Page 8 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, December 13, 2019 Pooch Room celebrates Salem Street grand opening Committee considers options for city interpreters By Barbara Taormina M alden is continuing to explore translation services that will allow residents who don’t speak English to participate in city government. The Citizens Engagement Committee met this week to discuss options for providing interpreters at City Council meetings. Committee Chair Debbie Mayor Gary Christenson (center) recently attended the grand opening celebration of The Pooch Room, a dog-grooming facility located at 190 Salem St. The program ensures that our four-legged friends have access to a safe, cage-free environment where they can feel like they are at home. Prior to locating to Malden, business owner Javier L. Almodovar worked for more than 10 years in the fi eld, including operating a mobile grooming company throughout the Greater Boston area. He is proud to be CPR and fi rst aid–certifi ed for pets. (Photo Courtesy of the City of Malden) A.B.C. CIGAR 170 REVERE ST., REVERE Gift Cards OPEN: Mon.-Sat. 8 AM - 8 PM Sun. - Holidays: 8 AM - 6 PM (781) 289-4959 Rewards Program Chris Dan Steve Questions answered Suggestions made Satisfaction! THE HOLIDAYS ARE HERE!! NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY, USE YOUR REWARD POINTS, CASH OR CREDIT CARD AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR SUPER LOW PRICES! * CIGARS BY THE BOX, BUNDLE OR SINGLE; * DESKTOP OR TRAVEL HUMIDORS; * PIPES, GRINDERS, HOOKAHS, BONGS AND RELATED ITEMS; * ALL C.B.D. PRODUCTS INCLUDES EDIBLES, TOPICALS, & CONCENTRATES * ALL TYPES OF LIGHTERS MENTHOL CIGARETTES AVAILABLE OUR 48th YEAR ABC SPECIAL CIGAR BUNDLE 15 CHURCHILL CIGARS INCLUDING A COHIBA FOR$43.95 - OVER 5,000 SOLD ALL CIGARS MARKED WITH A GREEN LABEL - BUY 2, GET 1 FREE! Many Deals on Well-Known Cigar Brands - Many with a FREE LIGHTER AFTER 48 YEARS OF CONTINUOUS SERVICE, WE SAY “HAPPY HOLIDAYS” AND THANK ALL OUR CUSTOMERS PAST & PRESENT! SNOW BLOWER SALES, SERVICE & REPAIRS Pickup/Delivery Available 781-289-6466 DeMaria opened the meeting with some good news about moving the proposal for translators forward. “There is a $10,000 line item in the budget for the council for educational and professional purposes, and year after year it’s never been touched,” said DeMaria. “That could allow us to start off ering translation services.” The committee plans to meet with a representative of Bay State Interpreters, which DeMaria said provided $260,000 of translation services to the school department last year. In contrast, the City of Malden spent only $400 for translation services. DeMaria proposed adding an advisory to the City Council’s docket that off ers translation services for City Council meetings for residents requesting them 48 hours in advance. “I don’t think they’ll be knocking down the door for this,” added DeMaria. But there is a problem with timing since City Council dockets are published on Fridays when City Hall closes at noon, which doesn’t leave a 48-hour window for requests. And members of the committee had other questions about how a translation services program would work. “Can we match this against our need?” asked Ward 7 Councillor Neal Anderson. “Are we getting requests, and what languages are requested?” Ward 1 Councillor Peg Crowe suggested reaching out to different individuals who represent the communities and languages being considered for translation services. “If we get someone from the Chinese Culture Connection, for example, I think we would have a better idea of what they need,” said Crowe. Ward 4 Councillor Ryan O’Malley suggested beginning the program by following the U.S. Department of Justice mandate which requires the city to provide election materials and ballots in Chinese and Taiwanese as part of the language minority provisions of the Voting Rights Act. Language requirements are based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Committee members are also looking at how neighboring communities provide translation services for their residents. According to O’Malley, Chelsea has a staff member to provide Spanish translations at all times while Cambridge uses an on-call system to provide interpreters when requested. “We need to determine how and when this will be utilized,” said Anderson, adding that Malden may be able to tap the skills of people who are already on the city payroll to off er translations. “We have some people in our employ that could be paid a stipend for this,” he said. While committee members seemed willing to consider that option, Crowe cautioned there are differences between city employees who speak multiple languages and certifi ed interpreters.
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