1. Farewell Manager Donoghue After four years, Eileen Donoghue’s contract as City Manager will expire on Monday, April 11. Accordingly, last night was her last council meeting. Following a 10-0 vote to appoint City Clerk Michael Geary as Acting City Manager (Councilor Mercier was not in attendance), each councilor present thanked the CM for her…

Late this week WCAP reported that a car jumped a curb and crashed into what used to be Danas Market: This brought to mind a similar accident that happened in the exact same spot in 2010, as well as a recent car vs building collision at Mill City BBQ. Fortunately, no pedestrians were in the…

1. Public Hearings Loan Order – $2,000,000 for Parking Kiosks Loan Order – $7,508,000 for Repairs to Ayotte & Downes Parking Garage 2. Truckload Of Motion Responses A) MOTION RESPONSE – TRAFFIC CALMING ON LINCOLN PARKWAY.PDF B) MOTION RESPONSE – SMITH BAKER.PDF C) MOTION RESPONSE – NO PARKING MOORE STREET.PDF D) MOTION RESPONSE – HOME…

There’s plenty to criticize about the process (or lack thereof) that lead us to tonight’s interview of Rep. Tom Golden for City Manager. However, the merits of the process do not necessarily reflect the merits of the candidate. I thought Rep. Golden performed well and made a favorable impression. Critically, the Council appeared satisfied that…

1. Recognition for LFD and Two Citations The meeting kicked-off with a full house as members of the Lowell Fire Department were on-hand for recognition of their heroic rescue efforts at the Maude Street fire on March 3, 2022. Tragically, a four year-old girl died in the fire. However, three other children and two adults…

1. Public Hearing Amend Loan Order for LHS Project by $38,568,011 2. Motion Responses A) MOTION RESPONSE – HOT POT RESTAURANT.PDF B) MOTION RESPONSE – HVAC GRANTS FOR SCHOOL BUILDINGS.PDF C) MOTION RESPONSE – CAWLEY MEMORIAL STADIUM PROJECT FUNDING.PDF D) MOTION RESPONSE – SEPARATED AREAS.PDF E) MOTION RESPONSE – WIRELESS EMERGENCY ALERTS.PDF F) MOTION RESPONSE…

1. Processes for Thee, But Not For Me At the beginning of this Council’s term we were lead to believe that the city had serious problems with the processes employed to find and hire qualified talent. It was argued that the city should implement uniform processes that would reduce cronyism in favor of a more…

Motion Responses Cross-Connection/Backflow Survey Fire Department Funding Informational Reports Fiscal Year 2023 Update Free Cash Certification & Explanation Letter from Lowell Sustainability Council Votes Accept & Expend SAFE Grant for Lowell Fire Dept ($11,275.00) Authorize CM to Execute Quitclaim Deed for Property at Middlesex Place Free Cash Certification & Recommendation Loan Order for Replacement Parking…

This is a tough one to recap, and I’m not even sure it’s worth it. Representatives from Skanska, Perkins Eastman and Suffolk Construction were on hand to give a presentation as to the reasoning behind a $38 million cost overrun for the Lowell High Project. Despite a long and technical analysis of the numbers and…

Beware the Ides of March…. Lowell High and Some Other Stuff (but mostly Lowell High) Motion Response – On SBC Membership Informational – Summary of LHS Project Budget Informational – Presentation on LHS Project Budget Informational – LHS Project Budget Through January 2022 Vote – LHS MSBA Cost Increases (Petition to Governor & Legislature for…