{"id":812,"date":"2019-10-22T16:27:49","date_gmt":"2019-10-22T20:27:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ldna01852.org\/?p=812"},"modified":"2019-10-22T16:27:59","modified_gmt":"2019-10-22T20:27:59","slug":"september-2019-minutes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ldna01852.org\/?p=812","title":{"rendered":"September 2019 Minutes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">LDNA 9\/23\/19<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">7 PM, LTC<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Present:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Carolyn Alphen<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jack Moynihan<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sam Litvin<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meeting called to order at: 7:03.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Opening greeting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Approval of minutes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Approval of August 2019 minutes:&nbsp; Motion made by Sam and 2<sup>nd<\/sup> by Carolyn;\napproved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Treasurer\u2019s Report<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; $840.29 balance in\naccount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Police Report<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Capt. Kennedy \u2013 In charge of downtown \u201cCharlie\u201d sector. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Car breaks involve unlocked cars&nbsp; &#8212; Please lock your cars!<\/li><li>Disorderly conduct and unarmed robberies involve\nkids on bicycles.&nbsp; LPD is working on the\nproblem with the Juvenile Court.<\/li><li>Ongoing compliance checks at downtown bars are\nhaving success at discouraging underage drinking even though they have very\ngood fraudulent drivers licenses.<\/li><li>Positive feedback from downtown residents\nregarding new precinct and increased downtown patrols.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Q:&nbsp; Status of 60 day trial for Uber &amp; Lyft?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A:&nbsp; To avoid crowding at let-out time of bars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Q:&nbsp; But downtown residents aren\u2019t able to get\nride-share cars to come to their residence.&nbsp;\nThis is a real problem for residents that need these services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A:&nbsp; (City Manager) This shouldn\u2019t be the\ncase.&nbsp; Will look into this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Q:&nbsp; Needles are an issue at South Common<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A:&nbsp; Call x3200 police non-emergency number and\nthe needles will be picked up right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Q:&nbsp; Actually, lots of issues at South Common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A:&nbsp; LPD is aware and working on it.&nbsp; Lots of arrests were made recently specifically\nto get people help and services that they need in cooperation with the co-op\nprogram and Lowell\u2019s new Drug Court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>City Manager Eileen Donoghue\nwill speak on progress with various issues.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Couldn\u2019t be more proud of the Lowell Police Dept.&nbsp; The summer was relatively quiet compared to\nmany other cities due to LPD\u2019s hard work.<\/li><li>Council has stressed financial security,\npartnerships with institutions, and public safety.<\/li><li>Hamilton Canal District devised as an economic\ndevelopment engine for the city.&nbsp; It got\na bit stuck due to the recession, but now its back on track.<ul><li>Streets \u201cF\u201d and \u201cG\u201d are under construction and\nthe new signature bridge is nearing completion.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Ground has been broken on the new garage.&nbsp; New construction manager at risk process and use\nof pre-cast concrete will bring the project in on budget and should be complete\nin about a year.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>New courthouse should be finished by the end of\nthe year.&nbsp; Various court tenants will\nslowly more into the new building over a period of several months.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Various lots are being looked at by private\ndevelopers and it looks like land swap with National Park is nearing actualization.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Lord overpass project will begin in the spring,\nto avoid conflict with garage construction activities.<\/li><li>Tiger bridge program going well, except for the\ncentral street bridge.&nbsp; This project ran\ninto difficulty because the canal couldn\u2019t be fully drained of water.&nbsp; The bridge will be re-designed and then they\nwill re-try.&nbsp; Project is being managed by\nMassDOT.<\/li><li>New public art sculpture: \u201cHydro\u201d was unveiled\nlast week at Utopian Park.&nbsp; Park will be\nlandscaped soon.<\/li><li>Plaza in front of Leo Roy Garage has been fixed\nup by the city.&nbsp; Also, Kerouac park has\nhad major improvements.<\/li><li>Jackson Street will get new street trees.<\/li><li>Middlesex &amp; Marston Street bench has been\nremoved and area will be improved.<\/li><li>Hanging flower baskets have been replaced and\nexpanded.&nbsp; A person has been hired to\nmaintain them.<\/li><li>Public Safety:<ul><li>New downtown precinct is focusing attention in\nthe downtown area.&nbsp; City has seen big\ndouble-digit decreases in various crime categories.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>New police boat has made a big difference in\ndealing with craziness on the river.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>New police ATV allows easier access to otherwise\ndifficult to reach locations by the rivers.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Homelessness:<ul><li>Big problem all over the state and country as\nwell as Lowell.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>In the spring a taskforce was formed, including\npolice, school, hospital, CTI, many other organizations throughout city.&nbsp; Looked at successful Worcester program and\nbrought in national expert to consult.