So we cuts it down four million.

Very gracious of him.

Well, they can't have any of it.

I'm done.

Oh, we have to do that.

You good?

You all set?

700.

It is 7 701 p.m.

on Monday, March 16th.

This committee on finance meeting is being called to order in the City Council Chambers, room 14.

The agenda as revised.

No, this meeting is being live streamed and recorded.

City Council committee meetings can be viewed on the City of New Brefort's home page under quick links, then meetings.

In attendance, we have Councilor at Lodge, Ian Abrew, Councillor Award 2, Scott Pemberton, Councilor at Lodge, Brian Kangoms, Councilor of Ward 3, Sean Oliver, Councilor at Lodge and Forest Security Vice President, Naomi Carney, myself, oh, James Roy, Counselor at Lodge, and myself, Ward 5 City Council, Joseph Lopes, Chairman of Finance.

We do have one letter to be read into the record.

This letter is from Councillor Choquette, dear Councillor Lopes and honorable members of the City Council.

I am writing this letter to inform you that I will be unable to attend the Committee on Finance meeting on Monday the 16th of March 2026 at 7 p.m.

due to a previously scheduled business commitment.

Second by Councilor Fremont, all those in favor?

Opposed, the ayes have it.

Item number one, written motion, Council Oliver.

Request that the Committee on Finance meet with the Chief Financial Officer Bob Extram and MMA administrator administrator to the assistant of the assessor Sheripinio to review the current criteria for tax exemptions eligibility at the age seventy, and then to consider taking the necessary actions to lower the eligibility age for 65.

And further that the Committee on Finance discuss any other exemptions that the City of New Brefort may implement in an effort to assist the city's senior property owners.

Second by Council Carney, all of them in favor, opposed the ayes have it.

Somebody from the assessor's office first.

Would you like uh Parker?

Hi, Ms.

Parker, how are you?

I'm doing great.

How are you?

Good, thank you.

Um have you had an opportunity to overlook this uh this motion that as it's presented uh in the current policy that we have?

I have, yes.

Yes.

The um current policy that we have is at age seventy, correct?

Currently.

Yes.

Okay.

And uh how many folks take advantage of the um current ordinance as uh or current um rule as presented?

Um so currently for so we have two different um senior exemptions.

Um one is under clause 41C and the other one is uh clause seventeen D.

Um we refer to them as our elderly and age senior exemptions.

Um the only one that has the ability for you guys to vote to lower the age is the clause 41C, which is the um elderly exemption.

Okay.

And um with that, currently we we are still accepting applications for this fiscal year.

It goes all the way through April first.

Um but we currently right now have two hundred and ninety-two applicants.

For that clause.

Okay.

Um last year we had uh 339, and the year before that we had about 320 or so.

Okay.

So 320, 339, and currently almost 300.

Yep.

Um many folks that apply.

Is this is that just people that taking advantage of it or are those total applications?

Uh those are the applications that are granted the exemptions.

Okay.

Do we know how many applications we receive?

Um I don't have that exact number, but it's usually um if they don't necessarily qualify for that one, because we take into account for that clause we take into account um income.

There's an income limit.

Yep.

Um the other senior exemption um only takes into account uh assets and the asset limit is higher.

So if they don't qualify for that one, um they usually qualify for the clause 17D.

Um the amount of people that don't qualify for either uh is very few.

I want to say maybe maybe five to ten.

Okay.

And these clauses, and is this mass general law?

Is this some?

It's mass general law um chapter 59, section five, uh clause 41C and clause 17D.

And 41C is the only one that we can change the age, correct?

Yes.

Yes, as a local option to adopt that.

Do we know um I had the figure before when I spoke with Sherry and I I must have left it on my desk at home.

But do we have a uh an idea of how the people that take advantage of this, how much of that, what's the dollar amount?

Um so the dollar amount that the city is not receiving by uh taking by them filing.

So each um so for that clause um it is a thousand dollar exemption.

So right now uh the amount is two hundred and ninety-one thousand for this year, and uh last year it was three thirty-seven, so it's around the three hundred thousand.

We're talking about three hundred thousand dollars, right?

So I don't um in your opinion, would lowering the age um cause a major ripple effect in the coffers of the city of New Bedford.

Um I don't think it would be an unreasonable um take on our part.

Um but again there is no way of us actually knowing how many more applicants we will get.

Um we don't know how many people um between 65 and 70 or how many specifically will qualify income-wise for the well that's the thing.

I think the biggest disqualifier is probably the income.

Yes.

Right?

Um as we know folks now are working into their later years.

Yes.

Um I'm sure that even if if the numbers seem to hover around where we're at right now, 300, 340, 320, even if we doubled or tripled that, I don't think I mean that's a drop in the bucket, I think.

Yeah.

And I believe we do um receive some um state reimbursement for, but we only receive it at the statutory amount, which was the $500 um per person.

Yes.

By lowering that $200,000.

By lowering that, will we still receive the state reimbursement just by lowering the age?

To sixty-five, yes, I believe you will still receive it on those ones for the five hundred dollar amount.

Okay.

And I think my final question right now, Mr.

Chair, and then I'll yield to if anybody else has any questions is do you know if this is I I spoke with legal counsel and he's not sure we'll iron out the details later.

Is this something that we can just ask to be changed or is that an ordinance that needs to be adopted?

Do you know?

Um I believe uh City Council needs to vote on it to adopt it to uh age 65.

Okay.

All right.

Thank you very much.

That's all right now.

Thank you, Council.

Oliver.

Any other questions?

So you know what else in the first?

Anyone on a second?

Mr.

Chair, I'm just gonna table this for now.

Um just because it looks like the the um that way I can confirm with our legal counsel so that way um we can take the proper steps through city council for adoption.

So but just so this is here, we're just gonna take I want to table this for now.

Made by Council Oliver, second by Council Abraham.

All those in favor, opposed, the ayes have it.

Item number two, communication amendments, city council submitting a loan order appropriating twelve million six hundred and ten thousand one hundred and ninety-four dollars for the purpose of making critically needed repairs through city-owned buildings, including but not limited to projects for the repair and renovations of public safety, facilities, recreational facilities, general office space, replacement of capital equipment, and vehicles and roads and infrastructure improvements.

The matter was referred here on January 22nd, 2026.

Made by Council Oliver, second by Council Pemberton.

All those in favor?

Opposed, the ayes have it.

We'll do as we've done in the past.

We will take each item up in one at a time.

First item is Zaitarian Theater, CP01 Vitarian Theater Renovation, 75,000.

Any questions for the Z.

Council Oliver, on your first.

Thank you.

Rosemary, if you'd like to go to the podium.

I'm assuming you'd want Rosemary Sean.

Yeah.

Okay.

Thank you.

Rosemary.

I made an assumption for you.

I apologize.

Good evening.

Good evening.

Hi, Rosemary.

Thank you for being here today to represent the Z.

Sure.

Could you just for my colleagues in general public?

We have a loan order here for almost $13 million.

And we have a newly renovated and fully finished, so the public thinks.

We don't need $13 million.

Oh no, I'm sorry, not $13 million.

Sorry.

That was that's the total.

I was looking at the whole package.

We'll take it.

Yeah.

Well, I'm sure.

Yeah, yeah.

Nobody else gets anything, all the money's going to the Z.

I believe our item is $750.

Yes.

Yeah.

So I'm sorry, your question.

Same question, just the new amount.

Yes.

So initially.

When we began the project, of course, uh, we put in um we had budgeted for a certain amount of overages and in a contingency.

And unfortunately, those we exceeded those overages.

And so there's still uh we're still raising money, and we're still trying to close that gap.

And the the gap, is this the gap, or is the is there is the gap bigger?

No, the gap is a little bit bigger.

Okay.

So that so you'd still be short.

What's the funding mechanism for the shortage?

We currently have a couple of things in the pipeline.

Um it's philanthropy.

Yeah.

Okay.

And the um excuse me.

The what is the gap if you don't mind me asking between the ask for for here and the gap of what is a very good question, and I don't know that I have um a number for you tonight on that.

It's would you care to guess?

What's that?

Would you care to guess?

I would.

Um it's uh probably between one and two million.

Is the gap or the total ask?

The total that you need.

That's the same.

Yeah.

Yeah.

No, we're only asking 750.

Right.

Yeah.

But is the gap the 750 plus the million, or is the total Oh, I see what you're saying.

The 750 is included in that.

Okay.

And the over the I guess the overages or the oversights are or what have you.

What were what were some of the was it just a a bunch of things that just added up, or was there kind of a catalyst?

You know, there were a bunch of things that added up, but I would say what specifically um we're looking at, I can probably itemize five or six things for you that come up to close to a million dollars for for this regard, um, specifically that are related to the site itself.

We're not asking for the city taxpayers to pay for you know things that they wouldn't be responsible for uh within the building.

So for example, we had uh uh significant overage because an issue with Eversource, actually.

Uh we initially got approval from the city's building committee for where EverSource the power would be coming into the building, and so our engineering design uh was approved, and we moved forward with the installation of the um.

You know, I'm not a building person, but I would say the like the the pipes or the the conduits that come in come from the street into the building.

When EverSource came on site, however, they did not approve that and they asked us to move it 10 feet, which was a $95,000 hit we weren't expecting.

And then we hit uh in two places some significant amount of ledge uh that we uh we had done a good deal of boring ahead of time to so that we could understand what kind of um soil we would be working with, whether or not we would have any uh hit any ledge.

And then we hit uh in two places some significant amount of ledge that we uh we had done a good deal of boring ahead of time to so that we could understand what kind of um soil we would be working with, whether or not we would have any uh hit any ledge, and we didn't uh in the initial boring, but how but when we did uh drill or you know excavate specifically in the two sites where we have elevators, which is one, the the main elevator within the building, which is new, uh the accessible uh elevator there, as well as the elevator for the orchestra pit.

In both areas we hit significant amount of ledge, which was several hundred, and then on Spring Street, there was a lot of work there that we had not anticipated, and that was uh we had originally uh when we originally budgeted and uh had engineering work.

There was a moratorium on bringing sewer um drain, the rain leader drain down to a Kushnet Avenue.

So we we uh the plan was that we would just do it at Spring Street, and that was uh that was accepted.

However, by the time we actually get did that work, the moratorium was lifted.

And so DPI asked us to move it all the way down Spring Street, a full block and across a cushionet, and that was a probably four hundred thousand dollar hit, if not more.

Okay.

Um at what point in the process did we realize that there was gonna be uh a significant uh um I guess overage.

Was there any point that some things could have been scaled back to try to Yeah, none of this uh these were all code type of issues um and compliance issues.

We had no choice.

We had no choice to comply with them, but you had choices to for other things that were going on in the building.

Yeah, so we definitely have scaled back um as a result of those things.

Compl for example, we haven't ordered furniture and things like that that we just can't we can't afford at the moment.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you, Rosemary.

That's all I have right now.

Thank you, Council Oliver.

Also in attendance, first uh Vice President Shane Burgo.

Uh City Prom City Council President Ryan Pereira and Ward for City Councilor Derek Baptiste.

Anyone have any questions?

Council Gomes on your first.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you for being here.

Could you give us a little more detail of um the two million dollars that you're in the home, or at least uh uh the 750 you're asking for 750, you just told us about 400,000 on a pipe that had to be moved another hundred thousand for some conduits to come in, that's five hundred thousand.

Can you give me uh where the other two fifty is going?

I can, I think.

Uh and would you be able to provide us with the um the invoices of this work that had to be done?

Uh it is all um uh would you uh would you be able to provide us?

Okay.

They're all part of the change orders, Jen Vieris.

I would like to see it coming from the Z.

Oh, sure.

Thank you.

I was just gonna finish that Jen Vierra has served on the building committee and has participated in all of that.

Um I'm asking you as the executive director of the Z to provide those um documents, please.

Not right now, but you're not gonna be able to do that.

Not right now.

And you you're gonna you're about to tell me about the two fifty.

So two others that I um I can tell you about.

Uh one was when uh we excavated the entirety.

If anybody saw this, it was kind of cool.

We excavated the entirety of the theater in order to accommodate for the uh accessibility requirements, the new code and the and what we call the rake, but it is basically like the the grade of the of the theater and the way uh people can move throughout the theater.

And so when we excavated, we um we had to have the soil tested, any soil that we removed had to be tested.

And unfortunately, the majority of the soil that had to be all of them are soil was contaminated and had to be uh trucked to facilities uh in like northern Massachusetts and that's contaminated with what holds, Mary.

They were mostly contaminated, my understanding was mostly contaminated with lead and other types of carcinogens.

Thank you.

Continue, please.

And uh let's so how much did that cost?

I believe that was over 75,000.

But I only have one of the change orders for that, which was about 75, so we might have more, but that was one of them.

The other was a complete reconfiguration of the sidewalk on Purchase Street in the front of the building in order to comply with ADA requirements.

And that went over about 131,000.

So it was somewhere around the 750.

Can you just uh um explain to me why this wasn't included in I can understand a couple of these things, but why this wasn't considered in the um in the planning that this may be a possibility?

There were all kinds of reasons why a lot of these things were included in the plan, but went went over.

The costs went over.

Other things, as I mentioned, as far as the the major road work we had to do on Spring Street was because when we initially planned and budgeted for the project, there wasn't a more uh moratorium on Akushnet Avenue.

So we couldn't um design it that way.

Um the soil, we just didn't know what we were going to encounter.

We anticipated that we might encounter something, but we didn't budget enough for that, as well as the ledge, the ledge we hit was far more significant than anybody could have anticipated.

There was also uh we discovered when we removed the slab from the Z, there was a field steam line.

Um and we had to replace and remove, remove and replace all of that.

And that was another hundred and thirty-six thousand.

At this point, Rosemary, what it would it take to complete the Z and what it cost to um do all these renovations and would you see yourself coming back to us again for 750,000?

No.

No.

We are the the project is done, it's complete.

We have loans that have paid for the project.

So this would just be fill in the gap of of these temporary loans that we have to go.

Along with the one million something that you still needed to pay off the bills, are you saying?

When you said you're in the gap about a million to two million.

You that that's a big gap.

The gap is probably around one point I wasn't prepared for this, but probably around 1.2 or 1.3.

Okay.

And that would complete everything.

Not we as I mentioned, we scaled back quite a bit as a result of this, and so we'll probably continue fundraising.

We had included it for the 13, 15 million dollars.

I don't know what you mean by the 13 or 15 million.

Um I'm sorry, we went to that number again.

The 30 million to do this project.

Yes.

So we did have to move things around, prioritize certain items.

We've um deferred certain items, and we're gonna continue to fundraise to to reach those goals.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you, Council Golmes.

Council Burgo on your work.

Thank you.

Thank you for being here today.

Um Ms.

Gill.

Um the reason why I'm thanking you is because I don't see you on the invitee list.

Um did you receive an invitation to be here today?

No.

I don't know why that is.

Is it possibly because you're not a department head for the city of New Bedford?

I am not a department head for the city of New Bedford.

That's right, because is uh do you own this building?

No.

Okay.

I'm asking these questions to you, not to be condescending, but because we have to ask it in a form of a question.

