Appropriations & Oversight Committee — 2026-03-02
Attendance
Jason Chen ; Cal Finocchiaro ; Bradley Freeman ; Maya Jamaleddine ; Manjula Karamcheti ; Elizabeth Kowal ; John Obremski ; Christopher Park ; Kimberly Vandiver ; Ryan Williams
Agenda
Minutes
Appropriations & Oversight Committee Monday, March 2, 2026, 7:20 PM City Council Chamber, 1st Floor 562 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176 MINUTES I. CALL TO ORDER Kimberly Vandiver Vice Chair Jason Chen Cal Finocchiaro Maya Jamaleddine Manjula Karamcheti Elizabeth Kowal John Obremski Christopher Park Ryan Williams William Bradley Freeman President, Ex Officio Devin Romanul Chair Meeting was called to order by Chair Romanul at 7:20 PM. Councilor Jamaleddine attended remotely. Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Kim Vandiver Vice Chair Present Jason Chen At-Large Present Cal Finocchiaro Ward 6 Present Maya Jamaleddine At-Large Present Remote Manjula Karamcheti Ward 1 Present Elizabeth Kowal At-Large Present John Obremski Ward 2 Present 7:22 PM Christopher Park Ward 3 Present Ryan Williams At-Large Present William Bradley Freeman President, Ex Officio Present Member Devin Romanul Chair Present II. MINUTES APPROVAL Appropriations & Oversight Committee Meeting February 26, 2026 7:15 PM 1 Motion to Approve the minutes without reading made by Chair Romanul Seconded by Councilor Vandiver All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS] 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 III. PUBLIC COMMENT When: Mar 2, 2026 07:20 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Topic: Appropriations & Oversight Committee Meeting Join from PC, Mac, iPad, or Android: https://cityofmelrose-org.zoom.us/j/97269189204?pwd=g8ebdHsZH4u02g5ba21pTkjqcl4Gbb.1 Passcode:414299 Webinar ID: 972 6918 9204 Motion to Open public comment made by Councilor Karamcheti at 7:20 PM Seconded by Councilor Vandiver All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] 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 There were no comments on the floor or via Zoom Motion to Close public comment made by Councilor Williams at 7:22 PM Seconded by Councilor Finocchiaro All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] 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 IV. GRANTS
A. (ID # 2026-455): Acceptance of EOEEA Cooling Corridors Grant for $48,000 Motion to Recommend made by Councilor Williams Seconded by Councilor Karamcheti All were in favor and motion passed 2 RESULTS: PASSED [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 they will exceed the allotted money and no, they will not overspend. They will adjust the number of trees planted higher or lower to match the funding. She asked what is a heat island. It is spots that have less greenery and trees, typically with more pavement, that reflect or throw extra heat. Planting trees alleviates the heat island effect. -Councilor Williams asked how this plan interacts with the existing tree planting city program. These trees are supplemental and are totally different from the trees on the city planting plan. This grant requires photos of arborists actually planting the trees and the data is included in the GIS internal system. -Councilor Vandiver raised concerns about the concentration of trees in Ward 1 and suggested redistributing some to Ward 5, particularly along walking routes on Washington and Pleasant streets. The administration agreed to review the distribution and potentially adjust the tree planting locations while maintaining requirements for hot spots and environmental justice areas. -Councilor Karamcheti asked how the hot spot locations are determined. Hot spots identified by MassGIS determined where trees would be planted, with the project focusing on the west half of Melrose where most hot spots are located. Due diligence was done in determining this.
B. (ID # 2026-477): Acceptance of the BSAS MassCALL3B Grant by the Health & Human Services Department Motion to Recommend made by Councilor Williams Seconded by Councilor Karamcheti All were in favor and motion passed. RESULTS: PASSED [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 commented on the youth program at the high school. The Youth Action Team program focuses on grade 8 through high school to develop leadership skills and to prevent substance abuse. She asked if this money could be used for speakers. They have been discussing what is most impactful to the students. -Councilor Karamcheti asked if they have measured the impact of these types of programs and initiatives. They conduct a youth behavior survey every 2 years which focuses on substance abuse and mental health. Results from this show that Melrose is trending in the right direction. The police department is a good partner with their compliance checks of no sales to minors. 3 V. ADJOURNMENT Motion to Adjourn made by Councilor Karamcheti at 7:43 PM Seconded by Councilor Finocchiaro All were in favor and meeting was adjourned RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] 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 4 DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS Administration–Engineering–Water–Sewer–Facilities Parks–Forestry–Highway–Sanitation–Cemetery–Fleet CITY OF MELROSE Jay Coy, P.E., PMP City Hall, 562 Main Street Acting City Engineer Melrose, Massachusetts 02176 MEMORANDUM Telephone – (781) 979-4172 E-mail: jcoy@cityofmelrose.org To: Mayor Jennifer Grigoraitis Melrose City Council From: Jay Coy, Acting City Engineer cc: Kerriann Golden, CFO/Auditor Lauren Grymek, Chief of Staff Elena Proakis Ellis, Director of Public Works James Troup, Deputy DPW Director – Administration & Finance Date: February 10, 2026 Re: Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Cooling Corridors Grant Acceptance We are requesting City Council acceptance of a grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) through their Cooling Corridors program. The $48,000 allocated to Melrose from this grant will flow from EEA through the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA), to the City of