• A HISTORY OF THE WORLD OF PARKING, PART II: Just to briefly trace the genesis of this out-of-left-field Union Station commuter parking controversy: The city had surface parking lots. It built a new garage with the motivation being commuters and neighborhood visitors needed more parking. At the opening, the Telegram called the garage a “blessing for commuters.” When the city built the garage, it also built a large surface lot to make up for some temporarily lost parking spaces. When both the new garage and parking lot had been simultaneously operating for about 10 months, the city said there was now too much parking, and that some smaller surface lots needed to be shut down to direct people to the Union Station garage. Umm … so why did we need the garage again?
• SPOT THE SPOT: But while spots may in fact be empty in some of the small surface lots on the stretch of lower Grafton Street behind Union Station (indeed, the lot directly across from the Osgood building was only half full on Wednesday morning), commuters and others have long said that part of the problem — or boon — for the city’s revenue numbers has been a lack of monitoring of some meters and honor boxes in the lots.
• PLANNING FOR A BOTTLENECK: Additionally, immediately after the closures were announced, regular morning commuters fretted about what the lack of options would mean for morning traffic: Already, traffic backs up as last-minute commuters hustle and strategically choose their lot; the potential bottleneck on Grafton Street as dozens of commuters try to enter the garage at the same time could make for some good Blues Brothers back-ups.
• QUICK TURNAROUND: One year after breaking ground, the Hadley Apartments at the corner of Main and Madison streets are set to open; 12 of the 44 units have already been pre-leased according to developer Economic Development Finance Corporation. The building includes 5,000 square feet of ground floor retail, which, at a recent neighborhood meeting held in the space, was in the middle of being built out, and included original tin ceilings wall to wall.
• CAN’T STOP THE ROCK OF GLODIS: After news last week that a prisoner, a member of Sheriff Guy Glodis’ community service squad, had escaped from a Leominster job site before being captured several days later, Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella said he wouldn’t allow the prisoners to work in his town ever again. But the squad is still active. Earlier this week, the community service transport van was parked outside Union Station, performing their services that Glodis has repeatedly cited as saving Central Massachusetts towns thousands of dollars over the past several years.
• BAD HORROR MOVIE PLOTS FOR $200:The ice storm debris cleanup has started, but DPW Commissioner Bob Moylan said on Tuesday night that he wasn’t positive it was on schedule to be completed by the beginning of July, when the Asshole Longhorned Beetles will emerge once again. There aren’t enough crews on the road to get it done, and if those don’t increase by next week, debris could be left on the road past zero-hour.
• WHO WANTS WHAT: A few city councilors shot down Kate Toomey’s motion to send a strong (non-adversarial) letter to state legislators asking for passage of the Municipal Relief Act, saying they’re having plenty of private positive conversations with legislators already, and don’t want to ruin those lines of communication. That’s a huge change from what some legislators at the local and state level have been saying on and off the record for months, when they complained about the lack of action at the opposing end. The kinder, gentler words from councilors came on the same night the Senate voted to pass several elements of the Municipal Relief Act, including a local option hotel and meals tax, and the authority to close the telecom tax exemption. The items would still need to pass the House to become law; state representatives have said they are looking for the Worcester City Council to take some hard steps to increase revenues if they are to do the same.
• IF IT WAS PRICE IS RIGHT, YOU’D HAVE WON: Bidding has closed on the purchase of the old Fire Alarm & Telegraph Building: One Daniel O’Connor bid $55,000 for the building, Green-Haus Development (which has been connected to other projects in Worcester) bid $50,000, and Commercial Synergy bid $1,925. There are other city requirements beyond money for the project, but we’d go out on a limb and say Commercial Synergy’s bid won’t be the winner.
• BREAULT ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA: It’s quite clear that Main South activist Billy Breault is not a marijuana connoisseur — he’s been opposing any loosening of restrictions on weed usage for years. His latest conquest? A battle against medical marijuana; he testified at the state house this week. “The bottom line is that [marijuana] hasn’t gotten FDA approval,” Breault tells us. “If the FDA doesn’t approve it then it shouldn’t be politically validated.” Breault says the issue is not one of compassion for the level of suffering endured by patients who seek relief from chronic pain. “If it doesn’t have FDA approval then it doesn’t have medical value,” Breault says. The anti-weed activist also fears the passage of a medical marijuana bill will increase the level of consumption among youth.
• POOL-LESS DEPARTMENT: With 80 degree days already here (even if they’re interspersed with mornings of frost), the City Council is still debating what to do with city pools. A few city councilors asked for a study on the feasibility and cost of fixing each pool individually, so citizens could raise money if they wanted. But Councilors Paul Clancy and Phil Palmieri said it was too late for this season, and called for a longer term look at how many pools the city could afford to open permanently in future years. After the meeting, Councilor Rick Rushton said, “The report that will come back from this manager will be a test of this city’s commitment to its neighborhoods. If it comes back with 0 [pools feasible to open] after eight were open last year, it’s not a valid report ... it’ll be a report based on just ‘we don’t have the energy to do it.’ It’s easy to say it’s not safe.” o
