ORDER-2021-134 : An Appropriation from Free Cash, Account 01-324001, in the amount of $50,000 to Planning Professional Services, account 011752-529000) for wayfinding projects.

Transcript (~20 min @ 53:36)

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▶ 53:30 Speaker 2: adam clerk will you please call the role chair McNaught yes vice chair eccles yes Yes. Councilor McMaster? Yes. Councilor Garipay? Yes. Councilor Grigoraitis? Yes. Councilor Migliorelli? Yes. Councilor Stewart?

▶ 53:50 Speaker 4: Yes.

▶ 53:52 Speaker 2: Councilor Thomas?

▶ 53:53 Speaker 4: Yes.

▶ 53:54 Speaker 2: Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. President Sinella? Yes. Yes.

▶ 54:01 Speaker 1: Motion passes.

▶ 54:04 Jeff McNaught: Next, we have Order 2021-134, Appropriation from Free Cash, Account 01-324-001, and the amount of $50,000 to the Planning Professional Services, Account 011-752-529-000 for Wayfinding Projects. Director Gaffey, I believe you're speaking to this as well.

▶ 54:33 Denise Gaffey: So, in this instance, Mayor Broder is interested in building on the successful wayfinding and creative placemaking initiative we embarked upon last year. I spoke a little bit about that in my budget presentation tonight, but we had a really, really great process and really engaged with the community and got some terrific feedback on some of the work we were able to do. Um, and what we'd like to do in this next phase, um, with this free cash funding is, um, build on some of the ideas that were presented by the consultant. We were working for with, um, along the, we find we finding signage. We ended up sort of putting the bulk of the funding through this. 1st phase into the public art piece, um, and, um, because we. Didn't have anything like it, and it was a lot of interest in the arts community to roll that out. And we knew that would be really exciting for the community during the pandemic. But during this next phase, we'd like to spend more time exploring a design concept or a branding concept for city signage, wayfinding signage that will help people identify Melrose and better get around, especially to our business districts and some of our other community amenities. So that would be the purpose of this phase of funding. It would be to take this to the next stage. And we're also hoping to leverage some funding that Representative Kate Wither-Garabedian has secured through an earmark. If that ends up getting approved by the Senate and we'll have some additional funding, we can leverage along with that. And in that case, we were kind of, um. We talked to the representative about, um, doing some additional streetscape improvements. Some infrastructure work in our business districts and elsewhere in the community in order to improve, um, um, pedestrian amenities and aesthetics and things of that nature. So we would combine that all into this 1 initiative.

▶ 56:51 Jeff McNaught: Thank you, Director Gaffey. I have Councillor McMaster in the queue and Councillor McGrady. Councillor McMaster.

▶ 57:01 Shawn M. MacMaster: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just had a similar concern that was raised by Councillor Garipay is that this memo was provided to the council at 4.33 PM this afternoon. It's a two page memo, not a lot of time with us working our full time job during the day to dive into it, really wrap our head around it. and I appreciate receiving the memo, but the concern is that the request is for $50,000 and there are three items it mentions, and Ms. Cathy, you talked about these, creating a final design for the wayfinding and signage system, fabricating and installing signage in priority locations, and investing in streetscape infrastructure and aesthetic improvements as identified in the initial phase of the wayfinding initiative. Nowhere in the two-page memo though does it provide a cost estimate of um what those activities um you know would be from a financial uh standpoint so uh can you talk about how we arrive at fifty thousand dollars what what specifically uh is that going to look like what is so not generally but specifically how do we get to fifty thousand dollars and just to preface it you know i look at some of the other free cash items coming down one item of significance to i know every member of this council is traffic safety that item coming down is a hundred thousand dollars we don't know yet and i know this is beyond your purview miss gaffey a hundred thousand dollars for traffic safety this is half of of that so this is a lot of money we have a lot of needs we have school uh free cash requests so i i'd like to know specifically what the fifty thousand dollars um

▶ 58:50 Denise Gaffey: Um, is going to go towards, um, sure. So, uh. So, I don't have a specific breakdown at the moment, but I, we do know from working. Um, on the 1st phase that we had, we had insufficient funding in order to take. Some of the original concepts around way finding and then do the public process. We got a lot of, we got a lot of great. Um, well, we got a lot of. Um, input from the public, but there was no consensus on the different concepts. There were 3 different concepts that were presented. So, we know we have to do a little more work around the community engagement and we know we have to do a little more. Uh, design work to come to a consensus on on what the signage. Um, type should look like, so that's part of the funding and then there's. Actual fabrication and installation of way finding signs. Throughout throughout the community, you don't, you don't have a cohesive sign. Um, sign message now to to build from so we're kind of starting from scratch. So we know there's. A fair amount of work with that and, um, and then to the extent that we have funding available, we did. We did get a lot of great ideas from the community survey that we did previously around some public art. Some different public art ideas and. So, we hope to be able to accomplish some of those as well.

▶ 1:00:22 Shawn M. MacMaster: And I can appreciate this, Cathy, that the signage as envisioned is probably not something we can do in post, but is the installation you have installation as being a potential cost. Is that something that DPW would not be able to do for some reason?

