Nolafest

See you there tonight or tomorrow 

five "smart growth" project get 1.5 million in aid

Interesting story

Albion part 3

At this point I dont know what to make of this

Worcester Mag story

Cig ordinance in Globe

good story


must read

Asian Longhorned beetle

Another shocker     they are being found around the City of Worcester.  

Big Tobacco lawsuit

Not even going to bother posting a link.    We all saw this was coming and the City of Worcester will lose.    No way we should have even gone done this road.  As Steve has already commented, how much money is this going to cost not to mention the anti-business message this sends.

This was so predictable.  No way big tobacco will let any municipality ban the sale of any of their products.   The thing that really amazes me is the banning of the sale on blunt wrap type products.  Personally I do not smoke pot, but alot of people do.   

When I was in high school, I remember the white EZ rider papers and how some of friends were great at rollimng joints.   Over time people have found out that the paper from a cigar is better so they buy cigars, dump out the tobacoo, fill it with pot and smoke.      The tobacco companies decided to make it more convenients and just sell the cigars without the tobacco and blunt wraps were born.

If the City of Worcester bans blunt wraps, people will just go back to buying the cigars and dumping out the tobacco or going to the next town to buy wraps.     Complete waste of time.

New cig ordinance

Two more days until it kicks in....         Business idea.    If you have one of those canteens that sell hot dogs, etc.    Set up right on the Worcester/Auburn line and sell blunt wraps.    Put up a sign last place to buy blunts heading into Worcester and then on the other side first place as you are leaving Worcester.

Being told??   Need to check this.     Take a place like Price Chopper on Cambridge, they can no longer sell cigs because there is a pharmacy inside.    Not only that but the employees can not smoke within 50 of either the front door or property??   

Worcester--business friendly?? 

Governor Christie

He has done it again


Massachusetts needs to follow his lead        Click here.

Albion Part 2

Alot of comments on this one.  

First ,  I am not saying that this property is not a nuisance and that the City of Worcester should enforce any and all code ordinances.

Second, it appears to me that the owner of this property should maybe be given 90 days, or something like that, to straighten out these problems before be give a "death sentence".   Revoking their lodging license is just that.

Lastly, I only wish that the property owners were held to the same standard. 

Marchand Celebrating

Canadian Water Polo Player

So much for it only being anarchists involved in the Vancouver riots, click here.

Albion

Newspaper story the other day detailed how they were not going to renew their rooming house license.  Admittedly I know there are problems there and I do not know all the facts, but I do know that the current owner has no even owned the building a year.   Remember he bought it at a bank foreclosure auction not too long ago.

Guess my point is that I think that putting them on some type of probation or setting a drop dead date to have a list of concerns addressed and corrected or they lose their license may be the better route?     Clee Blair is the type of person we actually want investing into the City of Worcester.

It just seems that there are two sets of rules.  Some people are given years (Mason and Piedmont), while others are given not time. 

Vancouver Sports Radio

Click here

Direct Air Lawsuit

Click here   bankruptcy trustee for pace looking to go after Direct Air

Pace said Direct Air breached the contract by canceling the agreement. Pace told Direct Air on June 19, 2009, that it owed $1.46 million. Pace sent a second letter on July 23, 2009, demanding payment, which Direct Air has declined to make.

Marketing Worcester

We should market the fact that any developer can come to Worcester and work with our non-profits to access free grant monies from the EPA.     Very simple:

1. Deed property for $10 to the non-profit
2. They will apply for the EPA grant monies
3. When the project is done they will deed the property back for $10

Direct Air

Letter to the editor, here is the link in the Telegram.   I know the airport liaison and others will not like me saying this, but I am not surprised to read this.  I have gotten many e-mails and calls saying the same thing.  The other big complaint nobody ever answers their toll free customer service number.

I really expected other carriers to be here by now once MassPort took over.    Very disappointed.    July 1st marks one full year under their ownership and they have not brought in one commercial flight?

South Worcester Neighborhood Center

Keeping a property in the name of a non-profit to access Brownfields monies as a grant, versus a loan, is not limited to the Common Ground, for an the actual owner of the property--who is a for profit company that would have to pay back the EPA monies.   

South Worcester Neighborhood Center did the same thing with Southgate Place bounded by Southgate-Grand-Armory.Once the EPA monies have been received, spent and signed off, South Worcester deeds the property back to the for profit entity City Builders LLC (3/17/10  bk  45569 pg 115).     

This monies also should be paid back since this was merely a shell game to get tax-payer monies for free.   Any other for profit developer would have to pay back these monies.

Worcester Common Ground Board

We, the Chandler Business Association, has community meeting with the Worcester Common Ground Board on June 18th, 2011 regarding, amongst other things, 48 Mason Street.    Kudos to their board members.

Now I find out that we discussed a property with them that they technically have not owned since November 5, 2005???  

Non-profit board compensation

About a month or two ago people were enraged, rightfully so, when they heard the compensation amounts being paid to board members on non-profit HMO boards like Blue Cross.  

Let me ask this.  What is the difference between that and a non-profit entity manipulating there non-profit status to assist for profit developers to obtain EPA brownfields clean-up monies as a grant (that does not have to be paid back) versus a loan?

Let me ask this also.  How can any for profit developer compete with another for profit developer when that developer has a non-profit entity in their back pocket that will help them access $300,000 of clean-up funds from the EPA as a grant?

