Among items on Monday's City Council agenda, the governing body will consider rescinding a 2012 resolution designating the Senior Citizens Center in honor of Charles Louis Nelson.
Nelson worked tirelessly on plans for a new senior center at 400 East Front Street, constructed as part of a development with 63 condos on three floors above the center and a space dedicated to veterans' use. He passed away just before the new center opened. Former Council President Adrian Mapp pledged in 2012 to recognize a "Senior of the Year" and subsequently proposed naming the center for Nelson, but a group of seniors protested the move. Mapp proposed a plaque in Nelson's honor instead and the resolution passed.
Now that the issue has been reopened with a new council makeup, I call to your attention this post.
Regarding the center in general, it was vaunted as costing the city nothing, but later the developer submitted a rather large bill for fitting it out and for condo fees. An anticipated vote in 2010 never took place, and as of mid-2012 the matter was supposed to have been in arbitration. The city as a condo owner appears to be an anomaly for municipal government, but it is a contractual matter that has to be honored at the rate of $2,750 per month.
Monday's agenda also includes correspondence from the mayor requesting appointments of Cecil Sanders and Charles Eke to the PMUA and City Solicitor David Minchello to the post of corporation counsel. Sanders is an alternate who only gets to vote when one of the five full commisioners is absent. No resolution is attached, but most likely Sanders will replace former Commissioner Tracey Brown, who just vacated her PMUA seat to take office as the citywide at-large council representative. Eke is nominated for an alternate's seat.
Minchello has been acting as corporation counsel since last spring in the absence of former Corporation Counsel Dan Williamson, who was named the new PMUA executive director in April. Williamson left City Hall permanently as of July 1, 2012 and Minchello has been the temporary corporation counsel ever since. If confirmed as corporation counsel, he will serve through 2013, when the mayor's current term ends, and then must be reappointed in 2014
The agenda-fixing session is 7:30 p.m. Monday in Municipal Court, 325 Watchung Ave.
--Bernice
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once again its me the lone comm. organizer i didnt know mr nelson but to rescind a resolution is cowardly and disresectful act in and of itself its only gonna cause more animosity and tension amongst the people who you are elected to serve
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to the Senior Center condo fees, are they more of less than we paid in rent? We shouldn't have to pay anything, except maybe part of the trash pickup and untilities. It seems like the city is really getting taken to the cleaners here, the fitout fees notwithstanding.
ReplyDeleteThe Senior Center is city owned/controlled property, therefore it shouldn't be paying anything for garbage or sewer services.
ReplyDelete