##VIDEO ID:7yOvuVh5qEg## e good evening welcome to the September 23rd city council meeting please rise to salute the flag pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all R Club the members councel agenzio here here councelor janino here here councelor Gino SA here here councelor H here here councel Haro here here councel Kelly here here councel McKenna here here councel noeli here Council sylvestri here Council zambuto here here and council president cogliandro here here Quorum is present approval of the Journal of the regular meeting of September 9th so moved so ordered Madame clerk before we begin um I'd like to take a moment of silence uh Danny manf retired Chief fire inspector also Mary oliv former city employee of the election department and Toby Cassidy former longtime member of the Conservation Commission if you would all join me in a brief moment of silence thank you public here public hearings calendar item number three hearing called dis ordered on an ordinance establishing rules and regulations for the display of flags and the use of City Hall this is a public hearing we will start with proponents uh anyone in favor name and address please Claren rillo 281 Broadway City solicitor's office uh I'm here to be brief because we've got a lot of folks here tonight but I want to thank this body for their consideration and the due diligence that was put in into the consideration of the ordinance before you tonight my office hopefully provided some clarity with the requested facts and legal findings that we discussed at the last meeting it was the intent of the Dei office and this city to celebrate the rich cultural heritages that we have in rever and the Supreme Court upholds such a notion however moving forward with councilor Zano's thoughtfully crafted Amendment on before you tonight means our departments can work fruitfully in new and creative ways to continue highlighting the diverse history of our city and for the solicitor's office I can say we rest easy knowing that after tonight we will hopefully and finally have a policy on the books thank you are there any other proponents people in favor name and address for the record please Wayne Rose his straight um if if we can't hang all the flags besides the military and the American flag we shouldn't hang any Flags thank you thank you sir are there any other proponents people in favor good evening name and address for the record please Stephanie desisto 7 Reservoir Avenue institutional neutrality the operative word being neutrality it's now the watch word for cities and towns relative to their Community flag poles never should it be within the purview of any City Administration or department or counsel to be the self-appointed determiners SL Arbiters of which flags are acceptable and which flags are not because one group might find a flag offensive or hostile or marginalizing while another group may not and the city cannot engage in Viewpoint discrimination or preferential treatment of one flag versus another without opening themselves up to a lawsuit so it's either all or none this amendment to and to the ordinance establishes the flag pole as neutral ground and that's what it should be it is a makes sense risk management policy which protects against controversy and potential litigation that the city will find itself subject to without it and as a taxpayer do not want to have to foot a bill for yet another litigation against the city and whatever comes down the road in the future about changes to this amendment well I guess we'll cross that bridge together when we get there thank you ma'am are there any other proponents seeing and hearing none I will close that side of the hearing any opponents anyone not in favor see oh so I just want to State my point so I'm here tonight name and address I'm sorry oh sorry Steve morbido director of diversity equity and inclusion for the city of Rivier 281 Broadway Rivier Massachusetts 02151 I'm here tonight because I believe the proposed amended ordinance before you is missing what makes our City so special and that's our diversity each and every one of us in this room have diverse backgrounds the original ordinance that I proposed before you with the solicitor's help protected our city while at the same time gave us the chance to show that Rivier is a place where everyone belongs Everyone by Flying Flags like the lgbtq plus flag PRI uh the juneth flag flying flags of Colombia for in their independence day or Central America for their independence day or flying flags of Italy to se celebrate a Italian American heritage month okay we're not just flying fa fabric we're flying Pride recognition and and respect for all of our residents let me resp repeat that when we have Flying Flags we're flying for the respect of everyone in our community but this amendment takes that away it Narrows who gets to be seen who gets to feel included and I don't believe that's who we are as a city yes we honor our military men women and our veterans yesterday today tomorrow and forever and that will never change they will always have a flag and their own flag in front of city hall there's no dispute about that whatsoever one thing you have to understand and I think we all can agree Rivia appreciate loves and respects our military men and Veterans okay now with that set side I just had to make that clear because no one doubts that whatsoever my honorable council members we are a city made up of many stories many faces and many flags and when we choose to celebrate that we are stronger for it so I kindly say let's reject this amendment and reintroduce the original ordinance or let's work on something that truly re represents everyone thank you for your time thank you sir any other opponents good evening name and address for the record please Brian Gau 91 up police in rier Massachusetts thank you for the opportunity to talk on this proposal I obviously for the record I am opposed to what the the bill or Amendment would would Encompass the the flags of any country in in the flag even of America is not just a piece of fabric all flags are important to be flown regardless of who it is being flown for whether it's flown for the Italians flown for any Eastern European country this city is is is built on diversity regardless of how someone sees it personally me being from close to shirle AV I see people from all backgrounds I believe that we should allow All Flags to be flown regardless of it being American Moroccan Colombian All Flags thank you very much thank you [Applause] sir any other opponents good evening name and address for the record please Aaron heninger 293 Mountain Avenue Riv oh sorry I'm a little new to this when my grandmother moved immigrated here to the US she knew two words in English cheeseburger and root beer uh weren't two awful words to know and as she built her life here she learned English and she celebrated both where she was from and taught my mother and me and all of my brother siblings and cousins where she was from so that we could know where we were going my um family moved here last summer my husband is uh US Coast Guard and we were thrilled when we found out his orders were for the Boston area because I wanted an experience for my kids where they could learn to appreciate the rich diversity of our nation that the communities that my husband rescues the people that his older brother whose US Army fought for are not just people who look like me who have grandparents with a Swedish flag or grandparents with a Northern Ireland flag but everyone all the flags deserve to be put on display in their own time and to be shown and celebrated I'm so grateful that I could take my kids to the Celebration held here for L out in front of the building for the El Salvador um Independence Day because it was an opportunity for them to see another culture to see another flag to um learn and every time we drive by if they see something different they ask questions and they're curious and I love that I love the opportunity that that provides my family and I would ask that you guys do not change that because it would limit the experience that they have it would limit the experience that everyone else here gets to have there's plenty of I don't know I guess I feel like there's plenty of flag pole to share and so I uh I just would encourage you guys to reject this proposal to reject this new proposal and to either go back to the old one or to work on something that allows for everyone who is fighting for their flag to be celebrated thank you thank you are there any other opponents anyone not in favor seeing and hearing none close that side of the hearing uh before the counselor start speaking just a reminder this is going to legislative affairs uh first up is councelor sylvestri thank you Mr President and um I I just want to make everyone clear okay okay this was not a city council motion I feel like this has been portrayed like we brought this up and we made a change this was not our motion the city in the Dei office presented a motion that had Couts to certain Flags which this body was not in favor of so we told them there was either no Flags or it was all the flags so we agree with you all just so you know this whole entire body agrees with everyone that has come up here and spoken tonight none of us have ever said a thing against any Pride engagements against any country against any religious group although the city came out with car votes specifically named which flags could be raised in this body said no we are not in favor of that so just so everyone under understands that that is the fact of this matter none of us wanted to block any celebrations because we love them as much as you do and the city was the ones that carved out a creation for certain Flags not this body just so we understood thank you very much thank you Mr President councelor Council thank you Mr President I am not going to be brief unfortunately for all of you um so I got to say when the mayor's office through the Dei office filed this motion it was a little bit disheartening I've been working in this community for some 15 years particularly with folks who are non first language English speakers and I know how important it is for different flags to go up in our public space uh I've been doing this work not in a performative nature not because I think this is the right thing to do because it appeals to my all my own self-interest but rather because we should have open public space accessible to the public regardless of who that group is um I stand against the original ordinance because it does restrict certain groups groups and I don't find that to be okay and while I am I was okay with the amendment in committee for the current language I still think it's restrictive to public access to free speech and therefore I will be also voting against that uh just because I don't believe we need to change the way we are operating it's unclear and has been unclear to me throughout the entire committee process on this piece of ordinance why this was filed other than to prevent some folks from having access to the public space in the city of river and I want to reiterate what councilor sylvestri just said the city council of the city of river and none of its counselors proposed this ordinance the original ordinance is performative in nature at best if not racist at worst so I I just cannot fathom why it was supposed to begin with I'm going to take a deep breath and I'm going to translate this so um etc etc for for no access AR [Applause] thank you councelor councelor H councelor Zam buo thank you Mr President I think uh all my colleagues uh were specific on what happened here and I don't have a racist bone in mind my body those who know me and know me well know that my amendment is to eliminate everything the only thing it does is allow the American flag the city flag the state flag and any military flag that was the fairest way I could make this work it doesn't discriminate against anybody we can still have all the celebrations for every single country that we want here we just can't put other flags other than those specific flags on our flag pole that doesn't change anything we're still the same city we're still we still respect and honor every country everybody that comes from any country here where where as diverse a community as anywhere but this is a common sense legal way of having uh a flag pole that does not discriminate and that's what this does thank you thank you counselor councelor Kelly thank you Mr President um I just want to point out I think this this is an issue that is much more complicated than it seems on its face um although I did not agree with the ordinance that was opposed by the mayor's office by the city um I know why they did it they did it in response to a lawsuit um involving the city of Boston wherein the Supreme Judicial Court ruled that Municipal flag poles cannot they are not supposed to be used for public expression so in response to that um this ordinance was drafted I want to speak to something that um Mr marabo brought up which he believed the ordinance would be protecting us in some respect I believe that's what he said but I'd also like to point out that most recently Nashua New Hampshire adopted an ordinance quite similar to what the city proposed and they did just get um they are being sued uh because they denied a flag and it was stated that the fact that they denied a flag is that it gave City officials unbridled discretion to censor speech they dislike so it really does need to be an all or nothing policy um and I just want to caution that allowing everything there will be times that things will be very controversial very sensitive um so I I just think we need to really think long and hard about which way we want to go and but I do believe it needs to be an all or nothing policy thank you thank you counselor this will be referred to the legislative affairs subcommittee calendar item number four hearing called disorted on an ordinance establishing rules and regulations for Veterans Memorial polls in the city of Rivier this is a public hearing we will open it to proponents people that are in favor good evening name and address please all right uh before we have any other opponents speak I wanted to request that this Council if it is in their wish put forth a motion um that was brought up by councelor sylvestri at the last meeting to add a new subsection to section 12.22 30 eligibility which would read section e or whichever letter we end up doing 20 years of active Duty service in the United States armed forces shall deem an individual eligible for a memorial poll not withstanding verification of service through the veteran service office so if we do hear from folks on either side I would ask that you keep that in mind thank you just a point of information we would not be able to make that Amendment during a public hearing but this is going to uh legislative affairs uh with that said are there any other proponents anyone else in favor seeing and hearing none hi Julia cantes veteran service officer Rivier veteran services um I want to thank this uh city council body for taking a look at this and listening to this um I just want you to know that our office is in proponent for of this proposed ordinance and I hope you take a a good look at it and if you have any questions um we're here to answer them or concerns