Authorizing a Bond under the Water Enterprise System through MWRA Local Water System Assistance Program bonds in the amount of Eight Hundred Forty Eight Thousand Six Hundred dollars ($848,600)
Agenda original PDF
Minutes original PDF
A. (ID # 2026-305): Authorizing a Bond under the Water Enterprise System through MWRA Local Water System Assistance Program bonds in the amount of Eight Hundred Forty Eight Thousand Six Hundred dollars ($848,600) 2 Motion to Approve made by Councilor Williams Seconded by Councilor Finocchiaro All were in favor and motion passed RESULTS: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS] TO: City Council AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams NAYS: None Comments on Discussion: -Councilor Finocchiaro asked if these bonds are typically at 0% and yes they are most of the time. She asked how many loans we currently have on the water side. Right now it's $991,600 worth and they are structured so as not to impact the water and sewer rates. -Councilor Williams asked if this includes payment for pavement of the road. It pays for pavement restoration of the trenches and Melrose will pay for final restoration of the roads. He asked how much roadway is being touched in this project and it is 1450 linear feet.He asked if this will correct the current problem in the Grove Street paving at this location and yes it will when repavement is complete. -Councilor Finocchiaro commented on the road condition and pot holes on Grove Street from Lebanon to Main street. This section of road is not part of the water main work and would have to be repaved under the city general road repavement schedule. She stated that it's good to include the paving in these projects. V. REQUESTS
Transcript
▶ 3:24 Devin Romanul: All right. Minutes are now approved. Uh, first item on today's agenda, order number ID-2026-305, authorizing a bond under the Water Enterprise System throughout MWRA Local Water System Assistance Program bonds in the amount of $848,600. Joining us this evening, uh, from the administration is Catherine Armata
▶ 3:48 Speaker 1: and Elena Progor-Sells. Thank you so much. Thank you.
▶ 3:53 Speaker 4: Thank you.
▶ 3:54 Speaker 5: Good evening, Counselors. Uh, this order is seeking authorization for a loan of $848,600 through the MWRA Local Water System Sys- Local Water System Assistance Program. The loans are part of a regular, uh, process that we do every year or so. They have a ten-year term, a 0% coupon on this structure, and the repayments would be made out of the Water Enterprise Fund, not impacting the general fund. Mm. And Elena is here beside me, if you want to ask questions about the underlying project.
▶ 4:35 Devin Romanul: Uh, I have a question from Counselor Williams.
▶ 4:38 Ryan Williams: We're gonna take... I was leaning in front of her, but-
▶ 4:40 Speaker 1: Oh! Um, well-
▶ 4:41 Speaker 6: Sorry.
▶ 4:42 Devin Romanul: Thank you. Ob- obstructionist tas- tactics, but in, in lieu of that- Thank you ... I'll say, uh, Counselor Finocchiaro. Clever.
▶ 4:47 Cal Finocchiaro: Thank you. Um, so two questions: Is it typically 0% on these loans?
▶ 4:52 Speaker 5: S- uh, sometimes... Yes, most of the time it is 0%. There are other loans that have grants involved with them, where they might be 25% grant, 75% loan- ... but it's still
▶ 5:02 Cal Finocchiaro: 0%. And my second question was, how many loans do we have with the MWRA right now? Or, you know- ... and if you don't have that information-
▶ 5:09 Speaker 5: W- we have, on the water side right now- Yeah, just curious ... about 991,600. We have them rolling off- Mm-hmm ... so we stagger them with maturities. We add new ones on, so it really doesn't impact. Mm-hmm. It... We try to really structure it so it doesn't- ... have an impact on the water sewer rates.
▶ 5:25 Speaker 7: Makes sense. All right, thank you.
▶ 5:26 Speaker 5: You're welcome.
▶ 5:28 Devin Romanul: Counselor Williams.
▶ 5:29 Ryan Williams: Thank you. Um, I have two questions. Uh, I don't... This probably does not pay for any paving, right?
▶ 5:34 Speaker 4: It pays for the pavement restoration- Okay ... of the trenches. But then we come back and pay separately for the, the final restoration of the roads.
▶ 5:41 Ryan Williams: Okay. Approximately how many miles of road are we touching with this?
▶ 5:48 Speaker 4: We're touching 1,450 linear feet.
▶ 5:52 Ryan Williams: Okay, all right, not bad. Um, and I see that it's on... Where do I see it? Grove Street, which is a street that has this sort of weird half-paving square. Is there any chance... Sorry to, it's a Ward 7 and 6 question. Apologize if I'm stepping out here, but- Mm-hmm. Um, is there any chance that this is gonna correct that, make that street smoother?
▶ 6:13 Speaker 4: Yes. So we, we phase our water main. We- ... We call these projects all part of our multi-year roadway and utility program. So the water main work, and in fact, gas work as well, is all phased to occur so that paving can then occur in the following year.
▶ 6:31 Speaker 8: Great. Thank you.
▶ 6:33 Devin Romanul: Okay. Anyone else first time around? Councilor Finocchiaro.
▶ 6:37 Cal Finocchiaro: Sorry, thank you so much. Um, one other question, because I know the issue with Grove Street heading down to Main Street, uh, we- I've, I've received a, a lot of complaints about that area with the potholes. That is not gonna be up for any replacement of pipes or gas pipes, do we know, or?
▶ 6:53 Speaker 4: So I would have to look up about gas pipes. Okay. It's not part of the water main project, but that's because our water main capital plan doesn't identify that portion of the water main as needing replacement. Okay. So it doesn't preclude that part of the road from being paved when we pave the rest of the road. So that would just be, you know, ensuring we have the funds to, to pave beyond Lebanon Street. Um, but we're, we're also aware of that not being in great condition.
▶ 7:17 Cal Finocchiaro: Yeah, I know that street, the whole street is, I think, a red on that map, I think, for the road map.
▶ 7:23 Speaker 4: Yeah.
▶ 7:23 Speaker 7: I'd have to look, but- Okay. Yeah. Anyways, okay. Thank you.
▶ 7:25 Speaker 4: And we did just repave... The section we used to get the most complaints about was at Grove and Linwood, and we just repaved that last year. So that- Yep ... portion is at least repaired. Um, but yeah, down closer to Main Street, we get some complaints, too.
▶ 7:39 Cal Finocchiaro: Okay, great. It's nice that these projects actually, you know, get the, the, the repaving going and that it's all put together, so happy about that. Thank you. You're welcome.
▶ 7:50 Speaker 1: Any other councilors? What is the will of the committee?
▶ 7:52 Speaker 6: Uh, motion to approve.
▶ 7:54 Devin Romanul: Second. Motion approved by Councilor Williams, seconded by Councilor Finocchiaro. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll?
▶ 8:01 Speaker 3: Motion to approve. Vice Chair Vandiver? Yes. Councilor Chen? Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Karamcheti? Yes. Councilor Kowal? Yes. Councilor Obremski? Yes. Councilor Park? Yes. Councilor Williams? Yes.
▶ 8:19 Speaker 2: President Freeman?
▶ 8:20 Speaker 3: Yes. Chair Romanul? Yes. That motion passes.
▶ 8:23 Devin Romanul: Motion passes, and that order will be brought to the next full council meeting, uh, with a recommendation for passage. Thank you so much. Thank you. And our, uh, second and final, uh, order, uh, request this evening is ID number 2026-307, appropriation in the amount of $340,000 from the capital stabilization for DPW refuse yard waste truck. And still joining us this evening, uh, Director Proia-Casella, thank you so much.