--------- Good evening. This is a meeting of the Gardener City Council on the planning board for the purpose of a joint public hearing regarding an amendment to the chapter 675 the zoning code of the city of Gardner. The joint public hearing notice reads as follows. City of Gardner notice of joint public hearing. Pursuant
to general laws 40A subsection 5, notice is hereby given that the city council and planning board will conduct a joint public hearing on Monday, July 7th, 2025 at 7 p.m. in the Gardener City Council Chamber 219 City Hall, 95 Pleasant
Street, Gardner to consider amending chapter 675, the zoning code of the city of Garder. The proposed amendment involves changing item 11591, an ordinance to amend the gardener zoning map by changing the zoning
district designation for the following existing parcel lying on the easterly side of MA 101 in eastern gardener from the commercial 2 zoning district to the industrial one zoning district with summit solar overlay. submitted by
attorney Christine Tree. Information regarding these amendments and associated maps are available for viewing in the s in the city clerk's office, the department of community development and planning or on the city's web page www.gardner-na.gov. All persons interested in this matter and desire to offer testimony are
invited to attend the hearing ttaran city clerk. The clerical now, please do a roll call. Councelor Brooks present. Councelor Craig Cormier. Council General Lowitz, present. Council Harder, present. Council Heath.
Council Hegland, present. Council Kazinskus, present. Council Mack, present. Council Sony, present. Council Tibbo Munoz. President Tyros, present. Mr. Paul Cormier, present.
Mr. Steven Cormier, present. Mr. Flint, present. And Mr. source. We have quorum. At this time, I request a report from either the petitioner or the planning board. Attorney Tree, I'll also also ask that
city councilors and planning board members please hold your questions until present citizens have an opportunity to speak and ask their questions. Right. Good evening everyone. Um, I want to thank all of you for coming here the first business day after the July 4th
holiday weekend um to hear this petition. Um, this is a petition and I just want to be very clear to change the current zoning which is COM 1 um to IND1 with the Summit Solar overlay.
Um and this is a vacant parcel approximately 6.13 acres that is currently owned by the CB realy trust um that is uh through the trustee Bruce Blessington who also owns uh Blessington
Corp in the Summit Industrial Park. The parcel lies adjacent uh to the other uh Blessington Corp uh parcel um but is not part of the industrial park or its
zoning. What our petition seeks to do is to uh move the boundary line um for the zoning district. So, um, the petitioner's current parcel, um, at 77
sublane is zoned IND1 with the summit solar overlay and they want them to move that boundary over to the adjacent parcel which they have purchased. Um, their purpose in doing so is to expand
um, their current business uh, beyond its capacity. It is currently occupying approximately 15,000 square ft in the industrial park. Um it was uh built and uh initiated in approximately 2002
uh near the beginning of the industrial park. Um and then they did an an expansion to a second building in 2008. They have approximately 20 employees. um and uh they are generally engaged in
high-end woodworking and con commercial and industrial applications. Um I unfortunately due to technical difficulties will not be presenting the beautiful PowerPoint that I assembled for this but we have some photos in
there of their finished work um for places such as Harvard and Tubs University. Um the business is generally uh a benefit to the city of gardener. Its activities do not produce a substantial amount of waste and it's
appropriately cited where it is. Um the expansion would be the most economically viable and convenient to them as it is the adjacent parcel. In the packet that you received, you have the survey plan of the particular
parcel. You can see that it is a long parcel with a tail at the end and the tail is uh d the end of Dan Drive. Um the other end of the parcel uh abuts to the industrial park and it's right on
the turn from Zub Lane to Suffach Lane. Um so my client's uh purpose in um submitting this petition is for his own expansion of his business. The city has to
consider whether the request is appropriate and beneficial for the city. um as the city uh exercises its zoning authority um that's generally its authority under the police power to provide for the public health public
