Public Comment

Transcript (~8 min @ 1:36)

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

▶ 1:36 Jen Grigoraitis: those minutes have been approved. I'll now motion by unanimous consent to open public comment. This is the portion of our meeting where any member of the public can speak to any item on our agenda. Seeing no objection, public comment is now open. Is there anyone wishing to speak head on up,

▶ 1:59 Speaker 5: No. Sign in. Just say your name for the record. Excellent.

▶ 2:01 Speaker 6: All right. Uh, my name is Michelle Carson. I live in Linwood. Um, thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. Let me start by saying I'm really impressed with the attention to detail and forethought that the Public Safety Building Committee put into their recommendations. We're really fortunate to have these volunteers along with our public safety professionals who put so much time and energy into this project proposal. I am here as a concerned resident and also as the daughter of a retired firefighter. I have witnessed firsthand the unwavering commitment of brave fire personnel and the significance of their stations to them, which serve as their home away from home. Tonight, I ask you to consider the full Public Safety Building Plan as proposed by the committee. I ask you to include the urgently needed improvements at Engine three, not just for the sake of creating a healthier work and living environment, but also for the greater benefit of our entire community. It's evident that Engine three requires a rebuild to ensure the wellbeing of our fire personnel, but that is only part of the equation. There are limitations posed by the size and historic designation of Central Fire. Engines two and three are vital for providing the necessary space for both personnel and equipment that are fire department urgently requires neglecting these improvements now will only lead to more significant expenses down the line and will continue to put the health of our engine three firefighters at risk Using,

▶ 3:31 Speaker 6: Using the average home value that has been referenced throughout these discussions. It's my understanding that the full plan recommended by the committee would cost $20 per month, give or take more per household than the plan proposed by the mayor that he's asking to have on the ballot. While the overall investment is large, for sure, $20 a month more is a small investment when compared to the invaluable safety and security of the full plan promises. As a resident who has long awaited these necessary changes, I commend the mayor for recommending this for a November ballot. However, I respectfully urge the council and the mayor to collaborate and revise the plan proposed by the mayor to encompass the critical investments desperately needed at Engine three. This isn't the first administration to recognize the importance of public safety as a generational investment. It's the second committee, I believe, to highlight this critical matter and make a recommendation. The time for action is now. We owe it to our firefighters and police, our community, and the generations to come to take a bold stance on this issue. Thank you.

▶ 4:37 Jen Grigoraitis: Thank you. Do we have anyone else in the audience? Please come forward.

▶ 4:45 Speaker 3: Hi, my name is Eugene Walsh and I am Eugene Gibbons mother. So I should say that because she worked on the, uh, public safety committee very hard for the last. I've seen her working on that with the other members. I am saying everything that Michelle just said, she said it for me. But I would like to add a personal, um, context to it.

▶ 5:11 Speaker 3: I live in elderly housing on West Holster Street. The police and the fire come to our building frequently. Well, the fire department a lot. The police not so much, but three, four times a day, sometimes the ambulance and the fire truck will pull up there. So we really rely upon those services. I realize that that 130 million sounds like a lot right now, but like everything Michelle said, it's $20 more a month. I realize as a senior citizen, I'm not paying property taxes, but P B D management and other elderly people who own the building elderly services, who own the building do pay those taxes. And I don't know what's been done to involve them in the process, but I think that they should be willing to pay taxes. That would amount to that much more if that's what it came down to. The other aspect I wanted to share is that I came here because many years ago I was involved in community organization and advocacy and civil rights and all that kind of stuff. And I see this as a community, organizational critical matter. Public safety with the fire department and the police is very important and I know you all know that. And with respect to the mayor, with respect to all of you, I just wish that you would reconsider and go for the full amount because it's gonna cost more later on down the road. When we look at what's going on globally with the environment, with the water, with the electricity, with the communication systems, not to mention the fires and the floods, it becomes really obvious that we need to start attacking this stuff. Not just because of climate change, but because it's actually happening. So I'm kind of nervous and I hope I made sense, but I just came to put in my 2 cents worth. Thank you.

▶ 7:02 Speaker 5: Thank you. Mr. Clerk, do we have anyone online?

▶ 7:04 Speaker 7: There are a Few attendees. If I could just, yep. Mm-hmm. If you're here for a

▶ 7:08 Speaker 5: Oh, sure.

▶ 7:11 Paul Brodeur: I'll be super brief. 'cause you all have a bunch of paperwork, um, that has been submitted, uh, regrettably somewhat in, in, in my absence, uh, that it's good to be back. And it's good to see all of you here. Um, I appreciate the comments and I think you know that my concern is about fitting this into a greater matrix of needs, uh, for the, for the community with some other capital needs coming up. Um, I very much appreciate the comments and I am a especially mindful of the, uh, the service of firefighters, given that, um, my uncle, if I have the relationship right, died in a fire as he's a firefighter and gardener. And my cousin served as a captain in Tewksbury and my uncle Dick was on the job, uh, his whole career in Everett. So I think I get it though. There's, you can't really step into the show shoes of the folks that do the job to be sure. I guess what I would ask is, we have this, uh, as we have this debate, as we have this conversation, uh, I know you all take it very seriously. I guess I would ask that you avoid the temptation to, um, take an action with this idea that, well, it's really up to the voters to decide. I hope you'll vote for at the end of your deliberations, whatever, whatever you, you know, whatever you land on. I hope it's something that you will support vocally in the community that you will advocate for, uh, amongst your friends and your neighbors. If you ha if you happen to be running for reelection, make it part of the, part of the, make it part of the campaign. 'cause as you'll recall from my state of the city addressed, there is no more credit. It's not the only need by any stretch, but it is the number one need of the city is addressing, uh, the fundamental inefficiencies or failures, uh, within that, within, within those buildings. I obviously have recommended, uh, more what I think is the most prudent way to go and the most arguably, uh, cautious way to go. Uh, I'm proud to say though, I do think many administrations have, uh, been very concerned about this. This is the administration that has actually filed something to potentially go before the voters. Um, and now it's in your capable hands. And I look forward to the deliberations and obviously, uh, the administration is here to answer along the way. Any questions you may have that are within our purview.

▶ 9:52 Speaker 5: Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Do we have anyone online?

▶ 9:55 Speaker 8: If you're here for, uh, public comment, please raise your digital hands.

▶ 10:03 Speaker 9: No. Okay. At this time I'll motion by unanimous consent to close public comment.