Melrose. This project, in partnership with MyRWA, enables the city to plant and maintain new trees to reduce the urban heat island effect in the hottest neighborhoods of our city. The City of Melrose is committed to establishing a healthy and diverse urban tree canopy to benefit all of our residents. This project will help achieve that goal by planting and maintaining trees in areas currently lacking canopy coverage. These new plantings will enhance neighborhood aesthetics, improve air quality, and promote public health across the city. In addition, this project will support Melrose’s climate resilience strategy by targeting urban heat island hot spots in neighborhoods disproportionately affected by rising temperatures. Strategic tree planting in these areas will help lower surface temperatures, reduce cooling-related energy demands, and advance environmental equity by prioritizing underserved communities. The City will complete installation of trees under this grant by June 30, 2026 using our on-call tree planting contractor. There is no cost match requirement for the grant, and expenses for this project will be reimbursed by MyRWA via the EEA Grant in the amount of $48,000. We hereby request the City Council’s acceptance of $48,000 from this EEA Cooling Corridors grant allocated to the City of Melrose, passing through MyRWA. The grant Memorandum of Understanding with MyWRA is attached for your reference. The funds will be expended from a dedicated project account set up by the CFO/Auditor and reimbursed by EEA via MyRWA as funds are expended. Thank you for your consideration of this request. 1 January 22, 2026 City of Melrose 562 Main Street Melrose, MA 02176 ATTN: Ja y Co y Re: Cool Corridors FY26-27 Grant Award To whomever it may concern: I am pleased to inform you that the Mystic River Watershed Association (“MyRWA”) h a s awarded a grant of $48,000 to th e City o f Me lrose . These funds are designated for tree planting and watering as per the grant planting plan. The enclosed Grant Agreement describes the terms and conditions of this grant. Please review this document carefully, sign and return to us as soon as possible. Please also a tta ch a W9 from your organ iza tion if th e Mystic River Watersh ed Association does not already have your tax documentation on-file. We recommend keeping a copy of the grant agreement for your records. If you have any questions regarding the purpose, terms, conditions, reporting requirements, paym ent, or timing of this grant, do not hesitate to contact our Pro je ct Manager, Karina Ramos at karina.ramos@mysticriver.org. We are delighted to collaborate on this important project, and we look forward to celebrating its progress. Sin ce re ly, Pa trick He rron , Exe cu tive Dire cto r MysticRiver.org | 23 Maple Street | Arlington, MA 02476-6401 | (781) 316-3438 2 GRAN T AGREEMEN T Grant Awardee: City o f Me lro se Grant Name: Cool Corridors FY26-27 Grant Award Grant Purpose: Tree planting and watering maintenance Grant Amount: $48,000 (Attachment D) Grant Expiration Date: Trees to be planted by June 2026 and watering through June 2027 Grant Source: Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and En viro n m e n t a l Affa ir s (EEA) This agreement (the “Grant Agreement”) contains the terms and conditions of the subaward to the Grant Awardee from the Grant Source to the Mystic River Watershed Association. This subaward is for achievement of the Grant Purpose. If you wish to accept the terms and conditions, please sign the Grant Agreement below. We anticipate that this grant will be paid on the following schedule: Scheduled Date: Payable in a lump sum upon completion of the Grant Purpose, by June 30, 2026. The following outlines the City of Melrose’ required contingencies to be eligible for reimbursement from the Mystic River Watershed Association, as per the Conditions of Aw a r d (At t a ch m e n t A) fr o m t h e Gr a n t So u rce (EEA): 1. Plant 61 trees in EJ neighborhoods/ hotspots, per the approved planting plan and species list by June 30th, 2026 (At t a ch m e n t C). 2. Ad h e re to DCR’s Spe cifica tion s for Tre e Plan tin g a n d Ca re gu id e (Attachment A & B). 3. Submit photos of a Massachusetts Certified Arborist (MCA) or International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist providing on-site su pe rvision o f tre e p la n tin g work performed. 4. After planting is complete, provide tree location data as either a shapefile or Esri file geodatabase with the following attributes included: a. Tre e spe cie s (varie ty/cu ltiva r if a p p lica b le ) b. Date planted c. Street name or nearest building address d. Indicate private or public property 5. Provide tree watering log including trees watered, dates, and associated labor costs of tree planting through June 30th, 2027. MyRWA’s re sp on sib ilitie s: 1. Project and financial management of deliverables. 3 2. A list of tree species and locations provided to EEA Tree Planting Manager before any trees are planted or purchased. 3. Aggregate all reimbursement documentation and submit at the end of FY 26 and 27. 4. Complete and submit required quarterly and final reports. Ta x-Exe m p t io n : [The Grant Awardee is a municipal subdivision of the Commonwealth and use of the funds will be consistent with the public sector/non- profit purpose of the grant.] Use of Grant Funds (the “Grant Purpose”): Attachment C is referred to as the Grant Purpose. Under United States law, the Mystic River Watershed Association’s grant funds, and any in co m e e a rn e d on th e fu n ds, m a y b e on ly u se d fo r ch a rita b le , re ligio u s, scie n tific, lite rary or educational purposes. Consistent with the foregoing, grant funds can only be used for the Grant Purpose. Documentation of use of funds is needed. Grant funds may not be used to carry on propaganda or otherwise attempt to influence the outcome of any election for public office or to carry on, directly or indirectly, any voter registration drives. This grant is not earmarked for lobbying activity or influencing legislation within the