It's Been A Year and A Half

Dear Malden Residents,

As we begin to feel good about the changeover from the winter to warmer weather, I find myself also feeling good about all that is happening in our community. After serving as Mayor for nearly a year and a half, I am seeing how our combined efforts are paying off. Here are some examples:

·         Under our new Police Chief Kevin Molis’ watch, crime was down 28 percent during the month of April as compared to April, 2012;

·         Redbones of Somerville is opening their second location in Malden. It will consist of a restaurant, catering, and nano-brewery. If all goes well, Redbones will open sometime in August. In the meantime, the Redbones food truck will be out in back of City Hall every Wednesday evening up until their grand opening.

·         A committee of Malden residents dedicated several months to researching potential improvements to our PAYT program. The group submitted their formal report to the City Council for consideration in May. To read their report and recommendations, please visit https://imageserv11.team-logic.com/mediaLibrary/181/PAYT_REPORT_-_2013.pdf;

·         Another committee of Malden residents led by Sharon Santillo worked hard on exploring ways to improve walkability in our city. As a result of their recommendations, new-style crosswalks were recently installed in the downtown and at the Ferryway School. To read their report and recommendations, visit https://imageserv11.team-logic.com/mediaLibrary/181/Walkability_Report_March2013_1.pdf; 

·        Twenty new public receptacles for trash, plastic, and paper were deployed along Route 60 and other parts of the city thanks to a suggestion made by the Beebe School eighth graders. The beauty of these receptacles is that they are at no cost to the city as the company is paid through advertising opportunities;

·         Malden’s Smartphone application, Commonwealth Connect, otherwise known as SeeClickFix, continues to achieve remarkable results. We were recently ranked second in the nation behind only Chicago, IL in resolving issues submitted;

·         Working with Ward 4 City Councillor Jim Nestor, we will be dedicating a MIA/POW
Chair in the City Council Chamber and throughout the school auditoriums and The Moving Wall which honors those men and women who lost their lives during the Vietnam War will be coming to Malden from June 7-9^th;

·         The bidding process to pave the bike path has begun and we are aiming to have the project completed in June;

·         The Recreation Department working with Ron Cochran from my office held a well-attended Youth Tennis Jamboree at Amerige Park. There were so many eager kids that they had to rotate the use of the courts;

·         Our partnership with Triangle continues to grow as we now are employing some of their clients to help with among other things keeping the downtown clean; and

·         Malden High School continues to make our city proud. The recent National Honor Society Night was full of students who are excelling and taking advantage of every opportunity available, including Senior Lisa DeLacey who will be attending West Point in the fall!

There is much, much more to accomplish, but it is uplifting for me to know that our work together is resulting in so many positive things for our city. I look forward to our continued collaboration and I am confident that together we can make Malden the best it can be. Thanks again for your help!

Sincerely,

GARY CHRISTENSON

City of Malden, Mayor

Boston Marathon Day

Dear Malden Residents,

Like the horrific events of 9/11, I will never forget where I was when I first learned about the explosions at the Boston Marathon. I received a text from Police Chief Kevin Molis asking that I call him regarding some disturbing news coming out of Boston. I couldn’t immediately respond as I was with my niece, nephew, and his friend at the movies. The next text from Kevin indicated what had transpired and I stared in utter disbelief.

My first instincts were the same as Chief Molis’s which was to offer whatever resources we had available to help in the response efforts of the City of Boston. We also increased security in and around the T station especially since the MBTA was shorthanded due to the unfolding events on Boylston Street. We also reached out to Imam Hamid Bourote of our local mosque to let him know that we would have a presence in the downtown where his organization is located. The fear was that some may rush to judgment and conclude that the bombings emanated from the Middle East.

Unfortunately, my hunch was right as a few days later an individual physically assaulted a Malden Middle Eastern woman and her child. I was relieved to learn that neither one was seriously injured, but I was also outraged that this happened in our community which is known for its hospitality of different cultures from around the world. Police Chief Kevin Molis and members of his department responded quickly and are continuing with the investigation to find who was responsible for this heinous act.

There is little doubt that these are trying times for all of us. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and all those affected by the senseless tragedy at the Marathon. But I know our community and our sister city Boston like I think I do, I know that we will rise up and overcome the horrendous actions of a few. 

Sincerely,

GARY CHRISTENSON

City of Malden, Mayor

A New Way to Report City Issues!

Dear Malden Residents:

One of our goals in 2013 has come to fruition. On March 21, we introduced a new way for residents and businesses to submit their service requests to the city. Modeling the City of Boston’s successful Citizens Connect Smartphone application, Malden released its own version and even expanded the use of this initiative.

