Appropriations & Oversight Committee — 2026-08-10
Attendance
Jason Chen ; Cal Finocchiaro ; Bradley Freeman ; Maya Jamaleddine ; Manjula Karamcheti ; Elizabeth Kowal ; John Obremski ; Christopher Park ; Kimberly Vandiver ; Ryan Williams
Agenda
- CALL TO ORDER
- Attendees
- MINUTES APPROVAL
- Appropriations & Oversight Committee Meeting July 20, 2026 7:00 PM
- PUBLIC COMMENT
- GRANTS
- Acceptance of the FY2025 Emergency Management Performance Grant in the amount of $5,850.00
- ORDERS
- Acceptance of Revised Easement at 105 Walton Park in Melrose
- Grant of Easement for 204 Tremont Street
- ADJOURNMENT
Minutes
Appropriations & Oversight Committee Monday, August 10, 2026, 7:30 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 7:44 PM Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Kim Vandiver Vice Chair Present Jason Chen At-Large Present Cal Finocchiaro Ward 6 Absent Maya Jamaleddine At-Large Present Manjula Karamcheti Ward 1 Present Elizabeth Kowal At-Large Present John Obremski Ward 2 Present Christopher Park Ward 3 Present Ryan Williams At-Large Absent William Bradley Freeman President, Ex Officio Present Member Devin Romanul Chair Present II. MINUTES APPROVAL A. Appropriations & Oversight Committee Meeting July 20, 2026 7:00 PM 1 Motion to unanimously approve the minutes without reading made by Chair Romanul All were in favor and minutes were approved RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver III. PUBLIC COMMENT When: Aug 10, 2026 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Topic: Appropriations & Oversight Committee Meeting Join from PC, Mac, iPad, or Android: https://cityofmelrose- org.zoom.us/j/91494962042?pwd=2r6Th3Jt3R4JbQABmpCTlW84jTFmrk.1 Passcode:947646 Webinar ID: 914 9496 2042 Passcode: 947646 Motion to Open public comment made by Chair Romanul at 7:44 PM Comments on the floor: Cris Giles, of a business at 162 Tremont Street, spoke about the proposed kennel licensing ordinance change. She clarified that dogs get licensed at 6 months of age, which is when they can get a rabies shot, not prior to that since they are too small for that shot. The kennel license for 13 weeks has nothing to do with the individual dog license, it handles the building license. Regarding Bordatella, if a dog develops kennel cough, normally they are seen by a veterinarian and usually given antibiotics, whether it's viral or bacterial. The dog could get sicker if it's not treated by a vet, but either way, it gets better whether it is seen by a vet or on its own. If you take care of your dog, it will be fine. There were no comments on line. Motion to Close public comment made by Chair Romanul at 7:47 PM Motion to Recess to return to the Legal & Legislative Committee meeting made by Chair Romanul at 7:47 PM Meeting was resumed at 7:57 PM IV. GRANTS
A. (ID # 2026-1529): Acceptance of the FY2025 Emergency Management Performance Grant in the amount of $5,850.00 Chief White requested acceptance of federal funds to strengthen local emergency management preparedness, along with response and recovery efforts. Money would be used to purchase laptops and workstations, and for emergency management training membership. Councilor Kowal raised concerns about the terms of federal grants, such as onerous ordinances and the regulations that have gone into place, including sanctuary cities, all sorts of rules and laws around immigration, including not having DEI and similar programs. Her concern is that the government could choose to put Melrose in some trouble if they started asking questions about what they wanted to do because 2 they were taking this money. She suggested getting advice from the state Attorney General and the city solicitor before accepting the funds. This led to a motion to hold the decision until receiving guidance from the Attorney General's office about potential risks. The committee voted to hold the grant application in committee and will schedule a follow-up hearing next week before the full council meeting, which needs to occur before the Friday deadline. Motion to Hold in Committee made by Councilor Kowal Seconded by Councilor Jamaleddine All were in favor and motion passed RESULTS: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] TO: Hold in Committee AYES: Jason Chen, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: Cal Finocchiaro, Ryan Williams V. ORDERS
A. (ID # 2026-1531): Acceptance of Revised Easement at 105 Walton Park in Melrose Jay Coy, DPW City Engineer, and Paul Finocchio, PGF & Associates, discussed a revised drainage easement at 105 Walton Park. Jay explained that the homeowners needed to redirect a drainage pipe to accommodate a home addition, with the homeowner covering 100% of costs. There is no expected impact on neighboring properties, and it does not need Zoning Board of Appeals approval, just acceptance of the easement change from city council. Motion to Recommend made by Councilor Vandiver Seconded by Councilor Karamcheti All were in favor and motion passed RESULTS: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] TO: City Council AYES: Jason Chen, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: Cal Finocchiaro, Ryan Williams 3
B. (ID # 2026-1533): Grant of Easement for 204 Tremont Street Denise Gaffey explained that this easement is related to the Tremont Street fire station construction, and the request is to accept a grant of easement on National Grid's behalf in order for them to maintain, operate, and install a new underground electrical system to service and support the new station. She clarified that National Grid would own and pay for the transformer equipment while seeking permanent access for maintenance. Motion to Recommend made by Councilor Vandiver Seconded by Councilor Kowal All were in favor and motion passed (President Freeman had momentarily stepped out of the room thus he did not vote) RESULTS: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] TO: City Council AYES: Jason Chen, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: Cal Finocchiaro, Ryan Williams VI. ADJOURNMENT Motion to Adjourn by unanimous consent made by Chair Romanul at 8:21 PM All were in favor and meeting was adjourned 4 COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS | STANDARD CONTRACT FORM This form is jointly issued and published by the Office of the Comptroller, the Executive Office for Administration and Finance, and the Operational Services Division as the default contract for all Commonwealth Departments when another form is not prescribed by regulation or policy. The Commonwealth deems void any changes made on or by attachment (in the form of addendum, engagement letters, contract forms or invoice terms) to the terms in this published form or to the Standard Contract Form Instructions and Contractor Certifications, the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions, the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions for Human and Social Services, or the Commonwealth IT Terms and Conditions which are incorporated by reference herein. Additional non-conflicting terms may be added by Attachment. Contractors are required to access forms at macomptroller.org/forms or mass.gov/lists/osd-forms. CONTRACTOR INFORMATION COMMONWEALTH INFORMATION Contractor Legal Name Department Mosaic Department Code d/b/a Contract Manager Name Legal Address Business Mailing Address As entered on Form W-9 or Form W-4 Contract Manager Name Billing Address If Different Phone Fax Phone Fax Email Email Vendor Code Mosaic Transaction ID(s) VC Vendor Code Address ID RFR/Procurement or Other ID Number e.g. “AD001”. AD Note: The Address ID must be set up for Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) payments. NEW CONTRACT CONTRACT AMENDMENT Procurement or Exception Type (Check one option only) Current Contract End Date Amendment Amount PRIOR to Amendment Or Enter “No Change” Statewide Contract (OSD or an OSD-designated department.) Amendment Type Collective Purchase Check one option only. Attach details of amendment changes. (Attach OSD approval, scope, and budget.) Amendment to Date, Scope, or Budget Department Procurement - Includes all Grants 815 CMR 