and as it is is written we're we're a proponent for it thank you very much okay good good any other proponents anyone else in favor seeing and hearing none close that side I just ask a uh just just let me close the proponents and opponent side then I'll have you up sir uh closing the proponent side are there any opponents people opposed to the ordinance anyone not in favor seeing and hearing none sir so my question is um you said 20 years of service 20 years of service was an additional category was an additional category so this would this would incl include combat veterans that would killed in action um okay absolutely yes please thank you thank you thank you very much at this point I will open it up to city councilors councelor sylvestri thank you Mr President I just want to thank the Veterans office and the city for coming forward and and making this a cleaner process it really needed to happen and clean up a lot of it and I think this is going to be a positive thing for the city thank you thank you counselor councelor Zan buo uh thank thank you Mr President I too want to thank the Veterans office and and uh it's a long time coming and I'm very happy that this is uh being proposed and I I will support it thank you thank you counselor this will be referred to legislative affairs calendar item number five hearing called disorted on an ordinance further amending the zoning ordinances of the city of Rivier repealing the definition and use of mechanical parking systems this is a public hearing are there any proponents people in favor wishing to speak seeing and hearing none close that side are there any opponents anyone not in favor seeing and hearing none close that side open it up to City councilors this is going to be referred to the zoning subcommittee calendar item number six hearing called dis ordered on a zoning ordinance establishing definitions uses special permit District boundaries and regulations for marijuana establishments this is a public hearing we will open it up to proponents people that are in favor of this ordinance name and address for the record please I'm almost done Clarence vow 281 Broadway solicitor's office again as the city clerk noted we can't make the amendment considerations tonight but we do the department of planning and the solicitor's office has the Amendments that were raised by several counselors from the last meetings and we're prepared to move forward with those thank you ma'am any other proponents sir name and address for the record please good evening D marelli 39 Dale Street uh I come as a proponent to this motion through several lenses the first one is through uh being somebody who um from a professional standpoint who's worked with those that have operated these businesses in general um urban communities where they're uh stringent upon safety hiring practices and making sure that they support communities in a variety ways not next to schools near churches and so on and so forth second lens is as a u member of the board of directors for the re Chamber of Commerce our role is to make sure we support this governing body to support economic development in our community so diversifying the types of businesses we Welcome to our community you go up and down Broadway salons liquor stores Auto Zones you name it I think you know having a diversified uh set of businesses in our community is most welcome from a chamber perspective and three tax revenue um commercial tax revenue retail tax revenue I know that the model is uh somewhat shaky at this particular point but in every Community around where we live there are these locations go over the Border going to Chelsea and so on so forth they're there the model has been proven so I would be in favor of this motion as we move forward so I appreciate your consideration thank you thank you sir are there any other proponents good evening sir name and address for the record good evening Richard viske CFO uh City R 21 Broadway um any type of new recurring Revenue that this city can um collect would be great it's not air marked for anything right now I think um this is a great Revenue source that we can consider maybe putting towards the construction of a new high school I am in favor of it the city is surrounded by communities in East Boston Chelsea and Lyn they're advertising all over our city they're on every border of our city and I think it' be a little shortsighted to let everyone else take advantage of this Revenue thank you thank you sir any other proponents anyone else in favor seeing and hearing none I will close that side of the hearing any opponents people against the ordinance good evening sir name and record uh and address for the record please good evening Wayne Rose re street again um I'm against this for a few reasons um we're looking for Revenue but at what cost at People's Health um we we're trying to do away with tobacco products yet we're going to bring in other smoking products um it just don't make sense to me that's it thank you very simple thank you sir any other opponent people not in favor seeing and hearing none I will close that side of the oh oh sorry ma'am my apologies name and address of the record please Marsha Rivera rusa uh 4229 Tom Margo Drive in Newport Richie however I'm a property owner uh on uh Romney Road um I just want to get a little bit of History out there uh in 2017 um our Council vice president but now mayor actually put a motion to have a permanent ban on on marijuana back then um at that time it was pretty unanimous with the council that they wanted it so they approved it I'm just curious there are some questions that I have and I think it needs to go back to the to the people the reason why the mayor decided to put that ban in play or propose that ban was because most of the people voted against it they voted against having marijuana dispensaries in the city of Rivier my question is why is it going to the city council why isn't it going back to the voters and make it a voting um or or a ballot question this way it wouldn't be a decision on you it would be decision on us because we're the ones who have to um tolerate a a a dispensary the other question is um one of the counselors said that there were two locations you were considering I'd like to know where that is um and I think the rest of the of the population of Rivier should know what's being considered and where because the impact I know everyone needs revenue and my suggestion was if you allow me to ticket people going down I live on a oneway street if if I could just ticket the people going the wrong way we could eliminate tax rols and we don't have to worry about a revenue problem so um I'm an opponent but I'd consider changing my position if this is if the information which is what's the anticipated Revenue traffic and hopefully it's not going to be in Ward three thank you thank you ma'am any other opponents anyone else not in favor seeing and hearing none close that side any counselors counselor sylvestri thank you Mr President um and although I love the opinions from people that live in Newport um I I think this is a great motion for us to to be a part of I I think this is a great um we are now we we've we've let the the the time pass that all the all the the mystery about it all all the the legality problems all the issues that brings up and that people say it's going to cause traffic it's going to cause the average time in a dispensary is 5 minutes you are not allowed to hang in the parking lot you're not allowed to do anything in in which you think is going to be a a a down on on the on the city um every corner around us is surrounded by these stores and they're all producing very well very well amounts of money and and why we would say no we're opposed to do this and not get Revenue sources is we're trying to build the high school we're trying to look for resources and ways to fund these these um things we we approved the the here's what gets me we approved x amount of liquor licenses three three weeks ago no one came up here and said boo why is that I I don't I don't understand with with the stigma comes in around the marijuana but as far as liquor stores we can continue to throw them on every corner in every neighborhood but no one has an issue with that that's that's an issue with me but I'll save that for the heing thank you Mr President thank you counselor councel has thank you Mr President I had a question for maybe Tom from planning could answer or maybe Rich um I wanted to talk a little bit about the the community fees and I've read some things online that said do to shops opening up in certain cities and towns that they were able to to boost their police force um I'm just curious what the the community or the impact fee what that can be used on in the city so thank you yeah I'll start in Rich if um I'm wrong in the details feel free to back me up here but there's a few different sources of potential Revenue here one of them is the 3% tax on the retail stores themselves and um that is something that you know um Mr viske has done an overview of a few different cities um Arlington Brooklyn Chelsea Lynn Melrose and Salem just to get a sense of what type of Revenue we be talking about with that 3% add-on um and just for context Arlington receives about on a three-year average 270,000 a year Brook line about 890,000 a year Chelsea about 330 Lynn about 333,000 Melrose 240,000 and Salem about a million a year based off of the three-year average between 2021 22 and 23 um and then the second item which I think is what you were referring to counselor relates to impact fees so when this originally started in about 2017 there were host Community agreements that Community signed that outlined oftentimes there was an upfront payment that um a facility would need to make and then an annual payment for you know 5 to seven years and that has all been removed due to some indiscretion and Fall River is the perfect example where there was outright bribery right so they remove that and instead the only other impact fees you can collect in in that sense of the term is something that you would collect from any other um any other business seeking a special permit so in this case CIT is still something that would be an acceptable fee that we could collect and then anything that's directly tied to impacts that we can clearly outline from a public health and a public safety standpoint above and beyond that 3% tax we would need to include that in the host Community agreement come to an agreement with with the facility and then document you know whether it's police detail for having traffic issues whether it's a prevention program related to youth diversion it's all about being really clear and upfront about what those causes are and then documenting it um and then the third source of Revenue is you know just the property tax increases from enhanced investment in in those facilities thank you you're welcome thank you councelor councelor Kelly thank you uh so Tom if you could just so I could follow up on that just for a second so the the three-year averages that we have um regarding the cities that you mentioned that is just Revenue correct and and if any of those host agreement fees were in place during any of these years previous it those fees are not included in those numbers correct that's correct this is just Revenue okay um so and I think that was all I had for you but oh actually um I don't know if as a follow-up to our conversation if you were able to find out about um certified mail requirements in any other cities or towns yet or no um I haven't heard of any of those requirements from other cities or towns you had mentioned that Malden might require that I looked into their regulations as well as the CCC and what I suspect is it might be best practice that a lot of the companies end up doing that because that they need to then show that they've reached out to the the abuts corre using sort of a good faith effort maybe some go above and beyond but I hadn't seen an outright requirement so in order for me to support this I would I have a ton of amendments um that I would like to see happen um but I as Rich bque pointed out I would like to make um an amendment that I have spoken on previously um to make sure that 100% of the revenue goes into the high school stabilization fund um from this from these facilities and some of my other amendments have to do specifically with locations increasing the buffer zones um increasing the criteria for the uh butter notification under the special permit process and I do want to just touch on what Mr rusa did say because that was something that I was grappling with as well in terms of letting the citizens and the residents have a voice where this was voted on in 2016 um and it lost there were um 9,197 yes votes to 10,228 no votes um so it seemed to me as well like gee shouldn't we maybe put this back on as a ballot question but I explored that question uh with the city clerk and um some other things and and basically what it boils down down to is because of the Statewide passage um and an amendment that was done in 2017 we wouldn't be able to put this on a ballot question unless this ordinance were doing three specific things or asking to do three specific things and this ordinance is not asking them so one of them would be um it would be um trying to prohibit operation which this ordinance is not doing it would be trying to limit establishments to fewer than 20% of all alcohol package stores and it would be um trying to limit the number of any type of marijuana establishments to fewu than the number of medical marijuana treatment centers so those would be the only instances that we would um be allowed to put this back on a ballot question unfortunately um but I will make my formal amendments available for the subcommittee thank you thank you councelor councelor McKenna thank you Mr President um in 2017 I was on the uh city council and I voted no and the reason why I voted no is because there was no data um and um and I was also a teacher for 32 years and we had a zero uh tolerance policy but since then since 2017 I've seen first of all um I've seen what gummies I know it's going to be funny but I I see what gummies when you take gummies people take them for sleep they take them for anxiety they take them to de-stress so uh there's a lot of beneficial uh things that go with this uh the other thing is the these dispensaries are so regulated they're so strict uh it really it's it's you know it's their the way they uh regulate them is so strict and the other thing too is you could just call up Happy Valley in Chelsea and say Hey I want a pack of gummies can you deliver them and they'll come right to rever so we are missing out on Revenue we really are we're we're trying to build a new high school we can use every single penny but my my whole uh attitude has changed towards this because I can see the benefits of some of these uh products that are um that these dispensaries uh selling so thank you thank you counselor this is going to be oh sorry counselor Gino sa thank you Mr President I agree with councelor McKenna um years ago when when I was sick and diagnosed with cancer that's the first thing that they offer to me was medical marijuana and I I was always always against it but now now I see that there are benefits to having it and having it in our city would be the most important