CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH SEE PAGES 6 & 18 Vol. 29, No.7 -FREEwww.advocatenews.net Free Every Friday 617-387-2200 Friday, February 14, 2020 City Council approves $141K to complete renovations at Central Fire Station By Christopher Roberson T he City Council voted unanimously, during its February 10 meeting, to allocate $141,075 to complete the renovation project at the Central Fire Station, which began last January. “It was supposed to be done in October,” said Fire Chief Anthony Carli during the City Council’s February 11 meeting, adding that the projected completion date has been pushed to mid-April. Chief Financial Offi cer Eric Demas said the project was originally budgeted at $2 million; however, those funds have since been exhausted. “We’re technically at the $2 million,” he said, adding that he would not authorize any further expenditures until additional funding is available. Therefore, the money will be transferred from the funds that were leftover from the renovations at the Hancock Street Fire Station. Demas also said the contractor will be required to pay liquidated damages for failing to finish the renovation at the Central Fire Station in a timely fashion; however, that amount will not be known until the project is done. “We do hold the contractor accountable,” he said. Councillor-at-Large Wayne Matewsky said he is frustrated that the renovations have taken so long. “I think the casino went up quicker,” he said. “This has been dragged out; this is over the top. With all due respect, let’s pay attention here.” Matewsky also said there have been times when the project was at a virtual standstill. “There were days when nothing happened,” he said. External audit results In other news, Frank Serreti, a partner with accounting fi rm Powers & Sullivan, was pleased to present the results of the city’s recent external audit. He said that as of June 30, 2019, the city had an AA+ bond rating coupled with $36 million in the general fund. In addition, city officials transferred $899,000 to the stabilization account last year to bring that balance to $3.7 million. There was also $3.4 million in the capital stabilization account by the end of last fi scal year. Another $899,000 was put into the other postemployment benefi ts trust fund, which brought that balance to $6 million. “There’s nothing here that you need to be concerned about,” said Serreti. “You have very strong controls in place.” He also said he is impressed with how the city saves money. “That’s great that you’re setting money aside and building up those reserves,” he said. EHS honors senior cheerleaders Senior cheerleader Gillian Avelar and her mother celebrate Senior Night at Everett High School. See page 14 for photo highlights.
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