PUBLIC COMMENT

Transcript (~36 min @ 10:21)

Speakers identified by voice; unnamed voices are numbered within this recording. Auto-caption text — verify against the video.

▶ 10:18 Devin Romanul: Seeing no objection, those minutes are now approved. I'll now motion by unanimous consent to open the floor for public comment. Seeing no objection, we are now open for public comment. For members of the public, this is a portion of the meeting where the public may speak on any items on tonight's agenda. Comments expressing any viewpoint on other matters are also welcome. I just ask for those in public comment, we're really excited to have you. Thank you so much for coming out. If you wouldn't mind signing in, we got a nice piece of paper there for you, signing your name and address, and please introduce yourselves. And I'd also just request, we have a very full agenda and try to keep your comments timely. We would be very appreciative. Thank you so much.

▶ 10:59 Speaker 5: Welcome.

▶ 11:03 Speaker 4: Let me get my things before I sign.

▶ 11:06 Speaker 5: Of course.

▶ 11:15 Speaker 5: Sure. Do any members of the public wish to speak? Did you open it? Oh, all right. I didn't know if you were sitting back down.

▶ 11:22 Speaker 1: Oh, okay. Quite a gang here.

▶ 11:24 Speaker 4: Nice. As I sign in.

▶ 11:46 Speaker 4: Good evening. Good evening. My name is Sandra Bauer. I'm the vice president of Polemnia Choral Society, and I've been a resident of Melrose since 1999. Thank you for this opportunity to speak on behalf of the proposed $50,000 appropriation for the Melrose Cultural Council. Let me tell you a little bit about PolemniaIt's comprised of 70 plus individuals from Melrose and surrounding communities. We range in age from teenagers to folks in their 80s and 90s. We're from all backgrounds, all musical experience. We show that the joy of music and singing is a lifelong pursuit. We have newcomers continue to join us, and there are members who have sung with Polyphonia for decades. We often speak of Polyphonia as a family, and indeed, in several instances, that is literal. We have husbands and wives, and parents and children who are members. In one extreme example, we have three generations of a single family, all of whom are members and sing in the chorus. Our programs feature a wide variety of music, from Haydn and Bach to Elton John and Dolly Parton, from sacred hymns to show tunes, and more. Although we started in Wakefield, we have been based in Melrose for some 70 years, and we'll be concluding our 73rd season this June 6th at Memorial Hall for a very fun concert, Polyphonia Goes to Broadway. We hope to see you there. So fun. But we could not put on these concerts without support. We are grateful to have been a recipient of a grant from the Cultural Council this year. And we used it for American Quilt, which we performed last month at the middle school here in Melrose. The concert also featured the Melrose High School on the stage with us. In honor of our country's 250th anniversary, the concert celebrated the origins and evolution of American music, beginning with spirituals created by the enslaved, and continuing through folk, choral, gospel, and jazz. American music is indeed a musical quilt, aptly summed up and depicted in the advertising for this concert, sewn from many cultures into one shared American song. As our artistic director, Murray Kidd, wrote, "The program highlighted music as a tool for expression, self-preservation, resistance, and celebration." It was a beautiful concert performed for an audience of about 250, and it was a privilege to be a part of it. In addition to the intangible shared experience, I'd submit there's also a practical economic impact. Some money went right back to the city in payment of fees for use of the beautiful auditorium at the middle school. As I mentioned, about 250 people attended. I'm confident they grabbed a bite before or after at a Melrose restaurant, maybe Turner's, Rising Eagle, or they completed an errand at other Melrose businesses, Buck-Aloo's, Lila Rose. And they took home this program that had some 25 Melrose business advertisers, a ready reference for their future needs, which we always make sure to mention to our audiences. The message, support the businesses who support the arts. So I urge you to pass this appropriation for the Cultural Council. Thank you for your support of the arts in Melrose. It makes me proud to call Melrose my home. Thank you.

▶ 16:56 Speaker 5: Thank you so much.

▶ 16:58 Devin Romanul: And I'll just ask, Ms. Bauer, thank you so much, and you were precisely five minutes on the dot. So I congratulate you on hitting our time limit for public comment to the millisecond, as a musician should.

