Maldden alld a Vol. 30, No. 50 den A ADD -FREEBy Steve Freker T he wait has been lengthy, but the city of Malden's 108 fulltime fi refi ghters fi nally have a new contract. The Malden City Council unanimously approved a new, four-year contract for the members of Malden Firefighters Union Local 902, which will represent a 7.3% overall increase in base pay. The percentage is spread over A household word in Malden for 30 years! CTE OCAT AT www.advocatenews.net INSIDE INFORMATIOM: Four-year contract for Malden firefighters gets thumbs up from City Council Unanimous approval for terms covering period through 2023; 2% raises per year, $512,160 for retroactive pay approved Published Every Friday 617-387-2200 the four years of the agreement with 1% the first year, 3% increase for FY21, 2% for FY22 and 1.3% for FY23. The Malden fi refi ghters have been without a contract since the 2019-20 period, or, FY20. The contract continues through 2022-23, or, FY23. In the fi nal year of the contract just approved, the base pay for fi refi ghters will be $65,783 fi rstFIREFIGHTERS | SEE PAGE 9 E Friday, December 17, 2021 Junior Aid Assoc. introduce Malden Warming Center WARM THOUGHTS: Junior Aid Association of Malden kicked off the holiday season with a service project in support of the Malden Warming Center. Over 20 reusable bags were filled with daily necessities, food and toiletries. Malden Warming Center (MWC) is a temporary night shelter for those experiencing homelessness by providing safe shelter and warmth during the harshest winter months. MWC is open 7 days a week, from 7 pm to 8 am, through March 31, 2022. Pictured from left to right, are Mary Ann Cutler (Past President), Toni Griffin (President), MWC volunteer and Mary Doucette (Corresponding Secretary). More than $6M in federal funding earmarked for lead pipe replacement project By Christopher Roberson B acked by $6.1 million from the federal government, city offi cials are planning to replace the 3,200 lead service lines that run under Malden. Within the total funding fi gure, $3.36 million could come from a grant supported by Congresswoman Katherine Clark, while the remaining $2.75 million will come from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Although replacing lead pipes has been a longstanding objective, Mayor Gary Christenson said it has been no easy task. “A consistent obstacle in achieving this goal is the dual ownership of water service lines,” he said. “The city owns the line from the water main to the curb and the property owner owns the rest of the line that travels under their private property.” Christenson said that in prior Katherine Clark U.S. Congresswoman years residents were responsible for replacing the pipes that run under their properties. However, money has become a serious problem as of late. “We are finding a significant lack of owner-initiated lead service line replacements which suggests that, like many other Environmental Justice Communities, our residents lack the income or capital needed to afford the cost,” he said. “We are hopeful that the federal funding will help fi nance the replacement of both the public and private, which will in turn, remove the lead lines at a much higher rate and speed.” Clark said nearly half of the city’s service lines are lead pipes. She also said that replacing a line can cost homeowners $3,000 to $7,000. Therefore, the intention is to provide homeowners with federal assistance that would not need to be paid back. “At this point, we’re hoping that this would be a grant,” said Clark. “We’re trying to get the money out as quickly as possible.” Christenson said the $3.36 million from Clark’s Offi ce will replace the public and private sections of the lines. By doing PROJECT | SEE PAGE 9
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