meaning of Section 4945(e) of the Code and the accompanying Treasury Regulations, and the Mystic River Watershed Association and the Grant Awardee have made no agreement, oral or written, to that effect. You confirm that you are familiar with the U.S. Executive Orders and laws prohibiting the provision of resources and support to individuals and organizations associated with terrorism and the terrorist-related lists promulgated by the U.S. government. You will u se reasonable efforts to ensure that you do not support or promote terrorist activity, related training or money laundering. You hereby certify that no goods or services were provided to the Mystic River Watershed Association in exchange for or in consideration of this grant. Grant Modifications, No-Cost Extensions and Unexpended Grant Funds: Requests for substantive changes to the scope/purpose of the grant must be submitted in advance for approval from the Mystic River Watershed Association. To request a grant modification, please contact the MyRWA representative named in the Cover Letter to the Grant Agreement. Gran t m o d ifica tion s m a y be m a de a t th e d iscre tion o f th e Mystic Rive r Watershed Association staff. If additional time past the Grant Expiration Date is needed to complete the work, you can request a no-cost extension. To request a no-cost extension, the MyRWA representative 4 named in the Cover Letter to the Grant Agreement. No-cost extensions may be granted only at the discretion of the Mystic River Watershed Association staff. Mystic River Watershed Association maintains the right to retain unexpended grant funds that are no longer needed by the Grant Awardee to achieve the Grant Purpose. If the Grant Awardee foresees this occurring, please submit a written request to the MyRWA representative named in the Cover Letter to the Grant Agreement identifying an appropriate grant disbursement amount to achieve the Grant Purpose. Termination and Return of Grant Funds to the Mystic River Watershed Association: The Mystic River Watershed Association has the right at its discretion to terminate or suspend the grant or withhold payment if (a) it is necessary to comply with any requirements of the law, (b) the Grant Awardee fails to comply with any of the terms or conditions of this Grant Agreement, or (c) Grant Awardee has substantially failed to progress in a manner consistent with the timelines for achieving the Grant Purpose, has used the funds for a purpose other than the Grant Purpose, or otherwise breached the terms and conditions of the grant. The Grant Awardee is also required to immediately repay the Mystic River Watershed Association any portion of the grant funds that are not used for the purpose of the grant. Miscellaneous: Liability Relea se You agree to release and the Mystic River Watershed Association from and against any and a ll lia b ility, lo ss, a n d e xp e n se (in clu d in g re a son a b le a ttorn e y’s fe e s an d e xp e n se s) o r cla im s for injury or damages arising out of or resulting from, or that are alleged to arise out of or result from, the actions or omissions by you or any of your directors, officers, agents, volunteers, employees, subgrantees, contractors or subcontractors with respect to the grant. You agree that any activities by the Mystic River Watershed Association in connection with the grant, such as its review or proposal of suggested modifications to the grant, will not modify or waive the Mystic River Watershed Association’s rights under this paragraph. Th is p ara gra ph sh a ll su rvive th e te rm ination of the Grant Agreement. Entire Agreement: Severability and Amendment This Grant Agreement is our entire agreement and supersedes any prior oral or written agreements or communications by the Mystic River Watershed Association or by you regarding its subject matter. The provisions of this Grant Agreement are severable so that if a n y p ro vision is fou n d to b e in va lid , ille ga l or u n e n force a b le , or an y pro vision is re vise d or amended and approved by the Mystic River Watershed Association, such finding, revision or amendment shall not affect the validity, construction or enforceability o f an y re m a in in g provisions. This Grant Agreement may be amended only by a mutual written agreement of the parties. 5 Assignment This Grant Agreement or any of the rights or obligations under this Grant Agreement may not be assigned without the Mystic River Watershed Association’s prior written consent. An assignment includes (a) any transfer of the grant, (b) an assignment by operatio n o f la w, in clu d in g a m e rge r o r co n so lid a tion , o r (c) th e sa le or tran sfe r o f a ll or su b sta n tia lly a ll o f your assets. Leadership Transition You are responsible for notifying the Mystic River Watershed Association if or when there is a transition of the Leader and/or Primary Contact within the organization. Please send the new contact information to the Operations Manager named in the Cover Letter to the Grant Agreement. Counterparts This Grant Agreement, including any amendments, may be executed in counterparts which, when taken together, will constitute one Grant Agreement. Faxed or emailed copies of this Gran t Agre e m e n t will be a s e q u a lly b in d in g a s o rigin a ls. CERTIFICATION: The following individual, certified to be a responsible officer of the named organization, accepts and agrees to the foregoing terms of this Agreement by signing and returning it. By sign in g e le ctron ica lly, th is p e rson a ckn o wle d ge s th a t th e ir e le ctron ic sign a tu re will se rve a s and have the same legal effect as an actual signature of the document. /Name2/ /Title2/ City of Melrose Mystic Rive r Wate rsh e d Associa tion x_____________________________________ x_____________________________________ Ja y Co y Patrick Herron City Engineer Executive Director Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Cooling Corridors Grant Program FY 26-27 Grant Application City of Melrose The City of Melrose is proposing to plant 61 trees on the