Committee tables Andre Lopes bridge naming while members request executed MOU

The Special Committee on Memorials and Dedications received a communication May 13 from Mayor Mitchell proposing that the new pedestrian bridge over John F. Kennedy Boulevard be named the Andre Lopes Memorial Bridge in honor of a Korean War veteran. The committee heard from an assistant city solicitor about the ownership and memorandum of understanding in place, but members concluded the city has not yet accepted the bridge and voted to table action until documentation and ownership are clarified.

Assistant City Solicitor Catherine Chukka told the committee her understanding is that an MOU between the city and the state was executed and that “upon the bridge’s completion, the bridge does become a city owned asset, in which case it would be for the city to decide the name of the bridge.”

Several councilors questioned whether the city had in fact accepted the bridge into its inventory; one said the city had not yet accepted the bridge and that “until such time as the city owned it, that the state delegation was gonna name the bridge.” Committee members asked the solicitor’s office to provide a copy of the executed MOU to council offices for review.

The committee received the communication and placed it on file; later a motion to table the naming was made and approved by voice vote. The committee recorded no roll-call vote in the transcript.

Action was procedural: committee members sought the executed MOU and clarified the distinction between state and city authority over the structure pending adoption. The committee noted the state delegation had previously written the city indicating it would name the bridge while ownership remained with the state. The matter was tabled to allow distribution and review of the MOU and any related easement documents before the committee takes further action.