2023-12-11 00:00:00 - Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight
2023-12-11 00:00:00 - Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
SPEAKER1 - Testing on? There. K. Alright. Again, gonna begin the hearing. So good morning to everyone. I believe all those who are here to Testify will be virtual. Let me welcome, the members of the committee who are on, to my left, representative Ciccolo,
And online, we have representative Garcia, Gentile Elliott, and Senator Lovely.
We have testimony. I mean, we have 3 bills to be heard in this hearing today.
2 of them are land basically, land transfers, so more of a local kind of bill. And the the 3rd bill is, was filed by the governor, an act renamed the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission.
The mass ability to reflect the self determination and limitless possibilities of people with disabilities. So that's that bill. The government filed. It is before the committee. We will be
so we're gonna begin by
We don't have any body from any constitutional offices, before the committee to testify today or other elected officials. So anybody who might wanna sign, if you are in person or walk in, you have to sign in. If not, Those who are doing it remotely,
have already signed. So we have We're gonna begin with h 4174. It's an act authorizing the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to convey A certain parcel of land in the city of Pittsfield that was filed by rep Farley Bouvier. We have 2 people signed up to testify. We're gonna start with Peter Lafayette.
Is Peter on? Peter Lafayette.
SPEAKER2 - Okay. I think
SPEAKER1 - can you
SPEAKER2 - hear me now?
SPEAKER1 - I can. Yes.
PETER LAFAYETTE - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 4174 - Thank you for allowing us to testify today. In 1960s, the Mass department of transportation announced plans to build a highway bypass around the city of Pittsfield. Through imminent domain, it acquired land along the entire route. Unfortunately, the planned highway182 would pass right through the heart of St. Joseph's Cemetery Located in the North end of Pittsfield. Cemetery representatives fought the taking for several years, but the Commonwealth prevailed and a 300 foot wide, 28 acre parcel of the cemetery was taken in June 1971. The right of way bisected the cemetery and cut off 65 acres, 1/3 of the cemetery, preventing use of that land for future burials, that 65 acres became landlocked. The only way it could be accessed was by building a tunnel under the proposed road, but the state DOT squashed that plan. The right227 of way contained some wetlands on229 the lower and upper portions. In the232 1960s, Pittsfield was growing,234 and that was a likely reason the bypass was proposed.
Unfortunately, Pittsfield experienced serious economic setbacks and major industrial closings in the 1970s, these led to a substantial population lost and an economic downturn, the city is still fighting to turn around. So now, 60 years after the land was taken for the right of way, the highway was never built. The state DOT finally admitted that the project has been scrapped. In June 2021, the cemetery commission again expressed its interest in having this parcel of land returned. Over the last two275 years, there have been numerous conversations and correspondence between the two parties. Earlier this year, the DOT agreed to transfer the land back to the cemetery at its fair market value of $205,000 as determined by the DOT, and the cemetery agreed to pay that amount. The cemetery is very excited to have its land returned and its future expansion secured. Long range planning302 can now take place, and the cemetery plans to set aside a portion of306 the land for future green burials. The cemetery looks forward to land transfer in 2024, and we thank Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier for guiding us this process and advocating on our behalf. Thank you. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Any questions from the committee? I see none. Thank you very much for your testimony. The 2nd person that has signed up329 to testify remotely or virtual is Paul, or Jack. Love you. Love you letting.
We cannot hear you.
Well, we351 can't hear you. You have the sound off.
You have to unmute360 yourself.
Okay. Paul, you need375 to check your microphone settings most377 likely. You seem to be unmuted, but the microphone On your computer, it's not working or is off?385
SPEAKER2 - It's it's probably on mute.
SPEAKER1 - Okay. Go ahead now.
Now you're back on mute
muted, I should say.
SPEAKER2 - Well,
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Jack must be having problems with his mic.
418 SPEAKER1418 -418 Okay.418
SPEAKER2 - Can I? I can Well, it looks like he's getting assistance.
I can cover part of his testimony if he can't get his mic working.
SPEAKER1 - His mic is not working, whatever reason. Needs to be he has to go into settings for the for the app that he's using, Which is Teams. Right?
SPEAKER3 - Yes.
SPEAKER1 - So when you join Teams, it should sometimes they ask you to check Your mic?
So, Paul, you might want to
Wanna try again?
