Palmieri wants Pats game; hates Charter

Phil Palmieri is telling a story on the floor that boils down to this : A constituent’s cable service was out 3 minutes before the Patriot’s game (HORROR!); he called a Charter hotline and got someone in West Virginia who didn’t really get the situation (he seems surprised).  He called again: got someone in Washington (again, seems surprised).

“If we can’t get a local person to pick up – not one!…what are we doing here.”

“I will not vote for the contract until we can get one local person on the phone…I am not very pleased with Charter.”

GAR Hall

Apparently has a buyer, but—and damn if we haven’t heard this before—it’s a “complex” situation.

Burwick

The developer may have found that missing funding source for a remaining needed loan…looks like it’ll be moving forward.

Union Station booking

As for the hall itself, booking is being done by the management company OR&L.  Paul Clancy just asked for a calendar of all booked events, Jacobson told him he could look it up, Clancy asked for a one-sheet instead.

We’ll save you the effort: This has to be the only facility that you can look up individual names.  Looks like there’s a fair number of weddings, proms and events booked this year, especially in May.

Union Station calendar

Gary Rosen reads blogs!

…We already knew that, but we love when he plays hip, referencing his blog reading at City Council meetings (reference us, Gary!)   This time, he referenced Jeff’ displeasure with wayfinding….but still said he loves the idea.

What’s old is new again: Union Station

Gary Rosen just asked if we are “going to have better luck” with getting retail in the ground floor of the parking garage than we did in Union Station.  ZING!

Answer?  Yes, but no.  Julie Jacobson just said that the goal is obviously retail tenants, but that the prime goal with the “master tenant” scheme is making sure we have a revenue stream, and that “highest and best” use will be looked at.  In other words, the goal is to fill the space, and make sure money is coming in.

Council time

We’re liveblogging council tonight–Mike B is here videotaping the meeting for his independent archiving project…
CITYSQUARE:
CMOB was with Young Park last Thursday—beyond that, it seems like the same old same old on CitySquare.  Young Park is working hard, the city is working hard,  everyone is working hard, O’Brien is telling Phil Palmieri.  “My expectation is to have modifications[triggers, etc]…to complete that work with Young Park in short order.”

The Battle of Green Hill

In the polite modern equivalent of throwing down the medievel gauntlet, the Green Hill Park Coalition has sent a letter to the City Manager telling him that the coalition “is considering legal action against the City to redress the City’s failure to honor certain obligations” from the 2002 Settlement Agreement between the City and the Coalition.  (According to the settlement, the Coalition must give at least forty-five days of notice before taking legal action)

Some of the claims the Green Hill Park Coalition makes:

• That the  City has not properly controlled the water level in Vernal Pool C.
• Worcester Technical High School hasn’t yet made available records of “student hours and park projects included in the school curriculum.”
• The City has failed to restore Bear Brook and associated grounds.  The deadline, the coalition says, was February 2007
• The former park headquarters has not yet been demolished, past the February 2007 deadline
• The playing fields at the school have been locked; the settlement specifies they should remain open for public access.