Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

This is the Committee on Appointments and Briefings for May the 19th, 2026.

Note this meeting is being live streamed and recorded.

City Council and Committee meetings can be viewed on the City of New Bedford's homepage under quick links.

Then meetings.

Tonight I have several colleagues joining me.

Council at large, Ian Abrew.

Ward two City Councillor, Scott Pemberton.

We have City Council President and Ward 6, Councillor Ryan Pereira.

Counselor at large, James Roy.

Counselor at large and first vice president, Shane Burgo.

You thought I was going to forget the first Vice President, didn't you?

And then Councillor Award 4, Derek Baptiste.

I have three letters to read into the record.

This one is from Councillor Lopes.

I'm writing to inform you that I will be late in attending tonight's committee meeting due to a previously scheduled work commitment.

Please read this letter into the record to make my colleagues in the public aware of the reason for my tardiness.

This one is from Councillor Gomes.

I am writing to inform you that I am unable to attend tonight's meeting due to a prior commitment.

Please read this letter into the record to make my colleagues in the public aware of the reason for my absence.

And this one is from Councillor Carney.

I'm waiting to inform you that I am unable to attend tonight's committee meeting on appointments and briefings due to the birth of a new grandchild.

Please read this letter into the record to make my colleagues in the public aware of the reason for my absence.

No, Councilor Pramberton.

Yes, it was.

Council is Pereira and Gomes requesting the administration and the Office of Environmental Stewardship meet with the Committee on Appointments and Briefings to discuss whether a company can be hired to conduct an odor analysis in the South End and further to report to this committee the amount spent on said analysis and provide a timeline of the study and the data.

Once the analysis concluded, that was referred from committee on October 15th, 2024.

On May 20th, 2025, it was table 2B is communication councils Pereira.

Abrau Gangom submitting a petition from the residents of South End of New Bedford related to the surge treatment facility located on South Rodney French Boulevard to be referred to the Committee on Appointments and Briefings, the Department of Public Infrastructure, the Administration, and the State Delegation.

It was referred to on September 26, 2024.

On October 15th, 2024, it was tabled.

On May 20th, 2025, it was table two A.

B and C are before you.

Motion or removed items 2A and 2B from the table and receive in place on file item two.

Okay, motion uh by Councilor Pereira seconded by Councilor Abreu.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Opposed.

The ayes have it.

Uh Chair recognizes Councilor Pro Council President Pereira.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

So uh just for a quick overview.

Last we discussed Mr.

Chairman uh to this committee that the uh Biolo who operates the company who operates the sewage treatment plant.

They uh agre uh have agreed to install odor monitoring devices.

Uh was also made aware to me uh in certain meetings that uh there was some ongoing uh reporting now from those devices.

So at this time I think I'd like to turn it over to uh Jim Costa from DPI and uh uh the representative from Viola, if we could hear from them and get an update basically on where we are from the last time this motion was before us.

Okay, as you wish, Councilor.

Uh thank you.

Mr.

Costa?

Yep.

Yep.

Please take the mic.

Please state your name and address for the record.

Oh, okay.

Okay.

Uh James Costa, 21 Emerson Street, New Bedford.

I'm the superintendent of wastewater for DPI.

Um, since the last time that this item was tabled, we've worked with uh Violia, who is also present here tonight to install um four odor sensors, uh three of which are within the uh Fort Tabor Park, um one of which is at the um the pier uh adjacent to Nina Street.

Um Violia worked with us in lieu of doing an odor study.

Um we they've got a pretty wide net on uh you know this type of technology across the country and the world.

So we worked with them.

They came up with a recommendation of these particular devices.

They are Odo Sense Odor Monitoring Systems.

Um and with their help we installed four of them.

They track odors 247, 365, and have kind of become part of the city's um odor control policy.

So whenever um odor complaints come in, they follow a very strict protocol where they're monitoring, they go to the House of the Residents, they try to reach out, make contact, um, take any and all information they can at the time.

Um tide levels, weather, wind direction, um you name it, they've got a list and they're trying to keep track of it.

Um aside from installing the odor sensors, they're out four times a day tracking odor.

Um they've got handheld meters that they're patrolling, not just the general wastewater plant, but the you know, entire adjacent area um to the plant.

Um they were able to help us.

They purchased these devices on their own with outside of our budget, um, just because you know they've been with us since the plant was built in 1996, and they value the community and you know want to give back to us.

Um so working alongside um Edwin and the staff.

Um we're just keeping track of of odor, and we're excited that they've helped us with these uh these loggers.

Um I'm not sure if you have any questions related to them.

I did I brought Edwin, he's the plant um manager if there's any technical questions, you know, process related, but um that's kind of where we're at since the last time we spoke.

Um the loggers did go online July of 2025, so we're coming up on a full year of data.

Chairman so uh jim thank you very much for the overview of the timeline of where we're at are you able uh are you able to put together a presentation to this body regarding the data that's been collected over a year?

Yes okay at each location okay great so I I I'm going to ask that uh uh you know after we hear from a few other folks tonight that uh the next time we bring this back up uh you know I'll speak to you in the meantime timelines to make sure you you have adequate time to put it together.

Can we can we make sure we see some sort of uh data on that.

Yeah of course the other thing is I I know can you speak to uh the reporting uh because I I I uh been using it myself but the NB311 app you're able to report uh certain odors and and stuff and and have that tracked yes um are we able to tie or begin to tie that in to looking at days when there might be high calls high reports to what the odor monitors are picking up so I mean this is a good example we received an odor complaint on 311 um last week and so it's time stamped the caller or the person putting it on the app stated driving home at it was 10 30 p.m um there was an odor on East Rodney French Boulevard so um as soon as I see it I forward it to the Veolia staff they timestamp it they're looking before and after the time block to see was there any spikes in um hydrogen sulfide to sewer gas um are there any anomalies at the plant there was obviously no maintenance going on at the plant at that time so it's nothing to tie to that but um any complaint that comes in we look at all aspects of what's going on at the plant was there any planned maintenance um is there any breakdowns that they had to react to and you know data tells a story so we we look very hard at what the the loggers and the SCADA system at the plant is telling us um so they they've got a pretty good grasp and would be happy to show you everything that we've got.

Okay.

And I I jumped the gun a little bit but the reporting that's available can you explain they can go on the app or call 311 yeah so any resident um any person in general can download the NB connected app and and enter um and obviously not just for odor complaints but any other constituent services as well um as and aside from using the app on your phone if you dial the numbers 311 you'll reach um you'll reach either if it's daytime our office at DPI if it's after hours you'll reach our call center who in turn is logging these complaints into the NB connected system.

There's an automated process that I helped create and um it creates a work order for you know Ryan you're in charge of cutting trees this week it goes to you it's all pre-programmed into who's responsible for it and so far I think it's we've got a pretty large volume since the winter time and potholes which are you know a hot topic right now but um I I think it's done a great job reaching the residents and people are using it.

So this is a tool that can be used to to log uh uh odors in general though uh yes definitely and it in like I said it's time stamped so it it it's one thing to get a message in the morning and say hey it smelled bad yesterday um without you know an actual time for us to look at it's it's uh it's a challenge to try to pinpoint what may have been happening if anything great thank you um so we'll follow up though with the request uh my office will uh to see if we can't get that data uh presented to this body at the next time we can bring this forward great thank you thank you Jim uh Mr.

Chairman at this time no further questions okay um counselor oliver thank you mr chair thank you mr cost for being here um thank you for explaining the the 311 option um and but it's you act as the liaison for that for the 311 to talk to the monitoring company is that uh I'm the liaison of DPI2 Violia at the treatment plant okay so you're relaying that information that somebody's re reported it and then they review it.

What about the opposite way if they have a spike and find that there was something that happened at the plant are they is that a report that comes later are they having those discussions with you in real time that if a one of their monitors picks up something are they reverbating basically the communication in real time.

Um any time they're doing maintenance, I get a notification you know, an email or a phone call in the morning.

It's if it's a phone call, an email shortly follows just so we've got a record of something going on.

But they let us know, hey, we're doing this type of maintenance today.

The wind's blowing in this direction, you may have something pop up.

Um but we were in contact daily.

Okay.

Um and just to add on to the the communication aspect of it, the Veolia staff, the plant 247.

Um the plant has a phone, and if people want to call that phone, they're talking directly to Veolia who can you know log the appropriate information and reach out and make contact with the resident or residents and uh you know they they want to build a rapport with everyone in the community.

So it's it's been very important to them to want to make contact and go talk it out and and you know see what's going on at you know, whatever house it may be, or business or you know what have you.

Aside from the monitoring, um if if uh there's a spike and one of the monitors picks something up, aside from what you have described as uh outreach notification of you, speaking with the neighborhood or the area that's affected.

What other um initiatives or steps to does the monitoring company take?

Do they physically go and check on the plant?

Is that something that we have to do if it's depending on what the readings are?

Uh what el what else comes with the monitoring that they're doing aside from communication with you and outreach to the So we Veolia physically purchased the hardware?

So the the monitoring company is um hosting the data.

So we've got um a dashboard you can log into.

Um but the Veolia staff themselves are physically tracking the data and and doing it, it's all an internal thing.

It's not uh you know, we're we're paying them to host the data, but we're proactively looking at it.

So it's uh it's an in-house operation.

And if there's something that uh warrants further investigation, is that us that goes down there and physically Yes.

Okay.

Yep.

It's it's all here.

This um I'm not sure.

I think this was an overseas product is yeah, it's an overseas product that we purchased, so it's they gave us training.

We're empowered to do it.

