Worcester City Council Agenda Preview: March 12, 2023
Busking, Economic Development, Homeless People at the Library
The City Council meeting is Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. The agenda is here.
After taking a month off, the Council is back with a jumbo agenda.
This week: Busking, economic development, homeless people at the library.
Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/91727574825
FIRST ITEM OF BUSINESS - Biannual Economic Development Report
Private and Public Streets: There are requests that the private Crillon Road, Belcourt Road, Cadorna Road, and Tracy Place be made public. These will go to the Planning Board for discussion.
Veteran Memorials: There’s a renewed request to install a “veteran square” memorial to U.S. Army Private John D. Kelleher at the intersection of Hartshorn Street and June Street or at the intersection of Hartshorn Street and Manor Street. Kelleher was killed in the Korean War. This request will go to the Veterans Committee for discussion.
Hens and Fire Pits: Evan Corrigan has several requests, including one for there to be a permitting process for people who want to raise chickens, and one for there to be a permitting process for non-cooking outdoor fire pits.
Boards and Commissions: The Council will vote whether to appoint the legendary Tina Zlody and reappoint Rachel Brown and Carol Stovall to the Citizen Advisory Council.
Senior Tax Abatement Volunteer Program: The Manager has a report on a proposed pilot program that would select 20 taxpayers over age 60 to volunteer for the City for $15/hr reduction in their property taxes, up to $2000. The would have to take various HR trainings but those hours would count.
Economic Development: The Chief Development Officer has a report on our economic development initiatives. These reports are always rich in detail, one of these weeks I should just pick out highlights of the report instead of the Council agenda. For example, did you know the current plan is to demolish the Denholm Building and build an 11-story, $113m building with 233 residential units and 10,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space? Did you know the platform rebuild at Union Station is scheduled to be done before July?
Tax Breaks: The CDO has a report noting there are currently 16 completed construction projects receiving tax breaks from the city.
A Tiny Property Transfer: The Manager wants the Council’s approval to sell 274 square feet of 23 Preston Street to the abutter for $5,000, and put out bids to build affordable housing on the remaining 5,008 square feet.
Utility Pavement Guarantees: There’s a report on the City’s new policy that utilities have to guarantee their permanent asphalt patches for 5 years, and must be 4 feet long and as wide as the lane or lanes.
Fire Department: The fire chief has a report noting, among other things, that we’re currently filling 440 of 452 budgeted fire department positions.
Busking: The busking issue has been acknowledged and may have been resolved. The Manager notes that a confusing new busking permit form had people thinking you had to pay $25/week to busk anywhere in the city, when that’s just supposed to apply to parks. A revised ordinance would remove the need to have a permit, or to keep any accompanying signs small, while adding the restriction that you can’t be within 100 feet of a permitted activity in a park or playground.
Homeless People at the Library: The downtown library has served as a de facto day center for homeless people for decades. It seems to be getting a lot more use and having a lot more incidents in recent years, which is anecdotally stressing out librarians. In January they hired a full-time social worker, paid with ARPA money. They also now have 2 Security Compliance Officers. The report’s not clear about how these positions differ from existing security guard positions.
Electricity Aggregation: A report on the Green Worcester electricity aggregation program notes that participants have been saving about $27/month compared with National Grid. Soon 2/3 of the electricity used by customers will come from renewable energy sources in New England.
Transferring Parcels to the Schools: The Manager wants to transfer 4 parcels on Sunderland Road adjacent to Roosevelt School to the Worcester Public Schools, for the improvement of dropoff/pickup areas.
Remembering Lorraine Laurie: The mayor wants the Manager to rename the Crompton Neighborhood Center in honor of neighborhood activist and “The Mayor of Green Island” Lorraine Laurie.
Renewing the Clerk’s Contract: It’s time to renew the Clerk’s contract, as one of the few city employees the Council has direct authority over. The Clerk has a report on his office’s accomplishments over the past two years. The Clerk’s email list “for publicizing all City Council agendas” has a good number of subscribers, but not as many as this email list right here. Thank you subscribers!