I'm gonna ask you a lot of questions tonight that I already know the answer to.

I'm gonna help you along because I know tonight you probably didn't think you were going to be asked any questions because you weren't invited.

I'm sure Jennifer Vieira, who's the director of Department of Facilities and Fleet Management was here to speak on behalf of this.

Because this again to remind the general public, this is a city-owned building, correct?

Yes.

Yes.

So to help people, could you tell us what the original cost, if you remember, of this project pre-COVID, back in 2018-2020 of this project?

What's half the cost?

Yes.

So it was about 24 million dollars.

24, which is an increase of 18 million.

Prior to COVID in 2018.

And um we closed uh at 37 million.

Yes.

And so the city, how much did the city of New Bedford, this building that the city owns?

How much did they contribute to this project so far?

They contributed $5 million in ARPA funds and $150,000 from CIP a couple of years ago.

And so then this would be an additional if it gets approved.

So potentially $1.5 million in CIP, $5 million in ARPA, which is really not city funds at all, it's federal funds that we were able to get because of COVID, because of the fact that situations like this where your original costs ballooned uncontrollably like it happened to a lot, right?

Yeah, and there was one more.

We did get a community uh CPC small grant of some matching grant.

Yeah, 50,000.

Yes, 50.

Thank you for that.

Um I just mentioned that because then private fundraising.

Do you have an idea of how much you were able to raise for this city-owned building that you do not own?

14 million.

Oh, I have 16 million here.

So it might be even closer.

So it looks to me that you have been able to, this nonprofit that people vilify often, some people in this very room, have been able to raise and get even more money than the city that owns this building.

Is that correct?

Yes.

Even more.

I know we have tax credits included in there.

The state gave some money, totally the state and city combined, 21 million.

So people will try to do that number, 21 million combined, and then the 16 million that you were able to raise.

But if you really break down those numbers, some of that 21 million are tax credits.

Is that correct?

Yes, nearly 10 million uh are tax credits, both from uh we applied for both the federal program and the state program, and we were successful with both.

Wonderful.

Um I wanted to lay that out there because I know we think of the Z as this big money pit.

When we did finally open up, I know I don't know if you're trying to be polite.

A lot of the unforeseen extra costs that happened weren't mistakes that you made, right?

The nonprofit group, but some of the uh city plans that weren't updated, right?

So when we were digging, I believe when I went for a tour, you were explaining what happened exactly was that we didn't have some of the layouts.

Yeah, so that wasn't actually the city's fault.

It this was really nobody's fault.

But when we had to do the um excavation down Spring Street when we had to reroute uh or or bring that rain leader and the and the drainage all the way down, we actually um also hit uh utilities, which were not on anyone, either the utility companies or the city's records because they were so old.

So we had to go back again to our engineers, have them redesign and uh reroute uh that's okay well I I just wanted to point these out because you know I'm glad that you're being very polite.

I appreciate that.

I noting that it's no one's fault, but people in this room will want to find whose fault it is, and I just want to make sure that we don't put the fault where it's not.

Um I want to thank the Zaitarian for the work that they have done for being the custodians of this city-owned building, because the narrative will be out there that we're just giving this money to these people just for fun.

Uh but there that's not the case.

Um so again, uh I'll get off my soapbox.

I just wanted those clarifying questions.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Council Burgo.

Councillor Roy on your first.

Hi, Rosemary, how are you?

Hi, I'm well, thank you.

Good.

Can you speak to the role the Z plays in the economic activity downtown and in the community um lifestyle downtown?

I would love to speak on that.

Thank you, Council Roy.

Um yeah, it's no s no uh secret that uh the Zaiterian um contributes over ten million dollars annually to the economy here in New Bedford, and we can see that in a very tangible way, particularly on show nights, which are also known as Z nights in the community where our restaurants are buzzing.

The uh we f do we fill lots and lots of hotel rooms in this city.

And we um, you know, people go to galleries and shop and do all of the things that we would hope them to do, even the local people.

And we employ quite a few event personnel for every show as well as any of the support activities, um, you know, marketing, police, all of those things.

That's great.

Thanks.

Also, um how many how many local students does the Z serve each year?

Do you know off the top of your head?

I do.

Um we serve uh now that we're up in open uh up in open, we um traditionally serve anywhere between 15,000 and 20,000 uh school children annually.

That's it.

Thanks a lot.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Roy.

Anyone else on the first council Avery on your first?

Thank you, uh Mr.

Chairman.

Good evening, Rosemary.

Not a question, just a statement.

Um just want to let you know that restaurant receipts on average are up 30 percent downtown since you've come back on show nights.

That's that that was not by magic or by osmosis, because of you and your team and the great high-level quality of shows that you're putting on thirty percent since you've reopened.

That didn't happen just out of nowhere, so well done.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I'll yield Mr.

Thank you, Council.

Everyone else on the first.

Anyone on the second?

Council Gomes on your second.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Chairman.

Mr.

Chairman, I I um I just want to state that my questioning of the money is just so the general public knows exactly where the money is going.

If I really wanted to get in depth, I could start asking questions of when what is the payroll of the Zitarian?

When was the last time everybody got a pay raise?

Then were not the questions that were asked.

The questions that were asked were I wanted to know where the $750,000 was going.

It's in no way that um I'm against the Z or anything of the sort.

I've sat down with you, Rosemary, and I believe in the Z, but I also believe that um the Z is a public building, and you know that from sitting down with me that I are had some concerns about the general public and those less fortunate to see the inside of the Z or to experience anything in the Z and what your commitment was.

And that that is something you answered when we sat down.

Like I said, you were brought here, you came up here tonight and it was an opportunity to tell the general public uh exactly where the money is and where the money is going, because at this time and at this in time in in uh city, we must know where everything is going, and there has to be accountability for everything.

And it's not easy to just throw out numbers.

We always throw out numbers.

How much did this cost?

400,000.

What would it 400,000 give me?

You explained that tonight.

That's appreciated by this council.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Am I allowed to comment on some of that those?

Yes, you are.

Yes.

So um I love that you brought up the fact that um, you know, what about people who can't necessarily afford to go to the to the Z?

And I don't know, I I'd uh if people know this, but in addition, you know, during the time that we were closed, and in addition to the resources that this private nonprofit organization has put put forward for the renovation of the building.

We also embarked on a new strategic plan.

And within the strategic plan we have five goals, and one of all of the five goals actually are um grounded in our desire to to ensure that everyone is welcome in our building and that everyone has an opportunity to interact with artists to attend our educational programs.

We um we distribute hundreds of thousands of dollars um uh or re reductions in ticket prices, we participate in a state program that allows anybody who receives any type of like wick benefits or those types of things where they qualify for tickets to any show for five dollars.

So we care very deeply.

We feel um uh we take it very seriously that we are stewarding this city-owned building.

We know that this is an asset.

We know that we have an obligation to um taxpayers, and uh we we take it seriously.

I appreciate your comments and uh as I said, I appreciate when we sat down.

You know that was a a big point of mine that the Z is there and the Z is to be enjoyed by all the shows and everything that comes with the with the uh added economics of downtown restaurants and all that, but um that we played that the Z played some type of role in those that are less fortunate or at least um in some way we got them to have the experience of such a magical building as you would say and what it brings to the city of New Bedford.

Thank you, and I appreciate it.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you, Council Golmes.

Anyone else on the first or their second?

Any other questions for Ms.

Gill?

Ms.

Gill.

You're all set?

Great, thank you.

Anyone have any questions for anyone else that's here?

Seeing none, we'll move on to CPO2.

The assessor's office renovation, 480,000, 480 dollars.

Does anyone have any questions in regards to the assessor's office renovations?

Council Pereira, on your first.

Thank you.

I Mr.

Chair, if it would be appropriate for uh Jen Viera.

Good evening.

Good evening.

How are you?

Good and yourself?

Good, thank you.

Jen, can you just speak to the 51,000 for design?

What that does that incorporate?

Seems a little high.

I'm not exactly sure.

That's I imagine architectural drawings.

Yep, that's what that is for.

The um the everything we need to get it out on to bid.

So that okay.

And so that includes uh would this would this require would this be managed in-house or would that would it a contractor would be higher to do as much as we absolutely can in-house for savings.

But if there's anything that's gotta go out to bid either way, we need you know stamp drawings anyway, whether in-house or out to bid and that's where that's that cost for that.

Okay.

Perfect.

Uh that was my only question on this one.

Perfect.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you, Councilbrerer.

Anyone else on the first?

Council Gomes?

Jen, this is a long time coming.

Getting this repairs done in this office.

We've been talking about it for a while.

Yes.

It's way overdue.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Gomes.

Anyone else in the first?

Anyone on their second?

Seeing none, moving along.

CP three?

Jen, you might as well just stay there.

The City Hall deferred maintenance, $541,476.

Any questions in regards to the City Hall deferred maintenance?

Just an explanation, Mr.

Council Pereira and then Council Gomes.

Council Pereira, please.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

So just going through the list of items here, Jen.

So replacement of the uh existing roof systems.

That are we replacing the entire roof?

Of the flat and the slate.

Um I don't believe it's the attire but portions.

It's more so to get you want to step up.

Yeah, that would be more for the plans that we have to do.

Speaking of replacing that price right there for the flat roof and the slate roof would be more to get plans to replace the entire roof.

So that so in that big tranche of money is just plans to repair replace the roof.

Yes, just a portion of that number, yes.

Right, right, right.

Okay.

It will be a phased, as you can see over the years for us to get it all done.

But we have to start the um addressing the building envelope with the water infiltration issues that we're having.

What can you so I know it's broken down all by different items, but can you what will actually be physically done to the building in this round?

Not not obviously planning is uh uh going out for plans and stuff for the roof, but what is actually gonna be done to the building this round?

Okay, so repointing of the brick facade.

Right.

Will will physically take place during this in this.

Okay.

And this is a project that we put off a couple of times already, so it's it's something that needs to get done as well.

Okay, thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you, Council Rebro.

Council Gomes on your first?

I'm all set.

Council also.

Anyone else in the first?

Council Burgo.

Uh this is more of a logistical question.

Uh when it comes time to work on the elevator, do we know how long it will be out of commission for?

It's gonna be a good nine months, hopefully not longer, but it could depending on complications.

Okay.

Unfortunately.

Just because it's the only ADA accessibility we have for our meetings, and I don't know.

And I've tried, you know, I've had a conversation with uh Dennis, our city clerk, to see what would be the best time of the year to do it so we can gauge it with going out to bid, and there doesn't seem to be ever a good time for that elevator to be down.

Yeah, and it's not gonna be done in phases, I assume, so it would be a straight nine months.

It would be straight, yes.

Okay.

Thank you.

You're welcome, Council Burgo.

Anyone else on the first?

Council Roy.

Hi.

Hi.

Is there a backlog of deferred maintenance?

Like this isn't it, right?

The 5401,000.

Like uh are there are there other other things like not included that that have you know been deferred in City Hall?

Not included in this summary?

Yeah.

No, it's what's here in this summary.

Okay, thanks.

Thank you, Council Roy.

Anyone else on the first?

Anyone else in the second?

Seeing none?

We'll move on to item number four, CP04.

Hillman Street Complex, building three improvements.

1,560, 818 dollars.

Questions?

Council Pereira on your first?

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

What is actually being done in this phase and what will be what is planning in this phase?

This first phase will start with plans and drawings.

This will definitely be a project that goes out to bid.

But we're starting off with getting the water problems first.

And we have to um make the ADA situation uh a priority as well.

So we gotta do as much as we can with what we have to start with.

So is it plans for a new roof or is it a new roof in this amount?

Well, once we go up and really assess how bad the roof is, that will destroy the money.

So this is just for the assessment.

Yeah.

So there'll be a have to be more.

And again in a phase two.

More funding.

Okay.

Are the ADA ramps included in this?

Yes.

To do them?

Plans and construction?

Yes.

Okay.

Thank you, Mr.

Um Chairman.

Thank you, Council.

Anyone else in anyone else offer first?

Council Roy on your first?

Mary, can we get can I have Mary can look at the question?

Well, hold on.

Anybody have any questions?

For Jen before we we bring up Councillor Carney.

Counselor Roy, I'll get to you, I guess.

Hi Jen, thanks for coming.

Um I've been over these years have been asking for pauses on this.

It's a big bite of 12 million dollars overall projects.

I'm just wondering if if that was cut in half, could you do the assessment and start some of the work on um Hillman Street?

We can we would do our best with whatever you could approve to try to get the work started.

The building does need these repairs, especially the ADA compliance situation has become serious where people can't get in and out of the building.

Right.

Well, yeah, because I I I do believe that ADA compliance has been a problem for many years now.

Yes.

On that building.

So I think that's number one priority um in that building for the ADA.

I know that's been a problem for a while, and I've heard several complaints about that over this past several years.

I'm just looking to looking to see how we can minimize this amount on the taxpayers and what's a loan and we bought and fire up but alone as a loan, and we still have to pay it back.

So I'm just looking to see on these big ticket items if we could cut something in half.

Are you able to still get the ADA compliance and get the assessment on the roof?

Because it comes back every year.

Yeah.

And it it'll, you know, it's it's easy, uh easier to see once we get started.

We don't really don't know what the bids will come back at, how much we're gonna need, when the time frame is depending on what we are approved for, then we can gauge our bids and how the construction will start to try to gauge when we get further funding to continue the project.

Do you have like just a cutout of what the ADA is going to cost us?

I don't have it here, but I can't.

Yeah, could you get it?

Yes, could you get that?

Because like I said, that to me is top priority because it has been a concern for many years.

All right, thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Carney.

Counselor Baptiste.

Is your questions for for Jen?

Yeah.

Go right ahead of my friend.

Thank you.

How are you doing, Jen?

How's everything today?

Good.

How are you?

Good.

Um this money is needed, right?

How far is them buildings behind as I grew up in the neighborhood, right?

So I've I'm used to seeing that building being like not up to par.

Like, so if you had to describe like where in the year 2026, where would you say that building, how far behind is that building in compliance to where we can get it to where we can sustain it for multiple years?

Like so if this money is needed to sustain it for multiple years, so we don't have to keep on making repairs, like so like how far are we behind so that we that we can gauge it.

You understand?

We certainly should have done this already.

We should have started this already.

The ADA issue is a big deal.

Um we did recently have an inspection by the DLS over there, and it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be.

So the it's still workable, but it's getting worse.

Um the leaking roof, you know, is is damaging the walls, and our copy just have to keep going, tearing down that wall, putting up a new one so we don't create mold.

Um it's a constant the money we're putting into it, it's kind of ended up just becoming a waste.

We need to fix the problem so that we don't continue to waste money.

If we can fix this and and get it going, then we're gonna it we're gonna be better off.

If we can fix this and and get it going, then we're gonna it we're gonna be better off than we so the building what I'm trying to say in so many words is it'll be worth the building to put this money into it.

The building will then be worth more than as it sits, of course.

But it's worth us doing it.

The building it's worth putting the money into this building at this point the way it is.

Because if we don't put the money into it, we're just gonna keep on spending money fixing everything anyway, right?

That and we could lose the asset totally.

All right.