Um, all of the the Violia staff are well trained in in what they do, so we're confident that they're they're doing their job.

Okay.

All right.

Well, thank you.

That's all I have right now, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh Chair recognizes Councillor Abrew.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Chairman.

My question is actually for the Viola rep, so I'll yield for now if there are other questions for Mr.

Costa, and if not, if we could call them up.

But I'll yield for us.

I'll wait for a second in case.

Okay, noted.

Um Chair recognizes Council President Pereira.

Just just really quick to uh Tim, can you just speak to um the plans for DPI in the wastewater treatment facility in the future?

So as I think all of you counselors in the room know, we're working hard right now on the five year and twenty-year plans of the plant of the pump stations of wastewater in general.

Um we've got a large number of plans coming down the pipe for rehab um for enhancements for all types of rehab.

Um the plant was built in nineteen ninety-six, so things age and we're actively working on uh on upgrading things before they become a problem.

So I th I think um you'll see some good work going on in the next few years and then way down the line.

Okay.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

At this time I yield.

Okay, thank you.

Um pleasure, Counselor Abrew.

Chair recognized the council.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman, the Viola rep.

Okay.

Please.

Um Thank you for stepping down, Mr.

Viola, come on up.

And you don't need to do you need to state your name?

Uh good evening.

Edwin McAuliffe, uh project manager for Veolia at the New Bedford Waste Auto Treatment facility.

Would you spell your last name for me, please?

Sure.

Amazon Michael, C A U L I, F is in Frank, F is in Frank, E.

Okay, two.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Good evening, Edwin.

Good to see you.

Good evening.

Again.

Um as the southernmost elected official in the city, I live a stone's throw from the plant.

I'm also involved with the business right down that way, so um I know about the issues all too well, uh, working with the ward counselor and folks in the community.

Um at this facility, there are fans, correct, that are that push out sense.

Is that correct with like a um I don't want like some type of um uh odor masking uh scent, is that correct?

So we do have countervalence.

Uh what was that again?

Pick up the mic if you don't mind, because thank you.

Sorry about that.

Can you know?

Better, thank you.

Um so what you're referring to would be uh a fogger, which we have on site, and that would be for countervalent, which is used to neutralize any odors.

Um that's typically our our last line of defense for us.

Uh that's something that we would set up in times of doing maintenance where you know um there there's a higher potential of odors escaping from the facility.

Um but typically during normal operations the facility is set up with um four wet packed odor scrubbers, which are continuously pulling the odorous air from the process tanks and then treating them before discharging clean non-odorous air uh to the atmosphere.

So how how often are those fans activated?

Would you say like on a percentage, maybe like of you know, uh say within the calendar year, right?

So 100 percent is just when you're just normal operations, you know, what would be the percentage?

3%, 1%, uh just ballpark.

I'm just curious how often uh what do we see activation of these fans?

Sure.

So I I just I just need to clarify with you.

So are you asking about the the portable foggers that we set up with the countervalent?

Are you asking about the order scrubbers?

The odor scrubbers themselves run 24-7, 365.

The first, yes.

Yep.

Uh so it it it depends on on the need and and the risk of orders, right?

So middle of the summer, super hot, humid days, uh maintenance at a treatment facility never ends.

Um so there are times where we may be using those daily.

What type of agent is used to mask the smell?

Do you know offhand what it is, what type of agent is it like that?

So it's it's it's a countervalence, so it's called countervalence.

Non-hazardous, yes.

It's non-what?

Non-hazardous.

Non-hazardous.

Yes.

And it's FDA EPA approved and everything.

It's been Yes.

So instead of masking the odor, what the what the countervalent does is it neutralizes and it actually breaks the case.

Neutralizes.

So it's it's a no scent is what you're saying.

It's not like it has a slight scent to it, yes.

It does.

Okay.

All right.

Um how's your relationship been with the city so far?

Have you been clear communication with our DPI folks with elected officials?

It's been clear clear lines, everything is defined uh very succinctly and clearly clearly as to what your roles are, what our roles are, and is is there ever any confusion or is everything pretty ship shape in your opinion?

No, we we have uh we have great communication.

I speak with Jim regularly.

Um, I the as far as the odors go, so that the sensors that we have on site now, um I'll pull a monthly report from them, a summary report, and I'll scan those along with our you know the the records of our daily field logs that we do with our drone meter, and I'll send those over to Jim.

Um but you know, any time we have any particular issue at the facility, it's it's my obligation to notify Jim and we do such as needed.

Um we also meet monthly on a regular basis to review um you know things that are going on at the facility, um any any needs that there may be um from our end or from the city's end.

So what you're saying is that we're all being transparent with each other, you to him, him to you, and the clear lines are right there always constantly.

Absolutely.

Okay.

Um that's all I have for now with this gentleman.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

Thank you, Edwin.

Uh counselors, any further questions for this invitee.

Okay.

Um I think you're off the hook, sir.

Thank you.

Mr.

Chairman?

Yes.

Uh if at this time, could we hear from Wendy Morrill from South Coast Neighbors United?

Yes.

Thank you.

Wendy, Miss Morell, please come on up.

Tracy, can you join me, please?

I didn't see Tracy Clearly.

You may approach the microphone too, Tracy.

I'm gonna actually have Tracy speak first.

Thank you both.

And of course, name and address for the record, please.

Sure.

Hi.

Um Tracy Wallace, 75 Stephanie Place.

Um we were asked to be here tonight.

Um, so thank you.

Umright we were put in touch with members of the South End at the request of Councillor Abrew, Councilor Pereira, and Counselor Chikett.

We met with some residents from the South End, and they did explain some situations that they were having down there and some history behind it.

And it seems like there are two issues going on in the South End right now.

You have a wastewater treatment plant that has lived its life and seems to be um in need of updating and has out it it's been it's outdated, and it's great to hear from members today that there is a five-year, 20-year plan for that.

So there's there's that issue, but then there also seems to be an issue of a cancer custom cluster that might be happening down in the South End as well.

Um so we're we're really here today to kind of bring this to the attention of the city council and see what they're what things can be put in place to address these issues that that are happening.

So with that, I'm gonna give it over to Wendy.

Thank you.

Um our concerns are the two different issues that Tracy mentioned.

We're not in in trying to insinuate in any way, shape, or form that they're related.

We don't know that.

More data needs to be collected before that can be ascertained.

But um all we can do is work on them separately, and if they end up connecting dots, then they connect dots.

But that's not what we're trying to do, and so that's important that I wanted to delineate that.

I did a little research myself recently, and I I've to talk to um kind of piggyback off of the previous um information that was shared.

Um a wastewater treatment plant that was built in 1974 and upgraded in 1996 could begin producing severe odors decades later for several reasons, and in practice is often a combination of aging infrastructure, process and balance, increased loading, and deferred modernization.

So to say that we're addressing it beforehand, that's not entirely accurate.

Um the kinds of odors that residents usually describe as noxious that are commonly associated with a wastewater treatment plant are hydrogen sulfide, uh Mercaptans, ammonia, volatile uh volatile organic compounds, and anaerobic decom decomposite decomposition gases.

Um the possible health effects are headaches, nausea, eye irritation, throat irritation, dizziness, fatigue, sleep disturbance, stress, anxiety, concentration problems, um at higher concentrations, severe respiratory irritation, vomiting, neurological symptoms, pulmonary effects, loss of smell, unconsciousness, uh potentially fatal acute exposures in confined spaces.

Um I'm not going to go over every single thing because that's not that's not an exhaustive list.

That that was just for the first the first contaminant I mentioned.

Um I think it's important that um one of the most under misunderstood aspects of odor versus toxicity is that some compounds smell horrible at concentrations far below toxic thresholds, while others may pose health risks even when odor is weak.

So, for example, hydrogen sulfide can be smelled at parts per billion levels, but serious acute toxicity usually occurs at much higher concentrations when you can't even smell it anymore.

So persistent odors can can create legitimate health burdens through chronic irritation, stress responses.

I'll go I'm not gonna go over the whole list again.

Um these are not just health concerns but quality of life concerns.

Never mind public health and um property values.

So across the board you're hitting a lot of major areas of concern for residents.

Um the other thing that's that's important to note, and this is why this is why I wanted to piggyback off of the last thing is um we're we're gonna be we're doing odor monitoring, odor analysis.

What are we what are we analyzing?

What are we looking for?

Because um there are contaminants that are not captured by by smell.

And those are carbon monoxide, methane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide at high levels, and some VOCs, including benzene formaldehyde, chlorinated solvents.

The detection methods for these are electrochemical CO sensors, infrared analyzers, fixed industrial monitors, or portable gas meters, catalytic bead sensors, infrared meth methane analyzers, combustible gas indicators, flame ionization detectors, non-dispersive infrared analyzers, fixed gas monitoring systems, portable multigas meters, electrochemical sensors, fixed continuous monitoring stations, handheld gas detectors, drone analyzers, gas chromat.

The list goes on and on and on.

Are we doing that comprehensive of a monitoring down there?

Because my concern is until that is all that information is shared, do we know that?

We want to be able to know that.

Um because until you're getting the actual accurate data and the levels, how do you even know what the problem is and how you're going to fix it?

Um odor analysis can identify likely emission sources, characterize nuisance intensity, detect certain hazardous compounds, um, document community exposure patterns and support regulatory or legal action.

But odor analysis alone can usually not fully determine toxic exposure or health risk because, as I already pointed out, some dangerous pollutants, some dangerous pollutants have little or no odor, and some strong odors occur at concentrations below classic toxic thresholds.

