The Surge – Featured Items on the Infamous December 7, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda
Covid is still the center of attention and, yes, some of the numbers of late have been on the scary side. I have no idea what that should translate into when it comes to public policy, but I really do hope that the principal causes can be addressed so that I don’t have to just crawl into a little ball for the coming winter. This year simply sucks in every way, and even though the vaccine is coming it still feels like chasing rainbows.
By the way, the word just came down on the Cambridge Public Schools: “Because COVID-19 cases in Cambridge have increased, and the Cambridge Public Schools have surpassed the thresholds set in partnership with its scientific advisors, CPS will make a temporary shift to remote learning for all students beginning on Thursday, December 10. The shift to all remote learning will continue for at least 1 week at least through December 16. In-person learning will resume when two or more metrics remain below threshold for 7 consecutive days. Reopening decisions based on the metrics will be made in consultation with the Cambridge Public Health Department.”
Here are a few items of interest on this week’s Day of Infamy agenda:
Manager’s Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a COVID-19 update.
Placed on File 9-0
Manager’s Agenda #5. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of Federal CARES Act funds in the amount of $1,256,118 to the Public Investment Fund Community Development Department Extraordinary Expenditures account which will be used to assist residents and small business owners who are impacted by the virus, and to support emergency housing assistance efforts.
Order Adopted 9-0
Manager’s Agenda #6. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of new Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the amount of $2,268.869 to the Grant Fund Department of Human Services Programs Salary and Wages account ($106,013) and to the Grant Fund Department of Human Services Programs Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($2,162,856) and will be used to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic among individuals and families who are homeless and will support shelter operating costs and provision of essential services to homeless persons outside of a shelter setting.
Order Adopted 9-0
Order #2. Policy Order re Mayor’s Disaster Relief Fund. Councillor Simmons, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Toomey
Order Adopted 9-0
Order #3. Supporting Food Pantries & Closing the SNAP Gap PO. Vice Mayor Mallon, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor McGovern
Order Adopted 9-0
These are all related either directly or indirectly to the pandemic. Needless to say, these are extraordinary times that require extraordinary effort and policies to get through this. It also needs to be pointed out that even if Cambridge has "an embarassment of riches," there are still legal limitations to what we can do, and creative solutions (like contracting with local restaurants to provide food for relief efforts) are often the best available options. But seriously, the damn federal government should be providing loan guarantees across the board so that costs can be deferred until better times.
Manager’s Agenda #2. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a Home Rule Petition seeking special legislation from the Legislature which would authorize the City of Cambridge to provide police, fire and other emergency services (“Emergency Services”) to portions of the Cambridge Crossing project that are partially located in the cities of Boston and Somerville, with one such property wholly located within Somerville.
Charter Right – Sobrinho-Wheeler
Annexation of our lesser neighbors is another option, but Mayors Curtatone and Walsh might raise unreasonable objections to this modest proposal or demand that we give them Harvard and MIT as compensation.
Manager’s Agenda #3. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 20-12, regarding the feasibility of adding bike parking rings to parking meters.
Charter Right – Nolan
This has been suggested in the past via policy orders, and the response now is the same, i.e. nope – except for posts that have lost their heads due to either Cool Hand Luke or removal of parking spaces.
Manager’s Agenda #4. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 19-134, regarding increasing funding to the City’s HomeBridge program.
Placed on File 9-0
It’s expensive, and qualified potential homeowners will not really own their home in the sense that they cannot do with it as they see fit. As the communication states, "Homes purchased with HomeBridge funding become part of the City’s stock of deed-restricted affordable housing."
Applications & Petitions #2. A Zoning Petition has been received from Amy Oliver, regarding that the City require the installation of GREEN ROOFS vegetated or BioSolar on future construction and significant rehab of buildings that are 20,000 square feet and larger.
Referred to Planning Board & Ordinance Committee
There are some really great benefits associated with this proposal, but it also serves to highlight the fact that Cambridge advocates and policy-makers generally can rarely find a happy medium between issuing mandates and doing nothing at all. Installing a green roof can provide great benefit for both property owners and climate, but there are good reasons why a property owner might still choose not to go this route – most notably cost and eternal maintenance (though the proposal really tries to wish this concern away). This won’t affect owners of small properties (at least not in this initial incarnation), and owners of some larger properties are already proposing treatments like this, so perhaps this will all work out. That said, I really wish this City would shift its inclinations from mandates to incentives – even if the zealots howl in protest.
Resolution #1. Resolution Wishing Swift Recovery to Dennis Benzan. Councillor Simmons
This is the first I’ve heard of this, but absolutely Get Well Dennis.
Order #1. Initiate a community process to develop the property at 105 Windsor Street as a community space that will create economic opportunity in the neighborhood, as part of an overall neighborhood plan that includes looking for ways to create affordable housing, open space and urban agriculture opportunities. Councillor Zondervan, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Carlone
Charter Right – Zondervan
I like what is suggested in this Order, but I continue to be amazed at the lethargy of the City of Cambridge in putting some of their own properties into productive use. – Robert Winters