Trash Out at 6 a.m. Starting July 1
As part of the City’s new five-year trash contract with Capitol Waste services, the City will implement a new citywide trash, recycling and yard waste collection time of 6 a.m. beginning on July 1.
With an earlier start time, workers will be able to get a jumpstart on their day-long collection efforts, removing curbside trash at an earlier time. Crews will also be able to complete all collection services more efficiently, reducing congestion on city streets during peak hours. The current citywide time for collection is 7 a.m.
In an effort to address the ongoing need for trash collection in the North End, starting on July 1, recycling and trash collection in the North End will be changed to Mondays and Thursdays. Thursday day street sweeping operation will be moved to Friday. These changes will allow the Public Works Department to make sure the streets in one of the busiest downtown neighborhoods will be clean for residents and visitors, and will make it easier for small businesses to receive deliveries in advance of the weekend. Previously, weekly North End trash collection was scheduled for Monday and Friday. The move will allow the South End to be the first collection point on Fridays, where before it was after the North End collections.
City to Move Forward with Earlier Pickup
Chris Osgood, the city’s chief of streets, transportation and sanitation, said trash and recycling pick-up times would begin at 6 a.m. – one hour earlier than the usual 7 a.m. time – beginning July 1, citywide, despite very vocal opposition in the downtown neighborhoods.
The new pickup schedule is reportedly among the terms of the five-year, $28 million contract that the city recently awarded to East Boston-based Capitol Waste Services to handle waste and recyclable collection citywide.
The city previously implemented a short-term pilot program to collect trash at 6 a.m. citywide, Osgood added, and it resulted no additional calls for “missed garbage pickups.”
Osgood said since discarded food and yard waste currently account for “roughly one-third” of trash, the city would soon issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for its collection, thereby reducing the amount of overall waste.
Meanwhile, over the next five to seven weeks, the city would launch a pilot program in the South End offering “collapsible and sealed containers” to residents, Osgood said.
Frog Pond Spray Pool Reopens June 27
Boston Parks Commissioner Chris Cook and The Skating Club of Boston are pleased to welcome children and guests to kick off the 2019 summer season as the Boston Common Frog Pond spray pool reopens on Thursday, June 27. The day will include a fun and exciting celebration at 11 a.m. followed by the opening of the spray pool.
In addition to activities from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., information regarding upcoming summer programs offered by the City of Boston will be available to families and residents and tasty treats will be provided by in-kind sponsors HP Hood LLC, Power Crunch protein bars, and Polar Beverages.
The celebration will feature a special visit from the official mascot Frog Pond Freddie, with entertainment by “Bubble Guy” Jim Dichter, face painters, and media sponsor Magic 106.7.We will be joined by representatives from Legoland, Mass Horticulture, ReadBoston, the Boston Water and Sewer Water Truck, the Boston Public Health Commission, and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment’s “Dumbo” and “Cinderella: Anniversary Edition,” the newest release in the Walt Disney Signature Collection. In addition, children of all ages are eligible to enter a summer raffle.
Families will also be able to enjoy a ride on the Boston Common Carousel. The Carousel is handicapped accessible and has height requirements: anyone 42-INCHES or taller can ride alone; anyone under 42-INCHES requires the presence of an adult. Admission for the ride is $3 with 10 ride cards available for $25. Hours of operation are Sunday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial Ceremonial Reconstruction Launch
Please join the Friends of the Public Garden on Wednesday, July 10 at 10:30 a.m. on the Boston Common as we launch the restoration of the Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial to preserve it for future generations. The stone and bas relief from the plaza level up will be removed piece by piece, the foundation will be rebuilt and the plaza waterproofed, and all will be put back into place. We will celebrate this important project and unveil an interpretive program to educate visitors and residents about the Memorial’s place in the artistic life of America and the fight for equal rights and social justice. For more information, please visit shaw54thmemorialrestoration.org or email [email protected].
Friends of the Public Garden 2019 Summer Party
The temperatures aren’t the only thing sizzling! The perfect way to ring in the hot, hazy days of summer is at our Summer Party, held at our new location, the Four Seasons Hotel Boston. Get your tickets fast, this event will sell out! The party will be held on July 17 from 6-8 P.M. at the Four Seasons Hotel. Go to friendsofthepublicgarden.org to purchase tickets.
Free Walking Tours of the Public Garden
Join the Friends of the Public Garden for Untold Stories of the Public Garden, free walking tours of the first public botanical garden in the United States. Led by a pair of expert volunteer guides, learn about the history, sculpture, and horticulture of the Garden on a tour through this treasured oasis. Tours head out Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 4:00pm and Wednesday mornings at 10:00am through Labor Day, weather permitting. They run about an hour, and start at the Make Way For Ducklings Statue
DCR Traffic Advisory on Storrow Drive
On Thursday, June 20, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will implement double lane closures along Storrow Drive (outbound) from the Fiedler Footbridge to the Bowker Interchange in the City of Boston from 7 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. to accommodate roadway catch basin and manhole repair work. Traffic patterns will be clearly marked, and a police detail will be on site.