What truly needs to be done here is a combined effort, an odor analysis, chemical air monitoring, meteorology, and a health exposure assessment covering at least a three-mile radius from the facility, and any other potential source of industrial pollution and emissions.

Given the health concerns that we've seen, I'm not placing this all on the wastewater treatment plant.

Okay.

There are other industry operations down in that area.

I'm aware of that.

How do we pinpoint where the problem is?

We need to we can't just keep putting band-aids on things.

We need to get to the source and figure it out and fix it at the source.

I also had one quick question before I wrap it up.

Veolia, is Violia also Veolia Water North America?

Okay.

So you are the company that was sued by Imperial Beach residents for wastewater treatment plant operations that became a problem in in uh Imperial Beach.

I don't know where that is.

But San Diego.

So I I'm not I'm I'm not throwing shade at anybody.

I'm not making accusations, but it's just giving me parallel product uh vibes again, where we're gonna let them monitor and self-report and and self-assess and all of that.

I'm concerned for on behalf of the residents of the South End.

So this needs to be a multi-tiered, multi-pronged approach, not just odor analysis if we really want to get to the heart of the problem and take care of the residents.

Um I don't know if you want to ask Barry to come up, but he has a map of the cancer.

If we could can we just I just have a few other questions if that's okay.

Can you speak to the air sensors that you guys have?

So we have air quality sensors that I think are pretty on par with the ones that are be that are working in New Bedford right now.

Um and those are written down, but they're only they're only monitoring for seven different contaminants.

Based on the list I just gave you, we're we're facing much much more.

Who's your sensors are only our sensors would be pretty much on par with the same ones that the city is.

The only the only benefit that I see in deploying those, we would have citizens be part of that process.

They would get to pick the location, they would be able to say, hey, I'm concerned about this area, I want it here.

And then we would get data and we'd be able to compare that to the city's data to make sure that we're we're it's checks and balances, all of the monitors are working accurately.

So I don't have a problem with doing that.

We can do that, but it's still only going to um monitor for those seven contaminants that that they're monitoring now.

Okay.

Versus the the slew that I just listed.

Yeah.

So what I would say uh is for I would appreciate it if if we could.

Um and I'll I'll be in touch with some of the neighborhood groups down there too.

Uh I I would appreciate it if we could try and launch some of those down there.

Yes at some residents, just because uh while I know of three guarantees, maybe four, but three for sure, uh city monitors down there.

I'd love to maybe increase the We have ten.

I'm happy to put ten wherever they need to get.

Yeah, and and just see what the data looks like for over the summer or something like that.

And and so we'll be in touch on that.

And I have some ideas of some folks who would probably volunteer that up.

And um And we've been wanting to work with the city council very for a very long time to work on this program because we we we want to work with your constituents.

I don't want to go door knocking and talk to 10 billion people.

Your your constituents call you and let you know about their concerns.

So I'm figuring you all have um boots on the ground in different parts of the community that have raised concerns about air quality.

That's that's those are the people I want to help, and I want it to be citizen-led really.

I want your help finding those citizens, identifying those citizens.

Okay.

Great.

Thank you very much.

Uh um at this time, Mr.

Chairman, I have nothing further.

Thank you.

Uh, thank you, Council Professor Pereira.

Counselor Abrup.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Good evening, ladies.

Um, Wendy or Tracy.

Um, you know, uh I know that in the meetings with Barry and many others, we've engaged the Department of Public Health at the state level.

They've come down, they've checked the place out with our state representative, we've done all that.

Um every time there's an issue, we're told by our state rep and his legislative aid, call DPH.

You you have his number, right?

And we have his number and we disseminate it, we call DPH.

I know you don't work for DPH, I know you don't represent DPH, uh, but you've done a lot of work with them.

Do you folks know?

I mean, like what happens when you make these phone calls?

Is it just because I don't see any ROI from the community making those phone calls.

Our experience.

With that is kick the can down the road.

Uh good to know.

Yeah.

Oh, because that's why I'm asking you the question.

I teed it up for you because Barry's texting people about here's the number to call, I give the number, I'm calling.

I'm sure Ryan's calling and everyone else in the South End's calling, but we don't see any follow-through.

There's no, hey, Joe Schmo.

I checked into it, and here are the actions we're taking.

We're asking, it's just okay, thank you, bye, and that's literally it.

Bye, and that's literally it.

So I'll I'll call them.

I'll call DPH out.

Like they have our they have a legal and fiduciary responsibility here, and I don't see anything, I don't see any fruit being bared from these guys.

I don't know.

Yeah, our experience with with state agencies is pretty much uh the bare minimum what's required of them to respond, if even that, and that's about it.

That's why with the parallel products, we brought it to the Board of Health, and we did our best with giving them as much evidence as possible to make an informed decision because we knew that the state didn't care.

And the reason why the state doesn't care is because it doesn't become their headache.

It becomes the city's headache.

And you're all seeing that now.

This is exactly why we were preemptively opposing the projects that we've we've opposed to to avoid this exact situation.

So it's just bureaucrats doing bureaucratic stuff.

Yeah.

Okay.

Well, I'm glad we got that for the record.

I just want to add something.

I also think that this could open a Pandora's box as well.

I think the more we keep taking, the more problems we can find.

And I think everyone kind of knows that.

So they don't want to do it.

So there's a lot of play placation going on.

Well, you can't put a price on someone's life, right?

So, you know, it that's depends on who you talk to.

Well.

Well, thank you, ladies.

And uh I'll yield for now, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you.

Thank you, Counselor Abrew.

Uh counselors, any further questions for Ms.

Moral or Miss Wallace.

Can we bring up Barry Sylvia, please?

Briefly.

I know you were going to open it up to a member of the chairman's discretion speaks on.

My discretion, yeah, Mr.

Sylvia, please.

Come on up.

We can just get a shot of this.

I'd like to be able to have it on a file.

Uh Barry Sylvia, Sensi View Terrace.

S Y L V I A.

Um, so some of this information, the pink dots are people that have recently died from cancer, or and we're working with Dennis Farius to get the uh death certificates.

It's something that the city can can track.

The green ones, my concern.

I live in the most beautiful city in the country.

I've traveled with a conference of mayor, has been all over the place.

I love coming home.

And when I drive down the end of my peninsula, I see these green dots that represent people that currently have cancer.

That's what I want to help.

I think that we owe it to these people that are fighting cancer, not dead, but still alive that we can help.

And maybe, just maybe we can take some of this data, get it to them, and get it to their oncologists up in Boston or wherever they are receiving treatment, because it ruins the entire family.

These families have to stop.

Women have to stop working to take care of their parents that are suffering from cancer.

And I just think that I I would like to be able to help these people.

I think we all owe it to these people to get to the bottom of it.

Thank you.

And the pink dots are where the pink dots are.

And how how what time frame?

Um, we're working with, and we didn't even fill in, and uh, Tim Hart, who's been there longer than myself, we don't even know the people that have passed over here, which is closer to the plant.

But we're working with Dennis Farius and the city councillors to try to get the dates.

We know when they died, um, and we have to try to find the causation of what the cancer was.

But these that's a lot of cancer in a small little area.

Thank you.

Chair recognizes Councillor Abrew.

Thank you, Mr.

Chip.

Barry, don't go anywhere.

I just have one quick question.

Yes, sir.

I know you've been calling DPH constantly.

Do you feel as though it's going into a waste paper bin when you call?

Um so what we've tried to do is we've tried to see if we can't get uh blood testing for PFAS.

It's expensive.

It's about $600.

I know some of my neighbors have gotten it, and we have elevated PFAS levels.

Um so, but no, there's a huge disconnect.

We've tried Tony Cabral.

We've tried working with with a higher level than this body.

This body has been fantastic by the case.

Well, I was going to ask you, our State Representative Antonio Cabral, has he been of service?

Has he helped?

He brought us, he did a tour of the plant, and um we haven't really heard from them of late.

We were supposed to try to get a meeting, a Zoom or something up in Boston with the Department of Public Health to see if we couldn't find some type of funding that we could find out.

Can you imagine those people that are suffering from cancer right now?

If we could do a blood test that shows that they're they have elevated PFAST in their blood, and they don't even know this, but they could take that to their oncologist in Boston, and their oncologist might have a different treatment for them to help them.

Maybe they tell them, don't go home.

It's not good to go home after we treat you.

So we don't know, but we're looking for money, we're looking for aid.

Um, you know, uh i it there's a quality of life issue where it smells like crap down there, and we can't open our windows right now.

Everybody's got their windows open.

We have to run air conditioning.

So it it there's a quality of life, but then there's also what we might be able to do as a community to save these people.

Okay, thank you, Barry.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I'll yield that's all for now.

Thank you, Councilor Abreu.

Uh thank you, Mr.

Sylvia.

Uh Councillor Pereira, please.

Just uh I didn't know if anyone from the South End was here, Mr.

Chairman.

Uh I I don't have any further questions for Wendy and Tracy.

Uh but I would want to know if any members of the public are here from down there, if they wouldn't mind just stating their name and addresses for the record.

Okay.

And are there any members of the public here from the South End that would like to be on the record?

You just name it at us so they know you're here.

That's it.

Just one just your just you can yell it out.

You don't have to go.

And your address.

72 open stream.

Okay.

I think there was a young lady behind the.

Okay.

17.

Thank you.

Okay.

Is that all?

Okay.

So further, Mr.

Chair.

