Council approves re-designation of Cushing Park

Hallelujah brothers and sister!

This was kind of a surprise, given that a couple of days ago it seemed the order was doomed to failure.

So now Cushing Park is turned over to the mayor yada yada funds secured within 5 years (as opposed to 10) yada yada but no alterations can take place until sufficient funds for completion of entire center have been committed yada and this decision does not preclude siting the senior center somewhere else.

The vote was 8-3, with councillors Connell, Ives and Shanley voting 'no.'

Shanley noted that he had to vote as the ward councillor (Cushing Park, if I'm not mistaken, is in his ward) and too many people had asked him to vote against the proposal to re-designate the 'park' from municipal parking to municipal parking/senior center.

The vote took more than 2 hrs., with the council struggling over words and conditions to the original order, which was to re-designate the park and turn it over to the mayor.

Friends of the Council on Aging will now attempt to secure funding to build the estimated $5M building within 5 years. The funding, not the actual building, has to take place within 5 years or it goes back to the Council.

So let's see if it flies - but once again, the City Council has stepped up and made the tough decision. I'm encouraged!

See Tom Salemi's blog for much more coherent detail.