welfare or public safety. Um the the reszoning of this partial to um industrial one is for the general welfare of the city by increasing the economic opportunity and development available to the city um and increasing
the amount of industrial land in a way that makes the best possible use of the city's existing facilities. There is um an industrial park as you know existing there. It has all of its facilities and utilities already brought
in. Um it has parking available. It has um a private drive available and it is secluded um by wooded wooded parcels from the surrounding properties to the I if the um industrial park lies
to the east. Uh to the west is Garden Gate. um apartments and metobrook village. Um and then to the south is uh the high highgate highgate uh wildlife management
area. Um and that is a 170 acre parcel. Um and this is the top of it but on the vacant parcel that we are discussing. Um my client proposes to construct
closest to the industrial park end. Um there is some indication of possible wetlands in the middle of the parcel. Um and then towards the other end it peters out into the end of Dinan Drive. Dinan
Drive, the first half of it is a public roadway. Um the back half of it which is a dead end uh is supposedly not a public way um but is currently maintained regularly by the city as part of D and
Drive and so they are plowing they maintain the pavement. Um, it is my client's uh a plan if the parcel can be reszoned to request whether the city would like to take the rest of D and
drive as a public way. Um, uh, since it's already maintaining it. Um, that tail end of D and Drive does provide does border two of the buildings uh with Garden Gate. Um so they are accessing
via dine and drive but again that access is uh guar guaranteed it's it's by easement deed um and should the city decide in the future that it would like to dedicate that portion of D and drive as a public way since it's again already
maintaining it um that would ensure um that any residents of Garden Gate would not have uh any blocked access although it's certainly not my client's intent. intention to do so. Um, there really is no intention to access the parcel at
this point in time from Din Drive. It's all intended to come from Zublane in the industrial park since that's where all of the facilities are. Um, when you review uh the PowerPoint, you will see um some close-ups of the parcel, the
zoning, the marking of the location of um the proposed structure. not in any great detail because it is within the next 5 years. So, uh it's not going to be tomorrow. Um but uh you will also see laid out uh the
abuing parcels in their various uses as I've described. Um what I would say about the potential for any impact due to the change in zone to the abutters is that again due to the large amount of
unused land except for that little tiny tail end of D and Drive that surrounds this parcel um there is uh no real impact uh that would be felt by any of Butters just my client science and the
benefits in increased taxes, increased development, increased opportunity for employment and other economic activity within the city. Um, I don't believe we have received any communications indicating uh an
objection um to this petition. Um, I did want to address the question of whether or not this would constitute a spot zoning case. Um, because that does come up um when we single out a a
parcel for treatment. Um, as I've said at the beginning, the city can uh really issue any constitutionally permissible zoning regulation and that is related to its police power.
How does it help the city um to reszone this parcel? When we look at spot zoning, uh, spot zoning occurs when there is a parcel that is reszoned and it benefits the owner and no one else. Um, so the classic example of spot
zoning is we when we have a single parcel and that is reszoned as ind uh residential because somebody wants to build a home on it in a sea of commercial um commercial zones. So in
other words, it's it's floating along on its own and the um single family residence doesn't have any wider impact on the city generally creates a dwelling unit. Um you probably get a little bit
of increased taxes, but there's no other benefits associated with that. Um this is a different case because of the impact on the general welfare of the city in the terms of increased economic opportunity. In addition, what we are
doing is sliding the zone boundary over not introducing some new boundary in the middle new parcel with a different zone all of its own. Um, this district does have a mix, as I said, of zones.