48 Mason Street transfer???

1. November  2, 2005, City of Worcester sells 48 Mason Street to Mason Winfield (bk 37717/pg 51) for 66,853.   
2. January 10, 2006, Mason Winfield deeds 48 Mason Street to minority partner, Common ground for $10 (bk 38185/pg 55),but the deed is dated November 5, 2005.
3. Why did they do this?  Since Common Ground  is a non-profit they  do not have to pay back and of the clean-up grants from the EPA.  Believe the grant was in the $300,000 range.
4. May 6, 2011. Common Ground deeds 48 Mason Street back to Mason Winfield for $10 (bk 47367/pg 3), but the deed is dated November 5, 2005.

Is it just me or does anyone else think this is wrong.    On November 2, 2005, the two deeds are signed one from Mason Winfield to Common Ground for $10 and the other from Common Ground back to Mason Winfield for $10 to be recorded after the EPA signs off.    This was clearly done to avoid having to pay the $300,000.  


Hold the phone.    This property was never really in Common Ground's name since both deeds are dated November 5, 2005.     I believe (need to check with a lawyer) but the date on the deed is what counts not when they are recorded.    This grant needs to be paid back since Mason Winfield has in fact been the owner the whole time.  

Potted Plant

I have one of those pots on the sidewalk in front of my office.   Tried once before but whatever we tried died?   Not much son or the fact people end up using it for a rubbish bucket.  I will check with Sprout and give it another try.

Patient is on the death bed, can Sprout help??  Stay tuned.... 

Crompton & Knowles

Update--future site of Main South CDC no-lo housing project

One Vote

If one person on a private street wants to convert it, they file a petition and everyone else can vote against it but the City Council will approve.     All you need is one vote now on a private street to convert it to public. 

Stark Road

Just read some of the comments to the article????

The main problem is that the people who own property on these two streets voted  and voted not to approve conversion.  Despite their vote, the City Council is going to convert the street to be a public street at a cost of $150 per linear foot of frontage.  Unless, your house is on a corner and our address is the other street, not Stark, then the cost is nothing.

Unless there is some over-riding public safety concern, I simply do not understand how the votes of the tax-payers is completely disregarded.  Seriously why bother having a vote.  Next time anyone files a petition on a private road to convert it to a public street, don't even have the people on that street even vote.  Just approve it. 

Private Street Conversion

Evidently the new rule is that if anyone on the street files a petition, the road will be approved for conversion no matter how people vote.   If the new policy in the City of Worcester is to make all private streets public because of their poor condition, which I do not disagree with....   Let me make some suggestions:

1. Forget about the petitions.  Why bother?  The votes do not matter
2. DPW review conditions of the private streets and pick out the worse ones.    Let the people on these streets that they have 2, or 3 years, to fix the streets or they will be converted.
3. If the roads are fixed up, take them off the list and let them stay private
4. If they are not fixed up, then convert them

 Bottom line the DPW knows what private streets are the worst ones, let them prioritize them, while at the same time giving the abutters and opportunity to rectify the situation themselves. 

Deed Rock

Anyone do the walk, we did not go.   Forgot about the Albanian Festival.  Many pols there including Gabe Rollins.  

How was the walk?   Going to do it with my friend Jim Hannen, who lives up there, another day.

Kudos to Nick K

Great story on Stark Road and Pineland, click here.  

The whole point of this story is that the votes of these people did not count!   What the City of Worcester should do in cases like this is tell the people on these two streets that they have 2 or 3 years to get their private road in better conditions.    If they don't do it, then make it public.

Highest Marginal Tax Rate

Clcik here

Setti Warren for Senate

You got to listen to this:

Strak Road again voting procedure

Let's say you have a corner lot on Stark road but your address happens to be on the other Street (Mower, Juniper, Fernside, Windemere).    Since you have frontage on Stark Road you can vote on the conversion to a public street, but you do not have to pay....

Yes, you heard that right you can vote in the affirmative but it will not cost you anything.  Who wouldn't vote then to approve the conversion if you had a corner lot.   In the end it really does not make a difference since the outcome of the vote has no bearing anyhow.
 

Nicole blog today

Must read!!

Deed Rock

Just read this.

Pretty interesting.  Think I will do the walk Saturday

Stark Road

I still can not get over this.    The City only has a limited amount of money to do over streets.  Why no do the streets where the people on the street want to have their streets done?     And then the cost!!!!

Jahn, to you point it is 150 per linear foot.   lets say you have 50 feet of frontage and your neighbor directly across the street has the same 50 feet.  Both of you pay 150 per foot so the actual cost is really 300 per foot.   One 50 foot section will cost $15,000.

Off the top of my head say Stark Road is 1500 feet long, the total cost to do the road will be $450,000 to the property owners. 

God's Acre Hike

this Saturday sponsored bby the Great Worcester Land Trust

DETAILS

Walking trails

Friend of mine lives on Swann Ave up in the woods between Mill Street and Main Street.    It is a pretty amazing place--you have no idea how large the wooded area is.   He told me yesterday that he heard that there is a group sponsoring a hike this Saturday departing from Heinrich Decal.

Does anyone know any further details.  The names of the group, website, etc?


THANKS NICOLE AND TRACEY


CLICK HERE

Stark Road

Private Street, where my mom still lives.  Road has some good size potholes but very passable.    Recently there was a movement to pave the road and make it public.   Many of the neighbors, and my mother did not want to spend the money on it.