reason would be that the revenue the revenue is ex it's extraordinary what we could bring in for this this high school and you know I'm all about making money to build this high school for for this um the kids in Rivier and just by listening to the numbers that Tom had to say the city of Salem's making a million dollars a year a million dollars a year look at how fast we can build the high school by allowing this in our city where everyone else is going to every other City around us to get it so I am a proponent for this and um that's it thank you thank you councelor councelor yo thank you Mr President um just what sorry want to ask from councelor of sylvestri where uh where are we going to do with this this came out of this is going back to zoning this is going to zoning subcommittee okay um and that's where we're going to put it right now thank you okay calendar item number seven hearing called is ordered on an ordinance repealing the prohibition of non-medical marijuana establishments this is a public hearing proponents are first anyone in favor seeing and hearing none close that side any opponents people not in favor sir name and address for the record please Wayne Rose reev Street I hear a lot about um revenues have we checked to see about the health risks of this stuff um because I think that's where we should start it's not about all the revenue it's about what this can do to people and the health risks that are going to appear out of this and what's the cost of the medical health risk thank you thank you sir any other Pro opponents seeing and hearing none City councilors all right this is going to zoning subcommittee actually is it going to legislative affairs you could send it to either or this particular ordinance is not in zoning legislative affairs calendar item number eight hearing called as ordered on an ordinance further amending section 2.03 .050 of the re revised ordinances relative to open meetings this is a public hearing we'll open it to proponents anyone in favor seeing and hearing none close that side opponents anyone not in favor seeing and hearing none close that side any City councilors wishing to speak legislative affairs calendar item number nine hearing called is ordered on the application of Jasmine tabarz and Javier GGO 86 Lincoln Street Rivier Mass requesting a special Department to operate a health club within the GB District at 220 Broadway this is a public hearing we'll start it with proponents good evening sir name and address for the record please hi everyone my name is Haier Galo and I'm here for the project Jing Boutique called motive action at 220 Broadway so um my um I'm been personal trainer for almost 20 years and this is one of my dreams to open up a gym Boutique it has been several years trying to find a good space to open it and I've been working on it so it really fun this space at 220 and I want to provide to the r community community um to get healthier and happier because um the gym Boutique is kind of different uh service of a regular gym so we're going to do like group classes and we're going to provide different kinds of workouts and training and I'm pretty sure that and people is going to like the this kind of project to open up here in this part of reier and I'm really happy to answer any questions about it thank you thank you sir are there any other proponents anyone else in favor good evening sir name and address please for the record good evening Nick D 228 Bellingham a I'm actually the owner of this building I just purchased it a couple months ago but I'm also up here as a small business owner on Broadway um having reviewed a lot of applications for this space um I took in consideration kind of what Broadway is looking for as well that could also benefit my business as well as all the other businesses uh I walk Broadway every day I can't help but notice it is getting stale I think bringing life bringing customers is going to benefit everyone I know just a couple months ago majority of the restaurants on Broadway were up here kind of pointing the finger at food food trucks which sure was maybe part of the problem of that being slow but it's also the activity so I think the city has an opportunity to while encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle also bring life and customers into Broadway um and I know one of the concerns is maybe that the lack of parking but we were lucky enough that just two months ago Stant came in and pointed out that the Broadway only 56% of the parking is being utilized which they also Al meant that Broadway is underutilized so I think we should be focusing on how can we bring business into Broadway and I think this is a great opportunity thank you thank you sir are there any other proponents anyone else in favor seeing and hearing none close that side any opponents anyone not in favor seeing and hearing none I'll close that side City councilors councelor agenzio thank you Mr President uh I'm all in favor of this uh this is my area that I represent and I'm in favor of this business it's a nice minority owned business um the area the spot that has been vacated for a lot of years and the last thing you want on Broadway is empty storefronts um I believe their classes are going to be small uh 10 15 people so it's not uh ining dating Broadway with um extra traffic um I think it's it's an excellent addition to um Broadway I know they personally went up and I I think we all got a signed uh copy of the businesses along Broadway that support it um so I'm all in favor of it and I hope my colleagues see it the same way thank you thank you counselor permission to speak from the chair thank you very much um I I equate this to the the iron gym that just opened up down the other end of Broadway uh the same style small classes uh one-on-one personal training um and they're directly across the street from a very busy area with manise and sellas and whatnot uh so I think it's going to be a good addition I also owned a business a block away from from there for 20 years and uh I think you're going to do very well in that area so I'll be supporting this this is going to be referred to the zoning subcommittee calendar item number 10 hearing called is ordered on a petition submitted by National Grid to install underground conduits from poll number 637 across Kimble AV for a new electrical service to a new development at 650 Beach Street this is a public hearing open it up to proponents hello even go ahead y uh Peta 170 Medford Street from Malden representing National Grid so National Grid would like to install two 4in conduits from pole 637 on kimal La and continuing across the street uh to the property at 650 Beach Street so that I can feed the new building that is currently under construction there thank you sir any other proponents anyone else in favor seeing in hearing none close that side any opponents anyone else not in favor seeing and hearing none Mr President Council noas selski thank you Mr pres Mr President this is uh my neighborhood and uh you have two brand new buildings there the question I have to you is why can't they go from pole 636 instead of interrupting everything from uh there's four houses in that corner so as far as I was told they are planning on using 636 for the other building next to it um I don't know uh I don't think there is going to be any more space on it uh after the after what they're planning on doing there because they're planning on putting another Transformer on the pole and they're going to plan to feed the building next uh next and next to it that's that's all and these are overhead wires um under ground they are overhead they're planning on trenching that's why they're want to install trenching across the roadways uh across the road okay the the only issue I have is you know I usually like to be contacted beforehand so I know what's going on yes and I had no clue this was happening I I have no I had zero idea as well so this came to me pretty BR bring that back to your supervisors please okay absolutely I would like to know what's going on in my neighborhood okay so thank you Mr President thank you counselor any other counselors councelor H thank you Mr President this doesn't have to do with this motion but I would just like to put on record that if you guys could check poll 2701 on Malden Street and it's right after Newman Street so Newman Street Malden Street it's poll 2701 and it looks like it's about to fall over any day now oh but we'd appreciate malen Street you said molden Street okay uh we'll take a look at that thank thank you C I've actually put a request in for that too uh a while ago looks it's it's leaning pretty good my need to be supported with another might need to like a guywire and I'll give you credit two meetings in a row you've been here very nice one more you're you're on a a winning streak I think okay so keep keep it up all right I'm surprised we didn't run him out yet well if he could deal with us last week he can deal deal with pretty much anything so congrat um all right um Madame Clerk actually you know what we don't need a rule on the motion all in favor all opposed so ordered C item number 11 motion presented by counselor's I'm sorry this is the ways and mean subcommittee report councelor sylvestri thank you Mr President uh this evening we had two uh things that come out two two motions that come out with fabal uh recommendation to the full Council um the first was a motion from Council noski uh for um four five and six for for water meters um a a break in the water bill uh that F that passed favorably and what's that oh yes both will be sent to public hearing very good thank you very much counc next up is the elder Affairs subcommittee report councelor Gino SAA uh the committee decided to leave it in committee until more research can be done and I'm going to work alongside the CFO and the chief of infrastructure to get an equitable solution for both the city and the seniors thank you thank you councelor Communications calendar item number 14 communication from the city auditor relative to the capital Improvement stabilization fund appropriation Mr vising good evening everybody Richard viske CFO 21 Broadway uh before you this evening is uh what we would have as an annual appropriation from the city's Capital Improvement stabilization fund to fund those Capital items that are uh considered pay as you go uh the Appropriations before you uh uh I can read through them or answer any questions but uh most of them are pretty uh prefunc in nature with regard to the the the needs that we uh provide through the CIP it's usually those items that we can fund without uh selling bonds and um I'm looking for a favorable action on that I would like to mention that um the the audit and the budget director's office had put in for Community compact grant for best practice program for fiscal year 25 and we were successful in getting two grants and the amount of 54,2 we got a $335,000 grant to um overhaul our Capital Improvement plan with um you know with the high school um as part of the big major uh new item on there and we also did get a grant of $199,200 to rewrite Financial policies and and procedures uh a lot of which will be geared towards modifying our our policies to um help uh gear us toward uh successful construction of the new R high school so uh want to congratulate my staff and uh my assistant budget director on getting that Grant but in the mean time there are some needs Capital wise that we'd like to address um while we wait for that program to start so thank you very much thank you sir uh unless there's any questions I'd just like to take a roll call on these Madam CL shall the city council approve a transfer in the amount of $650,000 from the capital Improvement stabilization fund for the purchase of various Capital items as listed on the auditor's verification of funds dated September 18th 24 councilor agenzio yes yes councelor janino yes yes councelor Gino SAA yes yes councelor H yes yes councel hero yes yes councel Kelly yes yes councel McKenna yes yes councelor noveli yes yes councilor sylvestri yes yes councilor zambuto yes yes and council president Cog Leandro yes yes the transfer has been approved calendar item number 15 communication from the mayor relative to the appointment of Ida Cody to the Retirement Board do we want to send this to appointments or vote appointments motions calendar item number 16 motion presented by councilors Areno half and sylvestri that the mayor requests the DPW to assist the owners of Murray's Tavern with the installation of a flag pole the owners of Murray's Tavern have graciously offered to donate a flag pole to be placed at the corner of paage Street and Broadway on the newly created Island in front of the tavern this location would be a perfect spot to display the American flag as people enter the city from Chelsea and Route 16 councelor agenia thank you Mr President yes uh John and Greg the owners of Murray's uh have graciously um donated a flag pole uh it's a great location uh they've done a lot to revitalize that end of Broadway um not only with their business but with that landscaped area uh as you come in from Chelsea uh I think this would be the finishing touches the city just put in a big Plaza area in front of their business it's a perfect location and I want to thank the uh John and Greg Murray for uh for giving us this opportunity to put a flag there thank you thank you councelor councelor H thank you Mr President I thought this was a great idea when I first heard about it from Greg Mari and after speaking with Paul Areno and Mark sylvestri I thought it would be something that would be a sense of Pride for the city you drive in you see a huge American flag um and you know Greg and John have done great work they're great people they run a great business they do a lot for the community and I just want to say I think we we need more businesses like like M's Tavern in the city thank you thank you counselor councelor sylvestri thank you Mr President um and and I think it's this is a great motion any chance we get to fly the American flag I'm all for it so um maybe murri would like to have the flag events that we were discussing earlier you never know thank you Mr President oh boy thank you counselor councelor Lan buo thank thank you Mr President I think that was a great one from Mark uh I'm at first glance I'm I'm really in favor of this of course because I'm I'm a big American flag guy um I just want to make sure we're uh this is city property correct yes so he's donating the flag and we're putting it on city property I think I think we're okay there it was a little wor wor there might be some kind of a conflict here that because we I mean most of you know we cannot spend City money on private property uh but this is a different situation I think we're okay with this yeah great thank you thank you counselor on the motion all in favor all opposed so ordered calendar item number 17 motion presented by councilors uh Kelly and cogliandro that the mayor request the owner of the hotel being constructed at 125 Square Road to appear before the city council to provide a construction update it appears that construction has not been progressing councelor Kelly thank you um yes I just want to um a a number of residents contacted me saying that they were concerned that the construction there has not been progressing