So, it has the industrial park, which is IND1 with the solar overlay. Um it has a um kind of uh triangle pointy triangle that is zoned comm one
that currently includes the parcel and then it is RR2 surrounding that. As it goes down 140 there is another industriallyzoned strip along 140. Um and just as a
reminder, Dinan Drive comes out to 101 um just before the intersection with 140 so Pearl Street. Um again, uh when you have the visual to go along with it, it'll be a lot clearer for you to look
at. Um this is really uh it's it's a political request. Um it's a political resolution. The indication is whether or not the council and the planning board um believe this would be beneficial for the
city and beneficial for the residents. Um as I've said, it's not spont zoning and it's within the constitutional power of the uh city of Gardner. Um so I would be happy to take any questions that
anyone has. Um, but that is the gist of the proposal and I thank your tolerance and attention. I'm trying to follow councelor Brook's advice to keep it simple. Um, which I think is really keep it short and um, I hope that this
presentation is better illuminated when you look at the visuals. Thank you. Thank you, Attorney. I declare the public hearing open for item 11591. Does anyone wish to be heard in favor of
the proposed zoning amendment? Does anyone wish to be heard in favor of the proposed zoning amendment? Does anyone wish to be heard in favor of the proposed zoning amendment? Does anyone wish to be heard in opposition of the proposed zoning
amendment? Does anyone wish to be heard in opposition of the proposed zoning amendment? Does anyone wish to be heard in opposition of the proposed zoning amendment? Are there any other questions or comments from city councilors or planning board members? Or would anyone
else like to be heard on the matter? I declare the joint public hearing now closed. Thank you. Thank you everyone for your time and for coming in today. Appreciate you. With that, I'll entertain a motion to adjurnn. So moved. Second. Motion made by councelor Tony, second by councelor Kazinskus to adjurnn. All
those in favor? I. All those opposed, no. Motion passes. We stand adjourn. Thank you. Part: 2
I call to order the Monday, July 7th meeting of the Gardener City Council. The clerk will now please call the role. Council Brooks, present. Council Craig Cormier, present. Council Delaware, present. Council Harder, present. Council Heath. Council Hegler,
present. Council Kazinskus, present. Council Matt, present. Council Tony present. Council Tibios and President Tyler present. Those who wish may now rise for the opening prayer and pledge allegiance. Almighty God, we thank thee for bringing
us together this evening. Inspire us to worthy deeds and sound decisions and direct us towards the attainment of good city government. We pray thee to bless and protect all the people of our city and to so guide and inspire us that we may liberate in unity and harmony. Amen.
I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Announcement of open meeting recordings.
Any person may make a video or audio recording of an open session of a meeting or may transmit the meeting through any medium subject to reasonable requirements of the chair as to the number, placement, and operations of the equipment used so as to not interfere with the conduct of the meeting. Any person intending to make such recordings
shall notify the chair forthwidth. All documents and exhibits used or referenced at the meeting must be submitted in duplicate to the city clerk as it be part of the meeting minutes pursuant to master journal laws chapter 30 a subsection 20. Is anybody recording tonight's meeting?
Please state your name. My name is uh nope. Just please provide a copy of your recording to the clerk after the meeting. Thank you. Reading of minutes of prior meetings. May 19th, 2025 regular meeting.
We'll begin with the reading and approval of the May 19th regular meeting minutes. Councelor Cormier move to wave the reading of the minutes and accept them as printed. Second motion made by councelor Cormier, second by councelor Kazinskus to wave the reading of the minutes and accept them as presented. Is there discussion?
All those in favor? I I. All those opposed, no. Motion passes. Public hearings, there are none. Communications from the mayor. There are no communications from the mayor. Petitions, applications, communications, there are none.
Reports of standing committees. Public Safety Committee. Item 11531, a communication from the mayor regarding the status of the city's parking meters. Councelor Cormier. I move to place the item on file. Second. Motion made by councelor Cormier, second
by councelor Harter to place the item on file. Is there discussion? All those in favor? I. I. All those opposed, no. Motion passes. Item 11553, application for license to collect or deal in secondhand articles. EcoATM LLC
560 Main Street. Council Cormier. Thank you, Mr. President. Uh this is the EcoATM uh machine at Price Chopper. Uh we reviewed this with police uh liaison and the city clerk and it was in good standing. Therefore, the committee was
unanimous in recommending approval and I recommend approval of the application. Move to approve the application by councelor Cormier, second by councelor Harter. Is there discussion? All those in favor? I. I. All those opposed, no. Motion passes.
Item 11592. Application for bowling alley license, 10 pins, 560 West Broadway Street. Mr. President. Councelor Kazinskus. I'm going to recuse myself from this vote as I have a potential conflict. Thank you, Councelor Kazinskus. Councelor Cormier.