The tax-payers voted 14-10 not to make the road public. Committee, not sure which one (consisting of Clancey, Toomey and Petty) recommended to make the road public anyhow???  .     I have been told, however,  the City is obligated to listen to their vote......     Is it just me or does anyone think this is wrong?  Why have the vote?   Consider this, the cost is $150 per linear foot on the street so if you have 60 feet--it will cost $9,000 dollars.

   .

Toldeo Dirty Dozen

Remember reading about this in a Worcester Municipal Research Bureau Report many years ago and was the basis of our (CBA) idea.    Did some google searches and it looks like the Toldeo Dirty Dozen is alive and well.

Highland  Heights Neighborhood Association Blog

Think Atlanta also adopted a program like this also.  

Webster tagging nuisance properties

The Chandler business group has recommended this many times, but to only be told that it was not legal to do.   Evidently it is legal in Webster and they have started tagging nuisance properties with the owner's address, click here.

How effective is it?   The next day the owner removed the sign and now she is being taken to court, click here, for larceny of property.      Kudos to Webster.

Womag

1)   Our Chief Development Officer thinks we need a smaller scale grocery store downtown.  In the words of jahn, surely you jest?      Drive by Santy's market, a smaller scale grocery store on Chandler Street.  It just closed.    Sorry, not a chance of this happening.  Can you say Shaw's on Grafton Street.

By the way latest grocery store rumor has Market Basket going into the Biy Y that is closing on Route 20 then blowing into the CVS next door when their lease expires.


2)    Kudos to Gary Rosen on his story about the roadblocks every Saturday in Worcester,.

 

Memorial Day Week-end

Tauton Fairfax Gardens

Friend of mine from Tauton told me the other day about a project there built in the 1950's called Fairfax Gardens.    He said it is complete disaster 150 units of low income housing over-run by drugs and crime.  

Now they are tearing the whole thing down replacing them, story here, with a 71,000,000 project.   "The redevelopment project consists of demolishing the 150 barracks-style units that make up the Fairfax Gardens development, constructing 88 townhouse-style units in their place and also creating 72 mixed-income rental units at a separate location in downtown Taunton."

My point here is that while other places are tearing down their projects that consist of entirely low income housing, in Worcester we are building them (May Street and Southgate Place).

Cancer Center Rumor Mill

Despite the fact it looks like the TIF is going to be passed, I am still hearing from reliable sources that if Union if forced on Vanguard/St V's, Shrewsbury there they go. 

'

Rents

About a month ago, I was sitting with a person from the City Administration who was bragging to me that the developer of market rate housing on Portland Street was asking $1,000 per month, maybe even $1,100, and that they were getting people to rent.

Meanwhile Southgate Place, on average, is looking for $1,000 for a 2 bedroom and $1,150 for a 3 bedroom affordable housing project.  

Is it just me, but does anyone else see a problem when we are struggling to get the market rate rents as high as the subsidized rents?       Better yet, how do some people complain that we need more no-lo housing projects so "working" families can get "affordable" housing, but the rents for the no-lo housing is higher then the market rates?

Today's Editorial on the DIF & TIF

The City of Worcester is going to be investing $64,000,000 into City Square through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts DIF (District Improvement Financing).   The plan here is that City Square is going to be a huge success and all the increased tax revenues from City Square will make the payments on the $64,000,000 thus costing the tax-payers of Worcester nothing.

Personally I think it is good investment, but like any investment there are risks.  That is where I think the City administration made a mistake when they did not accurately explain the risk.  In fact I heard many times how these bonds (64,000,000 dollars worth) will cost the tax-payers nothing.   This is true if, and only if, we get development to get the increased tax revenues, which I think will be $4,000,000 per year in payments.  If we don't get the developments, the payments need to be made and they will come out of the General Fund.    

Where are we now?  We need development now!!!     Lets get Hanover going on the new offices and the new Cancer Center going and give them whatever TIF's they want.  If we don't , we will be choking on $64,000,000 in bonds.    

From there we need to hope that these two projects are an anchor that attracts more developments, which means more taxes.     Future developments , maybe they will not need TIF's, maybe they will?  This is all part of the negotiating process.  

Bottom line of bottom line is that we can not sit around and deal with this like Pharmasphere on Canterbury Street or Mason Street and do nothing for 5 years.   We need developing to get started yesterday, we have $64,000,000 in bonds that we need to be paid back one way or another. 

The Wire

I really miss that series

DIF & TIF Clarification

I think the TIF is a great idea for both the Hanover and the new Cancer Center.  It is the only way we are going to get any development going down there.   In fact I see any future developments in the short term also requriing TIF's.   Matter of fact we should just make the whole downtown a "Philly Zone":

I don't necessarily think the DIF is a bad idea either.  My point is that I never liked it when people said it will cost the tax-payers nothing-that the additional income from the DIF will pay the bond.    We all hope it will, but we need to understand that the tax-payers of the CIty of Worcester is making a 64,000,000 million dollar investment in City Square and there are risks just like any other investment.

Demolition Day

Health insurance costs

Great read

The May 2011 medical index by consulting firm Milliman Inc. says health care costs for a family of four will rise 7.3% in 2011 to $19,393 for those insured through work, with employee out-of-pocket expenses up 9.2% this year versus 6.6% last year. “Trends in health care spending still far exceed most other goods and services,” it said....

