In the News: MA DPU lifts moratorium on NationalGrid; relief for locked-out workers sought

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"State regulators on Wednesday lifted their moratorium on National Grid gas work, infuriating locked-out gas workers, but ordered the utility to adhere to what officials called “an unprecedentedly high standard,” including a new requirement to have work plans approved by a certified professional engineer. 

The order from the Department of Public Utilities would essentially apply the parameters of Gov. Charlie Baker’s gas safety bill and other new safety protocols to National Grid while also easing the moratorium on all non-emergency and non-compliance work across the utility’s service territory, an administration official said. 

Commercial real estate industry officials have said the moratorium was having a “huge impact” by preventing properties from obtaining needed gas hookups."

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https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20181219/baker-decision-to-lift-moratorium-irks-national-grid-workers

"Unable since Nov. 1 to shake his popular bill out of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Senate Rules Committee Chairman Mark Montigny on Tuesday has taken his case directly to Senate President Karen Spilka, urging her to help advance legislation ensuring benefits to workers locked out by their employers. 

A New Bedford Democrat, Montigny asked Spilka in a letter Tuesday to force action on a bill providing extended unemployment benefits to locked-out workers, such as the more than 1,200 gas workers who have been engaged in a labor dispute with National Grid since June. Gas workers lost their health insurance and paychecks and have turned to public insurance programs and unemployment benefits to get by during the lockout. 

Montigny said the Senate should pass a bill expanding the scope of a House bill approved Dec. 6 and correcting a portion of the House bill."

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https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20181219/new-bedford-democrat-presses-spilka-on-lockout-bill

"The state Department of Public Utilities on Wednesday lifted a moratorium on gas work by National Grid, but a series of new regulations means it’s unlikely development projects that have been stalled for months will be able to resume any time soon. 

Quincy is one of a handful of cities and towns that imposed its own local moratorium on all non-emergency gas work by National Grid after the company locked out 1,200 workers in June when contract negotiations broke down. It’s also a city in the midst of a massive development boom that is suffering as developers wait to finish projects that require gas connections. 

The state followed suit with its own moratorium on Oct. 8 after state regulators were spooked by an incident in Woburn in which gas lines were over-pressurized. A series of explosions in the Merrimack Valley a month earlier were also blamed on excessive pressure."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20181219/state-move-on-national-grid-work-moratorium-unlikely-to-help-quincy-development

Live reporting: from Town Administrators Report to Closing

11. TOWN ADMINISTRATORS REPORT congratulate the council for making the best decision since Jan 2001 strong integrity and ethics thanks to all the town employees for the jobs they do day in and day out, with less dollars and less people, thanks thanks to the Council, people don't appreciate the work and job you do, it is great form of government, you worry about the policy happy holiday we have the best staff of all time, the amount of compliments we get all the time happy holiday and happy new year
12. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Hamblen - rethinking community preservation act? maybe we could re-open the discussion Casey - Planning Board - broad discussion on what is on the project line up? overall approach of Planning Board Earls - look at the antiques license and effort to create capacity; reuse of materials DPW talk about the water issues, with all the development, why we still have the water ban, pumping etc. Nutting - already scheduled for a water infrastructure discussion in early Jan Hellen - outreach to State House delegation to work out a date
13. COUNCIL COMMENTS Earls - merry christmas and happy new year Pellegri - ditto Padula - happy safe and healthy new year casey - ditto Dellorco - ditto Jones - proud of the students at Tri-County who dressed in blue today in recognition for the teacher who just passed on Sunday Kelly - ditto Mercer - thank all the employees and look forward to the same going forward to 2019 motion to adjourn, passed 9-0
14. EXECUTIVE SESSION	None Scheduled
15. ADJOURN

