Back in Time on the Smith Baker
Let’s do this again. At the January 14 Council Meeting, there was a Motion Response regarding a structural assessment report on the Smith Baker Center. Though not on the agenda, Councilor Descoteaux made a motion to tear the building down. The motion passed with Councilors Belanger, Descoteaux, Gitschier, Jenness, Nuon, and Mayor Rourke in favor. Councilors Robinson and Mercier were opposed, Councilors Chau Scott were absent, and Councilor Yem recused himself from the vote.
After that vote (depending on your point of view) one of two things happened:
(A) concerned citizens invested in the preservation of the Smith Baker were able to make a case that they had a viable plan to save the building and, as such, convinced councilors that they should not give up;
or
(B) councilors invested in reelection became concerned with citizens who were not pleased with their vote to give up.
Either way, last night, the council voted in favor of the following motion:
C. Descoteaux/C. Scott – Motion to rescind the Jan 14th 2025 vote to demolish the Smith Baker Center for the specific purpose of issuance of RFP with strict time and financial parameters.
The vote was 9-2 with Councilors Belanger and Gitschier in opposition. Somehow, Councilor Yem was able to vote in favor, despite having to abstain from the January 14th vote.
I see no harm in trying for a Hail Mary (unless, of course, the building actually harms someone, in which case I never wrote this sentence). The January 14th vote should not have proceeded as it did and it’s worth exhausting all possibilities before we call in the wrecking ball. That said, let’s not kid ourselves as to the odds. It will cost about four million dollars to stabilize the structure and the group seeking to preserve claims to have only one million dollars in financial “commitments.” In addition, the group will be unable to secure funding unless they have ownership and the city will be unable to transfer ownership without proof of funding.
However, if they can pull it off, it would make for a Hollywood-worthy story.
A 311 Update On 3/11? Sometimes this Blog Just Writes Itself
You wouldn’t know it by this half-assed blog, but the agenda was pretty stacked last night. Consequently, one of the “big news” items didn’t get a heck of a lot of attention. We finally received a motion response detailing the launch of Lowell’s 311 system! If, like me, you closely watch hundreds of council meetings to distract from the existential crisis that life is finite and ultimately meaningless, this is great news!
As per the motion response, the 311 System promises:
[A] fully integrated work order system for citizen requests, one which interfaces with our financial system and will allow for department heads to manage citizen requests in a manner to maximize efficiency and promote the effective use of resources.
In language that actual humans would use, it’s an app that makes bitching about potholes more fun than ever. Even better- you can download it right now – for free – from Google Play or Apple App stores.
I added it yesterday and, I like the way it looks, Give it a shot for yourself. You paid for it.
[See how I started and ended with a clocktower? It’s the little things, ya know what I mean?]