Mayor Stephanie M. Burke and several department heads spoke about efforts to revitalize Medford Square, construct a new police station and complete the city streets, among other initiatives.

Mayor Stephanie M. Burke delivered her “State of the City” speech to members of the Medford Chamber of Commerce and city officials on Oct. 16 during the organization’s annual Mayor’s Luncheon.

In lieu of delivering a full speech, Burke opted to have some department heads, the chiefs of Police and Fire and Superintendent of Schools Roy Belson speak about work underway at their respective organizations.

She also spoke about her dedication to reducing airplane noise in the city and coordination with other municipalities and citizens to combat the issue.

Prior to members of the administration's remarks, two members of the Sloane family, the founders of Century Bank where the luncheon was held, expressed pride in Burke's progress since being elected, especially remarking on her economic development strategy on Mystic Avenue.

"The important thing the mayor is working on is Mystic Avenue, that's going to be such a plus for us," said Marshall Sloane, the 91-year-old head of Century Bank.

Economic Development

Lauren DiLorenzo, Director of the Office of Community Development, spoke about the current state of the Medford Square Master Plan.

"Participation has been great in that process and makes all the difference," DiLorenzo said.

She said the draft of the master plan is in its final stage and nearly ready for implementation. Key points that came out of the public participation process include attracting businesses to the Square, promoting mixed-use development, adding some housing to the downtown, making the Square more bike and pedestrian-friendly and changing the traffic flow in the area.

DiLorenzo also spoke about new developments in the city, such as the Combined Properties development on Mystic Avenue.

"Finding parcels of property that are underutilized, those are the areas we want to attract," she said.

After DiLorenzo's statement, Burke touched on several other initiatives relating to economic development, such as the deal reached with Bill Blumenreich Presents, Inc. to have the company take over management of the Chevalier Theater.

Engineering and construction

City Engineer Cassandra Koutalidis spoke about the city's Complete Streets initiative and her office's contributions to public safety.

"Complete Streets say that bikes, buses, walkers, wheelers, strollers and other ways of getting around are just as important [as cars]," Koutalidis said. "It is certainly my desire that no one should have to run across a crosswalk to get hit."

There are currently five complete streets projects under construction or fully constructed in the city, along with two others still in the design process.

Energy and Environment

Burke highlighted her administration's attention to environmental issues, including her signing of the Metro Mayors Pledge to become carbon-neutral by 2050. She then introduced Alicia Hunt, director of Energy and the Environment.

Hunt noted that her department recently hosted the eighth annual "Harvest Your Energy Festival," and expressed pride about the near-complete dog park at Riverbend Park.

She also announced her office's efforts to change the city's street lights to LEDs, to add solar panels to the Department of Public Works and to create Medford's climate change vulnerability assessment, which will identify the predicted impacts of climate change on the city in 2050 and 2070.

"You'll be hearing more about this work in the coming months as we start to gather input on how Medford businesses and residents feel that these changes impact the community ... to inform our adaptation plan," Hunt said.

Public Safety

Police Chief Leo Sacco and Fire Chief Frank A. Giliberti Jr. both expressed gratitude for Burke's efforts to construct a new police station, which is expected to be completed by 2020.

"It's like Christmas," Sacco said of the long-awaited station.

Sacco also spoke about Burke's willingness to hire new staff and resources at his department, noting that the department has been able to successfully train many of its new officers so that they are equipped to deal with new challenges, such as two recent incidents relating to individuals with mental health issues.

"We had very successful outcomes in both incidents," Sacco said.

Additionally, Sacco thanked Burke for authorizing the purchase of twelve new police cars, which he said no mayor had ever done previously.

Gilberti similarly noted that the Fire Department is in the process of hiring seven new recruits and new fire engines, and he thanked Burke for her commitment to constructing a new firefighter training facility where the current police station is located.

Education

Belson thanked Burke, the school committee and the city council for their support for the school system, noting the stability of the school district's budget.

"For the tenth consecutive year, we've required no supplemental funding from the city," Belson said. "That's amazing in this day and age of special education and ELL and all the other maintenance needs that a school requires."

He highlighted the recent merger of Medford High School and Medford Vocational Technical School as an initiative that will better prepare all students for both higher education and careers, as well as the addition of technical and vocational programs to Medford Tech.

Belson also touched on new grant-funded projects at the schools that contribute to the district's mission to provide a comprehensive curriculum to children of all ages and to promote social responsibility and social and emotional learning in addition to academic achievement.