2.00. (Attach updated scope and budget.) (Attach Solicitation Notice or RFR, and Response or other procurement supporting documentation.) Interim Contract with Current Contractor (Attach justification for Interim Contract and updated scope/budget.) Emergency Contract (Attach justification for emergency, scope, and budget.) Contract Employee (Attach any updates to scope or budget.) Contract Employee (Attach Employee Status Form, scope, and budget.) Other Procurement Exception (Attach authorizing language/justification and updated scope/budget.) Interim Contract with new Contractor (Attach justification for Interim Contract and updated scope/budget.) Other Procurement Exception (Attach authorizing language, legislation with specific exemption or earmark, and exception justification, scope, and budget.) TERMS AND CONDITIONS The Standard Contract Form Instructions and Contractor Certifications and the following document are incorporated by reference into this Contract and are legally binding. Check ONE option: Commonwealth Terms and Conditions Commonwealth Terms and Conditions for Human and Social Services Commonwealth IT Terms and Conditions COMPENSATION Check ONE option. The Department certifies that payments for authorized performance accepted in accordance with the terms of this Contract will be supported in the state accounting system by sufficient appropriations or other non-appropriated funds, subject to intercept for Commonwealth owed debts under 815 CMR 9.00. Rate Contract (No Maximum Obligation). (Attach details of all rates, units, calculations, conditions or terms and any changes if rates or terms are being amended.) Maximum Obligation Contract. Total maximum obligation for total duration of this contract (or new total if contract is being amended): Page 1 of 2 Updated 2/23/2026 Mosaic Transaction ID(s) PROMPT PAYMENT DISCOUNTS (PPD) Commonwealth payments are issued through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) 45 days from invoice receipt. See Prompt Pay Discounts Policy. Contractors requesting accelerated payments must identify a PPD as follows: Payment issued within: 10 days % PPD. 15 days % PPD. 20 days % PPD. 30 days % PPD. If PPD percentages are left blank, identify reason: Statutory/legal Ready Payments (M.G.L. c. 29, § 23A) Agree to standard 45-day cycle Only initial payment BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF CONTRACT PERFORMANCE or REASON FOR AMENDMENT Enter the Contract title, purpose, fiscal year(s) and a detailed description of the scope of performance or what is being amended for a Contract Amendment. Attach all supporting documentation and justifications. SUPPLIER DIVERSITY PROGRAM (SDP) PLAN Does the Supplier Diversity Program apply? YES If YES, the Contractor’s annual SDP commitment for this Contract is NO If NO, and the department is an Executive Department, enter the appropriate exemption: ANTICIPATED START DATE (Complete ONE option only.) The Department and Contractor certify for this Contract, or Contract Amendment, that Contract obligations: 1. may be incurred as of the Effective Date (latest signature date below) and no obligations have been incurred prior to the Effective Date. 2. may be incurred as of , 20 , a date LATER than the Effective Date below and no obligations have been incurred prior to the Effective Date. 3. were incurred as of , 20 , a date PRIOR to the Effective Date below, and the parties agree that payments for any obligations incurred prior to the Effective Date are authorized to be made either as settlement payments or as authorized reimbursement payments, and that the details and circumstances of all obligations under this Contract are attached and incorporated into this Contract. Acceptance of payments forever releases the Commonwealth from further claims related to these obligations. CONTRACT END DATE Contract performance shall terminate as of , 20 , with no new obligations being incurred after this date unless the Contract is properly amended, provided that the terms of this Contract and performance expectations and obligations shall survive its termination for the purpose of resolving any claim or dispute, for completing any negotiated terms and warranties, to allow any close out or transition performance, reporting, invoicing or final payments, or during any lapse between amendments. CERTIFICATIONS Notwithstanding verbal or other representations by the parties, the “Effective Date” of this Contract or Amendment shall be the latest date that this Contract or Amendment has been executed by an authorized signatory of the Contractor, the Department, or a later Contract or Amendment Start Date specified above, subject to any required approvals. The Contractor certifies that they have accessed and reviewed all documents incorporated by reference as electronically published and the Contractor makes all certifications required under the Standard Contract Form Instructions and Contractor Certifications under the pains and penalties of perjury, and further agrees to provide any required documentation upon request to support compliance, and agrees that all terms governing performance of this Contract and doing business in Massachusetts are attached or incorporated by reference herein according to the following hierarchy of document precedence, the applicable Commonwealth Terms and Conditions, this Standard Contract Form, the Standard Contract Form Instructions and Contractor Certifications, the Request for Response (RFR) or other solicitation, the Contractor’s Response (excluding any language stricken by a Department as unacceptable, and additional negotiated terms, provided that additional negotiated terms will take precedence over the relevant terms in the RFR and the Contractor’s Response only if made using the process outlined in 801 CMR 21.07, incorporated herein, provided that any amended RFR or Response terms result in best value, lower costs, or a more cost effective Contract. AUTHORIZING SIGNATURE FOR THE CONTRACTOR AUTHORIZING SIGNATURE FOR THE DEPARTMENT Signature and date must be captured at time of signature. Signature and date must be captured at time of signature. Signature Date Signature Date Print Name Print Title Print Name Print Title Page 2 of 2 Updated 2/23/2026 Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency Emergency Management Grants Unit FFY 2025 EMPG Special Conditions and Reporting Requirements Parties The Contractor/Subrecipient is an eligible public or private not-for-profit entity that has applied for grant funding to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and has received an approved award under the Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) Emergence Management Performance Grant (EMPG). The subrecipient must be represented by a duly authorized official(s) of the Contractor/Subrecipient whose signature(s), authorization(s), and/or certification(s) legally represent and bind the Contractor/Subrecipient. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, acting through the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), Emergency Management Grants Unit (EM Grants Unit) is responsible for administering this grant program. Agreement The Subrecipient and MEMA will execute a Commonwealth of Massachusetts Standard Contract Form through which the subrecipient agrees to perform all activities as described in the approved application within the budget, dates of service, and other conditions set forth below. MEMA agrees to reimburse the Subrecipient for all allowable costs incurred within period of performance as stated in the executed state contract and to provide technical assistance and support required to carry out the purposes of the grant. Special Conditions 1. Communication. Primary communication regarding this contract shall take place between the subrecipient’s primary point of contact and MEMA’s EM Grants Unit. 2. Press. Subrecipient agrees to proactively notify EM Grants Unit of any interactions or planned media outreach regarding activities funded under this grant program. 