Senator Barrios Presents a Citation
to Ivis Romero

Senator Barrios, Ivis Romero and Bette Bohlke O'Gara from CCASP                                                               

Tuesday, April 24th

The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will hold a meeting to discuss the feasibility of providing a pedestrian crossing over the Mystic River in the Vicinity of the Amelia Earhart Dam located in Somerville and Everett, Massachusetts at Winter Hill Yacht Club, 85 Foley St., Somerville, at 7:00 p.m.

Sludge Plant Update:

Update: Boston Water and Sewer Commission Proposes Locating Sludge Plant

The Sludge plant continues to be a messy situation. Last month, the BWSC stated that they had not agreed to re-file their proposal which would have allowed the citizens of Charlestown, Everett and Somerville to weigh in on the situation. That blatantly contradicts statements made to me by former Secretary of Environmental Affairs, Bob Golledge.

In response, the City of Everett recently filed a “Third Party Change of Notice,” which is required whenever there is a material change to a project, such as “change of project site or address". The Boston Water & Sewer Commission’s original applied to the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) to locate the sludge plant in South Boston but decided to relocate the plant due to community opposition. Everett filed the Change of Notice as a third party in order to assert its jurisdiction arguing that the sludge facility abuts Everett land. Everett is petitioning the EOEA to reopen the process to give residents of Everett, Somerville, and Charlestown the right to voice their opinions on the location of the plant. Having a third party file a change of notice is relatively unusual; most of the time the proponent of a project who files a Notice of Project Change petition. If Everett is indeed an abutter, the Everett Conservation Commission will have jurisdiction, as well as Boston. Stay tuned.

Supported Effort to Increase Education Funding

Over the last five years public schools in the Commonwealth have struggled to keep up with rising education costs. In its Fiscal Year 2007 budget the legislature acknowledged this reality and increased education funding to cities and towns. While altering the formula that provides Chapter 70 aid to localities, Senator Barrios and the State Senate also drove the legislature’s efforts to increase overall funding for education. In its Chapter 70 increases the legislature removed the 4.5% cap on inflation to better reflect the inflation rate of close to 6% for FY ’07; increased the English language learner per pupil allotment by $50 and increased the low income student per pupil allotment by $25. Under this new formula, Everett will get $23,168,685 in Chapter 70 funding in FY 2007, an increase of over $2 million from the current formula.

Helped the City of Everett to Lease the Allied Veterans Memorial Skating Rink

When the state legislature began to lease Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) skating rinks, it required that any entity which leased the Veterans Memorial Rink in Everett must also lease the Cronin Rink in Revere, which was condemned. Senator Barrios introduced legislation which would allow the City of Everett to lease the Veterans Memorial Rink without also having to lease the Cronin Rink. After leading the Everett and Revere legislative delegations in securing a commitment from the DCR to rebuild the Cronin Rink, Senator Barrios’ legislation was passed into law. The City of Everett is now free to sign a long-term lease with the DCR for control of the Veterans Memorial Rink.

Secured State Reimbursements for Construction of New Everett High School

In the FY 2006 supplemental budget the School Building Authority (SBA) requested that the legislature insert language that would allow it to refuse reimbursement to any city or town that did not spend at least 10% of any loans within the first year. This language would have jeopardized some of the reimbursements that the state had agreed to pay to Everett for construction of the new high school. Because of a lawsuit for relocation of the high school on park land, Everett was not able to begin construction as quickly as it had originally planned. In conjunction with the late Representative Edward Connolly, Senator Barrios convened a meeting in late 2005 with the SBA and the City of Everett to discuss the high school. As a result of the meeting, the SBA agreed to ask that the language be struck from the final supplemental budget thus saving Everett close to $2 million.

Works to defeat Everett Power Plant Proposal in Everett

Senator Barrios and Everett Common Councilman Joseph McGonagle announced that plans for a proposed power plant in Everett have been dropped. Both elected officials were opposed to the plan and raised concerns about how it would affect residents’ health and safety. After a meeting with the company investing in the old General Electric property, McGonagle and Barrios said that the proposal to build transportable electrical generators had been scrapped because the New England Power Grid forecasts did not show a need for such a project. The company proposing the power plant plans to meet with Everett city officials about what to do with the old G.E. land.

Road in Everett to Be Named After Krystyl Poirier

The Fiscal Year 2007 budget includes language, sponsored by Senator Barrios, that names the access road in Everett in memory of Krystyl Poirier. The Route 16 access road, from Santilli Circle to Sweetzer Circle would be known as “Krystyl’s Way.” Krystyl Poirier tragically lost her life at the hands of an alleged drunk driver in Everett on Saturday, April 8, 2006.

Worked with DCR to establish regular mowing schedule for Rte 16

Since he became a State Senator, Barrios has worked hard with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to establish regular mowing schedules for its roadways and parks including along Rte. 16 between the Sweetzer and Santilli circles. After meetings with Commission Burrington of DCR as well as Secretary Pritchard of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, which oversees DCR, Senator Barrios received promises that DCR would establish a regular mowing schedule as weather permits. In addition in late June the DCR began working with a landscape contractor to remove overgrown weeds and will be developing a new plan for the size.

Serving Seniors

In 2005, during his annual ice-cream social tour of Glendale Apartments Senator Barrios noticed sweltering heat in the downstairs lobby. During his meet and great, the residents of Everett senior housing implored him to provide more air conditioners for the building. Two days later, Senator Barrios contacted The Home Depot in Everett and the store manager graciously offered to provide a large air conditioning unit to keep the downstairs lobby cool. The air conditioning unit was installed the same day.

Increasing Access to the Mystic River

Senator Barrios has long been an advocate for the Mystic River, promoting increased awareness and access for residents who live along the river. In 2006, he was honored as a “Mystic River Mover and Shaker” by the Mystic River Watershed Association for his work to protect the Mystic River. He is now leading the effort to create a Mystic River Legislative Caucus to help push advocate for the Mystic River in the State House.

In 2006, he secured $250,000 to support a Mystic River Master Plan to help guide the state’s activities along the Mystic River. Because of Senator Barrios’ involvement he has secured a promise from the state’s parks agency to include the lower Mystic communities of East Somerville, Charlestown, Chelsea and Everett in the Master Plan.

Senator Barrios has been actively working to increase access to the Mystic River by pushing the state to develop a bike and pedestrian crossing across the Amelia Earhart Dam. The Mystic Crossing project would connect Somerville to Everett and would allow residents in northern communities with quick and easy access to Assembly Square and Sullivan Square. Additionally, Senator Barrios has been actively pushing the state to quickly design and create a bike and pedestrian path along the Mystic River bordering the MBTA bus facility in Charlestown that would link the Amelia Earhart Dam area with the Rte. 99 bridge.

MWRA Rate Relief

In 2006, Senator Barrios successfully worked with other legislators to provide some relief for MWRA ratepayers. The Legislature, rebuffing the Governor’s veto, moved to increase the MWRA rate relief fund to $25 million, an increase that will directly translate into savings to all residents in their water bills.
 

Everett Community Listings

• City of Everett website

• The Recreation Center offers many programs for people of all ages, the Public Library offers a chess club, movies, story time for children, and internet training.

• The Portal to Hope is a non-profit organization that works with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault that offers education programs, counseling, legal services, housing, job assistance, and more.

• See what's happening in Everett on community television.

• The Everett Technology Center is a community technology center that offers free access to computers and internet to anyone who walks in, funded by people, companies and organizations.

• See if you qualify for WIC in Everett.

• The Everett Literacy Program is a non-profit organization that offers tutoring in ESL and assistance with studying for the TOEFL.

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