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The 2005 Parade of Holiday Traditions was missing only one thing: A bow by the members of the organizing committee at the end of the parade.

Then again, the lack of a bow shows the true spirit of the committee members. They work hard for months to put on a great two-hour show only to fade into the scenery as the parade passes by.

It is quite a production that comes together with a tremendous amount of effort that shouldn't go unrecognized. All of Malden has them to thank for an excellent parade once again.

The second annual Parade of Holiday Traditions proved to be an event that lived up to its billing.

The two-hour-long parade entertained thousands of Malden residents from Maplewood Square to Malden Square with such highlights as the Patriots cheerleaders, the Cycling Murrays, school floats and Santa and Mrs. Claus.

The various Malden marching bands, such as the Malden Middle School Band, the Tuney Tornadoes and the Malden High School Band entertained the crowd with holiday favorites as the parade passed, and when it was stopped from time to time. The parade seemed to move a bit slower this year than last year to make sure there weren't long gaps.

Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson said At-Large Councilor Craig Spadafora and the rest of the committee members worked to keep the gaps to a minimum. Parents told Christenson after the parade that their kids didn't lose interest this year, which Christenson said was a big compliment.

He also said he was impressed that when the front of the parade was going by the Salemwood School, he looked down at Waite Street Extension and saw the fourth division assembling to make its way up Maplewood Street and then to Salem.

"That gives you an indication of how long it was," Christenson said.

The parade ended at City Hall where the reviewing stand was. On the stand, which was borrowed from Everett, was parade Master of Ceremonies Dana Brown, who is Malden High School Principal, Mayor Richard Howard and various city councilors and school committee members. As Beebe School's float passed near the end of the parade, they were awarded a large blue and gold trophy for winning last year's school float decorating contest.

Now that it's over, parade organizers are going to take a rest, Christenson said.

"I think everybody's still recovering. It's four or five month's worth of work and it all culminates in a two-hour parade."

When the Center Methodist Church in Malden Square closed, there was much trepidation as to the future of the Bread of Life's Don't Be Alone on Thanksgiving Day event. But thanks to the long time involvement of Fran, Barbara and Dana Brown with the Bread of Life and a stroke of luck, a new home was found for the Thanksgiving Day dinner at Malden High School's cafeteria where Dana Brown is Principal.

The names of those who cannot attend the event at the high school, but would like meals delivered are sent from Mystic Valley Elder Services to Christine DiPietro at City Hall. They are then forwarded to Bread of Life's Snyder, who forwards them to the home delivery coordinator who sets up routes in a manner which allows timely delivery for a meal to arrive hot and for the drivers to enjoy the rest of their day.

This year's lists included people from Malden, Medford, Everett, Melrose, Wakefield and Stoneham. About 180 meals in all, down from last year's recent high of 225.

This year's drivers included At-Large Councilor Craig Spadafora and Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson, who have been chided in the past for missing the Malden-Medford Game while delivering meals. But, they took care of the residents at 89 Pearl St. in plenty of time to witness the Golden Tornado victory.

This past Saturday, the City of Malden rang in the Holiday season with the 2005 Parade of Holiday Traditions. For two hours, Malden residents watched festive floats, bands playing holiday music, children handing their Christmas wish lists to marching postal carriers, and of course, Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus.

This day would not have been possible without the countless hours, days, and months of the Holiday Parade Committee. The Committee consisted of Ward 1 School Committee Member Peg Crowe, Krissy Bramante, Richard and Barbara Breen, Lois Cruikshank, Carol Ann Desiderio, Michael and Margie Drummey, Meghan Drummey, Kevin and Traci Fitzgerald, and Karl and Andra Toppi.

It is people like them who were the lifeline of Saturday's parade and their hard work was recognized by the smiles and cheers from the many families that attended. We thank them and we also thank the community-at-large who donated their time, money, and resources for what we hope will continue to be a longstanding tradition in our community.

Happy Holidays!

On November 26, at 10 am the Parade of Holiday Traditions will travel from Maplewood Square to Malden Square and the headliner of the parade will be Santa Claus with his wife traveling aboard a fire truck. Uniformed U.S. Postal workers will be walking along side of the fire truck collecting Christmas lists from the children in the crowd along the way. This is the second year of the parade which has been resurrected by City Councilors Craig Spadafora and Gary Christenson, along with countless community volunteers.

Bands, floats, veterans, and "Pat the Patriot" will be just a few of the components of next weekend's Parade of Holiday Traditions.

Santa Claus and the Patriots Cheerleaders will also be special guests, according to organizers.

The parade will kick off from Maplewood Street to Malden Square at 10 a.m., and traverse Salem, Main, and Pleasant Streets on its way to Malden City Hall, where a formal reviewing stand will be set up.

"We had double the amount of fundraising for this parade," said Ward One City Councilor Gary Christenson. "As a result, it allowed the committee to do more of the planning of the parade."

According to Councilor Christenson, the committee and members like Kevin Fitzgerald and Carol Ann Desiderio, assembled a parade this year, that is at least as large as last years, if not larger.

"We're still compiling groups that will march," said Councilor Christenson.

Among the highlights of this year's parade will be the presence of outgoing Ward Four School Committeeman William Mini. Mini who is retiring this year from the panel will serve as Grand Marshal.

"The easiest vote we took was selecting Bill Mini as the Grand Marshal," said Councilor Christenson.

Include in the parade will be local veterans groups; Shriners clowns and cycles; Malden Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts; the Malden High School Band; the Malden Elementary School Band; the Tuney Tornado Band; local and state elected officials; Boston Gaelic and Drum and Bugle Band; Sons of Italy Band; and much more.

Once again this year, youngsters are also being encouraged to bring letters for Santa Claus as Santa's Helpers will collect them and mail them to the North Pole; and officials from Bread of Life will be along the route to collect donations.

"The U.S. Postal Service will have people on hand to collect letters to send to the North Pole," said Christenson. "That was one of the most popular aspects of last year's parade."

Councilor Christenson said volunteers are still being recruited to help out with this Saturday's parade.

Additional information about the parade is available by contacting Meghan Drummey at 781-321-7643.

Santa's coming to town on a fire truck - and he's collecting Christmas lists.

The headliner of the Parade of Holiday Traditions will roll from Maplewood Square to Malden Square on Saturday, Nov. 26, starting at 10 a.m., along with his beloved wife, Mrs. Claus. He will be helped along the way in collecting youngsters' Christmas lists by uniformed volunteers from the U.S. Post Office walked the parade route to collect the letters to Santa.

