The Boston City Council Committee on Environmental Justice Resiliency in Parks.

Today is April 21st, 2026.

The exact time is 1101 a.m.

In accordance with chapter two of the act of 2025 modifying certain requirements of the open meeting law and relieving public body with certain requirements, including the requirement that public bodies conduct this meeting in a public place that is open and physically accessible to the public.

The city council will be conducting this hearing virtually via Zoom.

This hearing is being recorded, it's also being live streamed at Boston.gov City dash council dash TV and broadcast on Affinity Channel 8, RCM channel 82 and files channel 964.ep at Boston.gov.

It will be made part of the record and available to all counselors.

Public testimony will be taken at the end of this hearing.

Individuals be called on in the order in which they signed up and will have two minutes to testify.

Have not done so, please email our central staff liaison Shane Pack at SHANE dot PAC at Boston.gov for the Zoom link to your name will be added to the list.

Today's hearing is on Docket Number Zero Two Six Zero.

Message in order for the confirmation of the appointment of Samira Samira Amadi as a member of the building emissions reduction and disclosure ordinance review board for term expiring May 23rd, 2026.

This matter was sponsored by Mayor Michelle Wood and referred to the committee on February 4th, 2026.

Docker number 0760.

Message in the order for your approval and appropriation order in the amount of eight hundred and sixty thousand dollars to the cemetery division of the parks and recreation department in the trust office of the treasury department to be funded from the cemetery trust fund established under chapter 13 of the act of 1961.

Docket number 0761.

Message in the order authorizing the city of Boston to accept and expend the amount of 375,000 in the form of a grant.

These matters were sponsored by Mayor Michelle will refer to the committee on April 8th, 2026.

Thank you, Mr.

Good morning, everyone.

Good morning, uh members of the Boston City Council.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to uh give you a few words about my background, and um I'm here to answer any questions that you may have.

My name is Samira Amadi.

I am the funding principal of NV Energy Studio.

Uh we are a Boston-based energy and sustainability consulting firm.

I am also a resident of the city of Boston.

Um I have a background of more than 15 years um experience in energy and sustainability consulting, uh, working mostly in the greater Massachusetts New England area.

Um and for the past few years, I have been very much involved with assisting um building owners, uh, mostly large residential and commercial buildings in Boston and Cambridge, complying with Birdow as well as Bodo uh requirements, but also helping a lot of affordable housing, building owners meeting um the decarbonization goals in the city of Boston.

Um I have a background in architecture and engineering, and um again I have been working in the world of energy and sustainability consulting for the past 15 years, and I look forward to uh hopefully serving on the Birdo board and I um appreciate the opportunity to be here and answer any questions that you may have.

Thank you.

Uh you're joined by Councillor Fitzgerald.

Uh County Picard, the floor is yours to uh ask any questions of uh Sumera, and I say that right, sorry.

That is correct, yes.

It is Amadi, who is a Berdo board appointee.

Uh thank you, uh Chair.

Uh appreciate it, Samara.

Samira, thank you so much uh for for being here today, and congratulations uh on being selected uh to the board.

Um just a question more not so much about um uh more about the general category.

When you say you work with uh affordable housing developers and others to talk about helping them get over the Birdo regulations and other things that can prove costly during this otherwise very expensive time to build.

Um what are some of the things that you're hearing that they're they're most concerned about besides just cost?

Like if you could just dive into it just a little so I have a better understanding of that, that'd be very helpful.

Sure.

Uh so I should say a lot of our especially affordable housing clients that we help with them, they actually come to us with the goal of not specifically meeting Birdo requirements, it's more of uh it's an existing building, it needs improvement, and now that they have the opportunity to make improvement, they want to go through electrification and decarbonization.

So most of the time it's about how we can actually phase this work because being sustainable and green is very important to them.

They want, but at the same time, provide um um indoor environmental quality and affordability for the future tenants of these buildings.

So it's more about looking into array of options to make sure that when we are going through electrification and decarbonization, we make um improvements that also bring down the cost, the utility cost and the operational cost of the building, and that's generally what we do.

And also, does it need to be a phase decarbonization or can it happen all at once?

So those are generally the questions that they have.

What do you think?

And thank you for that answer.

What do you think has been the the option more chosen?

Uh I know it depends building the building, but do you think people are doing it all at once, or is the phased approach sort of the more I my guess is if you did it all at once, you start seeing the savings more quickly, right?

So it might make sense for their bottom line to say, let's just do it all in one take and rip the band-aid off.

In other states, I could see, well, let's just take it bit by bit and given you know how much money they have to work with, etc.

What have people been doing the most?

So we have a combination of both.

