COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY & NEIGHBORHOODS -  April 10, 2023

MEETING AT 7:00 PM, 133 William Street, 2nd Floor, City Hall, City Council Chambers, New Bedford, MA 02740

AGENDA

1. WRITTEN MOTION, Councillor Pereira, Council President Abreu and Councillors Giesta and Lima, requesting that the Director of Emergency Management and Anthony Veilleux or a representative with Eversource Electric appear before the Committee on Appointments & Briefings to discuss the power outage issues that continuously occur in the southern portion of the South End peninsula. (Ref’d 11/22/2022)

INVITEES: Brian Nobrega, Director of Emergency Management; Anthony Veilleux, Community Relations Representative, Eversource Energy

2. WRITTEN MOTION, Councillors Lima and Morad, requesting, that the New Bedford Public Schools Department investigate the feasibility of establishing an executive level position that is solely focused on public safety within the City’s public schools, and that such a position be equal in rank to the current New Bedford Public Schools Department Executive Director positions of Executive Director Human Capital Services, Executive Director of Educational Access and Pathways, and Executive Director of Special Education and Student Services, and further, that Superintendent Thomas Anderson, Police Chief Paul Oliveira, Fire Chief Scott Kruger, Director of Emergency Medical Services Michael Thomas, Director of Emergency Management Brian Nobrega, the Mayor’s Chief of Staff Neil Mello, and New Bedford Educators Association President Tom Nickerson appear before the Committee on Public Safety & Neighborhoods to discuss the feasibility of establishing said executive level position. (To be Referred to the Committee on Public Safety & Neighborhoods.) (Ref’d 10/13/2022)

INVITEES: Thomas Anderson, Superintendent of New Bedford Public Schools; Scott Kruger, Fire Chief; Neil Mello, Mayor’s Chief of Staff; Tom Nickerson, President, New Bedford Educators Association; Brian Nobrega, Director of Emergency Management; Andrew O’Leary, Assistant Superintendent of New Bedford Public Schools; Paul Oliveira, Chief of Police; Michael Thomas, Director of Emergency Medical Services

3. REPORT, Committee on Appointments & Briefings, recommending that the City Council request that Attorney Gerwatowski review the current process for granting of Street Disturbance Permits to determine if the current procedure should be modified and provide the Council more direct responsibility in granting/revoking contractor permits. (Ref’d 04/12/2018)

INVITEES:  Dennis W. Farias, City Clerk/Clerk of the City Council; Atty. David Gerwatowski, Legal Counsel; Jamie Ponte, DPI Commissioner

No further Action and Report Out to the Full City Council

4. WRITTEN MOTION, Councillors Gomes, Markey and Abreu, requesting that the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods, meet with concerned parents lead by Lisa Tavares, the Pulaski School Principal Melissa Rego, Members of the School Committee, Police Chief Joseph Cordeiro, DPI Commissioner Jamie Ponte and a Representative from the Mayor’s Office to discuss a plan of action and a resolution in addressing the school’s traffic problem on Braley Road; and further, discuss implementing a second entrance to the school grounds off of Acushnet Avenue and the possibility of doing this with the City’s Department of Public Infrastructure, this request is for the residents of the area, to ease the traffic flow and more importantly, the safety of the children attending Pulaski School. (Ref’d 03/14/2019)

5. WRITTEN MOTION, Councillor Dunn, requesting that MassDOT, the Traffic Commission, the Department of Public Infrastructure and the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) be invited to a meeting of the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods to discuss stoplight(s) and other measures to improve safety and reduce speeding on Hathaway Road. (Ref’d 10/10/2019)

6. WRITTEN MOTION, Councillors Gomes, Dunn and Giesta, requesting, that the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods meet with officials from the Department of Inspectional Services, the Department of Public Infrastructure, the Fire Department, the Health Department and the owner of Bob’s Tire Company located at 85 Brook Street, due to the local residents’ complaints of the foul odor and runoff water from the site where the shredding of tires is occurring, this has become a quality-of-life issue for the residents of that area; and further, that an explanation be given to the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods as to when permission was given to shred tires at this location; and further, that if Bob’s Tire Company has any Code violations, that the shredding of tires be halted immediately at this site. (Ref’d 02/13/2020) (10/26/2022 – tabled)

7. WRITTEN MOTION, Councillors Dunn, Abreu, Giesta, Council President Lopes, Councillors Morad, Lima, Carney, Markey and Gomes, requesting that New Bedford Police Department conduct an evaluation of the Shot Spotter program, the efficacy of the program, analyze the data the system gathers, and assess how to ensure that this tool is properly functioning, assuming the Police Department finds the program to be an effective tool, the evaluation should be conducted on an annual basis going forward. (Ref’d 02/25/2021) (03/24/2021 – tabled; RELATED MOTION requesting that the Police Department provide the Committee with historical data on the effectiveness of the Shot Spotter program) (11/21/2022 – Remain on the Table)

 

 

 

 

 

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