So that's you you made your point.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I yield.

Thank you, Council Baptist.

Council Abrew, is this?

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Yeah, I I agree with you, Jen.

No more band-aids, really.

I mean, uh I think you just alluded to it.

I was going to ask you about the roof, the ceiling.

Um it's uh existing roof has failed.

And you talk about significant water damage.

It's creating mold.

It's dangerous for your employees and our visitors and constituents who visit this building, this office.

I mean, to me, this is just a no-brainer.

I mean, I I don't want to spend 1.5 million as much as the next person in this room, but at what point I mean, public health, wellness and safety, and ADA compliance trumps certain things.

And I think those items trump the ask.

So I think I think it's legitimate, and I agree with you.

Um I agree with the Ward 4 counselor, you know.

Um no more band-aids.

It's time to rip it off and get to work and fix and tune this place up.

So um I can't speak for my colleagues, but I'm going to fully support this item as asked.

So keep up the great work, Jen.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

I'll yield.

Council Pepperton on your first.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Uh I just want to echo my uh the my colleagues in front of me and uh to the right of me.

I've uh I've had a chance to go into that building recently.

Uh and I was in the uh PAC recreation building, and what I saw in there was it was terrible.

I mean the mode, like you said, it's a the rain, uh so that building definitely uh needs to be uh that roof needs to be fixed.

So I just want to just let my colleagues know what I saw as well.

Yeah.

And that building does house parks and rec it houses veterans and also Nebbe Public Schools have their um pregnant parenting teams program there too.

So they uh they all need a place to be.

I yell thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you Council Brampton.

Anyone else on there first?

Anyone on their second?

Council Carney on your second.

So this amount is gonna replace the roof.

The in so this is going to do the entire project?

I thought this was just the beginning of it.

No, it's it's the project in phases, yes.

So it's in phases, but that amount will complete that building.

Yes.

Oh, okay.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Carney.

And then also in the second.

Seeing none.

We are moving on to the CP five.

Thank you, um, Counselor.

I I I would draw my request, Mike.

Oh, our colleagues.

I'm sorry, you want to do that.

No, it's our colleagues touched on some of the points I wanted to make, but I I would throw out my request.

Thanks, Mary.

Thank you.

Now we're at CP5.

Roadway reconstruction, three million dollars.

Commissioner Pont?

Good evening.

Council Pereira.

Thank you, uh Chair Mr.

Chairman.

Jamie, I'm glad you're wearing your rain jacket and not your winter jacket, your snow jacket.

That's that's a better sign to see.

Um it's probably a reto, it's a definitely a rhetorical question, but uh during your tenure as commissioner of the department.

Uh have construction costs stayed the same?

No.

Okay.

Um can you estimate how much road three million dollars can replace a distance?

It depends on the level of restoration that we do.

Um we had a ban a year, a few years ago, and um I would say we touched six miles of road.

Okay.

And that was several years ago, you said?

Yeah, about three years ago.

So three years ago, you touched six million miles of road, or six million, six miles of road.

Uh but costs have gone up as we of all known because we're seeing other cost increases.

I I'm I'm a little uh I I'll be I will ask the chair if I can speak to uh Christina Connolly in a minute to uh get a little bit of a better gauge, but are you able to is your office with all the projects going on, because I do know the BI is busier than ever.

Are you able to handle a little bit more roadware road work construction to repairing roads?

Do you have the bandwidth to do so?

Well I would say that we we do.

Right.

We have a lot of TIP projects and grant funded projects throughout the city.

Sure.

As well as the Chapter 90 funding and the road bond.

So um there's a lot more that's managed than just these three million dollars that we're here for tonight.

Right.

And and this council, along with my colleagues, have continually asked for a little bit more money in this and to maybe have that scale up along with the cost of goods as they go up.

So we're at least doing the same amount of road or or or trying to do that in uh in the intentions.

And uh it's important for me as I I state multiple times, and I will state in come budget season that I I I find it important to make sure we're not uh overextending ourselves.

But I'm glad to hear that uh in talking with you, I know hundreds of millions of dollars that your department is currently overseeing and doing a good job of that.

So um when it's appropriate, Mr.

Chairman, I'd like to talk to Christina Connolly, please.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Council Abreu, on your first.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Good evening, Commissioner.

Um my colleague before me kind of touched upon it.

He started the conversation, and I think it was it's well put.

Um three million dollars.

Uh how do you decipher or decide what street gets the attention or streets get the attention?

And you know, obviously, I'm definitely gonna vote for this.

I definitely think we need to invest more in our streets and roadways, but I understand it is what it is.

Um Chapter 90 obviously isn't up to power from the state.

We don't get the kind of state aid for Chapter 90 for the roads and infrastructure that we need, unfortunately.

Um gets the love of this three million dollars.

I mean, you uh did you work with the administration on that?

On you do you conduct the needs assessment?

How does that all shake out?

Yeah, we have a uh needs assessment, uh uh pavement management uh system.

So we look at that, but there's a lot more that goes into it than just that.

Um as the council is aware, we're removing um lead service pipes around the city.

Uh EverSource is in the city doing their relays, um gas and electric.

Um there's uh sewer work uh to separate sewers as the council is aware.

So a lot of the paving that we do in-house factors all of that stuff in.

All of that is uh timed correctly so that way we're not paving and digging up a street and then paving it again.

And um I'm gonna assume this last horrific blizzard and storm we just received, that did not help our pothole situation, right?

It did not help our s sinkhole situation as it's well documented.

So that kind of obviously has set you back a little bit, correct?

Yeah, this went uh did wreak some havoc on the roadways as everybody's aware.

So um as far as like where who gets the love, so to speak, um it's still being determined as we speak.

We we always go into it with a draft, but then you know things like this uh could change our priority.

Okay.

Um it it's it's not an easy thing to do.

I mean, I don't envy you on this one, my friend, because it's tough to decide who gets what.

And we'll see what we get for Chapter 90 and how all that shakes out.

Oh, before I yield, I'll ask you again, I ask you every year.

The trillion dollar infrastructure package from the Federal Government, have we seen a dime of that trickle down to New Bedford yet?

For the last administration in Washington.

Remember the trillion dollar infrastructure package that went to every state and to help with the economic rebound?

It was doled out to every 50 states, and then the administration of every state would be the candyman and give it out to all the municipalities.

Have we seen dollar one from that?

Up the top of my head, I can't think of a specific pool of money that I would point to.

It was a trillion dollar package, you know.

I mean that it's uh We get grants, we apply for grants and we get money, and most of that kind of funding is distributed through a grant program.

So for me to say like where that pocket of money came from, I don't know.

But we are pretty successful in uh receiving grants.

Yeah, I know, I know then you do well with that.

So yeah.

I'm gonna keep asking that question.

Maybe the administration knows the trillion dollar package if we've received any fruits from that.

But um but I appreciate your time.

Thank you, Commissioner.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair, Jamie.

We know where the money gotta go.

Right.

It gotta go in ward four.

Sorry, guys, I don't care how you feel.

I'm tired of getting calls all day because people have put holes in front of their house the size of baby bass.

Um I think that it's not your fault though, like because three million dollars is way too short.

I think that if these things probably were done before I was in here or you was in your seat, like a lot of these things were getting fixed over the years.

We were going to have the devastate industry structure that we have right now.

Um I just commend you guys for doing all the work that you do.

Um I just hope that um it does get some of the things that need to get done that could you know last us long term.

We talk we talk a lot about the long-term goals of everything like longer than when we're here.

But as long as this stuff is getting done for long-term process, like I think you're shortchanging yourself for three million dollars.

I think that the city needs a lot more than that.

And I think that everybody's shocks and struts and cars up in here would agree with that.

Um I think that people in the city, you know, they complain about a lot of things, but you know, if if they have to put back into their roads and give them back, like I don't think that they would complain about that.

Well, maybe they would.

But thank you.

I just wanted to say thank you.

You know, and keep on doing the work that you do.

Thank you, Council Batice.

Council Oliver on your first.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you, Commissioner Pond.

Uh the it says for roadway for uh roadway reconstruction, three million dollars.

I think everybody has said, you know, we would love to see more money here, and I hope the administration does hear that.

Um I know we've been in communication with them and hopefully that changes.

But when is this money only going to reconstruction or is it using for patchwork or this or that, or is it just complete reconstruction of a road?

It could be used for patchwork.

Okay.

That's what I wanted to know if that was going to be able to be used for that, or you have to do a complete section from curb to curb.

No, as long as it's uh roadway reconstruction and um uh some sidewalk work, I think is in the language.

Um and that's what I was saying, like this this winter, like didn't like blow up our draft, but as you look around, you can see there might be uh cause to um put a few patches out, reduce some intersections rather than the whole street just to triage some of these areas that are you know in pretty rough shape.

We're we're looking into that.

Yeah, do you do you have an uh a general idea of what that's gonna look like as far as from this last storm, what it's gonna take to get the roads to the somewhat drivable conditions that we have right now?

We have multiple uh pothole crews out every day.

Yeah, um so they're still doing po coal patch right now, though, right?

Uh yeah, some of the plants have opened up, so they're getting uh some hot mix too.

Um but um so we're making you know good progress with that.

But um like what I'm talking about doing some of those patches, that won't be until uh April or May.

Yeah.

And that you expect that some of the repair from this last storm to come out of this as well?

It could.

We're looking we're looking at it to make sure like it doesn't make sense to fill a hundred potholes and into intersection when we can just pave that area uh a small patch of the street where that street might not be on the schedule to be paved because it has lead services or ever source is gonna come through there.

But we understand the need to uh be efficient with the money and triage it and make sure that it's you know accessible, passable.

Okay.

And that was that was kind of my way I wanted to bring it was I just don't want us to be using this money, fill in the holes, and then we could be replacing whole intersections if that's the case.

So thank you.

I appreciate that you're you're being mindful of that.

Thank you.

Council Gomes, on your first.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Um three billion dollars would be excellent, wouldn't it, Commissioner?

Divided by every city and town across the Commonwealth.

That would be some serious money, huh?

For us to repair some roads.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Mr.

Commissioner, you've done um some great work with what you have.

And um my questioning was going similar to the previous counselor was um right now you might have had a plan, but that plan may be scrapped for the moment to get the roads back together.

And were you considering um cutting uh into these uh areas?

And when I say that, uh in the olden days we used to have these guys with uh jackhammers go in and square this off.

Then the uh asphalt would come.

Are you considering doing that across the city to um kind of tie up some of these uh streets?

Um Yeah, in some areas it's definitely being looked at.

Which money could be used for that.

And that could that could stretch it a little ways if uh hypothetically you took uh two hundred thousand and just started looking at different areas where you would cut it in the following day, asphalt company comes, drops it, cleans it and and moves on.

That's something you are considering.

Definitely we have done it in the past.

I would say probably about seven eight years ago we ended up using a majority of the funding, which was a lot less at the time, I think it was only about five hundred thousand um towards patching, doing a lot of patching, being that there wasn't enough funding to do entire roads um and uh uh made a big difference in those areas.

Are you going to make this money also work, Commissioner, with um some of the Eversource work that's being done?

I know you're stretching them as far as you can to get them to um you know repay uh re-asphalt the street after they're done with it.

Um could this money help in that situation where we wouldn't leave like some areas not done?

Yeah.

As you know, Eversource paves half the road if they uh uh do a main and the road.

And um we look at the other half of the road to see if it makes sense to invest that money into that other half and um save a little bit of money on mobilization and pave the whole street at the same time.

But once again, there are other infrastructure issues under that road that we might take into consideration and um not do that.

But we do we've been working very well with Eversource, especially over the last couple of years in um you know, cooperative uh planning.

Who does the the asphalt after Eversource is done, Commissioner?

Is that subcontracted out to different um companies or whatever?

Yeah, if Eversource is paving it, it's their contractor, it's their contractor.

And you're holding them accountable for how these um areas are being resurfaced or or whatever.

Um I correct?

Because I've seen some areas and maybe they're coming back, maybe it's me.

But I've seen some areas where it it's half of the load of work there, and then some areas are just perfect.

They put it back perfect.

And I just was wondering if you were watching that because that causes you also and causes the city in New Bedford a problem later on when we're going back.

And that's why I wanted to put the medallions out on the streets so we help people accountable for what work they did and what work they didn't do.

And um I'm just looking to make sure that that kind of work is being done.

Yeah, our engineers inspect all of the work that any contract that performs in the city.

And I would just ask you to keep on them, uh Commissioner, just just because of the nature of the beast of the roads and everything, that they put everything back as best as it can be.

Will do?

It makes everyone happy.

Thank you, Mr.

Commissioner.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you, Council Golems.

Council Roy, in your first.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Hi, Commissioner.

How are you pretty good?

Um putting aside uh the pothole issue in the city right now.

Can you comment on the overall condition of our roads?

Uh are are we are we falling behind in in fixing them?

Are we gaining ground?

Can you just speak to that and that's it?

I I would say over the last several years we've been uh pacing the uh PCI, the pavement condition index score.

So it like I said earlier, it's not just the funding that we're asking for tonight or the Chapter 90 funding.

There's also TIP projects that come in.

There's uh grant projects, um Eversource paving half the road.

So a lot of work that is going into the road affects that PCI score totally, and we've basically been um pacing it and the city rates in a uh fair condition overall.

Thank you.

I yield.

Anyone else?

Thank you, Council Royce.

Anyone else are the first for the Commissioner?

Council Carnion, you're first.

Hello, welcome, Commissioner.

So first of all, I want to thank you and your men for the work you did for the snowstorm because that was a big one.

And you guys were out there 24-7, and thank you for taking care of some of the issues I called you up that people are very pleased after you went and removed some of their snow.

So I wish I could give you more on your s on your your uh road construction.

I think that's that is something that when we talk about deferred maintenance and putting things off for years.

I mean, some of these roads could have been up kept a long time ago if you had the the funding to do it.

But um but I just want to say, you know, with Eversource and and the way you're working things with the the water replacement, um they have been filling up the get the holes that they've been digged um dug up, so it's the roads are kind of smooth and you can only do what you can with a with the money that you have.

I wish I could give you more.

I would give you 10 million dollars if I could.

Um but keep up the good work.

I just wanted to commend your department for what you did for the over the snowstorm.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Carney.

Anyone else for the Commission?

Council Burgo on your first.

I just have a question in terms of so we're planning out um because uh looking at our charts just for a visual for um obviously this year you're only asking for three million, but over the next this is a five-year plan to accumulate fifteen million dollars towards roadways.

Is that correct?

I believe so, yes.

And so I guess my question is um because we've given money in the past, is does it ever happen with DPI where like you accumulate a certain amount to then attack like uh the problem in a way to to work at certain roads uh uh or do you when you get the three million dollars you start working right away with what you have, or do you wait to get a larger sum of money?

We typically hold back up sometimes almost half of the three million, say I got three million last year for spring, so that way we have funding to start with, because this three million, if approved, we wouldn't have until later on in the year.

So we'll usually have a little bit of money left over, we plan for that.

Um that way we're not just sitting on our hands waiting for uh funding to arrive.

But we don't typically um pool money like that.

No, we try to get it into the road.

