This episode was broadcast on Mar 8, 2016 at 5:30pm. The hosts are Judy Nathans and Robert Winters. [On YouTube]
This episode was broadcast on Mar 8, 2016 at 6:00pm. The hosts are Judy Nathans and Robert Winters. [On YouTube]
Cambridge City Manager Richard C. Rossi is seeking nominations for the 2016 Outstanding City Employee Awards program which recognizes employees for exemplary performance and contributions that go above and beyond job requirements.
Cambridge city government is made up of dedicated employees who strive to provide a high level of quality services to all its citizens. The annual awards ceremony provides a special opportunity to give extra recognition to a few exemplary individuals. Winners will be recognized at a special awards ceremony on Friday, May 6, 2016.
Outstanding City Employee Awards are designed to recognize contributions that are above and beyond job requirements. Criteria for determining outstanding performance include:
Demonstrated strong leadership and a high level of commitment to the City and its residents.All City employees at all levels of the City workforce are eligible for nomination. Anyone who lives or works in Cambridge may nominate one or more city employees for recognition. Individuals are not limited as to how many employees s/he chooses to nominate but must submit a separate Nomination Form or letter for each employee. Employees may not nominate their supervisor or department head for recognition.
Online Nomination Forms can be accessed from this news story on the city’s website, www.cambridgema.gov. A signed nomination letter may be submitted instead of the nomination form. Completed nominations must be submitted to the Personnel Department by Friday, April 8, 2016. In addition, you may email nominations to mcarvello@cambridgema.gov or fax to the Personnel Department at 617-349-4312. For more information, contact Maryellen Carvello at mcarvello@cambridgema.gov or 617-349-4301.
Location: State House, 4th floor, outside House Chambers
Exhibition dates: March 7-18
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8am-6pm. (See it after 3pm on Monday.)
Programs:
Opening Reception: Wednesday, March 9, 12-1pm. 4th floor. Free.
Lunchtime Panel: Saving Our Parks: Effective Partnerships between Government & Community Groups, Wednesday, March 16, 12-1pm. 3rd floor, Room 350. Free. Refreshments at both.
See Magazine Beach – A Place Apart at the Mass. State House, starting this Monday afternoon (March 7). While the exhibition focuses on the forces that have shaped the Cambridge park, it explores the broader question: How do we make decisions about the use of public land?
The show includes a new section, A Revitalized Park, featuring the latest landscape plans and renderings of the park and information about the Powder Magazine and DCR’s Historic Curatorship Program.
On Wednesday, March 16 starting at noon there will be a Lunchtime Panel featuring effective public/private partnerships. Legislators, DCR and three community groups will present case studies of how they have partnered successfully to protect and preserve green open spaces, critical to community well-being.
Projects featured include:
Arrive early to pass through security and to see the exhibit. For further information, go to www.magazinebeach.org. Questions? Contact Cathie Zusy at cathzusy@gmail.com or Caitlin Duffy at Caitlin.Duffy@MAhouse.gov.
Sidewalk Poetry Returns to Cambridge!Are you a poet? Or might you be a poet, but you don’t know YET because you’ve never done it? Or are you a student, electrician, shop owner, or athlete, or someone of any other profession, who also happens to write poems occasionally? We would like to hear from you in the next three weeks! This is the second year of the Cambridge Sidewalk Poetry Contest, designed to select poems written by Cambridge residents for imprinting in City sidewalks in 2016.
Cambridge residents of any age are invited to submit one poem of their own work to the 2016 Sidewalk Poetry Contest, March 1-20, 2016. The inaugural contest attracted over 300 submissions from residents from 4-95 years, demonstrating the ageless appeal of poetry. The deadline for submissions is 11:59pm on Sunday, March 20, 2016.
For more information and to submit a poem, please visit cambridgema.gov/SidewalkPoetry.