Uh, thank you, Mr. President. Uh, this is a long-standing business in the city. It is in good standing in terms of the lease and the city clerk as far as taxes go. Uh the committee was unanimous in its recommendation. We recommend approval of the application and I so
move. Motion made by councelor cormier. Second by councelor Harden to approve the application. Is there discussion? All those in favor? I. All those opposed? No. Motion passes. Welfare Committee. Item 11519,
an ordinance to amend the code of the city of Gardener, chapter 675 thereof, entitled zoning to amend section 510 thereof entitled Flood Plane Overlay District in order to comply with the most with the recent amendments to the required requirements set forth by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency. Councelor Mack, I make a motion to send this to second and final printing. Second. Motion made by councelor Max, second by councelor Tony to send this item to its second and final printing. Is there discussion?
All those in favor? I. I. All those opposed? No. Motion passes. Item 11533, an amendment to the code of the city of Gardener, chapter 675, thereof entitled zoning to change and add commercial
overlay classification on certain parcels of land on Central Street. Councelor Mack. I make a motion to send this to second and final printing. Second. Motion made by councelor Mack, second by councelor Tony to send this item to second of final printing. Is there discussion?
All those in favor? I. All those opposed? No. Motion passes. Item 11534, an amendment to the zoning ordinance chapter 675 submitted by Chair City Church and 10 registered voters to add a
new section entitled historic preservation project amending the table of uses to allow or by the same by special permit amending the article 7 off streetet parking loading and drive-thru standards subsection 675-740
to facilitate historic preservation projects. Additional amendments to the relief from parking regulations to be applied generally and additional amendments more specifically stated in the petition and attachments. Councelor Mack. Uh I make a motion to send this to second and final printing. Second.
Motion made by councelor Mac, second by councelor Tone to send this item to its second and final printing. Is there discussion? All those in favor? I. I. All those opposed? No. Motion passes. Finance Committee. Item 11610,
an order authorizing the alteration of the Waterford Community Center by the Gardener Community Action Committee, Gardner CAC, to construct a wall delineating area B1 as seen on exhibit A in the grant lease agreement between the the city of Gardner and the Gardener
CAC. Council allowance. Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, this is one of three items that are before us in relation to the Gardener CAC. The finance committee did meet on these uh last week. I do want to take note that CC director director um Mian is here
tonight as well. This particular item is to construct a wall separating a prep area in the cafeteria from growing places um in order to they need to be um not using the same locations. Finance committee was in favor and I move to authorize the order.
Second. Motion made by councelor Garow, second by councelor Mack to authorize the order. Is there discussion? All those in favor? I. All those opposed, no. Motion passes. Item 11611,
an ordinance to amend the code of the city of Gardener, chapter 8 thereof entitled personnel to amend the attachment E thereof entitled non-union compensation schedule to add the position of youth center director. Councelor Heg. Thank you, Mr. President. Move the
ordinance be sent to first printing. Second motion made by councelor Heglin, second by councel journal allowance to send the item to its first printing. Is there discussion? Councelor Heglin. Thank you, Mr. President. The finance committee met on this item last week. We were unanimously in support of this.
Essentially, this will allow us to hire uh the person who was going to oversee the youth center uh program that we funded at our previous meeting. Uh again, there is a a one-year sort of sunset clause on this so that we can discuss and review at the end of the program as was somewhat mentioned at our
previous meeting and I look forward to supporting this. Thank you. Thank you, Council Heg. Further discussion. All those in favor? I. All those opposed, no. Motion passes. Item 11612. an order authorizing the amendment of
the lease agreement between the city of gardener and the community gardener community action committee as approved by the city council on October 7th 2024 by adding the area noted as unit D in the attached floor plan council allowance. Thank you Mr. President. This item and
item 11613 do go hand in hand. one is authorizing the lease of the area um in section D which is was originally um in the plan to be a constituent service office can't be that anymore. The CAC is going to use
it as their kitchen. Um so they're going to utilize the space for that one item 11612 is to have access to make this this section part of their lease and the next item is to allow them to construct the kitchen in there. The finance committee met on this. We were in favor
and I move to authorize the order. Second. Motion made by councelor Dur allowance. Second by councelor heglin to authorize the order. Is there discussion? All those in favor? I. All those opposed? No. Motion passes. Item 11613
an order authorizing the gardener community action committee gardener CAC to construct a kitchen facility at the Waterford Street Community Center facility. Council General. Thank you, Mr. President. As previously stated, finance committee met on this. We were in favor and I move to authorize the order. Second.
