WORCESTER—After several weeks on break, city councilors return to chambers Tuesday to comb through a lengthy agenda touching everything from street renaming and public safety staffing to lakeside weed control and the possibility of backyard chickens.
The meeting comes as the city relaunches its Keep Worcester Clean initiative, with City Manager Eric D. Batista pledging a month-long “all-hands-on-deck” cleanup effort. The updated program includes a revamped online hub, more frequent reporting to the council, and continued work with community groups such as the Clean Streets Collective.
Councilor George Russell, however, is pushing the conversation further. After this summer’s free bulk waste drop-off appointments quickly filled, Russell is proposing that all residents who scheduled during August be accommodated in September — and that the city move toward year-round, no-appointment bulk waste disposal at no charge. DPW Commissioner John Westerling is also set to provide the council with a quarterly update on cleanup and beautification efforts.
Transportation Commissioner Stephen Rolle delivers a separate report on summer street and sidewalk construction progress, while a slate of petitions, grant acceptances, and council orders will make for a wide-ranging agenda.
More highlights on the agenda:
- Street renaming for Bethany Veney: Councilors Khrystian King and Etel Haxhiaj are backing a petition from the Worcester Black History Project to honor abolitionist and author Bethany Veney with an honorary street designation on Winfield Street.
- Tree plantings and traffic fixes: Petitions on the agenda this week include adding shade trees to Duxbury Road, curb extensions at Mason and Chandler Streets, and clearer one-way signage around Thorndyke Road School. A resident is also asking the city to review traffic safety near 84 Blackstone River Road.
- Grants and donations: The council is being asked to accept several funding items, including $685,000 for the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative, nearly $179,000 from the state Department of Public Health, $25,000 from the Greater Worcester Community Foundation, and $10,000 from United Way of Central Massachusetts. Even a $25 gift from Christine’s Auto Sales is up for approval.
- Public safety staffing: Councilor Kathleen Toomey is requesting reports from the police and fire chiefs on their strategies for retaining and recruiting personnel compared with other cities.
- Pecking away: The council gets an update on whether residents might one day be allowed to keep backyard chickens, including how other cities have managed such ordinances.
- Transit improvements: Councilor Jenny Pacillo is asking for a report from WRTA on what improvements have been made over the past fiscal year and what’s planned next.
- Main South policing: King wants an audit of all Main South 911 and non-emergency calls over the past 18 months, along with a broader review of police response in the area.
- Sports recognition: Councilor Luis Ojeda is calling for a “Welcome to Worcester – Home of State Champions” sign listing youth sports championship teams over the past decade.
- Park projects: Councilors are seeking updates and master plans for Poet Hill and Burncoat Park, while also asking for a noise review at Beaver Brook’s softball fields and updates on renaming Holland Rink for basketball legend Jack “The Shot” Foley.
- Lake management: A long list of requests from King targets Indian Lake, including chemical treatment cost analysis, ecosystem health reviews, and environmental impacts of fertilizers. Elm Park’s ponds are also on the agenda, with Councilor Morris Bergman requesting a public meeting on their restoration.
- Blight and housing: Mayor Joe Petty inquires about anti-blight landscaping requirements, updates on tiny homes, and creation of a $500,000 contingency fund to aid CPA recipients. Councilors are also expected to adopt the city’s five-year Housing Production Plan.
- Odds and ends: Other items include a PSA discouraging dog owners from tossing waste into storm drains, reports on PFAS-free firefighting gear and police body cameras, restructuring city departments, fiscal year-end budget updates, a long list of board and commission appointments, and a contract extension for Green Hill Golf Course maintenance.
Editor’s note: This story will be updated as agenda items are added or revised. Refresh this page for the latest developments.
Worcester City Council meets Tuesday, Aug. 19, at City Hall in the Esther Howland (south) at 6:30 p.m. It is also live streamed on the city’s website.
