captainfuture, Author at Neighborhood View

Malden “Pops Up” for the Holidays

November 29, 2016 captainfuture 0

There’s a new pop-up shop opening for the holidays—Malden’s own “Local Artist Marketplace” featuring handmade crafts, artwork and artisan specialties. The initiative is called “Malden Pops Up!” and the community-based organizers extend an invitation to their grand opening on December 9, 2016 at 480 Main Street. The storefront is in a high traffic area, just around the corner from the Malden Public Library. This remarkably collaborative effort involved citizen artists and city officials working with the owner/developer of 480 Main Street to support the local arts community and make this creative activity possible. According to Ose Schwab, “Chief Instigator” of Malden Creates, LLC, one of the team’s organizers, the plan was a grassroots initiative. “It began with an email from local artist Lisa Sears, who saw a clipping in the Observer about the empty commercial space at 480 Main. She shared it with her artist friends and suggested how nice it would be to have an art center or gallery there.” The idea resonated with other arts activists and was floated to Ryan O’Malley, City […]

Malden’s water system tested over the federal limit

April 10, 2016 captainfuture 0

Water has been a major topic at recent finance subcommittee meetings of the City Council. The questions are many and the financial impact is huge. One of the questions is simply how to pay for the work that needs to be done, and questions abound about what needs to be done and by when. This is the first in a multi-part series on the water project. Here we’ll address some of the background on the need for this project. There are three main reasons why the water system project was initiated: 1.) Any water service lines which contain lead pose a health hazard. 2.) Old pipes as they age can crack and leak —— the city ends up paying the price of any lost water. 3.) Many cast iron pipes have corroded over the past 100 years of service and that corrosion constricts the flow of water which causes a public safety hazard from reduced water flow to fire hydrants. One of the public documents available refers to consent descrees which mandate Malden carry out […]

Demystifying Malden’s ordinance-making process

February 28, 2016 captainfuture 0

So, what really happens behind the Malden City Council’s blue curtain? Malden’s 2016 Rules and Ordinance Committee consists of five councilors: Chairperson Craig Spadafora, Vice Chairperson Debbie DeMaria and three other members including councilors Crowe, Kinnon and O’Malley Other councilors, city officials, interested parties and citizens may attend the meetings and often do.These meetings are governed by the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law. Issues before this committee impact the lives of Malden residents every day and in many ways. Photo: A number of residents attended the January 12, 2016 City Council Meeting. Vice Chair DeMaria cited a recent example to describe how “ordinance making” works: “Someone (e.g. Councilors, Mayor, City Official, or citizen) perceives a problem (e.g. replica guns pose a threat to public safety, as they can be mistaken for real guns with really bad results). They then ask a Councilor to propose an ordinance to address it. Someone drafts language (in the case of the replica gun issue it was the Mayor and Police Chief, but it could be the City Clerk, a City Councilor, […]