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Problem identified was not a lack of services,\nbut that none were focused on housing, and the various programs weren\u2019t\ncoordinating.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Old model required homeless people to get\nthemselves \u201con track\u201d before any help would be provided.&nbsp; New model is \u201chousing first\u201d&nbsp; so their situation is stabilized, and then on-site\nservices can be provided.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Transitional Living Center has historically\nkicked people out during the day.&nbsp; Now,\nin partnership with the taskforce, the shelter will stay open 24hrs and provide\na platform for providing services.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Rooming house development will be pursued to\nprove longer-term housing for the homeless while they get services.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>On a day and night in June, a count was taken all\nover the city to figure out how many homeless people there were in the\ncity.&nbsp; Result was just under 200 people.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Hospital is helping because health care costs\nare much lower if people are in housing instead of on the street.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Q:&nbsp; What about safety at the\nshelters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A:&nbsp; Facility is under-funded so\nthat\u2019s a challenge.&nbsp; But city is working\nwith the shelter on this problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Q:&nbsp; What about mental health?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A:&nbsp; Services have been provided\nby a facility in Lawrence.&nbsp; City is now\nworking to have Lowell Community Health provide these services locally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>High school project approved by MSBA, but its\nnow under way for real.<\/li><li>Lower Locks Status<ul><li>Mayor Samaris and Vice-Mayor Nuon have been\npushing for a solution.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Land is owned by many parties including city, park,\nUML, MCC, etc, which has been a challenge.&nbsp;\nParties came away from meeting with a sense of urgency.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>All stakeholders have agreed to work on a feasibility\nstudy to figure out exactly what needs to be done.&nbsp; It will be a major project.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Q:&nbsp; Will Lord overpass project project\nconnect with Western Ave Studios?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A:&nbsp; No.&nbsp; Train tracks are I the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Q:&nbsp; What can the city do when a\ndeveloper comes in and starts and then abandons a project.&nbsp; (Specifically worried about a project 246.1\nMarket Street between Canal I and Canal III)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A:&nbsp; Developers have a fixed time\nto get things done.&nbsp; And they need to\nmaintain the site.&nbsp; Will look into this\nspecific property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Q:&nbsp; Do properties need to\nmaintain the area in front of their buildings?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A:&nbsp; Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Q:&nbsp; Can institutions (e.g. UML)\ndo more to give to the city in lieu of taxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A:&nbsp; UML actually does do a lot, but\na lot is behind the scenes.&nbsp; In fact, one\nproject the UML decided to maintain as a private property rather than buying it\nas a concession to keep it on the tax roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Q:&nbsp; Comcast is a pain?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A:&nbsp; New company is coming in to\noffer fiber as an alternative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Q:&nbsp; What will happen to the old\ncourthouses?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A:&nbsp; They are owned by the state.&nbsp; Building on Gorham Street is a historic structure\nthat will be very difficult to deal with.&nbsp;\nAnother building is in very bad condition, but the city may be able to\ndo something with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mayor Samaris:&nbsp; The city manager\nhas done a fantastic job.&nbsp; Many of the\nsuccesses she mentioned are due to the Manager\u2019s hard work and her taking the initiative\nto come up with good ideas to solve problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>General Information<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>October 8<sup>th<\/sup> panel discussion at\nSenior Center on the new voting system options.&nbsp;\nWill be on LTC. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Meeting Adjourns at 8:49.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LDNA 9\/23\/19 7 PM, LTC Present: Carolyn Alphen Jack Moynihan Sam Litvin Meeting called to order at: 7:03. Opening greeting Approval of minutes Approval of August 2019 minutes:&nbsp; Motion made by Sam and 2nd by Carolyn; approved. Treasurer\u2019s Report &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ldna01852.org\/?p=812\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[152],"class_list":["post-812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-minutes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ldna01852.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ldna01852.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ldna01852.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ldna01852.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ldna01852.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=812"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ldna01852.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":813,"href":"https:\/\/www.ldna01852.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812\/revisions\/813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ldna01852.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ldna01852.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ldna01852.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}