If they if the building is vacant, we generally, and if they can raise the money, the uh the off-front costs, we generally suggest that we do it all at once because you want to make improvement to the building envelope before you electrify the building.

But we also have cases that they choose the phase uh to phase decarbonization because majority of these buildings are not subject to any um immediate regulation when it comes to like beardo ACPs that they need to pay so they have time to actually go through the phase decarbonization.

It all depends on whether the building is fully occupied or if the building is vacant.

Um their preference is always if the building is vacant to actually do the full uh retrofit and decarbonization day one.

Great.

Um I think lastly, is there any anything else you would add in terms of uh the hurdles of some of these regulations versus getting growth to occur?

Um just your general thoughts of how you see that going forward and and how it'll play out.

Um I know that um Beirdo has a lot of resources, so we generally try to use the resources that comes from Birdo, but also the knowledge and experience that we have to help them to make an informed decision.

Um but the general rule for them is that majority of our clients, and I specifically focus on affordable housing because that's the major sector that we work with, is that they want to um bring the environmental justice to these entities and to these um buildings uh, meaning that they want to give them um a healthier, more sustainable uh place.

Um it comes with some challenges, and as a practitioner, uh we always try to outline those challenges early on and try to find resources to help them to navigate through those challenges as well.

Great.

Thank you.

And have you found it's has it gotten easier?

Like, are we getting more rhythm of how to help folks and get a little bit more going as we've been doing this?

I know a lot of things always have bumpy starts, and then once you get it going, you kind of find the the the find your groove.

Do we feel like we're finding our groove with helping people get through the bird all process?

Um, I think the the resources out there, um, people hearing more on more, especially a smaller entities hearing more on more about Birdo, maybe like if I compare it to a few years ago, a lot of entities are still didn't know what that is, what they need to do.

But I see it more and more because we are receiving more requests, more calls these days for the past year or so.

Uh so I believe uh they're hearing it more, they are more curious about it, they want to learn more about it, and they uh want to know how they can navigate it.

Great.

Thank you so much, Chair.

Thank you.

Appreciate the time.

Thanks.

Thank you, Counselor.

Uh, the chair recognizes Councillor Uh Louis Jen.

Um, and we've also been joined by Councillor Darkin.

Councilor Jen, the floor is yours.

All right.

Um Councilor Derikin.

Hi, Councilor War.

I'm I'm sorry, I I don't have any questions.

I was just on and I've just been listening, but uh thank you, Councillor Rao.

Oh, thank you, Councillor Louis.

And Councillor Derrick and the floor is yours.

Thank you, Chair.

Um, and Samira, thank you for stepping forward.

Um, I think it's really important that we have qualified people to um help, you know, bring us into our new energy future.

I know that a lot of condo owners in my district um definitely you know deal with the intricacies of trying to comply with Birdo.

I think we're all headed towards you know, that time where they're all sort of gonna have to sort out some of those nuanced issues.

So we need really qualified people to serve.

So I'm just grateful um to you for stepping up.

I know that uh these um positions have gone to planning development and transportation, and they've also gone to this committee.

So um, given that um, you know, I I generally would ask a lot more questions, but hearing about your background um and your expertise, I just want to thank you for stepping up to serve.

I know that it's important that we have qualified people doing these roles.

Um and um and it it gives me greater confidence as we head into um you know the next few years where you know people are gonna have very nuanced questions about um how to get in compliance, um, that we have qualified people um sitting in these seats.

So thank you for stepping up.

And my questions are mostly regarding or my um uh chair, just uh regarding another grant um that is in this committee right now.

So I'll I'll wait for the second round after we get through the nominations.

Thank you, Sharon.

I appreciate your feedback.

Um, and thank you, uh Mayor.

Uh looking forward to serving with you on the board.

Uh I see that you bring a lot of uh experience and knowledge, and I uh just look again looking forward to working with you on the board.

Uh so we'll move now uh to the to the next docket.

Mr.

Mayor, I know you have a probably busy day ahead of you, so uh you're now free to go.

Um thank you, Ms.

Dr.

Thank you, everyone.

I look forward to it.

I appreciate it.

Awesome.

Bye.

And now we will go into docket number 0760 and 0761.

Uh, we'll give the administration an opportunity to introduce themselves.

Um, starting with the cemetery uh division, uh general superintendent uh Sullivan.

Hi, Council, how are you?

Good morning.

Good morning, everybody.

Just saying hello.

Yep, we we're here today, and I'm here with Margaret Dyson from the trust office and appreciate your time.

Um Margaret, you want me to get into it?

Not sure uh if the counselor is already Tom.

Yeah, if I can just Tom Margaret, the floor is yours, yes.

