for the pledge of allegiance. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation indivisible with liberty and
justice for all. Thank you. Thank you. Uh we have lots to celebrate this evening. Clerk, please kick us off with a roll call. Councelor Tenari Garcia present. Councelor Jimenez Rivera
present. Councelor Cooper. Council Taylor here. Councelor Robinson here. Council Tesh is absent. Councelor Kelly Garcia present. Councelor Santigette present. Council Vega and councelor Brown here. and council present. 10 members present. You have a
quorum, madam president. Thank you, clerk. All right. Um before we continue to my sister, counselor Melinda Vega. Welcome back. We're so happy you're back, my love. Um and so let's move right along to the memorials and celebratory resolutions. We have
certificates this evening. I make a motion to suspend the rules so that um councelor Garcia can uh come up to the podium to the All right. Well, you all know that I'm in the business of giving light and um attention to those who uh put in the work for these efforts. And
so, Sister Counselor Garcia, please join me up in the podium, please. Okay. Hi everyone. For those of you watching at home, today is a super special meeting. We are inviting our students who live in Chelsea but are in
are are part of our other high school which is Northeast Vocational High School. And so tonight we are celebrating the amazing Oh. Blanca, I would love to before I start um reading off the certificates and
celebrating our students that attend Northeast, I'd love to call Blanca to the stage, to the podium, wherever she is there you are. Yes. Come, come. Um, for those of you who don't know, Blanca is our school rep at the Northeast
Vocational School and she has been such a strong advocate on behalf of all of you in the room. And so without further ado, Blanca right here. Thank you. Thank you everyone for showing up. Um, this is a time I've been
in the seat for this is my second year and I felt it was necessary for the city of Chelsea to begin to acknowledge our northeast students. Um, you guys are part of us. You guys are part of Chelsea and I wanted to show
appreciation. We have our student of the year. We have our soccer team who the varsity team made CAC be even if you're not on varsity. I wanted to acknowledge my JV students as well because you are setting the example
of what it is to be a student athlete. You have to get up in the morning, do homework, studies, and you still are maintaining your grades. And that's something to be acknowledged. That's something to show your parents that their hard work is
worth it. You guys are our future and you guys are the mentors for kids that are coming after you. So this is a chance to celebrate you today in our city because
it is welld deserved. [Applause] All righty. So, this is how we're going to do things tonight. Because there are so many of you, we would love to call you each one by one and you will line up here and then after we call everyone,
we'll take a group photo. We'll take a quick break so that you all can take pictures with your family and then we'll uh go back to our regular agenda. How does that sound? Yes. Good. Awesome. So, Blanca, we'll start with a few names and then I'll finish off the list. Okay. I
would like to call Adrien Naro. Is Adrian here? No. Okay. These are the two kids that couldn't come today. Okay. Billy Solano.
[Applause] Congrat [Applause] Valentine. Congrats Joshua
Santiso. Is Joshua here? No. Luis Bermudez. Not yet. Mario Pinto. Mario, Michael Deas, you got the Samuel Ba, Anthony Hernandez,
[Applause] George McKinnon. [Applause] I just want to add that George will be
uh his name will be being placed on the banner for most points throughout his school years. Very proud of him. Jeremy Ordonz, Jesus Martinez, Jose Santos Jr.
Luis Javak, Luis Martinez, Michael Santos, [Applause] Samuel Perez.
[Applause] And last but not least, this young man that I'm going to announce has some accolades that any
parent would be proud of. An amazing student. And he I'm very proud. I just met him and I'm very proud to announce that Stephen Romero is our student of the year for Northeast Vocational.
[Applause] All righty. Members of the city council, please join me on the floor to take a group picture. Oh, okay. Before the group picture, before the group picture, sorry. Uh, I
would love to open it up on the floor or to the floor to see if any counselors have any uh remarks they'd like to share. Councelor Robinson Kula, Councelor Brown. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, want to congratulate all you students. Um, it's great that you are
here tonight. Um, I'm an avid reader of the Chelsea record. I read about a lot of great stuff. Obviously, we've been taking a great interest in um Northeast um because of the heavy price that we have to pay, but we are grateful and
honored to be with you in the midst of our city hall today and show us what we're paying for. I want to thank your family. I want to thank your selves because I know it's a lot of dedication. You have to get up. You have to get to that place. Um and I'm sure sometimes
quite difficult after doing a lot of studying at night. um p practicing for sports. Um it's been great to read uh about the accolades that you folks are doing up there and I know some of your colleagues are not here from the school and maybe they're studying or doing
other activities, but we are really proud of you, all of you here tonight and all of you who have received an award. Most importantly, we are proud of you for what you do for your parents and also for the city of Chelsea. Thank you. Thank you, Councelor Brown. Any other members?
Lisa, I mean councelor Sanate. Hello everyone. I just want to say what a wonderful visit we had to Northeast. Uh they had Chelsea day for us. So we went and spent uh the morning where we were served uh food that had been prepared by
the culinary program. When we arrived on the road, there was an announcement on the sign inviting the Chelsea guests to the school. We saw all different facets of the program and I was so impressed. It was a beautiful day. Um, so I just
wanted to thank the administration at Northeast and thank Blanca and I just wanted to congratulate the students because when we visited I came away just seeing how hard you work and I came away with just such an appreciation for all
of the trades and we don't realize how many things we rely on. And what I loved about the day was that all the different departments at the school had actually contributed. So even the little table signs had been done by the graphic design students and it was just a
wonderful wonderful visit. So thank you again for making us feel so welcome and congratulations and I wish you every success. Thank you Council San. Thank you. Thank you. So I I will be brief. I echo the words of my
colleagues, but I also want to share with our students um that we are celebrating today with the parents that we actually have our um uh our senator Sal D. Dominico in the room today. He's actually going to be sharing with us a few words and updates.
We always love to have our senator here. Um but Senator Sal today will also be talking to us about updates on the soccer stadium. And so I'm so glad that he's here to witness some of our great students of Chelsea and um you know, congratulations. Congratulations to all the parents. Um and yes, I I'm so
excited that we were able to to to to get this together and I'm really excited that we have Blanca leading in in the seat that she's leading in now. Um bridging our relationship with the students and the faculty over at Northeast. Thanks. Thank you so much. Can we get a round of applause one more time for our
students? Awesome. At this moment, I'd love to um ask our counselors to join our students on the floor, our city manager, our senator Sal, if you can join us too for a group picture on the floor. spread out.
Yes. All right. We My fellow counselors, let's start our meeting. Let's get this ball rolling. We're calling the meeting back to order in like 30 seconds.
Councelor Himenez. counselors, let's return to our seats, please. I do not miss this seat. I'm a little rusty. Lonnie, come on. Your turn, girl.
Can you suspend the rules? I'm gonna ask someone suspend the rules. Somebody suspend the rules so that our city manager can I mean our state senator. All right. Calling this meeting back to order and I will ask one of my colleagues to please suspend the rules
so that we can get our senator to give us just brief updates. Madame President, I make a motion that we suspend the move uh minutes of this next order and let our senator since he's here tonight to give us an update that we've been patiently waiting on regarding the
soccer stadium. Awesome. Thank you, Senator Style. Thank you so much. We always love to have you in Chelsea. You have the floor. Thank you, Madam President. Thanks to members of council and city manager Fidel Maltiz and members of the public. Uh, I just
wanted Leo, Council Robinson put on the agenda for me to come up and give an overview of the soccer stadium as it stands today and any of the updates that are relevant that have come about since the last time I spoke to you, which wasn't too long ago. But, uh,
I'll start from the from the beginning quickly, get to where we are right now with traffic plans and MBTA plans, then I can answer any questions you might have as well. So, as we know, the Revolution professional soccer team is proposing to build a stadium on the
waterfront in Everett. And they are I guess done with Revolution. Yeah, I get it. I get it. I get it. And congratulations to all of our students, too, by the way. Congratulations to all of our students.
So, the revolution are they're proposing to build a soccer stadium on Evers waterfront, which currently uh looks like um a place that we would normally do any kind of business. And there's a power plant sitting there right now. And the power plant has been decommissioned
and it is um basically an empty shell. But what is left of the power plant is dirty soil, dirty water on the on the waterfront. And for years that power plant has been polluting our air. Uh that cluster or that area of Everett and
Charles Town and in Chelsea uh the wind blew everywhere when those those smoke stacks were blowing everywhere. U there's a high uh cancer rate and high asthma rate in that area because of the heavy industry that has been there polluting our air for so many years. Uh
so now we're turning a page on our industrial past on our waterfront. The challenge we had was the power plant where it sits today is in a designated port area. And I mentioned this before, the DPA's are there's about 10 of them in the entire state. And the DPA as it
relates to Chelsea as well starts in Everett where the the Alpha Street bridges runs along that waterfront into Chelsea. It is a very large DPA, one of the largest in the entire state. And to no one's
surprise, cities like Chelsea and Everett for years became the place where heavy industry found a home because the residents couldn't fight back. So all of the waterfront property that you see that's contaminated right now has been
there for over hundred years blocking access to that portion of the waterfront to our residents to the public and um just been a bad bad business practice that we had to deal with for many many generations. So through legislation we
lifted a DPA on that piece of land where the Apollo plants is today where the stadium was proposed to go. uh the DPA li was lifted is about 8.8% of the entire DPA. So there's a much larger DPA going beyond that. It
was very difficult for us to pass legislation to take this out of that designation. Um it's probably the first time in the history of our state that were able to do that if any portion of a DPA that will be to benefit the communities as at large. And we passed
that legislation in November. So that made this area now lifted as a DPA upon the cities of Boston and Everett signing an agreement with the crafts on a community benefits
agreement. At that point DPA will be lifted. There are several deadlines that are upcoming very very soon to make that a reality. So May 1st is the first deadline. If there's no agreement in place between the two communities, then it goes to mediation. If that does not
get resolved during mediation, then it goes to arbitration, binding arbitration at the end of the year. At that point, an arbiter will come in and decide on the two parties what is best for the communities. Now, how does Chelsea relate into all this? Um, I know there's
a lot of concerns about potential traffic coming through the streets of Chelsea to get to the stadium. And as part of legislation that we passed, we wrote into that law that the MBTA had to put together a plan of how they were going to move 25,000
people from that site to all the access points in the suburbs as well because if you looked at the plan, there only 75 parking spots on that site and that was by design. So, people have have varying opinions about that, good or
bad. There is room to put a 10,000 car garage on that site, but by design, we limited parking because we know that if you put a garage there with 10,000 car capacity, you will see 10,000 cars plus trying to get into that garage every
single game or concert. 75 parking spots changes people's routine, their mentality about how they're going to find parking there or no parking on that site because there's nowhere to put a car. So, we limited parking because we didn't want the
traffic nightmare that would be coming to that neighborhood and the surrounding communities like Chelsea when that stadium was in use. So, we have heard from folks saying it does not not going to work. We have heard from folks saying not enough parking, but we don't want traffic.