And then because the potential is next year, even though you've presented this to us, we have the visual of the long-term five-year plan here.

Uh counselor could say next year I only want to give you half, because this year I don't want to give you the full three million.

So then you're anticipating that 15 million total, which we have that chart for, because this is a five-year plan, but then someone might say, Oh no, this year I don't want to continue that five-year plan that we're planning on, which is why we do five-year plans, and they might say, no, next year we're not going to approve that, even though that's why we plan these out.

And so that would be a detriment, right?

In the thought process of planning ahead.

Absolutely.

Okay.

I I'm just asking these questions in terms of again, we do five-year plans for these larger projects to pace them out for these loans, and then as old debt falls off, yes, we take on this new debt, but it's money that we know that we're we're getting rid of old debt, we take our new debt, it's not going to cost the taxpayers more in that sense, and it's that way we can plan out in that five years.

And so I'm just trying to create that visual for people when we're planning ahead.

But I'm using that using you to create that visual.

So I thank you, Commissioner.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you, Council Burgo.

Anyone else in the first with the commissioners?

Anyone with a second?

Seeing none.

Thank you.

Council Pereira, uh, Christina Connolly.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

So, Christina, have there been conversations with increasing the allocation to roadway reconstruction?

There have been, yes.

And you know, honestly, if this blizzarded, you know, if we had this had been foreseen or it had happened before we submitted this number, it might have been, you know, even more serious conversation about a larger number, knowing we're going to have even more catching up to do.

Um, but yes, we have discussed um increasing the number.

And just because uh if logic follows, less and less roads will be able to be done with the same tranche of money money that's being uh allocated, why is there not a plan to in either uh a increase it over the next five years as as was laid out in the plan that my the colleague before me spoke about, or even this year to to something that uh was just mentioned when the last CIP that was put before us was rejected.

Why is was that not uh um looked at and why wasn't there an increase this year?

Well, it was uh a little bit of a push and pull because as you know, we we had submitted a bigger a bigger uh CIP number uh previously that the council wanted us to go back to the drawing board and and cut that back, which we have done.

Um so in the service of trying to get like we have more priorities than we can fund, as you know.

Um so in the service of trying to get as many of the buildings, the critical building needs addressed, um, as well as vehicles, which are really critical as well, and the roads, so this you know is kind of a compromise.

Um but that is not to say that we would not consider you know, nothing set in stone with the out years of the five-year plan.

So there's nothing to say that we couldn't consider modest gradual increases over that time.

Um and we are certainly open to that conversation with the council.

I would really appreciate I think it would be a uh a sign of good faith between the administration and this body if when it comes time for the next CIP that in that build-out is a some sort of escalation in roadway construction money uh being allocated there.

And if that means the CIP has to grow a little bit and it's in uh uh because the we you the administration proposed 18 million and I appreci uh uh something like 18 million dollars that was rejected.

I appreciate you are uh uh trying to get that number down, but I also in that rejection was also uh it was two objections that I believe the majority of this body had was one, it's way too much money, and two, not enough money in roads.

You chackled one, but I think the second item was missed.

Uh I appreciate you attempting to do that.

But I think uh in the next time we have this conversation, uh I really, really think it's it would be wise to see an increase in roadway construction money and a plan uh over the next five years for that to escalate uh to keep up with inflation.

So at least we're trying to do that that bare minimum amount of roads and trying to keep that consistent.

Understood.

I I think in general it's worth noting that as you uh many of you have acknowledged that costs have increased considerably since we started the CIP program, you know, ten plus years ago.

We we put forth our first CIP and it was in the five or six million dollar range.

Um that's just like not reality anymore.

I mean you just can't get much of anything done with that amount of money.

So this 12 million, which is double, say what you we might have been used to for several years, is really you're getting this the same amount of work done as what we used to get done with that five or six million dollars.

It's just the reality of how costs have increased.

So we're certainly open to the conversation about um you know increasing the overall um pot and and as part of that increasing the road the road number.

I think it would be uh uh beneficial uh and in on good faith on both parties if that was to be started to be incorporated moving forward.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you, Council Pereira.

Anyone else on there first for Christina Connolly?

Seeing none?

All right moving on.

CP 06, McCoy Turf Field Replacement, 1 million 764,000.

I see Bob walking.

Oh Bob's not walking.

Councillor Forever, who would you like to call up?

Uh Assistant Superintendent of Finance, David Flynn.

Good evening.

Good evening.

Uh thank you, uh Mr.

Chairman.

So I I uh Mr.

Chairman, uh uh a little bit of uh uh leeway.

I know we're on CP six, but the next item also was for the schools and might touch on a little bit on that as well.

So uh as far as the McCoy Turf field replacement in the in the uh blurb that's written here, it also mentioned the lighting in the scoreboard would need to be replaced.

Is that in this money?

Yes it is.

It is.

So it's the turf field and the school board and the lighting.

At McCoy, yes.

At McCoy, yes.

And then the next item on this list is gonna be for the lighting, just the lighting at Walshfield.

Correct.

And looking at your uh replacement uh the plan for the next five years, there's like almost another four million in some odd for next CIP, which is more turf fields.

Correct.

So the excuse me.

So the other schools that have turf fields that at some point need to be replaced at all three elementary schools and the Abraham Lincoln element, all three middle schools and the Abraham Lincoln elementary school all should be cycled through in the upcoming years.

Now is that something that can be phased in and not taken all at once?

Absolutely.

Okay.

Because that's kind of my thinking here.

Do you if if one of these two is uh that's before us this year is more important than the other, which one would it be?

The lighting at Walsh and the or the McCoy turf field?

It's really two different needs because at McCoy, it's about the age of the field, the in field that is worn away.

Talk about to be a premier high school field for boys and girls.

Sure.

And it's to the point where it would not pass in today's standards, like the safety test of the impact testing and things of that nature in the seams lifting up.

At Walshfield, it's the inability to use that field anytime at night without those lights because they're so inconsistent.

We've patched them here and there to try and get them to come on when they can.

Other times they don't come on.

So it's really two very different needs, but both for your high school, which should be the premier facility in any community for the sports for the high school to work.

So and one thing I also wanted to say is that the estimate for the Walshfield, that 496, that's the fixtures.

I this was kind of priced out to be doing these two together.

So if you were to look at, say, Walsh lights in and of themselves, that's probably not enough because you don't have the design and engineering and construction admin alone.

That's just like the fixture cost in there.

This was looking at being a designed all together as an athletic replacement of the two fields.

So I really don't want to.

So that 1.7 includ for McCoy includes the design for Walsh, is that what you're saying?

Correct.

Well, when you put the two together and you're at roughly 2.3 million almost, correct that would be the design and construction administration for both together, yes.

Because it would be economies of scale of not doing them.

Yeah, okay, okay.

Makes sense.

Um can we at some point see a uh revised plan for the school department for the turf fields, if that's because uh in in was would be the two middle schools in an Abraham Lincoln uh elementary school turf fields, those can be phased a little bit separate and not all done next year, like it's in the plan?

Absolutely.

I mean, I'm being completely honest here, we we put it as the year out as to put it on the horizon and not necessarily saying that all four remaining fields would have to be done next year.

Okay.

It's those the priority is Walsh and McCoy.

Fair enough.

And then the other four could be done in any order at any time in the future, but we're really prioritizing on these.

It's just to vote tonight, it would uh uh and obviously there's gonna be more votes uh in the future when it just goes to city council, but just so that I could have uh because making that that statement makes it easier for me to vote tonight on this because not having to think about five million, four point something million next year for the tur more turf fields.

And I don't want to diminish the other schools, but they they are middle and elementary compared to your high school, your you know your varsity sports trying to be a drawer, we were just hosting a regional tournament for basketball, we could never host anything for any other sport outside of the CMIA would not come here.

Okay.

Yeah, so if if if if in the next week or so before this goes to the city council, um if you could provide uh and and uh maybe just forecast out those other fields a little bit better over the next five years when those requests would come through, that would be greatly appreciated.

We actually have an engineering report being done of all the fields that's doing exactly that, prioritizing the need for them.

We just knew that these were the two that were going to be on the top of the list.

Okay.

So I pushed those to the top.

Sure.

We can certainly provide you with a whole report and the other ones as well.

Okay, yeah.

If you wouldn't mind and funnel that through the clerk's office, I would appreciate that.

Sure.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you, Council Pereira.

Derek Baptiste is next.

Thank you.

Um with the turf with the turf field replacements, um, how often do they need to be replaced?

Like, because I know them turf fields that we don't have the maintenance the proper maintenance to keep them up to par like that.

So I know that we have to replace them.

We do own the equipment to to groom them periodically.

However, they're all designed for roughly say 10 to 12 years of a lifespan.

We're looking at a facility now that's roughly 20 years old because it was built when Keith, the old Keith was torn down.

Yeah.

So it's just about 20 years ago.

So it's about eight years past its expected lifespan right now.

And I and I think that the Walsh um the McCoy field is just tough.

It's just not up to part.

When you look at other fields when you go around the state, you know, with especially when you look at the visitors side and the scoreboard, it's really blah.

Like so those are upgrades that are needed just so that we can compete, like you say, compete around and being the you know the school that we are and trying to make it happen around here.

But um the Walsh field lighting is our games gonna stop being played at Walshfield if the lighting gets fixed.

That is the hope of the high school that they would like to have their home football games at night on that field, but we would also need to know that the lights were reliable enough to schedule them that way.

Uh because my it ain't nothing like New Baffert High School football at Walshfield.

Like it it's not the same at at McCoy.

Like it has to be at Walsh, like it has to be at Walshfield.

So I'm I'm always with you know the betterment of helping the youth in the community to make sure that you know their safety and whatever you know, whatever activities they're in, you know, say they can thrive in so you know I'm all with it.

You ain't never gonna ask me.

I yield.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Baptiste.

Council Abroon, you're first.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

I agree wholeheartedly with my esteemed colleague who spoke before me.

Um if we're going to breathe life back into this esteemed Division One football program, it starts with taking care of our own house first.

So I support the Walshfield lighting, full stop 100 percent.

That's a no-brainer for me, and I think for everyone else in this room.

Um my question about the McCoy turf, a couple of questions.

Um pardon the ignorance of the question, but I'm going to ask.

Um, because we have some terrible elements here in Southern New England, snow, sleet, rain, the whole deal.

Is there some type of tarp we could always purchase to roll off over on top of the field to preserve a little bit to give it a little more mileage?

I don't know.

I'm just wondering.

I do believe they make them.

I've seen them at something at like Gillette.

I'm not sure I've seen them at any high school fields around here, but they certainly exist.

If you wouldn't mind doing some homework and reporting back, I'm just curious.

I'm just for the future, you know what I mean?

Because if we're talking about you said 10 to 12 years, these things can last, but if we could purchase a TARP, I don't know what the cost would be, but I'm just trying to figure out maybe we could buy another five or six years on top of that.

I don't know.

I just I'm just trying to think of economical ways to save this turf because it's not cheap as is documented here.

You're looking at 1.7 million in change um for this alone, but uh I don't know.

It's just something I uh you might want to consider or think about going forward.

Um the other question is uh for McCoy, I mean, what's what's the deal with the school board?

What exactly is wrong with it?

I've gone to have soccer games there and whatnot.

What's what's wrong with it?

It works fine to me.

I don't know.

I wouldn't say there's anything wrong.

I think when analyzing the just the age of the of the entire facility that if we're upgrading, you know, the the track was resurfaced two years ago.

If we're putting in a new field, if you're gonna upgrade the lighting to LED lighting, the uh the engineers who were looking at it were saying, well, if you're going to do all that work, now is the time again with the economies of scale to do the scoreboard.

If we thought I thought that that was something you wanted to take out, I could certainly look at what is what's being held in that estimate for that.

But it was more just to if we're going to finish off this facility, why do everything else and then leave a 20-year-old scoreboard sitting there?

Well, what's interesting is is um I know you can't answer this question.

This would be a question for probably the superintendent or or even legal counsel, but I mean you see these other football uh high school stadiums in the area.

I'm thinking of like old Rochester Regional, for example, big Coca-Cola logo right there on the scoreboard.

I mean, that obviously is a paid sponsorship that offsets that cost.

Has that ever been talked about or thought about some sponsorships to kind of help provide some funding for these resources?

I'm gonna be honest, I mean not not to my knowledge, but again, I've only been here one year, so maybe the high school has talked about that prior, but I'm not prepared to answer that tonight either way.

All right.

Well, it's just a little homework for me to you if you don't mind.

Uh no pun intended, but uh I appreciate that.

I'm just throwing out some ideas, so I'm just curious.

So thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

All yes.

Abrew, Council Kanye, and you're first.

Yes, thank you.

Um just a quick question.

Um we playing football on Walsh Field now?

We're not playing because of the lights.

No, we're playing.

Correct.

They they would have they had certain games there, but they had them on Saturday afternoon and not a Friday night because of the lights.

Because that's a great field to watch football in.

So it does does the McCoy even accommodate the amount of people that would want to go to a football game at the same time.

Probably not for a big game, especially with the seating only on one side of the field as well at McCoy.

You know, there's only the stand on one side.

So depending on the number and also being quite honest with the rivalry is you might not want them sitting on one side together anyway.

Right.

Because it seems like a smaller field.

I didn't think that they played a lot of football on that field, that Walshfield was the field to again.

The athletic director and the football coach would prefer prefer to play at Walshfield.

Yes, absolutely.

Okay.

I'm just I'm just wondering because uh I was looking at that, saying that we do need the lights at Walshfield so we can get back there and play football.

Obviously, we're not doing night games there.

Correct.

Right.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Carney.

Council Gomes, when you're first.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Chairman.

I'll try to be as quick as I can.

The lights at Walshfield.

You say fixtures.

I are you replacing the entire light structure or at Walsh, it would be because right now it's it's a system of eight wooden poles, which is short.

You know, any modern design is going to be four large like aluminum or steel poles.

So that's the cost of the fixtures for the poles and the lights.

Again, what's not included in there in the 496 would be the design and construction administration only because we were looking at it as a one project.

Just as a comparable the Wareham Public Schools just replaced their lights.

The bid came in for it at 569 plus the design and contract administration.

How much is that?

Well, 60.

So we're talking about 620.

Yes.

I would want to see those lights done.

Way overdue.

Not only for the high school.

Not only because actually I don't like to pat myself on the back, but some people say he got nothing done when he came here.

Well, one of those things were sergeant field at the time, which is now the Paul Walsh field.

Which was in decaying condition.

Paint could be scraped on any given day.

The conditions were awful.

And they went in during the Rosemary Tanney uh administration and straightened that out.

And it was one of the calls out from this council and this council.

I would like to see those lights on, because as I said, they don't only benefit the high school and having those night games as they always were, but it would benefit the high school in other areas.

And other factors of that field, even being leased or uh for other activities or whatever, without ruining the field or whatever.

The other thing I would like to tell you, most of these turf fields, they don't have covers in.

They don't have covers simply because isn't it true that the water just strains out of them?

Yeah, they're designed to exactly to flow water out of them very rapidly.

So the it's not so much weather conditions.

It's wear and tear of the play of the field.