um it doesn't look like it is and I I just want to be cautious of um having blighted properties around the city and to make sure that that's not happening so if we could just get an update as to what the construction schedule looks like I think that would be helpful thank you thank you counselor permission to speak from the chair I just want to say that I completely agree with councelor Kelly thanks for having me on this motion all in favor all opposed so ordered calendar item number 18 motion presented by councilors Kelly and janino that the mayor request the owner of popey's project at 304 Squire Road to appear before the city council to provide an update on the construction Council Kelly thank you Mr President again same premise here um I believe the special permit was granted for this the construction of this popey's restaurant we're coming up on almost three years and it seems that the only thing we have is just the shell of of a business I did actually receive a construction schedule which um doesn't look doesn't look too promising and I've heard a number of times that this restaurant was going to be ready and opening um on several different occasions previously and it never seemed to come to fruition so again it's it's the the site at times has not been maintained it is becoming a just a an eyesore um so I think we need to find out exactly um how construction here is progressing as well thank you thank you counselor councelor Janina excuse me Mr the Pu by s a stand still over there and now construction is halted the lot appears to be abandoned and let the calling back in here answer to what's going on with it thank you counselor councelor H thank you Mr President I'm totally in favor of this motion um I probably receive the most comments and and questions about this location so I think it's good that we get an answer from the company thank you thank you counselor on the motion all in favor all opposed so ordered calendar item number 19 motion presented by councelor Kelly that the mayor request the DPW to examine the corner of Gordon and Sergeant streets at the whan school to determine if an additional crosswalk and handicap ramp can be installed in the interest of student and pedestrian Safety Council Kelly thank you Mr President uh the motion speaks for itself I just want to um be mindful I know that there is a a residence there and I just want to be mindful of that residence of course but I think in the interest of Public Safety it should at least be looked into to see if we we could um accommodate another crosswalk there thank you thank you counselor any other counselors on the motion all in favor all opposed so ordered calendar item number 20 motion presented by Council McKenna that the mayor request the License Commission to use its full and total discretion for implementing conditions for me for special one-day event licenses including but not limited to setting a maximum number of attendees require headcount staff at point of entry require public or private security require minimum number of restroom facilities and or submission of parking traffic plans councelor McKenna thank you Mr President um on Sunday September 15th there was a day permit taken out for a private party at the Beachmont School field known as Frederick Frederick's par between 6,000 and 10,000 people showed up the fee to get in to this outdoor venue was $20 not to pay the fee hundreds of people were going into residence yard yards and jumping over the fences to get into the event there was not enough bathroom facilities to accommodate the crowd people were urinating and defecating in Beachmont square and in residential yards from the people's report that excuse me from the police report that I received thousands of people were there with not enough fire police or security presence cars were parked bumper to bumper on every single Street inundating Beachmont leaving residents without parking spaces in Beachmont in Beachmont on nearly every street there was there is 247 permit parking not one ticket was passed out to these cars that came from other cities people were walking around our community drinking alcohol in paper bags and littering our streets this event was at the expense of the be Beachmont residents that had to endure this chaos traffic was backed up all the way down Crescent AV and backed up to orian Heights people were parking in driveways with that that weren't even theirs there was no good reason to have this event in in a small community like Beachmont the event could have been held at s if the suff Downs track where there is all the accommodations for a massive crowd like this as long as I am a w one counselor in this city this will not happen again in my neighborhood this was a disgrace thank you thank you counselor any other counselors wishing to speak councelor sylvestri thank you Mr President um this is a great motion I I I learned a lot actually I because I sat in that traffic all the way down Bennington Street um so I learned what who created the event and and where it stemmed from um I didn't know private citizens could pull permits to have big parties like that and then pay with without the city they charge chargeing anything um so I I just think that it it needs this this can't happen again in any neighborhood um you know I don't think city land should be held for permit uh public parties um it just it shouldn't happen and and it was it was a mess I have to say Council McKenna thank you counselor councelor zambo thank you Mr President uh this is the first I've heard of this this is a disgrace this can never happen again and and and that the fact that they can get a permit or license for a one day event and and pull off something like this is is egregious I mean it it's the first time it's ever happened I've been up here 25 years I've never seen anything like this this is and this can't happen again so the good news is is we're all learning a lesson here and uh we got to pay more attention to these one-day licenses and and what could go wrong because this is a classic case of a nightmare thank you thank you councelor councelor Gino sa I actually have more of a question um thank you Council McKenna for bring this to light um once they go in front of the licensing commission don't they have to tell them how many attendees are going in there so how did this happen I would gather they said permission we have somebody from license come and see us councelor McKenna so it was advertised um was very it was um overly advertised and people from other cities came so it wasn't just Rivier residents it was other cities and I don't think they knew the magnitude of um what was going on but what happened was when they were charging the $20 people were jumping over they were going through yards jumping over the fences there was no bathrooms there was no bathrooms at all they opened the beach M school but people did it was such a large large crowd people couldn't go to the bathroom so they were defecating it and you know uh urinating everywhere and and and that's in the police report the police report says I put my own thought into this but I read the police report and the police report said this thousands of people not enough fire not enough police not enough security defecating uh you know urinating everywhere bumper to bumper traffic so it was to the expense of the Beachmont uh Community thank you thank you counselor councelor Hess thank you Mr President I totally agree with councelor McKenna any kind of event like that should not be allowed um I can't imagine living close by in one of the houses and having to deal with the traffic and the the amount of people that were there but um and you know another thing is we always talk about our Fields keeping our fields in great shape and what's that size of a a crowd going to do to a field or you know Dam possibly damage thank you councilor McKenna uh thank you I've got I got a number of calls but 311 got um calls too and I heard I don't know if this is true or not but I heard they wouldn't they they got so many calls they were inundated they didn't answer the phone after a certain time so thank you councelor noveli thank you Mr President I'm appalled I didn't know this was this happened I was around uh I was away that's right and uh the only thing I know about you know having experience going to License Commission meetings when they have the application they ask what the expect expected crowd is so I don't know what these folks told them at that point but you know they shouldn't be giving city property out to private groups like this you know I know we do have a an issue with Parks and Recreation because they some of our fields are used by private groups and through the fields and you know and I'll just use you know St Mary's Ball Fields as an example because their baseball uh league is private it's not a city function and we built the actually we built the fields for them but they can use them but those are a little more on the control the they're little kids and parents you know and hopefully parents don't beat up the referees or umpires you know like we see something on uh on Facebook but U I'm glad you brought this up and I would definitely make mention this to the uh chairman when I and I see him a lot of people thank you counselor uh permission to speak from the chair thank you uh Council M I'd like to make an amendment to the motion and add something in in the bar and Nightclub industry there's something called a crowd manager certificate at least one person on the staff has to have it and that's for venues that hold over a 100 people I don't know if you'd be willing to add this to the motion and require somebody associated with the event to have that crowd manager certification Wayne Rose read this straighten when the police came out did they shut down that immediately so no so what happened was I called the mayor and the mayor went down and shut it down at 6:30 um so um but there was not enough police presence there was police down there but there was enough there wasn't enough police presence for the crowd that was there there wasn't enough fire um if in the police report it said there should have been like an ambulance or something stationed there because the crowd was so thousand he said thousands in his uh police report so so when this so when the police showed up and they they knew it was a safety issue they did not shut down the event correct I don't know Mr Rose if the police went down I know I called the mayor you said it had a police report oh I got the police report yes yes yes I they didn't shut it down state it in the police report no no so they they allowed this to continue I think that's a disgrace well it I'll tell you and I'm not trying to uh you know defend the police or not but 11:00 I was down the cape and I came home at 11:00 and there was nothing I got stuck in traffic there for over two hours what what time was it it was around in the afternoon yes yeah so it it just built and built and built it started at 1 4:00 that's when I went down and I just witnessed and took pictures and everything thing and then I called I called Mia Keef and he he went down he went down and he he said it would be shut down at 6:30 he called me at 6:30 he said they're shutting it down now I I don't know how long it was supposed to go on for what time he had the permit until but it was shut down at 6:30 until 8:30 9:00 yeah so I mean and there was I mean it was a family event Believe It or Not There was kids there it was I mean they had uh the bubble uh house and you know bouncy house and they had a bunch of uh things for the kids so you did see a lot of families the only thing is there was 10,000 people and the reason why is because he over advertised it and then everybody came from other cities to this event my thing is that when the police came down they found out that it was a safety issue it should have been shut down immediately that's all I have to say thank you guys thank you sir uh on the motion as amended all in favor all opposed so ordered calendar item number 21 motion presented by council president C Leandro that the mayor and superintendent of public schools be requested to appear before the city council to give an update on any new measures being considered and or taken in regards to the security and safety of our students and staff members permission to speak from the chair thank you uh thank you to the members of the RTA that came tonight and waited patiently uh I also invited the student Senate and with the permission of the council at some point I would like to read the statement they issued uh to me uh I don't want to do it right this second but um I just I just want to clear a couple of things up um I have been discussing this issue with students parents teachers uh and and uh multiple school committee members and we're all trying to work together for an outcome that benefits everybody and where I completely agree uh with the reasoning to have these Safety and Security subcommittee meetings at 12:00 and 1:00 um which the reasoning is that we want to hear from the SRO they are a very important part of the Safety and Security of our schools so yes we want to accommodate them what I'm doing by filing these is opening up another area where people can come and speak and tell us about their concerns and further the two most important people the people that were trying to keep safe and secure the staff and the students these are the people I want to hear from and it's virtually impossible for them to get to these Safety and Security meetings so I will always always do my part if anyone knows me I Public Safety is my life I teach people to take care of themselves so I am going to be a champion for this and I'm sorry if anyone has a problem with that but I'm not sorry uh I do want to say I was at the last Safety and Security subcommittee meeting for the school committee I want to thank uh School committeeman John Kingston who was here today thank you for being here sir I want to thank uh school committee man Anthony cajano and Aisha school committee woman Aisha and milsbury Ellis they're not here with us today but I just want to say that they're doing a great job they asked a lot of great questions a lot of good ideas um I really uh in I really like the idea of the real talks I think that's a great idea instead of sending a kid to in-house where I pretty much had my name on a chair uh they'll go and talk to um they'll go and talk to somebody like me who knows who understands and I think that's that's much better I am thrilled that we are going to do a security assessment to see the needs of the building my daughter goes to pbd high school they have security at every exit they have cameras in the hallways and they also have SRO so uh I don't see why that would be an issue but I'm I'm really thrilled to hear about that and also there was talk about panic I know that's a little Hit or Miss for people but I don't see an issue with them I think it's another level of safety uh and of course I'm going to give the counselor's an opportunity to speak um but I think that that's that's pretty much it um you know and again tonight I know there's going to be some people speaking if we could just stick to the security and safety uh no talks of contract negotiations no and no talks of uh flooding or anything just keep it to safety security I would greatly