What Will the City Fund With the Meals Tax Money?

With the meals tax approved, the city has proposed using the money generated for several capital improvement projects.

The City Council’s Finance Committee will consider a $12.45 million bond package backed by the tax money. Under the prposal, the bonding will pay for several capital improvement projects in the city. Several projects listed have been discussed in town for years, while others are relatively new capital improvements.

Once the Finance Committee makes its recommendation, the full council must vote on the package before the city secures the bonding, which Malden would pay off over the course of 20–30 years. That vote could come as soon as Tuesday.

The following projects are some of the big-ticket improvements included in the bonding proposal in front of the Finance Committee.

Included in the list of proposed projects was $1.85 flagged to purchase the High Rock parcel.

Located on the east side of Malden, between Lebanon Street and Broadway, High Rock is one of the tallest points in Malden. The seven-acre parcel is nestled between residential lots. The current owner, Kevin Douglas, planned to build several single-family homes on the site. Because of the rocky terrain, the construction would have required blasting in the area.

After years of fighting over the property—including trips to land court—the city and developer are close to an agreement, according to Mayor Richard Howard.

“I think the details have been worked out,” said Howard.

The city will hold the land as open space in the short-term, said Howard, although some amenities like walking trails may be built on the parcel.

“I certainly don’t have any immediate plans for re-use,” said Howard. For now, the plan is just to acquire it.”

Making any purchases for the city if difficult in the current economic climate. Even though Malden is scrimping and saving to cover projected budget deficits, Howard believes the purchase of High Rock is justified.

“The pricing became right,” said Howard. “We had opened up negotiations with the developer in the past and back then the valuation was way higher, north of $3 million.”

The opportunity to buy the land at a lower price, coupled with historically low interest on binding and the dedicated revenue of the meals tax, made the purchase viable, he said.

Ward Six Councilor Neil Kinnon said the purchase of High Rock was a priority in both the Malden Visioning Project and the city’s Master Plan, both of which call for buying High Rock and making improvements to Waitt’s Mount. The purchase, then, should not come as a surprise to anyone, he said.

“Those are two pieces of property that the Vision and Master plans say have to be dealt with,” said Kinnon, whose ward includes the High Rock parcel.

The biggest project funded by the meals tax is the South Broadway Park improvements. The reconstruction of the site will include new drainage, road and traffic construction, and folding in additional land from the adjacent Broadway plaza. 

The current project cost is set for $5.5 million, but the amount actually needed from the meals tax money could be far less.

“It might be that the actual cost won’t cost anything on the municipal budget at all,” said Howard.

The drainage improvements will be paid for by a water and sewer overlay account, while the city can tap into Chapter 90 funding from the state for roadway and traffic-calming improvements in the area. The project is also eligible for federal Community Development Block Grant funding. If additional funding is needed, it will come from the meals tax binding.

Once completed, the park aesthetically will look like the neighboring Maplewood Park. The diamond will shift away from neighborhood homes, and the path between Maplewood Street and the shopping plaza will be better defined and have better traffic controls.

Waitt’s Mount: Another $1.5 million of the bonded amount is earmarked for Waitt’s Mount, Malden’s highest point and home to a neglected hilltop park.

Pine Banks: The athletic fields, owned jointly by Malden and Melrose, are due for a major upgrade. Current plans call for each community to chip in $1.5 million to complete the project, which includes new fields and a parking lot. Melrose tapped a fund earmarked for Mount Hood to pay for its part of the funding. Malden was granted a $500,000 grant for improvements, and will use $1 million in meals tax bonding to cover the rest of its tab.

MacDonald Stadium: The city’ home football field is slated for $1 million in funding for repairs to the aging facility.

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