Boston City Council Boston 2024 Hearing Friday

The Boston City Council's Special Committee on the 2024 Olympics will be holding a public hearing:

Friday, June 26, 2015
9:30 am

Boston City Hall

Iannella Chamber, 5th floor

The topic to be discussed is the financing of operations and venue development of the Boston 2024 Olympics. Watch Boston City Council hearings live at CityofBoston.gov. 

originally published 6.22.15

Boston Through Vanderwarker's Lens: New Ideas About An Old City

Renowned photographer Peter Vandwarker will share his unique perspective gained from years of capturing the heart of Boston with his camera at the Boston Preservation Alliance annual meeting on  March 30, 2015. He will discuss how preparation for 2024 and beyond might impact the evolution of the city’s character.

The event will take place Monday night at 6pm at District Hall located at 75 Northern Ave, Boston. Current Boston Preservation Alliance members attend for free! Please RSVP. Not a member? Register to attend for $60 ($40 for Young Professionals), and receive a complimentary one-year membership. Register now!

Following the business meeting and guest speaker, please join the Boston Preservation Alliance for drinks and refreshments.

Boston City Council Looks At Late Night T Service, Olympics, 911 Data And More

Councillor-At-Large Michelle Wu provides notes from Boston City Council meetings. The Boston City Council considered the items below and more at their March 11, 2015 meeting:

911 Data: Councilors Murphy & Flaherty reported back on their 2nd hearing in a series on speeding up 911 response times in Boston. This hearing discussed a platform that would allow residents to attach information to their cell phone number, so that if they needed to dial 911 from that cell phone, first responders could know their address, medical information such as allergies, whether a pet lives in the home, etc. Very little information is conveyed automatically from cell phone 911 calls. Other Councilors noted the need to have a better platform for receiving 911 cell phone calls that relays the closest cell tower's location, rather than the phone's original purchase location. The matter was placed on file.

Snow Removal Fines: We voted to pass an amended version of Mayor Walsh's home rule petition that would allow the City to impose fines up to $1,500 for commercial property owners' failure to responsibly remove snow, slush, or ice. The current cap on fines is $300, and this is based on state law. The Administration explained that asking for a $1,500 maximum was meant to allow for potential future increases without having to go back to the Legislature and also deter behavior. 

Diversity & Inclusion in 2024 Olympics: Councilor Pressley called for a hearing on diversity and inclusion in the planning, hiring, and contracting process for the Boston 2024 Olympics bid. She noted that the efforts to bring the Olympics to Boston need to be intentional, creative, and consistent about inclusion and diversity related to women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and the LGBTQ community. Councilor Jackson pointed out the 9-year timeline, and that we need to be deliberate about policies now, because the city could be impacted for nearly a decade. The order was assigned to the Special Committee on the 2024 Olympics.

Late Night MBTA: We unanimously passed a resolution filed by Councilor Zakim & myself urging the MassDOT Board to establish permanent Late Night T Service. At a well-attended hearing last week, residents and passengers spoke of the need for late night service to help Boston's economy and provide a safe, convenient & affordable transportation option for workers, students, young professionals, the arts community, and others. Most of all, we need predictability - businesses and workers can't make decisions about new jobs and new locations unless they know this service will last beyond a 1-year pilot. The late night pilot program had a net cost of $11M, less than 1% of the MBTA's operating budget. Councilor McCarthy noted that there would still be appetite for the service even with potential fare increases, because the alternative for many workers returning home to his district after their shifts is a $50+ taxi ride. Many Councilors and residents offered creative funding solutions, such as university partnerships and Councilor O'Malley's idea to license late night food vendors. 

Boston 2024 Olympics & Sex Trafficking: Councilor Pressley filed a hearing order to discuss a comprehensive approach to reduce sex trafficking at mega sports events including potential Olympics. She noted that major world sporting events are widely recognized as sex trafficking hubs, including some major arrests of traffickers and johns related to the 2015 Super Bowl. The order was assigned to the Special Committee on the 2024 Olympics.

For complete notes from the March 11th meeting, visit www.michelleforboston.com/notes or sign up to receive these notes automatically each week by email at www.michelleforboston.com/sendmenotes.