appreciate it uh but I do want to give everybody an opportunity to speak um before I read the statement from the student Senate uh does any of the counselors wish to speak on this issue for now with your permission i' I'd like to read this thank you and then we will offer up to everyone who wants to say a few words okay dear Rivier city council as the past four weeks have marked the start of the new school year they have also been a difficult time for many of us students have had to deal with their High School being filmed proded and investigated by the broader media throughout all of this our voices have only been heard in the context of reporters pushing microphones into students faces there must be a clearer system in place for communication we are proud to begin the work towards broader student engagement and we thank you for taking the time to hear our concerns with many students finally adjusting to the school year we have come up with the ideas to bring more students into the conversation our first idea and forum for discussion is titled rhs talks in which the entire rhs student body will be invited to discuss the topic of school safety in the coming weeks this forum will last throughout the year as a resource for students to be heard this will be a student only discussion fully attended and led by students we hope this will be a safe outlet for students to voice their frustrations and concerns additionally we have sent out a schoolwide form to collect data on what students think of policies proposed we hope these efforts will work towards including more students in this process so far the rhs student Senate has already convened once this school year at that meeting we piloted the rhs talk structure through our one-h hourong meeting multiple Trends appeared overwhelmingly students noted Feeling dehumanized by the public attention and mischaracterization of rhs furthermore students note that the lack of student voice and transparency worsened the the situation overall students mention that security must be strengthened but through realistic means propos Solutions such as metal detectors did not seem effective given the high cost and interruptions it would cause as more students would be late to class in the mornings students noted that increased security presence could help students stay on track overall students noted the need for more engagement with students who do not feel interested in education this could include Alternative Learning opportunities or mentorship programs student senators are aware of the issues of school violence are not simply due to one factor but a mix of factors rooted in difficulties at home with school engagement while the rhs student Senate has come to a consensus regarding some Trends we have experienced this is just the beginning our discussion was meant to simulate the efforts that should be done with all students not just student Senators while the student Senate has a dedicated body of students we represent an extremely small fraction of the school population we are working on creating translation forms equipping teachers with the capacity to connect interest students with the students Senate in planning future rhs talks our experiences offer only a glimpse into the experiences of all students at rhs we once again we once again thank you for your consideration and hope you treat this topic with the sensitivity it deserves as we take our time and due diligence with this process we hope you remain patient as we gauge more student feedback this process is only possible through compromise and engagement and we thank you for including us in this journey the end these kids are way smarter than we were in high school my God so uh if there's any counselors wishing to speak if not I would like to open the floor to anyone who would like to speak tonight and if you would like to speak just come to the center and uh we'll get going good evening ma'am name and address for the record good evening uh my name is Andrea ashelman I live in winthrip uh on Shirley Street um I spoke to you just recently uh two weeks ago about listening to teachers and I have to say thank you so much um so much of that movement that is starting to happen I think is happening because you gave us a place to speak and I do appreciate that um and of course the students how amazing they write and we've spoken to them as well um they are the ones who are at the Forefront here even more so than us um I'm here tonight to introduce the other teachers um who will be speaking to you about security concerns that have not yet been addressed uh I am also here to draw attention that the school committee has started to move as we have seen um with discussions about security proposals but have yet to include the RTA in any of these discussions um but this movement I think I think is because we were here two weeks ago because we've been in the newspaper and on the news um the RTA has pointed a spotlight at the security issues within the district and the teachers here tonight are here after our full-time jobs uh to shed light on the valid and solvable problems uh that we have here um the movement uh of the school committee um shows that we're not very far apart uh on security in mindset or in bargaining and that the school committee does need to continue to listen to teachers and engage collaboratively with the RTA I know that there are hurt feelings on both sides um the school committee does not like being told that they haven't addressed a significant concern um such as security and we in turn do not like to be called Liars or rabble rousers uh to that um I would like to say and I'm sorry my phone is blowing up as we're here to that I would like to say that I have dedicated almost half my life to RPS um I've taught over a thousand of our kids and I do say our kids because there are days when I spend more time with my kids in R than I do with my own kids at home uh to say that any of us just go home and don't think about the needs of the students of R is troubling and misleading um and disheartening none of us just drive home and don't think about the kids until the next morning uh the city council and citizens of Rivier uh watching tonight your teachers are here as we have always been um and we need your support just like we did in covid uh the support from the community has always been for the kids and at times for the teachers as well and being able to be here tonight is so important um so we are as you know we are here for our kids for your kids and that's what we've only ever been here for so thank you so much for having us again good night thank you very much good evening name and address for the record please I'm Michelle Irvin I live in Lyn Massachusetts and I'm the um RTA co-president um I just um want to start with that there about 2500 human beings that are in the the building of of rhs so with that many people of course there are going to be so many different experiences are there good things happening at rhs yes of course there is I've if there weren't I would leave you know I'm staying there there are all of us all of us are there fighting for this because we love our job we love rever and there are a lot of good things the kids are great at the high school but I find it very irresponsible for us and especially for our leadership to continue to ignore the lived experience of those that have laid witness to the violence that has happened in the building those that are privileged enough to have never witnessed or never been involved in any of the violence um shouldn't be quelling the voice of those who have that lived experience the there are Educators staff students that are scared that are trauma ized and that don't feel safe 100% of the time and we need to remember that as well there are both sides there are 2500 human beings in this building right um to say that what's been in the media is not true and we're lying is shameful it ignores the hard facts that this violence has been happening for years Educators staff students have been sounding the alarm for Years also I want to note that we have not once said that students at rhs are animals or that Educators and students are scared of the students themselves we have actually stated the opposite and I personally have stated that it makes me extremely sad that almost 20 students in our school now cannot participate in school and getting education in those walls because they've been suspended or expelled we want to solve the problem before or they get in trouble I heard from teachers of those students who've been suspended and expelled and they've said oh yeah this morning he was sitting there in my class he was doing work he was participating he was he was Finding success just before something happened there were no systems in place and now they're suspended or expelled and no longer are going to be able to sit in that class and get an education and that is what we want to solve we have we we have want those systems in place to help them before they get in trouble and we are not happy what we are happy with is that there has finally been conversation about enhancing security at rhs and like Andre had said that has come from the media that has come from you guys listening to us we have been saying it and finally the community is listening we don't believe that um the convers ations have been done in collaboration we are not happy with that yes there have been conversations but there's no collaboration between the Educators staff and students that are involved in all of it it's just been the school committee and the sro's in those meetings that are not actually up to public speaking our Solutions Al so we don't believe that suspensions expulsions the addition of police private security team we don't believe all that is going to solve those problems because those are things you put in place after they get in trouble we want those systems in place before they get in trouble our solutions that have been at the table since the beginning and have been consistently ignored at the table are sensible they're aimed at getting at that root of the problem and we don't want any more kids to lose out on the the education um I also we also want to thank you like Andrea did for listening to us I would just wanted to let you know that after our last time we were here the teachers were so ecstatic and left here so happy because we were finally listened to we were finally heard um you know councelor McKenna came up with an idea and we were like yeah that's on the table right like so we are coll like that's the collaboration and if you can come up with that idea we also had that idea why can't the school committee and come to the table and also talk about that idea instead of ignoring it and not even talking about it um good leaders don't ignore problems a good leader does not allow cuis to get in the way of finding the solutions it's just the opposite a good leader identifies and accepts that there is a problem yes there is a problem and we're going to work with the stakeholders to solve it I don't think that the school committee or Dr Kelly are obtuse and don't know what's happening I think they fully understand what's happening I think that right right now that there is those there are those bad feelings and there's huis there's Pride there's ego that is causing this separation and so I implore that our school leaders listen to you listen to the community listen to everybody and that we come back to the table we're coming back on next Tuesday October 1st we come back to the table and we work together to find these Solutions thank you thank you very much councelor McKenna can you come back up here I want to ask you a question I'm sorry um I've I didn't know this at all but I've heard from some teachers and um I've heard that they've gotten rid of SE Coast um and they made it into um City lab which is more um for I don't know um I got a definition of more kids that are not really troubled and not really like smart and Elite I was just wondering if when they got rid of Sea Coast because I had no idea they did this um do you think the problem escalated uh with them putting these kids from Sea Coast back into um Riv High School um honestly so the we do have a proposal actually on on the table to look into this um because we did have a building meeting at the high school and the high school teachers also um were concerned that um there is no all real place for students who need a small I mean there are 20 again 2500 people in this building you know some students need a smaller space more intimate to be able to be successful so that is something that we have asked the school committee to look into um to try to see if that is something that's feasible something that is needed um but I did come from the high school teachers so so I just want to say that um you know in the beginning when seast was developed it wasn't good you know kids were put in the classroom at Paul Rivier school they watched movies all the time but as um as it grew and it went into the Beachmont School these kids were learning I mean they were learning they were graduating uh a lot of them I I think at one teacher had uh for 20 years he had all his kids past the m mcast so um so there was success there you know and you're right uh you know some kids just need smaller groups and smaller learning and I really do think that we we need a place for these kids uh that need you know special care or special uh learning uh to be in these small groups and somewhere in R and I know we're having a problem with space but you know here we are with with the kids are the most important things and this is what we really need to do so I think we really need to come back to the table and bring SE Coast back uh and you know I don't know what's going on with City lab I've heard from a number of teachers that it's more for the elite and it's more for smart kids and and they had to get uh they had to get into interviewed to get in there and I don't know if any of this is true but this is what the teachers have told me so um and and they just took these kids that were in Sea Coast and put them back in the high school it's it's like going from the eighth grade to the ninth grade or from you know I counselor I'm so sorry I didn't mean to interrupt you but we're getting off topic of Safety and Security um thank you for your comments councelor Gino sa Michelle I I just have a quick question you met mentioned that you that the teachers had their their own ideas of what they thought would work what is one of them well so all of our like actually all of I mean I know we didn't you don't want to talk about the negotiation but really all of our proposals came from the teachers so like I was just saying the um idea of some Alternative Program alternative area you know school um that was an idea that came from the high school um the high school teachers in a building meeting um having some of the like the um I think it was the um the tracking system that that was what you had brought up the last time the tracking system that came up it was all among teachers um someone else had mentioned like a a place to not the the in school suspension room but like the other room that you know a place to talk to talk to that P that that kid who's feeling that way and help them deescalate and help them find you know they can't just go back into