Motion made by councelor Durawit, second by councelor Hegund to authorize the order. Is there discussion? All those in favor? I. I. All those opposed? No. Motion passes. Item 11615, council leaison, Waterford Community
Center update. Council Hegland. Thank you, Mr. President. um through to the council. It's been about 3 weeks since President Tyrus appointed me, Waterford uh community center liaison. In that time, I've met with Julie Mian from the CAC, Mike Ellis from the senior center, Alanelli from the historical
commission, director Cormier from purchasing and the mayor. I'm still working on scheduling a meeting with Andy Eagle of Growing Places, as well as hopefully the CAC board of directors and the chair of the Council on Aging. The purpose of my meetings really is just to get me up to speed and to set a
baseline. Uh what I can report though is that the work in the various spaces is coming along nicely. As some of you may know, Growing Places has been operating there for some time now and nearly all of their buildout is complete and it's looking really really nice in there. It's it's weird to see that giant wall
in the cafeterium. The space really does look different. Uh the CAC space similarly has made considerable progress with one exception. Uh the major work is done and they're really waiting on other buildingwide things to be completed. The one exception as we we talked about is the kitchen. Uh when plans were first
worked on years ago, it was initially envisioned that the existing kitchen would be shared by at least growing place in the CAC. However, since then, they've both grown their program and offerings. Uh so with that, the original plan, while still feasible for the time being, will likely put too much scheduling pressure on the space as we
look out a few years. So the CAC has been working on plans to build a separate kitchen for their own use. To that end, they received a $100,000 earmark from Repzel Lotnik for that and the specific plans of those are still in development and I expect I'll have more to report as we move through the summer.
Alan Nelli's continued to work cleaning and organizing the space set aside for the city archive project. He's worked on designs for storage and use that are again still in development and I expect I'll have more to report later. The additional capital improvements that were initiated earlier this year are moving through their process. So to sum
up really I think progress is continuing to be made. I expect more adjustments to the plan will continue to be made as well and as people sort of get into the space and find out their needs uh and and how things are working or not. Certainly the one thing I that's worth mentioning that came up in all my
meetings and I agree with is that improved communication is needed. Um, President Tyros tasked me with making sure the council's better informed on the project moving ahead. And whether it's me or some other form, uh, the mayor will have to be a partner in that process and has assured me that I'll
receive weekly updates on the project. So, I think improving communication and coordination is going to be important, especially as we expect things to pick up considerably in the coming months, and I look forward to updating you all more. Again, with that, I'll move that the uh, report be added to the meeting
minutes for tonight's meeting. Second. Motion made by councelor Hegland. Second by councelor journal allowance to add the report to the meeting minutes. Is there discussion? All those in favor? I. I. All those opposed? No. Motion passes.
Item 11614, a measure declaring the land and buildings locating located at 130 Elm Street as surplus for the purpose of disposition with an established minimum sale price of $300,000. Council bro.
Uh yes. I will be recusing myself as I own property that's across the street and abuing to the parcel. I just ask that I'll be out in the hall and I understand there's no air conditioning. So I hope somebody will come rescue me as soon as the discussion is over. Thank you. We'll be sure to get you counselor.
Move the measure be adopted. Second motion made by councelor Heglin, second by councelor allowance to adopt a measure. Is there discussion? Okay, councelor heglin. Thank you, Mr. President. Threw you to the council again. So, finance committee met on this item. We are unanimously in
favor of it. I know I for one am very pleased to see we've reached this stage. This is all as the result of a resolution I had filed a while back now when I first joined the council and the mayor diligently has taken this through a lot of steps uh with the other relevant departments from the city.
