City Council meeting notes: 24.03.11

A Quincy Votes! member attended this meeting. While care has been taken in their creation, these notes are not official meeting minutes and may contain errors or omissions. 

All city councilors present except Ward 4’s James Devine.

Approval of work Verizon and National Grid on Franklin Street/Richie Road, Independence Ave and Plymouth Street.

Meeting started with input from lawyer from City of Quincy, Jim Timmins, handling situation with Boston on Long Island. According to lawyer who was speaking, work was being done on Moon Island Road. An emergency work order from Boston DPW for that road was submitted to Jim Timmins’s office without much detail. He reached out to Boston counterparts with no response from them. Quincy has begun to enforce its ordinance prohibiting certain vehicles access to the roadways to Moon Island/Long Island. The Quincy Police Department (QPD) issued warning to the contractors that they will be cited. If they ticket the contractor, it affects the vehicle’s driver, not the contractor or the City of Boston. Additional traffic-control measures will be instituted by QPD to turn away trucks. At the end of March there is a site visit with the Department of Environmental Protection to go out on a boat to look at the Long Island Bridge piers, Moon Island and Long Island. The DEP could potentially limit Boston's activities. (This item was just an update to the city council. No action taken on their part.)

Mayor Koch requested appropriation for $5.2 million bond at rate of 3.7% for 20 years for purchase of two fire trucks and work on fire house. The motion was approved by the council.

Mayor Koch wants Council to add Parkinson’s to list of diseases that affect firefighters, as former Firefighter Bythrow is suffering from Parkinson’s. Early studies have indicated that firefighters may suffer from Parkinson’s due to job hazards. The state legislature would need to add the disease to the list of permanent disabilities for the change to take effect. 

Mayor Koch requested City Council approve an Act Authorizing the Appointment of Retired Firefighters as Special Firefighters in the City of Quincy; similar to police. The Fire Chief, with the approval of the Mayor, may remove or decline to reappoint a special firefighter appointed under this act for any reason, with or without cause. A special firefighter shall be appointed for a 1-year term and all benefits afforded to special firefighters appointed under this act shall terminate upon the conclusion of the employment term. A special firefighter’s appointment shall automatically terminate upon the special firefighter reaching their seventieth birthday. Motion was approved by council. There is more info on the quincy.gov website on this issue (including here).