Uh the council, uh, this counselor would just like to open it up to to allow for any written testimony uh that these neighbors would like to share their experiences down there, uh, whether it's in regards to uh uh any environmental issues down there, whether it is uh odors, uh uh sense, any uh uh uh illness from like nausea or something like that, or uh anything from the factories up the street.

There's a there's a few environmental factors.

Uh I think that as Wendy and uh uh Wendy pointed out uh that uh I think it's important for us to look at every factor down there so we get to the bottom of it.

So open that up to a wider area to just uh allow so um uh those watching at home, please send us your emails regarding that uh to the to the clerk's office.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Okay, thank you, Mr.

Can I add one more thing?

Uh yes, Miss Morrill, go ahead.

Uh there will be a community information meeting held, I believe June 25th or 26th.

Uh ironically, at the wastewater treatment plant community room.

Um it's not about the wastewater treatment plant.

It's about the health concerns in the South End and just trying to collect that data so we can try to figure out what's going on in the South End, period.

As far as I'm concerned, the wastewater treatment plant is the odor thing.

This is as far right now we're looking at this as two separate things.

But that we need to collect more data and we encourage people to come forward and and share their information with with you know what they're comfortable with.

So Ms.

Morrill, Ms.

Wallace, again, thank you for everything you have done for Ward 1 and everything you're doing for the rest of the city.

I would just like to uh make a related motion very quickly.

I'll provide the clerk with the verbiage, but any counselor would like to co-sput spot.

Just uh uh uh in suing with this, just a related motion, Councillor Pereira requests that the Board of Health andor the Health Department uh appear before the committee on appointments and briefings to buck provide the body with data regarding any chronic or concentrated illnesses in the South End.

Uh and and I would like that from uh the the uh the entirety of the peninsula, if that would be okay.

Okay.

Okay, motion made by Councillor Pereira, seconded by Councillor Abreu, all those in favor.

I all those opposed.

The ayes have it.

Mr.

Chairman, though, point of order, you may want to ask who wants a co-sponsor as the maker, opened it up to anybody who wanted a co-sponsor.

Okay, would anybody like to go sponsor?

I'll communicate that.

Yeah.

No, maybe the right one's name.

No, that's fine.

Okay.

So everybody that's here.

I can put me on too.

And you can include me.

Do you have a change to table these items?

Yeah.

But someone has to make a motion for it.

That's what he's asked.

Yes, but then we added you guys.

Okay.

Motion to table, please.

Okay.

Um motion to table by Councillor Pereira, seconded by Councillor Abreu.

All those in favor.

Aye.

Aye.

All opposed.

I have it.

Mr.

Chairman.

Yes, uh, Councilor Burgo.

Uh come to my attention that Christopher Jose Escobar is here now, so I'd like to make a motion to reconsider item one.

And I would just need a second from someone in the audience.

Thank you.

Motion by Councilor Burgo, seconded by I believe that was Counselor Oliver.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Opposed.

The ayes have it.

Mr.

Sick.

Is the body all right with me waiving the meeting and just like allowing you to ask questions?

Thank you.

Okay.

Yes, Mr.

Biddy.

My name is Chris Walzai Escobar.

United States Marine Corps veteran.

I've lived in New Bedford for about eight years, moved here in 2018.

Beautiful city.

When I originally came here, it was a hard uh oh wait, no.

Sorry.

I just must I was going off.

No, go ahead.

That's what we want.

Yeah, it's a good one.

Oh, okay.

First of all, though I'd like to say thank you for your service of course.

Thank you.

Um I moved here after my service was five years from 2012 to 2017.

Um I went all over the country, went to Japan, went, you know, um overseas.

Um when I moved here, it was a hard uh change.

I'm from Los Angeles, California originally.

Um so you you can tell the weather is very different.

Uh when I came here, I kind of hated it a little bit, but um it grew on me and getting to know it here.

Um we're actually a hidden gem.

Uh we're in a perfect uh uh geographical area.

Uh we're in between Cape Uh Boston, Providence, Newport, Rhode Island.

So once I learned that, and once you know I got more familiar with Massachusetts and New Bedford, uh, you know, I'm I'm here to stay, so been here ever since.

Um sorry.

Uh here my credentials.

Um I just graduated this Sunday from uh Suffolk University for my BSBA uh double majoring in business economics and finance with a concentration in investments and double minor in real estate and business analytics during my time.

Um I have been uh treasurer for the student veterans of America at the Suffolk Chapter, and at the Bristol Community College chapter, I was uh vice president of fundraising.

I'm also an alumnus of Bristol Community College, and that's where I got my associates before transferring to Suffolk uh University.

Um right now, currently I just finished the course called Four Block Um cohort of 2026, and I am part of the uh Leadership South Coast uh cohort of 2026 as well, which um I will complete that course next month.

Um have a lot more, but I don't want to bore you guys with with that good stuff.

So if you guys want to ask your questions, please do so.

Thank you.

Um Counselor Abrew.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Wow.

What a resume.

My lord.

Good for you.

And thank you also for your service.

Um quick question.

We've done a great job under our leadership under Mr.

Gomes and through this advisory council and this board, um, working with the VTH and many other folks in the public and private sector to um be a regional and national leader as it relates to eradicating veteran homelessness.

Um what are your thoughts about making sure we keep up that momentum to ensure that no one who serves or served this country goes hungry, sleeps on a park bench, is homeless, and they get the services that they need when they come back home, especially if they've been deployed and have been in combat.

Oh, I'm a thousand percent behind it.

Um so before I wasn't very um present in my veteran community um when I first got out because I had a bad transition.

Um but then I had a mentor, Desmi Denny Cosmo.

I don't know if you guys uh know of him.

He's uh director of veteran uh services in Bristol Community College.

He um relit the fire in me, and ever since I've been very, very, very more um involved in the veteran community.

So um I am very for uh I believe anybody that served this country should not be homeless.

I believe they should not be struggling and suffering alone.

I feel as we have to make um we have to create more engagement within the veteran community, and that will bring them out of the darkness that they fall into, and that will then help um eradicate homelessness.

I feel as if the VA does a good job of giving a lot of um programs, but they do a very, very excuse my language, sloppy job of informing veterans of everything we have.

Um I for one have gone through it.

Um there was I all the benefits I know of now, I didn't know of when I first got out in 2017.

Um I figured it out.

I learned about them starting in 2022.

Um and then I've just dug into the rabbit hole and found uh so much information, but it's very tricky to find it.

And I think uh in order for us to help veteran homelessness, we need to tackle uh the first issue of trying to inform our veterans and trying to help them before we try to uh throw more money at it.

Um I'm not saying we do we just throw money and not help.

Um that's just what I've seen from the outer scope.

So uh I have seen what the city's done, and I want to get involved, and I want to be part of that and help move forward and hopefully, you know, within the next hopefully tomorrow we can end it, but you know, it's a process.

Hopefully, we can build programs or try to help to where we eradicate that within our city, and maybe it can get copied.

Thank you.

Very good answer, thank you.

I look forward to voting for your confirmation.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

I'll yield.

Okay.

Uh if there are no other questions, I would up.

Chair recognizes Councillor Sean Oliver.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Uh, thank you for your uh willingness to serve.

Um it seemed like you were busy with all the things that you were rattling off.

So I commend you on that.

Um this appointment has been in front of us a couple of times.

Again, like I said, I know that sounds like you were busy.

Are you able to commit yourself to this board and the meetings and what it entails to go forward?

That's just my main concern, and that's why I just want to ask you outright on the record.

No, yes, definitely.

Um so what had happened was I moved.

Um, and so my the invitation was getting sent to the wrong address.

Um this was the first invitation I received since the very first one in, I think I believe February.

Um and all the other ones I never received ever since.

So yeah, I was a little busy at the time.

Um I had classes Wednesday nights and uh the four days a week had to go up commute to Boston and come back.

Okay.

Um, well, thank you for clarifying that and committing yourself to this to this board, and and I look forward to uh being one of the members that will appoint you to it, and I hope that you'll bring, you know, uh I think that the disconnection between some of our younger veterans.

Um there's a big disconnect there, and I hope that you're going to be able to bridge that gap.

So thank you.

That's all I that was my only concern, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Oliver.

Thank you.

Uh Chair recognizes Councillor Baptiste.

Actually, I don't have to ask no questions, counselor of War 3 asked every question I was gonna ask.

I just wanted to make sure he's gonna make the meetings.

He is quite thorough.

All right, no doubt, man.

So um thank you for your service.

And um, you know, I hope I hope that you can bring a lot to this board.

This board's been lacking for a long time, and I think that they need support.

And I think that there's others out there that need support and maybe need to hear your story or need to you know get some get a push from somebody that understands where they come from.

So thank you for your service and and good luck with the position.

Thank you.

I yield thank you.

Okay, if that's all, the chair will entertain a motion.

Motion refer out to the full city council for approval.

Second.

Okay.

Uh motion made by Councillor Burgo, seconded by Councillor Oliver.

Paul, do you want to speak on the motion?

Yes, you always say on the question first.

On the question, and then thank you.

Then you do the vote.

So yes, on the question, I just wanted to thank you for your time, Mr.

Escobar and uh for your actual service to our country and then now to your service to our city.

Uh welcome to New Bedford.

Uh we are uh an amazing gem, not just a hidden gem.

I think everyone who uh comes to our city knows how amazing we are.

But also I just wanted to let our uh colleagues know that the Veterans Advisory Board now due to the work of this council is at full capacity, well not full capacity correction at a quorum, because that was the issue that we were lacking before is that they weren't even at a membership level that uh allowed them to even have a meeting because they were not even making a quorum.

So they've actually been able to hold meetings.