3. Release of Information. All records, papers and other documents of any kind related to the funded activity in any manner and kept by subrecipients of these funds shall be made promptly available upon request to any person authorized by MEMA for inspection and copying. 4. Pass Down Requirements. If a subrecipient proposes to engage in sub-sub-granting activities, it shall ensure its sub- contractors/sub-subrecipients adhere to all applicable contract conditions and pass down requirements. 5. Reporting. Subrecipients agree to submit timely and accurate reports as needed and directed. Failure to comply with this condition may result in the withholding of subrecipient funds until the delinquent report is received. See Reporting Requirements below for details. 6. Contractor/Consultant Rates. Compensation for individual consultant services is to be reasonable and consistent with the amount paid for similar services in the marketplace. Consideration can be given to compensation, including fringe benefits, for those individuals whose employers do not provide the same. Time and effort reports are required for consultants. 7. Project Point of Contact. Subrecipients are required to notify EM Grants Unit of any project point of contact changes within 30 days following the change. Notification must include the following: a. Name b. Title c. Email address d. Phone number 8. Internet Access. Subrecipients must have Internet access. 9. Email addresses. Subrecipient’s project point of contact for this subgrant must have individual email addresses. 10. Subrecipient Non-compliance. Subrecipient is subject to the federal and state regulations and related requirements set forth herein. 11. Non-compliance. Subrecipients that are found to be in non-compliance may result in an audit finding and subsequent repayment of funds. a. Approval of a project, project costs, contract, or payment by MEMA does not exempt the Subrecipient from requirements to repay funds. b. Should a state, federal, or local audit reveal that actions taken by the Subrecipient, or any of its contractors, regardless of previous approval by MEMA, do not comply with policies, laws, or regulations, the subrecipient agrees to repay the required amounts in the manner and timeframe determined by MEMA. c. Repayments not made as expected will be considered debts and addressed under the Commonwealth’s Debt Collection and Intercept Regulation (815 CMR 9.00). 12. Monitoring. Subrecipients agree to cooperate with MEMA’s EM Grants Unit monitoring and site visits. 13. Records Retention. The Contractor/Subrecipient shall retain all related records for a minimum of six years from the date of the Close-Out Report Submission. In cases of similar requirements at two or more levels, the more stringent of the requirements must be followed. 14. Award Acceptance. Prior to acceptance of Federal Articles of Agreement and MEMA Special Conditions and Reporting Requirements, subrecipient must evaluate its policies, procedures, and management systems for risk of non-compliance with any of the above terms and conditions, inclusive of all requirements of FEMA and 2 CFR 200. Any identified areas of risk must be brought to the attention of MEMA’s EM Grants Unit prior to the execution of the contract in order to determine and implement the appropriate remedy. 15. Project Revisions. Subrecipients are required to notify MEMA’s EM Grants Unit if they need to revise their approved projects. a. Project revision request should be emailed to EM Grants Unit at EM.Grants@mass.gov and include removal of old items, additional items and justification for the revision b. Failure to request and receive prior approval for revisions will result in disallowable expenses and possible closing of project with no activity. c. MEMA is not obligated to reimburse activities that were not part of subrecipient’s approved project. d. Only EM Grants Unit can approve project revisions, Reporting Requirements 1. Subrecipients are required to submit quarterly reports. Failure to submit required reports will result in MEMA terminating contract for cause and without reimbursement of activities. Reporting periods and due dates are listed below: a. April – June report is due July 15, 2026 b. July – September report is due October 15, 2026 c. January – March report is due April 16, 2027 d. April – June report is due July 15, 2027 2. Subrecipients are required to submit final reimbursement no later than August 16, 2027. a. Reimbursement requests must be emails to EM.Grants@mass.gov and include MEMA’s EM Grants Unit Reimbursement Request Form, b. Invoices for all items under reimbursement and match documentation. c. Failure to submit proper documentation within required due date(s) will result in closing subrecipient’s project with no activity and no reimbursement. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CITY OF MELROSE John J. White – Director Fire Headquarters – 576 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176 Ma ____________________________________________________________________________________ _________________ To: Mayor Jennifer Grigoraitis CC: Kerriann Golden, City Auditor Date: July 13, 2026 RE: Acceptance of FY2025 EMPG Grant Dear Mayor Grigoraitis, I respectfully request the acceptance of the FY2025 Emergency Management Performance Grant in the amount of $5,850.00. Funding from the grant will be used to procure a laptop computer and two dedicated workstations to support activation of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Annual dues for membership in the Mystic Region Emergency Planning Committee will be paid with funding from this grant. Respectfully submitted, John J. White Emergency Management Director DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS Administration–Engineering–Water–Sewer–Facilities Parks–Forestry–Highway–Sanitation–Cemetery–Fleet CITY OF MELROSE Elena Proakis Ellis, P.E., BCEE City Yard, 72 Tremont Street Director of Public Works Melrose, Massachusetts 02176 Telephone – (781) 665-0142 E-mail: eproakis@cityofmelrose.org MEMORANDUM To: Mayor Jennifer Grigoraitis From: Elena Proakis Ellis, P.E., BCEE, Director of Public Works Shannon Phillips, City Solicitor Jay Coy, P.E., PMP, City Engineer Date: July 14, 2026 Re: Acceptance of Easement at 105 Walton Park Please accept the following relative to the attached easement revision documents and plans. The property at 105 Walton Park, owned by Kevin Collins and Britt Wedenoja, contains an existing easement that the City of Melrose utilizes for drainage purposes. The documents indicate revisions and slight modifications to the location of said existing easement. These revisions are desired to accommodate the approved and permitted home improvements by the owners at 105 Walton Park. As part of this agreement, the owners constructed upgrades to the drain system with the installation of new drainage pipe and manholes within the proposed relocated easement. This work was engineered, constructed and managed solely at their expense. The City of Melrose reviewed the proposed project and offered comments and conditions which were incorporated in the final design and construction. The installation of the drainage infrastructure was inspected by the City and a registered as-built plan will be provided to the City of Melrose and registered at the Registry of Deeds by the homeowner at their expense. The easement documents have been reviewed by our City Solicitor. Neither she nor I have objection to the request being approved under the terms and conditions listed in the attached documents. Please feel free to contact me with any additional questions or concerns. EASEMENT This GRANT OF EASEMENT (this “Agreement”), dated as of __________ ___, 2026 (the “Effective Date”), is hereby made by and between Kevin Collins and Britt Wedenoja, husband and wife as Tenants by the Entirety, having an address at 105 Walton Park, Melrose, Massachusetts 02176 (collectively, hereinafter, the “Grantor”) and the City of Melrose, a Massachusetts municipal corporation, having a usual place of business at 562 Main Street, Melrose, Massachusetts 02176 (hereinafter, the “Grantee”). For good and valuable consideration of Ten and 00/100 Dollars ($10.00) and other valuable considerations provided, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged under seal, Grantor hereby grants to Grantee a perpetual right and easement as set forth in Section 1 below (the “Easement”) in, under, through, over, across, and upon the Grantor’s land, as more fully described in Section 2 below (the “Grantor’s Land”). 