This episode was broadcast on Mar 1, 2016 at 5:30pm. In this episode we talked about Super Tuesday and where the presidential primaries stand. The hosts are Judy Nathans and Robert Winters. [On YouTube]
This episode was broadcast on Mar 1, 2016 at 6:00pm. The hosts are Judy Nathans and Robert Winters. [On YouTube]
There’s not much to leap about on this week’s agenda, but here are a few items that stirred my interest:
Charter Right #1. That the City Manager is requested to report back to the City Council on the progress made in acquiring the Vail Court property, including a financial impact statement and a plan to move forward in acquiring this property through eminent domain. [Charter Right exercised by Councillor Mazen on Feb 22, 2016.]
Under normal circumstances, an eminent domain taking of residential property is not the best course of action, but Vail Court is clearly exceptional. This property has been derelict now not for years, but for decades. It is problematic for abutters and for anyone who cares about the greater Central Square neighborhood.
Unfinished Business #6. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk, transmitting a communication from Mayor E. Denise Simmons transmitting proposed changes to the City Council Rules and the City Council Committee Assignments for the Council Term 2016-2017. [Placed On Unfinished Business for one week on Feb 22, 2016 per Rule 36b.]
For those unfamiliar with the City Council Rules, any rules change is required to "lay on the table" for at least a week before it can be finalized. Since the standing City Council committees are established within the City Council Rules, they are not formally reconfigured until the rules are finalized. However, since the Chairs of each of the committees were announced weeks ago, there was nothing preventing them from scheduling meetings. So far, only the Finance Committee has scheduled meetings.
Applications & Petitions #1. A petition was received from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, requesting permission for twenty-five banners on poles along Massachusetts Avenue from Memorial Drive to Vassar Street and six banners on poles along Broadway from Longfellow Bridge to Third Street to publicize the upcoming MIT celebration of their move from Boston to Cambridge 100 years ago.
This should be fun. The official "Crossing the Charles procession and competition" is set to take place on May 7.
Resolution #8. Congratulations to the African American Heritage Alliance on the unveiling of a memorial quilt which will illuminate the unique history and vital contributions of African Americans in Cambridge through the creation and dissemination of an historic trail, educational materials, and programs for residents and visitors. Mayor Simmons
One of the greatest things about living in Cambridge is that there’s history to be discovered on almost any street in the city. This is a great addition to the historical fabric.
Order #1. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the City Solicitor, the City Assessor and the Community Development Department to prepare a Municipal Transfer Tax Ordinance and, if required, appropriate Home Rule Petition, to implement a municipal transfer tax on real estate transactions in the City of Cambridge such that the value of a real estate transaction not less than $1 million be taxed on a sliding scale based on said transaction value, with proceeds being earmarked for affordable housing initiatives in the City, and to report back to the City Council. Councillor Toomey
This will likely go nowhere in the state legislature, but it’s an interesting new angle on generating funds for affordable housing programs. Legally there’s a rather large obstruction to this proposal going anywhere – namely that the Community Preservation Act is already funded by such a tax on real estate transactions, and Cambridge already allots 80% of that CPA revenue toward affordable housing.
Order #5. That the City Manager is requested to form a special working group that will be tasked with developing a framework for the continued stewardship, curatorship and oversight of the Out of Town Kiosk in Harvard Square. Councillor Maher, Mayor Simmons, Councillor Cheung, Vice Mayor McGovern
Perhaps this same special working group can take on the establishment of a jointly operated storefront abutting Carl Barron Plaza in Central Square that would house a Cambridge Police substation, coordination of MBTA bus activities, an information kiosk, and the promised public restroom from the last Participatory Budget process. Oh yeah, that’s in Central Square, so I suppose that means it will be assigned a lower priority.