And so I'm glad that you'll be able to uh this will go on to the next uh council agenda uh uh favorably.

You'll be able if you appear at that time be sworn in.

Um so I want to thank my colleagues and I want to thank you for answering that call of service.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

I got Mr.

Escobar again, thank you for your service, and I just wanted to add um I'm glad that you're enjoying uh the city of New Bedford.

I've actually been to San Bernardino several times in California, and I think you guys over there have better weather overall.

San Bernardino's the more the desert, but I'm from I'm from more uh closer to the coast, so we have better weather.

Sure.

Well, in any event, thank you.

Thank you for your service.

Okay.

I will now entertain that motion.

Okay, all right.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Opposed.

Okay.

I think the meeting your next meeting is the 28th.

Is that correct?

So it'll be formally heard on the 28th.

And then after it passes there, it'll be referred downstairs to the clerk's office.

Okay.

Thank you.

Okay.

Thank you, sir.

Is there written motion, Council Shoket, Abraham Roy requesting that the airport director Scott service in conjunction with the city's conservation agent explore all options for the location of a new hangar at the New Bedford Regional Airport and that the special committee on airport invite the airport director and the conservation agent to meet to discuss such options and further.

Then any plans to move forward with the construction of a hangar be suspended until such time as the committee has the opportunity to consider any and all options that best serve the combined interests of the airport and the surrounding neighborhoods.

It was referred here on April 23rd, 2026, and is now before you.

Mr.

Chairman, if you would entertain a motion to receive and place and file the agenda.

Oh, I'm sorry.

I'm going to call the role.

Yeah, didn't I just say all those in favor?

All those in favor say aye.

Sorry.

Yeah, I have it.

I just wanted to recognize former Ward 1 City Councillor and current school committee man, uh Brad Markey is here.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Okay.

All right.

Uh Mr.

Service, we'll have you come up first, please.

Thank you.

So thought I'd start off with just kind of how we got here and where we are.

Thank you.

For a little bit of background for everyone.

Yeah, we'll be to you.

I'm not Beyoncé.

I just kind of want to explain where we are, what we are, and the limitations we have to try to kind of paint the picture of where we got.

So this is the location of the uh construction of a five aircraft hangar in yellow.

It's just northeast of the existing 32 T hangers that we have.

This is the 32 down here.

This is the construction site that's proposed.

Bridgewater State has their new hangar there.

It does not show up on Google Earth, so I sorry, but I I'll never make it in marketing.

Um this was an early conceptual drawing.

Um that building is actually a little bit bigger than what is going to be designed, or at least longer than it will not go all the way down to Taxiway Kilo, which is down here, it'll stop somewhere around here.

This is the conceptual layout of the hangar and where it'll go.

Um taxway safety areas over here, the taxiway that I just referenced kilo would be over on this side.

This would be the hangar.

Parking behind the units.

They would open up on this side.

Director Service, I apologize.

We can hear you perfectly fine in the room.

The microphone is not for our vanity, it's for the recording on cable access.

So you're we wouldn't be able to hear it later on for anyone watching.

Understood.

So this is the uh layout of the units.

There'll be a gate through the fence here, off street parking, more parking in the back.

The hangars will open towards the apron.

There'll be existing uh new pavement in front of it for them to pull out and do it.

They need to stay outside of the taxi lane object-free areas, which is why the building is back here.

So there's a lot going on with this map of why the location was chosen by the developer.

These areas that are dotted in green are all of our wetlands.

Which we're not building in.

Um the areas in yellow through here, over here, and then also in pink are natural heritage, um natural heritage.

Um endangered species for the eastern box turtle that is also overlaid in the blue, because we have our internal map for it, and then we also have the statewide map for it.

For the eastern box turtle, that is also overlaid in the blue, because we have our internal map for it, and then we also have the statewide map for it.

So we've identified this area and this area for construction now.

These areas over here are open for development, but aviation way is an unimproved street, so the cost to bring utilities and everything down to it.

And then the areas in red here and here would be possible for future development, but that's only when we move taxiway Bravo closer to the runway.

So we need to move this over to open those up for development.

So we're very limited on the spaces that we can build on the airport, which is why the contractor chose the location that he did, which is up on this end, because there are utilities power and and such in the street.

We currently do have a lease for this property that um was approved back on June 1st, 2025 for this development.

Um it was approved by the airport commission and by the city council, signed by the mayor.

Um so I'm not quite sure where we go from here on that one.

And we have our legal limitations.

Um as an airport, we have a regulatory obligation to identify all the places on an airport that we can build current and future, and we do that.

Um, we have a requirement if there are no other vacant facilities on the airport that can suit the tenants' needs.

We are then mandated by the FAA to enter into an agreement to lease appropriate land.

We don't have any empty hangars.

We don't have any other place to go.

So that does not apply.

So if we can't arrange satisfactory terms for something else, then we are required by FAA to lease out property that is available.

Um that's basically kind of just laying out where we are on things and how we ended up at this spot.

I'm happy for any questions for it.

Um Chair recognizes Councillor Abrew.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Good evening, Scott.

Uh I I I realize what you just said about being mandated by the FAA.

What would be the penalty if we were in noncompliance?

Uh we would be in violation of our grant assurances, and they could then ask us to repay them for all the grants that we've gotten over.

Well, each grant has a different term on it, but for construction, 20 years, vehicles 10 years.

So we're looking at 40, 50 million dollars worth of grants to violate the grant assurances.

The the way it's set up is it we're similar like a highway.

Everybody drives on the highway.

And we all understood with 37 inches of snow, the state said stay off the highway.

We understood why.

But other than that, it's open for public use 24-7.

Same comes to an airport.

For the FAA for civil aviation, we're to be open 24-7, not restrict access and not restrict future growth for things.

So that is the mandate that we have based that we are an airport and we take federal monies and we're open to the public.

So that's the agreement that we made back in 1943, I believe, when the airport was open.

That's correct.

And the FAA, they don't bluff.

They'll collect.

They'll litigate and they'll collect.

They will.

And and because we have a lease with this with this individual, we're at a little bit of a legal liability with them.

If we you know try to you know change things or do too much.

I mean, we're it it's regretful that the neighbors got involved at the planning process of this because we're further down the road, but I I don't control when people recognize what's going to happen or not happen.

Okay.

Thank you, Scott.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

I'll yield at this time.

Uh any further questions for director director service.

None.

Oh, Council Roy, please.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Uh I was wondering, um, I know a lot of residents from the neighborhood are here, and I was hoping that director service could uh we could hear some of those residents.

I know they were here to speak, and I was hoping, you know, as chair you could use your discretion and allow some of these folks to to share with us and direct a service how they feel about this project, and and then if director services can come back and address any of those concerns, that would be that would be what I would like to do.

Absolutely, but I definitely wanted to hear from Mr.

Perks first.

If that's okay.

Sure.

Would you please come on up, sir?

Thank you.

Overall map, and I'll even uh state your name for the record, please.

Chance Perks, I'm your conservation agent from the Department of Environmental Stewardship.

Okay.

Um so I guess I'll be the one to ask ask the question.

Uh Mr.

Perks, uh, were you uh did you have alternative site knowledge or any theoretical uh uh spots where this hainer could potentially go in the airports or on the airport's grounds where it wouldn't be as disruptive to the to the residents who are in attendance tonight.

And you know, if not, um what is your well actually I'll let you answer that first question.

I'm sorry.

So I I'm not a hundred percent sure if I understand the question, though I think I I know what the intent is.

Um if I can circle back to that question by pointing out uh what is my role as your agent um as this uh map shows and thanks uh Mrs.

Service for providing it.

The area and location, uh area in question is not within the jurisdiction of the New Bedford Conservation Commission, and thus uh it's not in my in my jurisdiction.

Um I was contacted by Mr.

Service.

I don't know the exact date, but I could get that to you months and months and months ago, six months, eight months ago, if not more, um, about uh did I concur that this area was out of our jurisdiction, at which time I said yes it was.

So to get into uh the question of do I know of uh other locations?

I don't know the airport that intimately to know where there's other planned designs.

Um you know, from what I am aware of is a proposed hangar.

There was one built just prior to me coming on as your agent.

Um and then there's another one that is permitted and actively holds a permit to be built down and I believe in this area here.

Again, Scott, any time correct me if I'm wrong.

Um so that is that is the other location that I'm aware of um that they could build a hangar because they have a permit through my office to do so.

Um and that is still active and that um could happen in the future uh when the developer chooses to, as long as they keep their permits active.

Um so that's all I'm aware of in terms of the location.

Um and I was aware of these plans prior off because they wanted to know uh again, is it in wetlands jurisdiction?

Um beyond that, I can't speak to the the master plan of the airport.

Did that answer your question?

Yeah, it answered yes, it answered that that primary question.

Okay, thank you.

Um any of the counselors, do you have any questions for for Mr.

Perks?

Councillor Roy.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

To be clear, chance, you pointed down there, that's right behind what what is that?

Um which cemetery is that that you pointed to right there.

Is that oh no, this is actually this is actually an uh auto salvage yard on Shawn Avenue.

This is the airport road downy, Downey Street is in this area.

This is you know, usually people kind of park and take their lunch down in this area.

When you come around the bend, there's this tarmac here.

I don't know the exact terms.

Um there's this open area here, and that's where it's proposed.

Uh Mr.

Service can speak more about that.

But as you can tell, it's right up adjacent to wetlands, so that's why we get involved.

You know, that's why, you know, uh we serve you by reviewing these projects and making sure that they uh adhere to the Wetlands Protection Act.

