TOUCH UPON IS IN MY DISTRICT ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU GO UP TO THE FAIRMONT HILL AREA THERE'S
A STREET CALLED PROSPECT PROSPECT STREET. IT'S A VERY HISTORIC STREET BUT VERY TERRIBLE SIDEWALKS TO THE POINT WHERE IN SOME PORTIONS OF IT THERE AREN'T ANY SIDEWALKS. THERE'S A BIT OF A BACK AND
FORTH WITH RESIDENTS ON WHETHER THEY WANT THE SIDEWALKS OR NOT BECAUSE THAT'S, YOU KNOW, PARKING ETC. BUT SOME RESIDENTS DO WANT THE SIDEWALKS BECAUSE OF ACCESSIBILITY. SO I WANT TO KNOW WHERE THEY
SITUATE ONE. I WANT TO INVITE YOU OUT THERE TO PROSPECT STREET. IT'S AN INTERESTING STREET BUT TWO WHEN IT COMES TO THESE HISTORIC STREETS THAT COMES WITH SO MANY PROTECTIONS, HOW
DO YOU HANDLE THOSE SITUATIONS? BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THAT STREET ON FAIRMONT HILL IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF MANY. YEAH, NO IT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND WE'D LOVE TO COME OUT AND LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE STREET AND THE ISSUES
THERE. I THINK THERE'S THERE'S BOTH A SORT OF FORMAL LEGAL PART OF THAT QUESTION AS IT RELATES TO STREETS THAT ARE PART OF A LANDMARKS DISTRICT AND YOU KNOW, SOME ONGOING CONVERSATIONS WITH THE
LANDMARKS COMMISSION. I THINK EVERYONE IS PROBABLY FAMILIAR WITH SOME OF THE HISTORY THAT PUBLIC WORKS HAS HAD ON BEACON HILL WITH THAT TENSION THAT CAN EXIST BETWEEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND
ACCESSIBILITY. I THINK ULTIMATELY WHEN WE'RE WORKING IN A PLACE THAT DOESN'T EXIST WITH A FORMAL SET OF LEGAL REQUIREMENTS AND LANDMARK REQUIREMENTS AROUND IT, YOU KNOW IT'S LARGELY A
CONVERSATION THAT WE WANT TO HAVE WITH THE RESIDENTS ABOUT WHAT MATERIALS TO USE WHERE WE RECENTLY DID SOME STREET RECONSTRUCTION IN ROXBURY WHERE WE REPLACED A LOT OF OLD BRICK
WITH WIRE CUT BRICK AND BUT IN SOME AREAS THERE WAS SOME ADDITIONAL CONCRETE ADDED BECAUSE THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT EVERYONE FELT WAS APPROPRIATE IN KEEPING WITH THE HISTORIC
CHARACTER WHILE ALSO IMPROVING ACCESSIBILITY SO I THINK A DISCUSSION AND THAT'S ABOUT THE SPECIFICS IS IS ALWAYS IN ORDER AND HOW WE LIKE TO START. I APPRECIATE THAT.
SO I'LL DEFINITELY HAVE MY TEAMS AND THEN INVITE TO GO CHECK OUT PROSPECT STREET AND VERMONT HILL. OKAY THAT THAT'S ALL THE QUESTION I HAVE FOR FOR NOW I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE'VE BEEN JOINED BY OUR CITY
COUNCIL PRESIDENT RICHARD LOUIJEUNE. WE'RE DOING OUR THIS IS Q&A SO WE'D LOVE TO TURN OVER TO SURE. THANK YOU, MR CHAIR AND THANK
YOU TO THE ADMINISTRATION FOR BEING HERE. I ESPECIALLY YOU KNOW I DON'T KNOW IF I EVER TALKED TO YOU ABOUT THIS COMMISSION MEKASH BUT I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE A MEMBER OF YOUR
STAFF CAME TO MY STREET TO REALLY ASSESS THE ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES ON MY STREET WHERE WE LACKED SIDEWALKS AND REALLY THINKING ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO THERE.
SO I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU AND THE WORK OF YOUR STAFF. I'M I'M ALWAYS INTERESTED IN LIKE COMPARATIVE QUESTIONS. SO IS THERE SOMETHING UNIQUE VERSUS THERE'S SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT LIKE OUR SIDEWALKS IN THE
CITY OF BOSTON THAT MAKES A WORK OF REPAIR THAT MUCH MORE DIFFICULT? MY STAFF WAS LISTENING AND WE WERE THEY TALK TO ME ABOUT HOW THE COST OF BRICKS HAVE GONE UP
COMPLETELY SIGNIFICANTLY. DO WE HAVE MORE BRICKS THAN A COMPARABLE CITY OF OUR SIZE? IS THAT BECAUSE OF THE HOW OLD OF A CITY WE ARE? DOES THAT MAKE THE WORK?
I SEE ALMOST $1,000,000,000 OF WORK. IT SEEMS RATHER COSTLY AND SO I HAVE THAT QUESTION FOR YOU CHIEF, BUT ALSO TO THEN COMMISSIONER MCCOSH, DOES THAT
LEAD TO MORE ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES THAN I GUESS YOUR AVERAGE WHAT CITY WOULD WOULD EXPERIENCE? SHORT ANSWER IS YES. WE HAVE A LOT MORE BRICKS.
SOME OF IT IS HISTORIC. SOME OF IT WAS ADDED OVER THE DECADES AS A WAY TO CREATE A HISTORIC ATMOSPHERE BUT NONETHELESS IT EXISTS AND YOU
KNOW WE DO OUR BEST TO MAINTAIN BRICK WHERE WE HAVE IT THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE FOR US AND BOTH COSTS AND COMPLEXITY OF REPAIRS. WE TALKED IN THE OPENING
STATEMENTS AROUND JUST THE GENERAL RISING COST OF CONCRETE AROUND THE PRESENCE OF STREET TREES AREA WAYS THAT WE SPOKE ABOUT EARLIER. ALSO A SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE IN THE CITY OF BOSTON.
I MEAN MUCH OF THIS COMES SIMPLY FROM THE FACT THAT WE'RE A VERY OLD CITY AND OVER THE YEARS WE'VE UPGRADED STREETS IN DIFFERENT WAYS IN THE STANDARDS
OF THE TIME. YOU KNOW, THERE USED TO BE NO SIDEWALKS, CEASED TO BE COBBLESTONE ONS THERE. YOU KNOW, IN SOME CASES WE ADDED SIDEWALKS THAT WERE IN AN EFFORT TO YOU KNOW, IN THE IN
THE KIND OF PEAK OF THE MOTOR VEHICLE ERA WE ADDED SIDEWALKS IN WAYS THAT WERE OFTEN DESIGNED TO MAXIMIZE SPACE FOR VEHICLES AND AT THE EXPENSE OF CREATING ACCESSIBLE PATHWAYS FOR PEDESTRIANS.
AND SO I THINK WE JUST HAVE, YOU KNOW, ALMOST 400 YEARS OF OF HISTORY BUILT UP HERE THAT WE HAVE TO OF UNPACK ON A STREET BY STREET BASIS AND SAY WHAT'S THE BEST SOLUTION FOR
THIS STREET FOR THIS NEIGHBORHOOD? IS THIS A PLACE WE CAN WIDEN THE SIDEWALK? IS THIS A PLACE WHERE WE WANT TO PRESERVE THE MATERIAL BUT UPGRADED TO SOMETHING THAT IS MORE ACCESSIBLE?
IT'S JUST A VERY COMPLEX PLACE TO WORK RELATIVE TO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU MIGHT FIND IN THE WESTERN PARTS OF THE US WHERE OFTEN YOU KNOW THE STREETS WERE ALL CREATED WITHIN THE LAST HUNDRED YEARS AND THE SIDEWALKS
ALL FIT A VERY STANDARD TEMPLATE JUST REQUIRES A LOT OF NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL AND STREET LEVEL SPECIFICITY AND I THINK JUST THE PARTNERSHIP THAT WE HAVE WITH THE DISABILITIES COMMISSION IS ABSOLUTELY TREMENDOUS.
THEY BRING SO MUCH EXPERTISE IN EACH NOT ONLY IN IN KIND OF THE GENERAL EXPERIENCES THAT THEY CAN BRING TO THESE CONVERSATIONS BUT YOU KNOW, THE COMMISSIONER MCCOSH AND HER
TEAM ARE EXPERTS ON MATERIALS AND THE TRADE OFFS AND DESIGN DETAILS AND HOW WE USE DIFFERENT THINGS IN DIFFERENT PLACES. SO WE'RE JUST FORTUNATE TO HAVE THEM AS A PARTNER IN THIS COMMISSION BECAUSE WE PREFER DO
WE PREFER STRAIGHT CONCRETE ALTHOUGH THERE ARE PROBLEMS WITH CONCRETE AS WELL WE SEE A LOT OF LIKE LIKE UNLOVELY WITH CONCRETE BUT IS CONCRETE PREFERABLE FOR LIKE FOR
ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES OVER BRICK IT IS AND THE CITY STANDARD FOR SIDEWALKS REQUIRES A FIVE FOOT WIDE PATH OF TRAVEL IN CONCRETE. SO ANYTIME WE DO UPGRADES OR NEW CONSTRUCTION WE ALWAYS GET THAT.
BUT BEING NO BRICK FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION IT COULD BE BRICK AND THE THE EDGES IF PREFERRED LIKE THE CHIEF SAID A LOT OF TIMES IT'S STREET BY STREET. WE DO HAVE CERTAIN HISTORIC
NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE FULL OF BRICK SIDEWALKS AND WE'RE NOT LOOKING TO REMOVE THOSE. THEY DEFINITELY NEED TO BE KEPT IN GOOD REPAIR BUT OTHERWISE WE ALWAYS PREFER CONCRETE FOR A
PATH OF TRAVEL. IS THERE? WELL IS THERE A DOES THE ADA ALLOW FOR WAIVERS FOR
NONCOMPLIANCE SO THERE ARE NO WAIVERS IN THE ADA BUT WE REALLY FOR BUILDING CODE WE GO INTO THE MASSACHUSETTS AS ARCHITECTURAL ACCESS BOARD AND THEY DO HAVE VARIANCES THAT CAN
BE ALLOWED AND WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THE STREETS TEAM TO SUBMIT VARIANCES FOR THINGS THAT ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO BECOME COMPLIANT JUST BECAUSE LIKE THE STREET IS TOO NARROW, THE SIDEWALKS ARE TOO NARROW SO THERE ARE A LOT
OF A GOOD BIT OF CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE WE CAN'T ACHIEVE COMPLIANCE NO MATTER WHAT WE DO. BUT A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE FOCUS ON IN MY OFFICE WE SAY THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COMPLIANCE AND ACCESSIBILITY. ONE EXAMPLE I ALWAYS GIVE IS AT
THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY IN COPLEY ONE OF THE MEETING ROOMS THE ONLY WAY TO ACCESS IT IS A VERTICAL LIFT LIKE WE HAVE HERE AT THE MEZZANINE SO THAT'S TECHNICALLY COMPLIANT BUT IT'S
NOT REALLY ACCESSIBLE IF YOU'RE HAVING A MEETING ON CAN BE AN ISSUE AND 30 PEOPLE IN WHEELCHAIRS SHOW UP SO YOU CAN'T REALLY GET 30 PEOPLE UP ON A LIFT YOU KNOW, IN DUE TIME FOR A MEETING. SO THERE ARE THINGS LIKE THAT
WE LOOK AT CREATIVE SOLUTIONS TO NOT ONLY JUST BE COMPLIANCE OR IF WE CAN'T MEET COMPLIANCE TO PROVIDE THEM THE MOST ACCESS AS POSSIBLE. THE SAME WOULD BE HERE TO RIGHT IF WE SHOWED UP FOR AN EVENT
THE MEZZANINE AND NEEDED TO COME UP IT WOULD IT WOULD BE THE SAME ISSUE HERE AT CITY HALL. YES. YEAH. OKAY. UM I THINK FOR NOW THOSE ARE MY
QUESTIONS. UM, I, I GUESS COMMIT THE COMMISSION MORE IN THAT INSTANCE WHERE IT WHERE THERE A THERE'S AN IMPOSSIBILITY TO ACHIEVE FULL COMPLIANCE.
HOW DO YOU COMMUNICATE THAT TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO FOR EXAMPLE DON'T LIKE MY STREET IS A STREET THAT'S ALSO ON THE WALKING TRAIL FOR THE CITY OF BOSTON THAT PEOPLE HOW DO
YOU WE COMMUNICATE TO PEOPLE THAT THIS IS A STREET THAT FOR WHATEVER REASON IS NOT COMPLIANT OR CANNOT BECOME COMPLIANT OR IT'S NOT A STREET THAT THEY CAN USE?
IS THERE ARE THERE MECHANISMS OF ADVANCE NOTICE TO PEOPLE AND WHAT ARE THOSE. YEAH IT'S THAT'S A LITTLE BIT COMPLICATED. I GAVE AN EXAMPLE EARLIER OF AMORY STREET. ONE SIDE OF THE BLOCK IS REALLY
NOT ACCESSIBLE BECAUSE IT HAS HYDRANTS AND STREETLIGHTS, ELECTRICAL VAULTS SO YOU CAN'T REALLY ACCESS IT IF YOU ARE IN A WHEELCHAIR BUT ACROSS THE STREET IS A PRETTY SMOOTH PATH TO TRAVEL. SO WE TALKED ABOUT CREATIVE
THINGS LIKE PUTTING SIGNAGE AT ONE INTO THE BLOCK THAT SAYS ACCESSIBLE ROUTE WITH AN ARROW POINTING ACROSS THE STREET SO WE COULD DO THINGS LIKE THAT AND IF IT'S PART OF A WALKING TRAIL WE COULD PUT THAT INFORMATION. SO IT REALLY IS JUST PAYING
ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS WHICH IN OLD CITY YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY THERE ARE A LOT OF THOSE INSTANCES SO WORKING TO CREATE THE MOST ACCESSIBILITY IS POSSIBLE IS ALWAYS OUR GOAL AND THEN IF WE
CAN'T IT'S CERTAINLY IMPORTANT TO GET THAT MESSAGE OUT AS WELL. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER CASH THANK YOU AND THANK YOU CHIEF. AND THANK YOU, MR CHAIR. THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT.
OKAY, SO WE'VE ALL BEEN AROUND I WANT TO ASK MY COLLEAGUES IF THEY HAVE A SECOND ROUND OF QUESTIONS. OKAY, PERFECT. WE'LL START WITH COUNCILOR FLYNN THEN WE GO TO
COUNCIL FITZGERALD AND IF COUNCILOR MURPHY HAS MORE WE'LL DO HER TWO SO COUNCILOR FLYNN AND THANK MR CHAIR AND AGAIN THANK YOU TO COMMISSIONER MCCOSH AND I AGREE WITH YOU I
ACTUALLY HAVE A HEARING ORDER SCHEDULED FOR ACCESSING AND STUDYING WHETHER THE COMPLIANCE HERE IN THE CITY AND CITY HALL
FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES LIKE YOU. I AM ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT THE MEZZANINE LEVEL AREA NOT JUST FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
AND IN SENIORS BUT JUST IN MY OPINION OF HOW UNSAFE IT IS IN THAT AREA FOR FOR ANYONE REALLY HAVING AN EVENT THERE AND THEN
JUST A COUPLE STEPS AWAY IF YOU FELL YOU YOU FALL ONTO ALL OF THESE STAIRS BUT ALSO YOU HIGHLIGHTED IT VERY WELL
COMMISSIONER, AS IF THERE WAS A IF THERE WERE PEOPLE IN WHEELCHAIRS THAT WANTED TO ATTEND THE THE EVENT AND THE LIFT GETS ONE PERSON UP AT A
TIME YOU KNOW IT'S NOT NECESSARY ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO TWO RESIDENTS AND AS WE BOTH KNOW WE PROBABLY BOTH AGREE ON
ONE OF THE BEST FEDERAL PIECES OF LEGISLATION IS THE IS THE ADA AND AGAIN THIS THESE ISSUES HAVE HERE IN BOSTON A LONG PERIOD OF TIME BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO ENSURE THAT EVERY
PART OF THE BUILDING IS ACCESSIBLE. SO I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE WORK CHIEF ON ON A PARTICULAR ADDRESS.
I DON'T NECESSARILY NEED A ANY ANSWER NOW BUT IF SOMETHING YOU MIGHT TAKE A LOOK AT WHEN YOU GET BACK BUT THE SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF 151 TREMONT STREET I
DID A VISIT WITH RESIDENTS THERE. IT'S ACROSS THE BOSTON COMMON. I ALSO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THE CHALLENGES FOR PERSONS WITH
DISABILITIES TRAVELING ALONG THAT STREET ON TREMONT STREET IS THERE ANY PLANS TO FIX THAT SPECIFIC SIDEWALK? IT'S 151 TRAUMA TRAUMA WHICH IS BASICALLY RIGHT RIGHT ACROSS
THE BOSTON COMMON NOT THAT I'M AWARE OF. I'VE THOUGHT MY HEAD BUT WE'RE HAPPY TO GO TAKE A LOOK. OKAY, CHIEF, I KNOW YOU HAVE A
BACKLOG OF 311 OR CALLS OR REQUEST TO FIX SIDEWALKS. HOW HOW BIG IS THAT LIST TO TERM THAT NUMBER? I KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING OF A
COMPLICATED TOPIC SO WE CAN TRY TO GET YOU A SPECIFIC NUMBER WHAT WE CONSIDER THE BACKLOG TO BE THERE'S A LOT OF DATA CHALLENGES WITH THREE ON ONE
SIDEWALK REQUESTS THE I BELIEVE COUNCILOR MURPHY GAVE A NUMBER OF REQUESTS FROM LAST YEAR THAT WAS ABOUT 5000. WE'VE DONE ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS AROUND DUPLICATE ACTION AND
MISCLASSIFIED REQUESTS. WE ACTUALLY RECEIVED 3000 REQUESTS FOR SIDEWALK REPAIRS LAST YEAR SO WE CAN TRY TO GET YOU A SPECIFIC BACKLOG NUMBER BUT I THINK WHAT IS SAFE TO SAY
IS THAT THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY WHERE THE SIDEWALKS NEED REPAIR THAT WE ARE TRYING TO PRIORITIZE. OKAY. AND THEN EVEN WITH THAT LIST
OBVIOUSLY THERE'S MORE THAT COME IN EVERY DAY SO YOU PROBABLY GET SO MANY EACH DAY, SO MANY EACH MONTH. BUT DOES IT SEEM LIKE YOU WILL
EVER GET FINISHED WITH THE LIST OR IS THIS JUST SOMETHING THAT IS A CONSTANT EFFORT THAT NEEDS TO TAKE PLACE? I MEAN THIS IS A CONSTANT EFFORT, RIGHT? SIDEWALKS CONTINUE TO DEGRADE
OVER TIME. YOU KNOW, TRUCKS AND VEHICLES PARK ON SIDEWALKS SNOW AND ICE AND SALT TAKE THEIR TOLL. I THINK OUR GOAL WOULD BE GET
TO A PLACE WHERE WE ARE BOTH DOING LARGE SCALE PROACTIVE REPAIRS IN THE PLACES WHERE WE KNOW THERE IS SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE SIDEWALKS AND WHERE WE HAVE A PREDICTABLE RESOLUTION IN TIME WHEN SOMEONE
REPORTS A SPECIFIC DEFECT TO US WE ARE NOT THERE YET. TO MY KNOWLEDGE THE CITY HAS NOT BEEN THERE IN TERMS OF THE RESPONSE OF HAVING A A CLEAR SLA FOR FIXING SIDEWALK DEFECTS
EVER IN THE CITY'S HISTORY. BUT WE WOULD LIKE TO GET THERE AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS WITH THAT OUR ORGANIZATION OF DATA AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THREE ON ONE REQUEST. OKAY.
NOW IF THERE IS A SIDEWALK THAT'S PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR A PERSON IN A WHEELCHAIR TO USE THE SIDEWALK BECAUSE OF THE,
BECAUSE OF THE THE KIND OF THE RAMP AREA ON THE SIDEWALK HOW HOW STEEP IT IS IF IT'S PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR THAT
PERSON IN A WHEELCHAIR TO USE THAT THAT IS SO THAT SO THEN THAT PERSON DOES NOT HAVE ACCESSIBILITY BUT DOES THAT PARTICULAR EXAMPLE IS IT
PRIORITIZED IN A CERTAIN WAY THAT THIS IS A PRIORITY MUST HAVE THIS FIT, WE MUST HAVE THIS DONE IN TWO WEEKS? IS THAT IS THAT THE CASE OR
JUST JUST FROM METRO HOW THAT WOULD GO? YEAH AND I DID INVITE BOTH OF MY CO PANELISTS TO SPEAK ON THIS BUT I MEAN I THINK AT A AT A HIGH LEVEL WE RECOGNIZING THAT THERE IS A BACKLOG OF WORK
AND MORE DAMAGED SIDEWALKS THAN WE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO FIX IN A SHORT FRAME SHORT TIMEFRAME IN THE CITY WE TRY TO TAKE INPUT FROM THE DISABILITIES
COMMISSION, FROM COUNCILORS, FROM OUR OWN S AND IF WE ARE MADE AWARE OF A SITUATION WHERE THERE'S A SPECIFIC CHALLENGE IT MIGHT BE A BUILDING WITH A LOT OF OLDER RESIDENTS OR PEOPLE
WHO USE MOBILITY AIDS IT MIGHT BE SINGLE RESIDENCE WHERE SOMEBODY IS NEWLY USING A WHEELCHAIR BECAUSE OF AN INJURY OR AN ACCIDENT. WE DO OUR BEST TO TRY TO BUMP
THOSE TO THE TOP OF THE QUEUE FOR SOME KIND OF REPAIR WHETHER THAT'S A MAKE SAFE REPAIR IN SOME CASES WE HAVE GONE IN AND TAKEN OUT TAKEN OUT CONCRETE
THAT'S CRACKED AND PUT IN A TEMPORARY ASPHALT SIDEWALK SO. YOU KNOW WE ULTIMATELY TAKE OUR CUES FROM THE FOLKS THAT HAVE THEIR EARS TO THE GROUND THERE AND ARE IN CONVERSATIONS WITH RESIDENTS ABOUT WHERE WE HAVE
THESE CRITICAL SITUATIONS AND DO OUR BEST TO DEPLOY THE RESOURCES WE HAVE THERE. YEAH, AND WE ALSO PRIORITIZE THINGS IN MY OFFICE A LOT OF COMPLAINTS WE GET ARE FROM THINGS THAT THE CITY DOESN'T
OVERSEE THINGS LIKE DCR ROADS T0 SIDEWALKS SO WE TRY TO REPORT THOSE ISSUES TO DCR OR MASSDOT WHO WHOEVER OWNS THE SIDEWALK. BUT AS FAR AS THE CHALLENGES WE HAVE WHEN SIDEWALKS CAN'T
BECOME ACCESSIBLE LIKE I SAID IF WE NEED TO DO WORK ON THOSE ANY WORK IS REQUIRED TO BE ACCESSIBLE IF THAT CAN'T HAPPEN WE WORK WITH THE STREETS TEAM AND THE ARCHITECTURAL ACCESS BOARD TO SAY LIKE CAN WE GET A
TIME VARIANCE WHICH WOULD GIVE US TIME TO STUDY AREA, LOOK AT IT AND SEE IF THERE ARE WAYS WE CAN MAKE IT ACCESSIBLE TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT POSSIBLE. SOMETIMES IT REALLY IS IMPOSSIBLE. ONE THING THAT'S HELPED A
LITTLE BIT ACTUALLY IS THE BIKE LANES BECAUSE IF THE SIDEWALKS NOT ACCESSIBLE I MYSELF WOULD EVEN LIKE ROLL IN THE BIKE LANES BECAUSE WE KNOW IT'S SMOOTH AND FLAT. SO YOU KNOW THAT HAS AN ADDED BENEFIT TO IN THAT SENSE BUT
YOU KNOW UNFORTUNATELY BECAUSE OF THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE CITY, THE ALREADY BUILT INFRASTRUCTURE OF HOUSES THAT YOU CAN'T ACTUALLY MAKE STREETS WIDER AND YOU NEED EGRESS FOR
EMERGENCY VEHICLES SOMETIMES SIDEWALKS ARE RELEGATED TO, YOU KNOW, LESSENED COMPLIANT MEASUREMENT. BUT WE'VE ALSO TALKED ABOUT THINGS LIKE SHARED STREETS. I THINK WE PILOTED ONE ON
BEACON HILL AND THAT IS WHERE THE WHOLE STREET IS LEVEL BUT YOU USE BOLLARDS TO BLOCK OFF WHERE LIKE VEHICLES CAN'T TRAVEL AND USE OTHER TYPES OF PAINT OF THINGS TO HAVE THE LANGUAGE OF VEHICLE SPACES AND
PEDESTRIAN SPACES AND THAT CAN ALSO BE A HELP ON SOME OF THESE STREETS THAT JUST CAN'T BE MADE ACCESSIBLE. THANK YOU AND I WANT TO BE RESPECTFUL TO MY COLLEAGUES. MR CHAIR, MAY I ASK ONE MORE QUESTION?
