December 6, 2006  Meeting

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 6, 2006

PRESIDENT SCOTT DWYER OPENED THE MEETING WITH THE DISCUSSION ON LAST MONTH MEETING AT THE POLICE STATION. AND OUR TOUR OF THE POLICE STATION AND THE 911 STATION WAS VERY INFORMATIVE. IT WAS AMAZING THAT HOW MANY CALLS CAME IN WITH IN MINUTES. SO IT MAKES YOU REALIZE WHY AT TIMES CALLS DON’T GET ANSWERED RIGHT AWAY. THAT THE HIGH PRIORITY CALLS ARE ON THE TOP OF THE LIST FIRST. WE VIEWED WHERE THE CALLS COME IN, HOW THE INFORMATION IS TAKEN. WE VIEWED THE DISPATCH ROOM AND HOW THE CALLS WENT OUT AND CAME IN . WE THANKED AL GAZERRO) FOR HIS TIME IN TAKING US AROUND.

CHRISTMAS PARADE WE DID GET IN THERE THANKS TO GALE LUTZ (NEIGHBOR IN MONTELLO) AND STAN PACKARD ( EMPLOYEE OF DWYER GLASS) VOLUNTEERED TO GET THE FLOAT TOGETHER. ALONG WITH LYNCHES TOWING FOR THE USE OF THE TRUCK. AND THE HELP WITH DISMANTLING WITH GALE AND STAN. THANKS TO KATHY JOHNSON , GALE , AND DWYER CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES FOR RIDING ON THE FLOAT AND PASSING OUT CANDY CANES TO THE ONLOOKERS. THANK YOU TO GOWELL’S CANDY FOR THE CANDY CANES, OH YES WE DID RUN OUT...

FRAN FISTORI INTRODUCED JOHN LEONARD FROM WOODARD’S AUTO WHO CAME TO SAY HELLO AND CHECK OUT THE MEETING. HE DOES DO SOME ADVERTISING AND HAS SOME NICE IDEAS FOR MARKETING, FRAN SAID.

REBECCA (FRANKLIN SMALL ENGINES) READ THE TREASURER REPORT, THE ASSOCIATION HAS $3,259.12, THE ASSOCIATION SPENT $74.00 FOR THE ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS. WE ARE ALL UP TO DATE WITH THESE REPORT.

REMINDER TO SEND EMAIL ADDRESS TO AL GAZERRO FOR NEWS AND UPDATES AND MAILINGS. THE EMAIL WOULD SAVE A LOT IF WE COULD HAVE EMAIL ADDRESSES.

MAGGIE’S PLACE WAS SHUT DOWN BY POLICE AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT.

CHRIS MACMILLAN (COUNCILOR OF WARD 7) GAVE HIS REPORT. HE SAID THEY SET THE TAX RATE. HOMES 7 % AND BUSINESSES 13%. HE TALKED ABOUT THE TIF’S AND THE BUSINESSES THAT CAME IN FRONT OF THE CITY COUNCIL. THE BUSINESSES WERE WOODARD’S AUTO, MATHER FAMILY ENTERPRISES, VAUGHN CHAMPION CITY WAREHOUSE, CUSTOM KITCHENS. SOME MEMBERS WANTED TO KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING WITH W.B. MASON AND WHAT THEY ARE DOING ON MULBERRY ST.

AMERICAN AMBULANCE REP. JIM LIBBY WAS TALKING ABOUT THE INTERFERENCE WITH THEIR RADIOS, AND WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE ELSE HAD HAD TROUBLE WITH THE INTERFERENCE. IT SEEMS WHEN YOU GET AROUND THE EAST ASHLAND ST. AND NORTH MAIN ST. AREA. THERE IS A HOUSE THERE WITH A BIG ANTENNA ON THE ROOF. GALE (NEIGHBOR) HAD DIFFICULTY WITH HER RADIOS AT HER HOME TOO. HE WAS TOLD BY THE F.C.C. TO MONITOR THE USAGE AND WHEN THE INTERFERENCE TAKES PLACE. AL GAZERRO WOULD LET SOME OF THE POLICE KNOW TO RID THIS PROBLEM.