Live reporting: Legislation for Action

10. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
10a. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION	Resolution 18-73: Designate Milford Daily News (Motion to approve Resolution 18-73- Majority Vote (5)) Milford Daily News is declining with coverage. We're not getting the representation we should MDN reporter is present tonight motion to approve, seconded, passed 9-0
10b. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION	Resolution 18-75: Acceptance of Private Road Covenant with Owner-Developer of O'Brien Estates, A Two-Lot Subdivision (Motion to Approve Resolution 18-75- Majority Vote (5)) motion to waive reading, seconded, passed 9-0 motion to approve, seconded, passed 9-0
10c. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION	Zoning Bylaw Amendment 18-821: Zoning Map Changes On Or Near Plain Street, Pond Street, and Palomino Drive - 2nd Reading (Motion to adopt Zoning Bylaw Amendment 18-821- Two Thirds Majority Roll Call Vote (6)) motion to waive reading, seconded, passed 9-0 motion to amend to remove specific parcel, seconded, passed 9-0 motion to approve as amended, seconded, passed 9-0 via roll
10d. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION	Bylaw Amendment 18-825: Chapter 47, Alcoholic Beverages- 2nd Reading (Motion to adopt Bylaw Amendment 18-825 - Majority Roll Call Vote (5)) Mercer recuses himself Kelly takes Chair motion to waive reading, seconded, passed 9-0 motion to approve, seconded, passed 8-0 (Mercer recused)
10e. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION	Bylaw Amendment 18-828: Fees Bylaw Changes - 2nd Reading (Motion to adopt Bylaw Amendment 18-828 - Majority Roll Call Vote (5)) minor changes, tweaks to the fee schedule implemented a couple of years ago; based upon feedback and assessment as implemented motion to waive reading, seconded, passed 9-0 motion to approve, seconded, passed 9-0 via roll call
10f. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION	Zoning Bylaw Amendment 19-829: District Enumerated-Creation of Mixed Business Innovation Zoning District-Referral to the Planning Board ( Motion to Refer Zoning Bylaw Amendment 19-829 to the Planning Board- Majority Vote (5)) one of a series of 6 for the creation of the Mixed Business Innovation district enhance district, remove the heavy manufacturing and hazmat issues currently available in the zone today adds three new use types: craft, maker space, business incubator looking to reuse the buildings rather than to allow them to be razed and more a strip mall type building approached Kelly - would prefer to have some residential aspect for Planning Board consideration in this as well Dellorco - agrees with Kelly, does limit it Earls - good as is, we could come back and add a residential component Padula - what was objection to inclusion of residential? Taberner - Fire Chief asked to not include residential; residential in this current building is not a good idea; we can deal with it if someone comes in with it. It is allowing multiple options for the current plan; some of the adjourning owners are aligned with this, some less so but will be part of the open hearing process with the Planning Board Jones - arguing for inclusion of the residential aspect Hellen - taking the zone from what it is to a better spot, maybe it is not residential;  Nutting - if you include residential, it will come in as condos; we already have 1,000 units on the plans, we don't need more Kelly - I am not at all saying I want housing on that site, it can go via special permit; we need to create some kind of affordable housing in Franklin Padula - I think it is a good use of the property Paul DiBaggis - in general, my reaction was this is what town planners should be doing. Maybe residential aspect, not a killing point, getting more there is the way to go; there are over 100 uses and except for 2-3 of them I agree Beth Wirling, 164 Main St work is well done put forward, residential doesn't make sense; would be wonderful to have artist space but maybe not in this space Kit Brady - Cultural District Committee, this is adjacent to the Cultural District, it could help support the district as it is proposed, no need for residential; we support this proposal as a Cultural District Committee motion to waive reading, seconded, passed 9-0 motion to referral to Planning Board, seconded, passed 9-0
10g. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION	Zoning Bylaw Amendment 19-830: Use Regulations- Mixed Business Innovation Zoning District - Referral to the Planning Board (Motion to Refer Zoning Bylaw Amendment 19-830 to the Planning Board- Majority Vote (5)) Paul DiBaggis - only exception is one, quite well done, page 4 of the 11 pages; MBI - already are in the R5 district, GR5, three uses added in - don't want to see these three added to the R5 Taberner - Planning Board special permit, new uses to be added need to be added to the table; one other individual had similar concerns; in comparison to the other allowed uses, it is not a stretch for these three Hellen - R5 is a small section, we are fine with N in those propose amendment a change on p4 of 11, zoning use schedule 2.24 etc from PB to letter N for no seconded, passed 9-0 motion to waive reading, seconded, passed 9-0 motion to referral as amended to Planning Board, seconded, passed 8-1
10h. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION	Zoning Bylaw Amendment 19-831: Mixed Business Innovation Zone Dimensional Regulations - Referral to the Planning Board (Motion to Refer Zoning Bylaw Amendment 19-831 to the Planning Board - Majority Vote (5)) motion to waive reading, seconded, passed 9-0 motion to referral to Planning Board, seconded, passed 9-0
10i. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION	Zoning Bylaw Amendment 19-832: Changes to §185-20. Signs, Mixed Business Innovation Zoning District - Referral to the Planning Board ( Motion to Refer Zoning Bylaw Amendment 19-832 to the Planning Board - Majority Vote (5)) motion to waive reading, seconded, passed 9-0 motion to referral to Planning Board, seconded, passed 9-0
10j. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION	Zoning Bylaw Amendment 19-833: Zoning Map Changes from Industrial to Mixed Business Innovation on Area on or near Fisher and Hayward Streets - Referral to the Planning Board (Motion to Refer Zoning Bylaw Amendment 19-833 to the Planning Board - Majority Vote (5)) motion to waive reading, seconded, passed 9-0 motion to referral to Planning Board, seconded, passed 9-0
10k. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION	Zoning Bylaw Amendment 19-834: Changes to Sign District Overlay Map, Mixed Business Innovation Zoning District -Referral to the Planning Board (Motion to Refer Zoning Bylaw Amendment 19-834 to the Planning Board - Majority Vote (5)) motion to waive reading, seconded, passed 9-0 motion to referral to Planning Board, seconded, passed 9-0