Woman Hit and Killed on Mass/Cass
At 7:48 a.m. on Monday, June 24, Massachusetts State Police were notified that a pedestrian had been struck by a motor vehicle on the Massachusetts Avenue Connector at Melnea Cass Boulevard. Patrols from the State Police-Tunnels Barracks and Boston EMS responded. The victim, an adult female, was transported to Boston Medical Center, where she was pronounced deceased. Her identity is not being released at this time pending notification of next-of-kin.
An investigation indicates that the victim was struck by a 2016 Hyundai Accent operated by a 34-year-old man from Rocky Mount, N.C. The driver remained at the scene. He was also transported to Boston Medical Center for evaluation of possible injuries.
State Police detectives and Troopers from the MSP Crime Scene Services Section and MSP Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section responded to assist in the investigation, which remains ongoing. State Police assets cleared the scene at 10:37 a.m. No further information is being released at this time.
Back Bay Happenings
• Free admission to MFA for BPL cardholders in June: As part of the Toulouse-Lautrec and the Stars of Paris exhibition partnership with the Boston Public Library, throughout the month of June 2019, BPL cardholders can sample MFA membership by presenting their library cards at any ticket desk to receive free admission to the Museum (for two adults and up to six kids per visit) and a 10-percent discount in the Toulouse-Lautrec and the Stars of Paris exhibition shop (eCards not valid). BPL cardholders can also reserve discounted passes to the Museum year-round through local BPL branches. These passes provide admission for two people at $10 each. This program is sponsored by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the City-Wide Friends of the Boston Public Library.
• Tree Removal Falls under the Back Bay Architectural Commission
After several tree removals in the Back Bay sparked violations from the Back Bay Architectural Commission (BBAC), Sue Prindle of the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay stressed the requirement of going through the Commission when someone would like to remove a tree. Some people who come before the Commission say they are unaware that this is a requirement, but the Commission said that the Inspectional Services department knows it is and conveys that to those looking to remove a tree. Coming before the BBAC prevents the unnecessary removal of trees and will offer solutions to people who have an issue with a particular tree.
South End Dates
•SoWa First Friday
The artists of SoWa Artists Guild invite you to visit SoWa First Friday, free and open to the public! More than 80 artists’ studios at 450 Harrison Avenue in the SoWa Art + Design District in the South End of Boston will be open from 5 – 9 p.m. You’ll meet artists and experience a wide variety of original contemporary art that is available for you to browse and buy. MBTA Orange line to New England Medical Center, then Silver line outbound to Union Park Street. Parking is available. For more information, please visit http://www.sowaartists.com and http://facebook.com/SoWaArtistsGuild.
•The SoWa Open Market will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 30, with Proclamation Ale Company taking over the beer garden. Music by The Old North from noon to 3:30 p.m.
•The 2019 Ink Block Underground Mural Project by Street Theory will take place in Underground at Ink Block on June 24-29.
•The East Berkeley Neighborhood Association (EBNA) has ended its spring meetings. The EBNA has changed its meeting time for the fall, now meeting on the first Tuesday of the month instead of the third Tuesday. They will meet next on Sept. 3.
Fenway Times
•The Peterborough Senior Center holds bingo at 12:30 and a Tech Café at 11 a.m. every Wednesday. Come play bingo and meet new people, or can get help with your phone or tablet/computer.
•Summer Fitness Series at Symphony Park
Free, age-strong fitness classes at Symphony Park, located at 39 Edgerly Road in the Fenway.
Join your neighbors for these classes, sponsored by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, Boston Public Health Commission, Blue Cross & Blue Shield, with support from the Mission Hill Fenway Neighborhood Trust. All classes take place in the park at 10:00 a.m.; in event of rain, classes will be held at 100 Norway Street:
Chair Yoga: Tuesdays, June 4 – September 24
Tai Chi: Thursdays, June 6 – July 25th
•The BPDA will be holding an Impact Advisory Group meeting regarding the Kenmore Hotel on June 27 from 6:00-8:00 in the Kenmore Classroom Building, Room 106, 565 Commonwealth Ave.
•The BPDA is holding a public meeting regarding the Fenway Theater and Fenway Park Improvements Project on July 1 at 6:00pm at the Dell EMC Club at 20 Jersey Street. Fenway Sports Group Real Estate has filed a Draft Project Impact Report (DPIR) for the 12-28 Lansdowne St. (Fenway Theater) project. The DPIR is a response to the Scoping Determination issued by the BPDA on May 15, 2019. The DPIR has responses to the BPDA’s and City’s comments on the project, as well as responses to all public comments submitted to the BPDA. The comment period for the review of the DPIR runs until July 29, 2019.
Red Sox Home Games:
6/29 vs. Yankees at 1:10pm
6/30 vs. Yankees at 10:10am
7/12 vs. Dodgers at 7:10pm
7/13 vs. Dodgers at 7:15pm
7/14 vs. Dodgers at 7:08pm
7/15 vs. Blue Jays at 7:10pm