EVERYONE NEEDS AN ANGEL, EVERYONE NEEDS HELP PROJECT GUARDIAN ANGELS FOUNDER ROSIE BROWNE HAS BEEN ON THE FORCE FOR 9 YEARS, PATROLLING THE AREAS IN BROCKTON AND FOUND THERE IS A NEED IN THIS COMMUNITY, TO HELP THE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES OF THIS COMMUNITY. WHETHER IT BE THROUGH CLOTHING, FOOD , TOYS AT CHRISTMAS TIME. SHE GOES INTO BUSINESSES AND ASKS PEOPLE WHO CAN HELP HER WITH THIS TASK. A LOT OF DONATIONS GO TO COAT. CENTER ON PLEASANT ST. THESE GO TO PEOPLE THAT SLEEP ON THE STREETS, THAT NEED A WARM COAT TO WEAR. ROSIE ALREADY HAS A 100 CHILDREN ON HER LIST, PLUS CHILDREN AT THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB, SHE WANTS THESE CHILDREN TO FEEL THEY ARE WANTED. IF OUR GOVERNMENT CAN SPEND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON OTHER COUNTRIES THEY CAN TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN COMMUNITY. SOME OF THE BUSINESS OWNERS TOLD HER OF SOME PLACES LIKE WEARGUARD AND N.E.S. THAT HAVE ANNUAL SALES. CATHOLIC CHARITIES OFFERED THEIR HELP WITH IMPERISHABLE ITEMS.

HOMELESS COMMITTEE: WENT AND DROPPED OFF SOME ARTICLES OF CLOTHING TO THE MAIN SPRING HOUSE. BUT SOME MORE DONATIONS ARE NEEDED. SCHOOLS IN OUR AREA ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR HATS, GLOVES SOCKS AND SWEAT PANTS AND TOPS IF ANYONE COULD HELP OR DROP THEM OFF AT DWYER’S GLASS.

WEBSITE WOULD BE FEATURING BOB CHESTNUT FROM KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY, SO LOOK FOR HIM.

VULCAN BAR ON NORTH MONTELLO ST. AND AMES ST. HAD ANOTHER CAR PULLED FROM IT. THANKS TO LYNCHES TOWING. DISCUSSION ON WHAT WAS HAPPENING WITH THE BUSINESS HAD NO ANSWERS.

SCOTT DWYER REMINDED EVERYONE OF A FUND RAISER FOR GARY BARTORELLI AND GARY LEONARD WHO BOTH WERE RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER. BOTH MEN HAVE DONE A LOT FOR THE CHILDREN AND THIS COMMUNITY. BENEFIT IS DECEMBER 7, 2006 AT JOE ANGELO’S, TICKETS BEING $50.00.

SCOTT DWYER WANTED TO MENTION THAT PETER ASACK SR. HAD PASSED AWAY HIS SONS ARE MEMBERS OF THE MONTELLO BUSINESS ASSOC.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES WANTED TO MENTION THAT JIM ZINKEVICZ, WHO WAS FROM THE VILLAGE AND HAD WORKED FOR CATHOLIC CHARITIES HAD PASSED AWAY ALSO.

DAVE LYNCH FROM LYNCH’S TOWING WANTED TO KNOW WHEN THE CHRISTMAS PARTY WAS, AND THEY DECIDED TO GO TO THE HOME CAFE, THURSDAY DECEMBER 14, 2006, AT 6:00 P.M. ANYONE WISHING TO JOIN LET SCOTT DWYER KNOW.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT

Minutes by Gail Lutz

Don't miss the Holiday Party December 14, 2006
@ The Home Cafe 6:00pm.
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November 1, 2006  Meeting

This meeting was held at the Brockton Police Dept. where the members present were given a tour of the BPD E-911 and Dispatch center by Officer Al Gazerro.

We would like to remind everyone that there are only three reasons to use 911. They are:
1. To Stop A Crime
2. To Save A Life
3. To Report A Fire
That's it. Any other call for the police should be made to (508) 941-0200 

Don't miss the Holiday Parade on November 25, 2006
Volunteers are needed, please contact Scott Dwyer if you are available.
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October 4, 2006  Meeting

Mayor James Harrington attended this meeting.

Scott addressed a number of concerns of the local businesses and residents to the Mayor, to include problems with drugs, vandalism and prostitution in the Montello area. He stressed a concern that people didn't want to come to Montello because of groups of people hanging around the front of businesses.

The Mayor explained that there was more funding being applied to the BPD Impact shift which is an extra patrol the city at night and that they were working with the State Police to help address some of these issues.

The issue was raised regarding the services received when calling the Police Dept and how calls were handles by the telephone operators. Lt. LaFratta of the BPD suggested the assoc take a tour of the E-911 center. Ofc. Gazerro will make arraignments for out next meeting to be there and to give a tour.

There was discussion about Crime Watch and the concerns of businesses and neighbors regarding loitering and possible drug activities. Lt. Lafratta mentioned calling the police to report all suspicious activities but also noted that some of the loitering on the sidewalks was being caused by the smoking ban and that bar patrons are often times hanging out in front of bars smoking.