You can't have both. Either you don't want parking, if you don't want traffic, but if you want more parking, you will have traffic. That is a guarantee. So to make this work, we have to have a robust transit oriented approach to that that corridor. And the
MBTA delivered their report to us sometime last couple of weeks and they have four components to this plan uh which is going to alleviate traffic into cities like Chelsea and Somerville and Charles Town and in Everett of course. So the first thing that we were fighting
for that's actually been in the works for quite some time is a community roll stop. Encore has as part of their host agreement with Everett was paying for a commuter rail stop in the city of Everett. For years that didn't happen
because the MBTA rail officers the commuter rail stop behind on the communal tracks behind Encore were on a slope. The cars that we had several years ago weren't able to accelerate
after they came to a complete stop if they had a station behind Encore. So they had to gain momentum from the previous stop going up the incline and passing Ever alto together with no stop. So we've had rail and effort for for decades with no
stop. This commuter rail stop now will be able to go in that area because they have new technology and that the train cars now can accelerate up that grade. So there will be a communal stop and in the MTA plan they said that they don't
have the funding for it which is correct. So if you anyone reads that have no fear because Encore is paying for that stop. The second thing is a civil line extension. We all know it ends over in Chelsea where Market Basket is. That
extension will be coming down Route 99 as well, carrying folks from the Northshore and from Chelsea as well, dropping off very close proximity to the stadium. We also have a foot bridge that is being built from the Assembly Row
station on the orange line that go into the casino site which will give access to the stadium as well, a walking bridge. Again, the MBTA put in their report they are not funding that. That is correct again. So have no fear if you see that that foot bridge is already being paid for by DOT department of
transportation that has already been squared away. The funding is there. The design is already implemented. It'll be built in 2029 which is right around the time the stadium will be ready to go. So and and the last component is water shuttle service. So there'll be
water shuttles also on the docks adjacent to the stadium right on the 4acre waterfront park that the crafts are going to be building and maintaining at their own dollars. And the water shuttle will come come right up to that dock. So we'll have a water shuttle, community rail stop, access to Assembly
Row uh station and also the um Svin Station in Charles Town will also be there. So and civil line extension. So we we have literally five five different ways to get to the stadium. When all this is built out, it will be one of the most accessible transitoriented cars in
the entire state. And it'll also benefit residents of Chelsea that want to go into Boston as well. So it won't be just residents of Everett benefiting. It won't be just game day attendees benefiting because everything will be there through its entirety going forward.
This area has been has had no transit really for years and the reason why it was no there was no reason to build anything in that area. It has been delayed over time because there was no catalyst to make
all this happen. We knew when we proposed a soccer stadium in that site that this would be the catalyst to make all the good things that were currently in development that were on paper but weren't paid for but that were also, you know, needed in that area that this would all come to
fruition if there was a reason. The state does not build things unless it has to happen. And because it will have to happen to make this work, we now have commitments from the governor and her administration. she's appointed a person from her team to be like the point
person in her office uh that has anything to do with the stadium. So we have the buying from the governor, we have the buy it from MBTA, the commuter rail, the neighboring properties, all the people that are invested in that area all want to see all these things come you know come to become a reality.
So we are in a very good place much better than we were even you know even a year ago. So now we are at the next phase of putting all that all these plans together. D did a report as well
to give some guidance on how we were going to clean the land up and what that meant for the shoreline and for other DPAs going forward. Uh we also examine uh in the in the legislation how do we make DPAs across the state more useful
for the public. That should be of great interest to people in Chelsea because you have a large DPA here in the city of Chelsea. So we wanted coastal zone management board to examine all of the DPAs. So cities like Chelsea, environmental justice communities like Chelsea and Everett, we're not the
dumping ground quite honestly for heavy industry for all these years. And we don't want that anymore. That is not what we want in our waterfront anymore. So I wrote into legislation the EJ language which some folks here were very instrumental in help passing u and that
is an extra layer of protection even with the stadium. I didn't know at the time I have Christy Gang my chief of staff is here Christie was helping us write that um she can actually do this presentation better than I can but um when we wrote the language for the EJ communities we didn't realize that even
a couple years later we'd be implementing this in Everton and Chelsea in relation to the stadium. So there's an extra layer of protections there as well. Chelsea has a voice in a couple of ways to make sure that the project itself has limited impacts in this
community. There's AMEA process which everyone in Chelsea individually or collectively as a body can weigh in and be part of that process of how you want this site to look. There's chapter 91
which is a waterway project. another layer of protection and public comment and public input during that process as well. And the EJ legislation also added a third layer of protection for communities like Everton Chelsea to have a say on what goes on in their own
communities. So there are several steps where the public will be engaged. every public process, every government regulation will have a a deadline and and a you know you know process to to voice your opinions and to voice your views on on how this this space should
look. Uh there will be a 4 acre public park as I mentioned on the site on the waterfront will be opened for the first time in since 1897. was closed off to the public and uh again that'll be maintained and paid for by the crafts craft family and the stadium itself will
run upwards of $700 million. That's a privately financed stadium and just you know as so you can get a a picture of you know how more expensive stadiums have become over time. Gillette Stadium was 375 million 65,000 seats. This is
$700 million for 25,000 seats. So it is increased astronomically. Uh we have a private developer that wants to come in and spend this kind of money uh cleaning up the land and building a privately financed uh stadium on that site and again being the catalyst for all the
great transit options that will come our way because of it that residents will get to enjoy 247. So there's a lot of excitement with this project. Um obviously you've seen the reports, my name is all over it. Um, I've been in the news. I've been on the
paper. I I strongly believe this is a great project for our community and for our region. And I I would not have put my name on it, my reputation on the line. I fought for this for almost three years to get this across the finish line. Um, and I would not have kept going if I didn't think this was really
beneficial to the communities that I serve. So, with that, if any questions, thank you so much, Senator. Uh, um, Councelor Sneaggate. Thank you, Senator. I just wanted to thank you and your staff and all the partners for such hard
work. I wondered uh with the recent cancellation of the on the federal level of the brick funding if that was going to have any implication for this project. Many of you know we have lost $50 million in federal funding and it is
in that same area. So will there be a ripple effect from that and how will that be incorporated into the project? Yeah. So, the city manager knows this well. His administration is working with our office and the city of Everett for several years on this. Um, we able to
not just get that federal grant, but we also got bond money in the state budget over several years of kind of combining money over time for the federal match. Uh, so we had $22 million in state money ready to go for this project as well, plus the $50 million in federal dollars.
Uh, and then we were trying to fill the gap of the additional dollars that it was going to take to complete the project. Um, we're very disappointed to hear this. Uh, and ironically, it was Trump, the president Trump, um, in his first term that created this
program. So, he created this program that we were benefiting from if we got the money. And, ironically, he dismantled the program in a second term. Um so the $50 million was critical to complete the island end wall to stop
flooding in that area as part of the um agreement with the environmental folks and the craft family because we've heard about this environment. We've heard about this this community benefits agreement that Everett has signed with the crafts. It's been all the news and people talk about it and quite frankly
I've been using it against the city of ever because they claim there's some backroom deal being done. I will tell you that how that project how that agreement came about or was in that agreement is something that will address what you're talking about. So I
convened a meeting on the site with the environmental folks, the crafts um and elected officials from Everton Charles Town. During that meeting, the environmental groups that were at that meeting said they wanted an agreement
with the craft family prior to passing any legislation that will benefit the environment and other things that might come with that. So, there were some groups in Chelsea that were also talking to uh the crafts. Mr. River wershed was
the lead group on this. Conservation Law Foundation was also in the room contrary to what you might hear in the press from their own executive director um who has been saying some false things across the I'm not going to go in Christ is probably saying don't stop right
there. Um u but I I I am a little aggravated with them quite frankly because the environmental groups came to us and said we want to have an agreement in place with the craft family prior to passing legislation and then when that did
happen and they had their handprint on all the things that they put in this agreement when people started talking about backwim deals and talking about how ever had an agreement behind people's back the groups that negotiated that agreement stepped back and never
came forward to say what the true story was. So, I like to bring them up in a forum like this and just say, you know, like almost like question what was how what the sequence was of events. But I digress. But, um, part of that agreement
that the environmental folks wanted, and they were right, they wanted to build up this land 14 feet to make sure there wasn't any flooding in the area. So, they were correct to make that part of the agreement. So that resiliency measure they put in there will keep the
stadium in a different place than the surrounding area. So the crafts again at their own expense will build up the land 14 ft to create a buffer for the stadium itself. But the other areas we're we're we got some some work to do. The other areas are very much in jeopardy. That
was why the project was was happening in the first place. That's why in 2017 when this was thought about um you know now in 2025 you know things only gotten worse since then and the cost
actually increased exponentially over time. So, um, $15 million that the the federal government was was giving, 22 million from the state was a a little less than half a little more than half of what we actually needed after the rising costs of anything that was going
into that project. So, we're you know, so Fidel's got a job to do. So, and you know, but we are we are in a place where so you're absolutely right where you know it could it could have impacted this area if we didn't have a measure in place that was the crafts had to be uh
had a head of honor. So 14t above sea level. Thank you Senator um Councelor Robinson. Uh first of all like to thank the senator for his work and actually didn't realize we started talking about this
three years ago. for you and I. And the reason that I went to the senator is I wanted to make sure that Chelsea was at the table for any benefits or anything that any other communities were getting. So therefore, he's always been an
advocate for us. I have full faith in him that he'll make sure anything that comes our way, he'll make sure that we get it. So on that, I just want to thank you for all the work that you've done. I know you stood alone on this project. You took a lot of beatings along the
way. So, you'd be you should be admired for standing tall. I just want to say thank you. I appreciate that. Thank you. Thank you, counselor. And I will say as long as I'm there, Chelsea, you have to see the table.