They've done a lot of hard work in figuring out what can be best done with this property. Um, and going through the assessment process, I think arrived at a a reasonable amount given the state of the building, having worked there just up through 2020. Um, when I was at
Gardener Academy there, even then, the building was in rough shape and it was being maintained regularly for a school. As I mentioned at our finance committee meeting, on two occasions, I had birds come in from the attic into my classroom. We had regular leaks. So, the building's in rough shape and it's just very exciting to see something happening
with it. Uh, and I appreciate everyone's efforts to that end. So, I look forward to supporting this tonight. Thank you. Thank you, Council Hegel. Councelor Kazinskus. Thank you, President Tyros. Uh, I would like to thank councelor Hegeland for being proactive in starting this process
last year as he just had talked about when with his resolution. Um, the Helen May Solder Building obviously is a historic building and it's nice to see it be preserved in a way where it has the opportunity to be bought and restored. Um, I went to elementary school there and when my sister was
there, she met Helen May Solder, I remember way back in the day. Um, and history is important and the sentiment of it and we also have to be cognizant of safety in the city. Um, and I just think that this was a great way to do it. We can't do it with all buildings, but I think this is a proactive approach to doing it to be sure we didn't have
another building that fell to it. So, I want to thank councelor Hagland for that. Thank you, Council Gazinsk. Further discussion, Council Mack. Yes. Um, on along those same lines, I think that it's still a very viable, very well-built um with the elevator uh building and it has tremendous
potential. So, I'm glad we're going to take action um with councelor Hegeland, you know, starting this resolution because I don't want it to get in the state as school street school is in. Um, with that being said, the I thought the appraisal was very well done. Um, but it was interesting in the pictures we
received, the amount of uh material and books, tables, furniture, and stuff that is still in that building that has not been cleaned out by the school department. And um, I just think they have a responsibility to go in there and clean it out. And there is still, I think, some chairs, tables, filing
cabinets, um, that surplus that could be maybe benefit other departments within this building. Um, but I I would like to see them do their due diligence. um as they occupied the building for so many years um to follow through with their responsibility in this process. Thank you. Thank you, council Mack. Further
discussion. With that, we have a motion to authorize the measure. All those in favor I. All those opposed, no. Motion passes. Is he all right out there? You're welcome. Item 11523, an order authorizing the
spending limit of the Council on Aging Recreational Activities revolving account to $60,000 or available balance, whichever is lower, pursuant to section 53E and a half of chapter 44 of the General Laws of the Commonwealth. Councelor Mack. Yes. This order is to increase the res
revolving recreational account for the senior center by $20,000 to $60,000. The finance committee was in favor and I make a motion to move the order. Second. Motion made by councelor Max. Second by councelor Jalowitz to move the order. Is there discussion?
All those in favor? I. I. All those opposed? No. Motion passes. Item 11577, a measure creating a revolving account for lifeline service activities under the provisions of chapter 44 section 53E
and half of the general laws of the Commonwealth to be managed and overseen by the Gardener Senior Center for which the balance shall not exceed $20,000. Councelor Mack. Yes. This order is to create a new revolving account um for $20,000 for the senior center which has taken over the
Philips Lifeline service activities program from service program from Haywood Hospital um uh which they will oversee and manage. Um the finance committee requested more information which we we did receive. However, um I think there may be still
questions from counselors and um if there's no objection, I would request more time on this item and ask any counselors that have questions to reach out to Director Ellis who is here this evening um to get their answer questions answered by the next meeting. Thank you. Thank you, Councelor Mack.