Premiums are rising even faster in Massachusetts, even after that state introduced its own health care reform in 2006 requiring residents to buy health insurance in that state, according to Consumer Watchdog. Insurance premiums for a single plan have risen 13.4% nationally from 2006 to 2009 versus a much larger 18.4% in Massachusetts, while premiums for a family plan rose 19.8% in Massachusetts in the same period, versus 14.5% nationally.



What makes no sense here is that ObamaCare is based on RomneyCare?

E-mail I received

I found both of your email addresses from flyorh.com website. I am a Worcester resident that is excited about the possiblity of flying out of ORH to Sanford, FL in December and skipping the travel, hassle, and high parking fees of Boston or even Providence.

One of my friends, however, just posted a series of status updates to facebook that is making us second guess whether using Direct Air is a good idea. Apparently, my friends were supposed to return from South Carolina on Sunday, but it has taken until Tuesday for them to get a flight home.

The flight was cancelled due to thunderstorms between SC and Worcester. They were told on Monday  that they could not get out, because there are no regularly scheduled Direct Air flights to Worcester and they could not find a plane to use. They finally found a plane, but it had a mechanical issue, so the flight was cancelled until Tuesday.

At some point, they were told, twice, that the problem is that no fflights could land in Worcester due to wether. Apparently, they called the Worcester airport and were told that was not the case, as some flights had been landing.

So, their biggest issue with Direct Air was misinformation. Is there any reason to believe that Direct Air was not telling the truth. Are there any documented times between Sunday and Tuesday afternoon that it would not have been possible to land at ORH?

Any information or opinions that either of you have to help me decide whether to fly out of Worcester would be great.

Direct Air

Sunday the airport was fogged in badly.  Anyone know if any flights got in or out?

ANSWER FROM A RELIABLE SOURCE

• Sunday-- Punta Gorda/Sanford, West Palm and Myrtle Beach all cancelled
• Monday --Florida flights arrived
• Myrtle Beach coming today

Harmon Killebrew

Was always one of my favorites as a kid.  I read the other day that he had entered hospice and today that he has died. 

$64 Million In DIF Bonds

Check out page 33 of this link

We are looking at $4,000,000 million per year in payments.       Take the new St Vincent's project which will pay 3,200,000 in additional taxes but over 15 years or approximately 210,000 in extra taxes.   Personally I do not remember the additional taxes Hanover will pay but lets just say it is also $200,000 per year.

Bottom line these two projects will pay in $400,000 in new taxes through the DIF.   That puts us 1/10th of the way there to pay the annual payments on the bonds.    A $4,000,000 per year DIF bond payment is one very large nut and we need a s---load of new development to generate new taxes to pay this bill...    

DIF Financing

If memory serves me right?   The initial public cost will be 34,500,000 for phase 1A.  

• Commonwealth of Massachusetts pays $25,000,000 
• Worcester through the DIF pays $9,500,000.  
• To date 6,100,000 on DIF bonds invested 
• 15,600,000 in DIF bonds to date
• 64,000,000 projected in DIF bonds upon completion

We have always been told, and I have questioned all along (do on DIF search on this site) that these District Improvement Financing (DIF) bonds will cost us nothing, because all the extra revenue generated withing City Square will go towards these bonds.   Understand?

Today, Nick K writes a story addressing this problem.  If we issue TIF's to all the new businesses coming to City Square (Hanover and the new St Vincent's Cancer Center to date), how much additional tax revenue are we going to raise to make payments on the DIF bonds? 

The story goes on to say that we may not be able to give out any more TIF's since we will need those taxes to make the payments on the DIF bonds.    Problem is we may have no chance but to offer a TIF to get a developer to come to City Square.   Here is the question, in the end will the DIF produce enough additional tax revenues to make payments of $64,000,000 of bonds?

Think the answer it clearly "no" and the City of Worcester will need to dip in the General Funds just like they need to do for the Gardner-Kilby-Hammond loan (actually that is merely taken off our annual CDBG allocation), Union Station or any of the other development projects.    Not saying that the DIF was a bad idea, but not accurately portraying the risks and saying this will cost the tax-payers nothing was wrong.   

In the end I just do not see enough "extra" revenues being produced within the DIF to make payments on $64,000,000. 

IPad

Who needs the 10 Commandments on tablets  when I can have the IPAD tablet

Alergies

Absolutely killing me for the 2nd week.   Any suggestions out there?? 

Misconception--CDC's do not have the lowest rents

I often hear the arguement that we need CDC's to provide "work-force" housing or as we call it on the blog "no-lo" housing.  The misconception being the CDC's have the lowest rents that working people can afford could not be further from the truth.

Look no further then Southgate Place.  These will be the highest rents in the area by far!!! 

• 1 bedroom        766 to 853 rent        30% to 60% AMI
• 2 bedroom        932 to 1025 rent        30%, 50%  and 60% AMI
• 3  bedroom       1,109 to 1,233          50  and 60% AMI

 A 3 bedroom at $1,200 per month!!!    These "workforce housing" are much more then the "market-rate" rents!!

Blog Comments????

Blogspot has been acting weird the last couple of days.   Some comments I know that I published but never got posted???    If this happened, sorry.   Repost and I will try again.  Just found a bunch of them in the SPAM folder.

Venerini, OLA, St Mary's, Central

Grammar school--all comments appreciated.  Also Dawson School in Holden.