proposed streets in Table 2 and Figure 4. New plantings are centralized in and around the ‘hotspots’ as identified through MassGIS data and Environmental Justice populations, as shown in Figure 5. The species list as shown in Table 3 has been approved by the Melrose Director of Public Works. Figure 6 illustrates the high pedestrian traffic areas—near walking routes to neighborhood assets (e.g. bus stops, schools, daycare centers). Table 2: Approved Proposed Street and Park Plantings in Melrose, MA. Total Quantity Ward Street Number Street Name Overhead Wires 3 3 1-2 8 Ashland St Yes 4 1 3-2 13 Circuit St Yes 6 2 3-2 73 Cottage St No 7 1 4-1 96-98 Emerson West St Yes 8 1 4-1 104 Emerson West St Yes 10 2 4-1 108-114 Emerson West St Yes 11 1 6-1 11-15 Foster West St Yes 12 1 6-1 166 Foster West St Yes 13 1 1-2 25-27 Greenwood Rd No 14 1 1-2 33 Greenwood Rd Yes 16 2 6-1 - Grove St No 19 3 6-1 9 Herbert St Yes 22 3 3-2 13 Hurd St No Yes on Upham 28 6 4-1 561 &585 Main St No on Main St 30 2 6-1 403-407 Main St No 40 10 7-1 - Main St No 41 1 4-1 590 Main St No 42 1 6-1 49 Myrtle St Yes 44 2 6-1 40 Myrtle St Yes 46 2 5-1 515 Pleasant St Yes 49 3 1-2 129 Tremont St Yes 50 1 4-1 3 Vine St Yes 51 1 4-1 13-15 Vine St No 52 1 5-1 2 Washington St Yes 53 1 6-1 27 Willow St Yes 1 Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Cooling Corridors Grant Program FY 26-27 Grant Application 54 1 3-2 85 Wyoming West Av Yes 55 1 3-2 80 Wyoming West Av No 56 1 3-2 89 Wyoming West Av Yes 59 3 3-2 56 Wyoming West Av No 61 2 1-2 350 Lynn Fells Pkwy No Figure 4. Tree Planting Locations in Melrose, MA. Locations are of proposed plantings from Table 2. 2 Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Cooling Corridors Grant Program FY 26-27 Grant Application Table 3: Approved species list for the proposed tree plantings from the City of Melrose, species selection will be determined with "right tree right place”. Scientific Name Common Name Acer rubrum October Glory Red Maple Prunus cerasifera ‘Thundercloud’ Thundercloud Purpleleaf Plum (underwire) Syringa reticulata ‘Ivory Silk’ Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac (underwire) Malus ‘Spring Snow’ Spring Snow Flowering Crab (underwire) Gleditsia tricanthos var. inermis 'Shademaster' Thornless Honeylocust Tilia Cordata ‘Small-leaved Linden’ Littleleaf Linden Cornus Kousa Kousa Dogwood Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’ Kwanzan Cherry Prunus x yedoensis 'Akebono' Yoshino Cherry (underwire) Cercis Canadensis Eastern Redbud (underwire) Styphnolobium japonicum Japanese Pagoda Tree Amalanchier Sanguinea Round Leaf Serviceberry (underwire) Figure 5. Hotspots and Environmental Justice Populations in Melrose. Proposed planting locations (green pins) in “hotspots” (left) and environmental justice communities (right). Data: MassGIS MA 2020 EJ Populations map viewer: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massgis-data-2020-environmental-justice-populations#downloads- Hot Spots map viewer: https://mass-eoeea.maps.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?layers=6ef24687f7bf443085e22a1b65017354 3 Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Cooling Corridors Grant Program FY 26-27 Grant Application Figure 6. Tree Locations and Walking Routes. Locations of planted trees (blue dashed boxes) in Melrose are within walking routes to schools, MBTA stops, etc. 4 MEMO To: Melrose City Council From: Anthony Chui, Health and Human Services Director Date: 02/12/2026 Subject: BSAS MassCALL3B Grant Subaward The City of Medford, serving as the lead municipality and fiscal agent for the BSAS MassCALL3B grant, is subcontracting with Mystic Valley Public Health Coalition communities to support regional substance use prevention initiatives. Through this partnership, the City of Melrose has been awarded $7,750 for Fiscal Year 2026 to implement evidence-based prevention and youth development strategies. At least 70% of the funds awarded will support direct prevention strategies. These may include Responsible Beverage Service training for alcohol servers and retailers, coordination of alcohol compliance checks with the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission and Melrose Police Department, implementation of restorative practices training for school and community partners, and participation in a regional social norms marketing campaign focused on reducing youth substance use and promoting positive community health behaviors. Up to 30% of the funds may be used for capacity-building activities that strengthen local prevention infrastructure. Eligible activities include racial equity and inclusion initiatives, Mental Health First Aid training, youth leadership and positive youth development programming, trauma-informed service training, and development of health education materials for youth and adults. Melrose is required to submit quarterly activity reports and invoices documenting expenditure, program outputs, and progress toward goals. Payments are provided on a reimbursement basis following approval by the City of Medford. The City must maintain program and fiscal records for at least three years for audit and compliance purposes. This funding supports Melrose’s ongoing efforts to reduce youth substance use, strengthen prevention capacity, and promote long-term community health outcomes.
Transcript
▶ 10:52 Devin Romanul: Freeman. Um, I will also mention that, uh, Counselor, uh, excuse me, Counselor Jamaludin is joining us remotely, so all of our, uh, votes this evening will be done by roll call per the city counselor's rules. All right, um, this serves as a notice of quorum for the record. In accordance with the open meeting law, this meeting is being recorded and broadcast live on MMTV. Um, I will now entertain a motion to open the floor for public comment. So moved. Second. Uh, motion to open the floor for public comment made by Counselor Karemchedi, seconded by Counselor Finocchiaro. Um, Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Yes. Vice Chair Vandiver? Yes. Counselor Chen? Yes. Counselor Finocchiaro?
