[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6362020,"mediaKeyId","2169032-9a6f5499a2ef57408cc8d91bc6af84a9","parentId",2169032,"title","Boys & Girls Club seeks state capital funding as renovation nears completion","audioSeconds",417,"startMs",2940000,"endMs",3357000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2169032-9a6f5499a2ef57408cc8d91bc6af84a9&start=2940&end=3357","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2169032-9a6f5499a2ef57408cc8d91bc6af84a9/thumbnail_2940000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6362020/Lowell-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Boys-Girls-Club-seeks-state-capital-funding-as-renovation-nears-completion","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6362020-838da6a2103a09124f8ef46e3393dc1f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771194597&Signature=HkAa6T2fRRMIzU6LEGVX1Iu7PjKkc~sE1GiyRPhAvMF7HP1qFWiVhZ6f-0qfS-x5G1UxXl3LmictqhN688JmLQbYEC5eoTkaYabjwdX2CS4d7M28n6VQyDxZQl9G~XdUC1XphmtD2CEIH~Zn52Q99LeKyV5xeeensrsAqAhl~6y6iILhmx45S6AbZkMEJ~KU5tWkWKIGkVC1WroRrJQgFKr~a2dsF1Gy66cEi2Mm7ZH-zb2MKG0SQAXwK0LNlOe9S3y-kXao5PYC15-JTtEXCVNUHCUoMSId-gO74UlK5M-VAmuGqJsMf7Vts1d5~0Q4tN0VJMvAcMlXQP3ob8BaBw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Lowell City, MA","date","2025-01-29T13:21:40Z","article","Leaders of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell told the City Council on Jan. 28 they are asking the governor and lieutenant governor to include $5 million and $2 million amendments in the state economic development bond bill to continue construction and complete renovations at the club\u000027s Clemente Park campus.

Joe Hundler, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club, updated the council on construction progress and asked the council to provide a letter of support to the city\u000027s state delegation and the governor\u000027s office for the proposed bond‑bill amendments. Hundler said the club\u000027s kitchen is operational and the new teen center will open in June; completion of the next phases would raise daily capacity from roughly 450 to about 600 children per day.

“Once the teen center is complete, we\u000027re able to serve a lot more kids,” Hundler told councilors, describing the entrance improvements, a planned black‑box theater and building upgrades needed to become fully ADA‑compliant. He said the club has secured amendments from the delegation but needs those sums placed in the governor\u000027s capital spending plan to avoid expiration of the earmarks.

Councilors voiced broad support. Councilor Robinson said the club\u000027s work is a “no‑brainer,” and several councilors praised the club\u000027s role in providing after‑school and summer services and noted prior city ARPA funding committed to the project. Mayor O\u000027Rourke and other councilors urged the manager and clerk to help transmit a formal letter of support to the governor and to Congresswoman Trahan\u000027s office.

Staff noted the council motion asking the manager to provide support was nonbinding and would take the form of a letter encouraging the governor to include the amendments in the capital plan. The council voted to adopt the motion by voice vote.