class those kind of things these are all things that are on the table currently and all came from teachers thank you yeah thank you counselor Kelly thank you hi Michelle um I just in in um regards to the tracking system that you mentioned um the Panic buttons that that have been mentioned would that somewhat speak to that and allow for a log and a tracking system of events to what you are trying to obtain I don't I don't know much about the tracking button or the buttons and how they work so I don't really I don't I can't really speak to that thank you thank you councelor councelor sylvestri thank you Mr President and thank you for all your teachers and and Michelle for coming up here tonight um I I have been supporting you all and and staying by and and making sure I understand this wholeheartedly um and as things started to to escalate within the schools I started to really dig deeper into this and really come up with with a lot of of things that I was I was my myself I was looking for I was looking for answers in school systems throughout the state of Massachusetts um and what struck me by surprise was um Rivier is actually the leader in SRO in in res supportive uh systems and resources um and and then I thought I found something new so I I went and I I took home uh what my daughter came home from school with um and it was a a like Sting she does an advisory which explains um like deescalation technique breathing techniques and I I sent it in and I asked you know is this something that we do or are willing to do and I was told that that's a no is is that any truth to that because that's where I find I'm disappointed if that's the truth and they're they're uh push back to then systems like these we're asking for tools and as we present tools now we're debating whether we want to use those tools or not I think if we're all in this for a decision in in the right reasons and that safety I think that's what we need to get towards you mind is that okay uh name and address for the record please please hi Jane shapen 15 Guild Street bosted Mass uh rier teacher Association co-president um so I if I understand the question correctly you're saying um that you were uh pres I so my daughter came home with an advisory packet that she does an advisory it had like breathing techniques deescalation uh stuff so I took that packet and I sent it into the administration and I said I think this looks really good do we do something like this and they said that's a contention right now between the administration and the teachers of using those techniques yeah no it's absolutely not a contention in fact we have implemented all sorts ofal strategies into our regular core content classrooms and into our advisory classrooms um The Advisory class that we have uh while those classes look different of how thatal content is delivered um from school to school for example um it it is it exists in all the schools and in fact we have spent uh tons of pref professional development because Educators as Educators we know what works for our students right and this and teaching explicitly teaching these types of um deescalation how to manage stress uh these are the these they're they're very good um strategies tools and strategies thank you so much yeah so abolutely so I I guess what I need to understand are these things that you're you're all in favor of so so these advisory times and packets you're all in favor of doing because I think any tools that we need to give our students should be coming from the the staff in in doing so right um and I think those are those are the important pieces that that we need to notify if there are resources out there that we can provide and and and we all need to to get those to the students you are all asking for help and and we're here to offer it so any way we can please let us know how yeah thank you great thank you so much thank you councelor uh councelor McKenna can be granted Le way we're going to go to the next speaker thank you for granting me the privilege of asking another question um I just got a text um what is I have no idea so because I haven't been in the system for 10 years what's the RJ room what is that oh restorative restorative justice okay could you talk about it a little bit yep so restorative Justice is um a technique of um trying to find the harm that was caused and work together um with a med like someone mediating the conversation between the people who were harmed and try to find the solutions and trying to to help that harm and and reduce that harm and who mediates that uh currently in all the district we have an A restorative justice sorry here are some results um we currently have a restor Justice uh District person and then each school has a coach for restorative justice okay thank you very much thank you uh so for the remainder of the speakers come up if we could just keep it within two minutes I'd greatly appreciate it uh come on up everybody uh Brian McDonald at 33 Laurel Street in Somerville um I am a uh intensive special education teacher I have been at the Garfield for 17 years uh and in terms of safety I want to bring up the fact that my classroom has not been um staffed appropriately yet this year um and to bring that into a better way of of understanding it is my classroom has the most needy children in the system um fifth grade we are my students are physically developmentally learning um emotionally any combination um disabled I have children who have uh toileting support needs I have a child in my classroom who's a runner um in order for us to walk down the hall um I have eight students I need a hand on at least six of the kids just to get down the hall okay I get two so that means there needs to be at least three of us and like I said we have not been staffed appropriately yet this year now before I go any further no knocks on the administration my principal my vice principles have been trying desperately to get people in to make sure we have people but there's also a case of this is education we don't just need warm bodies I don't just need someone from down the hall to come in and sit with my kids I need to teach them my students also have to do the mcast alt so in order to teach most of my students who are one-on-one Learners I need the right people they need to be trained that's my classroom and my question that I really want people to consider is if my classroom isn't being staffed appropriately if the most needy children are not being staffed appropriately what other classrooms are not being staffed appropriately if we have classrooms where we have children with special needs that are also going out and integrating do we have enough people to integrate those children and if we don't we are they going are they getting the education they deserve if our classrooms are too big we're looking for kindergarten for a Kindergarten class Mr President with all due respect I think we're veing a little bit away from the security and safety Avenues absolutely not a problem I I would have to disagree uh respectfully sir I think that children running out of a classroom and a teacher having to decide whether they chase that child or stay with the group that's a safety concern in my book uh if you want to move forward we can do that uh no problem I don't know what the will of the council is sir I would are you is you have anything left you'd like to say or for what it's worth I was just told that you're Americal worker with those kids thank you very appreciate it very [Applause] much hello my name is Casey um um I my address is 74 Atlantic Street in Winthrop um I'm speaking to all of you today as a passionate advocate for the well-being and safety of our students and teachers in the Rivier Public Schools district I am a preschool integrated teacher so I teach the little ones integrated being half of my class can be special ed the other half can be General Ed role model peer students um As We Gather here to address the pressing needs of our community I think it's imperative that we highlight a critical issue that affects the very Foundation of our educational environment which is what my colleague Brian said the alarming lack of appropriate Staffing and support resources in our schools the absent of sufficient support staff including parap professionals poses significant risks these dedicated individuals are not merely helpers they are vital to creating a safe nurturing and effective learning environment their roles extend beyond academic assistance they provide emotional support crisis management and ensure the overall safety of our students every day I am tasked with the responsibility of supporting the safety of my students while making difficult decisions about how to maintain that safety in the face of inadequate resources the reality we face is Stark teachers are stretch thin often managing large classrooms with diverse needs without adequate support this not only increases our workload but also places immense pressure on us detracting from our ability to focus on on teaching and fostering a safe space for learning the absence of extra support staff means that students who require additional attention may not receive the help they desperately need which can lead to behavioral issues and heighten tensions within the classroom moreover the emotional and psychological well-being of our students is at stake many students struggle with anxiety trauma and other challenges that require specialized attention without sufficient Staffing these students struggles and calls for help often go a notice putting their safety and well-being in Jeopardy in an environment where emotional support is Paramount we risk creating a system where vulnerable students feel isolated and unheard the repercussions of insufficient Staffing extend beyond the classroom increased incidences of disruption and behavioral issues not only affect the students involved but also create an unsafe environment for all teachers and staff are left to navigate these challenges with limited resources leading to stress and burnout which further exasperates the sit uation when our schools are safe and supportive we Empower our students to thrive academically socially and emotionally I wanted to take a minute to thank the committee and express my gratitude for creating a safe space for educators to continue this crucial conversation it is through open dialogue that we can address these pressing concerns and work towards effective Solutions thank you for your attention to this critical issue thank you very much good evening name and address please good evening my name is Jennifer bkin I live in Danvers and I've been an educator at Paul rier school for 15 years now I'm here on behalf of our many of the many Educators at Paul rier who are concerned with the class sizes in our building uh I want to preface this concern by letting you know that our administrators in the building are in agreement that the size of our classes are larger than they have ever been they acknowledge that we need support and are willing to sit down with us to come up with ways that we can better support our students ma'am I'm so sorry class size is not within the Safety and Security so if I have a class size of 31 in my class and I can't see them when we are exiting a safety drill and I can't direct them when I'm exiting a safety drill because I am at one end of the line and they're at the other that doesn't apply for safety and I'll and I'll also say that this point has also been made as well um so if if you could move forward with anything else that you had to say tonight I'd appreciate it um 31 is too much in a elementary school class size with one teacher when the other classrooms in the district do not have anywhere close to that it is ridiculous that as a city like this that we have that type of situation and it's been ongoing with Paul Rivier for too long thank you thank you good evening ma'am hi good evening my name is Jane chapen I live at 15 Guild Street Boston Mass and I'm the co-president of the RTA uh first I want to express the RT's deep appreciation for the ongoing support of the entire River Community um you have seen firsthand that the students learning conditions are the teachers working conditions your continued commitment is essential for us to create better schools for all students in the city of Rivier we care deeply about our students we're also grateful for the city council members who have invited us here today and for those that have stood with us calling for real and Lasting Solutions not the temporary Band-Aid fixes but meaningful long-term change since we last addressed the committee another incident has occurred at the high school this like many others highlights the urgent need for standardized incident Reporting System uh the re Public Schools a key component this is a key component of our proposals that the RTA has been pushing for we need a way to track and address so that these situations so that we can further prevent harm to both staff and students we also are renewing our call for other essential health and safety proposals namely special education wraparound services this includes smaller case loads for bcbas guidance counselors and social workers um we also calling for a seat on the safety subcommittee more par professional support in the classrooms and the implementation of school safety specialist which is our most recent proposal that we gave and we' be happy to share those proposals with you all uh the rever community demands safe schools safe and healthy school environments and it's time to take real meaningful action to address these ongoing crisis in our schools this status quo simply is not good enough the RTA has outlined clear and Common Sense solutions that can start to solve some of these big problems but it isn't just about what we want it is about our Collective responsibility to ensure that our students are committed to advocating for the safe and well-being that we are committed to advocating for their safe safety and well-being and we will continue this fight until the necessary changes are made we recognize and appreciate the city council's leadership for understanding the safety of our students and Educators extends beyond the purview of the school committee who have continued to dismiss our safety concerns addressing these issues requires a broader CommunityWide commitment while the health and safety remains top priorities for RTA Educators while we negotiate a fair contract they're only part of the larger picture to create a school system that is safe that attracts and retains high quality Educators uh and we need to meet these critical needs as well because really they are all related to safety um we are advocating for smaller class sizes we're advocating for dedicated lunch and recess time students need elementary students need breaks they're essential for their recharge and focus very small 20 minutes they sit for 120 Minutes of reading 90 minutes of math at seven years old and then they go out they get 20 minutes of lunch which is barely enough time any elementary teacher here will tell you that most students do not finish their lunch they throw it out and then they go outside by the time they get out and come back in they've been outside for about 15 minutes it's criminal frankly tonight we call on the city council uh sorry and finally we must ensure fair and competitive