YES. OKAY. SO JUST FOLLOWING UP ON THAT CHIEF IN AND COMMISSIONER BUT
SO SO SO THE LIST OF REPAIRS CERTAINLY IS IN THE THOUSANDS BUT THE LIST OF REPAIRS FOR THAT TYPE OF SPECIFIC EMERGENCY
WEAR WHERE A PERSON IN A WHEELCHAIR IS UNABLE TO TO TO NAVIGATE THE STREET I GUESS MY QUESTION IS DO WE HAVE AND DO
WE KNOW HOW MANY OF THE SIDEWALKS ARE IN THAT OR IN THAT PARTICULAR SCENARIO AND WELL, LET ME ASK YOU THAT QUESTION FOR US AND THEN I'LL DO A QUICK FOLLOW UP.
I DON'T I DON'T THINK WE DO OFTENTIMES THIS PRIORITIZATION IS NOT A FORMAL PROCESS, BUT IF ANYONE FROM COMMISSIONER MCCOSH HIS TEAM CALLS ME OR PEOPLE ON
MY TEAM THEY KNOW THAT IT IS A PRIORITY AND THEY MAKE A POINT OF RESPONDING IMMEDIATELY AND DIVERTING RESOURCES. SO IT'S A IT'S A IT'S AN
INFORMAL PRIORITIZATION PROCESS BUT ONE THAT ULTIMATELY LETS US PIVOT AS NEEDED WHEN WE HAVE THESE CRITICAL SITUATIONS IDENTIFIED. AND I WILL SAY MY TEAM DOES A LOT OF ASSESSMENT WHEN WE GET A
COMPLAINT BECAUSE WE DON'T JUST RAISE EVERYTHING TO THE STREETS CABINET BECAUSE WE WANT TO, YOU KNOW, PROVIDE EQUITY IF IT ISN'T UNDER-SERVED NEIGHBORHOOD CERTAINLY OR NEAR TRANSIT STATION OR NEAR DEVELOPMENT A
LOT OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES LIVE WE ALWAYS ELEVATE THOSE CASES BUT WE DON'T NECESSARILY ELEVATE EVERYONE WILL GUIDE CONSTITUENTS TO SAY WELL YOU CAN REPORT THIS TO 311. SO WE DO A LOT OF INTERNAL
ANALYSIS AS WELL. QUESTION WOULD YOU OR A MEMBER OF YOUR TEAM SAY SAY YOU GET A COMPLAINT FROM SOMEONE AND THEY
THEY WOULD SAY WELL A PERSON WITH A PERSON IN A WHEELCHAIR IS NOT ABLE TO ACCESS AND WOULD WOULD A MEMBER OF YOUR TEAM PHYSICALLY GO OUT THERE AND TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND THEN
PRIORITIZE IT IN A CERTAIN WAY IF IF IT'S IF IT'S REALLY REALLY BAD WOULD DO IS BUT DOES YOUR TEAM PREDICT THAT IT WILL GO ON A LOT OF WALK THROUGH IS
LIKE COUNCILOR DURKIN MENTIONED THE ONE ON AMORY STREET I MENTIONED EARLIER MY STAFF WENT OUT AND WE TOOK MEASUREMENTS AND WE MAPPED THE WHOLE LIKE SIX OR SEVEN BLOCKS TO LOOK AT WAYS WE COULD MAKE AN
ACCESSIBLE ROUTE. SO A LOT OF TIMES IF THE SIDEWALK CAN'T BE MADE ACCESSIBLE WE CAN STILL FIND AN ACCESSIBLE ROUTE LIKE IN THAT CASE DIRECT PEOPLE ACROSS THE STREET OR DIRECT THEM TO THE SOUTHWEST CORNER PARK.
NOT IDEAL BUT IT'S AN IMMEDIATE SOLUTION FOR SOMEONE WHO'S LOOKING FOR AN ACCESSIBLE ROUTE . SO MY TEAM DOES GO OUT AND DO THOSE SORTS OF WALKS MORE INFORMALLY THAN FORMALLY AND WE DON'T HAVE A FORMAL PROCESS FOR
DOING IT BUT WE'RE VERY RESPONSIVE TO CONSTITUENTS SO ANY TIME THEY READ SOMETHING AND WE DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND IT, WE USE GOOGLE STREET VIEW A LOT BUT IF WE DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND IT WE'LL SAY LET'S JUST GO TAKE A LOOK AT IT.
WELL, I AGREE THAT COMMISSIONER, YOU AND YOUR TEAM YOU DO AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB, YOU'RE VERY ACCESSIBLE AND YOU RETURN PHONE CALLS AND EMAILS
AND YOU'RE YOU'RE YOU'RE AN OUTSTANDING AND DEDICATED CITY EMPLOYEE. SO I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR PROFESSED PROFESSIONALISM BUT ALSO YOUR TEAM AS WELL.
AND THANK THANK YOU CHIEF AND YOUR TEAM AS WELL. MR CHAIR, OUT OF RESPECT FOR MY COLLEAGUES I HAVE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR. WE'RE GOING TO GO WITH COUNCILOR MURPHY AND THEN
COUNCILOR FITZGERALD. I JUST HAVE A COUPLE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND COUNCILOR FLYNN WAS JUST
FOCUSING ON ON THIS BUT I JUST HAD A FOLLOW UP. WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THE LIST. WE KNOW IT'S LONG AND THEN YOU KNOW THERE IS A NEW STREETS AND INTERSECTIONS THAT GET ADDED
ALL THE TIME AND WHEN PEOPLE CALL INTO 311 YOU HAVE AN ONGOING LIST OF THE NEEDS ARE WHAT WOULD YOU CONSIDER THE PERCENTAGE CALLS FROM RESIDENTS
INTO 311 ABOUT STREET CONCERNS THAT YOU ALREADY KNOW ABOUT THAT ARE ALREADY ON A LIST TO BE FIXED? COUNCILOR I THINK THAT'S A
THAT'S A DIFFICULT QUESTION TO ANSWER. I'LL ANSWER IT IN A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT WAY WHICH IS ALMOST EVERY TIME WE DO A REPAIR ON A STREET LIKE WITH THE SIDEWALK
REPAIR CONTRACTOR WE'RE WORKING IN A NEIGHBORHOOD YOU BASICALLY THROW A ROCK AND FIND A311 REQUEST. SO PART OF THE WORK THAT WE DO IS THAT WE DON'T THROUGH YOU
KNOW, LOOKING AT A CITYWIDE PERSPECTIVE, LOOKING AT DESTINATIONS, LOOKING AT GETTING PEOPLE ACCESS TO COMMUNITY CENTERS AND TRANSIT, THINGS LIKE THAT THAT'S HOW WE
BASICALLY FOCUS OUR MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS. BUT THEN WE ALSO JUST FIND A TON OF 311 REQUESTS WHEN WE GO OUT AND SO WE TRY TO JUST CLEAR THOSE ALL OUT AS WE'RE GOING
THROUGH AND DOING THE REPAIRS. IT'S DIFFICULT TO SAY LIKE HOW MANY WE KNEW ABOUT. I DON'T THINK WE CAN QUANTIFY THAT. SO I GUESS MY QUESTION IS IT'S LIKE MANAGING EXPECTATIONS
SOMETHING I HAVE TO DO ALL THE TIME IN YOUR DEPARTMENT 311 ABSOLUTELY. SO YOU KNOW, A CALL COMES IN AND THERE IS AN OPEN CALL A REPORT BUT BECAUSE LIKE WE
ALREADY KNOW THE LIST IS REALLY LONG WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO DO ALL OF IT AND THERE'S A LOT OF OTHERS LIKE IT'S NOT JUST GOING TO BUMP TO THE TOP OF THE LIST AND WE DON'T HAVE
THE STAFF OR ABILITY TO DO IT. SO HOW DO WE AND WHAT IS THE 311 STAFF TRAINED TO DO TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MANAGING THAT EXPECTATION THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU TOLD US AND YES IT'S TRUE
WE SEE YOU KNOW IT'S NOT LIKE THEY'RE NOT SHARING SOMETHING TRUE BUT HOW DO WE THEN YOU KNOW, ADDRESS THE FACT THAT YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE CALLING IN, WE
ARE SEEING OURSELVES. WE ALSO HAVE A LIST OF THAT WE'RE ONGOING AND HOW DO WE RESPECT FULLY AND EQUITABLY DEAL WITH THAT BALANCE OF YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT GOING TO GET PUT
TO THE TOP JUST BECAUSE YOU CALLED IN OR MAYBE IT IS BECAUSE MAYBE NOW YOU TOLD US SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE FIX RIGHT AWAY. YEAH, NO IT'S A GREAT QUESTION
AND I THINK YOU KNOW, IT'S CERTAINLY AN AREA WHERE THERE'S MORE THAT WE CAN DO BOTH TO HAVE A GOOD HANDLE ON WHERE THE REPORTS ARE THAT WHERE THE
DUPLICATES ARE AND HOW WE COMMUNICATE AROUND IT. YOU KNOW MY RECOLLECTION OF THE CURRENT 311 RESPONSE LANGUAGE WITH SIDEWALK ISSUES IS WE TRY
TO EXPLAIN THE PROCESS IN THE RESPONSE SO WE TELL PEOPLE ABOUT THE WAY THAT WE APPROACH MAKE SAFE AND THE WORK THAT WE DO TO GO IN AND PREPARE THESE BRING THINGS INTO A CONDITION
WHERE THEY'RE NOT AN IMMEDIATE HAZARD AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE AND THAT WORK IS ONGOING AND VERY RESPONSIVE. THAT IS OUR PUBLIC WORKS HIGHWAY DIVISION THAT DOES MUCH OF THAT AND THEY'RE ABLE TO HIT
MOST OF THOSE VERY QUICKLY. BUT THE LANGUAGE I THINK SPEAKS TO THE FACT THAT THERE IS A BACKLOG AND IT CAN SOMETIMES TAKE, YOU KNOW, MORE THAN A YEAR TO EFFECT A PERMANENT REPAIR.
AND SO I THINK IF YOU HAVE FEEDBACK FOR US ON HOW WE SUPPORT TO SUPPORT PEOPLE THROUGH THAT AND COMMUNICATE THAT, MY GOAL IS THAT WE WERE AT THE POINT WHERE WE CAN SPEAK
WITH FLAHERTY ON THE SIZE OF THE BACKLOG AND THE PACE AT WHICH WE ARE MOVING THROUGH IT SO THAT WE CAN SET VERY CLEAR EXPECTATIONS THAT WE CAN MEET AGAIN THIS ISN'T A STANDARD THE CITY HAS EVER HAD FOR ITSELF
AND WE'RE WORKING OUR WAY TOWARDS THE CAPACITY TO DO THAT . BUT AS WHEN THE GLOBE ARTICLE CAME OUT AND THIS HEARING WAS FILED ALSO YOU KNOW MY INBOX
AND MY PHONE WAS FLOODED WITH CONCERNS AND THEN WHEN YOU KIND OF MATCH THE TIMING AND I THINK ABOUT WHEN PEOPLE CALL ABOUT VERY URGENT HOUSING NEEDS BUT WE KNOW PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ON A HOUSING LIST FOR 15 YEARS LIKE
WE CAN'T FIX THINGS RIGHT AWAY ALL THE TIME OUR COUNCILOR FITZGERALD HAS OFTEN TALKED ABOUT YOU KNOW, WHEN RESIDENTS CALLING IN ABOUT SPEED HUMPS AND IT'S LIKE ARE YOU GETTING TO MY STREET AND WE KNOW THERE IS A TIMELINE
SOMEWHERE AND IT COULD BE THREE YEARS AWAY. SO LIKE HOW DO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND LIKE WE ARE YEARS AWAY AND IS 311 TELLING THEM THAT AND IS THAT SOMETHING
WE SHOULD BE SAYING LIKE THIS COULD BE A FOUR YEAR WAIT REASONABLY BECAUSE YOU WANT TO BE HONEST WITH PEOPLE BECAUSE IT WON'T GET FIXED LIKE WE CAN'T JUST HOP YOU KNOW TO THE
FRONT IF ENOUGH PEOPLE CALL OR YOU KNOW, SOMEONE'S FRIEND CALLED OR YEAH, WE WE ALWAYS APPRECIATE THE HELP IN MANAGING EXPECTATIONS. I THINK WE TRY TO DO THAT THROUGH ON ONE AND THROUGH
DEPARTMENTAL COMMUNICATION. I THINK THAT THERE'S ALSO JUST A YOU KNOW ONE OF THE TO THE POINT THAT COMMISSIONER MCCOSH MADE ABOUT ASSESSING A SITUATION YOU KNOW WE WILL GET
COMPLAINTS AND CONCERNS ABOUT DEFECTS AND SIDEWALKS THAT ARE REAL BUT NOT NECESSARILY AN IMMEDIATE RISK TO ACCESSIBILITY OR SAFETY. AND SO YOU KNOW, THERE'S A BIT OF TRIAGING THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN TO REALLY UNDERSTAND THE
SEVERITY OF A SITUATION AND TO, YOU KNOW ONE OF THE THE MANY WAYS THAT THE COUNCIL IS HELPFUL TO US IS YOU ARE OFTEN A GOOD SOURCE OF THAT KIND OF EXTRA BIT OF INSIGHT TO SAY
HEY, I KNOW YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF REQUESTS FOR THIS THING BUT HERE'S ONE SPOT THAT'S REALLY A BIG ISSUE. I WAS OUT THERE I SAW IT MYSELF OR MY STAFF SAW IT OR YOU KNOW THERE'S A SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCE WITH A SPECIFIC PERSON THAT
MAKES WHAT MIGHT SEEM LIKE A MINOR ISSUE ACTUALLY A MAJOR ISSUE. SO WE ALWAYS APPRECIATE THE INSIGHT AND KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU ALL BRING TO US TO HELP US DO THAT PRIORITIZATION WE'RE GOING TO DO OUR BEST TO MANAGE
EXPECTATIONS TO BE HONEST WITH FOLKS AND ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO SUPPORT THAT IS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LIKE THE HOTSPOTS TRANSIT SPOTS, DO WE PLAN FOR THE NEED
NEAR SCHOOLS AS SCHOOLS COMING INTO YOU KNOW, KIDS COMING BACK TO SCHOOL IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS? IS THERE A PROCEDURE EVERY YEAR WHERE WE'RE LIKE CHECKING THE RAMPS NEAR OUR SCHOOL OR OUR
BUS STOPS OR SIDEWALKS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE IN GOOD REPAIR OR IS IT NOT DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO THE TIMING? I DON'T THINK WE'RE THERE YET
WHEN IT COMES TO SIDEWALK AND RAMP DEFECTS THAT SORT OF CAPITAL PROJECTS WE DO GET A LOT OF FEEDBACK FROM SCHOOLS IN SCHOOL COMMUNITIES ABOUT SPECIFIC CHALLENGES NEAR
SCHOOLS AND WE DO TRY TO PRIORITIZE THOSE WHERE WE ARE WHERE WE ARE MORE PROACTIVE IS AROUND PAVEMENT MARKINGS. WE STARTED THIS PROGRAM SEVERAL YEARS AGO OF TWO YEARS AGO. WE REFRESHED EVERY CROSSWALK IN
EVERY SCHOOL ZONE AND CITYWIDE THAT WORK HAS CONTINUED THE LAST TWO YEARS AND SO THE TEAMS ARE PAVEMENT MARKING TEAM IS ACTUALLY OUT THERE NOW FOCUSING ON AREAS AROUND SCHOOL ZONES
BECAUSE THAT PROVIDES A CRITICAL SAFETY BENEFIT. BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE GREAT TO GET TO THE PLACE WHERE WE CAN DO SORT OF PROACTIVE LOOK AT THE CONCRETE AS WELL. CAN I ADD TO THAT AS WELL?
I'M JUST SAYING THAT ONE THING WE LOOK ABOUT LOOK AT AS FAR AS SCHOOLS IS ALSO A LOT OF THEM ARE ELECTION POLLING SITES. SO AROUND ELECTIONS TOO WILL ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION TO ANY REPORTS WE GET OF LIKE
SIDEWALKS BEING BROKEN OR BLOCKED PLACES OF ELECTIONS BECAUSE YOU WANT TO ENSURE THAT PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS TO THE POLLS. THAT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. COUNCILOR COUNCILOR FITZGERALD THANK YOU, CHAIR SIDEWALK DEPOSITS. WELL, JUST WHAT'S THE LINK BECAUSE I KNEW AT SOME POINT THAT HEARD FROM SOME FOLKS WE'D
RATHER JUST GIVE THE DEPOSIT AND WE CAN WALK AWAY BECAUSE IT'S CHEAPER THAN ACTUALLY DOING THE WORK AND VICE VERSA. WHAT IS THE LATEST? DO THEY GET THEIR MONEY BACK? DO THEY GET FIXED AT SOME POINT
IF THERE IS A DEPOSIT MADE AND SOMEONE WALKS AWAY DOES IT STAY? I'M THINKING IN SAVIN HILL THERE'S AN AREA THAT IT'S STILL JUST THE ASPHALT OF SORT OF THE THE FIX AND NOT THE PROPER CODE.
WHAT IS THE LATEST IN ANY ANY DATA ON THAT? PROBABLY DEPOSITS ARE OUT THERE AND WHAT HOW WE HANDLE THAT NOW YEAH ABSOLUTELY THANK YOU FOR ASKING ABOUT THAT THIS HAS BEEN
A IMPORTANT TOPIC FOR US INTERNALLY IT'S JUST AN AREA OF PLACE WHERE WE HAD A BIG OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE THE WAY THAT THE CITY DOES BUSINESS.
THERE HAS NOT BEEN I WOULD SAY LOOKING BACK OVER YOU KNOW QUITE A FEW YEARS EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF THE SIDEWALK DEPOSIT PROGRAM AS IT COMES TO
WHEN AND HOW DEPOSITS GET FORFEITED AND HOW WORK IS THEN FUNDED FROM THAT MONEY. THE PURPOSE OF THE SIDEWALK DEPOSIT PROGRAM IS RECOGNIZING THAT EVERY CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
ALMOST WITHOUT EXCEPTION EITHER TEARS UP A SIDEWALK DAMAGES IT DURING THE COURSE OF CONSTRUCTION. AND SO WE REQUIRE ANYONE CONSTRUCTING ABUTTING A CITY
SIDEWALK TO PUT DOWN A DEPOSIT THAT SAYS WE WILL RETURN THE SIDEWALK TO YOU IN A STATE MEETS THE CITY STANDARD WHICH INCORPORATES THE REQUIREMENTS
AROUND ACCESSIBILITY INCLUDING THINGS LIKE SLOPES AND WHETHER CURB RAMPS ARE UP TO STANDARD WHEN A PROJECT IS COMPLETED THE
WAY THE PROCESS WORKS A DEVELOPER CAN REQUEST AN INSPECTION FOR THEIR SIDEWALK. WE WILL GO OUT THERE. WE WILL INSPECTED. THIS IS A MIX OF CITY STAFF AND CONTRACTED RESOURCES.
IF THERE IS A FAILURE TO MEET CITY STANDARDS WE WILL PROVIDE DOCUMENTS TO THE CONTRACTOR OF WHAT THOSE FAILURES ARE. THEY'RE EXPECTED TO CORRECT THEM. THEY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REQUEST A RE-INSPECTION AT
WHICH POINT THEIR DEPOSIT IS REFUNDED IF THEY'RE ABLE TO PASS. WE HAVE NOT AUDITED THAT COLLECTION OF SIDEWALK DEPOSITS AND I THINK IN THE CASE THAT
YOU'RE REFERRING TO ON SEVENTH HILL, YOU KNOW THE DEVELOPER IN THAT CASE I THINK LIKELY MADE A CHOICE THAT IT WAS CHEAPER TO JUST LEAVE THE ASPHALT THERE THAN TO REQUEST THE INSPECTION
AND PROPERLY RESTORE SIDEWALK SO THERE WAS NEVER AN INSPECTION DONE UNFORTUNATE IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES THE CITY HAS NOT ACTUALLY TAKEN THE FOLLOW UP STEP OF FORFEITING THE
FORMALLY FORFEITING THE DEPOSIT AND THEN PUTTING THAT MONEY TOWARDS SIDEWALK REPAIRS. SO WE UNDERTOOK A AUDIT THAT WENT BACK I THINK FIVE OR SIX YEARS OF ALL OF THE SIDEWALK
DEPOSITS THAT WERE SITTING ON DEPOSIT WITH THE CITY. WE MADE A VERY ROBUST EFFORTS TO CONTACT ALL OF THOSE PROPERTY OWNERS BY EMAIL, BY
FEDEX. WE REALLY TRIED TO RECOGNIZING THE CITY HASN'T BEEN FOLLOWING UP ON THIS. WE SAID LET'S GIVE EVERYBODY A CHANCE EVEN IF IT'S FOUR YEARS OLD AND TECHNICALLY IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO
KIND OF CATCH UP. AND SO WE HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF FOLKS THAT AFTER AN INSPECTION WE'VE BEEN WORKING THROUGH THIS INSPECTION. SOME OF THEM HAVE PASSED AND GOTTEN THEIR DEPOSITS BACK. SOME HAVE FAILED IN SOME OF THOSE CASES WE EXPECT FOLKS
TO WALK AWAY FROM IT. IN OTHER CASES WE EXPECT THEM TO FIX IT. BUT IN THE PROCESS WE'VE IDENTIFIED MORE THAN $10 MILLION OF DEPOSITS WHICH HAVE BEEN ESSENTIALLY ABANDONED.
AND SO WE'RE IN THE PROCESS WORKING WITH OUR WITH THE OFFICE OF BUDGET MANAGEMENT AND THE AUDITING DEPARTMENT OF SETTING UP AN ACCOUNT THAT CAN ABSORB THAT MONEY AND ESTABLISHING A MUCH MORE RIGOROUS PROCESS OF AUTOMATIC
NOTIFICATION WHEN DEPOSITS ARE KIND OF COMING UP TO BE DUE FOR INSPECTION. A STREAMLINED PROCESS FOR REQUESTING THAT INSPECTION AND THEN AUTOMATIC FORFEITURE IF
PEOPLE DO CHOOSE TO WALK AWAY. THE LAST THING I'LL JUST SAY ON THIS AT SOME POINT WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE AMOUNTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SIDEWALK DEPOSITS BECAUSE THE AMOUNTS TODAY ARE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN THE
ACTUAL COST OF CONSTRUCTING A SIDEWALK WHICH CAN CREATE A REALLY UNFORTUNATE INCENTIVE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE LESS SCRUPULOUS ACTORS TO SIMPLY IGNORE THE THEIR RESPONSIBILITY
TO REPAIR THE SITE. WHO SETS THAT AMOUNT? I BELIEVE THAT THAT SET BY THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT WE MAY NEED TO GET COUNCIL APPROVAL FOR THAT BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AS A
FOLLOW ON TO THIS AUDIT THAT WE'VE BEEN UNDERTAKING. UNDERSTOOD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I'M GLAD THAT YOU'RE CLOSING UP THAT THAT LOOPHOLE, IF YOU WILL. THANK YOU FOR GIVING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE ONE OTHER ISSUE.