Absolutely. Okay. Councelor Robinson, I mean, councelor Brown, my apologies. Thank you for being here, Senator. And you know I asked you this question before so don't get mad at me. Um so you know about two years ago I approached you and we talked
about the host committee and you know why Chelsea name was not you know an official host committee and tonight in your your your um your discussion you mentioned Everett and Boston but you still didn't mention
Chelsea. So I and we believe that if we're listed as a host committee or an impact committee um community that you know there will be funds distributed yearly for us. Um can you just tell us how Chelsea why Chelsea was left out for
having their name printed in? Well there's no designation of host community in in the legislation. The legislation says that because the physical structure itself will be in Everett and in Charles Town and very you know disputing how
much of a Boston it actually is but it is part of Boston as well the land itself. So that that Alpha Street bridge for years um people didn't realize that Boston had some land on the other side. uh they thought that natural waterways are a boundary. But several years
before, long before me and probably all of us, there used to be a toll on that bridge, which is hard to believe, right? But because of that toll, if you had land on both sides of the bridge, you kept the entire toll. So when Boston gave some land to Everett, they kept the
other part of the other end of the bridge to get the full toll. That's how that's how Boston still has land on that that part of the part of the city. But there's no designation itself of host agreement. Uh similar to the casino. So
Chelsea wasn't a host community for the casino either. Chelsea was a surrounding community. Uh which we haven't gotten that far yet. So the legislation does not designate communities of host surrounding. Someville itself is right across the street from the site itself
and they're not listed as a host agreement either because the physical structure itself is not in some. So there'll be time. There'll be time for sure for Chelsea to have their voices heard. And obviously I'll be there as well, but the legislation itself only
talked about the communities that where the the project was going to be housed. The reason why I bring that up again, my colleague talked about the $50 million. I mean, and you also spoke about that, you know, you had money, 22 million, and you had money and you're going to make
sure the craft is committed to build up the wall, but a lot of that other area that we were anticipating that money to be used for, we'll still be, you know, with our hands out waiting to get help for that. And I just think, you know, again, this is a great opportunity to um
bring it to whoever's at the table regarding Chelsea as you move forward. Yeah. No, I think that, you know, so you're saying have the crafts t help build a wall. Help with something. Yeah. No, I get it. No, I just want to make be clear what you're asking. Yeah. You
know, they've been very, you know, good over the years to Chelsea. But again, this is something with $50 million. If no one's seen it the last two weeks, it's been in the local newspaper, then it was very alarming. Uh it was some money that we were excited about. um Congresswoman um Presley, you know, um
others um had fought years for that money and it was given a wish list to us and to be taken away. We still have to fill the holes that you know where that money was going to cover. Yeah. And I I will say, you know, someone that I want to give kudos in this community was
Emily. um was really the lead person on this um when it came to getting that that money and getting the work done to get that that commitment from the federal government. None of us saw that coming.
Um I shouldn't say none of us saw it coming. We when I'm not shocked based off the history of what's happening with FEMA and Mimmer and all the all the any it was any any kind of environmental justice or climate change, you know, anything that that were that was getting any kind of federal dollars. um is all
in jeopardy right now. So, you know, people wonder how does it impact our community of what's happening in DC. There you go. All right. Thank you. $50 million is not coming our way, which now creates a bigger problem for us going down in the future. So, it is a big
problem what's happening in DC, but I I will make sure that that I bring your concerns to the crafts as well. Thank you, Senator. Thank you, counselor. Seeing no other questions, uh, Senator, thank you so much for your leadership. As always, if you ever need
our support, please do reach out. We are also here to support you. We know the work that you do and just thank you for always having Chelsea in the forefront. Great. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. All right, so uh we'll continue now. Um,
I believe we have one more item under uh memoriams and celebratory resolutions. You have a resolution introduced by the council president and all members of council for Earth Day. Whereas Earth Day, an annual event created to promote environmental action and citizenship, was founded by the late Senator Gaylord
Nelson and first celebrated April 22nd, 1970. And whereas after witnessing years of environmental neglect, millions of Americans gathered in cities across our nation on the first Earth Day to demand basic protection for our planet and commit to leaving behind a healthier world for the next generation. And
whereas the first celebration of Earth Day is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement with nearly 200 million people in 141 countries participating in Earth Day celebrations by 1990. And whereas the voices of the inaugural Earth Day
participants ushered in an unparalleled period of grassroots and legislative activity that changed the way we interact with our environment leading to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and passage of legislation such as the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Endangered
Species Act. And whereas new and continued challenges, including climate change, polluted oceans and waterways, deforestation, and the loss of other wildlife habitats reinforce the need for adequate protections for the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we inhabit, and the animals we live
alongside. And whereas the theme for Earth Day 2025 is our power, our planet, inviting everyone around the world to unite behind renewable energy and triple the global generation of clean electricity by 2030. Now therefore, be it resolved that the members of the
Chelsea City Council recognize April 22nd, 2025 as Earth Day in the city of Chelsea, affirm our collective responsibility in the global effort to protect our planet, and express gratitude to the residents of Chelsea who participated in community programs offered throughout the city. Thank you,
Cler. Is there a motion on the floor? Move to adopt under uh unanimous consent. Thank you, counselor. You have the floor, Councelor San. I just wanted to acknowledge what a wonderful day we had um on Saturday from 9 to 12. We had a a
citywide cleanup that was sponsored by Green Roots and the Community Land Trust and the City of Chelsea. And even though it was extremely wet, uh everybody went out and and spread out to various parts
of the city for a cleanup and it was it was fantastic. So, thanks to everyone for organizing. Thank you, counselor. I agree. Congrats to Green Roots and shout out for all the work that you're doing on this event. Uh, any other
counselors? Okay, moving on to uh there's no public hearing this evening, so public speaking. Is anybody here for public speaking? All right, awesome. Please join us at the podium. State your name, your address, and you have three minutes. Four minutes, my apologies.
Hello everyone. Good evening. My name is Dariel Medina. I'm 16 years old. I am a junior at Chelsea High School. I am also a member of the Chelsea Youth Commission. I work with a team of youth members, usually made up of the Chelsea High School students. We have a couple
other students that go to other schools to help uh run the youth organizations in Chelsea. Uh we like to focus on youth mental health. We like to focus on things that are going on in Chelsea, problems that are actively going on, how we could fix them as youth, what we
could do as a group to better Chelsea and make Chelsea more of a community to us and for those around us. We thought like a couple like six months ago, six, seven months ago, we were thinking, what can we do to get the youth active? What
how can we help the youth? What can we do to help one anothers? What is something that we would love to see in our in our community? That's when we all sat down with the help of Be, Alex, and Bianca, and we thought about a festival. But what would we have at this festival? What's the point of this festival? We
can't just have a festival just cuz the the festival is called a youth rise festival because we want our youth to be empowered. We want our youth to feel like they belong. We want our youth to have opportunities for the future and uh different communities to grow. Not only
Chelsea, but we want to also uh inspire other youth communities around Everett, River, Malden, Boston, other other cities so they can help us as a group so we can all unite and be strong together. The point of the youth festival, as we can see on the banner, is to help each
others. And we're going to have internships, professional opportunities, jobs, free food, games, prizes, music, street art, dance, and more. We when we thought about this, we were thinking what in Chelsea, what's going on in Chelsea? We were thinking about the
crime, think about theu student engagement. How can we help Fal faculty? How can we help students at Chelsea High or at Northeast as well? How can we get them to engage? That's when we thought about street art and community building. There's a bunch of students at Chelsea High that love to share their art, love
music, love STEM, love all those opportunities that are given to them, but they don't know how to reach out. there's a lot of opportunities but they don't know how to get through them. We want to be that pathway to them. We want to uh give them a support a hand in hand as you may say to give them a helping
hand to help them in the future. So, we would like to cordially invite you guys, everyone here, uh, adults, city council members to the youth rice festival May 3rd, this Sunday. Doors open at 12:00 from 1 to 4:00 p.m. If everyone can
please spread the word, please um, give it to youth. You don't have to be just a youth to be here. If you can come for 30 minutes, that'd be very appreciated. Show your support around Chelsea. Show your support around youth. Uh, show that we do love one another. Show that you guys are great people. We all know you
guys are amazing and we really like you guys to support. Thank you guys for your time. Thank you. [Applause] Thank you so much for sharing. Always great to hear the voices of our youth commission here in the chambers. Anyone
else? Good evening. My name is Marlene Jennings. I've been a proud uh resident of the Chelsea for 26 years now. I don't know where that time went, but it's been a great 26 years. Uh and during that
time, I've had the opportunity to to serve on different committees and boards and uh participate in different events here in the city. And I'm very proud to be called someone from Chelsea. Um, I very uh much appreciate um the openness
that I've had and the friendship I've had with Fidel over the years and Leo Calvin, those of some of others of you I've not had the pleasure to meet, but I'm very happy to speak with you this evening. I also have watched
Senator S for years uh work very hard to make this a better place and he's done a darn good job and I have to say I'm just blown away by the youth that I've seen here tonight and um I think our future is going to be in great hands with these
young people here. I come here tonight specifically to remind you, city council people, that there are a lot of people that are really against the proposed seafood processing plant at Admirals Hill. Um, I've been over this a few
times with more than a few times with Fidel. Um, you know, it's really interesting the the more I think about it and the more as I sit here this evening, my original complaints
where odor is you're going to have odor with seafood. You just can't get around that. And then we're going to have rodents and then we're going to have this and that and another thing. But what stands out even more and I still believe that. I still believe that that
is going to be a problem for a beautiful part of the city that you don't have to really do much to. You know, the rest of the city, you're in full-blown redo everything mode. And you know, that's a pretty nice part of the city. You don't have to really do a lot there. You have
got that one location that needs something special. But more important now, you look just what we heard tonight. We have a stadium coming in. We have what's gone on with Forbes where that is going to be taken over and
redone. We have Market Basket expanding their footprint where they are. And I think that we deserve we being the collective city of Chelsea and everyone that lives here. We deserve something better than a seafood processing plant
in that location where Sign Signature Food used to be. I mean, I just think you're taking a beautiful part of the city and you're not seeing the potential of what that could be. That could be something spectacular. What that is, you
know, we got to talk about it. I mean, I know they've talked about having a YMCA in the city. Why not put the Y there? It's big enough. So, I just think that we are losing out on an opportunity of making Chelsea I I
understand and I I support you. I support everybody and bringing more jobs there, but I don't think I think any any other business could bring more jobs there without the side effects of potential odors, more more rodents. I mean, what
it it just to me makes a lot more sense to have something beautiful added to the city rather than a seafood processing plant. So, that's why I'm here. Just to remind you, I understand there are two more meetings about this. And do we have the dates for those meetings yet?