This is the second year of the parade. It was resurrected by city councilors Craig Spadafora and Gary Christenson and countless community volunteers who wanted to see a holiday parade roll through the streets of Malden again. It replaced the previous parade, after a few years' hiatus, which was partly organized by former Ward 1 City Councilor Eleanor Cushing and her husband Dana. The two served as grand marshal for the last year's inaugural Parade of Holiday Traditions.

This year's parade will honor another longtime Malden public servant, Bill Mini. A longtime teacher and then a School Committee member, Mini is retiring from the committee when his term ends on Jan. 1. He said he was honored to be named grand marshal.

Like dozens of others in Malden, Christenson said he has great respect for Mini.

"The image I will always remember, is, as you know I was appointed by Mayor [Richard] Howard, and there was some controversy about an appointment to the School Committee, and Mr. Mini was the first to call and welcome me to the committee," Christenson said.

The favorite bands will be back again this year, along with two new ones: the Tony Barrie Band and the Boston City Band. Also, Liberty Jazz Band will return to the top of a fire truck to entertain the parade-goers, Fitzgerald said.

Last year's parade organizers thought big when coming up with ideas and worked with the schools to have the letters to Santa done as a writing exercise during school, and some of the schools participated last year with floats.

The end of the parade route and reviewing stand location will change this year, too. The reviewing stand will move to City Hall Plaza and the parade will make its way down Pleasant Street and go past City Hall to Florence Street so that residents of the Heritage Apartments can watch from their balconies.

The multi-phase facelift coming for Green Street Park will return the L-shaped green space to the glory days it knew when Mayor Richard Howard's mother was a kid.

She played there as a youth and, as the mayor said, remembered it as a great neighborhood amenity. Howard, too, played there as a boy, but the park wasn't as nice as his mother remembers, he said.

Unlike a prior upgrade that re-seeded the baseball field, this park renovation will be a complete overhaul starting with the baseball diamond. Later, the basketball courts will be torn up and playground equipment will be installed and the spot where the fading playground equipment is now will become a sitting area, complete with trees. The baseball diamond will also serve as a small soccer field.

"I know we've been hurting for soccer space, so this will help with that. I think we're trying to get as many uses out of the park as we can," said Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson, who was joined by Ward 1 residents Jean and Jerry Kelleher, Ward 1 School Committee member Peg Crowe, state Rep. Paul Donato, Howard, Redevelopment Authority Director Stephen Wishoski, the mayor's Community Development Director Deborah Burke and architect James Shadley at the park to mark the start of the project.

"It's a nice park, but it is in need of some attention," Burke said.

The park's overhaul could cost upwards of $150,000, according to Wishoski. The redevelopment authority is using money from the federal Community Development Block Grants the city receives each year.

"I think it's important for those people who live in that area, that there's a great opportunity for the people to use the park," said Donato.

Dignitaries visited Green Street Park in Ward 1 to mark the start of its overhaul. From left is project architect James Shadley, Deborah Burke, MRA Director Stephen Wishoski, Mayor Richard Howard, Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson, state Rep. Paul Donato,

At-Large Councilor Michael Sheehan asked that the Ordinance Committee consider incorporating provisions in the zoning ordinance that would prohibit blasting or the noisy removal of bedrock in Residence A zones.

Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson stated that he would not support a piecemeal zoning ordinance, not because of the contents of the paper but because he disagreed with the procedural nature of the paper.

The overriding sensibility at a meeting held Tuesday evening was that the practice of canning to raise money is a necessary evil.

The Public Safety Committee addressed safety issues for youth groups who raise funds through this method standing at supermarkets and intersections. The City Council has previously limited the practice only to groups from Malden.

Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson asked that Babe Ruth, who testified at the meeting, provide the council with a copy of their safety guidelines so that the same precautions could be imposed on other youth organizations who participate in canning.

All of the councilors at the meeting agreed that they would rue the day that any child was struck by a car or mugged, but conceded that short of granting each youth organization upwards of $50,000 to run their programs, the teams would have to support themselves somehow.

A longtime neighborhood blight is on its way to becoming an amenity for a few residents that will ease parking problems in Ward 1.

The blight is two small vacant lots, one on Perkins Avenue and one on Wyllis Avenue, and the amenity will be user-owned parking spaces in a section of town with such cramped parking that residents sometimes have to park a couple blocks away from their homes.

Parking has long been a problem along the narrow, thickly settled roads near Everett, but it has grown worse lately. This past winter's storms caused terrible conditions because parking is only allowed on one side of the street, and the high mounds of snow that lasted for weeks after one storm drastically cut down on spaces.

As the winter snow gave way to summer's warmth, the streets were crammed again with cars, but this time thanks to people who live in Everett. That city required parking permits and people seeking to duck the permit have been parking Malden.

"You have too many cars today and not enough space," said Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson, who is working with neighbors on the parking problems.

Solutions haven't been easy to come by because the house lots in the area, particularly on Perkins Street, are small and the houses were mostly built without driveways at a time when people still took streetcars.

Even as people would circle the neighborhood looking for a spot to park, a small lot on Perkins and a smaller one on Wyllis would got empty night after night because it wasn't clear who owned it or whether anyone could park there.

Turns out, the city owns them.

A title search conducted by attorney Frank Russell, who also represents Ward 3 on the School Committee, found that the city took the properties for nonpayment of taxes years ago. Now, according to the Malden Redevelopment Authority's Ron Grasso, the lots will be converted into parking spots owned by the users, and they will be contributing to the city's tax base.

"The abutters would have first shot at this," Grasso said. "It would cost them about $2,000, but it would be their parking spaces for the rest of their lives."

The spot owners would be getting them at a steal because extra condominium spots are selling for about $8,000 in Malden. In Boston, prime parking spots could sell at either side of $100,000 depending on location.

Grasso said the MRA expects to be able to have 12 spots on Perkins Avenue and five spots on Wyllis Avenue. Converting the Perkins lot into parking will cost about $16,000 to $24,000 and Wyllis Avenue will cost about $5,000 to $6,700.

One of the spots in the larger lot might be bought by Perkins Avenue resident Larry Levine, who has lived there for 14 years. He said the lot would be a welcome addition to the neighborhood not only for overnight parking, but during the day as well.

"At night it's terrible. In the mornings, I notice some people drop their cars off and take the T. When they can't park on Main Street, they park on Perkins," Levine said.

'Thanks, Jerry'

Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson asked Jerry Kelleher to appear before the council on Tuesday evening for discussion of a new scoreboard, but then surprised him with a congratulatory citation on the occasion of his retirement from the Massachusetts State Police after 49 years of service, the longest record to date. "Thank you, Jerry, for your stellar representation of Malden over the years," Christenson said.