1. Description of the Easement. The easement granted by the Grantor to the Grantee consists of MA 02176 Melrose a perpetual easement and right-of-way (the “Easement”), with the right, privilege, and authority to access, construct, reconstruct, repair, replace, maintain, operate, inspect, and, at a r k , its pleasure, abandon or remove an underground drainage line (collectively, the “Facilities”), which the Grantee shall require now and from time to time, under that portion of the Grantor’s Land described in Section 3 below (the “Easement Area”), and utilize the Facilities within the Easement Area for the purpose of providing drainage through the Facilities (the foregoing, hereinafter, the “Easement”). All rights of Grantee conveyed by this Easement are subject to the reservation of rights and restrictions set forth in Section 5 below. 2. Description of Grantor’s Land. Grantor is the fee owner of certain land recorded with the Middlesex South Registry of Deeds in Book 84542, Page 75 (the “Grantor’s Land”) as more particularly set forth in Exhibit A, attached hereto and recorded herewith. Address: 1 0 5 W a l t o n P Property 3. Location of the Easement Area. The Easement Area shall consist of a portion of the Grantor’s Land, 8 feet in width throughout its extent, as defined as “8’ Wide Drainage Easement” shown on the plan entitled “Plot Plan of Land in Melrose, 105 Walton Park, Melrose, MA” prepared by PJF & Associates dated February 9, 2026 being attached hereto as Exhibit B, and recorded herewith. 4. Facilities Ownership. It is agreed that the Facilities shall remain the property of the Grantee, its successors and assigns.5. Reservation of Rights and Restrictions. Grantor reserves the right to make improvements upon the surface of the Easement Area, provided that said improvements do not materially impact the Facilities. Grantee shall have the right to reasonable access to the Easement Area and the right to excavate for the purposes of repair, replacement or maintenance of the Facilities, provided that Grantee shall restore the Easement Area to the same condition as immediately preceded said access or excavation. 6. Extinguishment of Existing Rights. This Agreement shall extinguish any existing easement rights, whether obtained by explicit grant or acquired by prescription, in favor of Grantee, related to any existing or previously existing drainage pipes in or across the Grantor’s Land, to the extent said drain pipes will no longer be utilized and more particularly shown on the plan hereinabove referred to a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit “C”. By its signature hereon, Grantee hereby releases all rights in and to said existing easement. 7. Authority. Both parties represent and warrant that they have the authority to execute this Agreement and each individual signing on behalf of a party to this Agreement states that he or she is the duly authorized representative of the signing party and that his or her signature on this Agreement has been duly authorized by, and creates the binding and enforceable obligation of, the party on whose behalf the representative is signing. Witness our hands and seal this day of _____________, 2026. Grantor: By:______________________________________ Kevin Collins By: __________________ Britt Wedenoja Grantee: CITY OF MELROSE By:____________________________________ Its: COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS Middlesex, ss. _______ ____, 2026 On this day of __________, 2026, before me, the undersigned notary public, personally appeared Kevin Collins, proved to me through satisfactory evidence of identification, which was a , to be the persons whose name is signed on the preceding document, and acknowledged to me that he/she signed it voluntarily for its stated purposes. Notary Public: My commission expires: COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS Middlesex, ss. _______ ________, 2026 On this _______day of __________, 2026, before me, the undersigned notary public, personally appeared Britt Wedenoja, proved to me through satisfactory evidence of identification, which was a ____________________________to be the persons whose name is signed on the preceding document, and acknowledged to me that he/she signed it voluntarily for its stated purposes. _______________________________________ Notary Public: My commission expires: COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS Middlesex, ss. March ____, 2026 On this _______day of __________, 2026, before me, the undersigned notary public, personally appeared __________________________, Mayor for the City of Melrose, and proved to me through satisfactory evidence of identification, which was a _________________________________ to be the person whose name is signed on the preceding document, and acknowledged to me that he/she signed it voluntarily for its stated purposes on behalf of the City of Melrose. ______________________________________ Notary Public: My commission expires: EXHIBIT A A certain parcel of land, together with the buildings and improvements thereon, situated in Melrose, being now numbered 105 Walton Park and being shown as the parcel containing 9194 square feet of land on a plan entitled "Plan of Land in Melrose, Mass., belonging to George F. Macdonald", dated March 3, 1931, by John F. Rand, Civil Engineer, and recorded with Middlesex South District Deeds at the end of Record Book 5542, bounded and described as follows: EASTERLY: by said Walton Park, eighty-three and 75/100 (83.75) feet; NORTHERLY: by land now or formerly of Plant, eighty (80) feet; WESTERLY: by land now or formerly of Moore, seventy-six one-hundredths (0.76) of a foot; NORTHERLY: again by land or formerly of said Moore, thirty and 05/100 (30.05) feet; WESTERLY: again in part by land now or formerly of Harwood and in part by land now or formerly of White, eighty-two and 99/100 (82.99) feet; SOUTHERLY: by land now or formerly of Spencer, one hundred ten and 05/100 (110.05) feet. For title, see deed of Nancy Jean Montgomery dated August 25, 2025 and recorded with Middlesex County (Southern District) Registry of Deeds in Book 84542, Page 75.EXHIBIT BEXHIBIT C OFFICE OF PLANNING AND CITY OF MELROSE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT City Hall, 562 Main Street Melrose, Massachusetts 02176 LORI MASSA Telephone - (781) 979-4190 Director and City Planner Fax - (781) 979-4290 MEMORANDUM To: Melrose City Council From: Denise Gaffey, Project Manager Date: July 14, 2026 Re: Grant of Easement for Underground System at 204 Tremont Street, Fire Engine 2 Enclosed please find a Grant of Easement prepared by National Grid to provide an easement to install, operate and maintain an Underground Electrical Distribution System to support the new Fire Station at 204 Tremont Street. The Easement document has been reviewed by the City Solicitor and will be signed by Mayor Grigoraitis upon approval of the City Council. Previously, by Order #2025-216, the Council approved a National Grid Petition at the same location to install a new pole and steel conduit riser to feed the new pad-mounted transformer which will be installed as part of the construction project. Enclosure: Grant of Easement for Underground System at 204 Tremont Street (4 pages) GRANT OF EASEMENT The CITY OF MELROSE, a Massachusetts municipal corporation and body politic having a mailing address at 562 Main Street, Melrose, Massachusetts 02176 (hereinafter referred to as the “Grantor”), for consideration of One ($1.00) Dollar, grants to MASSACHUSETTS ELECTRIC COMPANY, a Massachusetts corporation with its principal place of business at 170 Data Drive, Waltham, Massachusetts 02451 (hereinafter referred to as the “Grantee”) with quitclaim covenants, the perpetual right and easement to install, construct, reconstruct, repair, replace, add to, maintain and operate