wages so that we can fully staff our schools we want to keep talented Educators in the city of Riv and maintain the high standards that our community expects and our community deserves so tonight we call on the city council to continue supporting these initiatives stand with us as we push for a fair contract that meets the needs of students students and Educators uh together we're going to create the safer the safe and healthy schools that our students deserve and I also want to special say a special thank you to the student senate for their thoughtful letter that was read here this evening and I hope that we can continue to work and have an open dialogue and solve these problems together thank you all thank you very much good evening sir name and address for the record please Wayne Rose rev street again um first of all I have to commend your teachers for the job you do um you all need a hand um as far as what Brian said I was a school bus driver for special needs children these children are being brought out into an element that they're really not used to um with all these other children moving around and they can be heard so one thing I would suggest is maybe different times controlled movements um where you move a certain group then you'll move another group um and for them to be called Liars these videos I have right here they are not lying they're not lying I have many of these videos you you police Poli officer in the school being swung at by these children teachers being pushed around children being stomped on their heads this is no lie so whoever is saying that it's appalling and it needs to stop the safety concerns need to be addressed I agree with every single teacher Mr President through you to the gentlemen um I so here's here's where I I take concern um I don't think any teacher was stabbed and I don't ever think it was corrected in the newspaper or on the media and I think that does shed a bad light on all of our students whether they're a student or a d student whether they struggle every day to get to school hold on Mr Rose please I let you speak I'm going to speak now so please no you actually interrupted my gentlemen excuse me both of you please have some respect for the chair I appreciate it Mr President chair thank you I respect your chair Mr President your point counselor so he can finish his I stated it he said no one's lying they would put out a statement that a teacher was stabbed and it's come out to be false so why wasn't that corrected thank you I have no idea they put it on the okay everybody we're not going to entertain people yelling back and forth that's enough sir please continue your points I didn't put it out um but these videos don't lie um and I have many of them um where the resource officer was swung at like I said people standing on tables people kicking kids in the hallway something needs to be done that's all thank you thank you sir good evening name and address for the record I wasn't going to speak Terell 70 School Street and I don't know exactly what to say first I would just like to commend our teachers for coming here today and being so brave and talking about sexual harassment misogyny verbal abuse and as far as I know all these things are not allowed in the student handbook so I don't know why this is allowed in the first place in terms of security I mean I have been trying to bring some attention to this for a number of years now I even reported on alleged stabbing at the high school after 20 parents and other people messaged me and I heard maybe something about that which I corrected after the police corrected it and as a result of that my name was broadcast over the Airways and I was called a liar my date of birth was run and then on top of that it was suggested that I be up on criminal charges do you really think that's America so as we go forward talking about security Dr Kelly has talked about how there are too many doors and too many exits at the high school and you can't manage them all therefore the high school is not secure according to her own words we've all seen the videos of the fights okay but it goes even deeper than that now Mr President is it true that a member of the school committee told the council to stain its own lane is that accurate or something along those lines we were told to stay in our lane I'm not going to State who said it though no I don't want to give names hor no I think that's a little inappropriate especially considering how the city gives 28% of its budget to the to the to the school committee maybe you shouldn't get a dime anyway this is a pattern of behavior I've been targeted Council McKenna has been threatened by three people connected to the school committee council is buo a school Committee Member suggested that he belongs in that casket and then it gets worse coun novas selski begged for understanding after it was found out our superintendent of school shared an anti-semitic resource and all I'm going to say is that if six million of my people were killed the last thing I would be asking for is understanding thank you thank you Mr Terell we got to stay on topic please so just going to say one other thing how do we expect our children and our students to behave when the adults who manage our schools don't behave and that's all I want to say thank you very much [Applause] sir I just can't help myself name and address for the record sir my name is Anthony k Ino and I live at 240 suffk Avenue Riv Mass I just can't help myself listening to all this I have it see they're insulting every parent that lives in the city of Rivier with all these things about the schools now I think the schools are excellent okay they they may have a a incident from time to time but the teachers and the schools are excellent okay the people you should have here today are the police department who handled the situation and they were the the Troublemaker sort of were well treat were were properly treated by the police department and they were taken to court prosecuted and disposed off we're here for another day let's forget yesterday and let's take care of tomorrow thank you very much we have two more speakers and then we're going to move on Brian G 91 not please from rier Massachusetts I a brother I am a cousin of many students at rhs and back when I was there I remember I think it was one of the councelors over here mentioned that there was Sea Coast that no longer exists I remember I was going to be put into a spot there both my parents were staunchly against it now five years later both my parents are s against my bro my my brothers going to rhs because they fear the same way they feared for me back when I was a student and I just don't understand how the school lets let it get to this point where there's so many security concerns where they're going to allow students to from what I was told by by someone metal detectors are not a good idea for H having a school as someone else mentioned it slows down the students capacity to get to class my next point I forgot what I was going to say but if the schools continue to go downhill eventually most parents will will not be sending their kids into rhs and schools like the vocational ASAT vocational some I've heard some I've heard some parents talk about moving to other District areas to be put their kids into other schools because they don't want their kids to be in in R High I just I hope that the r teacher Association can create to change that that parents and future Generations are happy to have their kids in rhs like I once was at one point thank you very much thank you good evening name and address for the record please good evening my name is Stacy Mulligan I the principal of City lab Innovation High School um it's nice to meet all of you tonight um I originally just came here as a spectator um unfortunately I've been hearing a lot of everything that's been going on through social media um through the newspaper and it's been very disheartening um like this gentleman just said I think the kids in Riv are wonderful um I have an amazing staff who works really hard to educate our students every day um I am disheartened to hear that um what we do at City lab has been uh unclear so I'm guess I should stand up and take a moment to explain what we do at City lab um when I started in in rir this is my fifth year now in the city um I knew I was coming to an alternative school um I an educator of 25 years I was a teacher in Boston for 17 and an AP in Chelsea and Medford before I came to reier um I very much knew what type of kid I was getting and I had no problem with that um when I came to se Coast uh no students attended School there were no kids there in fairness it was Co the first year so there were no kids anywhere in the district but um soon after students came back there were no students there um that was a problem um I know that at one point uh C Coast was full as you describ City the councilman woman but when I got there things had changed um I'm not sure why the change had happened but if we had 60 kids on the RO 30 kids were showing up for school every day um you can look at the data um I didn't make the change in City lab because I just wanted something new I did it because my students were not thriving um I had a 50% dropout rate I had a 30% attendance every day and that's not what school was supposed to be um the change happened because I wanted more for all kids in the city um I really am sad to believe that you think that I would brain drain rhs and take the best of the best like I said I came here to educate all kids and I have kept um the idea that I will educate any student at risk L regular Ed High achieving AP whatever um I wanted a learning environment for kids that the high school was just too big just like you said um at no time even if I were still SE Coast we would be able to handle the rhs situation they have 2200 kids um at Maxim capacity City lab Can Only Hold 120 kids period so um if there were 120 kids that needed to have a different placement I could not F fit everybody in the school um you also pointed to the interview process I think the interview process is really important for many years 25 years kids had no choice where they went to school um like this gentleman that spoke before me he was being shipped over there without a choice um The District's go schools are student Choice um that is in our school Improvement plan I wanted to create a school where students had a choice um that is why we have the recruit um the interview process any student that attends there it is their choice and they make the choice to attend there ma'am I'm so sorry I I know we're I know that you know you're off topic as well I just I wanted to give you a moment just want to let you guys know what we were doing um thank you for we are in a space for everybody can I just say thank you because I had you know I heard this from teachers and I really don't have a clue and um like I I haven't been teaching for 10 years so I was just listening to what and that's that's why I'm here I appr thank you for explaining it makes a lot of sense thank you I appreciate you bringing it up and if any of you would like to visit please come because there are a lot of great things happening districtwide and um I feel like we're doing right by the kids in R um I know that people on the school committee have been um to school many times and I'm giving a space for kids that wouldn't weren't on the graduation path that had lots of different things going on that now are fully enrolled in college and they see themselves with career or college so thank you for your time thank you very [Applause] much all right I meant two more two people ago now we got two more that's it name and address John stop 15 schol Street I just figured you here for some parents for a change send of everybody else so um over the past several weeks I've had the the opportunity to meet with the principales with the school committee with the Big Brothers Big Sisters with the SRO with probably 100 students the student Senate and I think everybody wants the same thing right we need to do a a better job um I don't like the way that it's been publicized the the safety whether there's misinformation if if the kids are being politicized but I do know um my kids go through RPS um I see Excellence coming out of that school from the students from the teachers and I hate that we're at the point where it has to we have the lens that we have on our city so I I do think for the for the teachers we do need to hear their voice um I think for the students when you do talk to them and I want to encourage every parent in this city when you do talk to them they they feel safe many of the kids I shouldn't say I I'll contradict myself my kids feel safe safe because I know officer singer and officer Nicole and officer Bess they will die for those kids and they know that they have the best they protecting them so they feel safe and the other part is they don't know the kids that were even involved in half those fights because they don't go to class right so the kids that want to do well or very high are doing exceptional um my fear is if we don't hear the teachers we start to lose them and so many of them have touched my kids lives and the lives of many others um I believe as a community we have bashed the kids saying they're animals um here's the here's the reality we have a a communal responsibility to uplift those kids and we're failing them most of these kids don't have parents to give a damn they fending fors so we've all got to do our part to actually it takes a village we got to do our part to support our teachers and our kids um in regards to safety yeah we need to do better I was a BPS kid went through metal detectives every day but I see that line 150 deep can't even get school now with lack security well I don't want to call it that but with with what with cries for increased security we can't even get in the building now you know at that point it's might as well go remote again so thank you for your time thanks for hearing me out um thanks for supporting our teachers and our students thank you sir super quick as probably one of Dell 39 Dale Street of one of maybe two former journalists in the room raise your hand I know a good PR campaign when you see one so commend to the RTA for run a good PR campaign enough of the rhetoric generally all the right people are at the table right whether it be uh metal detectors getting ahead of the issues when the kids are really little I think the right conversation is happening let's overc communicate let's continue the dialogue let's proactively discuss the measures that will be either put in place or to be put in place and continue to measure and to look at how we can adjust them as we move forward it's not an easy solution any of this stuff whatsoever I'm on the back nine my youngest graduates in May and so I'll be out in 2025 but not going anywhere but I do applaud the city council the administration the teachers the parents and I Echo everything my buddy John just said because I've had a wonderful experience throughout from the time the kids walked in the kindergarten to the time my youngest go a bid goes across the stage in in May of 20125 so thank you keep up the good work let's get the work done thank you sir um and before I I just I just want to say I agree I I don't like the lens that's on the