The first trial leg of the Bike to the Sea path will be built in Ward 1. Original co-sponsor of the paper, Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson also swayed the council to adopt a change to the project with the provision that six months prior to construction, there will be a review of the maintenance plan. The council applauded Winslow after taking a roll call vote to adopt the amendment.

Middlesex County Sheriff James DiPaola and WBZ-TV4's news anchor Jack Williams teamed for the ninth year in a row to host their annual Run for Wednesday's Child. All proceeds raised in the event were for the Jack Williams Endowment for Wednesday's Child, a service that helps find homes for hard-to-adopt foster children.

The mayors of Medford, Malden, Melrose, Everett, and Woburn all drummed up support, but only Malden Mayor Richard Howard ran in the 5K race, along with Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson. Howard, 53, came in 41st overall with a time of 24:28.

This year the event attracted 141 runners, including 84-year-old Louise Rossetti of Saugus, and twice as many spectators. Over $20,000 was raised for Wednesday's Child greatly exceeding their projections.

Malden Mayor Richard C. Howard appeared before the Malden City Council Tuesday night to discuss the progress of the River's Edge development project.

Mayor Howard provided the Council with a general update on the River's Edge project and announced that the Mystic Valley Development Commission (MVDC) is close to closing on a sale of the last remaining parcel of land included in the project.

Ward One Councilor Gary Christenson said that he had been present at numerous meetings of the MVDC and commended the effort he saw from the Mayors of Malden, Medford, and Everett.

"I will say the Mayors of those three communities are doing everything in their power to see that our views are incorporated into the plans," said Councilor Christenson.

Councilor Christenson also noted that the recently completed seven-year audit of the MVDC made no claims of improper behavior.

The Malden City Council tonight is expected to get an update on one of the biggest development projects in city history when Mayor Richard C. Howard and representatives of the Mystic Valley Development Commission (MVDC) appear to give an update on the River's Edge project.

In addition to the appearances by officials and representatives tonight, various Councilors are offering resolutions regarding:

-- A request that the Director and Assistant Director of the Malden Emergency Management group appear at the October 18th meeting to discuss the city's general preparedness in the event of an emergency and also a report on plans for winter storm preparation (offered by Ward One City Councilor Gary Christenson and Councilor-At-Large Craig Spadafora).

---

MCAS scores = salary increases?
(Excerpts from the Malden Observer, Friday, June 24, 2005)

What if school salary increases were pegged to MCAS scores?

That question permeated the air shared by city councilors, school officials and educators in the City Council chambers Monday who were there to discuss that thought-provoking suggestion.

"MCAS is the law," said At-Large Councilor Michael Sheehan, who made the suggestion last week after the Finance Committee met with the School Department to review its $44.3 million budget for fiscal 2006. "Let me make clear, this is not to erase [the school district's] goals. MCAS should be one guideline, not and end-all guideline."

Finance Committee member and Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson said he didn't believe there was enough time to seriously discuss the "major policy change" Sheehan had proposed.

"It's a Titanic of an issue to be decided on June 20," he said, adding he didn't necessarily favor the suggested change. "[MCAS scores] can never be a final indicator for a school."

Following Tuesday's long-awaited vote on the building moratorium, the Malden City Council also voted 8 to 2 in support of changing a resolve to a new ordinance that will affect two of the residential areas exempted by the moratorium.

The new amendment, if passed, will increase the square footage required for single and double residences and require special permits for any larger development in Residential Areas A and C.

Councillor Gary Christenson was one of two dissenters on Tuesday night. He supported the bill's purpose but disapproved with the process the council was taking.

Christenson asked that the council take the yearlong freeze provided by the moratorium to review the zoning ordinances as a whole in hopes of simplifying the regulations rather than adding complicating amendments.

"We're doing everything we said we wouldn't do by piecemeal," said Christenson. "Let's not amend this thing week by week, month by month.

Ward One City Councillor Gary Christenson announced that this coming Tuesday, June 14th at 5:30 p.m., Malden will celebrate the annual Flag Day program at Bell Rock Memorial Park on Main Street.

Historically, states and local communities have informally commemorated June 14th, 1777 as the day of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes. The Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson, however, officially established Flag Day in 1916 and in 1949 President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.

On Tuesday, Malden will celebrate this tradition with a ceremony acknowledging our most cherished symbol-the American Flag-and the sacrifices made over the years to protect the Flag. The ceremony will feature a speaking program complete with patriotic tunes, the Pledge of Allegiance led by Ward One's youngest residents and a reading of the Ferryway School's winning essay of "What the Flag Means to Me."

Gary thanks the Malden High School Band for their play at Flag Day 2005

Gary welcomes neighbors to Flag Day 2005

Malden will celebrate Flag Day with the annual program at Bell Rock Memorial Park on Main Street Tuesday, June 14 at 5:30 p.m., Ward One City Councillor Gary Christenson announced.

"An hour, hour and a half, out of the day to celebrate the flag is something we should do," said Councilor Christenson. The celebration will acknowledge the country's flag as well as the sacrifices made to protect it.

According to Councilor Christenson, State Rep. Paul Donato, D-Malden, Medford will also attend, along with other city and state officials and Councilor Christenson said he is hoping Mayor Richard Howard will say a few words Tuesday night.

The 10-year anniversary of this tradition, Malden's celebration will be accompanied by the Malden High School band and Choral Arts Society, said Councilor Christenson.

A few students from the Ferryway School will salute the flag with the Pledge of Allegiance. A winning essay will be read by a student from Mr. Harvey's class at the Ferryway School.

The celebration of Flag Day will be held rain or shine, because the day should be celebrated on the actual date of the holiday, noted Councilor Christenson. He said he is "looking forward to celebrating the day."

Ferryway School students join Councillor Christenson in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at Flag Day 2005

After debating the issue for more than two hours, the City Council voted 8-3 in favor of a construction moratorium that will prohibit the building of multi-family housing in certain areas of the city.

Stipulations of the moratorium state that no special permit, variance, or building permit will be issued for multi-family housing of more than six units total from the date of the paper is ordained until June 1, 2006.

Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson, who's said he's battling with two developers aiming to build in his part of the city, also gave his support to the moratorium.

"This is about the quality of life of our neighborhoods," he said, adding more housing isn't going to solve the problems. "We are saying six-units or more. To me, that is a reasonable compromise."

Once the paper is ordained, City Clerk Karen Anderson said the mayor will have 10 days to either sign it, veto it, or not sign it, at which time it will become law without his consent.

Angered by the findings of an audit that questions how Malden spends federal money intended to help low-income residents, some city councilors are calling for more financial oversight of the Malden Redevelopment Authority.

