Rodney Elliot, President Lowell Youth Soccer : According to the Development Services, a paperwork issue seemed to have slipped through the cracks and a “formal comment” requesting the sewer-line extension was not submitted by the City, to the developer. We seem to have continual “paperwork” and “permit” issues in this city.
Adam Baacke Asst. City Manager : I have no recollection or record of stating that this would be taken care of during site plan review as he claims in his letter. I may have been asked at a Council meeting if it was appropriate to discuss the soccer fields in conjunction with the street abandonment vote they took. If so, I may have indicated that it would be more appropriate to explore that during the site plan review or special permit process, but knowing that there are some legal limits to what off-site work the boards can link to a project approval, I highly doubt I would have made or implied any promise that this would have been taken care of.
The City received a significant payment from the developer when the Council approved the sale of a portion of the site where the Walgreens is now being constructed. If the Council feels that this sewer connection is a greater priority than other public infrastructure needs in the City, they could appropriate a portion of the proceeds from this sale for this purpose.
GN: For $27,000 (estimate by Asst. City Manager) the Administration seems willing to incur some bad public relations, upset the Lowell Youth Soccer League and all the parents who have to drive around that construction project ? Why? To get some joy out of tweaking a political opponent? To be able to accuse the LYS President of being in Conflict of Interest? It seems petty that the City would NOT include the sewer hook up especially AFTER the League paid for the Bathrooms in the first place and they city at some points in this High Profile Project seemed willing to do so.
While I appreciate the Asst. City Manager responding to me I want to be CLEAR, this Blog is MY Opinion and while on many occasions I ask questions on issue, on many occasions I do NOT and am NOT obligated to do so. I do ALWAYS welcome and offer space to anyone who wants to respond with their side of the story to anything I post and appreciate the time and effort the Administration has given this blog and will give them FULL Post to get their message /information out if they choose to respond as I will to the LYS President if he so chooses.
While on the Administration, there is a lot of chatter circulating in the city that neither the City Manager nor Mayor attended the wake for Rep. Dave Nangle’s Dad last week. It was also noted that neither attended the Funeral nor was anyone there from the Lowell School Dept. nor Chancellor Meehan or anyone representing U mass Lowell. It may be old-time politics to pay your respects even to people you may not get along with but people still notice and talk when they don’t see someone at these occasions they think should be there.
No one but Rep. Nangle and Chancellor Meehan, the Manager or Mayor know if they contacted Rep. Nangle directly to express their condolences and all may have had legit reasons to not attend. However people talk about what and who they see or don’t see and the chatter is that the perceived snub by the Manager and Mayor especially did not go unnoticed.
There is also talk that the Manager may have been on Vacation this week but if so who was the “Acting Manager” and why wasn’t that on the April 10th Agenda. Usually the Manager notifies the Council and names an “Acting Manager”? I just reviewed the last Council Meeting on LTC and didn’t see this discussed. Did I miss something?
The former Yum-Yum shop on Broadway Road in Dracut is about to get a new Tenant. ALL MIXED UP CAFE will open sometime around June 15th. It will offer salads, sandwiches, Frozen Yogurt and you can find them on Facebook Good Luck to Ryan Rourke and I’ll be posting updates for my friend as the time for the grand opening draws closer. Ryan is a hard working kid and I wish him the best.
In Today’s SUN Jen Myers has a follow up story ion Friday’s Fire and Dave Peaver has a great story about Professional Wrestling and their long ties to Lowell. This on the heels of the passing of Chief Jay Strongbow last week. It brought back memories because my brothers, friends and I were regulars at the WWE events at the Auditorium and became friends with Dean Ho’s girlfriend who travelled with him and Tony Garea (WW TAG Team Champions)! LOL I remember during intermissions the ring would be flooded with kids who would toss each other around and out of the ring. My late brother Paul incited a huge fight by tossing a kid out TWICE and we ended up in a brawl with a group from the highlands…Good Times!
Speaking of the SUN if you missed JMAC and the Bear on WCAP on Friday you missed the Sun Editor announcing that the SUN has hired another Reporter who will be primarily covering Chelmsford (but doing other general assignment reporting). It appears that the SUN is positioning full time reporters again in the various towns and is a good sign the paper intends on sticking around despite those who refer to it as the BLOG OF RECORD or this dead tree rag that tries to claw for survival.
I may not always agree with the editor or may think that sometimes the stories are slanted or biased but I grew up with the Local Paper and Local radio and think both have a huge and important role in the city so I am glad to see a staff increase after recent decreases.
Robinson Middle School Legacy Wall Project
Come share your fondest memories, reunite with old friends and help us design the schools legacy wall by creating your own legacy tile.
Join Us this Thursday April 26th 7-9pm @ The Robinson Middle School for Alumni Night.
This donation also helps this year’s 8th grade graduates build their own legacy Wall.
If you can’t attend, PLEASE DONATE and we will create a tile for you.
Please make checks payable to:
The Robinson School PTO
and send your $20 donation to:
Legacy Wall
C/O Robinson School
110 June St., Lowell, MA
So one person from developmental services says it was a paperwork error. Another person says it was beyond their control and not really a paperwork error. Which is it? At best it sounds like the city cannot get its story straight. Or worse it sounds like someone is not telling the truth.
Careful, Gerry. You are trying so hard to strike a pose for the GOBs, you’re gonna throw your back out.
As far as your affection for the Blog of Record, I should say, you have been settling for second best your whole life. Good thing me and my friends accepted the invitation from the Downtown mob.
I’ve been lumped in with the Mayor and the CM, as one who wishes the paper’s demise. Holy underdog, Batman! The Sun is now a victim? I thought the self reliance types never blamed others for their misfortunes. Though, integrity is not as valued in the print media, as it once was. They can’t afford that.
Maybe you haven’t noticed, or have just blandly accepted the fact, the owners of the Blog of Record are hyperfocused on the ledger. Being solvent is paramount. The downside is that even the most belligerent of petty tyrants, if they balance the books, can stay at the helm.
I support the notion of a local paper. I yearn for a steward, a watchdog, a respectable representative of the Fourth Estate. What I find in the thinning pages of the Lowell Sun is little of what a paper SHOULD be.
The Sun is the loudest voice in the room. Thankfully, Gerry, you have joined us in not allowing them to just shout what they want, unanswered. The other sides of the story is out there. WCAP, City Life and even, yes, even us blogs are holding up our end.
LOL I always find in funny that when I post things like the LHA issue that agrees with the Administration I’m on the side of good but when I post things that are in opposition to the Administration or the Mayor or god fobid in favor of the SUN I am posturing for the GOB.
The fact I piss off everyone from the CM to Campy to YOU at times makes me Happy!
Just an average Guy with strong opinions he likes to share!
Gerry – you listen to everyone, including this old lady. Certain others do not want to hear our opinions if they disagree with us. They are right and we are wrong to disagree with them. Someone out there needs a gentle reminder that this is a free country and we are entitled to our beliefs.
Ha! It ant easy in the Middle is it? I’m younger than both of you of course
but definately learned as a consequence it’s the price residents pay if you’re willing to listen to both sides of a discussion. I don’t need to tell you two, having to question, make argument and defend character every time you open your mouth is a necessary evil in this city. Keep up the effort, because as bill taupier says… And he should know cause he served as city manager for four whole years in the 70′s… You may be unimportant but your doing important work.