▶ 11:40 Devin Romanul: Yes. Counselor Jamaludin? Yes. Counselor Karemchedi? Yes. Counselor Cowell? Yes. Counselor Bramski's not here. Counselor Park? Present. Counselor Williams? Here. President Freeman? Here. Chair Romanul? Here. That motion passes. All right, terrific. Well, the floor is now open for public comment. Uh, do we have any, uh, anybody here in attendance to comment?Do we have anybody online? No one online. All right. Well, seeing as there's no one here and there's nobody online, I will now entertain a motion to close public comment. So moved. Second. Motion made by Counselor Williams, seconded by Counselor Finocchiaro. Uh, Madam Clerk, will you please call the role? Yes. Vice Chair Vanderberg? Yes. Counselor Chen?
▶ 12:30 Devin Romanul: Yes. Counselor Finocchiaro? Yes. Counselor Jamaldine? Yes. Counselor Karemschedi? Yes. Counselor Cowell? Yes. Counselor Obr- Counselor Park? Present. Counselor Williams? Yes. President Ex Oficio Freeman? Yes. Chair Romanul? Yes. Motion passes. Terrific. Motion passes. Thank you so much. And we're also joined by Counselor Obromski. Good evening. Good evening. Um, uh, at this time I will entertain a motion to, uh, approve the minutes from our most recent meeting on February 26th. Oh, Chair Romanul, so moved. Oh, my God. Second. Object to the volume, but, uh, motion made by Counselor Williams. Second. Seconded by Counselor Vanderberg. Madam Clerk, will you please call the role? Yes. Vice Chair Vanderberg?
▶ 13:19 Devin Romanul: Yes. Counselor Chen? Yes. Counselor Finocchiaro? Yes. Counselor Jamaldine? Yes. Counselor Karemschedi? Yes. Counselor Cowell? Yes. Counselor Obromski? Yes. Counselor Park? Yes. Counselor Williams? Yes. President Ex Oficio Freeman? Yes. Chair Romanul? Yes. And that motion passes. All right, the motion passes. The minutes are approved. Thank you so much, everybody. Uh, moving on to our first agenda item this evening is grant ID number 2026-455, acceptance of EOEEA Cooling Corridors Grant for $48,000. Joining us this evening, uh, is Mr. Jake Hoy from the administration. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Um, good evening, council. Um, I'm here to, um, talk about a, uh, Cooling Quarter Cor- Corridors Grant that we, um, got in the amount of
▶ 14:06 $48,000 and partnered with Mystic River Watershed Association and, um, Medford. Um, Medford got the remaining amount of the grant, which I th- I think was up to 96,000 was the total grant. Um, we got it for, from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, um, to plant 61 trees in, um, in heat island hotspots throughout, um, Melrose. Um, so that will be happening, um, this year. We have to plant the trees, um, before the end of June. Um, so, uh, there's no cash match. Um, basically we'll, um, pay our on-call contractor to plant the trees and to maintain them, um, water them, and we will get reimbursed through Mystic River Watershed Association by, via the grant. Um, Mystic River is the fiscal, um,
▶ 14:56 agent, so, um, we did not get the grant through Melrose. They, Mystic River did. Um, but we will be reimbursed for this work. Terrific. Um, first up I have Counselor Finocchiaro. Thank you, um, Chair Romanul. Um, thank you for being here. Of course. Um, so I have two questions. One, do you foresee it exceeding $48,000, the, the work? Um, no. So if 41-- 8,000 is the max that we can do, so if we have to plant less trees based on the, the cost, um, we did take a pretty conservative estimate, so we might even be able to plant more trees. Um, but it won't exceed 48,000. Great. And I am not aware of what... Uh, just call it a heat island? A heat island, yeah. So, um, throughout Massachusetts, um, basically
▶ 15:46 spots that are, um, that have less greenery, less landscape, so more paved, um, areas, um, tend to create what's called heat island, a heat island impact where the temperature is... i- ends up being higher because of the, the pavement, so there aren't, um, areas, uh, and greenery to, to cool off those areas. So by planting trees, it'll help with that heat island, heat island effect. Great, that makes sense. And I'm assuming that you have sort of like a list of places that you're already considering. I, I do. If anyone's interested, I have four copies of the locations and maps. I can pass those around- Great ... and you, you're welcome to keep these if you want. Um, I can also email them as well. Um, in
▶ 16:24 Ryan Williams: the, um, I believe in Civics Plus is the, the contract that we have with Mystic River. In there in the appendix are these maps as well, so, um, but I can also email them if anyone's interested. Excellent. Thank you. Mm-hmm. Terrific. Next up we have Counselor Williams. Thank you. I'm curious to know how this interacts with our existing tree planting program. Um, um, so I'm wondering if there's, if you thought about whether there's an opportunity to take some of the more, um, there are like more specific requirements here, like we have to adhere to the DCR, uh, Tree Planting and Care Guide, we have to send them photos of an MCA, a Massachusetts Certified Arborist, et cetera, providing on-site
▶ 17:05 Ryan Williams: supervision, and we have to provide them with a shapefile for their GIS. And I think that's really cool. Um, would we be maybe just going ahead and creating a shapefile of all of the trees that we plant after we do this? We do that anyways. Um- You do that anyway? Yeah, okay. We do that anyways. Yeah, so the, the only difference between what our typical planting plan is and this, um, to my understanding, is that they want photos- Mm ... of our arborist being there supervising some of these trees being installed. Um- Yes ... that's the only difference between what we already do and, and what the grant is requiring. Does the current GIS layer have the species of tree? It does. It does? Oh, cool.