IT'S ACTUALLY SAVINO RELATED TO LIKE THE GRAMPIAN WAY AND I KNOW IT'S OTHER PLACES ACROSS THE CITY AS YOU GO UP OVER THE HILL THERE ACTUALLY IS ANY SIDEWALK RIGHT IN THOSE CASES, HOWEVER, FOLKS ARE GETTING
TICKETED FOR PARKING ON SIDEWALKS ON A NON EXISTENT SIDEWALK AND SO THAT HAS CAUSED A LITTLE BIT OF STRIFE IN THE
NEIGHBORHOOD. BUT IS THERE A IS THERE PLANS TO I DON'T EVEN KNOW BECAUSE THE SIDEWALK WOULD HAVE TO BE FIVE FEET IF PUT IN AND ESSENTIALLY COULD MAKE THE ROAD UNPASSABLE.
I BELIEVE IF HE DID IT ON BOTH SIDES. SO I JUST WANT TO BE ABLE TO ADD LIKE IF THERE ISN'T A SIDEWALK GOING THERE I JUST WANT TO TRY TO FOLLOW BUT IT
BTD OR SOMEONE ELSE TO SAY HEY WE PROBABLY SHOULDN'T TAKE IT THERE AND ALLOW ALLOW THE FOLKS TO PARK THERE. I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT BUT YOU DON'T THERE'S NO PLANS AS YOU ARE AWARE. TO MY KNOWLEDGE THERE'S NO
PLANS TO INSTALL A SIDEWALK ON GRAMPIAN WAY AND THERE ARE A HANDFUL OF STREETS LIKE THIS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. YEAH. TYPICALLY IF WE WERE TO DO IT IT WOULD HAPPEN IN THE CONTEXT OF A A STREET RECONSTRUCTION
PROJECT THAT WE WOULD UNDERTAKE AND WE CAN CERTAINLY LOOK AT OUR STANDARDS FOR ENFORCEMENT. THERE ARE PLACES WHERE THERE ISN'T A FORMAL SIDEWALK BUT THERE IS SORT OF A FUNCTIONAL
SIDEWALK IN THE FORM OF YOU KNOW, MAYBE AN ASPHALT BERM OR LIP AGAINST THE ROADWAY. I THINK GRAMPIAN WAY HAS SOME KIND OF GRAY AREAS I WOULD SAY.
AND SO WE CAN CERTAINLY TRY TO CLARIFY BECAUSE WE OWE PEOPLE SPECIFICITY ABOUT WHEN AND HOW WE ENFORCE IN THOSE KINDS OF SITUATIONS. YEAH, THAT'D BE GREAT. APPRECIATE IT.
ALSO OVER BY SCHAMIS WE JUST ACTUALLY HAD A CONSTITUENT WRITE IN THIS IS A SPECIFIC ASK OVER BY THE EPIPHANY SCHOOL IN THE SHAMAR DEVASTATION THERE IS A CROSSWALK WE'RE WORKING WITH
AT THE T TO GET A CURB CUT PUT IN BUT A CROSSWALK GOING ACROSS . HE WAS ON CENTER STREET SO THIS WAS A SO THIS INDIVIDUAL WAS BLIND ON CENTER STREET WAS HIT
IN THE CITY IS WORKING WITH THE T QUOTE UNQUOTE TO GET A CURB CUT SO WE CAN AT A CROSSWALK BY SCHAMIS. SO I BELIEVE IT'S BY EPIPHANY SCHOOL SO I'LL GET YOU MORE INFORMATION ON THAT.
BUT I KNOW THAT THAT JUST CAME IN I THINK YESTERDAY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO I'M SORRY FOR THE DETAILS ON IS CLEAR FOR ME. AND LASTLY, I KNOW AS FAR AS SPEED HUMPS GO THERE WAS A LIST
GIVEN TO YOU OVER A YEAR AGO BY MY OFFICE. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE SOME PROGRESS ON THAT LIST PLEASE AND THANK YOU, SIR. AND FINALLY ALL SAID AND DONE
JUST WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO WISH MY COLLEAGUE A HAPPY BIRTHDAY. I KNOW HE WOULD NOT RATHER SPEND IT ANYWHERE ELSE BUT I BELIEVE AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY
BROTHER. NO. WELL NO, I DIDN'T SEE JULIUS SNEAK. I WOULD HAVE NEVER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU, CHIP. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
COUNCIL, I THINK THAT WE'VE BEEN JOINED BY COUNCILOR MEJIA WE ARE IN THE SECOND ROUND AT THE END OF THE SECOND ROUND OF Q&A SO WE'D LOVE TO GIVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO THANK QUESTIONS THAT CAME FROM THE
SECOND ROUND OF THAT AND I NEED TO HAVE SPIRIT YOU THE FIRST ROUND. OH, BUT THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO ASK A FEW QUESTIONS.
I'M CURIOUS I'M NOT SURE IF YOU'VE READ THE DOT NEWS ARTICLE. YES. DID YOU ALREADY TALK ABOUT SOME OF THOSE THINGS YOU DID JUST TALK A BIT ABOUT THE SIDEWALK DEPOSIT PROGRAM.
YEAH. OKAY SO OKAY, GREAT. I JUST WANTED TO I'M JUST TRYING TO BETTER UNDERSTAND KIND OF LIKE WHAT YOU JUST CAN GIVE ME A LITTLE BRIEF HIGH LEVEL JUST YEAH, I'LL SUMMARIZE
BRIEFLY BUT WE HAVE UNDERTAKEN A SIGNIFICANT AUDIT OF THE SIDEWALK DEPOSIT PROGRAM OVER THE LAST YEAR. WE HAVE FOUND A SIGNIFICANT CHUNK OF MONEY THAT IS ESSENTIALLY BEEN FORFEITED
WHERE SIDEWALKS ARE EITHER NON-COMPLIANT OR THERE'S BEEN NO REQUEST FOR AN INSPECTION TO INITIATE THE RETURN PROCESS. WE WILL BE WORKING WITH OUR
AUDITING AND BUDGET OFFICE PUTTING THAT MONEY INTO A PLACE WHERE WE CAN EXPEND IT ON IMPROVING SIDEWALK QUALITY AND WE ARE WORKING ON A SERIES OF CHANGES TO THE WAY THAT THE
PROGRAM OPERATES TO ESSENTIALLY STREAMLINE THE PROCESS AND ENSURE THAT WE DON'T GET WE DON'T END UP WITH DEPOSITS THAT ARE THREE, FOUR OR FIVE SIX YEARS OLD THAT WE'RE SORT
OF WE'RE NOT INSPECTING AND NOBODY'S REQUESTING AND IT'S JUST SITTING IN AN ACCOUNT SOMEWHERE. I DID SPEAK A LITTLE BIT EARLIER TO THE PURPOSE OF THAT PROGRAM AND I JUST IN RESPONSE RELATED TO THAT DOT
NEWS ARTICLE, I THINK THERE IS A BIT OF FRAMING IN THAT ARTICLE THAT SORT OF SUGGESTS THAT THE CITY IS BEING, YOU KNOW, KIND OF NITPICKY BUREAUCRATS IS MY
INTERPRETATION OF THE FRAMING AROUND SOME OF THE STANDARDS FOR SIDEWALKS AND I GUESS WHAT I WOULD JUST WANT TO SAY PUBLICLY RIGHT IS THE STANDARDS
THAT WE HAVE FOR SIDEWALKS EXIST BECAUSE WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO PROVIDE ACCESSIBILITY AND THINGS LIKE THE CROSS OF A SIDEWALK WHETHER IT'S 2% OR A HIGHER
NUMBER THESE THINGS MATTER TO PEOPLE WHO USE MOBILITY DEVICES SIDEWALKS THAT ARE NON-COMPLIANT AND B TIPPING HAZARDS FOR PEOPLE IN A CHAIR AND THEY CREATE OTHER BARRIERS TO ACCESS.
SO WE TAKE THAT RESPONSIBILITY VERY SERIOUSLY WHICH IS WHY WE ARE STICKLERS WHEN IT COMES TO INSPECTIONS ON DEPOSITS. THANK YOU FOR THAT AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO UTILIZE THE SPACE TO GET THINGS ON THE
RECORD AND CLARIFY WHATEVER NEWS IS OUT IN THE STREET. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT CHIEF. I APPRECIATE IT. SO I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT YOU KNOW, I'M A CITYWIDE
COUNCILOR SO I SPEND MOST OF MY TIME OUT IN THE STREETS IF YOU WILL AND I HAVE SEEN A FEW WELL MANY SIDEWALKS THAT HAVE TREES
THAT ARE GROWING AND UPLIFTING THE SIDEWALKS AND I'M GOING TO ASSUME THAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THOSE ISSUES. THERE'S ONE IN ROSLINDALE I'M
SURE THAT I THINK COUNCILOR BUT BING HAS ALREADY PROBABLY ASKED ABOUT IT. IT'S ON WASHINGTON STREET RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET NEAR TARGET. WE'VE SENT 311.
WE HAVE BEEN IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COUNCILMAN BEN'S OFFICE. I WENT BY THERE THE OTHER DAY AND IT STILL HAS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED AND THIS HAS BEEN NOW
EVEN BEFORE COUNCIL SPENDS TIME ON THE COUNCIL. SO I THINK THAT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO DELIVER FOR AND I CAN SEND YOU THE PHOTO
AND I CAN SEND YOU THE EXACT ADDRESS BUT THAT IS A IT'S A BIG PROBLEM BECAUSE IF YOU ARE IN A WHEELCHAIR, IF YOU HAVE A BABY STROLLER, IF YOU ARE
SEEING IMPAIRED, IT IS DEFINITELY A HAZARD AND IT NEEDS TO IT NEEDS IMMEDIATE ATTENTION.
THE SIMILAR IN THE LOWER MILS AREA. SO I'M GOING TO SEND YOU A LIST OF THOSE THINGS WHICH I'M SURE THERE ALREADY PROBABLY IN THE
311Q BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR OUR AUDIENCE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS THE PROCESS THAT WHEN SOMETHING LIKE THAT
GETS FILED IS IT WHAT'S THE TIME LINE, WHAT'S THE TIME FRAME, WHAT'S THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS FOR ADDRESSING IT?
WE SPOKE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS EARLIER BUT I MEAN AT A HIGH LEVEL WHAT I WOULD SAY IS SO FIRST OF ALL PLEASE THANK YOU FOR FLAGGING THAT LOCATION. PLEASE SEND ANY OTHERS THAT YOU'RE AWARE OF AND WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE, YOU KNOW,
GETTING LOOKED AT. TYPICALLY WE TRY TO WITHIN WITHIN A DAY OR TO DO WHAT WE CALL MAKE SAFE WORK WHICH IS OFTEN USING ASPHALT OR OTHER
PATCHING MATERIALS TO CREATE A PATH OF TRAVEL THAT ALLOWS YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE A LIFT FOR EXAMPLE, ON A CONCRETE SIDEWALK SLAB TO CREATE A BUFFER WITH
THE ASPHALT SO THAT IT'S NOT A TRIPPING HAZARD THAT IS THAT SORT OF YES, BUT THAT IS TEMPORARY REPAIRS BUT THAT IS STILL EVEN UNSAFE. IT SOMETIMES CAN BE IT'S VERY
SITUATIONAL DEPENDENT IN SOME CASES WE'RE ABLE TO CREATE A TEMPORARY REPAIR THAT WORKS FOR, YOU KNOW, MONTHS OR EVEN LONGER IN OTHER CASES, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE THERE ARE
PLACES IN THE CITY THAT I CAN THINK ABOUT THE TOP OF MY HEAD WHERE WE HAVE AN UNSAFE UNACCEPTABLE SIDEWALK WHERE THE ONLY VIABLE SOLUTION IS GOING TO BE THE REMOVAL OF A MATURE
STREET TREE. AND SO IT RUNS THE GAMUT FROM SITUATIONS WHERE WE CAN DO QUICK TEMPORARY REPAIRS THAT ARE EFFECTIVE TO SITUATIONS WHERE WE NEED MORE PERMANENT RECONSTRUCTION OR REDESIGN
OF THE TREE AREA ALL THE WAY TO PLACES WHERE WE HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION ABOUT WHETHER TO BRING THE TREE OUT. AND EACH OF THOSE DIFFERENCE IN AREAS AND ALL THE ONES IN BETWEEN REQUIRE HAS A DIFFERENT PROCESS AND A DIFFERENT
TIMELINE AND REQUIRES SOME EVALUATION BUT IT CAN TAKE YOU KNOW, IN EXCESS OF A YEAR TO DO A PERMANENT REPAIR TO A BROKEN SIDEWALK REGARDLESS OF THE CAUSE.
AND YOU KNOW, WE SPOKE ABOUT THE DIFFERENT CONTRACT ACTS WE'VE USED, THE DIFFERENT WAYS WE'RE TRYING TO ACCELERATE THE PACE OF REPAIR. BUT THIS IS AN AREA WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY
FOR US TO DO MORE. YEAH, THANK YOU AND I APPRECIATE THAT IN THE LAST QUESTION I HAVE BECAUSE I KNOW I'M LATE AND I WANT TO BE MINDFUL OF YOUR TIME AS WELL.
SO ONE MORE QUESTION I'M ALSO CURIOUS ABOUT THERE IS AND THIS IS IN DISTRICT SIX IN JAMAICA PLAIN ON CENTER STREET WITH THE CROSS OF SUNNYSIDE I BELIEVE IT
IS THERE IS A WORK THAT IT'S IT'S THE SIDEWALK IS FINE, THE CUT IS FINE BUT THERE'S LIKE SOME YELLOW I DON'T KNOW IF
IT'S PAINT OR SOMETHING THAT IDENTIFIES IT AS A RAMP THAT'S LIKE A RAMP DOWN TO A CROSSWALK. IT'S IT'S IT'S IT'S BROKEN.
THE CONCRETE IS BROKEN. IT'S I TOOK A PHOTO OF IT TOO. I JUST I WASN'T SURE IF IT WAS PAINTED YELLOW FOR A REASON OVER SOME LITTLE BROWN THINGS.
IT'S IT'S AN INTERESTING PATTERN BUT THE REASON WHY I'M BRINGING IT UP IS BECAUSE IF IT'S A IF IT'S A WHEELCHAIR, IF IT'S A STROLLER I'M NOT SURE
WHY THAT CUT HAS LITTLE BUMPS ON IT BECAUSE IT MAKES IT HARDER. OKAY. WE CAN WE CAN TAKE A LOOK AND GET BACK TO YOU ON IT. IS IS THAT NORMAL? SO OH, I'M THINKING YOU MIGHT I
DON'T KNOW ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR LOCATION BUT THIS YEAR WE ARE USING A NEW PRODUCT WHICH IS AN EPOXY BASED TACTILE WARNING STRIP.
SO IT IS LITERALLY PAINTED ON BUT IT'S A WAY FOR US TO PUT THE ADA REQUIRED TACTILE WARNING STRIPS FOR CURVE RAMPS IN AREAS WHERE IT'S NOT
APPROPRIATE OR FEASIBLE FOR US TO PUT A CAST IRON PANEL. OKAY. SO IT MIGHT BE THAT THAT YOU'RE SEEING. WE'RE HAPPY TO LOOK AT IT. YEAH, I TOOK FOR US AND AS YOU OKAY IT BECAUSE IT ALSO LOOKS BROKEN AND SO OKAY WELL WE
DON'T WANT IT TO BE BROKEN YEAH SO ALL RIGHT SO I'M GOING TO NOT USE THIS SPACE FOR ALL OF MY LITTLE ISSUES. I'M GOING TO TELL MY TEAM TO PUT EVERYTHING IN ONE EMAIL WITH THE ADDRESS AND THEN I
THINK THE LAST THING THAT I WILL ASK AND I ALWAYS LIKE TO GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING IS THAT USUALLY DURING THE BUDGET SEASON WE START THINKING ABOUT
WHERE WE WANT TO LIKE PULL FROM AND WHERE WE WANT TO TAKE AND WHAT WE WANT TO DO. BUT I WANT TO GET AHEAD OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS. SO AS IT RELATES TO THE ACCESSIBILITY AND SAFETY FOR
OUR CITY SIDEWALKS, I'M CURIOUS ARE THERE ANY LINE ITEMS OR ANYTHING THAT YOU ARE LOOKING TO ADVOCATE FOR? IS THERE ANY ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS THAT YOU NEED?
YOU KNOW, I THINK WE HAVE BEEN OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING THAT IS ALLOCATED TO SIDEWALK STATE OF GOOD REPAIR WORK AND RAMP WORK TO MEET OUR
CONSENT DECREE REQUIREMENTS. I THINK YOU KNOW, IN ADDITION TO LIMITATIONS BY THE CAPITAL BUDGET WE ALSO HAVE STAFF LIMITATIONS AND I THINK THE BUDGET OFFICE AND THE MAYOR
HAVE BEEN VERY GOOD ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THE RESOURCES THAT WE NEED AND THAT WE CAN EFFECTIVELY EXPEND AVAILABLE TO US. OUR GOAL IS TO GET TO THE PLACE
WHERE WE HAVE MORE CAPACITY FROM A STAFF PERSPECTIVE AND WE HOPE AND I WOULD EXPECT TO THE EXTENT IT IS POSSIBLE WITHIN THE MEANS OF THE CITY THAT OUR BUDGETS WILL FOR THIS KIND OF STATE OF GOOD REPAIR WORK
WILL INCREASE TO MATCH THE CAPACITY THAT WE CAN DELIVER. BUT I THINK RIGHT NOW WE HAVE SUBSTANTIAL FUNDING ALLOCATED TO PURE STATE OF GOOD REPAIR WORK AND A LOT OF MONEY THROUGH OTHER CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT
WILL ULTIMATELY GO INTO IMPROVING SIDEWALK QUALITY AND OUR FOCUS IS JUST ON GETTING AS MUCH OF THAT WORK DONE AND BUILT AS QUICKLY AS WE POSSIBLY CAN. AND WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
SIDEWALKS, ARE WE ALSO TALKING ABOUT LIKE JUST THE CURBS FOR THIS HEARING? I HAVE A QUESTION THAT'S NOT A RELATED TO A CURB OR A SIDEWALK BUT IT IS LIKE SO LIKE IF
SOMEBODY HAS A DRIVEWAY THAT IS ATTACHED TO THE SIDEWALK AND THEN AND IT'S ENTIRELY BROKEN, WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR OF THAT SIDEWALK BECAUSE
IT'S PART OF THE STREET SO TYPICALLY IF IT'S CONCRETE AND IT HAS BEEN THERE FOR SOME TIME THE SORT OF DRIVEWAY APRON OR THE INTO A DRIVEWAY, THE CITY
WILL REPAIR THAT AS PART OF ITS TYPICAL SIDEWALK REPAIRS. WE DO HAVE ISSUES FROM TIME TO TIME WHERE NEW DRIVEWAYS ARE INSTALLED AND THE CONTRACTORS WHO DO THE WORK DO NOT DO IT
USING CONCRETE OR INSTALLATION METHODS THAT RESULT IN A DURABLE SURFACE THAT CAN CREATE SOMETHING OF AN ISSUE AND WE WILL SOMETIMES TRY TO WORK DIRECTLY WITH THE ESPECIALLY IF
IT'S A BUSINESS THE PROPERTY OWNER TO YOU KNOW, TO RECTIFY THAT IF WE THINK IT'S A FAILURE OR PREMATURE FAILURE BUT ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT THOUGH IS IT THE OWNER OR IS IT
THE CITY? I CANNOT GIVE YOU A DEFINITIVE LEGAL ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION AND ULTIMATELY WE LOOK AT IT AND IT'S OUR JOB OF PUBLIC WORKS TO CREATE ACCESSIBLE ALL SIDEWALKS AND PATHS AND TRAVEL
AND WE KIND OF TAKE A CASE BY CASE PARTICULARLY WITH RESIDENTIAL SITUATIONS IF WE'RE IN THE AREA FOR DOING WORK WE'RE JUST GOING TO TAKE CARE OF IT AT THE TIME WE'RE OUT THERE AS PART OF OUR PROJECT
BUT WHERE THERE'S SOME CLEAR EVIDENCE OF NEGLIGENCE WE MIGHT GO TO THE PARTIES INVOLVED AND TRY TO GET THEM TO DO THAT WORK. OKAY, GREAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
COUNCILMEMBER HILL, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COLLEAGUES? SO. ALL RIGHT. WE WILL NOW MOVE FORWARD WITH PUBLIC TESTIMONY. WE'RE GOING IT IS CALLED PLEASE
COME DOWN TO ONE OF THE TWO PODIUMS AND STATE YOUR NAME, YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND WE'RE ORGANIZATION AFFILIATION PLEASE SPEAKING TO THE MICROPHONE AND PLEASE KEEP YOUR COMMENTS TO ABOUT 2 MINUTES. WE WILL HAVE MS..
ADAMS GO FIRST ON THE OTHER SIDE THERE WILL. PERFECT. PERFECT. HI. GOOD MORNING.
OIL, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. MY NAME IS MERVYN ADAMS. I AM A SENIOR AND TO USE A PUN I AM A CONCRETE EXAMPLE OF THE
ENSUING DISCUSSION. ON THE 17TH OF APRIL I FELL ON A STRUCTURAL DEFECT. GAS WEIGHT WAS LOCATED RIGHT OUTSIDE THE AREA BETWEEN 1010
MY SLAB I THINK WE ALL KNOW WHAT DENTED MY SAVINGS AND THE VICTORIA DINER KNOW AS YOU KNOW 1010 MY SHOP IS A PROMINENT OFFICE FOR OBTAINING ALL KIND
OF SAFETY PERMITS AND EVERYTHING AND LOWER DOWN IS THE OFFICE FOR THE RIGHT. SO THIS IS A FREQUENTLY USED
AREA I FELL ON MY LEFT SIDE AND RIGHT NOW I HAVE RESTRICTED MOVEMENT ON MY LEFT SIDE. YOU KNOW, I KEEP HEARING ABOUT COSTS THEY ARE SHOULD THERE
SHOULD BE A MORE PROACTIVE EFFORT TO LOOK AT THESE DEFECTS AND REPAIR THEM, NOT WAIT TILL SOMEBODY HAS ONE AND THEN RUSH OUT AND PROTECT THERE SHOULD BE
NOTHING TO DO OF COURSE BECAUSE TIME IS A FLOURISHING TOURIST HUB WHERE THAT'S THE THING I KEEP THINKING WE KEEP PROMOTING
AND ALL KINDS OF NEW EVENTS. YOU KNOW WE WANT TO BRING ALL THE SPORTS EVENTS HERE AND WE ARE OPENING UP THE BIKE PATHS AND WE ARE YOU KNOW, OPENING UP FOOD TRUCKS AT NIGHT ALL THESE
ACTIVITIES INVOLVE THE USE OF SIDEWALKS SO THAT WOULD COURSE YOU KNOW YEAH THAT SHOULD BE A MORE AND WHAT I'VE COME TO REALIZE IS THAT THE
CITY CANNOT BE SUED SO YOU KNOW THAT ACCOUNTS FOR SOME OF THAT LACKADAISICAL EFFORT IF THE CITY COULD BE SUED, BELIEVE ME, THERE WOULD BE A MORE ROBUST
ATTEMPT TO TAKE CARE OF THAT ISSUE BECAUSE THERE ISN'T. WHICH BRINGS ME TO MY NEXT POINT WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN SOMEBODY FALLS YOU JUST FALL
AND THAT'S IT? THAT'S ONE I DON'T THINK SO. MY MEDICAL BILLS ARE PILING UP. YOU HAVE TO REMEDY THAT SITUATION. THAT PERSON HAS TO BE MADE
WHOLE. YOU KNOW THE HOSPITAL IS NOT JUST GOING TO GO IN SO BAD THE CITY IS DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. NO. AND THAT IS ONE OF THE ISSUES I HAVEN'T HEARD THAT ADDRESSED.