What happens next: The city manager\u000027s office will prepare and send a letter of support to the governor and state delegation highlighting the project\u000027s local benefits and the need to include the $5M and $2M delegation amendments in the capital plan. The club will continue construction, with the teen center scheduled to open in June and subsequent phases following as funding is secured.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Lowell City Council - January 28, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Leaders of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell asked the Lowell City Council on Jan. 28 to send a letter urging the governor to include two delegation amendments totaling $7 million in the state economic development bond bill to finish renovations at the club\u000027s Clemente Park campus.","taxTitle","Lowell City, Middlesex County, Massachusetts","taxId",4223,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6362024,"Lowell council seeks timeline, costs and artifact-salvage plan for Smith Baker Center",1603,862000,2465000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2169032-9a6f5499a2ef57408cc8d91bc6af84a9&start=862&end=2465","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2169032-9a6f5499a2ef57408cc8d91bc6af84a9/thumbnail_862000.jpg","/articles/6362024/Lowell-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Lowell-council-seeks-timeline-costs-and-artifact-salvage-plan-for-Smith-Baker-Center","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6362024-6c57066daa7932249f55cc95ec8d92c0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771194597&Signature=NcREa68-pIOSsjEHoAaiZ3dhwM06gy-N76K5W-8gtZyf2Ecto-dptyRfGekMz3onTtSzV2cdybWocRS4DqpwstAOcknSK6qPuost1MNJlojrJPndHCowNEusvvWf~Wyj-xmSV4z5fs3tMkBWpZrBkysYqcC7ngt77Zoq5RixP-aEJJ9UdHRDVxxtklnk91490jAaXG-etwhtSJ2bPbytYXSdWhxBErt4lpStYKv-LnBcGxUb4XfVlveEWVDgxEapa2AS3lkiA-Yg6YUg7G3ofdxRIRN6CAq4QN~Sr2wZlA1atSXZPXjb0uB6yKqOucitTIUWpyX3UYSHnxoSMJcV~w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Lowell City Council on Jan. 28 asked the city manager to outline a timeline and cost estimates for containment, remediation and demolition of the city‑owned Smith Baker Center, and separately requested any plans to salvage historical artifacts or sections of the building\u000027s façade.

The motions followed public comment from preservation advocates and a review of an engineering study that councilors said raised structural and cost uncertainties. Councilor Yang (mover) and Councilor Noon (second) carried the measures, and the council instructed the administration to return with details, including possible salvage measures.

The requests come after the council voted previously to move toward demolition. Supporters of preservation urged a pause and an RFP that would allow developers or nonprofits to propose reuse. Resident Bruce McCauley said he has launched online petitions and called for time to let “investors, nonprofit[s]…make an offer,” adding, “I feel a tremendous amount of guilt and responsibility” about the building\u000027s condition. Dennis McCarthy, an architect who addressed the council, said the Gale engineering report shows the building may be repairable but that unknown costs remain, and asked the council to use available tools to find alternatives before demolition.

Assistant City Manager Joanne Baez told the council that abatement and demolition cost estimates are being solicited through the planned RFP: “We are soliciting information from vendors who do abatement work to try to understand what a potential abatement cost would be,” she said. Baez said abatement, demolition and cleanup would likely be combined in a single solicitation and that real numbers would emerge once the RFP process produced bids.

Council debate reflected a split between preservation impulses and concern about potentially large, uncertain costs. Councilor Blanchard said the Gale report indicates large structural degradation and that he could not “vote with my heart” if costs are prohibitive; he said the city must make a practical fiscal decision. Other councilors urged salvaging stained glass, fixtures and any façade elements that would not unduly hamper future redevelopment. Several councilors noted a separate MassDevelopment technical assistance grant vote on the same agenda (item 7.2) that would fund a $45,000 study of development scenarios for the site, including potential façade retention.

Councilors and staff also discussed the state and federal processes that affect timing: Baez said the city must coordinate with MassHistorical and with HUD, and that whether those reviews can proceed concurrently or sequentially will affect schedule. Councilors asked whether a short RFP window (for example, 30 days) might quickly reveal interest and available funding; staff said legal and historic‑review timing would influence whether such an approach is practical.

The council asked the administration to include in its report: a demolition/abatement timeline; expected cost ranges or the method by which cost estimates will be obtained; whether and how salvageable artifacts and stained glass could be identified and preserved; and how any façade retention could be studied or supported as part of a future development solicitation. Staff also pointed the council to the Gale engineering report, which is available on the council agenda page.

The council\u000027s motions do not require the city to delay demolition; they ask the manager to return with specific information so the council can decide next steps.

What happens next: staff will continue RFP drafting and coordination with MassDevelopment, MassHistorical and HUD as needed. The council also voted earlier on item 7.2 (a $45,000 MassDevelopment technical assistance grant) that the administration said could fund a feasibility analysis that includes consideration of retaining the façade. The timing for any demolition, RFP or preservation work will depend on those concurrent steps and on the bids produced by the procurement process.