▶ 17:45 Ryan Williams: Yep. I didn't know that. Yeah, so we, we plant, we typically try to plant about 100 trees- Yeah ... per spring and fall. Um, and after those planting seasons, we go out, we GPS the locations- Mm-hmm ... um, including the tree species, and then upload those to GIS. That's, it's in the public GIS it's uploaded or? I don't know if it's in the public GIS, like in the maps online. Um, it could be pretty easily turned on. Yeah. But it's in our internal GIS system- Cool ... um, as for sure. Yeah. Um, so we normally appropriate s- maybe about twice as much money as this for trees, and I'm wondering, are we looking at this as a supplement, like we're gonna now have $148,000 of trees versus cutting the appropriation? Do you have any information on that?
▶ 18:26 Um, I-If the same amount has been appropriated for trees, then it would be supplemental, um, which I believe that is the case. Um, this is, we're treating this totally separate of our typical planting plan. Yeah. Very good. Okay, that's it for me. Thank you. Terrific. Next up I have Counselor Park. Thank you, Chair Umunnah. A question about the, the actual grant of funds itself. How did they derive 48,000? Do you have any insight as to where that number came from and comparatively speaking, how it goes across the other towns as well? Sure. Um, so the numbers, basically if you divide 48,000 by our 61 trees, that gives us, that gives you a rough cost of, of a per tree to, um, purchase, install, and water, um, for the, the course of
▶ 19:14 the, the maintenance schedule. Um, I think we added some contingency in there also because, so our current on-call contract, um, is about to expire, is about to go out to bid. Um, so we're going to have potentially a new contractor, um, if not the same contractor we've had for the, the past few years. So we used our, our, um, current cost to purchase, install, and maintain a tree with a little bit of, uh, added, um, increase in cost, and that's where that number came from. So the overall cost, the overall grant that Mystic River got from, um, EEA was split between us and, and Medford. And, um, basically we got... We were able to plant more trees than them because their contractor is more expensive than
▶ 20:01 Kimberly Vandiver: ours. Um, so it could potentially impact the number of trees depending on the contractor that we get and what their costs are, but we're hopeful that we'll get the same contractor- Okay ... and have a similar cost. Okay, so you worked in conjunction with them to come up with- Yes ... that number. Yes. And it wasn't just a number allocated to you. Correct. Yes. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Very good. Thank you. Mm-hmm. Perfect. Next up, Counselor Vander. Thank you so much. Um, I really appreciate the opportunity that this gives us to, to address these issues, um, and having the data to look at. I did, um, just in looking at this data, I have a little bit of a concern about the distribution of the trees.
▶ 20:37 Kimberly Vandiver: Um, it looks like they're very heavily concentrated in Ward One, um, and Ward Five only has three trees, which is about 5%, a little less. Um, and it mentions here that, so we're looking at hotspots and we're looking at environmental justice populations. Um, Ward Five does have the highest number of environmental justice populations, or the highest percentage, so that seems a little bit off to me. Um, and then I'm also... I do see there are some just over the border from Ward Five in Ward Seven. See 10 trees, but they're, um, they're on Main Street right along the Pine Banks fields. Mm-hmm. Um, so I guess my question with that is, are they actually going onto Pine Banks land, or are they on city land?
▶ 21:21 They'll be, yeah- And is that really a need right next to the fields? Yeah, so that, that, um, that is city land. Um, it won't be in, in actual Malden or, or Pine Banks. Um, so as far as the, the distribution of the trees, um, we take into account where other trees are, um, where utilities are, um, where there's actually space to, to plant. So if there's grass strips or green strips and, and things like that. Um, uh, distances to intersections, things like that. So that's... And that is what derived where these trees were planted. Um, we didn't really look at it on a ward basis, we just looked at it on s- where, where can we plant these trees. Um, the ones closest to Pine Banks, it does seem like there is a lot of them, um, there.
▶ 22:04 Kimberly Vandiver: Um, but if you think of that area between the, the parking lots, the, the main street, um, uh, Hunt's parking lot, there's a lot of pavement in that area even though there are parks, but there's still a lot of pavement, which increases the, the heat island effect. So we're trying to get some more trees planted there that will hopefully have canopies that, you know, will span over some of that pavement. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I, I could definitely see that. Um, uh, I, I think there might also be opportunities to look at, um... What is the, like Stone, Banks Place or, um, the other side of Main Street by the armory, um, or, you know, some things on Washington and Pleasant. I think Washington and Pleasant are really long stretches that have minimal-
▶ 22:51 Kimberly Vandiver: Mm-hmm ... planting, and a lot of people do walk from the T into, um, downtown. So I just, I think there, you know, as the Ward Five counselor, I would like to see, uh, ideally more focus, especially on, on walking routes that, that people might take up. I would say just probably Pleasant and Washington more so than Main, um, because Main you can come back onto Derby to walk. But I, I think the idea, the, the overall program is great. I just, I wish there was more going into Ward Five. Okay. Um, we can certainly take a look. I think we can pivot where some are planted as long as they meet the requirements as being in the hotspots, um, and/or the environmental justice areas. Um, so we can take a look at maybe
▶ 23:35 Manjula Karamcheti: spreading some of them out. But we can also in our regular tree planting program too, we can target some of the areas that you're looking at as well. Great. Um, so we can kind of hit either or for sure. Um, so let's coordinate on kinda some of those areas as well. Wonderful. Yeah. Thank you very much. Thank you. Next up, Counselor Keramudi. Thank you so much. Uh, just as a point of information, I just wanted to note, um, Counselor Vander's comment about a majority of the trees being in Ward One. There's actually only three entries for Ward One, so just kinda wanted to clarify that. Um- Oh, I'm so sorry. I was looking at it quickly, and- No, I just wanted to point that out ... you know what? I think I was looking at the quantity.