Yeah, where exactly.

Yes.

I I was here when that field when Keith got taken down.

I was here when that field got built.

The field is still beautiful.

We should maintain it.

We should do the turf now and get everything done now instead of piecemeal and it piecemeal in it means we have more to do the next round that we come.

I'm sick and tired of that here in the city.

We're going to take care of something.

We take care of it now.

And for the the life in UCN, we got 20 years out of that.

If we get 12 to 15 out of this new one, I I I think we're getting our money's worth.

But that's that's my plan of action.

Everything you are asking for tonight, I plan on voting for because of the kids in that school and because of um what it means to the city of New Bedford.

It's not all about the championships, it's about the opportunities.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you, Councilor Gomes.

Council Roy.

Thanks, Mr.

Chair.

Hi.

Uh why why why is um why is McCoy Stadium?

McCoy Stadium.

Why is the McCoy field at the top of the list?

Two one is the sheer condition of it.

I don't know if you've walked on that field or not.

Virtually every seam is lifting up, the logo is lifting up.

It's just 20 years old.

The infill is barely there.

And number two, it's our high school should be our varsity field for boys and girls at the high school, which would be a premier part of your premier complex within the city, in my opinion.

And again, and not to diminish middle school elementary, those are the other fields on the list further down the road.

High school, junior varsity, varsity, just in my mind should take a higher priority if you're putting one against the other.

Are kids still using the field?

Yes.

Yeah.

Are there safety issues on the field?

I I mean, if it was to the extent that we thought it was purely unsafe, we wouldn't use it.

However, it's not as safe as what a brand new field is going to be.

I know our superintendent son is on the soccer team.

They they soccer hits the field an awful lot.

They probably play in better conditions in other places than at home.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilor Roy.

Uh Council Oliver on your first.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you, Mr.

Flynn.

Um as sports teams are getting away from turf fields.

Uh schools doing that too, or no?

Are we still still staying with turf fields?

I think the the priority for schools staying with turf fields is quite the longevity.

The amount of upkeep that once they're installed, you yes, you have to upkeep them, but it's not to the level of grass turf.

It lets you have playing seasons be longer.

And they do just take more wear and tear than grasswood.

So you can play soccer, then you can play lacrosse and you can play football all on the same day, seven days a week.

You can't do that on grass if you want to maintain the grass of the level you should via varsity sports.

And they're lined and stuff already for that.

Exactly.

And the only reason why I asked that is because the general public is going to be like, well, why don't I just go to grass and grass is cheap and this and you know, like but the maintenance about of grass, the redrawing of the lines on the two.

Every couple of days you're gonna have to recover.

Yeah, right.

So I think for the schools, it's still um beneficial, obviously, cost effective wise for the turf.

And then take the weather like today.

You could play if it's sunny tomorrow, you could play tomorrow.

You cannot play in a grass field tomorrow.

Right.

Um with the turf the McCoy field, though, it it is not regulation size though, correct?

Oh, it's uh it's a full I mean a full it's a full football field and soccer field.

It might not be you know, soccer field has like three different approved widths, is my understanding, it might not be the widest.

It's not an official pitch for soccer field, though, right?

That's the I'm I'm it's clear.

I mean it it certainly meets the specifications for the smallest minimum dimension.

And it meets it for MMA purposes?

I believe so.

Okay.

Um that's why 165 and then 195, 2008 feet.

There's three three different dimensions.

I believe it's the smallest approved dimension.

While there are other fields out there that are larger, it meets the smallest minimum dimension.

Okay.

All right.

That's why I wanted to ask to see if that was if it would if it was an approved dimension or if we were just operating at uh because if we're gonna redo it, then let's redo it.

That's right.

That was why I was asking.

Obviously, it fits inside the track.

So you're confined to the without disturbing the track.

But it's my experience that any of those fields inside the standard track meets the smallest dimension for soccer.

Okay.

Thank you.

And um Do you know how much money that we've probably saved?

Uh you may not know or an estimate maybe of having the the turf field versus a grass field?

If this was a 20-year-old grass field.

Would it would it have suppressed passed the seven 1.7 million dollars you're asking today, you think?

It would probably be close on it if you counted the the labor hours and materials and you know, to water it, to fertilize it, to cut it, to line it for every single event that you do.

Yeah.

You could probably easily add that up to 30 to 50,000 a year in labor and materials.

Yeah.

Okay.

Well, thank you.

I like again, I just wanted to get that information out for the general public that'll be asking why we're replacing a chair.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you, Council Oliver.

Anyone else in there first?

Anyone on a second?

And it seems like we took items six and seven collectively together, which was the wash field.

But before I move on to eight, does anybody have any questions for CP07, the wash field lighting?

Seeing none.

Hold on, hold on one second.

I have one question.

Not with just the lighting with the Walsh field is like would you say in that it's gonna get up to par so that they can play night games?

Is the whole facility gonna be up is is the whole facility up to par too, like the concession stand and all that stuff like up to I I know it's up to compliance, but is it like I mean we would certainly like to see the concession stand in the area underneath the bleachers that should be can hold on that part of the lighting?

I know.

It's not part of the lighting.

So we'll focus only on the item in front of us.

Put more money into the council Baptiste.

So seeing nothing else on the lighting.

Item CP08, which is the zoo harbor seals habitat, 150,000.

Is there someone from the zoo?

We have two people from the zoo.

Uh so we're not Sarah, um, but she's on my phone.

So she's gonna be helping answer questions.

Um for those of you who remember last time I filled in for Sarah when she was away.

Um I'm the veterinarian Emmy Buddhist.

And then this is our assistant director, Christy Caterley.

Does anybody have any questions for the two ladies representing Shara from the zoo?

You want to give us a quick overview of the request?

Sure.

Yep, sure.

Um so number CP eight.

Oh sorry about that.

Uh CP8 is the harbor seal habitat.

So we're requesting 150,000.

Um that can be broken down into three main projects.

The first one is the harbor seal chillers.

Um these chillers are well past their prime.

We've had them for about 15 years now.

Um their life inspectancy is 10 years, so we're at the point where we're getting recommendations to actually replace them.

This is an important part of uh water quality and care for our seals.

Uh basically without it we would not be able to have harbor seals in our pool.

The second is um shade structure for our seals.

Um so currently the habitat shape structure also is about 15 years old.

Um just through weathering and time.

Um we've actually had to remove a lot of the slots that actually um cast shade over the pool.

Um and that's causing a lot of extra UV lighting um and extra solar radiation into our pool, which is causing a lot of issues.

Um one of those is um some eye issues that seals can get um through UV or overexposure to UV, um as well as it's actually heating our pool, causing our chiller to work harder.

And the third reason also is we do get we do have a saltwater pool, so X extra UV helps the algae grow and that also causes issues with our water quality.

So having shade structures will actually help with all of those three um items.

And then the third and last is um upgrading our seal holdings.

So inside our seal.

Go ahead, sorry.

Um one of the things that was brought up actually at our most recent USDA inspection in 2025 was the lack of shade that we have for this seal pool.

Um and it's actually something that we did get written up for, and so we did show them that we have this proposed plan to bring in this shade structure.

Uh but it is really, really important for us to be able to provide the seals with this shade just to put into perspective for you all when you're feeding a seal, they're actively looking up at you and looking directly into the sun.

And that was one of the concerns from our USDA inspector was the lack of our ability to provide them shade.

Um and also providing them shade goes into our third um part, which is our holding area.

So harbor seals are semi-aquatic mammals, which means that they like to spend time near in water.

So they do we do actually train them to go inside holding, but they voluntarily really prefer not to go inside holding, and a huge part of that is because there just isn't adequate pool space for them in that area.

Um so increasing or and actually I might add that this um holding area is also made in 2000, so this is also an outdated holding area as well.

Um so through some modifications, we would like to give them a much larger um pool space inside holding, which will overall give them much more shaded area or opportunities for shade.

Um and like Emmy has just said that both of these or all these affect USDA regulations as well as AZA standards and affect you know animal welfare as well as husbandry and health.

So again, just to paint the picture, I like to make drawings for you guys.

Um so our current um uh seal holding, um, it's basically just one small room where the seals come into.

Um and right now we're actually using kiddie pools for them to go into, um, one of which came from my backyard.

So as you can imagine, that's not adequate for seals.

Um it was something that was mentioned when the AZA came out for their inspection over the summer as well.

We were lucky we had USDA and AV at the same time.

Um but basically the point that I'm trying to make is that whenever we need to do any maintenance on the pool, which is their main place where they like to live, they do have to come into this holding.

And it's really important that when they have to come inside when the pool is getting redone or the water has to get changed, um, maintenance needs to be done that they have an adequate place for them to be housed in temporarily.

So it's obviously not their permanent home, but we should be able to provide them the adequate standards for their temporary home while their new home is getting renovated.

Thank you.

We do have a question for you, Councilor Roy.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Hi, how are you guys doing?

How are the seals doing?

They're amazing.

Yeah, they're good.

Have there been any health issues because of uh everything that you've described?

Uh so actually, yes.

Um, just to paint the picture for you again, we have two young girls right now.

Um they came to us in November of 2023, um, very healthy, besides eating rocks cause some dental issues.

Um but we do have one of our harbor seals right now who does have a very, very common disease called pinniped keratopathy, um, which essentially is just fancy terms for seals that get eye problems.

Um and it's super common in a bunch of seals all all over the world in captivity.

Um, but one of the things that we are pointing towards potentially causing that with our very, very young seals, they're only three and four years old, um, is the fact that they are getting exposed to this UV.

So unfortunately for our harbor seals, uh, once they get pinniped keratopathy, it's actually not completely curable.

It's just manageable.

Um, our harbor seal right now is actually having to get eye drops um twice daily just to manage this disease that was essentially caused by us not being able to bribe them the best care possible possible.

Thank you for that information.

I yield.

Thank you.

Oh, and sorry, Cher, just reminding me of one more really important thing.

We're also getting a third seal.

So um, which is really exciting and great for us.

Um, but even more so to the point that if we're bringing in another seal who is this adorable boy named Goose, um, we want to make sure that we're able to give him the best house as well.

Thank you, Council Roy, on already answered.

And Councilor Abreu, on your first.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman, and good evening, ladies.

Um I know Shara had sent us an email last week with a highlighted section for the portion that she had omitted in this ask for the lack of shade for the harbor seals and the absence of an indoor holding pool, limiting choice, and the control by seals as to where they have available shade and water was listed as an accreditation concern and must be addressed.

He seems to think that we can add it, but he's not our lawyer, so I'm not comfortable with that either.

This puts us at a pickle, I think, because I don't want to get you jammed up on what you need.

If this link is language really critical and the ask for what you need, because that could be a problem.

You know, like if our lawyer is not here, I uh I'm not really comfortable, and I'm sure no one else in this body is.

We have an attorney who represents us to make sure we're doing things legitimately and legally.

Um I don't know, it puts us in a spot now, you know, this last minute curveball, you know.

I don't know.

Do you have a response?

Probably not to that, right?

Um I wish I did.

I'm waiting for three dots to appear on my phone to see if my boss does have a wonderful response, but she is not saying anything yet either.

So the email we received from Shara on this was on Wednesday of last week.

Um, our attorney just texted now.

I guess you could move to accept the requested change proposed.

Oh I guess we could apparently.

I don't know.

Uh I don't know, Mr.

Chairman.

Through you and the council April.

They they mentioned the AZA already in their findings, and it doesn't change the amount of what they're requesting.

So what are you saying, Mr.

Chairman?

Leave it as is that was as was published and duly advertised.

Well, in all due respect, Mr.

Chairman.

We're gonna leave it as it was advertised.

Mr.

Chairman, just want to be able to do that.

Mr.

Chairman Abreu, if you're gonna challenge the chair we do not have legal counsel here.

The advertisement was duly advertised and properly advertised.

It was not provided.

It does not change the requested funding amount that is requested.

They have mentioned it in their description, the importance of the AZA.

And we do not have legal counsel here.

Well, I guess we're gonna be able to do that.

Yep.

Seeing none, anyone on a second.

Next is CPA 09.

Zoo regulatory deferred maintenance, 180,000.

Sure, we can do that.

Um these funds would be targeted towards a few different items.

Um HVAC repairs and upgrades to roof and building repairs that are needed in um one off the top of my head that I'm aware of is our bison barn.

Um a lot of our public pathways, just like all the streets New Bedford got hit pretty hard with the fun winter we had.

Um so those are on the list for repairs, replacement of a damaged door on our rainforest building.

So we actually have some handicapped doors on both sides of our buildings that need to be replaced.

They have a hard time opening, a hard time latching.

Um they're well past their prime.

Um, like I said, the bison barn holding area um replacement of the bison barn medical chute.

So one of the important so we since we've gotten bison back, um which we hadn't had them for a little while.

Um the bison barn is also a very old structure.

And again, the same thing.

We're getting some wear and tear as as it ages.

Um, but one of those replacements is the medical chute that we use for bison.

That's something that did deteriorate and we had to remove that.

That's an important part of medical care um for bison.

So this actually allows us to safely, efficiently safely efficiently, positively, like bring a, you know, an an less stress of bringing an animal into a shoot for medical and husbandry purposes.

Um that's on that list.

And I can sorry.

Yep, right here.

Sorry.

Um sorry about that.

Um replacing and deteriorating fencing and caging um in a few different areas of the zoo.

So one of those is our hospital um caging area or holding area, as well as our otter beaver holding areas and our bear holding area.

So the otter beaver as well as bear, all of those were also done in the year 2000, so they're all um showing their wear and tear.

I can speak for the otter beaver as an example.

Um the chain link in that area is frosting and deteriorating.

Um the gates that we use to open and close these enclosures uh are very hard to move.

They need to be replaced.

Um the overall design is very outdated.

They the design itself doesn't even allow us to put in like the correct correct size crate sometimes that we really need.

And we sometimes have to be.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So it's it can be challenging.

We have to work a lot of those little challenges.

So the doors aren't our appropriate size.

And the habitat in general inside our holding areas when our otters in beavers have to be locked in overnight, say due to severe weather like a blizzard.

Don't really give them that appropriate choice in in um as far as like water um pools and whatnot.

So we would like to really upgrade that holding area since they they potentially could spend some time in there for A working on their um enclosure or B, you know, shoveling out from a blizzard.

So we would like to upgrade that and to make that more of an animal welfare um uh change for for those guys so that they can you know do their natural behaviors inside.

Um I can go if you want I can go down the the specific um costs that she has itemized here.

No need for that.

We do have a question from Councilor Roy, so that might be a question he might have.

Council Roy.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I just want to know um you you're asking a part of your request is asking for the replacement of the bison medical shoe.

And I and I heard you mention that.

I just want to know what a bison medical chute is.

Yeah.

So um so the old one rotted, and that's why we need a new one.

Um but so basically what this is is it's uh um they they did the they designed these specifically for bison.

Um and so essentially what it is is it's this device that you put um almost in the walkway from where they would be leaving their barn to go out into their pasture and they have to walk through it every day to get used to it.

Um but it's basically like an enclosed space for them so that if you needed to you could close a door on both sides um so that then I could first say come in and give them an injection um while they're in this enclosed space.