Ward 1 City Councillor Gary Christenson agreed but also noted that most of the programs are well-run. "When I look at an audit, the first thing I look for is illegal activity, criminal intent, embezzlement," Councillor Christenson said to Executive Director of the Malden Redevelopment Authority and Malden Mayor Richard C. Howard. "That is not in hereThat is not to diminish what has been brought up hereBut I have faith in you."

The City Council met Tuesday evening with Mayor Richard Howard and Stephen Wishoski, Executive Director of the Malden Redevelopment Authority, concerning the program's recent review by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The Department, commonly known as HUD, questioned some of the MRA's accounting practices that may result in the repayment of some of the money granted for the program. While the federal audit is still only a possibility, the Mayor and Wishoski came under harsh fire from a few members of the Malden City Council.

Councillor Gary Christenson pointed out that the MRA has committed no egregious crimes, and that in fact HUD had commended the program's effect in the community. Still, he agreed, "there are accounting practices that have to be improved."

Please find money to pave Medford Street

"As the debate between the MRA and HUD over alleged abuse of finances goes on, I hope money that could be used to pave Medford Street, a main thoroughfare through Malden especially as Commercial Way has been completed, was not squandered. I know Councilman Gary Christenson has been seeking funds to pave this very busy route through Malden. I hope the mayor takes notice. Thank you."

A.M.

A large crowd was on hand recently at the Dockside Restaurant in support of the Bread of Life, a volunteer organization that serves the hungry, homeless, needy, and isolated in the Malden area.

As part of the evening, a raffle was held for a vacation to the Caribbean. From the 500 tickets sold, State Rep. Christopher Fallon was the winner and he immediately donated the cost of the vacation to the Bread of Life. His generosity resulted in the Bread of Life raising an additional $1,500 on top of the $3,500 obtained through the sale of the tickets. Also, the Dockside Restaurant donated 10 percent of sales from the evening's event.

The Bread of Life was grateful to Jack Urbaczewski, owner of the Dockside Restaurant, and his staff for their hospitality and Ward 1 City Councilor Gary Christenson for helping to coordinate this fundraiser.

For information or to donate, call Gabriella Snyder at 781-397-0404 or visit www.thebreadoflifeonline.org.

Everett officials have announced they will allow Malden residents who live on certain roadways in their city to obtain parking stickers.

Speaking Friday, Everett Police Sgt. Paul Strong and Malden City Councilor Gary Christenson told the Malden Evening News the two sides reached an agreement that will benefit a number of Malden residents.

Under a resident sticker program instituted earlier this year, slated to take effect at 12:01 this morning, only residents of Everett would have been allowed to park on city streets between 12 midnight and six in the morning. That program would have left dozens of Malden residents, whose property is in Malden, but whose streets are actually in Everett, essentially without places to park.

According to Christenson and Strong, residents of Wyllis Avenue and Rich Street, who live on the Malden side of the roadways, will be able to obtain Everett parking stickers at no cost.

"Any Malden resident who lives on those streets can see Parking Clerk Paul Kelly up at Everett City Hall and get a parking sticker," Strong told the Malden Evening News. "They just need to bring proof of residence with their registration."

Cars without the sticker are subject to a $25 fine, however Strong said enforcement of the program will not begin until next Monday morning, giving residents enough time to get the stickers.

"We would still prefer to have residents of both cities use off street parking, but we hope this will take care of a certain problem with the program," said Sgt. Strong.

Christenson, who represents Ward One, which includes Wyllis Avenue, said he believes the agreement is a fair one for all involved.

"I think the biggest factors, the biggest pluses, are that Everett will not charge Malden residents for the stickers, and those residents will not have to re-register their cars in Everett," said Christenson, who praised Wyllis Avenue residents Debbie Chesson and Mary Anne McGuirk for their work on the issue.

Christenson also told the Malden Evening News he doubted the agreement would have been reached were it not for the efforts of Strong, "who listened to us and answered all of our questions," and State Rep. Paul Donato, D-Malden, who he said intervened personally with Everett Mayor David Ragucci.

Malden residents may begin to obtain their Everett parking stickers today between 8 a.m. ­ 7:30 p.m., while anyone with questions is being urged to contact the Everett Parking Clerk's Office at 1-617-389-2100.

Over 125 people attended the Ward 1 Mother's Day breakfast held at the Eagle's Hall on Meridian Street this past Sunday morning. As part of this special event, mothers were treated to a delicious breakfast catered by Spadafora's Catering and the breakfast was served by a few of the Ward 1 men in attendance. Each mom received a carnation as part of the day as well. In his brief remarks, Ward 1 Councillor Gary Christenson thanked the Ward 1 Committee, most notably Meghan Drummey, for putting this event together and he paid special tribute to his mom Carol describing her as the glue who keeps him together. Gary also thanked State Representative Paul Donato, Councilor-At-Large Craig Spadafora, and Ward 3 Councillor Bill Spadafora for being in attendance. The breakfast concluded with the drawing of raffles graciously donated by local businesses and with a story of how one local Ferryway School student creatively used the breakfast as part of her Mother's Day gift to her mom.

Councillor Christenson pictured from left to right with Margie Drummey, Meghan Drummey, and Andra Toppi

Councillor Christenson pictured from left to right with his brother-in-law's mother, Ann Israelson, sister Erika Israelson, and his mother Carol Christenson

59 Green Street joins Councillor Christenson in celebrating Mother's Day

Ward 1 residents pose for a picture during the breakfast.

The moms gave Karl Toppi, Michael Howe, and Michael Drummey, Jr. a small break from serving breakfast.

Malden City Councilor Gary Christenson was awarded a certificate from Harvard University's Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston today, after completing a 10-month seminar program focused on improving local governance.

Once a month, local elected officials met top municipal and state officials and leading scholars on public policy to discuss issues facing community government. Over the course of the program, topics such as finance, housing, labor relations and health care were discussed.

In the photo, Councilor Gary Christenson (right) receives his certificate from David Luberoff, the executive director of the Rappaport Institute.

The Rappaport Institute, part of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, is committed to improving government in greater Boston by creating better relationships between the area's scholars, policymakers and civic leaders.

Rappaport Institute certificate presentation

It's spring, so that means one thing from now on: It's time for the Celebrate Malden Festival.

The annual street fair, normally held in September, was moved to May for several reasons following last fall's cancellation. The event promises to be just as exciting and family friendly as the autumn version in previous years, according to organizers.

The Malden YMCA has moved its annual YBQ cookout, traditionally held in the fall, to coincide with Celebrate Malden, and Malden Police Chief Ken Coye has secured several sponsors for his hot dog eating contest. In addition to the dozens of tables hosted by community groups and businesses, there is a full schedule of live entertainment featuring local performers, including Pleasant Street's own Paula Terenzi's Dance Complex.

Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson who will be registering voters at the Ward 1 Democratic Committee table across from Malden Access TV, said Celebrate Malden is a chance to show off the city's pride.

"Anytime you have an opportunity for the community to come together, it's a good thing," he said.

Within weeks of announcing an urgent appeal, Bread of Life has nearly closed its deficit.

The Main Street hunger-abatement agency was in dire need of $30,000 to stay in business, and Malden residents, businesses and religious congregations responded with aplomb.

But the need remains.

"At this point, we're on the heels of closing up the deficit," said volunteer coordinator Gabriella Snyder. "That brings us sort of to this year, so we are still doing the fund-raising for this year."

Bread of Life operated at a loss for the past few years, and was able to manage it until this winter, when it became clear that austerity measures were necessary. The organization removed one of its three vehicles from the road and Director Tom Feagley stopped taking a salary so that what cash flow the agency had could pay its other employees and cover other expenses.

With the help of members of Malden High School's Key Club, a junior version of the Kiwanis International service club, Bread of Life collected donations in Malden and Melrose by way of canning, and the Key Club members ran a car wash at A&A Windows off Salem Street.

The biggest fund-raiser, though, came last week with a raffle at the Dockside Restaurant on Eastern Avenue.

At $10 a chance, the Dockside sold 500 tickets and the trip winner received an eight-day all-expenses-paid trip to the Caribbean. Also part of the fund-raiser, a portion of the sales from the evening of the raffle, which also happened to be Mexican Independence Day, Cinco de Mayo, were donated to Bread of Life.

Dockside owner Jack Urbaczewski said Tuesday that he was able to donate more than $2,000 from the sales plus the proceeds from the raffle, and he made his own donation to Bread of Life.

"I know the organization, and I didn't know the problems they had. It's nice to help," Urbaczewski said.

The winner of the raffle, state Rep. Chris Fallon, D-Malden, gladly and immediately donated the trip back to Bread of Life, meaning the value of the trip was added back to the proceeds of the raffle and Bread of Life was able to receive the full $5,000 raised.

"That was great, because Chris said right off the bat that he would donate it right back," Snyder said.

On top of the money from the Dockside's efforts, "people were writing checks coming in the door," said Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson, who is a Bread of Life board member and is credited with connecting the restaurant and Bread of Life a few months ago.

"We happened to bump into Gary one day, and just in conversation he happened to tell us the problems that Bread of Life was having," Urbaczewski said.

It was immediately decided that Bread of Life would be the recipient of the raffle money, which Urbaczewski had been planning separately.

In the days after the raffle, Malden's religious leaders also appealed to their congregations to aid Bread of Life with food and cash donations at last weekend's services.

Although the deficit is closed, Snyder said the financial need carries on. The urgent appeal closed a gap that accumulated over a couple of years.

Anyone who hasn't yet made a donation of food or money may still do so. Bread of Life will have a table at this Saturday's Celebrate Malden Festival on Pleasant Street. The festival runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Donations may be brought to the table.

How to help

Bread of Life is accepting cash and check donations, which may be mailed or dropped off at: 511 Main St., Malden, 02148. Donations may be dropped off between noon and 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

On Saturday, April 30, 2005, Councillor Gary Christenson was joined by volunteers Karl Toppi, Carol Ann Desiderio, Ward 1 School Committee Member Peg Crowe, and Muriel and Chuck Brandano for the first Ward 1 cleanup of the spring season.
Together, the volunteers spent three hours clearing the streets and catch basins of debris. They covered plenty of ground including the Ferryway School, Walnut Street, Hills Court, Judson Street, Garland Avenue, Newhall Street, High Street, and Hillside Avenue. Councillor Christenson thanks the volunteers for their help and the Malden Department of Public Works for picking up the nearly 30 trash bags after we finished.

The next neighborhood cleanup will take place on Saturday, May 7th, 2005. We will meet at the Ferryway School parking lot at 8:00 a.m. and pick up the Wigglesworth, Meridian, and Shawmut Street area of the neighborhood in anticipation of the Ward 1 Mother's Day Breakfast that will be held the next day on Sunday, May 8th at the Eagles Hall on Meridian Street from 9-12 noon. Also, we are proud to announce that the Girl Scouts will be on hand to help pick up Green Street Park during May 7th's cleanup.
For more information on future cleanups and other upcoming Ward 1 events, please call Ward 1 Councillor Gary Christenson at (781) 389-3148 or you can e-mail him at ward1info@yahoo.com. In the meantime, let's keep Ward 1 and the City of Malden clean!!

Girl Scouts cleaning up Green Street Park.

Councillor Christenson and Karl Toppi cleaning up on Walnut Street

Muriel Brandano shown sweeping up Hillside Avenue

L to R - Chuck and Muriel Brandano; Carol Ann Desiderio; Councillor Christenson; School

In response to an update on the River's Edge project city councilors weighed in on past financial decisions and the direction of the tri-city development this week.

According to a December 2003 audit the Mystic Valley Development Commission acquired four loans totally over $2.3 million from developer John Preotle of Preotle, Lane & Associates between June and October of that same year. Each of the loans carries a 15 percent interest rate and is due to be paid in one lump sum by July 2010.

In response to his own concerns, At-Large Councilor Martin Gately asked the development commission to come before the City Council to discuss the financial implications of the borrowing.

Mayor Richard Howard told the council Tuesday night that the development commission chose to borrow from the developer because of a slowdown on the state level and after the development had exceeded borrowing on its assets.

"We did the next best thing we could do," he said. "We used the resources we had."

Howard added, the loans are "not essentially loans" because they'll be paid back as reduced tax payments, and cost the three cities nothing.

"It's more like venture capital," he said.

Gately disagreed.

"It is a loan. When you say it's not the city of Malden . . . it's still our money," he said, adding the commission should do whatever it can to reduce the interest rate. "It's people's money no matter what."

Similarly, Ward 4 Councilor Jeff Donahue called the high interest loans "a very poor business decision."

In response Howard encouraged councilors to consider the details of the commission's decisions before questioning them.

"I'm not going to come down here and have someone tell me to refinance when I know we can't," he said. "We've done what we had to do to keep the project moving. We didn't get it done the way we planned, but it's going to happen."

While Howard admitted the downturn in the economy affected the project, he said he remains optimistic the initial goal of creating jobs and utilizing the Malden River will be met.

He said the roadway construction of Corporation Way/Commercial Street is nearly complete, environmental clean-up of the site is ongoing and Tufts University is in the final planning stages of building a $2 million boathouse along the river.

In the future Howard said he'd prefer to see Malden, Medford and Everett finance borrowing for the project and would gladly carry the message back to the commission if the council so chose.