Thanks!

Globe story on Hanover Theatre

Click here

South Worcester Neighborhood Center

There is a letter carrier food drive this week-end.   Thank you mail carriers.   The Executive Director of the South Worcester Neighborhood Ctr was on the radio with a letter carrier today promoting the food drive and how rents are so high people have a hard time buying food. Agreed.

At the same time the South Worcester Neighborhood Center is wrapping up Southgate Place with the following rents?

• 1 bedroom        766 to 853 rent        30% to 60% AMI
• 2 bedroom        932 to 1025 rent        30%, 50%  and 60% AMI
• 3  bedroom       1,109 to 1,233          50  and 60% AMI
  

Evacuation & Bunker Hill Day

Fresolo was the only Worcester State Rep to vote to have this holiday taken away.

30 for 30 The Two Escobars--MUST SEE

24 Joppa Road Sunday noon till 2PM-- OPEN HOUSE

Finally finished this.  Open house tomorrow (Sunday--Mother'sDay) noon till 2PM.  Asking 234,999.  Brokers protected (3%).

Health Insurance for settled and retirees update

I was under the wrong impression that the three existing plans (1 Blue Cross and 2 Fallon, Select & Direct) were being replaced by plans from the same carriers.   The main differences are the new plans have deductibles and tiering of hospitals.   After reviewing his options we decided to go with Blue Cross mainly due to the fact the Boston Hospitals are in the network, while you need to go through Fallon's Peace of Mind program to gain access to the Boston Hospitals.

Although the annual difference in billed premiums was $3,760.44, the difference to my friend was only $760.08 since the City of Worcester does flat percentage not flat dollar.  To save only $760.08, it was not worth it to him.  If it had been $3,760.44 then he may have in fact switched to Fallon.

The other day he came back to me and told me that he can still choose the current plans...   We then looked at either a) keeping the current Blue Cross Plan or b) switching to the new Blue Cross Plan with deductibles and tiering.  Although the difference in annual billed premiums is $3,180.36, the difference to him is only $795.12.

Current plan has no deductible.  He figures between his family of 4, one MRI would cost him the $250 deductible and another $450 if done at a hospital with the new plan, while the current plan would cost 0.   That is $700 right there.

Bottom line he is keeping the same plan that will cost the City of Worcester $1438.14 per month (1917.52 billed less employee deduction of 479.39).      The total monthly premium for the new Fallon deductible plan with the Select Network is $1,339.12.    

Big Y Route 20

Evidently this was in the newspaper earlier in the week??    They will be closing--the first, and not the last casualty from WalMart and Market Basket.    I hear Market Basket does $2,000,000 per week in sales.  That is absolutely incredible!!! 

Mother's Day Flowers

Don't forget to order your flowers from Sprout. 

118 A June Street
Worcester MA 01602
t 508 757 5300
f 508 757 0891

Mr Moynagh and Mr Lane

Been busy lately.    Long story, but I got a feeling my blog may go in a different direction or at least pick another thread over the next couple of months.  What thread is that?    Answer --Educating Rita.   That was a movie I remember from my college days.      This summer I may be bringing you the modern version regarding my daughter on this blog??

My older sisters (3) all went to Doherty, loved it, excelled  and that was where I thought that I would go.   Finishing  the 8th grade at Chandler Junior, my neighborhood was being told that we would need to attend the current South High School that was opening (circa 1979).   My parents loved Doherty, but did not want me going to South and made me apply to Saint John's (SJ).  In the end South only became an option and many of the kids from my neighborhood went to South, Doherty or  private school. 

I ended up at SJ, where I got a much better education then I would have ever received at either Doherty or South, because I did not have the self-discipline.    At SJ you did not need self-discipline, it was demanded or else because of people like Mr Moynagh and Mr Lane,  who never taught a class, but both knew alot about discipline. 

Trying to find that balance for my daughter has proved to be a little more difficult then I imagined.

Bin Laden

Watching the news reports of his death, his first name was reported as Usama.   I always thought it was Osama?? 

Boston Herald story on a sewer line

Interesting story in the Herald about repairs that need to be made on a sewer line in a private way in South Boston.  The total cost of  which is 125,000 to be split amongst 17 building owners on the private way.  

Here is the key line from the BostonWater and Sewer spokeman was there has no responsibility to fix the pipe.    

Telegram headline

129 jobs on the line in city


Negotiations founder over health plans

Founder??  Should it not be flounder      

Spotlights on May Street tonight

Red Sox game?  No sewer work.  Must have broken a line because the flood lights were out.    From maria's kitchen to this building has to be 1000 feet of sewer to benefit the apartments in the basement (stop them from flooding), of which I think there are 6. 

Conservatively lets say the total project is $1,000,000.  Now divide that by 6 apartments that equates $166,667 per apartment for their sewerage.    The numbers are just staggering.  too bad we could not divert monies like this into facades for businesses within the expanded CARD versus 100,000.

Expanding the CARD district

Story in WBJ today how the City would like to expand the Commercial Area Revitalization District (CARD), which would expand the pool of businesses that could apply for Facade and Micro-Loan monies.   At first glimpse this is a good idea, but....  

The CARD, and NRSA for that matter, are funded by the Federal Government through HUD viia what is referred to as CDBG monies.  Remember how last week I wrote a blog after Nick K article, we only have $1,866,000 of discretionary funds available.   Of which, according to the article today in the WBJ only $100,000 will give allocated for the CARD.

