Monday, February 13, 2023 at 6:30 PM

Agenda 8 items

1. 1.
   22-2075 Committee Minutes Accepted

   Approval of the Public Utilities and Public Works Committee Minutes of December 5, 2022.

   Roll call: 3 aye

   • Jesse ClinganAye
   • Beatriz Gomez Mouakad Aye
   • Charlotte KellyAye

   • 📎 Minutes - PUPW - 12-5-22 Full
2. 2.
   23-0143 Order Recommended to be marked work completed

   That the Commissioner of Public Works immediately remove the wires wrapped around a telephone pole and in the street in front of 19 Church Street, and report to this Council who owns the pole.

   {\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang1033{\fonttbl{\f0\froman\fprq2\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}{\f1\fnil\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}} {\colortbl ;\red0\green0\blue0;} \viewkind4\uc1\pard\f0\fs24 Taken together with item 23-1042. Dir. Lathan sent a communication that the removals were completed on February 2 and that Eversource owned both poles.\par \cf1\f1\par }

3. 3.
   23-0142 Order Recommended to be marked work completed

   That the Commissioner of Public Works immediately remove the wires hanging from the pole and tied to the porch railing at 9 Pearl Street Place, and report to this Council who owns the pole.

4. 4.
   23-0061 Order Recommended to be marked work completed

   That the Commissioner of Public Works report on the maintenance schedule of street and traffic lights, including the number damaged or burned out.

   {\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang1033{\fonttbl{\f0\froman\fprq2\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}{\f1\fnil\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}} {\colortbl ;\red0\green0\blue0;} \viewkind4\uc1\pard\f0\fs24 Chair Clingan talked about a situation with lights out on Broadway that could not easily be fixed. Councilor Gomez Mouakad suggested asking if it is possible, when excavating for roadwork, to check the status of wiring for lights and any potential upgrades.\par \cf1\f1\par }

5. 5.
   23-0149 Order Recommended to be marked work completed

   That the Commissioner of Public Works provide an update on current and future maintenance plans for the Armory building.

   {\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang1033{\fonttbl{\f0\froman\fprq2\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}{\f1\fnil\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}} {\colortbl ;\red0\green0\blue0;} \viewkind4\uc1\pard\f0\fs24 Chair Clingan commented that the maintenance plans seem to focus on custodial work. Councilor Gomez Mouakad said that with the new plan for the Armory, there might be necessary upgrades for the building and said she would follow up on those separately. She also requested to be sent a report on Armory updates every 6 months.\par \cf1\f1\par }

6. 6.
   23-0071 Order Recommended to be marked work completed

   That the Director of the Office of Sustainability and Environment and the Commissioner of Public Works update this Council on plans for household hazardous waste collection.

   {\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang1033{\fonttbl{\f0\froman\fprq2\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}{\f1\fnil\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}} {\colortbl ;\red0\green0\blue0;} \viewkind4\uc1\pard\f0\fs24 Chair Clingan asked about the status of a long-term contract that OSE is negotiating with a vendor to pick up waste in addition to having a drop-off period. Liaison Carrillo said that she remembers discussing yard waste in committee, but not hazardous waste and would follow up on that information. Currently, there are no updates on the contract.\par \cf1\f1\par }

7. 7.
   23-0056 Resolution Recommended to be marked work completed

   That the Administration update this Council on the cable franchise contract negotiations with Comcast and explain what the process entails.

   {\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang1033{\fonttbl{\f0\froman\fprq2\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}{\f1\fnil\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}} {\colortbl ;\red0\green0\blue0;} \viewkind4\uc1\pard\f0\fs24 Taken together with item 23-0138. Chair Clingan explained that there was an announcement a few hours before this meeting about franchise fees that changes the agreement going forward. The contract was also posted, and Dir. Taylor sent a communication outlining the negotiation process. A second public hearing was hosted just before this meeting.\par \par Dir. Taylor explained the rationale behind the Mayor\rquote s decision to propose moving education and government access services into the general fund, which will allow the city to move the 5% franchise fees to the Somerville Media Center. She said that the Administration is also proposing a 50/50 split for capital equipment funds. The impact for the Somerville Media Center is an estimated $1 million extra in funding in the next 3 years. Dir. Taylor said that the Administration would like the Council to approve the shift of education and government services into the general fund.\par \par Questions from the Chair led to further discussion about the previous and new contracts. Dir. Taylor said that Comcast has sent a legally-binding communication that they will honor the previous agreement until the current license is renewed. She also said there is some urgency in moving forward with the new contract, but the Administration will want to review a few items discussed at the most recent public hearing first. She also talked about provisions in the new contract that improve on the last. Finally, she said that the timing is somewhat staggered, but the details of the shift will be memorialized in the upcoming agreement between the city and the Somerville Media Center, and outlined in the FY24 budget.\par \cf1\f1\par }

8. 8.
   23-0138 Resolution Recommended to be marked work completed

   That the Administration provide an update on contract negotiations with local cable providers at the February 13, 2023 meeting of this Council’s Committee on Public Utilities and Public Works.