▶ 17:12 Devin Romanul: May that be example for our remaining speakers.

▶ 17:43 Speaker 5: Good evening.

▶ 17:44 Speaker 3: Good evening.

▶ 17:45 Devin Romanul: The floor is yours.

▶ 17:47 Speaker 3: Yes. Thank you. My name is Jim Bruccole, and I'm a co-chair of the Melrose Cultural Council, and I thank you for allowing me the time to voice my support of Mayor Jen's request to fund our council with a $50,000 appropriation from municipal free cash. I've served as a volunteer leader for the council for four years now, and over the past two years, I've seen the number of cultural enrichment opportunities we support for Melrose residents double, due largely to a $20,000 contribution from the cityIn 2026, the council awarded grants to a variety of projects that encompassed disciplines ranging from music to theater, to visual arts, as well as programming that celebrates the cultural diversity of our city. Our funding supports cultural projects that reach all sectors of the community, from preschool to senior citizens. While many of our projects are one-time events, some offer benefits throughout the year and offer substantial return on our level of giving. For example, our $950 grant to Greater Boston Stage in 2025 allowed over 550 Melrose seniors to attend performances at discounted rates, saving them over $7,700 in ticket prices. Additionally, 130 students from Hoover and Horace Mann schools were offered discounted or complimentary tickets for student performances. Our grant of $1,000 to Melrose Public Schools Visual and Performing Arts Department will provide discounted tickets for 275 third graders across all five elementary schools to attend a live orchestra performance with the Lexington Symphony in January 2027. The discount will ensure that all students will be able to attend regardless of their ability to pay. In our current grant cycle, we received 44 proposals, and we were able to fund 31, providing zero to low-cost cultural events and activities for our residents. Of those 31 projects, 26 were fully funded. But even with the city's $20,000 contribution, five projects were left partially funded and another 13 worthy projects were unfunded, including events and activities targeting students, seniors, and the general public. The requested $50,000 appropriation to the Cultural Council will allow us to provide greater number of grants in 2027 and at a higher level of giving. We remain committed to providing programs with public benefit that promote excellence, education, cultural diversity, inclusion, and equity. I respectfully ask that you consider passing the appropriation to foster a more rich and vibrant cultural life in Melrose. Thank you.

▶ 20:52 Speaker 1: I will follow up Jim there and just share that my name is Sarah Bolla. I am Jim's fellow co-chair of the Melrose Cultural Council. We're happy to pass these around. I believe some of you actually got these at our recent reception. But we show on our promotional cards that in 2025, the MCC was able to fund 32 projects, so 31 this past year and 32 the year before. As Jim mentioned, these events reached broad communities, and we were able to engage more than 440 local artists and reach a total audience of nearly 17,000 community members. These projects not only enhanced the quality of life in our city, but also positively impacted our local shops and restaurants. To what Theresa was saying, we actually have some data behind that through our community survey. Nearly 70% of those who attended an arts and culture event in Melrose also ate at a local restaurant, either before or after the event. Additionally, more than 50% of those surveyed visited a local merchant. We are very grateful for the ability to enhance our local commerce and business development by way of the arts and cultural programming. We've also tried to raise the visibility and the presence of our council through many large-scale city events, including the Victorian Fair and the Summer Stroll, as well as the Farmers Market. We continuously want to be out and hearing from the community to gain their insights on what kinds of programs that they want to see us support, and these events have given us that opportunity. We're also a proud member of the Melrose Chamber of Commerce. In terms of our board and our volunteer base, this past year, we welcomed six new board members in addition to two amazing student members, which brings our total board size to 16. It's worth noting that our council was one of the first cultural councils in the state to welcome student members. Their input and perspective has been invaluable to us, especially when assessing proposals that target our middle school and high school students. We're amazed by this talent pool that resides here in Melrose. Bringing aboard these new members has allowed us to update our website, do a lot of digital marketing, publicity, do some community engagement and event management, as well as fundraising. We hope that you consider us as a resource to the city. Additionally, we always welcome you to attend one of our monthly meetings, which occur the second Thursday of every month, where you can see all this work firsthand. I, like Jim, respectfully ask you to consider in passing this appropriation. Thank you.