Um the city manager can share with you afterwards, but we have just one more less than a minute. Okay. All right. I'm actually finished. I wanted to just thank you all very much for everything you guys do. We really appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Um and I put out there city
manager, but city manager if you and I want we'll follow up. One of us will follow up with you. Thank you for sharing. All right. Please state your name and address and uh four minutes.
Okay. Uh second time here uh getting better at public speaking. I wish I was sitting at home, but there are some pressing issues that I still have to share with you. Again, uh I just want to say like first thank you. I'm trying to figure out how to do these things.
Respected members of the council uh and members of the audience here, uh I just want to begin with that it's not me versus you and it's not the community versus you. It's all of us together, Chelsea, Palante. We just have to figure out how to make uh this situation with
the fish processing facility a little bit better. I know there was an amendment in the Chelsea zoning ordinances for the fish processing 24Z8. Uh it was approved uh because it's a legitimate aspect of public interest
which I don't believe it's a public interest. It promotes economic development. That's great. 150 jobs. These are not new. These are jobs that already exist. Nobody has promised us that these are going to be people from Chelsea and encourages a most appropriate use of land throughout the
city. We can build a park there u or anything else. Uh the most important thing for me is that I represent my community which is 325 alo. Yes. Uh, and I just want to show there's 150
apartments there and I hope this is big enough for you to read. Uh, but people live here. This is our building. Uh, this is the parking. Uh, I just want to say that home is a sanctuary where individuals
and families can find comfort, rest and sense of security. This where we live. This is just one side of the building. uh and we're going to be severely affected. I'm not here to talk against the fish processing facility. I'm more
concerned about the parking because this is air and noise pollution and noise pollution and air pollution. These are very tough subjects to talk about because if I say 150 snakes were released in Chelsea, the whole community is going to go upside down. When I talk
about noise pollution, that's a little bit hard to understand what it is. So I would like to play for you Sounds of Trucks uh in just a second. There is also one more community uh which is I'm so sorry to interrupt. Um we actually
cannot play audio or visuals but you still have time to talk to you and you can imagine you can imagine. Thank you. Thank you so much. Uh okay so there is another building which is u coen Florence Levine estates on captain road 105 apartments. I went to talk to them.
Nobody has an idea that this is happening. These are elderly people that are just stuck there and they're going to live there and they're going to be tortured in their own apartments as as we are going to be. We're going to be hostages in our apartments. We're going to start
leaving. We resigned the lease with my wife uh without knowing this is going to be happening. Uh there new lease is coming to the apartment building. Nobody's telling them these things. And uh it's a little bit hard. The most
important part is the distance to the parking. Forget about the factory. The factory is going to smell. It's going to be terrible. The parking is 15 m 46 ft from our building. You can imagine the reverberations between these two buildings. This going to be 24 hours,
365 days of the year of trucks noise and people are not going to be able to function. Literally, there's going to be lawsuits. You know, there's going to be media involvement. There's going to be so much trouble with this. And I don't want us to get there. I want us to just solve this in the best way. The parking
lot is not part of the industrial zone. The parking lot is our zone. So, please at least if you're making this factory, make them park on the other side on the main road. Thank you so much. There's much more in the previous episode on the YouTube channel from the last time I was
here. seven, eight pages of very important things that we need. Thank you. And I I if I could share any of the visuals that you have, you can also email it to us was just protocol um not to have them in as well as uh seven pages of very detailed report on
awesome. Yes, please do share them. Thank you so much. [Applause] Anyone else here for public speaking? No. Okay. Well, thank you all for joining us this evening. We're going to move on now. The public speaking
portion of this meeting is done. Um, approval of the minutes. Approval of the minutes for the regular meeting of the city council dated April 7th, 2025. Is there a motion on the floor?
Thank you, Councelor Brown. Moving on now to communications from the city manager. First communication received from the city manager responding to council order 2557, review fines for parking violations. Dear counselors, I am writing in response to
council order 2557 requesting that the city review the existing penalty structure for traffic and parking violations with an emphasis on overnight parking without a residential sticker. Our director of constituent services completed a thorough review of neighboring communities and created the chart attached for the council's
reference. During our engagement with residents, parking is among their top concerns. We appreciate the concern raised by council and agree wholeheartedly that there needs to be improvement within our current parking program to prioritize parking for our residents. Our current structure is comparable to our surrounding
communities. The $25 fee for parking without a residential sticker overnight is equal to that of our neighbors in Everett and Win. While doing research for this council order, Everett announced that all parking fines would be increased by $5 effective July 1st, 2025. River currently charges $20 for
the same infraction. Somerville charges $50 for this infraction. The chart attached shows the community comparisons. An interesting approach might be targeting specific vehicles versus making a citywide change. During our research, we learned that Everett charges $50 for commercial vehicles and
$50 for an overnight parking violation. Everett also charges a different amount, $50 for overnight parking fines in the downtown area. We are mindful of striking the balance between effective parking enforcement and burdening residents with additional costs. If the council has a desire to increase these
violations, I will refer this matter to the traffic and parking commission for review and a public hearing on the matter. Thank you for your ongoing support. Thank you, Cler. Is there a motion on the grant? Yeah. Um I'd like to make a motion to accept and file. Um
seeing no um objections. I was what word am I looking for? And I would under suspension and I'd like to briefly speak on it. So I just wanted to thank you for um doing the research and
um that really was my goal. with bringing this attent this up was that we could start to have a conversation and start to think of other ways to um tackle the issue. So, I appreciate you
offering some other suggestions and let's just keep doing that. Thank you, councelor. Madam President, could I speak quickly? Councelor Himenez, you have the floor. Yeah, I just um I think as as part of as we're going through this, it may be worth for us uh for the
council to to have some conversations uh in the uh parking planning uh subcommittee around, you know, whether it might be worth looking into expanding our hours of enforcement for some of this um uh for for our resident permit, right? My my understanding is that the reason why we started doing this
overnight was because people were parking here and leaving go going on an air on a on a on a plane and just like leaving their car here for a week, right? And then that's what led to, you know, us doing um parking enforcement at night to make sure that people weren't doing that um from other communities. And so as we're seeing our community
have larger needs for parking during the day, it may be worth us thinking about whether we we should be enforcing resident permits um you know, expanded hours. I don't know if all day, but um I know that other communities like the ones mentioned in this um are doing that um throughout the day. So, um, you know,
we need to figure out a way to for us to, you know, these these bans are not to make money. They are a way for us to enforce rules, right? And if we if we don't want um people parking, then we should we should, you know, look at increased
fines so that we can prevent people from from from doing it. It's it's not to get more money. It's to disincentivize people from doing it. It's and and that's, I think, a very worthwhile conversation that we should be having. the stadium is going to potentially bring more people to to the area, right? Especially since um there's not going to
be a whole lot of parking there, which I fully agree with um what uh the senator talked about in terms of parking, but we need to think about what are those people going to do. Are they going to park in Chelsea streets? We need to figure out what we're going to do about that and think about um increasing the enforcement um of our rules. Anyway, I
worthwhile conversation and I would encourage us encourage us to have them um in a subcommittee separately. Councelor Taylor. So, as I've said many times, parking is one of the most
important issues facing this city, especially to all of our constituents. Um, I think that it goes beyond just debating with each other or discussing with each other in a subcommittee. We need to engage the
public in a public discourse regarding parking and an overall parking plan needs to be developed. Now, we can't do that until we kind of get the people
from all the districts to weigh in. I have been trying to get people uh to take up this this uh this topic with the public for some time now. So, I I would encourage everybody um you know, speak
with the people in your districts and let's let's let's move on this topic, not just for the fines, but but but in general, how to solve what's the best way to solve the parking pro what are
the parking problems in Chelsea and what's the best way to go about solving them? I think I think we should not be leaving this up to others and that we need to engage the public, get their
feedback, and figure this out. Then we can have a subcommittee about what we're going to do about it. So, I would encourage everybody to to take up this topic. Thank you. Thank you, councelor Councelor Ricaro. Um, and Chelsea is a very small city.
There's very limited parking. The this council or the council prior to this council already took remedies to fix that. One is when you have these apartment builders that are being built that don't have sufficient parking. They cannot get a residence sticker for one. So, that's one of the
biggest things we took care of in that way. The second thing is this city needs a parking garage. for years. It needed one. And the third thing is if we charge the residents more and more money for
parking even for increase. You say it doesn't have nothing to do with revenue, but how many that does have to do with revenue. It has to do with punishing the people because you already if you don't have a resident sticker here at night,
you cannot park. So every night you put here and it's $25, you multiply 25 time 7 and then it's already accumulated. And you know, I don't understand why we have to increase. We're not Boston. We're a community.
We're not like Boston. We can't charge people. This is not $200,000 a year person that lives here. You're going to hurt the poor people that are here. I can understand the concerns that we all have about parking. I have the same issue where I live. I can't park
anymore. So, what are we going to do? Get rid of all the cars, find them to death. How do how do we get a like fellow counselor says, we need to talk more how to solve this problem, not ticketing him more. And once we understand how to solve this issue, then
we can move forward and try to fix it. Ticketing and giving him more money to pay for tickets ain't going to solve the problem. Problem is still going to be there. like fellow counselor says, just let's talk and understand and try to do something to fix the situation instead
of tagging and put in more money cuz you already got you're already paying for tickets. They give you tickets if you have a non-resident sticker if if you don't have one. They give you tickets if you have u a sticker that's a rejection sticker.