That's why this one was on our jurisdiction.

This one is not, um, at least as proposed.

If all of a sudden they were doing something out here or in natural heritage overlay, then absolutely we would have to get involved and and it would be a different story.

Okay.

Um thank you, Chance.

Um any further questions.

Okay, and none of this time.

Um Mr.

Preventure, uh, is there anything you'd like to come up and add Chairman?

Thank you for coming tonight, sir.

Uh good evening.

Thank you, uh Counselor Choquett, and thank you to the committee for amending the agenda to add me as an invitee.

I appreciate the opportunity to address the committee on this.

Um so just by way of process and background, I wanted to provide some context for what this process looks like.

Mr.

Service described why the airport is obligated to identify and make available for potential development parcels on the airport in the event that we have a solicitation from a tenant who wants to develop an aviation-related use within the airport's boundaries, and we don't have a facility that we can lease wholesale to them.

You know, in certain circumstances, the airport may take ownership of a structure on the airport and may be able to rent it out as a completed facility.

But by and large, on the airfield, most of what the airport does are ground leases.

It's a lease for a parcel of land upon which construction can be made at the termination of which any building that's put on that property needs to be either removed, torn down, and the area returned back to its original state, or ownership of that transferred to the airport and the city.

It's really not unlike if you've ever leased a parking space, you are leasing the space, you're not necessarily taking any ownership rights in any of it.

You only have it for the period of the contract under which you have the lease.

So this particular construction involves a lease that was approved sometime last year, I believe, at the Commission, and Scott, you can correct me if I'm wrong, it was something like April of 2025, before it was ultimately referred to the City Council's Finance Committee, which recommended adoption of it before it was then subject to a final vote and approval by the City Council.

Right.

Airport commission approval was April 16th, 2025.

The City Council in its entirety approved the lease on June 26th of last year, and then it was executed in July 15th.

So what the lease does is it doesn't guarantee anyone the right to undertake construction on a particular parcel.

Any lease that we as the airport commission approve for referral to the full council and for execution by this body and the mayor is then subject to the normal permitting process for construction that undergoes at the local level.

So you need to make an application for a building permit, you need to receive a sign-off that the proposed construction is compliant with the city's zoning ordinances, and then if there is any additional review, such as that might be undertaken by the Conservation Commission if any of the proposed development impacts a wetlands resource area that's been delineated by an appropriate study, they would need to get a notice of intent and make sure that it complies with the State Wetlands Protection Law.

In this particular case, it also involves a separate provision of land use control.

The city has a provision that's called site plan review.

It's not zoning and it's not planning, but it's committed to the planning board in terms of its administration.

And what site plan review does is that it ensures that any proposed construction over a certain threshold goes through either a staff-led administrative review project or a decision by the full planning board, which is what occurred in this case.

So that's the planning board meeting that occurred in February of this year, which I reviewed the minutes for.

And so that's the context in which all of this is happening.

So essentially, we have a series of duly noticed public meetings that were undertaken by the airport commission, which meets approximately once a month whenever we can through the calendar year last year, leading to the adoption of the lease, which is finalized for the territory that was marked on the map that you saw.

And then the developer themselves went through the permitting process, making sure that they were compliant with zoning, which my understanding is the area in question is zoned as industrial B and this isn't as of right use in that zone, and then made an application for site plan review.

So where they were at with site plan review is that that goes before the entire planning board when it's above a certain threshold of square footage.

That happened in this case, and the planning board unanimously approved the site plan review based on a public meeting that happened back then.

Um I wanted to note for the full council that I think one of the things that's relevant here, and I saw some comments to this effect in an article that ran in the New Bedford Light yesterday, that there was a feeling a feeling that people's individual rights to a public notice that had to be sent to a certified list of abutters generated by the assessing and planning departments wasn't properly maintained.

One of the things that I think is generally unusual about site plan review is that it does not arise under Chapter 40A, which is where you get your abutters list requirements of notice for special permit applications, for zoning appeals, and for variance applications.

And it similarly doesn't arise under the Subdivision Control Act, under Chapter 41, sections 81A through I think WW, but don't quote me on that.

There's a lot of lettered subsections in that.

So there's no notice requirement under zoning, and there's no notice requirement under subdivision control.

And so the only place a notice requirement comes from in those circumstances is the city ordinances.

Now, I took a look to familiarize myself with the city ordinance on site plan review, and it does not contain a notice requirement, and it does not appear to mandate that any abutters receive particularized notice of this.

I my understanding is that the planning department tries to get notice out on site plan review meetings when they do arise, and I believe they made an effort to do that here, but I'm not from the planning board and I don't specifically know it.

I bring that to your attention solely because this body is the one that would be in a position to correct that potential oversight and impose a notice to abutters requirement, similar that you might have in a zoning context or a planning context, and make sure that people get notice of these kinds of applications when they're going to come before the planning board.

So with that said, that's all I have, unless there are any questions from you, Chancellor Coquette, Choquette or any member of the committee.

So have you been spending time in the mayor's office lately?

No.

No, I I I don't practice anymore, but I have practiced municipal law in my career as a lawyer.

Okay.

So essentially, and again, with respect to your statement.

You're saying that the abutters have no rights to be notified on these issues.

Until and unless the City Council makes an ordinance requiring that they be provided notice.

And in fact, it it requires it in a number of different contexts, but particularly here.

It doesn't appear that when the City Council entertained that, it made sure to include a requirement that an abutters radius be drawn and that people be provided notice.

My understanding, though, is that the planning board, as a matter of practice, even though they are not required to do so, their staff endeavors to send out notices to people that they can identify as a butters, as would be the case for you know a subdivision application or a zoning permit.

That's what happened.

Actually, Councillor Abu first, please.

Chair recognizes Councillor Abreu.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Just not for Mr.

Preventure, just to you, Mr.

Chairman.

Um just point of clarification.

I know myself, you and Councillor Roy co-sponsored uh this motion.

I know you had a conversation with the planning office, correct?

Correct.

And can you just divulge all of us for the record and these folks here and everybody, the context of that conversation?

Because it was a oh man, we may at first it was the letters went out, then it was a Mia Culpa.

I just want to get very succinct clarity on what went down or did not happen.

Yes.

Because you had the conversation.

So I had the conversation with the planning department, and specifically the director told me that it was her fault that they didn't go out correctly.

And she was taking, you know, mayakulpa, as counselor Abre said, on that.

Um I asked that we have this all redone.

We have a second pass through with site plan review, since the public was not correctly notified.

Um I was told that that was going to happen.

And then a couple days later, I was then told that uh upon consultation with uh uh our our solicitor, attorney Jakes, that that was not required.

Um who I would also like to bring up if if and I unless oh actually you you're still on the queue here.

Um so go ahead, Councillor Roy, I am sorry.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair, Counselor from Rickettenst Rickardson Street.

Rickenson Street, my bad.

Yeah.

Answer the questions.

Thank you.

Okay.

So it would appear that we have a loophole in the law that's existed since 1848 that we need to address.

Uh obviously we can't address that this evening.

Well, we'll have to file a motion, Mr.

Chairman, and I am sure through you to the Chairman of Ordinance this year, he'll have an expeditious hearing and we'll get it going.

Correct.

Yeah, go ahead, uh Counselor.

My first point of information.

This item was uh passed by the planning board.

Site plan review?

Can you say anything?

This item was approved by the site uh by the planning board on site plan review?

Yes.

Okay.

Second point of information.

Did you not file a motion to address these ordinance concerns at the last meeting?

Uh yes, I did, actually.

Thank you.

Yep.

So point taken.

Okay.

Um I think unless the rest of the body has any questions for Mr.

Preventure, uh I would like to bring up attorney Jakes.

Is that possible?

Sure.

And just before I clear I appreciate the time to speak, um I just wanted to make clear I haven't conferred specifically with anybody in the mayor's office about how this might be taken.

I don't know what posture the city may take with respect to any potential challenge or argument against the planning board's action.

Um I just wanted to also make note that I think we all appreciate the work that our staff here do, Mr.

Service and Mr.

Burke in particular.

Um I understand that the nature of the motion before you asks them to suspend any work on the hangar.

I just want to note that from the perspective of the Airport Commission, we endorsed and the city adopted a valid lease that apparently, as far as I know, has passed through both the zoning and planning contexts, um, has received you know site plan review is a non-discretionary approval.

The ordinance clearly states that if it meets the subject criteria and it passes site plan review, it shall be granted.

It is not discretionary the way that a special permit or a variance application is.

Thank you.

We will take that into account.

Thank you.

Attorney Jakes.

It's a matter of I don't think I expected this.

Okay.

Good evening, Mr.

Chairman.

Good evening, Mr.

Solicitor.

Just a quick question.

When site plan review is carried out, to the best of your knowledge.

Do the abutters have rights to receive these letters at the correct addresses and have the ability to come to these meetings.

So let me not avoid your question, but first apologize.

I am not an invitee this evening.

I was here as an observer.

I'm not wearing a suit or a tie.

That's it.

It's not a matter of disrespect.

I did not expect to speak this evening.

The answer to your question is I understand it.

I did not do the research on this.

It was done by David Houghton but to the best of my knowledge, after speaking to Attorney Houghton who researched the matter, there is nothing in state law or regulations or the city ordinances that requires notification to the abutters in an instance of site plan review.

The planning department, as pointed out by the chair of the commission, has in fact, as a courtesy and past practice, notified the abutters of what was going to be on the agenda for site plan review.

The main requirement is that it be posted appropriately 48 hours before the meeting.