▶ 24:13 Manjula Karamcheti: Just- Yeah, sorry about that. Um, and then just to... I mean, I think all of us in our neighborhoods could point out areas where we would want more trees. So could you just speak in a little more detail about, like, how the hotspots are identified? I see here that it's mass GIS data- Mm-hmm ... and so, so can you just speak a little bit more about that- Sure. Um, so if you, in the end of that packet, um, it shows you the hotspot maps. Oh, okay. Um, yeah. So it's the- Yes ... I think in the last page, the top left map, those red spots. It actually may be the second to last page. Um, the top left map is the hotspots. Those, those are where, um, MassGIS, um, points out the, the hotspots. So that's where we had to focus the trees-
▶ 24:54 Mm-hmm ... um, within those areas. And those are based off of, um, amount of impervious area. Um, I don't know if they measure actual temperature or if they just kind of base it off of impervious area, but that's where those maps come from. So based on that, it's-- we can surmise that due diligence went into determining where the trees are going- Mm-hmm ... for this round with the amount of resources available. Exactly. Yeah. Okay, great. Thank you. Yeah. Up a second time, we have Counselor Williams. Oh, thanks. I forgot, uh, to ask you, and I, I got a copy and looked at this. I would like this to go in the record, by the way. Can we get this thing put in the- Yeah. I already told Adrian. Yeah. Thank you. Um, so for those who don't know, the Mystic River--
▶ 25:34 Ryan Williams: the Mystic Valley River Watershed is only half of Melrose. It's the left half- Correct ... the west half of Melrose. Yeah. And I noticed these trees are also only in the west half of Melrose. That's part of the grant, is it? Um, I think that's was, was part of the focus. Yeah. Um, but that's also where most of the hotspots are. Yeah, makes sense. Um, so it just ended up- Um ... being that way. Th-this is the appr-- it says approved planting. I mean, the grant says we have to follow an approved plan. This is the plan, right? Mm-hmm. So we're gonna follow this. But the discussion point about, um, where there might be more opportunity for trees, certainly this will open up, you know, fifty percent more money in the
▶ 26:15 Ryan Williams: appropriation for us to fast-track the tree list, uh, a-and you know, get some ideas going for, um, for counselors who have specific, um, questions about where they wanna put a tree. Um, and you know what? I'll make a motion to send this up to full council, a motion to recommend. Second. Motion made by Counselor Williams, seconded by Counselor Karemchedy. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? I will. Vice Chair Vanderberg? Yes. Counselor Chen? Yes. Counselor Furnokiero? Yes. Counselor Jamaledine? Yes. Counselor Karemchedy? Yes. Counselor Cowell? Yes. Counselor Bremsky? Yes. Counselor Park? Yes. Counselor Williams? Yes. President Ex Oficio Freeman? Yes. Chair Romanul? Yes. That motion passes.
▶ 27:00 Devin Romanul: Motion passes and will, uh, be brought to the next full council meeting with a recommendation for passage. Thank you so much, Mr. Coy. Appreciate your time. Thank you, Counsel. Last but not least on our agenda tonight is ID number twenty twenty-six four seventy-seven, acceptance of the BSAS Mass Call Three B grant by Health and Human Services Department. Uh, thank you, uh, Mr. Anthony Chu from the administration for joining us this evening. Thank you for having me. Um, this is an exciting opportunity. So we've been working with the City of Medford for the last four to five fiscal years on prevention efforts. It's part of a larger Mystic Valley Public Health Coalition. Um, that's seven communities, so it's Malden,
▶ 27:39 Medford, um, Winchester, Melrose, Wakefield, Stoneham, and Reading. Um, we have worked on a multitude of, um, substance use related and mental health grants in the past, so this partnership continues to bring, um, funding to the city. Um, the City of Melrose is being awarded seven thousand seven hundred and fifty dollars for this upcoming fiscal year, um, to focus on direct prevention strategies. Um, this money is not new, but this will be the first year that Melrose is, uh, being subcontracted. Um, so we'll be able to spend this money. Uh, it will, um, be less of a burden on the City of Medford as well for us to submit smaller reimbursements, uh, which we've done in the past. Um, in the grant that it was written, we had seventy percent of the
▶ 28:19 funds, uh, going towards direct prevention strategies. That includes things like alcohol, uh, alcoholic beverages control, uh, compliance checks, uh, done in con-- done in, um, partnership with the ABCC at the state level. Uh, we work with the Melrose Police Department, who have been great partners in this as well. Um, we've been working on restorative practices with the school and partners in the community, and we've been working on youth substance use prevention efforts as well. And then thirty percent of these funds are going to going-- are going to be going towards local prevention infrastructure. Um, examples of that in the past have been mental health first aid trainings, which were made available to community members as well as school staff.
