[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6187636,"mediaKeyId","5066569-cc5ab5d98822949e0422f4eb2b1b4254","parentId",5066569,"title","Lowell council approves addition of diesel storage for Markley data center after contentious public hearing","audioSeconds",4867,"startMs",2994000,"endMs",7861000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5066569-cc5ab5d98822949e0422f4eb2b1b4254&start=2994&end=7861","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5066569-cc5ab5d98822949e0422f4eb2b1b4254/thumbnail_2994000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6187636/Lowell-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Lowell-council-approves-addition-of-diesel-storage-for-Markley-data-center-after-contentious-public-hearing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6187636-c12aca1b95c43307038c0389ca397122/orig.mp4?Expires=1773509288&Signature=Q3feovcDrQzZCKJ~aRjh-WxJHOYhd83LoANv1Rn2mwrvzYBjPhY7Ryzpl9NS2iotQiBPem76MPB1AM5VpWTbzfMJqyhEGrTFr7y4nNTvtltgnS~H~Sylnpf3JNNp~Ocxqo7g3LeDOb~-Gqr8ar0AQwT5GPBaBYsHP27wND9ba~1Q4UZ7W~U~5TNLvPsc5uRJ7nq~2-lJcSIZfF17qgs9vlGOpdzhVN1sF5D~5S3X2c3-neOesmGDvmakF1bMZ6dHMlbvqk6pOIqLnsBYI~6UZ9COjmZF3yPJyNXzXtyoeobz9CN-p7Lw-ihkmo5KyfFKVTHUmdeQdXlpp9Qg2hAzlg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Lowell City, MA","date","2025-06-25T16:10:19.217Z","article","The Lowell City Council approved a council motion to amend the Markley Group’s fuel storage permit on Tuesday after an extended public hearing that drew both neighborhood opposition and institutional supporters.

The amendment would authorize four additional above‑ground diesel tanks of 6,000 gallons each (24,000 gallons total) at Markley’s data center site (the former Prince Macaroni site on Prince/Market area), increasing the site’s existing permitted diesel storage. Attorney William Martin, representing the Markley Group, told the council the fuel is for emergency backup generators and said the additional tanks would allow the facility to operate on backup power for about 24 hours in a prolonged outage.

Why it matters: Markley hosts critical data operations used by local institutions, including letters of support from UMass Lowell and Lowell General Hospital cited at the meeting, and the company employs more than 100 people on site with dozens of Lowell residents among them. Opponents argued that adding diesel storage in a dense, environmental‑justice neighborhood would increase air pollution, noise and health risks for nearby residents and urged the council to require stronger mitigation or deny the permit.

What was said: Attorney William Martin said the company had already secured state environmental and air permits and fire department sign‑off and that the additional tanks are part of a phased permitting sequence. Martin told the council, “The backup generators would permit Markley to operate for about 24 hours in the event of a power failure.” Supporters included Mary Burns of the UMass Building Authority and multiple union representatives and employees who spoke about local jobs and internships; they said Markley’s presence supports the university’s LINC project and local employment.

Neighbors and climate advocates pressed for alternatives: Several South Lowell residents and public‑interest speakers described frequent noise, diesel odors and related quality‑of‑life impacts. Mary Wamboy, a resident speaking in opposition, said, “The proposal from Markley must be rejected outright,” and urged the council to require greater commitments to clean energy. Representatives of 350 Greater Lowell and local abutters urged the city to make any approval conditional on near‑term measures to reduce emissions and increase on‑site renewable power.

Council debate and conditions: During committee site visits and an environmental subcommittee review, councilors and Markley representatives agreed to additional mitigation commitments, including further noise attenuation, removal of temporary chillers and follow‑up with the city sustainability director. The council considered and rejected a motion to table the item in order to negotiate more conditions. Several councilors asked that Markley produce a clear plan and timeline for noise and air mitigation and to work with the city’s sustainability office on a path to cleaner backup power over time; project representatives said they would cooperate and noted supply constraints for certain renewable backup fuels.

Vote and immediate outcome: The council adopted the permit amendment after a roll call vote. (The hearing record shows a multi‑hour public hearing with many speakers both for and against, and earlier subcommittee discussions and two site visits.) Councilors who asked for continuing oversight said they will monitor implementation and expect to review further permit amendments if and when Markley seeks additional generators or storage.