HOW DO YOU REMEDY THAT SITUATION? HOW DO YOU MAKE THAT PERSON WHOLE? AND ONE OF THE THINGS I HAVE COME TO REALIZE TOO A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHO THEY ARE WHO IS
DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT CAN KILL THAT ISSUE. THAT IS MY SECOND FALL ON ON A STRUCTURAL DEFECT ON THE SIDEWALK. THE FIRST ONE I DIDN'T WANT BUT
I TELL YOU WHEN YOU ARE A SENIOR YOUR BODY NO LONGER EFFECTIVELY REAPPEARS AS WHEN YOU WERE 2025. SO YOU KNOW THESE PEOPLE THAT
WORK FROM HOME YOU CALL THEY CAN BE BY LETTER RETURN CALLS. SO I'M WHAT MEDICAL BILLS ARE PILING UP. I DON'T WANT YOU TO APPEAR TO AFFECT MY CREDIT SO I'M PENDING
BUT SOMEBODY NEEDS TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR TAKING CARE THAT ISSUE. I'M NOT HEARING ANY WORD ABOUT IT IN HERE. SO MY THING IS AS I SAID
BEFORE, IT NEEDS TO BE A PROPER YOU NEED TO MAKE A STRONG PROACTIVE EFFORT TO LOOK AT THESE DEFECTS AND REPAIR THEM, NOT WAIT TILL SOMEBODY FALLS AND THEN RUSH OUT TO REPEAT SO
WELL THAT WAS IT. SECOND ISSUE WAS REMEDY. IN THIS SITUATION I NEED TO KNOW WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR TAKING CARE OF THAT ISSUE BECAUSE IT'S NOT BEING ADDRESSED.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU, MISS ADAMS. YEAH, WE WE HAD A SIMILAR SITUATION ROSLINDALE NOT TOO LONG AGO WITH THAT. SO DEFINITELY HERE FRUSTRATION
IS ADAMS THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE OH BY THE WAY I DO BELIEVE WE HAVE ONE MORE TESTIMONY
VIRTUAL TRACY TRACY HEY, TRACY, CAN YOU HEAR US? YES, I CAN. CAN YOU HEAR ME? PERFECT.
YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO A LOT OF THE ISSUES I'M GOING TO ADDRESS HAVE ALREADY BEEN ADDRESSED. SO I'M TRACY KURLANSKY AND I'M THE RESIDENT SERVICE
COORDINATOR AT ST ONLY IN HIS HOUSE IN THE SOUTH END OF BOSTON WHICH IS HOUSING FOR SENIORS. THANK YOU ALL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. THANK YOU FOR THE HARD WORK BEING DONE. IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF THE
ISSUES ARE ALREADY KNOWN AND I'M GOING TO REPEAT A LOT OF IT BUT IT'S A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE. SO THE SIDEWALKS ARE MEANT TO BE SAFE ACCESSIBLE PATHS YET FOR MANY SENIORS THEY BECOME
HAZARDOUS CRACKED PAVEMENT, UNEVEN SURFACES, SUDDEN DROPS AND OVERGROWN VEGETATION ARE MORE THAN JUST INCONVENIENCES THEY ARE SERIOUS SAFETY RISKS. A SIMPLE WALK TO THE STORE OR A
STROLL THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD CAN RESULT IN A DANGEROUS FALL. RESIDENTS HERE WALK AROUND THE BLOCK FOR FRESH AIR AND EXERCISE WITHOUT NEEDING TO CROSS ANY STREETS WHICH HELPS
THEM AVOID POTENTIAL TRAFFIC RELATED DANGERS. HOWEVER, THE SIDEWALKS THEMSELVES POSE SIGNIFICANT HAZARDS. THE CONCRETE IS UNEVEN IN MANY PLACES AND TREE ROOTS OFTEN
LIFT THE PAVEMENT. I SAW A RESIDENT YESTERDAY STRUGGLING TO LIFT HER WALKER JUST TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE ON HER WALK. ANOTHER RESIDENT USES AN ELECTRIC SCOOTER BUT SHE AVOIDS
THE SIDEWALKS ENTIRELY AFTER NEARLY FLIPPING OVER SHE NOW RIDES IN THE STREETS BECAUSE SHE FEELS IT'S SAFER AND DUE TO CONSTRUCTION THAT'S BLOCKED SIDEWALK ACCESS SHE HAS TO TAKE
A MUCH LONGER ROUTE JUST TO REACH HER DAUGHTER'S HOUSE. FALLS ARE THE LEADING CAUSE OF INJURY AMONG OLDER ADULTS. THEY OFTEN RESULT IN BROKEN BONES, HOSPITAL STAYS AND LONG RECOVERY TIMES. SOMETIMES THE INJURIES ARE
PERMANENT. THESE INCIDENTS CAN LEAD TO A LOSS OF INDEPENDENCE AS FEAR OF FALLING MAY CAUSE SENIORS TO AVOID GOING OUTSIDE ALTOGETHER. SO IT'S NOT ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE.
IT'S ABOUT MOBILITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE. EVERY RESIDENT DESERVES TO FEEL SAFE WHEN WALKING THROUGH THE COMMUNITY REGARDLESS OF AGE. SO PLEASE CONTINUE WITH THE GOOD WORK AS THE PERSON WHO
SPOKE BEFORE MAYBE BE A LITTLE BIT MORE PROACTIVE THAN TRYING TO FIND STUFF BECAUSE NOT EVERYBODY KNOWS HOW TO USE 311 OR NOS TO REPORT IT SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK.
THANK YOU TRACY FOR TESTIFYING AND FOR THE WORK YOU DO. OKAY I BELIEVE THAT IS IT FOR PUBLIC TESTIMONIES ANY CLOSING
STATEMENTS FROM OUR PANELISTS I WOULD JUST SAY THANK YOU FOR HOLDING THIS HEARING AND BRINGING YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS ISSUE. IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WITHIN THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
WITH OUR PARTNERS ON THE COMMISSION WITH PERSON FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES WE DO THIS IS A HUGE AREA OF FOCUS FOR US AND IT DOESN'T GET A LOT OF ATTENTION MOST OF THE TIME
BUT IT IS SO IMPORTANT WALKING IS THE MOST UNIVERSAL MODE OF TRANSPORTATION AND OUR SIDEWALKS ARE USED BY EVERYONE NO MATTER HOW THEY TRAVEL AND WE FEEL VERY DEEPLY THE OBLIGATION TO MAKE SURE THEY
WORK FOR EVERYONE AND SO WE APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE SOME OF THE THINGS WE'RE DOING SO THAT WE CAN IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF THOSE SIDEWALKS . THANKS, CHIEF. I'LL JUST ADD THAT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO A CONTINUED
PARTNERSHIP WITH THE STREETS CABINET. I FEEL LIKE MY COMMISSION REALLY IS THE CONNECTION TO THE COMMUNITY WHERE THE STREETS IS REALLY THE ENGINEERS AND THE EXPERTS AND THE BUILT INFRASTRUCTURE. SO I THINK WITH US PROVIDING
THE LINK OF LIVED EXPERIENCE AND LISTENING TO THE COMMUNITY ,SHARING THAT WITH THE STREETS CABINET SO WE CAN WORK ON CREATIVE SOLUTIONS I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'LL FOCUS ON MOVING FORWARD. SO I KNOW I'LL JUST SAY YOU
KNOW, APPRECIATING THE COMMISSIONER AND THE DISABILITIES COMMISSION WE REALLY DO CHERISH THE PARTNERSHIP AND WORKING RELATIONSHIP WE HAVE AND ALSO JUST ECHO THE CHIEF THAT THIS IS STUFF THAT WE DON'T ALWAYS
GET TO TALK ABOUT. THIS IS, YOU KNOW, THE BIGGEST FOCUS OF AT LEAST MY TEAM IS ACCESSIBILITY AND JUST ALL OF THE EFFORT THAT WE PUT IN EVERY DAY FOR A STATE OF GOOD
REPAIR AND BRINGING RAMPS INTO COMPLIANCE SO THAT EVERYBODY CAN GET AROUND AND ALSO JUST APPRECIATE THE TWO PUBLIC COMMENTS THAT WE GOT ABOUT PROACTIVE WORK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
OH MY COLLEAGUE'S QUICK CLOSING STATEMENT TO THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND THANK YOU MS.. ADAMS AND TRACY AND THAT WAS MY
QUESTION ABOUT LIKE ARE WE GOING TO REACT TO 311 CALLS, RIGHT? LIKE HOW ARE WE GETTING AHEAD OF IT? SO IT WAS GREAT TO HEAR REAL STORIES, SAD STORIES BUT THANK YOU AND THANK YOU KRISTEN
MCCOSH AND CLEARLY THERE IS A STRONG RELATIONSHIP. HOW IS THE PARTNERSHIP WITH EIGHT STRONG BECAUSE YOU KNOW OUR SENIORS AND THAT DEPARTMENT MAKING SURE BECAUSE A LOT OF CALLS GO DIRECTLY TO THEM
NOT TO 311I GUESS IT'S CLOSING STATEMENTS BUT I'LL JUST PUT IT OUT THERE SO AFTER LIKE WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT BUT I'M CONFIDENT THERE PROBABLY IS ONE.
BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO LOOK INTO THAT AND I DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT MS. ADAMS YOU REMINDED ME THAT LAST WEEK MYSELF AND COUNSELOR FLYNN FILED A RESOLUTION TO HAVE THE
COUNCIL EITHER VOTE IN SUPPORT OR NOT OF REPRESENTATIVE LIVINGSTONE ALONG WITH THE STATE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT HAS A BILL HOUSE BILL 3731 AND IT'S ABOUT ENHANCING PEDESTRIAN
SAFETY AND IT IS ADDRESSING DIRECTLY THE 30 DAY LIMIT TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE CITY IN THE $5,000 CAP. SO YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT THE COST
AND HOW MUCH MONEY YOU'RE PAYING OUT OF POCKET FOR AN INJURY THAT HAPPENED ON A CITY STREET. SO I'LL MAKE SURE TO CONNECT WITH YOU AFTER THIS HEARING TO TALK ABOUT THAT. UNFORTUNATELY IT WAS BLOCKED BY
A COLLEAGUE SO WE DON'T KNOW IF WE SUPPORT IT OR NOT. BUT I DO WANT TO GO ON RECORD TO SAY I SUPPORT THAT ADVOCACY UP AT THE STATEHOUSE AND I DIDN'T SHARE THIS WITH COUNCILOR FLYNN BUT ON SATURDAY
I WAS AT A AN EVENT A VETERAN EVENT AT THE PERKINS POST AND I WAS DRIVING AWAY IT WAS AROUND 1130 NOON AND I DID SEE AZAR'S PARENTS AND THEY WERE WALKING ON COLUMBIA ROAD.
HE OFTEN TALKS ABOUT HOW HIS PARENTS ALONG OFTENTIMES WITH HIS NEPHEW WALK AROUND AND YOU LIVE IN SOUTH BOSTON YOU MUST SEE THEM OFTEN ALSO ANY SO YOU SEE THEM OFTEN WALKING AROUND.
BUT WHAT I NOTICED WAS, YOU KNOW, HIS MOM AND DAD WALKING CLOSELY BUT MOM HAVING TO LIKE HELP HIM MORE. RIGHT. AND AS SHE'S GETTING OLDER JUST REMINDED ME AND YOU KNOW, WHEN
MY DAD WHO'S 91 MY STEP DAD BUT YOU KNOW, OUR PARENTS DO GET OLDER BUT THEY STILL HAVE THAT INDEPENDENCE AND TO THINK THAT IT'S SIDEWALK REPAIR THAT COULD STOP THEM FROM BEING ABLE TO
CONTINUE TO GO OUT AND WALK AROUND AND DO WHAT THEY WANT AND HAVING TO RELY ON PEOPLE AND WE KNOW SO MANY SENIORS DON'T HAVE THAT RIGHT. MY FAMILY DOES. THEY'RE FORTUNATE OR NO
COUNCILOR FLYNN'S YOU KNOW, BROTHER AND SISTERS ARE THERE WHEN THEIR PARENTS NEED IT BUT THEY LIKE THEIR INDEPENDENCE AND THERE'S HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS OF STORIES LIKE THAT ACROSS THE CITY. SO MAKING SURE THAT YOU KNOW, WE TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY AND THAT
WE DO WHATEVER WE CAN AND IF IT'S MONEY WE HAVE TO REALLY TAKE A HARD LOOK ABOUT WHERE ARE WE SPENDING IT. WE CAN'T, YOU KNOW, JUST MAKE MONEY, YOU KNOW, SPEND MORE MONEY BUT WE CAN MAYBE SHIFT AND PRIORITIZE THAT WE'RE
FIXING THESE SIDEWALKS AND THESE PATHWAYS FOR OUR RESIDENTS BECAUSE IT'S DEFINITELY A CONCERN I HAVE AND I KNOW THE RESIDENTS HAVE UPLIFTED THAT AND IT'S SOMETHING WE HAVE TO TAKE VERY SERIOUSLY.
SO THANK YOU FOR THIS HEARING. I KNOW WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER AND CONTINUE TO UPLIFT THE CONCERNS THAT THE RESIDENTS BRING TO US. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR COUNCILOR FLYNN. THANK YOU, MR CHAIR, FOR
BRINGING US TOGETHER THIS IMPORTANT HEARING LIKE MY COLLEAGUES IN THE ADMINISTRATION, I TAKE THIS ISSUE VERY SERIOUSLY.
THIS IS WHAT CITY GOVERNMENT IS ALL ABOUT IS ADVOCATING FOR RESIDENTS ENSURING THAT PUBLIC SAFETY AND QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES ARE ADDRESSED.
LISTENING TO MRS. ADAMS AND TRACY ASKING CITY COUNCILORS AND CITY ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS TO BE PROBE TO BE MORE PROACTIVE AS WELL IS AN
IMPORTANT POINT THAT BOTH MS. ADAMS AND TRACY MADE AND THAT'S WHAT WE HEAR OFTEN WHEN WE ARE TRAVELING THROUGHOUT OUR DISTRICT THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
THIS IS A IMPORTANT ISSUE AND IT SHOULD BE PRIORITIZED AS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE. THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH MONEY THE CITY HAS AND WE HAVE TO MAKE A
DECISION OF WHAT'S IMPORTANT. IS IT IMPORTANT TO FIX OUR SIDEWALKS FOR ACCESS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AND
IN OUR SENIORS AND AND PEOPLE GETTING TO SCHOOL OR IS IT MORE OF A PRIORITY TO DO SOMETHING ELSE? THOSE THAT'S WHAT GOVERNMENT IS ALL ABOUT IS MAKING THOSE
DIFFICULT AND TOUGH QUESTIONS. BUT FOR ME WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO SUPPORTING PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AND OUR SENIORS THAT THAT DECISION IS EASY.
NOT ONLY IS IT THE RIGHT THING TO DO, NOT ONLY IS IT THE MORAL THING TO DO, IT'S THE LEGAL THING TO DO AS I MENTIONED THAT
THE BEST PIECE OF LEGISLATION IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OR ONE OF THEM ANYWAY IS THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT ADA PROVIDING EQUAL ACCESS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.
WE DON'T WE DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO PICK AND CHOOSE WHAT PART OF THAT WE WANT TO RESPECT . WE HAVE TO RESPECT ALL OF IT AND EQUAL ACCESS AND
ACCOMMODATIONS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITY IS IS CERTAINLY ONE OF THE TOP ISSUES AND PRIORITIES I WORK ON AS A CITY
COUNCIL. I TAKE THIS ISSUE VERY SERIOUSLY. I TAKE IT VERY PERSONALLY AS AS COUNCILMAN MURPHY HAS NOTED WITH ELDERLY PARENTS AND POOR
THEY WERE THEY HAVE A SPECIAL NEEDS GRANDCHILD AS WELL THAT THEY THEY THEY THEY WORK WITH. BUT I SEE ELDERLY PEOPLE ALL THE TIME AND PERSONS WITH
DISABILITIES THEY LOVE GOING UP TO THE SOUTH BOSTON LIBRARY. THEY LOVE GOING TO CHURCH UP AT K TO HAVE AN TO OR TO ST BRIDGET'S THEY LOVE COMING UP TO THE COFFEE STORE OR VISITING
A FRIEND BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE OUR SIDEWALKS ARE ACCESSIBLE TO THEM. THANK YOU MR TRUMP.
THANK YOU COUNSELOR FLYNN AND COUNCILOR MEJIA. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU CHAIR AND THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR WORK. I ALSO JUST WANT TO UPLIFT AND THANK COUNCILOR FLYNN WHO HAS BEEN A FIERCE ADVOCATE AS IT RELATES TO DISABILITY ISSUES
HERE ON THE COUNCIL. SO I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE COUNCILOR FLYNN FOR YOUR RELENTLESS ADVOCACY ON MAKING SURE THAT WE HOLD OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE TO THOSE THAT WE SERVE WITH, PARTICULARLY THOSE
WHO OFTENTIMES FIND IT VERY DIFFICULT TO EVEN COME HERE TO FIGHT FOR THEMSELVES. SO I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR SHOWING UP IN THAT WAY AND I KNOW WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO
DO AND I DO HEAR LOUD AND CLEAR THAT THERE WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT OUR STREETS I THINK THAT WE ARE ALSO MAKING UP FOR DECADES OF NEGLECT AND SO WE'RE
CATCHING UP AND I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE ARE DEFINITELY TRYING TO SOLVE FOR WHAT HAS BEEN NEGLECTED WHILE ALSO TRYING TO GET AHEAD OF OTHER THINGS.
AND SO I IT IT IS LOUD AND CLEAR TO ME THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN DO BOTH BE PROACTIVE WHILE WE'RE ALSO MAKING UP FOR
DECADES OF NEGLECT BECAUSE I KNOW HAVING GROWN UP HERE IN THE CITY OF BOSTON THAT THERE'S STILL LOTS OF CITY STREETS THAT ARE JUST BEGINNING TO SEE A
LITTLE BIT OF LOVE AND SO I KNOW THAT THAT IS TRUE AND I DO APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS THAT ARE BEING MADE TO CATCH UP TO THOSE TIMES. SO IT DOESN'T SAY THAT IT'S PERFECT BUT WE'RE GETTING THERE
AND IT WILL NEVER BE PERFECT. I'LL MANAGE EVERYBODY'S EXPECTATIONS BUT AT THE VERY LEAST WE CAN DO WHAT WE CAN WITH WHAT WE HAVE TO WORK WITH. SO I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL
FOR FOR DOING YOUR BEST TO MEET THE MOMENT. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR. I ALSO JUST WANT TO THANK THE PANELISTS FOR BEING HERE FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING FOR BEING ABLE TO JUST SHARE A LOT
OF THE INFORMATION ALL THE THINGS YOU'RE DOING SO FAR IN THE CITY. I JUST WANT TO THANK MY COLLEAGUES THE THOSE THAT BROUGHT THIS HEARING TO THE FLOOR FOR ALLOWING ME TO BE A CO-SPONSOR.
I AM THIS IS ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT I FEEL LIKE WE CAN ALL AGREE ON IS VERY IMPORTANT. DOES IT MATTER WHAT WE BELIEVE IN? I THINK SIDEWALKS COULD BE COULD SEEM LIKE A SMALL THING BUT COULD REALLY MEAN SOMETHING
BIGGER FOR ANYONE THAT'S WALKING ON THE SIDE OR USING IT AS A MODE OF TRANSPORTATION. AND WHAT I'VE LEARNED IN MY FIRST YEAR AND A HALF IN OFFICE THAT IT'S PROBABLY ONE OF THINGS WE HEAR ABOUT EVERY SINGLE DAY.
IT'S A CONDITION OF THE SIDEWALK IN ANY PART OF MY DISTRICT OR ACROSS THE CITY. SO THAT'S WHY I AM SLOWLY ADDING THE URBAN MECHANIC INTO MY BACKGROUND WHERE WE REALLY HAVE TO TAKE THESE ISSUES
SERIOUS AND WE SHOULD BE FUNDING THE PROJECTS. WE SHOULD BE ENSURING THAT THE MECHANISMS ARE IN PLACE TO FIX OUR SIDEWALKS PROACTIVELY. SO JUST THANK YOU FOR THE WORK YOU DO.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO PARTNERING WITH YOU IN THE FUTURE TO CONTINUE TO SOLVE THIS ISSUE. AND NOW OFFICIALLY THIS HEARING DOCKET NUMBER 0772 IS ADJOURNED Part: 2
FOR THE RECORD. MY NAME IS HEITOR SANTANA AT LARGE CITY COUNCILOR AND I AM THE CHAIR OF THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION.
TODAY IS AUGUST 13, 2025 AND IS CURRENTLY 3:04 P.M.. THIS HEARING IS BEING RECORDED IS ALSO BEING LIVESTREAMED AT BOSTON DOT GOV SLASH CITY TIMES
COUNCIL DASH TV AND BROADCASTED ON EXTENDED CHANNEL EIGHT RCN CHANNEL 82 AND FILES CHANNEL 964. WRITTEN COMMENTS MAY BE SENT TO
THE COMMITTEE EMAIL AT C CC EDUCATION BOSTON DOT GOV AND WILL BE MAY PART OF THE RECORD AND AVAILABLE TO OUR COUNCILORS . PUBLIC TESTIMONY WILL BE TAKEN
AT THE END OF THIS HEARING. INDIVIDUALS WE CALLED ON IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY SIGNED UP AND WILL HAVE 2 MINUTES TO TESTIFY. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN TESTIFYING IN PERSON PLEASE ADD YOUR NAME TO THE SIGN UP SHEET
NEAR THE ENTRANCE OF THE CHAMBER. IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO TESTIFY TESTIFY VIRTUALLY PLEASE EMAIL OUR CENTRAL STAFF LIAISON. RON COBB.
RON COBB BOSTON.COM FOR THE LINK AND YOUR NAME WILL BE ADDED TO THE LIST. TODAY'S HEARING IS ON DOCKET NUMBER 0149.
ORDER FOR A HEARING TO DISCUSS BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS PLANS TO PROTECT STUDENTS DURING HEAT EMERGENCIES. THIS MATTER WAS SPONSORED BY COUNCILOR BRIAN MORROW, JULIA MEJIA AND BENJAMIN WEBER AND
WAS REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE ON EIGHT 2025 TO DO IT. TODAY I AM JOINED BY MY COLLEAGUES IN ORDER OF ARRIVAL. COUNCILOR FROM DISTRICT FOUR AND THE LEAD SPONSOR OF THIS
COUNCILOR WORRELL AND WE WILL ALSO RECEIVE A LETTER OF ABSENCE FROM COUNCILOR PEPEN . BEFORE I INTRODUCE OUR PANEL
TODAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. I'M GOING TO ALLOW THE LEAD SPONSOR TO GIVE SOME OPENING REMARKS STARTING WITH WELL CASTRO. THANK YOU CHAIR AND TRY AND
THINK FOR BEING HERE. THIS CONVERSATION IS JUST TO GET AN UPDATE. I KNOW WE HAVE MADE A GOOD AMOUNT OF PROGRESS ON GETTING ACS INTO OUR BUILDINGS AND HAVE
CREATED A PLAN TO DEAL WITH HEAT EMERGENCIES. SO JUST WANT TO GET AN UPDATE ON WHAT'S OUTSTANDING, WHAT PROGRESS WE MADE AND JUST LOOKING FORWARD TO THE
CONVERSATION. THANK YOU CHAIR THANK YOU. COUNCIL WHERE I'LL I'LL JUST SAY THAT YOU DON'T THINK THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT CONVERSATION. I THINK WE'RE LITERALLY IN THE HEAT EMERGENCY RIGHT NOW DAY
THREE OF OUR HERE EMERGENCY SO I KNOW THAT SCHOOLS I HOPE AS I KNOW THAT EARLY ON IN SEPTEMBER AND THEN AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR IT BECOMES A LOT
HARDER HARDER FOR OUR STUDENTS AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR TEACHERS AND OUR STUDENTS FEEL GOOD AND OUR SCHOOLS FEEL COOL AND OUR SCHOOLS. SO THIS COULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED
IN A BETTER TIME ESPECIALLY AS WE'RE APPROACHING THE 2025 2026 SCHOOL OPENINGS. SO WITH THAT I WILL INTRODUCE
TODAY'S PANELIST. WITH US WE HAVE BRIAN FORD WHO IS THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER FOR OUR BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS. ANTHONY PENA WHO'S THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES MANAGEMENT FOR
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS. AND WE HAVE KAYLA JACKSON WHO SAID DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF FACILITY MANAGEMENT FOR BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOL. SO AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE AND FOR ANSWERING
OUR QUESTIONS. I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU ALL FOR ANY OPENING REMARKS OR PRESENTATION SO YOU MAY HAVE. THANK YOU, COUNSELOR SANTANA. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR. THANK YOU TO THE COUNCIL FOR HAVING US HERE TODAY.