They give you tickets for being so far away from the curb. So, you got all kinds of tickets. How much tickets can you impose on our community? What do you want to do? You know, how much fines can you put on them? Let's fix the situation without thinking about fines. Let's try
to make a solution and how to fix it. Thank you, counselor. Moving on to the next item on the agenda. Next communication received from the city manager regarding the FY26 budget submitt. Dear councilors, enclosed you will find the city manager's proposed
fiscal year 2026 budget. The budget funds city expenditures at 110,89,868 and school department expenditures at $150,891,360 for a total budget of $261,71,228. The school department's budget has increased by
7.54%, most of it paid from new chapter 70 funding generated by the student opportunity act. The city expenditures have increased by 5.84%. Most of the city's increases are reflected in salary accounts. This is due mainly to raises required in collective bargaining agreements and to
the addition of new positions on our public safety departments. The new public safety positions, a total of five, will improve response time for our fire department and will result in more efficient delivery of service to residents. We also proposed the creation of two positions in public works that
will allow us to complete our vehicle maintenance in-house resulting in a substantial savings. I have enclosed a listing and rationale for the new positions which we can discuss in further detail during budget deliberations. The city is able to absorb the increase in new personnel because of our favorable financial
position. This year, the city will propose the modest use of reserves to support the budget in the amount of 1,710,663. You will note that this year's regional school district expenditure has increased by 88,000 to $2,900,000. That line item now includes
the fourth payment of the debt for the new northeast region of vocational high school, a total debt service payment of 1,684,759. Madam President, move to uh wave the rest of reading accept and file under communication if there are no objections. Move to conference. Schedule the budget hearings. Moving into
conference. Your budget hearings have been scheduled for March 12th, 13th, and 14th. Thank you. Thank you, Cler. Thank you, councelor. Moving on to the next item. Next item, we have a communication received from the city manager providing a balance update on free cash as of
April 2025. Dear councilors, I'm writing to provide a proactive update to the city council on how much free cash has been expended since January 1st, 2025. Our biggest use of free cash is our annual capital improvement plan. Our free cash position allows us to complete critical projects without having to
borrow funds and hampering our community with long payments and high interest rates. We are fortunate to have a low amount of borrowing compared to our neighboring communities. Free cash typically follows the same pace. Our auditing department works with the department of revenue to certify free cash in January or February. Shortly
thereafter, the city manager submits requests to the city council for free cash to complete projects that have arisen throughout the fiscal year. The city council then votes on our annual capital improvement plan heavily supplemented by free cash. Finally, the city manager made two additional free
cash requests as we close out the fiscal budget. The city council must vote on every request to use free cash. I am impressed with the thoroughess of our ways and means committee and asking tough questions and ensuring that we are fiscally responsible. Our administration is committed to maintaining fiscal
responsibility and using our resources to satisfy the needs of our residents. This is a tough balance, but it is one I am proud to achieve with the support of the council. This year we have done something I am tr incredibly proud of. We used a significant amount of our free cash to replenish our rainy day funds
called general stabilization accounts. Our general stabilization fund has a balance of $16,576,71028 and our school capital stabilization fund has a balance of 2,796,451.31. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your support.
Thank you, Cler. How does the council wish to proceed? Accept and follow communication on the suspension if there are no objections. Seeing none, thank you, counselor. Moving on. Next, we have a communication received from the city manager requesting funds for receiverhip expenses related to
Forbes. Dear councilors, I'm writing with a request to fund an additional $200,000 for receiverhip expenses related to the Forbes property. The council was played an instrumental role in the city's legal process on the Forbes property. Following a nine alarm fire on the property, the city council
approved $500,000 from the city's general stabilization fund to address immediate safety concerns on the property. Following the fire, our law department successfully petitioned for the property to be placed into receiverhip. The receiver has worked diligently to secure the property, including boarding up many of the vacant
buildings, hiring a security company to monitor the property, demolishing dangerous buildings, and ensuring that debris is properly covered. The receiver also worked on marketing the property and facilitating the sale to a responsible owner. On March 25th, the courts approved a sale to Mass Autobon.
Since that approval, the property owner has filed an appeal and has filed for bankruptcy in the state of California. While these legal matters are resolved, we are forced with a tough decision to continue funding the cost of receiverhip. We have $82,000 remaining of the initial 500,000 funded in
November of 2024. These funds will not see us through the summer months while the council is on recess. We also expect that the warm weather will only increase vandalism and hazards on the property. The courts agree that taxpayers should not be forced to cover the cost to secure the property, but we cannot risk
the possibility of another public safety incident. Attached to this letter, you will find the invoices incurred to date. The invoices fall into the categories below. You will also find a council order to fund this request. Thank you for your support. Thank you, Cler. Is there a motion? Motion to um accept and
file under communication. If there are no objections, um I'd like to speak on it real quick. Yeah, you have the floor, councelor. The order is coming later. Um, and there's an order attached to this coming later. Um, so I I just want to I just want to thank the city for for all the work that they're doing on this property. It's kind of the epitome of an
absent landlord that you have here that's, you know, this is a property that is just in complete disrepair. Um, we are trying to do something with it, but they are essentially getting in the way of what we're trying to do by just delaying and delaying and delaying everything. So, um just thank you to everybody who's managing this process
and making sure that we actually um are able to maintain a baseline level of decency in the property um while we navigate the legal process to make sure that we can actually use it. Um, I just want to let the public know we are all very excited about the potential in this um in this property and we're going to
definitely be keeping an eye on this and we will be making all anything that we spend on this um is going to be uh given back to the city once the property is sold from the funds that are received from the um from the sale. So um yeah, just hoping that that happens quickly.
Thank you. Thank you, councelor. If I may speak from the chair, I move to suspend the rules so that the madam president can speak from the chair. So, I echo my fellow counselor's words. Um, this being my district, I have heard a lot from residents who are interested
and excited to just see something happen with this property and um and I'm just glad that um our counselors as a whole, whether you are representing this district or you're at large, um I see a lot of interest and excitement for this. Um even on the school committee side, uh
the school committee representative for district 3 has reached out. So, we are all on board. And so uh for the public to just know that we we as soon as we are ready to hold some public meetings and and get some input and insight um we will keep them posted. Thank you. Moving
on to the next item on the agenda. Next communication received requesting council appropriate funds from the overlay reserve fund. Dear councilors, pursuant to Mass General Law Chapter 59, section 25, I am writing to respectfully request the city council appropriate
3,172,287 from the overlay reserve fund. In accordance with the statute, I have requested the board of assessors to transfer 3,172,287 from the overlay reserve fund. The request was approved by the board April 8th. Of the total amount, $2.5
million is intended to fund capital improvements to the city's property at 324 Marginal Street. These improvements will include land and building enhancements that could increase the city's ability to generate additional revenue from the property. An additional
$672,287 is designated to fund a solar project that would cover 100% of the property's energy consumption. Importantly, these funds will only be expended upon the successful negotiation of a new lease agreement with the current tenant that includes increased revenue for the city and a longer lease
term. This condition ensures that the investment is aligned with the city's long-term financial and operational interests. Once the transfer is complete and a favorable lease agreement has been executed, I will return to the city council to request approval of a new lease contract with the tenant that will
go to at least 2045. For the reasons set forth above, I respectfully ask that the council appropriate the $3,172,287 in overlay surplus to the building improvements line item within the marginal street fund. Madam President, I move to wave the resol reading accept accept and file under communication if there are no
objections. Seeing no objections, thank you councelor. Moving on. Next communication received from the city manager requesting funds for all American city awards ceremony. Dear councilors, I am writing with a request for funding to attend the All-American City Award Conference from June 26th to
June 30th. We are requesting $53,000 to cover event registration, roundtrip flights from Boston to Denver, a four-night hotel stay, as well as supplies and branding for the event. We are actively working on creating a planning committee for the event. We estimate taking 30 representatives from
Chelsea. We will make sure that the trip includes a diverse cross-section of our community and that we make significant preparation for our presentation. It would be an incredible achievement for Chelsea to win the All-American City Award. In the Commonwealth, only two other communities have received the award three times, Boston and
Somerville. This win would be a huge boost to our community at a time where we need it most. Madam President, move to wave the rest of the reading, accept, and file under communication if there are no objections. Seeing none, uh, councelor Syndicate, can you have the
floor? I just wanted to say that I was lucky enough to be part of the delegation that went to Denver for the Allameric City Award in 2014 and it was an incredible experience and I agree with the city manager that it would be a wonderful, wonderful thing for us to
come home with. So, I was so excited to see that we were a finalist and uh, Volante. Yes, I see there's only two other communities also that have won this award three
times. So, it's exciting. Yes. All right, moving on to the next item. Next communication received from the city manager regarding ISD software resource allocation and a free cash request. Dear counselors, over the past several months, the city has undertaken a comprehensive evaluation of software
solutions to modernize and improve permitting and enforcement operations within the inspectional services department. This effort was led by our deputy city manager of operations and close collaboration with the deputy and deputy director of ISD, as well as key members of the department's inspection
and administrative staff. The process began with a review of six software vendors capable of supporting ISD's needs through in-depth evaluation and hands-on testing. The internal team narrowed the field to two finalists. At that stage, we engaged several stakeholder departments, including law,
assessing, permitting, and land use planning, information technology, and housing and community development to participate in de demonstration sessions and provide critical feedback. These departments frequently rely on ISD data and participate in permitting and enforcement workflows, making their
input vital in ensuring the solution supports cross-dep departmental collaboration and citywide efficiency. This coordinated review process has led to the selection of a software platform that will significantly improve how the city manages permitting and enforcement. The system will deliver a streamlined
and more user-friendly permit application process for residents and contractors. Improved ability to hold problem property owners accountable through centralized data and enforcement tools. Increased transparency and robust data sharing capabilities across departments and with the public. and
enhanced reporting tools that will assist in tracking, measuring, and responding to trends in real time. We are now seeking council support. Madam President, uh move to wave the rest of the reading. Okay. I'd like it to be read in full, including the amounts, please. We are now seeking council
support to fund the acquisition and implementation of the system. We respectfully request the council approve the following. a free cash request in the amount of $160,000 to support implementation costs associated with data migration from multiple legacy platforms currently in
use by ASD. This investment aligns directly with several council priorities, including improving the efficiency of the permitting process, strengthening accountability for problem property owners, and increasing operational transparency through better data collection and reporting. We appreciate your consideration and
support as we take this important step forward for the inspectional services department and the city as a whole. For the above reasons, I respectfully ask that council approve all these requested expenditures. Our staff is ready to answer any questions the council might have on these requests. A draft of the proposed order is attached. Move to
accept and follow our communication if there are no objections. Seeing no objections, does anyone wish to speak? If not, I would like permission to speak from the chair if possible. Move to suspend the rules so that madam president can speak from the chair. There are no objections. Thank you,
councelor. I just want to briefly for the public to understand this has been a long way coming and um bless you counselor and we are very excited and grateful for the work that um uh our city manager and his team has invested into this. This for the public to
understand means that our departments whether you are in ISD, whether you are in our um legal department uh or in um uh our you know trying to get information from our fire department
because of a fire or trying to get information from any of our other departments which is DP whether it's DPW or whatever the case may be the many departments that many times share some responsibilities together when there is a crisis in the community related to housing. This is the database that's
going to help push this communication forward so that our tenants who often are delayed in getting response or any services are waiting for right now. We will have a database that will expedite this process and ensure that landlords
are held accountable. tenants are able to get the information needed, whether it's our fire department or 911 dispatch office are able to get the documents needed to process whatever is needed in that case of an emergency. I am so glad that this is happening and this is going
to be a a larger uh campaign that the city manager um uh has put forward with the help of us here and also many of you the constituents and the the public who came up here and spoke multiple times at the podium requesting that we do something and that we act fast and that
we think about the conditions in the apartments. This is one of those actions is going to push us forward. It will go along with an education campaign because obviously we cannot make these changes in city hall and expect our families and residents to know exactly what's happening. So we will be um pushing
forward um some materials and how we can make sure that also the public understands what goes on inside city hall when you call or when you report something so that you guys understand exactly how it gets from point A to point B, C, and D. Um, so just thank you
so much city manager and um, thank you to our public for making sure that your voices were heard in this space and that we were actively working on those issues. Moving on to the next item. Madam President, I'd like to move uh, something out of order suspend the rules. Uh, I'd like to move our approval
of the uh, person for the historical commission. We have our friend here uh David Matut who's being who's up and there's a number of items on the agenda and in case he would like to make it home uh I think he'd appreciate uh moving us out of order if there are no
objections. I am seeing no objections. Let's proceed. Before you you have a communication received from the city manager being read for the second time requesting approval of appointment to the historical commission. Dear councilors, pursuant to section 4-2 of the charter
of the city of Chelsea, I am writing to recommend the following individual to boards and commissions in the city for appointment to the historical commission, Mr. David Matude of Chelsea. The term expires April 1st, 2027. I respectfully request your approval of this appointment.
