Alderman: Max Pak covenant proposal to come out next week

By David Taber

The Board of Aldermen’s Land Use Committee will recommend major changes May 22 to a proposed covenant between the city and developers planning to build 199 units on the Max Pak site on Clyde Street.

Speaking at the Somerville News contributors meeting May 10, Ward 2 Alderman Maryann Heuston said the committee decided to revisit the covenant after residents raised concerns about it at a contentious public hearing on the rezoning of the site.

KSS Investment, the company seeking to develop the property, needs the Board of Aldermen’s approval of the rezoning before they can begin construction.

The board does not have the power to directly approve or reject the covenant, but, “if the zoning is approved, you can safely say we approve of the covenant,” Heuston said.   

The Land Use Committee will recommend that the city require KSS Developers pull up the train tracks on a disused railroad right-of-way running past the site, she said.  KSS had planned to cover the tracks with gravel to create a temporary construction access road, but the city has been planning to turn the right-of-way into an extension of the Somerville Community Path.  Members of the City’s Bicycle Committee as well as members of the advocacy group Friends of the Community Path have been pushing for a clause requiring KSS to remove the tracks in exchange for use of the right-of-way, which may cause delays in the community path extension.

The land use committee will also recommend that the city require KSS to do acoustical studies before receiving permits for any of the three phases of construction it is planning.  A green line extension, slated to be built early in the next decade, will run past the site and residents are concerned the structures on the site will amplify the noise from the trains, she said. 

Heuston has been serving as chair for the land use committee during consideration of the rezoning of the Max Pak site and discussion of the covenant.  Ward 5 Alderman and Land Use Committee Chairman Sean T. O’ Donovan recused himself from the discussions in early March due to a potential conflict of interests after he purchased a house on 30 Warwick Street, which abuts the Max Pak site.

Heuston also said she has drafted language for the covenant to hold KSS to a higher standard in its rodent control efforts during construction.

“It’s not enough to just bait around a construction project,” she said. Heuston said she has learned more than she ever wanted to know about rodent control in the course of her efforts toward the passage of a recent ordinance regulating curbside trash disposal. 

Rodents will only travel about 65 feet from their nests in search for food.  If they have to travel further they will move their nests to a new location, she said.  They migrate from construction sites because the work often interrupts their food source, she said. 

“What you need is an effort to go out into the neighborhood and make sure trash is secure, so there is no food source,” she said.

She said she wants language in the covenant to require KSS to provide financial support for the extra effort the city will have to put in to enforcing of the trash ordinance.

Regarding her own ward, which she has served for four terms, Heuston said her most important accomplishment has been overhauling the city’s licensing and permitting process. 

When she was elected, the aldermen’s Licensing and Permitting Committee “was not being very strict about what businesses could and couldn’t do,” she said.  The licenses the city was issuing did not include things like restrictions on hours of operation for garages or limitations on how many cars could be parked on used car lots, she said. 

Heuston has served on the Licensing and Permitting Committee for six years. Working with Inspectional Services and Fire Departments, and involving the neighbors, the committee has been able to significantly improve the process, she said.

Comments

[p]

The city website says bike path extension construction beens fall 2007. Obviously this isn't happening if KSS is using it as a road. So when will the bike path extension project start and how long should it take?

[Somerspeak]

Mayor Curtatone and Alderman O'Donovan have decided to let the developer use the unfinished bike path for as long as he wants. so much for starting the construction of the path anytime soon. from reading the stories of this condo development it will take four years to finish.

[The Mole]

There is a captivating advertisement in today’s Sunday Herald. A company was awarded a very central contract to deal with the oil tank onslaught of ill fate, Triumvirate, a few weeks ago. The city has knocked off it’s current savior of all oil and tank related mishaps, Commonwealth Tank of Wakefield, after the City has refused to pay this company over $600,000 in oil mitigations over the past 8 months which they were asked to perform. These tasks included the Recreation Building on Walnut St, the fiasco at the DPW with two related oil leaks and tanks and the most recent dilemma at the High School, in which Comm. Tank did so well in getting the school back in session as fast as they did. Now they are tossed aside without full restitution.

How can a company that was just awarded a contract now go out and solicit workers for a job they bid on? Who awarded the proposal for a reputable company to perform these delicate tasks without finding out first if they were qualified and that they could do the task at hand? For this company to receive the awarding contract, then recruit for workers to do the job sends a very disturbing message that they are not “Equipped” to handle such a huge and important job.

This only goes to show you that Joeycakes will do anything to stay in the graces of just one person. One person is associated with this entity through Boss Hog. He is on the executive board of Aggregate Associates and has ties with Trident and was well known with a company based out of Stoughton several years ago. When Aggregate Associates bought out that company, he strung along as important baggage and is the pivotal decision maker as to what companies got what relating to municipal contracts, especially in Somerville, due to his close ties here.

Someone on the BOA should be sitting in the Purchasing Office at City Hall requesting all bids submitted for these oil/tank proposals and asking why all of a sudden, their current vender has been tossed and ask the question why Comm. Tank was not allowed to finish their job at the High School.

