Lue Gim Gong, who left North Adams to become the 'Citrus Wizard.'

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Local historian Paul Marino thinks it's about time the city recognized a one-time resident who, unwittingly, has helped the Drury High band raise money each fall. Not to mention revolutionizing the citrus industry.

"This is the time of year to order your oranges and citrus fruit from the Drury band," he told the City Council on Tuesday night. "The reason we're able to do that in December is because of Lue Gim Gong."

Lue was born near Canton (Guangzhou) around 1860 and arrived in North Adams as a boy with the contingent of Chinese brought in by Calvin T. Sampson to break the strike at his shoe mill in 1870. Importation of these 75 Chinese workers — and another 50 who arrived the following year — had national connotations for unions and immigration, resulting in part in legislation in the following decade that banned Chinese immigration.

But Lue's participation in the shoe mill isn't the reason Marino wants to honor him; it's what he did later.

Lue was one of the handful of Chinese still living in the city a few years after the strike. He was taken in by the Burlingame family, who lived at the corner of Summer and Church streets. Fanny Burlingame, a Sunday school teacher, nursed him back to health when he came down with a fever and helped him become a citizen in 1877. In 1886, Lue moved to Deland, Fla., to live with Burlingame's sister and brother-in-law and look after their orange groves.

He became a well-known horticulturist and one of his experiments resulted in a late-growing orange, known as the Lue Gim Gong Orange or Strain. It's still sold as a Valencia orange.

"He is the man who years later perfected the orange that ripens over the summer rather than over the spring  and avoids the frost," said Marino. It's why we can order Florida oranges and grapefruit in December."  

Lue's work has been recognized in DeLand — a bust of the "Citrus Wizard" was commemorated in 2000 and he appears on a county mural with his beloved rooster. But nothing in North Adams, which not only brought Lue to the East Coast but whose brutal winters sent him south to his destiny.

"He lived in North Adams for many years and we've never done anything to honor him," said Marino, who suggested renaming what's left of Summer Street, where Lue lived, for the horticulturist. "I think it would be great if we could rename that street."

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council on Tuesday night approved a $1.18 million reduction in the city budget to be offset by use of the land-sale account.

The transfer will balance this year's budget but Mayor Richard Alcombright warned there were "serious decisions" to be made for next fiscal year because the city has a $1.2 million structural deficit that will be exacerbated by possible state cuts of up to 12 percent.

"It's going to mean ugly, painful cuts for next year," said the mayor. "In the best case scenario, we're hearing 5 percent cuts in state aid next year; reality is, a couple of candidates in the election this year were talking about 8 to 12 percent."

The city had requested special legislation earlier this year to allow it to take nearly $900,000 from the land-sale reserves (most from the sale of watershed lands in Vermont) to pay off the Medical Insurance Trust debt to balance the budget. North Adams has been struggling with a budget deficit caused by declining revenues and state aid; much of the city's free cash has been used over the past few years to staunch the bleeding from the loss of education and municipal aid.

"Three years ago you had close to $4 million in reserves and the last two fiscal years particularly, about $2.8 million of that was used to reduce the budget and to balance the budget," Alcombright told councilors. The mayor had asked to use the watershed money to limit dependence on the disappearing free cash. He said about $45,000 to $50,000 was left in the land-sale account. "The increase in taxes, water and sewer was necessary to balance the budget along with the use of the land-sale account."

Frequent commenter Robert Cardimino said he hadn't heard of the legislation and wanted to know why taxes were raised if the city had $1 million to spend. Alcombright countered that the council and the Finance Committee had discussed the use of the land-sale account numerous times and that it had been part of his Power Point presentation to citizens in May.

"All this was done months ago," he said. "All I'm asking for now is we go through the formality of moving this $1.2 million so we can set our tax rate in two weeks."

The mayor asked the Finance Committee to meet Monday, Nov. 22, at 5 p.m. at City Hall to review the tax rates being proposed. Committee Chairman Michael Bloom asked how the city looked going into the next fiscal year.

"There is no crutch to fall back on; there is no million dollars to pull out," he said.

Alcombright said it would be tough because the city had already raised fees and is taxing to its levy limit. In addition to state candidates, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation and the Massachusetts Municipal Association were forecasting cuts of at least 8 to 10 percent across the board.

"A 10 percent cut on our general aid and school aid would be about $1.4 million," said Alcombright. "That coupled with a $1.2 million deficit ... do the math."