Boston City Council Looks At Transportation, A New Superintendent, Spring & The Week Ahead

Councillor-At-Large Michelle Wu provides notes from Boston City Council meetings. The March 4, 2015 meeting was delayed by two hours for the Council to attend the Boston Municipal Research Bureau's annual meeting and hear Mayor Walsh's address (here's the text of his speech if curious: http://www.cityofboston.gov/news/default.aspx?id=20023). Please reach out to Councillor Wu with any comments. Anyone can sign up to receive weekly email meeting notes at www.michelleforboston.com/sendmenotes or see past notes at www.michelleforboston.com/notes.   

Snow Removal Fines: Mayor Walsh submitted a home rule petition to the Council that would allow the City to impose fines up to $1,500 for failure to responsibly remove snow, slush, or ice. The proposal would allow Boston regulators to impose 3 categories of fines: 1) people, corporations, associations, and societies who remove snow/slush/ice and throw it onto a public way, 2) abutting property owners who fail to clear sidewalks, and 3) abutting property owners who fail to clear curb ramps. The current cap on fines is $300. The Mayor noted that increasing the fines would help deter bad behavior but also recover some of the costs associated with snow cleanup. The matter was referred to the Government Operations Committee for a hearing.

Refinancing Bonds: We voted unanimously to authorize the City to issue up to $65M in refunding bonds to refinance and take advantage of favorable market conditions. The Administration estimated a savings of $9.2M over FY 2016-2029 after refinancing from 4.6% interest to 2.3%, even after fees are accounted for.

Boston 2030: Councilor Linehan proposed a hearing to develop the city's policies and projects to improve transportation infrastructure in conjunction with the City's Go Boston 2030 transportation planning initiative as we look ahead to Boston's 400th birthday. The first phase of Go Boston 2030 launched in late January, collecting 4,000 questions from 15 different neighborhood spots to develop an action plan this spring. Councilor Linehan noted that the City Council should have a seat at the table and participate in developing this initiative, given the importance of transportation infrastructure. The matter was referred to the Special Committee on Transportation, Public Infrastructure & Investment for a hearing.

Spring Clean-Up & Street Sweeping: Councilor O'Malley called for a hearing to discuss the city's plans for cleanup once the snow banks have melted. He anticipated issues around trash that has collected in the snow as well as flooding. Councilor Flaherty also noted that many youth sports leagues are scheduled to start but worried about the condition of parks and fields. The matter was sent to the Committee on City & Neighborhood Services and Veterans Affairs for a hearing.

New Superintendent: Councilor Jackson as Chair of the Education Committee announced that the School Committee selected Dr. Tommy Chang to lead the Boston Public Schools last night. Many Councilors voiced appreciation for the openness of the interview process and the Administration's model of transparency. Councilor Jackson encouraged each District Councilor to host the new Superintendent at a reception in their district to introduce him to residents and families. You can find Dr. Chang's bio and application for the job here: http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/Page/4464.

Upcoming Meetings/Hearings (all in the Iannella Chamber unless otherwise noted):
• Thursday, March 5th, 11:30AM: Residency Policy Commission meeting, Piemonte Room
• Thursday, March 5th, 6PM: Hearing on Late Night MBTA Service
• Friday, March 6th, 10:30AM: Hearing on 2024 Olympics
• Wednesday, March 11th, 12PM: Weekly Council Meeting
• Thursday, March 12th, 6PM: Hearing on Equitable Transitions for Students Receiving Special Education Services

FPNA Presents Olympics in Fort Point: An Initial Discussion

The Fort Point Neighborhood Association (FPNA) resumes their monthly neighborhood meeting series with special guest John Fitzgerald, City of Boston's Director of Olympic Operations. 

If you are not yet familiar with the Boston 2024 Olympic concept for Fort Point, please take a look at Boston 2024 Olympic venue plan ( pages 34-41).

Fort Point neighbors are invited to engage in an initial discussion of the benefits and impact of Boston 2024 Olympics in Fort Point on: 

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

Boston Children's Museum

via 308 Congress Street
Dewey/Suess Conference Rooms, 5th floor 

R.S.V.P. (required)
  

Boston 2024

Olympics In Fort Point

An initial discussion of benefits and impact

featuring

John FitzGerald

Director of Olympic Operations

City of Boston

with

Richard McGuiness

Deputy Director for Waterfront Planning

Boston Redevelopment Authority

 7:00 pm General Meeting & Neighborhood Updates

originally published 2.19.15

Boston City Council Looks At Alcohol Tax, MBTA, Snow, Olympics & Senior Housing

Councillor-At-Large Michelle Wu provides notes from Boston City Council meetings. The Boston City Council considered the items below and more at their February 25, 2015 meeting:

Alcohol Tax: Councilors Linehan and Baker filed an expanded version of their home rule petition from last calendar year to impose a tax on alcohol sales that would fund addiction treatment and recovery programs. They said that at the hearing on the previous item (which had been focused solely on off-premises alcohol sales), liquor stores said they were being singled out at the 6.5% tax was too high. The new version includes off-premises and on-premises sales (e.g. at restaurants) and would be a 1% tax. Councilor Linehan estimated that this would provide ~$10M annually for programs to address the urgent issue of addiction treatment and recovery. Councilor Baker said that although his preference would not be to burden small businesses, he believed we need a statewide tax to provide funding streams for the important policies that our Governor and Mayor support. The matter was sent to the Government Operations Committee for a hearing.

 

Senior Public Housing: We voted to pass the resolution offered by Councilors Pressley & Baker in support of the Boston Housing Authority's Designated Housing Plan submitted to HUD, which increases the percentage of public housing units dedicated to seniors. The plan changes the ratio of seniors vs. non-senior disabled residents to 80%-20%. The Councilors noted that having these two populations living side by side is far from ideal, as seniors keep very different hours and struggle to live comfortably when younger neighbors are facing addiction or mental health issues.  Councilors emphasized that we need support services for each population in the right environment, and this is just about recognizing the challenges of combining these populations in the same buildings.

2024 Olympics: Councilor Linehan filed a hearing order on the 2024 Olympics, to hear from all parties on the impact of Boston's potential bid to host the Games. The matter was sent to the Special Committee on the 2024 Olympics for a Hearing.

Snow's Business Impact: Councilor Jackson filed a hearing order to discuss the impact of the 2015 snowstorms on businesses in Boston. Small businesses have suffered from lack of foot traffic, employees not being able to get to work, and transportation difficulties. Especially given that many retail businesses have tight margins, the weeks of snow have been disastrous for business. The matter was sent to the Economic Development Committee for a hearing.

MBTA Infrastructure: Councilor Jackson called for a hearing to discuss needed infrastructure investments in the MBTA, as the age of the fleet has been sorely revealed this winter. Having solid transportation infrastructure is critical to a flourishing economy, and we need to seize on the moment to put solutions in place. The matter was referred to the Special Committee on Transportation Infrastructure, Investment & Planning for a hearing.

For complete notes from the February 11th meeting, visit www.michelleforboston.com/notes or sign up to receive these notes automatically each week by email at www.michelleforboston.com/sendmenotes, Next Wednesday's meeting will start at 2PM rather than 12PM due to the annual Boston Municipal Research Bureau meeting.

Olympic Community Meeting To Be Held In South Boston

Update: Fort Point identified as broadcast and press center with transport hub, media parking and a satellite farm for Boston 2024. The plan also calls for hospitality barges on the Fort Point Channel according to Boston 2024 Olympic venue plan (see pages 34-41).

With the US Olympic Committee's selection of Boston, Mayor Walsh announces the first nine community meetings beginning February 3d through September 29th to discuss proposed venue plans and the benefits and impacts for Boston. 

“Today marks the start of a long process to meet with residents and solicit feedback from our many diverse neighborhoods as we move forward in our quest to host the 2024 Summer Olympics,” Mayor Martin J. Walsh said. “I am excited to share our vision with the people of Boston and hear their thoughts on how we can work together to not only bring the Games to Boston, but create one of the most innovative, sustainable and successful Olympics the world has seen.”. 

The City will hold an Olympic Discussion Community Meeting in South Boston on:

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Condon School Cafeteria

200 D St., South Boston
6:30 pm

Meetings and additional steps in the community process will be announced on an ongoing basis. In addition, Boston 2024, the privately-funded nonprofit organizing committee, held the first meeting of its Citizens Advisory Group on Jan. 21 at 6 p.m. at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Boston 2024 created the Citizens Advisory Group through their website to provide information and solicit feedback from the public.Visit Boston 2024 for Citizen's Advisory Group meeting schedule and full City of Boston community meeting schedule.

The USOC decision to select Boston as the United States' bid city is the next step in the International Olympic Committee selection process. There will be a review process before the USOC officially submits Boston as the United States' bid city to the IOC. The IOC will select the 2024 Summer Games host city in 2017.

originally published 1.9.15