Bottom line expanding the CARD sounds great, but we just dont have any money to properly fund this expansion. 

Bryan LaHair

Makes you wonder what a guy needs to do to be called up to the MLB.   This year batting .356 with 4 home runs and 16 RBI's.       Career minor league stats. 

Flat Dollar versus percentage

Assume you had two employees who do the same exact job and get paid the same exact amount of money.  One has his family plan with Blue Cross while the other has his family plan with Fallon Select.    The employee, who has Blue Cross is in essence getting compensated (not w-2 wise) 3,000 more per year then the person who has opted for Fallon Select.

Does this make sense?

Non-union City health plan options

I had a chance to look this over for a friend of mine who is retired and currently has the Blue Cross family plan.

Three Plans


One is from Blue Cross and the other two are from Fallon. The two Fallon plans are the same plan design just different networks, Direct and Select (City of Worcester is calling it Advantage). Direct is smaller network mainly the old Fallon Clinics and if you are not already in the Direct network, it is hard to get a PCP.  Select, on the other hand, matches up with Blue Cross except that they only have access to the Boston Hospitas through their Peace of Mind program. 

My fiiend doctors do not accept Fallon Direct, so his choices are to stay with Blue Cross or go to Fallon Select.  he does not want to change doctors

• Blue Cross total premium is 1652.49
• Blue Cross employee cost will cost 413.12 per month
• Fallon total premium is 1339.12
• Fallon Select employee cost 349.78 per month
• 63.34 per month difference
• 760.08 annual difference

Benefits

There really is not much difference between the two plans, some slights ones with co-payments and extra like fitness benefits etc.     The real difference is in the tiering of hospitals when it comes to day surgeries and hospitalizations.   What is this?The plans are starting to put hospitals in dfiferent categories. 

Blue Cross will charge, you either 150/200/500 for day surgeries and hospitalizations depending on which hospital you go to, after plan year deductible is paid (250).  Click here for the list.    Medical City or Saint Vincets (Enhanced Hospital) will cost 150, while UMASS (Belmont or Lake Ave) will cost 500 (Basic).   Please note Harrington considered basic.

Fallon will charge 150/300 for day surgeries and 250/500 for Hospitalizations depending on which hospital you go to, after plan year deductible is paid (250)..  Click here for their list.      All the hospitals in Worcester would be in the first tier so day surgeries will cost 150 and hospitalizations will cost 250 at UMASS or Med City (Saint Vincent's).

What should he choose?
 
First his doctors utilizie UMASS so it would cost him more if he had Blue Cross (500) versus either (150 or 250) if he had Fallon.     So he went with Fallon Select right??   No he did not.    He likes the fact that Blue Cross has the Boston Hospitals in the network and does not have to go through Fallon's Peaace of Mind Program.   It was worth the extra 63.34 pre month to him.
 
 
Flat Dollar
 
In the end the City of Worcester would rather see my friend go with Fallon since the premium for Blue Cross.
 

• Blue Cross monthly total premium is 313.37 more per month then Fallon or 3760.40 annual
• Employee total monthly premium is only 63.32 more per month then Fallon or 760.08 annual
• The City of Worcester is paying nearly 3,000 more towards the cost of an employee choosing Blue Cross over Fallon.

The City sould institute a falt dollar amount towards the cost of an employee's healthcare to accurately reflect the true cost of the underlying premium. 
 

Mayor wants incentives for residency

I understand why we want more city employees to live in the City of Worcester, but it really goes beyond that.  We want people, who make money to want to live in the City of Worcester, whether they work for the municipality or not.    Creating an incentive for one group of people really does not make alot of sense and it will not work.   

We need to focus on why people who have chosen not live in the City of Worcester, no matter who they work for, and change it.    Ironically we are working on that right now with RKG on a new Housing Policy that should be ready in the fall.

The current Housing Policy which has seen approximately 100,000,000 million invested into low income housing in the inner-core of the City of Worcester has not worked as evidenced by these numbers.   We need to stop all of these development projects and focus on giving incentives to developers to build market rate housing in the City of Worcester.   I really like the over-used term "build it and they will come."  

The upcoming new Housing Policy that will be done by RKG in the fall will most likely emphasize the need for market rate housing and to pull back on the CDC's developing low income housing.   The push-back from the developers (CDC's) of these low income projects will be huge.

Rather then creating incentives, I say lets listen to RKG this time?

CDBG Monies

Earlier in the week or last week, Nick K wrote a clumn about this.   City Manager O'Brien said that the City of Worcester annual allocation has dropped from 4.900,000 to 4,100,000.  Of that 4,100,000, much of this money has already been spent:

Debt Service Obligation

• Webster Square Fire Station      350,000
• Gardner-Kilby-Hammond          365,000
• South Worc. Industrial Park       145,000

Staffing

• Inspectional Services                  543,000
• Economic Development              831,000

Total Expenses     2,234,000
Discretionary        1,866,000

Let me remind everyone about the 365,000 for Garder-Kilby-Hammond.  The City originally took out a 5,800,000 million dollar for site acquisition, demolition and preparation of a 7.5-acre parcel in Main South, so it could be redeveloped.   I assumed the City of Worcester took out this loan to kick start the project, but would get monies back from the parties benefiting from the clean-up (Main South CDC, The Boys Club and Clark).   In fact, I always remember the City of Worceser being referred to as the guarantor. 