▶ 1:00:38 Denise Gaffey: No, it's possible they could, it's possible they could help with some of the installation. I think some of it might be kind of tricky in terms of where things get located, but it is possible we can build that in. We're just not 100% sure, which is why I thought it was worth including.

▶ 1:00:58 Shawn M. MacMaster: So, I think we've started down this path. It's a worthwhile project. I know, Ms. Gaffey, we had a conversation very early on when this opportunity came about, where I indicated an interest in having some signage for the hiking trails off of Goodyear in Brazil. So, it's something I'm definitely interested in, and I do think we need to sustain the work that's been done to date. This is important, similar to when we had an order on a completely different subject before us last meeting. This is something that I think creates social vibrancy or foster social vibrancy. So, I'm in support of it, but I'm inclined at this time, Mr. Chairman, to make a motion to hold in committee based on Ms. Gaffey saying that there is no breakdown at this moment. Again, I just think understanding the needs before us, the needs that have been communicated to us, it would behoove us just to hold this in committee to give Miss Gaffey an opportunity to make a good faith estimate. That would get us either at the 50,000 dollars or at some other number. So I make that motion at this time. Mr. Chairman.

▶ 1:02:16 Jeff McNaught: 2nd, so we have a motion to hold in committee made by Council McMaster, seconded by Councilor Stewart on discussion. And I did have Councilor Geraitis next in queue.

▶ 1:02:33 Jen Grigoraitis: I'm happy to come to you first. Thank you Chairman McNaught. It's not directly relevant to the motion before us, but I just wanted to thank Ms. Gaffey for taking the time to talk with me today about This order, I also had several questions that she was able to answer. I'm in support of way finding. I do want to highlight and our conversation today was very helpful that. The money earmarks by rep, which I'm very grateful for and help makes through the full budget process that the state is for streetscape. And 1 of the. Things that I've been asking for for Ward 6 in particular is more trash cans, which I know sounds simplistic, but I know for anyone who's walked down Main Street on a Sunday morning, or gone to a kids sporting event at the common on a Sunday. We are the trash is overflowing and. That was a suggestion by director as a more cost effective way to try to deal with some of our. Trash concerns and bringing in more crews to do. To clear them, so I just would like to make sure that that is a priority in some of this funding, because I really do think it's a simple fix to a problem that I hear quite a bit about and that has all sorts of secondary problems. So that was just the point that I wanted to highlight and thank you for talking with me about that today.

▶ 1:03:49 Speaker 6: And just to reiterate, I mean, that is that is a commitment that the mayor is making with this funding as well as to add more trash receptacles. Um, throughout the community, understanding the great need.

▶ 1:04:04 Jen Grigoraitis: Thank you and if he wants to put his public art on it, I'm fine with that, but we definitely need more stuff that might have to happen.

▶ 1:04:13 Jeff McNaught: Any other counselors wishing to speak or ask director gaffey any questions.

▶ 1:04:19 Jeff McNaught: Okay, so I just want to bring this before we vote. A yes vote is to hold. This free cash order in committee until. We receive essentially a budget for the $50,000 for a way finding a no vote is to not hold it in committee and essentially to wait to make a motion to motion for a recommendation of passage. So, madam clerk, we please call the roll chair. Yes. Yes. Vice chair.

▶ 1:04:52 Speaker 2: Councilor Eccles. No. Councilor McMaster. Yes. Councilor Garipay. Yes. Councilor Grigoraitis. No. Councilor Migliorelli. No. Councilor Stewart.

▶ 1:05:14 Speaker 4: Yes.

▶ 1:05:16 Speaker 2: Councilor Thomas.

▶ 1:05:19 Speaker 4: Yes.

▶ 1:05:20 Speaker 2: Councilor Jamaleddine. No. President Cinella.

▶ 1:05:31 Speaker 2: No, five, yes. Motion does not pass. Is that your understanding?

▶ 1:05:46 Jeff McNaught: That's my understanding. The motion does not pass, but we're still 5-5. If someone makes a motion for passage, we're still going to be 5-5, I would assume. What do you do in that case?

▶ 1:06:01 Shawn M. MacMaster: That's a McMaster in that case. Mr chairman, it would it would remain in. In committee, that's right. I think that's right.

▶ 1:06:12 Jeff McNaught: And that's the chair in the committee. I'm confident in saying that it does remain in committee at a deadline. So.

▶ 1:06:26 Jeff McNaught: The motion remains in committee, so we'll put that on another agenda soon. Miss Kathy. And that concludes our business for the evening. I'll entertain a motion to adjourn.

▶ 1:06:39 Speaker 2: Motion to adjourn.

▶ 1:06:41 Speaker 1: Before we do that, Councilor Stewart, did you have a question?

▶ 1:06:45 Robb Stewart: Just a point of clarification, Mr. Chair. We don't have to make a motion other than that motion was the final motion that we need to make on that order?

▶ 1:06:59 Jeff McNaught: Well, we were deadlocked. There's no tiebreak. We don't have our 11th councilor here.

▶ 1:07:08 Jeff McNaught: On that particular vote, right? So, in that instance, it stays in committee presidents and all.