Okay.

Um, yeah, sure, counselor.

So you do you want me to do you want me to run down what the request is and speak to that?

That'll be perfect.

Okay, sorry about that.

Um yeah, so we're we we're we're here today requesting um additional funds from the city of Boston Cemetery Trust Fund.

Um in the in this um in this task, we're asking for 200,000 to engage in uh a licensed professional to develop a plan for future burials for the needs for the city of Boston.

Um just to speak briefly.

Currently, we're have new graves um at our cemetery location in HyPach.

Um best estimate at the current rate, which can always change, is about two to three years left at that location.

So that's kind of what we're looking for in that department to try to be ready for um and be creative with the next step so we can continue offering City of Boston uh residents uh proper burial space for their loved ones.

Um we're asking 300,000 to improve the um to improve pathways and water infrastructure at Mount Hope, Fairview, and Evergreen Cemeteries.

Those are the three active cemeteries, um, and all three uh could use some love uh in terms of water access for the public um and throughout um the many acres that we have there.

Uh it's currently quite an old system.

Um we're asking 200,000 to improve the landscape infrastructure, including fencing and walls at Mount Hope Cemetery, Fairview Cemetery, and Evergreen Cemetery, 200,000 to fortify fences and walls, a lot of which um obviously need a lot of love uh in Kier and have been um neglected, let's say um to improve um to improve appearances and access to the public.

Uh fourth on the list is to improve signage at Mount Hope Fairview and Evergreen.

Um we're asking for 100,000 um for improved pathway signs, street signs, and section name signs so that the public can better find the locations and offer a better presentation to all who visit uh the hallowed grounds.

We're asking uh additionally for um $35,000 to improve public access to support digital access for the cemetery records and maps of the burials at Mount Hope for you and Evergreen Cemeteries.

Um this is a uh this is a fund that will help we're currently undergoing a um digitization of all our records, which we're very excited about.

Um, and this will help support that uh in terms of the cloud and access that the public will have going forward.

Um and just briefly uh just to give it a um just to give it a broad shot.

Um so we have there's 19 cemeteries that are owned and operated by the city of Boston.

Um we have 16 historic, where we simply, you know, you see them on the Freedom Trail and in most neighborhoods in the city.

Uh we no longer inter loved ones in those locations, but we just beautify, obviously get the sidewalks in the winter uh and and mow the grass and try to make them look as good as we can.

Um the three active cemeteries are Mount Hope and Mattapan, Fairview and High Park, and Evergreen next to Boston College in Brighton on Calm Av.

Um those cemeteries um are most of our days work.

Uh we do anywhere from the last three years or so, we do everywhere from 600 to 800 burials per year.

Um we have a staff of about 25 people.

Um we have a great staff here.

We work well together.

I'm proud of them and uh and and uh and the job they do.

Um I've been over here since 2010, and these guys have and gals have never missed a burial, even with all those crazy snowstorms of 2010 and 2015 and so on.

So uh they do commendable work.

Um the total acreage of what we oversee is 265 acres of land that includes the historicals.

Um and yeah, we just feel we're a big part of the community.

We try to do a good job every day and uh and make the residents proud and also be um you know be attentive to their needs, their concerns, their 311s, and so on.

So I'm just a pleasure to be here today and appreciate your time.

Thank you.

Um now turn it over to my counselor colleagues.

Any questions?

Uh starting with Council Fitzgerald.

Counselor, the floor is yours.

Thank you, Chair Thomas.

Good to see you, brother.

How are you?

Good to see you, counselor.

Absolutely.

Uh no, listen, I I think it's great.

Uh never had many complaints.

You guys keep the places looking beautiful.

Uh, and I love to hear about the investment going in, not just to the beautification of the parks, but also into the uh the analog stuff of looking how to look up loved ones and that and uh that's always an important feature and and a very uh uh one that government should be uh on top of and aware of.

So I'd like to see the investment there to care for people after uh after their uh loved ones pass on.

Um so thank you for the work you do.

Thank you to the great team you guys have uh in being consistent throughout all those years uh and and giving people that are having uh uh sometimes their hardest day um taking care of the other stuff so that they don't have to worry about that.

So appreciate all the work you do.

I have no questions.

I I look forward to uh one day being in one.

I'll talk to you guys.

Thank you, council.

Thank you, counselor.

Uh the chair recognizes only.

Oh, Councilor Durkin.

Counselor, the floor is yours.

All right.

Um sorry, I'm here.

I just stepped away for just a second.

Um I I am in full full support of this, so um, I'm actually asking about the next docket.

I'm here to ask you about the next docket.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you, counselor.

Uh Thomas, thank you for all the work that you do.