And one of the concerns that was voiced by the solicitor's office through Attorney Houghton was that if this decision is challenged in court by the developer, he will win because the meeting was properly noticed in terms of the law and the ordinances of the City of New Bedford.

Again, it was contrary to our past practice in this instance due to a mistake between planning and the assessor's office.

The exact details of that error I'm not privy to.

I'm not sure if it came from planning or assessors, but I know the lot was misidentified, and therefore the list was not entirely accurate.

Okay.

So in your opinion, it is okay for the city to throw out procedure.

And we just go with this.

I mean, these people were not represented.

They didn't have a chance to go to these to these meetings.

You have to understand that from a landowner's standpoint, it feels like something was tried to get put through without their knowledge.

And I would respectfully disagree with your characterization, Mr.

Chairman.

Okay.

When property is leased at the airport, a request is brought to the administration of the airport.

It is then brought to the Commission.

There is a public notice that goes out with the agenda, which would indicate that this individual was seeking to obtain a lease for hangars at the airport.

This individual has been involved in this process for over four years because I have been the solicitor for four years.

And prior to that, I was assigned to represent the airport on behalf of the administration, and I was present when this individual began the process over four years ago.

And when it came to have the lease approved, it was noticed, it came to the council.

The council referred it to the property committee.

There was a notice of the property committee and its agenda.

The property committee met on at least one, if not more occasions.

It was favorably referred back to the council.

There was a second vote by the council, which was again noticed, and that was last year.

It then proceeded through the process internally in the building department, and then to site plan review.

Okay.

All right.

Thank you, Attorney Jakes.

Again, I know you weren't expecting to speak, so thank you for being forthcoming and coming up to the microphone.

My pleasure, Mr.

Chair.

Okay.

Counselors, any questions for Attorney Jakes?

I don't missed it.

I don't miss the Chairman, so Eric, you can take a seat if you would like.

Thank you, Councillor Abrew.

Good to see you again.

I know we have residents here from the community and from the neighborhood, Mr.

Chairman.

I know it's Chairman's discretion.

I know you and I had a conversation and Councillor Roy and I had a co conversation.

I know some folks, maybe not all of it, but some of them definitely at least want to be heard on the record about what their opinions or views are.

Um, if the interest of time, I know folks won't want to get home and whatever, but um do you want to just have them come up one at a time, give their name and address and give them maybe a minute at least and yes, I think that each person here deserves to be in it to speak, of course, they're here.

So um about two, because I can't say much in a minute.

Two.

Want to give them two minutes?

We'll give them two minutes.

Two minutes too.

Two minutes for the quick, so it's gonna take you a minute to walk up to the pony.

It's just you know what I mean.

I I don't want to keep folks here all night either.

I want to respect I want to respect their time.

So whoever would like to speak, please come up.

You're just gonna need your name and your address for the record, okay?

And nice and clearly because I'm old.

Jessica Brigoli, 1415, Old Plainville Road.

Not good with public speaking, so I'm just gonna read what I wrote.

Uh good evening, City Council.

I'll try not to take up too much of your time tonight because unlike this airport project, at least I believe in giving people proper notice before showing up.

You know, apparently only two people in our entire neighborhood were properly notified about the original planning committee meeting regarding the project.

I'm sure as you saw in yesterday's article.

And that's exactly why we're standing here tonight.

Not because we are unreasonable, not because we're against progress, but because residents because residents who pay some of the highest taxes in the city deserve transparency, respect, and the right to know what is happening in their own neighborhood before decisions are already made.

Last year our taxes went up over a thousand dollars, and with the new mayor's budget, they're expected to rise even more.

Yet somehow, when it comes to notifying the residents of that fund the city, the system suddenly falls apart.

The abutters list alone proves that.

I'll skip that.

And unfortunately, uh I'll skip that.

Uh because we're not lawyers, we're not developers, we are normal everyday citizens trying to understand our rights while navigating a process that has felt almost impossible to follow.

And I actually have the petition sheets that I have with me today, but when we actually found about found out about this first meeting, well, you don't have to see them.

And if we have actually known about what the original planning meeting was about, if residents have been properly informed and given enough time to understand our rights and how these projects unfold, we would have asked for the solutions we are requesting tonight at this very meeting, but we didn't even realize this project was essentially a done deal until you were muted during the Zoom meeting.

Sorry, I'm so nervous.

This is not an industrial zone.

This is not a commercial district, this is our neighborhood.

People choose to live there because it's quiet.

Families walk there, kids ride bikes there, neighbors know each other there.

The neighborhood, this neighborhood is here long before the airport.

And now we're being told to accept tr increased traffic, commercial activity, bright lights pouring into our homes, noise, pollution in a massive building that simply does not belong in a residential area.

These may be private planes, but there's still commercial activity.

People will be driving to this new parking lot to board flights there, cars, deliveries, employees, visitors, all entering a quiet dead-end neighborhood that was never meant to handle this type of activity.

And despite all of this, we are not demanding the impossible.

We're asking for reasonable solutions.

First, turn the building around so the opening does not face our homes.

Second, build a wall or a barrier to shield residents from the lights that will otherwise shine directly into our homes.

Third, plant native green trees such as juniper and white spruce to help offset pollution, reduce visual impact year-round, and provide some measure of beautification in respect to the residents living beside this project.

All these are reasonable requests, and honestly, I don't even know how much good this meeting tonight will really do for us at this point.

But since I'm just a regular person, not a lawyer, not a developer, not someone with political connections.

We're trying to work with the city and the airport.

Thank you.

B as in boy, R.

E.

G.

O.

L.

I.

Okay.

Thank you, Jessica.

Mark Martins, 1418, Old Plainville Road.

Uh as far as an abutters, I have a list here that was sent out to the abutters on the other side of the neighborhood.

So somebody got informed about this.

Not us.

The whole other side of the neighborhood got informed.

Not one of them are here.

Maybe you can build it over there in their neighborhood.

Since they know about it.

So if you want to see it, I got it.

Twenty-three neighbors on the other side.

And every property that the airport owns got a notice that they were building it.

Some people live as far as three miles away in hangars.

They got it.

We live right there.

We got nothing.

Zip.

Mr.

Martins, excuse me.

Sorry.

Can we accept and place that on file for the record?

I want to.

I don't have a lawyer, so.

Right.

It was like out of the 100 people that are on that butters list, 75% were city owned or city adjacent buildings.

25 were actual human beings, and most of them didn't even live in our neighborhood.

Two of them were actual residents of our neighborhood.

So whoever, whoever got the abutters list, I can take the planning board or whoever sent it out was totally wrong on where they they sent it.

Mr.

Chairman, uh, through you to Jessica.

Uh, do you mind if we also take a copy of your full uh statement and we can scan it so everyone can read the full testimony?

I'll take it.

Right.

So receive a place.

I have my original petitions.

Motion received in place on file by Councillor Roy, seconded by Councillor Burgo.

Give them the favor.

And I have also I have signatures from all the mostly all the neighbors.

Over 60 of them.

Yeah.

I'd also motion to receive and place on file, those signatures.

Second.

Seconded by Council.

Well by Councillor A.

Bruce, seconded by Councillor Roy.

Council Virgo.

Councilor Virgo.

Second IA.

I think it was a second.

Uh James Roy.

Counselor James Roy.

So if I can say one more thing.

You know, after hearing the lawyers speak, like we're obviously not lawyers.

Half that went right over my head, definitely, probably my neighbors too.

But kind of what I took from the end of that is that we don't really have any rights as abutters, and that we don't, you know, even anybody in the city doesn't need to get an abutters notice when it comes to like massive projects or even small projects that could impact other people's neighborhoods.

Like, did I hear that right?

Apparently that apparently that is true, and we the council will be looking into that right away.

As it relates to the airport.

As it relates to the airport.

Also, they have a 40-year lease, I believe.

40 year at 700 a month.

Was that what it was?

Right?

Yeah.

700 a month.

Well, you were not allowed to know.

Should know this.

Mr.

Lot of people renting in your neighborhood, right?

Sorry, Mr.

Martins.

You're not allowed to ask questions.

I'm sorry.

Got to follow proper procedure.

I forget to shut it off.

Even though not everybody appears to, but we we have to.

Does anybody else wish to speak?

Um to be on the record, please.

This is your time, everyone.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Martins.

Thank you, Jessica.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Yeah, hi.

My name is Bruce Booker.

B O K E R.

I uh grew up in the neighborhood.

I live not too far away now on Shaman Avenue on the other side of New Plainville Road.

But it's always we've always lived with the airport.

We don't we're not against the airport.

We're just against what they're always trying to do.

So they're trying to push this development and the and they've done it in the past towards the residential houses of the neighborhood.

And that end towards the Jewish cemetery, old Plainville Road, Shaman Avenue, where this the where the houses are.

They have plenty of land available off Downing Street where their foreign trade zone is supposed to be located, but they don't use it.

It's empty.

There's other land just on Shaman Avenue, all the way down the end.

They have hangars there already on the side of the runway.

They could build more hangars there.

I don't know why they decided to put it in this spot.

It's probably the easiest to get, you know, to the street.

But there should be they should not be pushing this towards the residential area.

This house is there.

That neighborhood's been there forever.

Before the airport was there, that neighborhood was there.

They knocked down a school house.

They knocked down a horse race track.

They took houses down to put that there.

But they just keep pushing in the wrong direction, in my opinion.

There's plenty of available land where they can build and and they just don't want to use it.

They're gonna keep pushing against us.

Right now, those people that live along that fence barrier there.

I feel sorry for them.

