City Council

Presentation by Kerrie D’Entremont of Greater Lowell Health Alliance on efforts to address opioid epidemic.  She said this is an urgent, unmet, public health crisis.  The Alliance has been involved with setting up unwanted medication turn-in opportunities and making Narcan more available.  Also youth education efforts.  Says funding is spread thin…

Reappointment of Nancy Pitkin, Salmira Mitchell and Marianne Gries to Pollard Memorial Library board of trustees.  Endorsed unanimously by council. Vote to trade parking spaces for WCAP employees at Early Garage in exchange for radio advertisements promoting the city of Lowell.  Manager Murphy says there’s been such an arrangement with…

Mayor Elliott and Councilor Mercier are not present (they are visiting Cambodia). Council discussing report on vacancy rates in downtown.  Acknowledge that there are challenges beyond the control of the city.  For example, the city found a tenant for a large retail space that is vacant but the building owner…

Mayor Elliott opens the meeting by introducing UMass Lowell students from a Community Psychology class and has their instructor tell the council about the class. Motion Responses by City Manager Councilor Leahy questions the detour that uses Pevey Street to bypass the bridge repairs on Broadway; suggests Middlesex St be…

Carole Cowan Retiring President of Middlesex Community College Carole Cowan is honored by the City Council and by State Senator Eileen Donoghue (on behalf of herself and Representatives Golden and Nangle). Public Hearing: To adopt the minimum residential factor No speakers for or against.  CFO Connor Baldwin gives council presentation…

Report by Cultural and Arts Subcommittee Presentation for the city’s submission to the Bloomberg Art Challenge earlier this evening by Susan Halter from COOL. The theme will be Lowell as an art laboratory where “art will come alive in February 2015.” Recommends council endorse proposal and submission to the competition.…

Number of votes including one accepting a $1.6 million grant from the Federal government for expansion of the trolley system.  Craig Thomas from DPD gives an update.  One expansion will run from downtown through Hamilton Canal District to the Gallagher Terminal.  The second expansion will connect the North and South…

Motion by Councilor Mercier requesting City Manager request organizers of Baystate Marathon to alter the course of the race next year so that all of the bridges in the city aren’t shut down.  Councilor Mercier says I filed this motion for no other reason to create better harmony between the…

Frank Georges, a Lowell resident and an elite runner, sent the following letter to city councilors regarding the motion on tomorrow night’s council agenda to consider forcing the Baystate Marathon to alter its route due to traffic issues during the race.  I’ve written my own post on this subject and…

Back in 2003 I joined the great mob of runners that spent a Sunday morning in Lowell running prodigious distances along the banks of the Merrimack River in the Baystate Marathon and Half Marathon.  Running my first half marathon was a terrific experience made all the more so by doing…