for the transmission of high and low voltage electric current and for the transmission of intelligence, an “UNDERGROUND ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM” (hereinafter referred to as the “UNDERGROUND SYSTEM”), consisting of lines of buried wires and cables and lines of wires and cables installed in underground conduits, together with all equipment and appurtenances thereto, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, but specifically including the following equipment, namely: manholes, manhole openings, bollards, handholes, junction boxes, transformers, transformer vaults, padmounts, padmount transformers and all housings, connectors, switches, conduits, cables and wires all located over, across, under and upon a portion of the Grantor’s property in Melrose, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, for the purpose of serving the Grantor’s property and others. Said “UNDERGROUND SYSTEM” is located in, through, under, over, across and upon a portion of that certain parcel of land situated on the southwesterly side of Melrose Street and the westerly side of Tremont Street, being more particularly shown on a Plan of Land recorded with the Middlesex South District Registry of Deeds (the “Registry”) as Plan No. 973 of 1928. And further, said “UNDERGROUND SYSTEM” (locations of the electrical equipment and other facilities on the hereinbefore referred to Grantor’s property) is approximately shown on a sketch entitled: “EASEMENT; Owners: City of Melrose; Address: 204 Tremont St, Melrose, MA 02176; SKETCH TO ACCOMPANY EASEMENT: Proposed Installation +/- 21 ft of 2-4” PVC SCH 40 Concrete Encased Conduit with 3-#2 CU EPR UG Cable, and 3PH 500 kVA Pad Mounted #1798-51 XFRM 277/480V,” dated October 22, 2025, a reduced copy of said sketch is attached hereto as “Exhibit A” and recorded herewith, copies of which are in the possession of the Property Address: 204 Tremont St, Melrose MA 02176 (Middlesex South) Grantor and Grantee herein, but the final definitive locations of said “UNDERGROUND SYSTEM” shall become established by and upon the installation and erection thereof by the Grantee. WR# 31174939 Address of Grantees: After recording return to: Mass. El., 170 Data Drive, Waltham, Massachusetts 02451 Jessica White National Grid USA Service Company, Inc. 170 Data Drive 05 MELRMA GEN Waltham, MA 02151 Also with the further perpetual right and easement from time to time to pass and repass over, across and upon said Grantor’s property as is reasonable and necessary in order to renew, replace, repair, remove, add to, maintain, operate, patrol and otherwise change said “UNDERGROUND SYSTEM” and each and every part thereof and to make such other excavation or excavations as may be reasonably necessary in the opinion and judgment of the Grantee, its successors and assigns, and to clear and keep cleared the portions and areas of the Grantor’s property wherein the “UNDERGROUND SYSTEM” is specifically located, as shown on the sketch herein referred to, of such trees, shrubs, bushes, above ground and below ground structures, objects and surfaces, as may, in the opinion and judgment of the Grantee, interfere with the efficient and safe operation and maintenance of the “UNDERGROUND SYSTEM” and other related electrical equipment. However, said Grantee, its successors and assigns, will properly backfill said excavation or excavations and restore the surface of the land to as reasonably good condition as said surface was in immediately prior to the excavation or excavations thereof. If said herein referred to locations as approximately shown on the sketch herein also referred to shall become unsuitable for the purposes of the Grantee or the Grantor, its successors and assigns, then said locations may be changed to areas mutually satisfactory to both the Grantor and the Grantee herein; and further, said newly agreed to locations shall be indicated and shown on the sketch above referred to by proper amendment or amendments hereto. The Grantor, for itself, its successors and assigns, covenant and agrees with the Grantee, for itself, its successors and assigns, that this Grant of Easement and the location of the “UNDERGROUND SYSTEM” may not be changed or modified without the written consent of the Grantee, its successors and assigns, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. Any relocation so requested shall be at the sole cost and expense of the requesting party. It is the intention of the Grantor to grant to the Grantee, its successors and assigns, all the rights and easements aforesaid and any and all additional and/or incidental rights needed to install, erect, maintain and operate within the Grantor’s property an “UNDERGROUND SYSTEM” for the transmission of intelligence and for the purpose of supplying electric service to the Grantor’s property, including, without limitation, to the building, buildings or proposed buildings shown on the last herein referred to sketch or amended sketch and the right to service others from said “UNDERGROUND SYSTEM”. Following such installation, Grantor may, at its sole cost and expense, prepare and submit to Grantee for review and approval an “as-built” plan in recordable form showing the permanent locations of the “UNDERGROUND SYSTEM”, following which Grantor and Grantee, at Grantor's sole expense, may enter into an amendment to this easement to establish such permanent locations with such plan attached. The easements herein granted are non-exclusive, however, it is agreed that the “UNDERGROUND SYSTEM” shall remain the exclusive property of the Grantee, its successors and assigns, and that the Grantee, its successors and assigns, shall pay all taxes assessed thereon. [Signature Page Follows] WR# 31174939 For Grantor’s title, see deed dated April 27, 1928, recorded with the Registry in Book 5299, Page 588. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the City of Melrose has caused its corporate seal to be hereto affixed and these presents to be signed in its name and behalf by JENNIFER GRIGORAITIS, its Mayor, being thereto duly authorized this _______ day of ____________, 2025. CITY OF MELROSE ______________________________ By: Jennifer Grigoraitis Its: Mayor Commonwealth of Massachusetts County of ______________________ ss. On this the _______ day of _____________________, 2025, before me, the undersigned Notary Public, personally appeared Jennifer Grigoraitis, proved to me through satisfactory evidence of identity, which was/were _____________________________________, to be the persons whose name is signed on the preceding Grant of Easement and acknowledged to me that she signed it voluntarily for its stated purpose, as Mayor of the City of Melrose. ____________________________________ Signature of Notary Public ____________________________________ Printed Name of Notary My Commission Expires_______________ Place Notary Seal and/or Any Stamp Above WR# 31174939 N NOT TO SCALE 224 TREMONT ST 159-161 MELROSE ST 220 TREMONT ST +/- 21 ft of 2-4" PVC SCH 40 Concrete Encased Conduit 204 TREMONT ST LEGEND Date: 10.22.2025 3ph Pad Owners: EASEMENT Designer: RAFA OH Existing Mounted Address: Wires KERGUELEN XFMR City of Melrose 204 Tremont St, WR #: 31174939 Proposed Melrose, MA 02176 UG Proposed Riser Conduit/Cable SKETCH TO ACCOMPANY EASEMENT: Existing Pole Proposed Installation +/- 21 ft of 2-4" PVC SCH 40 Concrete Encased Conduit with 3-#2 CU EPR Property Line Proposed UG Cable, and 3PH 500 kVA Pad Mounted Pole #1798-51 XFRM 277/480V
Transcript
▶ 46:53 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 objections, we are now open for public comment. This is a moment for members of the audience and the general public to comment on any issues on our agenda. Also, other issues are welcome. Commentary on other issues is welcome as well. Does anyone here wish to testify for public comment? Me. All right, let's rock and roll. So I can talk about what we were just talking about, right? Mm-hmm. Yeah. Sweet. Okay. So, okay, dog licensing. Dogs get licensed at six months old because it's for the specific dog, because you don't have to have a rabies shot until you're six months old.