","Councilors voted to require a timeline and cost estimate for remediation and demolition of the city-owned Smith Baker Center and also requested a plan to identify and try to preserve historical artifacts or façade elements; public speakers and preservation advocates urged delay and reuse options.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6362015,"Council directs manager to pursue centralized facilities department for city and schools",610,4285000,4895000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2169032-9a6f5499a2ef57408cc8d91bc6af84a9&start=4285&end=4895","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2169032-9a6f5499a2ef57408cc8d91bc6af84a9/thumbnail_4285000.jpg","/articles/6362015/Lowell-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Council-directs-manager-to-pursue-centralized-facilities-department-for-city-and-schools","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6362015-8c21f1b98873ac0183f4b4212f14800e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771194597&Signature=ZKo4xHijXQUVELQXjsoENKWCSH0PbhYoJK1GPJ27KTHTaPSZ5Eq4mLVeFPpZa4RAf4Lq6oQxrZOFXEkNmGBEnooD62UKJqkC0N-n38Xgq2qdNWACKJ8bq0y35CynJE4w~YOY-qV29LwSY9QwTrQc1NXuk5XJsDeCf4SHAkfjXQYqvcpMKb9VzEkFuRpdy45MAsVKb7X-fzdEjNyqxk0JIRXdxaCBnpKHYtr7bOj9nX2CJKJ1U8dsnZGd5hx~lV07b5j~DifildjFCNIwD0X0WULF30hGUPWXqvHhjaZk38V9a8vp2ML5RpuH6qcsDOgR4YwzACVWJ3-RaAoSym3Azw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Lowell City Council on Jan. 28 voted to have the city manager investigate and initiate establishment of a centralized facilities department to manage maintenance of city and school buildings, and to convene a joint subcommittee with the school committee to negotiate scope and implementation.

Councilors said longstanding maintenance challenges in school buildings and other municipal facilities require a new, coordinated approach. Councilor Dakota moved the motion, Councilor Robinson seconded an amendment asking the manager to take an active role in establishing the new department, and the council passed the motion.

Council debate emphasized institutional and contractual hurdles. City staff noted that the school committee would need to vote under the Education Reform Act procedures to transfer any school facility responsibilities. The manager said talks with the superintendent and school committee are appropriate next steps and that a joint meeting tied to a planned tour of Lowell High School (Feb. 15) could launch discussions. The manager added that negotiations would also need to involve unions and that staffing, collective bargaining and funding implications would be part of the design.

Several councilors said the change is overdue. Councilor Getchia and others urged that the administration bring concrete cost estimates, staffing models and a proposed governance structure to the joint subcommittee. Councilor Blanchard and others said the core issue is aligning responsibilities so that building maintenance is responsive to school needs and not subject to bureaucratic gaps.

The adopted amendment directs the manager to begin the work of establishing the facilities department and to convene a joint subcommittee that includes representatives from the school committee, municipal leadership and labor representatives. The manager will return to the council with a proposed department structure, cost and staffing estimates, and a timeline for implementation.

What happens next: the city manager will initiate outreach to the superintendent and school committee, schedule a joint subcommittee meeting (to be timed with the Lowell High School tour), and develop preliminary staffing and cost models for council consideration. Any transfer of school facility responsibilities will require appropriate votes by the school committee and attention to collective bargaining obligations.

","After repeated debate about deferred maintenance and custodial responsibilities, the council voted to ask the city manager to investigate and begin establishing a centralized facilities department to handle maintenance across city and school buildings, with a plan for a joint subcommittee and negotiations with the school committee and unions.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Boys & Girls Club seeks state capital funding as renovation nears completion

Lowell council seeks timeline, costs and artifact-salvage plan for Smith Baker Center

Council directs manager to pursue centralized facilities department for city and schools