Motion made one more time by councelor Mac second by councelor Hegeland. Is there discussion? Councelor K. Councelor Kazinsquez. Thank you, President Tyros. So, I would like to begin by thanking the finance and public welfare committees for their thoughtful work on
this item. I know that a lot of time and effort has um gone into reviewing it, and I appreciate the good questions that have been raised so far. I just wanted to offer a few words in support of the uh of the motion for more time. Uh, I do want to say upfront that I
think the lifeline program is a good thing and I understand the intention behind it, but at the same time I believe that there are still some important questions that haven't been fully answered and I will certainly submit them to Director Ellis. Um, I think that we just need to get more
clarity before we move forward. And so there are some program related concerns that I have. I want to know what training are volunteers receiving, what does the training include, and what's uh and who's providing it. And for what I do understand, we're sending city
volunteers into private homes to install and troubles troubleshoot medical alert equipment. That's a serious responsibility. And it raises questions about safety, liability, and readiness. Also, this isn't just limited to clients here in Gardner from the discussions in
committee. Uh there are clients as far away as Athol in Orange. And so have we defined a geographic service area? Will the city of Gardener be responsible for clients in those other communities? It seems like a much more technical, potentially high stakes operation than what the senior center is usually
responsible for. And I want to acknowledge councelor Mack for raising that important point in committee. From the meeting discussions, it sounds like this system roots emergency calls. So while the senior center isn't responding to calls directly, it is
housing critical technology that needs to be operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. That is a big ask and it requires infrastructure oversight and back backup systems that go beyond the normal scope of senior
center services. So, for example, I understand that the senior center has a backup generator, but this isn't about keeping the refrigerators running. This is about a system that could be involved in life or death situations. And so, that kind of responsibility has traditionally fallen on hospitals and
even police or fire departments that have similar systems in other communities. It doesn't fall on senior centers. Uh there's also financial questions. How exactly is the program going to generate revenue? How are we projecting a surplus? and how realistic is it that the surplus could reach
$20,000? Those are my initial questions. Uh Heywood Hospital didn't have the funds to keep this program running. If a hospital found it financially unsustainable, shouldn't we be taking a little bit more cautious approach to it? We've also been told that a part-time
employee will manage this program, but is that sustainable or is that going to be enough? And are we risking pulling resources away from the senior center programs and services? It seems like that may already be on the table since one of the proposed uses of the revolving fund include salaries tied to
lifeline and and we've also heard the intent is to grow the number of clients which means more staff, more time and more resources will be needed to um needed to use as the program expands. And so I just want to be really clear on
all of these questions and comments. I do recognize that the agreement for this program was signed in February and we're not voting on whether to adopt it when we do eventually take a vote. However, as part of the council's responsibility for oversight and due diligence, we need
to be clear and have confident answers to these questions is my feeling. Is this a critical health care service requiring substantial support and resources or is it a minor manageable program within existing operations and administrative operations? It can't be
both of those things. So, at the moment, I'm not confident that we know which one of those it really is. Thank you. Thank you, Councilus. Further discussion. All those in favor? I. All those opposed? No. Motion passes.
Item economic and community development committee item 11616 June economic and community development update. Councelor Kazinskus. Thank you, Mr. President. The economic and community development committee met and uh Director Stevens provided us with
his monthly update. He went over uh many projects that the department overseas uh in the city and manages. I'm going to start with the rear main street project overview. Um there has been significant progress made in preparation for the end
of the fiscal year. The uh city successfully secured a full fiscal year extension. So this will be until June 30th, 2026 for the Mass Works grant. Um you can get extensions to grants. You have to request them. We were approved for one. Um though most of the work is
expected to be completed in uh by December of 2025 of this year, but we do have that extra time. Uh the construction timeline has the key drainage and site prep work is ongoing through early July. There's work on removing underground obstructions, so
tunnels and old concrete. Um it began at the end of June and continues through this week and the beginning of July. And then warmer weather items like landscaping and concrete will be scheduled for the spring of 2026 if only necessary. But we do have that extra time for them to be able to do that.
