Government Central
Legislative Affairs Update by Terrence F. Smith

State Senator Sal DiDomenico Addresses June GAC
State Senator Sal DiDomenico spoke at the June Government Affairs Committee (GAC) meeting. Senator DiDomenico was sworn in to the Senate in May and represents a district that includes part of Cambridge, all of Charlestown, Chelsea and Everett and parts of Allston, Brighton, Revere, Saugus and Somerville.
He discussed the critical issue of job creation during this difficult economy and the difficult decisions the legislature is making to balance the State budget. His number one priority is job creation and he looks forward to working with CCC members and the Cambridge business community to help create and retain jobs. He also noted that his first two sponsored budget amendments focused on this area and passed the Senate, providing nearly $2.9 million in funding for career centers statewide and a biomedical job training program administered by Just-A-Start.

The major issue before the Senate at the time of his visit was the likely need for the joint budget conference committee to cut more than $670 million in the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2010. These cuts resulted from inaction by the United States Senate on funding to States. The State Senate was also preparing to discuss a bill that would legalize casino gambling in Massachusetts. Senator DiDomenico expressed his concern about the impact of the budget cuts on families and vulnerable residents and his support for the casino bill in the Senate. This bill limited the State to allowing three destination casinos and included a number of requirements to ensure that once licensed these resort casinos would be built and operating quickly.

Senator DiDomenico is a Cambridge native and his family has operated Flowers by Sal on Cambridge Street for more than 40 years. He is a graduate of Cambridge Rindge and Latin and Boston College. While attending BC he served as a legislative aide to former State Representative Peter Vellucci. He lives with his wife and two sons in Everett where he served on the Everett Common Council for four terms prior to his election to the Senate. He has worked for a number of years in the hotel industry at the Royal Sonesta in Cambridge and with Marriott at both the Cambridge and Long Wharf properties. Prior to his campaign and election to the Senate, he served as Chief of Staff to Senator Anthony Galluccio.
Mayor David Maher will speak at the September 28, 2010 GAC meeting. Contact Director of Government Affairs Terrence Smith  at tsmith@cambridgechamber.org if you would like to attend.

New Restaurant Regulations
Cambridge Fire Chief Gerald Reardon met with a group of restaurateurs, hoteliers and property owners on June 14 at Le Meridien Hotel to discuss new Commercial Cooking Operations regulations promulgated by the Massachusetts State Fire Marshall specific to Commercial Cooking Exhaust System Cleaning & Inspection License.

The basic requirements are that any operator of vented commercial cooking equipment must have the ventilation system cleaned and inspected on a regular basis, based on operational factors, by a company with employees licensed to clean and inspect commercial cooking operations. Issues around access panels, length of time between cleanings, etc. are determined by the food service operator and the hood cleaning company. The Cambridge Fire Department will check, on inspection, to ensure that the proper label is in place and up to date.
Several questions have arisen around access panels. Chief Reardon said that, in many cases, a straight vertical run will not require access beyond the normal access at the base and top of the system. He said that the real concern is horizontal vents which are both more difficult to clean and more difficult to inspect. Access panels may be necessary in these cases but he also noted that, while he understands that the renovation costs to provide required access may be significant, the access panels would be used for clean-outs and inspections for many years. A list of Hood Cleaning companies with Massachusetts licensed employees is available.

The State Fire Marshall has posted the regulation, and other helpful information about the regulations. The regulations are developed from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 96: Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations. This is not available on the web but the Cambridge Fire Department does have hard-copy of this standard available for review. Contact the Fire Department at fprev@cambridgefire.org or (617) 349-4918.

Proposed Kendall Square Zoning Amendments
Boston Properties has filed an amendment to the zoning ordinance that would allow for the expansion of the Broad Institute on an abutting parcel on Ames Street in Kendall Square. The City Council’s Ordinance Committee has held two hearings on this petition, on May 11 and June 9. The Council has also received the Planning Board’s recommendation supporting the amendments. Under current zoning, the area included in the petition could be developed for housing. Under the proposal, the use and the amount of development would change. Boston Properties has also identified several sites it is considering for housing development in Kendall Square.

Green Building Task Force Recommendations
The City Council is considering amendments to the zoning ordinance developed by the City’s Green Building/Green Zoning Task Force. The amendments establish requirements that large new developments and major rehabilitations meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building criteria, exclude green roofs from the calculation of gross floor area (GFA) even when access to the rooftop is provided, eliminate some impediments to building green in the zoning ordinance and define solar energy systems as mechanical equipment in the zoning ordinance. The Council previously adopted zoning criteria for wind-power projects recommended by the task force.

Council Discussions on Economic Development
The Council has held a number of discussions about economic development. On June 2 the Council’s Neighborhood and Long Term Planning Committee discussed improvements to Massachusetts Avenue between Harvard Square and Porter Square that would allow for this area to continue as an important neighborhood retail area. The Council’s Economic Development, Training and Employment Committee held a meeting on June 7 to receive a report from the Boston Consulting Group on leadership and business strategies to “optimize the future of Kendall Square.”

The Council will hold its Special Summer meeting on Monday, August 2. Council committees will meet throughout the summer.

To receive a weekly summary of government affairs activity please subscribe to the Government Affairs Update at www.cambridgechamber.org/business/government_monthly.html#gcamail. The 2010 Government Affairs program is sponsored by Genzyme Corporation. For more information on GAC activities, contact Director of Government Affairs Terrence Smith at tsmith@cambridgechamber.org or (617) 876-4213. 

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