THIS IS A VERY EXCITING SUBJECT AND I'M HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT IT WITH ME. THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES AND THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES ANTHONY AND KAYLA.
I'M VERY HAPPY TO HAVE THEM HERE BESIDE ME BECAUSE WHILE I HAVE STARTED THE WORK THAT'S HAPPENING HERE FOR BPC THEY WILL BE CONTINUING THE WORK THAT'S GOING TO BE HAPPENING THAT'S GOING TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE IT FORWARD AND MAKE SURE
WE'RE ABLE TO COMMIT TO THE STUDENTS HERE FOR BP'S. SO JUST A QUICK HISTORY OF WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW. BP'S IS THE OLDEST SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE UNITED STATES
AND WITH THAT THE MAJORITY OF OUR BUILDINGS WERE BUILT BEFORE 1950 AND ABOUT 73% OF THOSE BUILDINGS ARE STILL BUILT BEFORE 1970.
SO WITH THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF INFRASTRUCTURE ISSUES THAT WE HAVE TO OVERCOME AND WE DO SERVE A VERY LARGE AND DIVERSE AMOUNT OF STUDENTS AND WE HAVE ABOUT 11 MILLION SQUARE FEET
AND 132 BUILDINGS IN WHICH WE ADDRESS AC THERMAL COMFORT AND MANY OTHER ISSUES WITHIN THE BP'S PORTFOLIO IN 2021 WHEN I
STARTED WITH BP'S AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES, WE WERE IN A PRETTY UNCOMFORTABLE PLACE AND WHEN IT COMES TO THERMAL COMFORT JUST ABOUT 32% OF OUR
BUILDINGS HAD A COOLING IN THEM. MOST OF THAT CAME FROM MECHANICAL VENTILATION SYSTEMS AND THERE WASN'T MANY OTHER SOLUTIONS THAT WERE PRESENT IN
THE DISTRICT OVER THE NEXT 3 TO 4 YEARS WE'RE ABLE TO REALLY INCREASE THESE NUMBERS. SO INSTEAD OF HAVING 68% OF OUR BUILDINGS THAT DO NOT HAVE COOLING, WE NOW HAVE 92% OF OUR BUILDINGS THAT ARE COVERED WITH
COOLING. 3% OF THOSE BUILDINGS THAT ARE IN PROGRESS AND 5% OF THOSE THAT HAVE ALREADY INITIATED IN THE PLANNING PHASE TO MOVE US FORWARD TO MAKE SURE THAT WE
GET TO THAT 100% AND ARE OVER. OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN PROVIDE THERMAL COMFORT FOR ALL STUDENTS AND STAFF AND EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES ACROSS CLASS AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
AND AS WE TALK ABOUT OUR PROGRESS, THERE WAS A LOT OF WORK THAT WE DID IN ORDER TO GET HERE IN 2021 WITH THE HELP OF MY PREDECESSORS PAST ADMINISTRATION, THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION, THE OFFICE
OF BUDGET MANAGEMENT, MANY, MANY WRITTEN REQUESTS TO MANY, MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND LOTS OF CONSTITUENTS. WE WERE ABLE TO GET ABOUT 6400 AC UNITS BROUGHT IN TO THE DISTRICT AND WITH THAT WE WERE
ABLE TO DO TWO SEPARATE CONTRACTS ONE TO PROCURE THE AC UNITS AND ONE TO PROCURE THE WORK THAT ACTUALLY DOES THE INSTALLATION OF THOSE AC UNITS WITHIN OUR BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS. AND WITH THIS NOW THAT WE'VE
SEEN THE ITERATION OF THE INSTALLATION OF THESE AC UNITS THAT ALLOWED US TO ADDRESS 80 OF THE BOSTON AND PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDINGS ON TOP OF THE ONES THAT WERE ALREADY COMPLETE. WE ALSO ARE NOW LOOKING AT WHAT
IT TAKES TO MAINTAIN THIS AC UNITS TO GROW THESE AC UNITS THROUGHOUT THE REST OF OUR DISTRICT CURRENTLY. SO WE ARE PUTTING TOGETHER A FILTER CONTRACTS AND PUTTING TOGETHER DIFFERENT SERVICING OR
MAKING SURE THAT THE FACILITIES TEAM IS ABLE TO REPLACE THESE ITEMS AS OFTEN AS THEY ARE NEEDED. AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO
COUNCILOR FLYNN WHO I SAW JUST A FEW MINUTES AND THERE WAS A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT AVENUES THAT WE TOOK IN ORDER TO GET US TO A PLACE WHERE WE WOULD BE HAPPY WITH THE THERMAL
COMFORT THAT WAS IN THE DISTRICT RIGHT NOW. WE KNOW THAT THE AC WOULD TAKE US SO FAR BUT IT DID LEAVE US WITH ABOUT TEN SCHOOLS THAT WOULD THAT WOULD STILL NEED A
FURTHER SOLUTION IN ORDER TO TO MAKE SURE THEY HAD THERMAL COMFORT. AND SO WITH THAT SCHOOLS FACILITIES WE TOOK IT UPON OURSELVES TO LOOK FOR OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE SURE WE
COULD FUND THEM. AND THE REASON THEY NEEDED TO BE FUNDED WAS BECAUSE THE SOLUTIONS TO GET HERE WEREN'T AS SIMPLE AS IT WAS IN 80 OTHER BUILDINGS. THIS MIGHT MEAN THAT THERE WAS AN A CONFIGURATION IN THE
BUILDING THAT WAS NOT SUPPORTIVE OF INSTALLATION OF BASES. IT MIGHT MEAN THE DELIVERY OF POWER TO THE BUILDING WAS NOT SUFFICIENT FOR GETTING A CS OR THERMAL COMFORT THERE AND IT MAY MEAN THE SIMPLE INDOOR
CONFIGURATION OF THE BUILDING WAS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR THIS AND OFTENTIMES IT CAME WITH A LARGER BILL IN ORDER TO GET US TO EXACTLY WHERE WE NEED TO BE. AND SO WITH THAT WE SOUGHT OUT
THE EVACUEE GRANT. THIS IS A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF EARLY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION THAT ALLOWED US TO APPLY FOR $15 MILLION ROUGHLY FOR US TO MAKE
IMPROVEMENTS TO OUR SCHOOLS. AND WITH THAT AND 18 MONTHS OF GOING BACK AND FORTH IN A FEW DIFFERENT DESIGN CONSTRAINTS THAT WE HAD TO BE WITHIN THE 30% ASSESSED VALUE OF A BUILDING WE WERE ABLE TO
GET THAT PROJECT OFF THE GROUND AND WE'RE LOOKING AT COMPLETING THAT BY DECEMBER OF 2026 RIGHT
THERE. THE CHALLENGES THAT WE WERE FACING IN A LOT OF OUR BUILDINGS WAS THAT WE ALTHOUGH WE HAVE A PROJECT THAT WAS 50 WE HAVE A DONOR THAT HAS PUT IN 15 MILLION FOR WORK IN OUR SCHOOLS.
WE WERE ALSO FACING THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF BACK AND FORTH IN THE DESIGN PROCESS AND THIS WAS BECAUSE OUR BUILDINGS AREN'T ASSESSED AS HIGH IN VALUE AS WE WOULD HAVE HOPED.
SO IT MEANT THAT WE WERE GOING BACK AND FORTH THE DESIGNER GOING BACK AND FORTH WITH THE ARCHITECT GOING BACK AND FORTH WITH THE GRANT TOUR, MAKING SURE THAT WE WERE WITHIN THE SPECIFICATIONS. THE ONE THING THAT WE DIDN'T
WANT TO DO WAS NEGATE FROM OUR GOAL WHICH WAS TO MAKE SURE WE'RE PROVIDING THERMAL COMFORT IN ALL OF THE SCHOOLS AND BEEPS. SO IT MEANT THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF ADJUSTING AND THAT'S THE
REASON THAT THIS TIMELINE IS ALSO PARTIALLY PRESENT HERE. ONE OF THE OTHER PARTNERS THAT'S HELPING US GET THIS WORK DONE IS RENEW BOSTON TRUST. RENEW BOSTON TRUST HELPS US TO
GET ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN ALL OF OUR BUILDINGS AND A LOT OF TIMES YOU'VE SEEN THEM WORK ON THINGS SUCH AS THE BACK IMPROVEMENT ACROSS SIX OF OUR SCHOOLS IN THE DISTRICT PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS OR SOLAR AS
YOU MAY KNOW IT AT FOUR OF OUR SCHOOLS LIGHTING UPGRADES, BUILDING ENVELOPE UPGRADES, WATER CONSERVATION, PIPE INSULATION, WALK IN FREEZER CONTROLS, UNIT VENTILATORS ALL
OF THIS IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PURSUING THE MOST ENERGY CONSERVED ENERGY CONSERVING MEASURES IN THE DISTRICT RIGHT NOW AS WE MOVE FORWARD. THEY'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON THE OTIS BUILDING AND THAT'S HELPING US TO SHRINK THE AMOUNT
OF BUILDINGS LEFT IN THE DISTRICT THAT ARE STILL LOOKING FOR A SOLUTION TO THERMAL COMFORT. AND SO WHAT YOU PROBABLY WANT
TO ASK NEXT IS WHAT ARE WE DOING TO MAKE SURE THAT STUDENTS IN OUR EXISTING BUILDINGS ARE ARE COMFORTABLE WHILE WE GO THROUGH THINGS LIKE HEAT EMERGENCIES AND WE PUT A LOT OF PUBLIC DASHBOARDS IN
PLACE, WE PUT A LOT OF PUBLIC TOOLS IN PLACE AND ONE OF THOSE TOOLS IS OUR IQ MONITORS WHO HAVE MONITORS ARE ABLE TO TELL US THE EXACT TEMPERATURE AND
HUMIDITY IN A GIVEN BUILDING AT ANY GIVEN TIME AND IT LETS US ASSESS EXACTLY WHAT MITIGATION MEASURES OUR FACILITIES TEAMS SHOULD BE TAKEN TO MAKE SURE
OUR STUDENTS AND STAFF ARE COMFORTABLE. BUT NOT ONLY THAT IT LETS US MEASURE THESE METRICS AND FIGURE OUT TRENDS. THESE TRENDS ARE HELPFUL FOR FIGURING OUT WHAT TIMES OF YEAR WE'RE EXPECTED TO SEE HEAT
EMERGENCIES WHERE THERE MIGHT BE A HIGHER LEVEL OF POLLUTION, WHERE THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN AN EVENT IN THE AREA CANADIAN WILDFIRES FOR EXAMPLE. ALL OF THESE THINGS WE'RE ABLE TO MEASURE WITH THESE IQ
SENSORS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO PIVOT AND FIGURE OUT WHERE OUR INFLUENCE IS MOST FELT. AND WITH THIS A LOT OF THE DATA POINTED TOWARDS SEEING THAT THE MOST UNHEALTHY CLASSROOMS ARE
IN THE HIGH HEAT NO AC BUILDINGS. JULY AND AUGUST WE'RE SEEING THAT A LOT LESS OF THE DATA AS FILTERED BY SOME OF OUR PARTNERS POINTS TO THE MONTHS
OF JUNE AND SEPTEMBER. THIS DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE SOLUTIONS PUT IN PLACE FOR JUNE AND SEPTEMBER BUT AGAIN THIS IS A PUBLIC DASHBOARD. ANYBODY COULD ACCESS IT. WE HAVE LINKS THAT WE CAN SHARE AFTER THIS MEETING AND YOU CAN
GO TO YOUR FAVORITE LOCAL SCHOOL OR ANY SCHOOL THAT'S IN YOUR DISTRICT TO CAPTURE THIS INFORMATION AND YOU CAN SEE THAT HERE ON THIS SLIDE IS A QUICK PICTURE OF OUR DASHBOARD
AND ALL OF THE DIFFERENT MEASURES THAT IT CAPTURED ON TOP OF THIS INFORMATION HERE. WHAT WE DO IS WE REFER TO AN ASHTRAY STANDARD THAT COMPARES TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY BACK
TO WHAT IS A SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR STUDENT OR STAFF MEMBER TO BE IN AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT IN TIME. RIGHT NOW WE ARE WORKING
THROUGH A FEW OF OUR REMAINING BUILDINGS SO YOU'RE ABLE TO HEAR ME TALK ABOUT WE HAVE JUST ABOUT TEN BUILDINGS THAT ARE LEFT. SEVEN THREE OF THOSE BUILDINGS
ARE THE LEA BATES AND KENNY THAT HAVE PLANS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE EVACUATION THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE WE HAVE THE OLDEST SCHOOL THAT'S MOVING FORWARD WITH THE RB TO PROJECT WITH PUBLIC FACILITIES
DEPARTMENT. THAT MEANS THAT WE HAVE SIX SCHOOLS THAT ARE REMAINING THAT NEED TO HAVE INTERFERENCE IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE THERMAL COMFORT IN THE DISTRICT. WHAT WE HAVE DONE SO FAR IS
WE'VE ALREADY TAKEN THE FIRST STEPS TOWARDS WORKING WITH BIG BOX VENDORS THAT HAVE DO ASSESSMENTS OVER OUR BUILDINGS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT STRATEGIES ARE GOING TO BE APPLICABLE FOR THIS YEAR AND THE NEXT.
AND OUR TEAMS ARE ALREADY WORKING TOGETHER AND PUTTING THOSE ASSESSMENTS TOGETHER FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
A COUPLE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE ALSO DOING TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE COMFORTABLE IS WE HAVE MADE SURE TO PUT TOGETHER SOME COOL DOWN ZONES WITHIN OUR BUILDINGS . AND SO THIS MEANS THAT ALTHOUGH WE ARE NOW LOOKING AT SIX
BUILDINGS WITHIN THE DISTRICT THAT ARE NOT ABLE TO HANDLE HIGH HEAT, WE DO HAVE COOLDOWN ZONES THAT ARE LOCATED WITHIN EACH OF THESE BUILDINGS AND THIS MAY MEAN THAT THE CAFETERIA AND THE LIBRARY, THE
CAFETERIA AND THE NURSE'S OFFICE, THE MAIN OFFICE THERE ARE MORE THAN ONE AREA WITHIN EACH ONE OF THE SCHOOLS THAT ARE WE'RE NOT ABLE TO BE ADDRESS THAT A STUDENT IS ABLE TO GO AND RECEIVE COOLING TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN NEGATE ANY HEAT RELATED EFFECTS ON STUDENTS LEARNING OUTCOMES OR
EXISTING CONDITIONS IN EMERGENCIES. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LIKE TO DO IS WE MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE FANS DEPLOYED ACROSS THE
DISTRICT. WE HAVE OUR SPARKLERS THAT ARE DEPLOYED ACROSS THE DISTRICT. THIS IS WITH ONLY NOW SIX DIFFERENT LOCATIONS WE ARE ABLE TO REALLOCATE OUR RESOURCES ACROSS THE ENTIRE DISTRICT TO FOCUS ON REALLY JUST THE SIX
REMAINING BUILDINGS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED FOR THERMAL COMFORT. SO THAT MEANS THAT EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE THE COOL DOWN ZONE, A LOT OF THESE AREAS YOU'LL ALSO SEE HAVE A ADDITIONAL SAUCES TO
KEEP THEMSELVES COOL AND ON HIGH HEAT DAYS YOU MAY EVEN SEE US WORKING WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AT THE CITY LEVEL TO SET UP MISTING STATIONS SERVE POPSICLES AND DO
OUR BEST TO MAKE SURE THAT STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO GET A COOL AND CALM ENVIRONMENT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO A LITTLE BIT LESS IS WE ALSO HAVE AN ADDITIONAL BUILDING OR A
SECONDARY LOCATION FOR OUR STUDENTS TO BE ABLE TO COOL DOWN. OFTENTIMES THIS MIGHT MEAN THAT THE REGULAR LEARNING DAY IS SLIGHTLY CHANGED AND STUDENTS WILL BE RELOCATED TO ANOTHER SITE.
YOU WOULD HAVE SEEN THIS LAST YEAR WITH LEAD THE SCHOOL MOVING OVER TO TECH BOSTON ACADEMY TO FINISH OUT THEIR DAY SO THAT STUDENTS ARE NO LONGER GOING THROUGH THESE HIGH HEAT
SITUATIONS. SO THE NEXT STEPS THAT WE HAVE OUTLINED FOR OURSELVES IS WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE IRONING OUT THE SCOPE FOR THE REMAINING SCHOOLS. THERE ARE SIX OF THE SIX
SCHOOLS THAT ARE REMAINING, FIVE OF WHICH NEED A PLAN. ONE IS JUST GOING TO BE UNOCCUPIED WHICH IS HELPING US GET TOWARDS THE GOAL OF HAVING 100% OF OUR BUILDINGS BE
THERMAL THERMALLY COMFORTABLE. AND WITH THAT WE'VE ALREADY STARTED THIS PROCESS AND WE'LL HOPE TO UPDATE YOU AS SOON AS WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION ON THAT. AND MOVING FORWARD WITH THE NEXT BUDGET YEAR.
WHAT I CAN SAY RIGHT NOW IS THAT OPM HAS PUT MONEY FORTH FOR US TO CONTINUE THIS INITIATIVE YEAR AFTER YEAR. OUR OFFICE OF BUDGET MANAGEMENT HAS PUT MONEY FOR IT TO
CONTINUE TO LET US DO THIS YEAR AFTER YEAR AND WE ARE CONTINUING TO MAKE THESE IMPROVEMENTS. WHAT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO IS MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE OUR ONGOING ASSESSMENTS OF OUR EXISTING AC SYSTEMS AS WELL TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING THE REPAIRS AS EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO MAINTAIN OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE ENTITIES SUCH AS RENEW NEW TRUST PUBLIC FACILITIES DEPARTMENT AND MAKE SURE THAT
WE'RE SEEKING OUT OTHER GRANT INITIATIVES TO MAKE SURE WE'RE TACKLING THIS WORK FROM MULTIPLE DIFFERENT ANGLES AND THEN THE ONE THING THAT WE REALLY DIDN'T WANT TO DO TODAY WAS OR ANY TIME OVER THE LAST
FOUR YEARS WAS REALLY LET PERFECTION GET IN THE WAY OF PROGRESS. AND WITH THAT WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT MORE WE CAN BE DOING IN TERMS OF ENERGY CONSERVATION MEASURES IN OUR
BUILDINGS. WE INSTALLED WINDOWS WINDOW AC UNITS. OUR GOAL WOULD HAVE BEEN TO PUT SOMETHING IN THAT WAS A LITTLE BIT MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT. BUT OUR FIRST GOAL IS MAKING
SURE THAT WE SOLVE THERMAL COMFORTABILITY FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS. THEN WE'LL WORK ON SOLVING THE SUSTAINABILITY AND ENERGY CONSERVATION MEASURES THAT ARE
ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. SO OUR PLEDGE IS BP IS COMMITTED TO ENSURING EVERY STUDENT LEARNS IN A SAFE COMFORTABLE ENVIRONMENT.
THIS WORK IS COMPLEX. WE'RE MOVING WITH URGENCY AND WE ARE FOCUSED ON DELIVERING THERMAL COMFORT OF COMFORT ACROSS ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS. AND IF YOU EVER NEED ANY MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS, YOU CAN
ALWAYS REACH OUT TO ME OR ANTHONY PENA, KAYLA JACKSON ALL WHO ARE WITH MEJIA TODAY.
AND THANK YOU. I THANK YOU AND WE WILL HEAR THIS A GREAT, GREAT GREAT. WELL, THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION. I'M ALSO I'D LIKE TO
ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE'VE BEEN JOINED BY ADMINISTRATIVE LAW AND ORDER BY COUNCILOR OVER HERE BY COUNSELOR FLYNN WHO I'M HAPPY BIRTHDAY COUNSELOR FLYNN COUNSELOR WEBER AND
COUNCIL PRESIDENT RUSSI LOUIJEUNE. APPRECIATE MY COLLEAGUES BEING HERE. WE'RE NOT GOING TO GO TO MY COUNCILOR COLLEAGUES IN ORDER WELL, STARTING WITH THE LEAD
SPONSORS AND THEN IN ORDER ARRIVAL FOR COUNCILOR OUR QUESTIONS COUNCILOR WILL YOU HAVE THE FLOOR? THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN. AND AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. I WANT TO JUST GIVE A BIG SHOUT
OUT TO THE PARENTS OF AT THE LEE ACADEMY FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD AND ASKING TO HAVE A HEARING ON THIS. SO JUST A BIG SHOUT OUT TO THE
LEE ACADEMY PARENTS. AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO COUNSELOR FLYNN. I KNOW TO YOUR PRESENTATION YOU SPOKE ABOUT A LOT OF THE
INSTALLATIONS WAS HEAVILY FUNDED BY GRANT IN TERMS OF LIKE THE MAINTENANCE WHEN YOU'RE SWAPPING OUT ACS ACS TEND TO HAVE A WINDOW X TEND TO HAVE A LIFESPAN OF, YOU KNOW, 5
TO 10 YEARS. BUT THERE'S ALSO BASED OFF A USAGE ENVIRONMENT THAT THEY'RE IN. DO WE HAVE A BUDGET OR WHAT IS THE BUDGET FOR REPLACING OR
MAINTAINING SOME OF THOSE WINDOW SEATS? YES. GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNSELOR. THANKS FOR THE QUESTION. SO WE ARE NOW ROLLING THE MAINTENANCE COSTS FOR OUR AC UNITS DIRECTLY INTO OUR
FACILITIES MAINTENANCE BUDGET. THAT LINE IS HISTORICALLY USED TO TAKE CARE OF OUR MECHANICAL VENTILATION SYSTEMS. WE ARE NOW ADDING IT OUT TO THAT SAME SPOT. WE ALSO HAVE AC UNITS THAT ARE
ON BACK STOCK WITHIN OUR EXISTING WAREHOUSES, FILTERS AND ALL THE ASSOCIATED MAINTENANCE ALSO BEING ROLLED INTO CONTRACTS YEAR OVER YEAR SO THAT WE'RE INCLUDING THIS IN
OUR REGULAR BUDGET REQUEST. OKAY. AND I'M ASSUMING THAT YOU TALKED TO ME ABOUT HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN TO REPLACE ONE. ARE YOU TAKING JUST A LOOK AT THE AIR QUALITY SOMEONE
CHECKING THEM ON A YEARLY BASIS ? YEAH. SO WE HAVE OUR CUSTODIANS WILL LET US KNOW EXACTLY HOW IT FEELS. OUR TEACHERS ALWAYS LET US KNOW HOW IT FEELS IN THE CLASSROOMS . WE DO HAVE THE IQ SENSORS THAT
ARE IN EVERY CLASSROOM AS WELL AND THEN WE DO HAVE A FILTER MAINTENANCE CONTRACT THAT ACTUALLY THERE'S JUST SIGNED A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO WHERE WE WILL HAVE CONTRACTORS COMING IN TO REPLACE THOSE FILTERS AND DO
THE REGULAR MAINTENANCE ON THEM ON THE REGULAR CYCLES BELIEVE IT ARE BIANNUAL. WE GOT IT. AND DO YOU SEE A DIFFERENCE IN THE AIR QUALITY DASHBOARD WITH
SCHOOLS THAT HAVE FACE BACK SYSTEMS AND WINDOW AC AND IF YOU DO, CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT? I'LL HAVE TO DEFER ON AN ANSWER TO THAT. EXACT INFORMATION.
I KNOW THAT CURRENTLY WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS A LOT MORE PEOPLE ARE COMFORTABLE WE'RE GETTING THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF AIR CHANGES PER HOUR IN OUR BUILDINGS WHETHER THEY HAVE AN AC UNIT OR WHETHER THEY HAVE MECHANICAL VENTILATION.
