Mayor Carlo DeMaria said he was “disheartened” by the City Council’s 6-4 vote to not approve an order requesting to borrow $3 million to fund improvements to Everett Square.
During an appearance at Monday night’s meeting, Mayor DeMaria articulated well his vision for historic Everett Square and noted that the actual cost of the $5 million project would decrease by 80 percent to roughly $1 million, thanks to a $1.4 million grant by the Mass. Gaming Commission and the anticipated $2 million in state earmarks (funds for a specific purpose) secured by Rep. Joseph McGonagle and Sen. Sal DiDomenico.
But by a 6-4 margin (the measure needed eight votes for passage), the motion was defeated. Councillors Michael Marchese, Guerline Alcy Jabouin, Peter Pietrantonio, John Hanlon, Holly Garcia, and Stephanie Martins voted against the funding request while Councillors Robert Van Campen, Katy Rogers, Wayne Matewsky and Anthony DiPierro voted in favor of the measure.
The defeat of the motion caught many by surprise as DeMaria’s previous revitalization projects across the city – notably Glendale Park and Wehner Park, for example – have been total successes. DeMaria envisioned a newly designed Everett Square that would bring residents together for community events (such as the recent Farmer’s Market that drew 1,000 visitors) and stimulate economic activity for stores and restaurants in Everett Square.
DeMaria also said he would be willing to expand outdoor dining options in the square. “And in a redesign, you wouldn’t have to shut down School Street to traffic. You could enjoy the whole area.”
Reacting to the vote, DeMaria said, “I’m disheartened that the proposal failed Monday night, but I will continue to fight and to find creative ways to get Everett Square cleaned up. I know there are a lot of residents that feel the same way I do about the square.”
Council debates the measure
In his opening remarks to the Council, Mayor DeMaria noted that Everett Square “is not in the best condition and we have a blighted building [Bouvier Building] that’s been empty and dilapidated for a long time and I truly feel if we did some upgrades in that area, it would give some impetus to someone who wants to try and redevelop the square. Everyone talks about how the square is not a community-oriented square. This [redesign project] is a way for us to make it more user-friendly.”
DeMaria also mentioned the possible relocation of a downsized City Hall to Everett Square.
Ward 1 Councilor Wayne Matewsky said if the Council would approve a motion [made by Councilor Katy Rogers and co-sponsored by Councilors Matewsky and DiPierro] that the City acquire the Bouvier Building by eminent domain, “I would vote in favor” of the plans to redesign Everett Square. That motion was approved unanimously by the Council.
Matewsky criticized some of the business owners in the square for not adequately maintaining their properties.
Rogers brought up some of the concerns expressed by residents about a newly designed Everett Square, including traffic, pedestrian safety, parking, and the installation of a consolidated bus stop.
“I do think that this entire discussion needs to be in tandem with the Bouvier Building and potentially taking that by eminent domain,” said Rogers. “However, I will be proceeding to support this tonight, because I do realize that that’s a separate project.”
Rogers also received an assurance from Mayor DeMaria that the redesign process would involve residents’ feedback on the project.
Councilor Martins said she could not support the project with the addition of parking spaces in the square.
“The people of Everett will always find me voting on the side of progress – I will always vote to make things look better,” said Martins, noting the benefits of having grants for the project. “But I can’t support something that doesn’t add additional parking. If we’re bringing all these people, all these activities – as it is right now, sometimes we have to use the Walgreen’s parking lot, the bank parking lot – the two municipal lots are not enough to support what’s going on. I will be a “no” [vote], until there is a project that adds parking to the area.”
Councilor-at-Large Alcy Jabouin said that improvements to the square “means helping the businesses with storefronts.”
“I think the money would be well spent on helping business owners to revamp their business properties,” added Alcy Jabouin. “So I won’t be voting for this piece tonight.”
Personal overtones to the vote
There were some indications that the vote wasn’t so much a referendum on the merits of mayor’s well-thought-out proposal but a personal one for some of the councilors. Council President Robert Van Campen intervened quickly during a testy exchange between Mayor DeMaria and Councilor Pietrantonio at one point in the discussion.
Interestingly, DeMaria pointed out that Pietrantonio had made the revitalization of the square one of his goals in his successful campaign for a council seat last fall.
Pietrantonio raised the idea of the possible construction of a public park in the square. He also strongly supported the demolition of the Bouvier Building.