A special meeting of the Board of Aldermen was held Tuesday, December 7, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. in the aldermanic
chamber as well as via Zoom teleconference.
President Lori Wilshire presided; Deputy City Clerk Allison Waite recorded.
Prayer was offered by Deputy City Clerk Allison Waite; Alderwoman-at-Large David C. Tencza led in the Pledge to the
Flag.
To join by Zoom — please refer to the agenda or the website for the meeting link and telephone number.
Let’s start the meeting by taking a roll call attendance. When each member states their presence, please indicate if
participating via Zoom state why you are not meeting in person and whether there is anyone in the room with you during
this meeting which is required under the Right-To-Know Law.
Deputy City Clerk Waite called the roll and asked them to state the reason he or she could not attend, confirmed that
they could hear the proceedings, and stated who was present with him or her.
The roll call was taken with 10 members of the Board of Aldermen present and 3 via Zoom: Alderman Michael B.
O’Brien, Sr., Alderman Patricia Klee (via Zoom), Alderwoman Shoshanna Kelly, Alderman Richard A. Dowd,
Alderman June M. Caron, Alderman Thomas Lopez, Alderman David C. Tencza, Alderwoman Elizabeth Lu, Alderman
Ernest Jette, Alderman Brandon Michael Laws (via Zoom), Alderman Skip Cleaver (via Zoom), Alderman Linda
Harriott-Gathright, Alderman Lori Wilshire.
Alderman Benjamin Clemons and Alderman Jan Schmidt were recorded absent.
President Wilshire turned the meeting over to Chairman of Budget Review Committee Richard A. Dowd.
Chairman Dowd
Okay. This evening we have public hearings on four bond resolutions R-21-197, R-21-189, R-21-193 and R-21-202.
If there are no objections, | like to move the first item up to R-21-202 up to the first so that we can address that since |
think most of the people here are concerned with that particular legislation.
PUBLIC HEARING
R-21-202
AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND CITY TREASURER TO ISSUE BONDS NOT TO EXCEED THE AMOUNT OF
TWO MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS ($2,500,000) TO PURCHASE PROPERTY ABUTTING
GREELEY PARK LOCATED AT 15 BARTLETT AVENUE (MAP 57, LOT 3)
Alderman O’Brien
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Before us this evening is R-21-202 authorizing the Mayor and the City Treasurer to issue
bonds not to exceed the amount of $2,500,000 to purchase property abutting Greeley Park located at 15 Bartlett
Avenue, Map 57, Lot 3.
Chairman Dowd
| believe that Alderman Klee wants to introduce this legislation.
Alderman Klee
Yes, | do. Thank you, Chairman Dowd. Jeff I'm not ready yet but this is the two slides that | sent to you. So | want to
start by answering the question that why didn't we make an offer before the sellers created a Purchase and Sales
Agreement to Thorndike? The answer simply is, is to the best of my knowledge it was never listed publicly and that
city is not in the habit of chasing obituaries. So at another meeting, | made a comment that this is not about NIMBY -
not in my backyard. It's about saving my park. That's how | said it. Then | was commented to someone who came to
me and said, well, it shouldn't be isn't my park. It should be rather it's our park and that's truth. It is our park, really is
our park. It's not Ward 3’s park. It is the city park. The thing that we have to continue to remember is that once
anything happens to that park, it's probably gone forever. | don't mean the park is gone forever. I'm just talking about
the abutting area. So it's important for us to have this discussion, consider all the options that could be possibly at our