Move to adopt uh by roll call vote. Seeing no objections, let's move on to roll call vote. Yes. Vote to adopt. Councilar Garcia. Yes. Councelor Jimenez Rivera. Yes. Councelor Rupo. Yes. Council Taylor. Yes. Council Robinson.
Yes. Council Tesha is absent. Council Kelly Garcia. Yes. Council Sandigette. Yes. Council Vega. Yes. Council Brown absent. And councilus. Yes. Nine members voting in favor. Zero opposed to absent. Appointment approved. Thank you, clerk.
Moving on to the next item. Returning to regular order of business. We have a communication received from the city manager requesting acceptance of Green Roots Grant to the city of Chelsea. Dear councilors, I am writing to request the necessary council of action to formally accept a grant award of $520,000 from
Green Roots funded by an anonymous donor for the development of Bear Park at 212 Congress Avenue. Green Roots is an environmental justice nonprofit located here in Chelsea and a strong partner of the city and many of our parks, open space, and climate resilience projects. The city of Chelsea has struck a
fortuitous partnership with Green Roots on the development of Bear Park. Working with them, we have been able to have a yearslong community engagement process for this new park, which will provide badly needed new open space and important cooling benefits for the surrounding neighborhood. The grant will provide funds to support the disposal of
contaminated soil at the site, which has been found to have led levels, which are harmful to human health and are significantly expensive to dispose of. The funds will also allow us to add additional features to the park, including a community rain barrel neighbors can draw from to water street trees as part of Green Roots's True
Keeper program and a drinking fountain. The project is funded by a parklands acquisition and restoration for communities grant through the Massachusetts Department of Conservation Services and city funds. The program is overseen by the Department of Housing and Community Development. The private grant funding will decrease the need for
future local funding to wave the rest of the meeting and take a roll call vote. something coming up into new business. Yep. All right. Moving on to the next item. Next communication received from the city manager requesting acceptance of Mystic River Watershed Association
funds to the city of Chelsea. Dear councilors, I am writing to request the necessary council action to formally accept a grant award of $225,000 from the Mystic River Wershed Association for the removal of the Slade Mill Berm on Mil Creek and related improvements. The Mystic River Wershed
Association is active in a variety of sectors including natural restoration, education, climate resilience, and increase water and air quality. Since 2019, the Mystic River Wershed Association has supported the Housing and Community Developments Department's
efforts to increase public access to Mil Creek. This grant award, originally from an anonymous foundation and subawwarded through the MIWR, will advance the network of public access and ecological improvement projects the city is working on to complete along Mil Creek. The
historic burn that currently obstructs Mil Creek currently obstructs the flow of the waterway and prevents its use for recreational purposes. As we continue working to improve the water quality in Mil Creek and promote public access to the only non-industrialized waterway that borders our city, partially
removing this burm and improving the habit that surrounds it will be an important step towards getting residents out onto the water. This project has received funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through our coastal habitat restoration and resilience grants for tribes and
underserved communities. And this grant from the myw funded by an anonymous foundation will butress those grant funds with additional security to ensure we can complete the project. The fund will serve as a model for nature-based coastal adaptation that can mitigate
flooding, restore and imperil salt marsh and extend contiguous publicly accessible waterfront space that can be used by all members of the community. The partial removal of the slate mill dam would serve to increase tidal flow, allowing the tide to make its way farther upstream and for the drainage of
storm water that has historically been trapped upstream. Restoration would increase the diversity of plant species, reduce fragamite stands and increase habitat value. Approximately 17 acres of wetland habitat are currently directly influenced by the burm. In addition, can
we wave the rest of the reading? Seeing none, if there are no objections. Seeing none, except in five. Yes. Thank you. Thank you, counselor. Moving on to the next item. Our final communication received from the city manager requesting approval of avoidance to
boards and commissions. No. Dear councilors, pursuant to section 4-2 of the charter of the city of Chelsea, I'm writing to recommend the following individuals to boards and commissions in the city, appointment to the historical commission, Mr. Cameron Kurpatre of Chelsea. Appointment to the historical commission, Miss Nia D. Young
of Chelsea, and appointment to the Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, Raymond Morales of Chelsea. Respectfully request your approval of these appointments. Madam President, uh move to uh move this to a second reading. Move to a second reading. Seeing no
objections. Thank you, councelor. Councelor Sigan, I'm so sorry. I just didn't know where the person who was here, David. That was for the second reading, which already passed. Oh, this is this is the first reading for these. Okay. I was confused
with that thing. Thank you, counselor. Moving on to communications and petitions to the council. First communication received comes from council Kelly Garcia regarding Chelsea Public Schools indicators of success for March 2025. Councelor Garcia,
I'd like to accept and file and accept. Oh Lord, sorry. Little rusty after vacation team. My apologies. I'd like to accept and file um under suspension. If there are no objections, I'd like to speak on it. You
have the I'll be brief. Team, what you have in front of you is our monthly indicators of success. I'd like to point your attention to the last page and shout out the uh sorry the page two. My apologies. Um and shout out the team at
the high school. Uh we have our dropout rate has increased. Um last year it was 5.3 uh 35% now. This year it is 3.78%. And so it is the lowest percentage in the last three years. Um
and so I just wanted to highlight that uh that p that um rate. Thank you. That's all. Thank you, counselor. Moving on to the next item on the agenda. Next, we have a communication address to the council president from the office of planning and land use permit and
planning board regarding the discontinuence of Merid Road. Dear councelor Deus, at a duly posted regular meeting of the planning board held Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025, the Chelsea planning board voted unanimously to approve and endorse the plan to discontinue Meritt Road from its
intersection at Webster Avenue to its intersection at Stockton Street. Thank you, clerk. Accept and follow communication on the suspension. There are no objections. Seeing none, thank you counselor. Moving on to the next item.
Next, we have another communication received from the office of permitting and land use planning directed to the council president. Dear councelor Desus, on behalf of the Chelsea Planning Board, I enclose for consideration by the council a proposed zoning amendment relative to eligibility for participation in the resident sticker
parking program for projects that receive zoning relief. Section 34-106 J6 of the Chelsea zoning ordinance is currently worded as follows. Any relief from off- streetet parking requirements in the zoning ordinance shall disqualify that location from participating in the
residential parking sticker program. This has been interpreted to mean that the tenants or residents of residential units proposed in zoning petitions that are in non-compliance with any aspect of the off- street parking regulations, number of spaces, size of parking
spaces, setbacks from property lines and buildings, parking aisle width, and so on are not eligible to receive off- street parking stickers. It is the It is the board's understanding that the ordinance was intended to address those developments that received relief
from the regulation for the number of off- streetet parking spaces. While it is not frequent, there are instances where some zoning petitions include the required number of off- streetet parking spaces, but need relief only for the location of the parking spaces due to property lines and buildings. It does
not seem fair to apply the restriction in those instances. The attached amendment would change the wording to read as follows. Any relief from the number of required off street parking spaces in the zoning ordinance shall disqualify that location from participating in the residential parking
sticker program. The proposed wording will limit ineligibility for participation in the city's resident sticker program only to those instances where the location has received relief for the number of required off- streetet parking spaces. If the council accepts this request at its April 28th meeting
and move it to a hearing by the planning board, the board can take it up at its May 27th meeting and return a recommendation to the council in time for a council hearing in June. As always, planning board staff are available to the council to give details on this proposed change, answer any questions you may have. John Depri and I
will make ourselves available for this purpose. Thank you, Cler. Is there a motion? Move to accept and file under communication if there are no objections. And I'd actually um refer to the uh I'd like to suspend the rules for a minute to ask a question of the um
city manager if that's possible. Seeing no objections. City manager, you um Thank you. So, I'm just I'm curious. So, the the communication is coming um on behalf of the planning board as a whole. Um I'm just curious if the U
administration has a position on this um whether it's the same or different from the planning board as a whole. No, no. Uh it is the same and what's before you. It's it's more of a cleanup of language, right? So, so uh uh since since
um the ordinance was implemented uh I believe in 2019 uh u we think that it has worked fantastically great we support it uh uh 100%. But uh uh what happens is that the language is very
broad and what it means is that if if uh if a developer asks for any sort of relief then we exclude them from the parking program what what and uh what what what we believe is is the intent is that if they don't provide the number of
parking spots then we should exclude them from the parking program. So the the uh uh it's essentially a cleanup of language. We want to make it very clear that that uh uh if developers do not
provide the required number of parking uh then they are excluded. Not if they if they don't provide, you know, the the uh uh the aisle width or or the setback of the building or other things that
really don't have anything to do with parking. Thank you. Thank you, city manager. All right, moving on to the next item on the agenda, committee reports. First committee report received from council
recuper from the meeting of subcommittee on aging and independence veterans affairs and community advancement held April 8th 2025. Accept and file the communication like to speak on it. Seeing no objections you have the floor counselor.