As an example, if a resident sees graffiti on the street they would normally call or email the Department of Public Works. Now, a resident can simply take a picture using their Smartphone and with one click the request is automatically sent to the Department. Once the graffiti is removed, the resident is notified on their Smartphone that the issue has been resolved.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUaAwjTs7bY

We are already seeing great results from the program. Since its release, we have had 576 requests to the DPW and 543 were resolved with the balance slated for spring repairs. That equates to 94 percent of all issues being resolved via this new application and most were fixed within 24 hours. For the most part, submissions were for potholes with 278 requests followed by trash / recycling issues at 104.

This new initiative is benefiting the city in more ways than one as departments like the DPW are becoming more efficient. For instance, the DPW Director can now map out issues in the morning utilizing geo-mapping as opposed to crews just responding haphazardly as in the past. We can also see where in the city most of our issues are occurring and plan accordingly.

We want to thank Mayor Thomas Menino and the City of Boston for their leadership on this initiative which has led to Governor Patrick and Lt. Governor Murray offering to fund this application so that communities like ours can take advantage of this technology.

If you haven’t already, please download Commonwealth Connect for free from your Apple or Android device. If you do now own an Apple or Android device, you can submit requests online using our online widget.  All this can be accessed here http://www.cityofmalden.org/Resident-Issue-Reporting/. We look forward to utilizing this innovative application to improve the delivery of services for our residents!

Sincerely,

GARY CHRISTENSON

Mayor, City of Malden

It's Snow Wonder

Dear Malden Residents: 

I knew my streak of luck of a winter without a major snow storm would eventually end, but never did I imagine that my first serious storm as Mayor would be the fifth worst in Massachusetts history!

Throughout the forecasts, I continued to perform a “rain dance” in the hope that the impending storm might veer east out to the ocean. But when it didn’t, I knew I was going to be in for a long couple of days.

The first day of the storm didn’t seem too bad. It actually looked serene outside my office on the sixth floor of City Hall around noontime. The afternoon into the evening, however, was a different story.

DPW Director Bob Knox picked me up at 9 pm for a firsthand look at what was happening around the city and by then, the storm was in full force. The snow was rapidly intensifying and visibility was near zero. We made it to Public Works where I took the opportunity to thank the men and women in advance for what I knew was going to be a difficult time for our city.

After that, we were back on the road checking on the plowing operation and even finding a few minutes to help the Fire Department shovel out the ramps at Central so that emergency apparatus could respond to calls. By then, Director Knox predicted that it was going to take days to recover from this storm.

He later dropped me home so I could prepare for the aftermath which would take place on Saturday, Sunday, and into the following week. One comical moment came while Mr. Knox was picking me up on Saturday morning to begin our rounds and he got stuck leaving my house. A tow was required which garnered quite a few chuckles from the staff at Public Works.

Once freed, we continued to assist with the plowing operation as the storm did not stop until 4 pm on Saturday afternoon. The good news at that point was no one lost power and only one small tree had come down. Once the storm was officially deemed over, we switched over to the cleanup phase of the operation.

Every available piece of apparatus was redirected to this aspect of the operation. One problem was that by this time several pieces of equipment were down for the count after fighting the ferocity of the storm the night before and during the day Saturday. Thankfully, the City Council has indicated a willingness to support my proposal to replace many of the outdated pieces of equipment at Public Works which should help rectify this problem in the future.

Mr. Knox and I worked through the afternoon and evening except for a moment when he stopped by his home to clean the steps and wave to his two young children through the door. By then, Bobby along with many of his staff had worked 40 hours straight but to my amazement, they remained undaunted by the lack of sleep as they wanted to do the best job they could for the city.

We finally wrapped up around midnight feeling confident that for the most part, the main roads and secondary streets were passable for emergency apparatus to respond if needed. On Sunday morning, Mr. Knox picked me up at 9 am and we focused on the continued cleanup with a focus on the city’s courts, terraces, and parkways. We assisted the staff at the yard with the never-ending phone calls coming in as evidenced by my call sheet.

We were pretty beaten up after leaving the yard around midnight but were confident that with a little bit more time, our city would return to normal. Monday and Tuesday were practically spent 24/7 widening streets and removing snow. We decided that we could remove the Snow Emergency on Monday morning which is always a good sign that things would get better and Tuesday night we made the determination that students could return to school on Wednesday. The reason we waited two days before giving the all clear was that close to 75 percent of our kids walk to school and their safety was absolutely paramount.

A few more calls came in between Wednesday and Friday but for the most part, the worst of the Blizzard of 2013 was over. We spent those days working with property owners to remove snow in front of their homes and businesses, or otherwise, they would be issued fines. This was a concerted effort led by Director of Public Health Chris Webb and the early results prove that this undertaking was successful.

By Friday, one week removed from the storm, we were back to focusing on issues not having to do with snow and believe me, it was a great relief! 