They should put up a wall, at least for the noise.

Up and down, up and down.

For five minutes.

And then it takes off.

This happens to them all the time.

Now you want to put a hanger there with the the plain doors facing the houses?

With no barrier, a fence.

That's it.

That's wrong.

That's totally wrong.

You know what?

They wanted to be a good neighbor.

They should try to be a good neighbor.

And not, you know, just keep doing what they're doing.

This they the first expansion they did was like uh years back.

They it got cut back a little bit, and it it's it it worked with a neighborhood.

But it just I just don't think that's the right area for the hangar.

And Mr.

Booker, I just wanted to add for the record, your family's lived in that area for a very long time.

Used to live in uh with Jessica's house.

I was born there, right next to the Jewish cemetery.

I grew up there.

Now I live just uh you know, a half a mile away from there.

It's a beautiful neighborhood.

But so the airport doesn't play by the rules anyway.

They they never honor their flight paths.

There is no flight path there.

The planes take off.

There's a center, you know, a line for the runway that goes behind a property that I own.

In the middle of the pond, there's eighteen hundred acres of wetlands there.

Nothing there.

The cushion Cedar Swamp State Reservation.

You think they fly down the center line?

No.

As soon as they leave, they go rid of my house.

Probably 600 feet in the air.

Constantly.

Back and forth.

They should not be allowed to do that.

They should be able to have to go out so far, get up so high, and then turn.

But they don't.

Helicopters, 9 30 at night.

Training, flying around in circles.

10, 15, 20 times.

They all know it.

They got they can all hear it.

What's done about it?

Nothing.

Nothing.

You call and complain, nothing happens.

Oh, you have to call the FAA.

There's nobody in the tower at night.

It's it's ridiculous.

But you know.

All right.

That's enough.

Uh you know.

All right, we'll just get wound up about it.

Oh, I completely understand.

But we have to put up with this all the time.

You know, it's just go put the put the hangers down somewhere away from the houses.

That's all we ask.

Okay.

Thank you.

Anyone else wish to speak?

Yes, sir.

I was talking to them.

Um Tom Welch, 1878 Sharmadav.

I don't think the airport commission cares about us.

Somebody on that commission should have said, hey, that's a residential neighborhood.

Tom Welch.

Why are we putting a hanger over there?

They don't care about us.

None of you people do.

He keeps saying, Scott, where are you, Scott?

Are the tenants needs.

The tenant is from Rhode Island.

We're the taxpayers.

We have needs.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Welch.

Anyone else, please?

Okay.

They can give their name and address for the record.

Oh, yeah.

Anyone here, you you don't have to speak, but you can give your name and address for the record.

Any anyone?

Yes, ma'am.

Dennis.

I'm sorry.

I was just talking to the council.

Go ahead, please.

Kimber.

1878.

Okay.

Okay.

1480.

1480?

18.

I'm sorry, Ms.

Marts.

Okay.

Okay.

Um, 1481.

Yep.

1431 or 8131.

31, right?

Yep.

Okay, Mr.

Booker.

John Booker.

Okay.

Yes, sir.

Rafael Menendez.

Oh I'm sorry, you can only be recognized.

Councillor Abro?

Do you want to do that?

Yeah, I'm sorry.

Counselor Abram.

Ms.

Okay.

No, I just think that uh you know, when appropriate, I think we'll make a motion at table.

There was some great feedback by the community by the neighborhood here.

Hopefully Mr.

Service took some of that in, but there's only so much we can do legally from a legal standpoint, right, Mr.

Chairman, and uh we had the chairman of the airport commission speak and lay it out.

We had our solicitor speak and lay it out.

The law is the law, unfortunately in this case.

Um but they but they have concerns that are valid, whether it's the flight patterns, noise, if we can try to work some capacity to mitigate some of these concerns, I think that would be nice.

Um and I want to continue to just make sure that the airport's going to be a good neighbor and a good corporate steward for the for the neighborhood here that abuts.

So I don't know what more else I can say at this point.

I'll yield if anyone else wants the floor, but if not, then we'll make the motion a table.

We can bring this back, bring Scott back, bring these folks back, and we can see if we made any progress.

I mean, I don't know.

Like not so formal, like we through your neighborhood meeting at Pulaski one month, have these folks come in, and then maybe the airport individuals also can attend and we can really kind of roll up our sleeves and delve into some of these concerns and issues.

Yeah, I I I like that idea, Councillor Abreu.

Um because this is an issue that obviously has not been satisfied this evening.

Um there's still more to discuss.

Um do I have to do.

Oh counselor Oliver, I apologize.

You have the floor.

Thank you.

Uh I I compeled the makers of the motion before entertaining a table to uh a motion the table to maybe consider referring this out for no further action.

And not because we don't want to take any further action on that.

It's just we're talking about a butters and being notified and all that other stuff.

And although these people are here to speak their mind, there are probably more abutters that still have not been notified of this meeting.

As it wasn't supposed to kind of turn into this.

I mean, he's talking he's he's talked about you know th these steps that that could be taken with them and I think they were hoping to to to hear the director, you know, in front of all of us, you know, commit to something or not commit to anything.

And I was hoping you can give him time to come back up and address some of those concerns.

All right, excellent.

Hello again.

Hi, I'm just curious.

What what are your thoughts on some of the sound mitigation measures?

Uh up to and including you know, trees, bushes, walls.

Uh anything that you know, maybe turning the the actual uh hainer the other direction so the doors aren't facing the neighborhood.

Um sure.

So um as for turning the hanger you can have to do the microphone.

Um we have different safety areas, runway logic free areas, transitional service that come out, the hangar falls just underneath that.

The doors open up on the other side and come up.

To turn this around, it would violate the airspace, which is why we orientated it that way.

Second would be we would have to build a new taxi lane that would be on this side of the hangar that would then be in the runway safety area.

So it's kind of tucked into a small area.

We need to give it away.

That fits in.

It is a money pit.

But would you would you lose it forever?

I don't care.

Build homes, tax rolls.

Um hard to see on this one, but um runways over here.

This goes up.

These numbers here, 9294 are mean sea level.

That's not above ground level, it's mean sea level.

You have to subtract 76 feet from that.

So, you know, something along over here would be 24 feet tall, 34, 44 feet tall.

Having the apron open in this direction opens it up to the existing taxi lane, not building a new taxi lane for it.

That would be an additional cost.

It was not part of the original proposal on it.

Umigation that we did over there.

Um, whatever plantings we did would need to be on the outside of the fence, so street side.

Um it's a very narrow band along there.

But whatever trees we plant can't grow too tall, because at 24 feet, 34 feet, we have to cut the tops off to maintain our runway and maintain our approaches for it.

So it's kind of a tough little area.

We used to have um black spigots in the fence.

We took those out after a hurricane because the fence pulled out during the hurricane and we had to take loaders and push it back in and hold it in place so we could fix it.

It's something we could look at.

I mean, put that as an unfunded mandate on the airport if that choice comes.

Um I do not know how my budget's gonna turn out this year.

I'm not overly optimistic.

I understand what the city is going through, but that also does trickle down to the rest of us.

Um I don't know how far you want me to go with all this.

Any further questions or you're just looking for opinions?

Does uh do any of the counselors here have any questions or anything they want to add?

No.

Okay.

Uh I know Director Preventure, I know that you wanted to go back up there.

You're gonna get bored of the submission again.

Hi, again, uh Matt Reventure, 130 School Street from the Airport Commission.

Um I just one of the things I heard that I wanted to respond to was from the final citizen speaker, Mr.

Welch.

Um I just wanted to express that, you know, this committee had another volunteer to serve on a municipal board or commission, and that the expression of sentiments like that that the people who serve the city for free and without remuneration on local boards and commissions do so because they do not care about the city and its residents is tremendously hurtful, and it's really unwarranted.

I think this expression is still also unwarranted as it relates to Mr.

Service and our professional staff who I think do their best to discharge their duties.

So I understand that these are really close-to-home issues.

They're very literally close to home for all the people here tonight, and I understand that, and I understand that you know this can be a heated issue, but I just want to express to the committee that I do think it's important that people understand that this was the product of a reasoned and careful decision-making process taken by citizens of New Bedford acting in good faith.

And so I just hope that the committee keeps that in mind as it considers the issues that have been raised this evening.

Thanks.

So can I speak as you know?

No, uh, sorry, only speak one time.

Okay, so we got to get a motion on the floor here.

What are we gonna do?

Motion to refer out for no further action.

Second.

Okay, a motion for no further action was put on the floor by Councillor Burgo, seconded by Councillor Oliver.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Aye.

All opposed.

The ayes have it.

Motion to adjourn.

Motion to adjourn.

Seconded by everybody.

Everyone.

Okay.

Motion to adjourn by Councillor Burgo, seconded by Councillor Oliver.

All those in favor.

Really quickly.

I just want to let the general public know again to echo the sentiments of my colleague from Ward 3, Councillor Oliver.

Sending it for no further action does not mean that we're not taking action on this issue.

It just means that the motion that was written for this purpose no it has served its purpose for tonight.

But as has been pointed out by our council president, the uh chairman has already sent motions to uh fix the uh ordinance in regards to the issue that uh took place with the abutters list and all the other issues.

I apologize that you were dragged out this tonight and you might feel as though action wasn't taken the way it was, but we will continue to work on uh building those relationships.

I just want to make sure it's clear when you hear the words no further action does not mean that we're not taking further action on this issue.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilor Burgo.

This meeting is adjourned at 8 51 p.m.

Thank you, everyone.

So, I think that's a good question.