▶ 23:22 Speaker 5: Thank you very much. I'll welcome our next speaker.

▶ 23:34 Speaker 5: Good evening. Good evening.

▶ 23:47 Speaker 1: My name is Stephanie Nelson, and I am here representing the Melrose Chamber of Commerce. Before I get started, I wanted to ask, we were supposed to be joined by a chamber member, Samantha Riccio, who is a local Melrose resident and a business owner. She was unable to make it tonight but sent her remarks. Am I allowed to share them on her behalf? Yes. Great. My name is Stephanie Nelson, and I'm here with Kristen Thorpe, our chamber board president, and we are here representing the Melrose Chamber of Commerce. As a lifelong resident living in the house that I grew up in, I feel honored to be in this roleWith a background in sales and marketing, I was excited to have an opportunity to sell Melrose. Over the last four years, I've learned how interesting and complex and important the role of a chamber can play in a community. Today, you'll be reviewing a request for free cash put forth by Mayor Jen to support our three longstanding signature community events: the Summer Stroll, the Victorian Fair, and Home for the Holidays. These events bring together residents for connection and community, and instill a sense of pride for the community in which they live, and we're extremely proud of that. This year will be the 13th annual Stroll, the 45th annual Victorian Fair, and while the exact date of the first Home for the Holidays is often debated, it's been happening for well over 30 years. How incredible it is to have community events with such a rich history. As I mentioned, these events bring people together, but they also drive traffic to our downtown. Residents patronize their favorite businesses or perhaps visit a new one. If the Victorian Fair doesn't happen here in Melrose, our businesses will undoubtedly find town fairs in neighboring communities. And I think that's a disservice to them to not be able to showcase their products, their services, their nonprofits right here in our community to thousands of local residents. This appropriation is for the support that the city has historically provided for these events, which are for the DPW, the Melrose Police, and the Melrose Fire. All other costs and all other planning are the responsibility of the chamber. Outside of our community events, the chamber is dedicated to supporting local business and amplifying economic vitality. Imagine a community where every business, from the local coffee shop to the largest employer, has the tools, connections, and advocacy it needs to thrive. That's what we work to create every day at the chamber. We're more than networking events. We're a catalyst for economic growth, a voice for local business at every level, and a connector that brings together entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and community leaders. Over the last four years, we've grown our membership by 50%, from 240 members in 2022 to 360 today. We're one of the largest chambers in the area. We've increased member engagement, we've built partnerships that have brought new investment into our area, and created resources that help businesses adapt and grow. These events are a huge piece of what we do, and we hope to continue to bring them to Melrose. Without this support, the chamber does not have the funding to host all of the events we've held in the past. I personally don't want to envision a Melrose without them, and I think our residents and your constituents don't either. Thank you for inviting us to speak and for your consideration. Now, our local small business owner, Samantha Riccio from Eagle Hill Homes, shares these words. "My name is Samantha Riccio, and I wanted to speak a little bit about how I became a Melrose resident. For the last decade, I lived in Boston and was a broken record about the fact that I would never move. I love the walkability, the sense of community, and the feeling of being part of something. I was convinced you couldn't get that anywhere else. I also own Eagle Hill Homes, a design and build company that services residential homeowners, helping them renovate and build their homes. My business moved to Melrose in March of 2022 from a simple Craigslist search, small office space close to Boston. Within 24 hours, we were moving into 953 Main Street between Gray's and Clark's. We had our small but mighty operation out of that space, commuting back and forth to South Boston every day. And not long after, my husband and I put 106 West Foster Street," Judy Clark's old building, "under agreement and decided to turn it into two condos for sale. Now, it depends on who you ask what the plan was, but the second I walked into the building, I fell in love with it. The character, the original woodwork, the stained glass window, I knew I needed to live there. But now I had to figure out a way to convince my husband and also go back on my there's no way we'll ever leave the city speech that I had given for years. Well, perfectly enough, I was scrolling the Melrose Community Facebook page and saw that Melrose hosted something called Home for the Holidays. I decided that was going to be my soft launch into telling my husband I'd been thinking about moving. So we drove from South Boston on a Saturday morning. It was a mild day. The trolleys were running, kids were running in and out of businesses with their Santa hats on. And I just remember everyone being so nice and friendly. We got a cup of chowder from Turner's, as you do, walked up and down Main Street, watching the kids running around and picturing our future family growing up in a place just like this. After about an hour of exploring, we turned the corner from Main Street onto West Foster and looking right at our project under construction, I said, 'I have a confession to make. I want to move into one of the units. I know it's probably a terrible business decision and also nothing we've ever planned, but I have a feeling we have to live here.' Now to set the scene, I've been with my husband since I was a teenager, almost two decades, and I would have bet everything he would have spiraled into every reason why this wasn't a logical decision. And I kid you not, he turned at me and said, 'I couldn't agree more. This place feels like a Hallmark movie. Let's do it.' We spent the rest of the day popping into local businesses and dreaming about living just steps from downtown, talking about being part of the community, having our business here, raising our family here. And to this day, it's been the best decision we've ever made. We moved in five months later, and then one month later in June, we got the opportunity to move our office to the same corner of Main and West Foster at 484 Main Street. Now our business is lucky enough to participate in all of these events and help other families create that same magical Hallmark movie moment. We look forward to Home for the Holidays every year, along with the Victorian Fair and the Summer Stroll, and everything else that Melrose has to offer. As someone who builds homes for a living, I always say there's a feeling you get deep in your chest when you finally feel that your house is truly a home.And that's what I feel being part of this community, especially when I look around during Home for the Holidays, the Victorian Fair, the Stroll. These events are what make Melrose a home for us. Thank you.