But it's very safe and contained so that obviously as you know, bison are very big, they have big scary horns, they have big scary feet.

Um you don't want to get kicked by them, but also if they were to do anything they could injure themselves, and so this creates a nice contained like enclosed space so that they can't harm themselves or you.

Um so right now what I'm actually having to do for our bison since we do not have a chute um is dart them, and that is incredibly stressful for them.

Um so essentially what we do is we have to contain them in our small barn um and then I dart them, which leads to them running around in a panic in this very tiny area, kicking doors that could fall over.

Um it's not safe for them, it's not safe for us.

So that's why we need this chute for them to safely walk through.

Can you just tell me how much it costs?

I appreciate that answer.

I can just on here.

Is it not?

I don't think it's on here.

Hold on.

We will get that for you.

Okay.

Okay.

Bison shoot.

Um $7,650.

Thank you so much.

I yield.

Thank you, Council Wright.

Anyone else in their first?

Anyone in their second?

Seeing none.

Item C 10, I mean CP 10, airport marking 225,000.

Commissioner Service.

You want Council Gomes on your first?

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Come Commissioner, just an overview for the general public just to know what this money is for.

Sure.

So uh this is to upgrade or repaint and redo some of the signage and markings on the airfield.

Um the paint on the runways and taxiways over time fades.

Plowing does not help.

It scrapes off the uh reflective surface of it.

Um some of the signs we've been lucky with uh the two new runway projects with some of the signs are starting to blister and fade, so to keep up with our FAA requirements so that the markings are properly reflective and visible and the signs are to where they need to be.

That's what this money is to do is to replace those and upgrade.

We're doing some from the bond we got last year.

The spring, the 225 is an estimate of what we will need to do either this fall or next spring to then finish off.

That will complete all the signage.

Will that take care of all the signage that you need to replace for this round?

Uh the signage doesn't fade as fast as the markings on the ground.

And we've been fortunate with the last couple of years with a couple of inches of snowstorms.

This year was a lot more snow.

So it's a lot more detrimental.

But as the pavement gets a little bit older, it starts to fade, crack.

Um because we're very low and the water table is high.

We get water that comes up and the iron comes up and then it actually turns the white markings to a light brown.

Yep.

So then we have to eradicate and do them.

So it's kind of an ongoing change issue for the paint.

The signs usually you know you replace some sign panels in your good.

This is an airfield safety safety situation that we're in for all flights in and out of this um airport.

Yes.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Thank you, Council Gomes.

Council President Pereira, on your first?

It's for uh Bob Extram when you have a second, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you.

Sean Council Oliver.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

Uh Mr.

Service for being here.

Um the you have in the in the um brief statement here, it says uh uh they were last painted in 2023.

Um and then the uh before that it says the markings will last for two years.

Is that two years after painting?

Or are you saying two more years?

Or what what do we have?

I the standard is you usually get about two years out of surface markings.

Okay.

Um signs you'll get longer, because I mean they they get UV, but they don't necessarily get beat up by snow and weather.

Um the 523 runway that was done in 2010 starting to get some cracks and such, so those markings will fade a little bit quack, a little bit quacker.

A little bit quicker.

Sorry.

I'm I'm still thinking about the zoo.

Um a little bit quicker than 1432 will, because that one's a little newer pavement.

Yep.

Um my only question is with this being with it being uh something that has to occur kind of on a on a schedule basis, I guess.

Um is there a reason why this doesn't go into the operating budget versus the CPA or CPC or CIP, all the I O P whatever it is.

Um think we can edit that.

I I don't have the bandwidth in my operating budget to to do this out of that.

Um the cost of everything goes up each year and No, I understand that, but it's just like a reoccurring thing, right?

So it's it's part of the operation, right?

So it's one of those things that uh I I understand you don't have it in your um it's it i it would you know blow your operating budget out of the water, but it is a cost of operation on an almost two-year basis, right?

Correct.

Okay.

Um is how has this been handled before in the past?

Is it always been through appropriations like this or we've been fairly fortunate because um the main runway was done in 2010, we got our 139 certificate in 2017.

Part of that push we worked with the state and we got some markings done by a grant from them that we handled internally, the local share of that.

Um the state grants are usually pretty good, like an 80-20 split, so that worked out well.

Um 1432 was redone in 2019 to 2020, so that was all repainted after it was resurfaced and redone.

So we've kind of ridden out a good series of some of these things getting done.

The state does come in every once in a while and do airport markings, but they don't do it every year, and they kind of do it on their own schedule.

Yeah.

And they choose which airports they want to touch or not touch.

Sometimes we make the list, sometimes we don't.

So as a contingency, we need to plan in case we don't fall into that.

Like the last time the state came in, they did white markings on runways.

They didn't do any taxiways or surface painted hold position signs.

Um you come around the end of the taxiway, it's the big red box with the number in it.

They just made it cheaper, easier for them, they just wanted to do white.

So that 125 kind of picked up the difference of what they didn't do for that one.

But you know, again, we'll we'll have to go back and touch up some of the other markings as they as they age.

Okay.

Where does this put you as far as like on uh on a rotation?

Is it like these this gets done and then we'll see something for the other runways, or is is that or is it just gonna be is there a plan, I guess, to get it all uniform at at some point where it's everything's painted and fresh, and that it'll fade together as well?

I I try to be as cost effective as we can.

So if some markings didn't get as damaged as others during the winter from it, that we're only painting what we need to, not just painting in some airports that have more revenue, they'll just repaint the airport every two years.

Yep.

And stay ahead of it where we're we kind of more work on the triage method method of it and do what we need to do.

You know, some things we do in-house if it's a small amount of work, but you know, eradicating these markings and grinding them off the pavement's a lot of effort.

Yeah.

You know, a little bit more than four maintenance technicians can kind of handle.

And do they have to be um ground down every time or thank you?

Thank you.

Mr.

Chair.

Thank you, Council.

Oliver, Council Roy in your first.

Hi.

Uh are the markings dull and worn?

What's that?

Are the markings dull and worn?

Yes.

Yeah, like are they are they worn um to the point where they don't meet FAA standards?

Correct.

Think about it, especially.

They are worn to the point where they don't meet FAA standards.

Yes.

It was brought up during our inspection in the fall.

We told them that we would be doing it in the spring time, whether they gave us a correction date of June 1st to have it done by that's that first 125.

Okay.

So you know there's not a time limit on this one.

Um but like driving tonight when it's dark and it's rainy and you're trying when you're on a street that has a nice yellow line down the side and a white line on the side of it, it's very easy to figure out where the road turns, doesn't turn.

Um you're in an airplane.

Airplanes are designed to look up and fly, not necessarily down and drive.

So having those markings, you know.

Yeah, I got you.

Thank you so much.

You're welcome.

Thank you, Council Roy.

Anyone else on their first?

Seeing none.

Hold on.

Councilor um Pereira, you wanted um Count Bob Eckstrom.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

As Bob's making his way up, I already had uh just confirmed that I was correct, but I'm gonna ask it for the general public uh to know.

Uh Bob because uh the airport uh good evening, thank you.

Uh nice mustache, by the way.

I think you took the inspiration from me.

So uh I would just like to say that the Oh I didn't call it on you, Sean.

Uh an enterprise fund uh will end up paying for their share of this loan package, correct?

Uh yeah, that's correct, Counselor.

We um on the summary sheet we break down general fund and enterprise funds.

What will happen is this goes out as one debt issuance, but we allocate uh to all the the individual funds.

So we don't go through a separate issuance with uh through the debt processes.

Sure.

If we got everything tonight, it would be 12.6 million.

Goes out as one issue for 12.6, but we will allocate it directly.

The responsibilities to the airport.

Okay, very good.

Thank you.

Uh Bob.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you, Council President.

Anyone else on there first?

Seeing none, anyone there second?

Saying none.

All right, we are moving to the uh equipment acquisitions.

EQ03, public safety communications, 250,000.

John, if you want to give us an overview of the the request.

And John, I'm assuming you're gonna stay there for the next one as well.

And the next one is the same.

Which is computer and switch replacement.

I'll be here for a while.

You're gonna be there for a while.

Please go ahead.

Thank you.

Very much.

So, yeah, so this is um an addendum to the logic community radio communications project that I actually asked for last year because we had um some two change orders for two separate tower locations for the for um for public safety.

This is like I said, it was part of the logic communications project.

Um we're constructing two towers in the city.

One was at uh Hathaway Road, and the second one was at Duchenne Boulevard.

So those were two separate asks for increases for um.

So um those are just basically for the tower and the shelter increase in cost.

So King's Highway you gave me last year.

Um I believe it was around 200,000.

Um but because Duchenne was further along, you decided to break these two up and and I could come back and ask for the second amount.

Um Hathaway Road Tower.

Uh we just signed the le uh license agreement with Mass DOT.

So that project now we're ready to construct.

That one's moving forward.

Uh Ducheyne Boulevard is right behind it now.

Um we've gone ahead and get our discontinuance uh with DPI for the roads.

Now we're going to be going in front of conservation to kind of wrap that up.

So hopefully uh in the coming months we'll have that wrapped up and be ready to start that additional construction.

Um so this money, the 250 was for the Duchesne portion, which was for a shelter tower and some additional project administration costs because we had to change the location of the site.

Um we had one location picked up, but we ended up having to move it.

So there was some additional project costs for that.

So that's what the ask is for that.

Thank you, John.

Anyone Council Roy in your first?

What's a shelter?

Um the shelter is basically the enclosure that will house all the um the racks and the radio equipment inside that shelter.

Okay, thank you.

Council President Pereira on your first?

Thank you, um, Mr.

Uh Chairman.

So we've had a couple conversations over this as you said this was something you actually requested last year.

Do you feel that this is an adequate amount of money?

Based on that change order, yes.

Okay, that's an that's an adequate amount of money.

Um where there's will there still be as you know, time goes on, where there may be some additional costs.

I I can't can't guarantee that they will not.

But you anticipate that being able to at least to cover those those items.

Fair enough.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you, Council President.

Anyone else in the first?

And in the second.

Seeing none.

EQ 04, computer and switch replacement, 140,000.

Um yes, so that that was something that um we've always had we've had in the past that um we've had 140,000 for equipment replacement, which is um computers and switches throughout the city.

Uh not only just city hall, but for police, fire, emergency management um in all the different satellite offices here.

And that that breakdown was um 75,000 for the city.

We allocated 25 for police for for their equipment for um computers and hardware.

And then we we had the additional 40,000 for switch replacement.

A lot of our infrastructure is is aging.

And um it's just uh th they're not they're not they're not under warranty anymore.

And we used we had like a five-year plan where we would just start swapping out the oldest ones first.

Um last year that money was taken from us, so this past year has been pretty tough to get any additional equipment.

So we're asking basically to have that program put back in so that we could have that 140,000 a year for for computers, for switches, for phones, any type of equipment that anyone needs within the city.

Thank you, John.

Anyone any questions?

Seeing none, we're gonna go to EQ05 backup power supply replacement 100,000.

Oops, sorry.

Yes, so that is our um UPS or uninterruptible power supply that's located in the basement here with City Hall in our server room.

Um it's it's approximately it's approximately 13 to 14 years old.

Um and is in the is actually failing right now.

The last power outage we had um well thankfully wasn't during the the blizzard.

We didn't have a power outage there.

But prior to that, the last power outage we had, um the UPS was not sufficient enough to keep the servers, all the servers all in in all the uh the switches and the radio equipment that we have in there alive long enough for the um the city hall's um generator to kick in.

So all that equipment did fail.

Um everything went down.

Fortunately, we were able to get everything back up and running quickly.

Um but the major concern with that is when you have with any computer or any server, any time it abruptly goes down, um you have the the chance of losing critical data that might be a process that might be running during that.

We could be running water bills in the middle of the night and then this thing goes down.

We've lost that process.

Um it's it's uh actually a very critical piece of equipment that's located in our basement.

And it is failing.

Um there's no yeah, there's there's no it's it's so age that we've we have to talk to contractors try to get battery replacements or what we can do, and they just don't they don't exist.

We did apply for a grant um this year for that, but unfortunately we were denied that grant.

We didn't we did not receive that grant.

So that's why I was asking for this amount.

Thank you, John.

Council President Pereira on your first.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

What is the average what is the expected life of a UPS?

Um you said it's about 13 years old this year.

It's about 13 years old.

So you would expect them to last eight to ten years?

Okay.

All right.

So periodic battery replacements if necessary.

I gotcha, I gotcha.

So if if this was to be approved, where you you plan on that being covered for at least eight years?

Yes, it would be covered for at least eight years.

And with this one, because of the consumption that we have down there, we've added more switches, we add more equipment.

We've actually sized it up a little more so that we would have more longevity and better, better you know, performance out of it.

Okay.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you, Council Pereira.

Anyone else on the first?

Anyone in their second?

Moving on to EQ06, Cisco call management system replacement, 462,000.

Yes.

John?

Thank you.

Um so about again, 13 years ago in in 2013, I don't know if everybody remembers, but we went from uh Verizon analog phone system here at City Hall and all the other offices to a VoIP or a voice over IP system here.

Um that system again is just it's 13 years old.

Um a lot of the switches, a lot of the switches and the um the call manager themselves are um now obsolete.

We can't get replacement parts for a lot of it now.

Uh we did have a software upgrade in May of 2022, and right now there are a lot of the features and the in the software that is failing on that system.

Um we can't get support for anymore.

So we can't get those things fixed.

Um people used to use I don't know if you remember, but we used to have JABA, which is basically um uh f a system on your computer that would allow you to to make phone calls and we can't use that system anymore.

Um also with um voice um email, I'm sorry.

Um God, just drawing a blank on that one.

Um so any type of voice messages you get to your phone would be emailed to you.

That system is no longer working, we can't get support on it anymore.

Um so right now, currently we have um two call managers.

We have the primaries located here at City Hall with our backup at police headquarters.

And we have approximately 32 voice gateways throughout the city.

Um and our Cisco phones, which are solely becoming end of life.

The ones we have now would be compatible with the new upgrade, but only for another year or two, then we would have to start purchasing new phones after that.

Um this is an again another critical system that um, you know, once once something fails on it, we we're just down.

We wouldn't we wouldn't be able to re to repair any of that or get any support through Cisco for it.

Thank you, John.

Any questions?

Seeing none.

John, thank you.

Thank you.

We're moving to EQ 14 airport aqueus film forming foam.

Price 30,000.

Scott.

Uh so our fire truck has the old style um A triple F in it, which is got the PFOS that a lot of uh the EPA folks and and everybody is concerned with.

They finally came out with an FAA approved new foam that uh we can have the truck then emptied of the old stuff, get rid of the old foam.

They have to flush the truck and wash it to get everything out and then run a test on it to make sure the PFOS is out and then resupply the truck with new foam and then dispose of the old stuff.

Um this was something I've been working on for a few years, but we've been holding off on because the FAA hadn't approved the new foam.

Um we're surrounded by wetlands.

Not that I ever want the truck to ever have to go out and spray foam, but if we do, I don't want to create a larger problem than uh we already have.