BUT I THINK WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THAT THERE'S STILL SOME INCIDENCES THAT ARE NEIGHBORHOOD RELATED OR THAT MIGHT BE, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE COOKING WITH A STERNO IN A CLASSROOM THAT MAY BE CHANGING
SOME OF THESE THINGS BUT I HAVE TO DEFER AND GET YOU A MORE SOLID ANSWER. ALL RIGHT. AND THEN ANOTHER STATE THIS YEAR HAS A CHANGE TO OUR
REFRIGERATED REFRIGERATION STANDARDS FOR OUR AC UNIT. HOW DOES THAT AFFECT THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING WHETHER IT'S ICE PACK? SO I WENT ACS.
YEAH. SO WE'RE STARTING TO SEE A BAN ON THE REFRIGERANT. THIS IS RELATED TO THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL THAT HAPPENED I WOULD SAY ABOUT 5 TO 10 YEARS AGO. GENERALLY THEY'LL GO THROUGH A
PERIOD OF BANNING THE REFRIGERANT. WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT THE AVAILABILITY OF THAT REFRIGERANT TO CONTINUE TO SERVE OUR BUILDINGS GENERALLY COMES AT A HIGHER MARGIN. WE ARE GENERALLY ABLE TO
CONTINUE DOING THAT AND WE'RE STILL USUALLY ABLE TO MAINTAIN OUR ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY IN DOING SO WHEN WITH THIS NEW BAN WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE COSTLY FOR US TO MAINTAIN IT AND IT'S A
LITTLE BIT MORE COSTLY FOR US TO INSTALL. BUT OVERALL IT'S SAFER FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT, IT'S SAFER FOR OUR STUDENTS AND SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT. THAT'S THE IMMEDIATE IMPACT
THAT WE'RE SEEING AND WE'RE STARTING TO HAVE DIFFERENT CONVERSATIONS WHEN WE GO THROUGH DESIGN OF WHAT IT MEANS TO INSTALL A REFRIGERANT AND HOW CAN WE MAKE SURE IT'S AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET FOR A
LONG PERIOD OF TIME AND NOT ONE THAT'S GOING TO COST TAXPAYERS A PREMIUM.
AND MY LAST QUESTION IS I THINK YOU TOUCHED ON THIS A LITTLE BIT WELL, I'LL GO BACK TO ANOTHER QUESTION IS OUTSIDE
OF SCHOOLS AND ONE OF OUR BELIEVERS ONE OF OUR INTERNS THAT BROUGHT THIS UP WAS IS IS ALL OF OUR SCHOOL BUSSES DO THEY ALL HAVE ACS?
I EMBARRASSINGLY DO NOT HAVE THAT ANSWER IN FRONT OF ME RIGHT NOW. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. WELL, NO NO FURTHER QUESTIONS AND THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR OVERALL AND I'M HAPPY TO GET TO THE COMMITTEE WITH EVERY QUESTION
COMES FROM MEJIA. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR IN 5 MINUTES EACH HERE. HEY, CONGRATULATIONS, BRIAN. YOU GOT A LITTLE UPGRADE.
THANK YOU. ON A NOTE THAT FOR THE RECORD I SEE YOU. ALL RIGHT, SO I HAVE LOTS OF QUESTIONS. NO, SIR. SO I'M JUST CURIOUS IF WE WERE
TO ENACT A PLAN HERE, DO WE HAVE A BALLPARK FIGURE IN TERMS OF TIMELINE? HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE TO INSTALL PROPER HVAC UNITS IN ALL THE BUILDINGS?
WILL WE BE ABLE TO HIT OUR GOALS BY THE SUMMER IS REALLY WHAT I WANT TO GET AT. I WOULD SAY THE ANSWER OF HITTING THE GOAL BY THE SUMMER IS NO THE TIME RIGHT NOW
FOR THE THREE BUILDINGS THAT ARE IN PROGRESS. WE'RE HOPING THAT THOSE WILL BE DONE BY DECEMBER OF 2026. THE OTIS WE'RE HOPING WILL BE DONE HOPEFULLY BY THIS SUMMER
WE'LL SEE SOME VERSIONS OF IT NOT THIS SUMMER OF 25 SIMILAR OF 26. WE'LL SEE THAT THAT STARTS TO OPERATE AS WE PUT MORE CONTRACTS OUT TO BID. WE USUALLY SEE ABOUT AN 18 TO
36 MONTHS TURNAROUND BUT I CAN'T GUARANTEE THAT UNTIL WE HAVE CONTRACTS OUT ON THE STREETS. AND SO IN SPEAKING OF CONTRACTS OUT ON THE STREETS THEN WHAT'S
THE GOAL FOR MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED OPPORTUNITIES? IS MANAGING THAT PART OF THE CONTRACTING I'M SORRY, COULD YOU REPHRASE THE QUESTION? YES.
SO WE ARE WORKING AT CLOSING THE RACIAL GAP HERE IN THE CITY OF BOSTON. AND SO AS WE ARE LOOKING AT OPPORTUNITIES, THIS IS ONE THAT I THINK IS WELL-SUITED TO HELP
SUPPORT MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES PARTICIPATING IN YOUR PROCUREMENT PROCESS. SO WHAT ARE WE DOING TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE GETTING THE WORD OUT TO AS MANY PEOPLE OF COLOR AND
WOMEN SO THAT THEY CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE GREAT THESE CONTRACTS? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO IN THE PAST WHAT WE'VE DONE WHEN WE PUT CONTRACTS OUT IS WE
REACH OUT TO A PARTNER IN THE CITY THAT FORMERLY WAS SOMEONE NAMED CARLITO CHAMBERS WHO WOULD HELP US GET THAT INFORMATION OUT TO DIFFERENT MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES WITHIN THE AREA TO
BE ABLE TO COMPETE. AND THEN OFTENTIMES IN OUR BIDS WE ARE ALSO MAKING SURE THAT THOSE BIDDERS ARE SATISFYING ALL THE DIFFERENT METRICS IN
THERE FOR DIVERSE EMPLOYEES WITHIN THEIR COMPANIES DESPITE THE OWNERSHIP, ETHNICITY AND BACKGROUND. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THAT ON THE RECORD. WE APPRECIATE IT.
I'M CURIOUS WHO IS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING THESE UPGRADES HAPPEN ON SCHEDULE AND HOW WILL THIS PROGRESS BE MONITORED GOING FORWARD? LIKE WHAT IS THERE LIKE A DASHBOARD? WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO SEE
REAL TIME. YOU KNOW, SO I WOULD SAY MULTIPLE ENTITIES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING SURE THIS WORK IS MOVING FORWARD. BUT IF YOU WANT TO PUT SOMEBODY
TO HOLD SOMEBODY RESPONSIBLE, I WOULD SAY YOU CAN HOLD ME RESPONSIBLE. WE DON'T HAVE NECESSARILY A DASHBOARD IN PLACE RIGHT NOW FOR THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN FINISHED IN THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE WHEN WE KNOW WHAT'S
LEFT TO DO AND I'M HAPPY TO WORK WITH YOU TO FIGURE OUT HOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS. OKAY, LOOK, KILLIAN, I CAN'T WORK TOGETHER TO FIGURE THAT OUT. OKAY?
SO I'M CURIOUS BECAUSE I MEAN, THERE ARE SOME SCHOOLS THAT YOU WILL WALK INTO AND YOU LITERALLY MELT. YOU THINK THAT SEPTEMBER YOU KNOW, WE NOW WITH CLIMATE
CRISIS THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH SOMETIMES THE HEAT WAVE IS, YOU KNOW, RIGHT UNTIL OCTOBER. SO I CAN JUST I'M CURIOUS LIKE WHAT ARE WE DOING OUTSIDE OF THE SUMMER MONTHS? I KNOW THIS IS ABOUT HEAT
EMERGENCIES BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS LIKE HOW ARE WE GRAPPLING WITH THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, END OF OCTOBER EARLY YOU KNOW, NOVEMBER IS STILL HOT IN CERTAIN SPACES IN PLACES AND
WHAT'S THE TIME LINE AND WHAT ARE WE DOING AROUND EXPANDING JUST THE SUMMER MONTHS SO RIGHT NOW THERE IS NOT A CLEAR ANSWER
TO WHAT'S HAPPENING OUTSIDE OF THOSE. I WOULD SAY OUR SWING SEASON IS A LITTLE BIT LONGER CONTRACTUALLY OR LEGALLY WHERE WE MAKE SURE THAT COOLING IS
PROVIDED UNTIL THE 15TH MORE SO HEATING IS PROVIDED STARTING ON OCTOBER 15 AND IT GOES THROUGH MAY 15TH. SO CAN YOU CHANGE THAT THOUGH GIVEN THE FACT THAT IT IS YOU
KNOW AFTER THE 15TH IT'S STILL HOT? THAT IS NOT MY REGULATION TO CHANGE WHAT WE DO IS COOL. DO WE NEED TO TALK TO TO CHANGE IT?
I'LL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU AND MAKE SURE WE GET THAT IN WRITING. I JUST THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO REALLY THINK ABOUT THE LONG GAME HERE WHICH IS IF IT'S AN EASY FIX MIGHT AS WELL JUST FIX IT
BECAUSE IT IS HOT AFTER SEPTEMBER THE 15TH AND I BELIEVE THAT UNTIL WE FULLY ENFORCE THE INSTALLATION OF HVAC SYSTEMS IN THE REMAINING SCHOOLS I'M JUST
CURIOUS WHAT IS THE HEAT EMERGENCY PROTOCOL LIKE WHAT INDOOR TEMPERATURE THRESHOLD OUR CLASSES MODIFIED OR CANCELED LIKE OH LIKE IF IT'S
110 DEGREES DO WE CLOSE DOWN THE BUILDING? YEAH. SO IT'S AN ASHTRAY STANDARD AND I DON'T HAVE THE CHART DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME RIGHT NOW BUT IT'S A TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY
FACTOR AND OFTENTIMES IT'S OVER 80 DEGREES OR 85 DEGREES AND THE HUMIDITY BEING OVER 80 DEGREES THAT CREATES THAT UNCOMFORTABLE FEELING WHERE WE'RE NOW LOOKING AT SOMETHING
THAT IS UNSAFE BUT WE DON'T WANT TO SEE CLASSROOMS GET THERE AND LIKE I SAID NOW WE JUST HAVE THE SIX WE HAVE THE COOL DOWN ZONES. WE'RE ABLE TO MOVE AIR THROUGH THE BUILDING AND WITH THE IQ
SENSORS WE'RE ABLE TO SEE WHEN THESE METRICS ARE OFF THAT WE NEED TO MAKE A PIVOT. I'LL WAIT FOR MY NEXT ROUND. THANK YOU AND GOOD
COUNCILMEMBER HERE. WANT TO GO OVER TO THE THIRD COAST SPONSOR OF THIS COUNCILOR WEBER AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO GO AND ORDER RIGHT LIKE COUNCILOR WEBER YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. I'M SURE YOU KNOW HOW YOU DO
AND I'M SORRY I THINK YOU MENTIONED SIX SCHOOLS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
DID YOU IDENTIFY THEM AND IF NOT YOU JUST TELL US WHICH SIX
. ALL RIGHT. I DID NOT PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFY WHICH SCHOOLS WE HAD THAT WERE REMAINING BUT I A LIST OF ALL TEN SCHOOLS THAT WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT RIGHT NOW JUST SO WE HAVE THE STATUS OF THOSE WE HAVE THE OTIS SCHOOL THAT WAS IN PROGRESS AND THAT'S WHAT THE RTT PROJECT WE HAVE THE MATHER SCHOOL WHERE WE USE IT FOR A STUDY SO WE'LL HAVE NEXT STEPS
ON THAT ONE SOON. THE COUNTY THAT HAS A PROJECT THAT IS IN PROGRESS, THE ACADEMY THAT HAS A PROJECT THAT IS IN PROGRESS WE HAVE THE
TAYLOR SCHOOL THAT WILL SOON BE MERGING WITH THE HELP OF OUR PARTNERS AT THE YEAH WE HAVE TWO OF THEM MELVIN KING LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE
PETERBOROUGH AND ST MARY WHERE ST MARY'S WILL NO LONGER BE SERVING STUDENTS AT THIS TIME COMMUNITY ACADEMY ALSO NEEDS A FUTURE PLAN.
THIS ONE JUST RECENTLY CHANGED IN ITS BEARING TO GIVE A DIPLOMA AND THEN WE HAVE THE BATES THAT HAS A PROJECT IN PROGRESS MOZART THAT WE'RE PLANNING FOR AS WELL AND I
BELIEVE THAT IS THE CONCLUSION OF OUR LIST. YEAH. OKAY THANKS. AND I GUESS DO YOU HAVE ANY
YEAH LOOKING AT IT NOW DO YOU KNOW WHY CERTAIN SCHOOLS YOU KNOW SORT OF BEEN LEFT BEHIND IN THIS WAY? WAS THERE REGIONS WHERE WE WERE DOING THIS AND OTHER PLACES WE WEREN'T SO ANY RHYME OR REASON
TO WHY YOU KNOW THERE ARE SCHOOLS THAT NEED THIS WORK YEAH SO THERE'S THERE'S TWO THINGS THERE WAS THERE WAS NO PLAN TO LEAVE ANY SCHOOL BEHIND.
WE STARTED BY USING THE OPPORTUNITY INDEX FOR ALL OF OUR INSTALLS IN OUR RACIAL EQUITY PLANNING TOOL. THAT'S HOW WE BEGAN TO DO THE WORK FOR THE AC INSTALLATION ACROSS THE DISTRICT WHEN WE GOT
TO ADDITIONAL PITFALLS WHICH MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE ELECTRICAL OR SOME OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE ISSUE, WE THEN PUT IT ON A LIST OF IT CANNOT BE COMPLETED UNDER THIS AC SIMPLE AC UNIT INSTALL.
WE NEED TO CREATE A LONGER PLAN WHEN GOING THROUGH THE IVY Q GRANT WORK. WE ALSO APPLIED THAT RACIAL EQUITY AND PLANNING TOOL AND OPPORTUNITY INDEX TO START THE
NEXT SET OF BUILDINGS THAT WERE GOING THROUGH AND WORK CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH EQUITY IN ALL OF THE BUILDINGS IN THE WAY THAT WE ADDRESS THEM. YEAH I KNOW AND I'M ASSUMING A LOT OF THE DECISIONS THAT WERE
MADE IN THE WORK DONE WAS BEFORE EVEN YOU KNOW, OUR CURRENT MAYOR WAS YOU KNOW, THIS WASN'T LIKE A RECENT THING THAT THESE SCHOOLS WERE SORT
OF LEFT OUT OF HAVING OF HAVING WINDOW UNITS. RIGHT. SO OH YEAH, ALL THE WINDOW UNITS WE STARTED IN 2021. OKAY. DO YOU HAVE IS THERE SOME ANY
SCIENCE THAT GUIDES YOU IN TERMS OF LIKE WHEN KIDS ARE MAYBE AT RISK? YOU KNOW THERE ARE CERTAIN TEMPERATURE INSIDE, YOU KNOW,
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT? SO WE WE HAVE OUR ASH RAISED STANDARDS AND FORGIVE ME I JUST DON'T REMEMBER THE ACRONYM AT RIGHT NOW BUT IT'S SOMETHING
THAT ALSO USES IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT SPACES ARE HEALTHY FOR STUDENTS OR STAFF OR OTHERS DEPENDING ON WHAT THEIR TRADE IS AND WHERE THEY ARE. AND IT'S A COMBINATION BETWEEN
THE TEMPERATURE AND THE HUMIDITY AND THAT IS KIND OF WHERE WE THIS IS THE INFORMATION WE USE TO MAKE DECISIONS ON SHOULD WE KEEP STUDENTS IN THE BUILDING TO
MOVE INTO TO THE SECOND LOCATION WHEN WE SHOULD START INTERFERING AND JUST HOW ARE YOU LIKE HOW WILL YOU KNOW WHAT THE TEMPERATURE IS INSIDE ONE OF THE KING'S SCHOOLS FOR
EXAMPLE IS THERE HAVE YOU PUT SOMETHING IN OR YOU JUST KNOW HOW YOU TAKE THE TEMPERATURE. SO WE HAVE OUR INDOOR AIR QUALITY SENSORS THAT ARE AT IN EVERY CLASSROOM ACROSS THE
DISTRICT AND THEN WE HAVE A REFERENCE POINT ON THE ROOF OR OUTDOOR UNIT OR SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING THAT WE KNOW WE HAVE A CONTROL OF EXACTLY HOW THAT WORKS. OKAY. HAS THAT HAS THAT BEEN SET OFF
IN THE LAST YEAR OR THIS LAST YOU KNOW, IN JUNE WHERE WE'VE SEEN THAT TREE AND THE WARNING LIGHTS GO OFF IN A CLASSROOM, THE LIGHTS WON'T GO OFF IN THE
CLASSROOM. IT'S A SENSOR SO IT'LL JUST REMEMBER JUST SOME METAPHORICALLY, YOU KNOW. YEAH, I WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE DATA AND WE ALSO HAVE THAT ON A PUBLIC DASHBOARD TOO.
OKAY THANKS. AND JUST I YEAH I THINK SOMETHING THAT MIGHT HELP KIDS WITH YOU KNOW THERMAL COMFORT IS A POOL THAT I KNOW WE'VE TALKED. DOES HE HAVE ANY UPDATES ON THE
HANNIGAN POOL YOU CAME HERE. I KNOW THAT THE WORK IS STILL IN PROGRESS AND WE HAVE BEEN GETTING CLOSER TO HAVING THE POOL FULLY OPERABLE.
MORE DETAILS TO COME AND I GUESS YES, THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING UNSATISFYING AS IT IS BUT THANKS. THANK YOU CHAIR THANK YOU
COUNSELOR WEBER WHEN I GO TO COUNSELOR FLYNN, THE BIRTHDAY BOY I HEARD IS 30 YEARS OLD. THE 35 THANK YOU, MR CHAIR.
AND THANK YOU TO THE ADMINISTRATION AND PANEL ON THE STANDARDS HERE. THANK YOU FOR THE WORK YOU'RE DOING AND JUST WANTED TO FOLLOW UP ON MY COLLEAGUE COUNCILOR WEBER, HIS QUESTION I
KNOW IT'S OFF TOPIC SOMEWHAT BUT BRIAN, I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING BUT I DO WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE BLACKSTONE BLACKSTONE SCHOOL IN
THE SWIMMING POOL. WAS THERE ANYTHING ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ADD ABOUT THE BLACKSTONE? THANKS FOR THE QUESTION, COUNSELOR FLYNN AT THIS TIME I
DON'T HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE BLACKSTONE. THAT'S FINE. I UNDERSTAND. THANK YOU, BRIAN. AGAIN, WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO
THIS TEAM FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING. AND BRIAN, I'VE WORKED WITH YOU FOR MANY YEARS AND YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN AN EXCELLENT AN EXCELLENT EMPLOYEE DOING A TREMENDOUS JOB.
SO I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT. SO BRIAN, LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION. SO THE OLD THE THE H THE THE AC
CONDITIONS THE CONDITIONS THAT ARE IN THE WINDOW WHAT IS THE SHELF LIFE OF THOSE? SOMEONE SOMEONE ASKED THAT QUESTION BUT JUST WANT TO KNOW
TRY TO GET A BETTER BETTER READING ON THAT. YEAH SO I DON'T HAVE A GENERAL SHELF LIFE ON WHAT THOSE UNITS ARE. WE TYPICALLY SEE LIKE IT'S SOMEWHERE AROUND FIVE YEARS
THAT WE MIGHT HAVE ONE LAST BUT IT'LL ALL DEPEND ON HOW OFTEN IT'S USED. A LOT OF TEACHERS DON'T LIKE THE AC UNIT SO OFTENTIMES WE'LL SEE THAT CHANGE. I CAN GET YOU SOME MANUFACTURERS RECOMMENDATIONS.
OKAY. THE REASON I WAS ASKING IS IF THEY HAVE A SHELF LIFE OF SAY FOUR YEARS OR FIVE YEARS, DO YOU TRACK THE NUMBER OF YEARS
THAT THAT SYSTEM IS CURRENTLY IN THE WINDOW? IF IT'S IN FOUR YEARS. ARE YOU ARE YOU ALREADY PREPARING FOR A HEAT TRANSFER OF A NEW AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM?
WHAT I'LL SAY IS WE HAVE AIR CONDITIONERS ARE READY TO REPLACE THE ONES THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN THE WINDOWS IN TERMS OF IF A UNIT HAS BEEN IN PLACE FOR FOUR YEARS, DO WE
HAVE ALREADY HAVE A PLANNED REPLACEMENT OF THAT UNIT BY A TIMELINE? WE DO NOT KNOW EXACTLY FOR FOR SCHOOLS THAT HAVE THE
TRADITIONAL AC IN THE WINDOW. ARE YOU ABLE TO THINK LONG TERM ABOUT HAVING ARE YOU ABLE TO DO CENTRAL AC ARE YOU ABLE TO INSTALL CENTRAL AC AC
THROUGHOUT THE BUILDING IN SUCH A WAY THAT YOU KNOW IT DOES TAKE INVESTMENT IN MONEY BUT IS THAT A POSSIBILITY? YEAH, SO THAT'S THE GOAL. THE GOAL IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO
HAVE SOME TYPE OF CENTRAL AIR. WE HAVE A FULL VENTILATION SYSTEM THAT'S INSTALLED ACROSS THE ENTIRE BUILDING BUT THE FIRST GOAL THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE IS MAKING SURE THAT EVERY STUDENT IS THERMALLY
COMFORTABLE. AFTER WE GET THERE IT WILL BE CONTINUING TO PARTNER WITH THE RENEW BOSTON TRUST. IT'LL BE USING OUR OWN CAPITAL FUNDS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN MOVE TOWARDS SOMETHING THAT'S A
LITTLE BIT MORE SUSTAINABLE BUT ALSO FULLY ENCOMPASSING AND IDEALLY MECHANICAL WHERE WE CAN CONTROL IT FROM ONE LOCATION AND WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT MANUAL ENTRIES CHANGING
OUR BUILDINGS IN IN STORAGE THEY DO HAVE THE NEW AC BOXES READY TO BE PUT IN PLACE IN CASE IT'S NEEDED IMMEDIATELY.
YES WE DO. OKAY. FOR THE FOR THE THE CURRENT AC THAT'S IN THE WINDOW ALREADY DO THEY HAVE TO BE MAINTENANCE DO
THEY HAVE TO BE CLEANED AT A CERTAIN TIME EVERY EVERY YEAR OR EVERY COUPLE OF YEARS? WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR THAT? YES. SO WE JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO MAYBE LAST WEEK SIGNED OUR
FILTER MAINTENANCE CONTRACT AND A MAINTENANCE CONTRACT FOR OUR AC UNITS AND WE BELIEVE IT'S BIANNUAL GENERALLY END OF THE SEASON BEGINNING OF THE SEASON THAT WE WOULD WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE ARE SERVICED CLEANED
AND IF NOT OPERABLE AND MUCH BEFORE THE START OF THE SEASON WE HAVE TIME TO PIVOT REPLACE A UNIT IF NEEDED. OKAY. AND I KNOW ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES
ASKED THE QUESTION EARLIER. I JUST WANT TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT. SO IF IF A IF THERE IS AN AC IN THE ROOM AND IT'S WORKING BUT
IT'S STILL VERY HOT IN THE AIR SAY SAY IN SEPTEMBER YOU MIGHT HAVE A 90 DEGREE DAY. WHAT IS WHAT IS THE PROCESS? WHAT IS THE PROTOCOL FOR THAT?
SO WITHIN THE SCHOOL WE WOULD EXPECT THAT THEY WOULD WORK WITH THE FACILITY TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY MITIGATING MEASURES WITHIN THE BUILDING THAT THEY CAN DO WHETHER THAT'S A FAN, AN AIR PURIFIER OR ANY OTHER ITEM
THAT MIGHT BE WITHIN BEEPS IS THAT EXISTING BEEPS BUILDING IF THAT SOLUTION IS NOT WORKING THEY CAN MAKE A CALL TO OUR ENERGY OFFICE AND WE WILL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO IN TERMS
OF MITIGATING THE TEMPERATURE IN THAT BUILDING. IF THE ENERGY OFFICE IS UNABLE TO PROVIDE SOMETHING IMMEDIATELY, WE OFTEN SEE IF THERE IS AN AVAILABLE RESOURCE WITHIN THE DISTRICT SUCH AS OUR
SPOT COOLERS OR ADDITIONAL FANS THAT WE CAN BRING IN TO HELP SUPPLEMENT THE AIR OR COMFORTABILITY OF THAT SPACE. OKAY. MR CHAIRMAN, I ASK ONE FOLLOW UP QUESTION. OF COURSE.