Greenwood Pool, uh there was a bid issue. There was a bid protest that was uh delayed that delayed the project to a um misdelivered bid. Basically, to sum it up, uh the lower bidder was
eventually confirmed as the winner and after an appeal process resolved in late May, uh basically there was a mail carrier that brought the bid to the wrong mailbox and it was confirmed that it was in there and they weren't able to consider it. This was brought to the attorney general's office, went through
their process, and um it was confirmed that it was fair to consider that bid. So, that did delay it a little bit. Uh the demolition of the old structure um which is the current structure is now planned for late September to early October, but director Stevens has
advocated to move it to earlier. And um if it is moved to earlier, then they'll coordinate with the pool manager to ensure that demolition does not interfere with the pool season and pool usage. And then also um in terms of signage
kind of around the area for renderings of what it will look like um project signs have to follow state requirements for CDBG funded projects but they will make an effort to add visual renderings for public information. So that is
Greenwood Pool. The North Central Pathway project status it is near completion. uh final ceiling and transitions, which is sidewalks, pathway lips, um will be finished mid July. And if you've drove by there, you probably have seen all the different trucks and
everything. Um there's been a lot of positive feedback from people who live in the area as uh Councelor Heath is on our um the committee for e for the community and economic and community development. Um W 2 is a big part of that area. So, he's gotten some good feedback from that. The pathway is
already in use and appreciated by the public. He had said the uh city continues uh plans to continue to extend the pathway with the uh with future mass trails grants and um connect it over 140
into Winen. That plan is still in place. The Rome building site, if anyone is driven over by the previous Rome building site, they know it is it is the Rome building site. It is no longer the Rome building. The demolition is clearly complete. It was fully demolished. The grass has taken root and the fencing is mostly down around it. is pretty much
just up at the end of it now to uh be sure people don't walk over the grass so the grass can grow. Uh and then the gardener redevelopment authority owns that property and they it will be sold to a developer. Uh the final approval from the state is pending to close out
this project for CDBG. So um Director Stevens is very excited about that. And then in terms of his department, we've had um obviously we've been very clear on how the staffing has been going. There's been a lot of changes there. The assistant director was slated to start today, July 7th. So, he did hire an
assistant director. So, um he now has a staff of three in his department. And as we combine two, uh departments, we voted, I'm sorry, two positions voted by the council to combine to one to the economic development and finance manager position has also been found and hired
to start in August. The uh person who is taking that position is actually relocating for the role, so it's going to take him a little bit longer to get started. Uh, Director Stevens is excited and enthusiastic um about building a fully staffed team and the the uh
economic and uh community development committee shares that excitement as well as the mayor's office. So, that was exciting for staffing for um for the director up until today. He has had himself and um his assistant for the last few months in the office getting all this work done since he's been hired
uh early this year. And so overall, the city has visible progress on multiple projects. They're staying on track with funding deadlines and keeping a strong collaboration. Uh Director Steven said between city staff, with multiple departments, with state agencies,
contractors, any of the federal funds he's had to deal with, he said he's had a very positive experience. And um you know, the committee had discussed that we attributed that to his followup, his followth through. and um he's really been he's really taken it by the reins,
but he also has responded well to any type of uh support that he's been offered and he's very thankful for that as well. And that's it. Thank you. And with that, I have a motion uh to add this update to the minutes of this meeting. Second.
Motion made by councelor Kazinska, second by council journal to add the report to the meeting minutes. Is there discussion? All those in favor? I. I. All those posted, no. Motion passes. Unfinished business and magistrate consideration. We have no unfinished
business. New business. We have no new business. Councelor comments and remarks. Are there any counselor comments or remarks this evening? Councelor Mac. Thank you. I just want to mention that um this month is a pilot program to keep the Greenwood pool open on Sundays. Um and hopefully if it's wellreceived that
it'll continue um in August and be considered next summer. I went by yesterday. It was mobbed. It was of course a very hot day. Um but it's great to see our our community enjoying um our outdoor resources and I just I just want to make sure people know that it is open
and to please take advantage of it. Thank you. Thank you councelor Mac. Further question further comments or remarks. With that I'll change a motion to adjurnn after the closing prayer. So move second. Motion made by councelor Tony second by councel Cormier to adjurnn after the
closing prayer. All those in favor I. All those opposed, no. Motion passes. Almighty Father over all as we adjourn, we thank thee for the opportunity of joint deliberation and action to witness to the course of this meeting. Bless, oh
Lord, all who are gathered here and the people who represent as we are and do thou attend to our common welfare until our next meeting. Amen. We stand. Thank you.