Um never mind for the fire department and stuff.

Um if we spray the foam we have on the truck now, you have to do decontamination and everything else, which the new foam alleviates some of that health concern.

Council Oliver on your first.

Thank you.

Uh it'll this will be brief, Scott.

Um this isn't uh uh even though that we know the the um the problems with the current foam that is that we that we have.

Um is this a mandate or is it something that we are just looking to change?

Is the EPA making folks change um to this new foam, or is the old foam still okay to use despite all of its uh other concerns?

So prior to the last election in November, this was gonna be a soon coming mandate for everybody to change.

Um D EPA is no longer pushing on this.

I mean a lot of places are trying to figure out what to do with it.

Um so this is more of a preemptive thing that we would like to do.

Was there do you know or did you hear of any funding mechanism that was coming prior to that election that you were talking about, or is it was just the EPA was gonna say it needed to get changed?

The EPA was gonna say it needed to get changed.

Okay, so this was a good idea.

So this was something that was still gonna fall on the local ratepayers to do throughout you know the various municipalities.

Has there been any talk of possible grants or anything like that um from the EPA or whoever, you know, to change all these since we do know of the health concerns of the what is being used currently?

Currently no grants right now.

I mean there were talks that the FAA was thinking about doing something, but they haven't come out with a program.

We stopped thinking about that.

And because of the timeline to do it, I I elected to keep it on the CIP because I didn't want to wait for uh a shotgun deadline to come up and then not be in compliance for something.

Yeah.

All right, I just wanted a little bit more clarification on that to see, you know, I I think we all recognize that it needs to happen.

It's a you know, small amount of money in the grand scheme of things, but I just wanted a little bit more insight on that.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you, Council Oliver.

Anyone else on there first?

Anyone on there second?

Seeing none.

Thank you, Scott.

So we can do one of two things.

We can take a line item by vote if anybody wants to amend a number, or we can approve the whole thing if there's no um amendments.

Are we gonna go over the vehicles?

All I have is up to EQ 10.

EQ 14 on my papers.

Oh.

Let me see if you don't mind, Councilor Peverton.

Sorry, Mr.

I talked about EQ 14.

You can take mine on my desk.

Oh, section three.

Vehicle acquisition.

That's what's going to be on it.

Section three is the vehicle acquisition and replacement.

Is there somebody to speak on the vehicle acquisition?

I think that's gonna Jen.

Go right ahead.

What's the figure?

Jen, can you give us the figure too?

For vehicle replacement.

Um I can speak on the DFFM portion, but I know there's EMS police recreation also.

Is that what D FM?

I believe it's 2.4 million approximately.

Um Mr.

Chairman.

Yeah, 2420, 420.

Um so I can speak on uh where it begins fleet management and then we have thirteen items ending with fleet.

So between fire and police.

Um we do have 13 here.

It's um seems a little high, but it this is a two-year um ask for D F FM.

We didn't have any vehicles in the last CIP ask, so it seems like a little bit more, but it's two years worth.

Um do you want me to go through each one?

No.

Council Pereira?

Mr.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

So uh I I just have some general overall um uh comments and questions.

So I know we have spoken before and I see that there are some upgrades to the pool car program, which I know you have flagged as uh uh dire need, uh, you know, people trying to go up to Boston or or to uh out of town and not having vehicles that you would trust on the highway and such.

Correct.

Uh so I understand it's a need.

Have we talked any more about expanding the pool program?

And and I know we've talked about offices that might not need to use a vehicle every day not having a vehicle, um a city vehicle.

Yes, yes.

We I have spoken to um several department heads.

Uh we do go down the list and do the assessment with um this the super the fleet superintendent and the department heads making sure who has what vehicle are they in use?

We try to make sure we audit all our vehicles where they are at and um so that none are being underutilized.

Okay.

Yeah, I I I definitely think that that's something that um uh should be further expanded.

I know that you've been working on that, so I appreciate that.

My only other comment um and and it's gonna be to a couple other departments as well, but uh specifically uh uh you know D FFM and fire um are two.

Uh really a a a future uh uh projection of what's needed so that when I'm voting on this year's, I can I have an idea.

And obviously things change.

I get it.

A piece of equipment might break and we that has to get moved up in the schedule, and I understand that.

And and we can be flexible.

But at least when I'm voting, because it is like as you said, it's two years worth of vehicles here, so it is a sizable amount.

So when when I take that vote, I really would like to see some forecasting so I know how much to expect next year and in the future for four or five years.

Yes, we're definitely working on that now.

Um we did have this conversation with um CFO extra to get that done.

Yeah, I I definitely think it would be helpful uh uh in in making decisions uh my decisions a little bit easier.

Yes, okay, um uh Mr.

Chairman.

Council Prawer?

Council Roy.

You can speak to fleet management, right?

Yes.

I see on this list that it says John Deere loader at um it looks like two hundred and ninety-five thousand dollars.

Um are those the front loaders that like that is you know, we were the city was like in dire need for during the blizzard and and one of them costs about three hundred grand?

Yes.

Okay.

Um and that happens to be D FFM's one and only um which we can no longer use.

It's become a safety um situation.

Um not only has the transmission now blown, but the gas pedal was sticking for years.

Okay.

Um it's the one and only loader that D FFM has.

It's a critical piece of equipment to run the recycling center.

It's also the piece of equipment that we use to put the sander inserts into the salter trucks.

Um we load uh trucks, salter trucks with it, and we also plow um the yard and any other city lots or wherever, like this major storm, they were just all over.

Thank you.

So it's if anything, this is extreme need for us.

Thank you.

I am counselor where you are all set.

Yeah, thank you.

And then also on that first for Jen.

Seeing none.

Okay.

Jen, you're all set?

Thank you.

So also on that we have EMS.

If anybody has a question for our EMS director.

Just a comment.

I would like to thank the EMS director for putting out a schedule of vehicles that I requested from Jen and a couple other departments.

He did a good job breaking that out, and I would just like to give them credit.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you.

So that's anybody else.

No one else on EMS.

All right.

Council Roy?

Just one question.

That's the that's at the cost of an ambulance for 225,000.

Let me do the math on this now.

Good evening.

Hi.

Hi.

Yes, that's uh cost of the ambulance with the all the accessories, the power load that's in there as well, the stretcher and everything.

And why is it important that your department have it?

Because we we we we use them so often and we're so busy.

Okay.

That's it.

Thank you.

I'm fine.

Okay.

All set.

Oh, nope.

Council Oliver.

Well, you dragged them up there, so I thank you, uh Mr.

Chairman.

Um, is this a replacement or addition?

It's a replacement.

So we it's replacing a 2018 uh Ford 550 that has uh 170,000 miles on it.

Is that going to be used down the fleet or is we are we getting rid of that?

It well ideally we probably get rid of the 2018.

It's you know, it's eight years old, but we will probably keep it for a little bit.

So we'll be replacing.

Okay.

I got the number.

All right, thank you.

Very good.

Thank you, Mr.

Thank you, Council Oliver.

So that's anyone on EMS.

Seeing none?

We've already had fleet management from D F FM.

Police, Chief Tody.

You already have it right here.

Good evening.

Council Gomes on your first.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Chairman.

Good evening, Chief.

Good evening.

Need all cars.

What's that?

Need all those cars?

Uh we need more than that, but four will get us started, I guess.

I was just asked by a colleague why do we hold on to all the old cars until we're not really holding on to them.

They're used in details and other things.

And we I I think we've done a good job of some of uh which you if you would have been disgusted with some of what you would have seen out there before you got here.

That your uh man in charge has done a good job of rotating these cars where we look presentable on 195 and throughout the city doing details.

I just wanted uh you to explain the the significance of these cars and what they mean to the department.

Yeah, no doubt.

This isn't unique.

Uh where where I came from our our fleet uh saw some good years and some bad years, and I think you know it's one of the areas that folks try to save money, but then it kind of puts you behind the eight ball, and now you're you know, now you're in now you're in trouble before you know it, your your cars are in tough shape.

So um, you know, the these four uh will be uh the hybrid uh police interceptor utilities.

Um they'll be frontline patrol cars.

These cars run 24 hours a day, uh seven days a week, just uh you know, quick stats.

Uh ten of our vehicles are are older than twelve years old.

Uh we've got twenty-two vehicles that are between seven and ten years old.

Uh nine of those vehicles have over 140,000 miles on them.

Um and another nine have between a hundred and a hundred and forty thousand.

Um generally speaking, your service life on a patrol car is about uh four years to and eighty thousand miles.

That's what you're looking to try to get out of them to keep the the cost, the maintenance cost down to keep them on the road.

Um like everyone else in the city, the snowstorm doesn't help.

Um they're they're not made for 37 inches of snow.

Um they're made for six inches of snow.

So um that the Officer DeSandrows does a great job uh of keeping the fleet up, keeping it look sharp.

Uh uh I put together a committee with him and he selected uh six other officers to to look at the fleet and see if there's any changes they want to make and and markings and things like that.

I think the vehicle is a good representation of the department and it's good for morale.

So those are some other things that we're kind of looking at.

I just wanted to uh you two explain to the people what the significance are to these cruises and how important they are.

I know how important they are to the department, but how important they are to the men and women that we are department and getting to the emergency calls as they should be, and not having something out there breaking down as we once had and on the your staff is as I said has done a great job in um recycling these cars and and making everything look presentable that we have out there, not hoods on cars with paint gone and things like that that we had.

And uh we'll keep supporting you because of the significance of these vehicles and what they mean to the men and women and the people of the city.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Also a shout out to those that are that are keeping the maintenance up.

So also yes.

Thank you, Council Gomes.

Council Abraham, you first.

Thanks a bunch.

Um Chief, thanks for coming in.

Um I think you may have touched upon it briefly if I heard you correctly, but these types of investments in your department, the small working subcommittee you spoke about with Brian DeSanjos, it's a morale booster.

Tell me, uh I mean uh I'm I'm correct in saying that, correct?

Yeah, I mean officers, um, you know, equipment's uh a big thing.

You know, these these police officers are are in these cars uh you know for eight, sometimes sixteen hours a day.

Um and and you know, things like uniform and and the cars they drive in are a sense of pride.

Um I was impressed to come here and see that Officer DeSanjos puts a puts a good light package in the cars.

You know, that's important to make sure that you know, even with those light packages, we had a cruiser struck while it was on the side of the road helping someone else, and that resulted in a fatality this year.

Um so those those lights, those markings that you see on there that are reflective, they all mean something.

Um and the way those cruisers look uh mean a great deal to the morale of the officers.

They gotta get in and out of them dozens of times a day.

I agree.

It's important.

It shows that you care, we care, we're investing in them.

They're human beings, they're not machines.

So they they all they all go home at night to families.

So I appreciate your advocacy for this, and um I feel the same way.

So thank you, Chief.

Mr.

Chairman, I'm all set.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Anyone else in there first for the police chief?

See none?

Fire chief?

Thank you.

Chief Madeiras.

Fire Department has a request for two piece two vehicles.

Yep.

Does anyone have any questions for the fire chief?

Hello.

Uh Council President Pereira.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Just to um with these two command vehicles, um, we'll be cycling out some of the older SUVs like that where we're down in like fire um protection and everything like that.

Correct.

Okay.

Since uh roughly 2013, we started on a uh uh a three-year replacement cycle where we'll we'll bring in two new command unit vehicles.

Uh those will get trickled down to staff positions, whether it is training, fire prevention, wherever we we have a need for them.

Uh some of those vehicles are are aged out repurposed uh to other uses, towing the marine units, um Marine 11 down the South Station, uh that that type of thing.

So we we try to maximize the cost that the taxpayers are putting into these these vehicles.

We try to maximize that the life expect uh expectancy of them by taking them out of the emergency response into other uh less critical rules.

And where are we on that replacement?

Because like some of those those those older white explorers are like in rough shape.

Yes.

Where are we how much longer do we anticipate?

They should be out of service as it is now.

Uh, there's two of them, two of the explorers that we have are actually um one of them I believe is useful parts.

If the other one breaks down, it's going to be coming from from that vehicle.

So those those are needed to uh to work that way.

When do you anticipate being able to cycle those out?

Uh the hope with these two command unit vehicles going online.

Uh one of these becomes the unit three, we call it becomes a reserve for the district chiefs.

Um if we have a second alignment grader, somebody comes in on a recall and they'll man that so they can still cover the city.

Um or when one goes into service, they'll have that frontline vehicle ready to go.

Uh so once we can pull these in, we can take the other ones offline trickle them down to where where the need is is most but those those two explorers will definitely be scrapped in.

Good.

All right.

Thank you, Chief.

Thank you.

Um Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you, Counter Pera.

Anyone?

Anyone on the first?

Anyone there second?

Saying none, Chief, you're all set?

Okay.

Thank you.

And then the last item for on this item is the school department for 220,000.

Does anyone have any questions in regards to that vehicle?

Just a comment.

He doesn't have to approach if there is no question.

But again, I know the school department has a lot of vehicles.

If we could see a breakout and a projection of replacement program for them for the next few years as well, that would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Mr.

Flynn, you are getting up a few people have questions.

Council Roy, the floor is yours.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Hi.

Again, I I just wanted to know what the uh truck.

Truck.

It's three vehicles.

Three vehicles.

Okay.

What the oh yeah.

What the three vehicles are going to be used for and what what are they used for?

So two of them, probably a Ford Explorer type vehicle.

Those would be for our custodial supervisors, quite honestly, it will be a trickle-down effect that right now they are in very small vehicles which do not suit their need.

Yeah.

We do not keep every piece of equipment that we use at every school, such as four scrubbers, carpet extractors, things like that.

So the custodial supervisors are constantly moving equipment from one building to the next.

We are finding the vehicles that they are in now are just too small.

So we would rarely take two old old vehicles off the list, take what they are driving now, push them down to them, give them the explorers for being able to get around the city better moving some equipment, and then also one F-350 type vehicle, whether it's a Ford or GMC, whatever, with a with a plow.

You know, one-ton truck with a plow to replace an approximately 20-year-old pickup truck and a rotted plow.

These employees are in these cars a lot, like during the day.

All day every day.

Yeah.

It's fair to assume that, you know, having a nicer uh vehicle, you know, would make them feel a little bit, you know, would boost morale as as counselor uh in the South.

Well, definitely can.

And we we certainly have a couple that not that they leave the city much, but we have some vehicles that were like, don't even go over the bridge, so stay within the city.

Great.

Thank you so much.

Mr.

Chairman, it isn't a question, but it was brought up about the preventative maintenance by the good counsel president to my left.

And uh I think it is something that we should strongly consider in this city is that while we are spending money on these vehicles, is that we maintain them and we keep them um as good as we can for not only the people that are using them, but for the life expectancy of these things.

If something needs something to be done, that we get it done.

Uh for a long time we just let things kind of rot away.

And I would hope and I'm not talking strategically to you.

I am talking in general to the whole fleet of vehicles that are here in the city, that we try to maintain them and keep the life of them going as long as we can.

And that uh we are just spending money wisely and not not just uh letting things rot away because I feel that we have done that in the past.