Ofc. Gazerro mentioned that there is a Citizens Police Academy coming up and interested parties can register on line at www.brocktonpolice.com. This would allow businesses and residents to learn more about what the police do.

Members were asked to provide email addresses to Al Gazerro the Assoc Secretary. The most expense our association has is postage for our monthly meetings. We could save some money by emailing the agendas to members rather then mailing them.

Dave Lynch asked about Street light in the area of his business as it is pretty dark around there and he has had some problems at night there. Councilor MacMillan said he would look into getting more lighting in the area.

Again we would like to thank our Ward and At-Large City Councilors  for attending our meeting and offering their services and advise to improve our area.

Our November meeting will be held at the Brockton Police Department
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September 6, 2006  Meeting

The Association needs to organized a couple of sub committees:

      Membership Committee:
                               The purpose of which is to initiate a membership drive.
                                We need more members and the support of more businesses in the Montello area.
                                There is strength in numbers.
     Parade Committee:
                        We have participated and helped support the City Holiday Parade every year.
     Christmas Party Committee:
                        Do we want to have a Holiday party and where?

Advertising. It was noted that we need to do more to advertise to the public who we are and what we do. It was suggested that we post our meetings on local cable and check to see how many hits we are getting on our website.

Those members in contact with our City Councilors are asked to encourage then to attend our meetings. Their input is vital and gives us a chance to let them know what is going on in our neighborhood.

Gail Lutz has volunteered to be our recording Secretary. Thank you Gail.

Gail Lutz has volunteered to be our recording secretary. Thank you Gail.
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August 9, 2006  Meeting

As you all know this was not a regular meeting but was a Cook-Out held at Dwyer's Glass. Due to the current heat wave the cook-out was moved to the second Wednesday of the month and we were blessed with great weather.

It was a great time for all who attended. We were fortunate to have a number of our local political representatives in attendance. Mayor James Harrington stopped by to wish us good luck and offer his support of our organization, as did City Councilors Chris MacMillan and Mike Brady.

As promised,  21st Century Corp Chairwoman Mary Waldron manned the grill serving up hotdogs and burgers to everyone's satisfaction.

Here are some candid photos by Mary Waldron
Thank you Mary

Can't wait till our next party.
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The area of Snow Clock and the Trees on N Main St have been mulched, I don't think we will need to water them any time soon.

Dorothy Miller attended the meeting and asked for support for the Annual Homeless Cookout at Perkins Park, members agreed to donate $100.00 to the event.

A number of Community Police Officers were present and we discussed with the the problems of hookers in the area, and illegal parking in school zones and N. Main St

Our Guest Speaker was Bob DeSamone and  Jim Lockwood of  Northeast Energy Partners a Private Electric Utility Company competing with National Grid. They told members they could FAX them their recent utility bills and they would contact them with a rate and show them what they can save by switching to them.  Business owners can lock in at a better price, as a group, for Natural gas and electricity for a 2 - 5 year period. This is for commercial use only and does not apply to residential uses.

We are planning our 1^st Annual Montello Business Association Members Cook-Out to be held on August 2^nd, 2006 at Dwyers Glass Co 658 N Main St. FOR MORE INFO OR TO VOLUNTEER PLEASE CONTACT Scott Dwyer or Al Gazerro.

Mary Waldron of the 21^st Century Corp was present and discussed the current issues with the banners on the poles. She and the Mayor are meeting with Sign Design this month to discuss it.

Ward 7 City Councilor Chris McMillan was present at our meeting and discussed a number of issues.

            The 2 new schools projects are on hold due to a lack of funds.

The Mayor has been asked to sit with the Council in an attempt to reinstate the funds taken from the retirees health care benefits.

            The city is buying 9 new police cruisers.

            The factory on Herrod Av is trying to convert to an 8 unit apartment building.

Save the date
1st Annual Montello Business Assoc Members Cookout
to be held August 2, 2006.
at Dwyers Glass Co.
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At this meeting we had 3 City Councilor present.
   Councilor of Ward 7 Chris McMillan
   Councilor At-Large Linda Balzotti
   Councilor At-Large Robert Sullivan

Councilor McMillan updated us on a number of projects in the Montello area. 
  There is no word on the progress of Walgreen's at N Montello and Howard St.
  Advanced Auto Parts is on track at the location of the old Montello pool.
  The proposed development of the old shoe factory on Herrod Av was denied at
     zoning. The project went back to planning reducing the number of planned units
     of 14 to 8 and passed planning and will now go back to zoning. Parking is still
     an issue.
  The Brockton Clean-Up Day went well, 60 - 80 kids helped clean up the Raymond
     School and North Jr. High School.
  *The Montello Business Assoc helped clean up the Cemetery, Snow Park, and
      mulched the trees. (more mulch is still needed.)