This advertisement can be found on page 49 of this Sunday’s Herald classified ads”

Hard Workers Only

Triumvirate
Environmental

Are you looking for opportunity for leadership? Do you feel stuck in your current position? We’re looking for experienced and entry-level environmental field service technicians who want to take their career to the next level. Can you handle it?

Field Technicians (Laborer)

Perform confined space entry, soil remediation decontamination, underground storage tank removal. Must be a team player & have driver’s license.

Class A & B
CDL Drivers

Drivers needed to perform HAZMAT pickups. This is not just another driving job, it’s a career. CDL, A or B required. Higher rate for vacuum truck experience.
ALL positions based I Somerville, MA.

To apply,
send your resume to

careers@triumvirate.com. Please reference Boston Herald or fax to 617-628-8099.
EOE

I find this very disturbing and unfortunately, in line with the way this Administration has conducted business over the past 4 years.

The Mole

[JARfromWard3]

Obvious by its absence from the discussion of KSS' contractor removing the rails and ties is the MBTA. My understanding is that the T owns the rail and other remaining right-of-way items. Under this agreement, is KSS going to do the work and then turn the salvageable materials over to the T?
Rail steel is fetching on the order of $250-280/ton presently and there's about 800-1000 feet of double 100lb. iron there.
Just wondering.

73
JAR

[Ron Newman]

JAR - I believe that is the arrangement being made -- KSS will remove the rails and ties and hand them over to the T.

The notice I got from the city says that the Land Use Committee will meet to discuss this on Wednesday, May 23 at 6 pm -- not May 22 as stated in the News article. If you go to this meeting you may be able to find out more.

[Jack Meofe]

Is it me or doesn't she look like one them ladies that you'll love to hate lol. IDK just had to bring it up.

[Old Gent]

To 'The Mole',
I agree. It reminds me when the city's thrash removal was privatized and handed to an unknown company. They were even given the City's trucks. Lord knows where they got their employees.

[The Mole]

“FREE CASH” the City neglected to solidify.

Seems the City appointees were not up to snuff when it came to certifying the free cash the City could have received back in 2006-2007. We are not talking chump change here but millions, Three Million to be exact.

Auditors are meeting with Mr. B, Chief Auditor as we speak an others are being requested or is it sequestered, too see who dropped the pen in certifying funds that could have gone into Free Cash.

I wonder if Alderman White was still Chairman of the Finance Committee if this would have ever happened. In any event, it has and the city is out Three Million. What to do to make up the short fall if this was part of the fiscal budget? Back peddling now is probably what they will do. I smell a scapegoat among the tribe. Bottom dollar it’s not Mr. B but Mr. F.

How is that for apples?

Countdown is two days for fireworks to be delivered to the head of this Administration.

The Mole

[Ron Newman]

I don't understand -- how was the city going to get free cash from the MaxPak development?

[Dr. Mrs. McCarthy]

Butters,

Jesus, Maria and Jose will you please pay attention???????????

The doctored free cash entries on the city's books have nothing to do with O'Donovan's Landing at MaxPak.

Just Sit and Read for awhile. No blogging. It will come to you.

Geeesh,

Dr. Mrs. McCarthy

[The Mole]

Thanks Sweetie, Dr. Mrs. McC. To Ron, I had to put this somewhere and found this site as the one to do so. It has nothing to do with MaxPak and everything to do with this inept Administration.

By not certifying certain documents, the City cannot get reimbursed for funds spent by the City with City funds for certain City work. If someone on the Hill had done their work from last year, the City would have received the 3 Million. They didn't and we don't.

The Mole

[mole the loser]

That's it Mole (CA) keep digging. Your lies are disgusting. You come on here drop bombs and then run and hide in the Capuano school. You can't back any of your allegations because... drumroll please.... they are LIES!!!!! Actually, I am loving this because you are being found out for what you truly are

[Mole Fan]

You must be a City Hall hack, 'cause you FEAR THE MOLE.
We all know that Mr. F. is the fall guy, and the City
Hall Gang is hanging on by the skin of their teeth.

[Far]

Look if free cash cannot be recovered it just went the way of the Desk, Trafic & Parking money. Who bloody well cares nobody, both papers are in bed with him or the Hog so lets just roll on and on. Over the sea and far far away?

[The Mole]

What could the City have done with 3 Million dollars? Let me count the ways.

1, Lower Residential Taxes

2, Enhance Educational Staff

3, More Foot Patrolman

4, Re-open Engine 4

5, Purchase new Police vehicles

6, Oil/Tank mitigation

7, Repairs to the Central Library

8, Pave streets other than SOD's streets

9, Convene a panel to figure out why NO-SHOW, Project Manager Jimmy O'D is still working on Perkins Park for 4 years

10, Study the progress of the Condor inhabiting in the City

The Mole

[you're kidding]

free cash is not cash
it is an accounting device
learn your municipal finance before you write

if you think i am wrong ask bean which bank the free cash is deposited in........