THANK YOU. SO BRIAN, JUST MY FOLLOW UP QUESTION. SO IF IT IS VERY HOT IN THE AC IS WORKING. TELL ME ABOUT THE HYDRATION PLAN TO ENSURE STUDENTS ARE
DRINKING WATER. IS THAT IS THAT A PRIORITY AS WELL? AND IF IT IS, TELL ME ABOUT THE PROTOCOL OF GETTING WATER THE STUDENTS AND THE TEACHER. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. I'M ACTUALLY REALLY GLAD THAT YOU BROUGHT THIS UP.
SO PRIOR TO EVERY HEAT EMERGENCY THE NIGHT BEFORE THE WEEK BEFORE OUR TEAM AND FACILITIES MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO DELIVER ADDITIONAL BOTTLED WATER TO ALL OF OUR BUILDINGS AND THEY'RE GENERALLY
SET UP IN PLACES LIKE THE NURSES STATIONS AND MAIN OFFICE. BUT ALSO YOU MAY HAVE HEARD THAT WE ARE ALSO DOING A DISTRICT WIDE WATER INITIATIVE AND THIS WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT
WE HAD BOTTLE FILLING STATIONS, WATER BUBBLERS THAT WE'RE GOING TO THINK OF ALL THE DIFFERENT WAYS TO SAY WATER BUBBLER BUT ALL THE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE HAVE THESE INSTALLED ACROSS THE BUILDING TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO
NOT ONLY COOL WATER BUT FRESH AND FILTERED WATER THAT IS LIGHT FREE WITHIN EACH OF OUR BUILDINGS WITHIN THE BUILDING ITSELF. TELLING STUDENTS TO HYDRATE IS A FUNCTION THE STAFF AND ADMIN
THAT'S THERE AND WE DO ENCOURAGE THAT AND SEND OUT REMINDERS VIA MEMO JUST BEFORE HEAT EMERGENCIES DO OCCUR. THANK YOU AND ALSO WANT TO
ACKNOWLEDGE KNOWLEDGE OF TWO COLLEAGUES FOR THEIR WORK AS WELL. I DIDN'T ASK YOU ANY QUESTIONS BUT DO WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AS WELL. THANK YOU, MR CHAIRMAN. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR FLYNN. COUNCIL PRESIDENT LOUIJEUNE,
YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR CHAIR AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY COUNSELOR FLYNN TO A FELLOW LEO LEO'S AH, YOU HAVE A LOT OF LEO PRIDE IN HERE.
OKAY, SO I A LOT OF MY A LOT OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE ASKED QUESTIONS THAT I HAD INCLUDING COUNCILOR WEBER ABOUT THE SCHOOLS. I WANT TO ALSO ELEVATE PARENTS WHO I STARTED WHEN THIS COUNCIL HAD OFFERED DOLLARS AND
WE HAD A LOT OF THE FLEXIBILITY AND FUNDING TO DO A LOT OF THIS WORK AND I WANT TO ELEVATE A ONE PARENT WHO WAS CONSISTENTLY HERE AT A HEARING TALKING ABOUT THE NEED FOR AGE BACK IN ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS.
MIKE RITTER WHO ACTUALLY STARTED PETITION SAYING THAT 90 OUT OF OUR 125 SCHOOLS DON'T HAVE SUFFICIENT AGE BACK AND I YOU KNOW I KNOW YOU ALL ARE THE
ONES WHO COME HERE AND I KNOW HOW DEEPLY ALL CARE ABOUT OUR FACILITIES AND HOW DEEPLY I CARE ABOUT OUR SCHOOLS. SO I JUST WANT TO START OFF BY SAYING THANK YOU BECAUSE YOU ALL ARE DOING REALLY IMPORTANT INCREDIBLE WORK. I SEE YOU ALL AND I KNOW HOW
DEEPLY YOU ALL CARE. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE RIGHT NUMBER IS NOW BECAUSE THAT WAS BACK IN 2022 WHEN THE PETITION WAS SAYING 90 OUT OF 125 SCHOOLS DON'T HAVE SUFFICIENT AGE BACK AND WE HEAR WE'RE TALKING ABOUT YOU KNOW, YOU
LIST OUT THE SIX SCHOOLS WHERE IT IS AN ISSUE WITH RESPECT TO HEAT IN PARTICULAR BUT HOW MANY OF OUR SCHOOLS IN GENERAL RIGHT NOW DO NOT HAVE LIKE A FULLY
EFFICIENT EIGHT TRACK SYSTEM YET? SO THE NUMBER OF SCHOOLS WITH FULL AGE SYSTEMS HAS NOT CHANGED IN THE LAST COUPLE
OF YEARS WE'VE WE'VE SEEN THE ADDITION OF ABOUT THE NEWBUILDS THAT HAVE COME ONLINE. WE'RE JUST OVER 40 BUILDINGS THAT HAVE A TRACK AND I'LL GET
THE EXACT NUMBER I BELIEVE IT'S 43 THE REMAINDER OF OUR BUILDINGS JUST HAVE THE AC UNITS THAT ARE IN THEM AND THAT'S ABOUT 80 OF THEM AND THEY DON'T HAVE WHAT WE
CONSIDER THE ACRONYM BEING HEATING VENTILATION AND AIR CONDITIONING. SO THEY DO HAVE THE HEATING AND THEY DO HAVE AIR CONDITIONING AND THEN THE VENTILATION PORTION OF IT IS WHILE WE'RE
MEETING THEIR AIR CHANGES PER HOUR THAT ARE REQUIRED, THEY DO NOT HAVE A MECHANICALLY VENTILATED BUILDING. HOW ARE YOU MEETING THOSE AIR CHANGES, DO YOU KNOW? I DON'T KNOW. I'M ASKING THE SCIENCE BEHIND
IT. HOW DO YOU MEET THAT IF YOU DON'T HAVE LIKE THE ACTUAL TECHNOLOGY? LIKE WHAT IS AT WORK? YEAH. SO THE OLDER BUILDINGS A LOT OF TIMES ARE BUILT WITH NATURAL DRAFT HEAT DISSIPATION AND NATURAL DRAFT DISSIPATION
THROUGH THE BUILDINGS AND THE WAY THAT THEY ARE DESIGNED SO THAT THE AIR NATURALLY ESCAPES IN A UNIFIED PATH BASED ON THE OUTDOOR INTAKE THAT'S GENERALLY LOCATED NEAR THE BOILER ROOM IN
SOME CASES AND DEFINITELY DURING COVID WE ACCELERATED WITH THAT AIR CHANGE PER HOUR LOOKS LIKE BY ADDING IN THE ADDITIONAL FANS RECOMMENDATION OF ONE WINDOW OPEN OR TWO LIKE THE BUT LIKE ALSO MANUAL FANS.
THAT'S CORRECT. YEAH SO MANUAL FANS TO GET THAT INCREASE IN THE AIR CHANGES PER HOUR JUST A LITTLE BIT HIGHER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT HAVING STAGNANT AIR AND THEN THIS IS AGAIN SOMETHING THAT WE
NEED TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON AS A AS A DISTRICT AT HOME. OKAY. SO LIKE THERE TARNISH THE TEN SCHOOLS THAT DON'T HAVE ANY OF THE EITHER THE TRACK OR THE
AIR CONDITIONING AND NONE OF THE SCHOOLS THAT WE ARE FOCUSING ON THAT YOU ARE FOCUSING ON AT THE MOMENT. AND I WANT ALSO JUST TO UPLIFT THE PARENTS WHO REACH OUT TO OUR OFFICE ABOUT THOSE ISSUES
THAT ARE EXTREME LIKE THEY COME TO US EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED AND IT'S REALLY, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES EMBARRASSING FOR US TO AND TO NOT HAVE A GOOD ANSWER FOR THEM ON SORT OF THE TIMELINE. SO I APPRECIATE YOU AND THE
WORK THAT YOU WERE DOING TO GIVE US THAT GIVE US THAT TIMELINE OBVIOUSLY IT LOOKS AS THOUGH THEY'RE IN A LOT OF WAYS
THE MORE EFFICIENT THING TO DO IS THE NEW BUILDINGS ARE COMING ONLINE WITH AGE THAT SYSTEM BECAUSE WE ARE NO LONGER BUILDING SCHOOLS THAT DON'T HAVE THEM. CORRECT. THAT IS GREAT.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO I'D ALSO LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT THAT YOU KNOW AND I'VE BEEN TO SCHOOLS FOR THE SCHOOL VISITS WHERE IT'S THE
WINTERTIME AND IT'S REALLY HOT BECAUSE OF THE INABILITY TO REGULATE THE TEMPERATURE IN THE ROOM AND SO IT'S REALLY WARM
AND THE TEACHER HAS LIKE A FAN OR SOMETHING ELSE HAPPENING IN THE ROOM HOW OFTEN ARE WE SEEING SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPEN? I WOULD SAY IN THE WINTERTIME
WE ARE SEEING CALLS THAT COMPLAIN OF OVERHEATING HOT ENOUGH THAT I WOULD SAY A WEEKLY THAT WE GET A CALL LIKE THAT.
YEAH, A LOT OF IT'S DUE TO STEAM HEAT THAT'S IN OUR BUILDINGS. IT'S ABOUT 70 OF OUR BUILDINGS OPERATE ON STEAM HEAT AND WE ARE ABLE TO MAKE THOSE CHANGES
INDIVIDUAL TO THAT ONE CLASSROOM OR TO THE OVERALL BUILDING SOMETIMES IN THE BUILDINGS ARE COMING ON LINE NOW IS THERE SELF REGULATION EACH CLASSROOM OR DOES THAT STILL VARY?
IT STILL VARIES. WHAT IS THE BEST PRACTICE? I I DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THAT ONE. I THINK THAT NOT HAVING THE
ABILITY TO CONTROL IT AT THE ROOM LEVEL MEANS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE MORE STABILITY AT THE BUILDING LEVEL AND I WOULD PREFER FOR OUR ENERGY TEAM TO TAKE CARE OF THE ENTIRE
BUILDING AND NOT HAVE ONE ROOM AT 60 DEGREES AND THE NEXT ROOM AT 90 DEGREES OFFSETTING EACH OTHER WHEN IT COUNTS. I MEAN I THINK YOU TALKED ABOUT THIS LIKE WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR THAT LIKE VARIATION IN SORT
OF LIKE WHY I MEAN YOU WERE GOOD AT ANSWERING THE QUESTION BEFORE ABOUT VENTILATION SO MAYBE AN ANSWER AS TO LIKE WHY DOES THAT VARIATION HAPPEN WHERE LIKE YOU KNOW, MAYBE THE
OFFICES AT US YOU KNOW WHAT 68 DEGREES OR WHATEVER OR 70 AND THERE'S A ROOM THAT'S OUT OF WHACK AND IS 80 DEGREES IF A LOT OF TIMES THIS IS BECAUSE
THEY HAVE MANUAL VALVES WITHIN THE SPACES AND SO WHILE THERE IS A TEACHER I ONE END OF THE HALL THAT IS VERY COLD AND TURNS THEIR VALVE ALL THE WAY UP AND THE DELIVERY SYSTEM FROM THE POINT THAT THEY ARE GETTING
THE HEAT FROM LIKE LET'S SAY THE BOILER HAS TO TRAVEL NOW THROUGH THESE OTHER SPACES AND SO YOU MAY HAVE THAT ONE ROOM THAT'S HOT AND THEN YOU HAVE SOMEONE WHO IS COMPLETELY CLOSED A VALVE BECAUSE THEY WERE ALREADY WARM WALKING INTO
THE BUILDING AND THEN YOU MIGHT HAVE THAT THAT DIFFERENCE IN TEMPERATURE AND SOMETIMES IT'S BECAUSE THERE'S CONDENSATE LEAK, SOMETIMES THERE'S A CLOGGED PIPE, SOMETIMES THERE'S
A CLOG TRAP AND SOMETIMES THAT'S ALSO ADDING ON TO A LOT OF THE PROBLEMS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN OUR AND OUR OUR SCHOOLS AS THE STEAM SYSTEM STARTS TO GET OLDER AND THEY'RE
NO LONGER BEING INSTALLED FOR THE MOST PART THESE ARE SYSTEMS THAT WE WANT TO START MOVING AWAY FROM IN WHOLE AS WE TO DO NEW BUILDS IN THE DISTRICT. SO IN THE NEW BUILDS EVEN WHEN
THERE'S NOT CONTROL IN THE INDIVIDUAL ROOMS BECAUSE WE'RE MOVING AWAY FROM THE STEAM SYSTEM THERE SHOULD BE LESS OF AN ISSUE WITH THAT VARIATION . YES. OKAY.
LAST QUESTION IS YOU KNOW, WE OFTEN ALSO HEAR ABOUT TEACHERS HAVING TO BUY YOU KNOW, LIKE A FAN OR AN AC OR SHOULD THAT BE
HAPPENING NOW THEY CAN CALL FACILITY FACILITIES AND A FAN SOMETHING WILL BE GIVEN OR PROVIDED TO THEM IF THEY NEED IT. YES.
AND WE SHOULD HAVE THAT AND THEIR FANS IN ALL THE BUILDINGS. THEY SHOULD BE IN TOUCH WITH THE CUSTODIANS TO BE ABLE TO GET A FAN IF THEY NEEDED SOMETHING EXTRA FOR THEIR
CLASSROOM. OKAY. RIGHT. AND IF THERE'S AN AC AC ISSUE BECOME ACTUALLY QUALIFIED FACILITIES. OKAY. THANK YOU CARL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU MR CHAIR. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR PRESIDENT I WOULD NOW RIGHT I HAVE A FEW
QUESTIONS AND THEN WE'LL DO A SECOND ROUND OF QUESTIONS BUT YOU MENTIONED YOU HAD A $15
MILLION DONOR ON MAY 21 OF YOUR PRESENTATIONS. IS THAT IS THAT ACCURATE? YES, I USE THE WORD DONOR. I MEANT TO SAY GRANT BUT IT WAS
15 ABOUT 15.3 MILLION FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF EARLY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION. THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION. SO WE HAVE DONORS SORRY I WASN'T I WASN'T FAMILIAR WITH THAT. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING.
AND THEN JUST TO MAKE SURE RIGHT. SO YOU HAVE WHAT YOU MENTIONED EVERY SINGLE CLASSROOM WILL HAVE AC THAT'S THE GOAL, RIGHT? AND THEN RIGHT NOW ACCORDING TO
THIS YOU'RE SAYING 92% OF OUR CLASSROOMS HAVE AC? THAT IS CORRECT. AND IS THAT INCLUDE LIKE NURSE OFFICE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE?
DOES THAT INCLUDE TEACHERS? I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY CALL IT TO TEACHER'S ROOM BUT TEACHER'S LOUNGE OR DOES IT INCLUDE THAT? NO, NO, THIS DOESN'T ALWAYS INCLUDE ALL OF THE ACCESSORY
SPACES SERVED OFTENTIMES THESE ROOMS ARE AN IRREGULAR CONFIGURATION SOMETIMES IN THE INTERIOR OF A BUILDING WHERE A WINDOW HANGING AC UNIT MAY BEST
FIT THAT SOLUTION. HOW DO WE GET INFORMATION ON ON THOSE ROOMS AND ALSO THE CAFETERIA LIKE MOST OF OUR CAFETERIA CAFETERIAS, A SEAT ACROSS OUR OR DO WE HAVE THOSE
NUMBERS OR DO WE NOT KNOW RIGHT NOW BUT IN GENERAL I CAN GET THE NUMBER OF ACCESSORY ROOMS LIKE CAFETERIAS, GYMS, AUDITORIUM, EMS, MAIN OFFICES. I CAN MAKE SURE TO GET THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU.
THAT'D BE GREAT. AND THEN MY FINAL QUESTION WAS GOING TO BE IN REGARDS TO THIS CLIMATE RESILIENCY AND I SEE YOU'RE SAYING THAT EVERY THE GOAL IS FOR EVERY CLASSROOM
HAVE AC HOW IS BP'S AND YOUR TEAM WORKING TO ALSO MAKE SURE I MEAN THERE'S A LOT OF ENERGY THAT GOES INTO THIS A LOT OF FOSSIL FUELS BUT WE HAVE A CLIMATE PLAN TO MAKE SURE THAT
YOU KNOW, OUR BP HAS AWESOME PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES ARE BEING MAINTAINED, YOU KNOW, IN ANOTHER POSITIVE WAY. YES. SO WE STILL HAVE OUR
ENVIRONMENTAL TEAM WHO'S MAKING SURE THAT WE WORK CORRECTLY WITH OUR UTILITIES TO TRY TO MITIGATE THE AMOUNT OF USE THAT WE HAVE ON BUILDINGS THAT ARE MECHANICALLY VENTILATED THAT ARE USING COOLING TOWERS, THAT
ARE USING REFRIGERANT SYSTEMS, THOSE THAT MIGHT BE USING OTHER FOSSIL FUELS FOR NEW INSTALLS AND LARGE REPLACEMENTS. WE'RE ALSO MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE NOT INSTALLING ANY ADDITIONAL ITEMS THAT ARE USING
FOSSIL FUELS. AND WHILE WE ARE DOING OTHER RENOVATIONS THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT WE'RE PREFERENCING WITH THEY WANT TO DO HEAT PUMPS. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE USING ENERGY RECOVERY UNITS.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE TEMPERING THE AIR THAT'S COMING INTO THE BUILDING AND HEAVILY RELYING ON ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS AS OPPOSED TO ANY OF THE OTHER PREVIOUS SYSTEMS.
AND THEN I DO ALSO WANT TO CALL OUT YES, WE ARE USING A LOT OF ENERGY FOR THE AC UNITS RIGHT NOW AND THIS IS NOT THE GOAL BUT THE GOAL IS THERMAL COMFORT AND ONCE WE HIT OUR
GOAL THEN WE CAN START MAKING THOSE ITERATIVE CHANGES ON THE OVERALL CONFIGURATION OF WHAT THE SYSTEM LOOKS LIKE IN A BUILDING. YES, WELL THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THOSE
CLARIFICATION AND INFORMATION. WHAT I GO TO A SECOND ROUND OF QUESTIONS STARTING WITH THE LEAD SPONSOR COUNCILOR. WELL YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
THANK YOU CHAIR. AND I HAVE ONE MAYBE TWO QUESTIONS. THE FIRST ONE IS WHEN WE'RE CONVERTING FROM WINDOW AC TO H
FAC IS THAT ONLY HAPPENING THROUGH NEW BUILDS OR ARE WE THINKING ABOUT ACTUALLY IMPROVING ONE OF THE OLD
BUILDINGS TO INSTALL H FACTS AND THEN IF WE ARE ARE THERE ANY IN PROCESS NOW THAT ARE GOING THROUGH THAT CONVERSION BUT IF THERE'S NONE GOING
THROUGH THAT CONVERSION WHEN DO WE PLAN TO START ON THAT CONVERTED FROM WINDOW AC TO H BACKS? YEAH ABSO THANKS FOR THAT QUESTION. WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OF BUILDINGS THAT ARE GOING
EXACTLY FROM THIS CONFIGURATION RIGHT NOW A FEW OF THEM HAVE BEEN WITH THE RENEW BISON TRUST PROJECT THE OTIS BUILDING IS A VERSION OF THAT THAT'S HAPPENING. I'LL HAVE TO GET YOU THE LIST
BUT WHAT HAPPENS IS AS SOON AS WE ARE ABLE TO DO LIKE THE FACADE OF THE BUILDING OR REMOVE THE AC, A LOT OF TIMES WE'RE AIR HANDLING UNITS ON THE ROOF OR WE'RE DOING DUCT WORK THROUGH THE CENTER OF THE
BUILDING AND WE'RE THEN REPURPOSING THOSE AC OR KEEPING THEM AS STANDBYS FOR ADDITIONAL AREAS ACROSS THE THE DISTRICT. AND I WILL GET YOU A LIST OF THOSE AS WELL.
ALL RIGHT. AND THEN YOU PROVIDED A LIST OF TEN SCHOOLS AND HOW MANY OF THOSE SCHOOLS BECAUSE I KNOW THE TALUS THE TAYLOR IS MERGING
BUT HOW MANY OF THESE OTHER SCHOOLS ARE COMING OFF LINE OUT OF THE TEN? I DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER FOR ALL OF THAT YET AS WE LOOK AT THE
RECONFIGURATION OF OUR BUILDING AND PLANNING ON OUR 18 MONTH CYCLE, THOSE DISCUSSIONS WILL HAPPEN WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT AND MEMBERS OF OUR CAPITAL PLANNING TEAM AS WE CONTINUE TO RESHAPE AND PLAN
FOR THE DISTRICT YEAR OVER YEAR . THANK YOU. NO FURTHER QUESTIONS IN THE COUNCIL. EARL COUNCILOR MEJIA YOU HAVE A FLOOR. THANK YOU. I'M JUST CURIOUS HOW MUCH DID WE SPEND ON THOSE WINDOW ACRES
BECAUSE I KNOW THAT I KNOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EACH BACK BUT I JUST WANT TO IT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND THE INVESTMENTS WE MADE ON APPARATUSES THAT WE PROBABLY
WILL NO LONGER BE USING. YEAH, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE HAPPY WITH THIS NUMBER PER SE BUT ABOUT $8 MILLION THAT WE SPENT TO RESOLVE THE MAJORITY OF THE PROBLEM OF OF
UNCOMFORTABLE STUDENTS AND GLOBAL WARMING OR HIGHER RISING TEMPERATURES. BUT WE DID IT IN A IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME LIKE ABOUT THREE
YEARS WE SOLVED MOST OF THESE AND HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO CONVERT TO THE HVAC SYSTEM PER SCHOOL?
YEAH WE DID THE ASSESSMENT ON ONE AND SO I CAN GIVE YOU EXTRAPOLATING NUMBERS I WON'T HAVE EXACT NUMBERS ON THOSE. WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS THAT WE'RE
SPENDING ABOUT $5 MILLION PER BUILDING ON THE CORRECT UPDATE AND THAT WOULD BE EVEN ON BUILDINGS THAT ARE NOT EXACTLY THE SAME SIZE. SO IF WE TAKE THAT WE SOLVED
THE TWO LIKE WHAT WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM AND TWO BUILDINGS SOLVED THE PROBLEM FOR 80 BUILDINGS A BAND-AID DIDN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM JUST
TEMPORARILY COOLED IT RIGHT. IT'S TEMPORARY. WE COOLED THE PROBLEM. WE COOLED OUT THE PROBLEM. WE DIDN'T FIX THE PROBLEM BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THAT WE ALLEVIATED IT WE ALLEVIATED THE HARDSHIP. THAT'S RIGHT.
OKAY. AND I AM CURIOUS ABOUT YOUR DECISION MAKING PROCESS. I'M LIKE HOW DID YOU IDENTIFY
WHICH SCHOOLS WERE GOING TO GET WHAT IN TERMS OF LIKE THE IS LIKE WHAT WAS YOUR THINKING LIKE? WHAT WAS YOUR DECISION MAKING MODEL FOR WHICH SCHOOLS WERE
GOING TO COME ON WHICH SCHOOLS WERE GOING TO GET APPROVED? SO WHAT WE TOOK WAS ONE APPROACH. THE FIRST APPROACH WAS AC UNITS FOR ALL THE REMAINING SCHOOLS IN THE DISTRICT.
THERE WAS ABOUT 90 AT THE TIME THAT NEEDED TO HAVE AC USE AC UNITS ARE LIKE WINDOWS RIGHT NOW. THAT'S RIGHT. SO A WINDOW AC UNITS WE DID OUR RACIAL EQUITY IN PLANNING TOOL ALONG WITH OUR OPPORTUNITY
INDEX AND CAME UP WITH THE INSTALL SO WE AFTER YOU DID THAT DID YOU GO BACK AND CHECK SOME OF THESE CLASSROOMS TO SEE HOW WELL THEY WERE FUNCTIONING ?