Ending: The decision allows Markley to operate the four additional tanks but keeps the issue of long‑term decarbonization and neighborhood mitigation active: councilors and the company agreed to ongoing meetings with the sustainability director and with neighborhood representatives to develop further mitigation and transition plans.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Lowell City Council - June 24, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","After a lengthy public hearing, the City Council approved a permit amendment to allow four additional 6,000‑gallon above‑ground diesel tanks (24,000 gallons) at the Markley data center site; neighbors and climate advocates objected, while university and union speakers supported the expansion and jobs.","taxTitle","Lowell City, Middlesex County, Massachusetts","taxId",4223,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6187641,"Lowell council hears request for nearly $40 million to finish high school renovation",2699,1252000,3951000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5066569-cc5ab5d98822949e0422f4eb2b1b4254&start=1252&end=3951","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5066569-cc5ab5d98822949e0422f4eb2b1b4254/thumbnail_1252000.jpg","/articles/6187641/Lowell-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Lowell-council-hears-request-for-nearly-40-million-to-finish-high-school-renovation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6187641-d7c1d215ae830b983bcc7e1020e21913/orig.mp4?Expires=1773509288&Signature=nWFD2JckYFHoMqwSfBnqkqmcmymucqFEOAlvt-ledC4DYIEr5j~VlLjg6qIJiGevqt1C-F-a8EAyVc8gVDTrg78-ykJd7BhCHdU-y6loOSUUv0rAQPMPB7WWHHKB2OagEeNzUWKHMrHNbpbq31k4DxcC56uYPwYFlzCG5WMFp8yJxuNipi-aY57DexawsDtiYvNpd0KV8-zThFcCnboSAdY8b3v7zydBiC8kAJAy1a57FFI9hXaD-T-fgzg2XDy69hqAEVGJxyLp0fX3bJO18YiTi4bb4EWmQXxmrurcv7mz~sWU-1Am24vupmof4f~xd4w4TX3o6Wg86c0Rz49txw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lowell City Council members on Tuesday heard a detailed briefing from the high school project team asking the council to consider an additional $39,800,000 to complete the Lowell High School renovation, which the project team said would raise the total authorized project budget to $420,000,000.

The request came during a presentation by the project team led by Jim Dowd and contractor and architect representatives from Skanska, Suffolk and Perkins Eastman. Dowd said the extra funds are needed primarily to replenish construction contingency and to cover schedule‑related costs caused by a delay in handing over the east side of campus. “That is why we’re going to run out of contingency around the first of the year,” Dowd told councilors during the presentation.

The presentation, delivered after the council took the item out of order so the public and councilors could hear it, summarized the schedule and cost drivers: Phase 3 (the east side of campus) will extend into winter 2025–26, delaying the start of Phase 4 until January 2026; Phase 4 is now estimated to take roughly 18 months with turnover in mid‑2027. The project team said the originally reported $47 million increase figure had been refined and reduced to $39.8 million after negotiations and value engineering.

Why it matters: the additional request would increase the city’s borrowing for the school and, absent more state support, raise the city’s debt service and property tax burden. The city manager and council discussed the effect on FY27 debt service and the possibility of MSBA (Massachusetts School Building Authority) grant adjustments. City Manager Golden told the council the city has excess levy capacity and that, if fully borrowed, the new debt would be paid over time; he estimated the extra borrowing could translate to roughly a 1.6 percent increase in the next fiscal year’s tax levy if the full amount were required from local sources.

Councilors pressed the project team on the count and adequacy of subsurface testing and on whether the same contingency burn rate that occurred in work on the 1922 building should be applied to the 1892 building. Justin Lyons and Bob Bell of the project team described additional borings and testing performed this year and said the 1892 building showed inconsistent slab conditions; they explained the team used a historical contingency burn rate of about 12.5 percent for similar renovated sections when calculating the requested contingency replenishment ($14,750,000). The presenters also said current contingency in the GMP stood at $21,200,000 of which about $16,000,000 has already been spent and roughly $5,000,000 remained, with about $6,000,000 in known changes pending negotiation.

Council pushback and next steps: Several councilors described “sticker shock,” asked how the city would prevent more overruns on future projects, and urged an after‑action review once construction is complete. Councilor Jeunesse said, “the only way we can go is forward,” urging completion so students can use the improved facilities; other councilors requested a formal post‑project retrospective to document lessons learned and changes to procurement and testing practices. Councilor Scott and others asked whether alternative scheduling or temporary leased space had been considered to reduce the schedule extension and related costs.

No vote was taken on the extra appropriation at the meeting. The project team said the next steps include finalizing the revised budget numbers, negotiating with subcontractors and submitting an updated project funding agreement to the MSBA so any additional state grant share would be reflected. The team and the manager said they will continue to press state delegation members for assistance and to seek to limit the local share of any increase.

The presentation included drawings and a phased schedule, and the project team said portions of the campus (the 1980s building and the east campus areas) are on track for near‑term occupancy. The council requested further written details and additional follow‑up briefings on contingency use, borings and measures to reduce the risk of future overruns.

Ending: Councilors said they want both short‑term follow up on technical questions (borings, water intrusion fixes and contingency accounting) and a more comprehensive review once the project is complete to capture lessons for future large capital projects.","City and project team briefed council on a proposed $39.8 million addition to the Lowell High School project budget, citing schedule extension, contingency depletion and unforeseen conditions in century‑old buildings; councilors pressed for state aid and more details but took no vote.","actionData","errors"]

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Lowell council approves addition of diesel storage for Markley data center after contentious public hearing

Lowell council hears request for nearly $40 million to finish high school renovation