How about if you log out and then log it back in to see if it makes if it does the trick?
Can you hear me?
Alright. Paul, can can you hear me?
Why don't you log out and log in again?
Hey.
Alright. Let's try it now.600
Still cannot hear you.
Okay.
K, Paul. We cannot hear you through the your computer there, so maybe we just put on the chat the phone number that you can dial, and we'll be able to hear you if you use your phone. Stay online there, but use your phone. Dial that number, We'll be able to hear you.
Oh, technology. Right? It's not always perfect.
Just also a reminder for for Peter, that if you have written testimony, please submit it to the committee electronically after this hearing. For the record, that would be good.
In terms of Paul, Paul is still not able to testify. So what we're going to, do we're gonna give745 him a few more minutes to come back on. If not, we're gonna ask him to submit written testimony Electronically752 to the committee.
He's back756 in. Alright. And to my right, welcome senator Miranda, to the to the hearing in person.
SPEAKER3 - Hello. This is Paul. Can you hear me?
SPEAKER1 - We can hear you.
SPEAKER3 - Thank you.
PAUL LAFAYETTE - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 4174 - Thank you. St. Joseph's Cemetery was established in 1853, the first Catholic cemetery in Pittsfield. St. Joseph's cemetery will need to expand burial plots in the next five to 10 years. Currently, we have more than 35,000 people buried at St. Joseph's Cemetery. We average 270 burials per year, we have 65 acres located on the West side of the Mass DOT right of way making it landlocked820 for access. We currently have 169.8 acres828 total of which 104.8 acres is located at the East side of the Mass DOT right of way, and approximately 75 acres is developed. St. Joseph's Cemetery served the Catholic community in Pittsfield and852 surrounding communities. Once St. Joseph's Cemetery is able to purchase the right of way land at fair market value, the St. Joseph Cemetery Commission will develop planning for future drainage, roads and burial plots. The plots will include full burial plots, pre name plots, green burial plots, and infant plots for the future needs of889 the Pittsfield Catholic community. St. Joseph's Cemetery is overseen by the superintendent, office manager, grounds foreman, and have limited staff performing exemplary work. St. Joseph Cemetery Commission consists of pastors from the four Catholic churches in Pittsfield, delegates from each parish, a pastor, director, and a chairman, ensuring compliance with diocesan and state regulations, monitoring financial controls, and keeping up on current trends. We thank you and Representative Tricia Farley Bouvier for guiding us through this process to help sustain St. Joseph's Cemetery for the future. Thank you. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you, Paul, for your testimony. Any questions or comments from the committee? I see none. I wanna just tell you that, we would like you to submit electronically your testimony to the committee for the record. So, After the hearing, if you have an opportunity to do that, that would be great.
Every I do not have any questions unless you or Peter would like to add anything979 else. If not, we'll move on to the next bill.
Okay. Thank you very much. We're gonna move on to bill
40 h 4183. Again, an act Authorizing the division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance to dispose of certain parcel of land in the town of Bolton. We do not have anybody signed up to testify either virtually or in person on this particular piece of legislation. My1019 understanding, we Written testimony has been submitted and will be submitted to the committee.
REP CABRAL - H 4161, it's a Bill filed by the Governor to rename the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission. The Governor well, the Governor's office has indicated they are submitting written testimony for this Bill rather than being here and testify in person. I think it's interesting that they want to rename the commission. So I'm looking forward to see the written testimony from the Governor's office or from the Governor. At that point, if we, the committee, have any other questions of that proposal, we'll then reach out to the Governor's office based on their testimony to justify the renaming of the commission. As you know, the commission has been the Massachusetts rehabilitation commission for as long as I can remember. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
So but anyway, have you no questions? Do you have any questions,
SEN MIRANDA - When folks are differently abled or have of either very prominent physical or hidden disabilities, it's often in the work to better to use a word or use something that captures their potential to have an ability. So I actually am for it, and I think it's a great idea. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
SPEAKER1 - Thank you, senator. K. We will, As I said, we'll be looking forward to the the written testimony from the governor. I think, This placed on its face looks interesting,
but I would like to see the written testimony as well. Anyway, we'll call this hearing.
I guess, we'll leave a motion to adjourn. I have a motion. We have a second. All those in favor, say aye. The meeting is adjourned. Thank you very much.
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