The Mayor's Update - February 14, 2020

Photo of Mayor Brodeur with I Love Melrose T-shirt

Happy Valentine’s Day! 

Today is Valentine’s Day, but Peanut Butter Valentines are going on all month long. This is a uniquely Melrose activity: A group of high school students have placed decorated drop boxes around town, including in City Hall and the library, where you can leave donations of peanut butter (or other nonperishable foods) to be donated to the Servant’s Heart food pantry. The amazing thing about this program is that it is totally grass-roots, with one group of students handing it off to another each year, and I want to thank Lizzie Schwarze and Meagan Conlan for coordinating this year’s collection. 

Mayor Brodeur with Peanut Butter Valentine box

What We Did This Week

Traffic: A team of engineers from the DCR came to City Hall this week for a preliminary meeting about the intersection of Melrose Street and the Lynn Fells Parkway, which is the site of more traffic accidents than any other intersection in Melrose. I stress that this was a preliminary meeting, because DCR will set up a public meeting so we can hear from all of you about your experiences and any suggestions you might have for improvement. Then the engineers will take that information and propose several alternatives, which we will again present to the public. During the meeting I also brought up the pedestrian crossing at Nelson Street and Lynn Fells Parkway. We will continue to pressure DCR to make their planned improvements. 

Vaping: I spent some time meeting with Maureen Buzby, our Regional Tobacco Coordinator, about the problem of vaping in our schools. She made a presentation to the School Committee at their February 11, and I suggest you tune in if you want to know more about this very serious problem. You can watch the meeting on MMTV’s Vimeo page, and the vaping discussion begins at about the 2:05 mark.

Photo of DPW Listening Session

Director of Public Works: I interviewed candidates for the Director of Public Works position on Wednesday. The Public Works Listening Session we held last week was very helpful to me, as were the comments we received through the website. At the meeting, I heard loud and clear that you want our DPW to be a leader in the areas of waste reduction, accessibility to bicycles and pedestrians, and clean energy. You want an emphasis on sustainability and planning for the future—and you also want your street plowed and the pothole in front of your driveway filled. We need a DPW Director who can attend to both the immediate and the long-term physical needs of Melrose, and I’m confident that the candidates I interviewed are ready and able to step up. 

School Committee: As I mentioned, the School Committee met on February 11. Our chief focus right now is the Fiscal 2021 budget. Superintendent Taymore has laid out her vision for the Melrose Schools in her Budget Narrative, which you can download here, and that is just the beginning of the discussion. I hope you will follow the meetings, which are livestreamed and archived on MMTV’s Vimeo page.

Superintendent Search: The Superintendent Search Screening Committee held their first meeting on Monday, February 3. This was strictly an orientation meeting, where they reviewed the timeline, our responsibilities, and the interview procedure. The deadline for applications is February 20, and the committee will meet on February 24 to receive the packets, review the candidate profile, and discuss interview questions.

Photo of Mayor and Adam LaFrance with two honorary citations

Human Rights Commission: Wednesday was the last official meeting for Adam LaFrance, who has served ably as a commissioner and as chair over the past six years. Adam has guided the city through some difficult moments, and I was honored to be at his last meeting to present him with certificates of appreciation from myself and Senator Jason Lewis.

Mass Municipal Association: I have joined the MMA’s Policy Committee on Energy and the Environment, and we had our first meeting on Wednesday. The discussion included proposals to address the municipal recycling crisis by increasing producer responsibility and decreasing municipal costs; the chemicals known as PFAs; and a Combined Sewer Overflow notification bill. The committee meets monthly, and I will update you regularly on our discussions. 

Photo of Mayor Brodeur meeting with members of MAPC

Metropolitan Area Planning Council: I also sat down with the leadership of the MAPC to discuss our future partnership. They have been of great assistance to Melrose in the past, and I look forward to working with them in the future.

Photo of Mayor at Milano Center Valentine's Day event

On Thursday afternoon I stopped by the Milano Center for their Valentine's Day party. What a great event!

What We Will Be Doing Next Week

City Hall will be closed for President’s Day, and we expect a quiet week as our schools are closed for February vacation. I will be meeting with individual department heads to discuss their budgets as we continue to work on the Fiscal 2021 budget. I will also be attending our quarterly Pine Banks Park Board of Trustees meeting, and we will meet with a representative from the U.S. Census to discuss how we can ensure that every Melrose resident will be counted.