We had a meeting about the veterans, how the what we going to do doing veterans uh day and uh everything was uh we going to have speakers and they're going to
provide an extra food truck for the people that are there and uh so it's going to be even better than it was the last time and uh I hope it gets better and better and we probably this we're going to probably talk about bringing
back the parade the veterans that we used to have in this city that disappeared. Maybe we we could bring it back and when everybody this year you'll see a better and I hopefully more people will attend the events. Thank you. Thank
you counselor. Moving on. Next committee report received from the council president from the meeting of the subcommittee on conference held April 8th, 2025. Is there a motion on the floor? Thank you. Thank you, councelor. Shore.
I will give some quick updates. Um, so we had a meeting uh on April 8th. Um, thank you to our DPW uh public works commissioner K and um our city manager. Um essentially just to
go over our annual sewer and water enterprise funds um the two largest expenses uh which are the MWR assessment and the debt service 70% of the total budget um for FY26 we
are looking at MWR uh a preliminary of 4.7 increase for Chelsea. Um the city signed a new trash collection and disposal contract um in 2025. Um and we uh now have costs uh increase costs have
increased significant significantly across the industry. As such, the city is proposing a 10% increase in trash rates. Um and that is it. I don't know if any of my colleagues want to add anything else. Um the city is proposing a 3.5%
increase in water rates across all three tiers. Um with the increase in sewer rates uh being 0% for tier 1,.5% for tier 2, 1% for tier three combined um is as follows. Uh
1.75% for tier 1, 2% for tier 2 and 2.25% for tier three. Um I believe all of these are public notes from our subcommittees and our conferences. Um so I know that for the public um you know
understanding the tiers and knowing where you fit can be complicated just from our description now but you do have access to this information online. Um and if not you can always reach out to us. Our city manager is happy to answer any questions. Thank you. Moving on to
the next item. Next committee report received from council Taylor from the meeting of the subcommittee on ways and means held April 15th. Is there a motion? Accept and file the committee report. I'd like to speak on it. Uh seeing no objections, you have
the floor, counselor. So in the last ways and means uh committee, we uh discussed three financial orders. The first one uh was uh to basically transfer over $32,000
uh $776 to the Health and Human Services budget to to cover salary costs for an employee uh the uh community health worker that is currently uh paid by ARPA.
Um the second financial order was to authorize uh departments to pay prior year expenses in the amount of $3,7911. Um and the third one was uh actually the the good one.
um to transfer of unspent funds from prior CIP projects in the amount of $990,000 $6924 to the downtown Broadway water and sewer utilities project. I wanted to just give a special attab boy to Michael
Mason for uh as he likes to put it squeezing the rag dry uh finding all the uh monies that were unspent and uh uh so we do not need to
uh appropriate other funds or use free cash and we can transfer the unspent. Uh that that's quite a bit of money, almost a million dollars. So um and and and that is the second uh time he's done that. So thank you, Michael. Appreciate
it. Thank you. That's uh the conclusion of the report. Thank you, councelor. Moving on to the next item. Final committee report received from councelor Jimenez Rivera from the meeting of the city manager evaluation committee on April 15th. Uh, Madam President, I'd like to accept and file uh under
committee reports and I'd like to just quickly give a brief uh report. Um, so the uh the city manager evaluation committee held its first meeting on April 15th. Um, we basically took a look at what we did uh the last time we did a
city manager evaluation, which was in 2021, I believe. Um, and kind of used that as a as a structure to to set up the process that we have laid out. Um we agreed that we would create three separate surveys to get comments from different groups of people that are
important in this. Uh the first one uh first and foremost uh Chelsea residents. Uh so we have a form that is actually up on uh the city website. It's been emailed out. It's in the um I posted it in the Chelsea MA what's happening Facebook group. Um if you haven't seen it, go look in any of those places. If
you can find it, shoot me an email and I'll send it to you. Um thank you to everybody who has already completed it. Second, we have a form for city department heads uh so they can give their their feedback as well. Um that one is anonymous um since they are uh employees. And then uh the last one is
uh representatives from uh the major community-based organizations in the city of Chelsea. Um so we are also going to be sharing this information on the Chelsea record. Um so please share with everyone. We want everyone's input so that we can give uh the best uh evaluation that we can. And as we
mentioned in the meeting and uh in my conversations with the manager um this is not meant to be a process by which we say good job or bad job. This is really meant to be an opportunity for us to provide feedback and you know be constructive and and you know have a conversation between uh the city manager and us uh so that we can continue uh
developing uh processes and and you know everything policy that we need in our city to to better provide for our our residents. Um so we are going to have a number of meetings coming up. Uh I don't have the list in the committee report um but uh we'll make sure to share those
out with folks uh as they come up where we are going to be discussing the feedback that we receive um giving final ratings uh for the uh city manager and then uh finally approving uh the report. So if anybody has any questions feel free to reach out. Um I'm happy to set up meetings uh find time with anybody.
Thank you. Thank you counselor. Moving on to unfinished business. We only have one item under this section and now we'll just need one of my colleagues to accept and file. The item of unfinished business before you is a communication that was received by the council at its last meeting from
the assistant parking clerk regarding agenda items approved at their April 1st meeting specifically agenda item two relating to the discontinuence of Merit Road. Move to an order adopt. Is that what we need? Accept and file under
communication. There are no objections. Seeing no objections. Thank you counselor. Moving on to second readings. Our first item under second readings, we have an order introduced by council Taylor being read for the second time. Order that in accordance with chapter 44
section 33b of Mass General Law. The sum of $32,776 from fiscal year 25 assessing department regular salary account is no longer needed and is hereby transferred in the amount of $32,776 to fiscal year 2025 HHS health
department regular salary account. Thank you, Cler. Is there a motion? Move to a roll call vote, please. Seeing no objections, moving on to a roll call vote. Yes. Vote to adopt. Council Tenari Garcia is absent. Councelor Jimenez
Rivera, yes. Council Rupo, yes. Council Taylor, yes. Council Robinson, yes. Council Tesha is absent. Councelor Kelly Garcia, it's absent. Council Santigette, yes. Council Oega, yes. Council Brown, yes. And Council Odus, yes. Eight members voting in favor, zero opposed,
three absent, order adopted. Thank you, Cler. On to the next item. Next item under second readings is an order introduced by council Taylor being read for the second time. Order that in accordance with Mass General Law Chapter 44 section 64 budget management procedures whereby cost incurred in FY
24 and 23 were not paid and are owed to vendors. And to meet this obligation, funds are required from current year FY25 budgets as noted. The Chelsea City Council hereby authorizes the following expenditures to satisfy unpaid balances that total
$3,7911 from prior years as follows. Is there a motion on the floor? Move to a roll call vote. Thank you. Seeing no objections, moving on to a roll call vote. Yes. Vote to adopt. Council Tennar Garcia is absent. Councelor Himenez Rivera. Yes. Councelor Rupo, yes.
Council Taylor, yes. Council Robinson, yes. Council Tesha is absent. Council Kelly Garcia is absent. Council Santigette, yes. Council Vega, yes. Council Brown, yes. And councilos, yes. Eight members in favor, zero opposed, three absent, order adopted. Thank you,
Cler. Moving on to the next one. Next order introduced by council Taylor being read for the second time order that in accordance with chapter 44 section 20 of Mass General Law the sum of 990,6924 representing unexpended portions of projects appropriated under fiscal years 2012 through 2019 capital
improvement plans for projects as noted in the attached listing and which remain available after completion of the projects for which the funds were authorized and which are no longer needed to complete those projects are hereby transferred in the amount amount of $990,6924 to CIP fiscal year 24 Downtown
Broadway Water and Sewer Utilities Project. Councelor Taylor, move to roll call vote. Seeing no objections, moving on to a roll call vote. Yes. Vote to adopt. Council Tenari Garcia is absent. Councelor Herza, yes. Councelor Cooper,
yes. Council Taylor, yes. Councelor Robinson, yes. Council Tesh is absent. Councelor Kelly Garcia is absent. Council Santa, yes. Yes. Councel Vega. Yes. Councelor Brown. Yes. And Council Odesus, yes. Eight in favor, zero opposed, three absent. Order adopted.
Thank you, Cler. Moving on to new business. First item under new business. Order introduced by Council Taylor. Order that the Chelsea City Council authorizes the appropriation of $200,000 from free cash to fiscal year 2025 public works department building emergency demos boarding account for
Forbite receiverhip expenses. Officer Taylor. Move to Ways and Means. Seeing no objections, moving to Ways and Means. Next item. Next order introduced by Council Taylor. Order that the Chelsea City Council authorizes the appropriation of
$3,3,172,287 from overlay surplus to marginal street building improvements account for land and building enhancements including funds for solar project. Move to Ways and Means Committee. Seeing no objections, moving to ways and means on to the next item.
Order introduced by council Taylor. Ordered that the Chelsea City Council authorizes the appropriation of $53,000 from free cash to fiscal year 2025 executive departments conference travel account for all American city award conference expenses. Councelor Taylor.
Moved Ways and Means. Ways and Means. No objections. Moving on. Order introduced by Council Taylor. Order that the Chelsea City Council authorizes the appropriation of $160,000 from free cash to fiscal year 25 inspectional services software license account for
implementation and subscription costs for ISD permitting and ticketing software. Councelor move to ways and means. See no objections. Moving on. Order introduced by council Taylor. Whereas Greenroots, a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to environmental
justice in Chelsea and East Boston, seeks to provide the city with a $520,000 grant for the Bear Park project. And whereas the city plans to develop a new park at 212 Congress Avenue, named Bear Park. And whereas this parcel was heavily contaminated by formally industrial use and remediation
of costs exceed the project budget without this additional grant funding. And whereas the city seeks to ensure that this new open space serves the needs of all residents, providing shade, cooling opportunities, and opportunities for outdoor education. Now, therefore, be it ordered that by this vote, the
Chelsea City Council formally accepts Green Roots dedication of $520,000 to the city of Chelsea and authorizes the city manager to direct the funding to the Bear Park Development Program. Thank you, Cler Councelor.