▶ 30:35 Speaker 5: Thank you very much.

▶ 30:43 Speaker 4: A Hallmark movie. That's a hard act to follow.

▶ 30:54 Gail Infurna: Good evening, and it's always nice to be back in these chambers, and tonight for what I feel is a positive order in front of you. I come before you tonight as a Chamber of Commerce board member, as well as a longtime Chamber member. As you are aware, I know firsthand the struggle and work that goes with each of your votes, as I sat in your very seats for 22 years. Tonight, I am here this evening to ask for your support to appropriate $25,000 to the mayor's office budget to cover the various community events that the Chamber of Commerce, along with our city, hold several times each year. And these events are important to the community for several reasons. They bring the community together. Residents have the opportunity to support our local businesses, and our businesses can have the opportunity to share their products or their expertise with the community. When we have thriving businesses throughout our community, as well as fun community events that bring people together, we have a better community in so many ways. And I know you know this, as I'm sure you have all participated in these events. Historically, these monies to cover the police and DPW services for the various events that have been built into the city's budget. Prior to the override, the city could not cover these expenses. With the community support for the override last November, it has better positioned the mayor to continue the tradition of supporting these events for police and DPW services, hence eliminating the appropriation from free cash in future years. Again, I ask for your support in supporting this appropriation so that our wonderful Chamber of Commerce and city can continue providing our community with these events. Thank you.

▶ 32:45 Speaker 5: Thank you, Mayor.

▶ 32:46 Speaker 6: Not a Hallmark movie.