Councilor McMillan also told everyone that the property on North Montello St
   formally known as Broadway Brake has been sold to Barry Industries (another
   trash transfer company). The city is currently trying to rezone this property to a
   C-2 Commercial Zone which would exclude trash transfer facilities.

There was a lot of discussion about this and it was said that Barry Industries with
   the cooperation of Champion City has petitioned the Federal Gov't attempting to
   get a rail spur to the property and to be declared a Rail Road Co. This would
   eliminate any local oversight of their business and allow them to have as many
   rail cars on site as they want and store anything in those rail cars they want in
   accordance of federal regulations.

Councilor Sullivan wanted to remind everyone that as an At-Large Councilor he is
   available to help anyone in the city and welcomed contact from businesses.

Councilor Balzotti discussed the problems the city is having with  24 hr
   businesses in the city and the issue of people hanging our there in the late night
   early morning hours committing crimes. The 24 hr Drug Stores aren't really a
   problem, after speaking with these stores is was found that the  majority of
   business they do during these hours is filling prescriptions and meds for patients
   from the local hospitals. The 7-11 on Belmont St has voluntarily closed during
   the early hours to try and eliminate people hanging our in their parking lot after
   2:00am. Most of the problems have been occurring at the Hess Gas stations.
   These stations are governed by their corporate offices and can not close during
   the early morning hours even if they want to and they are not common victulars
   so the city can not make them close. The Mayor is going to contact their
   corporate offices to try to get them to close.

   The city budget is being done and the Council is trying to do what it can to
   protect public safety. The State has increased local aid, however, this increase
   doesn't even cover the increased health care costs for the city.

The proposed Amphitheatre in Avon appears to be a dead issue. The request has been withdrawn from the town of Avon.

Lastly, the issue in the city regarding temporary signs has yet to be resolved.

2nd Annual Heroes Night, Comedy Night
was held April 21, 2006.
This years Honoree's were:
Police Officer (the late) Officer Joseph Suthland,
Fire Fighter Archie Gormly,
and
Teacher Mary-Ann Andrews
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We did not have a guest speaker at this meeting.

Ward 7 City Councilor Chris MacMillan was present at the meeting and we did discuss a number of issues in the Montello area.

• Graffiti a.k.a. Tagging - This has become a problem all over the city. A number of Montello properties has been hit. Through a grant from the Mayors Office, the Main Spring House Work Express Program is in charge of a Graffiti abatement program. Work Express will clean the graffiti of public property and structures and will clean private property at a fee. If you know of graffiti that is not getting cleaned up you can call them
• North Montello St and Howard St. - We have discussed this intersection in the past regarding the traffic problems there and have learned that Walgreen's is going to build a new drug store at the current location of the Happy Bear Front End Shop causing possible more traffic problems. We now also know that there are plans to build an Advanced Auto Part on N Montello St. at the location of the old Montello Pool. Hopefully this will be far enough away from the intersection not to impact it any further.
• Champion City Recovery is under scrutiny for excessive truck traffic and dust problems.
• Member Tony O'Brien is back from Iraq safe and sound. Welcome home.
• Community Police Officers are still attending our meeting to discuss issues in our area. Members are encouraged to contact them with problems.

2nd Annual Heroes Night, Comedy Night
will be April 21, 2006.
This event honors a Police Officer, a Fire Fighter, and a Teacher for their work in their field. Afterwards is a Comedy Show that can't be beat.
Tickets are available at  The Shaw's Center.
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March 1, 2006  Meeting

At this meeting our guest speaker was the Mayor Chief of Staff Donna Daley. She discussed a few projects the Mayors Office is working on:

• 2-Way Traffic on Main St. The Mayor has spent this day at the State House with the Lt Governor in an attempt to find and recover 6 million dollars which was earmarked in the 2000 State budget to fund the change to 2-way traffic.
• The 2 Elementary Schools are still on track. Funding is all set for the new Elementary School on N Quincy St and the New School on Belair St is waiting funding. One important reason for these new schools is the city still rents the Belmont St School.
• There are still plans to build a 3 story parking garage at the current location of the Lincoln St lot. With the businesses doing well downtown and the move towards more condos downtown, this parking garage is needed.
•  War Memorial Building. This building is very old and still in need of repair, but the first thing is, the building needs to be made handicap accessible. The Mayor plans on having an elevator installed and the bathrooms rehabbed to make them handicap accessible.
• The Domed Sports Centre on East Ashland St at the location of the old Montello Auto Body is also moving ahead. The site has been cleaned and as part of a 7 million dollar deal a private developer is going to be building and running the stadium. The developer is required to provide $400,000 annually in services at the stadium to the city. The developer will also be fixing up Tuchas Playground as is connects to the stadium area.
•  CVS has purchased the current location of East Coast Auto Sales on Centre St.
• Walgreens is moving ahead with it's plans to build on the site of Happy Bear Front End shop on N Montello St at Howard St.
• The Brockton Neighborhood Health Center is moving ahead with it's plans to build the new center which will house all it's services and Plaza Pharmacy at the corner on Legion Parkway and Main St.
• City Website. Citizens Request. Everyone should be aware of the Citizens Request link on the City Website. This link allows residents to contact the Mayors Office or any other department within the city directly on line. A resident fills out a request and forwards it to the appropriate department. A copy of such requests also get forwarded to the Mayors office so they can be sure that all requests are followed up on.

Fran Fistori reports that his company has hired an independent energy company "North East Energy Partners" for it's electricity needs. He stated he is seeing a savings of around $500.00 a month. We will attempt to get a representative of this company to come to our next meeting.

KEEP BROCKTON BEAUTIFUL DAY

Saturday, April 22, 2006 is Keep Brockton Beautiful Day. On this day, volunteers will spread out around the city and clean up empty lots, parks, ect.

The Association voted to donate $200.00 to this effort and a committee was formed to attend their organization meeting on March 15 to learn how we can further help them.

MBA Member Tony O'Brien has left for Iraq. Tony has gone there as part of a private security detail. We all wish him the best and pray for his prompt health return.

The local Elementary schools are always in need of hats, gloves, sweats, etc. Anyone interested in dropping some off by Wednesday march 8, is invited to do so at Dwyer's Glass Co. N Main ST.
 

February 1, 2006  Meeting
   
We were fortunate to have 3 city councilors present at this meeting.

Councilor Ward 7 Chris MacMillan
Councilor At-Large Linda Balzotti
Councilor At-Large Robert Sullivan

Councilor MacMillan who was newly elected as the Councilor for Ward 7 is already known by our members and expressed his intention to continue to work with us in our efforts to improve Montello. The association offered our assistance in any way we can help him. Councilor MacMillan told the association the Walgreen is looking to build a new store at the current location of Happy Bear Front End Shop at the corner of N Montello St & Howard St. The store could cause even more problems for this troubled intersection and he noted the store plans on being open 24 hours.

Councilor Balzotti, who has been on the City Council for 8 years prior to this as the Ward 4 City Council, discussed the issue of businesses that are open 24 hours in the city and how the city is attempting to get them to close between the hours of 2:00am and 5:00am in an attempt to reduce the attraction of the after hours crowds when the bars close. She explained the "Common Viculars" licenses and that many of these 24 hour establishments do not require this license as they do not provide seating in their establishments. Without this license the city has little they can do to require these businesses to close during these hours and they are hoping the business owners will cooperate with the city in there attempt.

Councilor Sullivan introduced himself and stated he had never run for public office before but is looking forward to working with the businesses in the city and he expressed a desire to attend as many of our meeting as he can in an attempt to work with us in improving the area. Councilor Sullivan is an Attorney and has a Law Office on Belmont St.

Also present were a number of Community Police Officers that patrol our area. They discussed the issues of payphones and prostitution and what they have done and are doing to address the problem.

Have you submitted anything to Al Gazerro for the website yet???

January 4, 2006  Meeting

At this meeting our guest speaking was the new Chief of Police for the City of Brockton, Chief William Conlon. The Chief introduced himself and spoke about his connections to Brockton. He spoke of living here and raising his family here and what he enjoys about the city. The Chief expressed his commitment to Community Policing and said how he looks forward to working with us in the future.

The Christmas Toys for Tots program didn't work out as expected. Due to unknown reason the Toys for Tots program decided they didn't want the toys we collected. Instead, we donated the toys to 3 Brockton programs. they were:
Project Guardian Angel - A program run by the Brockton Police Department to assist families with gifts and food.
BF&CR - Brockton Family and Community Resourced that assists families in difficult situations such as mothers and children fleeing domestic violence.
The Evangelical Church on Forest Ave - which also helps out underprivileged families.
Thank you to all who donated and all the businesses that excepted toys. It is our intention to continue this project next year. We will work with the local organizations which also allows us to know that the toys we collect are helping a local Brockton family.