City Council — Regular Meeting, April 26, 2021

City Manager's Agenda (12)

• CMA 2021 #82A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the reappointment of the following person as a Constable With Power for a term of 3 years, effective January 1, 2021: Charles Durrah
• CMA 2021 #83A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a recommendation to reappointment Conrad Crawford as a member of the Cambridge Redevelopment Board for a 5-year term, effective April 13, 2021
• CMA 2021 #84Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of a grant received from Boston Scientific for the Frisoli Youth Center in the amount of $1,500.00 to the Grant Fund Human Services Other Ordinary Maintenance account which are awarded to the Frisoli Youth Center from Boston Scientific and the Boston Scientific Possibility Grant Program and will be used to purchase a t-shirt design heat press and start up materials
• CMA 2021 #85Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $86,728.19 received from the MassHire Metro North Workforce Board to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Salary and Wages account ($34,691.00) and to the Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($52,037.19) which will be used to reimburse the City for salary costs associated with enrolling income-eligible youth in the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program
• CMA 2021 #86Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $646.25 received from a Martin Luther King, Jr. preschool family fundraiser to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Other Ordinary Maintenance account which will support the cost of music enrichment sessions for the children
• CMA 2021 #87Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $174,360.00 of the Massachusetts Formula Grant, funded by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs to the Grant Fund Department of Human Service Programs Salary and Wages account ($109,645.00), to the Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($57,915.00), and to the Travel and Training account ($6,800.00) with is used for Council on Aging Division department staff and services and also to support instructors and group facilitators who provide services virtually to seniors
• CMA 2021 #88Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $9,115.00 for the Center for Families program funded by the Cambridge Public Health Commission, Agenda for Children Literacy Initiative to the Grant Fund Department of Human Service Programs Other Ordinary Maintenance account which will be used to provide community playgroups, virtual playgroups, provider groups, and to support Cambridge Dad’s activities
• CMA 2021 #89A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 21-16, regarding creating a Commercial Composting Pilot programbike-lanesbudgetclimate📖 read
• CMA 2021 #90A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to proposed amendment to Section 8.66 of the Municipal Ordinance related to Tree Protection and related Orderstrees📖 read 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF
• CMA 2021 #91A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a request that the City Council authorize the City Manager to enter an agreement with the Town of Watertown for the purpose of performing sidewalk reconstruction work on a portion of Belmont Street that is located in Watertown📖 read 📄 PDF
• CMA 2021 #92A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to follow up materials relative to the Green Roofs Zoning Petitionaffordable-housinghousing-generaltransit-trafficzoning📖 read
• CMA 2021 #93A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an update on the COVID-19 vaccination rollout📖 read

Communications (7)

7 resident communications received for this meeting — climate (3) · zoning (2) · trees (1) · affordable housing (1) · housing general (1). Individual letters are summarized in the city's agenda and are not republished here, by policy.

Policy Orders (9)

• POR 2021 #81Divestment from Fossil Fuels and Private Prisonsclimate
• POR 2021 #82That the Executive Assistant to the City Council confer with the Dedication Committee to consider the request from Danielle Farinato and Orlando Jaquez for a bench dedication as close as possible to 124 Thorndike Street—if at a park, either Hurley or Silva—or else in the vicinity of the SS. Cosmas and Damian Society on Porter Street
• POR 2021 #83That the City Manager is requested to present a plan to the City Council to increase the affordable homeownership stock over the next 10 years by financing the construction of affordable homeownership units through a bond issue of no less than $500 million. CHARTER RIGHT EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS IN COUNCIL APRIL 26, 2021housing-general
• POR 2021 #84That the Executive Assistant to the City Council confer with the Dedication Committee to consider the request from Ashley Quinn Sheplak for a bench dedication in the vicinity of King Open School, Warren Street, or Washington Elms in honor of Christine Ann Quinnschools
• POR 2021 #85That the City Manager is hereby requested to work with the Police Commissioner and report back to the Public Safety Committee on steps taken to address this concern and issue a status report on how the City is moving forward with reducing weapons and equipment deemed unnecessary by the Cambridge Police Departmentpolice-safety
• POR 2021 #86That the City Manager is requested to direct the appropriate City staff to light City Hall up green from May 3-10, 2021 in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month
• POR 2021 #87That the City Manager is requested to confer with the Director of Personnel and the Law Department on updating the City of Cambridge’s Parental Leave Policy for City of Cambridge employees
• POR 2021 #88That the Executive Assistant to the City Council confer with the Dedication Committee to consider a request from Councillor Timothy J. Toomey for a corner dedication for Dorothy ‘Dot’ Vetrano
• POR 2021 #89Dedication request for a corner dedication for Mr. Tom Peters

Resolutions (1)

• RES 2021 #104That the City Council go on record congratulating Elizabeth Speakman on the occasion of receiving the Innovation Award

Applications & Petitions (4)

• APP 2021 #15An application was received from Alex Nocella, requesting permission for a curb cut at the premises numbered 61 Winter Street; said petition has received approval from Inspectional Services, Traffic, Parking and Transportation, Historical Commission and Public Works. No response has been received from the neighborhood associationtransit-traffic📖 read
• APP 2021 #16An application was received from Erin Caone representing Black Sheep Market, requesting permission for five (5) awnings at the premises numbered 101 Magzine Street, Approval has been received from Inspectional Services, Department of Public Works, Community Development Department and abutters📖 read
• APP 2021 #17An application was received from Dong Lei representing Acar Bar Juicery, requesting permission for a projecting sign at the premises numbered 1876 Massachusetts Avenue. approval has been received from Inspectional Services, Department of Public Works, Community Development Department and abutter📖 read 📄 PDF
• APP 2021 #18A request was received from Kimberly Sherrod representing Santander Bank, regarding Revocation of Bond #106025396 for Santandar Bank, 515 Massachusetts Avenue. Response from the Inspectional Services Department has been received confirming said sign has been removed📖 read

Other Business (8)

• AR-21-23Report on the concept of permanently extending the ability for members of the public to remotely participate in meetings of the City Council and meetings of the City’s boards and commissions
• AR-21-24Report on determining ways of making remote participation to the City’s public meetings more accessible and exploring other ways and technologies that can make it easier for members of the public to participate in City Council, board and commission meetings
• AR-21-25Report on plans for monitoring the situation, for early communication on conserving water and for instituting water savings measures, and to inform the Water Board and report on long term projections for the water supply based on post-pandemic conditions and development growth due to increased housing, commercial space and labshousing-general
• AR-21-26Report on the potential impacts of removing the roof top parking exemption from the Green Roof ordinancetransit-traffic
• AR-21-27Report on providing guidance on where to place the following amendment to the Green Roofs Zoning Petition: “That all affordable housing projects, including those that fall under the Affordable Housing Overlay, will be exempt from this section.”affordable-housinghousing-generalzoning

• (untitled)
• questions for the COVID-19 update 📖 read
• Legal Opinion Regarding Request to Have Legal Resources Committed to Assist City Council with Legal Research and Drafting of Ordinances Pursuant to Orders Voted Upon in Public at Scheduled City Council Meetings. TABLE IN COUNCIL APRIL 26, 2021 📄 PDF 📄 PDF

Committee Reports (1)

• Housing Committee hearing of 2021-01-12 — Accepted [Unanimous]