"I have often advocated that we use our own resources," he said. "I think it would have been a wise thing to do."

At-Large Councilor Michael Sheehan said, personally, he's borrowed money at higher interest than 15 percent for business ventures.

"I know banks don't look at projects like this kindly," he said. "It doesn't read well, it doesn't reflect well, but I understand why it was done."

Ward 2 Councilor Paul Condon, whose neighborhood lies across the Orange Line tracks from the site, said he still believes in the project, but admitted he had expected more to happen by now.

"Eventually, I believe it will be successful," he said. "Certainly our children are going to see the benefit of cleaning up that property."

Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson, who represents the council on the development commission, agreed citing a recent $30,000 bid for a property to the left of Rosebud Farms on Commercial Street as another positive step.

"We're talking about a project that will be worth $100 million when it's done," he said.

In total, Howard said there have been 29 land acquisition opportunities for the commission, four of which are now in litigation

Howard added while the state continues to be a partner the Romney administration has been "lukewarm" about the project and would like to see it more market driven.

"The idea is to stay the course as a commission, stay the course as three communities," he said.

Future plans of the project include continued cleanup of the river, a residential component that will include 200 units and attempts to draw an industry leader to anchor the development.

At Gately's request Howard will return to the City Council sometime at the start of June to further update councilors on the project.

A couple handfuls of Malden residents will soon find themselves affected by a new Everett ordinance, requiring cars parked on street overnight to have a resident parking sticker.

According to the City of Everett's web site, the parking program is being instituted because "a deficiency in residential parking throughout the community has resulted in traffic hazards congestion, and air and noise pollution."

The Malden residents affected by the new policy will be those who live in homes on the Malden side of the boundary, but on roads owned by the City of Everett.

Everett Police Sgt. Paul Strong tells the Malden Evening News those roadways include Wyllis Avenue, between Main and Bell Rock, and Rich Street because the streets are actually in Everett. Residents on nearby Belmont Street will not be affected because there the street is physically located in Malden.

The sticker program is slated to take affect on May 16 at 12:01 a.m., but as of now, Strong says only Everett residents will be eligible for the stickers, meaning Malden residents will have to find alternative places to park from midnight to 6 a.m.

Exactly how many Malden residents will be adversely affected remains unclear because a number of the residences on Rich and Wyllis have yards for off-street parking.

"As this thing gets going there's always going to be special situations," says Sgt. Strong. "We'll try to handle them the best we can."

Malden Ward One City Councilor Gary Christenson, whose district borders Everett, says he has been in touch with officials there to see whether any sort of relief may be available to his constituents.

Sgt. Strong also tells the Malden Evening News he will try to respond to any queries from Malden residents who think they may be impacted.

Businesses in town are getting involved in the effort to close Bread of Life's deficit.

The Irving Street specialty gift shop Kelly and the Angel and the Dockside Restaurant are both holding fund-raisers designed to put money in the bank for Bread of Life, the local food pantry and meal service organization.

For the past two weeks, the Observer has reported on Bread of Life's immediate need to close a $30,000 deficit. The agency has been running a deficit for the past two years. Lately it has become such a struggle to continue operating that it took one of three vehicles off the road and director Tom Feagley has stopped cashing his paycheck. He's dipped into his savings to support himself.

"I've always been good at saving money; but it's not just savings, I'm good at not spending money," Feagley said. He termed the response to the organization's public appeal in recent weeks as, "really pretty amazing. Personally, I'm always amazed by the number of people who support us.

"It's really gratifying. I'm not sure what the best word is. That's an approximation," he said.

Along with the present and former volunteers and general community members who have pledged and donated recently, the Dockside and Kelly and the Angel willingly joined the effort.

For Kelly and the Angel owner Kelly Ilebode, she said it wasn't a question that she would help Bread of Life, an organization she used to volunteer for through her Melrose church. The Ward 1 resident said she would donate 10 percent of the sales from her new store to Bread of Life from now through the first of June.

She's doing it because of her own personal history, Ilebode said. As a kid growing up in Maine, she was a foster child, and "always hungry," she said. When she came to Massachusetts as an adult, she sought out a charity to volunteer for, and landed on Bread of Life.

"It's always been my favorite charity because of my background," Ilebode said. "When I had read in the Observer that they were on hard times, I wanted to do something more. To me, even if it's a little bit, with Bread of Life, there's always a need."

The Dockside's owner Jack Urbaczewski has a long history of raising money with his business for local groups in Malden. The restaurant frequently hosts nights where a portion of an evening's sales are donated.

"They do a lot of fund-raisers here, especially with the youth groups," said Debbie Murphy, Urbaczewski's sister and the manager on duty one day last week.

The fund-raiser for Bread of Life is a bit different. In addition to donating 10 percent of the sales from an evening of dining, the restaurant is holding a drawing for an all-inclusive trip for two to the Caribbean for eight days. There will be only 500 chances sold at $10 apiece, and the drawing will be held on Thursday, May 5, which is also the Mexican independence day known as Cinco de Mayo.

How the Dockside got involved "was really just a matter of good timing," said Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson.

He joined the Bread of Life board in February only to be hit with the news that the agency was in financial trouble. At the same time, Urbaczewski asked Christenson if he knew a charity that could benefit from a big drawing fund-raiser. Although his first instinct was to use the Dockside's drawing for the Ward 1 Committee or new Holiday Parade Committee, Christenson said he suggested Bread of Life.

"They were really in dire straits. Jack was just; it was as simple as, 'Yes, consider it done,' which was not surprising because he's been one of the best business owners since I've joined the council," Christenson said.

For Bread of Life, "That's just like money from heaven. It's just great," said Bread of Life volunteer coordinator Gabriella Snyder. "This kind of thing going on with Kelly and the Angel and the Dockside isn't normal for us. It's very, very gratifying."

Even if the Caribbean vacation isn't appealing, the fact that 10 percent of the sales from the evening are being donated, "gives us another reason to go to the Dockside and support the Bread of Life," Christenson said.

These aren't the only ways Bread of Life is raising money. It has twice involved the Malden High School Key Club in can drives at various locations around Malden and Melrose. This past weekend, the Key Club, which is a junior version of the Kiwanis service club, used the parking lot of A&A Window on Joseph Street to host a car wash.

Bread of Life is also accepting cash and check donations, which may be mailed or dropped off at 511 Main St., Malden, 02148. Donations may be dropped off between noon and 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

How to help

Bread of Life is accepting cash and check donations, which may be mailed or dropped off at:

511 Main St.,

Malden, 02148.

Donations may be dropped off between noon and 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

---

Editorial: Create a Compliance Dept.