Uh it's like uh roofs and things like that that we don't attend to right away, and then it's costing us millions to fix it, or it's costing us hundreds of thousands to replace vehicles.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Gomes.

Anyone else on the on a first or a second?

Seeing none.

You are all set?

Thank you.

We're gonna let this go on together.

So now we can take this in one lump sum, or we can take it as a line by line if anybody wants to amend any of the numbers.

What is the will of the body?

Um can we talk to uh Mr.

Extram before we go into that?

Council Bob, they have some questions for you.

Good evening.

Good evening.

Just a quick question.

So what are we looking at in our general funds as a loan?

Are we balance it out with the CIPs?

What are we paid off and what is coming back?

And what are we are we keeping steady on what we hit in the taxpayers?

We are sort of keeping steady with the CIP portion.

Okay, we are not keeping steady with debt.

You know, we have uh school debt that's coming on the books, uh loan orders are I'm just I'm just looking right now.

I'm we're just on the CIP right now.

Okay.

So I am looking.

I mean, the other debts of the other debts that we have.

I'm just looking at what we're doing with our critical improvements and how we're keeping up.

So, you know, we had a proposed last year, we cut it down, and we have seven million that we're spending last year.

And you're looking for 12 million.

So I'm looking, these are all bonds that we are taking out.

Where are we averaging out on our CIP?

Yes, so we've uh we probably at this particular time probably have debt service on uh I have to I'm just speaking off the top of my head.

About the last six CIPs, roughly.

Because you have to remember the We have to get a useful life certificate from our bond council.

So when we go for the each one of these pieces of debt, we can only fund them for as long as the useful life of the asset will go for.

So what's happening is that uh you've got an average probably about 10 years on each CIP.

So we're losing a probate share of the last five or six issues that is approximately equal to the 12.6 that's here.

If I am answering your question.

Let me put it to you this way then.

If you aggregated all of our CIP debt, the outstanding principal still owed is about the same every year.

Okay, so we're not, I mean, so we're it was state we're maintaining, okay.

So out of our general funds, we're spending X amount that we're paying back this debt on our CIP.

So I am just saying, are we averaging out on taking that money?

So if we go $12 million this year, and we still have quite a bit.

What do we have I mean?

So I don't have the exact amount of the principal payoffs of previous CIPs, but they are in the neighborhood of about $10 million or so.

Okay, and they are staying a minimum at the neighborhood of $10 million every year as we are retiring some of our CIPA now haven't we?

I'm sorry.

Retiring some of that debt of the CIA.

Oh, yeah, well every year we rate.

Right.

So return that is what I am saying.

Yes.

So as we are retiring the debt from the previous CIPs, are we maintaining the same amount of money that we owe on more more or less a steady basis?

Yes.

Uh and I have a I have a table in the front of the CIP that shows you the um the awards over the last few years.

Right.

I know it's a good question.

Some of them are pretty like one of them was only like five million dollars.

Right, but I mean, but we still have a substantial amount of money that we have in our CIP.

It was a million.

Oh, yes, yes, millions outstanding.

Yes.

I am just saying that.

But the outstanding amount stays around the same.

That's what I am saying.

So we're not adding any of the more of the burden on the taxpayer by asking them for more money, we're just keeping it maintained what we are asking now and keeping a steady balance.

That is correct, yes.

And as a matter of fact, our overall debt service has uh been hanging around uh the $10 million mark every year.

That is pretty low on a $500 million budget, more or less.

Right.

So in our in our general funds here in our five million dollar budget, we're staying at that ten million dollar debt service that's in that budget.

Yes, we are not looking at twelve or fourteen or going up this year or whatever, we're maintaining at that ten million dollars.

Yes.

Uh yes, the debt service and about two percent of our budget, which is extremely low.

Right.

Yeah.

Okay.

That's if I if I may, I just would want to point out that there is trying to understand that.

That's all.

There is one more vehicle that the airport is asking for, too, is vehicle number VEH 24.

I just wanted to make the uh council aware just in case uh so it doesn't slip through.

Fiscal year 26.

It's in here.

Um it's like a little sum.

So we subtotal after the general fund, we show enterprise funds separately, and that's the only that is the only one on the enterprise fund.

Um I just wanted to point that out.

So you have a chance to ask if you want.

Anyone have any questions in regards to the $60,000 vehicle for the airport?

I am seeing none?

Okay.

Anyone have any questions for CFO Weckstrom?

No.

Okay.

Bob, thank you.

What is the Council?

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

I would like to make a motion at this time to refer the entire loan order to the full city council for approval and the amount of $12,610,001.

Made by Council Abreu.

It was seconded by Council Baptiste.

Anyone on the question?

Seeing none, roll call vote.

On referral, Council Avery?

Yes, Council Avery, Council Baptist?

Yes.

Yes, Council Baptiste, Council Virgo?

Yes.

Yes, Council Burgo, Council Carney?

Yes.

Yes, Council Carney, Councillor Gomes?

Yes.

Yes, Council Gomes, Council Lopes?

Yes.

Yes, Council Lopes, Council Oliver.

Yes.

Yes, Council Oliver, Council Pemberton.

Yes.

Yes, Council Pemberton, Council Pereira?

Yes.

Yes, Council Purer.

Councillor Roy.

Yes.

Yes.

Passes.

Item number three, communication, Mimip City Council submitting the attachment, updated cities fund balance management policy.

Invitees of Robin Extram.

Motion to receive and place on the file.

Motion to receive and place on a file made by Council Roy.

Second by Council Baptist.

All those in favor?

Close the eyes have it.

Bob.

Want to give an overview.

Well, good evening again.

Would you like me to just make a few comments and then open the question?

Give an overview of it, Bob.

Sure.

So we are in our fund balance management policy.

The current policy has exists.

We reserved 35% for reserve funds.

That's 25% to stabilization, and it's 10% to the OPEB trust fund.

Well, our stabilization fund is now built up to 5.7 percent of next year's budget.

The fund balance man balance management policy called for a targeted range of two to six percent.

So we're still going to propose to make annual payments to keep that more or less in the high fives to six percent.

But this right now allows us to uh to kind of switch gears a little bit and go after something that's even more pressing, and that's the pension assessment.

So what we're proposing is to take that 25 percent, uh break it down, keep 10 percent in stabilization, put the other 15 percentage points against our pension assessment every year, and we'd still keep the OPEB trust fund.

Uh again, um stabilization has gotten to a point where it's not that much of an issue any longer, and we are in the ramped up stages of the pension assessment.

I think many of you can remember some of those charts that I used to present, and they would stay.

It's it's like one of those uh graphs you see in uh in algebra geometry in school.

It just starts off slow and it just ramps.

And that's because of the funding schedule.

Uh the state allows us to go up to I think 8 percent year over year in terms of increasing our contributions.

So our actuaries have helped us to do that over the years.

But what you are doing is you're pushing a bigger obligation over a shorter period of time the fund.

So this ramp has gotten steeper and steeper every year.

Administration has been very concerned about it.

Uh I'll tell you in 2035, the last year that we're going to have an unfunded liability.

Uh we have to make a $78 million payment.

And that's as of right now.

We're still waiting on the new actuarial reports.

Uh by comparison, this year our ask is about 48 million dollars.

So think about going from 48 million dollars now to 78 million dollars in just seven years.

This is going to help immensely because what it will do is obviously the uh the New Bedford retirement board can do more with the money than we are allowed to do by state law.

They can get into different tranches that we're not allowed to get into.

Uh they have an as they have a targeted um uh investment rate of seven percent, and they have been outperforming that over the last few years.

It's what they call an actuarial gain.

They've been, I don't know what the rates are this year that they in seven uh the uh year to date uh returns this year, but the last time I saw a report, they were over ten percent.

And uh we, you know, as good as John may be in his job if he's I think he may have left.

But um, we're earning thirty three and a quarter percent the other John Taxiakris.

We're earning about three and a quarter, three and a half percent uh on our short-term money.

They can earn ten percent.

So this will allow us to get that money into the system faster and it takes away the the obligation we have to make over the last seven years.

So we propose doing that all the way to 2035.

And that's the highlight.

Thank you, Bob.

Council Pereira, on your first?

So just to uh uh uh recap a couple things.

Uh free cash, which is not free, it's it's either uh uh higher um receipts than expected in certain departments' revenues or uh uh surplus budgets that weren't used and and and uh from from the budget that was adopted.

Exactly.

And when we put that all together, Bob, uh we're saying uh um the major chain shares allocating 15 percent to the pension fund above our contribute required contribution.

That's correct.

So it it's almost where the more money we put in early, the better we're gonna be 2034, 2035, when when we have to be fully funded.

That's correct.

And you'll remember we did that last year actually, uh for our free cash.

I think we put 271,000 away above and beyond the pension schedule.

And then if that's earning more than seven percent, you do that math all the way down, it's gonna make a dent.

Uh yes, it will, but it actually if it's earns more than three and a quarter or so percent, we're still making we're still making out because they they can earn more than we can legally.

Gotcha.

Okay.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you, Council President Pereira.

Anyone else on the first seeing none, a motion would be to accept the proposed changes to the city's fund balance policy?

Made by Council Burgo?

Second.

Second by Council Pereira, all those in favor?

Aye.

Opposed, the ayes have it.

Item number four, communication memory city council submitting an order for the transfer of five million thirty-seven thousand two hundred and eighty-two dollars from free cash to cable access stabilization fund.

The matter was referred on February twelfth, twenty twenty-six.

Made by Council Virgo.

Second.

Second by Council Pepperton, all those in favor, opposed, the ayes have it.

Does anybody want to hear from Jim Marshall or from uh Bob Eckstrom on the matter?

No.

Anyone have any questions?

Motion referral to motion referral to the full city council for the case.

Made by Council Burgo?

Second.

Second by Council Carney, all those in favor?

Aye.

Aye.

Opposed, the ayes have it.

Item number five, communication, Mim Mitch City Council submitting an order for the transfer of $60,386 from free cash to public infrastructure purchase of services.

The matter was referred on February 12, 2026.

Motion 5A is the order.

Motion to receive and place on file.

Made by Councillor Pereira.

Second by Council Pemberton, all those in favor?

Opposed, the ayes have it.

Any anyone on the question?

Council Pereira on the question.

Just if the Commissioner wouldn't mind just giving a brief overview of what this money will be going towards, please.

Okay.

Perfect.

So just nothing major being expended, just some operating costs.

Yeah, this was like from the the from the first storm.

Gotcha.

So that's that's where this uh dated from.

All right.

Yeah.

Okay.

More to come.

More transfers needed in the future.

So I understand.

All right.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you, Jamie.

Thank you, Council Pereira.

Anyone else on the first?

No.

Anyone there second?

Refer to the full city council for a document.

Second.

Made by Council President Pereira, second by Council Carney.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Opposed, the ayes have it.

Item number six, communication, Mim Mitch City Council submitting an order for the transfer of 175,000 from free cash to waste collection disposal, purchase of services referred here on February 12th.

6A is the order.

Same course of action.

Made by Council Baptiste.

Second by Council Burgo.

All those in favor?

Opposed, the ayes have it.

Any questions on the matter?

Seeing that motion to refer to the full city council is in order.

Made by Councillor Abrew.

Second.

Second by Council Burgo.

All those in favor?

Opposed, the ayes have it.

Item number seven, communication, Mim Mitchell.

Excuse me.

So would it just be it has to be received and place on file?

Motion on receiver place on file when motion to order all the number seven, communication, Memidge City Council submitting an order for the transfer of 84,700 from free cash tour tourism.

Purchase of services.

February 12th, it was referred.

7A is the order.

Made by Council Burgo.

Second by Council Baptiste.

All those in favor, opposed, the ayes have it.

Anyone on the question?

Made by Councillor Abrew.

Second.

Second by Council Burgo.

All those in favor?

Opposed.

The ayes have it.

Item 8, communication, Mim Mitch City Council submitting an order for the transfer of 70,000 from fee free cash to recreation and parks purchase of services referred on February 12, 2026.

8A is the order.

Motion would be received and placed on file.

Second.

Second by Council Pepton.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Opposed, the ayes have it.

Anyone have any questions on the item?

Council Oliver?

Mary?

Yeah.

Good evening.

Good evening, Mary.

The um is that gonna the money that's allocated for the demolition?

Um is that um just straight is that that's not the complete demolition, right?

This is a no, it is um is it bringing it down to to not what are we doing with what's the plan for that area, I guess.

Yeah, so the um the 70,000 will be for the demolition as well as the disposal of the debris.

Um I have spoken with uh Jamie Pott about uh covering some labor costs because we're thinking that we may need some additional help just to get the um the basement level filled in and bring it up to grade.

And then the um plan for the time being is to do an asphalt pad there.

We have gone out to the public and they'd like to see a pergola on that spot at some point or a pavilion, so that they could do outdoor events there.

Outdoor outdoor events is that we say, Yeah, so we'd like a pavilion cover over it, something like that.

Okay.

But that that does not this 70 is just for the demolition and removal of debris.

And this isn't something that we're doing with we're subbing this out to somebody to do the demolition.

Correct.

Yeah, okay.

And I think I know that this is this is the yellow house, correct?

This is yeah, the yellow cottage, the uh Coffin Howland House.

Okay, that's all.

I just wanted to make sure that it was going to cover, it was gonna be enough.

I know that disposal uh costs for some of that stuff may get up there, but I it looks like you guys you have a plan with Jamie to try to cover absorb some of that.

So thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Welcome, Council Oliver.

Anyone else on the first?

Anyone there, second?

Seeing none, what's your pleasure?

Motion referred to the full city council for adoption.

Made by Councillor Pereira, second by Council Burgo.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Opposed, the ayes have it.

And somebody sneeze, God bless you.

Number nine, communication, Mayor Mitchell City Council submitting an order for the transfer of $63,662 from free cash to MIS purchase of services to refer here on February 12th, 2026, and 9A is the order.

Motion is made by Council Pereira.

Second.

Second by Council Baptiste, all those in favor?

Opposed, yes, have it.

Anyone have any questions on the matter?

Seeing none, what should I do?

Motion referred to the full city council.

Made by Council Pereira.

Second.

Second by Council Burgo.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Opposed?

The ayes have it.

Item number 10.

You ready?

Okay.

Communication menders city council submitting an order for the transfer of $17,610 from free cash to audit purchase of services.

The matter is referred on February 12th.

10 A is the order.

Motion to receive and place on file.

Made by Council Baptist, second by Council Burger.

Council Roy.

Second by Council Burgle.

All those in favor, opposed the ayes have it.

What is your pleasure?

Made by Council Abrew.

Second by Council Burgo.

All those in favor?

Opposed, the ayes have it.

Mr.

Chairman.

Motion to follow the suggestions of the chair.

Waive the readings on items 11 and 12.

Report out to the full city council for no further action.

Made by Council Pereira.

Second.

Seconded by Council Roy.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Opposed, the ayes have it.

Mr.

Chairman, motion to adjourn.

Motion to adjourn.

Made by Council Pereira, second by Council Roy.

At 9 48 p.m.

Have a good night, everyone.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I had a couple.

Let me put duck down.

I'll give them stereo.

So I said Council Matthews put that role.

My mic was off.