▶ 33:07 Speaker 1: Good evening. My name is Myron Dittmer, and I live at 93 Altamonte Ave in Melrose. And the best decision that my wife and I made was to select Melrose to live in, and besides having three children, of course. I'm president of the Mount Hood Park Association. This is a 55-year-old organization. It's a neighborhood organization, a small one, whose mission is to preserve, protect, and promote the 235 acres of beautiful woodland up at Mount Hood. We call it the green jewel, and it truly is. I'm here to support appropriation number 2026-614, which is a 50,000 appropriation from free cash to Melrose Cultural Council. You may ask, why am I here recommending support for this appropriation? And the simple answer is I have a vested interest in supporting it. My association annually sponsors a number of events up at Mount Hood. They're all free of charge, and we rely on our dues for that. But one of them is a popular July 4th concert at Mount Hood, celebrating our country's independence. We can do this with the assistance of grants from the Melrose Cultural Council, and without them, it would be difficult to continue this annual tradition, which is enjoyed by hundreds of families that come up there each year, July 4th. But perhaps more importantly, the Cultural Council appropriated over $37,000 last year, as Jim noted, affected 17,000 community residents. When you think about it, that's over 50% of our population that's impacted by their efforts, and that's incredible. I can't imagine a more effective way to reach that many residents to promote the arts and similar types of events for the cultural betterment of all residents. This truly meets the standard of money well spent. I ask that you support this appropriation to continue Melrose investment in the cultural enrichment and support of the arts and cultural development of the residents, too. I noticed there was another appropriation, it was mentioned earlier, for free cash, $25,000, the mayor's office to support the chamber and city events. And that's another one I support because, obviously the chamber puts on many events, but two of the most important ones that involves pretty much the whole city is the Victorian Fair in September, which is absolutely a fantastic event. Brings in just about everybody that's in the city, to promote what we have to offer here in Melrose. It's the best way to bring new residents in to see what this is all about, why do we all love to live here, and that's an example of it. The other event is the Home for the Holidays, and that's another special event. That's a kickoff for the holidays in December. A wonderful event, and again, brings in all the businesses and all the efforts that we like to showcase here in Melrose for the benefit of the community. So those two events I totally support. Thank you for your time and attention.

▶ 36:20 Speaker 5: Thank you, Mr. Dittmer.

▶ 36:48 Speaker 2: Hello. Hello. My name is Oren Santillo, and I am a student member of the Melrose Cultural Council. I'm also a senior at Melrose High School, a musician myself, and the director of Melrose Jazz Fest since 2024. I'll start by talking about Melrose Jazz Fest a little bit. It's been a really, really successful event since I started it. In 2024, last year, 2025, we had over 300 people show up to that event with five-hour festival, five bands. It was a really, really incredible event supporting a lot of local musicians, many from Melrose, like Joe Mulholland and his band, and Galen Willett and his band, both residents. It also supported local vendors, including La Cabaña, the food truck, La Cabaña, and Green Street Grooves Records, which sold records at the event, as well as a lot of other businesses around who I know the attendees of the festival were going to those businesses and those restaurants as well. So the Jazz Fest received over $3,000 in grant from the Cultural Council in 2025 and 2026, so for our upcoming festival, which is May 3rd. And I really don't think it would've been possible for me to run this event without that $3,000. That's not money that I can really get somewhere else. There aren't sponsors that have that sort of money to give. There aren't these smaller local grants. The Rotary Club is a great granting organization as well. It doesn't have that kind of money, it doesn't have that kind of opportunity. But the Melrose Cultural Council does, and I think it's really, really important that there is a local organization that has that sort of money. And so without that, the Jazz Fest would just not happen. I don't think I would've been inspired to attempt to try to find the money for it, if I didn't know that there was an organization that had some serious money that could throw at the arts like this and make it a successful event like it has been. And as the event grows, and as other similar events start to pop up because of this funding opportunity, I just think that if that funding wasn't continued, that level of funding, I really don't think it would be possible in the future to continue Jazz Fest to the level that it's running at now and other similar events. Additionally, I found that the other sponsors and grants that I was able to receive for the Jazz Fest were helped a lot by the fact that I had received a Cultural Council grant. It kind of acts as like a magnet for other forms of funding because when a different grant hears that you got the support of the Cultural Council, that's like a little check of validation under your name, can really help you out. It also helped me get many sponsors as well. So that was super helpful. I want to keep this brief. All the other points from the other commenters I think are very important as well, and I think it's very important, this appropriation to the Cultural Council is very important. I would like to now read a message from Chris Rodilico of Folly Art Community Studios, who was not able to be here because she's running a wonderful event at Folly Art right now. So, I will read her statement now. "Folly Art has been fortunate to receive a grant annually from the local Cultural Council to support various free and low-cost creative community events like Chalk Walk, storytelling collaborations with Stellar Story Corps, and a workshop series in collaboration with the Melrose Farmers Market for 2026. In each instance, our goal is to use public funds to find new ways to provide accessible creative experiences that are open to everyone. Allocating an additional 50,000 to local Cultural Council is game-changing for arts and culture in Melrose. Resources that support local creatives are very limited, and grant writing is often hard work. Independent creatives often do that work not knowing if it will lead to funding for their talent and effort, and with limited resources, deserving projects are left unfunded. Additional funds open up more avenues for local artists and event producers to not only provide the community with cultural experiences, but also to be paid for their work, which in turn feeds the local economy. Folly Art is committed to being a resource for creatives in Melrose, providing space use, collaboration for community events, and mentoring for young creatives who are just launching their projects, some of whom hope to submit their own grants this year. Additional grant awards benefit the city as a whole, and we are excited about the opportunities that would come to the arts and culture sector of the community as a result." Thank you.