He suggested the Finance Committee begin meeting almost immediately after the tax rate is set to begin reviewing next year's budget. On the plus side, he expected the city to get back $400,000 to $500,000 this year from Blue Cross Blue Shield; if those numbers continue, it could mean the city reducing its debt obligation regarding the Medical Insurance Trust fund in two or three years, less than half the time allowed. 

The council passed the reduction unanimously by voice vote, although Councilor Marie Harpin questioned whether the mayor could confirm the home-rule petition allowing the account's use had been passed.

"I think when we do these home-rule petitions, that we should have something," said Councilor Marie Harpin. "We should really have something in front of us knowing it's approved."

"We've done other home-rule petitions and I've never seen the administration send it out to councilors to review," said Bloom. "I trust the mayor's word."

Council President Ronald Boucher asked if the mayor would provide copies of the final legislation from now on and Alcombright agreed.

In other business, the council postponed an ordinance change that increases the permit fee for waste haulers from $85 to $100 annually for each vehicle. Health Inspector Manuel Serrano told the council that the permit applies to any commercial hauler who transports waste through the city, whether they use the city landfill or not.

However, the language in the ordinance continued to contribute to confusion last meeting about the amendment because it referred to a "commercial business" to be permitted at $85 and additional vehicles as costing $45. Serrano said the Board of Health's intent was to charge $100 per vehicle and that most haulers used one truck; larger ventures, such as Allied Waste, permitted only those trucks that would enter the city. The ordinance will be taken up again in the first meeting in December with appropriate language changes.

The mayor said he will be interviewing six or seven candidates for city assessor; one is from Southern Vermont and the rest from Northern Berkshire. He also said most of the road and bridge work will be completed this fall, with the exception of the Hadley Overpass, where repairs below the deck will continue.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Planning Board on Monday night approved a raft of signs and the division of a property on Windsor Lake.

Frederick and Linda Scully were seeking permission to rebuild a cabin on the property that burned down in July 2008 and to divide the property with Kerry Burch of Durham, N.C.

The Scullys owned two-thirds of the land and Burch, their niece, one-third; the land had been deeded from the life estate of Margaret L. Scully.

The board approved the division for two single-family residences and for a special permit for the Scullys to rebuild the camp. Building Inspector William Meranti said the plans conformed to the city's code and that the Fire Department had looked at the access road off West Shaft Road.

"They believe the road is substantal width and accessible for fire trucks to get down," said Meranti. The Scullys had installed a new bridge and planned more road improvements over what is a ancient right of way.

The board also approved signage for the new Clarksburg Collectible Gift Shop on Eagle Street being operated by David and Lori Smith; for Hemmingway, on condition that a full-color rendering be submitted; for Unforgettable Cuts on State Road; for I Got Goodies new location on Main Street; and for Rub Bourbon & BBQ on Marshall Street, on condition that a final version of the sign be submitted. The businesses either have already been approved or did not need special permit to operate in their locations.

The City Council has a light agenda on Tuesday night, mostly dealing with the city's budget. The agenda and last meeting's minutes can be found below

It will be asked to reduce the city's fiscal 2011 budget by $1,182,000 through the use of land sale funds as allowed by special legislation. The funds from the account will be used to pay down debt to balance the budget.

"I do not take this reduction and subsequent transfer lightly," wrote Mayor Richard Alcombright in a letter accompanying the order, "as it will once again further deplete our reserves and sets the table for a very unsure FY12 budget preparation season."

NA_CityCouncil_11092010The mayor said the action must be taken so that the city can set its tax rate. The council will be asked to set the annual public hearing on the tax classification for real and commercial property for its Nov. 23 meeting.

The council is also expected to finalize an ordinance change requested by the Board of Health that increased waste-hauler licenses from $85 a year to $100. Councilors, however, had questions as to whether the change applied to entire company or to each truck. Health Inspector Manuel Serrano was to provide clarification.

In recent good news, the city is expected to gain some $36,000 in new tax revenue for former religous properties. The North Adams Transcript reported last week that the former St. Francis of Assisi Church, the city's oldest Catholic church, and Our Lady of Mercy on State Road have had their tax-exempt status lifted by the state Department of Revenue. The churches were closed more than two years ago as part of a consolidation of parishes within the Springfield Diocese.

The paper reported that St. Francis and its rectory, both in the downtown, were assessed at $1.1 million and taxed at the commercial rate of $32,000; Our Lady of Mercy was assessed at $314,000 and taxed at $3,900. Both properties are for sale.