The most interesting discussion at Monday night’s Cambridge City Council meeting was over two appointments to the Cambridge Waterfront Development Inc. board.
Normally, after a search and interview process, council members accept a committee’s recommendations without much debate. But CWDI is not just another board. It oversees perhaps the most consequential development project Cambridge has ever undertaken, and one that has carried years of public concern about how decisions are made and whose voices are heard.
There was no serious disagreement about the candidates’ quality. Commissioners Frank Stout and Brian Roche supported Michael Wiercinski and Edward Kolakovic, arguing that CWDI is a working board at a critical stage and needs people who can immediately understand developer proposals, infrastructure plans, and complex financing.
Wiercinski is a professional engineer and land surveyor who formerly served as president and CEO of A. Morton Thomas and Associates is a major regional engineering firm. The company credits him with more than 35 years of civil and transportation engineering experience, with more than 250 projects. During the debate, Roche also pointed to Wiercinski’s experience connected to Washington’s Wharf redevelopment.
Commissioner Shay Lewis-Sisco and Commission President Sputty Cephas argued that at least one appointee should live in Cambridge and bring local knowledge, diversity, and public trust.
With Commissioner Brett Summers absent, the first motion split 2–2. Mayor Lajan Cephas-Bey broke the tie by voting no.
The council eventually reached a compromise, appointing Wiercinski and Cambridge resident Don Murphy. Murphy is a former Maryland delegate and real estate consultant whom the mayor described as a “bridge builder” between CWDI and the community.
The revised motion passed 4–0.
Another major issue to come out of Monday night’s Cambridge City Council meeting was the condition of the city’s wastewater system and the likelihood that water and sewer rates will increase.
A resident said Cambridge has experienced three reported sewer overflows since February, totaling an estimated 32,500 gallons, and asked whether more incidents should be expected before improvements to the Trenton Street Sewage Pumping Station are completed.
City Manager Glenn Steckman said portions of the wastewater system have been neglected for decades. He also said some pipes annexed into the city may not have been properly installed and that the existing pumping station recently shut down without its alarms notifying operators. Heavy rainfall has also overwhelmed parts of the wastewater and stormwater systems.
Steckman announced that the city expects more than $3 million for the Cambridge Creek Interceptor project, which would reline an aging wastewater pipe. Rehabilitation and modernization of the Trenton Street Sewage Pumping Station are already underway.
He also cautioned that those projects will not address every problem. A utility rate study is underway, and Steckman said water and sewer rates will “unfortunately” need to increase to pay for additional repairs and keep the city in compliance with state environmental requirements.
His description of the consequences of delayed infrastructure work was memorable: “The chickens are here.”
For Cambridge residents, the discussion made clear that the city’s wastewater problems will require both major construction projects and additional local funding.
His summary of the situation was hard to miss: “The chickens are here.”
For residents, that means years of deferred maintenance are now becoming an immediate environmental and financial issue.
One Response
After a solid year of trying to convince a Chicago Co-Op Board not to neglect aging pipe infrastructure, I can impart this suggestion – don’t neglect pipes. They can’t vote, but they can break.