Sincerely,

GARY CHRISTENSON
Mayor, City of Malden

Dear Malden Residents,

I want to reiterate my gratitude to my colleagues on how they responded to Hurricane Sandy. I was on the ground to see firsthand the hard work and dedication of our first responders. From our Emergency Management team fielding calls and keeping our community updated to our Department of Public Works staff along with our Police and Fire Departments responding without hesitation to the dangerous conditions, I could not be prouder as Mayor and as a resident of Malden on their efforts.

The only real negative from that day was that there was another shooting near the corner of Henry and Cross Streets. The Police responded quickly and are actively investigating the incident. It appears that the parties involved knew one another although that doesn’t justify the shooting but fortunately there were no life sustaining injuries. There was some good news on the crime front as the Police Department made an arrest of two individuals for an armed robbery near the T station, an arrest of a person notorious for housebreaks, and finally, a person suspected of using a gun on someone near the Elmwood Pharmacy was tracked down to Chelsea and arrested.

While we continue to focus on ways to address crime, we are also continuing to look at ways of addressing the difficult conditions our employees are faced with on a daily basis working in City Hall and the Department of Public Works. Both facilities are in dire need of work and the time has come to develop a plan to address this problem. We are working on a plan that not only makes sense physically but also financially and I hope to update the community prior to the end of 2012 with an update.

Speaking of 2012, it’s that time of the year again. I hope you will get involved with some of the great community activities on the horizon. I have always been impressed with the number of organizations making a difference in our community. From a comedy show to benefit the Malden Public Schools to the 125^th Thanksgiving Day game between Malden and Medford to the Parade of Holiday Traditions on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, there are plenty of things to do in Malden. I hope you will get involved and thank the organizers of these events for their dedication to Malden.

One way to get be aware and get involved is to let your friends and neighbors know to follow us by submitting their email address to us or by following us on Facebook and / or Twitter. Thank you!

 

Sincerely,

GARY CHRISTENSON

Mayor, City of Malden

Malden City Hall Relocation

Dear Malden Residents,

On Tuesday, October 23^rd, I went before the City Council to brief them on my proposed plans to relocate City Hall.  I am thankful to the council for agreeing to my suggestion to issue Requests for Proposals (RFP) to explore responses to where we could relocate City government services.

As many of you know, I have long advocated moving City Hall from its current site. Beyond the fact that it’s difficult to get to and navigate once inside, the capital costs to rehabilitate the building is upwards of $15M and the ongoing operating costs will remain extremely expensive to stay.

If we receive an RFP that meets our needs and the council and I decide to accept them and leave City Hall, we will then begin a separate process seeking proposals for the redevelopment of 200 Pleasant Street. What is important to remember is that this RFP will be based upon resident input gathered from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council grant we received in partnership with the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

All of these steps are efforts towards achieving our ultimate goal, which is to stimulate economic development and strengthen the downtown businesses.  Situated next to the MBTA's fifth busiest Orange Line stations, I believe the downtown area will be invigorated by the reconnection of Pleasant Street and the removal of the city hall building, giving the nearly 12,000 daily riders who use the Malden Center T Stop much easier access to our restaurants and stores.

I will update you once we get something back concrete. In the meantime, please provide us with any comments or suggestions at info@cityofmalden.org.

Sincerely,

GARY CHRISTENSON

Mayor, City of Malden

Malden Moves Forward

Crime continues to be the focus here at City Hall. 

I want to thank the Malden Police Department for responding admirably in the wake of the gun violence over the summer. Since the most recent incident on Eastern Avenue, the Police Department has held four random sweeps with outside law enforcement agencies across the city involving K-9 dogs and police motorcycles. I believe their strategy is working based on the positive feedback from the City Council and residents throughout Malden. There are more planned in the coming weeks and months. 

In the meantime, we continue to work with Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone on tracking the young adults that have been the root of the recent incidents. We are also looking at partnering with an organization to provide high-risk intervention services in an attempt to get some of these troubled young adults back on track to be contributing members of society.

Despite the challenging times, Malden is moving forward. I continue to be amazed by the upgrades made to Macdonald Stadium. This facility will benefit the entire community for generations to follow. Window Arts Malden had their annual reception last night and I am thrilled and honored with the number of Malden artists who are excited about contributing to our City! I also attended the renovated Town Line Luxury Lanes where the Decotis family invested over $1M in their business and one of their first scheduled events is to help raise funds for our student athletes.

The Malden Public Schools MCAS scores were recently released and there were three “Level 1” schools which is the highest score a school can receive and the other schools were not far behind. Speaking of our schools, I was very impressed with our high school students who fundraised over $2,800 for the Bread of Life at last weekend’s Annual Walk/Run for this organization that serves residents in need of assistance.

Again, there is no doubt we have a lot of work to do in the area of crime prevention.  The acts of kindness mentioned above are steps in the right direction to making Malden a safer and better place to live. I thank the folks who are getting involved and I thank you for reading these community newsletters.
I truly believe that by working together, we will reach the potential that this city has to offer.


Sincerely,
 
GARY CHRISTENSON
Mayor of Malden