▶ 1:07:14 Christopher Cinella: Yeah, I mean, you know, I know that we're deadlocked here, but I mean, it's it's. 50,000 dollars Denise has come before us. Several times various orders, free cash included. We're going to micromanage her further to. If she can come back, get whoever more of an itemized. You know, listing of what the money is going to go towards, but she did just explain. It's going and we found the other way finding project. So, I don't know, I put my trust and confidence in this Gaffney.

▶ 1:07:53 Christopher Cinella: So, I mean, to hold this, we have all we have other work ahead of us the next month.

▶ 1:08:06 Speaker 1: So, Mr president, is that all.

▶ 1:08:08 Christopher Cinella: I mean, I would motion to recommend this to the board.

▶ 1:08:14 Jeff McNaught: Second, I've already ruled that it stays in committee.

▶ 1:08:23 Shawn M. MacMaster: I'm happy to do the vote. You can recommend that. I just point of order that we do have a motion to. I'm sorry, Mr. Chairman. We do have a motion to adjourn on the table.

▶ 1:08:33 Speaker 9: It's also a privilege. It's also a privilege.

▶ 1:08:36 Jack Eccles: I don't think I received a 2nd, I would draw my motion.

▶ 1:08:40 Shawn M. MacMaster: The motion motion to adjourn is a privilege motion, so it supersedes any other.

▶ 1:08:47 Jeff McNaught: Right, but if it's removed, it's removed.

▶ 1:08:52 Speaker 1: Councilor Eccles, Vice-Chair Eccles, you made the motion to adjourn?

▶ 1:08:56 Speaker 2: Yes.

▶ 1:08:57 Jeff McNaught: Okay. You're removing that? Okay. Let's hold the vote again. I'll reframe it again. We have a motion by Councilor Cinella to recommend this for passage to the Council, seconded by Councilor Migliorelli. A yes vote is to move it forward, a no vote is to hold it in committee. Councilor McMaster?

▶ 1:09:19 Shawn M. MacMaster: Thank you Mr. Chairman. Just very briefly on discussion and response to President Sinella is I certainly don't want Ms. Gaffey to think that we don't have faith in her, but I do think that we have to be diligent and show our due diligence to the public in scrutinizing what comes before us with taxpayer money. And again, $50,000 is not a significant, insignificant amount of money, considering needs across the city, what's been represented to us as needs, what we've communicated to the administration as needs that we are requesting, especially ward counselors were making, you know, advocating for certain items. So, I think to the public at 50,000, at this point, based on what we've seen in the late timing of getting the memo, it appears arbitrary and maybe it's not. But I do think we owe the public more in the public better and that's why again, I, it may be 50,000 dollars. I just don't think it's 50,000 dollars tonight with what we have in front of us.

▶ 1:10:26 Speaker 1: Thank you, Council McMaster. Councilor McLear-Elm?

▶ 1:10:29 Leila Migliorelli: Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just want to make a comment regarding the late submissions of these memos and just to point out that Councilors Jamaleddine, Grigoraitis, and I had filed an order back in March to get the Mayor's plan for free cash. And this is kind of where we're at. We got a series of free cash orders. I don't think we're going to get things more timely. We can hold things if we want to because we need more time to decide, but I agree with President Sinella that I think we have faith in Ms. Gaffey's leadership and direction with these wayfinding projects that I don't think it makes sense to hold this at this moment. Thank you.

▶ 1:11:15 Jeff McNaught: Anyone else for the first time? I'll just speak and say I completely trust Ms. Gaffey's judgment. I don't even think that that's what's in debate here. But to use the traffic calming example, $100,000 is not going to be anywhere enough for the entire city, and many council submitted detailed plans for what they wanted to do for traffic calming, myself included. $50,000 is a lot of money to ask for when we don't have consensus on what's going to be done with it yet. I don't think we have many budget hearings left to go. This is one free cash order that we can come back to along the way, and I'm sure it will pass once we get some more specificity. But nonetheless, we now have a motion to recommend this for passage to the full council made by Councilor Sinella and seconded by, President Sinella is seconded by Councilor Migliorelli. a yes vote moves it to the full council and no vote holds it in committee madam clerk will you please call the roll chair mcnaught no no vice chair eccles

▶ 1:12:30 Speaker 2: yes councillor mcmaster no councillor Garipay no council Grigoraitis

▶ 1:12:39 Speaker 2: Yes, yes. Councilor Migliorelli? Yes. Councilor Stewart? No. Councilor Thomas?

▶ 1:12:48 Speaker 4: No.

▶ 1:12:50 Speaker 2: Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. President Cinella? Yes. Five yes, five no.

▶ 1:12:59 Jeff McNaught: Again, we're deadlocked. The order stays in committee. We will get this on an agenda soon, Ms. Gaffey. I'm assuming we'll get information soon. And we'll get it back on an agenda. I will entertain a motion to adjourn.

▶ 1:13:16 Speaker 4: Motion to adjourn.

▶ 1:13:19 Jeff McNaught: Motion to adjourn made by Councillor Thomas. Second.