▶ 41:47 Devin Romanul: Thank you very much. Thank you for Jazz Fest.

▶ 41:54 Devin Romanul: Any other members of the community wish to speak on any item on our appropriations agenda?

▶ 41:59 Speaker 5: All right. Thank you, sir.

▶ 42:15 Speaker 5: Good evening. I'm going to break it up a little. My name is Robert Driscoll. I reside at 33 Thurston Road here in Melrose. I'm a retired Melrose firefighter, a retired Air Force colonel with 38 years of military service, and the chairman of the Melrose Veterans Advisory Board since 2005 Thank you for the opportunity to state my support for the Veterans Work Off program here in the city of Melrose. A little history on this program, it goes back many years ago when I and other members of the Melrose veterans community came before the Board of Aldermen to support and stand up this program. And from what I understand, we fell a bit short on proper language, and the local ordinance, as adopted, is that it was in conflict with the state law for the Veterans Write Off program. So here we are again before you tonight to correct this and restart this important initiative. We are all aware that today in the United States, as well as in the Commonwealth and in our own city, many of our neighbors struggle to pay their bills. Affordability is a major challenge. This program, mirrored off the Senior Citizen Work Off program, will help veterans of any age who own property in our city the opportunity to work off a portion of their real estate taxes. It could mean the difference between paying their taxes or paying for medication or food. I hope you'll support this program and help the veterans in our community remain in our community. Thank you. Thank you very much.

▶ 44:00 Speaker 5: Good evening. Good evening.

▶ 44:21 Speaker 5: Good evening, Mr. President, members of the council. My name's Michael Buggy. I'm the commander of American Legion Post 90 here in Melrose. I'm a Marine Corps veteran. I'm here tonight to speak in strong support of the Veterans Tax Work Off program. This program has proven its value for many years. It allows veterans to remain active, engaged in our community, while providing meaningful financial relief. At the same time, the city benefits from their experience, work ethic, and dedication. It's a true win-win for the veterans of Melrose and Melrose itself. I urge you to vote in favor of preserving this order. At its core, it is about more than finances. It's about honoring the men and women who served our nation in a real, tangible way. Melrose has always been a community that stands behind its veterans. This program is one of the ways we prove that commitment. I respectfully ask you to keep this program in place for the veterans who rely on it and for the continued strength of our community. Thank you for your time. Thank you, sir.

▶ 45:39 Devin Romanul: Did any other committee-- Excuse me. Members of our audience care to testify today for the Appropriations Committee? Do we have anybody online? No one online. All right. In that case, I will motion by unanimous consent to close public comment. Seeing none, public comment is now closed. Before we move on to our agenda, I'll just note for members of the audience, we have a full city council meeting starting at 7:45. We're legally obligated to start that on time, as well as have public hearing shortly thereafter. So the choreography of this will be, we'll do some of this work, we'll move out to public-- Excuse me, for the full council meeting, and then we'll gavel back into Appropriations to deal with our agenda. All right. Unless we go at lightning speed. So first up on our agenda is ID number 2026-612, an appropriation from free cash in the amount of $20,020 to the Elections Department, 162, for upgrades to poll pads and printers. Joining us is City Clerk Zaffini. Thank you so much.