▶ 47:36 The kennel license for 13 weeks has nothing to do with the individual dog license. The kennel license handles the building, the dog licenses handle the dogs. So the later you can license your dog is the later you get the rabies shot, because you don't want to give a rabies shot to a dog that's 13 weeks old. It's too big of a shot, too little of an animal. If we can wait longer and you get them all rabies vaccinated and licensed by six months, you're all set. Other thing, as far as the Bordetella goes, so you guys were talking about a backboard that I don't want to beat a dead horse, but the other problem I have with Bordetella is when the dog actually gets kennel cough, they go to the vet, the vet
▶ 48:21 diagnoses it, and gives them antibiotics. Doesn't matter if it's viral or bacterial, the vet gives them antibiotics, which doesn't do anything if it's viral, only if it's bacterial. That's if the person goes to the vet. If they don't go to the vet, yes, the dog will get sicker, but when they go to the vet, the vet just automatically gives them antibiotics. The dog gets better whether it's viral or not. If you take care of your dog, it's going to be fine. You need to handle that. So I think that's all I have to say. Thank you. Thank you so much. It's a good loophole in the system to have these meetings back to back. Any other folks here for public comment? Just saying. Do we have any folks online?
▶ 49:04 Devin Romanul: No one online. All right. Seeing no objection, I'll now motion by unanimous consent to close public comment. Seeing no objection, we are now closed. Since we are in between meetings, I'm going to make a motion by unanimous consent to recess for going back to our old committee meeting. Seeing no objection, we are now in recess. All right. Thanks, folks. I mean, maybe that's a little weird. I don't know, but I like stuff that you... You did a nice job imitating me. Well, you know- We have similar hair. It's good ... my Councilor Kowal cosplay is underway. A+ For Halloween. I don't know what we have to do. Motion by unanimous consent to reopen just- President Freeman ... we're back. We're back. Any other comments on the ord...
▶ 58:45 Devin Romanul: grant ID number 2026-1529, acceptance of the FY 2025 Emergency Management Performance Grant in the amount of $5,850. I believe Chief White is ready to join us. Hey, Chief. I wouldn't mind grabbing a chair while- Chief, what up? He's putting out metaphorical fires, as it were. Thank you for the courtesy laugh. Good evening. How you doing? Good evening. Well, thank you. The committee had to respectfully request that the council accept a grant that Emergency Management Department received, Emergency Management Performance Grant, for a total of $5,358. And that's to help efforts to strengthen local emergency management preparedness, response, and recovery. And I'll be using it to buy a laptop, a couple of
▶ 59:44 Elizabeth Kowal: workstations, and a membership in the Mystic Region Emergency Management training group we're in. So, it'll be the Emergency Management Center in case of some type of incident. We have to bring everybody together to coordinate services to help out the citizens. That's it, if you have any questions. Wonderful. Up first, I have Councilor Kowal. Thank you, Chief White. I think, and we were just briefly starting to talk about this, but I did speak about this with the mayor, is one of the concerns that I have about, not what you're asking, I understand what you're asking for, but it does fall under a federal grant. And under the terms of the federal grant, which I read today, it talks about, as we are aware, all of the new sort of onerous
▶ 1:00:34 Elizabeth Kowal: ordinances and the regulations that have gone into place, including sanctuary cities, including all sorts of rules and laws around immigration, including not having DEI programs and things like that. So, my concern is certainly not about what you're looking for, but my concern is sort of where this comes in, which is under this federal money, which has all of these restrictions on it, and could, if the government so chose, put us in some trouble if they started asking questions about what we wanted to do because we were taking this money. And so, as I was thinking about this tonight, and I certainly am appreciative of, as I said three times now, what you're trying to do, I would like further information from the state about how we should
▶ 1:01:28 Elizabeth Kowal: be proceeding with these guidelines now in place. Not to say that you won't get it, not to say that the state won't say, "Go ahead, do it." But I think there have been other instances where we've had this sort of collision between these new guidelines from the federal government and us using federal money, where we have looked for guidance from the AG's office. And I think I would be more comfortable, even though this is a small amount of money, I don't think that that is ultimately what matters. I think that I would be more comfortable getting guidance from the AG's office as to whether or not we should proceed under this grant if we have these concerns, and whether or not we could find the money elsewhere.
▶ 1:02:11 Elizabeth Kowal: So that is just not a question for you, and I know that you have experience in DE&I and hiring and all of that, and you do a terrific job. So this is certainly not about you or anything that you're asking of your department. It's just about where this money is coming from creates sort of an umbrella of questions for me. Right. We are a sub-recipient. Yes. It does come from the federal government, yes. So there are the guidelines in the contract that, we agree to how we use this money, and how we spend it, we'd have to follow the guidelines as set forth. Right. And I think I've done that with the stuff that I've requested, but I don't know if just by signing, it doesn't trap us- Right ... for any further funding. I'm not sure.
▶ 1:02:54 Jason Chen: Right. For any past funding we got. Any other Councilor? Councilor Chen. Thank you. Chief, I remember during the budget cycle, we talked about this being an important part of the program that you wanted to build out. Mm-hmm. That said, we were spending money on IT and computers and a membership. Right. I'm okay taking outside state federal money to come back to Melrose to do things, but do we need those computers or could it be spent elsewhere if we already have computers that could manage our emergency response or emergency management group? I'm looking at this more like having two hats as being a fire chief and emergency management. I'm looking maybe further down the road if emergency management is a
▶ 1:03:43 separate person, as it was before I took it. So that, the emergency management stuff wouldn't be on my fire department computer. I'm just trying to separate both of them so that when I pass it along to whoever follows me, it'll be an easy separation. I guess I'm not an IT person, but that was my thinking, to have its own separate laptop to wherever emergency management ends up. And I'm trying to build a room with videos, but as technology gets further and further, I'm not sure if we'll even have to be all together in the same room. We might be able to actually do a video conference from all our offices or whatever. I don't know how that would actually occur, but I can sort of foresee that in the future.
▶ 1:04:33 So I'm just trying to at least have a place where we could at least meet together to work out whatever situation is going on. So it sounds like you want computers to be generic and universal and accessible for anyone to use, regardless of their password or what permissions or login. No, it would be whoever the emergency management director is. We have this one, and then all that communication and plans and training would just stay with that one. Okay. So you can easily access for whoever follows me. Because if I had to call IT plenty of times to find out emergency management's records and stuff like that to get access to it. They are all on the city server, but I just have trouble getting to them.