Instead the City of Worcester has been depending on the Feds to make the 365,000 payment or waive it , which was the case for the first couple of years.   Evidently that is no longer the case and the interest on the 5,800,000 loan is being taken out of our CDBG allocation.  Never mind being the guarantor, it is being taken right out of our annual CDBG allocation.

In the end the City Manager will submit to City Council on May 10th his recommendations on how to spend the $1,866,000 balance.      Not much money left for successful programs like the Chandler Street NRSA.  

Colt 45 Blast

I knew it would not take long for Four Loko to be replaced.  Introducing Colt 45 Blast:

A mere 12% alcohol , but no caffeine so it is legal

McDonald's for breakfast

New favorite oatmeal with fruit and a coffee for $3.    Can't beat it for breakfast.    Coffee at Dunkiin costs me $2 now??? 

End of America

I have heard this ad on the radio many times.

Check it out??

Tea Party Rally

Yesterday I was asked to speak at the Tea Paarrty Rally about health insurance.  Got to admit that I was nervous, but think I survived it?    I want to write here my "call to action":

Minimum Credible Coverage (MCC)

As a consumer I have to buy one family plan that insures myself, my wife and my daughter.  We are all in good health and have no prescriptions.  The ideal plan for me would be a catastrophic plan that had a $5,000 deductible and no prescriptin coverage.

The Commonweallth of Massachusetts, however, has instituted minimum amounts of coverage that a residennt needs to buy in order to avoid the state penalty    If I was to buy a plan described above, I would not meet MCC and would be subject to the state penalty.

If nothing else, if the Commonwealth of Massachusetts merely removed the requirement to have prescription coverage in order to meet MCC, my premiums would drop 10%.  That would not mean that I could not buy prescritpions,I would just need to pay out-of-pocket.   Considering companies like Walmart that now have over 400 prescriptions that cost $4 for a 30 day supply waiving prescription coverage is a viable option.

Contact your State Rep and State Senator and tell them to remove prescription coverage from the MCC standards.

McDonalds

try it--good.

Sutner on the Mayor

Story in today's Telegram. 

The thing I found most interesting, however, was the Chamber of Commerce.  Why?  You have one of the biggest employers in the City of Worcester, Ralph Crowley of Polar, calling the Mayor an "enigma".  On the other hand,  you have the Chamber of Commerce calling him "fantastic". 

Rosen nails it too

WorcesterMag

"Phil’s latest crusade is his most ridiculous one. His inept leadership in support of a ban on the sale of cigarettes at pharmacies and college campuses will not make anyone healthier. Smokers will still smoke because they will simply buy butts at supermarkets and convenience stores. But drugstores, which Phil sees as havens of health, will be allowed to sell candy, ice cream, pastries and potato chips. You just can’t make this stuff up.







The city council preaches that it is only trying to protect us from the dangers of life. But who will protect us from the city council? The biennial municipal elections certainly don’t."

Kudos to Bill Eddy

I missed this the other night but this from Jeremy Shulkin's Worcesteria regardinig City Council Meeting Tuesday night regarding Bill Eddy riling up the Chamber of Commerce:

• " Having government get in the way between competing businesses is not the way to (reduce smoking rates)."
• Eddy believes the chamber should be unified in representing all businesses, not just some. 

Truer words could not be spoken.  A Chamber of Commerce that supports 1) the taxation of larger apartment buildings commercially not residentially and 2) supports a smoking ordinance because it only hurts the larger chains is not the message the Chamber of Commerce should be sending out to businesses consdiering coming to Worcester. 

Cigarette Ordinance

Can someone let me know.  If Walmart-Target or a grocery store has a pharmacy, will they not be allowed to sell cigarettes?

Cigaretter Ordinance

It must have taken up an hour and half of the meeting last night.  Random thoughts:

• The sign portion is a positive step, but still allows up to 50% of the windows to be covered.   Not sure what is "historic" about this?
• I have heard the Chamber of Commerce did not oppose this since it was would mainly only hurt the biggger chain stores not the small stores.    I can think of some smaller independently owned pharmacies around the City of Worcester, who may think differently.   Shouldn't the Chamber represent the interest of both small and big business?
• A woman from UMASS said this will save the City of Worcester $45 million dollars?
• Anything that we try to pass will result in lawsuits as evidenced by the apprearance of a lawyer from a cigarette company, who flew out from Illinois to talk 3 minutes.  Do we have extra money to spend defending this ordinance?
• If you had regular prescriptions and bought your cigarettes, when you went to the pharmacy and lived on the city borders.   Maybe you would move your prescription two miles into one of the surrounding towns?
• Question?? Seriously.  Walmart sells prescriptions does this mean that they can no longer sell cigarettes???  Same for Target?
• Kudos to Kate Toomey.

Wellfleet Harbor Steamboat

Business has ben busy as of late.  Today I was visting a client in Attleboro and the owner, who is pretty much retired was there.  Ask him what he has been up to and he showed me this video:

Surveillane Cameras

In the enwspaper today there is a picture of three kids, who were arrested for the double murder this past week-end.  In the story, it mentioned how the surveillance cameras helped the police.  I can not tell you how helpful these are for neighborhoods.