▶ 28:56 Um, youth leadership in the form of our youth action team, which I'm happy to say is up and off the ground. Uh, it took a couple of years to build that coalition back up, um, from when I first started, and it's been, uh, very positive. And also helping the schools with development of health education materials for, uh, youth and adults. Um, so we'll continue working with, um, this coalition on bringing in more funding, and hopefully we will continue to get funding in the future. Great. Thanks so much. Any, uh, members of the committee have any inquiries? Counselor Furnokiero? Yes. Um, thank you so much for being here. Can you just talk about a little bit the, um, the youth program, the high-- is it
▶ 29:31 at the high school? Yes. So, um- What is that? Yeah. So the youth action team is a concept that we've actually seen implemented in neighboring towns as well. Um, it looks to bring, um, students from either eighth grade onwards, so including the high school, um, to dev- to develop youth leadership, um, kind of qualities, uh, to bring them to conferences. There's a visit to the State House once a year to, to see how bills are, you know, lobbied for and different processes. Um, really it's to, just to get them interested in substance use prevention, um, and to kind of expose them to public health, uh, early on. So, um, that, that club is up and running, and we're looking to our partners in Wakefield and Stoneham, who've had kind of longer running youth action teams to
▶ 30:10 kind of mentor them and bring this program, um, up to that standard. Great. Would you ever consider using some of this, uh, money to bring in, like, speakers into the high school or, you know, presen-- like, people to present and discuss- Yeah, absolutely. Um- ... substance abuse and mental health stuff? Yeah. Actually, we've been talking with the youth action team leaders and the, the teacher as well. So we have, um, we have an adult advisor at the school as well. And so, uh, we've been talking about what would be most impactful for them. Um, we've, you know, we've heard anecdotal things about, like, one-time speakers and, you know, sometimes it resonates with some people and sometimes it doesn't.
▶ 30:45 Manjula Karamcheti: Um, but we've been trying to find, um, effective ways to bring in speakers, you know, um, to talk maybe at the classroom level even, you know, to, um, the students about, uh, topics that are, um, important to them. Yeah. I think that would be great if you could do that. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks Hope so much. Next up, Councilor Karamcheti. Ah, thank you so much. It's great to see you. Uh, just want to note my daughter was a part of the Youth Action Committee and had a wonderful- That's great ... experience, and it helped her develop her interest in public health. Awesome. Um, but that's not what I was gonna ask you. Um, just wanted to note that the programming is excellent. Um, I'm just curious, have you been able to measure the
▶ 31:23 impact of any of these kinds of programs and initiatives and outreach in terms of, like, the youth of Melrose substance use? Um, and if you could just speak to that a little bit. Yeah. So there's two kind of main measures. So the Youth Risk Behavior Survey is something that we do every two years. Um, that is kind of an indirect measure, so we'll see the data. Um, we're actually coming up on it this coming s- uh, school year we'll be doing this, so it happens every two years. Um, so that measure is a multitude of things. That includes substance use, uh, that includes mental health, um, concerns among other topic areas. Um, so it's kind of an indirect measure, so when programs are put into place you're hoping to see some of those, um, so some, some
▶ 32:02 of those trends in substance use decrease over time. Um, Melrose is trending in the right direction, um, but we also, you know, we also know that, you know, the surveys do a, a decent job, but there's also, um, things that are not captured in the survey. So we hear a lot about, like, youth drinking, um, and alcohol use at different events. So we do want to keep that in mind as we pro- build in programming. Uh, another measurable that we can bring is that the police and the ABCC have been great partners, um, in doing compliance checks. Melrose has been 100%, uh, all of our alcohol-serving, um, establishments have not had a, uh, sale to a minor, uh, which is, which is a great thing, meaning that our program and our education works.
▶ 32:39 Um, so that's, um, that's part of it as well. Wonderful. Thank you so much. I really appreciate you, you taking the time to answer. Of course. Councilor Williams. I would like to make a motion to recommend to the full council. I will second. Councilor Williams made a motion to recommend. Second. Uh, seconded by Councilor Karamcheti. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Yes, I will. Vice Chair Vander Leest? Yes. Councilor Chen? Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Karamcheti? Yes. Councilor Kowal? Yes. Councilor Bremsky? Yes. Councilor Park? Yes. Councilor Williams? Yes. President Ex Oficio Freeman? Yes. And Co- and Chair Romanul? Yes. That motion passes.
▶ 33:22 Devin Romanul: All right, that motion passes, and will be brought before the next full council meeting with a recommendation for passage. Thank you so much, Mr. Chew. Thank you so much. Thank you. Um, with that being the end of our agenda, I will now entertain a motion to, uh, adjourn. So moved. Second. Motion made by Councilor Karamcheti, seconded by Councilor Finocchiaro. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Yes. Vice Chair Vander Leest? Yes. Councilor Chen? Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Karamcheti? Yes. Councilor Kowal? Yes. Councilor Bremsky? Yes. Councilor Park? Yes. Councilor Williams? Yes. President Ex Oficio Freeman? Yes. And Chair Romanul. Yes. That motion passes.