city right now but on the other side of the coin I feel like nothing and I think it was said earlier tonight I don't think anything would have happened none of these positive changes would have even been discussed had that lens not appeared and we started looking at our city like that so I am I am glad to be a part of the the collaborative effort to make our schools safer and more secure and I'm thankful the school committee here thankful that parents are here especially the teachers and the students thank you all this has been amazing conversation I also just before we end this want to let everyone know tomorrow night there is a uh Rivier High School Community Forum uh in the rhs learning comons between 5:30 and 7 p.m. this is wonderful let's keep this rolling let's keep the talks happening uh and teachers if you have more to say give me a call we'll talk about it president oh I'm sorry councelor Yaro thank you no I just very briefly want to Echo a lot of what's been said I think that as a youth organizer uh by trade I guess I could say uh it's so important that we continue to empower um folks like the student Senate uh and so important that I I understand the frustration and I don't think anybody uh can deny the facts of what's happening in our schools and uh we are talking about young people and the way that we talk about young people particularly young people in a community like ours um where the majority of the school population is historically disenfranchised uh it's so important that we're intentional in the words that we choose and the way that we share our own pain and our own struggle this is not about uh shutting out or shutting down anybody's um experience as an educator or a school uh staff but rather that uh we can continue to create same harm if we are not intentional in the way that we speak with that said uh hands down our Educators need the support I think we've heard a great amount of things that uh that need to that need to be addressed and they have a lit of things that they're fighting for in their contract for which I stand uh and then one last thing and I don't know if uh Miss Atkins is still here I know that uh she was still in the middle of her of her thing so happy to offer up uh whatever is left of my two minutes uh for the rules for her to finish her saying if not that's okay and we can time it it's probably a minute now but well like I said we've already made the point that the about classroom sizes and things like that I'm trying I was trying to move the meeting forward ma'am I understand however when you're talking about safety safety starts when they're little you want to talk strategies and calm down and teaching them how to handle their emotions when you have a class of 31 it is very difficult to do that right it starts when they're little when they're little you teach them these strategies that they can use when they get to middle school when they get to high school that is where it happens you start it you get them before it happens I understand you don't want to hear from me that's fine ma'am I'm letting you speak can I just say can I add something what's her first name what is it Jen I was uh I taught up to high school for 33 years I had 44 kids in my calligraphy class um and I understand that it's it can be tough it can and it but it was a different time then so I handled it you know what I'm saying but I know it's a different time and 31 is a lot of lot of kids you've got 13 other other ma'am if you'd like to finish what you wanted to say nobody asked you to leave the mic microphone so if you don't want to continue speaking I can't have back and forth from the audience is I want to counselor Gino would like to say something but I'm going I've closed that side we've let everybody speak I understand the frustration because I was a teacher as well in Dorchester and I had a large classroom size um it does fall into security because you can't control a larger classroom if you're one teacher in that class room um I do understand and I feel for you um on another note what I wanted to do is thank School Committee Member John Kingston for being here today thank you thank you and uh unless there's any opposition councelor H thank you Mr President I want to point something out that Miss Irving touched on and I think it's very important when she asked are there great things happening at Rivier high are there great kids happening great kids that go to school at Rivier High because the last few weeks it seems like the light that was shed on us a lot of people you know they ran with with with it on Facebook and some of the comments weren't so great and um but I was happy to hear you say that I have two kids that go to the Lincoln School my son woke up the day be the the day before the first day of school in the middle of the night and said why isn't it morning yet my kids love to go to school my sister's an elementary principal my mother-in-law was a longtime teacher um I actually worked at the schools as a custodian for 14 years um I've seen a lot behind the scenes at the school I know a lot of the work that you guys that goes into it and you know how you touch people's lives and your students's lives and how that carries on for you know as long as the kids are in rever whether they're 25 year 25 years old and you see them at Stop and Shop or but I know what great work you guys do and I'm looking forward to working with the school committee the teachers and um the police to just get this thing figured out and move on and do what we do best and that's touch the Ria kids you know and what see what they can do thank you thank you uh I'm going to place this on file calendar item number 22 motion presented by council president C Leandro that the mayor direct the gpw to ensure work trucks are not parked on city streets when there is no work taking place there have been ISS in the last two weeks with trucks being left in parking spots in front of homes with no work taking place these vehicles are taking a parking spots in the neighborhood that the residents rely on motion speaks for itself all in favor all opposed soed calendar item number 23 motion presented by councelor Kelly that the city council approve the following special legislation an act relative to notice requirements for public hearings and parties of Interest defined for certain special permits section one notwithstanding the provisions of master or Law chapter 48 section 11 parties in interest for residential projects consisting of six units or more and all commercial projects requiring special permits shall mean the petitioner abutters owners of land directly opposite on any public or private Street or way and abutters to the Butters within 600 ft of the property line of the petitioner as they appear on the most recent applicable tax list notwithstanding that the land of any such owner is located in any other city or town the planning board of the city or town and the planning board of every AB budding city or town section two notwithstanding the provisions of Mass general laws chapter 48 section 11 notice shall be sent by certified mail return receipt requested postage paid by the applicant for residential projects consisting of six units or more in all commercial projects requiring special permits section three this act shall take effect upon its passage councelor Kelly thank you Mr President um this is just an attempt to bring more public awareness by amending the applicable Massachusetts General law through a home rule petition specifically it would enlarge the 300 foot a butter notification uh required under the special permit process to 600 ft and also required the certified mail notification but these changes um would specifically only apply to those projects consisting of residential structures with six units or more and any commercial projects um and I'd like to point out that Boston has also proposed something similar to this um I think this is something that we should have done a long time ago um and again it's just an attempt to bring more public awareness where we have so much development happening in the city and we have these odd um commercial zones loans that are abutting residential neighborhoods and a lot of the uh residents don't um are not made aware of these project so um I would like to have this discussed further um in legislative affairs subcommittee I believe thank you thank you counselor any other counselors this will be referred to legislative affairs caler item number 24 motion presented by councilors Hass and sylvestri that the mayor be requested to notify the city council Whenever there is a change in leadership within a department whether by termination resignation or leave of absence further that the city council be provided with a contact information for the individual who is taking over the duties for that respective department for any issues that may rise councelor H thank you Mr President this is just to help us counselors do our job and help um constituents and residents um I know a lot of counselors use utilize 311 some counselors like to go right to the source and contact the department head you know there's various ways that we go and contact people but it's imperative that we know who to contact and if the person that we think isn't is there is no longer there and who we should contact to help our residents thank you thank you councelor councelor sylvestri Mr President I think the motion speaks for itself um I support the motion wholeheartedly and appreciate it thank you on the motion all in favor all opposed so ordered oh my I'm sorry I'm sorry evening um members of the council CL Korea Chief of Staff 281 Broadway um absolutely uh we definitely will um increase the uh channels of communication to make sure that you know who is in charge in each department um terminations is something that we don't celebrate so obviously um we don't just throw this out the air uh coup things to keep in mind uh when we talk about leadership we're talking about Chiefs and department heads uh be mindful that department heads they're under um the union um especially um Unit A and sometimes when there is a termination procedure it may trigger a grievance therefore we need to be cautious as to why we put out there um but definitely we'll make sure that the communication is there um on a timely manner and so you have app Point uh person with each department and also we want want to reassure you that every time there is a termination uh the department is staffed and we are able to continue to provide um Services as needed thank you great thank you thank you um next next motion Madam mclark count item number 25 motion presented by councilors H and Cog Leandro that the mayor request the DPW to investigate the feasibility of installing protective fencing along the two grassy areas on Tuckerman Street outside of the Lincoln School in the interest of public saf last year there was a motor vehicle accident at this location and this is where students gather before and after school counselor H thank you Mr President so every day I take my two kids to the Lincoln School sometimes I'll take my son and um sometimes my wife will take my daughter but always before school the kids crowd on the grass to the left and the grass to the right of the main doors of the Lincoln School and uh you know usually they're running back and forth almost playing like Red Rover tag you know and they're laughing and about a year a year ago I think around 10:00 a.m. a man lost control of his vehicle ran up on the sidewalk onto the lawn and struck a tree and knocked a tree down and my main concern was oh wow that could have been 10 to 15 kindergarten kids or first graders or even a whole family or teachers or anyone but um I think it's something we should definitely look at even if it's fencing that's like along the wheel in school on Sant Street just the heavy wood heavy wood all all the way down that would be great thank you thank you counselor um I Echo everything counselor has said are there any other councelors wishing to speak on the motion all in favor all opposed so ordered calendar item number 26 motion presented by councilors H and cogliandro that the mayor and a planning committee examine ways to revive the parade on Columbus Day weekend which would restore an event that once served as a staple in our city uh before we begin conversation I just like to add councelor Kelly and councelor Gino SAA as motion makers and invite anybody else to join if they would like okay and councelor agenzio councelor McKenna all right councelor H thank you Mr President so anyone from Rivier knows how important the the parade on Columbus Day weekend was for families um it was a huge it was a staple in the city for years and years I think the last one we had as a city was in 2019 um I believe so CU I took my son and um you know that was the first time I had gone in a few years and just seeing the kids and the young families come out and watch the parade go by and you know and just see um all their friends and it was just a great great event for the community to bring the community together and um I've seen East Boston they do a couple Columbus Day events on a cultural celebration and you know we can add whatever we'd like to the Columbus Day Parade any groups that would like to go go into it um we can have youth sporting events we can have the high school matching band JC um you know we can add any we can offer it to anyone that wants to be in involved in it and we can make it a great thing for our city that we have every year or every two years thank you thank you counselor councelor McKenna thank you Mr President so I think uh in 2018 Linda Linda Deo the uh secretary for uh mayor Keefe had a fundraiser um we need money to operate this um so and she had a fundraiser and it was very successful and that's how we got to the 2019 um fundraiser but with Co and everything no one's picked it up but I think the first thing we have to do is create a committee and then do a fundraiser so we can create this again thank you thank you councelor councelor Gino SAA I'll be willing to do whatever we have to do to bring it back um I'm very excited about bringing it back a lot of residents have asked me what happened to the parade in and why we actually got rid of it it was such a great family event and there are few and far between so we really need to concentrate on figuring out where to come up with the money to bring it back um thank you Mr President I don't really think we got rid of it I think with Co and everything we never just we we never really picked it up again so that's Mr President sorry last one was it did it go one year rier and one year East Boston didn't it switch back and forth for a long time it went every two years I know that because I've marched in it every year since I was three years old and then went from one years one year at a time to two years because of cost um so I would love to bring it back too okay thank you I I don't know where I heard this information but our our clerk was a red Teletubby in the Columbus Day Parade one [Music] year you can't yeah I don't know PE people should just they shouldn't just yell information like that um on the motion all in favor all opposed thank you very much everybody who came here tonight to speak and there is no further business I hope everyone has a great night meeting is adjourned