Arguably, the most significant thing on this week’s agenda doesn’t appear on the agenda at all – namely the question of a contract extension for City Manager Richard Rossi. According to the current contract, there is no set date by which Mr. Rossi must inform the City Council of his intentions, but the City Council is obliged to notify Mr. Rossi of their intentions no later than March 1, 2016. There is no doubt that the City and its residents would be well-served by having Rich Rossi continue as City Manager for at least another year or two (preferably more). I sincerely hope that a majority of the City Councillors will see the wisdom in signaling their intention this Monday to enter into discussions with Mr. Rossi on a contract extension. Indeed, based on Mr. Rossi’s superlative performance over the last few years, I can see no reason why the vote should be anything other than unanimous. – Robert Winters
CALLING ALL ADULTS AND CRLS STUDENTS!
ENTER THE CAMBRIDGE RINDGE AND LATIN COMMUNITY ACADEMIC COMPETITION
WEDNESDAY MARCH 16, 7:00PM
TEST YOUR SMARTS IN THIS UNIQUE CHALLENGE
Do you remember all the elements on the periodic table? How about the formula for determining the length of an arc on a circle? Who was that president who served after Grover Cleveland? Questions similar to these will be asked at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin Community Academic Challenge entitled “Are You As Smart As A CRLS Student?” on Wednesday, March 16 at 7:00pm. Mr. Billy Costa, a Cambridge High and Latin graduate and host of the WGBH-TV “High School Quiz Show” will be the moderator. The event is free and open to the public.
This is the second time this event, sponsored by the CRLS Alumni Association, is being held. The first contest was won by a team from the Cambridge Police Department. Comments about the evening included:
"It was great fun for all, and wonderful to see so many parts of the Cambridge community come together to participate."
and
“I was a score keeper for the first contest and I was so impressed -bowled over really – by the whole thing. I loved every minute.”
This test of knowledge will be held in the school’s theatre. Members of community organizations, schools, businesses, CRLS alums and neighborhood groups are invited to enter teams of four colleagues to challenge teams of CRLS students in this exceptional battle of the brains. Individuals are also welcome to register by themselves and will join others that night in creating a team.
Students are encouraged to create their own four person teams from their classes, clubs and athletic teams. Trophies for the adults and financial prizes for the students will be awarded. Please note; no life-lines, phone a friend or smart phones are allowed. The CRLS Jazz Combo will be performing between rounds and smart food refreshments will be served before the contest starts.
For more information about the evening and to register your team (adults and students), contact Henry J. Lukas, retired CRLS Assistant Principal at henryjlukas@hotmail.com, 617-784-5838 or check www.crlsalumni.org. There is no registration fee.
Grand Opening Celebration and Tour of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School (100-102 Putnam Avenue)
2:00pm Grand Opening Ceremony
3:00pm Building Tours
4:15pm Refreshments (cafeteria)
The Cambridge community is cordially invited to a grand opening celebration and tour of the city’s first near net zero school building. The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School complex opened on December 21, 2015, and houses the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School and the Putnam Avenue Upper School – as well as the Department of Human Service Programs’ Preschool, After-School, and Community School programs.
Designed by Perkins Eastman, the building embodies Net Zero ideals and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) in action. Throughout the building are embedded opportunities for students to explore the arts, sustainability, and engineering concepts – including math-themed interactive artwork and interpretive displays with signage illuminating the facility’s use of insulation and sustainable materials, consideration of natural light, and reliance on systems for solar energy collection, geothermal heating, and grey water reclamation. The construction manager for the 100 Putnam Avenue project was Rich-Caulfield a Joint Venture.
Expected to achieve LEED-Platinum certification, the building is designed to generate an Energy Use Intensity 60% less than typical educational buildings in New England. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally recognized green building certification system by the U.S. Green Building Council.
This new complex is the latest example of the City of Cambridge’s commitment to architecture that is both beautiful and sustainable. It is also the first in a multi-year, multi-school building program aimed at enhancing and improving the quality of learning environments for students in Cambridge Public Schools.
For more information on this event or the school building project, visit http://camb.ma/CPS-MLk.
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