▶ 1:05:17 Jason Chen: Okay. Yeah. In hearing you describe the problem, I'm wondering if there's an IT solution that our IT team can help you find that-- I'm fine if we buy computers with this, but it still helps you solve that kind of access problem. Right. It would with passwords and things like that. Yep. That was just my thinking when I applied for this. Okay. Then through the chair, I hear what Councilor Kowal is saying. I'm kind of on the other side of this where, yes, I don't agree with how the federal government is putting strings, but I feel like Melrosians and Massachusetts people pay a lot of federal taxes, and to have it be cut at $3.7 billion and for us to not be getting or to have emergency services funding from the federal
▶ 1:06:01 Jason Chen: government get cut by about $400 million as punishment for I don't know what, I don't think we need to protest extra by resisting funding that I feel like we should have been getting all along, and these extra strings attached are-- I don't agree with them, but I don't feel like we should deny the chief or kind of Melrose residents any outside funding because of it. But I totally hear the principle that you're expressing. Thank you so much. Up next, I have Vice Chair Vandiver. Thank you. So the other risk I see with grant-- So first of all, thank you for being with us tonight and for putting forward the grant to buy these items. Along the same lines of risk of accepting grants right now, so one potential risk
▶ 1:06:56 Kimberly Vandiver: is strings that may come with those grants. The other one I believe we've run into in Melrose is repayment, or payment of the grants, where we have, I believe, grants that we've been approved for, but then the money has not yet come through after quite a while. And so my question is, what would the order of operations be here? Would you buy the items and then wait for reimbursement, or would we wait for the money to come through and then buy the items? Exactly. The first one. We buy it, and then we put in for reimbursement for these items. Okay. So I don't know how likely that is to have an issue, but that would be the one other thing I think we could watch out for is, are we getting reimbursed once
▶ 1:07:35 Maya Jamaleddine: we've spent that money? Thank you. Perfect. Up next, I have Councilor Kowal. I was just following up on what I said earlier, and I'm going to put forward a motion to hold this for now until we can get further guidance from the AG's office about what the consequences could be of this and what their recommendation is. Motion to hold made by Councilor Kowal. I'm going to second, but I do also have a question. Okay. Seconded by Councilor Jamaleddine. On discussion, up first, I have Councilor Jamaleddine. Thank you. I do appreciate Councilor Kowal to bring this concern to the table. I do also hear Councilor Chen point. Definitely, we need every penny, and we're paying. My concern is we're accepting this money, but at what cost?
▶ 1:08:30 Maya Jamaleddine: What is it that we're compromising? And if this is something that is going to put minorities probably at risk, especially with the state that we're going through in this administration, I do feel that we do require more information. The least that we can do is to put it on hold to get more information, and then we can take into consideration whether we should proceed. I think this is a big decision for us, especially for those that don't have voices. So it's the minimum that we can do is to take the time before we vote on it and we accept it, just so we would know what are the risks that we are taking for those people. Thank you. Any other Councilor on discussion? Vice Chair Vandiver. Can you let us know, is there a specific deadline that you would need us-- If we
▶ 1:09:34 did postpone this, would we go past the deadline for acceptance of this grant, or what? Yes, there is a deadline. I believe it's Friday. So I did ask for leniency because I told them we're going through our Councilor' schedule throughout the summer, and they didn't think that would be a problem. But yeah, there is a deadline on it. Okay. This Friday? This Friday. The 17th. Because we don't have a scheduled full council meeting before this Friday that I know of. Am I right? It was the following Friday. It's coming up quickly. That's why I'm glad to get this meeting tonight. Okay. Councilor Jamaleddine. So through the chair, even if we accept it, my understanding, we won't be able to do anything with it because the full council
▶ 1:10:21 did not vote on it. No. So we're going to miss Friday either way. I informed MIMA, the people that manage this, that because of the way the council schedules-- I had the date in the email to them saying, "I'm going to be probably a little late. Would that be a problem? Could they afford me some leniency?" And they didn't think it would be a problem. So I did explain to them my situation with the council schedule for the summer meetings. And so it is whatever the date for the full council would have that date. I told them that was going to be the date I'd be able to find out if it's going to be able to be signed and processed. And would you be able to provide any more details and information before
▶ 1:11:07 Bradley Freeman: the full council? About the deadline or about the legal issues involved taking- Well, at least about the deadline. We will get more information- Yeah. Okay ... from the solicitor for deadline, at least. Okay. Yeah. I'll see if I can get some actual writing from them, maybe to give us an extra week or something. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Perfect. Up next, I have President Freeman. Thank you very much, Chair. I want to say at the onset, I very much support this grant. I think it's great, and I look forward to supporting it in Appropriations and before the full council. In respect to Councilor Kowal and Councilor Jamaleddine concerns, many of which I share in terms of what exactly we are signing up for, not
▶ 1:11:51 Bradley Freeman: just with this grant, but with all future grants, I do think it'd be advantageous to get some sort of guidance from Solicitor Phillips, or through her from the AG's office. So I'm going to support the motion to hold, and also I'm going to request through the chair that the Appropriations Committee tries to meet next Monday prior to our full council meeting, in which case we could hear this then, having already heard it tonight, hear it again then, and comfortable passing it through full council, assuming the information from Solicitor Phillips and the Attorney General is to our satisfaction. Perfect. Sounds great. Up next, I have Vice Chair Vandiver. I was going to propose a different solution, which is to send it to full council
▶ 1:12:33 Devin Romanul: either with a recommendation to pass or fail, because we can change our mind in full council, but either way that goes, we can still talk about it one more time. Great. Terrific. Any other commentary? I believe we have a motion that is made and seconded to hold in committee. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Yes. Vice Chair Vandiver? Yes. Councilor Chen? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Karamcheti? Yes. Councilor Kowal? Councilor Abramsky? Yes. Councilor Park? Yes. President Freeman? Yes. Chair Romanul? Yes. All in favor? All right. Yes. We will hold in committee and add an A&O hearing next week to our coming attractions. Thank you so much, Chief, for joining us this evening.
▶ 1:13:15 Thank you so much. Thanks for considering it. Look forward to learning more. All right. Up next, we have order ID number 2026-1531, acceptance of a revised easement for 105 Walton Park in Melrose. Joining us, Mr. Coyle from DPW. Good evening. Evening, Council. I'm here with... Go ahead, introduce yourself. Paul Penoke with PGF & Associates. I prepared the easement plan that was submitted into the city. Give you a little bit of a background on this property. A little while back, the homeowners had approached the building department wanting to do an addition to their home. But unfortunately, there was an existing drainage easement that ran through about one-third through their property. Very weird.