Observer staff responds to Christenson proposal to beef up enforcement

(Malden Observer, Friday, April 15, 2005)

We've been hearing from residents for years about the lack of enforcement in various aspects of city life. Some have complained saying they are tired of illegal apartments, overflowing Dumpsters and more.

One caller to Speak Out last week even said there was difficulty in getting the Police Department to ticket an illegally parked commercial vehicle. And, for more than a month after the Blizzard of '05, sidewalks were left piled high with snow. Last summer and fall, residents wanted tougher dog licensing laws.

As varied as the complaints are, there is a common theme: These violations are making the city an unbearable place to live. Although city officials often make their best effort to catch these scofflaws, their infractions are often effervescent, meaning they disappear after awhile. Snow melts. Commercial vehicles are moved. Trash is picked up.

So, how does the city catch these people without taking employees away from doing other meaningful tasks?

We suggest Mayor Richard Howard considers another government streamlining proposal in the fiscal 2006 budget. He has used past budgets to cobble together departments with like missions or services. This year, Howard should establish a Compliance Department, and give it the full responsibility and powers of issuing fines for violations of all city ordinances.

Cops will still write moving violations, of course, but parking tickets would be written by a Compliance Department officer.

This is not another level of bureaucracy, nor does it undermine the missions of the individual departments. The various trades inspectors of the Building Department would continue to do their work relating to issuing building and occupancy permits, but a Compliance Department officer would investigate reports of illegal apartments or improper filling of land.

The Board of Health could focus on outreach and clinics while a Compliance Department officer could do the regular inspections.

Each of these employees should be cross-trained in various aspects of inspection based on city ordinances and certain state laws. Therefore, an officer could go from a tattoo parlor inspection to writing a parking ticket to examining a new standing water condition caused by a recently built and retaining wall that wasn't granted a permit.

So long as they are issuing dollar-value fines for these violations, we bet these, say, four employees would more than pay their own salaries each year. They could also work a rotating schedule so there is coverage seven days a week, and stagger their work hours to allow is coverage from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The city established a Fire Department over a century ago to fight fires, and it established a Police Department to catch criminals. Why not create a Compliance Department to make residents and businesses comply?

In response to a proposal that the mayor spend more on compliance, enforcement and Board of Health staffing, city employees said they'd welcome additional personnel.

Board of Health Director Chris Webb said working with one code enforcer, one nurse and one part-time retail inspector has forced him and his staff to be very creative.

"We're meeting today's needs by working with what we get, but we're not addressing the needs of the future," Webb said, of issues such as overcrowding, substance abuse and growing Hepatitis reports in the city. "Because of the shortage, we're getting more and more complaints. We don't advertise what we do, but I'm convinced with more staff incidents would be handled quicker."

For example, the retail inspector, who also covers weights and measures for the city, has to work on the weekends to "catch up," Webb said.

He added when extreme cases are reported on a monthly basis, tying up staff members for days, it creates a delicate balancing act for the entire department.

Chief Ken Coye said if money were available, he'd hire another part-time parking enforcer.

"Manpower is expensive. I'd like more people in a lot of places, but compared to other communities we're in decent shape," he said, adding additional motorcycle enforcement would be helpful. "Traffic issues are important. It's a quality of life issue."

It's unknown what affect increased staffing would have on the Building Department because calls were not returned as of press time.

At last week's City Council meeting a resolution sponsored by At-Large Councilor Craig Spadafora and Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson, which asked Mayor Richard Howard to spend more money on compliance, enforcement and Board of Health personnel in the upcoming annual budget, passed unanimously.

"[The resolution] tells me the City Council is in tune to the needs of the community, but it won't necessarily equal more positions," Webb said, adding he believes spending more on staffing now will cost the city less in the long run. "[Residents] pay full-time taxes, [they] should get full-time services."

Howard said increasing staffing in the areas being proposed by the City Council is one of his priorities.

"If we can afford more staffing [budget wise] we'll be looking in those areas," he said "We're hoping there are additional resources plugged into [the fiscal 2006 budget]."

Howard said he'd like to create a part-time position to work collaboratively with ward councilors and compliance, and will continue to look for additional funding for the Board of Health.

"We'll look at the Housing Task Force staff and try to bring on someone part-time or full-time," he added.

Police Lt. James Tuxbury, who oversees traffic enforcement, said the department has two motorcycle officers and a handful of people working part-time to enforce parking regulations.

"We could always use more," he said. "Ideally, four motorcycles would be perfect. For example, the two we have worked today from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. If we had two more they could work this afternoon and into the evening."

In the past Tuxbury said the department has had as many as six motorcycle officers.

"I'm prejudiced because I want to be able to do all these things," Webb said. "How do you review what's good, what's bad, what's working and what's not without the manpower."

Bread of Life needs help.

It is running a food pantry and meal programs for the needy and homeless as it can barely pay its staff to keep afloat, according to Gabriella Snyder.

"We are in serious trouble," Snyder said. "Right now, we need cash."

The pantry has seen the number of people it serves double since the beginning of the recession at the end of 2001, add to that the fact that its cash donations are way down, and the organization is running into deficit.

Bread of Life needs to close a $30,000 gap as soon as possible. Monetary donations are needed more than food now.

The organization has already taken drastic austerity measures to keep going, such as taking one of its two delivery vans off the road, and its director, Tom Fagley, stopped taking a salary, Snyder said. Even with those measures, Bread of Life only has about $6,000 in the bank right now.

Snyder said Fagley has vowed to keep the operation going as long as possible.

In addition to giving money, there are a few public events coming up in the next couple of weeks to get the community involved in shoring it up.

On Saturday and Sunday, April 9 and 10, members of Malden High School's Key Club and other young people will be collecting donations with cans at Stop & Shop, Walgreen's and the Post Office.

The Dockside Restaurant is also lending a hand by running a fund-raiser all this month with a raffle drawing on Thursday, May 5, according to Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson, who joined the Bread of Life board in February.

As it is facing a deficit, Bread of Life is trying to keep up with demand, servicing 120 families each week in its food pantry, more than half of which are from Malden, Snyder said. Families also come from Everett, Stoneham, Saugus and elsewhere.

Already Bread of Life has received some help, locally, Snyder said. "Since we sent out our urgent appeal last week, people have really come through."

Now she's focused on "getting the ship right again," she said. "If we could just close that gap and get even with it, that would be good."

How to give

Send checks payable to:
Bread of Life
511 Main St., Malden, MA 02155.

Monetary donations may also be delivered to that address between noon and 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.

The City Council approved a paper Tuesday night that will help establish a subcommittee to study and make recommendations to increase the number of streets and sidewalks that are repaired yearly.