Um I know that the residents um over there in Mount Hope.

Uh they they not only they they love this space.

Um, they also I think I believe they were out there a couple weeks ago planting trees, and I think it's something that they did last year as well.

Um and your space is uh not only a place for you know loved ones to go and visit uh their loved ones, but it's open space uh for a lot of communities that do not have uh parks.

Uh so thank you for your work.

Uh thank you for your investment uh into the parks and looking forward to passing these grants at the next council meeting.

Thank you, council very much.

Thank you.

Uh now we'll move uh on to document number 076 uh 0761.

Um now we'll turn it over to the administration uh to introduce themselves and to provide any information or presentation that they may have.

Thank you, counselor.

Uh good morning, everyone.

My name's Bayata Collin.

I'm the deputy chief of staff to Mayor Wu.

Um this is an annual agreement that we receive, sorry, an annual grant that we receive as part of an eight-year agreement with Boston Red Sox.

Each year the grant increases by 25,000, and in this case will be 375,000.

And this is the fourth year of the agreement, so several more years to come on this and to be working with all of you.

Um for context on this year.

Um, this grant is especially important for the Fenway community area as the city approved a 13th Fenway concert uh earlier this year.

And so as a result, we'd like to focus um on the Fenway area receiving these funds.

Um we do not currently have an exact list um in terms of how we would like to spend the money this year, but we will be working very closely alongside Councillor Durkin and Fenway community leaders as we move forward on the process later this year.

And happy to answer any questions.

Thank you.

I will now turn it over to Council Carly for questions, starting with Council Fitzgerald.

Counselor, the floor is yours.

Thank you, uh Chair.

No further questions at this time.

Biada, appreciate all your work.

Thank you, Counselor.

Thank you, Counselor.

Uh the chair recognizes Councillor Durkin.

Counselor, the floor is yours.

Thank you so much, Chair.

Um, and um grateful to the administration um and the Red Sox um for this grant money for both the neighborhood and uh the surrounding communities.

Um I know that um I've been working with um with the administration um and with the neighborhood um to come up with a list of things that are important to the neighborhood, and so I think it makes sense that you don't have you know an illustrated list of everything that you know it's really it's being worked on with the community, and I know there's an equity component to this as well, just making sure that like everyone sees um some benefit from this money, but I just want to thank the Boston Red Sox um and want to thank um the neighborhood for always stepping forward in advocacy.

We have a lot of parks advocates, we a lot of have a lot of folks um in the arts and um and um I know there's a lot of different things that come through my email that um you know people in the Fenway.

They have you know 30,000 people roll through um, you know, the Fenway um every other night for Red Sox games throughout the season.

Uh there are 13 concerts um permitted for this year, and there's a lot of impact.

So it's nice to see um you know there being some relationship between um you know mitigating that and um grateful to um Fenway Civic Association, the Charles Haight Alliance, a lot of the local groups that are doing great work um in the community.

Um, and I know that we've granted out portions of this money in the past for the neighborhood, and I'm in support of continuing to have the neighborhood feel um you know and and get to see the impact of these funds.

Um so I know I've been um you know talking directly to the administration, so I don't have any questions at this time.

I just want to, you know, say that I support this grant going through the council, and I'm grateful to the Red Sox for their support of the community, which I know doesn't stop or start with this money.

There's a lot of other things they do in the neighborhood that is that are beneficial.

So and I think with great impacts comes great responsibility, and I think they uh they uh do a great job.

I want to thank uh you know, Dave Friedman, Claire Durant, Alejandro, um, and to sort of the whole community relations team for all the work that they do.

And um, you know, I don't have a chance to thank them often on the city council.

So I just wanted to take this opportunity and grateful um chair for you hearing this grant.

Um I know that it's very impactful in the community, and it's one of the top things we get questions about um in our office.

So we'll continue to answer those questions and meet with the community.

Um, and just grateful that we had time to discuss this during um a council hearing.

Thank you, counselor.

Um, thank you, Fayata.

Um, and also thank you to the Red Sox and to the community that all come together to make sure that this grant uh shows up in a real way um inside of the neighborhood.

Um I have no questions around this.

It seems like it's checking all the boxes as the administration, uh, the partner and um in the Red Sox and the community and the counselor um all on board and having conversations on the best ways on how to uh make use of these funds.

So looking forward to passing it and just keep up the great work.

Thanks so much.

Thank you.

Um seeing no public testimony, just want to thank our central staff, all the panelists today, uh, my colleagues on showing up and asking questions.

Um and again, thank you to the panelists.

Um, and this hearing on docket number 0260 and Docker 0760 through 0761 is adjourned.

Thank you, everyone,