BECAUSE I'VE BEEN TO SOME SCHOOLS DURING MY VISITS WHERE WE HAVE THESE WINDOW ACS THAT DID NOT FEEL COOL. SO HOW DO WE HOW HAVE YOU ALL
ASSESSED THE THOSE INVESTMENTS ? 8 MILLION TO BE EXACT. YEAH. I MEAN WE'RE WE'RE HEAVILY RELYING ON ONE THE IQ CENTERS THAT ARE CAPTURING THE DATA BUT
WHAT IT WON'T TELL US IS IF THEY'RE ON AND SO THAT'S ONE THING THAT WE DO RELY ON STAFF WITHIN THE BUILDING TO LET US KNOW IF YOU'RE UNCOMFORTABLE. WE'RE LOGGING THOSE WORK
ORDERS. WE'RE LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN GET BETTER. YEAH, I THINK THAT THAT THAT'S A GOOD NOTE TO MAKE AND I'M
CURIOUS $8 MILLION THOSE ARE THOSE UPPER DOLLARS. I DON'T BELIEVE SO. I BELIEVE IT WAS ESSER DOLLARS OCH.
ESSER THE GOVERNMENT SO SO WHAT'S THE GAME PLAN FOR WHERE WE'RE GOING TO GET ANOTHER DONOR, ANOTHER GRANT HOW ARE WE GOING TO HOW WE'RE GOING TO CLOSE THE GAP BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF SCHOOLS I STILL NEED LOVE.
THAT'S RIGHT. YEAH. SO WE'VE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH FOR THE OFFICE OF BUDGET MANAGEMENT TO CONTINUE TO FUND OUR CAPITAL REQUEST FOR HPC SOLUTIONS IN
APAC IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DISTRICT YEAR OVER YEAR AND SO WE'RE CONTINUING TO USE CAPITAL DOLLARS THAT ARE PLANNED FOR TO CONTINUE TO MAKE THOSE IMPROVEMENTS AS WELL AS MAKING
SURE WE CARRY SOME OPERATIONAL DOLLARS AND HOW ARE WE LEVERAGING OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH LIKE THE UNIONS AND BECAUSE I ALWAYS TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN MAKE THINGS
HAPPEN IN WAYS THAT EVERYBODY WINS RIGHT? YOU KNOW, WE HAVE MADISON PARK, AN ELIGIBLE TECH SCHOOL HERE IN THE CITY OF BOSTON THAT WE HAVE NEVER YET TO YOU KNOW, REALLY
MEET THE MOMENT FOR THEM. BUT WE HAVE UNIONS THAT ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN EACH BACK, YOU KNOW, WORK. HOW ARE WE PARTNERING UP WITH
FOLKS SO THAT WE CAN GET THIS DONE QUICKER IN A WAY THAT TAPS INTO ALL OF THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE? YOU KNOW, BOSTON IS RESOURCE RICH, POOR COORDINATION POOR. THERE'S SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES
FOR US TO REALLY LEVERAGE THOSE NETWORKS TO REALLY HELP SUPPORT THE FINANCIAL IMPACT THAT YOU KNOW, IT TAKES TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. SO I'M JUST CURIOUS KIND
OF WHAT THINKING IS ARE YOU ALL DOING ON THAT FRONT RIGHT NOW THE THE WAY THAT WE ENGAGE THE MOST WITH THE UNION IS BY MAKING SURE THAT WHEN WE PUT
OUT OUR CONTRACTS WHERE WE SET A PREFERENCE FOR UNION WORKERS THAT PAY A PREVAILING WAGE AND YOU KNOW, MAKE UP A DIVERSE BACKGROUND AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH THE MAIN WAY THAT WE
ENGAGE WITH THEM. SO YOU DON'T ENGAGE WITH ANY OF OUR LIKE PUBLIC INSTITUTION ,LIKE OUR LIKE NORTHEASTERN OR EVEN B YOU OR SOME OF THESE THAT'S THE UNION. BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT LIKE
ALL THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE OCCUPYING A SPACE IN BOSTON, THESE UNIVERSITIES WHO DON'T PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE OF PILOT TAXES LIKE WHAT ROLE IF ANY
HAVE YOU ALL ENGAGED THOSE FOLKS IN TERMS OF HOW THEY CAN GIVE BACK TO BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN TERMS OF FUNDING? MM I THAT'S JUST NOT ONE OF MY
MAIN FOCUS IS NOT TO SAY THAT IF FINDING ADDITIONAL FUNDING ONE OF MY MAIN FOCUS IS REACHING OUT TO THESE DIFFERENT PARTNERS IS SOMETHING THAT ISN'T QUITE MY EXPERTISE SO I
DO I WOULD SAY THAT I WOULD NEED TO DEFER THAT QUESTION TO OUR TEAM MEMBERS THAT DO WORK IN PARTNERSHIPS, THAT DO WORK IN GRANTS AND THAT ARE EXPLORING SOME OF THESE OPPORTUNITIES. YEAH, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE US
REALLY START THINKING OUTSIDE OF THIS BOX AND THIS LITTLE BUBBLE THAT WE'RE IN BECAUSE I DO BELIEVE THERE'S SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE TO GIVE BACK OUR KIDS IN WAYS THAT
REALLY HELP SUPPORT BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND I THINK WHATEVER THAT LOOKS LIKE AND IF WE CAN LEVERAGE THOSE PARTNERSHIPS, I THINK WE SHOULD
BECAUSE I KNOW B.U. HAS A BACK IN NORTHEASTERN HAS H-BACK I KNOW THEY ALL HAVE WHAT THEY NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL AND SO SHOULD OUR KIDS.
SO I PUT IT ON THE RECORD. I HOPE THEY'RE LISTENING SO THEY CAN AT WITHOUT BEING ASKED
TO DO SOMETHING AND HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION. I MUST LISTEN TO YOU. OH, GO AHEAD AND ASK. I GET INCOMPLETE OR I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY SAY THAT IN
ENGLISH BUT I GET PARANOID ABOUT LIKE HOW MY POSTURE IS AND HOW I'M SHOWING UP. SO IF I'LL BE QUICK. I'M JUST CURIOUS IF YOU COULD JUST TELL ME WHAT ARE THERE ANY
TECHNICAL OR LOGISTICAL BARRIERS THAT MAY ULTIMATELY PREVENT OR DELAY THE INSTALLATION OF HVAC SYSTEMS YOU KNOW, ANY OUTDATED ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS, STRUCTURAL ISSUES? I'M SURE THERE MIGHT BE SOME
THINGS THAT PREVENT US FROM MOVING FORWARD. AND IF SO, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR WHAT THOSE THINGS ARE. YEAH, I THINK YOU KNOW, A COUPLE OF THEM RIGHT ON THE HEAD. AND SO ELECTRICAL BARRIERS ARE
DEFINITELY THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT WE'VE SEEN IN OUR OLDER BUILDINGS THAT ARE HOLDING US BACK. WE'VE ALSO SEEN THAT THE CURRENT LAYOUTS OF OUR BUILDINGS ARE HOLDING US BACK. ONE OF THE MAJOR THINGS THAT'S
HOLDING US BACK IS THE FACT THAT OUR BUILDING IS OLD AND IT'S NOT KEEPING UP WITH THE VALUE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND SO OFTENTIMES WE'RE SEEING THAT OUR BUILDING IS OFTEN THE
CHEAPEST IN VALUE OR CHEAPEST IN ASSESSED VALUE THAT IN A SPECIFIC NEIGHBORHOOD. AND THAT LIMITS THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT WE CAN DO BEFORE GOING TOWARDS WHAT MIGHT BE A
CAPITAL PROJECT TO ADDRESS MANY OF THE OTHER ITEMS IN THAT BUILDING AS WELL. AND SO I WOULD SAY THAT IS ONE OF THE MAJOR PITFALLS. AND IN REGARDS FOR THE
BUILDINGS BEING OLD, I'LL JUST NOTE THAT THERE IS A PARENT WHO HAS DONE A LOT OF ORGANIZING AROUND ACCESS CLEAN HEALTHY WATER AT THE TOBIN AND A FEW
OTHER SCHOOLS THAT WE'VE PARTNERED ALONGSIDE LEON RIVERA. SO I'M JUST GOING TO NAME HIM BECAUSE HE'S BEEN INCREDIBLY ACTIVE AND I'M SURE YOU'VE HEARD HIM OR HAVE SEEN HIM YOU
KNOW, GETTING WATER BUBBLER COOLERS INTO CERTAIN SCHOOLS. WE'VE WORKED WITH THEM. YOU WORK WITH HIM, RIGHT? YEAH. I'M SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT AND I KNOW THAT I KNOW WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT H-BACK BUT WHEN I
THINK ABOUT OUTDATED, YOU KNOW, PIPES AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE THAT IS ALSO A CONVERSATION THAT I THINK IS WORTH NOTING THAT ALL OF OUR BUILDINGS NEED
SO MUCH LOVE AND ATTENTION IN TERMS OF REPAIR. SO IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE COOLING, IT'S ALSO ACCESS TO HEALTHY WATER. AND SO THERE'S SO MUCH WORK TO DO AND THAT'S WHY I'M REALLY
ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE CAPITAL BUDGET IS JUST GOING TO DO SO MUCH AND BIPS AND I JUST THINK THAT AT SOME POINT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO START REALLY HOLDING PEOPLE FAR
MORE ACCOUNTABLE THAN WE DO HERE RIGHT NOW. SO THAT THEY CAN BE BETTER PARTNERS. AND SO THAT'S WHAT I'M REALLY I'M INTERESTED IN WORKING ALONGSIDE YOU ALL IN IN IN
MAKING SURE THAT BP IS GETTING THEIR FAIR SHARE FROM SOME OF THESE FOLKS WHO ARE NOT PAYING THEIR PILOT TAXES. SO AT THE VERY LEAST THEY CAN GIVE US AN HVAC SYSTEM. THANK YOU FOR THAT.
THEY HEARD ME. YOU HEARD ME. GET IT. AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK AND CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU ALL. YOU ALL GOT UPGRADES AND NEW
PROMOTIONS AND SO I'M HAPPY TO SEE THAT AND YOU KNOW YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW I AM SO I'M GLAD THAT YOU ALSO LIKE ME THOUGH. THANK YOU.
THINK YOU CAN ANSWER MEJIA? HOWSOEVER YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. SO THE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS IT SEEMS LIKE IS TO MAKE THESE
CHANGES. EACH VAC IS VERY EXPENSIVE AND FOR THAT REASON WE'VE BEEN WINDOW UNITS AS THE SORT OF THAT'S THE FIRST, YOU KNOW, EASIEST TO REACH SOLUTION.
SO WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT TO HAVE THAT RATE BECAUSE IT'S MUCH CHEAPER AND YOU KNOW IT'S NOT PERMANENT AND YOU KNOW SO
WE'RE WINDOW UNITS IS SORT OF THAT'S OUR SORT OF GO TO SOLUTION. YEAH THAT'S RIGHT. SO I'M NOT CRITICIZING I'M JUST YOU KNOW I JUST WANT TO GET MY FACTS RIGHT.
THAT'S RIGHT. I WOULD SAY IT'S THE MOST IMMEDIATE PARTIAL SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM. WHILE WE CONTINUE TO PLAN FOR A LONGER INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADE
ACROSS THE ENTIRE DISTRICT AND KNOWING THAT THE REMAINING BUILDINGS LIKELY ARE NOT ABLE TO SUPPORT AC UNITS EITHER SO THEY WILL HAVE A DIFFERENT VERSION OF AN UPGRADE THAT'S COMING.
SO IN JP WE HAVE THE GEOTHERMAL PILOT AT THE JFK SCHOOL. I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THOUGHTS ARE ON THAT SO FAR. IS THAT A POTENTIAL MODEL FOR
OTHER SCHOOLS? WHAT ARE YOUR I MEAN WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? I THINK GEOTHERMAL IS GREAT WHEN YOU HAVE THE SPACE THAT
PROPERLY ALLOWS THE MAINTENANCE DRILLING AND INSTALLATION OF IT . UNFORTUNATELY I DON'T THINK MANY OTHER AREAS IN BOSTON DUE TO THE WATER TABLE AREA WAYS
SOMETIMES THE NEIGHBORHOOD ITSELF ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE WELL SUITED FOR A GEOTHERMAL INSTALLATION.
BUT I DO THINK THERE ARE OTHERS LIKE AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMPS AND I'M GOING TO FORGET THE WORD RIGHT NOW LIKE AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMPS AND ENERGY RECOVERY UNITS
THAT ARE ABLE TO HELP SUPPLEMENT SOLUTIONS THAT ARE VERY SIMILAR TO GEOTHERMAL. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL I HAD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CHAIR.
AND I THANK YOU. LOOK, WE LOOK FORWARD TO AN UPDATE ON THE HEADLINES. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR WEBER. I BELIEVE MY COLLEAGUES HAVE A FEW MORE QUESTIONS.
I'M GOING TO HAMMER BACK OVER TO COUNCIL AROUND THEM TO CUSTOMER. WHERE HAVE LOOK? THANK YOU AND I THINK I'D JUST HAVE ONE OTHER QUESTION BUT I COULD THROW A POOL QUESTION IN THERE IF YOU'RE READY TO ANSWER THAT.
BUT I WON'T. I'LL STICK TO THE TOPIC WHEN WE'RE ASSESSING SCHOOLS TO CONVERT FROM WINDOW AC TO H-BACK SYSTEMS.
WHAT GOES INTO THAT ASSESSMENT ? IT'S A REALLY TOUGH QUESTION SO I WOULD SAY THE VERY FIRST THING THAT WE DO IS WE IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM THAT WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE AND WE LOOK AT THE OVERALL CONFIGURATION OF THE
BUILDING. IT USUALLY STARTS WITH THE FCA DATA THAT WE COLLECTED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO THAT IDENTIFIES LIKE WHAT IS THE ELECTRICAL LOAD COMING INTO THE BUILDING, WHAT IS THE WATER DELIVERY
SYSTEM THAT'S THERE, WHAT IS THE ELECTRICAL CONFIGURATION WITHIN THAT EXISTING SPACE? IS THERE A WAY FOR US TO INSTALL DUCT WORK RIGHT NOW IN THIS BUILDING AFTER WE HAVE
DONE A LOT OF OUR KIND OF ASSUMPTIONS BASED UPON WHAT MIGHT BE IN THE BUILDING AND HOW WE CAN CONFIGURE IT? WE ALSO HAVE A LIST OF SUGGESTIONS BEFORE WE EVEN START WORKING WITH THE DESIGNER AND ARCHITECT ON ANY OF THIS
WORK. GENERALLY OUR PROJECTS TEAM WILL START PUTTING THESE ITEMS TOGETHER AND THEN PUTTING THE REQUEST TOGETHER FOR HERE'S OPTIONS A THE OPTION BE AN
OPTION. SEE THE GOAL IS FOR US TO HAVE THERMAL COMFORT THERMAL COMFORT THROUGHOUT THE BUILDING . WE WANT VENTILATION THROUGHOUT THE BUILDING AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THE BUILDING ENVELOPE IS SOUND FOR ALL OF THOSE
INSTALLATIONS AND WHERE POSSIBLE WE'RE NOT REPEATING THIS ACROSS MANY OTHER BUILDINGS, MANY OTHER PARTS OF THE BUILDING AND THE EQUIPMENT SO WE'RE NOT LEAVING A BOILER INSTALLED. WE'RE NOT ADDING AN ADDITIONAL
BOILER WE MIGHT BE JUST SOLVING IT WITH ONE TOTAL SYSTEM WOULD BE INSTALLED. NOW WE'RE ALSO ADDING THE FOSSIL FUEL FREE SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT ADDING THAT
IN AND THAT BECOMES ONE OF THE METRICS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH. AND THEN WE HAVE THE ENGINEERS AND ARCHITECTS DO A BUNCH OF CALCULATIONS ON LIKE THE BUILDING VOLUME, THE NUMBER OF CLASSROOMS CONFIGURATION
OF THE SPACE AND THEY'LL START PROJECTING THAT DESIGNS BACK AND FORTH WITH US. THAT INITIAL PHASE GENERALLY TAKES ABOUT 4 TO 6 MONTHS AFTER WE HAVE FIGURED OUT WHAT OUR
ASSUMPTIONS ARE FOR US TO WORK WITH THAT DESIGNER AND THEN AFTER THAT IT'S FUNDING MAKING SURE THAT PIECE IS IN PLACE AND THE PROCUREMENT AND THEN SOMETIMES WE MIGHT SEE THAT THE
ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS OR DESIGN DOCUMENTS ARE NOT READY FOR UP TO SIX MONTHS AFTER WE'VE GONE BACK AND FORTH ON THE INITIAL ITERATIVE DESIGN AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WITH
THE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE WINDOW SEATS, CORRECT? YES. THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED WITH ANY SCHOOL THAT WENT THROUGH A DESIGN PROCESS AT ALL BUT MORE SPECIALIZED IN THOSE THAT HAVE
GONE FROM AC TO H BACK UNITS AND HOW MANY SCHOOLS HAVE GONE THROUGH THAT ASSESSMENT? I DON'T HAVE THAT NUMBER IN FRONT OF ME RIGHT NOW BUT I
WOULD SAY THAT THE LEA BATES AND KENNY ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THEY DID HAVE SOME COOL DOWN ZONES IN THEM THAT HAVE A SEASON SALT HAVE GONE THROUGH THOSE ASSESSMENTS IN DEPTH IN
THAT PROCESS TOOK US A LITTLE OVER A YEAR. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO WE DON'T HAVE A NUMBER OF HOW MANY SCHOOLS ARE SLATED FOR THAT WINDOW AC TWO H BACK
CONVERSION. I WOULD SAY EVERY SCHOOL THAT DOESN'T HAVE A TRACK IS SLATED FOR IT BUT WE DON'T HAVE A TIMELINE AND THAT IS PRESENT AT THE MOMENT. GOT IT.
ALL RIGHT. THAT IS THAT IS MY LAST QUESTION. THANK YOU. CHAIR AND PROSPERO ANSWER MEJIA AND I'M I'M CURIOUS HOW MUCH
WOULD IT COST A TOTAL. JUST GIVE ME A PRICE TAG TO DO A TRACK FOR ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS .
I'M JUST A CIVILIAN SCOUT AND I ACTUALLY HAD A REALLY GOOD NUMBER ABOUT TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO. SO GIVE ME THE TWO AND A HALF YEAR AGO NUMBER. IT WAS IT WAS LIKE 1.3 BILLION.
1.3 BILLION. YES. 1.3 BILLION OR MILLION WITH A B B WITH A BIG B WITH A B.
OH MY LORD. OKAY, WELL THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO GET YOU SOME MONEY FROM LIKE STADIUM SO BUT I WAS GOING TO BE LIKE OH IT'S LIKE $200 MILLION. I CAN GET YOU THAT MONEY RIGHT
NOW BUT OKAY FORGET ABOUT IT IS A 1 BILLION SO THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. WOW. SO WHAT COULD YOU DO WITH 200 MILLION?
WITH 200 MILLION ASSUMING THAT ALL THE SCHOOLS WERE GOING TO ADDRESS ARE ABOUT THE SAME SIZE? YEAH. WE WOULD PUT TOGETHER THE PROJECT IN BULK AND THE BIDDERS
WERE ALL VERY FAIR IN THEIR IN THEIR BIDS. I WOULD SAY 200 MILLION LIKELY COULD GET US AN IMPROVEMENT OF ABOUT 20 BUILDINGS.
2025 WOULD BE A FAIR ASSESSMENT ASSUMING THAT WE ALSO DIDN'T CROSS THAT 30% THRESHOLD OF THAT BUILDING COST AND THAT THERE WAS ALL THESE OTHER THINGS WERE SET UP AND THEN
OBVIOUSLY THESE FACTORS ALSO PLAY INTO WHAT THAT MEANS FOR IT AS WELL. SO AND ONE OTHER THING THAT WE'RE NOT THINKING OF IS THE TIME FOR CONSTRUCTION TO
ACTUALLY OCCUR. I CAN'T TAKE A BUILDING OFFLINE FOR A YEAR. STUDENTS ARE GOING THERE. IT'S NOT FAIR. SO THE WORK GENERALLY HAPPENS ONLY IN THE SUMMERTIME AS WELL, WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE THE
EXTENSION IN SOME OF OUR TIMELINES. SO WE WILL GO FROM SIX SCHOOLS, RIGHT? I THINK SIX OR TEN SCHOOLS THAT YOU HAVE READY TO 20 SO WE COULD WE CAN GET YOU SOME MORE
MONEY. YOU COULD IMPACT 30 SCHOOLS AS OPPOSED TO SIX, RIGHT? YEAH, THAT MAKES SENSE. I KNOW.
BUT WHAT WE DON'T HAVE IS THE MONEY TO JUST BE LIKE HERE YOU GO. I JUST I JUST THE REASON WHY I ASK IS BECAUSE I'VE BEEN WORKING ON HELPING US BETTER
THINK THROUGH WHAT PRIORITIES LOOK LIKE IN THIS MOMENT AND YOU KNOW HOW WE UTILIZE WHATEVER LITTLE RESOURCES WE HAVE. AND I KNOW WHEN I HATE TO TALK ABOUT SPECIFICALLY ABOUT WHITE
STADIUM BUT WE CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN FOR A LOT LESS AND THEN WE COULD UTILIZE SOME OF THOSE DOLLARS HELP SUPPORT OTHER BEPS PROJECTS. AND I THINK THAT I JUST WANT TO PUT THAT ON THE RECORD THAT WE
REALLY NEED TO START THINK THEY'RE PROBABLY RIGHT AND YOU SAY DON'T ANSWER ANYTHING. I SAW THAT THAT WAS SOMETHING YOU TEXT MESSAGES OH WHY WOULD YOU NOT ANSWER IT? I'M JUST GOING TO PUT IT ON FOR THE RECORD IS THAT YOU KNOW IF WE'RE REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT
HELPING TO SUPPORT OUR MOST IMMEDIATE NEEDS AND WE HAVE TO REALLY START THINKING LIKE MORE INTENTIONAL ABOUT WHAT THOSE NEEDS ARE AND HOW WE SUPPORT
OUR YOUNG PEOPLE. I WOULD RATHER HAVE 20 ADDITIONAL SCHOOLS GET WHAT THEY NEED THAN TO HAVE A STADIUM THAT HAS ALL THE BELLS
AND WHISTLES THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF. SO I JUST WANT TO NOTE THAT FOR THE RECORD AND AS YOU ALL CONTINUE TO MAKE YOUR DECISIONS, I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU ALL TO PRAY OUR TIES OUR KIDS
IN THAT EFFORT. AND BRIAN, YOU ARE WELL-POSITIONED AS THE C0O2 TO
TAKE ON SOME LEADERSHIP IN YOUR SEATS AND ADVOCATE FIERCELY ON BEHALF OF MAKING SURE THAT YOU HAVE YOUR TOOLS AND THE RESOURCES THAT YOU NEED TO DELIVER FOR OUR STUDENTS.
AND I WILL BACK YOU UP ON THAT SO THERE YOU GO. THEY ALREADY LIVE THEY'RE GETTING IT. DON'T WORRY. DON'T WORRY. STOP TEXTING.
THANK YOU, COUNSELOR MARIA AND WELL, THANK YOU. UM, I REALLY WANT TO THANK OUR PANELISTS FOR BEING HERE TODAY . THANK YOU. CHIEF BOARD DIRECTOR BENNETT
AND DIRECTOR JACKSON FOR BEING HERE AND FOR ANSWERING ALL OF OUR QUESTIONS. WE WILL NOW I'VE BEEN INFORMED
BY SEVERAL STAFF THAT WE DO NOT HAVE ANYONE FOR PUBLIC TESTIMONY. SO BECAUSE OF THAT I WANT TO AGAIN THANK YOU ALL AND THANK
YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES AND THIS HEARING ON DOCKET NUMBER 0149 IS ADJOURNED.
HILARIOUS.
I'LL TRY TO