The paper was sponsored by At-Large Councilor Craig Spadafora and Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson in response to their shared concerns that repairs are not being completed as readily as they should.

For instance Christenson said of the roughly 700 streets in the city, on average repairs are only made on six to 10 each year.

"They are trying," he said, but added filling potholes and other quick fixes are only temporary.

Spadafora said after doing some rough number crunching he concluded it will take about 50 years to repair all the city's streets.

"It's a daunting task," he said.

At-Large Councilor Michael Sheehan made a hard case to his fellow councilors that the city should use the majority of its block grant funds on road repairs.

Ward 2 Councilor Paul Condon agreed that the city should look into spending more block grants on roads and sidewalks but didn't know where establishing a subcommittee would lead.

"We could put the money [from each ward budget] for 50 years and it still wouldn't solve the problem," he said, of $150,000 ward budgets.

Christenson said the goal of the subcommittee will be to look at all the options available to the city.

Council favors more money for enforcement

At-Large Councilor Craig Spadafora and Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson sponsored a resolve Tuesday night to ask Mayor Richard Howard to increase funding in areas of accountability and enforcement in the fiscal 2006 budget.

"It doesn't do anything to change the ordinances if we don't have people to enforce them," Spadafora said.

Christenson added hiring more parking enforcement officers and other compliance staff will enhance revenue for the city.

Spadafora encouraged the council to take the paper seriously adding that departments such as the Board of Health and compliance are over-worked and need more staffing.

Ward 4 Councilor Jeff Donahue said he supports the paper but suggested the council take it one step further by floating parking and compliance fees back into department budgets.

"We can find ways to pay for these jobs," he said.

After further discussion the council unanimously passed the resolve. The resolve will be sent to the mayor.

Ever consider what happens to the shopping carts left at bus stops or on residential streets around the city? Do they ever get returned to where they came from?

Chances are, they don't stay there for long if Dan Breen can help it.

Breen, a Lynn resident and owner of Dan's Retrieval Service, said he's been retrieving shopping carts for the past 25 years.

"I don't do it for the money," he said, adding he doesn't get reimbursed for mileage or receive health benefits.

Right now Breen, 64, has accounts in Malden with the two Stop & Shop stores and the Walgreen's on Centre Street. He also retrieves carriages for stores in Medford, Revere, Beverly and Lynn.

Most mornings he's behind the wheel of his diesel pick-up truck by 2 a.m. retrieving the wayward carts reported to him by his "spotters" in each of the communities.

"It's a seven-day-a-week job. I spent $5,600 on gas last year," Breen said, adding that on a typical week he retrieves about 200 carts for Malden's two Stop & Shop stores. "Malden is a busy city. I pick up between 30 and 40 a day."

Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson said he calls Breen every couple of days whenever he spots a stray carriage in his ward.

Usually within 24-hours it's been retrieved.

"[The service] has been a godsend for me," Christenson said. "I actually have him on speed dial."

Debbie Burke, the city's marketing director, oversees beautification efforts around the community. She agreed, it's good to see some companies doing what they can to keep shopping carts where they belong.

"When you see them lying around the neighborhood you don't have a good feeling," she said, adding she regularly sees people crossing Route 60 with Stop & Shop carts.

Despite tearing both his rotator cuffs while retrieving shopping carts Breen said he'll continue offering the service to Malden stores as long as he can.

Emergency management reps report on storms

At Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson's request, representatives from the city's Emergency Management team, including Police Chief Ken Coye, DPW Director Jeff Manship, Fire deputies Michael Murphy and Tom Walsh and Board of Health Director Chris Webb came before the City Council Tuesday to discuss the city's response to recent winter storms.

Coye said the biggest challenge during a snowstorm is notifying residents.

Just recently, his department instituted a program called "Reverse 911" which will allow police to leave automated messages for residents notifying them of any information, like a snow emergency.

Coye called the resource a "huge technological leap" for the department and city and one that will come in useful next winter.

In response to an inquiry by Christenson about enforcement during storms, he also said additional staffing is not needed.

On average Coye said the city tows about 125 cars per snowstorm.

In comparison 225 cars were towed during January's massive storm while only about 65 were towed during the most recent snowfall.

With roughly 40,000 vehicles registered in the city Coye said those numbers are pretty low - which is a good thing.

In addition to clearing emergency routes during a storm, Manship said clearing sidewalks around the city's schools is always a priority and is addressed after every snowfall.

"The clearing of sidewalks has always been an issue," he said, adding the operation around the city is often hampered or at least slowed by limited and sometimes out-of-date equipment.

In response to At-Large Councilor Craig Spadafora's inquiry, Manship said a "snow meeting" is held at City Hall before every storm to determine the city's plan of action.

He added a snow emergency is warranted depending on the predicted accumulation of snow and duration of a storm.

This year, Walsh notified each City Councilor by phone when a snow emergency was declared.

Councilors said the notification was especially helpful and something they'd like to see continue in the future.

Related to this, Spadafora suggested in addition to announcing a snow emergency the city Web site also list what streets will be affected and other helpful information for residents.

In the 10 years since it was proposed, River's Edge development has taken more twists and turns than the crumbling road, curved like an "S," that once ran through the property along the Malden River.

A $17 million four-lane road now cuts straight through the proposed 20-acre commercial/housing development. Construction on the road, which connects Commercial Street in Malden with Corporation Way in Medford, was completed in December.

The road is a major sign of progress at River's Edge, a development jointly planned by Malden, Medford, and Everett. The development originally was called TeleCom City, with the goal of revitalizing old industrial sites in each community with cutting-edge technology companies.

That was before a telecom bust six years ago triggered major industry downsizing. Then the state's housing market soared, and the state last year suggested housing be added to the development mix, to increase the affordable housing supply. A year ago, the name was changed to River's Edge to broaden appeal of the development to biotech, health care, and other growing industries.

The City Council has invited the Mystic Valley Development Commission, the legal authority overseeing River's Edge, to talk about the project, particularly financial details. The Council meets at 7 p.m. in Malden Government Center.

The meeting comes as negotiations to establish 200 housing units in Medford near completion, and the final land takings in Malden and Everett wind down, commission members said.

"The Council's request is good timing," said Ward 1 Councillor Gary Christenson, who sits on the commission. "We're at the tail end of final land takings, and we are trying to iron out the final details on the housing developmentI think we're pretty close to revealing something definitive soon."

Councillor Christenson also commented on why the most recent audit of the Commission indicated that only $1,619 was spent on marketing costs. Christenson noted the marketing costs relate to public advertisements for commission meetings, not the cost of marketing the project to prospective tenants. That would be the job of the master developer, Preotle Lane & Associates Ltd. Of New York, Christenson said.