The City should do all they can to secure monies (Weed & Seed??) to install these wherever they can and have a dedicated person, or hire someone, that is able to go into stores reveiw cameras and burn videos.  In th Chandler NRSA, we have invested 15,000 inot cameras.  Check out EVO:

1. evo.everfocusddns.com (no www)
2. install the add -on for Everfocus
3. User name: wpd
4. Password: wpd

Southgate Place

Story in Worcester Wired.

Please read.  I really do not know where to start?  

• First off, I bet you the project does look nice inside. Keep in mind $7,000,000 for 25 units equates to 280,000 per unit.  It better look good???   The cost of the project never mentioned in the story by the way?   
• How this project "breathes life" into the South Worcester Industrial Park completely escapes me.  This project does absolutely nothing to help the Industrial Park.   Ironically if the Indusrtial Park does briing high-paying jobs and if a tenant of Southgate Place gets a high paying job, they would most likely not qualify to live there anymore and have to leave? 
• Now I am hearing talk of Phase 2??    
• When is enough enough??     

Really look forward to reading the comments after you read the story in Worcester Wired.

Thanks

Bill

Announcement

Worcester, MA – Direct Air, an air service with corporate headquarters located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina announced today it has added two new Caribbean destinations flying from Worcester Regional Airport. Beginning November 17th, 2011, two NON STOP flights per week departing and returning on Thursday and Sunday will begin to San Juan, Puerto Rico and Nassau, Bahamas.


Worcester Regional Airport currently is serviced by Direct Air to; Myrtle Beach, SC; Ft. Myers /Punta Gorda; Orlando/Sanford, and West Palm Beach, FL.

Direct Air Announcement

New destination at press conference at 1:00PM?

My guess

1. Melbourne, Florida
2. Lakeland, Florida

Random

Yesterday ate at Bertucci's, great new item Torta Rustica & Rosemary Sausage.  $9.99-- what a deal.

Also stopped by LeRoux meats on Main Street in Holden.  They opened a new retail section--highly recomment.

Lastly, just left the Wonder Bar.  Still one of my favorites.

CIgarette Ordinance

We can go round and round on this, but the City Council has not place being involved in this.   Telling pharmacies that they can not sell cigs, while other businesses can is no different then our current dual tax system and simply sends the wrong business message out about Worcester being "business friendly".
 

The Wire

Butler

Been a great tournament      

Go Butler

AMI

Adjusted Median Income..           If a person wants a 3 bedroom at Southgate Place, there are three apartments available. in order to qualify they have a lsot for 50% AMI and 60% AMI.    Assume a family of 4, 50% AMI is 39,950 and 60% AMI is 47,900.       if you amke more then this you can not get an apartment at Southgate Place.

The rent being asked i 1,109 to 1,223 per month.     Lets assume a family of 4 qualifies for the three bedroom at the 50% AMI being earning 39,000 per year.   Now you calculate rent of 1,109 (lowest) or 13,308 per which equates to 34% of the total family income.  

My point here is  based on these low income requirements nobody will be able to rent these apartments at the rent they are asking unless the are on Section 8, RCAP or of other rental programs.

  

Nick K

Has a story on the Cigarette Ordinance.  I put this right up there with the

1. Shopping ordinance
2. Street Vendor ordinance
3. Pit bull ordinance (a week from now Rushford will be luck if he has 5 pit bulls registered)

One councilor thinks the City Councilor should get involved because “The fact that more than 480,000 people die each year (nationwide) from smoking-related illness is reason enough to consider these restrictions.”   How about people who die from being over-weight or drink too much?  Do we have ordinances coming out next addressing this?   My point is that this is not something the City Council of Worcester , Massachusetts should be addressing.   The only good thing in this ordinance had to do with the proliferation of cigarette signs, which I believe was addressed in the sign ordinance.

I got great idea, instead of this, why doesn't the City Council talk about:

1. Main and May Street sewerage work--who is paying for all of that?
2. Request a review of all RFP's the past 5 years of City owned land and find out their current status (comply with the LDA or not).   Those that are not in compliance need to be taken back by the City of Worcester and rebid.
3. Do we make statement and stop accept anymore "free" monies for no-low housing when we are 50% over the state mandate of 10%.
4. Do we look into privatizing a service like school custodians
5. Philadelphia Plan--do we target 10 under-utilized commercial properties and offer to waive all permitting fees and lock in the assessed value for ten years 

Now these are 5 issues that the City Council does fall under their auspices.

Southgate Place Rents

1 bedroom        766 to 853 rent        30% to 60% AMI
2 bedroom        932 to 1025 rent        30%, 50%  and 60% AMI
3  bedroom       1,109 to 1,233          50  and 60% AMI

These are high!!!   Work-force housing?? The only ones who can afford these rents are people receiving subsidized housing...

Ban on blunt wraps

Let me give you a little history lesson

• In the old days if you wanted to smoke pot, you bought your conventional rolling papers (EZ or Zig Zag)
• People began to like the paper on Cigars like Philly Blunts, Dutchmasters, etc.  A person would buy a cigar, dump out the tobacco, fill it with pot and smoke.
• The cigar companies then came out with different flavors of cigars.  People  buy the cigars, dump the tobacco, fill it with pot and smoke.
• The cigars companies said lets save a step (and tobacco).   Why not just sell the cigars without the tobacco thus, wraps were born.

If we ban the sale of wraps, people will either revert to their old ways or go to Shrewsbury, Auburn, Leiceseter, Holden, Paxton or West Boylston to buy them.   

Exactly what does this accomplish?