▶ 1:14:08 Normally, they're along the edge of the property, but this one went right through pretty much the middle of their property, impeding on them being able to add an addition to their home. So they had approached engineering asking if there was any solutions. And we had allowed them to redirect and realign the drainage pipe to go around their new addition in the event that they would have to re-record the revised easement at 100% cost to them for no cost to the city. So they had hired a contractor. They installed the new drainage in accordance to the approved plans. We had a revised plan that we sent earlier today. It was a very, very minor, inconsequential change to the original plan that was in
▶ 1:15:00 the order. And then the only other thing that needs to still be submitted is the easement documentation. References the previous easement plan, and then on the last signature page, it shows a month of March. So this still needs to be finalized and updated, but they don't change the actual easement for the plans or anything like that. So once those are finalized and can be reviewed, they can be recorded with the Registry of Deeds. Fantastic. Thank you very much. Do any other Councilor have questions? Councilor Chen. It sounds like we already approved this by approving the work in general. This is more a formality just to say, "Yep, the work is finished, and here's the final easement." Yeah. So engineering and DPW approved moving of the drain line, but because the
▶ 1:15:53 drain line moved outside of the existing easement, now we need to revise the easement in order for the city to have the right to maintain it as needed- Okay ... because now it's not quite within the existing easement. It starts and ends in the existing easement, but it bumps out and kind of comes back in. Yeah, because the neighbor put an addition or the- Exactly. Here. Yeah. So the plan that was submitted today, you'll see this actually has the final house on it, so it bumps out. So the easement plan just kind of bumps around it so that it can accommodate the change. And how much do you expect to need to access this easement? Well, we've probably never accessed it in the entire time that it's been built
▶ 1:16:35 Manjula Karamcheti: since then. And with how it was built, it was built much better than pretty much all of our drainage infrastructure, so I'm hoping never. So overall, the city got a great section of- Yeah ... drain pipe for- Yeah. Upgraded drain through their property and something that's going to outlast what it was connected to. Thank you. Yeah, exactly. Up next, Councilor Kam Chetty. Thank you. Thank you for being here. Yeah, so I guess that is sort of an extension of my question, not knowing really anything about easements and drainage, so I will just put that out there. But just curious about the changes, like what the impact might be in any way, shape, or form to the rest of the neighborhood and/or the street.
▶ 1:17:21 Manjula Karamcheti: Just sort of curious if you could speak to that. Yeah, absolutely no impact at all. So it's not adding or subtracting any drainage. Basically, there's a street above the house that it collects, and it just passes through the yard into the next drainage structure into Walton Park. So really, it's just a conveyance that rather than taking a straight path, it just meanders around. So there should be no impact at all to anyone. Okay. Yeah. Just because I've seen in other places where drainage has gotten changed, then all of a sudden, you have water flowing on the street, and then it freezes and... But we're not- Absolutely ... expecting any of those kinds of impacts. No, not at all. Okay. Thank you.
▶ 1:18:04 Perfect. Any other Councilor? Councilor Park. Just a quick question. Has this already been reviewed by the Zoning Board of Appeals, and is this something that would come up to them, and why specifically would it be coming up to the Appropriations not- No, so it doesn't need to go through Zoning Board of Appeals because it doesn't meet any zoning requirements. So it's going through the City Council because the city easement needs to be accepted. The revised easement needs to be accepted. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Up next, Vice Chair Vanderberg. Thank you. This sounds reasonable to me, and I make a motion to recommend. Second. Motion to recommend made by Vice Chair Vanderberg, seconded by Councilor Kam Chetty
▶ 1:18:45 Devin Romanul: on discussion. See none. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Yes. Vice Chair Vanderberg? Yes. Councilor Chen? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Kam Chetty? Yes. Councilor Kowal? Yes. Councilor Abrumsky? Yes. Councilor Park? Yes. President Freeman? Yes. Chair Romanul? Yes. All in favor. All in favor? That will move forward to our next City Council meeting a week from tonight with a favorable recommendation. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you so much. Thank you. All right. And last but not least on our agenda, ID number 2026-1533, grant of easement for 204 Tremont Street. Apparently, it's easement night here in the- ... Rome Region second meeting. Joining us this evening, Denise Gabie. How are you?
▶ 1:19:27 Denise Gaffey: Great. Doing well, thank you. Good evening. So this order relates to the fire station on Tremont Street that we are rebuilding, and the request is to accept a grant of easement on National Grid's behalf in order for them to maintain and operate and install a new underground electrical system to service and support the new station. This relates to a grant of location that was in front of the board several months ago, and that was for the new pole and service coming into the building. I think there was a bit of a miscommunication on National Grid's part in terms of the fact that this easement also needs to get accepted. So I think it would've been much more efficient had that been done at the same
▶ 1:20:12 Denise Gaffey: time, but here we are. It's very straightforward and routine language, and it's been reviewed by the city's solicitor, and she took no issues with it. So just here to request your acceptance. Wonderful. Thank you so much. Do any of my colleagues have any questions? Councilor Chen. To clarify, do we own the transformer, or are we paid as part of the project for National Grid to do the work- Right ... on the transformer, but they own it, and then this is to give them access to maintain and- Correct ... fix? Yeah. The project will install the pad that it sits on, but they bring the transformer in, then make all the connections to it, and then the easement is for permanent access to the city property, so they can maintain.
▶ 1:20:59 Jason Chen: Okay. And I'm asking because I'm thinking about a recent meeting about our newer fire stations are going to use more electricity- Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm ... which is why we need to upgrade- Mm-hmm ... our switchgear and our transformers. Right. And we have to pay our part to prep it, but the actual equipment is owned by National Gear and National Grid and paid for by them? The transformer, to my knowledge, is. It's not part of the project. It's not coming out of the project budget. Okay. Yes. Yeah. Great. And I'm sure we will be back for all those other projects as well. Yeah. Including the police station once we get the paperwork together for that one. Got it. Okay. Thank you. Sure. Perfect. Up next, I have Vice Chair Vanderberg.
▶ 1:21:43 Kimberly Vandiver: Thank you. To that point, I guess one, if I'm remembering correctly, National Grid, once they have this transformer, they don't have to restrict its usage to the fire station, right? They could use it to serve the general vicinity? I think if there's more capacity there, they could, yes. That was, I believe, what I had seen. So to me, this seems like a reasonable thing, and I motion to recommend. Second. Second. Motion made by Vice Chair Vanderberg, seconded by Councilor Kowal. I know it was... Right. It was between two of you. Anyway. We're the same person tonight, so. Right. All right. That's right. On discussion. Seeing none. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Vice Chair Vanderberg?
▶ 1:22:28 Devin Romanul: Yes. Councilor Chen? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Kam Chetty? Yes. Councilor Kowal? Yes. Councilor Abrumsky? Yes. Councilor Park? Yes. President Freeman? Chair Romanul. Yes. All right. That passes. It'll go before our next City Council meeting a week from this evening. And thank you so much, Ms. Gab, for joining us. Thank you very much. That being our last item on our agenda, I'll now motion by unanimous consent to adjourn. Seeing none, no objections, we are now adjourned.