Or is there a motion? This is the green. Roll call. Yeah. Sorry. Roll call. Roll call vote on the adoption. Okay. Seeing no objections. We'll move on to a roll call vote. Roll call vote requested. Yes. Vote to
adopt. Council Tennar Garcia. Absent. Councelor Himenez Rivera. Yes. Council Rupo. Yes. Council Taylor. Yes. Councelor Robinson. Yes. Council Tesh is absent. Council Kelly Garcia is absent. Council Santa, yes. Councelor Vega, yes. Councelor Brown, yes. And council Odus,
yes. Eight members voting in favor, zero opposed, three absent. Order is adopted. Thank you, Clarence. Moving on. Next order introduced by Council Taylor. Whereas Mystic River Wershed Association, a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing
climate education, climate resilience, and increased air and water quality work in the greater Boston area, seeks to provide the city with a $225,000 reward for the removal of the Slate Mill Dam on Mil Creek and related improvements. And whereas since 2019, the Mystic River Wershed Association has
supported the Housing and Community Development Department's efforts to increase public access to Mil Creek. And whereas the city seeks to partially remove Slade Mill Dam on Mil Creek to enhance the creek's suitability for recreational opportunities and increase habitat value. Now therefore, be it
ordered that by this vote, the Chelsea City Council formally accepts the Mystic River Wershed Association's dedication of $225,000 to the city of Chelsea and authorizes the city manager to develop direct the funding to the Department of Housing and Community Development.
Thank you, Cler. Is there a motion on the floor? Move to a roll call vote. Thank you, councelor. Seeing no objections, moving on to a roll call vote. Yes. Vote to adopt. Council Tenary Garcia is absent. Councelor Jimenez Rivera, yes. Councelor Rupra, yes.
Council Taylor, yes. Councelor Robinson, yes. Council Tesh is absent. Councilor Kelly Garcia is absent. Council Sandic, yes. Council Vega, yes. Council Brown, yes. And councilus, yes. Eight members voting in favor, zero opposed, three absent. Order is adopted.
Thank you, Claire. Moving on to the next item. We have an order introduced by the council president. Whereas it is the express purpose of municipal zoning to promote health, safety, and general welfare of the inhabitants of the city of Chelsea. And whereas a specific objective of the city of Chelsea zoning
ordinance states the need to encourage the most appropriate use of land throughout the city of Chelsea. And whereas the planning board has submitted to the Chelsea City Council a proposed amendment to section 34-106J6 off street parking requirements of the zoning ordinances of the city of
Chelsea. Now therefore, be it ordered that the following petition for the adoption of an amendment to chapter 34, article 5, section 34-106, Off Street parking requirements of the zoning ordinances of the city of Chelsea, be reviewed and that a public hearing be scheduled to discuss the
proposed zoning amendment pursuant to Mass General Law Chapter 4A. And be it further ordered that the petition be forwarded to the planning board of the city of Chelsea for a recommendation of the zoning amendment pursuant to Mass General Law Chapter 4A. The amendment reads as
follows. Any relief from the number of required off- streetet parking spaces in the zoning ordinance shall disqualify that location from participating in the residential parking sticker program. How does the council wish to proceed? Move to adopt and schedule the um zoning
amendment hearing. Refer to planning board or planning board. Referred to planning board. Seeing no objections. Thank you, councelor. Moving on to the last item on the agenda. Our final item under new
business order introduced by the council president. Whereas by section 21 of chapter 82 of Mass General Law as amended, it is provided that the Chelsea city council may discontinue a public way. And whereas Meritt Road is a 50- foot wide way between the Merit Club and
121 Webster Avenue in Chelsea. And whereas the city administration has researched, determined and recommended that Merit Road is a paper road not used for travel and has become a nuisance for trash and debris and therefore should be discontinued as a roadway and deemed surplus property whereby making
disposition appropriate which is described on the attached survey plan. And whereas the city administration has filed a request to discontinue the paper road merit road between Webster Avenue and Stockton Street. And whereas pursuant to section 24-85 of the code of ordinances of the city of Chelsea, both
the planning board and the traffic and parking commission have held public hearings and provided their respective recommendations to the city council. Now therefore, be it ordered that pursuant to section 24-85 of the code of ordinances of the city of Chelsea and section 21 of chapter 82 of Mass General
Law as amended, the Chelsea City Council formally discontinues Merit Road between Webster Avenue and Stockton Street. Thank you, clerk. How does the council wish to proceed? Move to adopt under uh a roll call vote.
Seeing no objections, moving forward with a roll call vote. Yes. Vote to adopt. Council Tanner Garcia is absent. Council Hermen Rivera. Yes. Councelor Recupo. Council Taylor. Yes. Council Robinson, yes. Council Tesh
is absent. Councelor Kelly Garcia is absent. Council Santa, yes. Council Oega, yes. Council Brown, yes. And councilus, yes. Eight members voting in favor, zero opposed, three absent. Whatever is adopted. Thank you, clerk.
Um, public announcements. Councelor Sandate. Hi. Yes. Um, I have a couple. Um, tomorrow morning, um, along with the mass safe root safe routes for school, we're going to be doing a walk audit around Chelsea High
School. Um, so that we can assess what's working well in that area and what could be improved for the students who walk and bike to Chelsea High. So that's from 7:45 to 9:15. And um the second announcement I have
involves uh yet another tragic violent event in our city on Friday evening, Saturday morning that involved the loss of life. um [Music] and just to really address these issues
and perhaps get some reassurances from the chief. We have scheduled a subcommittee on conference for June 3rd um where the chief and the community engagement
um director Dan Cortez and two of the police captains will join the council and we can just sort of get an idea of what's happening especially as summer is coming up and we know that that is
traditionally an even more hectic violent time in urban areas. It's going to be on June 3rd at 6 and of course the public is welcome. Uh councilors will get an invitation soon. Um I'm also
planning to have a meeting for my district again with uh members of the police department as I did last year just to talk and hear about what kinds of things we're doing preventatively
etc. Um, so [Music] thank you counselor. I I'd like to just recognize also the leadership that you have had in your seat as chair of our uh safety uh committee and I am so grateful for your ongoing work. I'm telling you
this woman does not sleep. Um, but very very grateful that you are the one leading these efforts on that committee and I look forward to this meeting. Councelor Taylor. So, I just wanted to remind everybody that the Chelsea Rotary Club is having
our annual fundraiser on May May 6. That's uh uh Tuesday uh at Anony's of Malden. And it is our our annual uh K Kentucky Derby
event. It'll be very fun. chance to uh uh to win some cash there and um uh well u $500,
$1,500. So sounds good to me. Tickets um tickets are $100. The meal is $60. We encourage everybody to come. It funds um uh college scholarships for Chelsea uh
students uh and a lot of other uh things. Uh uh you know there there there's too many to list. I mean but uh you know one of the things we've used used money for recently is the um the help of fire fire victims that we we
have a fund for. So all of this all of this uh helps our our uh people in need uh in this city. So I encourage everybody to contact us if you want to go. The event is also listed on uh Facebook so you can sign up there.
Thanks. Thank you councelor um councelor Jimenez. I have two uh actually three uh quick event uh announcements. Uh the first uh on and these are all happening on Thursday evening. So very busy evening on Thursday. Um the first is
Green Roots is actually hosting a meeting at 6 PM in their uh event in their office space uh with the secretary of transportation uh from the state uh to talk about the Tobin Bridge uh you know coming to its end of life and what we're going to do with it and kind of
you know starting those conversations early on. So, if you're interested in uh what could happen uh in the Tobin Bridge uh space, please go to Green Roots Thursday at 6 PM. Uh and then uh the other two events are both celebrating uh
Mayday uh which is a you know international workers day. We're celebrating workers um and everything that that they do um for our community. So the first one is La Collaborative and the um the coalition that they are a part of uh regionally in Chelsea East, Boston and Everett is having a uh an
event at the survival center at 5. Um if uh our folks uh here have more information, please do share. And the second is there is a uh national day of action uh event happening at the band stand at the Boston Common. Uh I know many of us will be uh attending that as
well. Uh so if you're interested in any of that uh and joining us, please please do. Thank you. Thank you, counselor. I'll just quickly add I believe Darlene from the Greater Boston Labor Council will be shuttling folks from the Boston
event to Chelsea as well. And so that's exciting to hear that these two events that happen annual will be happening. Of course, in Chelsea, we usually do a march. There will be no march this year. Sorry, city manager. I know you like to join those as well. Um, but there will be tons of activities under the bridge and so anyone who's interested, please
reach out to La Collaborative or join them under the bridge at the 636 Street location. Shout out uh to Charles once again on Sunday. Amazing kickoff event. It was amazing to see the Green Giant
Green Monster on the field. I saw that our counselor Leo Robinson was there and I unfortunately could not attend but my son had a blast. Um I want to also shout out our city manager, our faith leaders.
Saturday was a beautiful event that we shared here in our chambers with our youth and our community. Some of our counselors were able to join us. A lot of our school committee officials, thank you all for joining and just um kudos to the faith community and our city manager
for putting all of that together. And you know rain or shine that event just um it was beautiful. Um that is it I believe. Any more? No. Okay. Any moments of s or counselor Vega? No. Okay. Moments of
silence. Anyone? Yeah. So I got one for colleague who's always behind the scene. Some of you may not know that she's mother. So, some of some of you may not know
that Richie lost his mother. Richie is one of our dedicated workers behind the scene to make sure that our mics are on and we're projected well out in the community from these deaths here. So, my prayers and thoughts are with him and his family at this
time. I I actually have four. One is happens to be uh my cousin Bernice Robinson who owned a color circle in Boston who passed away. Also um Genevie Burke, a longtime Chelsea
resident uh who passed. Um people would know Kay Dunovan, longtime Dunovan family and actually had the pleasure of working with Kay for 15 years at Pope John. was the president of the school
and uh Van Bujan whose family lifelong Chelsea family, his brother George uh was my Chelsea High School teacher. He owns JB Insurance across the street. His brother uh Vaughn who passed away and
was a professor at TUS I believe. All right. Thank you all. Meeting adjourned.